A Thousand Miles in Search of Hyeonrihwa
Just as Baek Wontae had expected, even after he jacked the price up by more than double, Baekhyang sold out in the blink of an eye.
It had sold, quite literally, like wildfire.
In a way, that was proof that the hunger for Baekhyang had climbed straight into the heavens. For a seller, it was the kind of signal that made his day.
But—
with the supply line choked off, it was nothing more than a mirage.
What did it matter if it sold well?
There was nothing left to sell.
Baek Wontae let out a bitter breath.
That meant there was only one answer.
He had to fix this, right now.
* * *
“……”
Baek Wontae was silent for a long moment.
A bundle lay on the table. It contained the Hyeonrihwa Emulsion Paste that Ihyeon and Ihwa had scraped together with great difficulty.
But—
it wasn’t nearly enough to fill even one bundle.
Ihyeon spoke in a downcast voice. “We searched everywhere we could, but... this was all there was.”
Ihwa shook her head too. “I couldn’t find any at all.”
“Hm...”
Baek Wontae twisted his lips and nodded.
There was no denying it now.
This was a crisis.
And—
there was only one way to break out of it.
I have to set foot in Dang Clan territory.
Of course, if the clan head found out, the roof would come off the place.
No, it wouldn’t stop at the roof coming off. It would become a whole event.
But—
well, what choice did he have?
He had to do it.
After all, doing what people told him not to was Baek Wontae’s specialty.
He looked at the children with a perfectly calm face.
“All right, I understand. Good work. Rest up today, and tomorrow we’ll go look again.”
His tone was flat, his expression unchanged.
And yet the siblings just stared at him.
Baek Wontae reached up and rubbed his face.
“What? I’ve got something on me?”
The children shook their heads.
“Nothing.”
“Really? Good. Sleep well.”
He trudged toward the library.
Creak—
The door shut behind him.
The siblings watched his back in silence.
* * *
“I’m off.”
Early the next morning, Baek Wontae said his goodbyes to the clan head, slung the bundle over his shoulder, and walked out through the main gate of the Dang residence.
On the surface, it looked like any other departure.
He had already told the Dang clan servants he was heading out to one of the places on the list.
The destination he had in mind was a courier house.
Not the one he usually used, but a different one.
Because the place he wanted to go could only be reached from there.
Cheongbong.
A village on the outermost edge of Dang Clan territory.
Despite being called a village, he’d heard it was fairly prosperous for an outlying settlement, as befit a place under Dang Clan influence.
That meant the surveillance would be looser there, and the chances of finding a good quantity of Hyeonrihwa were higher.
Baek Wontae booked a carriage and sat down in the waiting area.
A moment later—
“Carriage to Cheongbong departing!”
A shout rang out from a distance.
He got to his feet.
Then—
“Baek Wontae.”
He froze.
A voice came from behind him.
It was familiar.
So familiar it sent a chill down his spine.
No way.
Baek Wontae slowly turned around.
And—
his eyes went wide.
“Ihyeon... Ihwa...?”
The siblings were standing right in the middle of the courier house, as bold as brass.
First came disbelief. Then shock.
He looked from one to the other, then finally forced the words out.
“Why the hell are you here?”
Ihyeon answered calmly. “Because I knew this would happen.”
Ihwa nodded beside him. “I could tell from your face yesterday. I figured you’d go alone even if nobody went with you.”
* * *
The night before, Ihyeon had quietly led Ihwa out beyond the gate.
Deep in the woods, where even the moonlight was faint.
The sound of insects filled the silence.
After a brief pause, Ihyeon spoke first.
“You noticed, didn’t you?”
Ihwa nodded with a bitter expression. “Baek Wontae... he’s planning to ignore Father’s orders.”
“He definitely is. He doesn’t waste time, so he’ll probably leave tomorrow.”
They said nothing for a while.
Then Ihwa asked carefully, “And the reason you dragged me out here...?”
Ihyeon answered without hesitation.
“Let’s follow him.”
At that, Ihwa swallowed.
It was a decision the usual Dang Ihyeon would never have made.
A choice that went against their father’s will.
But—
the look in his eyes was different now.
Even if it was clearly the wrong thing to do, he had never looked more certain.
Ihwa’s voice carried a trace of unease. “That would mean... betraying Father.”
Ihyeon shook his head.
“No. It’s for Father. We’re earning money to repay his long-held wish.”
He glanced toward the gate.
“But the Dang Clan territory is a place we don’t know. If Baek Wontae goes in alone and something happens to him... there’s no way to respond.”
Hoo—
Ihyeon drew a deep breath.
“So it’s better if at least someone who can use martial arts goes with him.”
Then, in a low voice, he admitted, “This may sound strange... but I can’t really imagine life without him anymore.”
Memories flickered through his mind.
The money that had dragged a distant family wish right up to the present.
The strange thrill he felt whenever he crossed the line of morality.
The luxury he had never dreamed of enjoying.
And—
his courtship with Im Huiseon.
Without Baek Wontae, he wouldn’t have had a gift to give her, let alone the courage to approach her.
The tips of Ihyeon’s ears went red before he could stop them.
It was a relief the night was so dark.
If it had been bright—
Ihwa would have seen the emotion on her brother’s face and, without hesitation, shot him a look of pure disgust.
“Ahem. Ahem.”
Ihyeon cleared his throat and brushed the thought away.
“If it weren’t for him... I’d probably have died never knowing any of the things I know now, or ever enjoying any of them.”
Ihwa nodded as well.
He had given them too much to count.
“So you’re worried about him.”
“...Yes.”
After a moment’s silence, Ihwa added, “Me too.”
Baek Wontae came to mind.
She remembered the time he had stepped in and saved her when she’d nearly been exposed to a Dang clan member.
It wasn’t only that. He came to mind whenever she was out working, whenever she was cooking, even when she was bathing.
Because of that, her cheeks heated faintly.
“It’s complicated to put into words, but...”
She sent her gaze out beyond the trees.
“I just don’t want him to be in danger.”
It was a relief the night was so dark.
If it had been bright—
Ihyeon would have seen the emotion on his sister’s face and, without hesitation, shot her a look of pure disgust.
The darkness was all that was left, stitching together the last thin threads of sibling affection they had.
Only after a cool night breeze had drained the heat from them did the two finally calm down.
“What Baek Wontae said makes sense. The Dang Clan probably won’t come looking this far out. The gain from securing Hyeonrihwa is bigger than the risk of being exposed.”
Ihyeon glared at Ihwa. “Normally I wouldn’t drag along a nuisance like you, but this time you’re coming too. If we get caught, Father won’t let Baek Wontae off the hook. It’ll be better if the two of us try to convince him instead of just one person.”
“It would’ve been nicer if you’d left out the first half.”
With that, the siblings headed back inside together.
* * *
“That’s how it happened.”
After hearing Ihwa’s brief explanation, Baek Wontae let out a dry laugh.
“So now you can read my face and know what I’m thinking? You really have grown up.”
His eyes swept over their clothing.
For people who were supposed to be keeping a low profile, they were dressed absurdly plainly.
Baek Wontae pointed toward his eyes. “But your destination’s Dang Clan territory? You two actually prepared for this?”
Swish—
The siblings reached into their bundle at the same time and pulled something out.
Black cloth, tightly woven.
Face-covering masks that would hide even their eyes.
Looking at the masks in their hands, Baek Wontae’s mouth curled wide.
Were these the same foolish little siblings who once helped him shake down information from a pleasure house?
That really warms the heart.
“Look at these sly little bears. Where the hell did you learn to do this, huh?”
And then—
the two of them stared at him with those sharp eyes, fixed on one person and one person only.
“Me?”
Then suddenly, something more important crossed his mind.
The clan head.
Just picturing that face sent a chill down his spine.
Baek Wontae asked in a low voice, concern creeping into it, “You didn’t tell the clan head, did you?”
The siblings exchanged a glance.
Then, as if swallowing something sour, they answered, “Yeah... we told him we were going to one of the places on the list.”
Baek Wontae stared at them in silence for a while, then finally gave them a warm look.
That was genuinely admirable.
The kids who used to obey their father like their lives depended on it had even learned how to lie now.
This was how children grew up.
And since nobody ever wins against their own kids, I’d better stick close if they get caught.
Baek Wontae gave a small nod.
“Fine. If you went that far, then so be it.”
He went to the counter and bought two more tickets on the carriage as planned.
Then he tipped his chin at the children.
“Let’s go.”
* * *
At the same time, in Seongdo—Chengdu, the largest and most prosperous city in Sichuan.
At its center stood the Dang Clan.
High, long walls.
Beyond them, dozens of buildings stood in orderly rows.
And among them, in the outer district—the Outer Hall.
Inside the Financial Hall of the Outer Hall, under the authority of the main Financial Pavilion, a woman was moving her brush without rest.
Swish...
When she finished writing the final character, she set the brush down.
“It’s done, Chief Administrator.”
At her words, the gray-haired man turned his head.
“Already finished? As expected, you’re Dang Cheon.”
Dang Cheon gathered the stacks of account books neatly and carried them over to the chief administrator.
He leafed through them, then nodded.
“Indeed. Thoroughly done. Even though you aren’t part of the Financial Hall, you’re better than most of its people. How would you like to come work in the Financial Pavilion? With your skills, you could be appointed deputy chief administrator at once.”
“You flatter me.”
Dang Cheon bowed her head briefly.
“Then, I have another task to attend to, so I’ll take my leave.”
After saluting the chief administrator, she left the Financial Hall.