477 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

EP.477 Paper Mill - 11 The Inspector-General might press the landowner using the paper mill as leverage at any moment. Hand over the troublesome paper mill to me. You have no choice but to sell the land and buildings to Mangum Jeonjang anyway. Surrender the business too. That way, the troublesome matter will be resolved. "Indeed! What a brilliant idea! How did you come up with such a thought?" Gujuk immediately understood my words, clapping his knee as he exclaimed. "If the Inspector-General insists on finding someone to take responsibility, we can simply shift the blame onto someone else." "This... Ha... Have you ever thought of pursuing an official career under me? I'm not making a joke here." "As long as I can share a drink with you, landowner, I am satisfied." I extended my cup towards the landowner, who seemed too surprised to close his mouth. "I’ve been so engrossed in conversation that I didn’t notice your glass was empty. Here, have a drink!" "Thank you. Please accept a drink from me as well." "I will remember this incident for a long time." The landowner said, staring directly at my face as if to engrave it in his memory, rather than merely raising his glass. "It's an honor." "Hahaha! The taste of the drink poured by a drinking friend is truly exceptional. If you need any help, don't hesitate to come to me! There should be no one at my house who would stop you now!" With the landowner's cheerful assurance, the night in the pavilion deepened. ——— "Gang Gung Ja, we’ve arrived." How much did I drink? The coachman's words finally woke me. I remembered getting into the carriage, but now we had arrived at the mansion. "Thank you for staying up late on my account. Please rest." "It's no trouble at all. I'll be ready to await you at your departure time tomorrow." After greeting the coachman who was headed to the servants' quarters, I made my way to my own quarters. I never would have guessed the landowner was such a heavy drinker. By the time Gujuk could no longer hold himself up, I barely managed to escape and get on the carriage. It's taken a toll on my balance. There's a way to sober up, but I've never tried using my inner force in this state, and doing so recklessly could be dangerous. I paused briefly on a rock in the courtyard to let the intoxication pass. "Did I succeed after all...?" The moonlight, gradually gaining weight in the pristine autumn sky, cast its glow on the rock. A cool autumn breeze brushed my cheeks, heated by the inebriation. Closing my eyes might tempt me to nap on the stone as it felt just so pleasant. "Jeon Gil San, Inspector-General Jeong Mun Won... Gujuk, the landowner." I achieved what none thought possible, not just once but thrice. "It was unbelievably tough." Especially dealing with the landowner. Unlike the other impossibilities where I had failsafes with Jeon Gil San or used connections and influence with the Inspector-General, I had to extract funds from the landowner with pure personal skill. My opponent was a landowner wielding power beyond my imagination. Seeing Gujuk, I had to remind myself several times that he was nothing more than a well-fed boar, not the powerful tiger he seemed. In the end, I somehow succeeded. I chuckled at the moon. "I should get some rest for tomorrow." I told myself, urging my intoxicated body to rise. There's a sense of accomplishment, but it quickly gives way to exhaustion, akin to finishing a difficult project at the office, hitting the bars till late, and now sitting at the playground near home. Time to sleep. There's work tomorrow, too. Inside a dark room with no one else. As I dragged my alcohol-laden body to bed, my dizzy mind would soon escort me to dreamland and the morning would arrive before I knew it. Carefully, I opened the living room door. "Hmm?" What’s this? In the darkness of the living room, something scurried towards me. "Welcome back." "Jegal Sojeo?!" Jegal Sojeo, who seemed to have been waiting, approached closely, looking up at me. "You’ve brought some things. Let me help you with those." "Why are you still up? It's late." It’s already past midnight. "Ah, w-well." Jegal Sojeo seemed embarrassed, avoiding my gaze as she reached for my belongings. "…?" "Hehehe... Heh!" "Jegal Sojeo?" What’s going on? Why is she smiling awkwardly all of a sudden? "Aah! I-it’s nothing." When I looked at Jegal Sojeo with bewilderment, she couldn’t bear it and covered her smiling face with her palms. Hmm? A smiling face? "Don't tell me… Were you waiting because of what I said a few days ago?" "You said you wanted to see me smile when you returned home from work." "Hahaha." Indeed. "Ugh! Please pretend you didn't see." Between the crack in the door, Jegal Sojeo’s ears, reflecting the moonlight, began turning a bright red. "How could I do that? I saw it clearly." Was it truly that one remark that kept her waiting this late? More than the alcohol, a peculiar tickling feeling swelled in my heart. "Ah?! G-Gang Gung Ja?" Turning behind Jegal Sojeo, who couldn’t hide her shyness, I gently embraced her shoulders. "Let me stay like this for a moment." I cautiously rested my chin on her crown. There was a scent akin to hydrangeas on a misty morning after a rain. Even from her startled, tensed body, an undeniable softness could be felt. It felt enough to sleep like this. Oddly, it seemed my body temperature was rising, but against the cool autumn breeze, the warmth felt wonderfully comforting. "O-oh, oh, oh, you've worked hard today." "Thank you." In the quiet room, a persistent quick drumming sound was heard nearby. "Even if today didn’t go well, it will get better." "I succeeded." Perhaps she thought I’d failed since I came back so inebriated. "What? Then why?" "Because I just want to be here like this." I playfully added a bit of pressure to the chin resting on Jegal Sojeo's crown. "Ah... G-gang Gung Ja." More than collapsing into bed after a tough day, having someone waiting to lean on makes the heart feel surprisingly good. A grin involuntarily spread across my face. I kept inhaling the scent of hydrangeas until Jegal Sojeo's legs, which were valiantly trying to support me, finally gave out. "Gang Gung Ja, there's an odd string sticking out of the items you brought. What might this be?" "It's nothing!" Surprise! That really sobered me up. ——————— "Do you think this is acceptable?!" After a somewhat embarrassing and bittersweet night had passed, a scheduled guest arrived in the reception room. "What’s going on?" What’s all this commotion? "Master, the visitor seems dissatisfied with the valuation I’ve set." "Is that so?" I frowned at the representative from the landowner. "Isn't this price ridiculously low? How can you justify taking it for such a pittance?" "Then take it back." "W-what did you say?" "I've agreed with the landowner to have this settled by today. We've already discussed purchasing it at a low price. If you're not happy, take it back." Just yesterday, I was with your landowner—watching a performance, drinking, and clinking glasses. We did it all! "Calling out an unreasonable price and then just telling us to leave? I can’t sell at such a rate!" "Who said we were negotiating?" With a stern face, I addressed the representative sent by the landowner. "What?" "It seems you didn’t hear me properly. I was asked by the landowner to quickly cash out everything by sunset today. Yet, if you're going to come and get angry, why should I lend a hand? Take it back. I won’t accept it." You've got it all wrong. I’m not the one conducting the deal here. I’m just the one doing someone a favor. I clearly made known that you shouldn’t be the one yelling here. "You know, if sold well, you could even get a premium. It's not like I’m harboring any ill will against you, Gang Po Officiant." "Then you should either get all the land titles and building deeds turned into cash by today or handle the aftermath on your own." I waved my hand dismissively as if bothered. "Th-that’s…" "I don’t understand why you’d want to spoil the good agreement we reached with the landowner. I understand your concern for him, but instead of worrying about things you weren't told to handle, wouldn’t it be better to explain that you simply followed instructions?" A subordinate doing just what they’re told accounts for half the battle won. I’m the one who was asked, and you’re just following orders. Surely, you know what the answer is to resolving things, don’t you? "Well, that’s true." "We’re pressed for time as well. Converting everything to cash in a day isn’t easy, no matter how many hands we employ. We’re trying to do this as a favor since the landowner requested it. Please hurry and process it." If today’s deal goes awry, the blame's all on you. Understand that? I subtly threw in a warning, not forgetting to do so. "S-sorry. I misunderstood, Gang Po Officiant." In the end, the representative sent by the landowner could only nod in agreement to the price we had offered. ————— "Did you really pull off taking over the paper mill and the landowner’s money?" Jeon Gil San, unable to believe it, stared at the documents before him. "Technically, they're deeds and right certificates for land and buildings." You’d been watching with interest ever since the morning shift at the mansion, right up to the moment when the landowner's representative left with tears in his eyes. I chuckled as if questioning what he was asking now. "Incredible..." Jeon Gil San sized me up and down, still stunned, then turned to his side. “Hehehe.” "Why is she like that?" Next to Jeon Gil San, in the living room, Jegal Sojeo was rolling and laughing since morning. "......" Honestly, no matter how good I felt, this was just ridiculous. Alcohol can be such an enemy. How long had I stayed hugging her from behind yesterday? "Ah?! It's nothing." Noticing our gazes, Jegal Sojeo hurriedly stood up but it was too late. Jeon Gil San was already looking at both of us with a suspicion, as if he sensed something was off. "You two…" "What?" "Did it happen?" "What?!" "Yeah, right. If not, then whatever." This guy even clicks his tongue as if he’s disappointed. "Do I seem like someone so irresponsible?" There are things people should and should not say. She’s the youngest daughter of the Jegal family. If anything happened, it’d be dire consequences. And if Sohee or Hwalin heard about it, who knows what chaos could ensue? "When people feel exceptionally good, accidents happen and history is made… Nope, my bad! Anyway, what about the paper mill?" As I sent a glare sharp enough to bore holes into him, Jeon Gil San sighed heavily and asked. "Of course, I'm keeping it." A paper mill at a time when we're struggling to find suppliers—especially one with fellow Joseon people working? I had no intention of handing it to anyone else. "What about the Inspector-General? If he finds out about the bribe, he won’t stay silent." "It doesn’t matter. It's not a bribe from the landowner, but a paper mill bought from Mangum Jeonjang." Why would I give up the protective measure I secured from the Inspector-General? "What do you mean? Did you already hand it over to Grandfather and ask for it back?" Gil San seemed confused and prompted me for further explanation. "Mangum Jeonjang said they'd accept rights certificates at about 80% of the market value." The second test is repayment, not proper liquidation. I had already set it up. "And then?" I shook the stack of rights certificates in both hands. "Every certificate here doesn't even reach 70% of the market value, let alone 80%." I squeezed them all down using the illusion of rapid cash conversion within a day. "What?!" "The landowner used them to pay off debts, so his calculation is done. Mangum Jeonjang only needs the amount to match up. So, the middle process doesn't matter at all. Now, I just need to create a formal document indicating that the certificates were converted to cash through me as the broker at Mangum Jeonjang, and then…" "You’re left with the paper mill, aren’t you?" Holding up the paper where the calculations were already done, the admin said. "I just need to pay an additional 3 silvers and 20 coppers. It’s pricey for a paper mill employing over a hundred workers, though." "......" "Wow..." All eyes, filled with awe, turned toward me. Even though I was half a day late, I spread my arms wide and laughed with a sense of accomplishment. There's no risk of facing reprimand later. Receiving seemingly impossible funds, returning just the principal, and charging interest—or showing flexibility in the middle even if interest is collected. It was one of the ways a competent debt collector could earn money legally. "Man... Sometimes, you seem even more crafty than Grandfather." Jeon Gil San said, smirking as he looked at me. "How can you say something so harsh?" Comparing me to Mangum Jeonju? There are lines even in conversation one shouldn't cross. "Are you insulting our Grandfather right now?" Jeon Gil San asked incredulously. "You started it." "I meant it as a compliment. Where would you find someone as extraordinary as our Grandfather?" "......" Using his grandfather as a shield, how underhanded. One more step, and it becomes a disastrous family insult, especially with two of his grandchildren right here, making it doubly inappropriate. This clever boy. He's been walking a fine line from the moment he declared support for you. I pondered my next words, but having successfully applied Mangum Jeonju's advice in this latest debt collection, I had nothing else to say. "Hey, Hyangi. Don't you also think this guy could become even greater than our Grandfather?" Jeon Gil San chucked as he asked Jegal Sojeo, glancing at my slightly chagrined face. "Uh. W-well..." Jegal Sojeo looked me over, clearly conflicted on how to respond. "Jegal Sojeo?" "A-a little? Or maybe a lot?" Jegal Sojeo, when uncertain if a comment is a compliment or an insult, you can choose to scold the person or refuse to answer. It's a valid strategy. Though I know either option wouldn't come easily to Jegal Sojeo. "I’ll be heading out." Taking back-to-back hits, even from Jegal Sojeo, was a critical blow. I staggered to my feet with unsteady steps. "Gang Gung Ja?" "Where are you going?! Are you sulking?" "To the protest site. Now that everything’s settled, it's time to wrap things up." I got home late yesterday, so I didn’t have a chance to meet with the protestors. "Oh! Right. About the strike protest, since thanks to you, I fully acquired the paper mill. Are you going to tell them?" Do you want to get pelted with stones? "There’s a way." There's a method to peacefully disperse the protestors and gain recognition of ownership without any backlash. With a smile, I donned my coat and headed for the bustling street. Of course, Jeon Gil San followed right on my heels.