I saved the Shadowless Phantom Thief twice now.

I don’t know if she’s already called the Shadowless Phantom Thief or if she’ll earn that title later, but still—twice. Even if that name’s reserved for legendary thieves, no way her conscience’s as slippery as her fingers.

There’s no way she’d just pretend not to know me after I pulled her ass out of trouble twice, right?

Sure, I had some help from the Western Escort Bureau’s “Fated Encounter Engineering Squad” on that second one, but whatever. She would’ve gotten caught when they double-checked the cargo anyway.

I just added a bit of drama to something that was bound to happen.

I even saved a bunch of people from awkward face-offs in the process. So yeah, I think I’ve earned a little bit of karmic payback.

Now, I just have to wait.

I mean, I’m no prince on a white horse, but I can pull off the “barbarian on a donkey” look. So, surely, she’ll come to thank me.

— This humble thief owes you her life—twice over.

— A real man never turns away from a damsel in distress.

— Oh... you’re so cool.

Yep. Perfect.

Throw out some charming line, vanish like a badass, and she’ll remember me fondly. And if she offers to show me her treasure stash? Yeah, I won’t be saying no to that.

"Youthful Master."

Here we go. My mental rehearsal’s perfect. Just a few words, then I’m back to my cabin.

Like a boy detective who fell for a female thief after too much chasing, I put on my coolest face and turned my head.

"...Whoa!"

"Ah!"

The moment I turned around, there she was—her nose practically touching mine.

Way too close! Instinctively, I leaned back to put some space between us.

"Ah—!"

Terrible timing. Of course, the boat chose now to rock with the current. With my weight off balance, leaning back, the deck jerked, and my feet lost contact.

Gravity vanished for a split second. I was about to land on my ass when the boat bounced again with a loud thunk.

What is this, a Viking ride? Or a damn disco spin?

"Aaaah!"

"Grab him!"

After tumbling across the deck a couple of times, the Shadowless Phantom Thief grabbed my wrist.

"You okay?!"

No, I’m not okay. I almost got flung into the river!

"I’m fine. Now would you kindly let go of my hand?"

What’s with this girl? Holding onto another man’s hand like that when I’m taken.

"Ah! S-Sorry! I’m just... used to sneaking up on people without a sound."

What, do you knock out guards for a living? I almost said something snarky, but held back.

She let go of my hand like she’d just touched something gross—like some high school girl brushing against the stuffy desk of a weird classmate.

Familiar reaction. Not one I missed.

Well, this wasn’t part of the plan.

I was supposed to strike a cool pose, not faceplant like an idiot. What now? I didn’t plan for boat turbulence. Totally caught off guard.

"Ahem. The moon over the Yangtze looks especially beautiful tonight."

Let’s just pretend none of that happened. I gazed up at the sky, like a carefree noble enjoying a moonlit night.

"You might wanna dust off your clothes before you enjoy the view."

Come on, play along for once.

God, this is embarrassing. If I had a save/load button, I’d hit load in a heartbeat. Why doesn’t real life come with one?

"Fine, I’ll dust off."

Face burning, I fought to cool myself down with the river breeze and started brushing off my clothes.

"Here, I brought a duster. Use this."

How the hell did she find this so fast? She’s quick.

I took it from her, brushing off both the dirt and the shame.

"Thanks. So, what brings you out under the moonlight?"

After forcing my face into something calm, I asked in a serious tone.

"I came to thank you. For saving me. Twice."

She gave a respectful bow.

"No need for that. If you take in a stray dog, you take responsibility. I saved you, so I finished what I started. It was nothing."

I waved her off like it was no big deal.

But seriously, if you just walk away after this, you’re not the Shadowless Phantom Thief—you’re the Shameless Phantom Thief. One more thank-you, c’mon.

"I couldn’t possibly leave without saying something after you saved me twice. Really, thank you."

Guess she’s not totally shameless after all. She bowed again.

"I just couldn’t turn away from a woman in distress."

I turned my head slightly, pretending to be shy, staring out at the river.

I could feel her eyes on me.

After everything she’d been through, the only one who reached out a hand to help her on that ship was me. And I didn’t even want thanks? Yeah, to her, I probably looked like some chivalrous hero.

Sure, I made it all up on the fly, but hey, I pulled it off, didn’t I? Burn this moment into your memory. If you turn out to be a true heroine, you better remember this.

"What’s your name, Young Master?"

Wow, that was fast.

"Shouldn’t you be telling me something first?"

You want to know my name? Introduce yourself first.

"Ah... I’m... um... Ah! Du Eung-hyang."

She hesitated, then dropped a name I never expected. What the hell? That’s the name of a heroine from my novel.

"You’d be better off telling me the real reason instead of lying."

That’s not your name. I shot her a disappointed look.

I’ve got your whole character file memorized. I know your nickname, your title, and your real name. You’ve gotta do better than that.

"I’m sorry. It’s just... with my status as a runaway courtesan... But if you tell me your name, I promise I’ll repay the favor."

Worried that if anyone knew her real name and she got caught, she’d be in deep trouble? Fair enough. Not like there are many pink-haired beauties out there anyway.

"Kang Yun-ho."

I turned and told her my name directly.

"Kang... Yun-ho? Do you live in Yichang?"

That reaction was... weird. Her brow furrowed in the oddest way.

"How did you know? I’m Kang Yun-ho of Daseogak in Yichang."

"You! Youuuuuu!"

Her eyes went wide as she pointed a finger right at me.

"Me?"

What the hell is with this pointing?

I was about to ask what her deal was, when she blurted it out herself.

"You’re that infamous bookstore owner, Kang Yun-ho?!"

...What the hell?

------------

"The worst bookstore owner? What the hell do you mean by that?"

"I know everything! You’re Kang Yun-ho, the crooked merchant of Yichang!"

She practically spat the words at me.

Come on. Kindness, truth, justice, chivalry—those are the words that suit me. The worst bookstore owner? A crooked merchant? That makes me sound like some scam artist.

"A crooked bookstore owner? That’s not something I can just laugh off, not as an honest businessman. What exactly makes you call me the worst bookstore owner? Let’s hear it."

"Is it true you sold a ridiculous number of Storm of the Tang Clan copies but can’t say how much you actually paid the author Ho-pil?"

"...That’s true."

I pocketed all of it.

"And is it also true that you held off printing Volume 2 even though you already had it, just to make sure Volume 1 sold as much as possible?"

"That’s true, too."

That’s just basic business sense.

"And whenever something goes wrong, you make Ho-pil write some sob story to win public sympathy! °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° That 'This is Ho-pil...' stuff is even famous in Wusan!"

"...That’s probably true."

Public relations is everything.

"And when you do those main wife popularity polls, you sell cheap drinks at insane prices, and no one even knows how much influence their vote actually has!"

"...That’s also... true."

How else am I supposed to sell main wife sets for the next heroines?

She fired off her accusations like a machine gun. Kinda hard to argue, honestly.

"See?! You are the worst bookstore owner!"

The Shadowless Phantom Thief pointed at me like she’d just cracked the case, not as a thief, but as a top-class detective.

"I... I’m... the worst bookstore owner? I’m the worst bookstore owner?"

"I can’t believe I got help from Kang Yun-ho... I got help from you! The other girls at the brothel are going to tease me about this forever!"

She clutched her head like her world had just ended.

"Wait, young lady..."

So Storm of the Tang Clan has reached all the cities near Yichang, huh? And yeah, maybe Kang Yun-ho the merchant is hard to defend right now.

But what about Kang Yun-ho, Ho-pil’s one true friend? The man of loyalty? She clearly doesn’t know about that part.

I handled all the chaos in Ho-pil’s place, even went to the Tang Clan myself. I’ve gotta clear this up.

But she didn’t give me the chance.

"Just wait and see! I won’t forget this debt... or this humiliation!"

With eyes shimmering in frustration, she shot me one last glare before disappearing without giving me time to reply.

What the hell does that even mean—won’t forget the debt and the humiliation?

----------

No matter how tangled the misunderstandings, the boat still headed for its destination.

"Yichang ahead!"

"We can see Yichang!"

"Prepare to dock!"

"Young lady."

I called out to the Shadowless Phantom Thief, who was sitting in the corner of the cabin, still glaring at me like I owed her something.

"Hmph!"

What now? She snapped her head away from me.

"Do you have a place to stay?"

"...I’m thinking of heading to the Hao Clan’s Yichang branch."

She answered calmly, probably because she saw the concern on my face.

Stubborn little thief. Part of me wanted to just ignore her, but if we parted like this, I felt like my reputation might just even out at zero.

"Take this."

I pulled out my trump card from inside my robe and tossed it to her.

"What’s this?"

She caught the small pouch.

"You said you lost your coin purse, didn’t you? I put some travel money in there, take it."

Enough to last her a month at an inn if she’s careful with it.

"..."

She looked up at me, eyes wide at the sound of coins jingling inside.

"This is probably where we part ways, but I hope you get through everything safely."

And don’t you dare come rob Daseogak, home of the best damn bookstore owner.

"...Why are you being so kind to me?"

Because there’s a chance you’re a true heroine.

"You said your name was Du Eung-hyang, didn’t you? After hearing that, how could I stand by and do nothing?"

"What do you mean...?"

"We’ve arrived in Yichang. Didn’t you say you needed to get the news to the Hao Clan quickly?"

I turned my back on her puzzled face and looked out the cabin window.

That familiar sight after months away—the city I knew so well. I watched as the boat approached the dock in Yichang.

This is where the goodwill ends. I opened the cabin door like I had nothing more to say.

Go on now.

"Hmph! Fine! Goodbye!"

Guess she got the message. She stood tall, like some noble lady being escorted, and strode out of the cabin.

That would probably be the end of our story.

I mean, what reason would I have to stick with the Shadowless Phantom Thief?

It’s a shame she didn’t give me the chance to clear up her misunderstanding, but now that she’s in Yichang and not Wusan, maybe she’ll find out the truth and fix that wrong impression herself.

"No way we’re going to keep running into each other, right?"

There’s only one reason a bookstore owner and a thief would cross paths. Just thinking about it makes me want to avoid her for good.

I stepped into the familiar streets, hoping those words wouldn’t come back to haunt me.

Back in Yichang, at last.