116

Chapter 116 - 경영 - 3

The power struggle within the Sacheon Dang clan.

One day, the protagonist, a junior head of the household, learns that his father and the elders who supported him were attacked and killed by a mysterious group.

While the protagonist was cultivating Qi, he nearly cries out in shock before an attack from a mysterious intruder twists the Qi in his body, causing him to fall into a state of Qi deviation.

The position of clan leader falls to his uncle.

Despite suspicions that he killed the protagonist's father, the uncle takes a new wife — the protagonist's mother — and carries on as the clan leader.

The protagonist, now a wreck of his former self, dreams of revenge. And one day, as he lies with his aunt, he discovers his talent isn't limited to martial arts.

The protagonist has an ability that makes every woman he sleeps with become addicted to him. Using this power, he decides to enact his revenge.

The storm of the Dang clan. It begins now.

"It's a death wish to write that."

Have you seen that book? I'll tell you, that whole family is just a sex cult. A sex cult, the entire Sacheon Dang clan.

That's when I learned why the Dang surname from the Sacheon Dang clan was so prolific. Incest within the family. I learned the culture of the Sacheon Dang clan was so novel that even the Hapsburg dynasty in the West was rumored to have taken notes from them.

The suspicious rumors will reach the ears of those in the Sacheon Dang clan, and they will search for the source of these rumors. It will be easy to find the dark-haired barbarian who runs the successful bookstore in Yichang.

If they find me, there's no need for a lawsuit or trial for defamation against the Dang clan. The people of the Sacheon Dang clan will come bearing gifts for the author with tears of gratitude in their eyes.

Would you prefer the gift of a blade or poison? If those don't suit you, there's also the option of a medicinal broth. They'll probably let me choose.

"Even if I write an erotic novel, I need to take precautions."

You can draw the aggro of the Sacheon Dang clan, but you must not cross the line. The moment you do, what flies away won't be the eraser but my head.

In this world, there are books based on actual martial sects and houses too.

The stories of the martial world might remain as dead stock in a 50-year-old bookstore due to lack of popularity, but the fact that they continued to exist spoke volumes.

Wasn't the novel I wrote in the past, "The Tale of the Wind and Cloud Warrior," based on the Wudang sect? Authors of such novels were never said to have been killed, so it's all good as long as you don't cross the line.

The problem is how to avoid crossing that line while writing an erotic novel.

"The martial hero. Even if I write an erotic novel, let's set the protagonist as a member of the Dang clan, overflowing with righteous chivalry."

The protagonist is from the Sacheon Dang clan.

Trained in assassination techniques and poison control, and with a heart brimming with chivalrous righteousness — a sort of hero seldom seen in current martial arts fiction.

Even the people from the Sacheon Dang clan would read and think, this protagonist is strangely overflowing with chivalrous righteousness, not indulging in paranoia, hysterics, or scheming from the shadows — atypical of our clan members.

And with such a hero, this will not be a typical martial arts novel but an erotic one.

Using the main villain.

"The main villain of an erotic martial arts novel would naturally be a lecherous demon."

The protagonist of the Dang clan, with his heart set on chivalry, hears the rumor that a lecherous demon emerged in the world, raping women to absorb their feminine energy to grow stronger. The protagonist starts to track down this lecherous demon to eliminate him.

The storm of the Dang clan is about the protagonist's pursuit of this lecherous demon.

"An upright protagonist gets involved in erotic incidents while performing heroic deeds."

The story follows a standard martial arts plot, but with an adult twist. The protagonist is merely performing acts of heroism when, quite coincidentally, he gets entangled in events akin to erotic tales.

It's like the protagonist of a romantic comedy having no such intentions, yet ends up touching breasts or seeing panties when bumping into the heroine. Except, in the case of "The Storm of the Dang Clan," the protagonist goes beyond mere touching.

"All the evil deeds are done by the lecherous demon, and the protagonist reaps the sweet rewards. This way, it will be difficult for the Dang clan to come after me directly."

Even in modern times, when dramas are made about famous entrepreneurs, they do not sue; they generally enjoy it. In fact, some companies have even used dramas to market their products, like peanut cream biscuits.

It will be the same for The Storm of the Dang Clan. Since it's not the protagonist who's bad. On the contrary, while savoring the sweetness of an erotic martial arts novel, the protagonist becomes a famous hero of chivalry in the martial world.

If The Storm of the Dang Clan is well-written, perhaps the Sacheon Dang clan will come offering awards for promoting the Dang name with tears of gratitude in their eyes. Perfect.

If they still come after me despite this, I have a contingency plan, but let's hope such measures won't be necessary.

For now, let's write.

---------------

"Ugh... This is hard."

As I'm deciding on the plot and busy writing, Dang Hwa Rin enters the attic room, letting her shoulders slump.

"You've worked hard. I should have helped with the cleaning up, I'm sorry."

"No, you've been doing enough during the day, I should at least be doing this much."

Dang Hwa Rin replied wearily and then collapsed onto the bed.

Such a pity. I watch Dang Hwa Rin, too exhausted to even move in bed.

Because of her face, she can't stand at the counter on the first floor. Instead, the retired older employees have been helping out, wanting to assist the young lady of the house.

Dang Hwa Rin takes care of important ledger work and inventory management, but during peak work hours, she can't help but feel a bit superfluous.

Knowing this, she insisted on taking care of the after-hours cleanup, and it's hard not to feel bad about it.

I should hire some help when we're more settled.

"Should I give you a massage?"

"No, focus on writing."

"Alright. Let me know if you're too tired."

I turned my head back and began drafting The Storm of the Dang Clan again. Such erotic happenings are impossible in reality. That's why erotic novels are better. I should write something that will make waves.

"Hey, Yunho."

While I was engrossed in writing, Dang Hwa Rin called out from behind me. She was watching me the whole time instead of sleeping. It makes sense that I felt someone watching.

"Yes?"

"Could you... just a little bit?"

What is she asking for? While I was wondering, Dang Hwa Rin awkwardly wriggled and then lay face down.

She must have been wanting a massage, staring at me the whole time. You should've just received it when I offered.

I'm tired too, so maybe I'll only write this far. I put down my brush and rose from my seat, approaching the bed where Dang Hwa Rin lay.

"Do it hard, okay?"

As I touched her calves, Dang Hwa Rin's body suddenly twitched.

"...Do it gently, please."

What does she mean by gently now?

"I'll be gentle."

"Hehe! Not the thighs, I said!"

"But your thighs are the most knotted..."

Aren't they? Although, now that I think about it, it seems like her shoulders are actually tighter.

"Mmph! Hey! Where are you... Hehe!"

She sure has a lot of requests.

---------------------

The bookstore, reborn in modern style, and Dasogak, where you can read an endless number of books.

The bookstore had been a hive of activity ever since it reopened.

"Manager. Are you listening to what I'm saying?"

"Yes, I'm listening. Welcome."

I quietly listened to Son Seonsaeng, who had come first thing as Dasogak opened, and greeted the customers as they arrived.

"I don't like that we have to stamp every book we sell. And having one person in a group of three come in free of charge? How can people manage that? It would be easier if you just let someone in free after three visits. And the name Dasogak itself is an issue. It sounds old-fashioned. Forget Dasogak, how about Bookㅋ..."

"Welcome. Shall I get you a cafe latte?"

"Manager, are you listening?"

Did he have more to say?

"Look over there."

Son Seonsaeng pointed to a group of young women sitting closely together, reading a single book.

"They seem to be having a good time, with beverages and snacks ordered too."

Expensive coffee and snacks sourced from elsewhere, and they even exceed one beverage and one snack per person, continuously ordering more. They look like daily customers it would be good to have around.

I glanced at Son Seonsaeng, who ordered an Americano in the morning and then let the ice melt into it, with a look that said, why are you making a fuss?

"Ahem. If I have two cups of coffee in a day, I can't sleep... Anyway! Those young women are reading one book among the three of them, talking and causing a commotion. This is a sacred space for studious learning. As the manager, shouldn't you regulate such behavior?"

"I've been watching, and while they whisper among themselves, they don't seem to be loud or causing any disturbances."

"But when the young women next to me whisper smelling of flowers, it's a distraction from my studies."

It's not my responsibility if you're distracted by the young ladies. Moreover, you should do your studying somewhere else. This is a place for reading.

"And aren't we having a conversation right now?" 

"Talking among friends isn't a sin."

"Haha, customer. Friends, you say? And this place is for reading. If you want to study, perhaps the place where you usually do would be better."

From experience, I've never seen a happy ending for customers who try to get too familiar with the owner by calling them hyung, dongsaeng or friend.

"Hmm. Perhaps our acquaintance isn't deep enough to be friends yet... Actually, I concentrate well with the ambiance here in Dasogak. If I study here, I think I could pass the next civil service exam."

"As you're a regular and there might be others who feel the same, I will give them a warning. But if it doesn't improve, I'll stamp your coupon, so please bear with it."

"Really? Then, don't give the warning, just give me the stamp."

"Alright, I will do that."

"Hehehe, I've collected all 10, so give me an iced Americano."

Hey, didn't you say two cups a day kept you awake?

----------

"Hwa Rin, aren't you done yet?"

I had finished tidying up the second floor of Dasogak and spoke to Dang Hwa Rin, who was still busily cleaning up.

"If you're done with your work, go upstairs."

Dang Hwa Rin, who was carrying a stack of books, responded to me.

"I'll help too. Wow, all of these are erotic stories. They really do sell well."

We began to display the erotic tales one by one on an empty table.

"They sure are popular."

"I wish the books I write would do as well as these."

"Chuckle, it's not that easy to get that popular, you know?"

"What? Are you laughing? If I put my book on this table, it'll sell out in a day."

I subtly suggested to her that when my book came out, I was thinking of taking up a whole spot for promotion.

"Chuckle, well, let's see you try."

Dang Hwa Rin looked at me with the kind of expression a sister might give to her little brother who declared he'd grow up to become a super robot. 

Suddenly I felt challenged. Now I really had to write diligently.

"We're nearly done with the cleanup, so you go up first. I'll finish everything."

"If you're going to do it, let's do it together..."

"Rest. Rest. You've been so tired lately, you even said your shoulders were stiff."

How tired must she be if even a martial artist with inner strength feels exhausted? I grabbed her stiff shoulders to stop her from offering further help and slowly pushed her towards the stairs.

"No, my shoulders aren't stiff because of that..."

"That's enough. Just rest."

I sent her up to the attic room and started the final cleanup on the first floor.

It's great that business is booming, but the cleanup can be endless. I mean, shouldn't people put the books back where they found them?

Put the books back in their place?

"I've made a mistake!"

I abandoned the books and hurriedly dashed up to the attic room.

By the time I made it to the attic, however, it was already too late.

Dang Hwa Rin, with a serious expression on her face and a bunch of papers in her hand, turned to look at me and started to speak.

"Hey, Yunho. This... What is this?"