Chapter 4 - Small Village in the North (part 3)

With the multitude of lingering gazes on him, Dohyun couldn't stay silent any longer and let out a small sigh, "Given the circumstance, I suppose it wouldn't be a problem to open my doors until your roof has been repaired Sun Minwoo-ssi."

The crowd praised the newly settled neighbor for his hospitality, accompanied with phrases like: "The heaven's will surely bless you for your good deeds", "Everyone will remember your help during this time", and "Come to my household sometime, I'll prepare you the best food here!"

It seems like gaining the approval of the people won't be that hard after all, Dohyun wearily smiled to himself.

Jaeyong hadn't uttered a word since they returned to Han residence, both assisting Sun Minwoo in carrying the remains of her belongings that weren't haplessly drenched by the rain.

Dohyun led her to the house he was staying in, "Sun Minwoo-ssi please make yourself comfortable" he said while grabbing his bedding from the attached room.

Sun Minwoo smiled yet still felt guilty for having to take up a newly settled down person's room and said: "Master Bu, this old woman thanks you gravely, I'll definitely repay your kindness."

Dohyun waved his hand at the response, "There's no such need, and please call me comfortably, Master Bu is a bit much, you can call me Do Hoon."

With a reassured smile she replied, "Well then, Do Hoon-ssi, thank you again, in the meantime I will arrange my things."

She didn't have many belongings to begin with but the things she brought over all needed to be spread out and hung to dry. It truly was an unfortunate situation to be in.

Dohyun walked over to the other house carrying his bedding only to find Jaeyong also standing with his bedding in his hands, exiting the room he was staying in.

"Dohyun, please use this room for now", Jaeyong said.

Confused, Dohyun asked, "Where are you going?"

Jaeyong tilted his head sideways saying, "I will stay in the shed for the meantime, please make yourself comfortab-"

"The shed? You want to freeze to death I imagine?" Dohyun said incredulously.

"I can handle the cold well", Jaeyong honestly replied asif it were nothing to him.

At this point Dohyun couldn't tell if the other was actually serious about sleeping in a shed or not. "We're both men so sharing a room shouldn't be a problem", with that Dohyun grabbed the sheets that were in Jaeyong's hands and pushed them back into the room.

Dumbfounded, Jaeyong stood at the doorway watching the prince he was supposed to protect his life with, laying down simple bedding on the straw mat on the floor like it was nothing. Only when he turned around did Jaeyong say, "Your highness, even though we are both men, it is wrong for a servant to stay in his master's room... especially yours."

Dohyun stopped what he was doing, looked up at the so-called 'servant' who now avoided his gaze, and slightly frowned. A few moments of silence passed and Jaeyong lifted his eyes once to look at Dohyun who was still silently watching him, with the rising tension he focused his gaze back at the floor.

Light footsteps approached him but he dared not look up. After what seemed to be an eternity passed, Dohyun stood in front of him no less than a foot away and asked, "Is it bad? Is it bad for a master to care for his people?" His voice was low and serious but the question was asked with complete curiosity as if he really didn't know the answer. He wanted an outside opinion, for his entire life in the palace, it wasn't frowned upon when servants were beaten or treated no more than animals; because they were servants and the people they served were royalty.

Jaeyong replied, "No."

"Then", Dohyun said, "Is it wrong for a nobleman to treat a beggar like a fellow nobleman?" The answer to this question was yes. He once asked this to his other teachers to which they all came into conclusion with a simple "yes." They said when people in poverty are treated like noblemen, they become greedy and want more, until they will do anything to keep the leisure of being a nobleman.

Jaeyong once again replied, "No."

Despite what his teachers taught, Dohyun questioned himself many times before, to him, his answer and Jaeyong's answer were no different. Simple and plain, their answers were "No."

Having received the same answer twice, Dohyun thought for a little bit before asking, "Do you hate it?"

Jaeyong hesitated, meeting his eyes once before he uttered another "No." He seemed to have thought harder on that question, thus, added: "...could never hate his highness."

"Then sleep with me", Dohyun said.

"..."

"I-"

Jaeyong fought against a series of chokes, swallowing his saliva from the shock of Dohyun's request, mercilessly pounding his fist on his chest to clear out his airhole. Sweat trickled around his forehead and his face tinted lightly with pink.

Meanwhile, Dohyun, on the other hand panicked seeing how violently he caused the other to react, "It's fine, It's fine, you don't have to sleep in here if you despise the idea that much, I just thought that it's not like I roll around that much in sleep or drool, so I thought- anyway don't worry, I won't take it to heart!"

"W-what?!"

Of course his highness would never make such an obscene request! Even if he did, it would rather be with the beautiful kisaengs who were talented in that field!

Jaeyong mentally cursed himself over for taking it the wrong way, shaking his head at himself for mistaking the other's pure request.

He forced himself to calm, and spoke, "No, your highness, whatever you want, I will sleep here tonight, do not get me wrong, I do not despise sharing a room with his highness."

Dohyun wearily looked at him saying, "Then, do whatever you please, you really shouldn't force yourself."

At that moment, Sun Minwoo appeared behind Jaeyong near the doorway, "Bu Do Hoon-ssi, Beak Jaeyong-ssi, excuse me but what would you like for dinner? I'd like to make myself useful and prepare our meals instead. I do have to say that I'm quite well-known for this small village's famous ginseng soup."

Knowing it would be rude to turn her down although she really didn't have to do anything for them but the latter part of her sentence did seem interesting.

Dohyun asked, "This village's famous ginseng soup?"

Sun Minwoo bashfully nodded her head replying, "That's correct, you may have guessed by now from the name of this village-Insam Maeul that our main way of income here is by farming ginseng as well as searching for wild ginseng in the mountains. Naturally, we know best how to prepare it."

With that she happily added, "I'll be in the kitchen if anyone needs me."

So the village's name was Insam Maeul, Dohyun never thought of asking the name of this place from Jaeyong since his mind was already full of questions from the start, he could only chuckle at the simplicity- Insam Maeul- Ginseng Village.

Jaeyong, currently much more collected than himself from earlier, spoke, "Your- Dohyun, I will go cut some firewood for now, I'll be nearby if you need anything."

Dohyun nodded but continued to think to himself some more. He had noticed when they arrived that the village didn't seem exceptionally well-off but he hadn't expected that some houses wouldn't be able to hold up during a storm… It didn't make sense, ginseng was a highly-regarded herb in the capital and royal palace, favored by doctors for its medicinal abilities, especially wild-ginseng.

If farming ginseng was these peoples livelihood- you would've expected more or less for them to be well-off enough…

With nothing else left to do, he decided to take a stroll outside and observe the village, as he walked along the dirt roads he occasionally passed people who would now be his neighbors every now and then giving him an approving smile and a courteous nod.

He saw the horse that he and Jaeyong came on grazing grass in one of the fields tied to a small tree, its tail swinging to each side of its back. He later passed a small group of children spinning their paengis, seeing whose would last the longest.

The further uphill he walked, the denser the houses became. From what it seemed to be, he was now in the middle of the village or the village proper.

Vendors were positioned on all sides and there was one large residence in the middle, most likely the village head's residence.

From where he was standing,a small liquor shop stood a few feet away from him, a couple familiar faces he noticed, some of the men from the crowd from before. As the men also noticed him they hurriedly called him over motioning with their hands.

"It's him Sir! The new young master we were talking about earlier" one of them said.

"Yes, the person who took Sun Minwoo-ssi in for the meantime" another one said.

He was the younger man who told Sun Minwoo that they would repair her house.

"Master Bu, please have a seat, we were just getting a drink with Cha Joonwok-ssi, the village head" He added, turning towards a man wearing brighter colored clothes. He wore 'better' clothes than everyone else but oddly still had the air of a common person.

This person smiled as he greeted, "So this is the Master Bu that everyone had been talking about, a pleasure to meet you."

His name had traveled throughout the village that fast?

Dohyun humbly bowed as he also greeted, "The pleasure is mine sir, I wouldn't have expected to meet the village head so easily."

Behind him he could also sense another person bowing, as he looked behind it was actually Jaeyong, when did he get here?

"Uh- this is Baek Jaeyong- hyung", he said to the village head, as he nodded in approval.

Giving both of them a head-to-toe look he spoke, "Indeed, handsome fellows, the ladies have been ever so ecstatic since your arrival" he chuckled. "Well, since I have met the person who has finally taken over the Han residence after so long, I will hold a small banquet for you as our gratitude towards your kindness."

Dohyun hurried to decline the offer, "You humble me too much, village head, there is really no need to go out and above for such a thing."

Now it was Dohyun's fair chance of hearing "Nonsense" thrown at him, "Of course there is need, besides how long has it been since we've held a banquet?" Cha Joonwok asked, grinning at the men beside him. They all seemed to be in deep thought.

"Ah!" one of them exclaimed, "More than three months ago Cha Joonwok-ssi."

"Perfect!" Cha Joonwok said while clasping his hands. "Spread the news that tonight we shall eat at the Cha Residence, a welcoming banquet for the young Master Bu!"

They all had expressions of excitement and the rest of the men hurriedly left the shop leaving the three of them behind. At this point, Dohyun couldn't decline any longer since it had already been decided. Besides, there wasn't much of a chance he could actually change the other's mind.

Cha Joonwok took his leave as he said, "I'll see you tonight Master Bu, oh, and make sure to bring that companion of yours, Baek Jaeyong-ssi." Dohyun could only smile and nod his head, turning to the person behind him. He also gave a slight smile knowing he wouldn't willingly agree to this.

A banquet would mean more people and more talking. Just the opposite of all the things Jaeyong had suggested so far.

Dohyun felt a bit guilty knowing this might cause a bit of trouble for Jaeyong and the rest of them, he let out, "Sorry, it's just that I didn't get a chance to say no…well I did but…"

Jaeyong's expression turned from being rather stern to a softer look as he shook his head, "If you want to go then I shall not object."

The two of them walked back to Han residence, Jaeyong didn't walk beside Dohyun but rather strolled closely behind him, it was already late afternoon and the sun was beginning to set. Upon arriving back at Han Residence, Sun Minwoo greeted them with an enthusiastic grin on her face, "Just in time, you young masters get changed first while I prepare the rest."

It had slipped Dohyun's mind that Sun Minwoo-ssi said she was going to make them ginseng soup earlier, he immediately felt guilty for forgetting that, even more for having to now tell her about the banquet.

"Sun Minwoo-ssi… forgive me, I forgot that you were going to make us dinner tonight-"

Sun Minwoo waved her hands, "No worries! Word travels fast around here, we'll all be going tonight so I made enough for everyone."

Enough for everyone? Dohyun was at loss for what to say, for some reason he felt happy yet weird as if he had never experienced such a thing in his life.

He was used to occasional banquets held for him at the royal palace, all of them extravagant and lavish, they were all so much and so frequent that one would simply grow accustomed to, leaving not much room for admiration, or maybe it was just him who felt that way…

This kind of gathering, with such a simple reason made one to be tickled pink.

Jaeyong noticed he had zoned out again and asked, "What's wrong?"

Dohyun faced him with bright eyes and said, "Nothing, nothing is wrong… I just, I feel at ease."

A half-smile formed on Jaeyong's face as he turned around and headed for their room. When Dohyun entered, Jaeyong had already switched into a new pair of dark colored clothes, that was fast, he thought. Jaeyong left and Dohyun also changed into a new pair of clothes, his brighter and more vibrant.

By dusk, the three of them had left for the town head's residence, each of them carrying straw baskets containing large bowls of the ginseng soup Sun Minwoo had prepared.

The scent surrounding them as they walked, enticing their appetite. For some reason, Dohyun was actually excited, eager to taste the soup, the sweet yet savory aroma really did capture one's attention- and stomach.

The village proper was brighter considering there were more lamps hung at every house and shop, there was still a good amount of people passing here and there but there was a profuse bustling noise coming from a certain area in the center, Cha residence.

Sun Minwoo took charge and walked up to the gates and spoke something to the two men standing there, a few moments later, the gates were opened wide and the three of them proceeded to walk inside.

The design and material of the house was relatively similar to that of the Han residence, just much larger. It also branched off into several other rooms and was heavily decorated with beds of flowers of all colors and sizes. Violet and blue snapdragons and pink geraniums lined the perimeter of the houses. It seemed Cha Jinwook took pleasure in decorating with such things as anyone could tell they were all carefully planned out and matched with each other. Or rather, the residence was a reflection of the man himself.

Seconds later a familiar voice greeted them, Cha Jinwook, "Alas you have arrived, and in such perfect timing!"

"I am truly humbled", Dohyun replied with a small bow.

"Ah, Sun Minwoo-ssi, long time no see, you young masters have surely found the perfect person to take in" he said with a laugh.

"Cha Jinwook-ssi, I am glad that I can offer my services to these kind masters."

After pleasantries were exchanged, they all sat down around a long low table enough for ten heads, five on each side. Along with them were a few other men whom Dohyun saw earlier in the day, he later catched on that the young man who offered to fix Sun Minwoo's house was named Gyo Kwan and across them were other tables teeming with laughter and lively conversations.

Jaeyong sat across from Dohyun while on either side of him was Sun Minwoo and Cha Jinwook.

"Now, now everyone, please dig in and eat all you can tonight!" Cha Jinwook announced, effectively increasing the morale of the people and so, the feast began.

Sun Minwoo handed a bowl of soup to Dohyun while saying, "Here try this Do Hoon-ssi, ginseng soup also has a lot of benefits."

Dohyun gladly accepted the bowl and took a sip, the smooth warm broth filled his mouth and satisfied his taste buds like never before. A hint of spice balanced out with a bit of sweetness made the perfect combination, he couldn't help but take another sip.

"This is delicious Sun Minwoo-ssi!" Dohyun exclaimed.

A few chuckles sounded from the person beside him, "Exactly everyone's reaction to having Sun Minwoo-ssi's ginseng soup for the first time", Cha Jinwook spoke while helping himself to a bowl of soup. It seemed like everyone already knew this and thus, Dohyun, intrigued, asked, "Everyone's reaction?"

"That's right", Cha Jinwook replied, "Sun Minwoo-ssi used to run the soup shop here until she retired years back."

Sun Minwoo said, "Cha Jinwook-ssi here thought it would be a waste and basically begged me to teach my recipe to a few other cooks as he took over the shop instead."

Dohyun could a hundred percent understand why, the soup was just so good!

He'd never had anything like it at the royal palace. Suddenly curious, he looked at Jaeyong in front of him who also seemed to have just had a taste. Jaeyong's face remained collected like he usually was but Dohyun could tell he also liked it too, it would be impossible for anyone not to like it.

The atmosphere seemed more lively in a family kind of sense- it was how Dohyun pictured other families dining from the stories he used to read. Even though they were eating with the village head, everyone seemed friendly with each other and openly conversed.

Two bowls later, Cha Jinwook raised a small porcelain cup up as he said, "Now everyone, let us drink!"

The surrounding people immediately filled their cups with liquor from small white porcelain bottles. Only two people refrained from moving at that time.

Dohyun knew that he wasn't necessarily a bad drinker, but that didn't mean he was good at holding his liquor. Meanwhile, Jaeyong glanced away to the side, catching Doyun's attention. He couldn't tell what it was but he assumed Jaeyong looked a bit weary too.