629 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

"Hwarin, how... how are you here?" What on earth is happening? How is Hwarin, who should be training back at the Sacheondang family, appearing right in front of my eyes? ‘Is she like Ha Yeon, who Jegal Hyang called upon?’ Stay calm. This is likely another illusion created by the Sahn Hasa Jik Do. Just like the socialite Jegal Hyang called Ha Yeon for help, perhaps I've called her because I needed help. “What's this? Am I dreaming? There’s no way Yoon Ho would be right in front of me.” Hwarin, with a drowsy look, rubbed her eyes with one hand and slowly approached me. Even knowing this might be an illusion, I can't help but tremble. I miss her sleepy face so much. I miss the routine of making her a cup of coffee when she yawns in the morning. Get a grip. There's still a long way to go to reach Do Won Hyang. If the living gate closes, it would be a disaster. As I turned away from the approaching Hwarin, I found myself in an embarrassing predicament. "Damn it. I can’t see the path." The lighthouse had vanished. More accurately, Hwarin's appearance had made it vanish. Without its guiding light, all that remained was darkness. The next lighthouse is far. Can I make it there just by memory? While I was thinking this— “Ouch!” The fierce grip of a lioness seized my cheek. "Why is a dream pretending to hurt?" “Hwarin, this isn't a dream! It hurts! I’m telling you, it hurts!” Cancel that. Definitely cancel. This isn't an illusion. That sharp hand is unmistakably Hwarin's. How on earth did she get here? "It's strange. It should be a dream since I don’t feel pain. Then why is he pretending it hurts?" When I flinched, Hwarin released her grip and pinched her own cheek with a puzzled expression. “Hwarin, don’t be startled, but listen. This isn’t a dream. There’s a virtual reality device used by immortals—a tool that creates the world of dreams, and...” “What are you talking about? Speak clearly.” But I just told her. Could it be? “Hwarin, can't you hear what I'm saying?” “Why is your voice just a buzz?” As expected. Even though I spoke carefully, Hwarin furrowed her brow. “What’s the point of summoning someone if we can’t even talk?” YW9peUx5cktZYXhyU2hzY1VsMkQ0VlYrckxWNi80QzYyUm8zTE9kbVRrQm5Iczc3Ty9URE05Wi9BdGUxTlhaQw Perhaps we’re out of coverage. Is the distance to Sichuan too far? “I can’t hear you. Try saying it slowly.” Hwarin urged me with a frustrated look. “If you’re going to give me a gift, at least let it be a proper video call. Even though this is a Bao Pai, this situation is insane…” For modern people, communicating with someone far away is completely normal, but in a world where exchanging letters takes months, this is nothing short of a miracle. The Sahn Hasa Jik Do is certainly a gift worth mentioning. “What’s happening here…” Hwarin looked at me with a gloomy expression. “Exactly, Hwarin.” “No matter if it’s a dream, this is too much…” An unexpected sorrowful voice escaped. Hwarin, as if finding it hard to believe, stroked my face a few times before lowering her head. “Hwarin…?” “I haven’t forgotten Yoon Ho's voice. Even though it’s been a year since he left, it’s still so vivid in my ears. I can recall Yoon Ho’s voice if I just close my eyes. Why can’t I hear his voice?” “It’s the trickery of Sahn Hasa Jik Do. It’s not your fault, Hwarin.” Although she couldn’t hear my voice, her shoulders trembled. Connected, yet never fully touching. All I could do was gently pat Hwarin’s back as she struggled with her frustrating emotions. “Why does this feel like a dream when you’re so kind, just like Yoon Ho?” Because it’s me, Hwarin. “I don't know. I’m upset, but at the same time, I'm so happy that I feel like crying.” “Hwarin...” “Even if I know it’s a dream, it feels just like one. So, hug me.” There was no reason to refuse. ——— “Yoon Ho.” “Hm?” Hwarin lifted her head to look at me slowly, having calmed down. It was the first in-depth look at her face in a year. It seems like she’s even prettier than before she left. “That woman, the one from the Jegal family—are you going to marry her?” “….” Her question, piercing like a knife, left me momentarily breathless. Hwarin’s eyes trembled. I could see countless worries flitting through them. Her nervous, trembling eyes queried me, doubtingly. “Have you forgotten me…?” Her voice was as if she was probing an old wound. Though I knew she couldn’t hear, I was at a loss for words. As I falteringly gazed at her, she hung her head again. “It’s foolish of me. What am I doing in a dream like this? I should wake up from this nightmare quickly.” Hwarin, with a face full of embarrassment, slapped her own cheeks, but there was no waking up from the dream. “Who would I even forget! Hwarin, I told you it’s not like that.” I quickly regained my wits and grasped her hand. “I can’t hear you. …Why are you holding my hand?” If my voice doesn’t work, then writing does. I wrote repeatedly on her hand that it’s not a dream, yet Hwarin only tilted her head in confusion. “It really is a dream for Hwarin, huh?” You’re supposed to be unable to read words in a dream. I’ve heard that before. Well, unless Hwarin somehow wandered into the Sahn Hasa Jik Do’s world suddenly while asleep, her consciousness must’ve connected. Is there really no way to communicate? “Why do you look so desperate for a dream?” “I’m sorry, Hwarin.” “What’s going on?” “It’s all my fault. It’s all my fault, Hwarin.” “Why are you apologizing if you’re just a dream? This isn’t Yoon Ho, so why are you making my heart ache?” I had no choice but to convey sincerity through my expression and eyes. Filled with remorse, I embraced Hwarin once more. Although she grumbled, she accepted my embrace. I’m sorry. But Hwarin… “Hm…” Holding her after so long, it feels kind of nice, doesn't it? She’s indeed the best in Zhongyuan. I’ve missed this warmth, truly. This is just— “Wow. For a dream, you’re just like Yoon Ho, pretending not to but actually enjoying it. …What?!” My gaze caught Hwarin’s bewildered eyes, and I reflexively turned my head. “Hey. Kang Yoon Ho. Look at me.” Her voice was like someone who had been splashed with cold water unexpectedly. “Hwarin?” “Look me straight in the eyes.” It was too late. A slender yet strong finger turned my chin. Her gaze, which moments ago was vulnerable, now carried the fierce intensity of a lioness hunting prey. "Hahaha." “This isn't a dream, is it?” Yes, you are right. ——— “You're dead!” The fury of the lioness burst forth. “Hwarin! C-calm down! This isn't the time for this!” “What are you talking about!” “Damn Sahn Hasa Jik Do! Let me make myself heard!” “I told you, if you’re lonely, find a lover! But a fiancée? And two at that?!” Hwarin mercilessly pinched my side. “No, it’s not like that!” It’s unfair, I mean, she's right, but still. “Wow! Just look at that 'I'm unfairly treated' face!” “Ow! Owow!” “Yoon Ho! Do you have three sides?! Huh?! Huh, huh, huh!” “I technically have two! But I have ten fingers!” Even so, I can still count them on one hand. Have some mercy! Hwarin. “What are you saying! You definitely deserve this! You're dead meat!” “Arghhh!” So goes the story of Kang Yoon Ho. I might’ve anticipated dying in the world of the Sahn Hasa Jik Do in my pursuit of a harem, but not like this. I had to endure the threat to my life until Hwarin’s anger subsided. “Ugh. Seriously.” By then, the angry fists had turned into affectionate pats. I quietly accepted her emotions with a loving smile as I touched the spot where Hwarin had pinched hard. "......" “So, what’s going on? What’s this all about?” “Well…” As Hwarin demanded an explanation, I pointed toward the pillar of light. “Do I need to go to the place where the light beam is? Is it urgent?” I nodded with a troubled expression. In a space filled only with darkness, the only visible things were the lighthouse and a distant road. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Hwarin frowned. “It certainly doesn’t seem ordinary. I don’t know what’s happening, but let’s hurry.” “But I can’t see the road. Huh?!” As soon as Hwarin spoke, a path appeared. A golden road, different from the winding one I had walked before meeting her. “Now that there’s a road, you can go.” “Though it’s true…” My feet wouldn’t move. “Why. Are you not going? Is it because of me? If you close your eyes when you go back to sleep, you’ll probably be back in bed.” "......" That’s not it, Hwarin. When I silently gazed at her, Hwarin avoided my eyes as if realizing something. She wore the expression of someone who had made a painful mistake. “Forget it. What I said earlier.” Her words about forgetting her weighed heavily on my feet, for they revealed her true feelings. "......." “It’s just nonsense, thinking it was a dream.” “Hwarin.” “Just go. It’s urgent.” Of course, it’s urgent. Time waits for no one. Even with a shortcut revealed, who knows what danger lies ahead? I should hurry and run. But, Hwarin, “There’s someone even more urgent right in front of me.” How could you hide old wounds from me like this? I held Hwarin’s face in my hands and leaned in. “Mm?! Mmm! What, are you crazy?!” Though my mouth couldn’t be heard, it was a perfectly sufficient means of communication between lovers. “Are you mad? Mad! Mad!” I grinned at the now blushing Hwarin. “Ugh. That strangely smug expression. I don’t like it.” Hwarin made a subtly frustrated face, then grabbed my wrist with a 'won't lose’ attitude. “Hwarin?!!!” Different sensations touched my hands and lips simultaneously, both soft and gentle. It was a flawless attack that could throw any man off balance. When she finished her brief assault, I looked at her in surprise. Hwarin smiled in satisfaction. “Yeah. That’s Yoon Ho. Haha.” “I can’t win against you.” Yes, that’s definitely Hwarin. “Oh, whatever… Um, Yoon Ho.” “Hm?” With a slightly relieved expression, Hwarin touched my face. Should I say it or should I hold back? As she looked at me with trembling eyes, I gave a small nod, indicating there was still time. “Because you’re so kind, Yoon Ho… I was afraid someone might take advantage of you, since I’ve made you lonely. So don’t worry too much.” “I acted on my own accord.” The words couldn’t possibly reach her, but somehow Hwarin’s eyes brightened. It felt as though my sincerity had reached her. “I just thought, you know. Even if I trust you, anyone can falter. Anyway. It's fine now. As long as you haven’t changed your mind, I’m happy. Just wait till I see you later, and you'll have more to answer for.” “Haha.” “You’re laughing? Is this a joke to you?” “Haha, ahahaha.” With a sense of urgency, Hwarin gently pushed me away. “Hurry up and go. And remember, engagements can happen, but no weddings just yet.” There’s so much I want to say. So many stories to share. I wish to talk for eternity, but it's time to go. Instead of communicating through glances and gestures, I must go, for the sake of meeting Hwarin someday. For her who eagerly waits for me. It’s time to set out again. “I’ll be off.” Leaving regrets behind, I turned away. As amethysts scattered light like powdered gems behind me, I wanted to turn and say one last goodbye, but the voice from behind urged me forward. “Give it your all. I’m running toward you, too.”