724 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

"The night before, they had gone to bed perfectly fine, only to be found as a corpse the next day." Even if I couldn't instantly identify the culprit with exceptional intuition like a detective in a mystery novel, there were other methods available. Imitate a detective. Mimic their investigation techniques. Utilize connections and inform those around you. Start by gathering information like a detective. "It turns out that the owner of Hosanyakbang had some business to attend to and didn't return home." "She was a bright and friendly woman, always getting along with everyone. It doesn't seem like there was any grudge from her time as a servant." Deputy Director Un Yeop and Gil San provided critical information. "The owner of the pharmacy said the same thing. If it wasn't a murder driven by a grudge, what about family or debt issues?" If it happened inside the house, the likelihood of it being a murder committed by someone the victim knew was higher than a robbery-homicide. Naturally, I mentioned another possibility. "The deceased parents apparently had debts. That's why she became a servant. However, everything was cleared once she became a mistress." "She had a younger sister who worked with her, but they were close enough that she bought a house for her sister right after becoming a mistress." Clean human relationships. It truly helps in life, but not so much for the deceased. "It's neither a murder from a grudge nor one from debt issues. If we use the process of elimination, only one scenario remains." A crime of passion. I frowned at the too-easily drawn conclusion. "It seems obvious it was the wife, doesn't it? Wasn't her attention too focused on the mistress?" "The new client doesn’t want that answer. Still, we should at least pretend to try." Even a renowned officer might see the wife as guilty. Now, forge friendships with me. Don't worry too much about the wife leaving; as I've experienced, new connections come quickly. How should I explain? "Right." "Un Yeop, organize any additional incoming information, and Gil San, since you’ve arranged a meeting with the officers, go and gather intel." "I didn’t think drinking with officers would be part of the job." "When it comes to winning over clients, you do whatever it takes." Whether you're the successor of the Mangumjeon or the son-in-law of the Jegal family, in Honam Province right now, you're simply someone with a slightly bigger hat in a sales role. Expanding business required differentiating between detective work or entertainment duties. "I’ll get moving right away." "See you later." With my right and left arms launched like rocket punches, I decided to review the gathered information. "I'll start re-organizing the relationship chart... Huh?" As I picked up the documents, I sensed a peculiar gaze. What was it? My rocket punches had all been launched. How strange. It feels like I'm forgetting something. "Hel-lo!" Carefully turning towards where the gaze was coming from, I saw eyes full of questions over being overlooked. "Ga, Ga Young?" Oops. She’d been standing silently for so long, I forgot. "Zap." Ga Young. People usually don't say such things out loud. She stared at me with a blank expression, as if wanting something. "Do you want to do something, Ga Young?" "Yes. I want to help you, Master." Could it be she was dissatisfied with being the only one not given a task? I would be happy if she just stood by my side, but apparently, the maid had other thoughts. "Could you bring us some tea?" "A task worthy of a dedicated maid. Accepted." She nodded without expression. Was it a command to her liking? It was hard to discern her mood with no change in the pitch of her voice. Still, her quick-paced exit hinted at her emotions. "They said she's still like a child." Her future personality remains a mystery. Her soul hasn't completely matured. Will it be Eon Ga Young's original personality that surfaces? Or the maid’s personality that I instilled in her? Although I am curious, for now, I just smile secretly at her desire to help with her mother's tasks, much like a girl eager to grow. —— "Ma, Master Kang Gongja!" While revisiting the information, one of the servants burst in with a startled face. "What is it?" "You should come to the kitchen immediately." "Why the kitchen?" "It's beyond what we could manage ourselves..." The servant averted his gaze, as though saying more would be disrespectful. The kitchen was the servants’ domain. What could be troubling them? "Could it be...?!" With an uneasy premonition crossing my mind, I sprinted to the kitchen. As I got closer, I heard crashing and breaking noises. The suspicion turned certain, and upon arrival, I called out to the one at the center of the commotion. "Ga Young…?" "Ah." A single voice echoed between the broken teaware and the fallen shelves. Though her tone was unchanged, the fluster was evident. "What on earth…." "I'm preparing the tea..." Ga Young nonchalantly lifted a teapot made of porcelain, only for the handle to snap off. The teapot rolled across the floor. With nobody uttering a word, the loud noise resonated in the kitchen. "Ga Young. You, perhaps-" What's going on here? Surveying the scattered teaware, I noticed peculiar details. "......" "Are you having trouble controlling your strength?" Wooden tools were snapped, fine pottery was in shards, and handles lay broken on the floor, as if a giant had attempted to use tools meant for a dwarf. "It’s just my first time handling teaware." Ah, right. She possesses superhuman strength. Could it be she struggles with fine control? She seemed fine during meals... oh, that's right. She's been using the utensils given by the elder. Instantly, I realized my mistake. "For now, since you might get hurt, how about stepping out?" "You instructed me to prepare tea." Ga Young, you can be quite stubborn, can't you? ‘I failed to pay attention to the most important person.’ I had been too complacent. It hadn’t even been days since she awakened. Being childlike means she's still clumsy with everything. I had only considered her as a slightly eccentric maid. Despite having Shi Wang's guidance, I thought it was acceptable to neglect the one person who needed the most attention under the pretext of being busy with my business. "Right. Ga Young should prepare my tea. However..." I looked at her with a calm expression, as if soothing a child who had made a mistake, despite my oversight. "...?" Once I realized my mistake, I could rectify it. "Would you like to grab my arm?" If a child errs, a lesson instead of anger suffices. *** First mandate. Serve tea for the master. A maid saving her master is her duty. If waking the master was routine, today's command was her first mandate. Eon Ga Young didn’t want to get her master’s first order wrong. "We can handle it." "I'll do it." It was a command directed to her. Eon Ga Young boldly took on the challenge, despite the servants' attempts to dissuade her. She knew the basics of brewing tea. Just like instinctively knowing how to read, she felt a natural understanding upon waking. However, she hadn't yet realized the vast difference between her memory and her current, vastly altered body. It was her first mandate. Enthusiastically gripping the teaware, she shattered it instantly. Trying to recover from her slip-up only led to more mishaps. Large gestures beget small mistakes, which in turn compounded into bigger ones. "Miss?" "It's nothing." Everyone felt it was something significant except Ga Young, who stood undeterred. Until her master's voice cut through. The chaotic kitchen. The startled look on her master's face. Her own failure to complete his first order. Realizing the situation, a ripple stirred within her heart. Would he be angry? Scold her? Or maybe express disappointment? "An arm?" His response was completely unexpected. "Go ahead, hold it. You can do it gently enough just to touch." Despite the disaster she caused in the kitchen, her master remained unfazed, offering his arm. "Okay." Afraid of making more mistakes, Ga Young cautiously placed her hand on Kang Yoon Ho's arm. "Now, slowly apply pressure and hold." "......" It was a daunting command despite being an order from her master. "It’s okay." Their eyes met and locked. Everything will be alright. His soothing tone was comforting, the kind she heard daily. "...Understood." Gathering her resolve, Eon Ga Young applied force to her grip. "No! I don't think it's okay! Ga Young! Help! Gently! Be careful!" "Like this?" She thought she was holding lightly. She adjusted her grip to avoid hurting him, finding a satisfactory middle ground without disobeying the command. "Yeah, like that! That’s what it feels like to hold tightly." "Too light." Her enhanced physique freed her from an incurable illness but also granted extraordinary strength capable of breaking bones with a mere misstep. "Ordinarily, that's all the strength you need. Get accustomed to this feeling." "Yes. Enough to protect what’s most precious. I remember." Eon Ga Young etched the sensation into her soul, nodding slowly. "Let's try it with fingers this time." "...A writer can't hurt his fingers." "If it's you, Ga Young, you can hold without hurting. Right?" His voice was brimming with confidence and trust. "Yes. I can." More cautiously. More dearly. ZHFFaHg0NTVMUERqTnhDNTdpRkczUytVZGNlQVFZcTEwcFM4TVBGRzNVVXBoMUhxSHFzWEpsbGtwMm9zUTFIMg She clasped his fingers. Calluses formed from writing felt surprising to her. Large, sturdy hands with resolute calluses. A strange feeling. Someone so strong felt slightly tender to the touch. "Yes, that holds carefully and gently. Great! Now!" "Oh." His hand slipped away. She was momentarily disappointed she didn’t grip it harder. "We can shake hands now!" A gentle grasp enveloped her hand. "......" "Ha ha! It's our first time holding hands." Warmth radiated as his comforting smile enveloped the maid who had bungled his first order, treating it as if it was nothing. Eon Ga Young forgot to blink, staring blankly at her master's smiling face. "......" Somehow, her master seemed brighter. Something tickled inside her chest. She suddenly wanted to avert her gaze from him. "Ga Young, you can do it now, right?" "Yes. I can." Even though her face remained expressionless and her eyes steadfast, the ripples inside her continued to stir. *** "We've done all the preliminary work we can." Surprisingly, the collection and organization of information were completed quickly. All necessary details were crammed into my mind. I breathed a sigh of relief, sipping the tea Ga Young had prepared. "Good work. Can you really figure out the culprit?" "I'm not a real detective. How could I find the culprit just from information?" "Weren’t you collecting information to find the culprit?" "If it were to identify the criminal, I wouldn’t have taken the request." I took the assignment to break into a new client base, but I didn’t overestimate my abilities. "What do you mean?" The problem to solve was inherently different. The answer I had to give wasn't a definitive solution. "It's about why the owner of Hosanyakbang isn't the culprit. My task was to clear her name." There's no need to find the right answer. As long as I could explain why a certain conclusion was false, I’d done my job. Identifying the culprit was just a secondary goal. "That's right, huh?" "With everything prepared, let's go." "Where?" Once the armchair detective finished their preparations, there's only one place to head. "The crime scene."