728 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

“To be able to listen to Jegal Seol Rok’s deductions?” “Isn’t the novel written by Ho Pil based on the tales of a close friend? That friend has apparently come to resolve the case.” “They say he has black hair.” Kang Yoon Ho is expected to uncover the culprit. While it’s understandable for Jo Pangan and the constables to gather, it was unexpected for even the local dignitaries associated with Hosan Medicine Shop to come together. "There aren’t any silver-haired Jegal Seol Roks in Jegal’s family, but there is a renowned black-haired detective. Haven’t you heard the latest rumors?” “To that extent?” That rumor. It was me who spread it. I had no idea that my active promotion for a new release would lead to a deduction show of this scale. “A friend who works as an administrator in Mu Han had the chance to witness Detective Kang’s deductive prowess. It was supposedly astonishing.” “They say the novel isn’t an exaggeration! To hear the famous detective’s deduction in person! My heart is already racing!” This is unbelievable. “It seems everyone has arrived.” “Wasn’t the objective to catch the criminal?” Suddenly demanding a deduction show. Is it appropriate to turn an incident related to the death of your beloved into a spectacle? “What are you saying? When a criminal is executed, not just the victim but the entire family gathers to witness the punishment. My beloved has died, so many should see the criminal’s face, shouldn’t they?” “You have a point.” In a world where a criminal’s execution becomes a spectacle. Bang Dae Woon sees this deduction show as an opportunity to publicly shame the culprit. “Besides, aren’t we allies?” “What?” “Hosan Medicine Shop owes a great debt to the renowned detective. This Bang Dae Woon has decided to regard Kang Yoon Ho of Mankeum Bizarre as a lifelong benefactor and friend. Isn’t this the perfect scenario to announce it?” Everyone gathered in the courtyard was engaged in conversation but kept sneaking glances at me. They seemed eager for the forthcoming deduction show. “You’ve set up a stage for me to prove my abilities to everyone.” Trust is one of the most crucial elements in a new deal. How trustworthy is this person? How capable is he? Though my reputation is spreading, the disdain towards my black hair hasn’t entirely disappeared. Can one trust and deal with someone with black hair? Bang Dae Woon has given me a stage to prove myself, as I embark on new ventures in Honam Province. “Of course, if you’re uncomfortable, I will dismiss the people.” “No, it’s fine. Could you bring out a small bed and table from a spare room and set them up in the garden?” How could I be uncomfortable around people? I answered with a smile. “A table?” If proof is needed, then I just have to put on a proper show. “Let me demonstrate a proper deduction play.” It was time for a former investigator to step up. —— “Why suddenly move the furniture?” “Rather than contaminating the crime scene where evidence remains, I thought it better for everyone to understand the flow of my thoughts. So, I prepared this.” Once the furniture was moved to mimic the murder scene, I stepped forward in front of the waiting onlookers. “It’s, it’s Kang Yoon Ho of the Mankeum Bizarre!” “I’m Kang Yoon Ho, receiving undue praise due to the shortcomings of my unworthy friend.” It’s a debt I owe. Something I must clear up. Assuming a respectful pose, I greeted everyone with a flourish of my hand. “A black-haired detective…!” “Is it true you caught a demon?” "...." I halted just like a sprinter at the starting line in front of an imaginary line. Waiting in silence with a smile, those who were perceptive began to shout. “Silence! The detective is waiting!” The satisfying sound fills the air. I shielded myself from all the focused attention using my skills as a former investigator. “A fan?” It was an unfolded fan, signaling the start of the performance. In the full bloom of spring weather, the eyes of the gathered people followed the pleasant spring breeze toward the fan held by the black-capped investigator. How long has it been since I felt the pleasing excitement and anticipation of an audience? I joyfully swallowed the silence and expectations of all and began the deduction with the calm and collected aura I projected. “The body has been discovered. The concubine who smiled for her husband yesterday was found as a gruesome corpse.” The introduction of a horrific case marks the beginning. I invited everyone to the dreadful scene. “Whoa.” Perhaps it was because my voice was clear enough to be heard by everyone gathered in the courtyard, a voice filled with admiration escaped. “The case has already been under way for a long time. Even the constables had swept through once. The voice of the deceased has scattered, and only the wandering soul lingers.” I continued with a light commentary. Starting by explaining just how complex the case was. Increasing the level of difficulty. “Heh heh.” “Wha, Administrator, we had no choice...” It was evident that the constables were startled by Jo Pangan’s reproachful gaze. The constables hadn’t found any answers, and the case was deepening into a mystery. “It’s alright. Fortunately, the voice of the dead still remains at the scene.” It was time for the detective to make an entrance. “Re, remains?” “The bloodstains. They trail from the reception room to the bedroom. The owner of the mansion did make efforts to preserve the crime scene.” I entered through an imaginary door and surveyed the surroundings, subtly praising the homeowner. “Oh.” “Ahem! As an avid reader of Jegal Seol Rok, it’s to be expected.” Sitting at the table, I propped my chin with one hand and raised the fan. It was as if I had drawn a massive line dividing the reception room in half with the fan. “The bloodstains begin in the middle of the reception room. Why? If, as the constables suggest, the culprit entered through the window, there’s no reason for blood in the reception area. If they entered through the door, that’s even stranger.” “Strange, you say?” “The culprit is a man. You can tell from the traces of her being overpowered and moved from the reception room to the bedroom. The time of the murder is after sunset. The owner of the house was away at the time. So, who was the man whom the concubine let in at night to have tea with?” Summarizing my deductions swiftly caused one man to react with eyes wide with disbelief. “What?! Are, are you saying my concubine had another man?” The revelation that there was another man around his concubine, naturally stunned Bang Dae Woon. “She wasn’t involved in any scandals. If there had been rumors about her, your wife wouldn’t have suggested taking her as a concubine.” I had to protect the honor of my assistant. I shook my head firmly to deny it. “Then, who is the culprit?” “I cannot be certain. The voice of the deceased has faded, and I haven’t even seen the corpse. However.” There is evidence. “A blood-stained knife?” “A weapon found in the hostess’s room.” Jo Pangan reacted to the weapon I produced. “The killer’s impatience was evident. It’s been quite some time since the constables searched, yet they moved the weapon. They wished to implicate the hostess, but it only narrowed down the answers.” UlFRblVJeEt0R01oWGZFZXFXMGFSOVFWbnF1VUF3eExWWFlBY3VZUpWSnhkQW1qeTFpL3YycERiM2dvSU9kdQ “So, then?” I scanned the surroundings with the tip of my fan. It would be great if I could point to someone, but it’s too early for a definitive answer. However, there is one thing certain. The culprit is someone familiar. A man from within the mansion whom the concubine was acquainted with. In other words. “The culprit is among us.” This deduction drama was being observed by the culprit as well. —— “Among us?!” “Quick, apprehend him! A murderer is among us!” Everyone was surprised and looked around, but the culprit wouldn’t move. In tense situations, people tend to focus on those who can resolve the issue. Everyone’s eyes returned to me. “The problem is that it’s difficult to specify who.” “What do you mean?” “No grudges. No debts. Clean in terms of relationships. Why did the concubine have to die?” “Well…” We were at a dead end. I’d plunged into the mystery seeking answers, only to hit a wall. The concubine said my deduction was right, but the direction was off. How could I find the exit now? “I am the culprit.” If it wasn’t possible to find out through the victim, then I would just have to move in a different direction. “What?!” “I am the culprit. On the night the concubine was killed, she opened the door for me. Offered to serve me tea. In the dark of night. She invites me in without suspicion. I sit down.” Reciting the flow of thoughts, I acted as though I was the culprit, eyeing the opposite seat from an imaginary chair. “Are you perhaps narrating from the culprit’s perspective?!” Immersing in the role is fundamental for an investigator. If clues are hard to grasp, deduce from the perpetrator's viewpoint. “I converse with the concubine. We’re close, but not in a romantic relationship. Today, I came with a knife, intending to kill her. If that’s the case, then something was even more peculiar.” “What’s strange?” The culprit came intending to kill the concubine. Given that, what's peculiar about what's found at the scene? “Why? Why not kill her upon entering? Why, having decided to kill her, have tea with her beforehand?” The bloodstains stretched beyond the door to behind the table. “Indeed…” Meaning, the intent wasn’t initially to draw the knife immediately. The conscious flow as the culprit continues uninterrupted. "Oh, it seems they intended to converse first. Some kind of confrontation occurred between the two. And the man couldn’t win over the woman with words, so he drew the knife.” “Ah.” The fan becomes a knife, and I become the perpetrator. After subduing the woman, the culprit moved her to the bed. While everyone was looking at me with astonished eyes, I backed away, pointing to the footprints I left in the dirt with my fan. “The perpetrator subdued the woman and carried her to the bed. Judging by the stride traced by the bloodstains and the marks on the doorframe where the woman resisted, the man’s height is about five foot seven.” Reconstructing the incident, I pursue the trace of the perpetrator. The detective discovers at least one clue about the criminal. “On the doorframe inside the room, indeed! There are bloodstains!” “It’s as if he knows exactly what happened back then!” “This, is this what it means to hear the voice of the deceased?!” I heard it from the dead. I’m not exactly a master detective who can deduce height from footsteps. Recognizing the resistance marks on the doorframe made it evident. “She was moved to the bed. How strange. Was the intent to make it look like suicide? No, her clothes weren’t removed. This implies no lust toward the woman. Why? Why move her to the bed?” “Indeed, had he intended to kill her, he should have done it right in the reception room, no?” “Yes, indeed.” Instead of answers, a series of questions. Unresolved mysteries redirected everyone’s focus back to me. Offering the gathered a chance at deduction, I calmly continued the flow of thought. “The woman received a fatal injury on the bed and died. Thus, until she was moved to the bed, there was a final opportunity for both the woman and the perpetrator. And we all know the outcome of that.” “……” The concubine’s horrific demise. Why did the woman have to die? Why did the perpetrator kill the concubine? People looked at me with expressions as if their breath was taken away. “The man asks. The woman answers. The final moment. The irreversible final moment. What was it that the woman refused to give up on?” “What on earth is the answer? Who is the culprit?!" Despite racking their brains, the answer eluded them. The audience, like me when I puzzled over the crime scene, shouted in frustration. “No answer emerges. We’ve been mistaken about the central figure all along.” “Mistaken?” “Grudge relations. Debt relations. Romantic relations. Placing the deceased concubine at the center of all relationships means no answer would come. The concubine was not the central figure but an obstacle in this case.” Our method was flawed from the start. Mistakenly constructing the deduction around the victim meant the answer remained elusive. “An obstacle?” “The person the concubine cherished as much as her husband. One whom she adored with her life at stake. The answer lies in her.” Raising my fan, I pointed at one person. Bang Dae Woon, the concubine, and the hostess. There was one person in this entire incident we overlooked. The person the deceased concubine cherished as dearly as her own life. The person outside of the central figure I had initially considered. “Could it be… her younger sister?” It was the concubine’s family. ——— “Me?” The startled younger sister pointed to herself. “Is her sister the culprit?” “The sister is merely the central figure of this case.” She is not the culprit. I shook my head firmly. “If not the sister, then who is the culprit?!” Slowly, I approached the concubine’s younger sister. The center of the case. I shifted the relationship dynamics from the concubine to her sister. Then, I questioned her once more. “A man about five foot seven. Acquainted with your sister but not in a romantic relationship, and someone who could be let in at night.” “Could it be...?!” The sister’s eyes wavered. Clearly, she knew something. “Upon realization, I had already heard the answer.” The clue was there. I had just missed it by pursuing the wrong direction. One snippet of information revealed the truth: As soon as the concubine came into the picture, she bought her sister a house to move out of her maid life. The sister had ended her life as a maid and gained independence. One vital point revealed: Unlike me, my sister was strict with these matters. Unlike her sister, the younger one got entangled in male relations. A promise was made: She always promised to marry me into a good family. The concubine had a burning eagerness to resolve her sister’s marriage prospects. In other words, when piecing together the clues. The question for her was simple. “Miss, during your time as a maid, was there a man you were seeing?” “That is…” The younger sister slowly turned her head. Her astonished gaze rested upon a man. A man who appeared to be about five foot seven. The culprit ultimately could not meet the horrified gaze of the younger sister.