The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

The cold voice from behind made my neck chill.

Why did it feel like I’d been caught when I’d done nothing wrong?

I was just thinking about dating, marriage, parenting, and even old age with a woman who had shown me kindness. Wasn’t that quite common?

It’s amusing to think her voice was cold. That’s how she spoke when we first met. I had just thought she had become softer.

“Okbun, you’re here.”

“What were you doing?”

I was being hit on.

The only hunting I’d experienced in this world was by people trying to steal my money, so this was quite novel.

“I was just having a brief conversation with an audience member who was deeply impressed by my story.”

I instinctively found a smooth explanation for the situation.

Even though I’d said it, it sounded like the lame excuse a team leader would make when caught by his girlfriend having drinks with a female classmate after a group project.

Brother, you should have done that in a cost-effective pub near the university, not in a place with a nice atmosphere.

Thanks to that, I had to drink two beers without snacks.

“It’s not true.”

Cheon Sohee looked at me with slightly narrowed eyes. I thought she had softened lately, but her gaze was sharp today.

I hadn’t lied. She was so impressed with my story that she wanted to have dinner together.

And if Cheon Sohee had heard everything, she shouldn’t be asking.

It was awkward to be in a situation where I had to make excuses when I had nothing to feel guilty about.

“Hmm. A lover?”

The woman who had been looking at me and Cheon Sohee asked with a nasal tone.

“Ah! She’s my client.”

“A lover?”

The woman ignored my response and asked Cheon Sohee this time.

“…A client.”

Cheon Sohee didn’t immediately answer the woman’s question but looked at me for a while before responding.

“Hmm. I see, that’s the relationship for now.”

The woman gave Cheon Sohee a meaningful smile.

Cheon Sohee’s cheek twitched for a moment when she saw the woman’s smile.

“It’s dangerous. Back off.”

Cheon Sohee pushed the woman away with her sheathed sword.

“Hehe. What’s dangerous about it?”

The woman retreated smoothly with the scabbard but kept smiling at Cheon Sohee.

“Okbun, this isn’t polite.”

I was just about to have dinner with my little brother.

It’s not yet confirmed for the second and third rounds, but if I’m lucky, tonight might be historic.

“……”

After creating some distance from the woman, Cheon Sohee stared at me intently.

What’s up? Let’s hear the reason.

“There’s nothing uglier than the jealousy of a loose woman.”

The woman threw a comment at Cheon Sohee while watching our standoff.

Jealousy? Who?

The great Heavenly Death Star?

This woman has seriously misunderstood.

Cheon Sohee’s appearance now was like that of any ordinary girl you might find in the first, second, or fifth class of a high school. So ordinary that it wouldn’t even be memorable.

She probably thought that she’s a rival because she saw something between me and her.

It was a huge misunderstanding.

“I apologize. She didn’t mean any harm; she’s just not yet accustomed to the culture here.”

“No, Young Master. I’m quite familiar with the jealousy of a loose woman. So, how about dinner tonight? Of course, leaving the troublemaker behind…”

The woman glanced at Cheon Sohee for a moment before giving me a playful smile.

Of course, that sounded great.

How should I send Cheon Sohee away?

‘Brother has urgent matters, so you go ahead. I’ll tell her that.’

Maybe if she was bored alone, I could teach her an interesting game.

Like a play of being tied and left alone, right?

“You.”

Before I could answer, Cheon Sohee called out to the woman.

“Huh? What’s the matter, Miss Client?”

“You have a husband.”

An unexpected statement came out of her mouth.

“Where did you hear such ridiculous things?”

The woman’s confident face crumbled for the first time.

Really? Her reaction made it seem true.

“I saw it a few days ago. You came with your husband.”

“It must be someone else. It’s my first time here today.”

“A gray-haired old man. Your husband. I saw you call him ‘husband’ while only looking at Yunho.”

“Hehe. Young Master, this woman is so jealous, making up strange stories. Let’s leave the troublemaker behind…”

“Get lost.”

“Eek!”

At Cheon Sohee’s words, the woman’s face instantly turned pale. Did she feel threatened? No, why would Cheon Sohee be so hostile towards a civilian like Yoon Daehyeop?

“I’ll be going now!”

Ultimately, the woman turned and hurried away.

If it wasn’t true, she could have at least left her contact information.

Contrary to my hopes, the woman disappeared without a backward glance.

Goodbye. I even thought of marrying you. Damn.

“Yunho.”

As I wistfully watched the direction in which the woman had vanished, Cheon Sohee called out to me.

“Yes?”

“Let’s go.”

Cheon Sohee walked in the opposite direction from where the woman had gone.

“Sohee, we need to go that way!”

That way was a bit of a detour.

Throughout dinner, Cheon Sohee seemed strangely gloomy.

“The hangover soup is ready!”

Even though Jeom So-i placed the hangover soup in front of us with a smile, Cheon Sohee didn’t pick up her spoon.

Should I have ordered tteokbokki instead of soup? But you had tteokbokki for lunch.

You should have a hearty soup for dinner.

“Today, thanks to Sohee, I escaped a big crisis.”

I threw out a baseless comment, hoping to lighten Cheon Sohee’s mood a bit.

“……”

Cheon Sohee just silently stared at me.

Was this not enough for you?

“How could a married woman do such vulgar things? If Sohee hadn’t told me, it could have caused a huge scandal.”

I could have ended up fathering a child.

“That woman. She actually came three times.”

“Three times?”

“Once with her husband. Once with another man. And today.”

Oh. The lady seems to have quite a wandering eye. Was her husband away?

“Wow. What’s the world coming to? Sohee, do you remember all the audience members?”

“I only remember those who seem suspicious.”

Did a woman who changed men qualify as ‘suspicious’?

Given that she was a trained assassin familiar with fake identities, it’s logical that she would remember unusual instances of companions changing.

“Ha-ha. I didn’t realize Sohee was paying so much attention.”

“A bodyguard. That’s what I agreed to be.”

Clearly, Cheon Sohee’s conception of a bodyguard’s responsibilities extends beyond what I had imagined. That explains her habitual lateness after my performances.

“I can perform my storytelling with peace of mind thanks to Sohee. For that, I am truly grateful.”

With a slight bow, I conveyed my admiration.

“Yeah.”

Cheon Sohee appeared slightly happier by my expression of gratitude and began to eat her soup.

Feeling relieved, I too started to eat.

However, this hangover soup leaves much to be desired.

We should choose an inn that serves a special hangover soup next time.

“Yunho.”

As we walked into the room, Cheon Sohee, seated on the bed, called out my name.

“Yes?”

“Does this face look ugly?”

Still in her guise as Okbun, Cheon Sohee gestured towards her face.

“Is it because of what that woman said earlier?”

“Just curious.”

“It’s plain. If I had to say, it might be slightly below average. But it’s just a disguise, isn’t it?”

By a ten-point scale, maybe a four. A face plain enough not to stick in one’s memory.

“How about now?”

She then covered her eyes with one hand and subtly altered her face.

“The eyes are a tad larger. That definitely shifts it from plain to, actually, quite pleasant.”

It’s akin to someone who’s had modest cosmetic improvements at a bargain clinic lacking renown.

‘Did you spend a lot on it? For that result? You might as well go to Gangnam.’

She still looked like an ordinary woman who wouldn’t stand out in a crowd, but her appearance had certainly improved.

“Then this will be my face from now on.”

“Sure.”

It wasn’t a major concern, so I casually concurred.

“Yunho, fetch the Qiyasheng.”

Was it already time for bed?

I fetched the black rope from the corner for the last task of the day.

Cheon Sohee no longer lost her senses with the Qiyasheng like she did on the first day, but sometimes she still lost her balance.

Helping her to the bed after securing her concluded the day’s routine.

“Here it is.”

I handed over the Qiyasheng as usual to finish the day.

“……”

“Sohee?”

Cheon Sohee just stared at the black rope without taking it.

“From today, you tie me up.”

What was this now?

Her requests were becoming more and more like those of Dooly living in the primeval forest.

This was where I should firmly refuse.

“Sohee, like I said before, it’s not right for your brother to tie up a woman of your age.”

“I won’t take the daily wage from tomorrow.”

“Just tie it from the neck?”

Cheon Sohee looked at me incredulously for a moment.

Well, one portion of tteokbokki she ate was equivalent to several bowls of hearty soup. And I was even paying for the room.

“…… Tie it starting from the neck.”

Cheon Sohee lifted her short hair with both hands and presented her pale neck.

I tied the rope around her neck as carefully as if a bride were tying her husband’s necktie.

“Is this tight enough?”

“Uh!”

“Did I tie it too tightly?”

I hurriedly loosened the knot. This was harder than I thought.

“Yunho.”

“Yes?”

She called, and I answered without lifting my head, focused on the knot.

Standing too close to tie her neck, making eye contact would have been quite uncomfortable.

“I still haven’t recalled any memories of you.”

“I know.”

Eternally unremembered, but there was no need to emphasize that.

“I haven’t acknowledged you as my childhood friend.”

“That’s a pity.”

I responded nonchalantly and concentrated on the knot.

Why was this so hard?

I had observed her being tied many times, but actually making the knots was quite cumbersome.

Cheon Sohee seemed to have more to say, but I continued tying the rope without paying much attention.

Suddenly, Cheon Sohee grabbed my wrist, which was busy with the rope.

“Sohee?”

What was wrong? Had I tied it incorrectly?

I looked up slightly, and our eyes met. She was looking at me with a slightly pouting expression.

Did I sound too indifferent?

I couldn’t just lament every day that our Sohee didn’t remember her brother. It was sad, but I couldn’t wail about it.

The eye contact at such a close distance, where we could feel each other’s breath, was a bit overwhelming.

If either of us leaned forward, we could easily kiss.

‘If you have something to say, say it quickly.’

“But.”

As the eye contact prolonged, she turned her head to the side and spoke.

“Yes?”

“…… I don’t ask my clients for this.”

Cheon Sohee spoke in a barely audible voice, her head lowered.

“I know you’re entrusting me because you trust your brother.”

Needlessly stating the obvious. We were doing this because of mutual trust.

“Yeah. That’s good to know.”

She nodded slightly in response. The sharpness in her voice that had been present all evening seemed to have softened.

My first time tying the Qiyasheng was a series of trials and errors.

“Sohee, is it comfortable enough like this?”

“Tie it tighter.”

“Is this okay?”

“Ah! Loosen it.”

“Alright. Alright.”

Being the first time I tied each knot, I was unsure of the appropriate tightness.

It should have been tied tightly enough to feel the pressure, but not so tight that it cut off circulation.

“Uh!”

“Haah!”

It seemed like a success if she let out a faint moan when being tied, but each time I heard it, it felt odd.

I knew the effects of the Qiyasheng were impressive, but couldn’t she hold back a bit?

She didn’t usually make such sounds. Why did it happen when I did it?

“……”

I felt her gaze on me as I diligently tied and knotted the rope. It was more embarrassing now that she didn’t lose her senses like she did on the first day.

I pulled the rope around her chest tightly to finish.

“Huhh!!!!”

‘That sound is too loud.’

Bang!! Bang!! Bang!!

“Excuse me!! Excuse me!!”

Someone was calling from outside the door.

I hastily ceased my activities and cracked the door open to reveal only half of my face.

“Who is it?”

As I opened the door, an irate man and woman confronted me.

“I’m staying in the room to the right.”

“I’m in the room to the left.”

“What’s the reason for your visit?”

“Listen, I know it’s your prime time and all, but could you keep the noise down?”

The woman, her arms folded, challenged me directly.

“I came to say the same. I usually overlook it, but today it’s excessively loud and prolonged.”

“I’m sorry.”

They had heard everything.

Embarrassment washed over me, turning my cheeks crimson.

I offered an apology, my head barely visible through the slightly ajar door.

“Merely nodding isn’t sufficient! Come out and speak to us properly! Oh dear!”

In her frustration, the woman flung the door wide open to peer inside. The neighbor caught a glimpse of Cheon Sohee tied up, gasped in shock, and promptly shut the door.

“There’s no danger involved.”

How could I possibly explain? Should I tell them it’s a traditional Joseon custom of affectionate restraint?

“Yes, yes. Sleep well!”

“I apologize! Continue as you were!”

But we weren’t enjoying ourselves at all! In fact, these days, it had been quite the ordeal!

The couple didn’t wait for my explanation and quickly retreated to their rooms.

“……”

Turning to Cheon Sohee, I noticed her staring at the door, a mix of confusion and disbelief on her face.

“Sohee.”

“Yeah?”

“We should find a new inn tomorrow—one with better sound insulation.”

“……Yeah.”

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