Chapter 54. The Goryeo Camp
Yoon Ji-woong returned after completing his task and made his report.
Seo Ui-taek asked,
"Is he dead?"
"I could not confirm it. As agreed, I drove him into the enemy camp. I saw him struck by a spear and fall."
Yoon Ji-woong did not mention that his spear had failed to pierce the man's body.
That omission came from a lingering unease that the man might still be alive.
He had thrust with all his strength, yet the blade had not gone through.
There was a chance—however slight—that the man had survived.
"Speak plainly. You mean you could not confirm it?"
"Yes. I pushed him into the Jurchen ranks. He was isolated, alone. Spears and blades came down upon him, but I was too far to see whether he died."
"…Damn."
Yoon Ji-woong watched Seo Ui-taek's face carefully.
"And when I returned, the general's aides at the west gate pressed me hard. They demanded to know what had happened. They looked as if they might kill me on the spot."
"I see."
"What is the matter?"
Seo Ui-taek let out a long breath.
"That man… it seems he was a disciple of Baek In-gyeom."
"…What?"
Yoon Ji-woong's shoulders dropped.
This was bad. Far worse than he had expected.
"So that is why he was so strong," he said.
Seo Ui-taek shook his head slightly.
"He was not originally his disciple. It seems he was taken in only recently."
"Then perhaps they will not press us too hard," Yoon Ji-woong said, placing a faint emphasis on the word us.
"No one can say. In any case… there is much to consider."
Yoon Ji-woong spoke again, more firmly this time.
"A man like that deserves to die. He broke the chain of command. It is insubordination—ha-geuk-sang. No matter how capable he is, such a man only harms the order."
"That is true. But the problem lies with the elders. We may have touched something we should have left alone."
Yoon Ji-woong lowered his head.
His mind, sharp and calculating, began to move quickly.
"General… I find that I suddenly wish to return home. I want to leave everything behind, farm a small plot of land, and live quietly, serving my parents."
"You bastard."
"After hearing of these 'elders,' I have grown afraid. They are not beings we can contend with, are they?"
He had already made his decision.
He had followed one man this far, but beyond this point lay something greater—something he would not face.
He had thought that when General Seo rose in rank, he too would rise and share in that glory.
But from here onward, that path ended.
"You mean to cast aside the bond we have shared?"
Yoon Ji-woong dropped to his knees.
"I have done everything that was asked of me. I have not shrunk from foul or difficult work. But if I go any further, my life will be forfeit. Those men… they stand beyond the human realm. I must stop here."
"And now you would go to them and say you are sorry? That it was not your intention?"
"I beg your pardon. Forgive me for not being able to serve you any longer. This is not betrayal—I am simply fleeing out of fear."
Seo Ui-taek answered coldly,
"That is betrayal."
Yoon Ji-woong struck his forehead against the ground and pleaded for forgiveness.
In truth, he had committed no obvious wrong.
There was only one thing—he wished to stop here, and even that was not easily granted.
His duty demanded that he serve until death, sealing his wretched life in that service.
Time passed.
At length, Seo Ui-taek gave a small nod.
"You have done enough. I am grateful."
He handed over a document.
"This is a deed to a small parcel of land. Go there and you will see. It is good land. I had it prepared for you."
"…You did not need to do this…"
His words protested, but his hand closed tightly around the document.
"Your discharge papers will be prepared shortly. Leave by today."
"Thank you. Truly, thank you."
Seo Ui-taek pulled him to his feet and patted his shoulder.
A few hours later, Yoon Ji-woong left the fortress without a sound.
A dozen of his subordinates came to see him off in secret.
Two horses were loaded with heavy packs, filled with what he had gathered over time.
Seo Ui-taek had given him additional gifts, but he could not carry them all.
He distributed the rest among those who had served under him.
After traveling some hundred li, he urged his horse onward, eager to put distance behind him.
The wide plains stretched endlessly until they gave way to low, rolling hills.
He slowed there, allowing himself a brief rest.
As he rounded the bend of a hill, they appeared.
Jurchen cavalry.
They were the very line of contact he had once used when dealing with the Jurchen.
"Well now… are you leaving?"
Yoon Ji-woong stiffened.
His eyes narrowed.
I sent no word. How do they know?
There was only one answer.
Seo Ui-taek had spoken.
Or perhaps one of the men who had seen him off had carried the message.
There was no one in this world to trust.
He had always known it, yet still he had hoped.
He dismounted with a composed face.
"Well then, I was just thinking it would be a shame to leave without a word… Come, come. I have brought gifts."
He began untying the bundles from the spare horse.
He had chosen only the finest things for the long journey—valuable items, carefully packed.
He tossed them one by one toward the approaching riders.
They did not take them.
They brushed them aside as if they were nothing.
"…Do you know how valuable those are?"
There was no reply.
Their gaze, cast down upon him, was cold.
Is it already too late?
Gifts had always opened doors with them.
Had that no longer held any meaning?
A sharp sound cut through the air.
A short arrow buried itself in Yoon Ji-woong's throat.
Before he could even fall, the cavalry charged.
They cut him down in a single stroke, then wheeled back and trampled over him.
His body, drenched in blood, was crushed beneath the hooves until it was no longer whole.
A life that ended without weight.
You are no different from me, and I am no different from you.
Or so it should have been.
Yet he had believed, with stubborn certainty, that he alone would be different.
And so he had lived, clinging on.
And in the end, this was how it ended.
The next morning, the Jurchen cavalry scattered his belongings before the west gate.
There was ginseng among them, and silver ingots.
Silk, and glass of rare make.
Seo Ui-taek, upon receiving the report, gave a bitter smile.
There is nothing that returns to a traitor.
More important than anything else was that their secrets remain buried.
And it was necessary, once again, to show his subordinates the end that awaited those who betrayed.