Chapter 109: Bookstore (1) |
A blessing in disguise.
Even though the horse I bought with my retirement pay was a fine one, it’s an exaggeration to say that misfortune arrived as swiftly as in the story of Seo Ung’s horse.
Mad debtors. Compared to them, the Green Forest bandits, inspired by the spirit of the Hong Gildong, seemed like gentlemen of the world.
“If you inherited the legacy, shouldn’t you pay it off!”
“There’s money on the horse! Pay me back with this first!”
The excited debtor tried to reach for the travel money tied to the horse’s rear.
“What are you doing!”
I quickly grabbed the man’s wrist and glared at him.
“What’s this barbarian blabbering about! Want to die? Not giving me my money?”
“Does this barbarian have the nerve to be on a horse? Look here! Let’s quickly drag down this barbarian and the leper woman!”
Had these people lost their minds? The debtors surrounding us angrily approached to drag us down.
“What are you all doing!!!”
A roaring voice commanding the angry debtors instantly halted their actions.
“Uncle Manager!”
Following the joyful voice of Tang Hwarin, I looked toward where the roar came from and saw an elderly man, rather than middle-aged, standing with an angry face.
“How dare you treat the late master’s granddaughter, who just arrived, like this! If you continue this way, I cannot cooperate with the debt settlement!”
“Why is the manager suddenly angry?”
“Step back! If you keep this up, I’ll report you to the authorities!”
The people surrounding us hesitated at the manager’s words, then dispersed and entered the mansion.
“Miss Hwarin. It’s been a long time.”
The manager silently watched and then approached Tang Hwarin with a softened face to greet her.
“What in the world is going on, Uncle Manager?”
Tang Hwarin, having dismounted from the horse, asked the manager with a bewildered face.
“It’s not a good place to talk. Let’s go to the bookstore your grandfather left you, and I’ll tell you on the way.”
The manager gestured for me to hand over the horse’s reins and then led us to the bookstore.
Guided by the manager, we made our way to the bookstore inherited by Tang Hwarin, beginning to uncover the truth of the incident.
It was about two months ago that Tang Hwarin’s maternal grandfather passed away.
Having always battled chronic illness, Tang Hwarin’s maternal grandfather endured the pain of losing his wife and children to disease or accidents, with the exception of his youngest daughter.
For a man who had devoted his life to business, the chronic illness and consecutive losses were enough to transform him.
“After sending his youngest daughter to the Sung Family in marriage, he lived a life of giving rather than focusing on business.”
The manager, either proud or missing the late master, continued to explain with a nostalgic expression.
He fed hungry beggars, donated to impoverished temples, sought out and sponsored talented but needy individuals, and built orphanages to care for children who lost their parents due to war or accidents.
“Of course, doing so much good did cause some problems with the business.”
Originally, Tang Hwarin’s maternal grandfather’s business was not large but had been profitable in Yichang. The issue was that the scale of the charity work gradually increased.
“Even with debts, the business situation was manageable.”
That’s correct. Having debts in business wasn’t necessarily bad. After all, borrowing future money to make more profit was actually beneficial.
The problem arose when Tang Hwarin’s maternal grandfather’s condition suddenly worsened, and he passed away.
The death of the executive managing all businesses until then. No successor. A large amount of debt. Suddenly, the business plunged into catastrophe.
“I thought your mother would come to sort everything out… I misjudged people.”
Tang Hwarin’s mother appeared miraculously at that moment. People thought she would settle the chaos and entrusted her with full authority, but she fled after taking all the assets that could help settle the debts.
“Over there is the bookstore your grandfather left for you, Miss. Here are the keys. Go inside and take a look, and I’ll come to pick you up in front of the bookstore tomorrow.”
The manager handed us the keys to the bookstore and left to deal with the debtors.
Upon entering the closed bookstore, a musty yet nostalgic scent of books greeted us.
It reminded me of the times I strolled through old bookstores and that old used book street.
‘This bookstore is really nice.’
A two-story building. It’s not huge, but its location on the main road was excellent. In modern times, instead of a bookstore, the first floor would house a coffee franchise, and the second floor would have a clinic and pharmacy.
“I thought it was a two-story building, but there’s also a third-floor attic.”
Although the ceiling was low, there was an attic suitable for living. It seemed to be used as a storage room, but it could easily accommodate living quarters if some books were moved.
“…Yeah. That’s right.”
Tang Hwarin replied in a numb tone to my comment. Why had she been so unresponsive? Maybe it’s because of the shocking event.
I tried to console her about her maternal grandfather’s death, but Tang Hwarin remained silent. I decided to ignore her reaction for now and started to explore the bookstore.
It’s good that there were so many books. But was it not here?
The ultimate goal of this trip. Please be here. Why couldn’t I find it?
Just when I was about to give up after not finding it anywhere, I discovered a door behind a sliding bookshelf.
“An old printing press…”
Tang Hwarin murmured listlessly as she looked at the space behind the door. Just as she said, there was the long-sought printing press, prominently placed in the center.
The printing press was old and showed signs of age, yet it was well-maintained and appeared usable even now. My prized copier.
I entered the space designated for the printing office and quietly touched the venerable printing press.
Look at the detail of this magnificent printing press. With this, I can write and copy books to quickly boost my fame.
‘I must not let this bookstore fall into the hands of the debtors.’
A bookstore with a strategically located printing press.
The manager mentioned that this bookstore might be handed over due to debt, but it must be protected at all costs.
‘I must help Hwarin protect this bookstore.’
If I assisted Tang Hwarin in saving this bookstore, I could use the printing press not just on loan but as if it were my own.
If I could recommend and sell books I had written in a well-situated bookstore, raising my fame would no longer be just a dream.
It seemed challenging, but let’s find a solution. Let’s be resolute.
“Hwarin.”
I called out to Tang Hwarin, who had suddenly become a building owner and thus risen in status.
Tang Hwarin, who had been staring blankly at the floor, flinched at my call, shuddered, and then looked up at me.
“Hwarin. You know…”
Why was her expression so gloomy? I continued, observing Tang Hwarin’s anxious face.
“Don’t say it.”
As I attempted to continue, Tang Hwarin interrupted me with a determined expression.
“Why not?”
“…Because I already know everything. Just don’t say anything more and leave.”
Tang Hwarin said with a somber expression and then lowered her head again.
Hwarin, why was she suddenly behaving like this?
It was one misfortune after another.
Why must she be the only one to face such misfortune? Tang Hwarin looked at Kang Yun-ho, who was pacing with a heavy heart.
She didn’t desire this situation. After so many events, she finally arrived at her maternal grandfather’s house. Her grandfather would be surprised, and she would awkwardly introduce this man.
It wasn’t exactly what she had hoped for, but introducing this man carried a strangely bittersweet appeal.
She would have brought the man to the mansion, offering him delicious food and a comfortable place to stay. She could proudly say that her maternal grandfather had lived well, which lightened her heavy heart.
This man insisted he should repay her several times over for everything she had done for him, telling her that without this, she hadn’t truly atoned. So, stay by her side for a while.
Yun-ho had said what he did initially was out of pure kindness, but she tried to ignore it, wanting to keep the man with her.
Her maternal grandfather had passed away.
That crazy woman had run away with the money.
Shocked by her maternal grandfather’s death and furious at that crazy woman’s actions, there was something even more heartbreaking.
He had worked to earn the money that was lacking because of himself, risked his life to rescue her from bandits, and endured numerous discriminations and humiliations on her behalf, leading her to this place.
Now, she found herself unable to repay him in any way.
‘What am I supposed to do with a bookstore like this?’
Tang Hwarin surveyed the bookstore with a sense of despair.
The musty smell of books. Spider webs in the corners. To Tang Hwarin, it appeared as a large, worn-out, and unimpressive bookstore.
Selling such a bookstore wouldn’t even cover the debt mentioned by the manager.
He must know it too—that this situation was hopeless. Yun-ho also seemed to be silently searching for something, perhaps looking for anything of value.
What they eventually discovered was an old printing press.
That the only thing of value in this bookstore was such an item filled Tang Hwarin with despair.
Tang Hwarin shook her head as she watched the man silently approach and caress the printing press, probably sharing her thoughts.
Kang Yun-ho silently observed the printing press for a while, then turned to Tang Hwarin with a face full of determination.
“Hwarin.”
From his expression, she understood that he intended to leave.
Being rejected by others was familiar to her. But… if she were rejected by this man, she wouldn’t be able to bear it.
So, rather,
“…I know everything. Just don’t say anything more and leave.”
She decided to send him away herself.
“Leave? You’re telling me to leave?”
The man seemed surprised that she took the initiative to ask him to leave.
“It’s not your debt. Just leave quickly.”
Why was this man forcing her to utter such cruel words again? Tang Hwarin felt resentful towards him. Anyway, you were going to leave, weren’t you? He’d probably say it gently, but in the end, he was going to say he’d leave.
She was not good with words. She was being direct. He said it was penance, but the object of penance was never her in the first place. There’s no reason for him to pay off the debt.
So, he decided to leave.
It’s better to be alone than to be rejected.
Tang Hwarin bit her lip behind the black cloth, trying hard to hold back the rising sorrow.
“What are you going to do if I leave?”
“It’s none of your business.”
“The bookstore will be taken away because of the debt, and what do you think will happen to you by the debtors? Even if you’re safe, can you live on your own?”
The man was right. She, having left the Sung family, couldn’t do anything. She learned that too well during the long journey.
What was she supposed to do if this man disappeared and she was left with the debt as well?
“What do you expect me to do then?”
He was going to leave, wasn’t you? Why worry about someone who was leaving? Tang Hwarin said with resentment to the man who was about to say he would leave.
“I’m here.”
The man smiled and pointed at himself with his thumb.
“What, what? I told you to leave.”
Tang Hwarin’s eyes widened in surprise at the man’s unexpected declaration, her voice trembling.
“Do you remember what I said on the first day we met? How we would conclude our journey?”
She remembered.
-Try to buy my trust. When we arrive in Yichang, if we’re just companions, let’s take the money from your grandfather and part ways.
-What if it’s built?
What would their relationship become if they built that trust?
“Yes.”
“Do you only think of me as a companion?”
“So, you’re not going to leave?”
No. Don’t let her lips curl. Don’t try to harbor hope. Don’t be happy. Tang Hwarin struggled to manage her expression as a ray of sunshine seemed to cast light on the misery and misfortune filling her heart.
Tang Hwarin looked down and then up at him. Her eyes brimmed with hope, so much so that Kang Yun-ho could instantly recognize it.
“You’re really disappointing.”
Kang Yun-ho avoided a direct answer, slightly tilting his head in irritation as he looked at her. Tang Hwarin felt her heart sink even though she received a not-so-angry look.
“Why……”
“Shouldn’t you have said something else instead of telling me to leave in such a situation?”
“What am I supposed to say in this situation?”
“The words we said while escaping from Black Tiger Fortress. Don’t you remember them?”
-A person only needs someone to hold their hand to stand up and be happy again.
Those were the words the man said to her that day, the words that lifted her spirits twice.
Only then did Tang Hwarin realize what she should have said.
“Sob…”
Tears started to well up and flow from Tang Hwarin’s eyes.
The man wasn’t trying to leave. He was just waiting for her to say what she needed to say. Foolishly, she had told such a man to leave. How pathetic.
“Help me.”
Tang Hwarin, wiping her tears with her forearm, reached out to him once again.
“Yes. Of course.”
Kang Yun-ho took her hand without hesitation.
The hand that always lifts her up. But now, that alone was not enough. She said the words she had always wanted to say but had never dared to.
“Be my friend.”
“Weren’t we already friends?”
The man replied as if it was the most obvious thing. Tang Hwarin felt her heart swell at Kang Yun-ho’s look of stating the obvious.
“…Thank you.”
“What for? No need for thanks among friends. Save it till everything is over.”
“Really. You are…, you are…”
The hand she held felt so warm and reassuring. Just having this hand seemed like she could do anything.
What exactly was this man who always held her back up whenever she was about to fall? Who was this man who boldly knocked on the door of her heart with muddy feet? What exactly was this emotion filling her heart?
Tang Hwarin looked at the man with tearful eyes.
She might not yet know what this emotion was, but it seemed clear that this man was someone she desperately wanted to have.
That was a close call.
I almost became a tenant forcibly evicted due to the landlord’s tyranny.
If you wanted to ask for help, just say you needed help. Really, must I teach her everything step by step?
Now that Tang Hwarin had asked for help, all we needed to do was protect this bookstore together.
If things went as I planned, we could protect this bookstore and I could write.
‘Time to properly plan this out.’
This was a golden opportunity for me. I had no intention of letting it slip away.
