Chapter 6
‘Normally, when a name ends with -ma, people think they belong to the demon cult.’
But this novel is different.
Neither a righteous faction nor an evil one, he is an outcast. That’s the evaluation of the character ‘Gwangma’ in the story.
It’s true that he is a martial arts master.
However, that doesn’t mean he is closely associated with the evil factions or demon cults. In fact, he has a rather poor relationship with them.
But the protagonist knows that Gwangma is one of the few experts capable of fighting against the demon cult, so the protagonist slowly builds a bond with him, and by the end, they fight together against the demon cult.
‘It’s always written as ‘Gwangma,’ so I couldn’t remember his name for a moment.’
If it weren’t for that, the moment I heard the name ‘Dokgo Ryong,’ I would’ve immediately thought of it.
Since the story is not yet finished, I don’t know how it will end, but the last part I read was the beginning of the final battle between the righteous and the demon cult. So, I remember the events leading up to it.
To summarize Gwangma’s story;
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Gwangma’s real name is Dokgo Ryong. He hates his name so much that the protagonist only learns it just before the final battle with the demon cult.
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Before he became known as Gwangma, he was called Gwangryong.
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He has no family or friends.
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There is one thing Gwangma regrets in life.
Not long after opening his heart to the protagonist, Gwangma said something as a lament:
‘I once took in a nephew. At that time, I thought it was a hassle, and I thought if he grew up under someone like me, his life would be ruined, so I left him with the Dokgo family. I thought they would raise him well.’
But later, Gwangma regretted his decision.
‘I went to find him later, but I was told he had died. They didn’t even tell me why, and they just showed me a small grave. So, I killed everyone there.’
That’s when he became known as Gwangma.
He had annihilated the Dokgo family himself.
Those who didn’t know the full story judged him as evil and forced him into the role of a villain in martial arts legends.
But what’s even more important than how he became Gwangma is…
‘Isn’t it obvious that I’m the dead nephew?!’
Eun So-wol screamed silently and pressed her hands to her cheeks.
The main storyline of the original novel revolves around the protagonist’s return and their fight against the demon cult.
Gwangma doesn’t appear much, and his nephew is only mentioned in passing as something Gwangma regretted.
‘I barely survived just before dying, and now I’m about to die again without knowing why!’
I really don’t want to die again. Original story or not, I need to survive first.
For a moment, I pondered how I could escape death.
“Hmm… little one.”
“… Yes?!”
Suddenly, I snapped back to reality and saw the woman looking troubled.
“It seems like your hair’s gotten so tangled that I’ll need to cut it.”
“Oh…”
Eun So-wol noticed the tangled ends of her hair.
“Yes, that’s fine.”
“Really? Thank goodness. I’ll cut it nicely for you.”
“Yes.”
Just as she sat down carefully, Eun So-wol had a sudden thought and turned her head.
“Excuse me!”
“Hmm?”
“Could you cut it super cute?”
“Cute?”
“Yes! Enough to surprise my uncle!”
“Oh, so you want to impress your uncle?”
The woman laughed, thinking it was just the playful antics of a nephew trying to impress his uncle, but Eun So-wol was deadly serious.
‘To survive, the first thing I need to do is not get involved with the Dokgo family!’
I don’t know exactly how or why the nephew died, but I think if I stay away from the Dokgo family, I might be able to avoid death.
To do that, what I need now is to stick close to Dokgo Ryong.
‘Let’s see if he can leave such a cute nephew behind!’
With a crisp sound, Eun So-wol’s hair was cut, and her eyes blazed with determination.
Later in the story
“Does the clothing fit well?”
“Yes.”
“I just bought it quickly by eye, but I’m glad it fits.”
The innkeeper brought out some fine wine with a smile.
While Eun So-wol was washing up, Dokgo Ryong also cleaned himself up.
His old clothes were filthy, and since the innkeeper kindly offered him new ones, he looked refreshed.
People who had been glancing at Dokgo Ryong began to stare at him even more. The women’s attention, in particular, grew.
Just then, Eun So-wol came out, holding the woman’s hand.
“Oh my, after cleaning up, you look like a little fairy.”
The innkeeper exclaimed when he saw Eun So-wol.
“I dressed her in clothes that my daughter used to wear, and her hair was so messy, I had to cut it. It’s okay, right?”
The little beggar girl, who could have been seen on the street, had changed drastically.
Once cleaned, her smooth white skin appeared soft, and her messy hair was neatly cut to chin length, revealing her large eyes and delicate features.
She looked like a very pretty doll.
People around her murmured about how cute she was.
Dokgo Ryong’s gaze wavered for a moment.
For an instant, he saw the face of his late sister, the beautiful woman once known as the most beautiful in the Western region, in Eun So-wol’s face.
“Well… it’s fine.”
Despite muttering, Dokgo Ryong’s lips curled slightly, and the innkeeper and his wife exchanged amused glances.
Then, suddenly, Dokgo Ryong frowned.
“What’s wrong?”
Eun So-wol had been staring at him intently for a while.
“Uncle…?”
“Hmm?”
“Are you really… my uncle?”
Dokgo Ryong couldn’t understand what she meant by that.
“If I’m not your uncle, then who am I?”
“But… you’re not this handsome!”
People who had been eavesdropping snickered, and Dokgo Ryong’s eyebrows twitched.
‘Is this really Gwangma?’
Until now, Dokgo Ryong had looked like a scruffy man with a messy beard, dirty clothes, and his hair tied back haphazardly. No matter how you looked at it, he couldn’t be called handsome.
But the person before him now looked like someone people would glance back at on the street.
With a sharp nose, a defined jawline, piercing eyes, and the shadowed area around his eyes, his decadent aura was undeniable. Moreover, his neatly tied hair gave him an androgynous look, making him almost appear feminine.
‘Of course, if someone got involved with him, they’d end up in a bad situation…’
His cold, handsome appearance was surely appealing to those who liked aloof, bad-boy types.
“Uncle, why did you walk around like a beggar? Your face is a waste!”
“Heh…”
Unable to hold back, the innkeeper’s laughter escaped, and Dokgo Ryong glared at him. The innkeeper desperately tried to explain.
“Well… since you’re both uncle and niece, you resemble each other! A perfect match…”
“Bullsh*t, where do we look alike?”
“You don’t resemble each other!”
The two of them snapped at the same time and stared at each other.
“Why is the uncle angry? If we look alike, that’s a compliment.”
“Then why are you getting so worked up? A little kid like you already sassing back.”
“Well, that means I’m like you, who has no manners.”
“… What?”
“I’m still polite to people I don’t know.”
The innkeeper and the others struggled to stifle their laughter, but they couldn’t help but laugh.
Seeing the vein popping on Dokgo Ryong’s forehead, Eun So-wol realized her mistake.
‘I was just trying to get along, but I made a mistake by saying we look alike.’
Dokgo Ryong glared at her coldly, and Eun So-wol awkwardly raised the corners of her mouth.
“U-Uncle, how do I look? Is my hair pretty?”
“Who are you?”
“… Huh?”
“I don’t have a niece. Who are you?”
Dokgo Ryong laid on a thick layer of coldness and pushed Eun So-wol’s forehead away.
“I’m the uncle with no manners. If you want a proper uncle, go find someone else.”
‘So petty!’
Did he really get upset over just that one word? Gwangma, of all people?
‘Well, I guess I’ll have to be the one to apologize.’
“Uncle, why are you being like this? Are you sulking?”
“I told you, I don’t have a niece. Who are you?”
“Stop being like that and just let me…!”
Afterward, it took a long time for Eun So-wol to get Dokgo Ryong to stop being upset.
Their both so cute💖