The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

In Joseon, tiger troubles were rampant.

The situation was so dire that a saying emerged: “People in Joseon spend half the year attending funerals for those killed by tigers and the other half hunting tigers.”

In neighboring countries, when someone vanished on a journey, people claimed they were taken by ghosts or had reincarnated in another world. However, in Joseon, the assumption was different.

“They must have been killed by a tiger.”

That was the prevailing thought.

Many proverbs and folk tales featuring tigers circulated widely. Among them, one well-known proverb stated:

“Even if bitten by a tiger, if you keep your wits, you can survive.”

But this proverb was misleading. While it might hold metaphorical truth in times of crisis, in reality, if a tiger actually bit you, your fate was sealed.

To survive a tiger’s attack, it wasn’t enough to simply regain consciousness after being bitten.

You had to outwit the tiger before it could bite.

A tale from my childhood, known as “Tiger Brother,” illustrates this point well.

Once, a man found himself on the verge of being bitten by a tiger.

“Brother, my brother!”

In desperation, the man addressed the tiger as his sibling.

“What do you mean ‘brother’?”

Prompted by curiosity, the tiger paused to hear the man’s tale. The man began to weave his story.

“My mother once told me I had a brother who died and was reborn as a tiger. Seeing you now, I am convinced you must be that tiger brother of mine.”

Fooled by the man’s convincing performance, the tiger accepted the man’s claim and allowed him to return home.

Even more, the tiger began to bring valuable game to support the man and his family.

The man avoided the bite and, through his trickery, prospered.

How remarkable.

He escaped unscathed and deceived the tiger into wealth.

That’s precisely the kind of deception I needed to employ with the Moyong Family.

Wealth was of no concern to me.

They can keep their riches; merely surviving will suffice.

To that end, it’s time for me to engage in a perilous charade.

“Young master, the Moyong Family’s mansion lies at the end of this road.”

At last, I have arrived at this place.

The road to the Moyong Family’s mansion was neatly organized and beautifully decorated.

People in the town lined up on both sides of the main road, seemingly eager to see the face of Moyong Sang-ah’s husband.

If it had been modern times,

“Banners like ‘Congratulations on Moyong Sang-ah’s marriage,’ ‘Sang-ah, you’re finally leaving!’ or ‘Congratulations on Miss Moyong Sang-ah’s marriage - From a partner company representative.’”

That would have been the atmosphere.

People lined up, each starting to talk about our story. Naturally, I became the main focus of their attention.

I tried not to care, keeping my eyes fixed on the Moyong Family’s mansion, but I couldn’t help overhearing their comments.

“He looks better than I thought?”

“Just an empty husk. Doesn’t match the lady.”

“He’s rich, right? Look at all that treasure loaded in his carriage.”

“That’s true. Suddenly he looks handsome.”

“Empty inside but rich is still a good match.”

Hey, lady. Have you seen inside me?

I’m filled with robust items and intelligence. How dare you say I’m empty.

Listening to the townspeople’s comments, I soon arrived at the main gate of the Moyong Family’s mansion.

The Moyong Family’s mansion was more like a small fortress than a typical mansion.

Built to defend against enemies and demonstrate the power of the Moyong Family to guests, its main gate was majestic, as if to say, “If you’re an enemy, I’ll swallow you whole.”

“Can I survive this?”

Standing in front of the grand gate that seemed to flaunt the power of the Moyong Family, I couldn’t help feeling tense.

I must not die on my first night of marriage.

I must not be executed for treason.

I have to escape from the Moyong Family safely and flee to the Central Plains.

I must survive.

If I can just hand over the book I wrote.

I can turn Moyong Sang-ah into a tiger brother.

Kang Yun-ho, don’t be scared! You can do it!

With this thought, the door opened.

“Welcome!”

The first person to greet me at the main gate was a tall figure clad in silk clothing. His slightly slanted eyes gave him the appearance of a venomous snake.

He was a member of the Demonic Sect, the Young Master of the Moyong Family, Moyong Bi.

[[[[[[Welcome! Please come in!!]]]]]]

The Moyong Family members also lined up to welcome our party.

“Nice to meet you, Young Master.”

I approached the Young Master and greeted him with a smile.

“Well, the person who will soon be my brother-in-law is calling me ‘Young Master.’ You should call me ‘brother.’”

“Haha. How can I so easily call the future leader of the great Moyong Family ‘brother’?”

“This man… Be careful with your words. My father is still here. Ahem.”

Despite his words, Moyong Bi’s lips struggled to suppress a smile.

“Of course, my father-in-law should regain his health. But once he steps back, the next leader of the great Moyong Family is already decided.”

“Haha. That’s true. But I don’t see our father-in-law.”

Moyong Bi glanced around the party, searching for Kang Yun-ho’s father.

“His health deteriorated rapidly, so he couldn’t travel recently.”

I responded, keeping my expression somber. In reality, before the wedding, my father had collapsed from high blood pressure after overindulging in alcohol.

“It’s unfortunate that both family heads are unwell. Your father must be saddened to miss the wedding.”

“We plan to have another small ceremony in the Joseon lands, inviting the elders and my father. Perhaps offering the ceremony and our hospitality to those around us will persuade the heavens to hasten our elders’ recovery.”

As I spoke, I surveyed the area.

Wasn’t she here? She shouldn’t be.

As expected, I couldn’t spot Moyong Sang-ah anywhere.

“Haha. I see. But it’s not polite to keep the guests standing. Everyone, please come inside!”

Not yet, not now. I took a deep breath and then spoke.

“But, Young Master.”

I spoke with a slightly angry tone, as low as possible.

“Yes?”

“Where is Miss Moyong?”

“Ah, that’s…”

Moyong Bi scratched his neck, displaying a troubled expression.

“Isn’t it rude for the bride-to-be not to greet the man she’s about to marry?”

I hardened my expression and pressed Moyong Bi further.

“That girl said she only needs to show her face at the wedding…”

Yes, Moyong Sang-ah must be in her final struggle.

I thought that even if she couldn’t cancel the marriage, she would express her feelings by not greeting me.

“Is that the law in the Central Plains?! In Joseon, when the groom comes from afar, the bride-to-be dresses up and greets him with flowers!”

Now I was very angry. I shouted loudly enough for everyone to hear.

As my voice rose, the smiles on the faces of the welcoming crowd began to fade, while my own party remained silent.

It seemed that my warning to the party to remain quiet if they didn’t want to be treated like barbarians had worked.

“Heavens! What a voice! Is it proper for someone about to celebrate a happy occasion to be so loud?”

Moyong Bi attempted to calm me down by reaching for my shoulder, but I quickly turned to face our group.

“The Changryongdae, who came to escort us, treat us like barbarians! And my fiancée doesn’t come to meet me! Disrespecting our family and our Joseon, how can this marriage proceed?! Everyone, turn the procession around!”

“What!”

Moyong Bi, startled, grabbed my shoulder and spun me around. Ouch. As expected, a martial artist’s grip is strong.

“Let go, Young Master! I cannot tolerate such disrespect from my bride’s family!”

“Brother-in-law! What’s the matter after such a long journey?”

“Ask those from the Changryongdae, or whatever they call themselves, about racial discrimination!”

Where did these racists go? Racial discrimination in a 2020s martial arts visual novel!

I looked around earnestly and saw the head of Changryongdae, his head hanging low.

“Treated like barbarians? Head of Changryongdae, is that true?”

Moyong Bi interrogated the head of Changryongdae, unable to believe it.

“That, that is…”

What more could he say when it was the truth.

“Eek! Did that girl tell you to do it?”

“No, no, she didn’t!”

“What do you mean no! Ah… Brother-in-law. Let’s clear up any misunderstandings inside.”

As soon as Moyong Bi realized what I had said was true, he sighed deeply and spoke apologetically.

“…”

Humph, Danbi is upset! No, Kang Yun-ho is upset.

With a sulky face, I avoided Moyong Bi’s gaze.

“I will wait in the office and call that girl. I’ll punish those guys too. So don’t talk about leaving.”

“Sigh… How can I disobey the words of the future head of the great Moyong Family? Let’s go inside together.”

“Right. Right. Welcome!”

With that, I safely passed the first hurdle and headed to Moyong Bi’s office.

The scene in Moyong Bi’s office was a display of profound filial piety.

“Did Moyong Sang-ah tell her guards to threaten her fiance?”

“No, Young Master. How could Miss Sang-ah do such a thing?”

The head of Changryongdae protested as if wronged. Do you know how scared our group was because of you? In times like this, instead of a prospective groom, I should play the role of a supportive sister-in-law.

“It’s… my fault for being unworthy. The Young Master’s Changryongdae threatened us and insulted us as barbarians. I couldn’t tell if I was coming for a wedding or being led to a slaughterhouse.”

“My, my Changryongdae! Those scoundrels originally came from Sang-ah’s Changbongdae!!”

As if hearing alarming news, Moyong Bi jumped up.

That’s your unit, your responsibility, kid.

Is this guy really the Young Master?

The future of the Moyong Family seems rock-solid.

“I’ve heard rumors in the Joseon Peninsula that even bands of robbers pee themselves at the sight of the Moyong Family’s Changryongdae. But now, our group was so scared of the Changryongdae that tormented us last night that they wet themselves.”

In truth, I had been too happy scolding the Changryongdae yesterday and had drunk too much.

“Hehehehe.”

With a headache from trying to figure out what had happened, Moyong Bi pressed his palm against his forehead.

“I will punish the guilty Changryongdae members and send them to the disciplinary camp for 100 days. Please forgive us once again.”

The head of Changryongdae, like yesterday, knelt and apologized.

“Causing such a problem without distinguishing between major and minor issues, it can’t end here. The entire Changryongdae who went as escorts will be confined for half a year.”

“Young Master!!”

Confinement meant no salary for six months.

A month’s delay in salary already brought desires to resign, and now they were told to work without pay for six months?

Oh, harsh, very harsh.

“Young Master, no, brother.”

“Ha! Finally, you call me ‘brother.’”

Perhaps thinking his punishment had satisfied me, Moyong Bi’s face brightened with color.

“The party is afraid of the Changryongdae. Please confine them and ensure no other Changryongdae members are in sight of me and my party during the wedding.”

“Alright. The Changryongdae who weren’t part of the escort can take a few days off. Head, go and convey what you’ve heard.”

The head, realizing his words would no longer prevail, left the office.

Good.

In case the plan failed and I needed to escape, this way I could avoid being pursued by the Changryongdae.

“Thank you. And is Miss Moyong coming?”

“I’ve sent a message. She’ll be here soon.”

Finally, I was about to meet the final boss. I swallowed nervously, steadied myself, and spoke.

“On my way here, I cooled off and thought about why Miss Moyong didn’t come to greet me.”

“Oh?”

“Could it be because the cultures of Joseon and the Central Plains are different? In fact, brother, you might not understand why I got angry.”

“That’s true. In our Central Plains, it’s not uncommon for the bride and groom not to meet until the wedding day.”

In fact, it was the same in Joseon. I had made up all the tradition.

“So, when Miss Moyong arrives, I would like her to read these books about Joseon’s customs and stories.”

I carefully took some books out of my possession.

Not really Joseon customs, but books containing writings by Kang Yun-ho.

“Ha! Is there such a book?”

“Being from an interpreter’s family, we often marry foreign women. When that happens, we have them read these books and take a test the day before the wedding.”

“A test?”

“A test to see if they can adapt well to our family. I didn’t want to do this test for the lady of the Moyong Family. But my father said if there seems to be a serious problem, we should have the test first.”

“Our father-in-law? He didn’t mention that to me.”

“He collapsed worrying about the bride. He said if he was healthy, he could cover any mistake, but now that he’s unwell, it’s better to have the test.”

“Alright. It might be a bit rude, but we were rude first, so I can’t say anything. It’s the custom of a foreign land, but it’s my sister going to that land. If it’s necessary for you and your father-in-law, then so be it.”

Moyong Bi nodded, seemingly convinced.

“I’m sorry to ask for something that could be rude.”

“It’s fine. Now, we have no more apologies to make to each other.”

That was a relief. I had passed the second hurdle.

Suddenly, I heard a flurry of activity outside the office.

“Whoa!”

I also heard the shocked and nearly breathless sounds of the waiting Changryongdae outside.

Such commotion must have meant that a presence capable of causing a stir just by passing through had arrived.

“The lady has arrived!”

Yes.

The final boss made her entrance.