Kofi thanks to: Andy
“I followed your orders and placed Cheongyeon in Room 107, hyung-nim,” Jupiter said, tense as he tried to gauge Tae Muwon’s reaction as he stood with his back to the sun.
Two days ago, Jupiter had carried Cheongyeon, who had passed out in the dome, to the bed in Room 107. He had simply followed Muwon’s order to put him in the room, so he had no idea where he had disappeared to afterward.
“Was he alive?”
Muwon, smoking on the deck, shot a sharp question. The veins on the back of his hand, faintly marked by Cheongyeon’s scratches, stood out distinctly.
“Yes, he was… breathing.”
After all, considering the struggle for life Cheongyeon had shown, it was unlikely he had died. And since it was not like a cat that the apothecary left looking for a place to die, if he had died, he would’ve already been found as a corpse.
“We’ve searched everywhere, including the engine room, but he’s nowhere to be seen.”
Saturn, coming down from the bridge near the stern, said with a deathly expression. Seeing Saturn’s flustered state now made Muwon furious.
“You kept going on and on about the apothecary, but you did not even bother to feed him?”
“H- hyung-nim said to leave him in Room 107, so…”
Room 107 was Muwon’s own room. Even Saturn, who had taken a liking to Cheongyeon, couldn’t freely enter Tae Muwon’s room without his permission.
About an hour had passed since Tae Muwon had ordered them to find Cheongyeon. It was not enough time to search the entirety of the Peira ship, but they had looked in all likely hiding spots.
Exhaling smoke, at Muwon’s feet littered full of cigarette butts. Including the ones that flew away in the wind, it would have been enough for one pack. His amber eyes shifted towards the ship’s stern. It was unlikely that Cheongyeon, who was much unlike a Peira crew member, had transferred to a following merchant ship. To get to a merchant ship, he would have had to use a rope attached to an anchor.
“Hyung-nim! Hyung-nim!”
Just then, Venus rushed up from the staircase leading to the cabins, shouting.
“We’ve found him!”
Of course, where could he go in the middle of the sea? Though he feigned indifference internally, Muwon’s steps quickened.
“Where?”
Interpreting Muwon’s lips, Venus responded quickly.
“We’re bringing him now.”
“So, where from?”
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.
“The… cafeteria.”
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As soon as Cheongyeon made eye contact with Muwon, he quickly lowered his eyes. Shivering in fear as he was dragged along, he trembled so violently that one of the pieces of bread dropped to the floor.
Muwon raised his bright yellow eyes to the ceiling and slowly lowered them in frustration. He looked at Cheongyeon again and saw that he had been pushed and forced down to his knees.
“Everyone, leave.”
At Muwon’s gloomy command, the Peira members who had been pressing down Cheongyeon quickly dispersed. Cheongyeon did not even dare to pick up the bread that had fallen to the floor. He merely clutched the remaining bread tightly, curling up as if Muwon was going to eat him.
As Muwon closed the distance, Cheongyeon looked lost. The beige knit coat revealed a neck bruised yellow, a clear sign of being choked. Because of that, it looked as if a large hand was still strangling Cheongyeon.
Kneeling, Cheongyeon couldn’t bring himself to look up at Muwon, who was now right in front of him. The latter just looked down at him without so much a word. The handprint on the neck was a reminder of the harsh choking. Scanning the bruised area, Muwon slightly furrowed his brows.
Anyway, he thought to himself, what was this scent that he had been smelling since earlier? It was not just a smell but a dizzying fragrance emanating strongly from Cheongyeon. If this guy was a flower, the scent would make bees rush at him like a flock of dogs.
As he inhaled deeply, a trembling hand reached out.
Three 100-hwan notes.
Tae Muwon let out a scoff.
“I’m sorry. I tried not to stand out… But I was hungry… Here, I’ll give you money for the bread.”
Muwon indifferently glanced at the trembling bills before squatting in front of Cheongyeon.
“Hey.”
“…Yes.”
“Are you a goat?”
“No.”
“Why does your voice sound like that, then.”
Cheongyeon pursed his lips, unable to stop the trembling in his voice, so he chose silence instead. As soon as Muwon’s hand reached out, Cheongyeon was startled and fell backwards on his behind. As if he had already expected that kind of reaction, Muwon held onto his chin without withdrawing his hand. Despite the rough feel of his hands, his grip was not very forceful.
With his other hand, he rubbed the soot off Cheongyeon’s cheek. Cheongyeon closed his eyes tightly and trembled like an aspen tree.
“Where did you sleep?”
“… I’ll live as if I’m dead.”
“…I- I won’t do the deal, I won’t do anything with you. Ugh, I won’t deal with Hwang Ran either, I’ll just live… I’ll just live as if I’m dead. I won’t stand out. I’m scared, I don’t want to…”
Cheongyeon was still terrified. Muwon stopped wiping the soot from his face. No matter how much he rubbed it, his cheeks just quickly turned red.
“Idiot, were you rolling around in dust and dirt?”
His face looked even more gaunt than before, perhaps from not eating anything for a while. Was it because of the continuous oppression and harsh treatment he had faced as an innocent man? Muwon felt frustrated for some reason.
He grabbed Cheongyeon by the forearm, lifting him up. Ignoring Cheongyeon’s convulsive reactions, Muwon forcibly walked him through the corridor. Even then, he didn’t let go of the three bills and the remaining bread. Entering the cafeteria, Muwon gave a nod towards the startled Peira and hired staff.
“Leave.”
As Muwon seated Cheongyeon at an empty spot, everyone in the cafeteria dispersed like a receding tide. Cheongyeon froze, holding the bread and bills together with both hands.
Muwon picked up a tray from near the entrance and ladled some soup from a pot. He scanned the line of side dishes, everything was too red and spicy. It was as though everyone’s stomachs were coated with steel.
With a loud clank, he put down the tray and knocked on the kitchen window with his fist. The chef, already waiting, hurried out. The chef hired by Peira had a long cooking experience and was quite skilled.
“What do people usually eat on an empty stomach?”
“Everyone will eat anything on an empty stomach.”
“Fuck, I don’t mean those Peira bastards.”
The chef looked at Cheongyeon sitting behind Muwon. Even though Muwon let him go, he couldn’t even think about running away and was just fiddling with the bread.
“Normal people… eat porridge a lot.”
“Make it.”
Before even hearing the chef’s response, Muwon grabbed the set aside tray and a spoon. He had handled the bread so much that it was grimy. Muwon snatched the bread away, and only then did Cheongyeon look up.
“Hey, you’re going to get food poisoning.”
He placed the bread in front of himself and turned the tray and pushed it towards Cheongyeon.
“Eat this until the porridge comes.”
Cheongyeon had no idea why Muwon was acting this way suddenly. He reassured him by giving him lobsters before, but later strangled him. He might feed him something and then quickly change his mind and hurt him later.
However, he had no choice but to pick up the spoon, under the vigilant gaze of Muwon’s yellow eyes that clearly showed his intention to watch until the food entered his mouth.
Cheongyeon put the soup on a spoon and slowly brought it to his mouth. As the warm soup entered his hungry stomach, his eyes suddenly felt hot. He quietly inhaled and exhaled to stop himself crying. It seemed like if he cried, the man might say that he was being a wimp and annoying.
“Hey.”
Cheongyeon quickly put down the spoon.
“I’ve lived a harsh life, so I’m quite suspicious.”
Muwon picked up the bread in front of him and took a big bite.
“Damn, did you slather honey on your hands?”
Cheongyeon’s eyes widened as he watched him eating the dry bread. He took it away saying it was dirty from his hand and then ate it himself…
“Unlike you, Mr. Apothecary, I’ve lived roughly, eating spoiled food without problems. What are you doing, not bringing it?!”
Startled by the harsh words, Cheongyeon flinched, but the last part was addressed to the chef behind him, not to Cheongyeon. Muwon reached out to receive the porridge the chef had hurriedly prepared. The tray contained plain rice porridge and pickled cabbage.
He cleared the tray and set down the porridge tray. Cheongyeon picked up the spoon again and put the rice porridge into his mouth. Although it was more boring than soup, it was much easier on an empty stomach.
Muwon sat opposite, watching Cheongyeon eat the hot porridge without saying a word. He didn’t stare at him but looked out the cafeteria window instead.
“You saw the bastard who died the day before yesterday, right?”
When Cheongyeon slowly raised his gaze, he could only see Muwon’s profile. He continued to look out the window.
“We grew up calling each other brothers, but one day he suddenly tried to sell me as a slave by drugging my drink.”
Gulp, Cheongyeon swallowed his porridge, eyes widening in shock.
“That’s why I’m a little rough after everything I’ve lived through. Once you’re done eating, go back to your room, wash up, and sleep. I won’t suspect you anymore.”
Turning to face Cheongyeon directly, Muwon met his eyes.
“9.6, you get that.”
“… Yes?”
“0.4, for me.”
T/N: The last line is referring to splitting the deal. Also, the comments on ridi were saying 0.4 sounds like ‘I love you forever’ (0 = yeong = yeongwon = forever, 4 = sa = saranghae = i love you). The comments are always so funny ROFL O.O
Omg.. thank you so much for the new chapter. U light up my life.
Thank you for the chapter!!! It was really fast!!
Wow Muwon trying to communicate and gain some understanding this soon is amazing. An apology would be nice but hey it’s a start and the deal is another way of apologizing for Muwon too.
I need to hit Muwon with a baseball bat before I can stand his crazy ass. He really hurt my baby so bad.
Can’t wait for them to reach the port, it might not happen but I hope Cheongyeon gets even a day of peace, away from Muwon.
Thank you for the update 🥰