Chapter 20
"……!!"
A massive surge flooded in through her palm.
Baek A-young almost screamed and toppled backward.
She hurriedly pulled her hand back.
'Th-this man... what?!'
It was cold, and deep.
The feel of spiritual power varied quite a bit from person to person.
There are warm people, fierce people, and people like still lakes.
But this man—
It was dizzying.
So much so that she almost lost consciousness.
It felt as if she had been plunged whole into the deep, cold sea.
Beneath it, it was as if a vast abyss with no end were opening its mouth.
She had never once in her life felt such overwhelming spiritual power.
'Crazy... who is this person?'
Baek A-young stole a glance at the man in front of her, then gauged Ji-an standing beside him.
This was on a completely different level from the customers she usually got.
It wasn't as if rank was determined by spiritual power alone, but even so—
'...He must really be a big shot, then?'
Who in the world was he?
With this level of spiritual power, he had to be someone widely known from some famous family.
And yet he had come all the way to this out-of-the-way apothecary just to change his face.
What rank is he, anyway?
If the gap in spiritual power was too wide, you couldn't even properly gauge its depth.
It was the same principle as a frog in a well not being able to know the depth of the sea.
All she could tell now was a vague sense of depth and vastness.
'At this level... second rank?'
The real rank-2 shaman uncle who had once visited here came to mind.
'...No, way above that uncle—'
"Why? Is there a problem?"
Ji-an beside me asked, looking puzzled.
"Ah...! N-no, it's nothing!"
Ayoung quietly cupped her trembling fingertips and forced her expression into composure.
"Hahaha... So, the concept you want is..."
In her head, she was already rapidly tallying the estimate.
'With this much spiritual power... I might even be able to turn him into a completely different person.'
An old man, a middle-aged man—heck, even a gender swap.
With this spiritual power, it felt like it could hold up just fine.
Then the man spoke in an indifferent voice.
"I have a concept in mind."
His eyes glinted slightly.
.
.
.
"...Yes?"
Ayoung blinked without thinking.
"Even younger than this... uh, younger?"
"Yes."
There wasn't even the slightest hesitation in the man's answer.
'...He wants to get even younger here?'
At first, she was just bewildered.
Young customers almost always asked to be made to look older.
But this person was the exact opposite.
'...Could it be that?'
Most customers wanted their age pushed up to give off a veteran vibe, or ordered a vicious look to seem intimidating.
But what happens if you look younger?
Everyone underestimates you. Takes you lightly.
It would actually make behind-the-scenes work much easier, and digging up information would be a lot simpler, too.
And for someone with this level of spiritual power, hiding his own aura for a bit without a suppressor talisman would be nothing.
'...So he'll use that baby face to make people let their guard down, then strike with one blow, huh?'
'...What a terrifying man, seriously.'
Ayoung clicked her tongue inwardly.
Besides, his base features were so good that shaping them into a youthful pretty boy would likely turn out spectacularly well.
That was an area she was pretty confident in, too.
With that thought, a strange creative urge to work on it stirred within her.
"Understood. Then please close your eyes. I'll be rearranging the structure of your bones and muscles, so you may feel a little sore."
***
"Do you like it?"
Ji-an beside me asked, looking over my changed face.
I quietly studied my reflection in the shop window across from the apothecary.
Beyond the glass, there was hair styled to look naturally tousled and sharp eyebrows.
And there stood a pretty boy with a cold, chic air.
Hmm...
It looked a little younger than the original target of twenty—about eighteen, maybe.
'...Well, that should do, I guess.'
Of course, at first I had naturally planned to go with the veteran artisan concept.
Why, isn't that what people usually imagine?
A reclusive master with white hair and a magnificently grown beard, exuding an untouchable aura.
If he was a craftsman from the Tianshan Sect, that image would fit perfectly in anyone's mind.
Besides, the secretary I'd met at TK Hotel had seemed a little surprised that I looked younger than expected.
But thinking about it calmly, that had plenty of room to become a problem.
'How the hell am I supposed to suddenly act like some middle-aged guy or old man?'
What good would it do to change only my face into a veteran's?
My speech, mannerisms, everything about me was twenty-something to the bone.
If I awkwardly tried to imitate an old man and let that awkwardness leak out in small ways, it would only make me more suspicious.
And the biggest problem was that, while I had worn a mask during the TK Hotel commission, someone might remember my presence or even my eyes.
If the gap in atmosphere grew too wide from then, it might actually reveal that I'd done something to my face.
'Let's not overdo it.'
So this reverse idea came to mind.
Rather than that, within the same youth bracket, just drop the apparent age sharply from twenty to the late teens.
Since everyone would picture an old veteran when they heard Tianshan Sect artisan, they'd definitely be shocked if I shoved in this youthful face.
Instead, it would leave a strong impression that 'the Tianshan Sect artisan is insanely young.'
Besides, I'd worn a mask anyway, so no one would know how old my real face had been.
Then it would clearly be distinguished from my original late-twenties appearance.
'...It is a little awkward, though.'
A razor-sharp jawline.
And skin so flawless it felt unreal.
It does look a little younger than expected, though.
Well, still.
At this level, I could just casually claim I was twenty.
It's not like the occult world was going to ask to see my ID.
And since I look younger, everyone will lower their expectations.
'...That side is easier to work with.'
The lower the expectations, the more impressive the results will seem.
Anyway, my goal of distinguishing myself from the blade artisan had at least been achieved.
No, honestly.
I kind of liked it, too.
I quietly compared the flashy face in the window with my original face in my head.
Honestly, wasn't my usual face the kind you'd see at any neighborhood convenience store?
"Well, there's definitely a difference from my original face. My usual impression was so ordinary..."
When I muttered that absentmindedly, Ji-an coughed softly beside me.
Then he muttered something in a voice so low it was almost swallowed.
"...What? Your original face is definitely not ordinary either."
"Ah, I didn't catch that. What did you say?"
When I turned my head and asked, Ji-an hurriedly waved his hands.
"Ah! A-ah, no. Hahaha. I-I meant the earring suits you."
…Ah.
I turned my gaze back to the window.
A small silver cross earring was dangling from my left earlobe.
"Ah, this?"
When I lightly touched it with my fingertip, the cross swayed gently.
It had been put on my ear just as the work was wrapping up.
As the dizziness in my head from my bones settling faded and my vision slowly cleared.
"Now, all done. Would you open your eyes once?"
At Ayoung's voice, I slowly opened my eyes.
My eyes met Ayoung's, seated directly in front of me.
She had been staring at my face for a long time.
Looking almost entranced, she suddenly flinched and stood up.
"W-wait just a moment!"
She hurriedly dashed into the back of the apothecary, then returned a little later with a small box.
What she was holding was—
a pair of silver cross earrings.
"...What's this?"
"I-I thought it'd suit you... no, I mean, I thought it'd help the disguise more! A concept like this is much more natural if you add a point like this to draw the eye away!"
At that, the old man stirring the herbal pot in the back snorted.
"Hmph. Talking about drawing the eye away, huh. You're not just saying that because of those idol guys or whatever you've been into lately, are you?"
Ayoung's face flushed bright red.
"No, it isn't! It's professional advice as a designer, advice!"
"Always satisfying your own little whims."
“Aagh! I told you it isn't!”
At the old man's jab, Ayoung puffed up and thrust the earrings toward me.
"A-anyway! If you wear these, the vibe will definitely come alive. I'll put them on for you!"
Well, if I was going to disguise myself anyway, I might as well do it properly.
And so, for the first time in my life, I got my ears pierced.
.
.
.
"……."
Beside me, Ji-an coughed awkwardly again and looked away.
What was that reaction?
Well, at this point even my mom wouldn't recognize me, so there was no more risk of my identity getting exposed.
Then, it was about time...
I took the suppressor talisman out of my pocket and hung it around my neck.
Swish―
The altered bones and muscles loosened smoothly, returning to their original shape.
“Do you have plans today?”
Ji-an asked.
“I have something to drop off, and while I'm at it, I was thinking of having a family meal out.”
***
"Aaaah... so good."
That evening, in our living room.
With a huge jokbal platter set in front of the table, my younger sister Ji-yeon lay on the sofa, rubbing her stomach and stretching.
Hey. Don't lie down.
I nudged my sister's leg with my foot.
"Aaaah... I've been stuck in the study room studying nonstop until now. Let me rest a little."
"Don't lie down right after eating. Are you a pig?"
"Yeees, yeeees~"
Ji-yeon pouted, but then leaned back on the sofa again.
But...
How did this end up like this?
"No... it's our first family outing in ages, and I suggested we go eat steak at a five-star hotel."
After eating something that delicious at the hotel.
I thought of Mom and Ji-yeon.
I wanted to let them eat top-class food at least once.
At my grumble, Mom laughed and waved her hand.
"It's fine. Even if I ate something that expensive, I wouldn't even know how it tasted. Jokbal like this, when we're all gathered together, tastes way better."
"Exactly! Oppa, don't go spending money now that you've made some. You'll go broke before you know it."
Ji-yeon neatly wrapped a piece of jokbal and ssamjang in lettuce, then shoved it into my mouth instead of her own.
Munch, munch...
I chewed it roughly, swallowed, and then tossed the words out to Ji-yeon.
“From now on, I'll pay all your college tuition. Don't think about scholarships or part-time jobs or anything else—just study hard. And since you're going anyway, don't settle for less. Go to the best school you can.”
"Whoa?"
Ji-yeon stared at me with round rabbit eyes.
Mom, you should quit the restaurant work now too. Your son will be paying your living expenses, so take it easy and go to the hospital once in a while.
Ji-yeon set down her chopsticks and asked with a serious face.
"Oppa, where on earth did you get hired that you can say that? You're not doing something weird... are you?"
"Weird work? No way. I just landed one big freelance job, that's all. Enough, take this."
I held out the paper box I'd brought.
"What's this?"
"This is for Mom. This is yours."
They were top-grade tonics I'd bought from the apothecary old man I'd visited during the day.
A place that can even reset facial bones should brew recovery medicine amazingly well.
***
"Mmm... nice."
After dinner with my family, I lay down on the bed in my room.
It had been a while since I'd lain on my parents' bed. Looking up at the ceiling, I smiled without meaning to.
I don't even know how long it's been since I came home. All this time, I'd used part-time jobs as an excuse and lived holed up in a tiny studio apartment.
Seeing their son show up looking neat and tidy after so long, Mom couldn't keep the smile off her face.
And with a thick wad of living expenses and an expensive tonic on top of it, I felt like I had the whole world.
'As expected... money really is great.'
Seeing my family that happy made me wonder if this was what making money felt like.
That aside.
I stared blankly at the medicine bundles set in one corner of the room and sank into thought.
‘Shamanism is really strange. Talismans too, and that medicine.’
I still couldn't understand by what principle bones and flesh were shaved away and then reattached.
I gently loosened the suppressor talisman I was wearing around my neck.
Swish―
As a faint burst of spiritual power flowed out, my face slowly changed back into a youthful pretty boy.
‘Oh-ho.’
Before leaving the apothecary today, the old man had handed me the medicine and stressed something.
[If you don't keep taking this regularly, it'll revert, so make sure you take it twice a day!]
To maintain the changed appearance, you needed both the medicine's base effect and my spiritual power to hold it in place.
[Then... what happens if you wear the suppressor talisman?]
[The moment your spiritual power is blocked, you go right back to your original face. If you let your power flow again, you change back. While the medicine's effect lasts, it just turns on and off like that.]
[What about the medicine?]
[The effect lasts about twelve hours per dose. If you don't take the next dose within that time....]
Ayoung snapped her fingers.
[Then it's really over. You'll be stuck with your original face forever, so if you want a new one, you'll have to come back to our apothecary.]
[……Hah.]
So normally, you couldn't go around wearing the suppressor talisman while your face was changed.
The moment you put on the suppressor talisman, your spiritual power would be completely blocked, and you'd go right back to your original appearance on the spot.
But my suppressor talisman was different.
Because I could adjust the output of spiritual power to whatever I wanted.
All I had to do was let through just enough spiritual power to keep the face and suppress the rest.
In other words.
In short, so long as I took the medicine on time, I could turn my appearance transformation on and off at will just by adjusting the suppressor talisman's output!
‘That's sweet as hell.’
I'd take care of my family's health, and I'd have a perfect cover identity too.
All that was left now was to rake in the cash.
Ring-ring—
Then my phone rang. It was Ji-an.
"Yes, Ji-an."
—Master Dohyun! Have you been resting well? It's a bit early, but a really good commission just came in!
Ah, now that's perfect timing.
Just when I was thinking I'd need a little more money to take care of my family.
"Great. I'll do it."
***
Vroooom—
A little while later, on a quiet mountainside.
Ji-an's bright red sports car came to a gentle stop in front of the driveway leading to an imposing mansion.
In front of the barrier gate, men in black suits with ferocious faces were standing firm and controlling access.
"Vehicles stop here. Outside vehicles are not allowed to enter."
No choice.
Looks like I'd have to walk up from here.
I adjusted the suppressor talisman's output, changed back into the youthful pretty-boy artisan face, and got out of the car.
Ji-an rolled down the window and waved.
"I'll take you as far as here. They say there's an on-site broker waiting inside. Master Dohyun, call me when you're done and I'll come pick you up right away!"
"Understood."
I gave a light wave and headed toward the huge mansion.
As I reached the barrier gate, one of the men in black suits stepped forward.
"Please verify your identity."
I took out a pass and an ID tag I'd already received from Ji-an and handed them over.
The pass had the two characters [天山] engraved on it.
The man in the suit laid the pass in his palm and sent a thread of spiritual power into it.
A faint blue light flickered up briefly, then died down again.
He seemed to be checking its authenticity.
"……."
After checking the pass once more, he bowed his head lightly.
"Ah, so you're the blade artisan from the Tianshan Sect. They're waiting inside. Please go in."
The barrier gate slowly lifted upward.
I gave a slight bow and stepped into the mansion's wide garden.
That was when I had just started walking across the gravel.
"...Hey."
From under the shade of a garden tree off in the distance, a familiar voice called out.
Turning my head, I saw a man standing with one leg cocked, his hands shoved into his pockets.
It was that thug shaman I'd seen at TK Hotel, Jin Mu-young.
'...Why is that bastard here again?'
I should pretend not to know him for now.
But Jin Mu-young stormed up with a deeply furrowed brow and blocked my way.
Jin Mu-young glanced toward the guards once, then tapped my shoulder and asked in a lowered voice.
“Tianshan Sect? Blade artisan? You?”
'...Huh?'
Jin Mu-young's eyes narrowed viciously.
He whipped his head around and looked me over from top to bottom.
“Hey. The Tianshan Sect blade artisan—do you even know what kind of person he is to throw that name around so carelessly? Huh?”
Jin Mu-young snorted and stepped one pace closer.
“Where the hell do you think you're impersonating someone and causing a scene?”
This guy...
was yelling at me for pretending to be me right in front of me.