140

Chapter 140 - Uninvited Guest - 7

Despite the fact that "Danggapungun" continues to sell out every day, and Hwa Rin's skin keeps getting better as the days pass, the dreadful reality that one must go to work every morning remains unchanged.

"Hey, Yoon Ho! Wake up!"

I stretched in bed, yawning at the sound of Hwa Rin's morning call. Lately, I've been writing the third volume of "Danggapungun," which means I'm terribly short on sleep. 

With work the next day and no progress on my writing, I cut down on sleep to write, catching brief naps before frantically waking up to go to work. Even after coming to this world and starting a genuine writer's life, it seems little has changed from reality. But maybe it's a perk that commuting now takes less than a minute. 

It seems I'm far from the life of a full-time novelist who can luxuriously sleep in and start writing with a coffee after brunch, even in this world.

"Go wash up already."

Hwa Rin frowned at me for dawdling in bed and nagged me. I blankly stared at her, my face still groggy with sleep.

"Hwa Rin. Your skin seems even better than yesterday."

"Really?"

Her frown dissipated in an instant at my remark.

It's true. A scholar must revisit what has been learned after only three days, but Hwa Rin's skin improves dramatically between night and morning.

"You're becoming more beautiful by the day, which truly moves this older brother."

I expressed my emotions with an exaggerated gesture as I spoke to Hwa Rin.

"Spare me the nonsense so early in the morning."

Take it easy and play along with the roleplay sometimes.

"It's really improving."

"It really is? Then hurry up and check for me."

At my words, Hwa Rin's face bloomed with color. She sat on her bed and tilted her head forward. 

Again with this. Ever since her skin started to get better, Hwa Rin began making strange requests. She wants me to touch her cleaned skin and confirm its condition with my hands, as if feeling the healed skin will make it more apparent.

"Touch it too much, and you'll catch skin poison. I checked it for you yesterday."

"What are you saying? Do I look like someone who would get addicted to skin poison?"

Well, she has a point there. Hwa Rin is half a toxin person who could digest and assimilate even the strongest poison, not to mention chewing steel like it's nothing. But still, she could just use a mirror instead of insisting on this.

It's like gaining a 20-enhanced weapon and enjoying it is enough, but there's this feeling like she wants to shout about it in global chat for validation.

"Okay, I'll do it."

I got out of bed with a reluctant expression and approached Hwa Rin.

"What's wrong? You don't want to?"

"No, it's not that."

"Haha. Really now."

I began to cautiously touch Hwa Rin's lower chin. The once blotchy and spotted skin that had been there. However, that was becoming a thing of the past.

Hwa Rin's hidden beauty was swiftly resurfacing.

Half of her lower chin had transformed into clean skin, and even the most affected areas have healed to the degree where only acne scars remained.

It felt like watching a high school girl who suffered severe acne due to the surge of hormones during her teenage years suddenly transforming after graduating and entering university.

The problem is this: is she turning into the perfect visage of a terror-inducing delinquent? At this rate, once her face fully recovers and she dares anyone to confront her, I might inadvertently look away.

"Definitely becoming prettier."

Did I speak too soon? I unwittingly spoke without filtering my thoughts.

"What, what, what? Ah!"

"That's enough."

To manage the situation, I finished by pressing firmly on Hwa Rin's T-zone as if massaging it, and then turned away.

"Ahhhh, why?"

Hwa Rin asked me as if it was unfair for me to stop midway.

"The sun is already high in the sky. We need to get ready and open up the bookstore."

Is there any reason to feel wronged? This was plenty enough.

"Um... Yoon Ho."

As I was about to go wash up, Hwa Rin called out to me with a look of regret.

"What is it?"

"My... My upper body has gotten even better."

"That's a relief."

"So, I was wondering..."

Hwa Rin avoided my gaze and timidly unbuttoned the top of her clothes. What are you doing, Hwa Rin? It's fine to boast about a 20-enhanced weapon but revealing your account password is a no-go.

"Do you, do you want to check here too?"

Hwa Rin slightly opened the front of her clothes and presented it towards me.

"...What?"

Suddenly, her ambiguous words echoed meaninglessly in my head. What am I checking? How am I supposed to check?

"No, I mean. Not like that. I mean... what if the healed part here is different. So, I thought... um... uh."

Hwa Rin's attempt to explain her slip of the tongue resulted in an overload. Meanwhile, she still hesitantly maintained a slight opening in her clothes.

Is this a trap set by Gongming? She is not from the Jegal Clan but from the Sacheondang Family. I stepped forward towards Hwa Rin.

"Yikes!"

Hwa Rin let out a shriek as my shadow fell upon her upper body, dodging my gaze. Why is she frightened by her own words that she can't handle?

Maybe she's too euphoric with her skin leveling up every day. Besides, Hwa Rin lacks a sense of personal distance since until recently, her friendless period has been as lengthy as her age – even more severe than a certain Kang Mo who has been a lifetime singleton.

"I'll touch it."

Gulp. At my thoughtless declaration, a swallowing noise could be heard from somewhere. Hwa Rin, you're supposed to refuse in times like this. If I leave her like this, she really will get into trouble.

I need to set an example.

With the precision of a sinkerball thrown by Chae Gwoo from Kungnae Palace that drops at a right angle, I diverted my hand's direction from Hwa Rin's front and pinched her waist.

"Hey! What are you touching!"

Hwa Rin leaped from the bed like a child startled by hot water in a bath.

"I told you to check the upper body."

"Did I tell you to touch there?"

"Then, where should I touch?"

Kang Yoon Ho knows nothing at all.

"That's, well... geez."

When she saw my confused face, Hwa Rin looked frustrated. Yet this wasn't quite enough to serve as an adequate lesson.

"Hwa Rin. When I touched, I felt something..."

I deliberately leaned closer to Hwa Rin's ear and spoke in a careful tone.

"What is it?"

"...You seem to be overeating these days."

"Hey! Kang Yoon Ho!"

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

I quickly darted into the washroom and locked the door behind me.

"You're dead when you come out!"

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Before I knew it, it was closing time. The customers and the staff had left, and only Hwa Rin and I remained.

"I'll be printing in the print room. Please take care of the rest."

"Let's do it together."

"I need to move my body a bit."

"That thing from before was a joke."

"Enough already."

Hwa Rin, perhaps still bothered by our morning exchange, hurried off to the print room in quick steps.

"Alright. Let's eat after everything is done."

After sending Hwa Rin to the print room, I took care of the remaining cleanup. Although the staff had nearly finished and there wasn't much left to do, the final touches are always the responsibility of a superior.

After a brief cleanup, I headed towards the entrance to lock the door, but I sensed someone's presence at the door.

"Is this the place?"

"Yes, correct."

Suddenly, several men dressed in windbreaker robes entered the bookstore. Is it raining outside? They came in with hoods pulled over their heads.

"Gentlemen, we have finished for the day."

Didn't they see the sign that says we're closed?

With the smile of Kang, your friendly neighborhood bookstore owner, I issued the decree to leave to the guests. However, my words seemed to go unheeded, as the men in windbreaker robes kept coming in.

"Gentlemen?"

Are they customers looking for "Danggapungun"? It's not the first time this has happened, but there are no exceptions.

"Block this entrance. If there's another exit, find and close it. Only a few stay inside with the deputy leader."

"Understood."

When the middle-aged man commanded and took off his windbreaker robe, I realized something was terribly wrong.

'Why are the warriors of Sacheondang suddenly showing up here?'

The color of the exposed hair of the middle-aged man was purple. At a closer look, even the other men's hair was all purple.

"Where is the person you spoke of?"

"There. That man."

When one of the warriors pointed at me in response to the middle-aged man's inquiry, the latter's gaze bore down on me.

Their intentions are evidently unkind. The gaze I feel is unsettling. A danger alert races through my body. This could complicate a quiet night's rest.

"Aha! Isn't this the warrior from Sacheondang who visited Dasolgak the other time? What brings you here?"

I approached the man who pointed at me with an ingratiating expression.

"..."

Despite my attempts to acknowledge him, the warrior simply avoided my gaze. Just say outright that you came with bad intentions.

Is this because of "Danggapungun"? Whatever the reason, they've blocked the entrance. If their intentions aren't friendly, I'm in danger alone.

I need to buy Hwa Rin, who's in the print room, some time to notice the visitors. I tried to continue the dialogue.

"Perhaps you're looking for volume three? Unfortunately, it has not been released yet. If you've returned hoping to see volume three, I could specially prepare one for you later...."

"Are you the owner of Dasolgak?"

The middle-aged man cut me off and got straight to the point.

"Yes, I am the owner of Dasolgak. Now I see you're from the same Sacheondang. Have you perhaps come to buy more copies of "Danggapungun" because you praised it?"

Please say you just came to place an additional order. I'll even give you a new book freshly printed from the print room.

"Where is Hophil?"

Hophil the writer is your friend? I wanted to fire back a retort, but let's resist. I dropped my sales smile and reopened my mouth with a serious expression.

"I cannot disclose Hophil the writer's personal details. If you have a message, I will convey it to them."

"Can't disclose, you say... I didn't expect it to be easy."

In a flash, the middle-aged man's hand gripped my throat. A high-level martial artist. Even with enhanced eyesight and reflexes, I couldn't dodge the hand attacking my throat.

"Cough!"

The grip tightened around my neck. I was unable to breathe. I tried to resist but was simply blocked by his skill.

It seemed the middle-aged man didn't intend to kill me, for as soon as I showed enough discomfort, he set me back down.

"Now, are you ready to answer my questions?"

"What is this all about?"

I grasped my throat, struggling for air, and asked the man.

"You should already know why we're here."

"If it's about "Danggapungun," you are grossly mistaken. The protagonist of "Danggapungun" is a noble wandering hero. There's nothing in its content that warrants such persecution. If you've read it, there wouldn't be any reason for you to threaten me like this."

There have been novels before where a character from Sacheondang is portrayed as a villain stirring up trouble. But I have never heard of a writer who created such stories being harmed by someone from Sacheondang.

Unless I had written something that crossed a serious line, which I hadn't. Far from crossing any lines, I have only written stories where the protagonist from Sacheondang walks a path of righteousness.

Why on earth have these people come looking for me?

"Is the person who wrote under the name Hophil pretending to be ignorant?"

"I don't understand what you're talking about."

"You will pretend you don't know to the bitter end. Alright."

"What do you mea-- Cough!"

The middle-aged man's hand gripped my throat once more, lifting me off my feet.

"Tell me where Hophil lives. If you don't, I'll start by punishing you, presumed to be his 'Chium' (accomplice)!"

"Why are you doing this!"

I barely squeezed air from my lu

ngs, asking the man for an explanation. The middle-aged man, venting his fury, revealed the reason to me.

It was a reason I hadn't anticipated at all.

"You lot! Have you dared to publish a book about a secret affair of Sacheondang from over 20 years ago and still hope to live?!"