Episode 3

“Hyung, have you made any progress with your martial arts? Since you got into the family head’s private library, why don’t you show us how much you’ve improved?”

That guy had probably chosen me as his sacrifice to look good in front of the beauties.

He really was clever—too clever for his own good.

But honestly, I was just as furious.

Even if it wasn’t now, in my past life I had reached the pinnacle of martial arts mastery. All that experience and insight didn’t just vanish.

So watching some greenhorn who hadn’t even reached first-rate level act cocky was almost unbearable.

‘It’s tough. It really is…’

The problem was, my body was even worse off.

I could trust myself, but not this body. Right now, I was out of breath just from walking.

It was sad to admit, but the saying that I was closer to a pig than a human wasn’t far from the truth.

In the end, I gritted my teeth and decided to back down as much as possible.

They say a gentleman’s revenge takes ten years or more, right?

It seemed wiser to wait for the right moment after returning to human form.

So, like a fool, I forced a smile and tried to calm him with kind words.

“Do you really think mastering martial arts in a day will make a difference? It’s just effort for now. You should head back quickly—ugh!”

Smack!

But he clearly had no intention of giving me a choice.

My arm throbbed as if it might break.

He had suddenly charged and thrown a punch, which I barely managed to block.

“What?”

He looked at me, stunned.

Apparently, it was unexpected that I could block his surprise attack.

But I was just as shocked.

I couldn’t believe how much it hurt to block a single punch.

My untrained arm ached painfully.

I could have easily dodged, but my body didn’t respond fast enough, so I had no choice but to block.

Suddenly, I felt hopeless about my own body.

“You blocked it? The third brother blocked my punch?”

Even so, that seemed to be enough to shake Sunwoo Gi, the fourth brother.

He stood frozen, muttering blankly.

Then the older brothers watching from behind burst out laughing as if they’d been waiting for this moment.

“Ha ha ha! What’s this? Getting blocked by a pig? Isn’t your punch just too slow?!”

“If he leaves now, it looks like Gi will have to take over the shame of the Sunwoo family, hyung! Ha ha ha!”

I didn’t even have to see their faces to know what they were thinking.

They probably felt like they’d lost their star player to Je Gal Sojeo, and now that their rival Sunwoo Gi was making a fool of himself, they had the perfect chance to tear him down.

Sunwoo Gi’s embarrassment in front of the women was obvious.

His face flushed red as he squared up and charged at me again.

“How dare you!”

His fists flew like gusts of wind, leaving afterimages.

Bam bam bam!

“Ugh!”

Once again, I barely managed to block, but the pain was excruciating, my bones aching.

I wanted to beg him to stop.

But… something felt strange.

His moves, though unfamiliar, looked oddly familiar.

‘That’s… no way?!’

It was the Sunwoo family’s signature technique—the Gale Thirteen Strikes.

I’d never practiced it, yet the movements were crystal clear in my mind.

For a moment, I forgot the pain and focused on his form.

His hands and feet flew like a gale, weaving together in a complex dance that nullified defenses—a high-level sequence.

The scene perfectly matched the secret manual I’d just read in the library.

Suddenly, my mind cleared.

I grasped the technique in an instant, something I could never have understood from words and pictures alone.

It was like a rush of exhilaration.

I couldn’t help but exclaim.

“Impressive!”

He flinched.

“What? You like that?”

He suddenly stopped moving, and panic rose in me.

The flow of moves I’d been piecing together in my head froze.

“No, no! That was just a slip of the tongue. What are you waiting for? Attack! Attack me more!”

His expression twisted, like he was looking at a pervert.

The other brothers seized the opportunity to laugh again.

“Ha ha ha! Look at that! He likes it?!”

“He’s asking for more? Your attacks must feel good, huh? Ha ha ha!”

Grinding his teeth, he lit a fire in his eyes and charged again.

“Die!”

“Come on then! Ha ha ha!”

I was exhilarated.

In my past life, the martial arts I’d learned were just superficial—some sword techniques from the Pointed Spear and Blue Star schools, learned secondhand. I didn’t know the exact sequences or how to use them properly.

So this was the first time in two lives that I was truly mastering martial arts.

And it was the Sunwoo family’s style—my own clan’s.

As he unleashed a storm of attacks, I finally matched every move in my mind with perfect clarity.

It felt like a clear bell ringing inside my head.

Then, he attacked with a move I could now see clearly—the “Gale Wave” technique, switching from the gale-like strikes to a precise palm strike aimed at a weak spot.

I saw his fists flying like afterimages through the gap between my thick, guarding arms.

Thud thud thud thud!

His fists rained down like a sudden shower, and I saw him preparing to switch to a palm strike.

Without thinking, I stepped forward.

The flaw in his technique, which had looked awkward and untrained from the start, became glaringly obvious.

As I stepped in, I extended my palm, and his chest collided with it as if he ran right into me.

Smack!

The heavy impact sent a sharp jolt through my palm.

“Ugh!”

He was knocked back at full speed, spitting blood.

Thud!

He collapsed onto the grass, and I slumped down beside him, my tension finally releasing.

“Huff, huff…”

I must have pushed my body to its absolute limit.

Even the brothers who had been mocking Sunwoo Gi fell silent.

They blinked in disbelief, clearly shaken by seeing him unconscious.

But soon, they recovered and approached me with fierce eyes.

“You pig bastard got lucky.”

“That move you just used—why don’t you show it to us too?”

This was bad.

I was truly out of strength now.

‘Damn it. This can’t be good.’

Cold sweat dripped down my back.

I didn’t mind taking hits, but with the murderous looks they were giving me, if I got seriously hurt and couldn’t return to the library, nothing would be worse.

I tried to defuse the situation.

“Hyungs! I think Gi’s energy is badly damaged! Shouldn’t we check his condition first?”

They just scoffed.

“Hmph! Who’s worried about whom?”

“They’re probably hoping you’ll get your revenge for them!”

Then, at that critical moment, an unexpected savior appeared.

Je Gal Sojeo—the very person who had put me in this mess.

“Your brother’s hurt, and instead of checking on him, you’re bullying someone who can’t even stand? I’m really disappointed. Aren’t you, Cheong-yeon?”

Behind Je Gal Sojeo, a woman with bangs covering her eyes nodded stiffly.

That was enough to end the confrontation.

The flustered brothers hurriedly made excuses and rushed to Sunwoo Gi’s side.

“No, no! That’s not it! We were just about to check his condition!”

“I’m already checking! Gi, are you okay?!”

I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.

What a pathetic sight.

I’d been living under these fools all this time.

I was just as pathetic.

Well, if they were decent people, we’d have a good relationship by now—like my friend Dan Ha-sang.

Suddenly, the face of my friend who died unjustly flashed before me.

Even though I’d come back to the past, all I’d seen was his death.

I silently vowed once again.

“Hasang, I will find the monster who hurt you. And I will make them pay.”

While I was lost in thought, my brothers lifted the unconscious Sunwoo Gi and disappeared like the tide receding.

Only Je Gal Sojeo, whom they called Cheong-yeon, stayed behind, looking at me with a meaningful gaze.

Once they were gone, I lay flat on the empty grass, panting for a long time.

The blue sky stretched above, white clouds drifting lazily.

Then, a shadow fell across my face.

Before I knew it, Sunwoo Jung—my father—was looking down at me.

Startled, I shouted.

“F-Father?!”

My heart sank.

I worried he’d think I was slacking off, even after sending me to the family head’s private library.

“I—I mean, right now…!”

It was strange.

I’d never longed for my father in my past life, but the thought of disappointing him scared me more than getting beaten by my brothers.

But his eyes weren’t filled with disappointment.

There was something tender in his gaze—an emotion I’d never seen from him before.

So unfamiliar, I could hardly believe it.

He spoke softly, gently.

“You’ve worked hard, Jin-ah. And…”

From his lips came words I had never heard before—words I could hardly believe.

“How admirable.”

Something welled up inside me.

I didn’t know what expression to wear.

I could only barely hold back the surge of emotion rising within.

Then, my father suddenly shifted his gaze upward, staring at the sky as if murmuring to himself.

“Do you know? Of the four times I married, there was only one I truly wanted.”

It was the first time I’d ever heard him say that.

“Back then, I thought it was something I had to do for the family’s sake. But… now, I’m not so sure.”

His voice was so lonely it made my chest ache.

At the same time, my mind was a jumble—I couldn’t quite grasp what he meant.

No, more precisely, I couldn’t bring myself to believe it.

‘So, what he’s saying is… out of all four marriages, the one he truly wanted was… could it be?’

I didn’t know what to say, so I just looked at him with a pained expression.

Then, suddenly, he changed the mood, smiling faintly.

“Have you read the secret manual of the Thirteen Sunwoo Blades?”

“Uh? Yes! I have.”

He slowly walked toward the grassy clearing and said,

“I’m thinking of practicing my swordsmanship after a long time. You should rest a bit, then come back inside.”

Then he began to move his sword—slowly, deliberately.

It was the Thirteen Sunwoo Blades.

From start to finish, he moved through the forms at a very slow pace.

Then again, from the beginning, a little faster.

Gradually increasing speed, repeating the sequence over and over.

Over and over.

Until I could no longer look away.

By the third time, I already understood every move.

Still, I kept watching my father’s sword dance.

Entranced, endlessly.

I felt like this moment would never fade from my memory.

When his breathing grew heavy, I bowed slowly to him, then stood and went back inside.

The thought that maybe I could stop reading martial arts manuals had long since vanished.

Just like before—no, with even more focus—I began reading again.

I didn’t want to waste a single second of this moment.

After finishing all the martial arts books, the last ones I read were like diaries left by my ancestors.

They recorded various experiences and insights, but I still couldn’t understand them at all.

‘Well, it’s no wonder. I struggled to grasp the forms; it would be strange if I already understood their insights.’

Finally, as I finished the last volume and reached to put it back on the shelf, I felt something odd.

I pulled the book out again and examined it closely.

‘What’s this…?’

No matter how I looked, one side of the cover felt thicker than the other.

I knew this well from my time on the front lines—this was how spies smuggled secret messages.

There was definitely something hidden inside the cover.

Carefully, I peeled the cover apart.

“Just as I thought!”

Inside was a thinly folded piece of paper.

On both sides were drawings and writings, with large titles at the top of each page.

“Fourteenth Form,” “Fifteenth Form.”

The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Forms…

“…Could it be?”

It seemed I was the first to discover this.