Chapter 248 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

"Raise your hand if you didn't show up today! No one? Good!" A few days after visiting Kang Yunho in the middle of the night, Im Hayun stood in a corner, attentively watching Kang Yunho checking the attendance of his employees as if nothing had happened. "Hahaha!" "Let's do our best today as well." His flawless Central Plains accent was hard to believe coming from someone from Joseon. How much effort must he have put in to challenge a new life? Upon learning Kang Yunho's background, Im Hayun found herself suddenly admiring his way of speaking, something she hadn't paid much attention to before. "Manager! I can move the baggage to the second floor!" "Just get upstairs and start your work." In truth, even learning martial arts might have been an attempt to delve into the dark world. After learning about his origins, Im Hayun started assigning meaning to even his smallest actions. "Miss Hayun?" Concerned she had been caught staring at him, Im Hayun quickly averted her gaze when she met eyes with Kang Yunho. What should she say? That she had misunderstood him? That she felt embarrassed about visiting him in the middle of the night? Since that day, Im Hayun hadn't exchanged a single word with Kang Yunho for several days. "Sister Hayun, did you fight with the manager again?" Unable to hold back, Haseoso approached Im Hayun. "It's not like that." "Then is the manager being cold again?" "That's not it either." "The manager is really... Sister, you should approach him as if you can't help it, act a little vulnerable, and maybe even cutesy. If you do that, he will surely warm up to you." Im Hayun couldn't respond to Haseoso's concerned gaze. Kang Yunho likes me. Up until recently, Im Hayun had been certain of this fact. But now, knowing the truth, she felt even more confused. 'Maybe he only took care of me because we are in similar situations.' Just like she compared herself to him, maybe he helped her because she reminded him of his past. Was it because her mother was a courtesan, so he viewed her with a bit more affection? Had she mistakenly taken his help, stemming from a similar background, as his romantic interest? Perhaps, just as she had misunderstood his past, she had also misunderstood his feelings. 'Maybe he didn't like me, but just pitied me.' Thinking this, her shoulders drooped involuntarily. "It's okay. I'm going to head home." Eventually, Im Hayun left the store, feeling like she was running away. By now, the sun had set. Looking up, she saw raindrops starting to fall from the cloudy sky. She hadn't brought an umbrella. Im Hayun hurried towards the inn where she was staying, using her lightfoot technique. "Hey, you! Where did he go?" "I told you he's gone! Let's just take anything valuable and scram!" "What's going on?" When Im Hayun arrived at the shabby inn she usually stayed at, she found a group of angry people surrounding it. "Are you a guest here? Then grab your belongings and leave!" "Excuse me? What is this all about?" "The innkeeper ran away in the night without paying off his debts!" ************* Before dawn. From the Tang family to Yichang. Despite the heavy rain that had poured all night, I was struggling to finish a long and arduous task. "Congratulations on reaching a Lesser Accomplishment. You've accumulated internal energy equivalent to five years' worth in your dantian." Tangpa congratulated me cheerfully as he pulled out the needles stuck all over my body. "I owe it all to you. I feel like I've become a true martial artist." I waited cautiously until my porcupine-like back had shed all its needles, then slowly moved my fist. From the dantian to the moving fist, I could clearly feel the flow of internal energy. Five years' worth of internal energy. Finally, my usable internal energy had doubled. Previously, I could only shout "Barbarian Punch!" like a rocket punch that couldn’t be retrieved after a few bursts with the so-called Spiral Booster. Although my internal energy had merely doubled, its application seemed to have become much more extensive. "Haha, it brings back memories. I understand how you feel. We've extracted all the essence of the tonic from within you, so your internal energy level is now at a second rank." "Second rank..." After just two years of training, I had accumulated five years' worth of internal energy. It might sound like the plot of an SSS-grade martial arts genius story, but the reality was different. 'I finally harnessed the ginseng essence that had remained in Kang Yunho’s body.' Ginseng, a rare tonic that was regarded as nearly unobtainable in the Central Plains, was consumed like a common snack by the scoundrel Kang Yunho, whether in chicken soup or ginseng wine. Half the credit goes to the SoYun Growth Method, and another half to the Tang family's medical skills. I succeeded in harnessing the ginseng essence dissolved throughout Kang Yunho's bloodstream. At this level, I might easily get a job as a low-level security guard in a small town. "Actually, it's not exactly second rank." "Not second rank?" "The level of martial skill isn't determined by internal energy alone." Indeed, apart from the internal method, I don't have anything notable. It’s like having a computer with good specs and an operating system installed but only being able to browse the internet and play Minesweeper. Sadly, it looks like I have to give up on the dream of becoming a security guard again. "What does it matter if it's first rank or second rank? This level is more than enough for me to live long and healthy." Unlike in the past, I no longer face the risk of being robbed by low-life thugs; I can now overwhelm them. Moreover, I have no plans to walk into danger willingly. This level is more than sufficient for a healthy life. Of course, if someone were to ask whether I don’t want to experience sword aura in a martial world, I couldn't deny it. But for that, I'd have to live like a warrior in the treacherous world of swordsmanship. I always keep in mind that the pen is mightier than the sword. I'd rather live by writing than by the blade. "You are right. That's why I helped you." Tangpa nodded slightly, seemingly satisfied with my answer. "Tangpa Brocade Assistant! Preparations are complete!" "It's time to leave now." Today was the day the Tang family’s martial artists returned to Sichuan Province. Tangpa opened the door to reveal the wagons packed for their return journey. Luckily, the rain that had fallen all night seemed to have stopped. The Tang family members’ return journey shouldn’t have any issues, and today’s operations at the Daseogak bookstore should run smoothly as well. "Do you really have to leave!!!" "We would also love to stay longer and share more stories of the Tang family's exploits here in Yichang. But we must return." "Members of the Daseohui, who have been eagerly waiting to converse more with the Tang family's warriors, would be lined up around the Daseogak bookstore dozens of times. It is truly regretful." Outside, along with the Tang family warriors preparing for their return trip, members of the Daseohui, who had grown close to them, were also there to see them off. "I still have so much to say. Sniff! When Volume 4 comes out, I will definitely come back!" "Boo-hoo-hoo!" "The person I truly believe to be the legitimate spouse is that one. Keep it to yourself." "Of course! I actually had a hunch already!" "I'll establish another Daseohui in Sichuan Province." "Please stay healthy!" "We have prepared the items you requested in the printing house." Tangpa observed the scene and then spoke to me softly so only I could hear. "Thank you." "If you ever need any other assistance, feel free to contact us." "Thank you very much for all your help. However, isn't it time for us to have a relationship like that between Sichuan Province and Hubei Province?" Smiling like a grandchild politely declining his grandmother's overly generous love on the trip home during the holidays, I responded to Tangpa. "Sichuan Province and Hubei Province?" "Close yet distant. Distant yet close. That would be best for both of us." I had extracted all I could. Any more would be greedy. "... If you say so." A hint of sorrow passed over Tangpa’s face as if he were gazing at someone giving everything up for love. I don't feel sorry at all. "Oh! Could you please deliver this letter to Hwaryin?" Despite the crisis caused by the mysterious midnight visitor, I handed over the letter I'd written confidently. I had sent a letter to Sohee as soon as I arrived in Yichang, so it was only right to send one to Hwaryin. "Of course. Everyone, mount up!" "Yes, sir!" As my conversation with Tangpa ended, the Tang family warriors swiftly mounted their horses. "Take care, everyone. Please give my regards to Hwaryin. And you can tell the Tang family head that he's done a great job." "Hahaha! Of course. And I've warned everyone to be careful with their work attire." "... I ask for your discretion." It’s probably best to keep any discussions of the qipao a secret from Hwaryin. I waved them off with a bittersweet smile, then headed back towards Daseogak. -------- Unlike the damp path from the rain that had fallen all night, the dawn sky showed signs that today would be clear. "Hm?" There was someone in front of the Daseogak. There was still quite some time before opening hours. Soaked from the rain, the figure was crouched down. Were they just seeking shelter from the rain, or had they come to buy Tang Family Chronicles? As I cautiously approached, I recognized a very familiar woman. "Miss Hayun?" The identity of the drenched figure was none other than Im Hayun. ************************ "Why are you here...?" Why was this man standing in front of her? Im Hayun barely lifted her rain-soaked head. "Turn around." "Ah..." As she turned around with a weary expression, she saw the door she walked through every morning to go to work. Why am I here? After wandering aimlessly through the night, had she unknowingly ended up at Daseogak? "Come in." Without asking why she was there or why she was drenched, Kang Yunho simply opened the door to Daseogak for her. Quietly following him, Im Hayun climbed up to his loft and sat on a chair. Kang Yunho expertly boiled some water, then placed a warming brazier and a cup of hot tea in front of her. As she sipped the tea he handed her, the warmth spread through her body, chilled from the rain. Kang Yunho, seeming to disregard Im Hayun, distanced himself and stared out the window, sharing a cup of tea with her. "Aren’t you going to ask why I was out in the rain?" Noticing she had regained her strength to speak, Kang Yunho looked at her as if to say he was ready to listen to whatever she wanted to share. "I was waiting for you to tell me." How could he smile so naturally like that and make it seem like she could confide any problem to him? After a brief hesitation, Im Hayun began to speak as she had a few days earlier. "…The heir of the Invisible Hand was robbed." She murmured softly, lowering her head as if deeply ashamed. "Robbed?" "The innkeeper ran away in the night. He offered me meals if I paid for a year’s stay upfront, so I gave him a month's salary all at once." It seemed like a good deal. The cost of meals added up, so a cheap meal plan from the inn seemed like a way to save money. But it had been a ploy by the innkeeper to flee with as much cash as he could gather. In a suddenly penniless night, Im Hayun, confused by continuing misfortune, had wandered the streets aimlessly. Recalling the events of the night, she opened the water-soaked bundle she had brought with her from the inn. "The paper is completely soaked." "It was the manuscript I submitted to the Yichang Literary Association…" The writing tools, soaked and ruined. Especially the first novel she had painstakingly written, now illegible from the rain. It was the single thing she had accomplished by fleeing to Yichang. Now it was all for nothing. "Nothing is going right." Her voice trembled with tears as unrestrained sorrow suddenly overwhelmed her. Why is my life like this? Even the few precious things she had were lost in an instant. If things continued this way, she'd be caught and dragged back as a runaway courtesan. She couldn't even steal properly with the skills she had learned. All her money had been conned out of her. Her one achievement in Yichang, the novel, had turned into a soggy wad of paper. "I can't even manage to take care of myself properly." Had she fled the courtesan house only to be punished? Was she being punished for trying to escape her fate? Im Hayun couldn't lift her head from the shame and despair. "Who says you can't even handle one person's worth of work? Miss Hayun, you're the best employee on the second floor of Daseogak, no, in all of Daseogak. You're in a position I trust and depend on, an indispensable figure here." "It's a job anyone can do." "No. I entrusted it specifically to you, Miss Hayun." Why does this man speak with such certainty? Kang Yunho's words barely held together Hayun's shattered, drenched, and disheartened heart. "...Nothing is going right." "In times like those, reaching out for help can be a good solution." Reaching out to whom? Who is there for her? There is no one to help her. Everyone from her old life at Hawoosun is dead, and Hawoosun has dispersed. Her mother passed away, and she doesn't even want to think about that man. Who is there to extend a hand to her? With eyes brimming with frustration, Im Hayun looked at Kang Yunho. There is someone. Someone in a similar plight. Someone who can understand her better than anyone else. Silently, he was waiting for her to reach out. "...Please help me," she said, extending her hand toward him with difficulty. "I've been waiting for those words." Why does this man offer help even if she rejects it? Why does he always reach out a hand as if he'd been waiting all along? 'Why do you help me?' Is it because she resembles his mother, a courtesan? Because their circumstances are similar? Because she is that man's daughter? Is the emotion he holds for her truly pity? Or perhaps... "For now..." Hayun awaited his next words, wondering what he might say. "Let’s live together, starting today." That single line was enough to shake the mind of a woman filled with injustice and despair.