Chapter 205 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

Chapter 205 - Return - 3 "Daddy-Long-Legs." It was the term a young orphaned girl in a novel of the same name used to refer to her anonymous financial benefactor. The novel later gained fame, and the term established itself globally as an idiom for an anonymous patron. As a child, I thought of Daddy-Long-Legs as just part of a short comic or a fairy tale book, teaching us to be kind adults who help poor children. As I grew older and wiser, I realized Daddy-Long-Legs was actually a romance novel about a protagonist and a benefactor who was more than a decade older. It became so notorious that it came to represent a novel genre with two clichés: "kid catch," where the benefactor waits for the young heroine to grow up before pursuing a relationship, and "reverse kid catch," where the grown-up heroine takes the initiative with an adult male protagonist. No wonder, much like only knowing the early part of Jean Valjean's silver candlestick story from my youth, I was oblivious to the latter half of the book. All in all, one could say it was a work ahead of its time. "I'll become the protagonist's Daddy-Long-Legs." I murmured the plan once more, pensively. Of course, I had no intention of 'kid catching' the protagonist, nor being 'reverse kid caught'. What nonsense is 'kid catch' or 'reverse kid catch' for a man? Even thinking about it gives me the chills. The original protagonist's destiny is to vanquish the cultists and villains, not to be romanced. My role is to become an anonymous patron for the protagonist. I'm in no position to think about noblesse oblige when I have debt collectors looming over me tomorrow, but I'm more than willing to support the original protagonist. It's not like having an absurd worry that if I sponsor a child in Somalia I'll become a pirate king wielding Allah's magic wand; by supporting the original protagonist, I become a swordsman who will save this world. "There's still some time before the original story begins." There's plenty of time to establish a good relationship with the protagonist through my support. "The problem is that financial support alone isn't enough to move the protagonist." No matter how much financial aid I provide for the destitute protagonist, I can't just shout, "Go, protagonist-mon! Flame big letter! 1,000,000 volts! Dragon's snot!" and expect them to obey my every command. Sure, if I provide funds, I can ask for a favor or two. When I was a student, I wrote testimonials and attended events in exchange for external scholarships. Nevertheless, nodding to a life-threatening request is another issue entirely. What I desire is to make the protagonist unable to refuse my requests. It's a challenging problem, but there's a way. A way only I can execute. "No one knows the protagonist in this world better than I do." I quietly smiled while grinding ink on the inkstone. I know everything about the protagonist. Their past. Their present. Their future. I even silently recite other characters' settings repeatedly—how much more for the protagonist's? Their ailing master is currently in disfavor with the martial arts sect Hwasan Faction. The protagonist is an orphan with no external support, leading them and their master to a life of destitution. Eventually, it's not until after the master passes away that the protagonist steps into the world. "I should write several letters at once and ask them to be delivered periodically." The distance between Yichang, where I am, and the Hwasan Faction in Shaanxi Province, is more than a month's journey by land. It takes over two months just to receive news that a letter has been successfully delivered. It would be better to write several letters to be delivered over time, assuming successful delivery. "Let's start with a simple sponsorship message and some money." I need to create a sense of mystery. A simple message asking after their health with sufficient money included should suffice. Include a reasonable and not excessive amount of money. For the first, second, and third deliveries, always append a message of well-being with some money. They may initially wonder about the money's origin. Soon, with the second continued donation, they may start to see it as a regular sponsorship. "I heard your master is ill. Although it is modest, please use this to buy medicine, and if there is some left, treat yourselves to something delicious." From the third letter, they will begin to truly use the money, questioning its legitimacy. "Once someone starts to spend money, it is difficult to revert to their old spending habits." Just as an unemployed person living on 50,000 won a month finds it hard to go back to frugality once they start working and spending more, fearing resignation despite becoming a workhorse. At some point, the original protagonist will not be able to live without the money I provide. And then the next step is. "I'll cut off the sponsorship." I'll abruptly stop the financial aid. They will wonder why letters stop coming. What happened? Was it just a temporary sponsorship? Why did they recklessly spend the unexpected money? They'll be riddled with self-blame and regret. "Then, you double the money." Send the prepared letters and money. They'll realize the sweetness they've been tasting is thanks to someone's grace. They'll be more grateful, cherish it more. And they'll be curious. Who in the world could be sponsoring them with such a considerable sum? After all, they are merely an orphan. "And that's when you bring in the past connection." "Always wishing you good health. 15 years ago, the thread of a black connection..." The original protagonist will immediately realize who it is. Their childhood. The Korean who saved them. The benefactor who generously gave money to allow them to enter a household as a fake apprentice when they had nowhere to go. 'You must be the one. You're mistaken, aren't you?' The benefactor from their childhood. The reason they wished to become a swordsman. That person did not forget them and is supporting them again. I aim to lead the original protagonist into a falsehood. "After all, they won't reunite with the benefactor until the story is over, so it doesn't matter." The thought of lying to someone else. It's gut-wrenching for someone like Yoonho, who epitomizes sincerity, but isn't this just adding good deed upon good deed? Through letters, I'll subtly touch on the protagonist's past. I'll empathize and lead them on the correct path. With two heroine routes destroyed, even if they have nowhere to go, there's no reason to refuse a benefactor's request. As long as I get them to the place I want at the time I want, the planned events will inevitably occur. If the protagonist's personality hasn't changed from the original work, he will move as I intend even without my direct orders. Although the protagonist's storyline is different, he will follow a similar flow and grow stronger to oppose the cult. "I can simultaneously attain a just cause and gain profit." The protagonist will become stronger and defeat the cultists, and I will gain fame through my writing. Perfect. I began to write several months' worth of supporting letters for this groundwork. The problem arises if my true identity is discovered, but there's a solution for that too. For now, let's just write the sponsorship letter. -------------------------- "We must leave today to avoid being late!" "My merchandise is rotting, please I beg you!" Returning to the chaotic Sucheon courier agency after writing the letters, it was as busy as before. "Please deliver these letters to the Hwasan Faction in Shaanxi Province." I handed the stack of letters to the courier, as directed by the stationmaster. "All of these letters?" Surprised by the considerable amount of correspondence, the courier asked me for confirmation. "There's also money." I handed over the money along with a document recording how much to give to the original protagonist in sequence. My hands trembled. Despite being a necessary expense, as a debtor who had to feverishly pay off debts back in Yichang, this was a burden nonetheless. With this money, I could have dined in fine restaurants, shared drinks with women, and subtly made physical contact several times. Knowing that all the women I had the courage to be with are far away, think of it instead as a hefty donation to a fellow man. "Money too? Do you perhaps have family in the Hwasan Faction?" "No, there's a friend." Since no one in this world knows the original protagonist better than I do, let's call him a friend. "Aha, so it’s a friend. What is their name?" "Their name..." "Surely you do not forget your friend's name?" Seeing my hesitation, the courier asked with a curious expression. Of course, I didn't know. When I first started the game, I experimented to see if there was a preset name for my character, like the silent game protagonist waiting in Silver Mountain, but there was only one response. "Please write the name of the game's protagonist." 'Surely, the protagonist's name isn't Yoonho.' Since the game asked for the protagonist's name at the beginning, I proudly wrote my own. What's immersive is writing your own name in a romance game, right? "I remember an infant name, so it may have changed by now." In some regions of the Central Plains, there's a belief that if a child's name is too pretty, they will die young. I implied that I could only remember a childhood name like 'Dog Poop' or 'Cow Poop', which might change as they grow, hinting at my faux pas. "How should we deliver it, then? We need at least a last name to make the delivery." "I heard that they were the sole disciple of a Mr. Jinmu from the Hwasan Faction." I do not know the original protagonist's real name, but the master's name likely hasn't changed. "Aha. Knowing just that much makes it easy." "There is no sender written here. Should I put it as sent by Young Master Kang Yoonho?" "No, please send it under a different name." "What name should I send it under?" What name should I use? Just in case, the original protagonist's name might be Yoonho. Yoonho sending to Yoonho. It may seem like a joke, or it may bring about baseless suspicions. Better to send it under a name closer to anonymity. I called out the prepared name to the courier. "Paper Friend." "What?" "Please write that it was sent by 'Paper Friend' (Jiyou)." ——————————————————————— "The ship has arrived." The next day, the Sucheon courier agency sent word that the ship had docked. I went to the harbor with my entourage, carrying our luggage, and saw a large ship moored that was unmistakably from the Sucheon courier agency. "The ship is bigger than I expected." It's about the size of a small cruise liner. "This ship is the pride of the Sucheon courier agency. It's strong enough to safely navigate through even the unexpected rapids of the Yangtze River." The head courier, acting as captain, noticed us and proudly boasted about the ship. "Wait a moment for us to finish loading all the courier goods, and then we will make space for you." The Sucheon courier agency seemed to have many packages for the ship as workers continuously carried cargo onto it. Once we board the ship, it’s off to Yichang. It has certainly been a long journey. "Stop everyone!! We must inspect the courier goods!" While I blankly watched the cargo disappear onto the ship, a group of armed martial artists appeared in the distance. "Who are you to inspect our cargo?" "There's someone the Sabomun is looking for. We received intelligence that they're trying to sneak aboard the ship; we must take a look!" "These are the Sucheon courier agency's goods. The seal on an entrusted package cannot be broken by just anyone!" Right. Only the sender and recipient should open a package. Who’s trying to open it mid-delivery? I nodded in agreement from the corner, listening to the head courier's booming voice as he defended the packages. "Sucheon courier agency? Isn't that operated by the Tang family from Sucheon?" "Brother..." "This ship belongs to the Sucheon courier agency?" The martial artists' confidence faltered upon understanding that this was indeed the courier agency operated by the ruling family of Sichuan, the Sucheon Tang family. This is why they say it's better to serve a grand manor than just any household. "That's right! How dare you tamper with the packages handled by the Sucheon Tang family that operates this courier agency?" Thinking he had gained the upper hand, the head courier shouted with confidence. "Brother, we must search. We can't let them escape like this." "If we disturb the Sucheon Tang family's mood..." "What's so difficult about simply checking?" The martial artists murmured among themselves, arguing back and forth. "If you haven't secretly hidden the child, he must be hiding inside a package with a broken seal. Just allow us to check for any broken seals!" "Nobody but the courier agency staff can approach the courier goods!" "Just let us check!" As expected in the Central Plains, the trustworthiness of a courier company, or 'biaoju', is paramount. Naturally, if an utter stranger comes asking to inspect or access the courier goods, denial is the only option. The atmosphere between the men of the Sucheon courier company and the martial artists became increasingly tense. Could they be thinking of starting a fight? Noticing the brewing trouble, the warriors of the Tang family who were nearby started moving toward the heated discussion. Sabomun? Sabotage? I've never heard of such a faction, so it seems unlikely that anything too serious would happen, but the last thing I want is to get struck by a blind sword, so I better keep my distance. I made my way to where some large jars of alcohol that looked too big to embrace with my arms were located. What's all the fuss about someone being hidden? The courier goods are surely managed meticulously, and the security of the ship isn't lax—what sort of person would be hiding... "Wait?" Among the sprawled alcohol jars. I spotted one jar with its seal broken. Surely not. *Knock knock.* It's empty. I knocked on the jar - no characteristic sloshing sound of liquid was heard, instead, the noise echoed hollowly inside. *Knock knock.* I rapped on the jar again. "There's no one here..." *Knock knock.* "I said, there's nobody." *Knock knock knock.* "I told you, no one's here!" I boldly lifted the lid off the jar whose seal had fallen off. Instead of being greeted by the sting of alcohol, I saw the bewildered face of a woman. "There’s someone inside..." So why exactly are you in here?