“What the heck is this…”
[When Master Kang revealed that he is Ho Pil, I felt like I was going to cry.]
[Thank you so much for telling me something you can’t share with anyone else.]
[The person I praised “The Rise of the Tang Family” is actually Ho Pil, the author!]
[The drawing I created becomes the official illustration recognized by Ho Pil! I’m so happy.]
“Eek?! Is that Master Kang?!”
Oh no. I was so surprised after reading the diary that I blurted out.
Zhuge Hyang is a martial artist. She might wake up.
Im Ha-yeon hurriedly returned the diary to its original place due to Zhuge Hyang’s sleep talking and quickly dashed out of the room.
“Is he Ho Pil?”
Im Ha-yeon clutched her racing heart at the unbelievable fact, barely managing to return to her room.
Kang Yoon-ho is Ho Pil? What on earth does that mean?
It was hard to believe, but the exchange diary was filled with the fact that Kang Yoon-ho is Ho Pil and praises for Ho Pil’s work, “The Rise of the Tang Family.”
“Could it be he was just bragging?”
Im Ha-yeon decided to deny what she had just seen for now.
It’s not uncommon for a man to puff himself up to win a woman’s heart. She briefly contemplated the possibility, but shook her head.
There is no way that kind of lie could come from him.
Then what can explain the narrowing distance between the two? Ultimately, she had no choice but to reach an easily believable conclusion.
Kang Yoon-ho is Ho Pil. And the two of them share a secret relationship.
“Kang Yoon-ho the manager is really Ho Pil?”
Her heart wouldn’t calm down easily. She couldn’t sit still or stand still. She wanted to wake Kang Yoon-ho right now and ask him what he meant by that.
“How can I ask…? ”
If I ask how he knew that, how would he answer?
“I… read the exchange diary I stole.”
Imagining the contemptuous look Kang Yoon-ho would give her, she had to suppress the urge to rush in right away.
If she can’t ask, there’s only one method left.
Taking the assumption that Kang Yoon-ho is Ho Pil, she began to recall his past actions.
“If he really is Ho Pil…”
The veil of suspicion she had never touched.
As Im Ha-yeon lifted the veil, countless circumstances flashed through her mind, leading her to a breath-holding question she couldn’t answer.
“…Have I ever seen him going to meet Ho Pil?”
Kang Yoon-ho’s close friend. Ho Pil.
However, Im Ha-yeon had never seen him meet Ho Pil.
————————–
“He was said to be the illegitimate child of the Tang Family.”
Im Ha-yeon recalled the words of the head of the Yichang branch.
The illegitimate child of the Tang Family, and the man who mastered the Tang Family’s stealth techniques. He should be the one who can write a novel with the Tang Family at its center.
Why didn’t I suspect him?
“His insight into novels and writing skills were remarkable, too.”
I thought he was just someone who discovered “The Rise of the Tang Family.”
In truth, he had provided sincere advice as an author.
“What if Ho Pil’s funny pen name wasn’t to hide his identity but to reveal it instead…?”
Black-haired Joseon person. Kang Yoon-ho.
What better pen name could there be than Ho Pil?
Im Ha-yeon smirked at her own absurdity.
Why hadn’t she realized it until now?
The time spent with him, the information she knew about him, pointed to him being Ho Pil.
“Why? What on earth…”
The author she admired most, Ho Pil, is Kang Yoon-ho. Im Ha-yeon couldn’t help but keep smiling at the conclusion she had hastily drawn.
It was not that the image of Ho Pil she had imagined was wrong.
It wasn’t even because Kang Yoon-ho concealed his identity from her.
“Why did he only confess the truth to that woman?”
Why did the man who cared for her the most hide his identity from her?
Why did he disclose his identity to a woman who claimed to have no feelings?
Im Ha-yeon was ultimately forced to consider a terrible possibility she didn’t want to think of.
‘What if his feelings are wavering?’
What if, unbeknownst to her, his heart is directed towards Zhuge Hyang, not her?
The unintended truth revealed.
As the fear named anxiety began to seep in through the cracks in her heart…
———————-
“Indeed, we need a carriage, don’t we? Im Ha-yeon.”
After breakfast during snack time. Even if you run a business, large expenditures require discussion with your executives.
Kang Yoon-ho initiated a conversation to get approval from Im Ha-yeon, who handled finances, for the most necessary purchase right now.
“……”
“Are you feeling unwell?”
Im Ha-yeon’s face, unable to sleep all night, was full of worries and fatigue.
“No, why a carriage?”
I still can’t show my feelings.
I’ll interrogate him in due time. Im Ha-yeon adjusted her expression and pretended to act as usual.
“I feel like I’ve been using carriages too much while managing the inn and the Tea Bookstore branch, so I thought it might be better to buy one instead.”
“Buying a carriage isn’t cheap, you know? I think it would be better to hire a coachman, even if it’s a bit expensive.”
“Considering the last incident. Im Ha-yeon also has her matters, so it might be better to hire someone we can trust as our coachman.”
“Ah… Then let’s do that.”
Recalling the incident where Kang Yoon-ho almost got kidnapped, Im Ha-yeon nodded.
“Haha. I thought you would allow it, so I brought a quote. Please take a look.”
Kang Yoon-ho handed her the carriage quote cautiously, like a husband presenting a computer estimate to his wife.
“We can’t just think about the carriage. We also need to buy horses, cover the management costs, and hire a coachman. Not to mention, buying the carriage might incur a massive expenditure.”
That’s a huge cost. Im Ha-yeon frowned as she skimmed through the quote.
“It’s certainly true that we have to bear a demanding cost.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to simply find a carriage we can regularly use? There are people who work as coachmen in the Hyangwoo Association. I’ll see if I can bother them a bit.”
Whether or not Kang Yoon-ho’s feelings are truly wavering remains to be seen. But she must not waver herself.
Im Ha-yeon advised him wisely, like a wife who is supporting her clueless husband.
“Um…”
Zhuge Hyang, having witnessed their exchange, called out to them.
“Yes, Miss Zhuge.”
Seeing both of their attention turn to her, Zhuge Hyang shyly covered her lower face with the quote and carefully made a suggestion.
“Shall I buy it for you?”
“For you, Miss Zhuge? Haha. That’s okay.”
It was a topic brought up to seek permission for purchase, not to ask for a gift. Kang Yoon-ho refused with a smile.
“If you look at the quote, this isn’t a price to be bought as a gift.”
Im Ha-yeon interjected curtly.
They were in no position even to have dinner outside, where they scrunch their belts to eat at a soup bar.
How on earth could they estimate how many bowls of soup they could skip to afford buying a carriage?
Zhuge Hyang blinked her eyes in surprise at the refusals from the two, then eventually spoke.
“Um… With the allowance I’ve saved up, I think I could buy this.”
“…Huh?!”
The expressions of the two froze upon hearing her words.
“This carriage looks nice, so I’ll buy it.”
“Haha. This is the expensive one I showed you on purpose to get permission for the purchase. I’d prefer the slightly cheaper one…”
Kang Yoon-ho had included his strategy within the quote, hoping to drive any compromises.
He handed her a quote where he could settle for decent quality at an affordable price.
“Since Master Kang will be using it, I think we should go for this one.”
However, Zhuge Hyang had no intention of compromising either.
Even someone as good at managing his expression as Kang Yoon-ho couldn’t help but stare in disbelief.
“Isn’t that a lot?”
“Um… My mother told me to spend it on occasions like this.”
To be precise, she’d told him to save for when he’d marry. To win over a man she considered her lifelong partner, a woman must know how to gift.
Though Zhuge Hyang thought it was just a nagging that went in one ear and out the other.
“…Then, could I maybe buy some decent horses too?”
“You!”
“Haha. Since the three of us will be riding together, let’s buy something good. Miss Zhuge, could we talk for a moment?”
“That… well, you can buy whatever Master Kang wants.”
“Really?!”
“……”
Im Ha-yeon silently stared at Kang Yoon-ho’s face, which was eagerly inquiring about Zhuge Hyang’s intentions, full of excitement.
If she had received her salary, could she have bought him the carriage he wanted?
No. That was impossible.
Im Ha-yeon quietly bit her lower lip.
He wouldn’t waver for Zhuge Hyang.
Even if he wavered, she must not waver. She had just made that resolution moments ago.
Im Ha-yeon found it hard to calm her emotions as she gazed at the disparity between herself and the woman competing for his affection.
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