"What happened?" Jinwoon asked Beom Seok while looking around. "Who is he? Where did he go?" Beom Seok scratched his head. "He's the prince's personal servant. He came to make an extra order and also a change of design. He left to return in two days." Jinwoon looked confused. "You told me that nobody can travel."
Beom Seok nodded. "The people of the royal family are different. They have special talismans." Jinwoon just gave Beom Seok a blank stare. "Or they take a different route. I don't know. I just know that they are free to travel compared to us, commoners. You can ask him when he comes in two days. You'll be able to meet my workers too. He was going to bring them back."
Two days later at dawn, Jinwoon and Beom Seok were awoken by the arrival of Kim Ha, Beom Seok's two workers and 5 royals workers. There were leading animals that looked like a cross between a horse and tiger. They looked like Earth horses but they had tiger colouring and strips. Each animal was pulling a wagon full of wooden boxes.
Jinwoon stumbled outside and stood next to Beom Seok. When the group entered Beom Seok courtyard, Jinwoon noticed the others giving him glances. 'Do I look that good? I really need to find a mirror.' Jinwoon was never a narcissist but he had the feeling that he was gorgeous looking. Beom Seok noticed it too but chose to ignore it. He was just happy to see his workers come back.
Jinwoon was a hard worker and he really had nothing to complain about but his workers were with him for years. They were like his own children. "Jinwoon, this is Jae Jin and Do Hun, they are my workers. I think you're the same age." Jae Jin and Do Hun gave Jinwoon a glance before turning red. Jinwoon just smiled. 'They were going to be in shock later on.'
"Beom Seok, Sir, nice to see you again. Like I promise here are your workers. I was wondering how long it will take with the extra workers." Beom Seok scratched his beard. "I'll need to tap more trees but the sugar gum will be a problem. I don't have enough trees and as you know, the gum takes longer to gather. I don't know if I cam make it." Ki Ha nodded. "It's alright. We can always use the sugar in the palace storage to complete it."
Ki Ha indicated for the workers to take the crates of the animals. "I'll leave them in your hands. I'll see you later. He gave all the workers a look before leaving." Jinwoon stopped him from leaving. "Sir, may I ask how you're traveling? I heard it was not possible to travel during this time period."
Ki Ha gave Jinwoon a flirtatious smile. "Of course you can ask my lady." Jinwoon turned queasy by Ki Ha words but he tried not to show it. "But I can't give you an answer to that." Ki Ha laughed before leaving on foot. Jinwoon wanted to throw a rock at his back but instead he kicked the rock near his feet.
"I'll make breakfast. Bring the animals to the feeding area when your finished?" Beom Seok told nobody in particular before walking back into the house to make breakfast. One of the workers followed him inside the house. Even after Beom Seok left, the others still stood rooted to the ground. Jinwoon ignored them. He went to the washroom to make warm water for his shower.
Yesterday, Beom Seok finally explained what to do. It indeed took a while, instead of waiting, he returned to the hut to grab clean clothes and towel. He hadn't closed the door or the others started to whisper.
"How did the master manage to get himself such a cute worker?" "Isn't it weird that she's called Jinwoon? Her voice is also low for a woman." "Does it really matter! It makes her more alluring! She is a beauty!" He could hear the others agree. "Did you see how she looked at me?" "In your dreams! She was looking at me." Jinwoon heard every word. He didn't know if he was happy with the compliments. Jinwoon grabbed his stuff and opened the door again.
Jae Jin, Do Hun and the other workers acted like they were busy moving the boxes. Jinwoon nearly ran into the washroom. 'Maybe he should really go with his outrages plan Z. If he could fool these men, he sure he could fool the prince. He shuddered at the thought.
He should ask the workers if they knew about the prince's plans for the palace. In the meantime he should ask Beom Seok to act like he was a girl again. He let out a frustrated sigh. He was stuck between rock and a hard place. Was he that crazy? Did he really plan on living like a woman for real? Was he really that brazen? He didn't know if had the balls to do it.
After taking a shower and getting dressed, he exited to see that the men had finally moved all the boxes and that they were now setting the table for breakfast. "Beom Seok sir, can I have a word?" Beom Seok just exited his house with a large pan. "Help me with the other dishes. We can talk then." He gave Do Hun the pan. Jinwoon followed him inside.
It was his first time entering the house. The inside looked cozy with a fireplace and chairs covered with fur. They moved to the back where there was a large semi-open kitchen. "Why do you use the outdoor kitchen if you have one here?" Jinwoon looked around. "If it's just the three of us, it's much easier to cook outside. I use this place only when there are more workers."
Jinwoon didn't find it much easier but he didn't give any comments. "What did you want to talk about?" Jinwoon grabbed the plates Beom Seok gave to him. "I was wondering if you wouldn't tell the others that I'm a man." Beom Seok looked puzzled. "Why? Didn't you see how they were looking at you?"
Jinwoon bit his lip. It wasn't too late. There was always another way. "I'll tell you later. You don't have worry I can take care of myself." Beom Seok scoffed. "You still look like the wind can blow you over. It's your business but I want a good explanation later." Jinwoon gave him a nod before leaving with the plates.
Beom Seok shook his head watching him leave. "I'm glad he is a good kid or else I would have thought that he was a nutcase." He grabbed some bread and followed Jinwoon outside. Their breakfast was good and they all ate with gusto. "What are your names? I can't call you all 'hey' the whole time." Beom Seok looked at 5 workers.
The workers looked up. "I'm Chulwoo." Chulwoo looked older than the rest. He proceeded in introducing the rest. "This is Joongi, Ohseong, Hojun and S... Sang Hoon." Beom Seok gave each a nod. "The work is not hard and it's easy to learn. Do Hun, you and the rest stay here. Explain to them how things work. I'll take Jinwoon and Jae Jin to collect the sap and gum."
Do Hun wanted to protest but Beom Seok's glance made him close his mouth. Jae Jin looked very pleased with the arrangements. He was planning on getting to know Jinwoon better. "Beom Seok, sir, do you mind if I also come with you?" Sung Hoon smiled at Beom Seok. A complicated look flashed across Beom Seok's face but he still nodded. "Let's go. Do Hun forget to clean up?" Do Hun moaned but he was already collecting the plates.
They hadn't left or Jinwoon noticed that both Jae Jin and Sung Hoon were walking next to him. "Jinwoon, where are you from? When did you arrive at Boss's place? Do you have any sisters?" Jae Jin was shooting him questions without even waiting for an answer. Jinwoon shook his head without saying a word. Jae Jin was already telling him about himself. He glanced at Sung Hoon and saw that the other wasn't looking at him.
While Jae Jin was telling mainly Jinwoon his life story, they reached the trees. "Stop your yapping and get to work." Beom Seok finally stopped Jae Jin. Jae Jin turned red before walking towards a bucket with blue dots. "How does this work?" Sung Hoon asked, looking at Jinwoon. Jinwoon looked at Beom Seok but he already walked away. Jinwoon turned back at Sung Hoon. He explained everything Beom Seok had explained to him. Jinwoon walked towards one of the dotted buckets.
Before he could take it, Sung Hoon had already grabbed it. Jinwoon looked confused before going to the next one. Sung Hoon intercepted him again. 'Let's what you do next.' Jinwoon walked to the next one. With his arms full he could do anything. "Where do we put these?" Jinwoon found himself laughing at Sung Hoon's sulking face.