Jinwoon slowly walked over, he made sure that he was close to the tree line. That was his only way of escaping. He let out a deep sigh when he saw that it was a house and that the smoke came from the outdoor kitchen. His stomach started to roar when he smelled the scent of food.
There was a low stone wall making it possible for him to have a full view of the house. It was a stone house with a straw roof. He could see a man bend over, stirring a pan. "Sir? Can you help me?" Jinwoon tried not to startle the man but yelled in surprise anyway.
"Gods!" Everything about the man screamed sweet and cute. He looked like the modern version of Santa Clause. Except his hair and beard were long, nearly touching the ground. After he got over his shock, he frowned at Jinwoon.
He turned around and his eyes became big again. "What is a young girl like you traveling alone like that?!" Jinwoon pulled a face. "Girl? I'm a man!" The other man shrugged. "Whatever you say. But what are you doing here?" Jinwoon thought it was obvious.
"I'm on my way to the capital." The man shook his head. "You must have traveled from faraway. The capital is closed. You'll have to wait at least 30 days." Jinwoon's mouth fell open. "Why? Is that why the road is empty" The old man nodded, giving Jinwoon a solemn look. "Our great King died 19 days ago."
From the former memories he discovered that these people held the same Buddhist beliefs as on Earth. After death, people will hold a ceremony in memory of the deceased person seven times, once every seven days, for 49 days after death. But that didn't explain why the road was empty.
"Is the capital closed up? Is that the reason I saw nobody on my way?" The old man nodded. "The King is now traveling to and from his grave. The road needs to be clear." Jinwoon still didn't understand.
"After death the King will travel to his grave in spirit after 49 days we'll bring his body. It said that the Shaman will consol with the King's spirit every seventh day to see if he is glad with the preparation. After that he's body will finally be laid to rest" Jinwoon finally understood what was going on.
"So the King is traveling up and down the road to relay his wishes?" The old man nodded. "It said that in the past the spirit of the King accidently entered a traveler. The King couldn't relay his wishes and he was unsatisfied. That led to drought. After that it was decreed that nobody could travel."
"Then I'm lucky." The old man shrugged. "Maybe." Jinwoon wanted to ask more but his stomach roared again. He turned red holding his belly. "Sorry to ask but I was wondering if I might be able to have some of your food." The old man laughed. "Of course, sit down." The old man stood up and gave his chair to Jinwoon.
He walked back into his house and came back with two wooden plates and spoons. He handed them to Jinwoon and went back inside. He returned again with a small table, cups and a bottle of water. After setting the table, the man spooned the food on the plates.
"Careful, it's hot." Jinwoon took a spoon of food and blew to cool it. He was too impatient and still burned his tongue but he didn't care. He closed his eyes in delight. He was finally having food in his body. The soup was rich in flavour. He took another spoonful.
There was something that tasted like beef and potatoes. Before he knew it, his plate was empty. "Glad you like it. Do you want some more?" Jinwoon nodded eagerly. "I always make too much, usually my two workers are here too but they are also stuck in the capital. It's a habit that doesn't go away. "Eat."
Jinwoon ate until he was full. He was even tempted to lick the plate clean but he thought that was going too far. The old man just laughed. "Sir, is there a place where I can sleep?" The man nodded. "There is a tavern 30 minutes from here." Jinwoon frowned. "But you said nobody could travel."
The man frowned back at him. "You have been traveling the whole time, 30 minutes won't hurt you. Also, how can I let a woman sleep at home? People will start to talk." Jinwoon shook his head. "I swear I'm not a woman. Do I need to drop my pants to prove it!"
The old man shook his head. "Are you crazy?!" Jinwoon stared at the old man. "Well you still don't believe me." Jinwoon didn't care, he stood up while dropping his pants. The old man jumped up to turn but Jinwoon's pants were already down. "Y... You're really a guy?!"
Jinwoon pulled his pants back up feeling like a complete pervert but now he had at least proven his point. He stared at the old man. The old man was looking at him with a complicated look. "I've seen feminint men before but you're something else."
All the memories were from Lee Jinwoon's point of view. He hadn't seen his own reflection. Even the stream was clear so all he saw was the bottom of the stream. "If it's alright with you, can I stay here? I can help." The old man looked at him skeptically. "You'll help? We'll see."
"My name is Beom Seok." The old man reached out his hand. "I'm Jinwoon. I'll be in your care." Beom Seok just nodded. "I'll show you where you can stay." Beom Seok turned and led Jinwoon to a wooden hut next to the house. It looked small but when the door opened it revealed a spacious place for at least 6 people. "You can use everything here. We have breakfast, lunch and dinner together."
"Tomorrow I'll show you what you'll be doing." Jinwoon bowed. "Thank you." Beom seok just nodded. "Get some sleep. You look tired." Jinwoon walked in and Beom seok closed the door. "Should I be this trusting?" Jinwoon shrugged. He walked towards one of the four beds and threw himself on it. He shook the pillow and was out when his head hit the pillow.
"Jinwoon, Jinwoon. Wake up!" Jinwoon opened one eye and saw Beom Seok standing in front of him with a large ladle in his hand. "Come eat before it turns cold." Jinwoon, still sleepy, stood up and stumbled behind Beom seok. "Go wash up there. I'll leave some clothes outside." Beom Seok pointed at another hut next to his.
He slowly walked over. Inside he discovered that it was a bathing room and it wasn't any different from his time. He was in a different time and he had seen that they still used horses and an outdoor kitchen. He was actually pleased until he opened the faucet. "Beom Seok, sir! Is there no warm water?"
"I forgot to heat it up. It will take too long. Just wash with cold water!" Jinwoon clenched his teeth and jumped in the ice water. It woke him up completely. Within 5 minutes he had washed up. He opened the door and saw a towel and some gray clothes lying on a plank for him. He dried himself and got dressed. Beom Seok had even given him a soft rope to tie his hair.
"Hurry up." Beom Seok was waiting for him to finish eating. Jinwoon wolfed down the food and stood up. "I'm a tree gum and sugar maker. Everyday we check and collect the gum and sugar. We then make them into syrup, gum and sugar rocks. Jinwoon just nodded. He followed Beom Seok deep into the forest. After an hour they reached an area full of trees that looked like Maple trees.
They all had lines cut in them. There were metal buckets strapped around the trees. "This is how we tap the sap and gum. Beom Seok showed him a wooden stop with a hole in it. Jinwoon could see sap slowly dropping in the bucket. "What are these trees called?" Beom Seok looked pleased at Jinwoon's words. "Those with fiery red leaves are called Formosan. They produce sweet gum. And those are Acer. They leak sap that can be used in making syrup and rocks."
'Just like back on Earth.' Jinwoon thought. "We'll go around and see which buckets are full. Do you see those blue dots?" Jinwoon indeed saw that some buckets had blue dots. He nodded. "Those are nearly full." Beom seok and Jinwoon started to check all the blue buckets. Most were full.
"Do you sell the products on the market?" Beom Seok shook his head. "No, these are all given to the royal family." Jinwoon's ears perked up. "You sell exclusively to the royal family?" Beom Seok shook his head. "This is owned by the royal family." An idea formed in his head. "They are the most powerful people right?" Beom seok laughed. "The prince, who is going to be king, will be the most powerful person."