Im Ha-yeon, why is she everywhere I go?
In the vast Yichang, how many times have I run into her in just a few days?
I’m not some detective dying to catch a madman who prays every day to commit righteous thievery, nor am I a producer managing the every move of a Joseon idol courtesan.
“What brings you to the Yichang Literary Association?”
I asked, pondering if she might actually be a stalker.
“Wha, what are you planning to do with that information?”
Im Ha-yeon seemed to hide something away like she had a secret she didn’t want to share.
It was like announcing you’re on a diet and then getting caught at night sneaking food out of the fridge and trying to hide it.
Looks like it’s some paperwork. What could it be?
“She came to apply for a new author event, but the submission deadline has passed, so she’s being rejected.”
The guard spoke up, seemingly annoyed by the troublesome customer.
“Ugh!”
“Im Ha-yeon is applying for the new author event?”
I glared at the guard who spoke, as if telling him not to tell him anything.
Was the hidden item her application? But why?
“I never heard that the Shadowless Thief was a writer!”
The truth behind her being known to the world as a courtesan is that she’s actually the Shadowless Thief!
If I were to express her catchphrase, it should be framed that way, but I’ve never seen anyone who’s both a writer and the Shadowless Thief.
“There’s still a few days left to submit for the new author event.”
Hwang Seong’s younger brother caught sight of me looking questioningly at Im Ha-yeon and said to the guard with a puzzled tone.
“Exactly! I knew that too! There’s still time to submit!”
It looked like Im Ha-yeon had unexpectedly gained an ally and argued back energetically to the guard.
“True. But you’re not eligible.”
“Why?!”
“What do you mean by that?”
I chimed in, wondering if being a thief was a disqualification or if there were other eligibility criteria.
“Where are you living right now?”
The guard asked her instead of responding to me.
“At an inn.”
“Where exactly?”
Im Ha-yeon briefly glanced at me as if feeling guilty, then looked away and spoke bashfully.
“Do I have to go into detail? I’m staying at a place called Cheong-ryu Inn out in the outskirts. The cheapest room doesn’t even include breakfast, so I’m getting my meals at a cheaper inn that serves steamed buns…”
That menu reminds me of hard times. Looks like she’s living tough too.
“I’m not asking where you’re staying; I’m asking where you’re from. Didn’t you say you’re not from Yichang? Then you must have a hometown?”
“Oh… um…”
Im Ha-yeon bowed her head in silence. As a runaway courtesan, it makes sense she can’t answer.
“They say there are a few days left to submit. However, that applies only to those who are Yichang residents. Outsiders had to submit by yesterday.”
“That can’t be…!”
Im Ha-yeon wore a crushed expression, as if she’d forgotten the registration dates for the civil service exam, resulting in a wasted year.
“Yes, if you’re not from Yichang, you should have submitted by yesterday.”
Hwang Seong’s younger brother confirmed the final blow.
“I didn’t hear anything about that. How can this be happening?”
“It can’t be.”
“But… but I only have this! Please, can’t you help me?”
Im Ha-yeon approached the guard with a face that looked like it could crumble with a nudge.
“C-cough! You’re too close! And no!”
Even the guard, being a man, blushed and took a step back when a beautiful woman approached him with a pleading look.
“I came all the way to Yichang for this event. Please, can’t you do something?”
So she came to Yichang for this event, huh? She could have run much farther away, but here she is.
I watched Im Ha-yeon gazing sadly through the door blocked by the guard.
She looks pitiful, but should I help?
Since I rejected helping her last time, I could ignore her now.
I pondered for a moment, but the conclusion came quickly.
It wouldn’t be too hard for me to fix this. Plus, she’s a true heroine candidate.
The Hao people vouched for my identity, so should I give her another chance?
*
Failed.
Im Ha-yeon dropped her head in despair. Where did it all go wrong? What did she misread?
She wanted to excuse herself, but ultimately gave up. In the end, she alone would have to bear the responsibility.
She never imagined she wouldn’t even get a chance to take her final shot. What now? Should she go back to the umbrella? As a runaway courtesan, wouldn’t she suffer a harsh fate?
Then thievery? No way. She came to Yichang to be a writer, not to become a new Shadowless Thief.
But how could she become a writer?
There’s no way, right? So back to the umbrella? No!
Im Ha-yeon kept churning her thoughts around without coming up with a sharp solution. Eventually, she turned her gaze towards Kang Yoon-ho.
To think she would show such a pathetic side in front of that man.
The shame in her heart grew bigger.
What if she asked that man for help? A wicked thought blossomed in her mind. She could follow Mr. Kwak’s advice and cozy up to him to get her book published.
No, that’s his agenda. She shouldn’t accept any more help.
Before Im Ha-yeon could grab her weakening resolve, that man, the one she dislikes the most in Yichang, reached out for help yet again.
“She lives at the Yichang Da-seogak.”
Im Ha-yeon swiftly turned her head at the sound of his voice.
“You?!”
“Ha-yeon is not an outsider but a resident living at Yichang Da-seogak.”
Kang Yoon-ho spoke casually, ignoring Im Ha-yeon’s glare telling him to stay out of it, addressing the guard.
“Mr. Kang, I understand that you have a soft spot for beautiful women, but that doesn’t mean you can just vouch for someone who is clearly an outsider.”
Can’t you just let this slide? Im Ha-yeon thought about asking again but was curious about what Kang Yoon-ho would say next and chose to remain quiet.
What on earth is he talking about?
“It’s not a lie. Im Ha-yeon is the daughter of my oath brother.”
“Daughter of your oath brother?”
“She will be settling down in Yichang for a while, but we just have her staying at an inn for now since Da-seogak is under construction.”
“Is that true?”
Should she accept the help coming from that man’s agenda? Reject and lose her chance to be a writer?
Having hated the previous Shadowless Thief just as much as wanting to be a writer made it hard for her to answer.
“…Yes. That’s right.”
In the end, it was a dream that won.
“In that case, it seems I can’t make a decision on my own. I should call a superior.”
Could it be because he’s a well-known bookstore owner in Yichang? The guard spoke in a puzzled tone.
“It’s really important you submit…”
Im Ha-yeon’s shoulders slumped. Would they still accept her if a superior came? Would the man’s influence be stronger than that of a superior?
The man’s words shattered her expectations.
“In that case, I’ll go meet the Chairperson and discuss it directly.”
The chairperson of the Literary Association? Im Ha-yeon could hardly believe her ears.
Isn’t that the highest-ranking person in the Literary Association where she’s supposed to submit her application? Does he really know someone like that?
“Is that so?”
“I will bring good news, so please wait here.”
Im Ha-yeon was so conflicted about her feelings for the man that she couldn’t even bring herself to say, “Please.”
All she could think was that the confident way he smiled at her reminded her of a character from her favorite novel.
“Did you have your meal?”
After exchanging pleasantries with the Chairperson of the Literary Association, I called out to the sorrowful Im Ha-yeon bowing her head against the wall.
“What happened?”
She said she ate steamed buns for breakfast. If she waited here, she must not have had lunch either, so it’s time to eat.
“I’ll tell you while we eat.”
I turned away without answering.
“…….”
Why isn’t she following?
“If you’re going to say something strange about not wanting to treat me after receiving help, I’ll just go alone.”
She was acting like one of those group project members who doesn’t want to eat together after riding the task bus.
“Let’s go. We’ll go together.”
Seeing me stride away firmly, she sighed and followed in a reluctant tone.
———
I found a suitable eatery and went in with her.
“What’s the outcome?”
“They accepted the application.”
Without even needing to go to the Chairperson, I just spoke to someone inside, and they immediately accepted it. Guess connections do matter.
“Phew, thank goodness… thanks.”
Im Ha-yeon placed her hand on her chest and let out a sigh of relief that seemed to hold the weight of her worries from hours past. Then she naturally lowered her head toward me.
My gaze unintentionally fell toward her hand. Wow. It’s big.
“Do you wish to be a writer?”
I asked as she raised her head and I quickly turned my eyes away from her.
“…No one dreams of crossing over another’s fence.”
That’s true.
“The submission deadline is this week. Results of the evaluation will be out next week. I saw that many works had already been submitted and evaluated, so it’s better to submit quickly.”
Since I’ll only have to evaluate from the final candidates, it doesn’t seem like I have much work to do.
“I can submit it quickly since it’s a novel I’ve written before.”
“Dumplings are here!”
“But what brought you to the Literary Association in the first place?”
As the dumplings were set on the table, Im Ha-yeon glanced at them and asked.
“I’m here as a judge for the new author event.”
“…What?”
Clank. She suddenly dropped the chopsticks she was holding.
“Ha-yeon?”
“Huh? Uh, um! Here! Joseon person, eat all these kimchi dumplings!”
Why is she suddenly being so polite?
“I’ll eat them as I bought them, so feel free.”
“Ah…”
It seemed she had nothing else to say and lowered her head.
“Did you agree to keep quiet about the identity of my oath brother?”
I asked her, seemingly lost in thought, looking between her and the dumplings.
“Mr. Kwak, or the Branch Manager, said he’d keep it under wraps, but who knows? So please be careful.”
I don’t want to worry about the old man.
If Uncle Wang handed over the black token as a favor, the odds of major problems occurring wouldn’t be high. But I can’t ignore the possibility of getting involved in annoying affairs like the previous day.
Should I hire someone skilled in martial arts?
Hiring someone experienced in martial arts would be as absurd as looking for a multi-lingual employee at a minimum wage.
Should I hire a guard?
Hiring a guard doesn’t come cheap either. Should I ask the post office in Seocheon for help? I’d rather not get involved with the Tang Family any further.
In a daze, I found myself observing Im Ha-yeon, who was quietly gobbling the dumplings. Was she that hungry?
Shouldn’t the current Shadowless Thief be the one solving this problem? This isn’t the time for dumplings.
Huh?
Suddenly, a good idea flashed through my mind.
‘What if I make Im Ha-yeon a Da-seogak employee?’
I quickly recalled her qualifications.
A knowledgeable reader about The Rise of the Tang Family, an aspiring writer, good-looking, and trained as a courtesan, she probably has great service skills.
Plus, she has martial arts skills, so I wouldn’t need to hire a guard.
She’d be the perfect employee I want, right?
‘Since she’ll have a job at Da-seogak, how about asking her if she’d like to work?’
The urge to propose it almost came out of my mouth, but I quickly swallowed it.
No, if I bring it up here, she might refuse. This woman has quite the stubbornness. If she says no once, the chances of her ever agreeing are slim.
She’s a coveted talent. How can I make her my employee?
“Um…”
As I stared at her for a while, she spoke up cautiously.
“Yeah?”
“Can… can I eat the kimchi dumplings too?”
“Go ahead.”
—————-
‘Let’s make the Shadowless Thief an employee of Da-seogak.’
The Shadowless Thief Im Ha-yeon.
No matter how I think about it, she is the finest talent as an employee at Da-seogak.
“Mr. Kang? Didn’t you go to have lunch?”
I swiftly searched for Hwang Seong’s younger brother after parting ways with the Shadowless Thief.
“I’m a judge for the new author event at the Literary Association, you know?”
I must make her, who holds ill feelings for me, into my employee.
‘Even if issues arise regarding the Shadowless Thief’s agenda, having the Shadowless Thief’s daughter would likely clear most of the problems.’
Da-seogak needs Im Ha-yeon.
I know her background. I’ve also learned about her information that wasn’t previously revealed.
What should I do?
‘Let’s design it so that she becomes my employee.’
I’ll use what I have to bind her as my employee.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Let me see the personal information of the participants.”
Im Ha-yeon.
You will become my employee at Da-seogak.
