Return - 6
I had saved the Shadowless Divine Thief from peril. Twice. Whether she went by that name now, or would come to go by it hereafter, I couldn't say — but it was not once, it was twice.
And even if "Shadowless Divine Thief" was a title reserved for legendary thieves, her conscience couldn't possibly be a thief's as well. She wouldn't feign ignorance after I'd pulled her out of danger twice... would she?
Granted, the second rescue had received an assist from the Seocheon Escort Agency's serendipity-staging crew, but she'd have been discovered hiding aboard regardless, the moment the cargo was rechecked. All I'd done was drape a dramatic twist of fate over an incident that was bound to happen anyway. I had untangled — and quickly, at that — a situation that would have left any number of faces burning red, so collecting a modest brush with destiny as my fee seemed only fair.
Now all that remained was to wait.
I was no prince on a white horse, admittedly, but a barbarian on a donkey I most certainly was — so surely the Shadowless Divine Thief would come to offer her thanks.
"This Shadowless Divine Thief has received your grace twice over."
"A true man never turns a blind eye to a lady in peril."
"Ah... how wonderfully dashing."
Perfect. Flawless, even.
Toss out one plausible line, make a cool exit, and I'd leave behind a splendid impression. And should she happen to offer me a tour of the Shadowless Divine Thief's treasure vault — well, it would be rude to refuse.
"Young master."
There she was. My image training was impeccable. A few words, then back to the cabin.
Like that boy detective who had chased a certain phantom thief for so long that he'd caught Stockholm syndrome and fallen for her entirely, I arranged my face into its coolest expression and turned my head.
"You startled me!"
"Ah!"
The instant I whirled around, the Shadowless Divine Thief stood close enough that her nose all but brushed mine.
Too close! Way too close! Instinct took over, and I leaned back to put distance between us.
"Whoa—!"
And the timing could not have been worse. Of all moments, the boat chose then to lurch in the rapids. My weight already thrown off balance by the backward lean, the hull bounced and my feet left the wooden floor.
For an instant, gravity simply vanished. Just as I was about to land on my backside, the hull smacked down against the water and sprang up again.
Was this a pirate ship ride followed by a spin in the teacups?
"Aaargh!"
"Hold on!"
After I'd rolled across the floor a few times, the Shadowless Divine Thief hastily caught my wrist.
"Are you alright?"
I was not alright. I had very nearly been flung into the river.
"Quite alright. Would you kindly release my hand?"
And where did this young lady get off, acting so gallant and seizing the hand of a man who already has plenty of owners?
"Ah! S-sorry. It's a habit of mine, approaching without a sound."
Do you perhaps suffer from an occupational compulsion to sneak up behind sentries and knock them cold? I considered asking, then thought better of it.
Like a schoolgirl who had accidentally brushed against the belongings of a certain Mr. Kang she wanted no entanglement with, the Shadowless Divine Thief snatched her hand back.
A reaction I knew well — though not one I'd been missing.
'This wasn't in the plan.'
I had meant to strike a dashing pose, and instead I'd treated her to a display of pure clumsiness. What now? I hadn't accounted for variables on open water, and it left me flustered.
"Ahem. The moon does look uncommonly lovely when viewed from the Yangtze."
Let us agree that never happened. As though I had only just now opened the conversation, I spoke while gazing at the sky like a gentleman of refined leisure.
"You may want to dust off your clothes before you take up moon-gazing."
Play along at a time like this. Just once.
I wanted to sink through the floor. If a save-and-load button existed, I'd have hit load without a second's hesitation. Why doesn't reality come with a save function?
"Then I shall dust myself off."
Desperately willing the heat out of my face with the river wind, I brushed at my clothes.
"I brought a duster. Use this."
How had she found one that fast? Quick hands, this one.
I accepted the duster from her and beat the dust out of my clothes, along with a generous measure of my dignity.
"My thanks. Now then — what business brings you out on a moonlit night?"
Having desperately salvaged my expression, I asked in a grave voice.
"I came to offer my thanks. Thank you for aiding me twice in my hour of peril." The Shadowless Divine Thief bowed her head to me with perfect courtesy.
"Thanks are hardly necessary. Even a man who takes in a stray beast answers for it; having resolved to pull a person out of danger, I simply saw the matter through. It was nothing worth mentioning."
I waved a hand lightly, as though the affair deserved no gratitude whatsoever.
Hey. If you take that at face value and walk away, you do realize you'll have stopped being the Shadowless Divine Thief and become the Shameless Divine Thief, don't you? Bow and thank me one more time.
"You saved my life twice — how could I possibly do such a thing? Truly, thank you."
So she was not, it seemed, the Shameless Divine Thief after all; the Shadowless Divine Thief bowed to me a second time.
"I merely could not pass by a lady in peril."
Feigning a touch of embarrassment, I turned my face toward the Yangtze.
I could feel her gaze resting on me.
On a ship she had infiltrated in secret after disaster struck, the only soul who had extended her a helping hand was me. And that man seemed so overflowing with chivalric devotion that he would not even accept her thanks.
An improvised performance, admittedly — but rather impressive, no? Etch it well into your eyes. And if you happen to be a true heroine, tuck it carefully into your memory as well.
"Might I ask the young master's name?"
Quick on the draw, aren't you.
"Shouldn't you have something to tell me first?"
If you want to know a man's name, you introduce yourself first.
"Ah... I am... um... Ah! I'm Du Eunghyang."
The Shadowless Divine Thief faltered, flustered, and then gave a name I had never expected. Why is my novel's heroine's name coming out of her mouth?
"Rather than tell lies, tell me the circumstances that force your hand."
That is not your name. I fixed her with a look of profound disappointment.
I have your character profile memorized, you know. Your alias, your courtesy name, your real name — I know them all. At least size up your audience before you bluff.
"I'm sorry. It's only that I hold the status of a runaway courtesan... In return, if you tell me your name, I swear I shall repay you."
So if her alias or real name came to light and she was caught, it would mean serious trouble. Fair enough, then. It was not as if pink-haired beauties grew on trees.
"I am called Kang Yunho."
I turned and gave her my name.
"Kang... Yunho? Do you perhaps reside in Yichang?"
That was a strange reaction. The Shadowless Divine Thief's brow creased in a peculiar way.
"How could you tell? I am Kang Yunho of Yichang's Daseogak."
"You! Youuuuuu!"
Her eyes went wide, and she jabbed a finger straight at me.
"Me?"
Why the sudden pointing?
Just as I opened my mouth to ask what had gotten into her, the reason came flying out on its own.
"Kang Yunho, the worst bookstore owner in history?!"
And what in the world was this now?
"The worst bookstore owner in history? Whatever do you mean?"
"I know everything. Kang Yunho, the unscrupulous merchant of Yichang!" she declared, bristling with fight.
So goodwill, truth, justice, and the chivalrous hero — those were the words that befitted me, were they not? The worst bookstore owner. An unscrupulous merchant. Did that not make me sound like some swindler roaming the countryside?
"An unscrupulous bookstore owner, you say. As a merchant who has traded honestly all his life, I cannot let such a slur pass unanswered. Why on earth do you call me the worst bookstore owner in history? Let us hear these reasons of yours."
"Is it true that, despite selling Dangga Pungun in such enormous quantities, you have never clearly disclosed how much you paid Author Hopil?"
"That is true."
I pocketed every last coin.
"Is it also true that after receiving volume two from Author Hopil, you refused to print it until volume one had sold through!"
"Also true."
Any merchant worth his salt would do the same.
"Is it true that whenever something goes against you, you make Author Hopil write letters steeped in grievance! 'This is Hopil...' is famous even in Wushan!"
"That also seems true."
Do you have any idea how important the war for public opinion is?
"Is it true that you sell cheap swill at outrageous prices in the name of the Main Wife vote, while being unable to properly explain how much influence that vote actually carries!"
"That is... also true."
Otherwise, how would I ever sell Main Wife Sets when the next heroines arrive?
On and on she went, unloading my sins as an unscrupulous merchant one after another like a volley of musket fire. Difficult to rebut, I'll grant.
"There! You ARE the worst bookstore owner in history!"
The Shadowless Divine Thief singled me out as though her true identity had never been a thief at all, but a master detective who hunts down criminals.
"Me. Me, of all people... the worst bookstore owner in history. The worst bookstore owner in history."
"Me, accepting help from Kang Yunho... Me, accepting help from Kang Yunho! If the courtesan sisters hear of this, they'll never let me live it down!"
The Shadowless Divine Thief clutched her head in despair.
"Now, now, miss."
That Dangga Pungun had spread as far as the cities around Yichang, I could well believe. And Kang Yunho the merchant was admittedly difficult to defend.
Still, she seemed to know nothing of the other rumor — Kang Yunho, the soulmate of Hopil, the man of loyalty. The man who had resolved every manner of incident on Hopil's behalf and even journeyed to the Tang Clan and back. I would have to correct this misunderstanding.
But she never gave me the chance.
"Just you wait! This debt of gratitude — and this humiliation... I won't forget either one!"
With an indignant look, her eyes brimming with tears, she shot me one last glare — then vanished before I could get so much as a word in.
And just what did she mean, refusing to forget the gratitude and the humiliation both?
However far apart our misunderstandings drifted, the boat sailed steadily on toward its destination.
"Yichang ahead!"
"There's Yichang!"
"Prepare to dock!"
"Miss."
From a corner of the cabin, I called out to the Shadowless Divine Thief, who sat with her head bowed, glaring at me in that peculiar way of hers.
"Hmph!"
What was her problem? She whipped her head around to face the other way.
"Have you somewhere to stay?"
"...I was thinking of trying the Yichang branch of the Haomen."
Perhaps she had caught the worry on my face, for she answered quite readily.
A cunning little thief, this one. Part of me wanted to brush her off, but I had a feeling that if we parted like this, her affection meter would settle at exactly plus-minus zero.
"Take this."
I drew my secret weapon from my coat and tossed it to her.
"What's this?"
What she caught was a small pouch.
"You did say you'd lost your money pouch. There's some travel money inside — take it with you."
Spent frugally, it would keep her fed and lodged at an inn for a good month.
...
Startled by the jingle of coin from the pouch, she looked up at me with wide eyes.
"Ours may be a bond that dissolves the moment you step ashore, but I wish you safe travels and a swift end to your troubles."
And don't you dare go burgling, of all places, the Daseogak where the greatest bookstore owner in history resides.
"...Why are you showing me such kindness?"
Because there's a real chance you become a true heroine, that's why.
"You told me your name was Du Eunghyang. What sort of man could hear that and stand idly by?"
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"We've reached Yichang. Didn't you say you needed to get word to the Haomen quickly?"
Leaving her bewildered face behind me, I turned to gaze out the cabin window.
Beyond the glass lay a sight for sore eyes — the familiar city, met again after months away. I could see the boat gliding in to dock at Yichang.
My goodwill ends here. Making it plain that I had no more answers to give, I opened the cabin door.
Off you go, then.
"Hmph! Take care, then!"
She seemed to grasp my intent as well; rising with all the poise of a young lady accepting her escort, she darted out of the cabin.
And so my connection with her would end here.
What business could I possibly have going about alongside the Shadowless Divine Thief?
It was a pity she never gave me the chance to set her straight, but since we had come to Yichang rather than Wushan, she would have her own opportunities to untangle the misunderstanding those false rumors had sown.
"Surely we won't keep running into each other?"
There is exactly one reason for a bookstore owner and a thief to meet. The mere thought of it was enough to make me want no further entanglement.
Hoping my words would not prove prophetic, I set foot at long last in the city I had missed.
Yichang.