Chapter 101 : Slacker, Sets Out on a Journey (2)

Chapter 101: Slacker, Sets Out on a Journey (2)

“……It’s quiet, isn’t it?”

Wi Yeonho peeked his head out.

It had only been a few days since he last stayed here, yet for some reason, it felt a little unfamiliar.

“Could Chief Steward Ha have been right?”

Wi Yeonho had been thinking along similar lines, but seeing the desolate front gate still left him with a vague sense of unease.

It felt as though all the patients who should have come here had instead been absorbed by the Sacred Hand Grounds he had reopened.

“Um……”

When he opened the door and stepped inside, only a desolate wind blew through.

The crumbling thatched cottages were the same as before, but whereas it had at least been bustling with patients until recently, now that they were gone, the place gave off the atmosphere of an abandoned ruin—gloomy and eerie.

Creak.

Sensing his presence, the door opened, and Jin Yeran poked her head out.

“You’re here?”

“Ah, yes.”

Wi Yeonho awkwardly bowed his head.

“Please, come in. I don’t have any liquor today, but I can at least serve you tea.”

“I just dropped by, that’s all.”

“Don’t say that.”

“If you insist.”

Clicking his tongue, Wi Yeonho stepped inside.

“What about the others?”

“They all left.”

“…What?”

Wi Yeonho’s eyes widened.

Jin Yeran smiled faintly, as if to ask why he was so surprised.

“If I’ve decided to start over, I need to begin from the ground up. Holding on to this place and trying to restart from here would be too difficult. If I’m to follow the path I have in mind, it’s better to start anew.”

Wi Yeonho simply nodded.

He couldn’t tell if that was the right choice or not.

But if that was what she believed, no one had the right to say her decision was wrong.

After all, one’s path was for oneself to decide.

“I had a hard time paying off the overdue wages, but now that it’s done, I feel relieved.”

“Hm?”

Wi Yeonho’s gaze naturally swept over Jin Yeran’s neckline.

‘…It’s gone.’

The Baek Silver Jade necklace he had painstakingly retrieved for her had disappeared. But compared to when she had first entrusted it to him, her face looked brighter—that was the difference.

Was she moving forward?

Or just pretending to?

Even if she had found her path, having to sell her mother’s keepsake was no small matter.

“Are you certain?”

“Mm…”

Jin Yeran picked up the teapot and poured tea into the cup before him.

“To be honest, I’m a little worried. No… I’m very worried.”

“Mmm…”

“I’m worried whether I can do it well. And soon, I’ll have to leave this place, too.”

“Leave?”

“Yes. I’m going to start over from the beginning.”

Wi Yeonho’s eyebrow twitched.

Starting over was good, but why did that mean she had to leave here?

“Is it necessary?”

“It’s about returning to the basics.”

Her voice was unwavering.

“If a true physician truly cares for their patients, they shouldn’t just sit and wait for them to come—they should go to the patients themselves. There are many who can’t visit a clinic because of their limited mobility.”

“That’s true.”

It was a noble thought, a good heart.

But the problem was whether she could keep up such an ideal indefinitely. For a woman, the road she was choosing was bound to be filled with hardship.

“Do you think you can do it?”

“I’d like to ask you that instead. Do you think I can?”

Wi Yeonho looked at her with a faintly sullen expression.

Up until now, he had only been on the receiving end of evaluations from others; he had never seriously evaluated someone else.

“I don’t know if you’ll succeed or not, but…”

“But?”

“You look much better than when you used to scold Soa. It feels like I’m finally seeing your true self.”

Jin Yeran silently stared at him.

“Did I say something wrong?”

“No.”

She smiled gently.

“I don’t think you’re saying it on purpose, but Young Master Wi sometimes seems to know exactly what people want to hear.”

“Really?”

Wi Yeonho tilted his head.

His mother and elder brother had always told him not to open his mouth unless absolutely necessary.

They said it was frustrating enough to see him loafing around, and if he started babbling on top of that, it would drive them up the wall.

And yet, here was someone who praised his words.

Truly, the world never ceased to surprise.

“So, have you moved on from Soa and the Sacred Hand Grounds?”

“No.”

Jin Yeran shook her head firmly.

“It’s not about moving on—it’s about proving something.”

“Proving?”

“That by walking the true path of a physician myself, I can show Soa that I was right. If I can rebuild the Sacred Hand Grounds along the way, that would be a bonus.”

“Mmm…”

“I didn’t become a physician to raise my family. It was that by devoting myself to the life of a physician that my family rose. Somewhere along the way, the roles got reversed.”

“That’s true.”

Jin Yeran smiled brightly.

“Thank you, Young Master Wi. Thanks to you, I’ve found my path. I’m still a little anxious and nervous, but I suppose everyone’s beginning must have been like mine.”

“Well, not exactly.”

Wi Yeonho’s face was reluctant.

He suddenly wondered if he was somehow ruining an innocent maiden’s chances for marriage, and an inexplicable sense of guilt crept over him.

“Then, I won’t be able to talk for long today—I have so much to prepare.”

“I see.”

Without another word, Wi Yeonho rose to his feet.

It wasn’t polite to keep someone busy from their work.

“Then, I’ll be off.”

“Take care.”

Wi Yeonho trudged out of the Free Clinic.

The whole way out, he felt an itch at the back of his head.

“Urgh.”

This wouldn’t do.

In truth, all the hardships of the world were little different from self-inflicted suffering.

If you closed your eyes and turned your head, a warm bed was always waiting.

If you started worrying about unnecessary things like conscience or compassion…

“All right! I get it already!”

Wi Yeonho, who had just yelled pointlessly at the sky, began walking away—not toward the Sacred Hand Grounds, but in the opposite direction, his steps tinged with melancholy.

“Huh? Who did you say you were?”

The Hao Clan’s Wuhan Branch was in an uproar.

For the first time in years, a Red Banner had been hung in Wuhan.

A Red Banner was reserved only for provincial notables or those who had rendered great service to the Hao Clan.

When a Red Banner was raised, the branch in that region was required to set aside all other matters and give the Red Banner Holder the highest level of courtesy.

The place they rushed to was occupied by a youth, somewhere between a boy and a young man, sitting there as if he owned the place.

“I’m Wi Yeonho.”

“…Wi Yeonho?”

Gok Hyeong, known as “Rat Catcher” and the head of the Wuhan Branch of the Hao Clan, looked at Wi Yeonho with an expression of complete bafflement.

‘Why is a kid like this holding a Red Banner?’

Given what the Red Banner meant in the Hao Clan, it was strange for someone like him to possess it.

Still, judging from the fact that he seemed to know exactly how to use it, it didn’t look like he’d just found it somewhere.

“You do understand what the Red Banner means, don’t you?”

“I heard if you hang it up, you guys will do one thing I ask for, no questions asked.”

“…It’s not free of charge.”

“Ch.”

Wi Yeonho clicked his tongue in disappointment.

Gui Nangnang and Mosan-a had told him the same thing before, but he had tried confirming it again just in case. Since they weren’t budging this time either, it seemed certain that the Hao Clan didn’t work for free.

“I have two requests.”

“Yes, please speak. Requests from the Red Banner Holder are processed with top priority. The Red Banner will be collected once the request is made.”

“Then what’s the benefit? I could just come to the Hao Clan normally anyway.”

“You don’t seem to understand what ‘top priority’ means. The Hao Clan receives a great number of requests, and naturally, there is always a waiting list. A Red Banner request bypasses that list entirely.”

“I can’t tell if that’s good or bad.”

It sounded like a good thing… but not that impressive.

“So it’s basically an official line-cutting pass?”

“…You could put it that way.”

“Feels… middling.”

Wi Yeonho chuckled and then spoke.

“I want you to find something.”

“What is it?”

“Retrieve the Baek Silver Jade necklace that Jin Yeran from the Free Clinic sold.”

“If it was sold, retrieving it may cost money. If the buyer refuses to part with it, there are… other methods, but they involve risks, so I don’t recommend them. In either case, you’d need to pay at least the purchase price.”

“That’s fine.”

“And the other request?”

“I need a guard.”

“A guard?”

“A woman I know will likely be traveling alone. I want someone to follow her discreetly and make sure nothing happens to her.”

“Hmm…”

Gok Hyeong couldn’t help but frown.

“That’s a very difficult task, especially without a set time frame.”

“I’ll renew it annually.”

“…It also won’t be easy to find a suitable person. What level of martial skill are you looking for?”

“Well, if she runs into a real martial artist, there’s nothing we can do. Just someone capable of driving off ordinary mountain bandits will do.”

“That level isn’t hard to find. But the fact that the mission requires stealth is another matter. If you want someone skilled in stealth, the price will be higher.”

“How much for both?”

“You said a Baek Silver Jade necklace?”

After hearing a rough description of its size and quality from Wi Yeonho, Gok Hyeong nodded.

“Including the request fee, about two taels of gold.”

“…How much?”

“Two taels of gold.”

“That necklace isn’t even worth that much…”

“Retrieving the necklace isn’t particularly difficult. But guarding someone in stealth is no easy task. Ah, if you’re fine with a male guard, the price drops quite a bit. But because of the nature of the mission, if a man follows a woman…”

“Make it a woman.”

Without hesitation, Wi Yeonho waved his hand.

Even he knew that assigning a man would cause problems. Better to have a woman—it was the better option in every way.

“For the caliber of stealth operative you’re requesting, the price can’t be helped. This is already the minimum, considering you’re a Red Banner Holder.”

“Hmm, you said two taels?”

“Yes.”

“Find them for me. I’ll bring the money tomorrow.”

“Understood.”

As Wi Yeonho left at a sluggish pace, Gok Hyeong spoke.

“Make preparations.”

“But Branch Leader…”

A black shadow rose from the floor.

“He looks young, and doesn’t seem to have much money. Can he really come up with two taels of gold in a single day?”

“You don’t understand what it means to be a Red Banner Holder.”

“…”

“No one receives a Red Banner unless they’re worthy of it. Don’t worry—just prepare.”

“Yes.”

Sensing the fading presence, Gok Hyeong nodded.

“If he’s a Red Banner Holder, he’ll find a way to come up with the money.”

At least the young man had a decent face. If he were a villain, he could easily get the money by threatening others, but he didn’t seem the type.

“Excuse me.”

Just then, Wi Yeonho poked his head back inside.

“Yes?”

“Where does the Governor live?”

“T-The Governor?”

“Yes.”

Gok Hyeong, still not understanding, pointed in one direction. Seeing the gesture, Wi Yeonho ambled off once more.

“…Why is he looking for the Governor’s house?”

Even Gok Hyeong couldn’t guess the reason.

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