The Path of Beasts Alone
The office fell into a brief, stunned silence.
Everyone wore the blank expression of someone who'd just been cracked over the head by a stalker's taste that no sober mind could properly grasp.
Even the idols of the Central Plains have it rough, huh.
I quietly drew the white cloth back over the table.
I'd handled plenty of stalker cases in my troubleshooter days, but a culprit of this particular flavor was a first even for me. There was something twisted about the affection that swung back and forth between beast and human.
Come to think of it, though—didn't I bear a little of the blame for this one myself?
When the painter Neung Jinsam had hit a wall, I was the one who'd taught him about Beast-People Paintings and recommended Ju Wolay as a model.
A little responsibility...? How amu—sing.
Salsung snickered inside my head, probably because moments when I actually felt guilt were so rare. For once I had no comeback. When my conscience pricked, my good karma never stacked properly.
"So the two things I'm asking of you, Young Master Dan, are these. First—stop the circulation of the beast-person beauty portraits. Second—stop this freak who's obsessed with beasts."
She had already gone to Eun Hwaran about keeping the paintings off the open market and gotten her understanding. Persuading the painter Neung Jinsam himself, however, would be harder; that part she was leaving to me.
And tracking down the stalker was, in a way, a seed I had sown myself. Of course I intended to clean it up.
"Leave it to me. I'll handle both of them somehow."
I thumped my chest with open confidence.
Ju Wolay's eyes sparkled. She leaned in just a little and rested her hand lightly on my arm.
"Of course. I've always trusted you, Young Master."
Her touch was warm; her voice carried a subtle, melting lilt. Trust filled her expression as she gave me a sly, smiling glance.
For a moment I couldn't look away. Was that simply the professional charm of a Cheonhwaru courtesan—or was it the natural coquetry she was born with? At some point I had stopped being able to tell the difference.
"Ahem!"
"Ahem!"
The coughs from my subordinates behind me finally snapped me back to my senses.
When I turned, the two women were staring at me exactly the way you stare at a sucker who's about to hand over his liver and gallbladder after falling for a honey trap.
"R-right! Let's head out and settle the Neung Jinsam matter first!"
My face felt hot. Their gazes burned; I couldn't stand it any longer. I shot to my feet and raised my voice, declaring we should leave at once.
A street-level Beggar Sect disciple kindly tracked down Painter Neung Jinsam's address for us.
The place we found was in the eastern part of Beijing, an upscale residential quarter where scholars and literati gathered. His home, which I hadn't visited in a long while, was truly magnificent. A beast-painter who had once worried about starving on the street was now the master of a grand mansion like this.
"Wow. This guy really made it."
His staggering success hit me all over again the moment I saw the place. I looked up in admiration at the ornate gate decorated with thick pillars and blue roof tiles. A plaque hung above it, carved with the words:
Soul of the Beast Paintings
"Halt! Who goes there? State your identity."
He had even hired a gatekeeper now. So many people had been flocking to buy his paintings that the man looked a little frayed around the edges.
"Dog-Beating Dragon Dan Mujin. I've come to see Painter Neung Jinsam."
I was the one who had done the heavy lifting that brought him this wealth and renown. I'd assumed he would have left word with the gatekeeper.
"Dan Mujin? Never heard of you. You're not on the appointment list either. If you wish to see the painter, make a reservation first and wait your turn."
Apparently the schedule was so backed up that even if I booked now, I wouldn't see him for ages.
Unbelievable. That simple, honest Neung-hyung who had once sworn to treat me as his benefactor hadn't even mentioned my name?
"I'm his closest friend. He promised I'd always be welcome."
When everyone else had mocked his beast paintings, I alone had taken him seriously and shown him a new road. Receiving this kind of treatment left me with a faint sting of betrayal.
"Look, I told you—no one left any word about you. Stop making a fuss. Do you have any idea how many people like you show up every day?"
Talking wasn't going to work. I shook my head and lit a clear, sharp aura right in front of his eyes. The fierce energy that looked ready to pulverize iron hung an inch from his face; the gatekeeper snapped his mouth shut mid-scold.
"I said friend."
"…"
If a master of this level weren't actually a friend, he would already have caused trouble and then some.
"N-now that I think of it… I believe I did receive word after all. My mistake."
As expected—might makes right in the Murim. Suddenly his memory returned, and he scrambled aside.
The moment we stepped into the estate, a broad garden opened before us.
"Wow, Boss—it's like they transplanted a whole mountain forest in here."
"There's even a little pond. And look how many small animals he's just turned loose."
Rabbits and other creatures wandered peacefully, nibbling the garden greenery. He had basically built himself a private mini-zoo. Pure money-flexing, that.
"Boss, look over there! A fox with the softest fur. It kind of looks like a certain fox spirit we saw earlier."
"…"
Who exactly was that supposed to be? Surely not Ju Wolay.
"You two stay here and look around. I'll go settle things with him."
They weren't particularly close to Neung Jinsam, so I left them to explore and went alone to find the man.
"Neung-hyung! It's Dog-Beating Dragon Dan Mujin!"
I called out while knocking on the door. Immediately a clattering racket erupted inside. Heavy footsteps pounded closer, and the door was flung open with force.
"D-Dan Mujin?! Is that really you? How long has it been!"
A man blinked out at me, startled by the sudden visit. His hair was a mess, ink stained his hands—he still looked every bit the eccentric of old, as if he'd just woken up.
"Hahaha! I heard the rumors you were doing well as a troubleshooter. I figured you'd forgotten all about me… Come in, come in!"
At least he was glad to see me. He must have simply forgotten to mention me to the gatekeeper. The man had never been that scheming, after all.
"If I'd known a guest like you was coming, I would have tidied up a little."
An unfinished Beast-People Painting hung on one wall. Painter Neung Jinsam was working in surroundings completely transformed from the old days. Expensive inkstones, meticulous brushes, painting on the finest silk—he now radiated the full dignity of an artist. Even the rumpled clothes he wore looked to be fine silk once you looked closely.
"Seeing you succeed like this makes me happy too, Neung-hyung."
My flattery earned a sheepish laugh and a couple of hearty claps on my shoulder.
"Haha, it's all thanks to you. Every time I lost my way, you opened a new path for me."
Neung Jinsam had loved beasts but been stuck scraping for a living. So I had awakened him to the brilliant concept of four-legged beasts walking upright and imitating people. When that still wasn't enough, I went further and taught him the idea of beast-people—humans imitating beasts. The painting world had reacted strongly to the fresh shock and new topic; the moment word spread that it made money, everyone jumped on the bandwagon. These strange pictures had now settled into an accepted technique. In short, the Central Plains' art world had entered the great furry–beast-people era far too early.
"Please leave my name out of the history books."
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"Nothing."
I shook my head and glanced at the painting he had been working on. On the silk, a seductive Ju Wolay with a long black tail was grooming herself like a cat. A human imitating a beast—truly a twisted sight. The observational skill and expressive power were incredible. No wonder portraits of Ju Wolay sold like wildfire.
"A fine piece, isn't it?"
Noticing where my gaze had landed, Neung Jinsam spoke with pride.
"It's the most popular work in Beijing right now. I already have more than twenty reservations stacked up."
He was painting and selling them like a man possessed. No wonder Ju Wolay had finally started to worry.
"Neung-hyung, I came here with one question and one favor."
I sat at the table and cut to the point.
"Ah, ask anything. For you, I'll listen."
He waved me on with an easy grin, inviting me to speak freely.
"Is there anyone besides you who's deeply immersed in beasts?"
I asked because I suspected the culprit might be of a similar type—only twisted even further than Neung Jinsam.
"Of course there are some among my clients."
"And among them, people who love beasts to the point of true obsession?"
"I can narrow it down to a few, but none of them are on my level. Why do you ask?"
"…There's a beast-lover who's been following Ju Wolay. I'm looking for leads."
When I told him she was under threat, Neung Jinsam grew serious as well. He tilted his head, searching for a name—then suddenly flinched.
"What? Don't tell me you came here because you suspect me!"
"…I don't."
I had, if I was being honest, harbored a slight suspicion. But the Heavenly Killing Eye remained quiet, so he was still just a man who really, really liked beasts. I dropped it.
"Ahem. Is that so? Good, then."
He cleared his throat a few times. I took the list of those particular clients from him. With any luck it would help narrow the suspect pool.
"But did you really come all this way just for that? I thought the day had finally arrived when I could repay the great debt I owe you."
Well, at least I had chosen my friends well. Hearing something that warm made my chest swell a little.
"Actually, there is one more favor."
"Oh? What is it? Speak freely."
He puffed out his chest, making it clear he was no longer the half-starved painter of old.
"Would you stop circulating the beauty portraits that use Ju Wolay's face?"
Even the man who had just promised to grant anything froze and hardened his expression at that request.
"Why?"
"Because the person in them no longer wants them painted."
Her popularity was already overflowing; from here on out there would only be side effects. It made sense.
"But… how can I stop painting such beautiful beast-person works…?"
"Because innocent people are getting hurt."
I spoke firmly. When I added that the man following her was the kind of weirdo who sent beast ears, Neung Jinsam let out a long sigh.
"How could…"
His face went somewhat pale. The thought of never again painting beast-person beauty portraits of Ju Wolay seemed to make his world collapse.
"Since when did you even like people that much?"
My tone dug into the past; he lifted his head.
"What are you talking about?"
"Back then you used to say people only ever hurt you and that beasts were so much better. So why are you this obsessed with painting a person now?"
He had once been nothing more than a simple young man wounded by people and healed by beasts.
"B-but everyone likes them… and more than anything, they make money."
I drove the point home.
"Money changed you. In the old days you hired even us just so you could paint pretty beasts, even if it meant starving to death."
This was the same man who had willingly climbed dangerous mountain paths where he could have been gored by wild boars or mauled by wolves. That passion had cooled; greed for money seemed to have taken its place.
At the rebuke, Neung Jinsam rose from his seat with a dazed look. He slid the window open with a rattle and gazed out at the distant mountains where mountain birds were singing.
"Is that so… Have I already become no different from those money-mad established painters I once swore I would never become?"
Something seemed to click hard. He nodded. His back, which had begun to stoop, straightened fully.
"Yes. I've already earned more than enough to live on. From now on I'll return to my original heart and walk only the path of beasts!"
Neung Jinsam declared it in a voice suddenly blazing with passion. The dark circles that had hung under his eyes like a wreck's vanished; vitality flooded his face. Not for money, not for others—he would paint only what he truly wanted to paint.
"A good decision, Neung-hyung."
Whether this counted as being "normalized" was highly debatable. Still, one of the problems Ju Wolay had asked me to solve seemed settled.
I left him there, looking as if another fierce inspiration had just struck him for life, and walked back outside. My companions approached, asking how it had gone.
"Boss, what happened?"
"He says he'll only paint beasts from now on—no more people."
In other words, he had decided to go back to unproductive work with no demand.
"…Uh, is that a good thing?"
It was a gray area. At least one of Ju Wolay's worries was gone, so I decided not to dig deeper.
"Next job site. Let's go."
I gave her back a little push, urging her along. The place where Ju Wolay worked all day as a courtesan—and where she had recently been staying without even returning home.
"To Cheonhwaru."
It was time to head for the bustling pleasure district of Beijing, the place that turned into a city of lights once night fell.