Where did everything go wrong?
Trying to assign blame at this late stage could be a stupid thing to do. Reflecting on the past and learning from mistakes were privileges of those who still had a future. And unfortunately for Lee Seong-Taek, the future would stop existing for him pretty soon.
The only choice left for him was death. And the grim reaper offering that choice revealed itself fully before Lee Seong-Taek's eyes.
...In the figure of Vator, no less!
'Only death awaits, is it...?'
Lee Seong-Taek quietly bit down on his lip. When he thought about it, didn't his life always unfold this way? He never got a chance to actively make significant choices impacting his life. And if he did get to make a choice, it'd be to analyze his surroundings and figure out the less challenging path.
He never tried to change the situation surrounding him nor did he ever bravely step forward to bring unrealistic goals to reality. Not even once. And his reward for that was this situation.
The price for not making his choices was crystal-clear to see. And now, Lee Seong-Taek couldn't even choose how he'd die!
He felt hollow inside. Empty. Besides...
How was he supposed to explain this emotion being shouted out loudly by his madly-pounding heart?
His vision had been blurry and dreamy for some time as if this situation was no longer taking place in reality. A monotone world drained of color seemed to be crushing down on Lee Seong-Taek.
'If only I knew things would end this way...'
He only wielded a pathetic little authority as a director. However, since his life was about to end without him getting a chance to actually wield that power... Maybe he should've lived as his heart willed. That was his only regret.
The light in Lee Seong-Taek's eyes sharpened as he glared at Vator.
'Stop with all these useless, stupid thoughts!'
What would change by regretting now? Lee Seong-Taek had an epiphany as the final moments of his life rapidly approached him.
It was useless to regret the past. That part of his life was already over. Besides, what he needed to ponder at length was not 'I shouldn't have done that!' but how to conduct himself better in the future.
And for his future, he only had one choice left to make.
'How should I die?'
Yes, he already knew. He knew that it was all ultimately meaningless. It didn't matter how he died since no one would remember his death, anyway.
He'd be nothing more than an insignificant part of a grisly rumor about how Vator massacred the group of elders and directors. Would people be curious about how a director named Lee Seong-Taek was killed off?
Probably not. Who would care about trivial details like that?
His offspring might be the only one who cared enough to grieve. No, wait. Even that was not guaranteed, now was it?
"Kekeke..."
Lee Seong-Taek had to laugh. He couldn't stop his cackles from escaping his mouth.
He believed things would get better eventually. If he continued living this way, he'd one day reach a point in life where looking back to his past actions wouldn't leave him with shame. He believed he'd nod sagely in approval of his life.
But that was why his life had gone wrong. If a martial artist's life was a constant dance between life and death, Lee Seong-Taek should've lived every day without regrets. He shouldn't have harbored a lackadaisical mindset of, 'Even if today is unsatisfactory, things will improve later on.'
There could be only one fate in store for him, anyway. No one would know how he died, but that didn't matter to him anymore. Even if no one would applaud him for his manly death, Lee Seong-Taek didn't care. That would be nothing more than self-satisfaction, anyway.
However, even though the might still reach the same end result, death, the process of getting there could be changed, no?
Lee Seong-Taek turned his head to his side to search for Song Yeong-Mu.
The elder of the Martial Assembly was sticking very closely to a half-crumbled wall, his expression stupefied and pale. How fortunate it was that rain was falling. Otherwise, piss stains near his crotch would've been exposed for everyone to see.
Lee Seong-Taek grimaced in bitterness and looked away. He did not want to die like that. No, more than that, he didn't want to survive while looking like that man!
Living a life of a groveling servant would only produce an equally pathetic end. Lee Seong-Taek now understood this, so at the very least, he wanted to stand tall and proud while greeting his end. Only by doing so could he stand proudly before King Yama. And say that even though his life had been pathetic and insignificant, he was still proud of his final moments!
Craaaack...!
Lee Seong-Taek's fists produced bone-popping noises. He suddenly felt a bit rueful about not holding his favorite weapon. However, didn't that also prove that Lee Seong-Taek was no longer a martial artist? How can a warrior leave his favored weapon at home and still call himself a warrior?
In that case, there was nothing to be rueful about. If a warrior didn't have swords, he should simply use his fists! If his fists were out of commission, then use his teeth to bite and fight back! That should be enough. That was the way of a martial artist!
Lee Seong-Taek's eyes coldly withdrew.
"...Hmm?" Vator cocked an eyebrow and smirked meaningfully when vigor returned to Lee Seong-Taek's eyes. 'Yes, that's it. There should be at least one like him.'
Even if South Korea's martial society had fallen to the pits and its leaders generally corrupted to the core, at least one or two should still possess the spirit of a true martial artist. After all, even if every apple in the cart was rotten, one was bound to be perfectly fine.
'Good...!'
Lee Seong-Taek's glare was as cold as it could get. A man who had cast everything aside and was ready to greet his end would possess such eyes.
Vator didn't go on a lengthy preamble. Determination wasn't proven with one's mouth, after all!
"Come!"
He didn't stop to wonder if his intention had been delivered to his target. Sometimes, intentions powerful enough could even overcome the language barrier.
As if to prove it, Lee Seong-Taek dashed toward Vator with his fists ready. He loaded every ounce of power he could muster into both of his fists. Then... He punched with every fiber of his being!
His tightly clenched teeth could not endure the pressure and began cracking. That was when Lee Seong-Taek became convinced about something. This attack... It was the best, strongest attack he had ever produced!
Even if he scoured the memories spanning the entirety of his life, he'd not find another moment of him producing such a perfect punch!
Baaaang!
Lee Seong-Taek's fist collided with Vator's left chest. And that was when Lee Seong-Taek instinctively realized something. That realization was all about Vator's physique, the one nonchalantly accepting Lee Seong-Taek's attack!
A millisecond after his fist touched Vator's chest, an unimaginably powerful recoil slammed into Lee Seong-Taek.
CRUNCH! CRACK!
Those were noises of bones breaking. And no, they weren't mere noises, either!
Bones in Lee Seong-Taek's right fist got crushed and broke apart. Indescribable pain was shooting up from his arm as if every bone up to his wrist had been shattered from the impact.
'So what!'
He was going to die anyway! What did this little pain matter in that case?
Lee Seong-Taek loaded his still-intact left fist with enough power to burst his own skin and jumped up. Although Lee Seong-Taek's posture was bad, Vator didn't bother to move from the spot, allowing the director of the Martial Assembly to accurately punch the giant in his chin!
Crunch!
Lee Seong-Taek could see it. He saw his left fist getting crushed as if everything happened in slow motion.
"Hah... Hahaha!"
A helpless chuckle broke free from Lee Seong-Taek's mouth. What a wretched showing this was. As it turned out, Lee Seong-Taek wasn't even a threat!
However, this much was already fine. With this, he now had things to proudly proclaim in front of King Yama. Lee Seong-Taek could proudly say he was a man who landed a direct punch to Vator's face.
And that was enough.
"Fuu-woo...!" Lee Seong-Taek landed back on his feet, then raised his head to glare at Vator. 'Do not waver...!'
The only thing scaring him now was his eyes and legs... trembling involuntarily. That was what scared him the most now. He didn't want to show a pathetic side after throwing that punch.
Rather than death, being remembered as a coward was a much scarier prospect for Lee Seong-Taek. So, he proudly spread his shoulders open and glared straight at Vator. He had done everything he could. The only remaining thing was to stand tall like a man and welcome his demise.
Vator wordlessly looked down and studied Lee Seong-Taek. The two men's glares collided in the air. Then, Vator muttered something in a foreign language before slowly cocking his arm back.
Lee Seong-Taek clearly saw Vator's rolled-up fist cocking behind the giant's back. And soon, that fist would guide Lee Seong-Taek to the afterlife!
'What was the first thing I ever learned as a martial artist?'
Lee Seong-Taek suddenly recalled the first-ever teaching he received from his master all those years ago. It was so long ago that he could barely remember his master's face now.
—Do not ever close your eyes.
—A man trying to learn martial arts should never close his eyes out of fear of getting hit. Someone like that does not have the qualifications to become a martial artist.
'Yes, he's right...!'
Lee Seong-Taek could learn martial arts precisely because he never closed his eyes against his master's fist. After that, his entire adult life was spent in the company of martial arts.
Since he had always adhered to that principle for his whole life, Lee Seong-Taek felt confident about not closing his eyes even in the face of his impending death. Failing to keep his eyes open now would only prove that his life had been too unsightly.
Lee Seong-Taek remained composed while observing the wind pressure exploding out from the death rapidly approaching his face. And he never blinked once.
However, something was a bit weird here. Death was clearly coming for him, yet the speedily-approaching fist was noticeably getting slower as it closed the distance toward Lee Seong-Taek's face.
'Is this... the so-called life flashing before my eyes thing?'
Apparently, time would dramatically slow down for those about to die. It seemed Lee Seong-Taek was getting several opportunities to experience the mysterious phenomena of this world today.
His final day being so packed full of events should be something to be glad about, but everything being ultimately meaningless lent a touch of ruefulness to the proceedings.
'...Mm?'
This was so weird. Did that fist... actually stop?
Lee Seong-Taek's fingers flinched slightly when he realized that time... hadn't actually slowed down! Vator's fist had really stopped right in front of Lee Seong-Taek's face!
That firmly closed fist, seemingly powerful enough to blow away Mount Tai, suddenly spread open into a palm. And then... it slowly moved away from Lee Seong-Taek's face to land firmly on his shoulder instead.
Pat!
Vator patted Lee Seong-Taek's shoulder, then walked past the dazed director of the Martial Assembly.
"...???"
Lee Seong-Taek was left stupefied and utterly speechless. His brain, stuttering from extreme tension, couldn't readily comprehend this situation. Thankfully, Zhang Dajing was here to rescue Lee Seong-Taek from his quagmire.
"This way, please," said Zhang Dajing while reaching out to grab Lee Seong-Taek's shoulder. Then he pulled the older man along.
Despite seeing this Chinese man as his enemy, Lee Seong-Taek was powerless to resist and got pulled away to wherever Zhang Dajing wanted to take him.
Eventually, though, a dazed question leaked out of Lee Seong-Taek's mouth. "What just..."
Zhang Dajing smirked at the flustered look on Lee Seong-Taek's face before explaining what happened. "Sir Vator has acknowledged you as a warrior."
"A... warrior?"
"Yes, a warrior. You know, someone who fights," Zhang Dajing casually shrugged his shoulders. "Sir Vator believes that the elders of the Martial Assembly must be warriors first and foremost. Of course, I advised him that such a thing was impossible, but he just didn't want to listen to me."
What on Earth was this young man saying? Lee Seong-Taek couldn't readily decide if his head had blanked out too much to correctly comprehend the situation or if Zhang Dajing was spewing rubbish.
Still, one thing seemed certain. And that was Lee Seong-Taek had survived this encounter. When that realization washed over him, he absentmindedly tried to touch his face.
However, Zhang Dajing immediately stopped him. "Oops. You should not move your hands, sir. You might not get to use them ever again if something goes wrong now."
Lee Seong-Taek's head lowered, his gaze drifting toward his hands. With many bones shattered, both arms were limply dangling by his sides. The damage seemed extensive. So much so that Lee Seong-Taek started wondering if they could ever go back to being normal again.
'Even then... Who cares if I can't get my arms back?'
Lee Seong-Taek instinctively realized something. His journey as a martial artist was effectively over, and he'd never exchange moves with another warrior. Not when he had witnessed the overwhelming martial prowess that he could never, ever hoped to attain!
"Of course, you shouldn't think it's over now," said Zhang Dajing with a detestable smirk on his face as if he could see through Lee Seong-Taek's thoughts. "The final say rests with Mister Jin-Ho, after all. Still... I don't think that gent would kill anyone who doesn't resist. He can be rather righteous in weird things, you see..."
Lee Seong-Taek tore his eyes away from the detestable young man gleefully running his mouth and stared at Vator again. He could see the gigantic back that didn't seem to belong to a human being.
It seemed Vator remained visually threatening whether viewed from the front or the rear.
Lee Seong-Taek quietly asked a question. "What... about the others?"
"Mm, well..." Zhang Dajing shrugged his shoulders. "They didn't seem to have passed Sir Vator's test. In that case, their fate seems rather obvious, doesn't it?"
Indeed, it was. Painfully obvious, too.
Lee Seong-Taek's dazed eyes took in the sight of Vator's forward march.
Where did everything go wrong?
Trying to assign blame at this late stage could be a stupid thing to do. Reflecting on the past and learning from mistakes were privileges of those who still had a future. And unfortunately for Lee Seong-Taek, the future would stop existing for him pretty soon.
The only choice left for him was death. And the grim reaper offering that choice revealed itself fully before Lee Seong-Taek's eyes.
...In the figure of Vator, no less!
'Only death awaits, is it...?'
Lee Seong-Taek quietly bit down on his lip. When he thought about it, didn't his life always unfold this way? He never got a chance to actively make significant choices impacting his life. And if he did get to make a choice, it'd be to analyze his surroundings and figure out the less challenging path.
He never tried to change the situation surrounding him nor did he ever bravely step forward to bring unrealistic goals to reality. Not even once. And his reward for that was this situation.
The price for not making his choices was crystal-clear to see. And now, Lee Seong-Taek couldn't even choose how he'd die!
He felt hollow inside. Empty. Besides...
How was he supposed to explain this emotion being shouted out loudly by his madly-pounding heart?
His vision had been blurry and dreamy for some time as if this situation was no longer taking place in reality. A monotone world drained of color seemed to be crushing down on Lee Seong-Taek.
'If only I knew things would end this way...'
He only wielded a pathetic little authority as a director. However, since his life was about to end without him getting a chance to actually wield that power... Maybe he should've lived as his heart willed. That was his only regret.
The light in Lee Seong-Taek's eyes sharpened as he glared at Vator.
'Stop with all these useless, stupid thoughts!'
What would change by regretting now? Lee Seong-Taek had an epiphany as the final moments of his life rapidly approached him.
It was useless to regret the past. That part of his life was already over. Besides, what he needed to ponder at length was not 'I shouldn't have done that!' but how to conduct himself better in the future.
And for his future, he only had one choice left to make.
'How should I die?'
Yes, he already knew. He knew that it was all ultimately meaningless. It didn't matter how he died since no one would remember his death, anyway.
He'd be nothing more than an insignificant part of a grisly rumor about how Vator massacred the group of elders and directors. Would people be curious about how a director named Lee Seong-Taek was killed off?
Probably not. Who would care about trivial details like that?
His offspring might be the only one who cared enough to grieve. No, wait. Even that was not guaranteed, now was it?
"Kekeke..."
Lee Seong-Taek had to laugh. He couldn't stop his cackles from escaping his mouth.
He believed things would get better eventually. If he continued living this way, he'd one day reach a point in life where looking back to his past actions wouldn't leave him with shame. He believed he'd nod sagely in approval of his life.
But that was why his life had gone wrong. If a martial artist's life was a constant dance between life and death, Lee Seong-Taek should've lived every day without regrets. He shouldn't have harbored a lackadaisical mindset of, 'Even if today is unsatisfactory, things will improve later on.'
There could be only one fate in store for him, anyway. No one would know how he died, but that didn't matter to him anymore. Even if no one would applaud him for his manly death, Lee Seong-Taek didn't care. That would be nothing more than self-satisfaction, anyway.
However, even though the might still reach the same end result, death, the process of getting there could be changed, no?
Lee Seong-Taek turned his head to his side to search for Song Yeong-Mu.
The elder of the Martial Assembly was sticking very closely to a half-crumbled wall, his expression stupefied and pale. How fortunate it was that rain was falling. Otherwise, piss stains near his crotch would've been exposed for everyone to see.
Lee Seong-Taek grimaced in bitterness and looked away. He did not want to die like that. No, more than that, he didn't want to survive while looking like that man!
Living a life of a groveling servant would only produce an equally pathetic end. Lee Seong-Taek now understood this, so at the very least, he wanted to stand tall and proud while greeting his end. Only by doing so could he stand proudly before King Yama. And say that even though his life had been pathetic and insignificant, he was still proud of his final moments!
Craaaack...!
Lee Seong-Taek's fists produced bone-popping noises. He suddenly felt a bit rueful about not holding his favorite weapon. However, didn't that also prove that Lee Seong-Taek was no longer a martial artist? How can a warrior leave his favored weapon at home and still call himself a warrior?
In that case, there was nothing to be rueful about. If a warrior didn't have swords, he should simply use his fists! If his fists were out of commission, then use his teeth to bite and fight back! That should be enough. That was the way of a martial artist!
Lee Seong-Taek's eyes coldly withdrew.
"...Hmm?" Vator cocked an eyebrow and smirked meaningfully when vigor returned to Lee Seong-Taek's eyes. 'Yes, that's it. There should be at least one like him.'
Even if South Korea's martial society had fallen to the pits and its leaders generally corrupted to the core, at least one or two should still possess the spirit of a true martial artist. After all, even if every apple in the cart was rotten, one was bound to be perfectly fine.
'Good...!'
Lee Seong-Taek's glare was as cold as it could get. A man who had cast everything aside and was ready to greet his end would possess such eyes.
Vator didn't go on a lengthy preamble. Determination wasn't proven with one's mouth, after all!
"Come!"
He didn't stop to wonder if his intention had been delivered to his target. Sometimes, intentions powerful enough could even overcome the language barrier.
As if to prove it, Lee Seong-Taek dashed toward Vator with his fists ready. He loaded every ounce of power he could muster into both of his fists. Then... He punched with every fiber of his being!
His tightly clenched teeth could not endure the pressure and began cracking. That was when Lee Seong-Taek became convinced about something. This attack... It was the best, strongest attack he had ever produced!
Even if he scoured the memories spanning the entirety of his life, he'd not find another moment of him producing such a perfect punch!
Baaaang!
Lee Seong-Taek's fist collided with Vator's left chest. And that was when Lee Seong-Taek instinctively realized something. That realization was all about Vator's physique, the one nonchalantly accepting Lee Seong-Taek's attack!
A millisecond after his fist touched Vator's chest, an unimaginably powerful recoil slammed into Lee Seong-Taek.
CRUNCH! CRACK!
Those were noises of bones breaking. And no, they weren't mere noises, either!
Bones in Lee Seong-Taek's right fist got crushed and broke apart. Indescribable pain was shooting up from his arm as if every bone up to his wrist had been shattered from the impact.
'So what!'
He was going to die anyway! What did this little pain matter in that case?
Lee Seong-Taek loaded his still-intact left fist with enough power to burst his own skin and jumped up. Although Lee Seong-Taek's posture was bad, Vator didn't bother to move from the spot, allowing the director of the Martial Assembly to accurately punch the giant in his chin!
Crunch!
Lee Seong-Taek could see it. He saw his left fist getting crushed as if everything happened in slow motion.
"Hah... Hahaha!"
A helpless chuckle broke free from Lee Seong-Taek's mouth. What a wretched showing this was. As it turned out, Lee Seong-Taek wasn't even a threat!
However, this much was already fine. With this, he now had things to proudly proclaim in front of King Yama. Lee Seong-Taek could proudly say he was a man who landed a direct punch to Vator's face.
And that was enough.
"Fuu-woo...!" Lee Seong-Taek landed back on his feet, then raised his head to glare at Vator. 'Do not waver...!'
The only thing scaring him now was his eyes and legs... trembling involuntarily. That was what scared him the most now. He didn't want to show a pathetic side after throwing that punch.
Rather than death, being remembered as a coward was a much scarier prospect for Lee Seong-Taek. So, he proudly spread his shoulders open and glared straight at Vator. He had done everything he could. The only remaining thing was to stand tall like a man and welcome his demise.
Vator wordlessly looked down and studied Lee Seong-Taek. The two men's glares collided in the air. Then, Vator muttered something in a foreign language before slowly cocking his arm back.
Lee Seong-Taek clearly saw Vator's rolled-up fist cocking behind the giant's back. And soon, that fist would guide Lee Seong-Taek to the afterlife!
'What was the first thing I ever learned as a martial artist?'
Lee Seong-Taek suddenly recalled the first-ever teaching he received from his master all those years ago. It was so long ago that he could barely remember his master's face now.
—Do not ever close your eyes.
—A man trying to learn martial arts should never close his eyes out of fear of getting hit. Someone like that does not have the qualifications to become a martial artist.
'Yes, he's right...!'
Lee Seong-Taek could learn martial arts precisely because he never closed his eyes against his master's fist. After that, his entire adult life was spent in the company of martial arts.
Since he had always adhered to that principle for his whole life, Lee Seong-Taek felt confident about not closing his eyes even in the face of his impending death. Failing to keep his eyes open now would only prove that his life had been too unsightly.
Lee Seong-Taek remained composed while observing the wind pressure exploding out from the death rapidly approaching his face. And he never blinked once.
However, something was a bit weird here. Death was clearly coming for him, yet the speedily-approaching fist was noticeably getting slower as it closed the distance toward Lee Seong-Taek's face.
'Is this... the so-called life flashing before my eyes thing?'
Apparently, time would dramatically slow down for those about to die. It seemed Lee Seong-Taek was getting several opportunities to experience the mysterious phenomena of this world today.
His final day being so packed full of events should be something to be glad about, but everything being ultimately meaningless lent a touch of ruefulness to the proceedings.
'...Mm?'
This was so weird. Did that fist... actually stop?
Lee Seong-Taek's fingers flinched slightly when he realized that time... hadn't actually slowed down! Vator's fist had really stopped right in front of Lee Seong-Taek's face!
That firmly closed fist, seemingly powerful enough to blow away Mount Tai, suddenly spread open into a palm. And then... it slowly moved away from Lee Seong-Taek's face to land firmly on his shoulder instead.
Pat!
Vator patted Lee Seong-Taek's shoulder, then walked past the dazed director of the Martial Assembly.
"...???"
Lee Seong-Taek was left stupefied and utterly speechless. His brain, stuttering from extreme tension, couldn't readily comprehend this situation. Thankfully, Zhang Dajing was here to rescue Lee Seong-Taek from his quagmire.
"This way, please," said Zhang Dajing while reaching out to grab Lee Seong-Taek's shoulder. Then he pulled the older man along.
Despite seeing this Chinese man as his enemy, Lee Seong-Taek was powerless to resist and got pulled away to wherever Zhang Dajing wanted to take him.
Eventually, though, a dazed question leaked out of Lee Seong-Taek's mouth. "What just..."
Zhang Dajing smirked at the flustered look on Lee Seong-Taek's face before explaining what happened. "Sir Vator has acknowledged you as a warrior."
"A... warrior?"
"Yes, a warrior. You know, someone who fights," Zhang Dajing casually shrugged his shoulders. "Sir Vator believes that the elders of the Martial Assembly must be warriors first and foremost. Of course, I advised him that such a thing was impossible, but he just didn't want to listen to me."
What on Earth was this young man saying? Lee Seong-Taek couldn't readily decide if his head had blanked out too much to correctly comprehend the situation or if Zhang Dajing was spewing rubbish.
Still, one thing seemed certain. And that was Lee Seong-Taek had survived this encounter. When that realization washed over him, he absentmindedly tried to touch his face.
However, Zhang Dajing immediately stopped him. "Oops. You should not move your hands, sir. You might not get to use them ever again if something goes wrong now."
Lee Seong-Taek's head lowered, his gaze drifting toward his hands. With many bones shattered, both arms were limply dangling by his sides. The damage seemed extensive. So much so that Lee Seong-Taek started wondering if they could ever go back to being normal again.
'Even then... Who cares if I can't get my arms back?'
Lee Seong-Taek instinctively realized something. His journey as a martial artist was effectively over, and he'd never exchange moves with another warrior. Not when he had witnessed the overwhelming martial prowess that he could never, ever hoped to attain!
"Of course, you shouldn't think it's over now," said Zhang Dajing with a detestable smirk on his face as if he could see through Lee Seong-Taek's thoughts. "The final say rests with Mister Jin-Ho, after all. Still... I don't think that gent would kill anyone who doesn't resist. He can be rather righteous in weird things, you see..."
Lee Seong-Taek tore his eyes away from the detestable young man gleefully running his mouth and stared at Vator again. He could see the gigantic back that didn't seem to belong to a human being.
It seemed Vator remained visually threatening whether viewed from the front or the rear.
Lee Seong-Taek quietly asked a question. "What... about the others?"
"Mm, well..." Zhang Dajing shrugged his shoulders. "They didn't seem to have passed Sir Vator's test. In that case, their fate seems rather obvious, doesn't it?"
Indeed, it was. Painfully obvious, too.
Lee Seong-Taek's dazed eyes took in the sight of Vator's forward march.
