Chapter 74
Instead of answering, Hong Suchun asked a question of his own.
"When you hold a sword, don’t you feel the urge to swing it?"
"Of course," Kwak Yeon replied.
"Where that first swing lands often decides the rest of your life. The law is far away, but the fist is close. If you use a sword as a weapon, it’s easy to make quick money. Once you get a taste of that, it’s hard to break away. The temptation is strong. But when you lack skill and start getting pushed around, your options narrow."
"So that’s why they ended up as bandits," Kwak Yeon said, nodding in understanding.
Hong Suchun’s analogy about people who “buttoned the wrong button first” suddenly made perfect sense.
"There’s no reason to chase down pathetic fools like them just to stain my hands with blood," Hong Suchun said. "The heavens will deal with them in due time."
Kwak Yeon recalled the saying about the heavenly net — it may seem loose, but nothing ever escapes its grasp.
‘That too could be considered the will of the heavens.’
Hong Suchun spoke again, his expression heavy.
"Honestly, I’m not so different from those fools."
Kwak Yeon’s eyes widened slightly.