Caught off guard by the unexpected question, I was momentarily at a loss for words. It was a question that provoked a strange feeling. Perhaps it was because it reminded me of memories from when I had just taken over this body.
‘After suddenly inhabiting someone else’s body and being thrown into an unfamiliar world, as if I had time to set grand goals.’
If I had to pinpoint something, it would be ‘becoming a decent adult.’
If this is considered a goal, then it’s a goal. Given that the fate of this body’s original owner was to trick his master at 18 and self-destruct, I’ve been diligently trying to grow upright to avoid that path.
“Just becoming a decent adult?”
“Um.”
I replied noncommittally, following my train of thought. But Ha Hyun seemed unexpectedly serious about that goal. As he pondered my words, his expression darkened momentarily before he broke into a slanted smile of agreement.
“That makes sense. It certainly isn’t an easy thing to do.”
“I guess…”
What you’re thinking and what I’m thinking may be slightly different.
I swallowed those words, and grabbed the wooden sword that had been leaning against my leg. My master was returning from the other side, so it was a natural point to end the conversation.
“Yeah, let’s keep striving to become decent adults since Master is coming. Let’s get up.”
“Understood.”
As I watched Ha Hyun obediently stand, a thought occurred to me in a flash.
‘Come to think of it…’
Focused on becoming a decent adult, managing human relationships, preparing for the initiation test, and immersing myself in training, I had hardly spared a thought for ‘the original owner of this body.’
Only now could I realize that I had essentially not considered the issue of locating him for the past year, apart from when I first woke up.
‘…I should look for ways to return the body if the original owner wants it back.’
I had completely forgotten about that.
Late at night, at a time when I should have long since been asleep, sleep would not come tonight.
Perhaps because I had belatedly realized that whenever something significant happened, I had thought about ‘the original work,’ ‘the original Ha Hyun,’ but never deeply considered where that existence was.
Ever since the priests came in, it felt like the story had gotten back on track, and all the known characters seemed to have appeared.
The feeling that I had finally extinguished all the urgent fires settled in, and perhaps only now did I have the leeway to consider other matters.
Or maybe this is also an excuse.
‘In truth, I’ve become too accustomed to residing in this body, becoming attached to this life…’
Had I unconsciously avoided the possibility of having to give it all back at some point?
I sighed deeply and tossed in the blanket. Self-blame like this is unhelpful, I know. Yet it’s a human limitation not to be able to stop easily, even when one knows better.
What happened to the original owner of the body?
Could it be that ‘Ha Hyun’ is in my original body, just like I’m in his?
But that body is highly likely to be dead by now.
Or could it be that the original owner naturally disappeared because I entered this body?
“Ah.”
This really won’t do. I kicked off the blanket and got up.
Even if I’m an unauthorized occupant, it really wasn’t intentional. I don’t even know why I’m in this body, okay?
I grabbed my head, shouting out excuses to no one in particular, and finally calmed down a bit. For now, I decided to put aside possibilities like natural disappearance. It was too much to handle.
Let’s think a bit more positively.
I’ve seen novels with this sort of soul-switching plot before. If I base it on those experiences…
‘Perhaps a part of me is asleep somewhere deep inside? So we could even converse separately, and things like that.’
I admit it’s an outrageous imagination.
But from the get-go, taking over someone else’s perfectly fine body is already far from ordinary. So maybe something even more outrageous could happen.
When you think about it, this ‘unknown martial arts novel’ wasn’t particularly orthodox martial arts fiction to begin with.
Just starting with Ha Hyun’s personality, who I assumed to be the protagonist. He doesn’t have the typical, righteous, busybody personality of common martial arts fiction heroes.
Nor is he the type to recklessly destroy everything, although he does have some social skills that are decent enough to display externally.
Anyway.
Moreover, there are blatantly spells here that allow you to control others. If a Taoist can encounter such a spell on the street, then the existence of these spells is already publicly widespread…
‘Huh?’
Right, there are spells.
I paused and clenched the blanket tightly.
‘Could there be a spell to find the original owner of the body? A ritual to call forth the rightful soul, perhaps?’
Male lead is a Destined Young Husband (Female-dominant)
One-sentence summary: Wife-master, listen to my explanation!
Li Ruantang, a young lady from a prestigious family, stumbled and fell. When she woke up, she saw a noble and beautiful young man sitting by her bedside, wiping away tears.
The young master had slightly reddened eyes, and his every move exuded charm.
The sight made Li Ruantang’s eyes hot and her heart flutter. After all, she had made a bet with the young master Meng from the neighboring family. If she couldn’t marry a husband before the end of the year, she would have to admit defeat and give up the jade she had worked so hard to obtain.
Outside the window, the flowers were in full bloom.
Rather than losing the bet, the jade, and her face, Li Ruantang calculated that it would be better to seek marriage with the young master in front of her, killing three birds with one stone.
…
Meng Jun never thought that an accident during a spring outing would lead to them rolling down a cliff and into a river, yet still survive.
Now they were trapped in an unknown village, and Meng Jun had overheard that the family who had rescued them had their own intentions.
After all, it was Li Ruantang who had lost her mind and sought marriage first. He was only trying to protect himself!
Glancing at Li Ruantang, who was listing her own merits, the young husband’s voice softened, and he blushed as he lied, “W-wife-master, Wife-master, don’t you remember me?”
The young husband’s voice was clear and handsome, coaxing Li Ruantang’s heart to be soft and sweet, and she spared no effort to protect him.
It wasn’t until they returned to the capital that Li Ruantang suddenly remembered.
When they had fallen off the cliff, in order not to implicate Wei Yunruo, whom he secretly admired, the young husband had instead pulled her, who was slightly farther away, down the cliff with him…
Short summary by Yuushi L: Initially, the male lead (ML) liked another girl, while the female lead (FL) liked the ML. Both fell off a cliff. The FL temporarily lost her memory, and the ML, fearing others might take advantage of him, claimed FL was his wife while they were staying in a village. Later, when they returned home, the FL regained her memories and remembered that the ML liked someone else, so she kept her distance from him. However, during their time living together in the countryside, the ML’s view of the FL had completely changed. From this point, his pursuit of the FL begins.
Link to read
