Chapter 665: Why is that person there?

The first place we arrived after leaving with Moyong Hi-ah was the nearby downtown area.

I wondered what on earth she intended to do by dragging me out here, but in reality, it wasn’t anything particularly special.

“Sales have dropped a bit.”

At her casual remark, the man in front of her spoke while wiping away cold sweat.

“W-well… it’s because a new shop opened up nearby…”

Sarak-.

Moyong Hi-ah didn’t send her gaze towards the man, merely examining the letter densely filled with characters.

“Are you saying it’s because of a competitor, Innkeeper Jan-nim?”

“That’s right. Since it’s an inn directly operated by the Alliance, it seems like customers have shifted a bit towards them.”

“Hmm.”

Despite the man’s explanation, Moyong Hi-ah continued to only examine the letter.

“That could be the case. We do have information that some customers who used to frequent our inn are now patronizing the Myunghwa Inn.”

The Myunghwa Inn was the name of the inn currently operated directly by the Murim Alliance in Hannam.

“So, even if sales have dropped, I don’t intend to blame you, Innkeeper-nim…”

Sarak.

Right after Moyong Hi-ah finished reading the letter to the very last page.

Only then did she look at the man, and her gaze seemed particularly cold.

“There’s something a little strange?”

“…!”

At Moyong Hi-ah’s words, the man flinched.

The cold sweat trickling down behind his thick neck wrinkles was clearly visible.

“I understand that sales decreased because there were fewer customers… but compared to that, the number of alcoholic drinks sold has actually increased, and especially the high-end liquors sold particularly well? Is there a specific reason for that?”

In response to Moyong Hi-ah’s question, the man swallowed dryly and immediately blurted out.

“Hahaha, it’s because we’ve had many big spenders visiting the inn lately.”

“Big spenders? What about the related information?”

“Here it is.”

Without the slightest hesitation, the man took a letter from his pocket and handed it to Moyong Hi-ah.

Moyong Hi-ah immediately unfolded it, and several names were written on the letter.

“Miseon Sangdan-ju…. Guhyeon Bang-ju…”

They weren’t leaders of famous organizations, but they were people one might have heard of somewhere recently.

In other words.

‘Newly rich folks.’

They were the ones who exported weapons and armor simultaneously with the outbreak of the Red Demon Beasts.

As the era of peace shattered, the importance of weaponry grew the most, so those who prepared early could reap significant profits.

“For some reason lately, these esteemed individuals visit quite often. Thanks to them, sales haven’t dropped drastically…”

“Hmm… I see.”

Listening to the man, Moyong Hi-ah nodded slightly.

Perhaps thinking it had passed without issue, a slight sense of relief flickered across the man’s face.

“Regarding the drop in sales… I will work hard going forward to recover it somehow-“

“No, it’s alright.”

Moyong Hi-ah cut off the man’s words with a smile.

Had she noticed something? The man’s eyes flickered slightly.

“It’s difficult to solely blame you, Innkeeper-nim, for the drop in sales. There’s no need to exert yourself unnecessarily over it. Just continue operating as you have been.”

“D-Director-nim…”

At Moyong Hi-ah’s words, a look of gratitude flashed across the man’s eyes.

They were unexpectedly kind words.

“Ah, I’ll work hard and operate diligently going forward…!”

“Yes, please do.”

Moyong Hi-ah replied with a smile to the innkeeper’s exclamation.

She carefully folded the letter in her hand, tucked it into her pocket, and walked out of the inn.

Watching Moyong Hi-ah’s retreating back, I thought.

Perhaps she hadn’t noticed anything strange?

I had thought that before, but.

‘…This is already the third time.’

Recalling the things I had done before, such worries had long since vanished.

Look now.

Moyong Hi-ah’s expression, which had been smiling moments ago, was now frozen cold, and with a graceful gesture, she handed the letter to the person beside her.

And then.

“Dispose of it.”

She added, her voice chilling.

Was she telling him to dispose of the letter, or to dispose of that old man, the Innkeeper Jan?

I didn’t ponder the question. I already knew the answer.

“I heard he was supposedly smart, but to think he’d embezzle so foolishly.”

Her expression was as if she were thinking of a bug.

The contempt was incredibly clear.

“Did he really think no one would notice if he tampered with the books like this and played games with the alcohol?”

So pathetic.

Moyong Hi-ah’s voice clearly held such disdain.

“Report Innkeeper Jan to the main headquarters and have him dealt with. Keep a close eye on the individuals listed here as well.”

“Understood.”

The man who heard her carefully took the letter.

“I will bring the list of the new innkeepers within two days.”

“Please do. Ah, and especially Miseon Sangdan-ju has a few weaknesses that have been caught…”

It was swift.

In just a few words, the owner of a rather famous inn in Hannam was changing.

“I will report to Sangdan-nim separately, so please just handle the tasks I’ve requested properly.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

As if the conversation had ended, the person who received the letter slowly disappeared.

“Hoo.”

Moyong Hi-ah then let out a deep breath and gently fanned herself with her fan.

Watching her, I asked.

“Is it over?”

At my question, Moyong Hi-ah looked towards me.

Her captivating eyes, resembling a cat’s, were visible.

The light makeup she wore made Moyong Hi-ah’s aura even more radiant.

I could feel the gazes of those around us.

Even though I was subtly concealing it with my aura, it was this bad.

‘Bihyeonhwa feels insignificant.’

If it were just about allure, Bihyeonhwa and Moyong Hi-ah might seem similar, but there was a distinct difference in quality.

While Bihyeonhwa seems to be trying to leverage her appearance to look more alluring.

Moyong Hi-ah possesses an aura that comes from her very existence.

She feels noble and graceful.

It’s like looking at a well-crafted jewel.

As I found myself unintentionally staring intently at Moyong Hi-ah, she answered my question.

“Half is done.”

Half?

“Only half…?”

“Yes.”

We’d been running around since early morning, and now it was noon.

Time had passed like that, and only half was done…?

Seeing my dumbfounded expression, Moyong Hi-ah let out a chuckle.

“Young Master-nim, do you know your expression right now is hilarious?”

“…Only half? And it’s already past lunchtime without even eating?”

“Did you really think work would finish quickly?”

“I thought we’d at least eat before doing it.”

“There’s food everywhere, isn’t there?”

Speaking indirectly about lunchtime, Moyong Hi-ah started walking ahead.

I wondered what she was up to, and saw she was heading towards one of the street food stalls laid out before us.

It looked like they were selling skewers.

“Could I have two?”

“Ah… Y-yes!”

Seeing Moyong Hi-ah suddenly approach, the owner seemed startled and froze.

It seemed he hadn’t expected that woman to come to his stall.

…Then again.

‘I’d be surprised too.’

If I hadn’t known about Moyong Hi-ah, I might have looked at her with surprised eyes as well.

Moyong Hi-ah, at a glance, was clearly from a prestigious family.

Moreover, for a woman overflowing with grace to suddenly decide to buy skewers from a street stall, even those subtly stealing glances looked somewhat surprised.

“H-here you go….”

“Thank you.”

She took the two skewers handed over with trembling hands and gave one to me.

Seeing this, I asked.

“…Is this lunch?”

“Why? It’s delicious, isn’t it? Do you dislike things like this, Young Master-nim?”

Sometimes, people born into prominent or prestigious families do dislike street food like this.

If they were concerned about hygiene, I could understand, but most of it was just pretentious nonsense.

If I were younger, I might have acted that pretentious too.

“Who doesn’t know it’s delicious? The question is whether this fills you up.”

My life has been filled with all sorts of experiences.

The leeway to act pretentious about things like this had long since disappeared.

I took it and took a bite.

Seeing me eat, Moyong Hi-ah took a bite too.

“It’s delicious.”

“I agree. I should eat a couple more.”

It’s not a proper meal, but so what? If it fills my stomach, it’s food.

I nodded, thinking it was enough to eat something.

“Right. Oh, and Young Master-nim, I didn’t bring any money.”

“…Huh?”

“Buy them for me.”

Her confident tone made me let out a wry laugh.

“What if I don’t have any either?”

“Well. I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”

Fortunately, I did have money on me.

As she said, after eating a few more, I paid the bill and we moved on.

We ate a few more things while moving. Watching Moyong Hi-ah eat, a thought naturally occurred to me.

“You really eat well, don’t you?”

“Do I?”

It was the fact that Moyong Hi-ah ate much better than expected.

Of course, not as much as Wi Seol-ah, but she was swallowing this and that quite well.

“It’s delicious. Especially since I haven’t eaten things like this in a while.”

“How long has it been since you last ate them?”

“Hmm…? I think it’s been about half a year.”

“Why hold back like that? If you like it, you should just eat it.”

Half a year… she really held back for a long time.

“There’s no particular grand reason. I tend to hold back a bit when I see something I like.”

“Why?”

“If you try to have and eat everything you want, you might get tired of it quickly. I don’t like that.”

Her words, as she looked at me, seemed to hold a subtle hint.

“So I hold back. Because it’s a precious feeling, I need to cherish it.”

Does she mean she saves delicious food to savor it?

I figured that was roughly the gist of it.

“What about you, Young Master-nim?”

“Me what?”

“Why are you so fixated on meals?”

“…Huh?”

It was an unexpected question.

“You get particularly concerned when someone says they haven’t eaten.”

“Did I?”

“Yes. Very much so. You constantly ask if people have eaten or not.”

“Hmm.”

Thinking back, it seemed like I had.

“You could just eat something and move on, but why are you like that?”

Moyong Hi-ah spoke as if she couldn’t understand.

My gaze towards her held a touch of weariness.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“It’s nothing.”

I couldn’t help it.

I hadn’t expected to hear something like this from Moyong Hi-ah, of all people.

If I’ve come to value meals, it must surely be.

‘Because of you.’

Moyong Hi-ah, right in front of me. More precisely, because of Snow Phoenix (雪鳳).