643 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

"강 Yunho! Another fiancée?! What in the world is this about?!" Even Ha Yeon Sojeo found out. As soon as I got to the family head's house, it was utter chaos. "Father-in-law, please calm down! Just give me a moment to explain!" Father-in-law. You're scarier than when I came face-to-face with a bear that hadn't eaten for a week in a dark mountain. I quickly yelled as I maintained a safe distance. "Do you think there's anything to say in this situation? What sort of insolent rascal has two more fiancées besides my daughter?!" "No matter how hectic things are, I think there are things that need to be sorted out! Jegal Sojeo is the last one!" I'm innocent, Father-in-law. Of course, Hwairin and Ha Yeon Sojeo weren't the first either. "You're really asking for it, aren't you, from the very start!" Damn. A bear that hasn't eaten for a week is roaring in front of me. "Father-in-law!" "Family head! Hold on!" "Do you think I can hold on right now?! And isn't that celestial diviner broken?! How on earth!" Now, I have something to say about that. "Father-in-law! There's something I couldn't tell you... I stayed the longest at the desire pavilion!" "Is that something to brag about?!" In that instant, something whizzed past the side of my head. "Huh! Is that, is that iron wire?!" The speed at which the iron wire embedded in the wall was no joke, even compared to a Major League Baseball player's laser throw. "Dear! What are you throwing at your son-in-law!" I have to survive. Somehow, I have to survive. Think, man. Kang Yunho. I've crossed the line of death several times in the Jegal family. I can do it. Just give it a shot. "Father-in-law! Please, calm down! I can explain everything! I actually have a sworn brother who saved my life..." There’s a chance. I’ll wrap it up as if a man's love left him, and he fatefully met the daughter of his sworn brother. While I was quickly calculating in my head, I forgot one important fact. "Stop him from speaking immediately!" "Father-in-law?" "Now I understand why all the fighters from the Tang family shut you up the moment they met you! You're someone who would come back alive from hell as long as you have your tongue!" Father-in-law is a descendant of Zhougong Ming, after all. "Mmmpf! Mmph!" An enraged bear charges towards me. Oh dear. This is a mess. —— "Gilsan." "What." "Am I still alive?" Barely catching my breath on the bed, I asked Gilsan, who was looking at me with a pitying expression. "Don't make me look like a dead man too." "Feels like I was nearer to death than when I was inside the Sanha Temple." Thankfully, I survived. The aching pain proved that I still had a foothold in this world. "You're truly something else. Kang Yunho! Who comes to get permission to marry and declares he has three wives?" "I didn’t say that! Ugh!" Ow, my poor body. Holding my side, I lifted my upper body. Gilsan looked at me with an incredulous expression. "Somehow, you got permission without dying." "…It's not something I'd want to do twice." In any case, I got permission for Ha Yeon Sojeo too. And remarkably, without any broken legs. As Jegal Sojeo said, the situation was favorable. The Won Ro Hoe, Mother-in-law, Jegal Sojeo, the Sanha Temple, Jegal Seolok, even my sworn brother's excuse. Clearly, even though Father-in-law was the family head, no one sided with him. Not that I’d want to experience it again. "Yeah. It's good to clear this up while you can. Unless there's another hidden fiancée or anything, there's nothing to worry about now." "…." "Hey, no way…?" Gilsan's eyes widened with suspicion. "No, nothing like that." There's only a childhood friend with whom I've made promises for the future. "Then that's good. Haha! But it was amusing. By the way, take your medicine." "Yeah. Ugh! Why is this so bitter?" I nearly spat it out. It’s much more bitter than the medicine I’ve had over the past few days. "It's from your father-in-law. Go ask him." Father-in-law, even if you had no one on your side, this kind of assassination attempt is too much. I looked at the bowl of medicine doubtfully. "…It's not poison, right?" "If they wanted you dead, they’d have done it already." "True." I downed the medicine in one gulp. "What about Hyangi? Didn't she say she wouldn’t go with you?" Gilsan, you don't need to make a cool head when the medicine makes my body feverish. With a bitter smile, I replied. "She's decided to stay for a little more training." "Why not at home?" "She wants to take bridal lessons too. Besides, it’ll take some time for the newlywed house construction." "Well, Hyangi is indeed hopeless in that regard." "It won’t take long." It’s not like she’ll spend all five years in training. She just feels lacking right now. If that's what Jegal Sojeo desires, it’s respectful. "Will you be alright? With Ha Yeon Sojeo gone and Hyangi staying?" Ha Yeon Sojeo left out of necessity, but Hyangmae is different. If necessary, I can invite her as soon as the newlywed house is complete. It's not like being forced apart. Unlike with Hwairin and Ha Yeon Sojeo, there’s no heavy heart. From Infinite City to the Jegal family, if I really miss her, I can visit or summon Jegal Sojeo. Where with Hwairin and Ha Yeon Sojeo it was a painful separation, with Jegal Sojeo it’s just a temporary absence for academic reasons. I gladly nodded to Jegal Sojeo’s decision. "You look like you want to bring her back right away, saying it’s fine. Should I let Hyangi know?" "…No, don't." Seems I showed my feelings a bit too much. ** "Uuuh." After the uproar subsided, Jegal Hyang knelt with a pouting face before her mother in the prized room of the Jegal family. "Hold your hands up straight." "Mom… I’m your daughter who's getting married soon." "…." "Okay, okay, I'll hold them properly!" Who knew my daughter would cause trouble at the last moment? Jang Yeongyeong sighed deeply at her daughter holding her arms up high. "What were you thinking, speaking so recklessly without any plan…!" "Ha, Ha Yeon unni is also Kang Gongja-nim's fiancée, and it's not wise to keep it hidden forever." Jegal Hyang insisted that she had thought this through and wasn't acting without a plan. Jang Yeongyeong silently watched her daughter mumble her excuses. "You need to think about your own future too." It was a close call. It wasn't exactly like ruining a perfectly good meal. If it weren't for the credit my son-in-law had built up, things could have gone awry in an instant. "I want to be a proud wife for Kang Gongja-nim." "..." Jang Yeongyeong was momentarily taken aback by the look on her daughter's face as she spoke. "If we keep hiding Ha Yeon unni, Kang Gongja-nim will become a sinner. And if I want to confidently hold my place between the two unnies, I think this is the best choice." "Hyang-ah..." The child who always seemed like she would remain just a daughter had grown. Was it thanks to living with her beloved? Was it because of her time at Sanha Temple? Or perhaps it was something Jang Yeongyeong hadn't realized herself. Her daughter looked at her with the expression of a woman ready to marry. "Mommy..." Her daughter hugged her with a teary face, and it felt like the embrace of a young bird ready to leave the nest. "You're trying to sneak your arms down, aren't you?" "Ack..." Of course, she wasn't quite ready to let her leave just yet. "Are you really okay with staying?" Jegal Hyang slowly nodded at her mother's inquiry about her decision. "Kang Gongja-nim is destined to do great things. To be his wife, I think I shouldn't be lacking in any way." The Sanha Temple spoke of someone who defied the tides of fate, traveling against the current. That person is Kang Yunho. I don’t fully understand what it means, but I can sense it. Kang Gongja-nim is someone who will accomplish significant feats. Even if the path is arduous, he will leave a prominent name in the world. 'I want to remain by Kang Gongja-nim's side forever.' Though it might be too much for me to withstand the fierce tides of fate, I want to stand behind Kang Gongja-nim and support him. 'I am lacking.' As a wife, and as a martial artist, I am lacking to support him. I need to spend time to become a wife who won't bring disgrace to Kang Gongja-nim. Jegal Hyang made her decision after careful deliberation. "Our little girl who used to draw suggestive pictures has grown up." "M-Mom!" "You never listened when I told you to take bridal lessons. But now that you've found someone you love, here you are. Raising a daughter is pointless." "I want to be a wife worthy of Kang Gongja-nim." Jegal Hyang expressed her sincerity to her mother, who playfully pretended to be hurt. "Okay. It's not like you're running out of time. I'll take this opportunity to teach you properly." Jang Yeongyeong had a lot to teach her daughter, but it didn’t matter. With her experience of marrying off Hyang's brothers and sisters, she could handle it all. —— "Then, I'll be on my way." The time had finally come. The daily medicine was as bitter as my father-in-law’s fury, but just as effective as his thoughts for his son-in-law. As soon as I was fit for travel, I informed my parents-in-law of my return to Infinite City. "Are you really leaving?!" "Dear..." When I finished my preparations, Hyangmae, my parents-in-law, and many people from the Jegal family gathered. "Hyang is also sad about it. Why not wait until the weather gets warmer to leave?" "Right! Take a good rest this winter! If you get bored, you can even write!" "I left without finishing my work in Infinite City." Now I must go. I need to check if the head of the Mangum Pavilion has awakened and handle the pending tasks there. "Yes, you certainly have matters to attend to at the Mangum Pavilion. We’ve been so wrapped up in our own affairs, we didn’t consider yours." "Dear..." "Hyangmae." I gently held the hand of my fiancée, who approached with a slightly apologetic face. “Our son-in-law, don't worry about Hyang. We will refine her thoroughly to ensure she’s fit to be a primary wife." "Wh-what?" "Indeed, the council will help with her training too so she can return quickly." "Of course! Without Hyang by your side, we won't get a second volume of Jegal Seolok. We must teach her even more diligently than we would a disciple!" My mother-in-law and the council were filled with determination. "Ahhh..." On the other hand, Hyang turned quite pale. "I'm counting on you." I resisted the urge to laugh at the panicked voice behind me as I bowed to my mother-in-law and the council. “Dear. Suddenly, I feel like going with you." "Haha! Hyangmae, you're getting better at joking." "…" "Jegal Sojeo?" Hyangmae, why do you look like you'd sneak into the carriage if you think no one is watching? "Hyang! Is that really how you want to appear when your fiancé is leaving?" "Ah! N-no, it was a joke." Indeed, my mother-in-law quickly quelled Jegal Sojeo’s wavering heart. "I’ll take my leave now, Father-in-law." I bid farewell to my father-in-law, who, though he had come to see me off, still regarded me with a disapproving look. Though I gained his acknowledgment of Ha Yeon Sojeo, it feels like my credibility as a son-in-law took a substantial hit. "Mm." "Stop pretending to sulk. If you’re sad about the son-in-law leaving, just tell him to stay." Unable to hold back, my mother-in-law gently nudged my father-in-law. With that, he cleared his throat awkwardly, as if nothing had happened, wiped the displeased expression off his face, and patted my shoulder. "When did I ever do that? Ahem! Safe travels, son-in-law." "See you next time, Father-in-law." Though it was a short stay, I had grown fond of the Jegal family. After bidding farewell to those who had taken care of me, I returned to Jegal Sojeo. "Hyangmae." "Dear..." Now, I really must go. I held the hand I couldn't bear to let go of dearly, and gazed at my fiancée, whose beauty was as radiant as winter's snowflowers. At this moment of temporary farewell, what should I say to her, looking at me with trembling eyes? "Hyangmae, come back as soon as you're ready." In this cold winter where white breath swirls, let's not speak of a painful goodbye. Let's talk about the spring that will come after winter. "Yes, I will do my best. I'll draw and send you illustrations as soon as you send your stories." "I trust you." It wasn't in vain. Neither my efforts nor Jegal Sojeo's heart. We are not being forced apart. We're merely waiting to gather strength to endure the harsh winter and to gain the power to walk hand in hand when spring arrives. But just maybe. "Dear... please stay safe... Ah?! Mmph. Hmm! Ah..." I needed a little strength to weather the wait. "Tsk, youngsters these days..." "Why not, dear? It's lovely." Ignoring the gazes around us, I leaned my forehead against hers once I had gained enough warmth. I held onto the warmth needed to face the cold winter and move forward. "Dear..." "I'll be waiting." With the strength to move forward, it was time to turn away. As I received everyone’s farewell, the door opened. Beyond the grand gate of the Jegal family, a pure white path stretched out. A road known but seemingly far too distant. I'm still lacking. My journey as an adversary to the heavens is still a long one. But I tread forward with vigor. Each step taken towards our reunion felt lighter.