That evening, right after the martial arts competition ended...

Seo-jun had waited until dinner for Chun-bong to wake up, knowing that she always fell asleep after her Jeol-maek treatments.

For the first time in his life, Seo-jun truly understood the saying, "A minute feels like a year."

It wasn’t just an exaggeration—his hands were actually trembling.

He was about to destroy something that held deep meaning in his life.

To him, it felt akin to ending his own life—a betrayal so severe, it could only be compared to the gravest of taboos.

"Argh!"

"Maybe… I should just not do it?"

"No! You have to! Chun-bong must live long and healthily!"

"Then stop whining, you little brat! Stop making such a fuss!"

"But still…."

"Do you think my cheeks are the main part of my body!?"

"Not the main part… but maybe around thirty percent?"

"This son of a—!"

Enraged, Chun-bong bit Seo-jun hard.

Thirty percent? Does that mean if her cheeks lose their chubbiness, she’s only seventy percent of herself?

The more Chun-bong thought about it, the angrier she became, her eyes flashing with fury.

"Relax, Geum! I was only joking! Even if your cheeks thin out, you’re still Chun-bong."

"Hmph."

"It’s true! Although… I might get a little sad."

If her cheeks lost their chubbiness, what would he even have to hold on to?

Maybe I should make sure her belly gets bigger instead?

As Seo-jun seriously contemplated this, Chun-bong gave him a pitying look and plopped down on the floor.

"Alright, let’s just get this over with. If you keep going, I’m going to get so angry that I’ll enter qi deviation."

"Ah! That can’t happen!"

Seo-jun quickly pulled out the Plum Blossom Pill.

The fragrant scent of plum blossoms immediately filled the inn room.

"Alright, open wide."

"Ah~."

"Good girl."

Seo-jun patted Chun-bong’s head as she obediently opened her mouth like a baby bird and swallowed the pill.

And with a gulp—

The process began.

Seo-jun’s expression turned serious.

The goal for today was to nearly cure Chun-bong’s Jeol-maek condition.

While the cold energy deep within her would remain untouched for now, Seo-jun felt confident that he could eliminate all the other blockages.

Placing his hand on Chun-bong’s back, Seo-jun carefully guided the intense yang energy of the Plum Blossom Pill into her system.

Inside her body, the cold yin energy collided with the warm yang energy from the pill.

When two opposing energies meet, both gradually lose their strength.

It’s like mixing hot water with cold—if the balance is right, you get lukewarm water.

The result was an energy neither heavily yin nor yang, a neutral state that most martial artists found easiest to absorb.

With the Plum Blossom Pill’s yang energy neutralizing her Jeol-maek blockages, it was like getting a two-for-one deal.

Chun-bong’s internal energy began to increase exponentially.

Seo-jun carefully captured any energy that tried to escape during the process, redirecting it back into her, making the treatment even more efficient.

After about two hours, the treatment was complete.

Seo-jun checked Chun-bong’s dantian, now overflowing with energy, and nodded in satisfaction.

"That’s more like it."

If she’s going to lose her cheek fat, at least her dantian should be full.

As he watched Chun-bong sleep peacefully, Seo-jun’s eyes turned melancholic.

"Mm…."

Chun-bong woke up, her body buzzing with energy.

"Ooh… ooh!"

She felt amazing. A quick check revealed that her internal energy was filled to the brim.

"Ooh!"

Even her Jeol-maek was nearly healed.

At this point, she wasn’t far behind Lee Seo-jun.

If he got into trouble again, she could fight alongside him.

"Hey! Lee Seo… jun?"

Grinning from ear to ear, Chun-bong called out to her brother, only to be met with an unexpected sight.

"What the hell are you doing…?"

Seo-jun sat in the corner of the room, legs crossed in meditation.

His expression was serene, almost as if he were about to ascend to immortality.

If anyone could suddenly ascend, it’d be him.

Worried, Chun-bong cautiously approached him.

"Are… are you okay?"

"I’m fine. I’m more than fine."

Seo-jun chuckled softly.

He’s gone mad!

Shivering, Chun-bong grabbed his shoulders and shook him.

"Snap out of it! Want to touch my cheeks!?"

"Cheeks? Touch them? How?"

Seo-jun opened his eyes.

In his calm, profound gaze, Chun-bong saw herself reflected.

Her appearance had matured, the baby fat on her cheeks melting away, giving her a more refined, womanly look.

"W-wha…!?"

Startled, Chun-bong scrambled for her sword.

In its polished surface, her face appeared delicate and youthful, fitting for her age of seventeen.

While she still looked younger than her peers, it was within the range that could be explained as just being a bit baby-faced.

Pat, pat—

Chun-bong touched her cheeks.

While not completely gone, the chubbiness had definitely reduced.

Internally, she was happy, but she also felt a tinge of concern.

Who knew how that crazy cheek-obsessed man would react?

"Ah…."

Then, Seo-jun spoke.

His serene expression and the way his lips moved made him seem like he was spouting some profound truth.

"Life and death are one. Cheek fat comes and goes, but I’m happy you’re healthy. Yet sad that your cheeks are thinner."

"Uh…?"

"Yin and yang are no different. Both stem from the same origin. What is opposite is merely a divergence from a single source."

"……"

Did this lunatic just have some sort of enlightenment?

Chun-bong stayed quiet.

Meanwhile, Seo-jun, half-closing his eyes, gathered his chaotic thoughts.

Yin and yang. Fullness and emptiness. Plump and slim. Soft and firm.

Where had Chun-bong’s cheek fat gone?

If the law of conservation of energy applied to this world, that large amount of energy couldn’t have just vanished.

Seo-jun inspected his inner world.

An endless sky. A raging river. Plum blossoms blooming. The rising and setting sun and moon.

Countless fragments of imagery lay scattered across his mind.

Seo-jun examined this inner world more closely.

It had to be here somewhere.

After searching for a while, he finally found it.

One Chun-bong. Two Chun-bongs. Three Chun-bongs.

Just like counting sheep, he counted plump-cheeked Chun-bongs, and his mind started to drift.

‘I found it….’

The cheek fat hadn’t disappeared.

Even though it was no longer something he could physically touch, Chun-bong’s cheeks were still within his heart.

‘That’s right. Her cheeks are already inside me.’

Behold! My heart is full of Chun-bong’s plump cheeks!

Seo-jun’s chest swelled with joy.

His mind soared higher and higher, and his spirit reached a new level of calm, like a still lake.

Only when you empty yourself can you truly be full.

This is the nature of the heart—and of cheek fat. Even if the cheeks are thinner, nothing has changed.

Yin and yang are the same.

If yang turns to yin, its essence remains unchanged.

Ultimately, yin and yang will unite to form the taiji, which in turn becomes the wuji—the primordial source.

"Ah…!"

Seo-jun’s eyes snapped open.

A golden light burst from his eyes, filling the room.

He instinctively raised both hands, gathering energy into them.

A murky, primordial energy swirled in his palms.

The source. The single, great stream from which everything flows.

Yin and yang both stem from that one origin.

Fwoooooshhhhh!!

In Seo-jun’s right hand, golden yang energy gathered.

At the same time, in his left hand, blue yin energy formed.

"Yes, Chun-bong. Your cheek fat is inside me."

Chun-bong’s mouth fell open.

"What the hell is wrong with this guy…?"

She had never seen anyone gain enlightenment from cheek fat before.

After sorting through his enlightenment, Seo-jun suddenly stood up.

He could feel it.

Just one more step.

With that single step, he would cross the threshold.

Transcendence.

The crumbling wall was right before his eyes.

Without clinging to it, Seo-jun let it go, turning his attention to Chun-bong.

Her face had matured considerably overnight.

While she hadn’t grown much taller, her facial features had become more refined.

Her chest, though….

"Oh, dear."

"Where the hell are you looking!?"

"It’s fine. A woman is more than just her chest…."

"Die!"

She punched him.

"Wait! Hold on! Ow! That hurts! It hurts!"

"Stop talking nonsense!"

"No, really! It really hurts!"

Chun-bong paused, blinking in surprise, then lightly tapped herself.

"Huh?"

She seemed to have realized just how strong she’d become.

Feeling awkward, she walked over and awkwardly patted Seo-jun’s shoulder.

"Ugh… yeah. That’s it."

This strength.

As Seo-jun relaxed with a goofy grin, Chun-bong giggled.

"Doesn’t hurt, right?"

"Yeah. Just right."

Out of habit, Seo-jun reached out.

His target: Chun-bong’s cheeks.

Squeeze—

His eyes snapped wide open as he squeezed what little cheek fat remained.

"Huh!"

Seo-jun shot up to his feet.

Then, grabbing Chun-bong’s face with both hands, he began kneading her cheeks frantically.

"O-oh…!"

Could this even be real?

He hadn’t expected this.

Beyond heaven, there is always more.

Though the volume had decreased, the quality had improved.

Could cheek fat become even more satisfying to touch!?

"I acknowledge it, Chun-bong…! Your cheek fat has reached the peak realm…!"

"What are you talking about?"

Chun-bong pouted.

Seo-jun was still lost in the euphoria of Chun-bong’s transcendent cheek fat when—

"Are you there?"

A familiar voice snapped him back to reality.

"Huh…!"

It had been morning, but now, outside the window, it was nearly noon.

"…Who is it?"

"It’s me. Namgung Sua."

"Ah."

Seo-jun glanced at Chun-bong.

With newfound confidence in her own cheeks, Chun-bong nodded proudly.

"Alright. Let’s see her."

"Sure."

Hiding behind Chun-bong, Seo-jun opened the door and was immediately met with… a chest.

‘What the….’

Thinking back to the martial arts competition, he remembered Namgung Sua’s chest being smaller than usual.

Was she wearing a compression bandage?

He was caught off guard, but as he looked up, his eyes met Namgung Sua’s mischievous gaze.

"Want to touch?"

"No! Are you crazy?"

This woman was seriously out of her mind.