Flower Path

I cursed at Bangja right in his face, and the next day…

We sat at a corner of the tavern where a cool breeze blew, waiting for breakfast.

The wooden platform, still empty, was occupied by people setting off on their journeys like us, mostly merchants.

While I burned off the lingering sleepiness with the soft sunlight, I overheard the merchants talking and learned that the tavern owner’s cooking skills were quite something.

That was good news. If we filled our bellies with a delicious breakfast, we would gain the strength to walk the long road ahead.

As I closed my eyes and stretched my stiff neck, the smell of food wafted, stimulating my nose.

I didn’t know what kind of food it was, but my mouth naturally watered, clamoring to vouch for its taste.

“Young master, it smells good.”

Whether he was used to my harsh curses or not, Bangja treated me without a hint of intimidation.

It seemed like the food had already arrived in his world, as he smacked his lips and rubbed his hands together like a fly.

I thought about adding another word to his frivolous behavior, but I decided against it.

“Indeed, we can fill up and get going.”

I suppressed my minor displeasure by simply acknowledging Bangja’s words.

Just like the merchants said, the tavern owner’s cooking skills were excellent.

Breakfast was noodles.

The broth, made by slicing radishes and boiling them, was refreshing, and the thin noodles that came with that coolness were the perfect touch.

After whetting my appetite with the noodles, I took a large spoonful of rice from the heaping bowl and put it in my mouth with kimchi. The crunchy texture was followed by a salty and spicy taste.

It was a perfectly delicious meal that allowed me to forget about the Dimensional Shift for a while.

I continued eating silently for a few minutes. The feeling of fullness that filled me, in contrast to the emptying bowl, opened my ears that had been blocked by hunger.

“You hired a Jang tribe as a servant? Are you out of your mind?”

And I overheard an interesting conversation.

A man with narrow eyes looked at the man across from him with an incredulous expression.

The man who received the question, which was half reproachful, had a gentle impression, or, to put it a little badly, a dull impression.

“Why is that?”

The man with the gentle impression asked back, not understanding, and the man with narrow eyes pounded his chest as if frustrated.

“Send him away when you get home! No… send someone to send a letter now. Tell them to kick him out.”

“Hey, Lee Sam. Don’t get so excited and explain it step by step. It’s difficult for me if you suddenly say that.”

“Goodness, man. Did you hire him without knowing how dangerous the Jang tribe are?”

“I know about the stories circulating in the world.”

“Then why?”

“First of all, he was begging in front of my house, covered in wounds… and more than anything.”

The man avoided his gaze.

“More than anything?”

The man with narrow eyes leaned forward, receiving his friend’s last words.

“His beauty is exquisite….”

The man with the gentle impression lowered his head at the absurd reason, even he thought so, and the man with narrow eyes clicked his tongue.

“You’re crazy. Are you going to bring a monster home if it’s pretty?”

“Hmm, worth considering.”

“…If you go missing in the near future, I will personally report it to the government office and tell them to search the Daesu Forest.”

“Oh, come on!”

The man with the gentle impression shouted, and the surroundings became noisy.

This was because other people who had woken up smelling the morning air had come out to the wooden platform one by one.

The sun rose in the sky and started the day, and we paid the price and left the tavern.

As we left the village, the somewhat organized road became chaotic again.

We pushed through the stones and long grass that tripped us up here and there and headed south.

Although there was a chill in the air day and night, it could be called spring.

The fragrance of the flowers that had bloomed one by one stung my nose.

I had never smelled such an intense floral scent in my original world, so it was quite stimulating.

As an aside, I was very fortunate that this body I possessed did not have pollen allergies.

The memory of the Dimensional Shift where I ate peanuts without knowing I had a peanut allergy and died screaming suddenly came to mind.

Even after I died, it was kind of absurd. That.

“Wow- it’s spring now.”

While trudging along the road aimlessly, it was Bangja’s non-stop mouth that relieved the boredom.

Whether he had rested well or not, Bangja’s steps were full of energy. If he walks like that, he’ll get tired soon….

“Yes, it’s spring.”

“I really like spring. There are a lot of flowers blooming, right? Flower viewing is also fun.”

“Is it because you’re thinking of going with Hyangdan?”

“Ah! Why are you bringing up Hyangdan again?”

Bangja raised his voice.

When I chuckled, Bangja glared at me with a fierce look.

“Speaking of which, Young master, aren’t you going to wander around with Chunhyang?”

“I don’t know. I don’t have any memories, so I don’t know what to do.”

“Hey, you won’t be without memories forever. Didn’t the doctor say that your memories will slowly come back?”

Bangja patted his chest, saying it would be okay.

“Thank you for the kind words.”

It’s not amnesia, it’s possession, so there’s no way my memories will come back.

As we continued to walk along the winding road, flowers became noticeable around the road.

Decorating the road with their respective colors, they resembled the national flags I had seen on the street someday.

“Oh? There are butterflies over there too.”

Following Bangja’s fingertip, I turned my gaze and saw quite a few butterflies flying.

They escorted us, as if accompanying us along the flower path.

“There are cases like this.”

While I was purely admiring the spectacle created by nature, Bangja looked at me and asked.

“Young master, what is your favorite flower?”

“Well, I don’t know much about flowers, so I can’t say.”

“I really like cherry blossoms.”

“It’s common. Because it’s the most splendidly blooming flower.”

“Haha, that’s right. And Hyangdan also really likes cherry blossoms….”

“Shut up.”

“Yes.”

The flower path continued for four days. It was a truly mysterious and beautiful sight.

And it was also four days later that I heard the news that Chunhyang was imprisoned in jail.