Chapter 2
“Ha-ha!”
A chuckle escaped between his teeth.
Dokgo Hyeon’s eyes gleamed sharply as he grinned broadly.
“You’re done for, you bastard!”
Slaaap!
Without a second thought, Dokgo Hyeon struck Dokgo-ak right across the face.
“Ugh!”
Thud!
Dokgo-ak collapsed to the ground, eyes wide with shock.
He fumbled at his own cheek, as if struggling to grasp what had just happened, then his face twisted in fury.
“Y-You filthy dog! Who do you think you—!”
Dokgo-ak clenched his fist and whipped his head around.
But waiting for him was Dokgo Hyeon’s palm.
Slaaap!
“Argh! How dare you! I’ll kill you!”
“Yeah, that’s the Dokgo-ak I remember.”
Dokgo Hyeon cracked his knuckles with a sharp, deliberate sound.
And then, he beamed widely.
“It’s good to see you. Really, it is!”
Wham!
The sound of his slap echoed like the crack of a breaking log.
“Because of you!”
Thud!
“You damn—“
Slaaap!
“—bastard!”
You really ruined everything, you bastard!
Thud! Slap! At last, Dokgo-ak collapsed to the ground, twitching.
After being beaten so thoroughly, Dokgo-ak squirmed like a piece of meat barely holding itself together.
“P-Please… enough…”
“You alright? You don’t look too good.”
You’re the one who beat me up, you crazy bastard! Dokgo-ak’s swollen eyes trembled with suppressed rage.
“Hmmm…”
Dokgo Hyeon furrowed his brow.
Dokgo-ak’s eyes were already glazed, and his lips were split, blood staining his mouth a deep red. Maybe he had gone too far on this kid. He felt just a bit of guilt.
“Guess I should stop hitting your face then and go for somewhere else.”
“…!”
Still smiling, Dokgo Hyeon grabbed Dokgo-ak by the collar and hauled him to his feet.
“How about your stomach?”
“Huk!”
Dokgo-ak, terrified, clenched his abs tight. But—
Slaaap!
“Ugh! Why did you hit my face again when you said you’d hit my stomach…?!”
“Oh, my bad. Alright, brace again for the stomach.”
“Please… spare me…”
Thud!
“Ugh!”
Dokgo Hyeon smiled brightly.
Ah, the relief of clearing away a decade of pent-up resentment.
This wretched bastard had made his life miserable for so long.
It felt amazing. The feel of Dokgo-ak’s soft, swelling cheeks was so satisfying, his hands stuck to them like they were made for this.
“Could this be a reward from the King of the Underworld? A hallucination for enduring a life of hardship?”
After all, he had saved the entire martial world. Surely, this was the least he deserved.
But if they were going to reward him, they should’ve thrown in that bastard Hyeok Wi-sang and Bai Mu-Hun too.
“Maybe they’ll show up after this?”
Dokgo Hyeon thought, ready to enjoy his time with Dokgo-ak a bit more. He raised his hand again.
“Young Master!”
Someone suddenly stepped in front of him.
“Huh?”
Dokgo Hyeon blinked in surprise.
It wasn’t because someone had interrupted—it was the fact that the face of the person who interrupted was so familiar.
“Could it be… Jang Hyung?”
“E-excuse me? H-hyung?!”
“Man, this is one realistic flashback. I even get to see Jang Hyung. But hey, step aside for a bit. I’m almost done with this bastard.”
“Oh, my Young Master! Why are you acting like this?”
The one who interrupted was Jang Sam, a servant from the Sahun Pavilion.
Jang Sam clung to Dokgo Hyeon’s arm, desperately trying to stop him.
“You can’t do this! What’s gotten into you?”
“Let go of me. I said let go! And who are you calling Young Master?”
“Who else would I be calling?! You, Young Master Dokgo Myung! Why are you behaving like this?”
Dokgo Myung? Who’s that?
“It’s you, young master! Why on earth are you acting like this?”
“What?”
Dokgo Myung?
Why is that name coming up all of a sudden?
***
It seemed like this situation wasn’t just some fleeting dream or a vision before death. After all, Dokgo Hyun had never experienced anything like this before.
”What’s going on here?”
Inside a modest room, a middle-aged man with a stern expression was seated. His sharp, deep-set eyes conveyed authority and dignity. He was Dokgo Wi-hak, the third son of Dokgo Cheon, the current head of the Dokgo family and the lord of the Judicial Hall.
Kneeling in front of him was none other than Dokgo Hyeon.
”I never kneeled even before that bastard Bai Mu-Hun…”
It was a humiliating situation, yet he wasn’t really angry.
”I never thought I’d see him again…”
With teary eyes, Dokgo Hyun gazed at Dokgo Wi-hak.
He was more than just a lord or a superior—he was like a father figure.
”Why does the face of someone being punished look so damn happy?”
Dokgo Wi-hak massaged his temples.
”Explain yourself. What were you thinking…?”
For the third time, Dokgo Wi-hak began his lecture. But no matter what he said, it didn’t register with Dokgo Hyeon at all.
Reincarnation!
He hadn’t just narrowly escaped death—he had come back decades in the past in another person’s body. Who could focus on a scolding at a time like this?
”Reincarnation, huh…?”
The face in the mirror flashed through his mind—not the scarred, battle-worn face of Dokgo Hyeon, but the tender, youthful face of a boy named Dokgo Myung.
”I’ve… entered Myung’s body?”
Dokgo Myung, a direct descendant of Dokgo Cheon, the head of the Dokgo family, and the son of Dokgo Wi-hak, the Judicial Hall lord.
He thought he was going to die miserably, but now he had reincarnated—what a stroke of luck… except for one major problem: Dokgo Myung was infamous.
No, to be precise, he was notorious.
”The dullard, the fool, the coward.”
Even in the esteemed Dokgo family, which was renowned across the martial world, Dokgo Myung was legendary for his incompetence.
”Teach him one thing, and he’ll forget ten,” a martial arts instructor once said, summarizing Dokgo Myung’s infamy in a single phrase.
”How did I end up as Myung?”
Dokgo Hyeon pondered, but no amount of thinking could produce an answer.
Well, in that case, it was better to look on the bright side. Honestly… was it really that bad?
Even if this was just a fleeting illusion, what did it matter? He had already died, so he could simply move on to the afterlife without regrets.
But if this was real?
Not only had he been reincarnated, but he had returned as a direct descendant of the Dokgo family, even if he had been somewhat out of favor.
Perhaps this was heaven’s way of giving him a second chance to fix his messed-up fate.
”…What a crazy life this is.”
Dokgo Hyeon—no, Dokgo Myung—grinned and muttered to himself.
Dokgo Wi-hak’s expression darkened.
”A crazy life? Are you seriously saying that in front of me, your father?”
”Ahem, nothing. I said nothing.”
“…”
Dokgo Wi-hak sighed, rubbing his temples as he looked at Dokgo Myung kneeling before him.
”What happened?”
Since childhood, his son had been weak and timid. But now…
”He beat the hell out of that punk.”
To be honest, the news was oddly satisfying, but the problem lay in the manner of the incident.
It wasn’t in a formal martial arts lesson or sparring match—no, he had slapped him.
”Explain yourself again. What happened?”
”That bastard tried to bite me, so I slapped him.”
Dokgo Wi-hak froze.
”What did you just say?”
The crude language was something he would never expect from Dokgo Myung. He stared, wide-eyed.
At that moment…
”Lord of the Judicial Hall, there’s a guest.”
The voice of the servant, Jang Sam, came from outside.
Dokgo Wi-hak frowned.
”Tell them I’m busy and can’t receive guests right now.”
”Well, sir… the guest is the lord of the Black Dragon Guard.”
”…The Black Dragon Guard?”
Dokgo Wi-hak’s brows furrowed, and he turned toward his son.
”You should stand and take a seat.”
”Yes, sir.”
”Let them in.”
The door slid open, and a cold-faced man entered.
He wore black martial robes embroidered with a red dragon—a uniform that symbolized the elite Black Dragon Guard, the personal guards of the family head.
”Greetings, Lord of the Judicial Hall.”
”What brings the commander of the Black Dragon Guard here personally?” Dokgo Wi-hak asked bluntly.
”I come on the orders of the family head.”
The mention of the family head made Dokgo Wi-hak’s jaw tense.
”What is the message?”
”The family head has summoned the young master regarding this morning’s incident. He is to come to the family hall immediately.”
”…I understand.”
Dokgo Wi-hak sighed and looked at his son.
”So the family head has heard.”
”It would be more surprising if he hadn’t.”
”What?”
”It’s no big deal.”
Dokgo Myung replied nonchalantly and stood up.
Dokgo Wi-hak gazed at him with worry.
”Shall I accompany you?”
Dokgo Myung scratched his chin.
”No, it’s fine.”
”…Are you sure?”
”I’m the only one who was summoned. Why would you come with me?”
Dokgo Wi-hak’s expression wavered.
”You really want to go alone?”
”Of course. It’s my business. Why should you come? I’m not a child.”
Yes, you are, Dokgo Wi-hak wanted to say but bit his tongue.
”He usually would’ve begged not to go…” he thought, confused.
This wasn’t his usual son. His real son wouldn’t have been involved in such a mess in the first place.
”What’s going on…?”
Bewildered, Dokgo Wi-hak watched as his son turned to leave. Just before stepping through the door, Myung stopped, looking back.
”Lord.”
”What? You do want me to come with you?”
”No, no. Just wait here without worrying.”
”What?”
Dokgo Wi-hak blinked. Suddenly, his son felt foreign to him.
And why call him “Lord” instead of “Father”?
”I’ll make it up to you.”
With that cryptic remark, Dokgo Myung followed the Black Dragon Guard.
”Alright! Let’s go, Commander!”
Whip! Thud!
Dokgo Wi-hak stared in disbelief at the now-closed door.
READ MORE AT – GENZTOONS.COM
MAKE ACCOUNT AND GET [50] COINS FREE!!
Comment