The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel-Chapter 149: Temporary Closure - 3

A black-haired barbarian... finished an entire pineapple pizza.

There could be no greater proof of bloodline in the Sichuan Tang Clan than this.

The restaurant had fallen silent as the Pavilion Guard focused solely on me. I turned to the Pavilion Head and asked if he was ready to acknowledge me now.

The Pavilion Head glanced around the room, clearly registering the situation, his face twisting into reluctant discomfort.

Hurry up and admit it. You saw the undeniable evidence. You witnessed the proof through blood. You’re the only one still holding out.

After staring at me with visible displeasure, the Pavilion Head finally opened his mouth.

“Prepare to depart for the Sichuan Tang Clan.”

At last—he acknowledged it.

A declaration that he would no longer try to sever my neck. And, indirectly, that he now recognized me as the Tang Clan Head’s illegitimate son.

“That alone isn’t enough.”

I responded with a firm expression, unwilling to yield even a step.

The Pavilion Head continued to glare at me with clear irritation, but I held my gaze, locking eyes in silent defiance.

Don’t think you’re getting away that easily. You’ve still got one more thing to say. He stared a while longer, then sighed heavily and finally declared in a voice loud enough for all to hear:

“...Fine. In my name, I will protect and escort you and this child.”

Now that’s more like it.

With everyone watching, the Pavilion Head had just declared that I was under his protection. Meaning, in effect, that he recognized me as the illegitimate son of the Tang Clan Head.

“When do we leave?”

“Tomorrow.”

“If only Hwa-rin were going, that’d be one thing. But if I’m going too, I’ll need to temporarily close Daseogak. Leaving tomorrow won’t be possible.”

There were too many things to handle before departure—debt documentation, the Storm of the Tang Clan issue—there’s no way I could leave immediately.

“You need extra time just to close a shop?”

Clearly, this man’s never run a business before. If I post an abrupt closure notice and skip the formalities, I’ll be met with a full-blown carriage protest. Just picturing the Daseo Society going on a wagon strike makes me want to scream.

“There’s more than a few things that need settling. I can’t just vanish overnight.”

“I cannot delay the schedule any longer.”

“This isn’t a pig we’re escorting to slaughter—it’s a guest. You’ve been doing everything your way since you showed up. At least try a little consideration this time.”

“......”

Not willing to budge, huh? The Pavilion Head didn’t answer, just crossed his arms and stared me down.

Well, sure. With the Tang Clan’s heir lying at death’s door, delaying things over some bastard child wouldn’t sit well with him. But that’s their problem. What matters to me... is my situation.

Looks like I’ll need to try another angle.

“Well then, I should introduce myself. Good day, everyone!”

I stood up to break the stalemate and smiled as I addressed the Pavilion Guards who had all been watching me.

“Ah, greetings.”

“Good day to you.”

They seemed unsure how to react. Makes sense—illegitimate sons aren’t even treated as true family members, ranked below even concubine-borns. But the Tang Clan’s situation right now was too ambiguous.

“It’s an honor to meet members of the great Sichuan Tang Clan. I’m Kang Yun-ho—the man who ate an entire pineapple pizza.”

At this point, I still couldn’t even use the surname Tang. I was just the illegitimate son. But by leaning into the joke and emphasizing the bloodline, I made sure they wouldn’t take me lightly.

“I imagine you’ve already heard about me. And since there are many ears around, let’s save any deeper talk for later. For today, I’d like to treat all of you distinguished folks to a proper meal. Shopkeeper!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Bring out Sichuan-style sweet and sour pork, kung pao chicken, and a few other dishes—enough for one plate per two people.”

“Wooooaaaah!”

“Let them drink baekju to their heart’s content. Put it on Daseogak’s tab.”

“Yeeeeaaaah!!”

Cheers erupted from the Pavilion Guards. See? This is how you win people over.

“Haha! Tonight, loosen your belts, relax from the road, and let’s get ready to head back to Sichuan. I look forward to working with all of you.”

“Thank you for the meal!”

Unlike with the Pavilion Head, I treated the Pavilion Guards with formal respect, acting the part of a polite young man as I sat back down.

“The men won’t be in shape to travel first thing tomorrow if they’re hungover.”

They’d returned to Yichang without eating. Forbidding them from feasting now would absolutely ruin the mood. No matter how stubborn the Pavilion Head might be, even he wouldn’t want to kill the current vibe.

I gave the Pavilion Head a victorious grin.

“...Tch. I’ll give you one day.”

“We’ll coordinate the schedule as needed.”

One day? Please. If you push back again, I’ve got plenty more tricks up my sleeve.

I spent the rest of the meal sharing drinks with the Pavilion Guards and wrapping up our dinner at Gukhwaru.

---------

Daseogak has pretty solid security.

We had a break-in attempt once by someone trying to steal Storm of the Tang Clan, so we invested in some proper protective measures.

I locked the front door of Daseogak, double-checked all the safety mechanisms, locked the second floor, and finally climbed to the attic and locked that too.

The Pavilion Guards offered to stand watch tonight, but I politely refused, telling them to get some rest. No one could be allowed into Daseogak tonight.

There was a reason.

I turned my head to face that reason.

“Hey. Yun-ho. Explain.”

Standing there with her arms crossed and an ominous look in her eyes... was Hwa-rin.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“Your friend’s story?”

Hwa-rin asked me again after hearing the rough outline.

The real events, the coincidences, and Hwa-rin’s own existence had all tangled together, backing me into an absurd corner and forcing me to lie. It must’ve sounded ridiculous to her.

Honestly, I wanted to tell her everything—the truth. She was the only person I could even think to confide in. But I had no choice but to swallow the unfairness and carry it in silence.

Once a lie has started, it has to be carried through to the end.

The “Poisoned One friend” story was the foundation I’d laid to form a bond with Hwa-rin. If I denied even that, the relationship we’d built might collapse.

“Yeah. I’m not the illegitimate son of the Clan Head. My friend is.”

I chose to refute one side of the contradictory narrative.

“Then why did you tell it like it was your story?”

“What else could I do? You were about to cut off my wrist even if I was just friends with the bastard child. You think I was gonna admit to even that?”

“Well... that’s... true.”

“I didn’t want to lose my hand, so I used my wits to get out of a crisis.”

A worse crisis than the Black Tiger Camp incident. I had no reason to lie to Hwa-rin further. I’d lied to the Pavilion Guard, but now I was telling her the truth.

We’d shared a secret in the middle of that chaos. By crafting this shared contradiction, we could flip the narrative from disaster to something deeper.

In a way, I was using a mix of truth and lies to strengthen the trust between us.

Hwa-rin nodded slowly, seeming to accept my explanation. Then she asked,

“Then why did you include your friend’s story in Storm of the Tang Clan?”

To use the Friend Shield.

I almost answered too quickly. No, that would make me sound like a total jerk. I had to give a logical reason—one that fit my “tragic friend” persona.

“...I just... wanted to see his father’s face.”

“That’s it? That’s why?”

Hwa-rin asked with a bit of irritation. I guess to her, it sounded like this entire mess was my fault.

Time to act. Adjust the emotional tone. Become the guy haunted by a friend’s tragic fate. Imagine someone destroyed by destiny... Who would that be... Ah.

“It’s just... messed up, you know? One person suffered his whole life, born a Poisoned One just because of his blood—and the guy who gave him that blood is out there, laughing and living like nothing happened. I wanted to see his face. And... if he turned out to be a decent guy... I wanted to tell him his son died.”

What kind of cruel world burdens only one person with all that misfortune?

I pictured a black-haired girl trapped by a cursed fate, and let that image fuel my expression—bitter, aching—as I looked Hwa-rin in the eyes.

“......”

She stared at «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» me with a strange expression. See? When logic fails, raw emotion wins.

“The friend I kn—”

“That’s—”

She tried to speak, but I cut her off with a puzzled look.

“...Was it really worth risking our lives over?”

There was pain, frustration in her voice.

Was she upset about the Poisoned One story? Understandable. It had landed us in a crisis.

“Hwa-rin. No. Of course not. I didn’t know anything about the Lecher. I just included my friend’s father, so that if any issues came up with the novel, I could use the Remembrance Ring.”

“Then why didn’t you say anything earlier?”

“I didn’t realize the Pavilion Head was talking about him until later. That’s when it hit me—illegitimate children of powerful people often get abandoned. And anyway, the attention needed to stay on you, not my friend. I didn’t want to complicate things by bringing up someone who wasn’t even here.”

I twisted the story just slightly, making it seem like I was trying to protect her from further complications.

“......”

Her expression didn’t soften. In fact, it looked sadder now, as she stared at me.

Why...? Oh. I hadn’t said the most important part yet.

“I mean it—about your father. I really didn’t know. If that’s what upset you... I’m sorry. No, this whole situation, all of it—it’s my fault. I’m sorry.”

I bowed my head and apologized earnestly.

I had my suspicions, but she had been blindsided. She’d had her life threatened for no clear reason—and on top of that, was suddenly told the truth about her birth.

She deserved an apology.

“It’s fine. That guy’s not my father—he’s just a rapist. And you’re not the only one who should be sorry. Of all things, you used the Lecher’s story, and I just happened to be at Daseogak... That’s why this happened. I’m sorry, too.”

Hwa-rin lifted my head by the shoulders. That alone was enough to make me feel grateful.

“I wanted to believe it was just coincidence, but... even I can’t sell that story.”

She looked like she was about to laugh or cry.

“Well... thanks to you, we are heading to the Tang Clan. We might actually get to see that bastard punished. So, really, I’m thankful.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“...It’s just...”

She hesitated again, like something was weighing on her.

“Just?”

“...That crazy woman... maybe she did have a reason for hating me.”

She said it with a bitter smile, clearly thinking about her mother—the woman who had treated her like dirt her whole life.

Was keeping the truth hidden her way of showing some kind of twisted affection? Or just something too painful to speak aloud?

Maybe that’s what was bringing this weight to her expression.

“Hwa-rin. Even if she had her reasons, it doesn’t excuse what she did to you.”

She wasn’t just a crazy woman. Now she was a crazy woman with excuses.

“I know. It’s just... learning that even that lunatic had her reasons makes it feel even worse.”

“Hwa-rin...”

This was one of those moments where the only thing I could offer... was comfort.

I gently took her hands in mine.

She gripped mine tightly in return, then slowly shifted her weight and leaned her forehead against my chest.

“Why is my life such a fucking mess?”

Her voice trembled. There were tears in it.

“It’s our mess of a life.”

Mine’s a disaster too.

“You really... You’ve got this goddamn talent for digging into people’s hearts, even in moments like this.”

Didn’t even know I had that talent.

Hwa-rin buried her face against my chest and stayed like that for a long time.

********

There were far too many problems left unresolved.

As Tang Hwa-rin rested against that broad, dependable chest, she thought:

This is just a breather. What’s coming next will be even more intense.

But for some reason... she didn’t feel afraid.

With him at her side—his presence pressing warmly against her forehead, filling the space in her chest—she felt like she could face it all.

There was so much she needed to ask, things she needed to say.

Especially what had happened back at Gukhwaru.

But... before any of that—

“Hwa-rin.”

She pulled her forehead away from his chest and looked up at him.

“Yeah?”

“Yun-ho... your fr-friend...”

Her voice trembled with her heart.

“...Yeah.”

Trying not to let her emotions show, she stiffened her expression.

There was one thing she wanted to know.

A question that always lingered in her mind—hovering on the tip of her tongue but buried deep in her chest.

Like a thorn stuck in the sole of her shoe—it always made itself known.

But this time... she decided to ask.

“Was your friend... a girl?”