Do you know what shame is? (3)

“Which way? Say it again.”

When Hyeong Wook heard Ho Gamyeong’s voice, he desperately tried to grasp onto his fading consciousness.

‘Why was I holding out?’

Why resist? A newfound question arose within him. It didn’t seem like much time had passed, yet he couldn’t recall. Why was he enduring this brutal torture?

What was he trying to protect? Was that man wrong?

No. There was no doubt. Hyeong Wook knew it too.

If he upheld loyalty here, those who left wouldn’t even know. They wouldn’t know if he died here or if he betrayed them for wealth and power.

To them, Hyeong Wook was just a passing, insignificant connection. People can easily give a coin to a pitiful beggar, but they won’t remember that beggar.

Isn’t it human nature to toss a coin and then forget about it? Perhaps in the minds of those Hwasan’s people, Hyeong Wook’s name has long been erased.

So Ho Gamyeong was right. If he were a bit wiser, it would be better to betray them now, pretending to be defeated.

All he had to do was close his eyes once. It wasn’t that difficult, was it? Compared to the mistakes he had made in his life, it was just a trivial matter.

He wasn’t a saint, nor did he possess great dignity. He was just a struggling insect trying to survive day by day. So, wouldn’t this be enough?

If he continued to stubbornly persist like this, everyone here might suffer the consequences.

Was that truly the right thing to do? Was that really the path he should take? The answer was clear. What he had to do was too obvious.

He just needed to open his mouth and utter the two syllables, “Nanjing.” Then everything would be fine.

And he could just live on.

Even if he didn’t receive the substantial wealth promised by that man, as long as he could continue living like before, tilling the fields, raising children, enduring physical hardships but finding solace in his heart, wasn’t that enough?

Hyeong Wook’s lips slowly parted. Nanjing. Just Nanjing. That’s all he needed to say.

No one would blame him. In fact, no one would even know that he had committed something worthy of blame. After all, since everyone in the village had abandoned Hwasan, no one would dare to question Hyeong Wook’s conscience.

So, all he had to do was utter this word and everyone could reclaim their ordinary lives. What was wrong with that?

“Speak clearly. Hurry.”

Ho Gamyeong even kindly pressed his ear closer to Hyeong Wook’s mouth. So that Hyeong Wook didn’t have to endure any shame or shivering, all he had to do was whisper softly.

Hyeong Wook’s father once said that upholding one’s conscience was something only strong people could do. Now, he understood the meaning of those words. So, there was no more hesitation.

Hyeong Wook weakly opened his mouth.

With effort, straining his neck, he uttered the word “Nanjing,” letting it slip out of his lips.

“…ea…t…sh…i…t……”

But, what actually came out wasn’t this word.

He watched Ho Gamyeong’s face contorted like a demon’s.

‘I don’t know.’

Hyeong Wook couldn’t explain the reason for this choice. Even if he were torn apart and condemned by the villagers in the afterlife, he would simply bow his head.

But why? A part of his heart felt strangely relieved and refreshed.

As Ho Gamyeong’s hand shot up and started gleaming, Hyeong Wook couldn’t help but laugh.

‘Righteous masters.’

His hand descended towards Hyeong Wook.

‘It seems I had more dignity than I thought.’

Crash!

A deafening explosion erupted. Instantly, clouds of dust shot up, enveloping everything in a haze.

The villagers, who had been watching Hyeong Wook and Ho Gamyeong without even breathing, tightly shut their eyes.

They couldn’t bear to witness the horrifying sight of a head exploding, even though the torture they had witnessed was already unbearable.

But when the dust settled slowly, an unexpected scene unfolded.

Thunk.

Ho Gamyeong’s hand was filled with soil, dug deeply into it. Then, he withdrew his hand from the hole beside Hyeong Wook’s head.

His subordinates blinked, slightly surprised.

“Commander!”

“We’ve wasted our time.”

Ho Gamyeong straightened up. Then, with a cold gaze, he looked down at Hyeong Wook, who was still breathing.

Baek Bi hurried over and bowed his head.

“Commander, I will take care of this.”

“Leave him be.”

Ho Gamyeong cut in with an indifferent tone.

“He won’t last much longer without proper treatment anyway. There’s no need to make his departure comfortable.”

“Yes, commander.”

There was no trace of mercy in Ho Gamyeong’s eyes.

If he were to kill Hyeong Wook here and now, it would only result in Ho Gamyeong being seen as someone who resorted to violence against powerless peasants, without achieving his goal.

“In the end, an insect is just an insect,”

Ho Gamyeong said coldly before turning away.

“Commander, then what about them…?”

Baek Bi glanced at the villagers. Ho Gamyeong waved his hand.

“Leave them be.”

“But…”

Baek Bi, who never hesitated before, faltered in his speech. The situation had turned so dire that he implied taking strict measures might prevent further humiliation.

During the era of Maninbang, Ho Gamyeong would have undoubtedly wiped them out without hesitation. But now, Ho Gamyeong’s judgment was bound to be different.

“Have you forgotten Ryeonju’s orders?”

“Oh…”

Baek Bi pondered for a moment and quickly bowed his head.

Ryeonju Jang Ilso had issued a directive to the entire Sapaeryeon not to harm the commoners recklessly. Even if it were just one or two individuals, interfering with the entire village blatantly violated that order.

While others might get away with it as long as they weren’t caught, Ho Gamyeong couldn’t. Jang Ilso was trying to win the favor of the commoners in Gangnam by releasing grain. In such a situation, going against his intentions over a trivial matter of honor was unreasonable. Hyeong Wook alone was more than enough, if not excessive.

“Watching how those who defy us meet their end and etching that fact into their bones isn’t a bad idea. But more importantly…”

Ho Gamyeong’s voice turned icy.

“There will surely be traces left behind. Search every inch of it.”

“Yes!”

At the chilling command from Ho Gamyeong, everyone moved with unwavering determination. His gaze as he watched them was dark.

‘What a foolish thing…’

He had wasted time.

Normally, the moment he thought the guy was enduring better than expected, he would have issued the next order without hesitation. But this time, he couldn’t make such a judgment.

Ho Gamyeong knew. It was partly because of his personal feelings.

Ho Gamyeong’s strength originally stemmed from his pragmatism. Unlike the fiery and explosive Jang Ilso, he was infinitely calm and composed. But in this matter, he had lost his composure. He couldn’t deny it to himself.

Ho Gamyeong closed his eyes and let out a long breath.

‘Hwasan…’

If that man had covered up a sect other than Hwasan, promising to uphold his loyalty, Ho Gamyeong would have scoffed at the foolish peasants who couldn’t even secure their own rice bowls.

But the moment this word “Hwasan” was mentioned, a relentless determination to witness the breaking of that will with his own eyes surged within him.

It was truly a foolish endeavor. What significance did it hold for the will of a mere peasant to break or not?

Ho Gamyeong, who had initially been wary of Jang Ilso’s excessive attachment to Hwasan, found himself fixating on Hwasan even more than Jang Ilso.

“Commander! There are traces over here.”

“Dispatch a pursuit team. Follow right away.”

“Yes!”

Ho Gamyeong slowly lowered his gaze.

Hyeong Wook lay sprawled like a lump of flesh. Like a bug… no, perhaps even worse than a bug.

“Am I now defeated by a mere bug?”

Ho Gamyeong muttered to himself as he stepped away. As he moved further, the members of Maninbang who had been holding their breaths followed closely behind him.

The members of Maninbang who had filled the village departed like receding waters. With their departure, the nightmare that had gripped the village seemed almost like a lie.

Only Hyeong Wook’s pitiful body and the surrounding crimson blood served as proof that the time had indeed been real.

“Is… is it all…?”

Those who had thought everyone was done for murmured in disbelief, their eyes fixed on the scene before them.

As they stared blankly in the direction where Maninbang had disappeared, one by one, they slowly regained their senses and turned their attention to Hyeong Wook.

“Hy… Hyeong Wook!”

“This man!”

Although they rushed towards him in haste, none of them dared to touch him, hesitating as they stood around.

There was nowhere to lay a hand. With no corner to turn to, there was no clear starting point for how to help.

“Hey, you! You foolish idiot!”

Yet elder Hyeong grabbed Hyeong Wook without hesitation, pulling him into his embrace as if already knowing his fate.

“Didn’t I…! Didn’t I tell you? That it was all meaningless! Gratitude, whatnot…! Haven’t I said we’re just to suffer for our efforts! You foolish…! This… this…!”

The elder’s desperate wails echoed through the village.

Those close to Hyeong Wook couldn’t even bring themselves to look at him directly, their minds consumed by grief, while the young ones stood frozen in fear, unable to approach. Everyone sensed Hyeong Wook’s impending doom.

“We, people like us… even that was deemed too greedy for us… What’s so difficult about saying that one word! You foolish… You foolish thing! You foolish bastard! Ugh, hoo hoo hoo…”

Tears streamed down the elder’s weathered face as he sobbed uncontrollably, his gaze fixed on Hyeong Wook’s face.

Perhaps it was because of those tears, but Hyeong Wook slowly regained consciousness, pushing his eyelids open.

“Oh… Father…”

“T-That’s right! You! That’s right, it’s me! Your father!”

Hyeong Wook struggled to lift his hand. The old man quickly grasped his trembling hand.

“You, you must come to your senses! You mustn’t die like this! This isn’t your time to go! Even this old father is still alive, why should you go! Why!”

Hyeong Wook struggled to keep his eyes open, his gaze fixed on his old man as a faint smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

“Fo… …”

His voice, barely audible and strained, seemed like it could fade away at any moment.

“…Forgive…”

With those words, Hyeong Wook’s head slumped forward.

As the strength drained from the hand he was holding, the elder tightened his embrace around his son, wailing until his throat felt raw.

“Hyeong Wook! You, you!”

The villagers, unable to leave the scene, one by one joined in the mourning. The village was filled with mournful cries.

And there, alone in the place that Maninbang had already left, stood someone who had yet to leave.

Yu Gong watched the grieving villagers with a blank expression, his eyes filled with indescribable emotions.