The False Ak So-cheon
"This isn't a trace of the martial arts I've learned."
"Are you sure?"
Woo-gang nodded at Han Seo-yeon's question.
There was no way he couldn't tell.
He had thrust, swung, and hurled his spear countless times.
Aside from the fact that the weapon was a spear, there was nothing else in common.
A flicker of regret crossed Woo-gang's face.
It was a similar feeling to when he'd heard that the corpse they'd found earlier wasn't Yeom Si-woo's.
Disappointment washed over him, but at the same time, he felt a sense of relief.
"But it's strange. You said this was a prison, right? Traces of martial arts in a place like that."
"The structure suggests it, but we don't know if it was really a prison."
"That makes it even harder to imagine. What was it used for? It looks like they made it so no one could come and go freely."
"That's not for us to figure out. Did you find anything on your side, Young Palace Lord?"
"Nothing on our end either. Especially no traces of the Bing Palace. If the Bing Jeong had been used in any way, even a faint trace would have remained."
"How exactly is the Bing Jeong used?"
"There's no set way. There are so many methods. It can be used as a tool or absorbed like an inner pill."
"Isn't it possible the traces were there but erased by the fire?"
"I don't know how intense the fire was, but if there had been traces of the Bing Jeong, even a massive blaze wouldn't have wiped them away easily. The chill it holds is that powerful."
Woo-gang let out a small sigh at Han Seo-yeon's words.
If there were no traces of his own martial arts or the Bing Palace, it meant this incident had nothing to do with Yeom Si-woo.
"It's frustrating."
Woo-gang voiced his honest feelings.
"Don't be too disheartened. The more suspicious things like this happen, the more leads we have to dig into."
Woo-gang nodded at Han Seo-yeon's words.
"The corpse incident before, and now this. It doesn't sit right."
"The corpse incident?"
"Ah, there was that thing before. A body suspected to be Grandfather's turned up, but it wasn't. Let's head up. Nothing more to check here."
Woo-gang replied flatly and climbed the stairs first.
"A corpse..."
Han Seo-yeon murmured softly, following behind with a lingering unease on her face.
After emerging from the basement, Woo-gang was speaking with the Cheopun Danju.
Han Seo-yeon watched for a moment before beckoning a Bing Palace warrior waiting at a distance.
"Before I came to the Central Plains, was there an incident involving the Flame King's corpse?"
"Yes. There was a big rumor once, but the Murim Alliance investigated and confirmed it was just a false report."
Han Seo-yeon frowned at her subordinate's answer.
"Something feels off..."
"We thought it strange too and investigated on our own, but the body was real, and it not being the Flame King's was also true."
"I see."
She had to trust the verified facts, but an inexplicable unease lingered.
No way... It can't be. There's no reason for that.
Han Seo-yeon glanced at Woo-gang, who was talking with the Cheopun Danju.
Various thoughts floated fragmentarily in her mind.
The incident that Woo-gang and Han Seo-yeon had investigated together ultimately concluded as unrelated to the Flame King's disappearance.
As Woo-gang had said, it left a bitter aftertaste, but they couldn't dig deeper.
The fire had destroyed any potential traces.
Returning with lingering regret, Woo-gang's mind was cluttered with remnants of the event for a while.
Like the corpse fiasco before, all sorts of wild imaginings tormented him.
In a way, Sa Ma-gang had succeeded in momentarily diverting Woo-gang from dangerous thoughts, just as intended.
Dok Go-seol-ran felt pity for Woo-gang's state but also relief.
Dok Go-yeong-mu felt the same.
Dok Go-yeong-mu sought out Sa Ma-gang.
"You visit often."
"This incident. Did it really happen?"
"What do you mean by that?"
Dok Go-yeong-mu frowned slightly and stared at him.
"What do I mean? Exactly what I said. Did it really happen?"
"Why do you think that? Woo-gang and the Young Palace Lord went themselves and confirmed it with their own eyes."
"You know what I'm getting at. You're just dodging the point."
Sa Ma-gang smiled faintly at Dok Go-yeong-mu's words.
"Whether it was real or fabricated, does it matter? Hasn't the concern you had been resolved?"
"So it was you."
Dok Go-yeong-mu frowned.
Sa Ma-gang had fabricated a nonexistent event to distract Woo-gang.
The result was harmless, but the method and process grated on him.
Above all, tying it to Yeom Si-woo to deceive Woo-gang sat poorly.
"I know what you're thinking, but no need to worry. In the end, nothing was wrong. That burned building was a ruin no one entered anyway. No victims, and no risk of Woo-gang finding out."
"Hoo... Fine. Just don't scheme like this again."
"How conscientious of you."
Dok Go-yeong-mu frowned again at Sa Ma-gang's words.
"I'll take your advice into account anyway."
Standing to leave after hearing Sa Ma-gang's reply, Dok Go-yeong-mu added one more thing.
"And be careful. The Young Palace Lord and Bing Palace people are here now. You know better than anyone that a long tail gets stepped on."
"My work leaves no tails."
Dok Go-yeong-mu sighed again at Sa Ma-gang's firm declaration and left the office.
Alone now, Sa Ma-gang's expression changed.
The confident look from moments ago vanished, replaced by one tinged with faint guilt.
He'd spoken boldly to Dok Go-yeong-mu, but he knew it pricked his conscience too.
"I never leave tails."
Muttering to himself, time would make it fade naturally.
His current pangs of conscience would vanish with it.
That was what Sa Ma-gang believed.
"Cheopun Danju here."
"Come in."
Sa Ma-gang quickly schooled his expression and welcomed the Cheopun Danju.
He took the report and examined it.
"Is this true?"
"Yes. My subordinate confirmed it personally."
Sa Ma-gang's face hardened.
If the report was accurate, the situation was gravely serious.
"Then who was the Ak So-cheon that came to the Murim Alliance?"
Incomprehensible words slipped from Sa Ma-gang's mouth.
After the fire site visit, Woo-gang—who had been steeling himself—sought out Mun Ho-jeon upon hearing Sa Ma-gang wanted to see him.
The heavy atmosphere hit him as soon as he opened the office door, hardening his expression.
"What happened?"
Woo-gang tensed unnecessarily.
With recent events, he wondered if they'd found something new related to Yeom Si-woo.
But instead of answering, Sa Ma-gang handed him the report from the Cheopun Danju.
"Read it yourself."
Woo-gang quickly scanned the contents at Sa Ma-gang's words.
He looked up at Sa Ma-gang with an incredulous expression.
"Is this real?"
"Confirmed by my man. Ak So-cheon has been bedridden with illness since last year. Meaning the one you met at the Murim Alliance wasn't the real Ak So-cheon."
It was hard to believe, even with direct confirmation.
"He even sent a letter saying he couldn't attend this event, but we never received it. Unless they're lying, it vanished en route."
"Who would..."
"That's what we'll investigate now. But more importantly, it concerns you."
Woo-gang stared at Sa Ma-gang, questioning his meaning.
"Uncovering the fake Ak So-cheon's identity is priority, but his approach to you was deliberate. You said his words made you think deeply?"
"Yes."
"I heard about your talk with Mu-sang. Let me be direct. The ideology he planted in you is extremely dangerous. It's the kind held by forces that have drenched the Central Plains in blood countless times."
"But..."
"I know what you'll say. It can seem ideal. An absolutely good person with untouchable power standing above all. Many would follow, eliminating conflict."
Woo-gang listened quietly.
"But absolute good doesn't exist in this world. Even if it did, everything changes. Good and evil are like light and shadow— inseparable, and good can turn to evil in an instant. That's why no one monopolizes power; mutual checks maintain balance. Not just in murim, but the world itself. This hasn't changed from past to present."
"So his approach wasn't pure?"
"That's my view. He infiltrated the Murim Alliance with impure motives to reach you. Not to act immediately, but to plant a dangerous seed."
Woo-gang frowned at Sa Ma-gang's words.
Chills had run through him from reading the report to now.
Cold sweat trickled down his back.
"The Alliance and I see this as gravely serious. Not just because of your involvement. An unknown infiltrator waltzed in and out too easily."
A hint of anger laced Sa Ma-gang's tone—not at the foe, but self-directed fury over a cracked pride.
"If my guess is right and the fake targeted you deliberately, he's likely tied to those who abducted Flame King Senior."
Woo-gang nodded at Sa Ma-gang's words.
The shock left him speechless.
He recalled Ak So-cheon.
The impact of their first meeting.
He belatedly realized the incomprehensible shock beyond mere surprise stemmed from this.
Woo-gang clenched his fists until they hurt.
Unknowingly swept by emotion, he exuded an intimidating aura.
Gulp.
Sa Ma-gang swallowed.
It was his first time feeling Woo-gang's aura so closely, skin-deep.
"I'll do anything I can to help. It's directly tied to me now."
"Understood. I'll call when your strength is needed."
"Yes."
Woo-gang replied curtly.
The shock of the Ak So-cheon he knew being fake, the rage of being deceived.
And a trace of fear.
Emotions swirled like a typhoon in his heart.