Did he really notice?
Im Ha-yeon calmly sipped her tea despite the sudden visit and thought about the man who was listening to her troubles.
“I tried to buy a miracle.”
Im Ha-yeon began to explain the reasons behind her bizarre behavior in Yichang.
“A miracle?”
“Of course, the Gimen won’t help. If I want to buy a miracle, I have to take action myself.”
Though the Gimen of Wuhan controlled the courtesans in Hubei Province, they were strangers to Im Ha-yeon.
In a place where survival was each person’s own responsibility, no one would actively help just for a single runaway courtesan.
It was clear that Im Ha-yeon becoming a runaway courtesan was as obvious as day.
“But the miraculous thing I heard is a different story.”
That meant he was asking why she didn’t just steal it. Im Ha-yeon recalled the moment she decided to jump over the wall for the first time in Yichang when she saw Kang Yoon-ho’s puzzled face.
At the Tea Bookstore, she couldn’t buy a miracle. Even if she lived as a courtesan, she would have to do so until her death.
If it was impossible for her to buy a miracle as both a Tea Bookstore employee and a courtesan, then there was only one option left.
Im Ha-yeon decided to jump over someone else’s wall.
But.
“The moment I start stealing, I become a thief. Isn’t it funny to become a thief because I don’t want to be a courtesan?”
Im Ha-yeon replied self-deprecatingly.
The moment she picked up the jewelry from the open safe, she became a thief. Was it really right to become a thief just because she didn’t want to be a courtesan?
Until the moonlight hidden by the clouds illuminated the late-night guest, she continued to ponder before eventually turning away.
She didn’t want to become a courtesan, and she didn’t want to become like that man.
“Is that why you’ve been wandering the streets for days?”
Im Ha-yeon continued speaking while feeling Kang Yoon-ho’s consideration as he carefully avoided direct references to stealing or thieving.
“I returned empty-handed, but nothing changed. I wondered if my mind might change this time. I wandered through the streets. And sometimes that allowed me to escape the worries that had been pressing me all day long.”
Putting one’s entire focus into something can sometimes make you forget the troubles of reality. For some, it’s through work; for others, it’s alcohol or entertainment, and for her, it was thievery.
Of course, once she opened the safe, she had to confront another dilemma.
“No matter how well I sneak in, I still can’t steal like an idiot. Even though if it goes on like this, I’d have to work as a courtesan until I die.”
Im Ha-yeon chuckled melancholically and hung her head.
She would have to keep selling smiles, songs, and dances until one day her value dropped so low that she had to sell her body. Yet Im Ha-yeon didn’t want to accept a different fate.
Kang Yoon-ho cautiously spoke to the downcast Im Ha-yeon.
“If you don’t want to be a courtesan and don’t want to be a thief, how about running away?”
“What do you expect me to do if I run away after learning nothing but thievery and the courtesan’s life?”
Im Ha-yeon raised her voice, unable to contain her frustration. It was something anyone could say easily. A thought comfortable for those who had been courtesans.
How could a woman with no connections or beauty escape from the martial world without an idea of what might happen to her?
“But.”
There seems to be no other way. Im Ha-yeon felt a response from Kang Yoon-ho’s pitying expression.
“The moment I run away, I’ll forever be a runaway courtesan.”
If she got caught this time, she might be lucky enough to shake off the stigma of being a runaway courtesan. Even if not, she wouldn’t face great trouble.
But if she ran away now, she would become a runaway courtesan for eternity. The Hao Gate would pursue her endlessly, and she would never be able to use her mother’s surname or the name that man gave her.
She wanted to discard her miracle, not become an eternal runaway.
Even if she successfully escaped, the mark of the runaway courtesan would be something she could hide but never erase.
“…”
Kang Yoon-ho grasped her underlying intentions and fell silent. He had lived like a beggar in the Central Plains with no ties to anyone.
He knew how many young women like Im Ha-yeon, with no connections, suffered terribly in this martial world.
Kang Yoon-ho patiently absorbed her anger as he waited for her to continue.
“You asked me before, right? If I’ve ever starved.”
“I remember.”
“I didn’t become an apprentice courtesan for fun. My mother passed away when I was only ten years old. What could a hungry child do? Becoming a courtesan was my choice, but it was also the only choice I had.”
It was a common story. Somewhere in the Central Plains, a poor child was being sold to a brothel or a starving child was turning towards one.
“I understand. When I was foraging for roots to fill my empty stomach, I felt I could do anything.”
The bond of those who had experienced hunger briefly warmed the two.
Im Ha-yeon nodded and continued speaking.
“I wasn’t unhappy about life in the brothel. The older sisters were kind, and I never went hungry. It’s just… just that I felt an abstract fear of when that day would eventually come.”
“…”
“Then one day, I read ‘The Rise of the Tang Family.’ And I gained a dream.”
“What kind of dream?”
“A dream to write a story like the one by the esteemed writer Ho Pil, so I could buy my miracle.”
“…”
A woman who was inspired to have a dream by reading her own story. Kang Yoon-ho was momentarily struck speechless by the weight of responsibility.
“I was confident in my writing skills. A qi artist’s career is not just about learning to sing and dance. I thought if I could write a story like Ho Pil, I could buy my miracle. But in reality, it wasn’t even good enough to win an encouragement award.”
Im Ha-yeon smiled a little, thinking back and realizing how foolish she had been, letting her shoulders droop in defeat.
“It wasn’t a bad story.”
“But it wasn’t good enough to change my fate.”
“…”
“I didn’t want to live like my mother. I didn’t want to live like that man. But I have only these two paths left.”
Im Ha-yeon’s voice, which poured out like a confession, was laced with unutterable frustration.
Either sell smiles to others or make others shed tears. Im Ha-yeon stared at her reflection in her teacup, like a person facing a mirror she didn’t want to see.
“If it doesn’t work out, I can contact my mentor…”
“Don’t ever think of doing that.”
Im Ha-yeon’s voice carried a tone of determination tinged with anger.
“But…”
“My mother was also a runaway courtesan. And she remained a courtesan until the day she died, even after giving birth to the Shadowless Thief’s child.”
Even if she could be extracted from the miracle, they didn’t help her. Kang Yoon-ho nodded quietly at the anger he sensed from Im Ha-yeon’s tightly closed lips.
“If you need help, let’s find a way together.”
“You can’t help me.”
Im Ha-yeon shook her head in resignation.
“I didn’t come seeking help.”
Because you’re the only one I could confide in. Im Ha-yeon couldn’t bring herself to voice the words that rose to her throat.
“I didn’t come here looking for a solution. I just wanted to know if I could read volume four of ‘The Rise of the Tang Family’ before I get caught, if only for a moment.”
She only pretended to leave casually.
She wanted someone to hear her story. No matter how many walls she jumped over, the heavy weight that wouldn’t disappear would continue to torment her forever.
Im Ha-yeon lowered her head apologetically toward Kang Yoon-ho.
“I’m sorry for coming late at night. See you tomorrow. Actually, I hope to see you again tomorrow.”
As she dashed toward the window, her steps were certainly lighter than before she arrived. Yet, the weight pressing down on her shoulders still looked overwhelmingly heavy.
*
“Gugu-gud!”
“Gugu. You little rascal. At least get up and greet your master before I leave.”
As soon as Im Ha-yeon left, I woke up and gave Gugu, perched on my shoulder, a little nudge.
The window through which Im Ha-yeon had departed blew in a cold wind, just as lonely as the heart of someone who had left. I definitely needed to ensure the door was locked tight.
I closed the door and quietly sat on the bed.
“Is it the Shadowless Thief Begins?”
The courtesan who sells smiles and the thief who makes others cry. The woman who didn’t want to be either will eventually make a name for herself in both.
It was hard to imagine how much despair, sadness, and angst she would face in that process.
Although she faced a daunting ordeal, I, ironically, was finally free from a major dilemma.
I had a suspicion, but it turned out to be true.
I couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity of the release from the dilemma as I gazed up at the ceiling.
“The condition to win over Im Ha-yeon is money.”
I was half-convinced. Was Im Ha-yeon truly the heroine of a martial arts dating sim?
Her appearance was undoubtedly beautiful, just like the heroines I had met before. But unlike Cheon Sal-seong or Dong-in, didn’t she have a cursed fate?
If the Reverse Heaven’s Decree is what saves the heroine’s fate, is Im Ha-yeon truly enough to be considered a heroine?
However, when it came to the miracle, it clicked into place.
In martial arts dating sims, the conditions to win over heroines are fame and money.
Im Ha-yeon was of the same type as Murong Sang-a. A heroine who needed money she couldn’t even think of paying unless it was from the Reverse Heaven’s Decree.
“If there’s a chance my master is a true heroine, then I should help, right?”
“Gugu!”
Does this little guy really understand me? Gugu flapped his wings in response.
To save the fate of this heroine, I need to buy her miracle.
“The problem lies in where to get that much money.”
Money is a tangible figure, unlike fame, but it’s far from straightforward.
It’s too much for a bookstore owner who’s struggling to buy a printing press or even asks for installment payments.
Right now, it looked like a completely impossible task.
I have to build my fame and wealth while searching for the true heroine. And Im Ha-yeon will continue her double life in Wuhan.
So, perhaps one day when I gather enough money and come back, it’ll be fine. Shall I give up for now?
No. Just like with So-hee and Hwa-rin, there might be a time limit I’m unaware of.
Even if I achieve the conditions just by chasing money and fame, if the time limit expires, it might become impossible to win over the true heroine.
And also…
I momentarily recalled the sad eyes of Im Ha-yeon as she left a moment ago.
Though Im Ha-yeon denied it, her tone clearly begged for help.
Turning a blind eye to the heroine seeking help? Isn’t it shameless for someone who claims to find the true heroine?
If that’s the case, there’s only one thing left for me to do.
“I need to find a way.”
She looked terrible.
Im Ha-yeon, heading towards the Hao Gate to hear news about Wuhan, thought to herself.
Why did she foolishly go to that man’s house?
That man couldn’t solve her problems. Although he was a successful bookstore owner, he couldn’t pay a fortune for her sake.
What would change if he listened to her troubles? Then why did she ultimately seek him out? She didn’t even understand her own feelings.
Im Ha-yeon stopped her steps and turned to gaze at the distant Tea Bookstore.
One day, I read ‘The Rise of the Tang Family.’
No, in truth, she knew the reason she had gone to his room.
There was something she hadn’t said to him.
The reason she became enchanted by ‘The Rise of the Tang Family.’ It was the story of Tang Jung and Du Eung-hyang, a martial artist and the number one courtesan in Hubei. The love-struck martial artist pays an enormous sum to rescue her from her fate.
A situation every courtesan dreams of.
Im Ha-yeon had been captivated by the story of ‘The Rise of the Tang Family.’
“But that’s a story that can only happen in a novel.”
Although she didn’t want to admit it, perhaps she had been projecting Tang Jung onto him.
From their first meeting, she mistook him for Tang Jung.
He turned up during her most critical moments and saved her, and every time she was in trouble, he appeared without fail to help her, and she perhaps had subconsciously held onto that misunderstanding.
Maybe Tang Jung would rescue her.
Im Ha-yeon let out a small snicker. What a funny thought. He was not Tang Jung.
In fact, he wouldn’t understand.
Having once been a beggar, he must see her as a pathetic woman who couldn’t even run from her fate or stand up to it.
Compared to him, she was nothing but a small-minded, foolish girl.
She and he were similar but different. He must have lived as an ordinary Joseon person when he was in Joseon.
He would never understand what it felt like to be born into a lowly status.
Im Ha-yeon shook off her thoughts of Kang Yoon-ho and opened the door to the Hao Gate Headquarters.
“You’re here. I’ve already contacted the Wuhan branch asking for an extension.”
The head of the branch greeted Im Ha-yeon with a pitiful look.
“Thank you.”
“Cheer up. It’s still uncertain what is to come! Ah! I obtained some interesting information, would you like to hear it?”
There was no way she could feel uplifted. The branch head knew this and instead tried to lift her spirits with the information he had acquired.
“Interesting information?”
“It’s about Kang Yoon-ho.”
“Why him?”
This news would momentarily disperse Im Ha-yeon’s gloomy mood.
The branch head smiled broadly, ready to share the valuable information that could be sold at a high price, and told her astonishing news.
“Kang Yoon-ho is said to be the illegitimate son born to the Tang Family Head and a Joseon courtesan.”
