The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

I loved fairy tales when I was young.

They were generally old stories about good triumphing over evil. Still, they also showcased the hero’s wit, patience, effort, and eventual success.

Children were selective; if something wasn’t entertaining, they quickly lost interest, which was why fairy tale books must be short and filled with both fun and lessons. In essence, fairy tales were the web novels of childhood.

What was interesting was that fairy tales seemed different when you’re an adult.

One fairy tale from my youth was “The Fairy and the Woodcutter.”

In it, a deer, pursued by hunters, miraculously receives aid from a woodcutting prodigy. Grateful, the deer told the woodcutter that they were now brothers and revealed a secret spot where he had watched a fairy bathing.

“Are you sure this place is okay?”

“Don’t worry! We’ve been here several times. It’s safe.”

The fairy’s bathing spring must have been heavily guarded. But who were the woodcutters of that time? They were the stealthy masters who harvested wood while eluding tigers.

With his assassination-level stealth skills, the woodcutter snuck into the fairy’s bathing place and located her winged robe. He surely mulled over his choice.

‘Which robe belongs to the most beautiful fairy?’

It was akin to a predetermined gacha, yet one still needed to aim for the S-rank. Just as idols have a visual center and others have talent but less visual appeal, it must have been similar with fairies.

The woodcutter scrutinized each winged robe to identify the one that belonged to a fairy with a slender waist, ample bust, and curvaceous hips.

Fortunately, he wasn’t inept and succeeded in selecting the S-rank gacha, ultimately marrying the fairy deprived of her robe. However, it seemed the woodcutter failed to recognize that nurturing a relationship was as crucial as winning the gacha.

He should have striven for a blissful marriage and fathered three children, as his deer brother suggested, to prevent her escape.

Yet, one day, inebriated from a village celebration, he carelessly disclosed the location of the hidden robe to his wife.

Thus, the fairy escaped with two of her children, ignoring her husband’s pleas. It seemed she truly hated her married life, especially in an era when at least five children were expected, yet she only had two.

As a child, I thought, ‘Be kind to animals and heed advice.’ However, I realized it was a remarkable tale as I grew up.

Theft, abduction, and a sham marriage. This showed that a book intended for children could hold a different meaning for an adult reader.

To survive as a novelist, I crafted “The Masked Princess” with this very intention.

It was a somewhat strange story, yet one that could easily be dismissed as a foreign folktale. Nevertheless, I incorporated elements that Moyong Sang-ah could not simply ignore after encountering “The Masked Princess.”

The princess’s suffering from the demons within the mask, the revelation that her family, especially her father, was the villain, his demise, and the abandonment by everyone around her.

It closely mirrored her own predicament, enhancing the immersion. However, that wasn’t sufficient, so I deliberately used specific characters and words, particularly,

‘Ma (魔)’

A story in which Moyong Sang-ah couldn’t help but become engrossed. Since ‘Ma (魔)’ was rarely used in a positive context in old storybooks, it would act like a speed bump for her, drawing her attention to those characters.

As the reader progressed, they would encounter a word that reminded them of Kang Yun-ho.

Jeol-yeong-u-myeon (絶纓優面)

A clown mask with a severed string, or, more commonly, it signified a kite with a broken string, symbolizing someone who had no one to rely on. This very phrase was used by Kang Yun-ho when he first met Moyong Sang-ah.

Originally, Kang Yun-ho hadn’t intended anything profound by it; it was just an insult to a woman who had lost the competition for succession and was practically sold to his family.

But what if I repurposed that phrase as a motif?

If she ‘mistakenly’ believed that the word originally from this story was meant to insult her, she would definitely pay more attention to the story.

No matter how you looked at it, this was her story.

If Moyong Sang-ah read it again in her confusion, she would notice something.

That the fonts of certain words were different.

And when she combined those differently fonted words, she would be shocked.

If she was observant enough to notice the words, Kang Yun-ho’s “washing machine” would start spinning.

‘What in the world is going on?’

Why would that man want to talk to her? Was he just acting all along? Did he actually realize the existence of the Demonic Sect? Like the husband of the Masked Princess, was he actually someone who cared for her?

As these suspicions multiplied, the metaphorical washing machine for Kang Yun-ho in Moyong Sang-ah’s mind started to spin.

Kang Yun-ho needed a wash.

Crackle, crackle.

One should wash their own laundry. Irresponsible Kang Yun-ho, that brat. That was why he got stabbed and died. But now, since I was the one wearing dirty clothes, I needed to wash them quickly.

Moyong Sang-ah’s inescapable misconceptions and misunderstandings deepened.

The desire to resolve these doubts and misunderstandings grew into a need for a solution.

And there was only one way to satisfy this need.

“Is anyone there?”

A messenger from the Moyong Family arrived.

“Master Kang. Miss Moyong Sang-ah wishes to take the test in a private room, just the two of you. Would that be okay?”

Exactly this.

“I would like to take the test just with you.”

I had previously told Moyong Bi that I wanted to take the test in a quiet place.

“Brother-in-law, it’s not proper for an unmarried man and woman to be alone in a secluded room together.”

“In Joseon, the head of the family personally conducted the test with the daughter-in-law to ensure she wasn’t unfairly judged by members of other families. But as my father is currently absent, it’s just me administering it.”

“But,”

“Are you worried that I might deliberately let her pass the test? If she fails, I’ll be the first to run to my brother and suggest she take the test in front of others. Don’t worry.”

“That sounds reasonable. We should respect the customs of Joseon. However, leaving an unmarried couple alone is still not ideal, so I’ll place a guard outside the door.”

Moyong Bi pondered for a moment before accepting it with a condition.

“Do that, then.”

As if I was going to attack Moyong Sang-ah. I’d be chopped into 17 pieces in an instant.

The scenario of Moyong Sang-ah attacking me…

Didn’t seem too bad? Actually, thank you. It was an honor. Just to confirm, this wasn’t a hidden camera setup, right? It felt like it could be.

The sad part was, if it really was an attack, it’d be with a sword and not her body, so I’d have to dodge it.

I wanted to have a comfortable conversation but whispered talk seemed necessary to ensure the guards couldn’t eavesdrop.

The test took place in a room of the Moyong Family’s estate where no one else ventured.

Waiting in the room, Moyong Sang-ah entered.

“Please come in.”

Moyong Sang-ah, whom I met again, was dressed quite simply this time. Perhaps it was her training outfit. It looked comfortable for movement. However, her face didn’t seem as relaxed.

She seemed to be feigning calmness, but the slight pursing of her lips as she glared at me betrayed her suspicion.

“Please, take a seat.”

We sat facing each other, a little distance apart.

“Have you read all the books I gave you?”

I spoke to Moyong Sang-ah in a softer tone than before, knowing that even this small change in manner would shock her, as she was used only to harsh words and abuse.

As I thought, Moyong Sang-ah’s eyes widened a bit.

“I couldn’t study much from ‘Joseon Women’s Conduct’ as its contents were too shocking. However, I could read quite a bit from the collection of folktales.”

Shocking, huh? It was a compilation of things Kang Yun-ho from the 2020s would have liked his girlfriend to do.

“That’s good to hear. Which story from the folktale collection did you like the most?”

Please, let her have noticed it. If she hadn’t caught on by now, I was in real trouble.

“I found ‘The Masked Princess’ quite touching.”

Yes! Perfect!

“Is that so? Could you write down the two most impressive words from ‘The Masked Princess’?”

“…You mean two letters, not four?”

“Yes. I’ll write my answer too, and we’ll show them at the same time.”

“Understood.”

However, Moyong Sang-ah hesitated to write the letters.

Should she really write it? What if what she thought was a misunderstanding was just her own delusion? That must be her concern.

“Miss.”

“Yes?”

“The papers with our answers will be burned after the test is over. Please write as you thought, as you studied. Whatever you write, I will take it seriously.”

I reassured Moyong Sang-ah with a low and gentle tone.

“Understood.”

Moyong Sang-ah nodded slightly. Then, taking a deep breath, she wrote two letters. I watched Moyong Sang-ah write and then wrote my answer.

“Now, let’s simultaneously reveal what we’ve written on the papers.”

“…Yes.”

We unfolded our papers at the same time, revealing the same letters.

Letters that looked like they would blacken the white paper just by being seen.