The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel-Chapter 217: New Employee - 3

Im Ha-yeon. Why is this woman everywhere I go?

How many times have I run into her in just a few days, in this massive city of Yichang?

It’s not like I’m some detective hell-bent on catching a gentleman thief who steals in the name of justice, nor am I some producer managing every move of a courtesan-turned-idol in this world.

“What brings you to the Yichang Literary Society?”

Maybe I should flip the perspective—what if she’s the stalker here? I asked while entertaining the absurd thought.

“Wh-why do you care?”

Im Ha-yeon quickly hid something behind her side, as if trying to conceal something she wasn’t supposed to show.

Like someone who loudly declared they were on a diet, only to get caught sneaking food from the fridge at midnight.

It looked like paper. Documents, maybe? What is it?

“This young lady came to submit an application for the new writers’ contest, but the deadline’s already passed, so we had to turn her away.”

One of the escort guards answered for her, frowning as if she were a nuisance customer.

“Gah!”

“You’re entering the new writers’ contest, Lady Ha-yeon?”

I looked at Im Ha-yeon, who was now glaring daggers at the guard like, Why the hell are you telling him that?

So what she was hiding was an application form? But why?

I’ve never heard of the Shadowless Phantom Thief being a writer.

Sure, I could introduce her with a line like:

“Her real identity, known to the public as a courtesan, is in fact... the Shadowless Phantom Thief!”

That would make for a decent catchphrase. But the idea of her also being a writer? That’s brand new to me.

“I was under the impression that the deadline for submissions was still a few days away.”

Scholar Hwang’s younger brother, seeing the confusion on my face, turned to the guard and spoke with mild skepticism.

“That’s right! I came here knowing that! There’s still time left!”

Im Ha-yeon jumped in, energized by this unexpected backup, and fired back at the guard.

“That’s true. But it doesn’t apply to you.”

“Why not?!”

“What do you mean by that?”

I also chimed in.

What is it—are thieves not allowed? Or courtesans disqualified by default? Was there some kind of eligibility requirement?

“Where do you currently live, young lady?”

Instead of answering, the guard turned to question Im Ha-yeon directly.

“At an inn.”

“And where exactly is that?”

She glanced at me awkwardly, then looked away, suddenly sounding bashful.

“Do I really have to say? It’s this run-down place called the Cheongryu Inn, kind of out of the way. I’m in the cheapest room, and they don’t even offer breakfast, so I usually eat at another inn nearby because their mantou’s cheaper...”

Brings back memories of leaner times. Sounds like she’s struggling, too.

“I’m not asking where you’re staying. I’m asking where you live. You said earlier you weren’t a local, right? Then where’s your hometown?”

“Ah... that...”

She lowered her head and went silent. No surprise—she’s a fugitive courtesan, so of course she can’t answer that.

“The remaining submission window only applies to residents of Yichang, whose identities are easy to verify. Outsiders had to submit by yesterday.”

“That can’t be...”

Im Ha-yeon looked like someone who had studied all year for the civil service exam, only to forget the application deadline and lose another year. Her expression collapsed into total despair.

“He’s right. Non-residents had to submit by yesterday.”

Scholar Hwang’s brother delivered the finishing blow, sealing the deal.

“I wasn’t told that. Isn’t there anything you can do?”

“No, I’m afraid not.”

“I... I’ve got nothing else. Please. Please?”

She stepped toward the guard, looking like a single poke would make her crumble.

“E-Erm! You're standing too close. And the answer is still no!”

Even the guard, being a man, blushed and took a step back as her desperate beauty overwhelmed him.

“I came to Yichang for this contest. I have nothing else. Please... Isn’t there some way?”

So that’s why she came from Wusan to Yichang. No wonder—she could’ve run farther, but chose to stop here.

I looked at her, staring at the door blocked by the guard with a look of utter heartbreak.

She looked pitiful... but should I really help her?

I’d turned her down once already. I could just ignore her again.

I hesitated for a moment, but in the end, the conclusion was obvious.

This isn’t something hard for me to solve.

And she is a possible true heroine.

The Hao Clan already vouched for my identity—so why not help one more time?

********

I’m screwed.

Im Ha-yeon hung her head in defeat.

Where did it all go wrong? Did she read the wrong info somewhere?

She wanted to make excuses to herself but gave up quickly.

What good would it do? In the end, it was all her fault.

To not even get the chance to try—this was her only hope.

Now what? Go back to Wusan? They’ll treat her like scum for being a runaway courtesan.

What then, thievery? No.

She came to Yichang to become a writer, not to revive the legend of the Shadowless Phantom Thief.

But how could she possibly become a writer now?

There’s no way.

So back to Wusan? No—

Her thoughts spun in circles with no escape.

Unable to find any answers, she eventually turned her eyes to Kang Yun-ho.

Of all people, why did he have to see me like this?

The shame in her chest grew heavier.

Should I ask him for help?

A dangerous thought crept up.

He is hiring, and if she did what Mister Kwak suggested and got in his good graces, maybe she could publish her book.

No.

That man is the disciple of that bastard. She couldn’t accept another favor from him.

But before she could wrestle that weakness back into place—

The man she hated most in all of Yichang extended a helping hand.

Again.

“She lives at Daseogak in Yichang.”

Im Ha-yeon whipped her head around at the sound of his voice.

“You?!”

“The young lady isn’t an outsider—she’s a resident of Daseogak here in Yichang.”

Kang Yun-ho spoke to the guard without flinching at her glare, which clearly said stay out of this.

“Store Manager Kang, I understand the impulse to show sympathy to a beautiful woman, but you can’t just guarantee someone’s identity when they’re clearly not from around here.”

Can’t we just let it work this one time?

Im Ha-yeon was about to try begging again, but curiosity won out.

What else was he going to say?

What the hell was he talking about?

“She’s not lying. Lady Ha-yeon is the daughter of my sworn brother.”

“Your sworn brother’s daughter?”

“She’s planning to settle in Yichang for the time being. Since Daseogak is currently under renovation, she’s staying at an inn temporarily.”

“Is that true?”

Accept help from his people... or reject it and lose her shot at becoming a writer?

She hated the former Shadowless Phantom Thief more than anything—but her dream of becoming an author was stronger.

She couldn’t deny it any longer.

“...Yes. That’s right.”

In the end, the dream won.

“This is no longer something I can decide on my own,” the guard muttered, troubled. “I’ll have to ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) bring in my superior.”

Was it because he was the manager of Yichang’s most famous bookstore? The guard now sounded flustered.

“I really can’t afford to miss this chance...”

Im Ha-yeon’s shoulders sagged.

Would the superior allow it? Was Kang Yun-ho’s influence stronger than theirs?

The man’s next words shattered her expectations completely.

“Then I’ll speak directly with the chairman.”

The chairman?!

Im Ha-yeon couldn’t believe her ears.

That was the top person in the Literary Society—the one overseeing the entire contest.

And he was close enough to talk to him directly?

“Would you really do that?”

“I’ll bring good news. Just wait here.”

She couldn’t even say please or thank you.

The man who walked off with a confident smile reminded her of a certain character from a novel she loved.

And once again, her heart wavered.

********

"Have you eaten?"

After wrapping up my conversation with the chairman of the Literary Society, I called out to Im Ha-yeon, who was sulking with her head down against the outer wall like a pitiful stray.

“How did it go?”

She said earlier she had mantou—a lump of flour—for breakfast. If she’d been waiting here all this time, she probably hadn’t eaten lunch either. I should at least feed her.

“I’ll tell you over a meal.”

I turned without answering.

“......”

Why isn’t she following me?

“If you’re gonna pull some weird line like ‘I don’t want to owe you a meal after getting help,’ then I’ll just go alone.”

What is this, a group project where she hopped on the results bus but refuses to join the team dinner?

“...F-Fine. Let’s go.”

When I walked off firmly, she reluctantly spoke up and followed.

--------

I found a decent restaurant, and we went in together.

“So what happened?”

“They accepted your documents.”

I didn’t even need to see the chairman. Just talking to someone inside was enough to get them accepted. Connections really do work wonders.

“Phew. Thank god... Thank you.”

She exhaled with both hands on her chest, like hours of stress had finally melted off. Then she bowed her head slightly in my direction.

Naturally, my eyes drifted to her hands. Oh. Nice.

“You wanted to be a writer?”

I asked, quickly shifting my gaze as she raised her head.

“...It’s not like anyone dreams of jumping over strangers’ walls for a living.”

Fair point.

“Submissions are open until the end of this week. The results will come out next week. From what I saw, quite a few entries have already been submitted and judged. You should get yours in quickly.”

I just have to judge the finalists, so it’s not as much work as I feared.

“I’ve written it once already. I can resubmit quickly.”

“Here are your dumplings!”

“So why were you at the Literary Society in the first place?”

As the dumplings were placed on the table, she looked at them briefly and then turned the question on me.

“I’ve agreed to be a judge for the new writers’ contest.”

“...What?”

Clatter.

She dropped her chopsticks.

“Lady Ha-yeon?”

“H-Huh? O-oh, uh... Well, since you’re from Joseon and all... Here! You can have all the kimchi dumplings!”

Why so polite all of a sudden?

“I paid for this, I’ll eat whatever I want.”

“Ah...”

She lowered her head like she’d just realized she had no comeback.

“You agreed to keep quiet about your master?”

I asked as she glanced between me and the dumplings, clearly lost in thought.

“Mister Kwak—no, the branch chief—told me to keep my mouth shut, but who knows how that’ll go. You should be careful, just in case.”

I really don’t want to deal with more drama because of Mister Wang.

If the Black Coin he gave me was out of goodwill, then the risk is probably low—but I can’t rule out more headaches like yesterday.

Maybe I should find an employee trained in martial arts.

But hiring someone with martial skills is like trying to find a trilingual genius willing to work for minimum wage.

Should I hire a bodyguard?

Bodyguards aren’t cheap either. Should I ask the Seocheon Escort Bureau? Ugh, I really don’t want more ties to the Tang Clan.

While my thoughts spiraled, I noticed Im Ha-yeon secretly scarfing down dumplings like she hadn’t eaten in days.

Hungry, huh.

Shouldn’t the current Shadowless Phantom Thief be handling the fallout from the previous one?

Not... wolfing down dumplings.

Wait.

A good idea suddenly hit me.

What if I make Im Ha-yeon an employee of Daseogak?

I quickly ran through her specs in my head.

A reader familiar with Storm of the Tang Clan.

An aspiring author.

Good looks.

Trained as a courtesan—so her service skills are probably top-notch.

Plus, she knows martial arts. That solves the bodyguard problem.

She’s the perfect employee I’ve been looking for.

“Hey, I’ve got a spot at Daseogak—want to work there?”

The words almost slipped out.

No.

If I say it here, she might reject me. She’s got pride—once she says no, it’ll be almost impossible to get her to change her mind.

She’s a rare talent.

How do I get her to work for me?

“Um...”

She looked up after noticing I’d been staring at her for a while.

“Yeah?”

“C-Can I eat the kimchi dumplings too?”

“Have them all.”

------------

Let’s make the Shadowless Phantom Thief a Daseogak employee.

Im Ha-yeon.

No matter how I look at it, she’s the best possible hire for Daseogak in all of Yichang.

“Store Manager Kang? Weren’t you just going out for lunch?”

After parting ways with her, I quickly went to find Scholar Hwang’s younger brother.

“About the new writers’ contest. I’m a judge, right?”

I need to turn someone who basically hates me into my employee.

Even if there’s trouble from her being the disciple of the former Shadowless Phantom Thief... if she’s known as his daughter, most problems should go away.

Daseogak needs Im Ha-yeon.

I already know her background. I even know information the game never revealed.

Now—how do I make it happen?

I just have to design it so she ends up working for me.

I’ll use every advantage I have and bind her to Daseogak.

“Yes, of course.”

“Let me see the contestants’ personal info.”

Im Ha-yeon.

You're going to be an employee at my Daseogak.