"The word is that Miss Hwa-rin’s mother was murdered."

I knew about the issue the Chief Steward mentioned, but it was one of those things I shoved to the back of my mind.

"I’ve heard, too."

I saw it myself, after all. I was right there when Hwa-rin’s mother died.

"They never figured out who the killer was, but when the creditors reached the estate in Shaanxi Province, all they found were rotting corpses."

The Chief Steward gave me a quick rundown of the horror the creditors discovered when they arrived at that mansion in Shaanxi.

Tang Geo-ho, that bastard, really went full scumbag.

Hwa-rin must’ve chased him all the way from the Tang Clan in Sichuan, to Seong Family Manor in Daeheung County, then to Yichang, and finally to Shaanxi. What a waste of time that must’ve been.

Like going to a collab store because they’re giving out coupons for your favorite game, only to find out it’s sold out. Then you drag yourself to another location, hoping against hope, and it’s sold out there too.

And when you finally find one last place with a sliver of hope, the staff just look at you and go, "What’s that?" "You know, the otaku game event starting today." "Oh, that. Yeah, it’s sold out." The sheer humiliation. That rage? Yeah, this must’ve been worse.

Tang Geo-ho, you worthless piece of shit. I don’t care how pissed you were, man. Post about it in some cult forum or your damn Tang Clan family group chat. Why the hell would you kill innocent people?

"Is this debt issue because of Hwa-rin’s mother?"

Hwa-rin and I had promised the creditors that we’d repay half of the Baek Family’s debt in exchange for protecting Daseogak.

Of course, we only got that deal by playing a few tricks and handing over the whereabouts of her runaway mother.

"Yes. They don’t know if the killer stole everything, or if some thief came by after the murder, but most of the valuables were taken. They recovered far less than expected, so now they’re talking about making Miss Tang Hwa-rin pay the remaining debt."

So her mother was supposed to take care of the rest, but they didn’t get as much as they thought they would, huh?

"That’s ridiculous. We already took responsibility for half the debt that we didn’t even have to pay. Now they want her to take on the rest?"

The deal with the creditors ended when we told them where her mother was. Now they want more money? That’s a joke.

"Yes, you’re right. But people who’ve lost money don’t let go of regrets so easily, it seems. Now that Miss Hwa-rin is the only blood relative of the Baek Family, they say it’s only fair she pays the rest. One of them even came to me, offering money to get me to convince her to take on more debt. Can you believe that?"

The Chief Steward shook his head and gave a dry laugh.

"Hwa-rin has done everything she needed to as a granddaughter. Even if they had some excuse, no one should be arguing over something that’s already sealed."

"Now that she’s officially recognized as a member of the Tang Clan, the creditors can’t push this nonsense much further. But if they decide to act as a group, Daseogak might get noisy."

So they won’t just storm in and cause trouble, but they might start being annoying.

I should include that in my first letter to Hwa-rin—let her know everything’s arrived safely and what’s going on with Daseogak.

"I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you."

I thanked the Chief Steward and drank the now-cold tea.

-------

With nothing left to do at Sichuan Escort Bureau, I slipped on a black hat and made my way to Daseogak, feeling oddly cheerful.

"Aigoo! Aigoo!"

Was that actual wailing?

Just like I’d heard, a huge crowd had gathered near Daseogak’s front gate.

"I offer prayers for Manager Kang Yun-ho’s safe return. As always, there’s no formal ritual, so everyone just do what you will."

Getting closer, I spotted a familiar face leading this... ceremony. One of the Daseohoe members.

"May Manager Kang survive the harsh tortures of the Tang Clan and come back alive."

"If he’s tortured by the Tang Clan, he won’t make it back alive!"

"Then I’ll pray for the peaceful return of Manager Kang Yun-ho’s soul."

"Hey!"

"Tang Clan Storm, Volume 3. Tang Clan Storm, Volume 3. Tang Clan Storm, Volume 3..."

"Buddha. Primordial Lord. I’ve prayed for Manager Kang Yun-ho’s safe return for 120 days straight."

"Didn’t he say he didn’t believe in this stuff? Now he’s here every day."

As I stepped closer, I saw a large table loaded with all sorts of food.

Were they actually doing a ritual? I thought they’d just put out a bowl of purified water or something, but this was on the level of an ancestral rite.

'Is this why I dreamed about eating a full feast?'

I’m not dead yet. There’s no way, but with this many people praying, who knows.

Despite all the noise from Daseohoe’s prayers for my safe return, the locals in Yichang barely glanced over—they were clearly used to this now.

Has this become... normal?

Should I announce I’m back right here? Or maybe sneak in and reopen quietly? ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ While I was debating, a man suddenly raised his voice.

"I’m telling you, it’s pointless! It’s been months since Manager Kang was dragged off to the Tang Clan. No news from Sichuan, and Ho-pil hasn’t even written a single ‘This is Ho-pil...’ post. It’s over!"

"Hey!"

"There he goes again, ruining the mood!"

"Let’s just hang him up already!"

"How long are you gonna keep up this nonsense? You think Manager Kang’s really coming back because of this? It’s over!"

He shouted, refusing to back down from the other Daseohoe members.

I mean, technically, he wasn’t wrong. The black-haired barbarian gets thrown into the Tang Clan’s dungeon, the author disappears, Tang Clan Storm is on hiatus. Giving up might make sense.

But come on, who am I? I’m Kang Yun-ho, the guy who came back alive from the tiger’s den.

"It wasn’t pointless."

The main character always shows up at the perfect moment. I activated Soyoon Mental Resonance and made sure they could all hear me.

"What?"

"Whaaaat?"

Maybe it was the voice they knew, but all at once, everyone turned to me.

"Good to see you all again."

I took off my black hat and greeted the Daseohoe members for the first time in months.

"Manager Kang!"

"It’s Manager Kang!"

"He’s back!"

"Is that really Kang Yun-ho?"

The man leading the ceremony, the same guy who used to argue about who the main wife was, ran up to me looking like he’d seen his dead grandfather come back to life. Scholar Hwang.

"Scholar Hwang. Long time no see."

I grabbed his shoulder and greeted him with a smile.

"My god! Are you hurt anywhere? Did they torture you in the Sichuan Tang Clan?"

Scholar Hwang scanned me up and down like he couldn’t believe I was standing there.

"Haha. There were a few close calls, but thanks to your prayers, I made it back in one piece."

"You’re serious? It was the prayers?"

"Spread the word to Daseohoe!"

"It’s real...?"

The Daseohoe members left the table and swarmed around me.

"What happened to Tang Clan Storm? Are they making you stop Volume 3?"

"I settled things with the Tang Clan myself!"

"You mean, you actually...?"

"I cleared up the misunderstanding face-to-face, and they ended up loving Tang Clan Storm. Now they’re the ones begging for the next volume."

I told the gathering crowd with confidence.

"No way!"

"Holy shit... this is insane."

"Kang Yun-ho! Kang Yun-ho! Kang Yun-ho!"

"Is Manager Kang your friend or something?"

"Did he use some legendary martial art or what? He’s shining!"

"I never doubted you!"

"Weren’t you just saying he was dead?"

"..."

"Now I can die happy!"

"Really?"

"You idiot! Don’t you know how to joke? Of course I want to see the next volume!"

"Hahaha. It’ll take a little time to reopen Daseogak, but I’ll get Volume 3 out as soon as possible."

"Wooooooo!"

"Kang Yun-ho! Kang Yun-ho! Kang Yun-ho!"

"To celebrate Manager Kang’s return, tonight’s Daseohoe dinner is on me!"

As I soaked in the cheers of Daseohoe, I made sure everyone in Yichang knew I was back.

-----------

"Look at all this dust."

After clearing up the commotion, Daseogak was nothing but a dust storm inside.

I waved my hand at the clouds of dust charging straight at my nose and started walking around the shop.

Thankfully, it didn’t look like anyone had broken in. Then again, with people hanging around the front door every day, even a thief would’ve thought twice about trying their luck.

"The food’s all gone bad."

The smell hit me. I thought I’d cleared out anything perishable before leaving, but apparently I missed a few things.

I quickly dumped the rotten trash into the bin and slumped into a chair, staring blankly at the empty Daseogak.

I’d barely taken a few steps, but the dust was already swirling, the sunlight through the windows making the whole place look hazy.

There’s so much to do.

The inside looked pretty much the same as it did months ago, but the dust, the trash, and all the things that needed fixing or reorganizing kept catching my eye.

"This isn’t something I can clean up in a day or two. Guess I better get to work, huh?"

I spoke into the haze of dust, to the spot where someone had always been.

Normally, they’d tell me to quit talking and start moving, but this time, no voice answered from behind the dust.

"...Who the hell am I even talking to?"

I muttered to myself, feeling a little stupid. Not much had changed, but the biggest thing definitely had.

Back in this familiar place after months. This house I missed. Whether I was miserable or happy, there was always someone to talk to. But now, they’re gone.

"Guess I’ll have to hire someone."

I shook off the mood before it got too sentimental and stood up.

No one’s dead or anything, no need to get all emotional. I should stop sitting around and get to work—focus more on making my magnum opus.

"I need to find someone who really fits Daseogak."

Someone with a real service mindset, sharp, good-looking, loves Tang Clan Storm... that’d be ideal.

Though who knows if anyone like that even exists.

---------

Hao Clan, Yichang Branch.

"Wusan Branch was attacked."

The pink twin-tailed woman reported the events in Wusan to the Yichang Branch Leader of Hao Clan.

"A weird-looking carrier pigeon kept pecking at the window. Didn’t know what it was, but turns out it was yours. I was worried after hearing the news, but I’m glad you made it out in one piece."

The Yichang Branch Leader, who seemed to have a personal connection with her, offered a few words of comfort.

"There’s no one out there who can catch me. I had a close call, sure, but I got some big... well, kind of big help from someone."

"I see. You’ve been through a lot. I’ll check on the situation for now and talk to the higher-ups about how we should handle it."

"Yes."

Success. She placed a hand on her trembling chest and let out a deep sigh of relief.

"What are you planning to do now? You’re still a runaway courtesan, right? Should I look into a position for you as a lower-ranking courtesan? If you’re lucky, a brothel in Yichang might buy your contract."

With her looks, any brothel would be eager to have her. The Branch Leader looked her up and down as he spoke.

"I haven’t even finished my training at the guild. And if word gets out that a pink-haired courtesan is working in Yichang, Wusan might come hunting for me."

She shook her head immediately at the mention of working as a courtesan.

Every man for himself. Hao Clan might be a famous dark sect, but unlike other sects, they didn’t provide food or shelter for their members.

Runaway courtesans could be made examples of—horrific ones. Now that she had escaped the attack in Wusan, she had no intention of being caught again.

"That’s true. So what, you planning to use some other talent to survive?"

The Branch Leader, well aware of her skills, wiggled his fingers as he asked.

"I’m not planning on living as a thief."

She narrowed her eyes and shot back at him.

"You only know how to be a courtesan or a thief. If you’re not doing either, then what the hell are you planning?"

She looked at the puzzled Branch Leader.

A courtesan and a thief. Sure, those were the only things she’d learned. But no one says you have to stick to what you’ve been taught.

She decided to share the dream she’d recently found.

"I’m going to become a writer."

"A writer?"

"Yeah. I’m going to be a novelist, just like Ho-pil."