Book 9 Chapter 1
Stubbornness vs. Unbending Stubbornness
“I b-e-g y-o-u! Please l-e-t g-o!”
‘What is this guy even talking about?’
The man loitering before his eyes
his demand was crystal clear.
This person was demanding a voluntary apology from himself, someone who had been pampered and raised with a fortune, as if they were the sky.
What is an apology?
The dictionary definition of an apology is to express regret for one's mistake or to acknowledge and repent one's wrongdoing and feel sorry for it, but the function of an apology is not as small as can be expressed in these few words.
An apology can be said to be one form of communication. And its functions are very special and diverse. This is because it has the special function of reconnecting severed conversations and restoring broken relationships. However, sometimes, the nonsensical thing called pride can completely interfere with the act of apologizing, this useful and convenient means of communication.
Looking around, one can find surprisingly many people who treat their wrong beliefs as absolute divine will and rush forward blindly, like a blind person, without looking at their surroundings. Such people often make such mistakes. Of course, it can be a great nuisance to those around them. The common characteristic of such people is that they have lost their judgment and cannot distinguish between self-restraint and digging their own grave. They have no idea that they are digging their own graves. Even at this very moment.
In such cases, ten out of ten, a hundred out of a hundred, the situation only expands in a bad direction, and there are absolutely no cases where good results come out. Except for the whims of heaven.
But even so, do not resent apologies. Even if the situation is led in the wrong direction due to someone's wrong beliefs and stubbornness, it is the fault of the imbecile who is also a fool for misusing the tool, not the fault of the apology.
One way or another, the fact that apologies are a useful tool for making society run more smoothly and gently remains unchanged, and it is also an indispensable tool for creating a harmonious and balanced society.
If there were no apologies, the world would have been endlessly embroiled in confrontation, fighting, and endless arguments. A vicious cycle of endless repetition, where confrontation breeds confrontation and fighting breeds fighting, might have appeared. Such a society would be an even more bleak and unpleasant world than it is now.
Nevertheless, even considering all of this (the excellent and useful aspects of an apology) that has been expounded at length, an apology was an impossible act for her. This was no longer a matter of right and wrong for her. The simple and clear definition that she had to apologize because she made a mistake did not apply to her.
‘You crazy bastard!’
That was all the reaction she could give.
‘As the head of an organization, do you think I would apologize for something so trivial! I absolutely cannot! Besides, what exactly did I do wrong that I need to apologize for? Shouldn’t that guy be the one apologizing instead? How dare a lowly person defy me, the leader of the League of Heroes! Is that even remotely acceptable!!!’
Maharyeong would not have apologized even if she had made a mistake. That was how she lived. It was undoubtedly a way of thinking that caused great inconvenience to those around her. Perhaps that’s why her stubbornness showed no signs of yielding.
Given her current feelings, an apology was impossible. Instead, her hostility was turning into murderous intent and rapidly escalating to its maximum. She was fully utilizing the useful excuse of being the head of an organization.
Her arrogant pride, vanity, and excessive self-consciousness seemed to prefer the world tearing in two over an apology.
‘Do you think I would bow my head to such a lowly peasant!’
With her true feelings like this, a peaceful atmosphere was impossible. The atmosphere between the two people, their hands and wrists connected, could only become increasingly bleak and grim. Those watching from the side were suffocating from the tension, frustration, and pressure that radiated from the two and filled the surroundings.
‘I… I’m scared…….’
This was the common feeling of the Gujeonghoe members, who were forming a human barrier and closely observing the situation. They were already starting to fear how the situation would unfold. They absolutely did not want to be caught in the crossfire just because they happened to be nearby.
‘But what kind of person is that guy anyway?’
Their questions were directed towards Bilyuyeon, who maintained an attitude that had absolutely nothing to do with Maharyeong's personal preferences.
*Smirk!*
Bilyuyeon was meeting Maharyeong’s venomous gaze with a refreshing smile.
“Th-this…”
Maharyeong was perplexed when her intangible energy, like river water flowing into the sea, received no reaction.
Intangible energy is an invisible force that only peak masters can emit, a force that emanates not from the body but from a trained mind and accumulated internal energy. It would be no exaggeration to consider it an intensified murderous intent.
The intangible energy emitted by a master like her could exert a psychological shock on the opponent with almost the same power as actual martial arts. For ordinary martial artists, they should have been trembling like a frog encountering a snake. Yet, the unlucky man before her was calmly letting her murderous intangible energy flow away without a trace, standing as if nothing had happened. This was infuriating for Maharyeong.
‘As expected, he’s not just a simple bum! But… still… absolutely…! Would I ever apologize!’
Her inner thoughts were unwavering, firm, and clear. She seemed incapable of apologizing, even if it meant death. It was questionable whether apologizing was such a difficult task.
However, when it came to stubbornness, Bilyuyeon was no less formidable. Moreover, he was the type to even consider bizarre and violent methods if it meant achieving his desired outcome. Bilyuyeon was, by nature, a person with an exceptionally flexible approach to means and methods compared to others.
It seemed Bilyuyeon intended to extract an apology from this young lady, who epitomized arrogance and pride, even if it meant actively exercising his extensive flexibility.
Given that their thoughts were so diametrically opposed, friction was inevitable, and the stalemate naturally had to be prolonged.
“……”
“……”
Gazes clashed, creating brilliant sparks.
Although Bilyuyeon and Maharyeong remained silent, their conversation was not absent. A silent dialogue, more intense than any argument or dispute, was igniting a strong spark between the two. This fire was not of a nature to be easily extinguished (hence everyone’s headache).
Maharyeong’s frosty gaze was desperately trying to pierce through the barrier of hair blocking Bilyuyeon’s vision. Bilyuyeon, currently on the defensive, remained unmoving, with an attitude as if wondering where a dog was barking.
Swept up in their atmosphere, the surroundings also became increasingly tense. No, the tension had already reached such a point that it felt like someone was about to suffocate to death.
It was a battle between the highly esteemed leader of the League of Heroes, who controlled half of the Cheonmu Academy’s forces, and a mere disciple, who was rumored to have won the Samseongmuje through a series of lucky coincidences (though winning the Samseongmuje alone was a considerable feat).
Considering their status or skill, it shouldn’t have been a match in the first place, yet astonishingly, a fight that was thought to be impossible was now happening, leaving everyone dumbfounded. Everyone was shocked by the unexpected fact that this fight was not one-sided.
*Gulp!*
As they watched the standoff between these two (a stubborn man and an unyielding woman), swallowing dryly, the hearts of the onlookers were burning like parched paddy fields in a drought.
‘I’m going mad!’
Baek Muyoung, one of those people experiencing intense frustration and actively involved in this sudden turn of events, had a mind as tangled as a ball of yarn.
‘How can this possibly happen under normal circumstances? Usually, things like this don’t happen so easily.’
The current situation was completely uncalculatable by his mind, his inherent knowledge, and common sense.
However, a conclusion was necessary, even if forced. A conclusion that he and those around him could accept! But no matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn’t find a way. He was beginning to doubt his own brain, which he had always prided himself on.
His gaze turned to one man.
‘Why is it that man again? Why!’
Bilyuyeon’s figure clearly entered his bleak vision.
‘What conclusion, other than that the man is crazy, could possibly convince anyone else? Even I, who witnessed it that day, still can’t tell if it was a dream or a mass hallucination…….’
Baek Muyoung still couldn’t believe the fact that he had witnessed with his own eyes, standing alone before the Cheol gag bi ma dae, that unbelievable divine presence. This was because he considered himself a very sensible person and was usually very confident.
‘If this continues, won’t I be considered crazy?’
Baek Muyoung had to suppress the urge to tear out all his hair. It wouldn’t lead to any other solution.
‘After that day, I vowed not to be surprised by whatever that man did…….’
It was a futile resolution, shattered in less than six months.
‘Do I just have to watch now?’
Even Baek Muyoung, known for his quick thinking, was helpless against this situation that had grown dozens of times larger than expected. If he was to stop it, he should have acted before Bilyuyeon’s hands made their brutal round trip across the precious cheeks of the divine being. But he had arrived only after the incident had already occurred. It was too late now.
Since Maharyeong’s sky-high and arrogant pride had already been provoked, if he intervened incorrectly, it could escalate into a clash between the two major factions of Cheonmu Academy, a major incident.
“Damn it!”
Now, all he could do was let go and entrust his fate to the flow of the world. What Baek Muyoung felt deep in his heart now was an indescribable, strange emotion.