Chapter 01 …
Life Reset, Oh Military Police!
Prologue
Oh Sang-jin was born into a wealthy family.
His father was a fairly successful businessman at the time, and his mother was more domestic than anyone else.
On the surface, it seemed like a perfect, well-off household.
However, Oh Sang-jin was naturally far from being studious.
He found far more joy running around on the playground, kicking up clouds of dust, than sitting at a desk holding a pencil.
School lessons were nothing more than a dull and boring routine for him.
Naturally, his grades were always at the bottom, and each time that happened, his mother’s worries deepened.
“Sang-jin, please, at least pretend to sit at your desk and study.”
“Why should I pretend when I’m not even going to study?”
“What will become of you if you keep acting like this?”
“I want to become a great man, like Dad!”
His mother would always sigh and gently scold him, but for young Oh Sang-jin, studying was simply something he could not focus on.
Around the time he was in the second grade, a monk came to their house seeking alms.
Introducing himself as Cheonam, the monk looked carefully at Oh Sang-jin’s face for a moment, then smiled at his mother.
“This child is destined to become a great man. There’s no use tying him to a desk. It’s better to let him do as he wishes.”
His mother’s eyes went wide in protest.
“No, Monk. How is he supposed to live in this world if he doesn’t study?”
Cheonam waved his hand calmly.
“Don’t worry. This child is fated to manage his own life. Forcing him to study could ruin his potential.”
“Still… Monk, if you saw Sang-jin’s report cards, you wouldn’t say that.”
His mother let out a deep sigh and shook her head. Cheonam laughed heartily at her reaction.
“Ma’am, there are things more important than exam scores. This child will soon find his own path. He will carve his way, rather than follow the path others dictate through study.”
Though his mother still looked skeptical, she felt a slight sense of relief at the monk’s firm words.
“Really? Hearing you say that, I almost want to believe it. But Monk… can he really live well without studying?”
“Of course. He will live well. So don’t worry too much.”
Cheonam smiled gently and spoke calmly. That single sentence made his mother stop nagging about studying, almost as if by magic.
From that day on, Oh Sang-jin’s school life was filled not with academics, but with the joys of after-school freedom.
The moment class ended, he would rush to the temple and play outside all day, always with Cheonam nearby.
Cheonam gradually began teaching Oh Sang-jin a martial art called “Hobeobmu.”
And he always emphasized the essence of Hobeobmu.
“Hobeobmu is a martial art to train yourself, not to harm others. Never use it carelessly.”
When he first started learning Hobeobmu, Oh Sang-jin’s heart raced as if he were the protagonist of a martial arts novel.
But reality quickly set in.
Unlike in his imagination, Hobeobmu was not a flashy or overwhelmingly powerful martial art.
When Oh Sang-jin asked why, Cheonam gave a wry smile.
“The air in this world is too thick, making it hard to accumulate inner power. Even I, after nearly twenty years of training, have only ten years’ worth of inner power in my body.”
“So if I train diligently like you, can I build up inner power too?”
Cheonam laughed heartily and shook his head.
“You… who loves hot food and can’t keep your eyes off a meal, what inner power do you think you’ll have? And you have no patience either.”
“Hey, I can do it if I try! I really work hard.”
“Work hard? Do you think I didn’t see you eat every bit of temple food the other day and even take leftover rice cakes home?”
“That’s… because you need stamina to train!”
“You’re just making excuses. With your patience, just avoiding getting beaten up is more than enough—forget inner power.”
Oh Sang-jin pouted and grumbled.
“Geez, Monk, you don’t trust me at all. One day, I’ll surprise everyone with my Hobeobmu skills!”
“You might surprise them. But it won’t be your martial skills; it’ll be your ridiculous personality that shocks them.”
Cheonam’s playful reprimand made Oh Sang-jin pout, but life at the temple was peaceful and warm.
Then one day, the IMF financial crisis hit, shaking the entire nation.
His father’s once-thriving business collapsed overnight, and the family fell into ruin.
Debt collectors came daily, and eventually, his mother divorced his father and returned to her hometown with his younger sister.
His father left on a distant fishing vessel, leaving only an apology, with no way to contact him.
Oh Sang-jin, left alone, was taken in by none other than Cheonam.
Thanks to Cheonam, he barely managed to finish high school, but life after graduation felt hopeless.
At the very moment he had no idea what to do with his future, a military draft notice arrived for Oh Sang-jin.
