The Art of Catching a Spy
The rising star destined to lead the next generation of the Murim. Standing at the absolute forefront of these young prodigies was none other than the Little Heavenly Demon, Seonwoo Seol. Personally, I figured one would have to be at least thirty to pull off ridiculous feats like turning pinecones into hand grenades or crossing rivers on a single leaf. But to the rest of the martial world, she possessed that exact level of mythical prestige.
Yet, even the formidable Seonwoo Seol had a weakness: she had only just reached adulthood. I wasn't looking down on her for her youth, of course. Her martial arts and knowledge of the Murim were undoubtedly lightyears ahead of mine. But if I possessed even a grain of sand's worth of advantage over her, it was experience. We might only be a few years apart, but it was an undeniable fact that I had seen and experienced far more in my life than she had.
"I understand why you might suspect me, Socheonma-nim," I said. "But if you had doubts, you shouldn't have just blurted them out like this. You should have laid some groundwork first."
"……Groundwork?"
Instead of confessing or denying the accusation, I was suddenly handing out advice. Confusion rippled across Seonwoo Seol's face.
"Whose daughter are you, Socheonma-nim?"
"……."
Seonwoo Seol remained silent. It seemed she wasn't particularly fond of bringing up her father, the Heavenly DemonSeonwoo Dan. Fair enough, I would leave him out of it.
"Ahem. Well, you hold a position of immense authority in the Demonic Cult—pardon me, the Sacred Cult. You should have utilized your status to mobilize your people."
"Mobilize them for what?"
"To investigate me, the suspected spy. You should have thoroughly dug into where a guy like me came from and what kind of life I've lived. That's the only way to properly determine whether I'm actually a spy or not."
"It was just... a passing thought that popped into my head..."
Seonwoo Seol muttered, her head dipping slightly. She seemed to realize the mistake she had made.
"Then you definitely shouldn't have pointed your finger at me and demanded, 'Are you a spy?' right off the bat. What if I actually were a spy? Doing that to an expert with a higher cultivation realm than yours is basically begging to be killed, isn't it?"
"……."
Suspecting me was one thing, but if she went around acting like this with others, her position as the Socheonma would be in serious jeopardy.
"The Murim may be at peace right now, but it's always wise to worry about enemies within, especially during times like these. That's why you must be careful. You hold a position of immense responsibility, don't you?"
"Yes……" she murmured softly.
The words had flowed out of me easily enough, but now a sudden wave of regret hit me. Wait, was this really a good idea? Am I going to get stabbed by the Demonic Cult later? 'How dare a mere chef from the Outer Dining Hall lecture the future Heavenly Demon!'
The other ladies watching the scene unfold seemed to share my concern. They were frantically shaking their heads, silently pleading with me to stop.
Well, when else in my life would I ever get to claim the title of 'The Man Who Lectured the Little Heavenly Demon'? Still, I shouldn't cross the line. I'd stop here and soften my tone.
"And for the record, I'm really not a spy. I was planning to live quietly in a small village called Gaeun, but the White Cloud Divine Physician coaxed me into coming here."
As I offered this excuse with an awkward smile, Seonwoo Seol lifted her head to look at me.
"Oh…… is that so?"
She stared at me with wide, sparkling eyes. Wow, seriously. Why does she have to be so incredibly pretty? A sudden pang of guilt washed over me for having just scolded her.
"Yes. You can ask the Master of the Western Hall later. You already know he's the one who brought me here, right?"
"……I understand."
Huh? I was actually a bit surprised by how easily and quickly she accepted it. I had half-expected her to lash out with some terrifying Socheonma technique, shouting, 'But I cannot tolerate your insolence!' just because I spoke the truth. Maybe I was just too paranoid about martial artists.
Seonwoo Seol bowed her head slightly.
"Thank you for the advice. I will make sure to do that from now on."
"As long as you don't make the same mistake next time... Wait, what do you mean 'from now on'?"
Normally, shouldn't she have said something like, 'I'll make sure not to do it next time'? That was the logical flow of the conversation.
"Didn't you just tell me to use my authority to investigate whether you're a spy or not, Chief Chef?"
"No, I meant you should do that next time with other people. I already told you I'm not a spy."
"And how am I supposed to believe that?"
Wait, she was launching a counterattack now?
"What do I have to do to make you believe me?"
"I think I'll only believe it when I see proof with my own eyes."
Are you kidding me? How on earth do you prove a negative? It wasn't like I could go to some government office and get a 'Not a Spy Certificate.' If I wasn't one, I just wasn't.
"Where in the world would I find that kind of proof?"
"Can't you just prove your innocence?"
Prove my innocence? What, did she want me to burst into tears right here and now? Ah, my head was starting to throb. This was sheer, unadulterated stubbornness, so I decided to just give up.
"……Fine. Go ahead and investigate all you want."
Even if she dug into my past, all she would find was that I had briefly worked as a lumberjack in Shandong, vanished, and then reappeared to work at an inn. If she weren't so pretty, I would have treated her to a signature Yoon Gomyung-style Lion's Roar. But as the older and wiser one, I had to endure.
"Oh, and let me know when the results of your investigation come out. Who knows? Maybe you'll uncover the secret of my birth."
"…Stop teasing me."
But I was actually being serious. When I opened my eyes after my accident, I was already in the Murim, dressed in Zhongyuan-style clothing. I still had no idea if I had possessed the body of someone who looked exactly like me, or if my actual body had been transported to the Central Plains. I had asked because I thought the Demonic Cult's vast intelligence network might actually turn up some clues, but Seonwoo Seol clearly took it as a joke.
“…….”
Well, to be fair, I was about fifty percent teasing her. At any rate, Seonwoo Seol pouted and narrowed her eyes at me. She was trying to glare at me just like she had at the beginning of our conversation, but it wasn't intimidating anymore. How could I be scared of her when she had just exposed her clumsy, airheaded side so completely? The terrifying image of the Socheonma who had ruthlessly dealt with Namgung Geuk was entirely gone, replaced by the fresh, youthful charm of a girl who had only just reached adulthood.
"…I'll be watching you."
"Watch all you like."
She had spoken with utmost gravity, yet my half-hearted reply said it all. Where's my system notification? Shouldn't a message like 'Observer Seonwoo Seol is watching you' pop up somewhere?
[Observer Seonwoo Seol is watching you.]
With that, Seonwoo Seol quietly departed, leaving the Oe-bandang filled once more with only the gentle chatter of the three ladies. I let out a deep sigh and slumped into a chair.
"Ladies, I'm exhausted. Shall we eat?"
I asked, suddenly craving the Hoegwa-yuk I had portioned out earlier. But instead of an answer, I was met with a rather peculiar question.
"Our Chief Chef isn't really a spy, right?"
When Mrs. Park asked in a sly, conspiratorial whisper, I slapped the table with a solemn expression befitting my title.
Thud!
"Aigoo, instead of taking my side, you're actually believing the Socheonma?"
"Well, we've seen a lot more of Lady Socheonma than you. Whereas our Chief Chef..."
You know today is only your first day, right? Mrs. Park's eyes practically screamed the words. I waved my hands in mock offense.
"Tsk, tsk. My dear cooks, are you going to be spending more time with Lady Socheonma, or with me?"
No matter how pretty Seonwoo Seol was, or how incredibly powerful of a martial artist she might be, they really should be showing some loyalty to the person they were actually going to live and work with. Still, the atmosphere quickly lightened. They didn't actually suspect me, and since we would be seeing a lot of each other from now on, a bit of banter was only natural. The three ladies and I spent the rest of the afternoon cooking dinner while chatting comfortably, bringing my first day at the Oe-bandang to a successful close.
What exactly does the Chief Chef of the Oe-bandang do all day?
I would love to show you via a YouTube video titled [Vlog] A Day in the Life of the Oe-bandang's Chief Chef, Responsible for the Students' Nutrition! ♡, but since YouTube doesn't exist in the Murim, a written explanation will have to suffice.
Before the sun even rises, during the Hour of the Tiger (3:00 AM to 5:00 AM), I wake up, wash my face, and head to work at the Oe-bandang. After exchanging warm greetings with the cooks, we begin preparing breakfast together. By the time we finish prepping and chatting about this and that, it is already the Hour of the Dragon (7:00 AM to 9:00 AM). Since it's currently summer break, there are barely any students around, but normally, breakfast service would begin during this hour.
Once breakfast is over, I leave the dishwashing and cleanup to the kitchen hands and dive straight into paperwork.
"What should I put on the menu for April..."
My task for today was drafting the monthly meal plan for April. Once the menu was set, I had to submit a requisition form to the academy headquarters stating, 'We require these specific ingredients for next month, so please dispatch them to the Oe-bandang.'
An administrative instructor from the Planning Hall at headquarters would review the document to approve or reject it, but I was told they generally approved most requests unless the ingredients were outrageously expensive.
Squeezing out every ounce of memory from my days as a military cook, I began crafting a delicious and nutritious menu for the growing sprouts of the Murim. Though, of course, I'd have to throw in the occasional culinary disaster—like the infamous, twisted fried yellow croaker from the depths of the underworld—just to keep them on their toes.
Since there were no convenience stores or snack bars inside the academy, students who skipped meals at the Oe-bandang had to resort to emergency rations like Byeokgokdan or leave the campus entirely. I used to wonder why school nutritionists back in my past life included such bizarre menu items, but now I finally understood. Ah, this is actually kind of fun.
By the time I finished planning the menu and wrapping up the paperwork, lunchtime would roll around. Once again, I would help the ladies, vigorously tossing the heavy iron woks. Enveloped in brilliant flames, I'd execute a culinary version of Diable Jambe right from my fingertips. After service, I'd enjoy a delicious lunch with the ladies before moving on to my afternoon duties.
I would head down to the Oe-bandang's storage room to perform a thorough inventory check, verifying the quantities of all our ingredients. This kind of work always felt best when done alongside supply clerks.
"……?"
As I was checking the inventory, a sudden prickling sensation on the back of my neck made me turn around. Sure enough, someone was watching me from a distance.
It was a rather shifty-looking man. He appeared slightly older than me and was currently employing Eunjam-sul, a stealth technique designed to conceal one's presence. It was glaringly obvious who had sent him, but I decided to play along naturally without letting on that I knew.
Keeping my eyes fixed on the storage shelves, I raised my voice.
"I don't know who you are, but I don't swing that way."
"……."
"I respect other people's preferences, but I'm really not interested in that kind of thing."
"……."
"Look, I understand you might have a preference for men, but forcing it on an innocent bystander is a sin—"
"…I don't have a preference for men either!"
His voice trembled violently, and his entire body shook with indignation. In his agitation, the Eunjam-sul he had been desperately maintaining finally shattered. Yep, I knew he wouldn't be able to hold back. Who could stay quiet when being falsely accused of being a deviant?
"Then go spy on someone else."
"I have no choice. It is an order."
"You could at least try not to stand out so much."
"…I have executed my high-level Eunjam-sul dozens of times within this academy, yet you are the only one who has ever detected me, Chief Chef."
The spy let out a defeated sigh and protested.
To find a potent medicinal herb among the endless weeds scattered across a mountain, one needed an incredibly sharp sensory perception to detect the minutest differences. Furthermore, my master Yakseon's cultivation method, the Daera-simgyeong, possessed the unique property of amplifying the user's sensory perception. It was only because of my heightened ability to perceive the subtle movements of qi that I had noticed him; it wasn't that his stealth technique was weak. It was only natural for him to feel wronged when his highly skilled technique was treated like child's play.
Looking at his face, he truly did seem miserable, but I couldn't exactly bow and scrape to someone sent to spy on me. Since Seonwoo Seol had undoubtedly sent him to keep tabs on me, I figured I might as well feed him some snacks and send him on his way.
In the kitchen, I kneaded finely ground rice flour, soybean powder, and honey into a smooth dough. Then, I cut it into bite-sized squares and left them to dry slightly. What I had made was none other than Dasik.
While factory-made Dasik was often hard enough to break a tooth, handmade Dasik melted instantly in the mouth, crumbling into a sweet, velvety powder. When you're working hard, nothing beats a sweet treat.
"…You give snacks to the person sent to spy on you?"
As I handed him the pouch of Dasik, Seonwoo Seol's spy stared at me in utter disbelief.
"You'll have to report to her that you got caught, and she's definitely going to chew you out. You might as well eat something sweet to cheer yourself up."
"That's... a novel perspective. Thank you."
Clutching the handful of Dasik, the spy cast a wary glance at me before quickly vanishing into thin air. Seeing him run off made me realize that whether you were a modern salaryman or a martial artist in the Murim, walking on eggshells around your boss was exactly the same.
After my brief encounter with the spy, I returned to my duties. Just like breakfast and lunch, I spent the evening cooking diligently with the ladies, learning the ropes of my new job as I prepared to wrap up the day.
"Thank you for your hard work today. See you tomorrow."
"It's going to get incredibly busy in three days. Will you be alright?"
I smiled at Mrs. Na's worried question.
"Even if it's busy, there's nothing I can do. It's the path I chose, after all."
At my response, Mrs. Na exchanged a knowing smirk with the other two ladies and began to chuckle.
"Hohoho! Give it a week, and you won't be singing that tune anymore."
"Pardon?"
"Oh, it's nothing! Best of luck to our Chief Chef! Hohoho!"
Leaving behind those ominous words, Mrs. Na headed home with the other two ladies.
So, what exactly was happening in three days?
It was the start of the new semester at the Mutual Righteousness Academy, and the day the new Dongdo would be matriculating.
"……."
Mrs. Na's warning kept echoing in my mind. Nothing bad is going to happen... right?