Hae-wol Ru isn’t exactly the most successful courtesan house in Wuhan.
The only notable courtesan here is Hong Ran, along with a few others of similar caliber, and even during peak business hours, there were empty rooms on the top floor.
In other words, it meant that if a government official truly intended to raid, the place would inevitably wobble.
“Quickly send someone to the Ru master!”
“She’s not just next door! What do we do?!”
So this is the taste of sweet power, huh.
No wonder the ho Pil were roaming around the market, receiving favors from merchants.
As I hid my true feelings and waited with a stern face, a manager appeared, looking quite apologetic.
“I’m sorry. The Ru master is currently occupied with a meeting in Dong-ho, and it seems it will take quite a while for her to arrive by boat.”
Hae-wol Ru is located north of the Yangtze River. Dong-ho is south of it.
“Really? I’m getting bored waiting.”
“Perhaps if you’re busy, you could pick a date and time that’s suitable for the Ru master to come….”
Where are you trying to sweet-talk me? I smiled and threw my arm around the manager’s shoulder.
“Hey, isn’t it faster for me to go out and bring back some other ho Pil than waiting for the Ru master to return?”
Am I going to turn everything upside down? I said with a smile, and the manager turned pale.
“I-I’ll take the ho Pil to the top floor right away!”
The top floor of the courtesan house is a VVIP lounge. It meant they would treat us with utmost respect while we waited. But I wasn’t just going to settle for that.
“What’s so great about the upper floor that we have to move all the way up there? Am I right?”
“True. There’s nothing to see; let’s just go to another courtesan house.”
Jeon Gil-san, picking up on my intention, subtly reminded us of our demands.
“Bring in Hong Ran. Or should we just turn the whole place upside down?” The manager, apparently not a rookie, made a decision quickly.
“I’ll call for Hong Ran right now.”
That’s what I like to hear.
——
“Hey, is there an open ho Pil spot?”
Waiting for Hong Ran on the top floor of Hae-wol Ru, Jeon Gil-san asked me with gleaming eyes.
“Why?”
“It looks better than I expected.”
Looks like this guy really likes the idea of me, a ho Pil, flying under the radar. Jeon Gil-san seems to be very envious of my position.
“Get lost. I’m just special by appointment. If it were normal, I’d be waking up at dawn, heading to the government office, and working all day.”
What kind of loser can’t even arrive at the tavern on time?
“Tch, fine then.”
Jeon Gil-san clicked his tongue in amazed resignation and immediately gave up.
“When Hong Ran arrives, I’ll do as I said. Just remember to act like before.”
“Act? I was just being my usual self.”
“…….”
Yeah, I thought it exceeded the realm of acting.
How will I talk when Hong Ran arrives? What kind of schemes might be hidden? As I was reflecting internally, someone knocked on the door.
“Ho Pil, I’ve brought the girl you asked for.”
Finally here.
“Come in.”
“Oo….”
As soon as the door opened, a courtesan resembling a blooming red peony, with hair the color of the flower, entered the room, accompanied by Jeon Gil-san’s delighted murmur.
“My name is Hong Ran. I heard you were looking for me.”
Her eyes look dead.
Hong Ran, though smiling as per the Inspector’s words, appeared like a woman with lifeless eyes.
She has a thin, gloomy look. Among the lively courtesans, she’d likely blend in, yet someone might find it hard to overlook a Hong Ran like her.
‘Seems like the Inspector has taken a liking to her.’
She’s a beauty, alright. Not the type Jeon Gil-san usually drools over, but definitely alluring enough.
Not a main member of a major girl group, but would surely qualify as the center of a mid-tier agency’s group.
Jeong Mun-won. Seriously, you don’t remember him?
“You’re the ho Pil, Kang Yoon-ho.”
“You must be Hong Ran. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
As Jeon Gil-san introduced me, he stared at Hong Ran with a serious expression.
“If you are the ho Pil, Kang Yoon-ho…?”
Once she heard my name, Hong Ran looked at me with a bit of shock.
That makes sense. If she was close to Inspector Jeong Mun-won, she must have heard about me.
“I see you know something about me.”
“Pardon me, but might the ho Pil have….”
“Wait a moment.”
I raised my hand, cutting her off. She and Jeon Gil-san looked at me puzzlingly, as if to ask why. Hold on, this is strange.
It’s too quiet.
When we stopped talking, there wasn’t a single sound in the top floor.
Just as I suspected.
I was using the Small Wheel Mental Image Technique. Speaking in a low voice but with a volume that would reverberate through the walls, I spoke.
[Seems there are quite a few rat finks around. Do they think we wouldn’t notice?]
It’s certainly those Haomun folks. They must be eavesdropping on us.
“Oh….”
Jeon Gil-san, realizing the situation, gasped in awe.
Why isn’t there any movement? Hurry up and leave before they come knock on the next room.
“Uh….”
While waiting for a response, Hong Ran cautiously spoke.
“Huh?”
“I’m worried I might offend the ho Pil, so nobody’s approaching nearby.”
“…… I just meant there are lots of rat finks around. I noticed the Seesugo seal was absent by the entrance. I think we might need a sanitation inspection later on.”
In the food industry, having Seesugo seals for pest control is essential.
Despite my impeccable and perfect response, Hong Ran continued undeterred.
“I’ve heard that there’s only one ho Pil with black hair in Wuhan.”
“Really? You know me?”
“I heard that there’s a rare ho Pil lately, and I was told that if any unfairness arose, I should seek out Kang ho Pil without a second thought.”
“That’s an interesting compliment.”
“I have been told you can be quite dependable. By the way, you….”
Hong Ran cautiously looked at me.
Her previously dead eyes were now sparkling with small doubts.
Someone who has pulled her concealed self out. That person is the very ho Pil she heard about sometimes. Surely she cannot help but wonder if that brought her here as a different purpose.
I nodded subtly at her questioning gaze.
“Indeed. I came at the behest of the Inspector.”
Her previously lifeless eyes came back to life.
——
“Ah… It seems like the Inspector is doing well.”
I almost forgot there was such a person. Unlike the life returning to Hong Ran’s eyes, her voice was extremely cold.
“The Inspector has sent me to check on you.”
Despite her aloof attitude, I stated my purpose for coming as the envoy of Jeong Mun-won today.
‘This is not the reaction I was hoping for.’
I was supposed to see her reaction after explaining.
– What was the plan with Hong Ran?
– The Inspector is now a beggar. Even if she falls, she’ll have to manage everything with a debt-ridden existence. As I lay it all out, some reaction has to emerge.
If money was the goal, she’d panic or show distress. If it was the innkeeper’s conspiracy, I’d get the truth. But this indifferent response was unexpected.
“I see. Then tell her not to worry about me anymore.”
Hong Ran turned her head away, speaking as if sighting me was nausea-inducing.
“What did you just say?”
“An overwhelmed person like her shouldn’t waste time worrying about the likes of a courtesan. Just continue to be faithful in her duties ahead.”
Hong Ran frowned as if merely thinking about it repulsed her.
“I don’t think you sound like Hong Ran from Hae-wol Ru.”
I heard you were a woman who found her will to live alongside the Inspector, yet.
Hong Ran scoffed and opened her mouth.
“This is who I inherently am. Isn’t showing a good face in front of guests the duty of a courtesan? What you’d heard in front of the Inspector was just all an act. So please carry only good memories, and don’t end up getting stuck on it.”
“How much do you think the Inspector cares about you? Why are you being so blunt?”
What is going on here?
Could it be that the child in her womb isn’t the Inspector’s? Was it all the innkeeper’s conspiracy? Or has she somehow realized that the Inspector has become a beggar and is trying to shake off this situation?
As I watched Hong Ran, stunned, she stood up as if she didn’t want to be here anymore.
“It seems you’ve achieved your objectives. I’ll leave now. I’ll have them send children better than me into Hae-wol Ru. Please calm your anger.”
No. This isn’t right.
There’s an unsettling tension here. It feels too cut-and-dry. I can sense a will to escape, as if she were cutting off her own arm to flee. Why?
– What you saw in front of the Inspector was just all an act.
‘An act…?’
It’s not just in front of the Inspector; she’s acting right now in front of me. Why is Hong Ran acting like this?
Could it be?
“The Inspector would certainly stake his life to save a courtesan like you. How could you let yourself get caught by someone like that… Tsk tsk.”
I utilized the Small Wheel Mental Image Technique. Though my words were laced with pity, they resonated with volume so much that even Hong Ran couldn’t ignore them.
“……?”
Hong Ran flinched.
“The Inspector is in quite a precarious position right now. Would it be fine to just walk away?”
I pretended to sound tragic as I mumbled.
“Wh-what do you mean?”
Hong Ran stopped as if pinned to the ground, turning her head, looking at me for clarity without moving an inch.
A crack is forming. Just barely maintaining it, her mask was starting to wobble. I could tell even without seeing her face.
“What do you mean? Do you even know how hard the Inspector is working to buy you a miracle?”
“That’s… That’s impossible! I told him to give up!”
Just as I thought.
Hong Ran’s expression seemed to waver. It was different from her previous frostiness, revealing a flickering spirit. Where was the act she tried to put on?
The information that the Inspector might have withheld from me? That’s fine. Extracting information from someone whose disguise has broken is easy.
“Do you think the Inspector would be the type to do that?”
At just one of my remarks, Hong Ran’s eyes trembled uncontrollably.
“Is he… really gathering money?”
She seems unaware that some funds have already been given to the innkeeper.
“He’s running around collecting money to buy you a miracle.”
“Someone like him, who doesn’t even accept small bribes, wouldn’t have money! Could it be… Is he begging others for help?”
What’s this? Why does she seem to know so much?
“He has borrowed money from various places, including the Man Geum Battlefield.”
“No! If he just borrows money recklessly like that, it’d make things tough for him! Who do you think Kang ho Pil is to him? What were you thinking, Kang ho Pil?!”
No. Why the sudden tone?
“I managed to gather funds to lend a bit!”
Hong Ran’s demeanor switched in an instant, and I unconsciously began to justify myself.
“That won’t do…! Absolutely not. That’s why he told me to give up! A righteous man like him, for my sake. If he ends up borrowing money and then compromising his principles by accepting bribes… I can’t… I can’t…”
Hong Ran’s expression crumbled. Guilt intertwined with despair. Overwhelmed by agony, she began backing away toward the window.
“Why are you acting this way?”
Suddenly, what’s going on? Startled, I stood up.
Hong Ran stopped at the window, alternating her gaze between me and outside, then spoke as if resolved.
“Kang ho Pil… please tell him to forget about me and live happily.”
Then she hurled herself out of the window.
“Hey!”
“This is madness!”
My body moved instinctively, trained to respond in any situation. No matter the moment, my life would be saved through the Ascending’s Skill.
With the Shadowless Body Technique, I barely caught her life.
“Ugh!”
“What in the world are you doing?!”
I grabbed Hong Ran’s ankle as she was about to fall and swiftly pulled her back up.
“If I stay here, he will never give up!”
Hong Ran screamed out in frustration.
“That doesn’t mean you should try to die!”
“I can’t stand seeing him fall apart because of me!”
With that, Hong Ran stood and made a dash toward another window.
“Catch her!”
“Huh? Uh-oh!”
Jeon Gil-san and I tackled Hong Ran as if we were playing football.
“Hey! She’s going to bite her tongue! I’ll find something to cover her mouth!”
Why is Hong Ran so strong? Could she have learned martial arts? Surely she hasn’t learned how to subdue a martial artist properly yet.
“Just let me do one thing!”
“Got it. I’ll use my clothes!”
I quickly ripped off a piece of my sleeve and stuffed it into Hong Ran’s mouth.
“Mmpph! Mmmph!”
“Hey! Jeon Gil-san! Hold her feet! She’s resisting! I’ll grab her arms!”
“Uhh?! Uh-oh!”
Jeon Gil-san gripped onto Hong Ran’s flailing ankle with all his might. This is bad. We need to bind her limbs and subdue her.
“Stay still! How can someone not whole act so irresponsibly! The Inspector is trying to save you and your child!”
Where can I find a rope? I can’t find anything. There’s no other choice. I’ll tear another piece off my sleeve.
“Right here! Kang ho Pil is present in this room!”
Just as I fashioned her arms into a makeshift binding, I heard a voice from outside the door.
‘Thank heavens! Someone’s coming!’
If someone arrives, hopefully, we can calm her down and have a proper chat.
Hurry up and come in! Please!
Just as I strained to hold onto both of Hong Ran’s arms firmly, the door I had been waiting for swung open.
“Didn’t I tell you not to set foot in a courtesan house?!”
As the door opened, the unexpected figure that entered left me astounded.
“G-Gi-mun Hyang-ju?!”
“What in the world… is happening here?”
The expression on Gi-mun Hyang-ju’s face, ready to explode at any moment, began to freeze cold as she surveyed the scene.
What she saw was two men holding a courtesan down, gagged, and pinned to the floor.
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