22
A Silent Revolution
It was the end of winter.
The Tokyo sky was clear, yet somehow colorless.
The wind was blowing. It was definitely blowing.
But surprisingly few people were feeling it.
Kosaku sat in a window seat, watching the people walking down the street.
Everyone seemed to be busy walking.
They were staring at their smartphones, as if they were being chased by something.
But—
The "something" they were being chased by
wasn't real.
"An invisible order, you see."
A voice came from behind him.
It was Minjun.
He took off his coat and sat across from Kosaku.
"An invisible order?"
Kosaku asked back.
Minjun nodded.
"Everyone's walking in the same direction, even though no one's giving them orders."
After a brief pause, he continued.
"This is the ultimate example of a third-rate society."
Kosaku didn't laugh.
It wasn't a joke.
"A third-rate society is like that, Kosaku."
Minjun said quietly.
"It's not governed by coercion."
"It's governed by conformity."
Kosaku looked out the window.
It's true that no one is forced to do anything.
But no one is deviating.
It may seem like freedom, but it is the most rigid form of restriction.
"A first-rate society is different."
Minjun continued.
"A first-rate society is uneven."
"There are people who cannot be understood."
"Those who cannot be understood are allowed to exist."
Kosaku nodded slowly.
He was remembering.
The people he met in Busan.
The people he met on Jeju Island.
And the people he met in various places around the world.
They were all "floating" somewhere.
But—
They didn't sink.
Rather, it was those who were floating that
created a new current.
"A third-rate society."
Minjun took a sip of his coffee.
"They eliminate foreign elements."
"Second-rate people make use of foreign elements."
"First-rate people protect foreign elements."
Kosaku quietly repeated the words.
"Protect..."
Minjun nodded.
"Why do you think that is?"
Kosaku thought for a moment.
Then he answered.
"Because the future can only be born from foreign elements."
Minjun laughed.
"That's right."
It wasn't a happy laugh.
It was a laugh of confirmation.
"Third-rate people try to protect the present."
"Second-rate people try to improve the present."
"First-rate people aren't afraid to destroy the present."
The people walking outside continued to walk at the same speed as usual.
No one was trying to destroy anything.
No one was suspicious.
Because that's "normal."
Kosaku said.
"But those who destroy are hated."
Minjun answered immediately.
"Of course."
"Because those who destroy things are beings that deny the present."
He continued.
"But, Kosaku."
"Those who become first-rate don't fear being disliked."
"The only thing they fear is..."
He paused.
"The only thing they fear is betraying themselves."
The words were quiet.
But heavy.
Kosaku was remembering.
The many times he had almost chosen the "safe path."
A path that no one opposed.
A path that no one doubted.
A path that no one got hurt.
But at the end of that path...
There was nothing.
Minjun looked out the window.
"You know,"
he said.
"They think revolutions start with a cry."
"But that's not true."
Kosaku asked.
"How do they start?"
Minjun answered.
"It begins with the silence of one person."
Kosaku remained silent.
Minjun continued.
"Those who doubt when no one else does."
"Those who stop when no one else stops."
"Those who think when no one else thinks."
"That is the first revolution."
The wind outside picked up a little.
The signs swayed.
But the walking speed didn't change.
They don't feel the wind.
No—
They choose not to feel it.
Minjun said.
"A revolution isn't an external event."
"It's an internal decision."
Kosaku understood what those words meant.
It's not about changing your job.
It's not about changing your country.
It's about changing your "perspective."
The world doesn't suddenly change.
The way you see the world changes.
"Kosaku,"
Minjun said quietly.
"Those who become top-class."
"They don't try to change the world."
Kosaku was a little surprised.
"Don't you think so?"
"No."
Minjun asserted.
"They change themselves."
"And as a result, the world changes."
It wasn't domination through force.
It was change through presence.
It wasn't coercion.
It was gravity.
Kosaku asked.
"Why don't so many people change?"
Minjun answered.
"Because when you change, you become lonely."
Kosaku said nothing.
It was the truth.
Those who change,
can no longer speak the same language as those who see the same scenery.
They can no longer laugh at the same laughter.
They no longer fear the same fears.
It was freedom.
And then...
loneliness.
Minjun stood up.
"But," he said.
"First-class people exist only beyond that loneliness."
Kosaku stood up too.
The two left the store.
The wind was definitely blowing.
An invisible wind.
It couldn't be stopped.
But--
It can be read.
And only those who read it
will walk into the next era.
