Forged Identity Tokens (1)
He held her hand and walked for quite a while.
Their pace gradually quickened.
Before long, the two of them had reached a dim alleyway.
Baek Wontae glanced around.
Fortunately, no one had followed them.
“This should do it.”
He turned to Ihwa.
“That’s enough. You can take it off now.”
There was no answer.
He tilted his head.
“Dang Ihwa?”
A low voice slipped from her lips.
“…Why did you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Back there, when that man reached for my robe. You stepped in.”
The sudden question left Baek Wontae momentarily blank.
“Because he almost exposed us. Why else?”
Ihwa’s voice trembled.
“He’s a member of the Dang Clan. If he’d even circulated internal energy, someone ordinary like you would’ve been poisoned the moment he touched you. If you’d read the books in the library, you’d know that much….”
“I know.”
Ihwa’s lips parted.
“…Weren’t you scared?”
“Of course I was.”
“…Then why?”
Baek Wontae lifted his fingers.
Index, middle, ring finger.
He folded them down one by one as he laid out his reasons.
“It was complicated. After talking to him, I got the impression he wasn’t the type to openly kill someone in a place like that. I didn’t think he’d put hands on us, either… but even if he’s Dang Clan, I figured he wasn’t some trash who’d use internal energy on a civilian.”
He folded down his ring finger.
“Even if I’d been poisoned, that wouldn’t have been the worst outcome. If that happened, he’d become the guy who harmed a commoner, and we could’ve used that excuse to drive the Dang Clan out of the Hamwon area. Plus, for the sake of their family’s dignity, they would’ve had to cure me anyway.”
He folded down his middle finger.
“And the biggest reason was…”
Baek Wontae pointed at Ihwa with his index finger.
“I couldn’t afford to lose you.”
Ihwa’s eyes widened.
That answer had been entirely unexpected, and her heart gave a hard, lurching jolt.
“…What?”
She lifted her head without thinking.
Their eyes met.
“You’re my business partner and my subordinate. If you’re in danger, then I’m in danger too. No matter what happens to you, protecting you is only natural.”
Baek Wontae gave a snort of a laugh.
“Honestly, I was pretty damn scared. One brush of his hand and I’d be dead meat. But I’d done the math, more or less, and I took the gamble. The result was a huge win.”
He let out a sigh and shook his head.
“But if you’d been the one who got exposed… there’d be no clean answer. Once the Dang Clan moved, they’d squeeze information out of anyone who knew you, and they’d eventually find out you were living in Heokryeonhyang. Then you’d be running for your life and getting nothing done. Revenge? Forget it. That’s not what you want, is it?”
“The other side was the Dang Clan… You shamed him, even humiliated the Dang Clan to his face. If it had been anyone else, he wouldn’t have shown mercy. I know you’re smart. But if you act recklessly… you won’t stay safe.”
“Right. An unarmed guy like me would barely last a second in this world. That’s why, the way you need me, I need you too.”
At those words, the world seemed to blur behind Ihwa’s face.
She clutched the edge of her robe tightly.
“I promised I’d protect you and your family no matter what threat came at us. And you’ll help protect me, too. That’s our contract. So I’ll put my life in your hands. If I’m ever in danger, you save me.”
Baek Wontae stepped closer.
“We’re going to have a mountain of reasons to help each other from here on out. I’m going to lean on you a lot. So… this is a little late, but take care of me.”
He smiled faintly and held out his hand.
“Now give me the robe back. This dawn chill is brutal.”
After a moment of hesitation, she removed the robe and laid it in his hand.
In Baek Wontae’s eyes, she was bright red.
Her gaze wandered everywhere else—walls, pavement, shadows—but not him.
Baek Wontae tilted his head.
From his perspective, he had just said exactly what the contract said.
Business partners. Help each other. Protect one another. That was all.
Facts, plain and simple.
As for ulterior motives?
None whatsoever.
So with her acting like this, he found it strange.
No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t figure out why.
“What, why are you so red?”
Ihwa answered quietly.
“I don’t know… Maybe because it’s hot.”
Baek Wontae put the robe on as if nothing had happened.
Rubbing his arms, he muttered, “It’s chilly to me. Nice to know you’re young and sturdy.”
Somewhere around the threshold of his thirties, Baek Wontae had grown jealous of the circulation and metabolism of a twenty-year-old.
And yet, even at twenty, he himself hadn’t been all that healthy.
“Anyway, let’s move. Hamwon’s off-limits for a while. Tell Ihyeon, and as for Father… he doesn’t go to Hamwon anyway, so let’s not tell him. The whole house would turn upside down.”
“Y-yes….”
They headed straight back to the escort bureau.
As soon as they arrived, they climbed into the carriage in a hurry.
The carriage bound for Heokryeonhyang set off.
Baek Wontae rested his arm by the window and propped his chin on it.
Dang Rim.
He’d had the audacity to put him in danger.
If the chance ever came, he would absolutely wreck the bastard.
He made the vow with complete conviction.
* * *
As always, the spoils of the trade were poured onto the table.
Clink!
Silver ingots scattered across the tabletop.
The Dang family stared at the gleam in a daze.
Money that should have taken at least a year of backbreaking labor had piled up in front of them.
In only two or three months.
A hollow sigh escaped someone’s lips.
Dang Hogyeom remained silent for a moment before turning to his daughter.
“…Well done.”
Just two words.
They held all the tangled emotions of a clan head.
Dang Hogyeom quietly retreated into his room.
Dang Ihyeon was sorting the silver on the table when Baek Wontae called to him.
“Ihyeon. Come here for a second.”
“What is it?”
“Follow me.”
Ihyeon followed him to the front gate.
Just in case the clan head might overhear, Baek Wontae stretched his neck and checked their surroundings.
“Something happened in Hamwon.”
He told him everything from beginning to end.
The encounter with the Dang Clan man, his suspicion, the interrogation.
Dang Ihyeon’s brow furrowed.
“I see… so you came into contact with a Dang Clan member.”
“Our identities weren’t exposed, but just in case, stay out of the city for a while.”
“Then does that mean business will be suspended?”
“No. It stings that Hamwon’s blocked, but we can source Hyeonrihwa from other villages. We’ll still only make the trades in the forest. No problems.”
His eyes deepened.
“But the important thing is…”
“We should probably keep this from Father.”
Ihyeon picked up the thought before he finished.
Baek Wontae looked at him.
They understood each other without needing to spell it out.
Something this serious should be reported to their father, of course.
But right now, they knew exactly what needed to be done.
Baek Wontae smiled.
“Yeah.”
Just as he was about to wrap things up, the expression at the corner of his mouth stiffened slightly.
“Ah, right. There’s something else I should mention….”
His gaze brushed past Ihyeon.
“I learned a little about your family.”
“Did Ihwa tell you?”
“Just a little.”
“How much did you hear?”
“That the Dang family was framed and exiled, and that you plan to return to the Dang Clan. And… that you’re being hunted by them.”
“…That’s all?”
“Yeah.”
“Then that’s fine.”
Baek Wontae brought his index finger to his lips.
“Keep the fact that I know a secret from Father too. He won’t be pleased.”
“Got it.”
* * *
Daily life didn’t change.
Baek Wontae went from village to village gathering Hyeonrihwa, then refined it in the alchemy room into tiny white grains.
Ihyeon and Ihwa swung hammers in the forge.
New smoking pipes were born beneath their hands.
The only change was that the basin water Ihwa handed over was a little warmer than before.
Whenever it was her turn to serve dinner, there always seemed to be one or two extra side dishes in front of Baek Wontae.
Dang Hogyeom’s expression hardened briefly whenever he noticed that.
…No way.
He shook his head.
No, that can’t be….
The daughter who had never shown the slightest sign of anything like that in her whole life—could she really be having… that kind of feeling…?
No…
Could she…?
He let out a needless sigh and picked at his side dishes.
He couldn’t even taste them.
It felt like the weight in his heart had grown by one more burden.
As usual, on the first day of the next month, Baek Wontae met the Manri Merchant Group Leader again.
The merchant leader’s face had changed.
His cheeks had hollowed out, and dark circles shaded his eyes.
His gaze was unfocused, his breathing unstable.
Baekhyang addiction.
Exactly as he’d hoped.
He handed over several thick bundles.
The merchant leader clutched them with trembling hands.
“T-this time, there’s more…!”
“Business has been good. From now on, let’s do this every fifteen days.”
“Fifteen days?”
The merchant leader lifted his head in alarm.
“With that much time, you’d barely reach the border!”
“We’ve opened a route through people from the Xinjiang side. From here on out, I can source larger quantities faster.”
The merchant leader’s eyes flashed.
People from Xinjiang came to the Yeom Kingdom?
If he could just find them, he could make the deal himself.
Greed raised its head.
But before the thought could bloom, Baek Wontae cut it off coldly.
“Of course, those people only trade with someone they know. Keep in mind that I’m your only point of contact.”
“R-right. Of course.”
The merchant leader scratched his head, embarrassed.
“From your perspective, how widespread has Baekhyang become?”
“There isn’t a single person in Hamwon’s entertainment district who hasn’t heard of it. Anyone with money spreads the word among themselves, then comes carrying bags of silver and lines up. The liquor merchants and breweries keep complaining that booze isn’t selling, but in the end even those bastards take a sip and then, hah, they go stumbling off, hooked on Baekhyang. The owner of Geumgangru’s been so busy lately he can barely keep his head on straight.”
“That’s a relief. You’re still only dealing directly with the owner of Geumgangru, right?”
“Yes.”
“The volume’s already big, so now you need to expand the client base. Open channels to other pleasure houses and inns, too. Once they see the product, they’ll all lose their minds. Raise the price little by little, and if you can, let some of it leak beyond Hamwon.”
“Business expansion, then.”
“Yes. More money, more power. After all, you’re the only one who can supply Baekhyang.”
The corners of the merchant leader’s mouth slowly curled upward.
“Hahaha, yes, that’s right. The only one… it’s just me.”
“Ah, I have a few questions. Has anyone from the Dang Clan ever come through Hamwon?”
“The Dang Clan? Why do you ask?”
“Even if Hamwon lies outside their territory, once the scale of the trade keeps growing, it’ll eventually draw attention. If they find out, they’ll start interfering.”
He added,
“The Dang Clan’s reputation is vile enough already. Once they get a whiff of this, the business is over.”
“O-over…?”
Thud—
It felt as if the merchant leader’s heart had dropped straight to the floor.
The business is over.
That phrase echoed around in his head.
Money didn’t matter anymore.
His body had already become one that couldn’t last a day without Baekhyang.
Just imagining that he might not be able to smoke it made cold sweat break out across his back.
He squeezed out the information as though wringing the last drop from a rag.
“A few weeks ago, an elder from the Feilong Merchant Group stayed in Hamwon. The one who accompanied him was… a Dang Clan man. He left not long after. Aside from that, I haven’t heard any news of the Dang Clan in Hamwon.”
“I see.”
The merchant leader’s information was unexpectedly accurate.
Since that day, there had been no more movement from the Dang Clan.
Hamwon was safe again.
“Good. Keep watching. If you see any Dang Clan movement around here, report it to me immediately. For the sake of business continuity.”
“I-I will.”
“And another thing—do you happen to know anyone who makes forged identity tokens?”
The merchant leader’s expression hardened.
“…For-forged identity tokens?”