631 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

“Sohee.” It really is Sohee. I thought I wouldn't see her again until the right time. Her ebony hair cascades beautifully, unable to hide a breathtaking, cold elegance, and her red eyes create an intimidating atmosphere, hard to approach. Although her face, as always, remains expressionless, betraying none of her thoughts, I know better. I can see the warmth hidden within her. The struggles she conceals from others, only I understand. “Kang... Yun Ho?” Watching Sohee approach me, disbelief in every step, my heart feels heavy. There's not much time. Gathering my emotions, I smiled at her. “Yes, it's your oppa. It might be a confusing situation, but Sohee...?” “...” Something's off. As Sohee approaches, her expression is strange. Sohee wouldn’t look at me like that. Sensing the oddity, I asked. “Why are you coming with such a frightening face?” “I’ll kill you.” A murderous intent ripples through the air. I shouted, trying to stop her as she advanced. “So, Sohee? It's your oppa. It’s really Yun Ho oppa!” “You’re unnecessary.” What’s going on with her? Why does she seem angry? “Are you in the middle of a mission? I’m not caught in an illusion or anything! Well, technically, it is an illusion, but I’m real.” Does she think I’m trapped in some formation? Did she believe an enemy is exploiting her image to attack me? Surely, if it’s Sohee, she would be furious at such a scenario. “Kang Yun Ho.” “Sohee, why’s your tone so chilly? I’m overwhelmed with emotion seeing you after so long, but your frosty attitude wounds me.” “The traitor. I know about it.” What is this? She doesn’t speak like she’s confused by a dream or illusion. Is there another reason she’s upset? “A traitor? You know about it? Did you hear something? Are you mad because I lived with Hwarin without telling you? Or because I settled down with Miss Ha Yeon? I explained everything, didn’t I? Ah! Is it because I asked Miss Jegal for marriage permission without telling you? Or maybe… Ah, who could it be…?” “...” “Alright! Let’s calm down! Oppa may have done many reckless things, but!” Looking back, it’s lucky I haven’t been split in two for all the stunts I pulled. Still, Sohee, you fell for my manliness, right? I aspire to create a harem as a manly man. Cut me some slack. I retreated slowly, trying to reason with Sohee. “I have to kill you.” “Sohee, let’s not use such harsh words. Live! You’re beautiful and full of life! Like in those majestic quotes.” “It’d be fine if you just disappeared.” “What do you mean if only I disappear. Hold on.” Something felt off. No matter how I looked, Sohee’s condition seemed strange. I scrutinized her face as she approached. I've mastered the art of reading Sohee, even after more than a year apart. I have confidence in understanding her emotions from the slightest changes in expression. To unleash this level of murderous intent at me... Even though I increased my number of fiancées merely by three, no way would Sohee shoot daggers right away after finally meeting again. Probably. “Wait a second?! Can you hear my voice right now?” “...” She seems to hear me. Sudden strange events sounded alarms in my head. Hold on. This murderous intent—it feels familiar. Where have I sensed this before? “You don’t mean….” In an instant, a possibility flashed through my mind. “You’re not Sohee, but Cheonsalseong, are you?” [At last, the opportunity is here.] A murderous vibe, like crawling out from the abyss, overtook me. “Unbelievable.” ——— Cheonsalseong, Cheon Sohee. Sohee’s consciousness is akin to a dam. A dam desperately holding back the massive torrents trying to flow in. Sometimes, she opens the floodgates to control the water level. But she never opens all of them. It would dismantle the dam from the flood of murderous intent. Sohee kept fortifying the dam to resist the will of the stars. She knew it would only end in disaster eventually, but she trusts someone to handle it. But what if? What if someone drilled a hole in the consciousness that Sohee painstakingly sealed? “What kind of madman, on Earth, unlocks Cheonsalseong’s murder intent?!” There was no need to speculate further. The result unfolded before my eyes. While I was running for my life. “Give up.” “Oh great Sanha Sajikdo! You’ve sent the wrong person! I’m telling you, you’ve dialed the wrong number! Please send someone else!” No wonder I felt heard. The will of a star can indeed override even chat bans. “I won’t let you escape.” Cheonsalseong lunged at me. What a disaster. I thought I had put enough distance between us, but she closed in so quickly. Her hand reached to grab my neck in a heartbeat. “Ahhhh! Somebody save me—oh?!!!” “How...” “I dodged?” I stared at Cheonsalseong in disbelief. She also seemed slightly confused. How did I manage to slip away from her grasp? I thought she’d tear my throat out. What happened here? Could it be…? “Ha! Cheonsalseong. Did you mistake me for the old Kang Yun Ho?” “...?” I said confidently, clenching my fist and pointing my thumb at myself. “I am… ‘Super Kang Yun Ho.’” Not an ordinary Kang Yun Ho of this world, but Muyeongshintu Kang Yun Ho. Right. I've mastered the strongest martial arts of this universe; why wouldn’t I be able to escape? “It won’t change anything.” Cheonsalseong seemed to register the challenge in my words, and rushed at me once more. She was undoubtedly faster than before. I shouldn’t have taunted her! “I’m sorry! I got carried away! Sanha Sajikdo-nim! I asked for you to send someone else! I’m here to see Sohee, not the one trying to stab me in the gut! Return! Give me a return!” “...” Barely squeezing out everything I had to create distance again, Cheonsalseong frowned at me. Though she wasn’t Sohee, her expression oddly reminded me of her. “Huff, huff! Why...? Acting like you’re slightly hurt.” “Just die.” Has Cheonsalseong realized it’s not so easy to catch Super Kang Yun Ho? "When asking for favors from a person, they should be reasonable requests. Like, spend the night with me. Sohee, you’re no longer a high schooler. It’s legal starting today, like that." Cheonsalseong looked at me blankly for a moment before speaking with Sohee's expressionless face. "…You will spend this night with me." "Damn it! That’s not what I meant!" As soon as Cheonsalseong finished speaking, she lunged at me like a meteor. It was a trick to catch me off guard, but it wouldn't work. Speed-wise, I was superior. I immediately activated the power of Yongcheonhyeol. "Detected." Cheonsalseong swiftly changed direction. It was right where I tried to escape. Her hand seemed like the gate to hell waiting to snatch me. "Breaking the flow?" I almost died. If I hadn’t utilized the intricacies of Unyongdaepalsik and changed direction, I would have been caught. Had I not leaped over the wall, I’d be dead. "…" Cheonsalseong seemed quite regretful as she clutched her empty hand. At this rate, I would definitely be caught. I need another way. "As expected of Cheonsalseong… Hey! Can’t we settle this peacefully somehow?" "Knife." "What?" The look in her eyes seemed to say she could have dismantled me already if she had even one knife. "Sohee, your oppa is in a rush right now! The beam of light is decreasing!" There’s no time left. My escape is blocked by Cheonsalseong. "I’m truly going to die." Maybe I should try subduing Cheonsalseong. Even a brief consideration made me laugh out loud at my own absurd thoughts. Back when my martial arts weren’t honed, I vaguely assumed Sohee was strong, but now observing with the perspective of Muyeongshintu Kang Yun Ho, it's more frustrating. Her strength is indescribable, beyond assessing. "‘It’s not like there’s no way out." Stay calm. I looked at the slowly dwindling pillar of light briefly. Think of that light as some kind of remaining energy. The world plunged into darkness is like entering an energy-saving mode. "If Sanha Sajikdo said this is a small gift provided with the leftover energy from shutting down the server…" The beam is still large. Surely there’s enough capacity. "Cheonsalseong never intended to harm Kang Yun Ho." There’s enough leeway to convince the world. "Ugh!" It’s working. Cheonsalseong gripped her head in apparent discomfort. "For him, she even crafted a body of unbreakable diamond." I slyly twisted the truth to make a falsehood seem plausible. I could feel the mystical energy infusing my body. While a path opened, simultaneously, another began closing. "The beam is diminishing too fast." In an instant, I noticed the energy drop rapidly. YW9peUx5cktZYXhyU2hzY1VsMkQ0UVIxTFRHZlpkMm5HenN2REM0V2pGYmt1VERlb3ZvY3Y2R3lxMExzZmd1SA "Cheap tricks." Cheonsalseong charged at me as if there was no more mercy. Without dodging, I shouted to the world. "Cheonsalseong taught him defense techniques anticipating her own unconsciousness." I could see the structure. "What?" "Gotcha." At last, I grabbed Cheonsalseong’s hand. "It’s useless." Cheonsalseong’s shoulder pivoted, and she struck me at point-blank range. It was a blow that pierced through to churn my innards. Blood welled up in my mouth. As expected of Cheonsalseong. A single moment of carelessness is fatal. I tightly grabbed her shoulder again, determined not to let go. “Ugh! Kang Yun Ho knows how to restore Cheon Sohee’s consciousness!” I kissed her once more in an effort to bring Sohee back. “Let go! Mmmph!” Forcing my way into her consciousness, there was brief resistance, but the unbreakable diamond body effectively subdued Cheonsalseong’s will. “Mm! Mmph! Mm... Ah...” The long-awaited kiss with Sohee tasted like iron. “Uh…?” “What?” Cheonsalseong’s kissing skills seem novice-like. While I was contemplating the trivial sensation, Cheonsalseong’s eyes shifted. Not the gaze filled with murderous intent, but of a woman awakening from a dream. “Sohee.” “...Yun Ho oppa?” And there was the light in Sohee’s eyes. —— “Sohee, are you back to your senses?” “What is this?” She looked at me as if she didn’t understand anything. I slightly backed away to look at her. Her lips stained with my blood seemed to give her a more mature look, like she was wearing lipstick. “You probably can’t hear it, but Sanha Sajikdo linked our consciousnesses. This isn’t fake. Your oppa went through a lot. There’s no time. Don't just split in two and die. Don’t do that.” She probably couldn’t hear me. “Blood…?” “It’s nothing. It’s just a scratch from Cheonsalseong and a piercing strike.” Though it felt like my insides were mulched with one effective hit. Seeing my condition, Sohee’s eyes widened in alarm. “Yun Ho oppa’s blood? That dream back then? Or is it?” “So, Sohee?” Why is she backing away? Her eyes tremble, and her legs quiver as if she might collapse any second. “Ah… Ahhh. I tried to kill oppa… again…” She seems traumatized by almost killing me back at the Seong Family Estate. “Ta-da! All healed!” “…?” “Look, no more bloodstains.” Though painful, with the dwindling pillar of light, I had to borrow energy once more for Sohee’s mental wellbeing. Instead of explaining further, I energetically demonstrated to her that I was okay. "Not like that dream?" “Not at all.” With a repaired smile, I approached Sohee. “Oppa. Yun Ho oppa.” She looked at me with disbelief. “Yes, Sohee. It’s me, oppa. I missed... ngh!” She pounced on me without warning. “Oppa. Oppa. Yun Ho oppa.” She aggressively assaulted my lips, as if all her suppressed yearning overwhelmed her, trying to feel as much of me as possible. “Hah, hah! Sohee! Let oppa breathe for a second!” I barely managed to pull away, gripping her shoulders that refused to let go. “….” “Sohee…? Why does your expression suddenly darken?” Is she upset that I broke away when we finally reunited? I’m thrilled too, but I need air to breathe. Her eyes narrowed, a slight furrow on her beautiful brow. What’s wrong? Is Cheonsalseong awakening again? Sohee, looking at me, bewildered, spoke words colder than Cheonsalseong's murderous aura. "I can taste the flavor of other women on oppa's lips."