Chapter 225: Even If It’s Been Your Whole Life

The Azure Sky Sword Elder decided to look further into how Phantom Dream could control the demonic qi spilling out of it.

Meanwhile, Bu Yeonha was placed in charge of the “Kim Muhyuk Image Makeover Project” until his departure.

“Consider yourself lucky. No one at the Azure Sky Sword Gate knows more about image management than I do.”

As they left the Azure Sky Sword Gate together, Bu Yeonha spoke to Kim Muhyuk with complete confidence.

She had, in fact, once worked on the Gate’s scouting team and risen all the way to team leader. That was also when the two of them had first met.

“First impressions are everything when you’re trying to win over young rising stars and their parents. Who would entrust their child’s future to someone they didn’t trust from the very beginning?”

Her reputation dating back to her own days as a young rising star, her striking appearance, meticulous self-discipline, and eloquence—

During her time on the scouting team, Bu Yeonha had only ever failed to recruit someone once when she handled the negotiations personally.

“...I succeeded with everyone except you.”

“That doesn’t mean much to me when the only case I witnessed was the failure.”

Whoosh!

Kim Muhyuk lightly dodged the fist flying toward him, then changed the subject.

“By the way, are you sure you aren’t busy? I feel bad taking up your time over something like this...”

Bu Yeonha narrowed her eyes, then let out a quiet laugh and shook her head.

“It’s fine. Grandfather agreed to handle the sect’s work for me. He usually dumps everything on me because he can’t be bothered, but he seemed unusually motivated today. Maybe it’s because of you.”

It was all part of Na Ilcheon’s sly scheme to play matchmaker, but neither of them suspected a thing as they continued their conversation.

“That’s how important your transformation is. Not only for you, but for the image of the Korean martial world going forward.”

“...I’ll try.”

Faced with Bu Yeonha’s serious gaze, Kim Muhyuk nodded reluctantly.

He had never done anything like this before. Frankly, it embarrassed him, and he had no desire to go through with it.

Still, her argument made sense.

How other people see me really does matter.

During his previous life as a wandering martial artist, Kim Muhyuk had never needed to care much about other people’s opinions.

But if changing his image would help him avoid unnecessary fights abroad, then perhaps it was necessary.

Come to think of it, I did get dragged into trouble all the time whenever I went overseas. Back then, I assumed all those foreigners were just hostile toward outsiders...

After recalling the events of his previous life, Kim Muhyuk could no longer find an excuse and obediently followed Bu Yeonha.

“It might feel like a nuisance now, but you’ll change your mind after a day.”

“I’m not so sure...”

Following Bu Yeonha, who seemed strangely excited, Kim Muhyuk visited a tailor shop for the first time in his life.

“It’s been a while, Ms. Bu!”

The owner of the shop, who wore an impressively groomed beard and seemed to know her quite well, greeted them with a broad smile.

Bu Yeonha looked around the shop with practiced familiarity.

“Something as clean and understated as possible from your highest-end line. It needs to be comfortable for business meetings and actual combat.”

“Of course. Shall we start by taking the gentleman’s measurements?”

The shop had an exclusive contract with the Azure Sky Sword Gate and offered bespoke suits and functional clothing designed to double as training clothes for martial artists.

Kim Muhyuk was dragged away by the shop’s staff, measured from head to toe, and made to try on suits in every imaginable style.

Several people swarmed around him at once, continually bringing out new outfits.

“This one looks good.”

“That one isn’t bad either. Shall we have him try it?”

“You’re tall and well-proportioned, so everything suits you. Does anything feel restrictive when you move?”

Between his previous life and his current one, Kim Muhyuk had never worn so many different outfits in a single day.

“Honestly, I can’t tell what’s different about any of them...”

So he simply changed whenever they told him to.

Bu Yeonha, meanwhile, carefully inspected how each outfit sat on him and selected the clothes herself.

“With a build like yours, why have you spent every day wearing nothing but hoodies and sweatshirts?”

“I wear jackets and suits sometimes. I wore one at that gathering for young rising stars...”

“You mean the suit you borrowed?”

“How did you know?”

“I should have bought you one ages ago. Here, let’s try a tie too.”

Only after forcing Kim Muhyuk through dozens of outfits did Bu Yeonha finally nod in satisfaction.

“Black, navy, and gray. We’ll start with these three.”

“...Start?”

“You’ll be abroad for ten days. Do you honestly think three suits will be enough?”

“Do they not have washing machines in America?”

They stared at each other, neither able to comprehend the other’s reasoning.

But the outcome had already been decided.

A short while later, the shop owner barely managed to restrain the grin threatening to split his face.

“Then I’ll ring up all seven suits. Will you be needing anything else?”

Five were for Kim Muhyuk to take to America. The other two were bespoke suits that would take more than four weeks to finish, so they arranged for him to collect them after he returned.

“They’re all made from functional materials and reinforced against blades. Once you get used to them, you won’t want to wear ordinary suits again.”

Bu Yeonha winked as she paid for everything with the card the Azure Sky Sword Elder had given her.

“Aren’t these too expensive? The price of just one suit is...”

Kim Muhyuk normally paid little attention to money, but even he found the price of the suits terrifying.

The future sect leader of the Azure Sky Sword Gate, however, had a different sense of scale.

“Don’t worry about the money. Problems that can be solved with money are the simplest kind.”

“...”

After making that declaration, Bu Yeonha coolly left the shop first.

Kim Muhyuk followed in his new navy suit.

Outside, the blazing summer sun beat down from overhead.

Yet the instant Kim Muhyuk stepped outside, it felt as though the air around him abruptly turned cold.

“Wow...”

“...Who is that?”

The navy suit made his cold eyes and the sharp presence of a martial artist stand out even more.

Kim Muhyuk felt countless gazes flicking toward him, even though it was only a short walk to the car.

“See how differently people look at you just because you changed your clothes?”

“They definitely do.”

When Kim Muhyuk nodded in agreement, Bu Yeonha smiled with satisfaction.

“Now that we’ve bought the clothes, let’s go get your hair done. I already made an appointment, so they’re ready for us.”

To describe Kim Muhyuk’s current hairstyle generously, it was naturally grown-out, slightly wavy hair.

Less generously, he looked like a shaggy puppy whose fur had been thinned out at random.

The moment they arrived at the salon, the head stylist took one look at him and sighed in dismay.

“How could you waste a face like this?”

“...Waste it on what?”

Two hours later, an aloof, strikingly handsome man sat in the mirror before Kim Muhyuk, his bangs swept back with pomade.

Clap, clap, clap, clap.

The head stylist and the rest of the salon staff quietly applauded the masterpiece they had created.

Only Kim Muhyuk glared suspiciously at the mirror and muttered to himself.

“...Is this some kind of spellcraft?”

“We haven’t even put makeup on you!”

After barely escaping the head stylist, who insisted on giving him some light makeup as well, Kim Muhyuk walked out of the salon looking utterly exhausted.

“We’re finished now, right?”

Bu Yeonha, who had watched his transformation from beside him, looked more energetic than ever.

“Finished? What are you talking about?”

Her eyes gleamed like a master craftsman who had just discovered a magnificent piece of raw material.

“We still need to buy you a watch, choose a cologne, and we haven’t even begun the most important part—your etiquette training.”

For a brief moment, Kim Muhyuk considered using his lightness technique to escape.

He quickly abandoned the idea. Running from someone who knew both his home address and where he worked would accomplish nothing.

“...We can shop another time. Let’s move straight on to that important etiquette training.”

His expression made it clear that he would compromise no further.

Bu Yeonha readily nodded.

“Fine. Your appearance can be changed quickly enough. I’ll handle the etiquette training myself.”

After returning to the Azure Sky Sword Gate, the two began his lessons in Bu Yeonha’s office.

“I’m not trying to turn you into the polished heir of some prestigious great sect. Setting aside the fact that it would be impossible, there’s no reason to do that.”

What Bu Yeonha wanted was to strip away the back-alley air of an unorthodox martial artist that clung to Kim Muhyuk without him even realizing it.

“Let’s use Richard Han as an example. Everyone knows he’s a free spirit. He travels around the world whenever he pleases and sometimes cancels scheduled engagements on a whim. You know he’s caused his fair share of trouble too, right?”

“...I probably know that better than anyone.”

Kim Muhyuk nodded solemnly.

He had a rough idea of what Bu Yeonha was trying to say.

Richard Han, the Strongest in the World, possessed impeccable manners in any setting.

Whenever he gave an interview, he smiled brightly, spoke in a gentle voice, and never resorted to coarse language or behavior.

That was why so many people around the world respected him and why he wielded such enormous influence.

He was the most dangerous and powerful being in the world, but he was also seen as a good man.

“That’s the image people associate with a good orthodox martial artist. No one has cultivated it better than Richard Han.”

“...Right.”

The problem was that Richard Han would lead the Heavenly Demon Cult in destroying the world twenty years from now—and Kim Muhyuk was the only person who knew.

The martial artist respected by the entire world is the final enemy I’ll have to face.

But Bu Yeonha had not brought him up merely to make Kim Muhyuk uncomfortable.

“I believe that someday, you could become a martial artist with just as much influence as Richard Han. °• N ?? v ?? l i g h t •° When that day comes, wouldn’t it be frustrating if misunderstandings piled up because of the way you spoke or some careless gesture?”

“I think... I understand what you mean.”

Given his current achievements, it would not be long before Kim Muhyuk became one of the leading masters representing Korea.

He would inevitably meet people from every level of society throughout the world.

His upcoming visit to America would effectively be Kim Muhyuk’s debut on the global martial stage.

Bu Yeonha wanted her cherished junior to establish a good reputation there and return safely.

“I’m sure Grandfather feels the same way. So even if it’s annoying, let’s take this seriously.”

“...Thank you.”

Understanding martial arts was not everything.

Kim Muhyuk realized that if he intended to oppose the Strongest in the World, he also needed to build enough recognition and trust for people to support him.

Right. I’ll build a public image likable enough to stand against Richard Han.

Reflecting on how he had always dismissed appearances as unimportant, Kim Muhyuk straightened his posture.

“You’re taking time out of your busy schedule to help me... I won’t complain anymore. I’ll work hard and learn.”

“It’s fine. I had plenty of fun too.”

Fun?

Kim Muhyuk’s eyebrow twitched, but the lesson began immediately, and he missed his chance to ask what she meant.

“Now, shall we start by fixing that unpleasant habit of raising only one corner of your mouth whenever you smile?”

“Stop cracking your neck from side to side. Why do you keep doing that?”

“When did you develop the habit of shifting your weight onto one leg while someone else is talking?”

Bu Yeonha became a strict disciplinarian, correcting Kim Muhyuk’s behavior one habit at a time.

Her keen eyes caught every little movement.

“These are habits I’ve had my whole life. When am I supposed to fix all of them?”

Kim Muhyuk finally complained in frustration.

“You’ve only been alive for twenty years. Why couldn’t you fix them?”

“...”

“There! You’re giving me that crooked look again. Focus!”

He had begun the lesson full of determination, but washing away the unorthodox habits ingrained during his previous life was clearly going to take some time.