Kofi thanks to: Flowersky
There was no need to seriously deal with drunkards. It was a lesson Cheongyeon had learned from working at the Dandelion Pub. Therefore, the only thing he could say was “Yes.” Nevertheless, it was surprising that Muwon preferred the humble daisy over more glamorous flowers.
“How much?”
Holding the bouquet of baby’s-breath, Tae Muwon asked the owner.
“T- tw- two hundred hwan.”
He lifted the bouquet, glanced at it and then lowered his hand. The clumped baby’s-breath that were turned upside down collided and trembled against each other as though they were fragile young animals caught in the grasp of a villain.
“Or maybe one hundred… fifty hwan! How about that…”
Intimidated by Muwon’s demeanor, the owner nervously changed the price. Muwon passed the bouquet to Cheongyeon. As Cheongyeon awkwardly accepted it, the rustling cluster of baby’s-breath tickled his chin.
Pulling out his wallet from the pocket of his flashy jacket, he took out five 100-hwan bills. If he had wanted change, he would have given 200 hwan, but he gave a whopping 500 hwan instead. With the way he carelessly handed it over, it seemed like he just grabbed whatever bills he could.
The owner quickly took the money and thanked him.
“Thank you!”
Then, perhaps due to a pain in his back, he groaned again. Muwon placed his hand on Cheongyeon’s back. Thinking that he was going to drag him into his arms again, Cheongyeon flinched, but Muwon only gently pushed him outside the flower shop.
Muwon’s large palm fully covered his back. Whether it was because he had been drinking or his body temperature was naturally high, Cheongyeon could feel his warmth through his thick knit coat.
After coming out of the flower shop, Cheongyeon looked around. Jupiter and Venus were nowhere to be seen.
“Looking for an apothecary this time?”
“… No.”
After murmuring some nonsense about Cheongyeon gifting him the bouquet, the person who actually paid was Tae Muwon. Cheongyeon extended the bouquet towards Muwon, who looked at it indifferently as if he didn’t know what he was trying to do.
“Aren’t you taking the flowers?”
Cheongyeon’s face appeared behind the baby’s-breath. It looked like floating flowers that overpowered the plain background. Muwon could read Cheongyeon’s inner thoughts as he looked up at him with his eyebrows slightly furrowed, thinking that he was a strange person. Or maybe, he was internally hurling curses, calling him a manwhore.
Muwon had long thought that the clothes Cheongyeon wore were not to his liking. The knit coat was covered with lint, the old jeans were faded from however many times of washing, and the round-neck T-shirt was stretched out. It was like advertising himself as a beggar.
Muwon wondered if Cheongyeon did it on purpose. But Cheongyeon was not the type to scheme to elicit sympathy and scam money from others. Far from stealing, he even sold medicinal herbs to the local elderly without seeking profit.
“Um… if there’s nothing else to do, can I go back to my lodging first?”
Cheongyeon seemed to give up on passing the bouquet to Muwon and changed the subject.
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.
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“…Thank you for the bouquet.”
Just as Cheongyeon greeted him off and was about to leave first, Muwon grabbed his forearm and started walking somewhere.
“Th- that’s not the way, though.”
“Are you planning to sleep in broad daylight?”
It was as Tae Muwon said, since they had arrived in Nok in the morning, the sun was still high in the sky. Cheongyeon had to hurry to keep up with Muwon, holding the baby’s-breath in one hand and being led by the other. Although there was a difference in their strides, Muwon’s pace was slower than usual, making it not too difficult to follow.
Muwon abruptly crossed the street opposite the flower shop. A car speeding down the road slowed down sharply. Cheongyeon expected the driver to burst out in anger, but no one complained.
Who else would wear such a flashy jacket but Tae Muwon? With the Peira ship docked, it was assumed without a doubt that it was him even if you looked with one eye closed.
Being half-dragged by Muwon, Cheongyeon wondered what it would be like to live such a fearless life like him, where no one dared to confront him. But to do that, he would have to chop people up with an axe. Before he could even begin to imagine in earnest, he gave up his delusions and glanced at Muwon.
He definitely smelled of alcohol, and his voice was more languid than usual, but his gait was unperturbed.
“Why do you keep staring at me?”
Muwon asked, despite walking while looking straight ahead.
“Do you have eyes on the side too?”
“They’re also at the back too, you know?”
If you really looked at the back of Tae Muwon’s head, you might have found another yellow eye. But of course that was not possible, so it seemed like it was thanks to his excellent instinctive sense that was greater than his physical strength. Even if it was otherwise, he often said that with his own mouth anyway.
“My instincts are fucking good.”
He wasn’t wrong, after he suspected Cheongyeon of being a member of the Hwa clan without any significant evidence.
Muwon entered the largest of the rows of clothing stores. Mannequins wearing various clothes stood outside the large glass window in this store. Like Hwang Ran’s store, it had a total of three floors, with men’s clothing on display on the first floor.
As soon as Muwon entered, employees in neat suits rushed out. With an overly polite greeting, they led the two to a separate VIP room inside the store.
Cheongyeon wanted to return to the inn as quickly as possible, but he just didn’t have the willpower to deal with the drunk Tae Muwon, who was not like his usual self. He decided to appease him in whatever way first and wait for an opportunity to slip away.
The employee glanced at Cheongyeon who was holding a bouquet curiously for a moment, then closed the curtain that separated the store from the VIP room. Muwon sat next to Cheongyeon, who was half-forced to sit on the sofa, making him very uncomfortable.
Inside the VIP room, portable hangers attached to clothes lined the walls. Surprisingly, the clothes decorating the walls were flower-covered jackets. It seemed like all the clothes Taemuwon wore were bought here. In Cheonghwa Town, such extravagant clothes were rare, if they were not women’s clothing.
“It just so happens that our designer has crafted a new jacket and shirt specifically for Tae Muwon-nim! You’ve come at the right time.”
By this point, Cheongyeon could guess that all the clothes Tae Muwon wore were custom-made, especially given his towering stature, which likely wouldn’t fit off-the-rack coats.
“Not for me.”
Upon Tae Muwon’s words, an employee who was pushing the mobile hanger forward stopped. The two employees exchanged brief glances before rolling the hanger back to its original place.
“Shall we recommend something suitable for your companion to wear then?”
An employee wearing silver-rimmed glasses asked Cheongyeon, who was cluelessly staring at a steaming cup of tea. Muwon on the other hand took a swig of the whiskey that an employee had brought out. Another employee promptly refilled his glass as soon as he set it down. It was almost as though this place was a bar instead of a clothing store.
Feeling the employees stare at him, Cheongyeon unconsciously fidgeted with the worn sleeve of his garment.
“Shall I show you some coats?”
As Cheongyeon lowered his head and remained silent, the question was directed at Muwon this time.
“What kind of damn businessmen are you, going around blind?”
His tone suggested that not only the coat was the problem. Cheongyeon felt his cheeks burning up for some reason.
“Please wait a moment, and we’ll guide you to a product you’ll be satisfied with.”
The bustling noise continued for a while after the two employees hurriedly left through the curtain. Cheongyeon, with the bouquet on his lap, turned to Muwon. He felt like he was experiencing the same feelings he had at the restaurant in Cheonghwa Town’s docks. The only difference was that the employees were not ignoring him.
“I don’t have money to buy those clothes.”
Muwon rested his arm on the back of the sofa, trapping Cheongyeon in his arm. Fearing Muwon might grab his neck due to his rough hands, Cheongyeon instinctively tensed up. The pastel-toned wrapping of the bouquet rustled in Cheongyeon’s hold.
Muwon glanced at the bouquet for a moment and said, imitating Cheongyeon’s tone of voice, “I have plenty of money to buy those clothes.”
“Why is Muwon-nim trying to buy them for me?”
“Because I don’t want to give half of Peira?”
Tilting his head towards Cheongyeon with a smile, Muwon asked.
“You know it was said in drunkenness.”
“So, you’ll go to Hwang?”
“You hardly gave me any time to think.”
“Why, you have to meet your clan, don’t you?”
Instead of being startled and scared, Cheongyeon glared harder.
“Fuck, am I really drunk? This is a mistake.”
It seemed even in his drunken state, he intended to keep his promise not to doubt Cheongyeon as part of the Hwa clan any further.
“Trying to score some points by dressing you up in pretty little clothes, why.”
“I’m not interested in clothes.”
Just then, employees entered with new hangers, creating an endless line. One hanger featured tops embroidered with lavish flowers similar to Tae Muwon’s style, while another displayed jeans, cotton pants, and sophisticated suit trousers. The last to enter was filled with ordinary tops and outerwear.
“Since it’s your first visit and we’re not familiar with your tastes, we’ve prepared a variety of styles according to your size.”
With that, he first took out a knit coat woven with white yarn. Except for the large crimson aster flower pattern embroidered on its back, everything was white.
Tae Muwon stood up and selected a few garments from the hanger: a white sweater, jeans, a beige duffle coat, and a thick padding that would be more than enough to keep warm through Cheonghwa Town’s harsh winter.
As Muwon looked dismissively at an employee attempting to take the clothes, the employee smiled and quickly stepped back, placing the clothes next to Cheongyeon, who was sitting quietly.
“The clothes I have now are enough.”
“Should I strip you and dress you myself?”
“…”
Cheongyeon narrowed his eyes at Muwon standing in front of him.
“Why do you keep insisting when I said no? The bouquet is yours too, why give it to me? I don’t need anything.”
“Should I give a lobster to the beggar instead?”
“I’m not a beggar. I run a business too.”
Cheongyeon defensively held the bouquet, fearing Muwon might grab his genitals again. Muwon knelt down, pressing down between his legs, causing the leather of the sofa to creak, a sound that could make anyone tense. He stretched his arms to press against the back of the sofa, trapping Cheongyeon within.
“Does it hurt your pride?”
“…”
“Fuck, does it hurt your pride to receive stuff from someone younger than you?”
The sharp aura in Cheongyeon’s eyes disappeared, and shock filled them in an instant.
Yo también quiero que me compres ropa Tae Muwon 🤭
Same 😆
Tehe~~ I want to hear and see a big handsome man beast imitating Cheongyeon