NOVPUB“Of course he’s a man.”
Hwa-rin-ah, I admit I used my abundant imagination to create a Poisoned One friend, but when it comes to a female friend... I didn’t have enough data to build one.
‘I thought for sure she’d start with the pineapple pizza question.’
I even had a whole excuse prepared for that, but now I’ve been hit with something I wasn’t expecting at all.
Wait... have I never actually told Hwa-rin that the Poisoned One friend was a man? Thinking back, I guess I haven’t.
Of course, the image I had in mind was Hyang-ah’s son, who was killed by bandits. A fellow Joseon native, born under tragic circumstances, and met an unfortunate end.
‘Why is Hwa-rin suddenly asking something so weird?’
Is she suspicious of me? I’ve shown her too many moments where I blatantly lied. From her point of view, maybe something about my setup isn’t quite adding up.
After all the effort I put into crafting the Kang Yun-ho Universe, the hastily cobbled together illegitimate child backstory might be clashing with it like a brainless multiverse, and Hwa-rin’s not having it.
Should I just say outright that the Poisoned One friend is a man?
Even though my internal crisis alert isn’t going off, something still feels off. Admitting the Poisoned One friend is a man might be the equivalent of walking straight into a minefield.
“Why do you ask?”
Instead of giving a direct answer, I took a step back and asked her cautiously, trying to gauge her intent.
“So it’s a girl.”
Tang Hwa-rin said it confidently, like she already knew everything.
“What are you talking about?”
“You hesitated just now. I saw it. If it were a man, you would’ve answered right away. You paused because it’s a woman, didn’t you?”
She said it with the conviction of a detective possessed. Tang Hwa-rin, it’s impressive you caught the hesitation, but you’ve completely misread the direction.
“What are you talking about? He’s a guy.”
I denied it quickly to clear up the misunderstanding—but used a light tone, leaving room for retreat. If she really brings irrefutable evidence, I can pivot.
“You’re going to lie to me, too?”
She widened her eyes, feigning anger as she glared at me.
“Why would you think that?”
Come on, give me a reason.
“Actually, I’ve been suspicious for a while... but today, after hearing what the Vice Pavilion Head said, I was sure.”
“Something he said?”
“You remember what he called the Lecher? That his mind was messed up?”
Guess she really doesn’t consider the Lecher her father. I thought it’d bother her, but she throws around the term “Lecher” like it’s nothing.
“You mean how he said he couldn’t control his impulses?”
“Yeah. I read something similar once in Tang Geo-ho’s hidden manual on making Poisoned Ones at Seong Family Manor.”
Men, possessing yang nature, take poisons imbued with yang energy; women, with yin nature, ingest poisons of yin energy. After first modifying the body to withstand the opposing energy, they then consume the poison pellet.
Tang Hwa-rin gave me a brief rundown on the complex process of creating Poisoned Ones.
“So the Lecher, being a man, took poison filled with yang energy.”
“Exactly. And when taken long-term, that kind of poison stimulates the brain. That’s why he ended up with impulse control issues.”
“Aha.”
“You said you had a close relationship with your friend right until the moment she pushed you away before dying. Which means her mind was intact. For that to be the case, the Poisoned One had to be a woman.”
She tilted her head slightly and looked up at me with only her eyes, as if asking, ‘Are you still not going to tell me the truth?’
“......”
Should I claim he had impulse control issues too, because he was male? But that would contradict what I’d already told her about the friend.
As I stayed silent, Tang Hwa-rin spoke again.
“And you know... when you talk about that friend, do you know what your face looks like? No matter how close the bond is, no man makes that kind of expression.”
She cut herself off deliberately and emphasized every word.
‘That’s because I think of So-hee when I need to emote.’
There are too many emotional crossovers going on. When I mention the friend’s tragedy, I think of So-hee’s cursed fate to help me get the right tone. Or I think of her when I see Tang Hwa-rin slowly healing.
‘Should I just say the Poisoned One friend was a girl?’
I’m practically cornered. Time to adjust the setup.
Let’s double-check: the setting I built, the details I mentioned—does changing the gender affect anything? No. Are there inconsistencies? None.
Except for the name, changing the gender doesn’t contradict anything I’ve prepared.
Then... let’s just admit it.
“...Yeah. You’re right. She was a girl.”
I gave a sheepish laugh and nodded like a criminal caught by a brilliant detective.
---------
After a brief silence, Tang Hwa-rin spoke again.
“Why did you lie and say your friend was a man?”
Because that’s how I wrote it.
“You didn’t need to know.”
“W-why wouldn’t I need to know?”
“We’re about to walk into the tiger’s den. I have to pretend to be the illegitimate child of the Tang Clan Head. If you know that child was a girl, you might let it slip without realizing. The danger far outweighs the relief of telling the truth.”
“Then what about before? You could’ve told me earlier.”
She bit her lower lip slightly and looked up at me. Maybe she felt betrayed that I didn’t share this with her sooner.
If we fall out now, it’ll be a huge problem. Time to craft a believable excuse.
“I’ve never once thought of her as a girl. So when I talked about our memories, I never had a reason to say she was a girl or a young lady.”
“But still—!”
I know. Every time I thought of her, I got that sentimental look. I’ve got a cover story for that too.
Avoiding her gaze, I turned to the window and spoke with a wistful expression.
“But...”
“But?”
“My adolescence didn’t start until after she died. That’s all.”
A one-sided love that could never be returned. A man who endured a painfully lonely youth. One who realized too late what those feelings meant.
I turned to Tang Hwa-rin with a bittersweet smile full of regret and sorrow.
“...Huh?”
She stared at me, jaw slack, as if she’d just been hit with a hammer.
When I spoke of her, she was “a friend.” But when I reminisced, it was with affection in my eyes.
Tang Hwa-rin. With this level of backstory, you get it now, right?
Let’s just move on with that. We’ve got way too much prep left before storming the tiger’s den.
********
You liked her.
A sharp pain seeped into her chest, like water rising from the deep. She wished she hadn’t asked. That lingering question, like a thorn in her shoe, was now piercing her skin.
From the sorrowful smile on his face, Tang Hwa-rin could now understand everything.
Why he couldn’t ignore her during their arrogant first meeting.
Why he rushed to save her when she was in danger.
Why, even after being rejected, he brought back the antidote.
Only now did she fully grasp the reason he had poured all his effort into helping her—because he had seen someone else in her.
He hadn’t been acting out some grand concept of redemption. It had been something else entirely.
The pain in her chest tightened.
“What was her name?”
Tang Hwa-rin asked again, as if peeling off a scab to check the wound underneath.
“Hm?”
“Your friend. What was her name?”
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
“Uh...”
Kang Yun-ho made a face like he was struggling with something. It wasn’t that he couldn’t remember the name. Then why did he seem reluctant to say it?
Maybe it was because she was now someone whose name only he remembered—and he didn’t want to share it with anyone else. A cold wind stirred in Tang Hwa-rin’s heart.
“Say it.”
Tang Hwa-rin flinched at the coldness in her own voice.
“She was from the Tang Clan. A kid who loved to play pranks.”
“But you said she was upright.”
“Haha. She was—just liked to prank me.”
Upright, yet playful with him. That must mean they were close. A scab on Tang Hwa-rin’s heart itched for no reason.
“What about the pineapple pizza? Isn’t that something only those with Tang Clan blood can eat?”
“She force-fed me. When we were just getting close, she said, ‘How can you call yourself my friend if you can’t even eat this?’ and made me eat it. She’d feed it to me as a prank. Feed it to me while we played. And over time... I got used to it.”
“You can eat something just because you’re forced to?”
“Haha. Even when she was sick, she’d laugh while watching me suffer eating pineapple pizza. I wanted to see that face again, so I kept eating it—even forced myself. Later, I started eating it every year on her death anniversary. Now I can eat it just fine... ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) but I’ve got no one to eat it with anymore.”
Kang Yun-ho turned to gaze out the window with a look full of regret.
Tang Hwa-rin quietly bit her lower lip at the sight.
She had heard something similar before.
Pineapple pizza wasn’t actually a poison—it was just food. While those with Tang Clan blood could enjoy it easily, there were ways even for outsiders.
They said that if the chef who made pineapple pizza endured long bouts of vomiting and diarrhea, they could eventually grow used to it.
But the process was so painful and time-consuming that almost no chef actually went through with it.
To eat pineapple pizza with someone, even if it felt disgusting at first. Kang Yun-ho had walked that long and bitter path for the sake of his friend.
‘So it was never really empty.’
The “empty space” in Kang Yun-ho’s heart—left behind after the Poisoned One friend vanished—Tang Hwa-rin had thought she might be able to fill that.
But she’d been wrong.
There was no space for her in his heart. He saw someone like her while walking down the street. Thought of her while writing. Was wrapped in regret about her, time and time again.
His heart was still full of that girl.
Is there even a way to beat someone who’s already dead?
A heavy sense of defeat began to flood Tang Hwa-rin’s legs like a rising tide.
“Hwa-rin!”
And yet—the very man who dragged her into despair was also the one to lift her out of it.
As soon as Kang Yun-ho saw the shadow cross her face, he called out.
“Hm?”
“Sorry. Don’t let this get you down. She’s her, and we’ve got to think about the future.”
“......”
The creeping despair rose again—but Kang Yun-ho smiled and reached out his hand to her.
“Are you gonna keep sulking? Hwa-rin-aaah. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. Please help me, yeah? I’m in deep trouble without you. Come on, save your friend~ pretty please?”
Fidgeting nervously, he pleaded in an exaggerated tone. Tang Hwa-rin, you’re all I’ve got. His fake cheer was obvious, but to someone drowning in low self-esteem and self-doubt, it was effective.
‘This isn’t the time. Yun-ho needs me.’
The man who once helped her was now in crisis. This wasn’t the time to crumble. Tang Hwa-rin grabbed his hand and pulled herself out of the swamp of defeat.
“Alright. I’ll help.”
Tang Hwa-rin said with a small smile.
“Really?”
“His mother came to Joseon while pregnant, right? So the Tang Clan doesn’t even know if the child was a boy or a girl. As long as I keep my mouth shut, it’s fine. Just trust me. I’ll help you.”
“I’m really lucky you’re on my side, Hwa-rin.”
Kang Yun-ho let out a breath of relief, seeing her regain her energy.
“What are you saying? I’ve always been on your side.”
“There’s only you, Hwa-rin!”
When Kang Yun-ho jokingly tried to hug her, Tang Hwa-rin dodged with a laugh.
“Pfft. Seriously. Okay then—tell me what you’re planning.”
Tang Hwa-rin looked at Yun-ho as he desperately laid out his plan.
Right. Now wasn’t the time to wallow in defeat.
Maybe she wasn’t the only friend in his heart.
But no matter what, she would save him.
Because Kang Yun-ho... was her only person.
********
There was a rough patch during the talk about his friend, but luckily, they got through it.
Tang Hwa-rin enthusiastically joined in planning what lay ahead. She still gave me the occasional bitter look, but considering I’ve now been labeled the guy who force-fed himself pineapple pizza, that much was understandable.
“What about tomorrow? Don’t you need more time?”
Tang Hwa-rin asked, sounding worried.
“I’ve got an idea.”
I’d need time to declare a temporary closure. And more importantly, I needed a fallback—something to guarantee my life even if everything went to hell.
“So how are you going to pull it off?”
“You’ll see tomorrow.”
[This is Ho-pil....]
“IT BLEW UP AGAIN, DAMN IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
