“I’m all doneeeeee!”
With a satisfied glance at the mountain of piled papers, I stretched my arms.
“Master Kang! You really worked hard!”
Im Ha-yeon, who had been bringing me snacks and drinks at intervals, spoke up, relieved at the sight.
“I need to lie down on the bed. Ughhh.”
I had to finish writing somehow on time. After eating, sleeping, and just writing for half a month, I felt dizzy.
“I’ll help you move. Lean on me.”
“Thank you.”
I didn’t really need the support, but it was rare for Im Ha-yeon to initiate physical contact. So, I leaned on her as I lay down on the bed.
“Ughhh. The bed feels so good.”
“Did you really finish it? How can you write a novel in just half a month?”
A whole book in half a month? Gil-san seemed astounded, his face saying he couldn’t believe it.
“Just a rough draft. I need to revise it a few times.”
I didn’t plan to agonize over every single word for days on end, but I had to revise the content.
“You’re so impressive.”
“Why, man?”
Suddenly, Gil-san seemed unsatisfied.
“If you could write a book in half a month, why didn’t you write other books earlier?”
“Ughhhh…”
Gil-san, you’re right, but still.
“Who wouldn’t want to? I wish I could write comfortably like I’m sipping coffee while everyone else suffers in the hellish subway.”
I had always envied that life of waking up lazily, enjoying a cup of coffee, and writing peacefully while others struggled.
“The world’s biggest loser wouldn’t have that life.”
“Is it just Ho Pil’s life? There’s also Kang Yoon-ho’s life. I lose the Tea Bookstore, the Hao Gate thugs chase me with swords, when I try to start a business, there’s no end to the troublemakers. And suddenly, I have to take the successor test, and now the Demonic Cult is after my life. It’s a miracle that I’m writing in such a situation.”
Unfortunately, I was miles away from that enviable life. My life was about suffering in the hellish subway just like everyone else, tapping away at the keyboard while they all slept.
“Master Kang has had quite a tumultuous year.”
“If it weren’t for Im Ha-yeon, I would have collapsed long ago.”
“Hehe, it’s not that serious.”
But it really was. Im Ha-yeon tends to underestimate herself subtly. I would have collapsed long ago without her.
“Next year should be better, right?”
Gil-san, perhaps remembering how I had lived this year, comforted me with a bitter expression.
“That’s fine. I’m distant from the elegant swan life, so I’d rather live as a quacking duckling.”
Being born as a noble young master, just waving a pen as the world recognizes who you are—a pleasant life. But that kind of life was still far from me.
I’m a Black-haired Barbarian author. Here I am. Please recognize me.
I need to keep moving and keep shouting. I don’t mind rolling in the mud. Instead of regretting being born a swan, I have to keep moving forward.
As long as I live in this world, things won’t change that much.
“Your eyes are filled with energy despite what you’re saying.”
“Even if it’s hard, it’s fun.”
I looked up at the ceiling and chuckled softly.
“Huh?”
“It’s like the fun of squeezing myself dry. It’s been a long time since I lost track of time just writing.”
Usually, people talk about the agony of creation, but no one lives to feel pain.
Even the pain is just part of the joy of creation. Despite the struggle, I completed the rough draft. The satisfaction that soaked my head and heart left a smile on my face.
“…”
I felt eyes on me, like they were looking at an odd person.
“Why is everyone staring?”
“Hehe, you seem like a true author.”
Im Ha-yeon’s eyes drew a line as she covered her mouth with a smile.
“Seriously, you’re a weird guy.”
All authors are weirdos, after all.
——
It wouldn’t do to show the manuscript directly to the Elders’ Council, so I needed to find a way to print the book. When I mentioned it, Gil-san came back saying he knew a place with a printing press.
“Hey. The guy who told me said it’s an old printing press. Is that okay?”
The three of us headed to a small, storage-like place. It seemed that they were donating an extra printing press since there was a separate printing room next to where we were.
“It’ll be fine since we aren’t printing a lot.”
“Here it is! They said the instructions are tricky, shouldn’t we call someone from the Zhuge family?”
There wasn’t a speck of dust. Did they clean it beforehand? As I checked around, Gil-san pulled off the thick waterproof cloth covering the printing press.
“…”
I was momentarily speechless upon seeing the machine.
“Is there a problem?”
“…No. I know how to use it, so if you prepare the materials, I can use it.”
“Well, that’s good.”
“…”
I was lost in thought as I stared at the machine for a while.
It wasn’t that the printing press was too old. It wasn’t that there seemed to be any issues with the device either.
It was simply…
“Master Kang? Is something wrong?”
“It’s exactly the same.”
A nostalgic smile escaped me.
“Pardon?”
“I thought it was a similar model, but no matter how I look at it, it’s the exact same machine.”
“Is it the one you used before?”
I nodded at Im Ha-yeon’s words.
“Yes, it’s the same model I used when I printed the first volume of The Rise of the Tang Family. I cherished and used it, getting ink and oil all over my hands. I can’t believe I’m seeing the same model in the Zhuge family. It’s really a pleasure.”
The old printing press I had left in Yichang. I hadn’t seen that machine in almost a year.
I’m sorry for the elder abuse, but please hold on. You have to endure so that we can pay off our debts and survive. I was anxious it would break down.
“I can’t imagine Master Kang using a printing press with ink all over his hands.”
“That’s probably true. I haven’t used it even once since coming to Wuhan. Back in Yichang with Hwarin and…Oh!”
I tried to correct myself to avoid dropping a mistake, but it was too late.
“Y-Your fiancée from the Tang Family?”
Im Ha-yeon looked at me, shocked.
“Tsk tsk tsk. I knew this guy would eventually cause trouble.”
Gil-san. I do know that talking about another girl in front of a girl is an incredibly clueless act.
“I must have talked too much. The machine seems fine, so let’s go back…Im Ha-yeon?”
I tried to change the subject somehow, but Im Ha-yeon grabbed my sleeve as if she didn’t want to let go.
“Hey, about your fiancée… could you tell me?”
Im Ha-yeon looked up at me with a couple of resolutions in her eyes.
“That…”
“Hey, when it’s that kind of situation, don’t say you want to hear about it. Just say you want to poke into it.”
Gil-san tried to lighten the mood but it was already spilled milk. Im Ha-yeon’s grip on my sleeve tightened even more.
“Even when I was with Miss Ha-yeon, you avoided talking about your fiancée. I feel like now, I can finally hear about it.”
“Im Ha-yeon…”
This is a bit awkward.
I had avoided talking about Hwarin on purpose. From Miss Ha-yeon’s situation to the successor test, and even the Zhuge family.
The issues at hand were far too significant, and mentioning another fiancée in front of my fiancée would be a clueless act.
Certainly, the most significant reason was my guilt toward Hwarin.
Should I refuse? But I did come to ask for her marriage permission. Since Im Ha-yeon gathered her courage to request it, what could I possibly say?
In a moment, many thoughts flickered through my mind, and I ended up confessing one thing.
“I sent a letter.”
“A letter?”
“When Miss Ha-yeon left and I discovered the nature of the examination I was undergoing, I sent a letter to my fiancée at the Tang Family detailing the situation. It should have arrived back in the old evening, so if she was in Wuhan, she might have received a reply by now.”
“Ahhh…”
Im Ha-yeon was taken aback, evidently surprised by the issue.
“It’s something I should take responsibility for, so there’s no need for you to look guilty, Im Ha-yeon.”
What has happened in the Tang Family? How would Hwarin react upon receiving that news?
Even though she said it’d be okay to have another girl, what would she think upon finding out that a guy, who had told her he’d wait for ten years, was in line to become a son-in-law of the Zhuge family after just a year?
I’m worried too. Those thoughts I could not resolve kept tucked away in a corner of my head, but it was something I would have to face eventually.
“Still…”
“That’s right. Hwarin, it’s not your fault. It’s all because of the shameless guy who proposes while having a fiancée, along with the equally shameless grandfather.”
Gil-san, it’s true that that’s not wrong, but come on, sharing the blame with Man Geum-jeon isn’t very fair.
“When we first opened the Tea Bookstore…”
Is this okay? Since it’s come to this, let’s tell a bit of the story.
“Yeah?”
“It was all debts. The two of us with nowhere to turn, in a situation made difficult by debt. So we brainstormed together to write something that would sell. When I wrote the rough draft, Hwarin pointed out how the Tang Family historical references didn’t match…”
It’s only been a year since, but why does it feel so nostalgic?
“…”
“When I wrote, Hwarin was printing books all day in the printing room. She endured so much hardship…”
Im Ha-yeon listened with a strange expression, reminiscing about the memories in Yichang.
As I recounted those memories, Gil-san’s expression grew increasingly grim. Should I stop here?
“Initially, I came to Wuhan to get back the Tea Bookstore that Hwarin entrusted to me, but next thing I knew, I was in the Zhuge family.”
I ended my story with a bittersweet smile.
“That was…!”
“Of course, I’m here holding Im Ha-yeon’s hand. However, life tends to have unpredictable tendencies, and it’s possible for a guy from Joseon to end up being a son-in-law of the Zhuge family.”
Im Ha-yeon, I’m here of my own volition. I briefly hugged her with a smile on my face, just in case she might worry.
“Ahhh! M-Master Kang!”
“Uuuuu. The Black-haired Barbarian was being true to his instincts and now is trying to dress himself up.”
“Hey, man.”
I was trying to set the mood here, and you break in like that?
“Don’t take it too seriously. If we’ve got the same fiancée, focus on Hwarin!”
“I know.”
“Hehe, Master Kang.”
Im Ha-yeon smiled as if she was okay and gently pushed against my chest.
“Yes, Im Ha-yeon.”
Does she have something she wants to say?
Im Ha-yeon looked up at me with a clenched fist, her brow furrowed in determination.
“C-Can I see the rough draft too?”
“The rough draft? Of course.”
Suddenly? I was slightly surprised internally, but I realized her intention in her next words.
“I’ll draw pictures for it.”
I can’t back down. I can’t retreat. Her gaze, her determination, pierced through my heart.
I barely managed to suppress the urge to mess up her cheeks.
“…I look forward to working with you.”
Faced with her intense gaze filled with determination, I couldn’t help but reply.
——
“Master Kang! I’ve never seen such a novel before!”
“It’s a mystery genre.”
“It’s completely new to me! How could you write something like this in half a month…!”
It didn’t take long to revise the rough draft.
Just like a year ago when I was with Hwarin, this time, I was revising it with Im Ha-yeon.
“Master Kang! How about the protagonist doing this here?”
“Zhuge Xerlock is a member of the Zhuge family. In this situation, it would make sense for him to act like this.”
“Please bring the ink for printing.”
Finally, the printing press started up.
“Yeeees! Eek!”
“Im Ha-yeon, are you okay?”
“Hehe! It’s fine!”
In the chilly early winter, less than twenty days had passed.
“Finally…”
“They’ll call everyone tomorrow. Saying Ho Pil’s new work has come out.”
I was finally able to present my new work to everyone.
