Tracking Him Down (1)
"Understood. I'll take it."
I pondered for a moment before accepting Dan Ri-cheong's request. There was no urgent reason for me to leave right away, and I'd received so much help from him during my time at Cheonmu Academy that I wanted to repay the favor. Above all, my own curiosity was at play.
Just who the hell is this guy?
Being a special graduate of Cheonmu Academy practically guaranteed a bright future. Especially right after graduating and stepping out into the martial world—that was when they were at their most valuable. His sudden disappearance just didn't make sense.
"Flip to the next page of the roster I gave you. All the info on that friend of yours is compiled there."
As soon as I accepted the commission, Dan Ri-cheong's face lit up, his enthusiasm surging.
Flip!
Sure enough, turning the page revealed everything about the special graduate from two years back—the very target I needed to find.
"Name's Son Seak, age twenty, specialty is throwing small daggers with his throwing technique, and he's the successor to the Bi Do Mun, a one-line transmission sect."
His background was pretty unique. Not just his young age, but his sect was one I'd never even heard of. And considering I'd helped create this world's lore and setting, not knowing it was almost impossible.
"First time hearing of that sect, right?"
Dan Ri-cheong grinned as if he'd read my expression perfectly.
"Yeah. Did a sect like that even exist?"
"We didn't know at first either. But the upper echelons of the Murim Alliance personally vetted and guaranteed him, so there were no issues with his academy enrollment."
"Hmm."
That only deepened my frown. For the Murim Alliance—the heart of the righteous factions—to personally vouch for him meant Son Seak wasn't some evil faction spy or demonic cult infiltrator. He had to be righteous at least on the surface.
"We investigated thoroughly, focusing on whether he might be from the evil factions or demonic cult. Spies do slip into academies sometimes, after all. But even after the Alliance's upper brass checked him out, he passed clean. No way he's evil or demonic."
I nodded in agreement. You could fool others, but tricking the Alliance leadership? Near impossible. They had elite envoys, plus dedicated units monitoring evil factions and the demonic cult around the clock.
"We even commissioned the Hao Mun, experts on evil faction intel, suspecting some other power. But they couldn't find Son Seak—or anyone resembling him."
Not in righteous murim, not in evil murim either. This was getting more intriguing by the minute.
This won't be easy.
I'd figured knowing this Chil Jeon Pal Gi: Invincible Fist King world, its major events, and hidden figures would let me wrap this up quick. Nice try.
"No take-backs if you regret it."
"If I thought I'd regret it, I wouldn't have accepted."
Dan Ri-cheong knew how to handle me. His jab only stoked my competitive fire.
"Here. Everything the Beggar Gang and Hao Mun dug up on him."
He handed over a stack of documents about a foot thick—proof of how desperately Cheonmu Academy wanted Son Seak found, chronicling his every move.
I stared at them, another question bubbling up.
"If it's not too presumptuous... mind telling me why you're going to such lengths for Son Seak?"
Strictly speaking, he'd graduated, so his disappearance wasn't technically the academy's failure or black mark. So why pour in all this silver and effort?
"It's... because of Seak's talent."
"Care to elaborate?"
"Not quite on your level, but his shone bright. More than that, there was this glimpse of regret and loneliness in his eyes during lessons that stuck with me."
Dan Ri-cheong closed his eyes, as if picturing him.
"I see."
"Yes. He didn't mingle much, kept to himself in a private room, avoided getting close to anyone... but he clearly enjoyed academy life and cared for his peers."
In short, Son Seak was their pride and their sore spot—a promising comrade who'd vanished without a trace right after final graduation, doubling the regret.
"So please, find him. Even if unavoidable circumstances keep you from bringing him back, at least tell us if he's alive and why he left."
His earnest plea fired me up even more.
"Got it. Before I go, let me leave you a gift."
For Dan Ri-cheong and the instructors, I'd find Son Seak no matter what.
The White-Faced Flying Dagger Son Seak, selected as a special graduate for the first time in over a decade, last stayed at the Peace Inn in Hebei.
I read the report from the Beggar Gang investigator and followed Son Seak's trail exactly.
First off, I knew nothing about this White-Faced Flying Dagger Son Seak. Zero.
What did that mean?
Either a character I never touched, one with negligible role, or both.
But the part that didn't add up...
"Dan Ri-cheong, who spots talent like no one else, treasured him that much... He couldn't have minor role or be unknown to me."
Special graduates from Cheonmu Academy weren't minted yearly. My cohort proved that—just graduating was brutally tough.
Much less special graduate. That's top-five, maybe top-ten talent of this generation's late bloom.
Me not knowing a character like that? With his epithet and name? No way.
It had to be a fake identity—a phantom he'd crafted.
So what's his true identity, and why infiltrate Cheonmu Academy?
"Peace Inn! Welcome, sir!"
Lost in thought, I'd arrived before I knew it.
I scanned the surroundings carefully.
On the outskirts, away from the bustling downtown.
Few guests, nothing unusual—just your average inn. The Hao Mun, being evil faction types, spun conspiracy theories linking Son Seak's disappearance here, but came up empty.
"Hey, how long you been working here?"
"Order some food, young hero, and I'll spill in detail."
Street-smart errand boy, as expected.
"Soba, dumplings, and jukyeopcheong wine."
I ordered quick and slid him a silver ingot.
"The change depends on how helpful you are. Might take it all—or nothing."
He snorted confidently.
"Ask away. Been here over ten years."
Music to my ears.
"Ever hear of the White-Faced Flying Dagger, Son Seak?"
Fair-skinned, refined features earning him that epithet. Fake identity or not.
"Oh, that case?"
Surprisingly, the errand boy remembered the two-year-old incident well.
"Yeah, he was a guest I served."
"No kidding?"
I lit up briefly—until...
"But I told everything to the Beggar Gang and Hao Mun folks... You need new info, right?"
Crushed. Known facts were useless; they were all in these documents.
"He vanished late night from our inn, and Baek Geom Dang folks showed up nearby right after? Yeah, I know."
I nodded—yep, all investigated already.
Son Seak paid his bill but fled like a fugitive in the dead of night.
And whether coincidence or fate, Baek Geom Dang members appeared around Peace Inn the next day.
Baek Geom Dang: followers of current world's best, the Invincible Wind Cloud Sword Baek Taeryeong.
Coincidence? Doubt it.
"Nothing else? Looking skimpy on tips here."
That sparked him; after rolling his eyes in thought, he spoke.
"Ah! Something so trivial I never mentioned it."
"Trivial's fine."
Devil's in the details.
"After he left, I cleaned his room... and weirdly, his bed smelled like powder—women's powder."
"Powder?"
Out of left field; my eyes widened.
"Yep. No woman in bed with him, but that feminine scent... I wondered if he'd snuck one in at night."
Helpful? Hard to say. But Beggar Gang and Hao Mun didn't know it.
"No lies?"
"If lying, I'd make up something flashier."
"Fair point."
Ting! I paid up and sank into thought.
Combining the documents with what I just learned:
White-Faced Flying Dagger Son Seak: fake identity.
Pale skin, quiet, kept everyone at arm's length.
Next day: Baek Geom Dang sighted nearby.
His bed: women's powder scent.
No chance he brought a woman. Situation too urgent for a midnight escape, and academy life showed he never shared beds or baths—against his nature.
"Ah?!"
A thought flashed by.
Pale skin, refined looks. Avoids sleeping or bathing with others. Cares for academy and peers but never gets close.
"Bed smelled of women's powder."
And one more.
Before leaving, I'd asked Dan Ri-cheong for any odd details on Son Seak.
He'd said:
—He barely spoke, probably due to a thin, high voice giving him an inferiority complex. That's what we figured.
Thin, high voice too.
What did all these odd behaviors mean?
"No way... Is the White-Faced Flying Dagger Son Seak... a woman?!"