Chapter 5: Yeonmok Sword Hall (1)

Mok Gyeong-un unwrapped his bandages and examined his upper body in the mirror. Scars from sword wounds remained on his left chest and abdomen.

"Scars?" he mused. Normally, even significant injuries wouldn't leave marks on him. But the wounds from that man's black sword had scarred over. It seemed they would be permanent.

"Well, can't be helped," he thought with resignation. He should be grateful just to have survived. He had expected those injuries to be fatal, but contrary to expectations, he had pulled through. While he knew he possessed extraordinary healing abilities, his life force proved even more tenacious than imagined.

"Perhaps it's not my time to go there yet," he reflected. That was fortunate. If he had to face his grandfather's nagging in the afterlife, he wanted to at least complete his revenge first. That would make things less unjust.

Thinking of revenge, Gyeong-un felt lucky. Who could have guessed there was someone in the world with a face identical to his own? Thanks to that, he now had the opportunity to forge a new identity.

He wouldn't have to worry about wanted posters, since his death sentence had officially been carried out. What concerned him more was the man with the black sword who had tried to kill him. If that man discovered Gyeong-un was still alive, he would surely come after him again.

Gyeong-un knew he needed to learn martial arts to have any chance against such a formidable opponent. In that sense, his current situation was fortunate. The man whose identity he had stolen was the third young master of the Yeonmok Sword Hall. This gave Gyeong-un the perfect cover to learn martial arts.

There was just one problem. Gyeong-un glanced at the dark figure standing guard outside his room - one of Gam's men, assigned to watch him. Because of this surveillance, he was essentially under house arrest, confined to this villa except for bathroom breaks.

The situation was far from ideal. Though they had made a deal, Gam clearly didn't trust him at all. That was understandable, given how brazenly Gyeong-un had killed the "real" young master right in front of him.

Gyeong-un pondered his options. If he remained passive, he would continue to be manipulated. He might not even get the chance to learn martial arts. It was a predicament with no clear way out. 

Yet despite this, Gyeong-un's expression remained calm. A faint smile even played across his lips.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. "Young master, I've brought your lunch," a female servant called out.

The door opened and she entered carrying a tray with beef and eggplant stir-fry, bean sprouts, and rice. As usual, she set it down on the round table by the window.

The servant glanced at Gyeong-un as he buttoned up his shirt and sat down. She couldn't help but admire his handsome features. Among the four young masters of the Yeonmok Sword Hall, Gyeong-un was by far the most attractive. The female servants would eagerly volunteer to bring his meals just for a chance to see his face.

But something felt off to her today. His slight smile looked the same as always, yet there was a subtle sense of unfamiliarity. She couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

As she gathered the tray to leave, Gyeong-un spoke up. "One moment."

"Yes?" she replied.

"About the beef and eggplant stir-fry," he said. "Next time, could you have the beef cooked a bit less?"

"But if it's undercooked, the blood..."

"Beef is more tender and flavorful when it's slightly rare," he explained with a smile.

That smile sent a chill down the servant's spine. She suddenly realized why he seemed different - his mouth was smiling, but his eyes remained completely still as they stared at her. It was unnerving.

"Is there a problem?" Gyeong-un asked.

"N-no, it's just..." she stammered, unable to articulate her unease.

Just then, Gam entered the room. "The cook knows how to prepare the food, young master," he said sternly.

Gyeong-un turned to look at him. Gam shook his head in disapproval and waved the servant away. She bowed quickly and hurried out.

Gam closed the door and approached Gyeong-un. "I warned you not to act out of character," he growled.

Gyeong-un picked up his chopsticks and replied calmly, "Is asking for the beef to be cooked differently really so out of character?"

"You're supposed to be Mok Gyeong-un, not some death row prisoner," Gam snapped.

"The information you gave me didn't specify the real Gyeong-un's meat preferences," Gyeong-un pointed out mildly.

Gam's expression darkened. Though Gyeong-un's words weren't incorrect, his constant backtalk was grating. 

"I see you've memorized everything I told you to study," Gam said, sitting down across from him.

"Yes, there wasn't much to it," Gyeong-un replied.

"Not much? Hah! Then tell me, what's the name of the eldest young master?"

Gyeong-un recited flawlessly: "Mok Yeong-ho. Age 20. Has a birthmark on his left cheek. Visits brothels every other day, completely consumed by drink and women. The most incompetent of the four brothers, but greedy and tyrannical."

Gam's eyebrow twitched. It was word-for-word accurate. The real young master had written that information sheet himself, describing his brothers quite candidly from his own perspective.

"And the second young master?" Gam pressed.

"Mok Eun-pyeong. Age 18. Has droopy eyes like the first madam. Cunning and devious. Willing to do anything to become the next sect leader. Trash."

Gyeong-un had memorized it exactly as written. The forceful handwriting had conveyed intense dislike.

Gam inwardly clicked his tongue. As expected, this crafty impostor had memorized everything perfectly. There was no need to test him further.

"That's enough," Gam said, cutting him off. "You've proven you know the information. But don't expect to actually interact with anyone in this household. We'll make sure you have minimal contact with others to avoid any slip-ups."

"So you want me to stay locked up in here indefinitely?" Gyeong-un asked.

"Exactly. You chose to be a puppet, so just do as you're told," Gam said firmly, determined to squash any ideas this imposter might have.

Gyeong-un's eyes narrowed slightly. The information he'd been given only covered basic habits and personal details to avoid immediate detection as a fake. But Gam had told him nothing about why a body double was needed in the first place.

This confirmed Gyeong-un's suspicion - they intended to keep using him as a disposable decoy, even in dangerous situations, without giving him any real information.

A sardonic smile tugged at Gyeong-un's lips. "I see. You're planning to switch me out eventually," he mused silently.

After Gam left, about 15 minutes passed before the door opened again. The sharp-eyed middle-aged man guarding the door blocked Gyeong-un as he tried to step out.

"Where do you think you're going?" the guard demanded.

"Just thought I'd take a short walk," Gyeong-un replied casually. "Care to join me? I could use some company."

The guard shook his head in disbelief. It hadn't been long since Gam left, and this impostor was already trying to leave.

"If you don't want trouble, get back inside now," the guard said coldly.

"Your name is Go-chan, right? If we both keep quiet about it, I don't see the harm in—"

Before Gyeong-un could finish, Go-chan swiftly grabbed his wrist and twisted it behind his back, employing a grappling technique. Gam had mentioned that while the impostor wasn't trained in martial arts, his muscle density was unusual, so joint locks would be more effective than strikes for subduing him.

"You seem to have forgotten your place," Go-chan hissed in Gyeong-un's ear. "You're not the real Mok Gyeong-un. Don't test my patience."

He twisted Gyeong-un's wrist harder, expecting a cry of pain. But to his shock, Gyeong-un remained unfazed.

"And if I refuse to stay put?" Gyeong-un asked calmly.

Incredulous, Go-chan struck the back of Gyeong-un's neck with a palm infused with inner energy. It should have knocked him out cold, but it felt like hitting a wooden pillar.

"You're definitely weaker than Gam," Gyeong-un commented nonchalantly.

Unnerved, Go-chan tried to twist Gyeong-un's arm further to force him to the ground. But Gyeong-un's arm wouldn't budge. Instead, Go-chan suddenly found himself lifted off his feet and slammed onto the floor in front of Gyeong-un.

Before Go-chan could recover, Gyeong-un's hand clamped around his throat with crushing force.

"Gak!" Go-chan choked, his eyes bulging. He clawed desperately at Gyeong-un's hand, but couldn't budge it an inch.

Go-chan was no weakling - he was a second-rate martial artist with strength twice that of an ordinary man. Yet he was helpless against this untrained impostor's single-handed grip.

As his vision began to darken, Go-chan looked up at Gyeong-un's face. To his horror, he saw the impostor smiling widely, like a child playing with a new toy.