Chapter 3
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: First Steps
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Jin Wi-gang slowly opened his eyes.
“Ugh.”
The moment he realized he was regaining consciousness, a splitting pain throbbed in the back of his head.
Damn nape.
Not like it was some iron lump or anything... But where was this? And why was he...
Ah, right. He’d been knocked out by his own flesh hitting him.
Jin Wi-gang slowly scanned his surroundings.
An empty space. No, it was hard to even call it a space.
...Was this a dream?
Suddenly, Jin Wi-gang looked down at himself.
Was it because he’d recognized it as a dream?
His will reshaped the surroundings, and his body gradually took form.
Miraculously, it was as if he were facing a mirror—his body manifested exactly as he pictured it in his mind.
A sturdy, muscular frame with sun-bronzed skin.
The honed physique of his past self that anyone would instantly recognize as a martial artist’s.
“......”
Damn it, this was exactly the body he should have.
Tears suddenly welled up in his eyes.
But what could he do? It was already irreversible.
Even as this unheard-of fatty, he had things to do. The future of the entire martial world depended on him.
When he thought about it, it wasn’t all bad.
A prestigious scholarly family with a rich brother-in-law to boot...
Aside from being a fatty, didn’t he have all the backing he needed to do anything?
He decided to accept it.
To live this life as Yu Hyun...
The moment he made peace with it, something enormous burst through the space before Jin Wi-gang’s eyes.
Huh?
It billowed and swelled, gradually taking shape...
A fatty?
It was the man named Yu Hyun—his current body.
There was no mistaking that grotesquely obese frame packed with so much flesh it was repulsive.
Yet the figure, now fully transformed into a pig—no, a man—broke into a smile on his puffy face.
You little shit, that’s hilarious... Ack!
Suddenly, his head throbbed as if it would split open.
What, what is this?
Memories poured in like thunder, as if they’d been waiting.
The seventeen years of Yu Hyun’s life flashed before him like a lantern show.
From birth to the moment of death.
Ah, he’d suspected as much, but this guy didn’t have some illness.
He’d choked to death in his sleep, smothered by his own fat.
After experiencing that absurd death, the memories replayed from the beginning.
Were they embedding themselves so thoroughly because they were squeezing into every corner of his mind?
Dizziness hit him suddenly, followed by unbearable nausea.
* * *
“Urk!”
“Hyun-ah!”
“Y-Young Master!”
As everyone watched in worry, Yu Hyun suddenly spewed dark red blood and woke up.
Black blood soaked the bedding and dripped onto the floor from the bedframe, turning Yu Seong-hwan’s face ashen as he stamped his feet.
“Hyun-ah, you fool. How could this happen? Why are you like this? Why is everyone just standing there? Someone do something!”
Yu Seong-hwan’s trembling hands hovered near Yu Hyun but couldn’t bring themselves to touch him.
“Oh! It’s good. It’s good!”
Jang Se-yong, the elderly physician who had arrived late, shouted in excitement.
“What do you mean good? The boy is suffering like that!”
“It has to be! It’s supposed to hurt. That’s stagnant blood!”
“Stagnant blood?”
“Yes, stagnant blood! He needs to expel it.”
“......”
“It’s an old saying that when a patient vomits blood clots and stagnant blood, it’s a sign the illness is improving.”
Yu Seong-hwan twitched at the corners of his eyes and glared at Jang Se-yong amid his fervent declaration.
“The boy has suffered from countless complications all this time. That fainting from a bruise turned out to be a blessing instead.”
“......”
Even Jang Se-yong’s confident words couldn’t thaw the icy frost on Yu Seong-hwan’s face.
“You’d better take responsibility for those words!”
“Of course. I’d stake my name on it.”
“Shut your mouth! My Hyun just wandered the gates of death and vomited blood! You think your name means anything? If anything happens to my Hyun, I’ll cut your head off!”
“You damned fool! Is that how you talk to a friend? I came all this way to check on your son, and this is the thanks I get?”
“Talk of gratitude? If you can’t save him, I’ll really kill you!”
As Yu Seong-hwan bared his teeth and bellowed, Jang Se-yong yelled back even angrier.
“Fine! Do it! I trust my medicine. That stagnant blood is surely the toxins accumulated from his past complications. Once he expels it, he’ll be in far better shape—I guarantee it!”
The standoff turned the treatment room into a frozen wasteland.
With the patient right there, the two shouted at the tops of their lungs while the innocent bystanders cowered like shrimp.
Dam Cheon-u, watching it all, could only sigh in disbelief.
Was this really worth risking necks over?
Even if other physicians were one thing, Jang Se-yong was an Imperial Physician. The Emperor himself had sent him because his damned brother-in-law’s boils wouldn’t heal, leaving his father-in-law secluded in worry.
He was also one of his father-in-law’s few close friends. He didn’t deserve such shabby treatment.
No matter how much one doted on a child, screaming about chopping off a friend’s head was too much.
And from what he’d heard earlier, his brother-in-law’s diagnosis was a bruise on the occiput.
According to Guard Huang, he’d been walking in the training ground when his own nape struck the back of his head, sending him tumbling.
He’d scraped and swollen his face on impact, but it was nowhere near life-threatening.
“Hoo...”
As the fierce clash between physician and doting father dragged on, the sound of Yu Hyun—who had been vomiting blood for a while—taking a deep breath came.
“Hyun-ah!”
“......”
Yu Hyun slowly raised his head and looked at Yu Seong-hwan, who darted forward and seized his hand faster than the earlier standoff could justify.
An old man? A familiar face...
“Ugh!”
Suddenly, a flood of memories related to him surged in his mind, triggering another wave of intense headache.
“Th-this!”
As Yu Hyun grimaced and clutched his forehead, Yu Seong-hwan—eyes brimming with murderous intent—glared at Jang Se-yong as if to devour him.
“You wretch! Didn’t you say he was fine? Didn’t you say he’d be better than before!”
“Watch a bit longer, you fool. He vomited a lot of blood, so he’s dizzy. Nothing to worry about!”
“Shut up, shut up! You wretch! What are you all doing? Drag this loudmouth away right now...”
As Yu Seong-hwan roared loud enough to shake Hwiam Hall, Dam Cheon-u stepped in to intervene.
If left alone, the man might actually kill his friend, the renowned physician.
“Damn it! So fucking noisy!”
“......”
The sudden curse made everyone turn their heads as if entranced.
It was Yu Hyun.
Everyone in the room frowned and murmured at his expression dripping with irritation.
Wh-what? Cursing?
That rude punk...
A leopard can’t change its spots. Even if he’d devoured all the rites and morals, some habits die hard. With everyone gathered out of worry for him...
It was all because Yu Seong-hwan had spoiled him rotten.
But the man himself...
“Hey, Hyun says it’s noisy! Quiet down!”
“......”
Bellowed at those around him.
“My baby. Father raised his voice a bit? Sorry. You just came to...”
And apologized to his son with a spring-breeze smile.
Everyone fell silent and shook their heads at the familiar yet ever-astonishing sight.
Meanwhile, Yu Hyun realized his mistake amid the contemptuous stares.
‘Damn, my old personality slipped out.’
With this body, he couldn’t run, so he needed to be cautious until he lost weight—but those old men were so annoyingly loud that he lost it...
‘What now? How did this guy treat his father? No, first things first—be as polite as possible...’
“Ah, forgive me. My head hurt so much I was rude to Father and everyone here. Please excuse me.”
“......?”
“......?”
Everyone’s eyes went wide at Yu Hyun suddenly apologizing with impeccable manners.
That punk who knew no respect for heaven... apologizing?
“Br-Brother-in-law. What’s going on? Why is he suddenly...?”
“Th-that’s...”
Dam Cheon-u asked Jang Se-yong with a bewildered look.
But Jang Se-yong had no explanation for this abrupt turnaround.
As he hemmed and hawed without answering, the room buzzed again.
“......”
What’s with this situation? Why the reaction?
Did I mess up? What’s the problem?
Was apologizing wrong? Is being polite such a crime?
Yu Hyun scanned the room with confused eyes for a while before calling out.
“Father.”
“......Y-yes?”
“I need to take a short walk.”
His brain was already overloaded just from the crammed-in memories.
To clear his head properly, he needed to escape this noisy place and get some fresh air.
“Alright, sure... Huh?”
Yu Seong-hwan, stroking Yu Hyun’s head and nodding eagerly, suddenly widened his eyes at the word “walk.”
“W-what did you say?”
“A walk.”
“A w-walk?”
“Yes. Some cool breeze might clear my head.”
“......”
Come on, don’t act like you heard something unbelievable.
Yu Hyun’s brow furrowed at the reactions he just couldn’t get used to.
“Damn, that quack didn’t even check the head impact properly.”
“......”
As Yu Seong-hwan shot a sharp glare, Jang Se-yong—who had been standing firm on his medical confidence—surreptitiously dropped his gaze to the floor.
He was dead certain the body was fine even if a knife were at his throat, but clearly something was wrong with the head...
A complete turnaround... He’d sooner believe a dog riding a silk dragon...
“Hyun-ah, I get what you mean, but no. You just woke up. Do you know how much blood you vomited? You should rest more...”
“No, Father. I actually feel better than before.”
“......”
Ignoring the worried pleas, as Yu Hyun tried to rise...
“Hm, if you insist...”
Yu Seong-hwan nodded and shouted.
“You out there!”
“Yes, Patriarch!”
“Hyun is going for a walk. Bring the palanquin at once!”
“It’s always ready as usual.”
“Good.”
Only then did Yu Seong-hwan look at Yu Hyun with the warmest gaze.
“Now, take it easy and get up slowly. Guard Huang, help Hyun up.”
“......”
Yu Hyun blinked in bewilderment at Guard Huang approaching to assist him.
Palanquin? That’s a litter, right?
Riding that for a walk?
He wasn’t even going far—just a stroll in the garden—and they were making such a huge fuss... Ah.
Memories flooded in of him always riding the palanquin everywhere, mocking his grumbling.
Hah, damn. The whole household’s mobilized to help.
Shaking his head at the pathetic realization, Yu Hyun took Guard Huang’s hand and spoke.
“No. I want to walk.”
“W-what? W-walk?”
“Br-Brother-in-law! What do you mean?”
“Young Master!”
“......”
What reactions. I give up.
Abandoning any hope of understanding, Yu Hyun slowly walked out of the room with Guard Huang’s support, leaving everyone staring as if in a dream.
And...
“Hey, son-in-law. Do you see it?”
“......”
“Hyun... our Hyun is walking. Walking.”
“So it seems. Like a dream.”
Yu Seong-hwan shed tears of joy at the clear sight of Yu Hyun walking through the open door.
“A historic day. First time he’s walked in front of me since he was ten.”
“Already that long? Goodness.”
They’d treated him like a burden before, but in this moment, Dam Cheon-u felt the same as Yu Seong-hwan.
Jang Se-yong did, the physicians did...
“Oh my!”
“Wh-what! The Young Master!”
“A dream?”
Even the people in Hwiam Hall who hadn’t believed Guard Huang...
“Son-in-law.”
“Yes?”
“We must hold a feast.”
“......”
“Invite people... open the granaries and spread the word across all of Anpyeong County to celebrate today.”
“Indeed we must.”
It was too much for merely walking, but since it was Yu Hyun, everyone nodded as if it were natural.
“Hey, Vice Steward.”
“Yes, Grand Steward.”
“Prepare the feast as the Patriarch said. Tell the nearby slaughterhouse to butcher pigs urgently, and contact the brewers.”
“Understood.”
Ha Saeng quietly replied to Dam Cheon-u’s calm orders and hurried off.
“Hey!”
“......?”
Yu Seong-hwan grabbed Ha Saeng’s arm as he left, displeased with something.
“Any orders, sir?”
“Oxen.”
“......?”
“Butcher oxen.”
“Pardon?”
“Think of Hyun’s portions.”
Ha Saeng, briefly stunned, soon nodded.
Remembering the amount Yu Hyun devoured at every meal.
Yes, oxen would do...
And so, a grand feast was held at the prestigious Yu Clan Manor nestled at the foot of Cheongam Mountain.
All because Yu Hyun—that Yu Hyun—had shown everyone the miracle of walking on his own power.
And...
“My mistake. I should have considered brain damage from the occipital impact... Se-yong-ah, Se-yong. How could a self-proclaimed top physician of the realm be so careless?”
Only Jang Se-yong couldn’t join the feast, holing up in Yu Hyun’s quarters in Hwiam Hall and flipping through medical texts.
To solve the problem of Yu Hyun’s manners being too perfectly polished...