"Ehhh?!" Asher exclaimed. His voice doesn't seem to have a sound in this place. "What the heck is going on?!"
His mind recalled what the village elder had told him. But who would've thought that he's so desperate to know Han Dae that he ended up entering his past in his body?
Han Dae stepped forward to take a peek inside the eatery when the woman eating there, with her family, noticed him. After whispering to her husband, her husband went out to kick Han Dae.
Spitting out to the side, he said, "Shoo! Shoo! Go away! You're ruining our breakfast!"
Han Dae, who is holding his stomach that just got kicked, stood and left in haste. Asher felt the pain too. Not just the pain of the kick, but also the pain in his empty growling stomach.
"Hmph!" Han Dae snubbed, "It's not like I'm looking at your filthy-ass face! You shitty pig! Just wait until I get you back!" he stick out his tongue to the place before walking away, massaging his tummy.
Asher, "Pfft! Han Dae, oh, Han Dae! I can't believe you used to curse!" he laughed.
"There you are!" Someone in front of Han Dae shouted while waving, "Hurry up! We need a hand!"
Han Dae smiled and shouted, "Coming! Coming!"
Rushing to a certain house, he started putting dusty potatoes in a dirty white sack using his tiny hands. "Morning Han Dae!"
Han Dae faced her with a smile, "Morning Han Sanya-jia!" he greeted while tying the sack as he carried it on his back before continuing, "Wet market, same spot, right?"
Han Sanya nodded, "Yup! Han Suru-dou is there already. You can easily spot him."
Han Dae hurried to the wet market.
Asher then complained, "Fuck! This is so heavy! No wonder Han Dae's so tiny!" Han Dae isn't really that tiny, Asher is just really tall. Asher saw the sign in the entrance of the market the moment Han Dae stepped in.
'Han Tribe's Market'
Asher's eyes widened. He is really in the Han Tribe's territory! Mount Rajab!
Han Dae reached Han Suru and dropped the sack beside his stall. Han Suru exclaimed, "Careful! We cannot damage the goods!" smiling, he scolded him kindly.
Han Dae pinched his nose, "Good morning Han Suru-chou! How are things going over there?" while looking at him selling vegetables.
"Going pretty well!" he answered and faced the buyer who called his attention, "Yes jia! You are very lucky! These babies here are still fresh!"
Han Dae smiled and went back to the house to grab some more.
Late in the afternoon, Han Dae is wiping his face with his dirty shirt. Asher, on the other hand, is chasing his breath like holding on for life. He wants to pass out, but he can't. The body is awake, so he is awake. His will means nothing in this place.
'Ahh! I'm dying! I haven't eaten anything yet! I haven't had a drop of water too! Han Dae, you're abusing me!' Asher complained.
"Han Dae!" the guy who called him earlier called him again. "Mother is calling you!"
Han Dae hurried inside the house. Seeing that the family is preparing to eat, he helped them in preparing their food for lunch. Han Sanya then gave him a bun. His eyes twinkled with his watery mouth. Taking it, without even washing his hands, he gobbled it up.
Han Suru gave him some water, "Eat slowly or you will choke." He took it and drank with his mouth full.
"Come sit with us!" their son said so he did.
Han Sanya gave him another after he finished eating. He immediately started eating it. "Han Dae, we will be leaving today. I think it is best for you to go back to your parents now, is it not?"
Han Dae froze with chubby cheeks. After seconds, he munched the food in his mouth. Gulping, he shook his head.
"You cannot live on your own here." Han Suru said. "You are still a kid. Go do something worthwhile in your life. Do you plan to keep working your ass off for others?"
Han Sanya added, "Go back home."
"Father..." Han Dae uttered, "... left mother when she had me. Mother... killed herself in front of me. I have nowhere to go."
They all looked at each other. They are poor too. They are only three in their family but couldn't really afford to eat three meals a day and couldn't even afford the fee for their son's school. Taking in Han Dae will make their situation worse.
Han Dae smiled at them and said, "Han-jiajia and Han-chou already did a lot for me! I can handle myself now! I am grown up!"
Han Suru smirked, "Oh are you?"
"I am!" Han Dae insisted, "I can carry heavier loads than you Han Chou! Besides, I'm a half Jinji, surely I can manage!"
Asher blinked, 'Han Dae is half Jinji? How come he's so strong then?!'
"Then here." Han Sanya gave him a tiny amount of money, "I know it is not much, but it might come in handy."
"I don't want it." Han Dae answered, "Instead of giving me those piece of shit, I would rather have food instead!" he innocently said with such innocent face.
They laughed and said, "Alright, but take the money as well. You don't want us be worried sick about you, right?"
Asher shouted, "No! You're leaving a child unattended!"
After that, Han Dae bowed his head to them before finally leaving the house. While eating and walking, Han Dae thought, "What do I do now? Nobles are a pain in the butt, and peasants are full of shit. But if I don't work, I will die of hunger..."
Han Dae scratched his head and said, "Argh! At least let me take a peek inside Nagafushi before I die! Heck, with this face, I can make a fortune but with this body, no one would dare to accept me!"
Asher shouted at Han Dae, "What kind of job are you trying to take?!"
Han Dae stopped in his tracks when he saw a lot of people looking at a certain wall. He got curious so he went there to check. With his little body, he somehow managed to slip his way through the front.
He saw a paper pasted on the wall. Trying his best, he read, "A-announce...ment?" A guy, three years older than him, said, "Might as well try..."
"Han-ni! Han-ni!" Han Dae said and he faced him on his side, "What does it say?"
"Recruiting people to enter Nagafushi household." He answered. "People who wants to enter must be experienced in work and such. One must present himself looking his best."
"Hmm..." Han Dae thought, "Can a child like me participate?"
"There are no age restrictions stated here. I'm guessing it is as long as you are experienced, you are allowed."
Han Dae thought, 'This might be my chance!'
"This will be dirty." The guy said.
Han Dae faced him and asked, "Why?"
The guy pointed at the paper, "It is said there, tomorrow at nine in the morning. If you are planning on trying your luck, you should arrive here hours early. A lot of people are desperate." He faced Han Dae and said, "This year is special. The main family is celebrating Young Lord, Han Zeno-chou's first Hashi level monster kill."
Han Dae is surprised and amazed, "But! But! Young Lord, Han Zeno-chou just turned eight, right?!"
The guy nodded, "Rumors said that his crimson robe shone bright as he kills his prey. Even the moon acknowledge his existence, turning scarlet in the process, showing its respect to him."
"He is so awesome!" Han Dae's eyes twinkled thinking, 'Can I become like that too?!'
Asher answered him in a wonder, "Aren't you already like that?"
"Well," the guy said, "his request is to allow some peasants in Nagafushi if they are qualified enough."
Han Dae cannot contain his excitement, 'I have a chance!'
Han Dae faced the guy but he's nowhere anymore. Still he said, "Many thanks Han-ni!"
Walking once again, he went to the riverside. Looking at his reflection, he sighed and pouted, "Han-ni said that 'one must present himself looking his best'..." his clothes are ragged, his skin is dirty, his hair is messy and he is walking barefoot.
Asher and Han Dae sighed simultaneously for exhausting themselves without gaining anything worthy.
Han Dae turned curiously when he heard a noise from a clothing shop. He went there to peek.
"Not enough! Mother! I need something lighter! Black is so dull!" a teenage guy said throwing his oh-so-expensive robe.
My! My! What a mess he made in the shop!
"Hurry! Hurry! Find the blue one!" his mother ordered the shopkeeper.
"A blue?! I want something crimson-like!" he ordered.
"Son, you know that the crimson color is only for the main family and those who are with permission!" his mother said while the old shopkeeper nods hastily, sweating a lot as he picks the robes on the ground before they get too dirty with a worried look on his face thinking no one would buy them anymore if they saw this disaster.
"Then find me something else!" he ordered.
"You heard him!" his mother said, "Find something that is close to crimson!"
The poor shopkeeper nodded and ran while tripping on the clothes he picked earlier.
Han Dae uttered, "Seriously, what's with all the shitty behaviors with these fucking nobles?" while peeking through the window with arms crossed.
Asher remembered Nathan, "That, I wonder..."
Finally, after a long while, the guy is at last satisfied. After paying, he didn't take off the robe and said, "Mother! Throw that one!" pointing at his own clothes. "I don't need those lame clothes anymore!"
His mother picked it and threw it on the trash bin outside the shop.
Han Dae snapped his finger with a smirk, "Oh! Lucky!"
Grabbing the clothes from the trash bin, he quickly left with a grin. Then he bought a needle and a thread using the money Han Sanya gave him. Going to the woods, he went to the riverside to fix the size of the robe before washing it and then hanged them in a branch of a tall tree.
Later at night, Han Dae fell asleep.
Waking up early, he climbed the tree and grabbed the clothes as he began looking everywhere, there are no sights of people so he started stripping.
Asher blushed, "Wha--?! H-Hold on! Hold on! Can't I skip this part?!"
No dear, unfortunately, you can't... or should I say, fortunately?
After stripping completely naked, Han Dae immediately bathed.
Asher is flabbergasted with cheeks still rosy pink, "It's freezing here! Hurry up already!"
Han Dae shivered while hugging himself. He shook his head and said, "I must look my best!" and started rubbing his arms.
Asher thought, 'Oh, these hands are smooth...'
Han Dae's hand slides on his neck, rubbing it gently.
Asher blushed, 'Why do I feel like I'm touching Han Dae's naked body?'
Then he washed his face and his arm length black hair. After rinsing, Asher exhaled in relief. Feeling like a pervert, he lectured 'who-knows-who'.
Asher, "Why do I have to see that?! I can't even control my whole fucking body on my own will!"
Technically, it is Han Dae's body, Asher couldn't interrupt no matter what. He saw every inch of Han Dae, from head to toe. Han Dae's body is slim like a female's, but not too skinny. And miraculously, even with all the difficult works he had done before, his skin is still healthy, soft and smooth. With his face washed clean, his snowy white skin and pretty face is visible.
Make him wear a crimson shaded robe and everyone without hesitation will think he is part of the main family of Crimson Han Tribe.
Han Dae wore the mint green colored inner robe and tied it. Afterwards, he wore the black outer robe. And since he is a child still, he used the extra cloth to make gloves and used the mint green cloth as a ribbon for his hair.
Brushing his hair with his fingers, he tied it in a ponytail and looked on the water. "Whoa!" he grinned, "I don't know I could look like a young lord!" while posing. He smiled and said, "Alright! Let's go!"
It is exactly six in the morning.
The place where they should go is already jam packed! It's not nine yet, but people are already pushing each other to the side. Some are brawling, some are snickering, and some are trying their hardest not to let anyone slip in front of them.
"Hey! That's my place!" one shouted.
"Excuse me?! I haven't left here since last night!"
Han Dae, "Yikes! Last night?!"
"Get out of the way!"
"No! You move!"
"Son of a bitch!"
"You're a bitch yourself!"
Han Dae, refusing to be involved in the skirmish of those man-eating mobs, sat on a corner and waited.
Exactly after three whole hours, the doors opened. A soldier stepped out with servants in crimson robes behind him. Male servants arranged the table and chair while female servants prepared tea, bread, and three kinds of stones: ten white stones, fifteen rough stones and five red stones.
"Alright listen up!" the soldier said out loud with deep voice, "I know painfully that all of you wanted to get a spot but only few are allowed to enter. People who are given white stones have the authority to step into Nagafushi but with strict rules. Those who will get rough stones will have their entire lifetime working in Fushi, never allowed to step to Nagafushi. Lastly, to those who are lucky enough to get the red stones will be given a chance to work permanently in Nagafushi if they are capable enough."
People started shouting. One wanted to go first. Raising their hands, they started competing.
"Han-chou! I'm very qualified!"
"Over here! Over here!"
"I'm the one who's suited!"
Han Dae gasped when it officially began. The soldier is already interrogating a person. Han Dae looked around in panic thinking, 'How?! How can I make him notice me?!'
Han Dae saw the roof of the house beside them. Hooking his index and middle finger, he flew but before reaching the roof, he feels like falling. Stretching his right arm, he managed to hold the roof and he climbed up.
He sighed a breath of relief after climbing, "Using spiritual energy with lack of knowledge is really dangerous!"
Asher looks terrified, 'It is! It really is!'
He ran and saw the soldier trying to find who's capable enough to serve the main family.
Han Dae inhaled a lot of air and shouted, "Han-chou! Over here! I am here!"
The soldier heard him and looked up. He waved and said, "I do a lot of work! I can get by on my own too!"
The soldier smirked and asked, "How did you climb up there kid? Did you use a ladder?" the wall is smooth and sturdy without a single crack. It is hard enough for an adult to climb without any equipment.
"I flew!" Han Dae answered.
That caught the attention of the soldier, "Flew? Are you a Jinji?"
"I am!" Han Dae shouted proudly, "Err... only half though!" he fixed his sentence hesitantly. obviously, he doesn't want to lie.
The soldier didn't hesitate to throw him a stone. Han Dae caught it and the soldier said, "Follow her," while pointing at a female servant, "She will take you to Han Wanda, the Critique."
Han Dae smiled and lowered his head, "Many thanks Han-chou!"
Flying down steadily, the female servant approached him showing him in.
"Alright, who's next?!" the soldier said and the people started arguing again.
Inside the doors, the servant who's Han Dae is following, asked, "What stone did you get?"
Han Dae looked at the stone and he got surprised, "It is... red!"
The female servant smiled, "Just as I thought. You are a skilled, half-blooded Jinji and already know something without a rabbi, if you got better, you might really end up serving the Young Lord himself!"
Han Dae smiled, "I hope not! He might be strict and scary!"
While still walking, the female servant asked, "You think so? If that's your image of him I won't ruin it." Reaching another door, the servant wore a golden ring with red markings on her left index finger, putting her left hand on the door, she said,
"Open sesame!"
The red markings of the ring glowed brighter and the door opened halfway.
"Woah!" Han Dae uttered full of amazement.
"Works every time." she smirked after successfully making him amazed and then smiled at Han Dae's awe face, "Inside, you will see The Critique. If she is still interviewing someone, please remain standing on the side."
Han Dae lowered his head and said, "Thank you very much!" the servant bowed her head in return and left.
Entering a somehow dark building, Han Dae saw the light of the lamps are focused on an old woman who is sitting on a chair with a table in front of her, holding a paper and brush with another set of female servants. Putting down the paper, she examined the white stone.
He approached them to see clearly when he saw the same guy from yesterday. He is standing in front of the old woman who call herself, The Critique – examining his naked body.
Asher freaked, "Hey Han Dae... don't tell me we'll have to strip again?!"