491 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

"Gongja Kang, you were absolutely amazing yesterday!" "I thought we were just going for a brief investigation, but to solve the case on the spot like that—there's a reason why they call him a master detective." The morning after the dramatic deduction show, as soon as breakfast was over, Lady Jegal and Gilsan, eager as ever, began discussing the events of the previous day. "How can it be solely my achievement? Lady Jegal played a significant role." "Me?" Lady Jegal pointed to herself with a bewildered expression. "You didn't hesitate to examine the difficult request regarding your cousin's body. Not to mention, you instantly found the scars I couldn't, no matter how hard I looked." "That's true. I felt hesitant and couldn't even get close." Gilsan nodded in agreement with my words. Even though she's from a martial family, she must have felt some reluctance. Except for a slight frown and deep breath, she effortlessly identified the scars for us. "What did someone like me even do, really? Gongja Kang did everything, didn't he? Hehe. Hehehe." Lady Jegal flashed a broad smile while waving a hand in the air. Saying it's not true, yet the expression betrays it. I almost want to lift her under the arms and playfully spin her around like an airplane. "Praising each other for such acts—I envy that. I truly do." Gilsan, it'd be nice if we could simply look at each other's cheerful faces. There's no need to express it with a look of disdain. "When you declared, 'Who am I,' Gongja Kang—a wave of admiration spread among the people." Recalling the events of yesterday, Lady Jegal clenched her fists and looked up at me with a flushed face. "I saw it too. The logic seemed to suffocate people; I realized words could be so overwhelming." "The suspect was so blatantly obvious." Even when knowing the truth, perpetual lies only turned suspicion into certainty. "It would have been nice if we'd run to my aunt right away yesterday." "That's true." Lady Jegal and Gilsan murmured with a hint of regret. "It couldn't be helped." I intended to return triumphant, revealing both the murder and capturing the culprit... "But Yangbaek... My... My son was, in fact, murdered?" "The madam has collapsed! Fetch a doctor immediately!" "I never imagined he'd send someone to uncover the truth while I was captured by Wupodu and the Inspector." I had intentionally left without saying anything, but it seemed someone had picked up on it. After hearing the news, from the successor selection meeting, examining Yangbaek's body, to discovering the perpetrator—by then, night fell, and I collapsed into sleep upon returning home. "I heard she quickly regained consciousness. Shouldn't she have called for you first?" "That's right. Gongja Kang was the one who revealed it." Lady Jegal sympathetically muttered on my behalf. "Considering the back-to-back emotional shocks, they’ll probably call once they gather themselves." After finding her son's body, followed by the grim news of his murder, it will inevitably take time to recover from the shock. "Lady Jegal, there's a visitor for you." As we enjoyed a simple post-meal tea, a servant announced a guest's arrival. "A visitor? For me?! Wait a minute!" Lady Jegal, why do you sound like Kang who’s startled when a beautiful stranger approaches? And what's with the box? "Who's come to visit?" I asked the servant, holding onto Lady Jegal’s hand as she attempted to get into the box. "It's me." From behind the servant, a middle-aged woman suddenly appeared. "Aunt?!" "Aunt Nanok? I heard you collapsed. What brings you here?" The visitor was Yangbaek's mother, Jang Nanok. "Hyangi, were you living with a man?" "What? Y-Yes." Lady Jegal, why are you trembling like an caught couple living together without permission? "Good day." I greeted Yangbaek's mother with a pleasant face, her expression stern. Rest assured, this is sanctioned by Man Geum Jeon Ju and Lady Jegal's mother. She wouldn’t step out of line. Everything can be explained. Before I could elaborate, Jang Nanok disclosed the purpose of her visit. "Could we have a word in private?" --- "Is it true you resolved... Yangbaek's grievances?" After Lady Jegal and Gilsan stepped back, Jang Nanok looked at me with a furrowed brow, questioning. Her composed voice barely concealed an underlying tremor. Hearing all the news, she must have sought me out. I nodded silently without denying it. "Thanks to your permission to examine my brother, I was able to catch the culprit in time." Before I could finish, Jang Nanok knelt down before me, lowering her head. "Thank you. Truly, thank you!" "You needn't do this!" I tried to help her up, but she wouldn't budge. "Judging by your hair color, I misjudged and mistreated you, yet you never gave up and rectified my son's grievance. How could I raise my head to you?" "Misinunderstandings can be unraveled gradually; I simply focused on resolving the irreversible ones first." "Thank you. I truly don’t know how to express my gratitude." Yangbaek's mother remained kneeling, unable to lift her head. 'This is an excellent opportunity to win favor.' Whatever the case may have been, Man Geum Jeon Ju’s eldest daughter came in gratitude and apology. It’s better to seize the chance to gain her favor than merely receiving thanks. Let's start with something simple. "How could the mother who raised the big brother who acknowledged me as in-law speak like that? I merely gave my belated thanks to the elder brother, so great ah... Hmm... I mean..." Acting as if I was choosing my words carefully due to difficulty. "Call me Aunt." That’s the spirit. "Great Aunt, please rise. Your nephew-in-law is at a loss." I naturally called her Aunt as I gently helped Yangbaek's mother to her feet. "My late son gladly acknowledged you as his brother-in-law, and you found the culprit who had eluded everyone else for his sake. As a mother, I'm so ashamed I can't even stand on my own two feet." "He wouldn't want to see you collapsing from grief, ma'am." "I heard you also defended him against those disgraceful accusations?" Jang Nanok's eyes trembled with a sentiment she found difficult to express. I shook my head as if it was nothing. "It's a family matter. How could I stand by while a killer tarnishes his name?" "...He did have a few bad habits." "Aunt?" Dropping a bombshell like that is a bit tricky for a detective to handle. "Whatever my nephew-in-law might have heard, it wasn't to that extreme. While he might have broken his mother's heart a couple of times, it was never to the extent that monster claimed." Jang Nanok's face bore the expression of a mother acknowledging her son's misdemeanors yet trying to defend him as best as she could. "Who would believe a murderer's excuses, after all?" Even if that scoundrel's words were true, at best he was an accomplice. The culprit pinned everything on the deceased, who could no longer speak to defend himself. Without concrete evidence, it's best to ignore such unsupported claims. "Thank you. I’m truly grateful, and so, so sorry." No matter the truth behind the incident, she was a mother who had lost her child overnight. Her shoulders shook under the weight she bore. "I only did what was needed for the family." All I could do was hold her trembling hands until they steadied. "Please accept this." Once the trembling ceased, Yangbaek's mother brought out something carefully. "Shoes? Aren’t these exquisitely made shoes?" They weren't flashy, yet the high-quality materials were evident. "They're shoes I handcrafted for my son, hoping to give them to him if he passed his first trial. Seeing him determined to change, I wanted him to run vigorously as a mother's wish." "Aunt, giving me such a precious item..." "Please accept them. You lightened my son's final journey, and it's only right as a mother to offer you this." Jang Nanok gently extended the shoes toward me with her wrinkled hands. I debated on whether or not to accept them. Her heartbreaking gratitude drove her from her deceased son's resting place to me this morning. Refusing such a heartfelt gesture was beyond me, so I accepted them. "Thinking of this as a symbol of your continued encouragement for me, I'll wear these shoes and visit often." Jang Nanok's eyes were filled with an uncontainable sorrow as a mother's grief, regardless of her son's wayward past, lingered on her face. "…Thank you." Even so, her sad smile was akin to a mother suppressing tears for her departed child. "I've been away from my son's side for too long. It's time I return." "Aunt, may I make a small request?" "What kind of request?" --- "Did you really catch the culprit?" Having gained Jang Nanok's favor, it was time to report to Man Geum Jeon Ju. "I was fortunate." "All of Mu Han is buzzing about your exploits." "If I think about it honestly, I was quite remarkable." No need to feign humility before Man Geum Jeon Ju, so I nodded with a candid smile. "Hehe. Well done." "Great Aunt seemed deeply saddened." "Though Yangbaek's situation is regrettable… You've at least cleared his name, which is a relief." A subdued sigh revealed the regret and concern this father had for his child. "Great Aunt gave me the shoes she intended for Brother Yangbaek." "Shoes?" Man Geum Jeon Ju seemed taken aback, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. "They didn’t quite fit, but she quickly adjusted them." "She's been skilled with her hands since childhood, making shoes for the family." A tinge of nostalgia floated through Man Geum Jeon Ju's voice for days long gone. "While receiving the adjustment, I mentioned you to Great Aunt." "Talking nonsense again." He raised an eyebrow at me. "Someone has to recognize your efforts as a caring father, no?" "The bond between parent and child can fray so easily, and once severed, isn’t easy to mend. Yet, if you've gained her favor, that's enough." So their relationship with his eldest daughter wasn't the greatest. Despite misunderstandings over Yangbaek's passing, it seemed they weren't exactly a harmonious father-daughter duo. It doesn't concern me, though. Actually, it's beneficial. "Restoring the bond might be tough, but we can certainly build bridges." I smiled and placed the box I brought onto the table before him. "What might that be?" "Great Aunt told me she hadn’t forgotten your shoe size." "...!" What I presented was a pair of shoes Jang Nanok had personally crafted for him. "I might've coerced it a bit, but she didn't seem opposed. Why not consider visiting her soon?" I only urged her to pick something out, yet she had already prepared a pair. What a profitable turn from merely aiming to initiate reconciliation with an apology. "You..." "I'm looking forward to the next trial." With my tasks for the day complete, I left without waiting for Man Geum Jeon Ju's response. *** "..." Even as Kang Yoon Ho departed, Man Geum Jeon Ju found himself unable to tear his gaze away from the box left before him. When was the last time his daughter had gifted him something? When had she last crafted shoes for him? For all his worldliness, even Man Geum Jeon Ju found himself momentarily lost in wordless contemplation, staring at that box. "Indeed, he possesses numerous talents." The chief steward, standing beside him with a contented smile, spoke. "...He seems to have a knack for becoming a tender father, unlike myself." "My lord..." Man Geum Jeon Ju, catching the steward's concerned gaze, skillfully brushed aside his emotions with a smile. "Alright. Once the funeral is over, gather the grandchildren," he instructed. "What do you have in mind?" the chief steward asked with a note of concern. Though aware of Man Geum Jeon Ju's intentions, he knew that if the promised third trial wasn't held, his daughter and the grandchildren would likely protest vehemently. Understanding the steward's worries, Man Geum Jeon Ju gave a clear answer. "We'll keep the final trial brief."