Cheongyeon frowned at the people who openly surveilled him.
The day after he mentioned he knew about the surveillance, the Peira group no longer hid their identities and acted without restraint. They followed him a few meters behind as he climbed Cheonghwa Mountain, and when he rode his bicycle to the fish market, they followed him by car. Yet, they never spoke to him, silently trailing him even after he pleaded for them to stop.
Thanks to at least one of them always guarding the front of the apothecary shop, the already scarce customers had vanished entirely. While he had a customer who bought a large amount of flower tea yesterday, today there were none.
It had only been two days since the overt surveillance began, but if this situation persisted, the already meager sales were bound to plummet even further.
His cozy refuge, the apothecary, was transforming into a suffocating space. Cheongyeon, frustrated, closed the shop and mounted his bicycle. Since the business was already ruined, he decided to improve his mood by indulging in expensive food.
The most expensive restaurant in District E was located near the harbor, inside the Canal Inn. It was a high-end restaurant he couldn’t even consider before, selling luxury foods like lobster and steak.
After pedaling diligently to the restaurant, Cheongyeon locked his bicycle at the inn’s bike rack. He passed through the wide-open entrance of the inn and headed straight for the restaurant on the left. Regardless of whether the watcher followed him, he deliberately ignored them and took a seat. The waiter, perhaps judging him by his shabby attire, kept glancing at him, but Cheongyeon ignored it too.
Without much deliberation, Cheongyeon ordered the most expensive beef steak on the menu.
“How would you like it cooked?”
The waiter swallowed a snicker at Cheongyeon, who seemed unfamiliar with the question. It seemed to the waiter that the rumors about the apothecary’s newfound extravagance were true.
In the two days unknown to Cheongyeon, rumors had spread wildly across Cheonghwa Town’s District E. Rumors that the apothecary was receiving support from Tae Muwon.
Those who saw Muwon and Cheongyeon at the sperm whale auction took great interest in them, talking about Muwon’s unprecedented affectionate gaze towards Cheongyeon.
Furthermore, evidence of Cheongyeon buying expensive items at grocery stores and fish markets was added. Rumors that his household improved thanks to Muwon’s support circulated, along with tales that Muwon cherished Cheongyeon so much he even placed Peira as bodyguard. All these rumors formed in just two days.
Of course, Cheongyeon, being isolated, was unaware of these developments.
“Sir, your cooking preference?”
The waiter, holding a pen and paper, prompted the bewildered Cheongyeon.
“Please grill it thoroughly.”
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.
“Lbk atbgbeut?”
“…Vb atfgf’r cb yibbv mbwlcu bea.”
“Lj, atlr lr kts atfs rjs bcis atbrf ktb tjnf fjafc wfja yfobgf mjc fcpbs la.”
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Aside from the waiter who had brought the menu earlier, no one else seemed willing to take his order.
‘I came here to spend my money, why should I feel intimidated?’
He felt unjust, but most of the other diners were dressed in formal attire. Cheongyeon realized his knit coat was covered in lint. He had never been conscious of such things before, but now he unconsciously lowered his arms that had been resting on the table.
Cheongyeon sipped the water in front of him as he waited for his meal. Seeing people who arrived after him receive their food first, he mustered the courage to call a waiter, but all he got back was that it would take a long time because they asked for it to be grilled thoroughly. So he had decided that if someone who came later got their food before him again, he would leave without paying, regardless of the cost.
However, soon, a large plate with a sizeable steak was served to him not long after. He would have complained if the dish was hastily prepared, but it looked just like everyone else’s.
Despite feeling uneasy and somewhat sorrowful, the sight of the appetizing steak comforted Cheongyeon. He was about to slice it with his knife and fork when he heard someone call out.
“Hey, apothecary!”
Someone urgently calling him made Cheongyeon pause with the meat halfway to his mouth and look up. The man who had come through the door connected from inside the inn, not from the outside, was wearing a fedora. This man, glancing around, approached Cheongyeon.
“Do you remember me?”
“…”
Cheongyeon recognized the man in the same fedora from the dock. Probably a merchant from the 1st Continent…
“I am Hwang Ran, the great merchant of Nok province.”
“Yes, hello.”
Not understanding why he was being called, Cheongyeon nodded. Hwang Ran, after looking around again reassuringly, sat down opposite Cheongyeon. Cheongyeon frowned slightly, as he had not invited him to join.
“I’ve been wanting to talk to you. Why exactly is Peira surveilling you?”
“…”
Only then did Cheongyeon silently put the sliced meat into his mouth and chew. He had asked for it to be cooked thoroughly, but he could taste the bitter blood. He should have ordered lobster instead.
“My goodness, this is frustrating. Is the rumor true then?”
“What rumor?”
Hwang Ran leaned in and whispered.
“That Tae Muwon has taken a liking to you.”
Hwang Ran added that he had seen it with his own eyes but… The rest of his words were drowned out by the significance of his initial statement.
“Who has taken a liking to whom?”
“Why, isn’t it because Tae Muwon likes you, supports you, and thus you’re dining here?”
“…”
Cheongyeon put down his fork.
He hadn’t anticipated that the 20,000 hwan from Tae Muwon would come back to haunt him this way. Or had he really not anticipated it? It wasn’t just because he was frugal that he had only indulged in snacks with that money. He disliked the idea of buying expensive food and becoming the talk of the town because he was poor.
He should have firmly denied receiving any support, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak. He couldn’t reveal the source of the money he had been spending lavishly.
“Ah, so it’s true.”
Hwang Ran took Cheongyeon’s silence as confirmation and waved his hand in disappointment.
“I would have offered to help you seek asylum in Nok under certain conditions. But if you’re with Tae Muwon, I can’t offer more money than him, and frankly, I value my life as well.”
Hwang Ran complained to Cheongyeon, who was just staring at his steak with pursed lips. However, Cheongyeon was puzzled by the mention of asylum.
“Asylum…?”
“Got a bit interested, have you?”
Hwang Ran was scared of Tae Muwon but hadn’t given up. If he could secretly take Cheongyeon to the 1st Continent, even Tae Muwon would find it hard to track him down.
Since Peira was guarding the apothecary, Hwang Ran had someone else buy up all the flower tea from the apothecary the day before. Upon receiving it, he realized it wasn’t just one kind of flower tea but a blend of various chrysanthemums and herbs. After tasting all the teas, Hwang Ran decided he would take and nurture the apothecary himself. Or more accurately, use him.
Cheongyeon was an unfortunate figure who would never be acknowledged by the bottom-dwellers of Cheonghwa Town. The poor would just be drinking water; how could they appreciate the flavor of tea? Hwang Ran was confident he had discovered a talent that had not seen the light of day.
“I’ve tasted your flower tea, and the flavor was indescribable. It calmed the anxiety I had before setting sail tomorrow. That… lotus tea, too. I’m not sure if its effects are real, but I was very satisfied.”
Cheongyeon didn’t know how Hwang Ran had come to drink the lotus tea. He just blinked at his pouring compliments.
“So, if you wish, I was planning to formally offer you asylum from Cheonghwa Town to Nok and employ you. If you help with my work, I’ll pay you 700 hwan a month.”
Even if it meant extracting dozens of times more value from him, Hwang Ran presented the offer in the best light possible, hoping the rumors were false. Despite having seen Tae Muwon embrace Cheongyeon personally and hearing about Peira guarding the apothecary, his greed blinded him.
“You can… take me to the 1st Continent? Officially, not as a stowaway?”
“Of course! I have that authority.”
Cheongyeon was lost in his thoughts as Hwang Ran boasted confidently.
If he could personally go to the 1st Continent, obtaining the revenge flower would become easier. It wouldn’t be considered smuggling then. But would Hwang Ran let him return to Cheonghwa Town once his goal was achieved?
Pr: Sasa
thanks for the chapter!!
Ooooh this is getting really interesting!!! Thanks for the chapter!
I don’t think Muwon would let Cheongyeon out of his or Peira’s sight long enough to disappear again.