Chapter 86
To understand the wuxia novel Is This Heavenly Demon Real?, you first need to grasp the basics of 'martial world' terms and common knowledge.
What is the martial world? 'A dangerous realm ruled by physical violence.' It's an unfair place where the strong take everything—wealth, rights, power, beauties, fame... Even if you kill people and destroy cities and villages, as long as you're strong enough, it's all forgiven. A horrific lawless zone. In short, might makes right.
How do you build that strength? 'Martial arts.' You have to cultivate this thing that doesn't exist in reality, like magic. Methods to strengthen martial arts vary by wuxia novel, but most learn them from sects or clans. A sect is like school ties. A clan is blood ties. Easy if you think of it that way.
Off the beaten path, you pick up a secret manual—like a cram study guide—and self-study, or get illegal tutoring from a shady hermit master. Explanation over! Anything else? 'Kill anyone who annoys you, blocks you, acts cocky, seems dangerous, looks suspicious...' Keep slaughtering the strong who stand in your way, grow stronger, and when no one's left to challenge you, the novel ends! The wuxia novel Is This Heavenly Demon Real? followed the same broad structure.
Just one catch: "Better not run into the Heavenly Demon."
The 'Heavenly Demon' in the title is a martial artist with overwhelming power capable of destroying the world single-handedly! And the protagonist is that Heavenly Demon's disciple.
'This... could be dangerous.'
If the patient I had to persuade this time, Mao Zai, turned out to be the 'Heavenly Demon' or his 'disciple'? That'd be a threat on par with the nuclear-powered Magic Boy, Choi Kang-min.
Ding-dong!
"Hm? Who's that?"
I'd just finished reading the wuxia novel Is This Heavenly Demon Real? cover to cover and was lying in bed, brainstorming strategies. Then the dorm doorbell rang.
The only one who ever visited was my junior, Choi Kang-hun, but I doubted he'd skip school. Delivery? I hadn't ordered anything lately, so unlikely.
'Then what?'
Ding-dong!
The bell rang again. Maybe it was my imagination, but it sounded awfully irritable.
"Coming!"
I rolled out of bed, didn't even check, and cracked open the front door in my underwear.
Thud!
"Ow?!"
I rubbed my forehead, smashed by the suddenly flung-open door, and quickly backed away.
'Armed robber?!'
As if mocking my guess, a familiar woman's sharp voice rang out.
"You're late!"
"No way... Seon-yeong?"
"Who else would it be?"
Song Seon-yeong stood there, hands on her hips, glaring daggers at me with fiery eyes. Why was she mad? Anyway,
"Miss, this is a guys-only dorm. Women aren't allowed."
"I came before."
"That was against the rules too. You just barged in."
"So you're gonna report me?"
"I'm not crazy."
I feared the backlash. And honestly, I didn't hate it.
"Still stinks in here."
"Harsh! Get in before someone sees."
"Too late. People already saw because you took forever."
"My bad!"
I shut the door the second Song Seon-yeong kicked off her shoes and stepped in. Whoosh—I quickly drew the curtains I'd left open for sunlight.
"You're acting weird. Don't try to hide that I'm here."
"I'll get the lecture later!"
"Drawing the curtains like that'll make it more suspicious. Can't see what we're doing back there."
"...True."
Whoosh~ Convinced by her point, I opened them again.
"Relax. We slept together before. Freaking out over this is ridiculous."
"But back then..."
"Yeah?"
"...I didn't know it was a dream. Damn! Feels just like now."
Even I thought it was silly. I slumped my shoulders and sat on the bed.
Why was I so on edge about her visit? The 'no girls in guys' dorm' excuse didn't cut it.
"Feeling calmer?"
"...No."
Plop. Her sitting right next to me made it impossible. That subtle floral scent from her hair. I knew the type.
"Hyacinth."
"Right. How'd you know?"
"Not a big deal. It's the only flower scent I recognize."
A perfume clerk at a department store basement had casually mentioned it once.
"Huh."
"So, what's up?"
"Gotta have a reason?"
"Uh... guys' dorm and all. If you'd called ahead, we could've met off-campus..."
"Idiot. I'd never make it as a model if I cared about stares."
"Fair."
I, who obsessed over stares, definitely couldn't be a model.
'Wait, that's different?'
I just didn't want to break dorm rules. But me, who stayed cool under sniper fire, panicking over one girl? Ridiculous.
"Wanted to show you this in person."
Song Seon-yeong fiddled with her smartphone and sent something. Ding♪
"Core Summary? What's this?"
"......"
"Seon-yeong?"
"I summarized the wuxia novel Is This Heavenly Demon Real? while reading it. Even photographed the paper book's bonus map not in the ebook and attached it."
She explained while shyly avoiding my gaze.
"......"
"Didn't know what wuxia was at first, so Dad helped. He's a self-proclaimed 32-year wuxia expert. Added explanations for omitted settings too."
"......"
"And... oh! You died in a dream recently? Lost taekwondo to some girl obsessed with designer bags. So I noted hidden spots for powerful martial arts from the novel."
"......"
"Say something. It's awkward with me monologuing."
Song Seon-yeong snapped, her neck and ears flushing red.
"...Thanks."
"That's it?"
"Sorry. This threw me off. No idea what to say."
"What'd you expect?"
"Well... we broke up before. No reason for you to go this far for—Ow?!"
"You idiot...!"
Her genuine fury led to a sneak attack—stomping my instep! It hurt like hell.
"Don't exaggerate. My heel hurts too."
"Ugh... what the..."
My crisis sense, which dodged invisible snipers, was useless against Song Seon-yeong. Why? Driving me nuts.
"Think I became a model for fun? Forgot already?"
"Of course not. You snuck out at midnight to kill yourself again, and I talked you out of it."
"Forget the irrelevant parts! What'd you say to convince me?"
"Something like... if everyone looks like mannequins, no embarrassment... and you're pretty enough to model."
"Wanna get stomped again?"
"......"
Guess I got it wrong.
"I'll ask later. Remember right."
"Yes."
"I'm pretty now, but you said you couldn't look away when I wore a bikini swimsuit."
"Me?"
"Yeah."
Did I say that? So bold?
"So I said I hate people ogling my body like a product."
"Oh! I remember that."
After, I gave her the bed and slept on the floor. Until her call woke me.
"On the rooftop, you said if everyone but you looks like mannequins, I could model. Past me couldn't, but now I've got experiences the Aptitude Test can't measure."
"That too."
But so what?
"Seriously... still don't get it? After all that?"
"Sorry."
I apologized, bracing for another stomp.
"One more chance."
"Yes."
"Song Seon-yeong's current job?"
"Swimsuit model."
"Reason I could become a model?"
"Everyone but me looks like a mannequin... Ah!"
"Idiot. Finally got it?"
"Yes, ma'am. This idiot finally gets it."
Thump-thump. My heart raced wildly.
"Say it."
"Song Seon-yeong only sees Kang Moon-soo as a man, so she can model without issue—Ow?!"
Stomped again. Wrong?!
"Idiot! Don't say it so bluntly! You lack any tact with girls!"
"Ugh..."
Damned if I do, damned if I don't... But I didn't hate it.
"Don't laugh."
"Embarrassed around me?"
"Better not spout nonsense. I'm sleep-deprived and super irritable."
"How little sleep?"
"Dunno. Used the virtual reality library—even during exams I skipped that. About to pass out."
"Then hurry up and..."
"No! Boot the computer. Think summarizing 215 volumes is easy? You'll need me explaining beside you or it won't click."
"......"
"Not turning it on?"
Only now did I notice the fatigue under her cat-like eyes. A model whose looks are everything?
'What a real idiot I am.'
Couldn't argue even if beaten with a stick.
"Seon-yeong."
"Computer quick—"
"I love you. Really. And sorry I'm such an idiot."
"...Idiot. Curtains first."
"Okay."
Whoosh~ We pored over the core summary until dawn the next day.
* * *
"So you went to the police station?"
"Yeah. Didn't expect someone to actually report it."
I thought it was the dorm guard at first, but a cop rang the doorbell. Scared me.
"Where's Seon-yeong?"
"Sleeping in my bed."
"Busted hard, huh?"
"Some neighbor deep in heart demon territory reported it."
"Heart demon?"
"Devil in your heart. Another wuxia term from Song Seon-yeong. Means you're obsessed with negative thoughts and going mad."
"...And you?"
Seo Hye-ju's question made me tilt my head.
"Me what?"
"You look a bit heart-demoned to me..."
"I'm in the enlightened state of transcending demons, freed from all worldly troubles."
"...You good?"
"Of course!"
I brimmed with confidence to conquer any hardship or adversity in my path. Today was the day to enter the fifth Ranubel patient, Mao Zai's dream. High chance it was the world of Is This Heavenly Demon Real?, but not certain.
'So what?'
Reborn anew, I felt no worry or fear.
"Realized how shameless humans can be."
"Out of nowhere?"
"On the way back from questioning, ran into the neighbor. Greeted me all friendly like nothing happened."
"Maybe he doesn't know?"
"No way. They got a report about a girl's moans from my room."
"For real?"
"Yeah. Seon-yeong was groaning sleepily."
"......"
Seo Hye-ju eyed me suspiciously, then sighed in resignation.
"Don't cause trouble."
"Obviously."
"Prep's done. Enter anytime."
"I'll be back."
Jeon Ji-eun, who'd been silently biting her lip, finally asked.
"How do you enter, anyway?"
"First, lie on the bed right next to the patient."
Slide—I lay flat beside the deeply sleeping man, Mao Zai.
"...No prayers or rituals to spirits?"
"Nah. Sadly, my aptitude doesn't do wireless."
"What?"
"Wired connection. Like this."
Grab. In that instant, we connected to one dream.