“What the heck is going onggggg?”
Je-gal Hyang clutched her head, caught in a predicament she never wanted.
Is she somehow being punished like a bug that ran away from the fate of facing a story in a novel?
Her passive nature and desperate communication skills…
She thought she could live just fine avoiding conversations and staying home, but age has brought some unavoidable circumstances.
“I have no friends my age. Going on a blind date is way too difficultgggg!”
Suddenly, they tell her to get married.
“Mom, shouldn’t you check if your daughter can even talk to a guy? Not every woman is a hero like you!”
It didn’t matter if Je-gal Hyang complained inside. If she had said it out loud, it would have been a disaster.
She squeezed her eyes shut, imagining her mother, who didn’t study at Shaolin Temple, roaring like a lion to her children.
“Going on a blind date will just disappoint everyone, you know…”
The top martial arts family in Hubei Province, the Je-gal family. Surely, her blind date partners would have expectations of her.
Her lifetime partner. A main wife. A supportive woman. She wouldn’t want to face a broken puppet or just pretty but useless dolls standing in front of her.
Je-gal Hyang imagined the dreadful scene of herself on a blind date.
The partner would certainly be from a prestigious family fitting for the Je-gal family. Every one of them would have plenty of experience with women.
And being the daughter of the Je-gal family, they would expect her to show up full of anticipation at the blind date venue.
‘Uh, umm…’
But she’d be fumbling, unable to answer any of their questions.
‘What a boring woman. How could I spend my whole life with someone like her? Just because she’s a Je-gal daughter doesn’t mean anything.’
Je-gal Hyang clicked her tongue, envisioning the future blind date guy storming out of the venue.
“Uggggghhhhhh!”
Just thinking about it felt like her heart was being ripped into a thousand pieces. This was clearly an unbearable situation for her.
“There’s no way someone would like a boring woman like me…”
Je-gal Hyang tried to suppress the wound she had inflicted on her own heart and murmured in a dejected voice.
Even if she got married, she’d probably be tossed aside quickly. A man who married for the family name would definitely bring in a concubine right away.
She felt blind dates were too premature for her. About ten years would be just fine. No, if possible, let’s extend that to fifty years. Je-gal Hyang wanted to assert this, but her mother was too stubborn.
What should she do?
Ultimately, Je-gal Hyang chose to run away this time. Though she never thought she could really run away, going to her maternal grandfather’s house could count as a sort of escape, right?
But who would have thought that avoiding a blind date would lead her straight into her mother’s trap at her grandfather’s house?
Thanks to that, she had to pull off another escape act in a place she wasn’t familiar with. When someone accidentally broke a formation that distracted people’s attention, she thought she was really going to be caught.
“Thank you, nameless master.”
Fortunately, the master with a nice voice let her off the hook. Je-gal Hyang silently wished for the happiness of the master with a nice voice, even though she didn’t know his face.
But her escape was short-lived.
Je-gal Hyang cautiously approached the window and looked outside. It was practically the same as being locked up.
She let out a small sigh and started recalling what had happened since coming here.
———————–
“Who is this! If it isn’t Hyang!”
All her troubles began when she chose her aunt’s house in Wuhan as her next escape location.
No, looking back, the real start of the problem might have been when she decided to run away in the first place.
“Ah, um, hello.”
It was her aunt, whom she frequently visited whenever she came to Wuhan. Je-gal Hyang didn’t feel shy and could talk to her.
“Long time no see.”
She wasn’t a cousin.
“Don’t just stand there, come inside.”
When Je-gal Hyang awkwardly greeted her aunt and cousin, the two welcomed her warmly.
“What brings you to Wuhan?”
“……”
I ran away from a blind date.
Je-gal Hyang couldn’t bring herself to say it and hung her head low. Thus, she didn’t see her aunt’s expression that said “Oh, here we go again.”
“By the way, isn’t it about time for you to get married, Hyang? Have you decided on a fiancé?”
“Ah, um, well… there’s been a certain delay.”
Why do adults always poke at the most painful spots when they meet after a long time? The truth is, I don’t even have a friend, let alone a fiancé.
Je-gal Hyang gave a vague answer instead of saying what she couldn’t.
“A delay? Ah! The Je-gal family has the authority to postpone engagements, right? You were skilled at calligraphy when you were younger! Are you still good at drawing bamboo or plum blossoms? Or writing poetry?”
“Ah, yes.”
Sorry. I’m busy plotting scenes from novels I love but can’t mention.
“Your sister is famous as a female poet, right? Are you planning to publish anywhere like the Literary Association to make a name for yourself?”
“I-I’m kind of doing something similar anonymously.”
I send letters to my favorite authors with my drawings and impressions, marked anonymously. I even received a thank-you letter not long ago.
Since it was anonymous, I could only receive it through the post office where I had sent the letter, but just thinking about that moment makes my lips twitch.
After sending an endless amount of letters, the thank-you letter I received…
I locked it up in a vault to treasure it.
“Can I see it?”
Haven’t we talked enough about each other’s lives? My aunt’s face is welcoming, but I hope she leads me to my room now. I can’t take any more of this.
Just when Je-gal Hyang thought this, a bomb dropped on her.
“Hmm?!”
“Isn’t it in your bag? Show your aunt just once.”
“Ah, uh, um, um that…”
If I show that, it would end my life before marriage! If a guy named Huh Song finds out about it, I’m done for! Je-gal Hyang couldn’t bring herself to say anything.
“Is it something you can’t show your aunt?”
Je-gal Hyang shrank back at the evident disappointment on her aunt’s face.
“U-uh…”
For someone struggling with communicating with others, saying “no” was incredibly hard for Je-gal Hyang. But she couldn’t show a book filled with scenes that could ruin her life.
After considering it thoroughly, she pulled out something from her baggage: beautifully written text.
With all the time she spent at home, Hyang had transcribed her favorite scenes to match a story she adored.
This should be fine. After all, I only copied cool scenes, so it won’t ruin my life.
“This is The Rise of the Tang Family?!”
It wasn’t a bad choice on her part.
The unfortunate fact was that the person listening from the side happened to be Huh Song, who recently opened a bookstore that was floundering.
“The Rise of the Tang Family? Is that the novel you wanted to publish? Wait! Didn’t you say you were writing anonymously?! Oh my gosh?! Is your true identity Huh Pil?!”
Her aunt stared at Je-gal Hyang with wide eyes.
“Huh? No, that’s not it…”
“Huh Pil… right. That’s why you used that pen name because of your silver hair!”
Silver hair is a common color in foreign lands. Although it’s not as discriminated against as black hair, it’s still a color worthy of the name Huh Pil.
Huh Song looked as if he had an epiphany.
“Our son is pretty observant! If the daughter of the Je-gal family is writing colored heroic stories, it makes sense she’d want to keep her identity secret!”
“W-wait, that’s not true!”
“No? Come on! A woman writing colored heroic stories? You’re embarrassed, right? Even if that’s the case, hiding stuff from family isn’t right!”
“Is this the rough draft of The Rise of the Tang Family?! Mother!”
Je-gal Hyang had no choice but to widen her eyes as Huh Song held up the handwritten copy of her work, looking like he had seized an opportunity to call for her mom.
What sort of nonsense misunderstanding could this be?
I need to clarify this misunderstanding.
“Song-a! Look over there! The world won’t end over this! Hyang! Can you come help your aunt?”
However, before she could deny it again, her aunt grabbed her hand.
“Hmm?”
“Hyang loves staying at home, right? For now, let her relax at my house. The rest, your cousin and I will take care of.”
“No, I really… don’t…”
“Yeah, I know that’s not true. I’ll say it’s not true in front of others!”
“I’ll keep the secret too.”
“Ah, no, that’s not…”
Je-gal Hyang desperately tried to deny it, but it was in vain.
The hidden identity of the writer Huh Pil, along with the fact that she was the daughter of the Je-gal family, and her disappointing communication ability quickly tangled together, shrouding her in misunderstandings without a chance of clearing things up.
In the end, the situation progressed beyond Je-gal Hyang’s control.
———————-
“What to dooooo? Why won’t they believe meeeee?”
Honestly, it wasn’t Je-gal Hyang’s fault for blaming her pretty looks and messy appearance. If it were someone else, they would have believed her.
People tend to believe what they want in the face of greed.
The heir examination for the Man Geum Battlefield. Ambitious expectations aside, a floundering bookstore. The arrival of The Rise of the Tang Family and Huh Pil could save it.
No matter how much she explained to her mother and aunt, they had no reason to believe her. Not with the high stakes of the Man Geum Battlefield exam at stake.
“Miss Hyang, aren’t you talking to yourself too much?”
“They say writers like Huh Pil usually talk to themselves a lot.”
Je-gal Hyang heard whispers from outside and felt a mix of embarrassment and frustration.
“Noooooo. I’m just talking to myself because I have no one to worry about me!”
She passively protested against the comments from outside. Of course, since it would be awkward if outsiders heard, she only muttered low enough for herself to hear.
Was it her fault that things had turned out this way? How does one talk to people who won’t believe her? Je-gal Hyang gazed at her brush and ink with a frown.
“Such an inconvenience for the writer Huh Pil…”
I need to write a letter of apology as soon as possible. Je-gal Hyang dipped her brush in ink, lost in thought.
What should I write?
[Dear Huh Pil. Please come kill me…]
No, that’s not right.
What kind of face would she even show to write such a strange letter? He might have a mental shock and write something famous at the Tea Bookstore.
It would be better to resolve this situation first and then send a letter to Huh Pil.
But…
“This is hardgggg.”
Je-gal Hyang sighed, her face contorted.
An exam for the heir of the Man Geum Battlefield—if she says she’s not Huh Pil, wouldn’t that mean her cousin would fail?
It’s such a nuisance for Huh Pil. But could she ruin her cousin’s life?
With a weak communication ability and introverted nature, Je-gal Hyang found being forced to choose incredibly agonizing.
She kept frowning, contemplating, but eventually came to a conclusion.
“First, I need to order food.”
To gather the courage to speak, she needed to fill her stomach first.
Je-gal Hyang pulled out the carrier pigeon item known as Nine Black Qi Hands, located in the corner.
Using a carrier pigeon for delivery food… what a modern concept.
Even though everything turned difficult once she came to Wuhan, at least this one thing was convenient. Who on earth thought of this?
How hard was it to order food at an inn before? Why does the world make it easier for those with poor communication skills, even when it comes to food?
Now, before entering the inn, she could just decide on the menu in her mind so she wouldn’t need to say anything before the waiter asked.
Once the delivery person arrives, she just needs to tell them to leave it over there. She just needs to hand over the correct amount of money without needing to leave any change. That way, she wouldn’t need to converse at all.
This was truly the latest invention suited for Je-gal Hyang.
“Jajangmyeon has arrived. Here are the fried dumplings as well.”
The delivery person arrived as if they had been waiting all along.
“Hmm?”
She only ordered jajangmyeon.
Something unexpected has happened. What should she say? Should she tell them she didn’t order the dumplings? Or did she accidentally order them without realizing it? If she did, what if she felt guilty about not eating the dumplings? Meanwhile, the delivery person must have had a hard time…
The unexpected variables set off her conversation anxiety again.
Seeing this, the man smiled and spoke first.
“The dumplings are a gift for your friend.”
“Huh?”
The man’s voice sounded familiar.
“How disappointing. To not even recognize the voice of a close friend.”
The man whipped off the hat that covered most of his face and hair in front of her.
A man with black hair? No way. It’s a handsome guy that’s hard to meet eye to eye.
“U-uh, um, who are you?”
I don’t have friends…
This is the worst. It seems he mistook her for someone else. This is the worst possible scenario. She can feel the friendly vibe closing in on her, even though she wanted to take a step back.
Je-gal Hyang finally averted her gaze from the man and managed to squeeze out her words.
“What the? The legendary Huh Pil can’t recognize the one and only close friend?”
Huh Pil?
Close friend?
Black hair?
“Ah!”
The man who brought The Rise of the Tang Family to the world. The one who risked his life for his friend Huh Pil. The manager of the Tea Bookstore.
A man’s name flashed through Je-gal Hyang’s mind.
Kang Yoon-ho, upon locking eyes with the frozen form of the fake Huh Pil, saw her as prey caught in a trap and grinned like a satisfied hunter.
“It seems you’re beginning to recognize me. Greetings, Huh Pil. I am Kang Yoon-ho from the Tea Bookstore.”
