The Art of Disguise
"Should we really not follow her?"
"It'll be fine. She said it wasn't that far."
Ho Won-jik answered as if it were nothing special, smacking his lips. That made sense—neither of them even knew where martial artists obtained their disguise tools in the first place. Following along would only make them a burden, and traveling as a group was bound to attract attention.
Yoo Eunhyeon seemed to accept Ho Won-jik's words for a moment, then suddenly narrowed his eyes.
"But somehow, I've got a bad feeling about this."
It was because Ju Yu-ryeon seemed oddly excited, unlike her usual self. Seeing Yoo Eunhyeon tilt his head, Ho Won-jik let out a hollow laugh.
"Hyung-nim. You're worrying over nothing. Noona can be a bit of a prankster, but she wouldn't mess around with something like this."
He patted Yoo Eunhyeon's back as he spoke, not forgetting to put on a confident expression that said, Just trust me. Yet the more he did so, the more uneasy Yoo Eunhyeon felt for some reason.
I wonder if that's really true…
"Kids, I'm back."
And not even a full shichen had passed before Ju Yu-ryeon returned. Spotting her humming a tune as she approached from afar, Yoo Eunhyeon frowned. He gave Ho Won-jik a light jab with his elbow.
"Won-jik. You see what she's holding?"
"Ah, that is…"
Ho Won-jik's gaze settled on the clothes in Ju Yu-ryeon's hands. What she carried was none other than women's attire. And not just one set—two. The situation painted itself as clearly as daylight, and Yoo Eunhyeon clicked his tongue as if he had expected exactly this.
"See? What did I tell you? I said I had a bad feeling."
"Surely she isn't planning to make us wear those?"
"No way. Looking at the sizes, one of them is probably for Yu-ryeon herself."
"Then what about the other one?"
At Ho Won-jik's question, Yoo Eunhyeon simply stared at him. He said nothing, yet his eyes seemed to hold a great many meanings.
"…Hyung-nim. Should we run for it right now?"
"Too late."
Yoo Eunhyeon jerked his chin. At the end of that gesture, Ju Yu-ryeon already stood before them. She smiled with the utmost sweetness at Ho Won-jik.
"Won-jik. The true subtlety of disguise lies in changing one's gender. If you only fake the surface, you'll be found out soon enough. The surest way is to turn a man into a woman completely."
At the same time, Ju Yu-ryeon wore a sly smile. Ho Won-jik recoiled in horror, waving his hands as he took a step back.
"N-Noona! Wait a second! If a woman dresses as a man she can pass as a pretty boy, but even if a man crossdresses he won't easily look like a proper young lady! No matter how small I am, this is too much!"
"It's fine. Someone of your build won't be spotted easily unless they're particularly sharp-eyed."
When Ju Yu-ryeon paid him no mind at all, Ho Won-jik shot Yoo Eunhyeon a desperate look for help. But far from helping, Yoo Eunhyeon was not even looking at him anymore. He only cast a weary glance that seemed to say, Handle it yourself.
"I'll wait here, so go inside, get ready, and come out."
"H-Hyung-nim! That's not fair! I can't do this! …H-Hyung-nim!!!!!"
Leaving behind a pitiful scream, Ho Won-jik was dragged into the room. A short while later, the screams that had been bursting from within gradually faded into something more like a death rattle.
And after about another half-shichen had passed, Yoo Eunhyeon entered the room at Ju Yu-ryeon's call to come in.
"Well? My masterpiece of a masterpiece."
"Oh… not bad."
Ju Yu-ryeon puffed out her shoulders with full confidence. And she had every right to—Ho Won-jik's crossdressing suited him surprisingly well. He was not especially short, but his naturally slender frame meant that adding curves to the chest and hips only made his figure look all the more lithe. With a bit of makeup to soften his rather gloomy eyes, his high nose bridge and thin lips combined to transform him into a beauty of rather pure and simple charm.
"Wow. Of course the results are different when the face isn't like yours, Eunhyeon. After all, a face is what completes a woman's disguise."
Apparently satisfied herself, Ju Yu-ryeon threw her head back and laughed. Paying her no mind, Yoo Eunhyeon gave Ho Won-jik a light clap on the shoulder.
"Hey. Won-jik. You okay?"
Ho Won-jik, who had been staring into the mirror, slowly turned his head. He looked as if his soul had left his body. Yoo Eunhyeon gave the poor man's shoulder a gentle pat in consolation. A moment later, he turned to Ju Yu-ryeon.
"You're all set, right? Let's head to the Dang Clan now."
"Ah. I actually had something to say about that. I heard it while I was out buying the disguise clothes—we should probably move carefully. The merchants were saying the area's unusually crowded."
"Then we'd better avoid lightfoot techniques and just move normally."
"Yeah, that seems better. Rather than hide and raise suspicion, it'll be smoother to just come and go naturally while we're already in disguise."
"Alright. Let's go."
Having decided, the three of them packed their things and left the inn.
The distance from the inn to the Dang Clan was considerable.
Once out on the streets, Yoo Eunhyeon's party kept their bearing modest and moved carefully toward the Dang Clan so as not to stand out.
"Won-jik. Walk more demurely. Keep your legs together too. That awkward waddle is an eyesore."
"Ugh. What am I supposed to do? It's my first time wearing something like this."
Ho Won-jik grumbled at Ju Yu-ryeon's warning, yet he covered his mouth with a smile and lowered his voice, so it seemed he at least intended to stay hidden.
The three of them appeared to be heading toward the Dang Clan without any particular trouble—until their expressions gradually began to harden.
"It feels like someone's following us, doesn't it?"
Ju Yu-ryeon asked in a whisper as they walked, and Yoo Eunhyeon nodded without making any awkward show of it.
"The scattered gazes do seem to be concentrating on us…"
"What do we do? It'll be a problem if more of them gather."
"What about using lightfoot to run?"
"It won't be easy because of Won-jik. Now that he's in women's clothes, any rough movement is out of the question."
At Ju Yu-ryeon's words, Yoo Eunhyeon glanced at Ho Won-jik, who made a miserable face. Certainly, wearing unfamiliar women's clothes with padding added on top meant he could not move properly. And yet throwing off the disguise outright was also a poor choice—they still did not clearly know the pursuers' intentions.
"Then let's casually change direction for now. Once they realize we're not heading to the Dang Clan, they might stop paying attention to us. After that we can quietly turn back toward the Dang Clan again."
"And if they keep following?"
"Then we stop. If they have business with us, we can at least hear what it is."
When Yoo Eunhyeon nodded, Ju Yu-ryeon, who had been walking ahead, quickened her pace slightly and turned down a path completely different from the one leading to the Dang Clan. As she left Chengdu and headed into increasingly secluded surroundings, Yoo Eunhyeon prodded her in the back again.
"Why are you going somewhere so deserted?"
"If we're going to do it, we should do it thoroughly. This way they won't even be able to guess where we're headed."
Ju Yu-ryeon's reasoning did have merit. At that, Ho Won-jik, who had been silent, spoke up in an anxious voice.
"But if something goes wrong this way, won't we have nowhere to run? Crowded places are easier to escape in."
"You think they'd attack us out of nowhere?"
"It's just that the pursuit hasn't stopped, so I'm nervous."
Indeed, as Ho Won-jik said, the number of gazes that had been felt ever since they left the inn had not lessened at all; they continued to follow the three of them.
"Why are they following us? Who even are they?"
"Well. The Heavenly Martial Alliance seems most likely."
Yoo Eunhyeon muttered, and Ju Yu-ryeon answered in a low voice, yet the three of them had no leisure to dwell on the matter. The people were closing in on them more and more tightly.
"Halt."
At that moment, men with their faces covered by black cloth so that only their eyes showed appeared one by one and surrounded the three of them. Slightly tense, Yoo Eunhyeon gauged the martial level of those blocking their path.
They're fairly strong martial artists… Their baseline level is high.
Basically, all of them appeared to be between Second-class and First-class, with a number of them mixed in who looked virtually no different from First-class.
Since elite disciples of major sects were typically First-class masters, this was a considerable elite force.
Ju Yu-ryeon was also examining them carefully as if trying to identify them, while Ho Won-jik—whether truly frightened or only acting—huddled his body and observed them.
"Hyung-nim… I think they're Demonic Cult."
After looking over a few of them, Ho Won-jik came up behind Yoo Eunhyeon and whispered so only the two of them could hear. Yoo Eunhyeon gave no reply and simply glanced at Ju Yu-ryeon.
"Seems right. I'm not completely sure either, but the righteous factions don't handle things this way. It has to be the Demonic Cult."
Yoo Eunhyeon thought the same—if these men had been from the Heavenly Martial Alliance, they would have approached openly the way Jang Deokhyeon or Hwajin Satae had, not come masked like this.
"Do you have business with us?"
Since they were speaking rather than attacking at once, Yoo Eunhyeon asked what they wanted. The atmosphere suggested that a single wrong word would bring them charging, yet what needed to be done still needed to be done.
"We have orders to bring you in. It would be best if you came along quietly."
It was less a request than a one-sided notification. There was not the slightest sign that they intended to explain the circumstances, yet Yoo Eunhyeon did not back down and asked again.
"On what business?"
"You'll find out once you come with us."
Even when Yoo Eunhyeon pressed, the man only repeated himself, clearly having no intention of telling them.
This feeling… could it be…
In that instant, the image of Gu Jung-ho coughing up blood and murmuring that the mission was complete flashed through Yoo Eunhyeon's mind. But he soon shook his head lightly as if to cast the memory aside, then lowered his voice to speak to Ju Yu-ryeon and Ho Won-jik.
"I don't think we should go with them."
"If it's the Demonic Cult… yeah."
"Then we break through. No other choice."
Yoo Eunhyeon agreed with Ju Yu-ryeon's assessment and nodded. Hearing their exchange, Ho Won-jik muttered in an anxious voice.
"B-Break through? I'm not sure about fighting the Demonic Cult…"
"You don't have to fight. You're in disguise, so you won't be recognized. Just stay back."
"As if things will go the way I want…"
Ho Won-jik still spoke nervously as he looked at the Demonic Cultists surrounding them. And with good reason—several of the masked men were already approaching his side. After scanning their surroundings for a moment, Yoo Eunhyeon spoke to Ju Yu-ryeon.
"Yu-ryeon, stick with Won-jik."
"You're going to handle this alone? Will you be alright?"
At Ju Yu-ryeon's worried question, Yoo Eunhyeon flashed a grin.
"Don't worry. It doesn't look all that difficult."