Mok Kyung-un unwrapped his bandages and looked at his reflection in the bronze mirror.
There were visible scars where he had been stabbed—on his left chest and abdomen.
'Scars?'
Normally, his injuries wouldn't even leave a mark.
But the wounds made by that man's black sword had left clear, permanent scars.
They were likely to stay with him for life.
'Well… nothing I can do about it.'
He had to be satisfied with the fact that he was alive.
Even he had thought that kind of wound would be fatal.
But contrary to his expectations, he survived.
He had always known he had an unusually strong healing ability, but even so, his resilience was beyond belief.
'Is this a sign that I'm not meant to go there yet?'
He was relieved.
If he had to endure his grandfather's nagging in the afterlife, he'd at least prefer to do so after getting his revenge.
That way, it'd feel less unjust.
'Revenge…'
Thinking of revenge, he realized just how lucky he'd been.
Who would've imagined there'd be someone in the world with the exact same face as him?
Thanks to that, he now had the chance to erase his past identity.
'Should I call it luck?'
The death row convict he had been—was now considered dead. There would be no bounty placed on someone presumed dead.
Truthfully, he wasn't concerned about being wanted by the authorities.
He had something else in mind.
'They'll believe I'm dead now, won't they?'
That middle-aged man with the black sword—he had encountered him while tracking the scent of vengeance.
That man had come to kill him.
If he found out he was still alive, there was no doubt he'd return to finish the job.
'Martial arts…'
He'd experienced it firsthand.
That man was a monster—the first such being he had ever encountered in his life.
There was no way to face someone like him without learning martial arts.
In that sense, he was lucky.
The person who shared his face just happened to be the third young master of Yeonmok Sword House, a powerful martial clan.
Now, instead of being a death-row ghost, he could live as Yeonmok's third young master and deceive both that man and the world.
And most importantly, he now had an opportunity to learn martial arts.
'An opportunity… but…'
There was one problem.
As he buttoned up his top, Mok Kyung-un looked outside his room—where a black shadow stood just beyond the door.
It was someone Escort Gam had stationed there to monitor him.
Because of that, he was confined to the villa—only allowed out when going to the latrine.
'Annoying.'
The situation wasn't ideal.
At this point, it was practically imprisonment.
Even though they'd struck a deal, Escort Gam clearly didn't trust him in the slightest.
And likely never would.
He had brazenly killed the real Mok Kyung-un right in front of him, so the distrust was to be expected.
'What should I do?'
If he stayed still, he'd only be dragged around like a puppet.
He might not even get the chance to start learning martial arts.
A deadlock—stuck in place, unable to move forward or back.
And yet, Mok Kyung-un simply smirked calmly.
–Knock knock!
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
"Young master, I've brought your lunch."
The door opened, and a maid entered with a tray of food.
Stir-fried beef and eggplant, bean sprouts, and rice.
As always, she placed the tray on the round table by the window.
She glanced at Mok Kyung-un as he sat down and fastened his top.
'Handsome.'
Among the four sons of Yeonmok Sword House, Mok Kyung-un was by far the most handsome.
So much so that the maids competed over who got to deliver his meals, just to see his face.
It was one of the few small joys in their day.
But then—
'Hm?'
The maid subtly furrowed her brows.
He looked just like the Mok Kyung-un she knew—even his faint smile was the same.
But there was something… off.
'What is it?'
She couldn't quite put her finger on it.
There was a strange sense of unfamiliarity—an uncanny feeling she couldn't explain.
Puzzled, she picked up the now-empty tray and turned to leave, but—
"Wait."
"Yes?"
"The stir-fried beef and eggplant."
"Yes?"
"Next time, could you cook the beef a little less?"
"If it's undercooked, there'll be blood…"
"Beef is best when it's slightly rare. The texture is softer, and the blood enhances the flavor."
He said it with a gentle smile.
The moment she saw his smile, the maid felt a chill run down her spine.
She finally understood the source of that eerie feeling.
His lips were smiling, but his eyes hadn't moved at all as he stared at her.
Her body tensed instinctively.
"Is something wrong?"
"Uh... that is…"
Once fear took hold, it became hard to speak.
Right at that moment—
"Cooking is the cook's job, young master."
Mok Kyung-un turned his head toward the voice.
Through the open door, Escort Gam entered.
Shaking his head disapprovingly, he waved the maid off with a flick of his hand.
She bowed quickly and scurried out of the room.
–Thud!
After closing the door, Escort Gam walked up to Mok Kyung-un and said,
"I warned you not to do anything that would draw attention."
Mok Kyung-un, lifting a bite of rice with his chopsticks, replied casually,
"Asking for my beef to be cooked less—is that drawing attention?"
"You're Mok Kyung-un now, not a death row convict."
"Well, the paper you gave me didn't say what kind of beef the real one preferred."
He calmly countered every word.
'This little bastard…'
Escort Gam's expression hardened.
Technically, the boy wasn't wrong—but his constant backtalk was irritating.
And his unbothered chewing in the middle of all this just made it worse.
Taking a seat across from him, Escort Gam asked,
"From the way you talk, I assume you've memorized everything I told you to?"
"Yes. It wasn't much, to be honest."
"Not much? Ha! Then what's the eldest young master's name?"
"Mok Young-ho. Age twenty. Has a birthmark on his left cheek. Addicted to alcohol and women—visits brothels about every other day. The most incompetent of the brothers, but greedy and violent."
'...'
One of Escort Gam's eyebrows twitched.
Not a single word was off.
Since the original young master had written the intel himself, it was brutally honest from his own perspective.
"...And the second young master?"
"Mok Eun-pyeong. Age eighteen. Drooping eyes like the madam. Cunning and sly. The kind of trash who'd do anything to become the head of the family."
Mok Kyung-un repeated it word for word.
Even the strong strokes in the handwriting made it clear the writer harbored deep resentment.
'It would've been easier if he were just an idiot.'
Escort Gam clicked his tongue silently.
Just as expected, this guy was sharp—and he'd memorized everything.
No need to test him further.
"Want me to go on about the fourth young master? Or maybe the real Mok Kyung-un's personal habits…?"
"That's enough."
"Then, may I finish eating? I haven't had the chance yet."
"Hmph. Eat—and listen."
"Understood."
Escort Gam stood, clasping his hands behind his back as he stared out the window.
"You may have memorized the intel sheet, but you won't be meeting anyone else in the house."
"…Why is that?"
"No matter how much you look like the real Mok Kyung-un, the longer the tail, the more likely it is to get stepped on. Best to not create any opportunities in the first place."
"So you want me to stay locked up in here forever?"
"You catch on quick."
"At this point, I'm just a stand-in in name only."
"You're the one who volunteered to be the puppet instead of a mere decoy. Since you chose this path, you'll do only as you're told."
Escort Gam nailed it down, making sure the cunning imposter had no room for other ideas.
"So just follow orders, huh."
"Exactly."
"Is there anything else I should know?"
"No."
At that final word, Mok Kyung-un's eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
They said he needed to memorize the information, but aside from some basic habits and personal details to keep the lie from being exposed, they hadn't told him anything important.
Especially the most crucial detail—
'They haven't told me why a decoy was needed in the first place.'
He had suspected they might not.
But now he was certain of one thing:
'Even if a dangerous situation arises—the kind that would require a body double—they're planning to let me die.'
Otherwise, there would've been no reason to keep him in the dark.
Since they'd already poisoned the real Mok Kyung-un and now had no substitute but him, he assumed they'd use him for a while longer.
But clearly, that wasn't the plan.
They must have another secret card up their sleeve.
A thin, twisted smile curled at Mok Kyung-un's lips.
'They're planning to switch sides.'
–Thud!
As the door closed behind him, Escort Gam turned to the sharp-eyed middle-aged man standing guard outside.
"Make sure that bastard never gets out. And if anyone comes to visit, say he's unwell—don't let him meet anyone."
"Understood."
"I'll be stepping out for a while."
As he turned to leave, the middle-aged man whispered,
"Brother Gam, but… is it really necessary to switch sides?"
"Hm?"
"We already gave him poison. Why not just use the fake one instead? After all, the reason we chose the third young master to begin with was…"
"That one's not it."
"What? What do you mean?"
"You're saying he's not someone who can be easily controlled."
At Gam Ho-wee's words, the middle-aged man scoffed inwardly.
That brat, no matter how you looked at it, was just a civilian who hadn't even learned martial arts.
It was laughable how overly cautious the senior guard was being.
He must've lost his edge after retiring from the frontlines to play the role of a bodyguard. If that guy was such a nuisance, he could've just been stepped on a bit and taught a lesson.
Still, no matter what he thought, he couldn't openly object to the senior guard's orders.
"Understood."
"Keep a close watch. If he tries anything foolish, subdue him with geumnasu (joint-locking technique). I'll permit some pain—just don't touch the face."
"Oh? Really?"
"Might actually do him some good. Just keep an eye on him."
"Understood."
The middle-aged man smirked in satisfaction.
Roughly an hour after Gam Ho-wee left.
The previously closed door opened.
The middle-aged man guarding it stepped in front of Mok Kyung-un as he tried to step out.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Just stepping out for a bit."
"To relieve yourself?"
"No, I wanted to check out the villa grounds. I've also been needing someone to talk to—want to come with me?"
Mok Kyung-un spoke casually, as if it were no big deal.
The middle-aged man was dumbfounded by his demeanor and shook his head in disbelief.
How long had it been since the senior guard left, and he was already trying to go outside?
He spoke in a cold tone.
"Unless you want to get hurt, get back inside. Now."
"You're Go Chan, right? If we both keep our mouths shut, I doubt anything bad will—"
Before Mok Kyung-un could finish—
–Swish!
Go Chan swiftly twisted Mok Kyung-un's arm behind his back.
It was a textbook geumnasu technique.
According to the senior guard, while the target hadn't trained in external martial arts, his muscle density was unusual, so it was more effective to target joints than apply blunt force.
'Nothing special.'
It had been a while since Go Chan used the technique, but his instincts were still sharp.
Twisting the kid's arm felt good. With a smirk, he whispered into Mok Kyung-un's ear:
"You seem to have forgotten your place. You're not the real Mok Kyung-un. You really don't want to piss me off."
–Crack!
He twisted harder.
Muscle or not, this had to hurt—it was a joint lock.
"Go back and stay locked in your room."
Go Chan warned in a low voice.
He assumed the guy would back off and go quietly now, but—
"And if I say no?"
"What?"
Go Chan snorted in disbelief.
He'd heard the guy had a unique way of thinking, but this was ridiculous.
If he wouldn't cooperate, so be it.
"Foolish brat."
Go Chan struck the back of Mok Kyung-un's neck with a palm charged with internal energy.
–Thud!
With that much force, anyone—muscular or not—should've been knocked out.
Or so he thought. But something felt off.
It was like hitting a tree trunk.
'What the...?'
Not only did he not fall, he stood there perfectly fine.
Maybe he hadn't used enough force?
He tried to strike again, but Mok Kyung-un spoke:
"You're definitely weaker than Gam Ho-wee."
'This little bastard—'
He hadn't even flinched.
If he'd really felt the pain, he wouldn't be able to talk like that.
Go Chan, now uneasy, decided to fully subdue him. He twisted Mok Kyung-un's arm again to slam him to the ground.
But—
–Tight!
No matter how hard he twisted, it wouldn't budge.
No—Mok Kyung-un was straightening out his forcibly bent wrist and arm with ease.
'Wh-What is this...?'
Startled, Go Chan summoned all his internal energy.
He wasn't worried about injuring the guy anymore. He had to subdue him no matter what.
But—
'Huh?'
Just as he was powering up, his body suddenly floated upward.
Then he was slammed to the floor in front of Mok Kyung-un.
–Thud!
"Ugh!"
Thankfully, it didn't seem to be too forceful.
He quickly tried to spring up, but Mok Kyung-un grabbed him by the throat with his right hand.
–Grip!
"Guh!"
The grip was so strong it felt like his neck might snap at any moment.
Go Chan's eyes trembled and bloodshot.
Panicking, he grabbed at the wrist to pry it off.
But it didn't budge.
'What... what is this guy? How does he have this much strength...?'
Go Chan had reached a second-tier level of martial arts.
He could easily overpower a regular adult male—twice the strength, even.
And yet, he couldn't break free from this supposedly untrained guy's one hand.
"Hrrk... hrrk..."
He was suffocating.
His face felt like it might explode.
Struggling in agony, he caught a glimpse of Mok Kyung-un's expression.
'Is he smiling?'
The corners of his lips were stretched to his ears.
It was the innocent smile of a child playing with a toy.