“What is this…?”
“Today, Jae Sang-hae the Trainee withdrew from training.”
Song An-seong swallowed hard. When he heard that Jo Ga-ju and Kang Chumo-ru had dropped out, he was bewildered but accepted it because their reasons made a sort of sense.
Just as he thought things had calmed down, another trainee named Gwang Jae-ryeon dropped out yesterday, and now today, on the last day of waiting, another one has followed suit?
What kind of cosmic joke is this? They could become Golden Guards just after completing their training, so how can four trainees from one squad give up their chance?
This was going down in history.
Ho Cheon-an just submitted the forms and left, while Song An-seong, in a daze, gathered Jae Sang-hae’s and Gwang Jae-ryeon’s documents and headed to find Song Chang-sik.
Voluntary withdrawals needed the approval of Commander Song Chang-sik.
When Song Chang-sik received Gwang Jae-ryeon’s documents submitted right before closing last night and just now Jae Sang-hae’s documents, he couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Truly extraordinary individuals.”
“Excuse me?”
“Now I finally understand why the Emperor and that sly guy are investing in an External Instructor.”
Upon seeing the bewildered expression of Song An-seong, Song Chang-sik couldn’t help but laugh. Song An-seong was unaware that Ho Cheon-an had been assigned as an external consultant to suppress the rumors of a ‘realization-giving outcast’ floating around.
Song An-seong simply thought there must be some reason for Ho Cheon-an to end up as an external consultant, only to be driven away.
“Lieutenant.”
“Sir! At your command!”
“What do you think of having four withdrawals from the squad that the external consultant is in charge of?”
“…If there are four withdrawals, it’s a matter of the Training Instructor’s failure. The external consultant has been relentlessly pushing the trainees, as I have witnessed multiple times, and anyone in this cohort would have to acknowledge it.”
“Then what punishment do you think is appropriate?”
“I think you should immediately suspend the Training Instructor of the Golden Guards and revoke his position as an external consultant for carelessly pushing valuable talents away and damaging the honor of the Golden Guards.”
Song An-seong didn’t know what methods Ho Cheon-an had used to get the trainees to drop out, but he figured it was enough to justify kicking Ho Cheon-an out of the external consultant position.
Song Chang-sik drafted the order right then and there.
“Lieutenant! Depart immediately, gather the instructors, announce this order, and revoke Ho Cheon-an’s training instructor position along with his external consultant title!”
“Understood!”
Having exited Song Chang-sik’s office, Song Chang-sik burst into laughter. The situation truly was exquisite upon second thought.
“Truly the best outcome.”
After all, what is the point of operating a dropout squad? It’s to ensure that talents who should be in better places are drawn into the Golden Guards. Ultimately, guiding those talents to where they should go was the purpose of the dropout squad.
Ho Cheon-an had acted according to the intent of the Golden Guards. Those with strong desires to walk another path were left to find their own way.
And how about the remaining trainees? They had developed into some of the best talents among all the squads.
“And he perfectly achieved his goal.”
The rumor was that the outcast who could give realizations became a training instructor for the Golden Guards but ended up being kicked out without any results, which those who hadn’t given it much thought would dismiss as just another baseless rumor.
But what would those who believed that Ho Cheon-an could indeed give realizations think when they heard this news? Would the rumors really wash away their doubts? It was likely that they would still harbor doubt. If he had the ability to give realizations, he wouldn’t just settle for the external consultant position; they’d think he intentionally didn’t showcase his abilities.
Even if the rumors were suppressed, it wouldn’t stop those who had made their minds up about targeting Ho Cheon-an.
“However, if the situation is like this, it’s entirely different.”
If a mass of dropouts happened now and Ho Cheon-an’s external consultant position was revoked, how would that look from the outside?
The rumor about the outcast capable of giving realizations spread; the Imperial Family took note and offered him the position to assess his abilities. The outcast, in a desperate attempt to maintain the position, pushed the trainees too harshly. Eventually, unable to stand it, the trainees effectively quit the Golden Guards.
An unprecedented incident occurred where 30% of the trainees withdrew, prompting a fury from the Golden Guards, who immediately stripped the external consultant position away from Ho Cheon-an.
Could someone who made such a mess truly give realizations?
No.
He couldn’t give realizations. He clearly lacked the ability to earn the title of External Instructor of the Golden Guards, so he appeared to be flailing desperately to hold onto an opportunity he accidentally stumbled upon.
Even those who believed Ho Cheon-an could give realizations would shake their heads in disbelief at him.
“In every sense, this is just perfect.”
The Golden Guards ended up with well-trained talents while filtering out those unsuitable, the trainees gained confidence as victors, and Ho Cheon-an cleared up doubts about himself.
“Ho Cheon-an here. May I enter?”
“Come in.”
Had the order been delivered already?
Ho Cheon-an looked at Song Chang-sik with an expressionless face. He bore no visible signs of carrying anything unusual under his typical martial attire.
“I heard you wore special clothing; didn’t you bring it?”
“I handed it over to the future general.”
“A general, huh. Haha.”
While he had heard reports about Kang Chumo-ru from Song An-seong, even he was taken aback by Ho Cheon-an’s mention of a general.
“What do you think will happen with the Twelfth Squad?”
“They seem to have aspirations of their own, but it appears they haven’t yet decided to spread their wings. However, the fact that they are ‘from the Golden Guards’ will not bring shame to the Golden Guards.”
“I see.”
“Please convey my regards to Great Hero Hyeok Gi-rin. I owe him a great debt for all he has done.”
“Hahaha, you’re the only one who gets to use me as a messenger.”
“What can I say? I’m not exactly deserving of your kindness, but as a lowly creature who got kicked out of the Golden Guards because of my greed, why wouldn’t I ask you to run an errand for me?”
“Hahahaha!!”
Song Chang-sik burst into laughter, nodding in agreement.
“It’s been quite enjoyable for the past month. Warrior Ho Cheon-an.”
“Wishing you well, Commander Song Chang-sik.”
The two exchanged a serious bow.
* *
“What on earth?”
The last waiting day at the training ground had dawned. Today, they would hear about their assignments, and by tomorrow morning, they would scatter in different directions.
The trainees held rolls of parchment detailing their assignments in their hands, and all around them was a warm scene.
“Guys, you’ve worked hard.”
“Thank you! As a junior of the Golden Guards, I will come to visit!”
“Hahaha! Buy me a drink then.”
The instructors were bidding farewell to the trainees. The atmosphere was cheerful. The trainees had already become almost like Golden Guards, and the instructors, having achieved significant results while taking care of their squad’s trainees, couldn’t help but feel good.
While other squads were exchanging camaraderie, Ho Cheon-an was noticeably absent.
“This isn’t like him… Something must have happened.”
Jo Gab-deok mumbled quietly, reflecting the concerns of the entire Twelfth Squad.
“I’ll go check.”
Okryong felt a more pronounced anxiety creeping in.
The instructors’ gazes were strange. They cast looks toward the Twelfth Squad that held some weight.
Something must have happened.
There had to be an anxious reason. With four trainees dropping out, surely the instructor wouldn’t be unaffected.
Okryong swiftly maneuvered into the Sixth Squad, thinking that life was unpredictable. Following Jae Sang-hae’s request, he wandered through various squads, collecting all kinds of information. Among that was talk about the Sixth Squad instructor, who was rumored to be reckless and loose-lipped.
It took less than five minutes for Okryong to hear about Ho Cheon-an from the Sixth Squad instructor.
The Sixth Squad instructor, pulling Okryong away from his unit as if he were being threatened with a sword, spilled his story like a cascade.
“Yesterday, Lieutenant Song An-seong suddenly called all the instructors together! I thought there might be some changes to the assignments today, but then he pulls out this order from the Commander and starts intimidating us?
The target was none other than Instructor Ho Cheon-an.
It was shocking news! The announcement was that Instructor Ho Cheon-an’s position was immediately suspended, and his external consultant role was stripped!
With a staggering 30% of the trainees dropping out… and not just any trainees, mind you, but several who had been gifted by a princess? So, it was only natural that the Commander would be furious.
After being taken away by Lieutenant Song An-seong, there hasn’t been a word from Ho Cheon-an since! I suspect he might have been ousted right on the spot…”
Without hesitation, Okryong rushed back to the Twelfth Squad to spread the news.
“No way!”
“What kind of disrespect is this!”
“We need to demand an explanation!”
“Hold on!”
As the Twelfth Squad members stirred with a rising fury, Okryong intervened.
“For now, let’s head to the Yangyo Inn! The orders are laid down; causing a scene won’t resolve anything! Let’s meet with Instructor Ho Cheon-an and hear from him! No way is he the kind of person to just take this lying down!”
The squad led by Okryong dashed towards the Yangyo Inn, but Ho Cheon-an and Black Cat had already vanished.
The trainees were left feeling like dogs chasing chickens.
“Hoo…”
“Instructor…”
Okryong rubbed his throbbing head. What were they supposed to do now? If only Jo Ga-ju were still around, or at least Jae Sang-hae, they might have found a solution in this situation!
“…Re-Sang-hae.”
“What?”
“Re-Sang-hae! We need to find Re-Sang-hae! His family is in Nangyang! It’s a well-known house, so we should be able to find him promptly!”
Before long, the trainees who learned the location of the Nangyang Re family made their way there rapidly.
“Why are you all here together?”
Re-Sang-hae welcomed them, adorned in a flowing outfit that echoed the blue skies and cranes.
“It’s serious!”
Okryong spilled everything he had heard that morning in a rush. Re-Sang-hae’s face hardened as he listened.
“…Inevitably, it has come to this.”
“Come on, what do you mean ‘inevitably’? Hurry up and prepare! The reason you quit the Golden Guards because of your resentment towards the instructor…”
“It’s a futile effort. No, it goes against Instructor Ho’s will.”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you really believe that Instructor Ho Cheon-an didn’t predict this situation?”
“What?”
“Instructor Ho was fully aware. The day of the withdrawals, he said in the training room, ‘The trainees are neither chickens nor cranes. They are just birds. Some decided to fly earlier while others are still searching for the sky.’”
As the trainees mulled over his words, Re-Sang-hae continued.
“Instructor Ho foresaw this would unfold. He believed his sacrifice was necessary for us to realize our potential. Why do you think Instructor Ho vanished so quickly? He knew you would all be causing a ruckus, which is why he left. Had he remained, you would have tried to vindicate him, and that could have led to charges of disobedience or rebellion.”
“Such…!”
Okryong clenched his fists, trembling with emotion. Re-Sang-hae observed him with a knowing expression. In truth, they were the dropout squad, and Instructor Ho had embraced them, making it possible for the trainees to spread their new wings within the Golden Guards.
But without uttering a word, without needing to explain every nuance in detail.
Some things could be understood merely through actions.
Re-Sang-hae realized the intentions and aspirations Ho Cheon-an had for the Twelfth Squad and declared, “You can work hard as part of the Golden Guards or choose to spread your wings toward new horizons. That was the will of Instructor Ho Cheon-an and his desire for us.”
“Instructor…”
Some stared at the ground, others up at the sky; some clenched their fists, while others shed tears.
“…Instructor. I will find you.”
Okryong vowed silently, having resolved that it’s all sound and well to settle comfortably as newly minted Golden Guards. But was that truly okay? When he met Instructor Ho Cheon-an again someday, would he be able to face him proudly?
No.
How could he show such a vague and lazy life to the very person who sacrificed everything to open the path for the trainees’ future?
“I will definitely find my own sky and become someone unashamed to meet Instructor Ho Cheon-an.”
With that determination, Okryong wiped his tears.
“I will not be ashamed as a trainee of the instructor. I promise!”
In the future, Okryong, having taken a mission from the Golden Guards to invade the territories of another race, would discover that his affinity was in connecting with foreign powers and grow into a legendary diplomat.
His myth started here, at the front yard of the Nangyang Re family, where the eggs of the Twelfth Squad began to crack, ready to break out into the world.
And at that moment, in a cart heading toward Sacheon, Ho Cheon-an and Black Cat sat side by side on the driver’s seat.
Clatter. Clatter.
“Senpai, Sacheon. I wonder how much it has changed.”
“Hmm, I wonder.”
Ho Cheon-an had no way of knowing if the new birds would prepare to flap their wings toward the sky; he relaxed into the cart’s motion, gazing up at the sky.
In that sky, flocks of birds flew together.
“Ah~ what lovely weather.”
Ho Cheon-an said casually, gripping the reins.
It was autumn.
