◈ Episode 46. Give it back now
The people gathered on the steps of the pavilion were staring at the main gate with their necks stretched out.
“When will the meat arrive today?”
I got used to the alcohol and meat I ate every day.
“Yeah. It’s a little late today.”
I’m getting impatient because something that was supposed to come isn’t coming.
“Should I just go out and beg?”
“Just wait. It’ll be here soon.”
“It’s a bit cold today.”
Winter has arrived before we knew it.
As the cold and hunger combined, the longing grew even stronger.
The front door opened wide and a red hat appeared.
“What are you guys doing instead of going out to beg?”
The startled beggars stood up awkwardly.
“I was just about to leave.”
I can tell what you’re thinking just by looking at your eyes.
‘These are real.’
The corners of the red-haired man’s eyes went up.
“Stand there.”
We have to make a big fuss here.
The redhead lined up the beggars at the bottom of the stairs.
“Are you feeling unsettled these days because you’ve had some alcohol and meat? Who are you?”
The people who paid the fines shrank greatly at the sight of the cold gaze.
“It’s open.”
“Since when have we been sitting still and eating the food that others give us? If children forget their duties and just wait for the fallen beans, are they unemployed or beggars? Huh?”
The startled beggars immediately lowered their heads.
‘I wish you had eaten with us too.’
But I don’t have the courage to say it out loud.
Because I know very well how scary a red-faced raccoon is when he gets angry.
“sorry.”
“If you want to starve to death, just keep standing still.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the beggars rushed out of the field.
“Tonight······.”
Dongchogae, who was returning at that moment, sensed Jeokmogae’s ominous atmosphere and naturally blended in with the beggars.
“Okay, let’s go.”
“stop.”
The new model of the red hat popped out like lightning.
“100 million!”
Dongchogae, who had his neck grabbed, shrugged his shoulders.
“Now, wait a minute.”
“You should report back when you get back. Where are you going? Why did you come so early?”
“I couldn’t even see the tip of my nose today because I was locked in the guest room. I didn’t see any signs of him coming out, so I just came.”
“All of you?”
“Yes. There is no back door. People who have been coming out the front door normally up until now probably haven’t climbed over the wall.”
“Among the people who entered the guest house, who is the person you are concerned about?”
“The butler of the Wangdaein family came by.”
“Wang Daein?”
The man who Dongchogae spoke of, Wang Daein, was a person who retired from his official career in Beijing ten years ago and returned.
He was a wealthy man who owned dozens of manors in the city, so anyone living there would know him.
Dongchogae spoke cautiously.
“I’ve always had my doubts. But after watching it so far, I think it might really be about saving Jang-won.”
“It’s cold and you must have suffered. Go inside and rest.”
The red-haired man’s eyes narrowed as he turned around.
‘I don’t know what they’re up to, but I won’t believe it until I see it with my own eyes.’
***
Three days later in the evening.
Jinmu-rip came to the open space where the spider had descended.
“I have found a place for you to move to.”
The heads of the beggars who were warming themselves by the campfire turned around.
Dongchogae opened his eyes wide and asked.
“Are you saying you really saved Jangwon?”
Jinmu-rip smiled faintly.
“We have prepared a small banquet for the brothers of the Open Society. Please come without hesitation.”
The beggars’ eyes widened at the mention of the banquet.
The red-haired man who had been sitting suddenly sat up.
“The banquet is over······. Let’s go somewhere.”
I was already curious about what the secret was.
“I’ll be back soon, so take good care of the house.”
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The beggars’ earnest eyes poured out at the turning red-faced man.
They have been drinking alcohol and eating meat for ten whole days.
Then, after three days of eating only the leftovers, I began to miss the alcohol and meat that Danryehwa used to bring.
‘The taste of that meat······.’
The red-crowned crane couldn’t turn away from their gaze.
“Follow me.”
Jinmu-rip smiled faintly.
In preparation for this situation, we have been offering alcohol and meat to the beggars to get them out of the slums.
While the beggars were getting up indifferently, hiding their excitement, Red Mo-gae looked at Dong-cho-gae.
“If everyone follows, who will guard Bunta?”
The person standing in front of you is Jinmu Rip.
There was a need to put in place at least some safeguards to prevent the remaining three from doing anything if the branch were to be emptied.
The dongcho dog made a sad face.
“Are you sure you’re going to enjoy the banquet without me?”
“I’ll give you some when I get back, so wait.”
“If you don’t come with a full stomach, you’ll go crooked.”
“I told you, I got it.”
Jinmu-rip and the beggars of Gaebo came out to fight.
As they walked for about an hour and crossed a small bridge, the red-crowned crane asked.
“Where are you going?”
“We’re almost there now.”
As Jinmu Rip had said, not long after, an old-fashioned manor appeared on the side of a quiet road.
‘This is a manor that the king’s acquaintances lend out when they visit.’
Since I’ve been begging all over the city, I know pretty well where everything is.
As the beggars’ murmur grew louder, the door opened wide and Danryehwa appeared.
“I’ve been waiting.”
Her eyes quickly scanned the beggars.
‘One person is missing.’
But there are countermeasures in place for that.
“Please come inside. A banquet has been prepared in the central hall.”
She smiled and led the beggars inside.
The red-crowned crane asked as it crossed the threshold.
“Could this be the place?”
If this is truly a manor prepared for them, then they are extremely fortunate.
Jinmu-rip said, wrapping his arm around Jeokmogae’s shoulder affectionately.
“The food is getting cold. Please eat first and then take your time looking around.”
“······.”
Although my doubts still lingered, I felt uncomfortable standing there with the frowns of the people who followed behind me.
The people who entered the pavilion following the short story were wide-eyed.
“My lady. Is this really the banquet you prepared for us?”
The table was filled with dishes that were hard to find in Seongdo, including Sichuan delicacies and even rare dishes.
She smiled broadly.
“Yes. If you have anything missing, please let them know. They will fill it right away.”
In the place where Danryehwa pointed, there were two servants greeting politely.
“Please take a seat. Your Majesty, please come this way.”
Following Jinmu Rip’s instructions, Jeokmogae sat down at the head seat with a trembling face.
“I have no connection to the church, so I had a hard time taking care of the family. Please be generous and understand if there are any shortcomings.”
“No. I have never been treated like this in my life. It is so wonderful.”
Where else have you seen such treatment given to an open-minded approach that is frowned upon wherever it goes?
The red-crowned crane looked around and opened its mouth again.
“But I don’t see two of your group. It would be nice if they could come together.”
“I went out for a moment because I thought I might run out of alcohol. Don’t worry about it and come back and drink.”
Jinmu-rip smiled gently and opened the bottle of alcohol, and a refreshing aroma wafted out, enough to make one’s mind clearer.
Finally, he couldn’t stand it anymore and asked.
“What about this drink?”
“I have managed to obtain some five-grain wine from Yibin County. I am not sure if you will like it.”
The red-crowned crane’s eyes changed for the first time.
“Is this really the royal concubine’s five-liquor?”
The liquor of Uibinhyeon is so famous that people say they would risk their lives to drink it.
Among them, Oryangju was a precious liquor with a history of over a thousand years.
“Yes. And it’s not the liquor sold in the market, but liquor made by the craftsman himself. He even bribed the merchant who came to deliver it from the royal palace.”
The red-haired woman’s eyes, holding a glass of wine, showed a faint trembling.
‘It’s really a five-liquor drink.’
Although the Red Hair Dog is said to be an open-minded person, he is not treated with much respect in the closed-off Sacheon martial arts world.
I had never had bamboo leaf tea before, but when the Oryangju suddenly appeared before my eyes, my mouth started watering.
Jin Mu-rip looked at his face and smiled faintly.
Dongchogae also knew that he liked alcohol, and that Jeokmogae drank more than half of the alcohol offered to Bunta over the ten days.
Jinmu-rip politely offered a drink.
“Please try it.”
The red-haired man holding the glass with trembling hands thought of the dongchogae.
‘I left one person there, so I guess nothing bad will happen.’
Even though it is a small opening with little influence in Sacheon, it is unlikely that they will try to take away Bunta by force.
‘Let’s eat first.’
I tried to remain as calm as possible, but I was still a beggar.
I had no intention of turning down the table that was set for me.
The moment the glass touched his lips, Jinmu-rip’s gaze passed over Danryehwa and then returned.
‘Get started.’
Danryehwa, who was standing in front of the door, nodded slightly.
‘I’ll be back.’
She quietly left the palace, out of the beggars’ sight.
As we left the manor, Yu Dae-ha poked her head out over the fence of the house across from us.
[Ready to go. Ready to go at any time.]
Danryehwa glanced behind her and sent a telegram.
[There’s a variable. One less person came.]
[Okay, I’ll let Yong-hyung know.]
Without hesitation, Yudae flew up and ran straight to the area near where Yongchu was waiting.
It’s a distance that takes a long time to walk, but it’s not that far if you use the new method.
When we arrived at the appointed place, we could see Yongchu sleeping with his head down under the wall.
“dragon······.”
Yudae Ha, who was about to approach, stopped.
Because someone stopped in front of Yongchu.
“A normal person is acting like this······. Tsk tsk.”
The middle-aged man clicked his tongue and threw a piece of iron in front of Yongchu and passed by.
“······.”
Yongchu woke up, wiped his drool, and put the iron wire in front of him into his sleeve as if he was hiding it from a crab’s eyes.
‘Is it open?’
Yoo Dae-ha, who had been looking at me as if it was absurd, walked over to me with brisk strides.
“It’s a start, Yong-hyung.”
Yongchu glanced at the sleeve and asked slyly.
“Have you seen it?”
“······I haven’t seen it.”
Yongchu nodded and stood up from his seat.
“Go.”
As the dragon disappeared, Yudae shook his head and flew somewhere.
***
The only remaining Dongchogae crouched on the steps outside the pavilion.
“What on earth have you prepared?”
Considering the amount of alcohol and meat sent to Bunta during that time, it would not be an insufficient treatment.
As I imagined the table full of delicacies from the mountains and the sea, my mouth began to water.
Dongchogae, who had his eyes tightly closed, detected a delicious smell with his sense of smell.
“I guess I’ve gone crazy because even the smell is coming back to me.”
But even when I stopped imagining, the smell continued to seep into my nose.
In front of Dongchogae, who came out tilting his head, there was a single silver spoon in his mouth.
“oh!”
To the left of the Dongchogae where the silver was quickly picked up, there was another iron coin lying there.
‘What kind of idiot carries around a pouch with a hole in it?’
The iron bars were spaced apart at regular intervals.
Dongchogae, who had been focusing his eyesight in the darkness, picked up the iron coins one by one.
‘What a windfall.’
The corners of the lips that gradually go up don’t seem to come down at all.
After collecting about twenty iron coins, the gaps between them began to gradually widen.
Dongchogae, who had been focusing all his attention on the ground, straightened his back when he could no longer see the iron gate.
“I can’t see it anymore. Is it the end?”
In pitch-black darkness, without even a single house from which light could shine.
Dongchogae, who looked around, had no idea how far he had come.
As I was about to turn around, swallowing my regret.
“It’s on the right.”
I turned my head at the sound of a voice coming from somewhere and saw another iron bar had fallen.
“oh.”
Dongchogae, who was smiling brightly, picked up the iron bars one by one again.
And in the darkness, just a stone’s throw away from the Dongcho Pass, Yongchu was gently putting down the iron bar.
“I put it over there on the left.”
“Haha. Thanks.”
Dongchogae, who was absentmindedly picking up the iron coin, only then noticed something strange.
“Who’s there?”
“It’s not there anymore.”
A blurry shape approached in the darkness and then Yongchu appeared.
“Did you pick them all up?”
“huh?”
When Dongchogae’s eyes widened as he recognized his opponent, Yongchu immediately reached out his hand.
“Give it back now.”
