Morning,
The SUV rumbled quietly through the early morning mist as it descended the worn roads out of Incheon. Ha-Joon sat in the passenger seat, eyes focused on the path ahead, while Hyun-Woo drove and Minjae quietly tapped his foot to the radio.
"You sure you want to head straight to that place after Incheon?" Hyun-Woo asked, breaking the silence. "We could stop somewhere, recover a bit."
"No need," Ha-Joon said calmly. "He's a valuable guy with a wasted potential. A capable man if recruited on our side."
Of course, he was referring to Seongji Yuk of Cheonliang, one of the few whose potential had gone to waste far too early. Ha-Joon remembered clearly, Seongji had done suicide because of an accident orchestrated by none other than Cheon Taejin.
PTJ had a habit of building characters up to their peak, only to kill them off when they were at their most promising moment.
Since he had already started altering the original plot, changing it one more time wouldn't hurt.
In his eyes, had Seongji lived, he might have been the only king capable of surpassing the future legend himself, James Lee.
Now that he had reincarnated in this world, Ha-Joon wasn't about to let Seongji Yuk slip through that incident. This time, he would personally invite him into his circle and if Seongji accepted, Ha-Joon would do everything in his power to help him reach his true peak.
I wonder where his true peak lies. Ha-Joon murmured to himself, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
Minjae glanced at the rearview mirror, then leaned forward. "I heard this Seongji guy never leaves his mountain."
Ha-Joon smiled slightly at his words. "Of course he wouldn't leave. That mountain's practically his home… and with the kind of PTSD he's carrying, I doubt he'd step foot outside it anytime soon."
Hyun-Woo let out a dry chuckle. "So that's why he's never stepped outside that place, huh?"
They fell silent again. Soon, they pulled into a quiet gas station on the outskirts. While the car refueled, they grabbed a quick breakfast nothing fancy, just warm coffee and sandwiches, before getting back on the road, heading toward the path that led to Cheonliang.
.....
The SUV rolled slowly through the dense forest, mountain roads of Cheonliang.
As the SUV finally cleared the last stretch of road, a wooden cottage came into view at the base of a hill a sturdy structure nestled between thick trees and moss-covered stones.
Outside the house, a broad figure swung an axe down hard onto a thick log, the sharp crack echoing across the forest.
Seongji Yuk.
He wore a worn-out tank top, soaked with sweat and pair of baggy gray jeans, his shoulders wide and back strong. And a black jacket was tied around his waist. Around him were scattered piles of wood, neatly stacked.
But it wasn't just Seongji.
On the porch, calmly sipping tea from crude tin mugs, sat Gongseob Ji, the Iron Fortress of Daegu, lean, yet muscular, total opposite of his future self, and Kwak Jichang, the Viper of Seoul, dressed in his signature suit, legs crossed, and glasses on his eyes.
"What a gathering," Hyun-Woo muttered under his breath as he pulled the SUV to a stop.
Ha-Joon stepped out, and glanced at the three king. Seongji's axe paused mid-air, sensing the new presence. He looked up, glanced at Ha-Joon before continuing his work.
"Well, look who decided to show up," Kwak Jichang said, lounging without getting up. "Guess things didn't go quite the way you expected in Incheon, huh?"
"Park Ha-Joon... or should I say, Yamazaki Ha-Joon?"
Ha-Joon eye flickered slightly towards him, before speaking. "I've got deal present for you all. How about it? Wanna hear."
Seongji finally set the axe down and walked over, wiping his hands on a rag.
"I figured it was you, after hearing explanation from him," Seongji said gesturing towards Jichang. "Didn't think you'd climb up here just for a chat."
"Heh."
Ha-Joon ignored him and glanced at the other two. "Didn't expect a gathering of kings."
"We were just catching up," Gongseob finally said, his tongue flicking, almost reminiscent of Orochimaru.
"It's rare to find a reason to come up here," Kwak added smoothly, sipping his tea. "But when rumors fly about a certain man challenging kings across the country, it gets... interesting."
He checked his watch and continued. "And because of you, other king are late for the gathering."
Ha-Joon chuckled. "Here's the deal. I wan-"
Before he could continue, Kwak Jichang interrupted. "We're not interested in whatever deal you got there."
Ha-Joon remained silent, and glanced towards the other two. Gongseob Ji smiled as he spoke. "Me neither."
Seongji Yuk slightly shifted towards them. Seeing them unmoving in his offer, Ha-Joon sighed softly.
"Think about it," Ha-Joon said, and reached into his coat, pulling out a folded slip of paper. "This is my number. Call if you all ever get interested."
He handed it to Seongji, who accepted it silently, then offered the same to the other two. Leaning in, Ha-Joon whispered something into Seongji Yuk's ear, words that left him visibly stunned.
After a brief pause, Ha-Joon turned to Kwak Jichang and gave him a look that held pity.
Someone who was once among the strongest kings, but dethroned by Kitae Kim in Seoul, and after reclaiming power in Chungcheong, crushed again by James Lee. Two one-sided beatdowns left him in complete despair, forcing him to step down as king.
Yet he never got the final peace until his last breath.
Ha-Joon turned and began to leave after handing out his number.
"I'll be heading down," Ha-Joon added. "Still have places to be."
As he walked away, Kwak Jichang spoke with his usual stoic face. "What a strange guy."
But he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that lingered from the look Ha-Joon had given him. He slightly shook his head from the distracting feeling.
On his right side, Seongji was equally shaken from the word spoken by Ha-Joon. He just stared down at the number in his hand, and for the first time in years, something stirred behind his calm eyes.