461 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

EP.461 A Request - Part 5 Hyeweolru is not a thriving brothel in Wuhyeon. There were only a few courtesans of note, including Hong Ran, and even during peak business hours, there were enough rooms available that the place would noticeably languish under governmental scrutiny. In short, if the officials decided to crack down on the establishment, it would inevitably falter. “Quick, send someone to the owner!” “The owner is not just next door! What do we do?!” Is this the allure of sweet power? It’s no wonder the constables wander the market receiving such hospitality from merchants. While I remained still, masking my thoughts behind a stern expression, an administrator appeared, his face marked with deep apology. “I apologize. The owner is at a meeting in Dongho, and it will take a significant amount of time for her to sail back.” Hyeweolru lies to the north of the Yangtze River, while Dongho is to the south. “Really? I dislike waiting as it is quite boring.” “If you are busy, the owner could meet you at your convenience...” What a cheeky approach. I smiled and threw an arm around the manager's shoulders. "Hey. Don’t you wonder whether it would be quicker if I gathered the other constables or if the owner returned?" I smiled as I spoke, suggesting I'd cause a ruckus, and the manager turned pale. “We will accommodate you on the top floor!” The top floor of the brothel is reserved for VVIPs. Offering to host me there meant they intended to serve me exceptionally well while I waited. But I wasn’t planning to be satisfied with just that. “Why should I take the trouble of going upstairs if there’s nothing worth seeing? Right?” “That’s right. There’s no entertainment here, so let’s just go to another brothel.” Jeon Gil San, catching onto my intent, subtly reiterated our demands. Should we bring Hong Ran here? Or perhaps flip this place upside down? The manager, recognizing the gravity of the situation, didn’t take long to decide. “I will bring Hong Ran immediately.” Now that’s the right response. —— “Hey, are there any constable positions open?” While waiting for Hong Ran on the top floor of Hyeweolru, Jeon Gil San asked me with gleaming eyes. “Why?" “It seems like a decent position.” Seems like the rogue took a liking to the concealed authority of a constable. Jeon Gil San was visibly tempted by my position. “Don’t bother. I was specially appointed, but it’s originally a job where you have to report to the office at dawn and work all day." Can someone who can’t even make it to the tavern on time handle that? “Well then, forget it.” Jeon Gil San clicked his tongue in disbelief, giving up just as quickly as he’d entertained the thought. “When Hong Ran arrives, we’ll proceed as planned. Just act like you did earlier.” “Acting? I was just being myself.” “......” Right. No wonder it seemed beyond acting. I was pondering how to speak with Hong Ran, how to probe for any hidden schemes when there was a knock at the door. “Constable, we have brought the girl you requested.” Finally, she was here. “Let her in.” “Oh……” As the door opened, Jeon Gil San let out a sound of awe as a courtesan, whose hair resembled the color of blooming red peonies, entered the room. “This girl is called Hong Ran. I heard you were looking for me.” Her eyes are lifeless. As the inspector described, Hong Ran was smiling, but her eyes appeared dead. Her features were delicate and carried an air of despondency. Placed among cheerful courtesans, she might blend in unnoticed, but someone would surely find it difficult to just let her be. ‘The inspector's story about the raid seems true.’ She is indeed beautiful. Even if she doesn't match the allure that Jeon Gil San favors, she's attractive enough to captivate. Even if she might not be the member to turn heads in a leading agency girl group, she definitely has the looks to be center in a smaller agency’s group. Is it really true you don’t remember her, Jeong Moon Won? “Here we have Constable Kang Yoon Ho.” “So you’re Hong Ran. I’ve heard a lot about you.” As Jeon Gil San introduced me, I regarded her with a solemn gaze. “If you are Constable Kang Yoon Ho…?” As soon as she heard my introduction, Hong Ran gave me a look of surprise. It’s to be expected. If she was familiar with Inspector Jeong Moon Won, she would undoubtedly have heard about me as well. "It seems you know something about me?" “If it’s not too out of place, might you be…?” “Hold on.” I raised a hand to stop Hong Ran from speaking further. She and Jeon Gil San both looked at me with questioning eyes. Hold on, something’s not right. It's too quiet. As soon as we stopped talking, the top floor was deathly silent, as if no one was around. Just as I suspected. I began to employ my unique hearing, speaking with a voice that seemed to seep through the very walls. [There seem to be too many rats nearby. Do they think I wouldn’t notice?] As I suspected, those bastards from Hao Mun were clearly eavesdropping on our conversation. “Oh……” Jeon Gil San, finally realizing the situation, let out a gasp of admiration. Why isn’t there any movement? Leave already. Before I come searching for you in the next room. “Um…” While I was waiting for a response, Hong Ran cautiously opened her mouth. “Yes?” “Everyone's avoiding the area in fear of disturbing you, Constable.” “It was just a metaphor for there being many rats. I noticed there was no Se Soo-Go seal at the entrance of Hyeweolru. A hygiene inspection might be necessary soon.” For a dining establishment, dealing with pests is imperative, hence the Se Soo-Go seal is a must. Despite my witty remark, Hong Ran proceeded as though uninterested. “I heard that there’s only one constable with black hair in Wuhyeon.” “Really? Do you know me?” “I was told that you are an extraordinary constable, someone to seek if ever in unjust trouble.” “That’s quite the praise.” “I heard you’re quite dependable. Could it be that you…?” Hong Ran looked at me with cautious eyes. Though her eyes were lifeless moments ago, they now bore a hint of curiosity. The person who unearthed her hidden self. Discovering that this person is the well-known constable. It's only natural for her to wonder about the real purpose I came for. I nodded in response to her questioning gaze. “Yes. The Inspector sent me to find you.” Life returned to her previously lifeless eyes. —————— “Oh… so the Inspector is well, it seems.” There was a tense undercurrent in her voice that belied the liveliness returning to her eyes. “The Inspector tasked me to check on your well-being.” I disclosed my purpose for coming as Jeong Moon Won's messenger, despite her frosty demeanor. ‘This isn't the reaction I expected.’ I had anticipated a different kind of response. One might wonder, what is my goal in meeting Hong Ran? If it were about money, she would show surprise or reluctance; if it were about the brothel owner’s schemes, she would reveal the truth. However, her indifference was unexpected. “Then please convey to him to not concern himself any longer.” Hong Ran turned her head away as if she couldn’t bear to look at me any longer. “What do you mean?” “Tell him, as a man busy with public affairs, not to concern himself with a mere courtesan of Hyeweolru, and to diligently continue with his duties.” Hong Ran frowned as if the very thought was repugnant. “It doesn’t sound like the Hong Ran I heard about from Hyeweolru.” I said, referring to the woman who, as I heard, found a spark for life while spending time with the Inspector. Hong Ran sneered and spoke. “It is truly who I am. Isn’t it a courtesan’s duty to present her best self before a guest? What I showed before the Inspector was all an act. I hope he cherishes only the good memories and stops holding onto them unnecessarily.” “How can you speak so rudely about someone who cared so deeply for you?” What’s really happening here? Could the child not be the Inspector's? Was it a plot by Hyeweolru's owner? Or has she already heard about the Inspector's debts and is trying to detach herself? I looked at her as if to say her indifference was baffling, and she rose as if eager to leave the room. “Now that your purpose seems fulfilled, I shall take my leave. I will send better girls from Hyeweolru in my stead. I urge you to forgive my shortcomings.” No, something is off. There's a disjointed feeling to this. It feels too much like a clean cut, as though she's ready to cut off her own arm to escape. Why? She said everything before the Inspector was an act. ‘An act…?’ She's not performing before the Inspector but rather in front of me. Why is Hong Ran acting? Could it be? “The Inspector's risking everything to save even a single soul. How could he get ensnared with someone like... tsk.” I utilized my enhanced senses, making sure my muttering—intended to sound regretful and discreet—reached Hong Ran's ears as she made to rush out. “......?” Hong Ran hesitated. “The Inspector is currently embroiled in perilous danger. What should one do about this… sigh.” Would you really leave knowing the Inspector is in such a risky situation? Feigning no concern whether she stayed or left, I murmured such lamentations. “What… what are you implying?” Hong Ran stopped as if rooted to the spot, not turning her head but addressing my words. Cracks are forming. The mask she wore so carefully begins to tremble. I know, even if you don’t show your face. “What do I mean? The Inspector's been trying to buy a miracle for you, working tirelessly on all fronts. Do you truly believe he’d abandon you?” “That… that can’t be. I told him to give up.” As expected. I knew. The icy demeanor from earlier was gone from Hong Ran’s face when she turned around. So she thought she could outwit me with her act. Apparently, there was some detail the Inspector hadn’t shared with me. That’s alright. Extracting information from a woman whose facade has cracked is easy. “Do you truly think of the Inspector as someone who'd abandon you?” With just that one statement, Hong Ran’s eyes wavered uncontrollably. “Older br—Inspector really is securing funds on my behalf?” So she didn’t even know that part of the funds had already been paid to the brothel owner. “He's been running around trying to buy your miracle.” “A man who's declined personal gains wouldn’t have that kind of money, would he? Surely…? Is he begging from others?” Why does she know this so well? “He’s borrowing from places like the Manggeum money lenders and several others.” “That can’t be!!! If he keeps borrowing recklessly, he’ll end up in a bind! Kang Constable, aren’t you someone he trusts? What have you been doing all this time?” Why is she blaming me now? “I’ve also lent him what I could.” Her urgent, commanding aura broke me into an unexpectedly passive explanation. “No…! Absolutely not. That’s why I told him to give up. If such an honest older brother of mine starts borrowing because of me—and if eventually he bends his beliefs and starts taking bribes—I… I...” Hong Ran's expression crumbled. Her face was an entanglement of guilt, despair, and anguish as she backed toward the window. “What are you doing?” What’s going on all of a sudden? Startled, I stood up. Hong Ran stopped by the window, looking between it and me before she steeled herself to say something. “Kang Constable… please tell him to forget someone like me and live happily.” Hong Ran hurled herself toward the window. “Hey!” “Oh no!” My instincts, honed through the Flowing Divine Art, kicked in. The skills drilled into my very being sprang to action to save a life in any situation. The Shadowless Technique barely managed to catch Hong Ran's life. “Oof!” “What on earth…?!” I seized her ankle just as she was about to fall and pulled her back with a swift motion. “If I don’t disappear, he won't give up!” Hong Ran screamed in frustration. “Even so, running to your death…!” “I can’t bear to watch him break because of me!” She rose again from where she had crumpled on the floor, charging toward another window. “Hey, grab her!” “Huh? Uh, okay!” Jeon Gil San and I tackled Hong Ran to the ground, much like in a game of rugby. "She's trying to bite her tongue! Stop her! Get something to cover her mouth!" Why is she so strong? Did she learn martial arts as well? I haven't been trained in restraining someone with martial skills. "Just use anything!" "Alright, I'll use my sleeve!" I tore off my sleeve in one swift motion and stuffed it into Hong Ran's mouth. "Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!" "Hey! Jeon Gil San! Grab her legs, she's resisting! I'll hold her arms!" "What?! Oh, okay!" Jeon Gil San grabbed Hong Ran’s ankles as she continued to resist with all her strength. This isn’t going to work. We need to tie her up quickly. "Stay still! How can you act so recklessly when you're not alone! The Inspector is trying to save you and the child!" Where can I find some rope? There's no time. I tore my other sleeve. "He's in here! Kang Yoon Ho is in this room!" Just as I tied Hong Ran using my sleeve as a makeshift rope, voices came from outside the door. ‘Thank goodness! Someone's here!’ With people coming, maybe we can calm her down and talk. Hurry up, come in! As I used all my strength to restrain both of Hong Ran's arms, the door finally opened, just as I had hoped. "Didn't I tell you to keep away from the brothel?!" The person who entered was someone I never expected. “Gi Mun Hyang Ju?!” “What is going on here?” Gi Mun Hyang Ju’s face, initially furious, turned cold and calculating as she assessed the situation. What she saw was two men restraining a courtesan, with her mouth gagged and her limbs held down. “Uh… well…” It was a scene too incriminating to easily explain away.