The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel-Chapter 251: When It Rains, It Pours - 1

“This room should be good. Starting today, you’ll be staying here.”

It was lunchtime, after the chaotic morning shift. I brought Im Ha-yeon to the annex building of the printing shop.

“Ugh...”

Why was Im Ha-yeon ignoring what I said and banging her head against the wall?

“Lady Ha-yeon?”

“How...”

“Hmm?”

“How could you say just one little line like it was nothing... and then slip away all by yourself?”

Im Ha-yeon looked at me with a deeply aggrieved expression as she asked.

Did she get grilled by the staff all morning?

Since the Daseogak attic is off-limits to anyone but me, it was bound to cause misunderstandings. And to make things worse, when she came downstairs, she had clearly just washed her hair and changed into new clothes.

But I was busy all morning too.

“In situations like this, the best move is always to pretend nothing happened.”

If you act all flustered and try to deny it, it only causes more suspicion. And if you admit it, things get even worse. Acting nonchalant is the best approach.

“Do you know how much trouble you caused disappearing right after morning roll call? So-so kept pressing me with sparkling eyes, asking if her advice helped. The other female employees were all whispering behind my back...”

So it really was a difficult situation.

“Just let it slide casually.”

“I don’t care anymore! Really! The rumors are going to spread among the staff—what am I supposed to do?!”

Im Ha-yeon looked at me with the anxious face of a woman caught having a secret workplace romance.

“You’re worried about that?”

“That’s all?”

“Well, we’ll be coming to work together from now on, right?”

“...Huh?!”

Im Ha-yeon stared at me in shock, unable to close her mouth.

There were employees working at the printing shop, so naturally, rumors would spread that she and I were living together there.

If we tried to respond to each one, it’d only fan the flames of misunderstanding.

It looked like Im Ha-yeon had realized that too, judging from her stunned expression, as if she had fallen into a trap she hadn’t anticipated.

“Young Master Kang.”

“Escort Chief Ha.”

Maybe it was because I suddenly declared I’d be living at the printing shop this morning. Ha Pyo-du of the Seocheon Escort Bureau, the one in charge of guarding the facility, came looking for me.

“The annex was cleaned in advance, so there’s no issue with moving in right away. However, may I ask why you requested increased security?”

“You may have heard, but not long ago, I was threatened in the middle of Yichang. Now that word is spreading that the black-haired manager of Daseogak has moved, I’m concerned that someone might get bold and try to sneak in.”

Who knows what kind of martial artists might come to escort Im Ha-yeon by force. I used my personal security as a pretext to ask the chief for special precautions.

“I can’t imagine any thugs daring to target a residence guarded by the Seocheon Escort Bureau... but very well. We’ll increase the security starting today. And the lady next to you?”

As Ha Pyo-du turned his eyes toward Im Ha-yeon, she quickly composed her shocked expression and turned to look out the window with a cool, aloof face.

See? That kind of behavior only encourages more misunderstanding. And why was she suddenly fixing her hair behind her ear like that? What is this—some kind of shy bride act?

What should I say?

“She’s an employee who will be residing at the printing shop and helping manage it from today.”

“...”

Why was she glaring at me now?

“I see. Indeed, it seemed like we needed someone stationed on-site. I assume she’s already familiar with the facilities. The kitchen hasn’t been set up yet—do you plan on using it?”

“The kitchen, huh... Lady Ha-yeon, do you know how to cook?”

“...I can brew tea well.”

Im Ha-yeon played with her hair and avoided my gaze, sounding uncertain.

So she can’t cook. Well, I’ve heard that courtesans learn to sing and dance, but I don’t think cooking was on the curriculum.

“No rush. Just get it organized for now.”

“Understood.”

Ha Pyo-du nodded and stepped away to resume his duties. Still, the kitchen, huh...

“When will I finally eat a warm meal cooked by a woman...”

Successor of a noble family, assassin, Poisoned One... Now that I think about it, none of the women I’ve met so far have had anything to do with cooking.

That dream of waking up to a woman in an apron making me breakfast might never come true.

“......”

Hey, Im Ha-yeon, that wasn’t aimed at you. Your silence is making it sound like I just said something terribly inappropriate.

“Let’s move the luggage together later.”

After saying that to Im Ha-yeon, I began discussing how we would manage things moving forward and laid out the plans ahead.

***********

“You’re here? So you really are living together now! I knew this would happen! Hey! I won, so hand over the money!”

After her shift at Daseogak, Im Ha-yeon stopped by the Hao Clan’s Yichang branch, hoping there might be news from Wuchang.

“Boss, what kind of boss tries to rob his own subordinate?”

“How many times do I have to tell you—call me Branch Leader!”

“That’s not what it is.”

What kind of bet had they made on her?

Im Ha-yeon wanted to say something, but since the branch leader’s prediction had been spot-on, she decided it’d be more trouble to ask, so she just denied it half-heartedly.

“What do you mean, it’s not? Come to think of it, since Manager Kang is the courtesan’s man, does that make him a ‘pillar husband’? No, wait—he gave you a house and now you’re living together, so just... ‘husband’?”

“It’s not like thattt!”

Im Ha-yeon clenched her teeth and vehemently denied it, her voice rising with indignation.

“Hahaha! Fine. Anyway, your ‘husband’ came this morning and paid quite generously to have the Wusan incident investigated.”

“Already?”

So that’s why he disappeared in the morning.

He informed the Seocheon Escort Bureau of the move and even submitted a request to the Hao Clan.

Im Ha-yeon realized that the reason Kang Yun-ho had vanished and left her in trouble that morning was because he’d been busy trying to resolve her problems—and the resentment in her heart melted away.

“Even though it’s a bit uncomfortable to dig around another branch, neither of you are strangers to me, so I’ll help however I can. I’ll keep the Wuchang side under control too, so just stay in Yichang for now.”

One was the bearer of his sworn brother’s black coin and the sworn brother’s younger sworn sibling. The other was the sworn brother’s daughter. The Yichang branch leader had decided to step up for both of them.

Of course, the fact that Kang Yun-ho paid very generously also played a significant role.

“Thank you.”

“If you’re thankful, dig up some info on your ‘husband’ for me. Even when I shake the Tang Clan tree, I can’t get anything decent.”

“You’ve been investigating him this whole time?”

“All I get are bizarre rumors. Like he’s the head of some enormous bandit gang, or a conman who sold fake miracle drugs to an entire village. Someone even claimed he died years ago. I don’t know if this is intel or a pile of garbage. At this rate, someone’s going to say he’s descended from Jiang Ziya just because his surname is Kang.”

“Black hair isn’t exactly rare, after all.”

“Right. There are tons of black-haired guys just in Wuchang alone. I want to package the info with something believable and sell it as premium intelligence. But if I dig into the Tang Clan for it, and mess up, things could get real dangerous.”

The branch leader grumbled with frustration.

So what if the Tang Clan head had an illegitimate child?

It was certainly juicy, but it wasn’t like hearing the head monk of Shaolin had a secret son. Just saying the Tang Clan leader had a bastard wasn’t quite enough to sell it as premium intel in Hao Clan’s eyes.

“I have no intention of giving up Manager Kang’s information.”

“So cold... even about your husband.”

“I ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) said he’s not my husband!!”

“I’m not deaf, you know! But let me tell you one thing and you’d better remember it.”

The Yichang branch leader dropped his joking tone and looked seriously at the daughter of his sworn brother.

“What is it?”

“A courtesan who doesn’t know men—even a runaway—will still be treated as valuable in the brothel. But a courtesan who spends the night with a man without the brothel’s permission? No one knows what might happen to her.”

A courtesan is property of the brothel. Her body is not her own.

Im Ha-yeon had already heard many stories of courtesans who dared to fall into forbidden love without permission—and what became of them.

“...I know that much. I’ll be going now.”

“Yeah, yeah. Treat your husband well!”

“I said he’s not my husbannnnd!”

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

— Treat your husband well.

“We’re not in that kind of relationship.”

Im Ha-yeon grumbled to herself as she walked toward the printing shop, the branch leader’s final words echoing in her ears.

Husband, really. She had let her guard down, thinking separate rooms would be enough. But living together in the same house—man and woman—was, in practice, cohabitation.

It wouldn’t take long for rumors to spread among the employees. Though the man had changed residences for her sake, the sudden news of their living together would be more than enough to spark misunderstandings.

“What am I even supposed to say...”

“Meat sale! Pork for stir-fry! Soup meat! You there, young lady! We’ve got meat here! Come get it cheap!”

While rushing along, Im Ha-yeon stopped at the sound of the butcher’s call.

What made her pause was the meat on display—and the memory of something the man had said at lunch.

— When will I finally get to eat a warm meal made by a woman...

She recalled Kang Yun-ho’s voice filled with wistful longing.

Just because a courtesan is meant to bring pleasure to a man doesn’t mean she learns to cook. In fact, there’s no need for it. A courtesan’s life is different from that of ordinary women.

To a courtesan, men were either a “pillar husband” providing temporary comfort while she remained in the brothel, or a client who bought her miracle and took her in as a concubine.

Either way, there was never any need for cooking.

And yet, strangely, Im Ha-yeon couldn’t tear herself away from the butcher’s stall.

— Manager Kang is the son of a courtesan.

Perhaps from a young age, he’d lived a life far from warm meals made by a woman’s hand. Even after arriving in Jungwon, he had lived begging and wandering—far from the world of women.

A man who had been rushing around since morning just for her sake. Thinking of it as that man’s wish, she couldn’t move her feet.

“If you’re no good at cooking, we’ve got pork cutlets here. Just take one.”

The butcher offered her a ready-to-fry pork cutlet.

“How did you know I wasn’t good at cooking?”

“You just look like a newlywed who can’t cook. Just throw some oil in a pan and fry it up. Your husband will love it. We’ve got sauce too—make sure to grab some.”

Im Ha-yeon was too fixated on the pork cutlet to even think of denying the “newlywed” comment.

How much money did she have left? Most of her wages had been scammed by the innkeeper, and what little remained wasn’t even enough for a single night’s stay.

A courtesan doesn’t need to learn how to cook.

Still... who knows?

Maybe someday, a man running a little shop somewhere might gather every last bit of money he has to buy her miracle and take her in.

If that happened, he’d probably only be able to afford discounted meat like this. So maybe she should start practicing now.

Not that she was cooking for him or anything—it was just in case.

She could think of it as practice for the future, and maybe cook for that man.

“Would you like the pork cutlet?”

Now that she thought about it, pork cutlet felt a little... insincere. Just throwing it in oil to fry? It screamed “can’t cook.”

If she really tried, she was sure she could make something better.

“I’ll take the stir-fry pork.”

It wasn’t because she was worried about looking thoughtless in front of that man. After buying the meat, she hurried on her way again.

She had spent every last coin in her pocket, but somehow, Im Ha-yeon’s steps felt light as she headed toward the home she now shared with Kang Yun-ho.