Episode 71

“Why has my murderous intent surged again?”

The Heavenly Death Star was lost in thought, regaining her inner calm in a corner of the alley.

“I’ve never experienced such a surge in murderous intent before.”

The Heavenly Death Star’s murderous intent was like water gradually filling a large vessel. If she didn’t kill, the water in the vessel slowly rose and overflowed.

Unrestrained killing was no different. If she killed someone in a state of lost inner peace, her murderous intent didn’t disappear but boiled over instead.

Ultimately, whether she refrained from killing or engaged in unrestrained murder, the outcome converged to one - losing control over her inner murderous intent.

That’s why The Heavenly Death Star had learned the assassin’s martial arts and performed assassinations.

It was a process of shedding her inner murderous intent while maintaining inner peace through martial arts. This way, she could reduce her internal murderous intent without getting intoxicated by the act of killing and letting it overflow.

When she felt her murderous intent rising, she carried out assassination missions. That was her usual routine.

But this time, the surge was different.

“There were no premonitory symptoms.”

Normally, there would be signs in both cases, like feeling hungry before overeating, or sensing the murderous intent gradually rising.

But this time it was different.

It felt like a smoldering ember she thought had vanished, suddenly fueled into a roaring flame by intense bellows.

“Why can’t I feel it?”

The Heavenly Death Star reviewed her thoughts calmly and in detail. If murderous intent had surged, there should be some remnants within, but she felt none.

It wasn’t a situation where she had lost her peace of mind and was committing murder.

What exactly caused her murderous intent to surge so fiercely?

“Could it be?”

With a thought in mind, The Heavenly Death Star disappeared from the street using her stealth technique.

“Sohee, you’re late today.”

Yunho greeted Sohee, who entered the house with food in one hand.

“Yeah, there was something.”

“What happened to make your expression so dark?”

“Is my expression dark?”

Her face was usually expressionless, so Sohee was surprised by Yunho’s comment.

“Are you worried about something?”

Yunho had been living with her for quite some time now.

It wasn’t hard for Yunho, who always observed her complexion to survive, to notice worries on her expressionless face.

“It’s nothing.”

It was a concern she couldn’t share with him. Sohee slowly shook her head and handed the food to Yunho, like a family head bringing home chicken after a tough day at work.

“Alright. Talk about it when you feel like it.”

Was it because of the affairs of the assassin? Yunho’s casually spoken words were gentle, piercing deeply into Sohee’s heart.

Sohee, holding back the pain about to cause her brow to crease, watched Yunho’s retreating figure to the living room, holding the food she had given him.

“There was a range in which murderous intent disappeared.”

She found the reason.

It wasn’t that The Heavenly Death Star’s fate disappeared after finding her noble person.

When she distanced herself from Yunho, her murderous intent returned. And it’s not the gradual buildup from before.

The time in the shantytown when she fed her murderous intent to the extreme.

She was trying to revert to The Heavenly Death Star, who craved slaughter.

‘The murderous intent hadn’t completely disappeared.’

It was hidden so well that Cheon Sohee couldn’t find it.

Perhaps the reason was her noble person. The Heavenly Death Star’s murderous intent might be afraid of him.

Only after she distanced herself from his side, did her murderous intent, which had been hiding, resurface to dominate her again.

Cheon Sohee looked at Yunho with anxious eyes.

The murderous intent of the Heavenly Death Star was still lurking, like the embers of a great fire before it burst into flame.

‘I just need to stay by Yunho’s side.’

She identified the cause. Then the solution was simple.

Just stay by his side.

He lived his life as a storyteller, and she, as his bodyguard. That way, they could live without worrying about the murderous intent of the Heavenly Death Star.

But one fact stirred her anxiety.

‘That guesthouse was a place I occasionally visited.’

She had been to that guesthouse several times before, but never had she felt such a surge of murderous intent. Why today?

Sohee tried to calm her anxious heart by looking at Yunho, who was setting out the food.

“Sohee, let’s eat!”

“Okay.”

It’s just a temporary phenomenon.

Yunho was her noble person.

Being with a noble person dissipated the murderous intent. She would overcome the fate of the Heavenly Death Star.

She must.

Please.

She approached Yunho with a fragile smile, as if she might crumble if touched.

As usual, the storytelling performance began.

“Oh heavens!!! Without the travel expenses, I can’t go to the scene of my father’s murder!!!”

Eventually, the ominous prediction became a reality.

It was like a theater at the end of a popular movie. Although there were latecomers and some repeat viewers, the atmosphere was oddly subdued.

I raised my voice and wandered among the audience, but the money in the basket was scant.

This was a real problem.

Despite my efforts to enliven the performance, the audience’s response was lukewarm, and few were immersed in the story.

I had to bitterly admit that today’s business was a bust and wrap up the story quickly.

“You. You’re completely broke these days, aren’t you?”

After the storytelling session, I visited the fabric store for currency exchange, and Mr. Wang immediately asked about my recent situation.

“How did you know?”

“People pass in front of our store after your story ends. How could I not know?”

“That makes sense.”

I smiled bitterly and nodded.

Today was particularly bad, but the number of audience members had noticeably decreased in recent days.

And there were even fewer new viewers. Since the storytelling fee was voluntary and depended on the atmosphere, the recent decrease in audience numbers was fatal for me.

I hadn’t taken the risk of introducing new stories for a stable income. But now, even telling stories about Prince Hamurin felt like an adventure.

“People seem tired of your Prince Hamurin stories. Don’t you have other stories?”

“I have some in mind, but I’m not sure what to do.”

I had several prepared, but I was hesitant about which one to present.

“How about a story for the female audience?”

“Female audience?”

“Your stories have become popular, and it seems word has spread among the women’s associations in Chilgok County. The men are tired of your stories because they’re always outside, but the women who stay at home are just now hearing about you and coming out to see. Hasn’t the female audience increased lately?”

“Yes. The proportion of the male audience has decreased while the female audience has increased.”

So that’s why there were more well-dressed female viewers these days. Lately, it’s the female audience’s reactions that had been keeping me alive.

“Don’t you have a story that could captivate these women’s hearts?”

“I do.”

“There’s an interesting story.”

“How about trying that one then?”

“Then, as Mr. Wang suggested, I’ll try a story that will appeal to female audiences. Can you spread the word that the storyteller is going to tell a new story?”

Since he recommended it, it was worth asking for some advertising.

There’s no need to specifically say it’s a story women would like. Just spread the word that it’s a new story.

“It’s not difficult at all. These days, the number of female customers at the fabric store has been worrying. I might just benefit from your help.”

I relied on Mr. Wang to gather customers, and he attracted customers due to the increased foot traffic. This was mutual assistance.

I repeatedly expressed my trust in him and asked for his help with the promotion again. Mr. Wang reassured me to just trust him and saw us off.

“Look, the storyteller is coming!”

“Is he going to tell a new story?”

As I entered the usual storytelling square, many people welcomed me. The immediate response to the new story was surprising.

Trustworthy advertising from Mr. Wang. In Chilgok County, it’s like an online portal site advertisement.

“Brother! It looks like a storytelling performance.”

“I’ve already heard it ten times. I’m sick of it.”

“This is my first time! You should have seen how much my mother objected to me going.”

Not a tale about drinking beer on a prison rooftop, but ten times was enough to get bored, right?

I slowly climbed onto the stage and observed the audience’s reaction for a moment.

“The storyteller is going to tell a new story this time.”

“A barbarian storyteller’s story. It’ll just be another story similar to Hamurin. What else.”

“That barbarian luckily stumbled upon an interesting story before. Does he have another one?”

“What’s the harm in listening for a bit? Let’s just hear it and then leave!”

Definitely, there were more negative reactions now. It felt like I had overused the same material.

This time, I will tell a new story. Just listen and see.

“Hello! I am Kang Mo, a storyteller from Joseon! Today, I will tell you a new story from Joseon!”

Click! Today, as always, I captured the audience’s attention by unfolding my fan.

“Are you sure you’re not doing the Prince Hamurin story? Then maybe I’ll listen for a bit.”

“Brother, you’re lucky. I came to hear about Prince Hamurin. My mom ruined it.”

“Ha! A new story, huh? How are you planning to fleece us this time!”

“Hold onto your purses tightly. They’ll be empty in no time.”

“What’s the story other than Prince Hamurin? Tell us the title!”

“If it’s a story I’ve heard, I’m going home! Hurry up and tell us!”

The people began clamoring for the title of the new story.

Ignoring the noisy crowd, I slowly looked around at the audience.

“It will be a big problem if my father finds out I’m here. He told us women not to come to places like this.”

“I heard it last time, but it’s a waste of time to hear it again.”

“Let’s just listen for a bit. If it’s boring, we’ll leave!”

‘The female audience is indeed high.’

Mr. Wang was right.

Apparently, the male audience, having grown tired of my stories, didn’t show much interest in a new one, but the female audience, hearing about it later, seemed to have increased.

With this turnout, it’s worth trying that story.

The Immortal Romance.

A tragedy so well-known that even though people may not know the story, they know the ending.

A legendary story paid homage to by countless media.

The story I was going to tell today was…

“Today’s story is about Prince Romeo and Lady Juliet!”

It’s Romeo and Juliet.