292 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

Gift – Chapter 3 Two days later, after announcing that I would visit the sub-branch of the Muhan Trade House and sending back the people from the Mankeum Trading Hall, evening came. "Before we begin the festivities, leading the Korean people of Muhan! Chief Kang Yunho will now say a few words!" "I am Kang Yunho. On such a joyous day, do we need a lengthy speech? Let's all congratulate Choi Pyo-sa, or rather Choi, our new guest house owner. And today, eat and drink to your heart's content!" I attended the celebratory opening party for Choi Pyo-sa’s establishment with Im Ha-yeon. “Oooooooooh!” "Choi Guest House Owner, would you say a few remarks as well?" "Thank you all for coming to celebrate! We've prepared plenty of meat and drink, so feel free to take some home later!" “Hahaha!” “Hehe! I'm going to eat until I burst!” “What kind of party is going on here?” “We open from tomorrow. Have a bowl of noodles and take a flyer!” Among the struggling Korean people in Muhan, it was a rare festive occasion. On a day like this, everyone oils their bellies and momentarily forgets their worries, laughing and chatting away. In many ways, this was thanks to the Chief. Follow his words, and even a guesthouse springs up. Spreading the word about it even gilded my reputation a bit. I took a sip of the low-alcohol drink, searching for someone with my eyes. Amongst all the smiles, there was one woman with a slightly sombre expression. Where was she? Ah, over there. As soon as our eyes met, I waved, but Im Ha-yeon avoided my gaze. Why isn't she coming over here? “Did you have a fight with your wife?” A server from the guesthouse asked. “Why?” “Your wife's face looks gloomy. Normally she approaches with warmth for everyone, but she seems depressed, and everyone, though silent, is quite concerned.” “It's not like we fought…” From the luxury brush incident to the dealings with Mankeum Trading Hall, Im Ha-yeon hadn't looked pleased the entire time we came to the party. "If you didn't fight, then it’s surely the Chief’s fault." "It’s the Chief’s fault, clearly." “Exactly, that must be it.” The young servers nodded in agreement while grabbing some meat. “You’re all sassy, talking to your Chief like this?” “Well, children usually side with their mothers over their fathers.” “You little brats.” Does this imply that toiling to raise kids ends up as futile effort? I hadn't expected to feel the plight of a married man so unexpectedly. “Chief, I don’t know what it is, but don’t let your pride worsen things between you two.” “I have no pride to uphold.” If it had been my fault, I would have bowed my head and apologized. But there’s no reason for apology here, which makes it tougher. "Chief, I don't know what the issue is, but when it comes to beauty, all is forgiven. Working at Chunggi here in Muhan, I've seen many who'd pay fortunes for just a brush of their sleeves, but compared to your wife, they're all plain." “Indeed. If she didn't warmly approach us first, we’d all probably be frozen stiff!” “I know Ha-yeon is beautiful.” Once, she was to become the finest courtesan of Hubei. She is the heroine of a martial arts romance novel, after all. As word spread that I might have quarreled with Ha-yeon, every guest at the party offered their piece. “Are looks her only virtue? She treats staff kindly, is resourceful, doesn’t discriminate based on hair color, and is skilled in martial arts with great abilities.” “Indeed, sometimes women hold grudges over small things. At such times, if the Chief approaches first, things will smooth out.” “Chief, having succeeded even in a love marriage, I have a good method that might cheer your wife up.” “What is it?” I looked at the confident employee holding a bottle of alcohol. A Korean who successfully married for love, what could he be suggesting? Every Korean around the banquet turned their attention to the man who had spoken. “Close your eyes tight, lift her up, and lay her on the bed.” “Sigh…” I wondered what he was going to say. I held my head with one hand and sighed deeply. “You cheeky little…” “No, I’m serious! Nothing fixes those awkward emotional rifts like a night of passion.” “You have no restraint talking to the Chief like that.” “I’m only sharing because it's the Chief. From what I saw stealthily in the restroom, a dragon rising into the sky took my breath awa—… Ow!” Another employee struck the man’s head. “Chief, this idiot's drunk, it seems. I'll drag him away.” “No, I'm telling you it's true! My wife, even after a fight, asks for a spank in bed… Ow! Stop hitting me!” “Stop it, you fool.” Ultimately, the drunken man was dragged to a corner. As the people at the banquet tried to shift to another topic to ease the sour mood, I grabbed my drink, chuckling quietly. ‘How should I make Ha-yeon feel better?’ It would have been nice if the luxury brush hadn't been discovered. I should have placed it in the safe instead of the drawer. Not that it would make much difference to a woman who could open both with equal ease. ‘Aside from that absurd suggestion of laying her on a bed, something better…’ Thinking along these lines, I again sought out Im Ha-yeon’s spot. At that moment, I caught her looking at me. Why are you looking over here? As soon as our eyes met, Im Ha-yeon, startled, turned away abruptly. Did she overhear the conversation? As she turned, Im Ha-yeon’s reddening ears were peculiarly noticeable. “Chief!” Approaching her today would make things awkward. Sitting there with a complex feeling, the recently titular guesthouse owner, Choi Pyo-sa, approached, face flushed with drink. “Congratulations once more, Choi Guest House Owner.” “Really, thank you. But…” Choi Pyo-sa, apparently overwhelmed, hesitated to meet my gaze. “Hmm? Is something wrong?” “Is it truly the case that you're promoting my guesthouse’s opening as a commemorative event?” So that's what it was about. Already the fourth branch in Muhan. To avoid competing with the other branches, I've opened it at a distance, which might mean fewer people hear about us through word of mouth. We'll work hard on promotions, but that won't be enough. We need to make the folks in this neighborhood quickly realize the convenience of food delivery. We have to make the word spread rapidly. To do that, I brought out a new trump card I had obtained. "Of course. I'll direct all our delivery riders trained in martial arts to Choi Guest House for now." --- "Hey, still sleeping?" In the residential area of Muhan. A warrior employed as a guard at the mansion of a rich man tried to wake his friend, who was sleeping in. "Ugh. What? Has the sun already risen?" His friend scratched his disheveled hair, squinting at the sunlight streaming through the window. "The sun's been up for a while." "I had a drink last night, I'd like to sleep a bit more. . ." "Your guard duty starts at lunchtime today, doesn’t it? If you don't want to work on an empty stomach until evening, you'd better get up." The warrior nudged his friend gently to wake him. Despite working as a guard at a wealthy mansion, lunch wasn't provided. Time was tight if they wanted to eat before heading out. Internally, the warrior criticized the rich man, sighing that the wealthy always demanded more. "Why not just order something to eat?" His friend, however, turned over again, not considering it a problem. "Order food? Are you telling me to go fetch it?" Has he lost his mind? Just as the warrior was about to strengthen his nudge, "No, there's this." Without getting up, his friend handed him a piece of paper. What in the world is this? The warrior slowly read the writing on the paper. “Opening of a new Sungki Guest House branch. Order comfortably from home in Giho District? What is this?” It was a flyer for a newly opened guest house. “Haven’t you heard about the famous Jeonseogu food delivery service these days?” “Ah! I’ve heard about it through the grapevine. Now that you mention it, the newly opened guest house I passed was Sungki Guest House.” “I got a delivery bird. Are you craving anything?” His friend sat up, rubbing his sleepy eyes, and picked up a menu near the bird cage. "Then, should I try ordering delivery food for once? Let's not order anything pricey since I'm strapped for cash; get something affordable and filling." “Then we should order one of the set menus. I’ve tried them before, and they’re quite plentiful.” “But wouldn’t it take too much time going back and forth? Wouldn’t it be faster to eat while we’re out?” The warrior had heard that food delivery was convenient. But still, delivery is delivery. Wouldn't it take too long? Maybe going directly to the guest house, ordering, eating there, and then heading to the mansion would be quicker. The warrior expressed his worry cautiously. "There’s something called fast delivery at the branch. There's a month-long free trial, so let’s use that.” His friend marked something on the paper and soon released the bird. “Fast delivery?” The warrior tilted his head in confusion after watching. Fast or not, isn’t it still delivery? Surely, going directly to the guest house and ordering food would be faster. Just as the warrior was about to suggest going out, "Here’s Sungki Guest House! You ordered food, right?" The food arrived. "Wow! It hasn’t been long since we sent the bird!" "Was it always this quick? Considering the guest house distance, I thought they might have been next door or something." It was astonishingly quick. Had it been just moments since they sent the delivery bird? The two looked at the delivery person with disbelief. “Haha. When you order with fast delivery, riders trained in martial arts handle your order.” "What?! Korean delivery riders know martial arts?" “Haha. It’s a basic skill for Korean delivery riders. The food’s getting cold. Where would you like it?” “Truly lives up to the name of ‘Delivery Nation!’ Place it on the table. By the way, what did you order?” Sungki Guest House’s value-for-money food. Did they order jjajangmyeon and jjampong as rumored? Or perhaps the spicy pork set? The warrior watched, eager for his friend’s answer. “I ordered the Sungki brunch set.” “The Sungki Guest House brunch set. Delivered for two.” The delivery person deftly opened the delivery carrier and laid out the food. “Oh, the portions sure are generous as promised.” “Nice, right? The price is great too, so I often order the Sungki brunch set.” “The Giho delivery bird is back in the cage. For a month, fast delivery is free, so order anytime.” “If I go to the guest house, they’ll hand out more delivery birds, right? I should apply for one too!” “I’ll spread the word among my colleagues!” “Thank you very much!” The rider trained in martial arts delivered delicious meals before they even cooled. News of the fourth branch quickly spread, with tales of the martial-trained delivery riders. --- “I’ll be off then.” Having been busy with the opening of the guest house branch, it was now time to focus on the Da-seo-gak branch. Im Ha-yeon saw Kang Yunho off, who was heading to admire the almost-complete Da-seo-gak branch. “Take care.” Why isn't she coming with me? Im Ha-yeon noticed Kang Yunho’s reluctance to leave easily. “Perhaps when I get back, we could check it out together? I’ll get a spare key.” After the luxury brush incident, there had been a slight strain between them for a few days. The Da-seo-gak branch was a joyous event for them both and a means to ease the challenges posed by Mankeum Trading Hall and poetry exams. Kang Yunho attempted to persuade Im Ha-yeon to join him, hoping it would uplift her recent low spirits. "I have martial training at the academy in the morning and have to train the delivery birds in the afternoon." She gently declined his suggestion. "……." Kang Yunho briefly showed a disappointed expression. Observing his face, Im Ha-yeon fell into a moment of reflection. It wasn't his fault, after all. Maintaining relations with the match had ensured they received the branch. Her anxieties shouldn’t encroach upon his daily life. Gathering her thoughts, she forced a smile for the first time in days and spoke up. “Take care. Honestly, what you're dealing with right now is ridiculous. Trying to run a business and being told to bring all the amounts listed on the invoice along with additional profit.” “They promised to write off the entire debt of the Da-seo-gak branch, so it's worth a try.” “Yes. With the added profits from the branch, it might not be impossible.” If they manage to snap up the Da-seo-gak branch, they might sail through the exam like a ship with the wind at its back. It's just that an unwelcome guest that Im Ha-yeon doesn't want is trying to board that ship. That's all there is to it. “I'm off then.” “Don't get caught up in any more traps at Mankeum Trading Hall; just make sure to confirm everything at the Da-seo-gak branch.” Summoning her strength, Im Ha-yeon placed her hand gently on Kang Yunho's shoulder and nudged him out of the doorway to move his reluctant feet. “Will do. And today, we’re expecting a guest.” “The guest you mentioned before? Who is it?” “Well, that's part of the surprise. You'll have to wait and see.” With a mischievous grin, Kang Yunho walked out the door. --- “Haah. . .” Once Kang Yunho’s presence faded, Im Ha-yeon let out a deep sigh. He's a man who works harder for her than for anyone else. To save her, he doesn’t rest for a moment, tirelessly working. Watching from the side, she understood what it means for someone to shine the more they work. Turning her head, Im Ha-yeon recalled the brush in the drawer. Could the youngest daughter of the Jegal family really have no ulterior motives? No matter how indifferent she claims to be, why gift a brush that she uses so frequently? The intention seems blatantly obvious. Maybe she’s overreacting. Could it really have been just a simple gift, as the man said? No, it couldn’t be. Shaking her head in confusion, Im Ha-yeon resolved to get up. She needed to head to the academy. Just then, “Unniiiiiiiiii!” A familiar voice burst into the office, breaking through the door. A girl with a bright smile like a field of wildflowers. Her features leaned more towards cute than beautiful. Im Ha-yeon was surprised but delighted to see the girl approaching her. Her identity was one of the few ties Im Ha-yeon had forged in Ichang. “Haso?” “Hehe! The love guru Hasso has arrived! Ha-yeon unni, how's the romance with the manager going?” Im Ha-yeon’s staunch ally in matters of the heart. It was Hasso, a staff member from Da-seo-gak.