397

**The Heroine of the Martial Arts and Romance Novel, Lim Ha Yeon** "What are you doing in broad daylight, Ha Yeon So Jeo?" After spending the night listening to Hwa Rin's stories from Ha Yeon So Jeo and grabbing a quick morning nap, I walked into the living room and had to take in an unbelievable sight. "Th-that is." With a face on the verge of tears, Ha Yeon So Jeo pointed to a sign hanging around her neck and lowered her head. What does it say? [I have betrayed the alliance. If I betray once more, I will no longer be the Im family but the Sun family of Gangdong.] Betrayal? "Ha Yeon Unniiiiiii." Startled, I heard a gloomy and sad voice that seemed to crawl up from the depths. "I-I'm sorry! I'll hold my hands up properly!" Caught off guard, Ha Yeon So Jeo raised her hands obediently. What happened while I was asleep? "Neither Ha Yeon Unni, nor Gang Gong Ja... It's all because of me. I must be the nuisance." Je Gal So Jeo clung to the floor like a dehydrated worm, looking at Ha Yeon So Jeo and me in turns with an aggrieved expression. This is about what happened yesterday. "Je Gal So Jeo. It's a misunderstanding! Truly, a misunderstanding!" Desperate to revive a withering worm, we fervently worked to console Je Gal So Jeo. After finally clearing up the misunderstanding, a compromise was reached, with a plan to visit the most famous tourist spot in Wuchang—Huanghelou. Until then, Ha Yeon So Jeo had to wear a punishment sign around the house as penance. --- Huanghelou, renowned as the most scenic spot in Wuchang, certainly lived up to its reputation. However, another spectacle awaited the tourists. "Ugh. So, so many people." The sudden appearance of stunning beauties among the crowd instantly garnered everyone's attention. Unfortunately, Je Gal So Jeo couldn't handle the sudden influx of interest and ended up retreating back to the house, claiming to be satisfied with just a glimpse of Huanghelou thanks to Gang Gong Ja. Our trio outing eventually dwindled back down to just two of us. It's a pity, but what can you do? "The boat rental fee is 50 copper per person. Even if you row alone, it's a calm lake, so you'll manage just fine." Next on our visit list was Donghu, a large lake in Wuchang, known for being a popular date destination. "Is there no discount for couples?" "I'd rather have a surcharge for couples." Tch. Charging too much for such a tiny boat rental. "Stop haggling and get on!" With Ha Yeon So Jeo urging us aboard, I had no choice but to relent and get on. Now I understand why my friends always complained about being broke whenever we hung out with just the guys. "To think a day like this would come for me." I mumbled to myself as I slowly rowed. Now, when my friends recall their college campus couple days and their paddle-boating experiences with their girlfriends, I can actually nod in understanding instead of giving a pity look and a pat on the back. "To leisurely enjoy a boat ride in the middle of the day. Feels like a dream to me too." Ha Yeon So Jeo sat on the boat, tidying her hair as it blew in the wind. "Though I think the sentiment is a bit different." "What?" "Nothing." While my friends were campus couples, paddling pedal boats, I was the captain of a digital ship, sailing online across oceans. This is quite an improvement. "Here, ah... open wide." As I silently rowed, Ha Yeon So Jeo suddenly extended a long item towards my lips. "What is this?" "I wouldn't give you something to kill you." What was this thing she was putting into my mouth? Cautiously, I chewed in suspicion. As I tore through the unfamiliar texture, a burst of sweet and savory flavors enveloped my mouth, with the crisp crunch of vegetables and the juicy succulence of meat bleeding through. A taste familiar to any Korean. "…Beef bulgogi gimbap? So that's what you were making in the kitchen this morning instead of sleeping?" Recently, you made kimchi dumplings too. "How is it?" Ha Yeon So Jeo looked at me with an expectant, slightly flushed face. "It's delicious. Just the right taste for me." Considering her cooking skills were non-existent when we first met earlier this year, this was an impressive feat. "Phew. I'm glad my early morning efforts were worth it. Here, ah... have some more." Nibbling on the gimbap handed to me by Ha Yeon So Jeo, I continued to row leisurely. Although we were supposed to be taking in the surroundings, it felt as though we could only focus on each other's faces, a bit disconcerting. Just as I was pondering if this was what confirmed dating felt like, "Hmph!" "Did I hear something strange?" A faint noise tickled my ears. Where's it coming from? Looking around, I spotted a boat floating unattended in the shade of a densely wooded area at the lake's edge. Could there be someone injured? Worried, I rowed towards the shaded area. "Ah. Oh. H-he's coming." "It's okay. He knows and is coming." What? Not a cry of pain from an injury, but another kind of sound altogether. Do that kind of thing indoors! Flustered, I quickly steered the boat away. Once we were far enough that the sounds were inaudible, Ha Yeon So Jeo gave me a playful smile. "Disappointed?" It would be foolish to ask what she meant. Absolutely not. "There's no need to rush." Feigning an air of maturity, I replied with a leisurely smile. "I won't give you two chances." Ha Yeon So Jeo avoided my gaze, quietly adding. "What?" What did you just say? "Ugh, what's with that disappointed face?" Ha Yeon So Jeo shouted at me, looking both bewildered and slightly offended, as if my expression wasn't well-controlled. "No, I mean... not that it's forever banned. Just not now." "I, I had to muster a lot of courage, you know! Next time, you be the one to initiate…." With a flushed face, Ha Yeon So Jeo shyly lowered her head, confessing to me. So that was it. Relief washed over me. "I guess I need to practice my cat imitation first." Reassured, I murmured. "Ugh! Really, you're like that!" With an exasperated look, Ha Yeon So Jeo pounced on me like a cat, and I gently caught her, lying back on the boat. The warmth that began in winter, passing through spring and summer, found a rightful rest in the heart of winter now. Although this happiness might be fleeting, it was satisfactory and fulfilling. After giving Ha Yeon So Jeo's hair a gentle stroke, I gazed up at the sky. A clear autumn sky without a single cloud. It's the season when the sky is high and horses fatten, yet since there are no horses, I suppose I'll indulge in some gimbap. "Choke!" "Really! You can't lie down while eating! Here, drink some water!" I ended up sputtering immediately. ———- How quickly do happy and delightful days pass? Time flowed by as we saw only what we wanted to see, ate only what we wanted to eat, and whispered of the future, never quite enough. "Are you taking a boat there?" Eventually, the day arrived when even though I wished to hold her hands endlessly, I had to let go. "Yes. I've heard the main branch of Haomun is somewhere in the Jiangnan region." Just as our meeting was at the pier, our farewell was at the pier as well. Ha Yeon So Jeo said her final goodbyes to Je Gal So Jeo, the members of Hyangwoohoe, and the leaders of Haomun who came to see her off. While she was engaged in farewells, I took it upon myself to move her luggage onto the boat. As I approached with her baggage, an unexpected person greeted me. "All the other luggage is loaded. Hand over that too." "You, Father-in-law? Where are you going?" It was Wang Hyung—why was he dressed as if ready to leave? "I'm thinking of going with my daughter." "I thought you were just here to see her off since you didn't mention it earlier." It turns out the representative escort for Ha Yeon So Jeo wasn't finalized until now. So it was decided to be Wang Hyung after all. Wang Hyung took a fleeting glance at Ha Yeon So Jeo, who was being sent off by many, and then spoke with a smile. "How could I send my daughter off alone to unfamiliar lands? I plan to stay by her side, closing the gap that's widened over ten years." "If you're with Ha Yeon So Jeo, Father-in-law, I can be at ease more than anyone else." I was worried about her facing the challenge of meeting the leader of Haomun alone, but with Wang Hyung accompanying her, I felt reassured. Though it presented another unexpected farewell, I bowed my head with joy. "Thank you. Now go make your farewell." Following his gaze, I turned to find Ha Yeon So Jeo waiting for me, alone. She was waiting to bid me her final farewell. ** "You're here?" Lim Ha Yeon spoke without turning, trying not to show any weakness as my footsteps approached for our farewell. "They say everything's ready for departure." Her lover moved beside her, signaling the time for their parting had come. What should she say now? Lim Ha Yeon looked up at her lover's face. They had shared countless words for today, yet there were still so many left unsaid. But now wasn't the time for words; it was the time to express their feelings instead. "Take this with you when you leave." Lim Ha Yeon pulled a small box from her bosom and handed it to her lover. "This is...? An inkstone dropper, isn't it?" Inside the small box was a luxurious inkstone in the shape of mandarins. "It's a gift so that you’ll think of me when writing." Her lover looked at her in surprise, then nodded with a satisfied smile. It seemed he liked it, which she was glad for—she had always felt guilty for not being able to give him any gifts due to their lack of means. Fortunately, she could give him something before departing. While she hoped he understood the symbolism of the mandarins, she chose not to explain its meaning explicitly. "I actually have a gift for you as well." Kang Yoon Ho secured her gift and then took out something unexpected before her eyes. "This… this is my registry, isn't it?" The document Kang Yoon Ho pulled out contained the record marking Lim Ha Yeon’s past life as a courtesan. "It's just a useless piece of paper now." The ledger, which once carried her name as an apprentice courtesan, now had it blacked out. What Kang Yoon Ho offered was nothing more than a formal sheet of paper. "Why this?" Why was he giving her this now-useless registry? Lim Ha Yeon looked at her lover with curiosity. Kang Yoon Ho gestured towards a bonfire near the pier and suggested something surprising to his bewildered lover. "Let’s burn it together." Though perhaps insignificant now, it was a piece of paper once heavy with meaning. They decided to set it ablaze. Ha Yeon, taken aback, alternated her gaze between the document and the bonfire, then slowly smiled and nodded. "Alright." It was the kind of present only he would give—truly the best gift. — Though good enough to burn something insubstantial, it wasn't enough to burn something as significant. Lim Ha Yeon added a few more logs to the fire. "This is the first time the heir of Haomun is becoming the disciple of its leader. You never know what might happen once you get there. Countless trials might await you." A small worry, but perhaps a grand worry. Lim Ha Yeon spoke as the flames roared higher. "When you face them, think of me. Reflect on what we’ve been through together." He had always found a way through, regardless of circumstances. She had watched everything he did by his side. Compared to what they had overcome so far, meeting the leader of Haomun as its heir would be a minor issue. Even if issues arose, she knew she could overcome them by recalling him. Lim Ha Yeon nodded gently. Although the flames blazed fiercely, his words prevented her worries from growing. "The leader of Haomun is a master renowned among the factions. His martial arts are likely formidable. It won’t be easy to learn." She feared their reunion might be prolonged. "But even he cannot walk on water." "You're right, that's certainly true." Her last lingering worry dissolved in an instant. Lim Ha Yeon gazed blankly at the enormous burden that had always plagued her, though it now seemed to rest lightly in her hands. Her registry felt so light, yet it had been so heavy. They held each other’s hands tenderly. Lim Ha Yeon threw the unwieldy burden her lover had lifted from her into the flames. Sparks flew. What was once the entirety of her life vanished in a fleeting moment with the sparks of the fire. It felt almost too easy and empty, though the path to reaching this point had been anything but simple. Lim Ha Yeon briefly glanced at her lover, who was gazing into the flames. Sensing her attention, he turned to look at her tenderly. "I'll be back." Both of them now knew each other's thoughts merely through glances, making many words unnecessary. "I’ll be waiting." Like a bird with a single pair of wings, they had flown a long distance together, finally arriving at their destination. Without relying on, loving, and cherishing each other, they would never have made it this far. Now, this is just a momentary pause at the end of a long journey. They are going to become a bit stronger in order to love even more. Lim Ha Yeon boarded the boat. To return to the place where her other half awaited her. She boarded the boat. ** "She's gone..." The boat carrying Ha Yeon So Jeo drifted further away. Despite the stomach-churning ache of parting, unlike previous farewells, I could smile as I saw her off. 'Because we’ll meet again.' Different from So Hee, whose reunion I can't easily promise due to the fate of Cheonsalseong, and Hwa Rin, who must wait a decade for healing by the Dokin. 'This time, I almost succeeded.' I saved Ha Yeon So Jeo from her fate as a runaway courtesan. I personally burned the shackles of my woman. She was the first heroine I have saved. Even though I bade farewell following my own methods, I could truly say that this time, it was a success. As her boat receded into the distance, the pain of parting weighed heavily on my heart. Still, I could smile because I looked forward to the day we would meet again. "Gang Gong Ja!" A voice called out from afar. I turned away from the disappearing boat. "It's time to go." I must go. To make a name for myself. To amass wealth. To prepare a place for her return. So that we can all be happy together. Yes. Let's keep moving forward.