When Wooyun returned from the training grounds, Kang Choon-hee was there waiting for him with a nasty look on her face.
The young man could feel a sudden headache overtake him and a powerful urge to roll his eyes. Kang Choon-hee really reassembled the evil stepmother in a trashy drama, standing with her arms crossed like that.
"Where have you been? Why didn't you return with Yu-jun?"
Wooyun knew that whatever explanation he gave her, she wouldn't believe him. He debated saying nothing and apologizing, but the idea of bowing down to this woman didn't sit right with him.
As a reader, even if he knew Seo-yoon's hardships, he always felt like she was too much of a wuss, that at least once, she should've stood up for herself, and here he was, about to do the same thing as her. Wooyun realized he had been too misguided. It was easy for him to get frustrated with the poor protagonist from the comfort of his own bed. It's not like he was the one being subjected to this abuse. So, with a heavy sigh, he looked her straight in the eyes and told her the truth. That her son was a useless coward who bowed out the minute he was losing and left in a huff. He didn't care how many lashings he would get for talking back. Wooyun was tired of seeing Choon-hee act like she owned the place.
The unexpectedness of Seo-yoon talking back and even looking her in the eyes stunned the woman. His firm tone and unwavering gaze left her feeling uneasy. Her mouth opened and closed like a puffer fish, almost making Wooyun laugh.
"You! I don't know what got into you today if sleeping in that barn has messed with your head or what, but I will not tolerate such insolence in my house. If this continues, you will sleep outside tonight and for the foreseeable future!" She sneered before turning around and leaving.
Wooyun stood there aghast, not believing what he had just heard. Even when Seo-yoon was being punished, Kang Choon-hee was never evil enough to make her sleep outside, so why now? Was it because he had talked?
"Me and my big mouth." He whispered miserably.
That night, Kang Choon-hee locked the barn, the stables, the shed, and anywhere else in the estate; Wooyun could've gone to sleep. She didn't even have the decency to give him something to sleep with. If it hadn't been for the kindhearted Auntie Lim, he would've caught a cold while sleeping in such chilly weather.
So, Wooyun had no choice but to travel up the long hill to the training grounds and find a place to lie down. God forbid he was going to give that woman the satisfaction of sleeping by the entrance, where everyone would be able to see him in such a miserable state. Luckily, the training grounds were secluded, and few people spent time there. Only Yu-jun used it for training. So he found a spot under the weapons and laid his head on the cold ground, using the blanket Auntie had provided him with. He tried to close his eyes to sleep, but sleep never came.
How could he sleep on the hard and cold ground?
Wooyun had been used to a certain life of luxury ever since he got promoted at his company at the young age of twenty-seven and could make enough money to move downtown and afford the most expensive bedding. His back was used to being warm and cozy, sleeping only on the plushiest of beds.
Despite the cold ground, Wooyun eventually found sleep, thanks to his exhaustion from the day before. He stirred awake to the faint glow of the sun rising on the horizon. His body ached from the hard ground. He stretched his sore muscles, letting out a loud yawn until his eyes landed on an unfamiliar sight.
Eun-woo sat cross-legged in a lotus position, his posture as still as a stone. His bare chest gleamed with sweat under the dim light, showing that he had worked hard before cultivating. Wooyun took a moment to observe him, taking in the structure of his face—sharp, eerie, but strangely beautiful in its own way. It was apparent from his figure alone that Eun-woo was a martial artist. His muscles were defined but not overly bulky, like the bodybuilders Wooyun would see on social media sometimes.
The longer he stared, the more curious he became. He stood up, rubbing away the last bits of sleep from his face before approaching the young man. Making sure not to make a single noise, he got closer to Eun-woo, observing Eun-woo from different angles, even waving a hand over his face to see whether he would react—which he didn't.
"Wow, he really isn't moving a single inch…"
His dedication impressed Wooyun, and he wondered if he could do the same. Bored and with nothing else to do, he plopped beside him, folding his legs to mimic Eun-woo. Though his stance was a little sloppy, he found the proper position. Closing his eyes, he exhaled slowly, recalling the meditation techniques he had seen on YouTube.
Breathe in. Breath out. Focus your energy in your center, find your chakra…or whatever.
Minutes passed, and he felt nothing. His brows furrowed. Just as he contemplated giving up, a voice cut through the silence.
"What are you doing?"
Wooyun's eyes snapped open. His heart nearly jumped out of his body as he clutched his chest. "Damn, you scared the living shit out of me?!"
Eun-woo furrowed his brows at those words, not quite understanding what they meant, yet his eyes gleamed with amusement. "You scare that easily?"
"Anyone would freak out if they suddenly heard a noise next to them?!"
Eun-woo stared at him blankly, and Wooyun realized he had overreacted. He cleared his throat, waving him off. "Forget it."
Eun-woo, however, isn't one to forget things so easily. "I asked you a question."
Wooyun huffed. What a persistent guy. "I was obviously trying to meditate, just like you."
Eun-woo paused, then stared at him as if he were stupid. "That wasn't meditation. You were just sitting there with your eyes closed."
Wooyun blinked. "And what exactly were you doing, then?"
"Circulating my qi."
Wooyun frowned. "Circulating qi? What does that mean?"
Eun-woo studied him briefly before exhaling through his nose as if debating whether it was worth explaining. "It means guiding the flow of energy through your body, refining it, and strengthening your foundation."
Wooyun snapped his fingers. "Oh, that thing you were telling me about yesterday."
"Yes." Eun-woo's sharp eyes flickered to Wooyun's arms, where faint marks from past beatings still lingered. His expression darkened. "If you wish to get stronger, you must learn this."
Wooyun stared at his arms. He had grown used to seeing the bruises now. Even the fresh ones didn't sting anymore. But something about how Eun-woo said it—so certain and absolute—made him hesitate.
Eun-woo's voice softened, but there was an edge to it. "Do you want to keep living like this? Weak, helpless, unable to do anything when it matters?"
Wooyun swallowed. He had read this story and lived in its pages. But there was so much it hadn't told him—the unspoken history between the Han and Kang clans, the weight of Seo-yoon's past. He thought he had everything figured out, but the truth was… he knew nothing.
Eun-woo continued, "I'll only teach you if you have a reason to learn. Strength without conviction is meaningless."
Wooyun clenched his fists. A reason, huh?
As the sun climbed higher, he sat silently, reflecting on his place in this world. And for the first time since arriving here, he realized—
He couldn't afford to stay weak.
Until now, Seo-yoon was utterly unaware that Yu-jun was training in martial arts. As far as she was concerned, they were involved in cultivation in the past. She didn't find out about it until after leaving the Han Estate.
So why was it that Wooyun, who had taken over Seo-yoon's place, saw these things now? And why was Kang Choon-hee so insistent on Yu-jun learning to fight? The eldest of the two—Do-yun, was already going to inherit the Han business, so what more did she want?
Wooyun spent the next few days thinking about everything and trying to piece things together. Though he had nothing to do with the original character, he had always wished Seo-yoon didn't have to suffer so much. He felt that so much had been taken from her, and now he could make things right.
He knew he was stuck in this world, and from the multiple transmigration webcomics he had read in the past, he knew he wouldn't be able to leave until the original owner's wish was granted or the story played out until the end. Wooyun decided that since he would be a part of this world from now on, he needed to be resourceful and stick it through until he left this godforsaken place. Wooyun would need to learn martial arts and cultivate for his own survival. So he finally decided. He would seek Eun-woo out for help.
So, when he wasn't busy with chores, Wooyun went to the training grounds and talked to Eun-woo. He had no knowledge of the martial arts in this world and knew he couldn't figure all of this out on his own. He was smart enough to know that studying the arts using a manual would prove useless.
After all, no matter how detailed the instructions of internal arts and techniques are, one can never learn them properly without someone teaching them. Martial arts were based on practice, not theory. After observing for the past few days, Wooyun realized that Eun-woo often started his days training in the courtyard before making his way up the grounds. This was another thing Wooyun found strange. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of agreement he and Kang Choon-hee had that would let him hang around the estate so freely.
From what he could tell from the book, Choon-hee was very protective of the home and didn't let just anyone in. This made Wooyun curious about his identity.
He was also smart enough not to contact Eun-woo in the courtyard since anyone could walk on them talking. He didn't want one of Kang Choon-hee's goons, or worse, one of the young masters, to discover his plans. The last thing these people wanted was for their slave to finally grow a backbone and become strong enough to fight back. They needed him weak and dependent so they could keep having their way with him. Unfortunately for them, though, Wooyun wasn't going to have it. He wasn't the kind of guy who took any abuse lying over.
So when the coast was clear, Wooyun made his way up the hills in search of Eun-woo. But he didn't see a single soul in sight when he got up there. "Just where could he have gone?" He wondered out loud.
"Who are you talking about?" A voice called from behind him.