The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

Cheon Sohee arrived at the inn first, moving too swiftly for Kang Yun-ho to keep up.

“You’re a bit late today!”

A particularly amiable Jeom So-i at the inn greeted the Heavenly Death Star.

“Yeah.”

“You must have had a great performance today! Of course! Mr. Kang is such a talented storyteller, I even want to listen every day!”

In fact, Jeom So-i was an ardent fan of Kang Yun-ho. She always claimed she would attend his performances on her days off.

“It went well.”

Kang Yun-ho might have been warmer with Jeom So-i, attempting to coax something extra, but she wasn’t that sort of person, and her mood was sour, so she responded with irritation.

“Then, shall I prepare the rosé tteokbokki in advance?”

“…No, not today.”

Cheon Sohee paused briefly before declining.

“Why?”

Jeom So-i was taken aback, her eyes growing wide. The guest’s refusal of rosé tteokbokki was unforeseen. Though always stoic, her demeanor shifted when faced with that dish.

“I don’t feel like it.”

The dish that could spark even the latent cravings of the Heavenly Death Star held no allure for her at that moment.

“There must be something wrong! Alright then! But please take this. Someone asked me to give it to you.”

Jeom So-i handed over a small note. Cheon Sohee recognized its origin at a glance.

“Okay.”

“If you change your mind, I’ll prepare it right away!”

Why was she so convinced she would order it? Cheon Sohee mused, yet Jeom So-i, unaware of her internal dialogue, promptly attended to another guest.

Cheon Sohee retreated to a corner of the inn to examine the note.

[New mission. Proceed to the branch.]

Cheon Sohee reflected on the note’s message. It didn’t seem pressing, so she could go at her convenience. Nonetheless, she opted to leave.

She had claimed her departure was due to annoyance, but ultimately, Kang Yun-ho would arrive at this inn too. After all, they had no other place to go.

Cheon Sohee chose to visit the branch of Salmaek instead of enduring the awkward gaze of a man at the inn who watched her every move.

Chilgok County’s Salmaek Secret Branch.

“I’m here.”

Cheon Sohee had opted to come here rather than return to the inn where the man she stayed with resided.

“Ah! You’re here. How’s the love affair going?”

The middle-aged male head of the Salmaek branch greeted her with a smile.

“I told you it’s not that kind of relationship.”

“Stop being so murderous as soon as you arrive. It’s a wonder how that man is even dating such a woman.”

“You…”

“Anhui Province. Jeongdeok.”

The man quickly shifted the topic upon seeing Cheon Sohee’s expression sour.

“Anhui Province. Jeongdeok?”

Closer than Kangseo Province, which was mentioned last time. It was the closest other province (省) from Hubei Province’s Chilgok County. Yet, the distance was still considerable.

Would he give up his successful performances to follow her to Anhui Province? What if he suggested they break up if she asked him to go to Anhui Province?

“I’ll pass on this mission too.”

In the end, Cheon Sohee decided to decline this mission as well.

“Huh. Well, it’s your call. Aren’t you nearing a dangerous stage?”

The middle-aged man gestured to his heart with five fingers, shaking them dramatically.

“I haven’t been training for nothing.”

Since arriving in Chilgok County, there had been no surge of murderous intent. Cheon Sohee was confident she could still keep it at bay.

“Wouldn’t it be better to just leave the man here and go for a while? On the way, if you encounter bandits, kill them to quench your thirst. Fulfilling your urge by thrillingly assassinating the target would be better, right?”

“I’m still okay.”

“Fine, I won’t say anymore, but don’t go slicing several people at once just because you’re playing bodyguard. I don’t want to deal with news of a serial killer in Chilgok County.”

Indiscriminate killing while harboring murderous intent might lead to her being consumed by bloodlust.

In the mountains, perhaps, but in Chilgok County, it would constitute a massacre, not merely a murder. The man conveyed his concern.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“I’ll also contact Salmaek to request missions closer to this area.”

“Thank you.”

Cheon Sohee bowed her head in gratitude for the man’s consideration.

“Wow, the Heavenly Death Star expressing gratitude. Love really does change people, huh?”

“He’s not that kind of man to me.”

Cheon Sohee’s voice revealed her irritation, still fresh from the recent incident, as she mentioned the man who considered her mother’s name old-fashioned.

“Oh? Did you two have a disagreement?”

“There was no such thing.”

“Sounds like you did. Is the man still intact?”

The middle-aged man teased her, making a slicing gesture across his neck.

“I’m an assassin, not a murderer.”

Cheon Sohee felt she might become a murderer towards this middle-aged man.

“Well, men and women have disagreements all the time. You argue during the day, so you’ll reconcile more passionately at night.”

He suggested with a knowing smile.

“……”

“Wait, you haven’t? But you’ve been sharing a room for quite some time now, haven’t you?”

The middle-aged man looked at her, astonished.

“I told you it’s not that kind of relationship.”

“My goodness. I thought the day you took the Qiyasheng would be historic. Could it be that the man has… unusual preferences? Favors men, perhaps?”

The middle-aged man recalled rumors about men who preferred men, using women as a facade.

“He’s interested in women.”

She defended him instinctively.

He definitely had an interest in women. Cheon Sohee remembered how the man had looked infatuated with a married woman not so long ago.

As she remembered his expression, a sharp sensation, distinct from the urge to kill, pricked at her heart.

“So, if there are no sexual issues, could the man be treating you too preciously? Sometimes such peculiar men share a room but never lay a hand on you, even when tempted.”

“Yes. He treats me preciously.”

Cheon Sohee answered immediately.

The man indeed treated her preciously. Whether he was her childhood friend or not didn’t matter; it was beyond doubt.

“But you still fought. Maybe he’s tired of you?”

“Tired of me?”

Her lips parted in surprise at his question.

“Usually, men get bored quickly if they only give and don’t feel valued in return. Even when treated preciously, they get disappointed if they don’t feel valued.”

“No. He was the one who wronged me.”

There was no way Kang Yun-ho was tired of her. The fault was his.

The idea that Kang Yun-ho could be tired of her was shocking, and Cheon Sohee momentarily struggled to make sense of it.

“Ah! So, he always accepted whatever you said, but you got sulky over his mistake!”

“……”

Cheon Sohee bowed her head, neither confirming nor denying his words.

“That’s why love novices… Go and pretend to generously accept the man’s mistake. Then things will quickly improve.”

“It was a big mistake.”

“Enough to never want to see him again?”

“Not that much.”

Her response came without a moment’s hesitation.

“See. I told you. He seems important enough for you to refuse a mission for him. If you’re going to receive love, you need to give it too. If you only take and never give, that man might leave.”

“Leave?”

Cheon Sohee repeated his words with a hint of anxiety.

“He will. So, if it’s not a deadly sin, go and forgive him. Hold his hand, buy him his favorite food. If you treat him well after he makes a mistake, he’ll be moved.”

“Forgiveness…”

Cheon Sohee reflected on Kang Yun-ho’s mistake.

Did he really err?

Yes, he did. But she also might have done things that upset Kang Yun-ho, as the Salmaek branch leader had said.

Did he ever get angry with her over those?

‘Sohee!’

‘I trust you, Sohee.’

The affectionate face of the man who always smiled at her came to mind.

Had Kang Yun-ho intentionally insulted her mother?

No, he didn’t know her mother’s name. He had referred to her simply as “Sohee’s mother” before.

Then why had he called the name old-fashioned?

For her sake. To keep her from facing difficulty.

Was there any reason not to forgive him?

Suddenly, Cheon Sohee imagined Kang Yun-ho waiting in the room with a lifeless expression, feeling remorseful. She realized she didn’t want to see him like that. In fact, she couldn’t bear it, which was why she had come.

Would he smile affectionately at her if she told him she forgave him?

“I’ll go.”

She longed to see that face.

The anger that had taken root in her heart was gone.

“Wait, take this!”

The man tossed her a pouch.

“What’s this?”

“Mission fee. It’s overdue, but take it and buy something nice for your boyfriend.”

Cheon Sohee nodded distractedly as she glanced at the money in the pouch, half-listening to the man.

“I’ll go.”

She exited the branch at once.

After Cheon Sohee had left, the man quietly took out a letter from a corner of the drawer.

[If it looks like a promising relationship, be sure to support it.]

‘She vowed never to become emotionally involved with a disciple… Quite meddlesome. But considering every disciple she’s trained has come back as a corpse, it’s understandable.’

Having affection for a disciple was rare in Salmaek. The middle-aged man started drafting a letter to Cheon Sohee’s master with a wry smile.

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