Chapter 179 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

Chapter 179 - The Sacheon Family - 8 "Hwarin does not have much time left." The words that came from the mouth of the chief physician were indeed negative news about Hwarin’s condition. "What do you mean? I thought you said she could regain consciousness by taking Korean ginseng." The efficacy of Korean ginseng was so renowned that it was not for nothing that the Kang family had become one of the wealthiest in Joseon. "Reviving one's spirit by bolstering the vital energy and the infiltration of a millennia-old specter’s poison into the bone marrow are separate issues." Was he implying it was one thing for a cancer patient in a coma to regain consciousness and quite another for the cancer to remain within the body? "If we use the antidote of the Human-faced Beast, wouldn’t that solve the problem?" "Of course, the Yin energy of the antidote could annihilate the Yang energy of the millennia-old specter upon collision." "Then isn’t that a solution?" He talked as if the antidote would be the cure, what is this now? The chief physician shook his head at my question and spoke. "The reason this child has been unconscious up until now is not due to a lack of capacity to contain the poison in her body. It’s simply that the quantities of Qi and poison she can control instinctually were insufficient, and thus her entire body went into a sleep state in an effort to regulate the poison." It sounded similar to the notion of hibernation mentioned by the sect members. "So, could it be understood that Hwarin is capable of harboring the poison in her body but, as a poison master, lacks martial prowess to control both Qi and poison at the same time?" At my summation, the chief physician nodded. It’s like a computer that has the specs to run a program, but it freezes when trying to execute poison and Qi at the same time. "To solve this problem, we need to awaken the child’s spirit and use the antidote to annihilate the Qi, leaving only pure poison. If so, she would only need to deal with the poison, and the burden would decrease." "Then isn’t that enough?" "If it were only the poison, then this child could handle it. But we’re dealing with the poison of two spiritual creatures. It’s already miraculous for a human body to contain the centuries-old specter’s poison, let alone the Human-faced Beast’s. While the Yin and Yang perish, the poisons of the two creatures must be turned into an antidote for her to survive, leaving one to doubt whether her body can withstand it." The chief physician looked at Hwarin with a troubled expression. Dealing with both Qi and poison was beyond Hwarin’s martial capabilities at present, but dealing with the poison of two spiritual creatures was possible for her. However, there was doubt as to whether her body could tolerate it. The latter possibility gave hope for survival, but it didn’t mean she would definitely survive. "Isn’t there any other method or something more that can be done?" "There’s no time. The highest chance of survival requires regaining consciousness and taking the antidote within half a day. The sect master and the council of elders have approved teaching her the martial arts related to poison mastery, which should help. But..." "You can’t just give me a straight answer, can you?" There’s a miracle for the last hundred days before the college entrance exam, but not for half a day. "We can only try our best. And if this child truly becomes a poison master..." The chief physician looked at me with a pitying gaze. "Why’s that?" Do you still hold out hope? That if I receive the full support of Hwarin, once she becomes a complete poison master, I could become the head of a branch family? I’ve told you, I don't need that. "Alas... It’s not that. No, once the child awakens, I will make time for both of you and you should say your goodbyes, just in case." I appreciated the chief physician's consideration, but his last words weighed heavily on my heart. --------------------- It was three days later when I heard that Hwarin had awakened. Though I wanted to go in right away, my turn had to be last. The sect members went in first to control Hwarin’s raging poison, followed by experts to teach her the martial arts of a poison master, then others well-versed in medicine and poison entered her room first. I waited outside her door for my turn like a patient enduring a seemingly endless queue at a major hospital. "Prepare to go in." Was it already time? The chief physician approached me as I stared blankly at the door behind which Hwarin lay. "Can I go in now?" "I’ve already spoken to her about the situation. As soon as you leave, she must take the antidote of the Human-faced Beast, so if you do talk, focus on things that give her hope and a will to live." "I'm well aware." Positive words are said to aid seriously ill patients. "And..." The chief physician looked at me with an apologetic and somber expression. "What is it?" "You won’t have much time, but if there’s anything that needs to be said, speak without regret." This could be the last conversation I would have with Hwarin in life. Understanding the gravity of his words, I nodded solemnly and entered the room where Hwarin was. ----------------------------- Upon entering the room, I nearly lost my breath for a moment. Hwarin wasn’t unconscious; she sat propped up in bed with her eyes closed, murmuring something with intense focus. Was she reciting martial arts incantations? I silently signaled my presence, like a passenger signaling to the bus driver at the station, but Hwarin showed no sign of opening her eyes. I’m eager to talk to you. I want to tell you how relieved I am to see you, murmuring like a high school girl just before the start of an exam, worrying that you might never wake up. Just wait a moment. I can’t disturb Hwarin. She needs to take the antidote of the Human-faced Beast right after our conversation. So for now, I reined in my yearning and simply watched Hwarin regain her consciousness. Hwarin’s face was pale, but there was a slight return of color. Looking down, I saw her dressed in loose and comfortable clothes. The perfect attire for a patient. Ordinarily, such clothes have no charm, but clothing takes on new life depending on who wears it. The fabric flowed softly over Hwarin's bosom, which defied gravity even amidst illness, and poured down as if surprised by an abyssal waterfall that could support the theory of a flat Earth. I have never had a preference for a frail, delicate beauty with a feminine line, somewhat hazy between entrance and exit, as I've always been fragile myself since childhood. But looking at Hwarin, seemingly the very picture of a delicate, buxom beauty overwhelmed by ailment, gave me the feeling that such a preference could very well develop within me. "Have you arrived?" It was as if I'd been momentarily sucked into the black hole of Hwarin's gaze when suddenly, she opened her eyes and spoke with a voice that was bright but a little drained of energy. "Do you feel any better?" I asked her with a concerned expression as I sat down on the chair beside her bed. She hadn't noticed, had she? That aside from my concern, I couldn't help my wandering eyes. My expression must have been natural enough not to give it away. "My body feels heavy as if I've consumed too much strong liquor, and it's hard to move as if I'm weighed down by a thousand jun, but my mind itself feels clear." That's natural, given that there's a poison in your body that can't even be compared to the effects of alcohol. "What should I talk about?" I have words for Hwarin, but looking at her, weary yet smiling, it's hard to open my mouth and speak. "I dreamt of a cat." While I'm considering what to say, Hwarin begins to talk about a dream she had while unconscious. "A dream?" "In the dream, I was a cat trapped in a cage. Before me was a fish that I'd brought with great effort, but I couldn't eat it at all." "You must've been angry." Before broaching the important subjects, I decide to follow Hwarin's conversational lead. "It wasn't that angering. What really infuriated me was something else." Hwarin said, slightly pouting her lips, which looked unusually red against her pale complexion today. "What was it?" "There was a fish that I hadn't yet touched nor licked, but then another cat snatched it away." Hwarin told me, with a slightly irate voice. "That's really unfair." "Even though I could see and hear everything, I couldn't move at all, and I just watched numbly as that cat marked the fish with its saliva. The fish, for its part, pretended to be friendly with that cat and... ugh." To think that the fish would act friendly right before being eaten. Hwarin's dream, though just a dream, seemed to have vivid imagination. "In the end, did you watch it get eaten?" Was there a twist at the end? Hwarin looked back at me with a small, satisfied smile. "No. Suddenly, the fish decided that it wanted to be eaten by me, so it fought off the other cat, which got scared and ran away. Pfft." Hwarin laughed heartily, as if she'd become one with the victorious cat in her dream. "What's that." What is she talking about? I chuckled softly at her words. "Things like that happen." As I gave her a disbelieving look, Hwarin gently stroked my cheek as if it were something precious. Hwarin’s warmth, something I hadn't felt in a long time. The thought that this might have been what I struggled for made me feel a touch of emotion. "Pfft." I sat dumbfounded, feeling her touch on my cheek, until Hwarin playfully pinched it. --------------- After the story of Hwarin's dream, silence filled the room for a moment. It might be our last conversation. I have things I must tell Hwarin. But how do I say it? "You... I mean, you." Hwarin called out to me with a hint of embarrassment in her voice. "Yes?" "Don't you have something to say to me?" "What?" "Aren't you going to say it?" Hwarin pressed me as I responded in confusion. "What are you talking about?" "Geez! I heard about what happened at the Council of Elders!" Hwarin said, turning her face away in what seemed like embarrassment. "Oh..." She had heard that I called her my woman. Embarrassing. "Oh? You... You have to discuss that... No! No, no, you have to consult with me first before telling others. Why would you say it to everyone before me?" Hwarin glared at me with narrowed eyes, not seen in a long while. "Hahaha..." How embarrassing. It felt just as mortifying as when I casually asked a girl I liked during a college party if she had a boyfriend, only to be met with a scornful look that seemed to say, "Why would you dare ask me such a thing?" "Don't just laugh!" What else am I supposed to say other than laugh? Every step forward feels like walking through a minefield. "Yoonho. Hurry up and tell me what you felt about blocking someone else's marital path." Hwarin glanced at me sideways, still with her head turned, impatient for me to speak. What should I say? I looked at Hwarin for a moment. She seemed angry, yet the corner of her lips was strangely twitching. Her usually pallid face had a strange flush to it. It didn't quite feel like the whole world was a minefield. "Did hearing that news upset you..." I'm not sure how to advance in such a situation. Might as well act very contrite. I stretched out my expression sadly, as if I were truly sorry. "No, it's not that I disliked it! Actually, rather, I was jo... Ahh..." Hwarin was startled by my expression and swayed as she tried to sit up. "Hwarin!" I quickly grabbed Hwarin as she lost her balance and was about to fall. Her body's burning up. And here you are playing around and acting fine? Surprised, I looked into Hwarin's eyes, and we made unexpected eye contact. Too close. If Hwarin lifted her chin even slightly, our noses would crash into each other. I tried to lay Hwarin back on the bed, but instead, she grasped onto me. It's difficult to describe the complex scent of a woman mixed with a hint of medicine that was disorienting my mind. "Yoonho. Say it... Don't always dodge the subject..." Resentment and frustration tinged Hwarin's voice. Is this an opportunity? Is this the chance to say what I need to say? Is there a better opportunity than this moment? "Hwarin." As I prepared the words I had been ready to say from the moment I entered the room, I did not avert my gaze from Hwarin's earnest eyes and called her name tenderly. "Yes?" "Do you want to kiss me?" "Uh?" "Let's kiss." "Wha...?!!!!!"