Chapter 250 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

"This room will do. You'll stay here from today onwards." It was lunchtime after a chaotic morning shift. I brought Im Ha-yeon to the main building of the printing house. “Ugh...” Why does Im Ha-yeon never listen to me and just bang her head against the innocent wall? “Miss Ha-yeon?” “How could you...” “Hmm?” “How could you just say that it was nothing and make a clean getaway?” With a look of utter grievance, Im Ha-yeon gazed at me and questioned. Did she get harassed a lot by the employees this morning? Since the attic of Daseogak is strictly off-limits to everyone but me, it was understandable that there could be misunderstandings. Besides, Im Ha-yeon had clearly just bathed before coming down, with her hair still damp and her clothes freshly changed. But I was busy since the morning as well. “The best way to handle such things is to act as if nothing happened.” Getting overly defensive or denying only fuels misunderstandings. The best way is to just let it slide nonchalantly. “You disappeared right after the morning meeting, leaving me in such a difficult situation. While So-so kept interrogating me with shining eyes, asking if the advice helped, the other female employees gossiped non-stop...” Had it been more troublesome than I thought? “Just handle it calmly.” “I don’t know! The rumors among the employees will spread, what do I do?” Im Ha-yeon asked me with a worried face, like a woman caught in a secret office romance. “Why worry over something like that?” “’Something like that’?” “You’ll be coming to work together from now on too.” “What?!” Im Ha-yeon was left speechless with a look of shock at my words. With an employee working at the printing house, rumors about me and Im Ha-yeon living together will naturally spread. If we try to address each and every rumor, it'll only lead to more misunderstandings. Realizing the situation, Im Ha-yeon looked like she was caught in an unexpected trap and couldn’t snap out of her shock. “Young Master Kang.” “Chief Ha.” Was it because of the sudden decision to live at the printing house? Chief Ha from Seocheon Security Bureau came to see me as the person in charge of protecting the printing house. “We have already cleaned the main building, so there should be no issue in starting your stay from today. However, might I ask why you are requesting enhanced security?” “As you may have heard, my life was threatened right in the middle of the market recently. If word gets out that the black-haired manager of Daseogak has moved, I am worried someone might try to take advantage and climb over the walls.” One never knows how many armed men might come to arrest Im Ha-yeon. Using my own safety as an excuse, I made an earnest request to the chief. “I doubt any ruffians would dare target a house guarded by Seocheon Security Bureau. Nevertheless, I will enhance the security from today onwards. And who might this lady be?” When Chief Ha looked at Im Ha-yeon, she quickly composed her shocked expression and gazed out the window with a nonchalant look. Such an attitude only breeds misunderstandings. Why is she fixing her hair all of a sudden as if she were a newlywed bride? What should I say? “She’ll be working as a resident employee managing the printing house from now on.” “...” Why is she glaring at me now? “I see. It seems indeed necessary to have a resident staff member. You must already be familiar with the facilities. Although the kitchen hasn't been organized yet, do you plan on using it?” “The kitchen... Miss Ha-yeon, do you know how to cook by any chance?” “I can make tea well.” Im Ha-yeon fidgeted with her hair and avoided my gaze, seemingly unconfident. Clearly, she can't cook. I've heard that courtesans learn to sing and dance, but I never heard they learn to cook. “It’s not urgent, so please just get the kitchen sorted.” “I will see to it.” Chief Ha nodded and then withdrew to attend to his duties. Now, about the kitchen. “I wonder when I will ever have a warm meal cooked by a woman…” Heirs of the noble families, assassins, and even poisoners—all the women I've met seem estranged from cooking. The dream of waking up to a woman in an apron cooking breakfast seems unlikely to come true any time soon. “...” Im Ha-yeon, I wasn't directing that at you. Your silence makes it seem like I've said something to be misunderstood. “Let’s move the belongings in together later.” I discussed the future arrangements with Im Ha-yeon and talked about our plans. *************** “You’re here? So you’re finally living together! I knew it would come to this! Now hand over the money, I won!” That evening, after finishing the work at Daseogak, Im Ha-yeon visited the Hao Clan branch to check for any news from Wuhuan. “Why is the boss trying to take money from his subordinate?” “Call me the branch leader, not the boss!” “That’s not what’s important here.” What on earth had they bet on? Im Ha-yeon wanted to say something, but thinking it would be more troublesome since the branch leader was right, she awkwardly denied it. “Don’t say it’s not! Now that I think about it, as Gang is the courtesan’s partner, would that make him a gigolo? No, since he gave you a house and lives with you, would he just be a partner then?” “That’s not it!” Im Ha-yeon clenched her teeth and vehemently denied it in anger. “Haha! Right, your partner came by in the morning and paid quite a lot to investigate the Usan incident.” “Already?” So that’s why he disappeared in the morning. Informing Seocheon Security Bureau about the move and commissioning the Hao Clan. Realizing that the reason Kang Yunho had disappeared in the morning was to solve her problems, Im Ha-yeon felt her resentment fade away. “Even though I feel uneasy about investigating other branches, I can’t call both of you strangers, so I’ll help as much as I can. Stay in Yichang for now, and I’ll also keep an eye on Wuhuan.” One side is a companion's adopted son who brought his friend's treasure, the other a friend's daughter. The Yichang branch leader decided to step in for both of them. Of course, the fact that Kang Yunho had paid handsomely was a big part of the reason. “Thank you.” “If you’re grateful, how about gathering some information on your partner? Even with all the investigating, it’s hard to get any solid information about him.” “Have you been investigating all along?” "We're getting all sorts of weird intel, you know? Some call him the leader of a massive band of thieves, others say he's a con artist selling fake medicine to whole villages, and there's even nonsense about him being a corpse from the past that has come back to life. I can't tell if this is information or a pile of junk. At this rate, somebody might even suggest he's directly descended from Jiang Ziya just because he has the surname Jiang." "It's not uncommon to find people with black hair." "Right. You'll find plenty of black-haired folks just by going to Wuhuan. We want to package reliable intel as premium information to sell at a high price, but with things like these, we'd need to probe into his family, which is dangerous if not done carefully." The branch leader grumbled, clearly frustrated. The head of the Tang family had an illegitimate child. While it was startling news, it wasn't as sensational as saying the abbot of the Shaolin Temple had an illegitimate child. Thus, it wasn’t enough to be sold as premium intel by the Hao Clan. "I have no intention of handing over information on Manager Kang Yunho." "So stingy about your partner." "I told you, that's not it!" "I haven't gone deaf! Alright, remember this for the future." The branch leader dropped his playful demeanor and looked seriously at the daughter of his old friend. "Remember what?" "A courtesan who knows nothing of men might still be treated with respect in the gisaeng house, but one who spends a night with a man without permission… who knows what might happen to her." A courtesan is considered the property of the gisaeng house, their bodies not their own. Im Ha-yeon knew well what could happen to a courtesan who indulged in a forbidden love without permission. "…I’m aware of that. I'll be on my way." "Treat your partner well!" "I told you, it's not like that!" --------------------- Treat your partner well. "It's not that kind of relationship," muttered Im Ha-yeon as she walked back to the printing house, replaying the branch leader's parting words in her mind. Partner? She hadn’t considered it as such, but living together in the annex did imply cohabitation. Rumors among the employees would spread quickly. Even though the man had moved residences for her, suddenly living together would certainly cause misunderstandings. “What should I say?” “Discounted meat here! Pork for stir-fry! Soup meat! Hey miss! We have meat here! Buy it cheap!” Interrupted by a butcher’s shout, Im Ha-yeon stopped in her tracks. She was reminded of the man’s words about a warm meal. When will I ever have a warm meal cooked by a woman, he had lamented. Recalled his wistful tone. Serving as a courtesan doesn’t include learning to cook. Generally, courtesans lead lives different from ordinary women. A courtesan's relationship with a man typically ranged from providing a night's comfort for a gigolo to being taken as a concubine by a favored client—cooking wasn't a part of that. Nevertheless, Im Ha-yeon couldn’t help but linger near the butcher shop. "Kang Yunho, the manager, is a courtesan's child." Having possibly grown up without ever eating home-cooked meals, having wandered around even in Zhongyuan, Kang Yunho might never have experienced a woman’s touch in his life. Seeing the man, who had been busy for her sake since morning, lament his wish, she couldn’t bring herself to leave. “If you’re not good at cooking, we have ready-to-fry pork cutlets.” The butcher showed her some pork cutlets that only needed frying. “How did you know I’m bad at cooking?” “You look like a newlywed who’s not used to it. Just fry it up in oil and your husband will love it. We also sell the cutlet sauce separately.” Without denying being called a newlywed, Im Ha-yeon found herself eyeing the cutlets. How much money do I have? Most of her paycheck had been swindled by the innkeeper, leaving her with too little to even stay another night at the inn. 'A courtesan doesn’t need to know how to cook.' Still, there was a chance. Someday, a man might gather every last coin and token to afford her miracle and take her as a concubine, running a business together. If that happened, that man might still only eat discounted meat. It wouldn’t hurt to practice cooking for when that day comes. Not that she wanted to cook specifically for him, but who knew what could happen. As practice for the future, cooking for that man wouldn’t be too bad. “Do you want the pork cutlets?” On second thought, pork cutlets seemed too indifferent. Just frying them in oil seemed too lazy. She felt capable of cooking something better if she put her mind to it. “I’ll take the pork for stir-fry.” It wasn't like she was worried about appearing indifferent to the man. Regardless, she bought the meat and hurried back to the printing house. She used all the money she had left, but strangely, her steps felt lighter as she headed towards her haven with Kang Yunho.