Kofi thanks to: Alilyana
‘With me, instead’, what does that mean?
Wrapped in ropes chilled by the wind, they felt like icy chains constricting his flesh. Tae Muwon seemed unaffected by the cold, clad only in a thin floral shirt. Perhaps the alcohol kept his body temperature high. If he drank alcohol, would the cold go away a little? Cheongyoen’s gaze drifted unintentionally to the liquor bottle.
“I’ll take seven, you’ll take three. No negotiations.”
Once again, Cheongyeon didn’t grasp the meaning of Muwon’s words. Seeing Cheongyeon’s silence, Muwon openly frowned.
“Damn, you still counting?”
“…Honestly, I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
After taking another swig from the bottle, Muwon continued.
“You said you wanted to trade with that guy Hwang Ran.”
Cheongyeon nodded vigorously.
“Then shouldn’t there be merchant ships carrying goods? I’ll connect you, but I’m taking seventy percent.”
As if explaining such basics was beneath him, he scoffed at the notion of negotiation.
But this meant that for every 100 hwan worth of goods sold, Tae Muwon would take 70 hwan. This was extortion. Cheongyeon’s mind was warning him enough to make us forget the cold for a moment.
Selling 50kg of the siberian ginseng would yield around 167 hwan in profit. If he had to give Tae Muwon a 70% percent cut, that would leave him paying around 117 won, leaving him with just 50 hwan. It would be better to not trade at all.
“Then I would be at a loss.”
Cheongyeon’s mournful expression prompted Muwon to slam the liquor bottle down on the deck, making a banging sound. His shoulders shrank at the sound of his bottle breaking, but he couldn’t back down like this. Cheongyeon explained in detail the reasons why he couldn’t do it.
“Selling 50kg of siberian ginseng only nets me 50 hwan profit, I’d be better off just selling 15kg back in Cheonghwa Town.”
The rotating lights from the watchtowers illuminating the surroundings accentuated the contrast between light and shadow on Muwon. In the clear separation of light and dark, Cheongyeon thought he looked displeased.
“Wow, will you also give me math lessons?”
“…”
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.
How did he know I was a math teacher? Cheongyeon wondered, only to realize the answer soon after. Muwon had been monitoring his every move, so it made sense he knew about teaching Mr. Joo’s son math. Of course, Cheongyeon had no intention of teaching Muwon; he was simply stating his case about the financial disadvantage.
“P pera… kbc’a vb la.”
“Kfjmtlcu?”
Pc atf qijmf ktfgf atf iluta qjrrfv, Kjfwekbc kjr rffc rwlilcu jwerfvis.
“Ktf vfji.”
“Qtb rjlv jcsatlcu jybea atf rjifr jwbeca, vbc’a sbe xcbk atf cfa qgbola?”
“Rfa qgbola…”
Jtfbcusfbc weaafgfv. Rfa qgbola wfjca atf jwbeca joafg vfvemalcu tlr ijybg mbra. Vlcmf atf gjk wjafgljir kfgf frrfcaljiis ogff, mbwlcu ogbw atf wbecajlc, Jtfbcusfbc gfmjimeijafv.
“When I worked at the tavern, my daily wage was 50 won, which is 1,500 hwan a month. So, do I subtract that from the sales amount and then split it 7:3? But if it’s a lot of work…”
“Are you pretending to be naive, or are you just stupid?”
The cold water splashed against Cheongyeon’s back again as another high wave crashed against the ship. The cold and fear made Cheongyeon shiver as if Muwon’s anger was directed at him.
Muwon grabbed the liquor bottle and stood up, maintaining his balance effortlessly on the swaying ship. Cheongyeon would have rolled around if not for the rope tied to the railing.
“Wh- where are you going…!”
Cheongyeon cried out.
“This stupid bastard doesn’t want to learn arithmetic, so I’m running away.”
Muwon raised his voice in response and laughed loosely before descending the stairs to the cabin. Cheongyeon waited, hoping he might return, but this time he seemed to have truly left.
His teeth chattered as he didn’t know how long Muwon would keep him tied up here. Being bound all night felt like it would lead to freezing to death. The cold was incomparable to Cheonghwa’s nights. While Cheonghwa rarely saw snow regardless of the cold, the 1st Continent often experienced snowfall, making it seem like the rain turned to ice here.
He said they’d split it 70:30, so why hasn’t he untied him… But then, his nonsensical talk about not wanting to learn math came to mind. Cheongyeon feared Tae Muwon might think he was showing off.
“Think I can’t even subtract? So annoying!”
Suddenly, Oh Jisam’s scolding echoed in his memory. During their close moments, Oh Jisam occasionally came to buy preserved vegetables. That day, it was two bags of fernbrake and one of rhubarb. Back then, the lowest currency was a coin called “jeon,” not the hwan. The total cost of the vegetables was 5 hwan and 75 jeon.
After giving a 100 hwan note and gathering all the change he had, He handed it over with the vegetables. Oh Jisam scolded him, insisting that even he should get the math right. He had to write down the numbers on the back of an unused calendar and subtract them one by one to show Oh Jisam, whose face had turned red with anger.
Boasting about math skills only earned him scorn, except from his nanny who praised him as a genius. Thinking back, no one besides his nanny ever gave him a compliment. Even Mr. Joo disapproved of him teaching his son math, saying a mere herb shop owner had no right to teach his child.
Cheongyeon sniffled. Why did cold weather always bring a runny nose? He tried to distract himself from the bitter cold, but the wind that stabbed him moment by moment was like an awl.
Unable to endure any longer, he looked towards the central watchtower of the ship, but they paid him no mind, focused solely on their vigil. After all, who would dare untie him when Tae Muwon himself had bound him there?
“I’m not cold…!”
With no one caring anyway, Cheongyeon shouted, hoping the declaration would somehow ward off the cold. But soon, he had to admit the truth.
“I’m so cold.”
If he were to freeze to death here, Tae Muwon would also kill the people of Cheonghwa Town. But would Tae Muwon even blink an eye? That bastard would probably just be vexed knowing that he got it right that he was a Hwa.
Cheongyeon bowed his head. He wanted to slump down, held up by the rope, but the tight cord dug painfully into his flesh. Alive plants might have offered some solution, but the rope, made of dead hemp, offered none.
Realizing he’d have to remain motionless all night, Cheongyeon thought it was too much. Of course, he had no expectations from Tae Muwon but still believed he wasn’t as bad as the rumors suggested. Although he was incredibly nervous upon encountering Tae Muwon earlier, a part of him felt a tiny bit happy. Now, even a single unused hwan seemed generous. Actually, giving one hwan seemed fair.
Whenever he saw a lobster at the market, Tae Muwon came to mind, so it seemed like he had developed a positive perception of him without even realizing it. Cheongyeon looked up at the night sky, feeling miserable.
If only he had the Boksu flower, he wouldn’t have had to endure this treatment on Tae Muwon’s ship. Why did the Boksu flower only bloom on the continent? His nanny had told him that since the Boksu flower didn’t grow in Cheonghwa Town, he must trade with the 1st Continent. Reflecting on it, did his nanny know she would die so young?
Cheongyeon sniffled again. He shouldn’t have come out of the room. Out of some greed, he went outside to get some cool air… But with Tae Muwon aboard, he was destined to be captured and tied up eventually. It was just a matter of sooner or later.
“Mean bastard…”
Cheongyeon murmured softly, looking towards the cabin entrance.
“Drunkard…”
He hoped that cursing the man might make his ears itch enough to come back. After all, didn’t he return after being silently cursed a lot earlier?
“Trash.”
With both arms tied, Cheongyeon struggled like in a cockfight to barely fit his shoes back on. The banknotes pushed towards the front of his sole, making it uncomfortably tight, but it was better than freezing hands. Cheongyeon tucked his frozen hands into his pants pockets. Hoping for a bit of warmth, but his thighs felt as cold as stone. Cheongyeon felt truly sorrowful.
“Ma- manwhore…”
He hesitated to say the last curse aloud. With hands in his pockets, he felt like a lowly thug. But even this seemed inadequate to express his anger towards Tae Muwon. Mulling over whether there was a more suitable curse, Cheongyeon sniffled once more.
***
“Mean bastard.”
“Drunkard.”
“Trash.”
Venus’ face turned pale as he cursed one by one, yet Muwon only lifted the corners of his mouth in laughter. He had encountered Venus on his way down to the cabin after leaving Cheongyeon. Curious if Cheongyeon would curse him, he had Venus secretly listen, and the returned message was quite the spectacle.
“Venus, has that guy finally got some guts?”
Without looking at Venus, Muwon spoke while rifling through Cheongyeon’s bag. If Venus couldn’t see the shape of his mouth, he wouldn’t even know he had spoken, so he just stood there blankly.
Out spilled a dried fish jerky, old clothes, and the bed became littered. The sight of a shabby beige knit coat tied to the bag’s strap was unmistakably Cheongyeon’s. He hooked his white underwear around his fingers and lifted it up.
“Wear something as small as him.”
With a swish, he threw the palm-sized underwear back onto the bed
He was just as bewildered as to what kind of crazy bastard had given the room he was using to Cheongyeon. With rumors having subsided, someone presumptuously took Cheongyeon aboard and even allocated Muwon’s room to him.
“Ma- manwhore…”
Venus’s last curse caused Muwon to turn around.
“That’s the apothecary’s last…”
It seemed Venus took a long time deliberating before delivering the insult. Unlike Venus who was frozen stiff, Muwon suddenly burst into laughter. Laughing so heartily was rare for him, causing Venus’s lips to twitch too. However, Muwon’s face quickly returned to being expressionless.
“Venus.”
His yellow eyes cast a peculiar glow towards the cabin’s exit.
“Bring the apothecary here. The ‘manwhore’ wishes to see his face.”
T/N: there might be an audio drama in the future, then we can hear Muwon laugh O.O kek
Pr: Sasa
So that was Muwon’s room! Where will Cheongyeon stay now? 😏 Thanks for the chapter!!
I kept giggling the whole middle to end of the chapter sigh so short!
Oh dear… This story is getting better with every chapter. The only fic im looking for the updates now. Ngl. Thank u so much for the updates.
That manwhore curse cracked me up 🤣🤣🤣🤣