448 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

EP.448 The Second Test - 2 "Did I choose wrongly after all?" Upon returning to the mansion after selecting the impossible ledger, I found myself muttering with a sense of futility. "Hey! Kang Yun-ho! Are you trying to make me anxious?" Jeon Gil-san. I warned him not to follow, but he eventually did and is now giving me a hard time. "It's just absurdly difficult, that's all." "You didn't choose because you had a way to handle it?" "…I did have something in mind. But there was a different reason for choosing the impossible ledger." It wasn't just because I thought I could definitely get my money back. "What?! You didn't choose it because you had a solution?" Startled, he looked at me as I smirked and waved the ledger in front of him. "I saw Man Geum Jeon-ju's intention." I intended to prove myself. Just because I spoke in front of Man Geum Jeon-ju, doesn't mean I chose impulsively. There was a rational reason to choose the most difficult level. "Our grandfather's intention?" "At first glance at the ledger, I thought this is unfit for black-haired savages! It's too difficult. While giving up and looking at other ledgers, a sudden realization struck me." To be precise, it struck me when I met eyes with Man Geum Jeon-ju. His gaze of disappointment passed by, replaced by an all-too-familiar look. A look of satisfaction when a plan unfolds as intended. Man Geum Jeon-ju had some hidden intention. "What situation?" "The hourglass. Didn't it feel too rushed to review all the ledgers?" The hourglass was placed before us to limit the time for deciding on a ledger. The deception was right there. "Isn't it to test quick decision-making to become the Man Geum Jeon-ju?" I shook my head in response to Jeon Gil-san's suggestion. "Quite the opposite. One way to disable someone's normal judgment is to impose a time limit. Make a tempting offer, then insist on an immediate decision. It makes people's hearts uneasy." "Are you saying the grandfather deliberately clouded judgment? Why?" "Jang No-ya was over our heads even at that very moment." By imposing time constraints, we are forced to act according to his intentions. A method straddling the line between fraud and business acumen. With just one hourglass, everyone who passes the test becomes an easy target for Man Geum Jeon-ju. He truly is remarkable. Thankfully, I have a small talent for this kind of thing too. "Did the grandfather have some other intention?" "Once I somewhat understood his intentions, it was time to grasp the situation. When did the chief announce the start of the test?" I realized I was now standing on the board laid out by Man Geum Jeon-ju. Once tricked, the best course of action is to withdraw immediately. However, if that's not possible, one must understand the situation to avoid falling for their intentions. "Right when he handed out the first ledger." "When exactly was the hourglass placed?" "After we were handed the impossible ledger. Oh?" You finally noticed something odd? "Exactly. We were given time to review the prior ledgers. But the hourglass was placed almost immediately after handing out the impossible ledger. Why put a time difference?" "Oh... To make sure we don't think clearly when viewing the impossible ledger?" Congratulations, Jeon Gil-san! I gave him a small clap. As expected of Kang Yun-ho — ensuring he gets it. The old tutoring skills from university haven't faded. "Exactly. If the impossible ledger lists an impossible problem right away, naturally, one would turn to look at easier problems. When would a ledger without a time limit seem easy?" It would be like looking at the hardest problem on a college entrance math exam from the start. It takes your breath away, making your eyes seek the easier problems viewed with sound judgment. "Isn't reviewing ledgers of different difficulties okay?" "The hourglass had another function too. It prevented revisiting the problem." There wasn't enough time to revisit the problem owing to the urgency to review the ledgers. "The problem?" "The chief clearly mentioned before starting. It was divided by difficulty for the young masters at Man Geum Jeon-jang." "For the young masters? So, what does that change?" "The difficulty wasn't created for the test in the first place. Reviewing for an extended period doesn’t change the level of danger from incompetent to impossible. Recognizing that fact means recalling something Man Geum Jeon-ju said." There was no need to evaluate other difficulties. Seeing the easy problems only served as an appetizer. Choosing a game difficulty level — be it normal mode or hard mode, is simply a matter of personal preference. "What he said? Ah!" Yes, the words you heard from behind. Tho evaluate the person from whom you borrow, and judge if they’re someone who would repay the debt. Analyze the ledger and judge. Mix a bit of falsehood into truth, or tell the truth but let the other believe only what they wish. Given my expertise in this field, I barely managed to grasp it. If Man Geum Jeon-ju's words weren't intended to encourage reviewing all three ledgers, but something else entirely? "I'd already distinguished between the ledger difficulties from the start. According to Jang No-ya's words, what should I judge?" "Only one." He nodded. The hourglass wasn't enough to thoroughly examine all three ledgers. However, it was ample to review just one. The difficulty of the remaining ledgers was established. As Man Geum Jeon-ju stated, the only ledger to review and judge whether I could recover the money or not was just one. "The impossible (不可) ledger. Will I choose it, or not? There wasn't an option to choose another ledger from the start." Our Man Geum Jeon-jang has deemed it impossible. To become a successor, resolve the issue seen as impossible and bring back the money. If you wish to become the successor of Man Geum Jeon-ju. The only option from the start was to decide that you would accomplish it. —— "K-Kang Gong-janim..." "One of the three certainly had to choose the impossible difficulty. Even if I took the test, I would've failed." Jegal So-jeo and Jeon Gil-san looked at me with eyes wide in surprise. "Retrieving money from the impossible ledger must be the true test." "It's impressive, but the impossible ledger is difficult, isn't it? Do you have a plan for retrieval?" That's a valid point. I've merely passed the first hurdle. Even if I've answered correctly, the retrieval issue still remains. "There is a method that other Young Masters might not be able to employ." Of course, I have considered a solution method. "Are you going to cause a ruckus with the debt collectors? That's no easy task." "Handling merchants? Maybe. But trying that with high-ranking officials won’t just cost my job as a collector; it could cost my neck as well." Debt collecting isn't necessarily a collector's job, but authority can be effective. The problem is, there's always a bigger authority blocking the way. Hello there. This is the bailiff speaking. Could you please repay the debt, Landlord? I'll be fired immediately and detained for some made-up reason. "Kang Gong-janim. How about the Inspector General?" Jegal So-jeo, who had been listening quietly, asked when I responded with a troubled expression. "It's a truly tempting proposal, but even the Inspector General would risk his position for private debt matters unless it's the corruption of an official." Oh? Look at this person, misusing a position appointed by His Majesty for personal gain. People will talk. It's like a Level-7 prosecutor investigating an official's corruption; it becomes an issue if they meddle in personal affairs. "What are you planning to do?" "I’ll have to use both standard and unconventional methods. I have a few people in mind to target first. Let's start with the first candidate. Deok-bae!" Now it's time to employ the newly hired management team. "Yes, I've prepared a large mural for the wall." Deok-bae hung up a large sheet with the ledger's contents written on it on the wall. My first target. The paper contained information on the chosen target, after a period of contemplation. "Sam-an-gum Jo-cheol?! Wait a minute, was he in the ledger too?" Jeon Gil-san looked startled as he recognized the name and turned to me. "Do you know him?" What's surprising? "Don't you know? He's a famous rogue swordsman known for having eyes at the back of his head – that's why he's called Sam-an-gum! What was Grandfather thinking, dealing with someone like him...?" He's more renowned within the martial arts world than I thought. Still, there was no reason to alter my target. "Look closely at the paper." There's a reason why I chose Sam-an-gum as my first target. "Black hair? Is he Joseon? Well, that makes it easier! Good!" "Read the important notes marked below." "Gray eyes? Ah, damn it. That was promising. Not Joseon, then? Borrowed money at the Man Geum Jeon-jang's Hengmun branch? Not in Wuhan? Special note: absconded with money?! What’s the plan then?" Jeon Gil-san looked at me as if questioning what's happening. "I found an interesting point in the impossible ledger." Recovering the lent money. It's definitely a list of highly difficult tasks, but that doesn't mean there's no hope. "Hey! Don't beat around the bush like you do with conversations with lovers, just speak up." Jeon Gil-san thumped his chest, frowning at me. Where does he get off behaving like that? He doesn’t understand the art of conversation. I’ll put up with it since I’m the adult here. I should tell your mother you're here later. "Alright. Except for the Landlord, the difficulty seemed quite consistent." "Consistent difficulty?" "The highest difficulty is probably at the level of the landlords. After all, this ledger was made specifically for the test. It’s impossible for the candidates, not for Man Geum Jeon-jang itself." It's not like a ‘make an omelet with dragon’s heart and dragon’s beard from the fridge’ level of difficulty. "Indeed." "Moreover, I noticed an amusing commonality in the impossible difficulty ledger. Jegal So-jeo, do you remember any of the names in this ledger?" I unfolded the ledger and showed some familiar names to Jegal So-jeo. "Oh?! These individuals?" Upon seeing the names, Jegal So-jeo looked at me in surprise. "Yes, all of them are current officials in Wuhan. Some are even here despite not being based in the area." After months of searching for corrupt officials with endless greed, knowing full well who they are. “Yes, you’re right. These names are familiar." Those pointed out by Jegal So-jeo were also individuals in Wuhan. "The second test period is a month. Surely, they provided solvable problems within that timeframe. This leads to an interesting hypothesis." "An interesting hypothesis?" Jeon Gil-san interjected between us. This guy. I told you to socialize with Jegal So-jeo. "In Sam-an-gum's case, since he's neither a government official nor affiliated with an organization, the key concern in solving the issue is discovering his whereabouts after he disappeared." If the problems reflect the test maker’s intent? "Could it be...?" A strange color of understanding appeared on the faces of Jegal So-jeo and Jeon Gil-san. "Sam-an-gum has black hair. Given that Hubei province is inland, black hair stands out everywhere. Jegal So-jeo, if he's on the run, where in Hubei should he hide?" "Ah, that, to hide a tree, you need to hide it in a forest, riiiight?" The city with the highest population of Joseon people in Hubei. "Is Sam-an-gum in Wuhan?" "That's right. There's a high possibility he's in Wuhan." The impossible ledger functions as a collection of bad debts. And the reasons for these could be death, imprisonment, or disappearance. If Man Geum Jeon-jang suspects Sam-an-gum's hiding place? If the objective of Sam-an-gum's problem is to observe how the absconder is found? I would become the student who discerns the test maker’s intent and quickly discovers the solution formula. "In this vast Wuhan, how will you unearth a missing person...?" Of course, there’s a problem. Wuhan is the capital of Hubei Province, an expansive city. Even if one knows someone is hiding here, locating them within a month is unlikely. Except for me. “There is a group in Wuhan that would invite any black-haired passerby to join their meeting." "……!" Why do you all look so surprised? It's only natural. "Mansik, Chunsam, Deok-bae!" The Joseon Compatriots Association. "Yes! What are your orders?" "I'll give you one day. Find him." It was time to put my resources into action.