The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

"The child doesn’t have much time left."

The words from the Pavilion Head confirmed the worsening state of Hwa-rin.

“What do you mean by that? Didn’t you say she could recover her mind after taking Joseon ginseng?”

It wasn’t for nothing that the Kang family became one of the wealthiest clans in Joseon thanks to their ginseng. The effects of Joseon ginseng were indeed remarkable.

“Restoring her mental clarity by replenishing her vitality and the poison of the Millennium Wugong invading her marrow are two separate matters.”

So it’s like an unconscious cancer patient regaining consciousness—it doesn’t mean the cancer is gone.

“Can’t you use the Poison Pellet of the Human-Faced Spider?”

“Of course, the Poison Pellet’s yin energy can clash with the yang energy of the Millennium Wugong and annihilate each other.”

“Then isn’t that enough?”

You just said the Poison Pellet could cure her, so what is all this now?

The Pavilion Head shook his head at my question and replied.

“The reason this child has remained unconscious until now isn’t because her body lacks the capacity to contain the poison. It’s simply that the amount of yang energy and poison couldn’t be controlled by instinct, so her whole body entered a dormant state to suppress it.”

That’s similar to what the Medical Pavilion guard said—like hibernation.

“So she can contain the poison, but due to her lack of martial capability as a Poisoned One, she can’t control both yang and poison at once—is that what you’re saying?”

The Pavilion Head nodded at my summary.

In computer terms, it’s like the specs are good enough to run one program, but trying to run both poison and yang energy at the same time made the system freeze.

“To resolve this, we must awaken her consciousness and use the Poison Pellet of the Human-Faced Spider to annihilate the yang energy, leaving only the pure poison. That way, she’ll only have to manage the poison, which will ease the burden.”

“Then it’s all good, isn’t it?”

“She should be able to handle only the poison. But we’re dealing with the poison of two spiritual beasts. It’s already a miracle that her body can contain the poison of the Millennium Wugong—and now the poison of the Human-Faced Spider as well? For her to survive, the two poisons must clash and annihilate each other while being processed into a single Poison Pellet—but whether her body can endure that is the problem.”

The Pavilion Head looked at Tang Hwa-rin with a heavy expression.

So right now, Hwa-rin’s martial capacity isn’t enough to handle both yang and poison simultaneously. She may be capable of handling two poisons, but whether her body can withstand it is uncertain.

That means there’s a chance of survival—but no guarantee.

“Is there nothing else that can be done? No additional method?”

“There’s no time. If she regains consciousness and takes the Poison Pellet of the Human-Faced Spider within half a day, her chances of survival increase. Since the Clan Head and the Elders have approved, she’ll be taught martial techniques for Poisoned Ones, which should help. However...”

“You can’t give a definitive answer, can you?”

Even college entrance exams have 100-day miracles—but not half-day miracles.

“We can only do our best. And if she truly becomes a full-fledged Poisoned One...”

The Pavilion Head looked at me with something like sympathy in his eyes.

“What is it?”

Still holding out hope? That if I gain the support of a fully realized Poisoned Hwa-rin, I might become the next Clan Head? I already told you, I don’t need any of that.

“Sigh... that’s not it. Never mind. If she wakes up, I’ll make sure the two of you have some time together. Just in case—use that moment to say your goodbyes.”

The Pavilion Head’s thoughtfulness was appreciated, but those final words pressed heavily on my chest.

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

I heard the news that Hwa-rin had woken up three days later.

I wanted to go in right away, but my turn had to be the last.

To stabilize her raging poison aura, the Medical Pavilion guards had to enter first, followed by the masters—those who practically screamed “I’m a martial expert” at a glance—who went in to pass down martial techniques for Poisoned Ones.

After that came all the herbalists and poison experts who had to evaluate her condition.

I waited outside her room like a patient endlessly stuck in a university hospital queue, waiting for my number to be called.

“Get ready to go in.”

So it was finally time. The Pavilion Head approached as I stood there staring blankly at the door to Hwa-rin’s room.

“Can I go in now?”

“I’ve explained the situation to her. As soon as you come out, she’ll have to take the Poison Pellet of the Human-Faced Spider. So if you speak, keep it focused on hope or will to live—something that might give her strength.”

“I know that much.”

They say positive words help patients in critical condition.

“And...”

The Pavilion Head looked at me with a complex expression, as if apologetic.

“And?”

“There’s not much time, but... if there’s anything you need to say, don’t hold back. Say it before you leave, so you don’t regret it.”

This could be the last conversation I ever have with Hwa-rin while she’s alive.

I understood the weight of those words all too well, and with a heavy heart, I nodded and stepped into her room.

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

The moment I entered, I nearly forgot how to breathe.

Hwa-rin wasn’t unconscious—she was sitting up in bed with her eyes closed, quietly murmuring something to herself.

Was she chanting martial formulas?

I made my presence known, like silently signaling to a bus driver that you want to board, but she showed no sign of opening her eyes.

I wanted to speak with her right away.

I wanted to tell her how glad I was to see her like this—like a high school girl murmuring English words 10 minutes before her college entrance exam. I wanted to tell her I was truly afraid she might never wake up.

But I waited.

I couldn’t disturb her now. Once our conversation ended, she would have to take the Poison Pellet of the Human-Faced Spider. So I held back and simply watched Hwa-rin, now awake.

Her face was pale, but some color had returned. Looking lower, I noticed her wearing loose, comfortable clothes.

Perfect for a patient. Normally, they’d be unattractive garments—but clothes change depending on who wears them.

Even in her weakened state, the fabric flowed softly over her chest, defying gravity—then tumbled down a slope steep enough to support the flat-earth theory.

I’ve never had a thing for the sickly-beautiful girl type—the ones so fragile you can’t tell whether they’re coming or going. But seeing Hwa-rin now, like a sickly, busty delinquent queen, I felt like I was developing a brand-new preference.

“You came?”

I had been sucked into the black hole of her gaze without realizing it—until Hwa-rin suddenly opened her eyes and spoke in a bright, if slightly weary, voice.

“You feeling okay?”

I sat down on the chair by her bedside, my expression filled with concern as I asked.

She didn’t notice, right? That even though I was worried, my eyes couldn’t help but wander. My acting was natural. She wouldn’t have known.

“My body’s exhausted—like I just drank a whole bottle of hard liquor—but my mind feels oddly clear.”

Well, considering the kind of poison flowing through you, booze has nothing on that.

‘What should I say...?’

There was something I needed to tell her. But seeing her sitting there smiling faintly despite the exhaustion, the words wouldn’t come out easily.

“I dreamed of a cat.”

Before I could figure out how to start, Hwa-rin began telling me about a dream she’d had while unconscious.

“A dream?”

“I was a cat in the dream, and I was trapped in a cage. Right in front of me was a fish I’d worked so hard to get... but I couldn’t eat it.”

“That must’ve made you angry.”

Before saying anything serious, I decided to go along with her story for now.

“That wasn’t what made me really angry. The real frustration was something else.”

Hwa-rin pouted slightly as she spoke, her pale face making her lips look even redder today.

“What was it?”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“I’d already licked it, hadn’t even taken a bite yet, and some other cat just snatched it away!”

Hwa-rin spoke with a mix of frustration and indignation.

“That’s just cruel.”

“I could see it, I could hear everything—but I couldn’t move. I just sat there helpless, watching that other cat lick my fish. And the fish... the fish acted all friendly with it, like—seriously...”

A fish acting chummy with the cat that’s about to devour it? It might’ve just been a dream, but her imagination was vivid.

“So in the end, did you watch it get eaten?”

Was there some kind of twist at the end? At my question, Hwa-rin looked at me with a small, satisfied smile.

“Nope. The fish suddenly slapped the other cat and said it had to be eaten by me, and the cat got spooked and ran off. Pfft.”

Hwa-rin laughed with utter delight, like she’d possessed the cat in her dream.

“What the hell is that.”

I gave a small snort and looked at her incredulously.

“There are dreams like that.”

As I gave her a look of disbelief, Hwa-rin reached out and gently stroked my cheek, like she was touching something precious.

The warmth of her hand... It hit me that maybe all that hell I’d gone through was just to feel this again. It made me a little emotional.

“Heh.”

I sat there, dazed, until she lightly pinched my cheek.

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

As Hwa-rin finished her story, a quiet stillness settled between us.

This could very well be the last time we ever talk. I had something I had to say to her. But how the hell do I even start?

“You... hey, you.”

Hwa-rin called me, a little shyly.

“Yeah?”

“Don’t you have something to say to me?”

“...Huh?”

“You’re really not gonna say it?”

She pressed me with growing irritation when I kept acting confused.

“What are you even talking about?”

“Ugh! I heard what happened with the Elder Council!”

She turned her head to the side, looking embarrassed.

“Ah...”

So she heard that I’d said she was my woman. Shit. That’s embarrassing.

“Ah? You! Something like that—you’re supposed to tell me first! No—no, you’re supposed to ask me before telling anyone else! Why would you go say that to people first?!”

For the first time in ages, she glared at me with her old dagger-eyes.

“Hahaha...”

God, this is mortifying.

It’s like that time back in college when I got drunk and casually asked the girl I liked if she had a boyfriend, only to get a glare that said, Who the hell do you think you are, asking me that?

“Don’t just laugh!”

Then what should I do? I’m walking through a damn minefield here.

“Yun-ho. Go on, say it—what’s it feel like to ruin someone else’s engagement?”

Still avoiding my eyes, Hwa-rin pestered me with her voice sharp and teasing.

What do I even say to that? I glanced at her. She looked mad, but the corners of her lips were twitching oddly. Her pale face had a strange flush to it.

Maybe this world isn’t one big minefield after all.

“...Were you upset when you heard?”

I had no idea how to move forward in this situation. So I played it safe—shrinking back, putting on a face of pure sorrow as I spoke hesitantly.

“It’s not like I hated it! I—no, actually, I was ha—ah, damn...”

She tried to sit up in surprise at my words but lost her balance.

“Hwa-rin!”

I quickly caught her, holding her body steady before she ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) could collapse.

She’s burning up. She’s in this condition and still joking around, pretending to be fine?

Worried, I looked down at her—and she looked right back at me. Our eyes locked. Too close. If she just tilted her chin slightly, our noses would bump.

I tried to lay her back down in bed, but instead, Hwa-rin grabbed me.

A woman’s scent—hard to describe—mingled with the faint bitterness of medicine, swirling in my head.

“Yun-ho. Say it... Don’t dodge it all the time...”

Her voice trembled with a hint of bitterness and frustration.

Is this my chance?

Is this the moment?

There won’t be a better one than this, right?

“Hwa-rin.”

I didn’t look away from her desperate gaze. I gently called her name.

“...Yeah?”

“Do you... want to kiss me?”

“...Huh?”

“Kiss me.”

“Wha-Wha-WHAAAA?!!!!!”