Chetamja: The King’s Eyes — S2 - Chapter 32

HMM... HOW...

...AMBIGUOUS.

IT ISN'T BAD,

BUT IT ISN'T ANYTHING EXCEPTIONAL EITHER.

YOU DON'T HAVE THE TALENT TO BECOME A TOP OFFICIAL THROUGH YOUR WRITING SKILLS.

"NEITHER THIS NOR THAT."

I HEARD PEOPLE USE THAT PHRASE TO DESCRIBE ME TOO MANY TIMES IN MY CHILDHOOD.

HYAH!

HYAH!

WELL?

HMM... I DON’T KNOW.

HE’S NOT BAD.

BUT HE ISN’T GREAT EITHER.

I WAS RATHER AVERAGE IN BOTH ACADEMICS AND MARTIAL ARTS. I WAS NEITHER TALENTED NOR SLOW.

BUT THERE WAS SOMETHING ELSE ABOUT ME THAT WAS EVEN MORE AMBIGUOUS THAN THE REST.

WHAT? IS HE AN ILLEGITIMATE* CHILD?

*BORN TO A COMMONER CONCUBINE OF A NOBLEMAN

I HAD NO IDEA BECAUSE YOU TREAT HIM LIKE YOUR OWN SON.

HE IS AS GOOD AS MY OWN,

AND HE IS SUCH A SMART BOY TOO.

IN FACT, HE IS SO SMART...

...THAT MY OWN KIDS CAN'T KEEP UP WITH HIM.

I WAS BORN TO A NOBLE FATHER AND A CONCUBINE MOTHER OF COMMON ROOTS.

EVEN BY BLOOD, I WAS NEITHER A NOBLE NOR A COMMONER.

HIYA! TAKE THAT, SUNMONG LEE!

NOT A CHANCE, YUNDEOK CHOI!

OW!

HEY! LEE ISN’T SUPPOSED TO WIN AGAINST CHOI!

WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? LEE IS THE ULTIMATE SWORDSMAN, THE BEST IN JOSEON.

OF COURSE, HE WINS!

DON’T YOU THINK SO, YOUNG MASTER?

WHAT DO YOU CARE ABOUT THE BEST SWORDSMAN IN JOSEON?

YOU HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH IT.

YOU ARE JUST LOWBORN SERVANTS.

THAT'S SOMETHING FOR THE YANGBANS* TO DECIDE.

*YANGBAN: JOSEON NOBILITY

I'M A HALF-BLOOD NOBLE, BUT YOU DON'T SEE ME DWELLING OVER THAT STUFF.

SO YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS--

I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT, YUJEONG.

...?!

Y-YUSEOL...?!

GO INSIDE, BOYS. MY MOTHER IS LOOKING FOR YOU.

GO ON.

MAY I BORROW THIS THOUGH?

YES, MILADY.

THAT'S FOR YOU, YUJEONG.

Y-YUSEOL?

WHO TAUGHT YOU TO SAY THINGS LIKE THAT?!

YOU SHOULD BE KIND TO THOSE WHO SERVE YOU!

?!

SENSE OF INFERIORITY!

LOSER MENTALITY!

I DON'T EXPECT YOU TO UNDERSTAND.

BUT...

...I'M NOT AN HEIR OR AN HEIRESS LIKE YOU.

SO WHY DO YOU HOLD ME TO YOUR STANDARDS?!

I HATE BEING A HALF-BLOOD ILLEGITIMATE SON...

AND MY MEDIOCRE SKILLS TOO.

I CAN'T EVEN TAKE THE CIVIL SERVICE EXAM BECAUSE I'M AN ILLEGITIMATE CHILD!

SO WHAT DO YOU EXPECT ME TO--

UGH...!

NOT TO MENTION A TWISTED SENSE OF EGO, MIXED WITH DEEP INSECURITY...

YOU HAVE A BUNCH OF USELESS QUALITIES THAT WILL NEVER SERVE YOU IN LIFE.

THEY ARE ONLY GOOD FOR ONE THING. WASTING YOUR LIFE AWAY WITH EXCUSES.

YOU COULD SPEND YOUR DAYS AS A GOOD-FOR-NOTHING,

OR YOU COULD GET YOURSELF TOGETHER AND FIND SUCCESS IN LIFE.

BUT IF YOU DON'T GET RID OF THOSE QUALITIES, YOU'LL NEVER GET ANYWHERE.

BEFORE YOU START BLAMING THINGS,

TRY DEDICATING YOURSELF TO SOMETHING WHOLEHEARTEDLY.

THEY USED TO SAY YOU'RE NOT BAD WITH THE SWORD.

BUT NOW, YOU'RE JUST PLAIN BAD.

MY SISTER'S RUTHLESS WORDS...

...GOT ME THIS FAR.

I PRACTICED DESPERATELY AND TRIED EVERYTHING I COULD...

...TO FILL THE GAPS AND MAKE PROGRESS.

BUT...

THE DISCIPLE TAKES AFTER THE MASTER, HUH...

UNLIKE YOUR ORDINARY DISCIPLE, GENERAL CHOI...

THAT'S WHEN A GUY WHO MADE IT PURELY ON TALENT ALONE...

...THIS ONE HAPPENS TO BE THE GHOST'S SHADOW.

...APPEARED BEFORE ME.

G-GENERAL. WHAT IS THIS ABOUT?

WHAT'S THIS TALK ABOUT BEING YOUR DISCIPLE?

YEAH, THAT'S HOW IT TURNED OUT.

I JUST FOUND OUT MYSELF, SO DON'T ASK ME ANY MORE ABOUT IT.

WHY ME, SIR?

?

DON'T YOU THINK GWIYEONG WOULD MAKE A BETTER DISCIPLE THAN I WOULD?

AFTER ALL, I'M ONLY ORDINARY,

BUT HE'S A PRODIGY CALLED THE GHOST'S SHADOW.

HAHAHA! LOOK AT THIS GUY...!

DID YOU HEAR HIM, GENERAL?

HE ADMITTED IT HIMSELF! HAHA!

SEE? GWIYEONG IS--

YOU ARE AS STIFF AS A BOARD.

RIGIDITY WILL ONLY MAKE YOU SNAP AND BREAK.

THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS IS WHETHER YOU CAN GROW INTO A BIG TREE.

UMM...

?

I APOLOGIZE FOR INTERRUPTING...

...BUT LET ME HUMBLY CHOOSE GENERAL CHOI THEN... HEH.

?

I'LL STICK WITH GWIYEONG.

I NEED MORE TIME TO THINK ABOUT THIS...

YOU ARE BOTH INCREDIBLE, SO IT'S HARD TO CHOOSE...

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?

Y-YOU ARE TAKING US IN AS YOUR DISCIPLES SO WE CAN TRAIN UNDER YOU, RIGHT?

I WISH THAT WERE THE CASE.

UNFORTUNATELY, WE CAN'T TAKE ALL OF YOU.

WH-WHY IS IT...

...JUST ME AND YUJEONG?

BECAUSE THE TWO OF YOU WILL BE NAMED...

...AS THE LEADERS OF CHETAMJA ONCE THE TEAM HAS BEEN REORGANIZED.

?!

ARE WE REORGANIZING... AND CHOOSING NEW CAPTAINS?

DOES THAT MEAN CAPTAIN KIM WILL BE ASSIGNED TO ANOTHER UNIT?

UGH, I KNEW IT.

LOOKS LIKE NO ONE TOLD YOU ANYTHING YET.

MANY THINGS ARE GOING TO CHANGE AROUND HERE...

...AND IT MIGHT GET QUITE INCONVENIENT IN MANY WAYS.

WE HAVE AN ANNOYING GUY OVERSEEING THE WHOLE THING.

GET RID OF THIS JANG KIM FROM THE CHETAMJA IMMEDIATELY.

READING THIS REPORT... LEFT ME SPEECHLESS.

HE'S SUPPOSED TO BE A COMMANDER, BUT HE LET HIS SUBORDINATES TELL HIM WHAT TO DO.

THEN HIS MEN CROSSED THE RIVER WITHOUT ORDERS AND CARRIED OUT TASKS THAT WERE BEYOND THEIR SCOPE OF DUTY.

THE WHOLE TIME, THIS MAN COULDN'T GIVE ANY ORDERS. HE LET THE WHOLE THING SIMPLY HAPPEN.

WHY WAS HE MADE THE CAPTAIN OF THIS TEAM?

KIM HAS BEEN WORKING WITH THE CHETAMJA FROM THE PLANNING STAGES.

HE HAS MADE SOME MISTAKES, BUT WE MUST CREDIT HIM FOR THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS IN THIS OPERATION.

PERHAPS YOU COULD SHOW HIM MERCY AND GIVE HIM ANOTHER CHANCE...

HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN WHY HIS MAJESTY SENT ME HERE?

THIS IS A CRITICAL TIME, AND WE CAN'T AFFORD TO SHOW EVERYONE MERCY.

FIRE HIM.

THE CHETAMJA WILL CONTINUE RECRUITING PERSONNEL ANYWAY.

WHAT'S THIS NOW?

HAHAHA!

OH, THIS KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER.

BASICALLY...

...CHETAMJAS ARE OPERATIVES CARRYING OUT RECON MISSIONS ACROSS THE RIVER.

BUT THIS ONE'S AFRAID OF THE WATER.

WH-WHAT ARE YOU DOING, SIR?!

OH? ARE YOU RESISTING RIGHT NOW?

B-BUT YOU SAID TODAY WILL BE OUR FIRST DAY OF TRAINING! WHY ARE WE HERE?

THIS IS THE TRAINING.

WE TALKED ABOUT THIS, MR. I'M-AFRAID-OF-THE-WATER.

BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU FORGOT EVERYTHING WE DISCUSSED AFTER THE RECENT MISSION.

IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW BRAVE OR SKILLED YOU ARE.

THE CHETAMJAS HAVE NO NEED FOR AN AGENT WHO CAN'T CROSS THE RIVER.

SO STOP FIGHTING BACK AND GET IN THE WATER ALREADY--

G-GIVE ME SOME TIME...

I CAN FIGURE THIS OUT ON MY OWN...

STUBBORN BRAT...

MUST I FORCE YOU INTO THIS?

OH? YOU DODGED--

HAHA!

YOU REALLY ARE SOMETHING! YES, YOU DESERVE TO BE MY DISCIPLE!

SO JUST...

...LISTEN TO ME ALREADY!

?!

PLEASE STOP THIS!

OR ELSE I'LL HAVE TO FIGHT BACK!

IT'S ONLY DAY ONE, AND YOU'RE MAKING THIS SO INTERESTING ALREADY.

HOW CAN I NOT OBLIGE WHEN YOU KEEP INSISTING...

...MY ARROGANT LITTLE DISCIPLE?