Rebirth (2)
When I opened my eyes again, there was an unfamiliar old man sitting beside me. His face was pockmarked, and he was small in stature, but the intensity in his eyes was anything but weak.
He was someone I had never seen in my life.
Good grief! Am I still dreaming?
I had never experienced such vivid dreams, let alone in succession like this.
As if he had been waiting for me to wake up, the old man spoke immediately.
“Shame on you.”
That’s not what I need to know. Why am I having these dreams?
I slowly sat up and looked at the mirror hanging on the wall.
It was the face of the young man I had seen earlier.
This time, I examined the face more closely.
Despite the bruises and cuts, it was a rather handsome face. His eyes held a youthful arrogance typical of the naive.
And he looked just like the woman who had hit me earlier.
She really is this young man’s mother.
“She is…”
“She?”
“No.”
“No?”
The old man frowned, perhaps finding my words disrespectful.
The vividness of his displeasure—could this really be a dream?
I reached out and touched the blanket covering me. The texture of the fabric was unmistakably real.
“Yesterday was truly disappointing.”
“I don’t remember anything.”
I knew nothing about this young man’s life.
Instead of concern, the old man openly mocked me.
“Of course, that’s just like you. You never take responsibility.”
His words made me angry. Even though I knew he was speaking to the young man, not me, I was still angry.
In my past life, as a leader, I lived by a few principles.
Rewards and punishments were clear, revenge was certain, I never blamed circumstances for difficult situations, I didn’t rely on the loyalty of subordinates, and I always took responsibility for what I had to.
I never once shifted my responsibilities onto others. People can lose fights and make foolish mistakes, but they must have a sense of responsibility. That’s how I lived.
Seeing my face harden, the old man looked at me with disdain, as if I were a fool, and stood up.
“You are… a disgrace to this family.”
The old man slammed the door and left the room.
What on earth did this guy do to get beaten up and treated like this as soon as he opened his eyes?
Suddenly, a wave of fatigue washed over me.
Well, maybe if I sleep, everything will go back to normal.
I drifted back to sleep.
I thought I would wake up as the leader again.
But when I awoke in the evening, I was still in the body of the unfamiliar young man. The crimson sunset streaming through the window was dreamlike, but the reality was not.
I was now certain.
‘This is not a dream.’
Yes, it was definitely not a dream. No matter how deep a dream, I wouldn’t be unable to distinguish it from reality.
Could it be that I’ve fallen into some kind of mental trap?
But I’ve never heard of such a mental trap. Is there something about martial arts that I don’t know?
It’s not a symptom of a mental trap. Nor is it a hallucination.
I have been reborn as this young man.
With all the memories of my previous life as Cheon Hwa-jin intact. In other words, I have reincarnated as someone else.
How could such a thing happen?
In my seventy years of living in the martial world, I’ve experienced countless unbelievable things, but reincarnation?
I looked up at the sky. The clouds tinged with the red of the sunset were no different from usual. This made my current question feel even more urgent.
Why am I being made to experience this?
Even if I concede a hundred times and accept that I’ve reincarnated, how is it that I remember my past life so clearly? I remember everything from my life as Cheon Hwa-jin, the greatest martial artist and leader of the martial alliance.
My memory had become terrible shortly before I died.
Is this some kind of compensation? Or is it the power of a young brain? Now, everything comes back to me. Every single thing from long ago.
I remember the day Baek Pyo’s son was born.
His face, flushed with joy. I remember the wrinkles around his eyes vividly. How could I remember all this and forget his son’s age? Or whether it was a son or a daughter?
In hindsight, it was impossible. At the time, I was unable to make proper judgments, as if I were drugged.
In other words, my death might not have been a natural one.
Was I assassinated by someone?
If so, is this reincarnation a chance given by the heavens for revenge?
…If not?
I sat on the porch, staring at the setting sun beyond the wall.
A strange face, a body that felt as heavy as waterlogged cotton, an unfamiliar place, and unfamiliar people.
Everything was unfamiliar.
I closed my eyes and opened them again, hoping to wake up as the leader. Expecting Gal Sa-ryang to walk through the door with a pile of work.
Just then, the door opened, and someone walked in.
A man in his mid-twenties with a slick demeanor.
“Oh? You’re awake.”
Several people had passed by this place, all bowing formally and hurrying away. This was the first person to approach and speak to me.
The man walked over and sat next to me.
“Didn’t I tell you? No matter how much you think you can win, you can’t beat her. She trained under a famous master for five years, didn’t she? Please, listen to me next time. I was terrified something might happen while carrying you back.”
“Who are you?”
“I heard you pretended to lose your memory, right? Well, not everyone believes it, but you did well. Otherwise, the lady of the house would have beaten you to death. You’re usually so clever, but why couldn’t you read the situation that day… No, never mind. You’re just pure-hearted.”
“I’m asking again. Who are you?”
“And young master, take this opportunity to seriously train in martial arts. It’s not right to keep getting beaten by a woman, is it?”
“For the last time, I’m asking…”
“Guangdu! It’s not funny! Stop pretending you lost your memory!”
“Guangdu? Crazy head?”
“Why are you like this when you know?”
“Is your name really written with the character for ‘crazy’?”
I looked at him in surprise, and he seemed to finally realize something was off.
“Of course not. It’s the character for ‘bright.’ ‘Crazy head’ is just something you used to tease me with. Why are you acting like this today?”
“I really don’t remember anything.”
“This joke isn’t funny.”
“I’m serious.”
“Really?”
I nodded at the skeptical man. He squinted at me for a moment before asking cautiously.
“Do you remember the money I lent you?”
“How much?”
“Two nyang.”
Not one to live with debt, I immediately searched my pockets and handed him two nyang.
Guangdu stared at the money in my hand, eyes wide.
“My goodness! You really don’t remember, do you?”
“Why?”
“Because you never repay borrowed money. What happened? Did you get hit on the head?”
“Seems like it.”
“What did the elder say?”
“Who?”
“The old man from earlier?”
“Wow! Even if you were reckless, you were always afraid of the elder. You really don’t remember, do you?”
“Just answer my questions. Maybe it’ll jog my memory. Who was that old man?”
“He’s the family physician and steward. He’s also sworn brothers with the head of the family.”
“The head of the family, meaning my father?”
”…Why are you doing this? I’m really getting scared now.”
“He seemed much older than my father to be sworn brothers.”
“Age doesn’t matter among martial artists, right?”
“Who says that?”
“Isn’t it said that all under heaven are fellow disciples?”
What nonsense. That’s just an idealized view of the martial world.
Martial artists are the most particular people. They care about age, sect, faction, skill, gender, seniority, origin, whether you’re direct or collateral, whether you use a sword or a saber, whether you’re left-handed or right-handed, external or internal skills, and even the color and pattern of your martial attire.
“I told you I don’t remember, so what did he say?”
“He didn’t believe me.”
“Figures.”
“The old man’s reaction was so indifferent. What on earth did I do?”
“Where should I start?”
Seems like I’ve caused more than a few incidents.
“Start with the most recent. Why am I injured?”
Guangdu sighed deeply, looking at me with a mix of pity and exasperation.
“You went to see Miss Song, got rejected, threw a fit, got drunk, went back to cause a scene, and then Miss Song came out. You said some nasty things and got beaten like a dog… sigh.”
“Who is Miss Song?”
Guangdu looked at me blankly again.
“Who is Miss Song?”
“Yes, who is she?”
“Song Hwa-rin. The heir of the Song family. The most beautiful woman in Shandong. She’s smart, strong in martial arts, and perfect in every way, except for one fatal flaw.”
“What is it?”
“You’re her fiancé.”
“What?”
“You two have a prenatal engagement.”
Prenatal engagements happen for two reasons: the parents are truly close, or it’s a strategic decision.
“She really has no luck with husbands.”
“Did I hit you often?”
Guangdu flinched.
“N-no. Why do you ask?”
“Listening to you makes my hands itch.”
Guangdu laughed awkwardly.
“Hahaha. Our relationship is stronger than a prenatal engagement.”
“Doesn’t seem like it at all.”
In any case, it was clear that the young man and Gwangdu were on familiar terms.
“But why did she hit you? If you were betrothed from birth, you’d think you’d be close.”
“We were, when we were kids. We played together all the time. But five years ago, she left for Cheonghae to train in martial arts. She just got back a few days ago.”
“So her feelings changed during that time.”
“And you’ve changed a lot too, sir.”
Gwangdu let out a sigh full of regret.
“What about the trouble you caused before?”
“Got caught in a gambling scam and lost a fortune, spent a lot on courtesans, got into drunken brawls, ran away because I hated martial arts training, and made a scene trying to catch a notorious criminal…”
“That’s enough.”
I didn’t need to hear more to get the picture.
“And your mother just gave you a slap on the back of the head?”
If it were me, I would’ve half-killed him, whether he was my son or not.
“So, what kind of person am I?”
“Do you want the honest truth?”
“Now’s the time. Go for it.”
“You’re a piece of trash.”
Suddenly, I remembered the question I had asked Galsaryang on the day I died.
Back then, Galsaryang had answered, “You are the embodiment of the martial world.”
I woke up one day, transformed from a hero of the martial world to human trash.
After calling me trash, Gwangdu quickly took a few steps back, tilting his head as if it was strange that I didn’t react.
“Looks like you really did have a near-death experience.”
Close, but not quite.
I truly died and came back to life.