By Zephyria That’s How It Happened (3)
“Shouldn’t we wait and see? Anyway, I’m in a position where I can’t even guarantee tomorrow, so it’s hard to give you a definite answer.”
Young master Seong Mu-yeon quickly returned to his usual self and spoke cheerfully.
“Please let me know if I’m misunderstanding something.”
“It’s not wrong.”
Yak Seon replied indifferently.
Who could force Seong Mu-yeon to become a moth flying into the fire?
“I’ve changed my mind. I should attend the banquet. I’ve become hungry.”
Seong Mu-yeon rose from his seat.
“Then have a good night, and Happy New Year.”
With those affable greetings, Seong Mu-yeon left.
Yak Seon shook the Wine Jar to hear the sound, then poured all the remaining wine sloshing at the bottom into his mouth.
One thing was certain.
‘I must never trust Seong Mu-yeon.’
“So Teacher, are you there?”
The Sect leader came to the Guest room with both hands full of banquet food.
“Oh. What brings Sect leader Hwa here?”
He glanced at the Wine Jars scattered around for a moment, then looked away and spread out the food. Then, he handed one of the two pairs of chopsticks to Yak Seon.
“I sent a Disciple to invite you to the banquet, but you didn’t come.”
“I hate crowded places.”
“I know. I thought you’d be feeling miserable, so I came myself.”
Yak Seon chuckled and took the chopsticks.
“But, you wouldn’t have come just to deliver this. Did you find him?”
Even with the subject omitted, the Sect leader understood and nodded.
“Is that true?!”
Yak Seon jumped up.
“Listen to the end. It seems he was hiding in a certain tavern. I confirmed that much, but he had already left. Still, we found traces, so we can start again. I’ll assign some of our warriors to you so you can leave right away tomorrow morning. And so…”
“No. There’s no need for that. I have someone to send.”
Yak Seon said in a calmly subdued voice. This time, the Sect leader was surprised and asked back.
“You’re not going yourself? You’ve been looking for him so much, who are you going to send…? Don’t tell me.”
Yak Seon raised the corner of his mouth, looking at the Sect leader’s hardened face.
“May I ask why?”
“It’s nothing much. I just… want to confirm something.”
“What?”
“How Seong Mu-yeon will act when he learns the truth. You could call it a kind of test.”
“…Are you sure it’s okay? You might lose the item.”
“Then that must be heaven’s will.”
“……”
Yak Seon didn’t continue the conversation and focused only on eating the food. The Sect leader’s clouded face didn’t clear up for a long time.
“Buy lanterns! Buy pretty lanterns.”
“……”
Seong Mu-yeon blinked. When he returned to the plaza, the banquet was already over, and Wang Ho-jun was selling large lanterns to passersby with both hands.
To be doing business in this sacred Taoist temple.
“What are you doing, Master Wang?”
“Ah, Young master. Would you like to buy a lantern?”
“Oh, how much is it?”
“It’s free.”
“Huh?”
“It’s no fun just giving them away. I’m just trying to get into the mood.”
He must have absolutely nothing to do. Well, Seong Mu-yeon also had nothing to do all day today, so he wasn’t in a position to talk.
Wang Ho-jun said he was tired of playing merchant, forcibly handed Seong Mu-yeon a lantern, and went out into the street with one in his own hand.
“Those who need it will take it on their own.”
The plaza was truly like a small market that had been moved, with all kinds of street food lined up. Of course, it was all free.
Surprisingly, Wine Jars were piled up in one corner. Already, some Disciples were dead drunk, hugging Wine Jars and sprawled out.
“Is it okay to drink alcohol in a sacred Taoist temple?”
“It’s only specially allowed today, so it’s okay. And it’s not strong alcohol. But Young master? Why are you taking alcohol? Do you like alcohol too, Young master?”
“It’s not for me to drink.”
Seong Mu-yeon smiled awkwardly and carefully put away a bottle of alcohol. Seeing the Wine Jar, he thought of Baek Ryeo-il. If Baek Ryeo-il were here, he might have run away with not just one bottle, but all the Wine Jars here.
Thinking of Baek Ryeo-il, Seong Mu-yeon asked Wang Ho-jun without much expectation.
“By any chance, have you seen Master Baek recently, Master Wang?”
“Senior Brother? I saw him just a little while ago?”
At the too-simple answer, Seong Mu-yeon gaped. Now that he thought about it, everyone had been meeting him, but only he hadn’t seen even the tip of his nose.
To discriminate against people like this!
Seong Mu-yeon, greatly angered, grabbed his shoulders and shook him wildly, pressing him.
“Where did you see him! When!”
“H-He went that way.”
Seong Mu-yeon ran in the direction Wang Ho-jun pointed. He must have suffered a bit while hiding all this time, huh? Vowing that he wouldn’t let him off this time if he caught him, he heatedly worked his legs, which had gained some strength.
Before long, Seong Mu-yeon was able to find Baek Ryeo-il in a pavilion overlooking the plaza.
But strangely, when he actually saw him, he couldn’t bring himself to move forward.
The pounding of his heart, which was beating rapidly because he had run up the hill, felt particularly loud, so he paused to catch his breath.
He didn’t know why he felt so uncomfortable and awkward. Now that Baek Ryeo-il was clearly avoiding him, what would he gain by questioning that fact?
As Seong Mu-yeon was about to turn back, he suddenly felt stubborn when he saw the Wine Jar and lantern in his hand.
Am I the kind of person to be intimidated by something like this? This Seong Mu-yeon?
There’s no way!
Seong Mu-yeon strode towards Baek Ryeo-il. Baek Ryeo-il was revealing his figure under the bright moonlight, so there was nowhere to run.
“Where have you been all this time?”
As expected, Baek Ryeo-il didn’t react as usual, but merely glanced at him sideways before turning his gaze back to the vast sky. Seong Mu-yeon raised his voice and asked again.
“I asked where you’ve been all this time!”
Only then did Baek Ryeo-il’s indifferent answer return.
“Well, I’ve been busy in various ways.”
His voice was so ordinary and calm that Seong Mu-yeon lost his will to fight. Only a hollow laugh came out.
He wanted to ask Baek Ryeo-il’s unmoving profile.
‘Don’t you have anything to say to me?’
Or.
‘Are you angry about something?’
But what was the point of asking these questions? It was ridiculous to get angry alone at someone who had no intention of communicating.
Seong Mu-yeon thought of a topic to draw him into the conversation, to make him look at him.
“Senior Brother also knows, right? That Yakseon Daein…”
“Yeah, that’s good.”
Baek Ryeo-il cut him off in the middle without even listening to the end.
“……”
At that point, Seong Mu-yeon was half wanting to leave him alone and half wanting to grab him by the collar and shake him, asking what was wrong.
But instead of leaving or getting angry, he held out what he had in his hand.
“They’re having a lantern-flying event later. You didn’t bring one, did you? I brought it.”
“……”
“This alcohol is surprisingly prepared by Mount Hua.”
Just as he was about to put down the Wine Jar after the lantern, Baek Ryeo-il raised only his opposite hand and showed it to him. The hand was holding a Wine Jar. It was a silent expression that he already had alcohol, so he didn’t need what Seong Mu-yeon had brought.
“Ha.”
Now Seong Mu-yeon’s patience had reached its limit.
“Fine. Do as you please.”
He turned around and headed for the plaza.
He was so annoyed that he couldn’t stand it. One of Baek Ryeo-il’s great strengths was that he was easy to predict, but this, he didn’t know. He didn’t know why he was like this, or how long he would be like this.
“Young master Seong! Did you meet Senior Brother Baek?”
As soon as he entered the plaza, Wang Ho-jun quickly spotted him and approached.
“Yeah, well…”
“But you don’t look good, are you sick somewhere?”
Seong Mu-yeon shook his head. In the process, he found the Wine Jar in his hand. The alcohol he had been rejected from giving to Baek Ryeo-il.
“Y-Young master? Why are you suddenly opening the alcohol?”
Wang Ho-jun asked as Seong Mu-yeon began to open the lid. Before he could stop him, Seong Mu-yeon put the bottle to his mouth and began to drink.
“Y-Young master!”
Glug, glug.
His Adam’s apple vibrated enthusiastically.
A moment later, he frowned, making a terrible face at the bitterly bitter taste that made him want to curse.
“T-To drink that straight from the bottle without any snacks…! H-Have this and rinse your mouth!”
Wang Ho-jun fidgeted and recklessly snatched sweet snacks from a stall set up by one of the Disciples and handed them to Seong Mu-yeon. Seong Mu-yeon hurriedly stuffed the candy and candied fruit he offered into his mouth.
“Kuwaaack! T-Thank you…! What taste do people eat this for?”
The taste of the alcohol was so terrible that tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.
“That’s why I said you shouldn’t drink straight from the bottle like that! Did you fight with Senior Brother? Did he make you angry again?”
When Baek Ryeo-il’s name came up, Seong Mu-yeon’s mood sank back into the mire, and he picked up the bottle of alcohol again and stuck it in his mouth.