Chapter 27 : Appearance of the Go Saint from the Great Scholarly Institute (3)

Chapter 27: Appearance of the Go Saint from the Great Scholarly Institute (3)

"This good-for-nothing dares to harass the young lady!"

Wi Yeonho turned to look at the young man who had suddenly appeared. The man, dressed like a classic Confucian scholar with a refined face, was glaring at him, his face flushed with rage.

Wi Yeonho shifted his gaze away from the young man and asked Mun Eunji.

"Who is he?"

Mun Eunji didn’t answer him. Instead, she spoke to the young man.

"No, Lord Dam. It’s not like that…"

The young man, referred to as Lord Dam, waved his hand dismissively.

"You need not worry, Miss. I will handle this myself."

"No, that’s not what I meant…"

But Lord Dam was adamant.

"You wretch! Watching you idly play Go like some loafer was already testing my patience, and now you dare harass the young lady? Did you think you’d get away with it?"

Wi Yeonho chuckled.

"Whether I play Go or go fishing, what’s it to you?"

"A pitiful fool who does nothing but play Go and laze around all day—what nonsense are you spouting?"

Wi Yeonho looked directly at Lord Dam.

"I’ll make sure to relay those words to Scholar Mun."

"What?"

"You said I’m a pitiful fool who just plays Go and lazes around, right? Isn’t that an insult to your master?"

Dam Jingok was visibly taken aback by Wi Yeonho’s words.

Come to think of it, his master, Mun Yuhwan, was also someone who spent his days immersed in Go.

"My master is nothing like you."

"How so?"

"He doesn’t laze around like you! He simply enjoys Go as a hobby!"

"In the end, both of us spend our time playing Go, don’t we?"

"How could you ever be compared to my master?"

Wi Yeonho clicked his tongue.

"Doing the same thing but getting different evaluations depending on the person? What a brilliant judge you must be."

"You insolent brat!"

Wi Yeonho glanced at Mun Eunji.

"Am I wrong?"

"…"

Mun Eunji couldn’t easily answer.

If one were to argue the truth, Wi Yeonho’s words were certainly off the mark. After all, how could one compare Mun Yuhwan, whose academic achievements had reached their peak and were treading a new path, to Wi Yeonho, who likely didn’t even recognize the names of the scholars?

However, based on the surface meaning alone, it was hard to outright call him wrong.

With a bright smile, Wi Yeonho looked at Dam Jingok.

"And whether I laze around or not, what does it matter to you? Are you my father or something?"

"To slack off in the sacred hall of learning—have you got no shame?"

"You study because you want to, and I sleep because I want to sleep. What makes us so different that I should feel ashamed?"

"How could studying and sleeping be the same?"

"What’s different?"

"They’re just different! Completely different!"

"Sure, then tell me exactly how they’re different."

"By studying, you gain something!"

"Sleeping relieves fatigue."

"By studying, you learn to stand upright!"

"Hard to stand upright when you're tired, though."

Dam Jingok ground his teeth.

"Studying can be its own goal. But sleeping can never be a goal."

"Studying is a goal?"

"Indeed!"

"Then why do you study?"

"Hmph! Isn’t it obvious? To build myself up and make a name for myself."

Wi Yeonho smiled lightly.

"Make a name for yourself… So in the end, you study just to get ahead in life."

"Hmph! That goal isn’t limited to personal gain! I intend to hold office and make this country a better place."

"How?"

"What do you mean, how?"

"How are you going to make it better?"

"…"

"If you’ve been studying with that goal for over ten years, surely you have a plan for when you take office, right? What policies will you implement? What kind of legal system will you establish?"

"I… want the people to live in peace…"

"Ah, spare me the righteous platitudes. I can rattle off hundreds of those right now. Tell me the actual processes and systems you plan to use."

"…"

Wi Yeonho shrugged.

"In the end, you’re just studying because you want to succeed. Or maybe you're just doing it because people around you said you should. You probably think you’re doing something great, but… well, to me, you don’t seem all that different from me."

Dam Jingok’s face turned red.

"How could someone like you—a slacker—ever be the same as me! At least I don’t laze around like you!"

"That’s true… I’ll give you that. You’re probably better than me. But if you’ve spent over ten years studying just to be better than someone like me, that’s pretty sad. You probably would’ve been better even without all that effort."

"You…"

Looking at Dam Jingok, his face flushed and breathing hard, Wi Yeonho spoke sharply.

"Whether you study or not is none of my business, but if you think you’re doing something amazing, don’t go looking down on others. Even the Confucianism you’re studying probably teaches not to belittle others. If someone can’t even practice the most basic teachings, then talking about scholarship feels a bit ridiculous, don’t you think?"

Leaving those words behind, Wi Yeonho turned away.

Dam Jingok looked as if he was about to say something, puffing angrily, but in the end, he just cursed under his breath and walked off.

Mun Eunji looked at Wi Yeonho with a newfound expression.

Wi Yeonho smiled slightly at her.

"What? Seeing me in a new light?"

"Yes."

Surprisingly, Mun Eunji nodded without resistance.

"Really?"

"You caught me off guard. I’ve never heard such absurd logic before in my life."

"Huh?"

Mun Eunji let out a dry chuckle.

"Saying that studying and sleeping are the same because people do both out of personal desire…"

"Well, I don't think that's exactly wrong."

"I'd love to see what's going on in that head of yours—how you can say that with a straight face."

"There's nothing special about it."

Wi Yeonho gave a light chuckle.

Then, leaving Mun Eunji behind, he began walking ahead. Mun Eunji looked at his retreating back with a faint smile.

‘I suppose I do see him differently now.’

When it came to learning, debate was an essential part of the process.

The Great Scholarly Institute considered debate an inseparable part of education.

Dam Jingok had never lost to anyone when it came to an argument.

No matter how absurd the logic, this was the first time Dam Jingok had been completely overrun in a debate like that.

Wi Yeonho was a strange person—the more she looked, the stranger he seemed.

"That young man, is it?"

"Yes."

The elderly man smiled gently.

Standing silently with his hands folded behind the elder was Mun Yuhwan.

"Indeed, an interesting young man."

"He is not an ordinary individual."

"Not ordinary, hmm… You're right. The question is—what kind of extraordinary?"

"He seems to be hiding his true self."

"Hiding his true self?"

"That’s how it seemed to me, Grandfather."

The elder nodded at Mun Yuhwan’s words. He stared quietly at Wi Yeonho with deep, penetrating eyes, then smiled.

"That may be true."

Looking off into the distance at Wi Yeonho’s departing figure, the old man murmured quietly.

"A fascinating one, indeed."

---

Nok Gi, raised his pale hand and picked up a teacup.

The scent of pu-erh tea brought in from Sichuan had always helped soothe his mood.The deep aroma born of long fermentation brought with it the flavor of time itself.

Yet today, he could barely sense the fragrance. Not because the tea lacked quality, but because his heart was restless.

After savoring the aroma for a moment, Nok Gi slowly opened his mouth.

"What did you say?"

At his question, Nok Mokpung bowed deeply.

"It seems difficult, Father."

Lord Nok’s eyes narrowed.

"Difficult?"

"Yes."

"Useless fool."

To those words, Nok Mokpung had no reply.

"Did I assign you a task beyond your ability?"

"No, Father."

"You can't even take a single girl under your hand, and you think you're fit to scheme anything at all?"

"My apologies."

Nok Mokpung’s face twisted with a mix of shame and anger.

"So are you planning to give up?"

"…It’s not easy."

"I’ve given you no small amount of instruction. Are you telling me that, among all those strategies, you can’t pick a single one to use?"

"If this were a normal situation, I would not dare trouble your mood, Father."

Lord Nok tilted his head.

"Not a normal situation? Is there a problem?"

Lifting his head, Nok Mokpung answered.

"A strange individual calling himself the Go Saint of the Great Scholarly Institute has appeared."

"The Go Saint?"

"Yes."

"I’ve heard the rumors. But isn’t he just some fool who plays Go all day?"

"He’s not the issue. The real problem is that, because of him, powerful figures from across the nation have gathered at the Great Scholarly Institute. With so many eyes watching, our movements are severely restricted. If we make a careless move, we could face serious blowback."

"There are too many eyes, then."

"Yes."

"Hmm…"

Lord Nok stroked his smooth, beardless chin, looking intrigued.

‘Powerful figures, is it…’

It was well known that Mun Yuhwan’s Go circle included people with significant influence even within the royal court. Otherwise, someone like Lord Nok wouldn’t bother being wary of Mun Yuhwan. Even without their presence, things wouldn’t be easy. But if they had to carry out their plan under those watchful eyes, the difficulty would multiply several times over.

"In that case, I can understand why you're hesitating."

"My apologies."

"But listen closely."

"Yes, Father."

Lord Nok’s eyes turned cold again.

"Do you think this task was merely for my personal benefit?"

"…"

"The royal conquest is an order given to me directly by him. Failing to complete it is unthinkable—for me, and for you."

Nok Mokpung’s shoulders trembled slightly.

"I do not fear death. But disappointing him—that is far more terrifying than dying. Do you understand what I’m saying?"

"Yes! I understand completely."

Lord Nok nodded.

"Hesitation has no place here. Sometimes, forceful measures are necessary."

"Forceful measures?"

"The so-called Go Saint… that brat is actually helping us. With him here, that girl hardly matters anymore. We stand to gain something far greater."

Nok Mokpung tilted his head in confusion.

"I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean, Father."

"Hohohoho."

"If there are many powerful people, we can turn that to our advantage. Mun Yuhwan has dug his own grave."

Nok Mokpung didn’t quite understand what Nok Gi meant. But he knew very well just how cunning Lord Nok was—a man who, despite being a eunuch, had risen to the very core of power in the royal court. If he was speaking like this, it meant the trap for Mun Yuhwan was already in place.

Lord Nok’s eyes gleamed coldly.

"The royal family… will soon be in the palm of my hand."

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