Chapter 346
Conversation is something that needs to be exchanged between parties.
If one side firmly shuts the door of their heart, proper conversation cannot take place.
If both sides remain on guard and only glare at each other, aiming to penetrate the weaknesses of the other without listening, how can that be called a conversation? It resembles wild beasts toying with each other’s throats.
Of course, that isn’t to say it’s a bad thing.
In the wild and dangerous world of business, as fierce as swords and guns, such an attitude is a virtue.
Gaining affection while always being ready to bite at weaknesses, and when finding a flaw, to stab it deep and take advantage—what a commendable approach.
But right now…
When we are in the midst of a “story,” that attitude is not a good one.
Thus, Jinseong waited.
For the man to grow curious.
To peek through the door with curiosity and show interest in Jinseong.
“Do you like to walk?” Jinseong slowly opened his mouth to ask as the man showed interest.
It was an incredibly trivial question.
One that seemed utterly unbelievable considering he had kidnapped the man, thrown him into a dream, and projected his spirit before him.
The triviality of the question was of a level unparalleled anywhere.
Typically, during an interrogation, the first questions are usually about one’s name, age, and gender.
In that case, the question Jinseong just asked was even more insignificant… akin to mundane small talk.
It was a question that felt more like a light mist than a drizzle, and one could deem it too trivial for the “foot in the door” technique.
Indeed.
The thought of it being too trivial might have unwittingly broken down the walls of the man’s heart, causing him to focus and even recall that answer in his mind.
“What a ridiculous question. What’s the good in asking something like that?”
But the man didn’t voice the answer that had come to his mind to Jinseong.
If he spoke that answer, it would feel as if he were moving according to Jinseong’s wishes.
Instead, he chose to reply to the question with another question, opting for a third choice of not answering at all.
However, Jinseong just chuckled at the man’s response, finding it amusing.
“The reason I asked such a question is simple. I just wanted to share something that happened to me a long time ago.”
Jinseong slightly lifted his head to gaze at the sky.
As if looking out into the distance.
“There was a day when I was wandering down a road, leaning on my staff. I passed through a city filled with ruins and headed toward a forest brimming with life, a forest where all sorts of evil and poison thrived. But isn’t it the principle of the world that there’s nothing more fearsome than a wild beast or calamity worse than a human? Even in that dangerous forest, people resided, and while wandering for quite some time, I was able to encounter such people.”
He spoke calmly.
In that dangerous place, it wouldn’t be strange if something were to break down. The people I met there seemed like characters missing a few screws. And those who were missing their screws were living together in a small village, which, although not very populated, had its own character and charm. There were even guests there.
“….”
“When I asked for the village’s permission and stayed, that strangeness revealed itself. Was it the next day after arriving at the village? A boy, who seemed just old enough to have reached adulthood, was clinging to a tree at the village’s edge, crying and throwing a fit. He banged his head against the tree while also carefully petting its branches as if they were a delicate doll. Moreover, he caught insects and rubbed them against the flowers that bloomed on the ground, and even presented them to the tree’s flowers. How truly bizarre was that?”
“….”
“So, I asked the boy what he was doing. Can you guess what the boy said?”
“How would I know?”
The man responded bluntly, as if refusing to give the desired answer, having been drawn into Jinseong’s words.
Seeing the man’s demeanor, Jinseong couldn’t help but chuckle and continued.
“The boy said to me, ‘When I was a little kid, I ate the fruits from this tree, and their taste was so wonderful that I cannot forget it to this day. But one day, the tree stopped bearing fruit, and in my distress, I wanted to express my anger to the tree, and I wondered if the reason it bore no fruit was due to a lack of seeds. So I thought to dust the insects with pollen and bring them to the tree.’ That’s what he said.”
“….”
“Thus, you’ve heard my story and this boy’s tale. So, what do you think about this boy?”
Jinseong posed the question, staring intently at the man’s face.
As if trying to read the answer from his expression.
Did the man feel Jinseong’s gaze upon him?
Instead of answering with a second question as before, he bluntly spoke up.
“Ha, anyone would think he’s a fool. I can only assume you feel the same, yet I can’t fathom why you are asking.”
Nodding at the man’s words, Jinseong replied.
“Indeed. This man’s actions are foolish. We know that being angry with a tree for not bearing fruit or praying won’t change anything. Then let me ask: If this man has not been educated, if he doesn’t recognize that doing such things to the tree has no significance, if he is unaware there’s no magical effect to be gained from it, and if he doesn’t understand he shouldn’t do it that way… what then do you think?”
The boy demanded the tree to bear fruit.
But if it’s not simply foolishness and is instead due to a lack of knowledge, does that not create a divergence from the earlier conclusion of calling the man foolish?
If one still deems it foolish, is that foolishness the same as the previous?
“….”
The man momentarily lost his words to Jinseong’s questions.
“You considered the boy a fool. Then was your view on him an insight into his essence? Or was it merely based on the boy’s actions? If the former, then you must know everything about him; if the latter, then you spoke only from a fragment of what you observed.”
“….”
“Then let me ask again. Is it wrong to judge solely from fragments? Must one penetrate to the essence in order to make accurate judgments? If so, what is needed for those judgments? If the essence is necessary for judgment, how many ‘judgments’ do people make correctly while living?”
Jinseong continued to bombard him with questions.
Questions that provoke thought.
“The essence holds value as essence. So, does everything outside the essence, or parts of the essence, hold no value? No, it wouldn’t be so. However, even if some are dissected and further fractured, the fact that they are parts remains unchanged. Then, when these parts split endlessly and turn to dust, coming closer and closer to nothingness, does their value remain unchanged?”
Jinseong’s words stirred confusion in the man’s mind.
“Now, I will return to my story. I listened to the boy’s words and said nothing to him. I didn’t tell him it was futile, nor admonish him, nor ridicule him, nor prevent him from acting as he did. What do you think about that?”
“…Hmm.”
There could be many reasons.
He might have thought that since the boy would have heard that same thing from others countless times, his single comment wouldn’t change anything. Or perhaps having observed such behavior, he figured it would be pointless to say anything as his stubbornness was like iron. Alternatively, he might believe that he would realize through experience that such behavior had no meaning without anyone speaking up. Or maybe, he simply didn’t care about others at all.
There are truly countless reasons why he wouldn’t speak.
Seeing the confused expression on the man’s face, Jinseong smiled slightly.
* * *
Jinseong continued to throw questions at him.
“What is my value? A long time ago during my travels, I met a person. That person had a sculpted body and believed their worth was more radiant than any jewel in the world. They thought the stars in the sky couldn’t shine brighter than themselves, and that the sun’s light existed for everyone to see them, while the moonlight was there to enhance their charm. They loved themselves, adored their body, and thought that all things in the world existed for them.”
Each question was filled with content that dizzyingly whirled through the mind.
“And during my long travels, I had the opportunity to meet that person again. However, the man was different from before. The sculpted muscles were nowhere to be found, replaced by a protruding belly and a scruffy body. His skin was marked with illness, he limped on one leg, and his body was riddled with scars.”
“….”
“At that moment, I asked the man, ‘When I passed this road in the past, I saw you. Back then, you believed you shone brilliantly, thinking you were more precious than anything else in this world. Do you still think that way now?'”
“….”
“At that time, the man replied to me, ‘My thinking has not changed. I am a precious being more valuable than anything in this world, and I cannot exchange for anything else. Although I have lost some light compared to the old days, it doesn’t reflect a decrease in my value; rather, it’s just the dust and mud that have settled on me. Just like how a jewel doesn’t lose its worth because it’s covered in dust, my value hasn’t decreased at all.'”
“….”
“Then I ask you. Like this man said, are the values of the past and present equal? If they aren’t equal, how come they differ, and if they are, how so?”
Jinseong kept asking questions.
Continuously.
Always.
