The fourth time in decades since I had eaten gyesamine, I stood in front of the bronze mirror that had returned to my old home. My appearance in my youthful days was refreshing and full of vitality. It felt like I could spend the whole day looking at the mirror. After enjoying my rejuvenated appearance for a while, I suddenly thought of Hwamugi. What is he doing now? Is he undergoing hellish training somewhere to become stronger? It would be easy to find him and kill him before he becomes stronger. The problem is that it is not easy to find Hwamugi. He appeared in the martial arts world out of nowhere and disappeared from it after forming the Sam Bong. So there was no information about Hwamugi. Besides, trying to find a person named Hwamugi by releasing people throughout the entire Chungwon is a dangerous attempt that could trigger Hwamugi’s unpredictable behavior.
Eventually, it is best for me to become stronger than Hwamugi. Fortunately, the heavens gave me enough time to prepare. I will become stronger with time on my side. Was it because I thought of Hwamugi? My Dahnjeon’s internal energy trembled and reacted. It had been a while since Sangongdock disappeared as if it hadn’t been poisoned in the first place. Since there were no traces of addiction after Bimu, Gupoengho must have properly obtained the antidote. Well, I guess Gupoengho dared to steal Sangongdock from the Cheonma’s blood and flesh. Lost in such thoughts for a moment, I called the name of the person I am most grateful for in my life. “Ian.” A welcoming voice coming from outside the door in response to my call. “Yes, my lord.” “Come in.” Then the door opened and a young woman entered. She was a woman who looked beyond overweight, even beyond corpulent, as if her martial arts uniform was about to burst. Susinhoi, Ian. At the time, I didn’t know. That the reason she was this huge was because of the martial arts she had mastered. No, because of me. Jeonsin Seokhwa Gong. It was the secret technique of Biinbujeon, secretly passed down to her, that temporarily solidifies flesh like stone. The side effect of this martial art is that the body becomes enormous. I looked at her through the mirror and asked, “How do I look?” She replied confidently from the mirror, “You look the best in Gaho.” Ian’s voice was so good. To the point where I could guarantee that if she participated in a contest to select someone with a good voice in Chungwon, she would definitely win. “It’s boring.” “The questions asked by the owner of Wolbong always have a predetermined answer.” Not only her voice but also her cheerful personality was like this. Ian, who met my gaze through the mirror, asked me, “Why do you look like that?” I survived that day thanks to her. She threw her body to block the attack of the sword sent by Hwamugi to kill me. The sword technique of Hwamugi pierced her Jeonsin Seokhwa Gong, but in the process, he slightly changed its direction. That’s why it narrowly missed hitting my heart. Hwamugi didn’t confirm my death, as he didn’t think his attack had missed. It was Ian’s sacrifice and his arrogance that saved me. ‘Thank you, Ian.’ She was someone who was prepared to sacrifice her life for me, but at that time, I just thought of her as a mere bodyguard. I took her existence for granted, just like breathing is something we take for granted. “You did well in today’s training. You were amazing.” I turned to face her. Not through the mirror, but slowly walked towards her. There was a difference between the image of her in my memory and the real her. ‘She’s even bigger than I thought.’ I looked at her silently, recalling her appearance as a young girl. Her squishy eyes, high nose, and doll-like beauty when she smiled. Everyone predicted that if she grew up like this, she would become the most beautiful woman in the world. One day, that beautiful girl suddenly appeared, looking chubby. I didn’t know how much she cried and how hurt she was because she gained so much weight. The little girl at that time also said to me with her current gaze, “Lord, I will protect you.” What might her true feelings have been? She only sinned because she was born in Magyo and grew up as a bodyguard.
✧˚·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥·̩̩̥͙✧·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥˚·̩̩̥͙✧ 𝑔𝓇𝒶𝓋𝒾𝓉𝓎𝓃𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁𝓈 ✧˚·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥·̩̩̥͙✧·̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥˚·̩̩̥͙✧