Once upon a time, there were numerous continents in the world, but now, a considerable number of them were submerged in water.
The closest continent to Cheonghwa Town, which was in a remote form resembling an island, was the 1st Continent. To reach there, one had to sail for more than ten days. Most smuggling ships brought goods from the 1st Continent.
Although Cheonghwa Town was not a continent, its land size was significant for an island. Due to its size, it often became a target for pirates, unlike the 1st Continent where the security was excellent. Occasionally, pirates raided and plundered, and situations where they completely took over, like Peira, happened several times. Additionally, Cheonghwa Town served as an intermediate point for other continents using sea routes. Because of this, Cheonghwa Town had a diverse mix of various cultures.
Over time, Cheonghwa Town changed owners several times. The rule of the previous owners lasted at most three years, but Peira had been in power for five years.
Naturally, fierce battles between pirates occurred frequently in Cheonghwa Town. However, since Peira took over Cheonghwa Town, incidents of pirates being targeted drastically decreased.
Ironically, Peira ensured security. Thus, while people cursed Peira, they also hoped for this peace to continue.
“Crazy jerk…”
Cheongyeon pedaled furiously, pushing against the intensifying rain.
Arriving safely at the apothecary, Cheongyeon nonchalantly parked the bicycle and casually checked if his neck was still intact. If an axe had been in that guy’s hand… most likely, he would have lost his life on the spot.
Cheongyeon reached out to the bicycle basket. A dry, twig-like stem was held in his hand. The six petals that had been attached to it were nowhere to be found.
Sitting at the counter with only the dry stem in hand, Cheongyeon sighed. Rainwater gathered beneath his feet, but he paid no attention.
“Tae Muwon…”
As he thought of him again, a shiver ran down his spine. The first unwritten rule of Cheonghwa Town was not to get involved with Tae Muwon. Cheongyeon only truly realized the significance of that rule today.
“But why work part-time at a garbage dump?”
“Apothecary-“
As Cheongyeon placed the dry stem on the counter, memories from earlier flashed in his mind. The golden eyes seen up close were intimidating. They were eyes he never wanted to meet again.
Come to think of it, Tae Muwon didn’t have a tattoo. Those belonging to Peira had red asters tattooed on the sides of their necks, which generally did not fit their rugged appearance. However, Tae Muwon would suit the flower tattoo well, for he was a man who could look good even in that extravagant suit.
Why Tae Muwon didn’t have a tattoo was something Cheongyeon couldn’t help but wonder. He might have heard something about the Tae Cheonoh also not having tattoos… But more importantly, Tae Muwon seemed to know about him.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
When Cheongyeon snapped out of his thoughts, his hair was almost dry.
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Jtfbcusfbc rabbv eq ogbw tlr rfja jcv gfjmtfv bea ab atf rafw. Ktlr kjr jii tf mbeiv rjinjuf, yea tf ofia obgaecjaf. Lbkfnfg, cbk tf kjr miefifrr jybea ktfgf ab olcv vglfv oibkfgr. Llr wbcfs mbiifmafv bnfg atgff gfdefrar kjr jii rqfca ys cbk. Snfc lo tf wjcjufv ab ujatfg wbcfs jujlc obg j gfdefra, lo tf uba mjeuta jujlc, atlr alwf tlr tfjv wluta yf lc gfji vjcufg.
But why was Muwon obsessed over a dried flower?
Moreover, he had stuck the unimpressive stem in the suit pocket. Perhaps it was because of the smuggling ships he got caught twice before. In both instances, he had asked the captains of smuggling ships for dried flowers, and unfortunately, both times they were caught by Peira. Peira must have inspected each smuggled item. At first, they probably considered dried flowers as trash. However, when they saw the same item for the second time, curiosity might have sparked. And now, it was the third time.
The fact that Tae Muwon was interested was the worst.
Cheongyeon thought about trying to smuggle himself to the first continent, but then shook his head. From the beginning, he knew that his life was precious, so he paid a lot of money to commission it. His life was not his alone; it was vital for Cheonghwa Town.
Cheongyeon lifted the slightly damp shirt to check his stomach. It was just faint stains for now, but contamination was progressing. He took off his shoes and entered the small room inside the store. The small attached room had everything he needed, just smaller in size.
Soon, Cheongyeon placed the kettle on the burner and boiled dried flower stem in Cheonghwa Town’s groundwater. It was necessary for the flower to have petals to have the proper effect, but for now, he had to consume what he had.
He quickly pricked his thumb with a lancet, letting a drop of blood fall into the kettle. Then, the unimpressive brown stem, which had been shaking faintly, transformed as if it had just sprouted. The vivid green stem melted away like sugar, leaving no traces.
Cheongyeon poured the sparkling, transparent water into a cup. Pulling both legs together, he sat and waited for the water to cool down. After drinking the moderately cool water, he raised his shirt again.
The once blurred stain gradually disappeared, returning to ordinary skin.
‘Fortunately, it seems like I’ve gained another three months with this…’
It felt miserable somehow. He was the pillar supporting Cheonghwa Town. Without him, there would be no Cheonghwa Town. However, it was an unspoken truth that he couldn’t tell anyone.
***
“Drink moderately, okay?”
Tae Cheonoh said to Muwon, who was lying on the bed in a mess. The Muwon, who was sleeping soundly, opened his eyes with some irritation. Muwon’s gaze, directed at Tae Cheonoh, moved towards the bottom. A similarly naked woman was sitting on top of the naked body.
“What’s this?”
“You lunatic, why would I know what you don’t? I never thought you’d be stuck in an inn like this.”
Muwon pushed the woman on his body to the side. The woman, perhaps not completely sober, mumbled something and burrowed into the blanket.
Tae Cheonoh threw a water bottle at Muwon, who was getting up. He caught it with a loud noise, sat on the bed, and gulped down the water. The neck moved only a few times, but the bottle soon became empty.
After tossing the empty bottle carelessly, Muwon clicked his tongue left and right. After loosening his somewhat stiff body and getting up, the luxurious flower-patterned curtain covering the window was visible. Walking toward the window, he quickly pulled the curtain aside. Then, the scenery outside the inn came into view.
[ Cheongyeon Apothecary ]
There was an apothecary right across the street.
“Take it.”
Tae Cheonoh threw a paper bag to Muwon. Opening it, Muwon found Tae Cheonoh’s preference—a plain-colored T-shirt and pants. Muwon silently put on the clothes. From the clothes scattered on the floor, he only took out cigarettes and a Zippo lighter.
“Tae Cheonoh, you know what?”
Tae Cheonoh, who had crossed the low door of the inn room, answered casually.
“I don’t know, you fucker.”
“If you’re as pretty as fuck, my fist won’t go out.”
“When did you ever pick a fight while looking at someone’s face?”
Muwon also bowed his head, crossing the corridor that was too narrow for two people to walk. Muwon slowly trailing behind Tae Cheonoh. As they reached the entrance, the inn owner stuck his face out through the narrow window.
Slam! Muwon slammed the counter window with his palm.
“I had a good rest.”
The inn resonated with a sound that could shake the entire place.
“Oh, but the soundproofing is not great.”
The contemplative owner peeked out his face like a mole, averting only his eyes. Hearing that the soundproofing wasn’t very good, he looked clearly scared, wondering if he should return the money.
“If it weren’t for that guy, I would have searched every corner of Cheonghwa Town looking for you.”
Tae Cheonoh closed the window instead, as if to stop him from doing anything for no reason.
“Who said anything?”
Muwon, who chuckled, came out of the inn and faced the warm sunlight. Muwon preferred sunny days more than rainy ones. Tae Cheonoh left Muwon alone to soak up as much sunlight as he wanted. The strong light shining on his face made his naturally handsome features sparkle.
“Muwon-ah, wouldn’t it be faster to go to the 1st Continent and search?”
Tae Cheonoh stood with the sun at his back. Muwon, looking beyond Tae Cheonoh at the closed door of the apothecary, took out a cigarette.
“You know how good my instincts are?”
From the damn time, Muwon survived with just intuition to get to where he was now.
“I know. It’s thanks to that intuition that we’ve come this far. But still, what I mean is, how about expanding it to the 1st Continent? I’m thinking of gathering the guys and sending them. What do you think?”
“I’ll see.”
Muwon continued to focus on the apothecary.
“Do as you wish. But aren’t you hungry by now?”
“What time is it?”
In response to Muwon’s question, Tae Cheonoh looked down at his wristwatch.
“1 pm.”
“Fuck, being lazy like this won’t make you any money.”
As he exhaled cigarette smoke, the signboard of the closed Cheongyeon Apothecary was obscured by the smoke.
