Master Buk-gwak (1)
Master Buk-gwak (1)
The rattling carriage came to a stop at the village outskirts.
Inside, Muk Seo-ah, who had been dozing off with her head bobbing, suddenly snapped her eyes open.
"Ah, we're here."
Drool was smeared on her lips. Her head had been resting on the shoulder of the man sitting next to her.
The carriage was cramped. A space where people had no choice but to sit pressed together. Even accounting for that, it was a huge breach of etiquette.
As Muk Seo-ah got off the carriage, she bowed her head in apology to the man whose face had turned bright red right beside her.
"Sorry about that. I was just so tired."
"Ah, ah, no, it's fine. I'm grateful, actually."
Huh? Grateful for what?
Muk Seo-ah tilted her head in confusion. She couldn't make sense of it, but if the guy wasn't upset, that was good enough.
Inside the carriage, people were still nodding off.
When one uncle leaned his head on another uncle's shoulder, the middle-aged man jolted awake, shook off his shoulder, and slapped the sleeping guy across the face to wake him up.
A scuffle broke out in the carriage right away.
"What the hell are you doing, you bastard? Why hit a sleeping man?"
Muk Seo-ah hurried off the carriage, not wanting to watch the fight.
"This must be where Master Buk-gwak lives..."
It was the village outskirts. Not far from the Pleasure House.
Muk Seo-ah grabbed passing villagers and asked for directions to Master Buk-gwak's house.
He must be famous. Everyone knew about him.
"Ah! He's a great man. He's published renowned books, and he's a doctor, a scholar..."
"So, I just go over that hill?"
"That's right. He's in the thatched house there. But you look like a face I haven't seen around here. From another village?"
The man Muk Seo-ah had asked for directions spoke up.
His face was flushed. An ordinary-looking young man smiled awkwardly and said,
"There's no way I could've seen someone as beautiful as you and forgotten. From far away? If you have time, how about a cup of tea—"
Oso-so.
Goosebumps prickled all over Muk Seo-ah's body.
Her modern knowledge kicked in. Hunting, or in other words, man-hunting. The kind of human predation she'd only seen on busy city streets back home was now happening to her.
Was this place really the wilds?
Was it okay to hunt people inhumanely right in the middle of a daytime street?
A man getting hit on by another man. Could there be anything more horrifying? Muk Seo-ah's instincts screamed. This couldn't happen.
Pa-at—
In a corner of her mind, Cheonae Yuseon's energy glowed.
The man, merely a mortal who couldn't sense the energy, panicked at the inexplicable force that seemed to push him away.
It just felt like a rejection. He realized he'd been turned down without a word.
"...Sorry!"
Watching the frustrated man run off, Muk Seo-ah scratched her cheek.
She felt like she'd just emitted some kind of aura. No idea what it was.
"Did I glare at him too coldly?"
Her eyes had a fierce look. They were fine when she smiled softly. Cat-like features that made it hard for men to approach. But that wasn't the point. What good was looking good to men?
Muk Seo-ah headed up the hill behind the village to find Master Buk-gwak's house.
There were warning signs at the base of the mountain: Yokai sightings, no entry, etc. But Muk Seo-ah didn't pay much attention.
Just in case, she pulled out her axe and climbed.
How long had she walked? Suddenly, a noose snagged her ankle. Her body shot upward with a whoosh, leaving her dangling upside down.
Her hair hung down, and her chest, now facing the ground, jiggled as if it might touch her chin.
"Ki-hehet! Sang-gun-nim, got one! Fresh human!"
A small black imp with ears hopped between the trees. It was a Chang-gwi. A ghost attached to the tiger.
With a growling sound, a massive tiger appeared. It rolled its king marble-sized eyes.
"Ki-hi-hit! She's top-quality meat, huh? Before Sang-gun-nim eats her, how about I take a taste..."
"Hoo..."
The Tiger Yokai looked at Muk Seo-ah and perked up its tail.
"Hoo...?"
The big tiger started sweating bullets. Its wild animal instincts rang alarm bells.
This is dangerous. If caught, it's death. Bounce while tied up.
The tiger vanished into the bushes without looking back. Watching the Chang-gwi scamper after it, Muk Seo-ah clicked her tongue hard.
"Tsk, what a shame. I was gonna kill it if it came."
One perk of a woman's body. Right now, Muk Seo-ah looked like a frail woman to anyone. She seemed three or four times weaker than in her Mukmyeong days.
But her strength was the same, so she could perfectly bait yokai that preyed on the weak.
Not bad. Back then, everyone avoided him; now, men and yokai alike came at her.
The former was fucking annoying, but the latter was a win for an exorcist.
That was when it happened.
With a ting-, the rope holding Muk Seo-ah snapped.
"Ow."
Someone approached as she fell upside down.
"Are you alright?"
"Ah... yes. Hunter?"
A man with a matchlock slung over his shoulder, wrapped head to toe in leather. He was very petite, not the type for close combat. Probably specialized in shooting. Muk Seo-ah sized up the stranger from their brief encounter.
He extended a hand.
Muk Seo-ah grabbed the hunter's bandaged hand and stood up.
It felt very delicate.
He looked young. A bit younger than Muk Seo-ah.
"Don't hunt around here. Those are yokai—bullets won't work."
"Is that so? More importantly, why did that tiger run away just now?"
The hunter cupped Muk Seo-ah's hand with both of his. Excitement laced her voice. Her eyes sparkled.
Maybe because of that earlier hunting attempt, contact with a man felt burdensome.
When Muk Seo-ah pulled her hand away, he snapped out of it and said,
"Ah, sorry about that. I got a bit carried away. I've been chasing that tiger bastard for years, so I was excited."
The hunter scratched her lips. Her youthful face smiled sheepishly.
Is this really a guy? Muk Seo-ah's suspicions grew. Androgynous looks, rough speech. But her vibe was gradually turning feminine.
"Anyway! Exorcist-nim, can you kill even a big Tiger Yokai like that?"
"Geum-gang-ho? Piece of cake."
"Ooh!"
The hunter clenched her fists and shouted.
Brown hair swayed under her roasted chestnut vendor hat.
"Then, take me as your disciple!"
"Ah."
"Please! Catching that tiger is my lifelong dream!"
Muk Seo-ah put some distance between them. She didn't want to get tangled in anything troublesome.
Plus, a disciple? She had nothing to teach. Muk Seo-ah's strength wasn't from training. She couldn't exactly say, "Adjust your stats and transmigrate into a game."
"Sorry. I'm in a hurry, so later."
"Master! Master!"
"I'll kill the tiger for you, so just..."
"No. I want to become an exorcist!"
The hunter gazed at her with resolute eyes.
Her only weapon was a worn-out matchlock. To Muk Seo-ah, she had no talent. No energy at all.
"Um, kid? You look young, so casual speech okay? Cool?"
"Yup!"
"Exorcists aren't made—they're born. And you've never seen an old exorcist, right? They all die young. Dying in the wild isn't a natural death, got it?"
"But still...!"
The hunter hugged her gun, eyes welling up.
Cold sweat trickled down Muk Seo-ah's back. The pressure was mounting.
"That Tiger Yokai ate my parents whole! Revenge on yokai is my whole life..."
Muk Seo-ah shut her mouth.
Anything she said here would be a low blow. Half-assed advice would turn into "Don't forgive the retard's sob story."
Bounce. That was the only conclusion.
Muk Seo-ah quickened her pace. The hunter went "Eh? Eeeh—" chasing after, then tripped over a tree root.
Her stamina didn't look great. As Muk Seo-ah sped away, the hunter couldn't keep up and fell behind.
'Sorry...'
Guilt stabbed at Muk Seo-ah's chest.
But what could she do? Nothing to teach. Exorcists were 100% talent. No potential for a mortal with zero spiritual power.
She'd figured out the hunter was a woman in disguise. Forced rough speech. In this era, a woman not an exorcist carrying a gun would get slapped. She could guess the circumstances.
Muk Seo-ah plugged her ears to the pricking voice of conscience and hurried over the hill to a thatched house.
Finally, she'd found Master Buk-gwak.
=================================
"Ahem, sent by Cheong-ui Gongja, you say?"
An old man in a skullcap stood with hands behind his back. He wore silk robes that didn't match the humble thatched house.
He lived in a thatched house on purpose to emphasize his integrity. But his complexion was smooth and pampered. A hypocritical, contradictory contrast.
Master Buk-gwak glanced at the woman.
Porcelain skin, a near-perfect figure. The kind of looks that would make any man turn back once or twice and jerk off imagining her at home.
Such a woman was asking for guidance with a fresh-faced expression. Master Buk-gwak inwardly cheered.
'Cheong-ui Gongja! I taught you only once, but you're my best disciple!'
Cheong-ui Gongja instantly promoted to favorite disciple.
Truth be told, Master Buk-gwak barely remembered what he looked like.
Many came seeking guidance after hearing his fame. Cheong-ui Gongja was just one of the crowd.
'Anyway, my beloved disciple!'
Master Buk-gwak clenched a fist behind his back and said,
"Ahem-hem, I'm no Taoist, but I'm well-versed in various meditation techniques and mental discipline. Not boasting, but I've compiled several books."
"Impressive."
"And yet I live in a thatched house because I donate all my earnings to the orphanage."
Partly true.
Eighty percent of his income went to whoring at the Pleasure House.
The remaining twenty percent went to the orphanage kids—not a small sum.
Donations were good. Kids he'd sponsored since childhood still admired him as adults.
Their benefactor, their savior. Praise me more!
With that pure intent, Master Buk-gwak donated to an orphanage full of girls only.
'Boy orphans can beg!'
Master Buk-gwak nodded.
Bragging about his good deeds was a chance to win over the beauty.
"Kuhuhu."
Master Buk-gwak laughed like a virtuous scholar.
His mental discipline was on an insane level. He wielded imagination freely.
In his head, he was already collaring Muk Seo-ah and fucking her like a dog.
Muk Seo-ah frowned.
He seemed like a good guy, but looking at the old man's face soured her mood for some reason. A man's instinct, but she didn't dwell.
Just a misunderstanding. Master Buk-gwak was a renowned scholar devoted to learning. Cheong-ui Gongja wouldn't recommend a villain.
"Alright. You want to learn how to control your mind... Mastering the heart fully isn't easy."
Master Buk-gwak spoke like an expert.
A trustworthy voice.
"But with my hypnosis and meditation methods, it's possible. First, take off your clothes."
"Pardon?"
"Ah, no lewd intent at all. You must be fully nude to become one with nature and the primordial universe..."
Master Buk-gwak spat as he fervently defended himself, but Muk Seo-ah couldn't do that.
Ridiculous. In front of a man? How do you focus on meditation naked?
"I'd be too self-conscious..."
"Aah! Then let's do this. There's a special meditation outfit I prepared in that room—wear that."
Master Buk-gwak quickly changed tactics.
Impossible to breach a fortress of a woman. Know when to retreat one step.
"Sure, okay..."
Muk Seo-ah rose slowly.
Not thrilled, but she went in and found the special outfit.
This is meditation wear? It was semi-sheer, with exposure in spots. Something that'd kill at the Pleasure House. Straight-up courtesan garb.
"Is this right...?"
Muk Seo-ah tousled her hair in despair.
And it was small. Chest and hips squeezed too tight. She hadn't put it on yet, but she could imagine herself after: no way to call it manly.
"Kuhk."
Muk Seo-ah yanked at her hair ends.
Fine, just once. Suck it up this time. Maybe this world's meditation wear. Master Buk-gwak was the expert. Perhaps her narrow view was mistaking whore clothes for meditation wear.
Trust him.
Cheong-ui Gongja recommended him, after all.
Not a villain.
Muk Seo-ah steeled herself with the outfit in hand.
If this let her control her mind and freely use Cheonae Yuseon, she had to do it.
Her shadow changing behind the papered door showed through. Slender legs and big breasts visible even as silhouettes.
Master Buk-gwak rubbed his hard-on over his pants, admiring the view.
'Cheong-ui Gongja... you're my best disciple.'
Didn't remember who, but a master's love for his disciple burned hot.