YCHW Ch 34

“If it’s gambling, something must be wagered.”

“…I don’t have anything to wager.”

“Let’s do this. If you win, I’ll grant you one wish.”

One wish—what a broad reward. Yoonso began imagining what he might wish for, then looked at Hwi with suspicion.

“And if you win, sir?”

“You’ll have to grant my wish.”

Given the disparity in their ability to fulfill wishes, Yoonso wondered if this was a fair bet. But knowing Hwi wouldn’t overestimate him, he likely wouldn’t ask for anything unreasonable.

“Alright. But let me go first.”

“Fine.”

With Hwi’s ready agreement, Yoonso played the first tile, and the game began.

It took considerable time to strategize, as he had to empty his hand while preventing Hwi from playing.

“You could plant a tree between your brows.”

Lost in thought over his tiles, Yoonso looked up at Hwi’s voice, tinged with amusement. Realizing he was frowning deeply, he quickly rubbed his brow with his fingertips.

Hwi’s faintly curved, gentle eyes made Yoonso’s heart flutter. Unable to focus, he fidgeted until the noisy arrival of men sitting behind them snapped him back, prompting him to play a tile.

“Hmph, they say you remove the bottom stone to prop up the top, but that’ll collapse eventually. Those who start with low *interest and gradually increase it think I’ll just pay them back neatly.”

“There are shameless ones who claim they’ve got nothing and lie flat when they’re broke.”

“There’s a way to deal with that too.”

The men’s cryptic laughter grated on Yoonso’s ears. Their unfamiliar terms were decipherable through context.

“A new avenue has opened up, so you’ve got no worries now, huh?”

“Exactly. There are plenty of sprouts on the *field ridges.”

Plenty of sprouts on the field ridges…? Mulling over the man’s words, Yoonso was distracted until Hwi tapped the table with his fingertip.

“They say *a wise man may err once, so do you think you can beat me?”

His attention kept drifting to the men, scattering his focus. With a wish at stake, he had to win, so Yoonso straightened up and reviewed his tiles again. Fortunately, the men’s conversation shifted, allowing him to focus on the game.

Tiles connected end to end, forming a snake-like line across the table. With only two tiles left in each of their hands, the game was nearing its end.

Yoonso stared intently at his remaining tiles, pondering which to play first. If Hwi couldn’t connect to his tile, Yoonso could play both consecutively and win. Glancing at Hwi’s face, he saw the same impassive expression, impossible to read.

From here, it’s up to luck. Yoonso took a deep breath, exhaled, and played a tile. Hwi alternated glances between his tiles and Yoonso’s, then lowered his eyes as if in thought.

Seeing Hwi hesitate—unlike his usual decisive plays—made Yoonso excited, realizing Hwi was taking the game seriously. He eagerly awaited Hwi’s move.

Hwi drew a tile and placed it face-down, signaling he had nothing to play. Yoonso quickly played his last tile and leapt up.

“I won!”

His excited shout rang out, drawing everyone’s attention. Yoonso hastily covered his mouth, sat back down, and glanced around sheepishly.

“Yes, you won.”

Hwi chuckled and placed his remaining tile down. It could have connected to Yoonso’s last tile but couldn’t be played first.

“You know a man’s word is worth a thousand gold, right?”

“What wish are you going to make?”

“Hm… I’ll tell you later when I have something I really want.”

What should he wish for? Smiling happily, Yoonso emptied the dish of rice cakes. Sipping the sweet liquor, he felt refreshed, and Hwi stood.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes.”

Following Hwi, Yoonso’s eyes caught a face-down tile on the table. Assuming it was insignificant given Hwi’s bad luck, he casually flipped it over and froze.

It wasn’t a tile to discard. If Hwi had played it, Yoonso would have had nothing to connect, and Hwi would have won. A miscalculation? Or…

Yoonso stared at Hwi’s retreating figure and hurried to catch up.

Leaving the tavern, the fresh air cleared his head. Feeling the tobacco smell on his clothes, Yoonso brushed his sleeves and glanced at Hwi’s face.

Did he really let me win? To lift my spirits? Or because he could easily grant a wish? Or to avoid the embarrassment of trying too hard to win?

Whatever the reason, the result was that Hwi let him win. The rice-cake animals seemed to leap and frolic in his stomach.

Under the clear moonlight, Hwi’s pale fingertips peeked out from his dark sleeves. Yoonso clenched his fists to suppress the urge to grab them, stepping heavily to tamp down his stirred heart.

Only upon reaching the inn did he escape the intense impulse. Sighing softly, Yoonso sat down. As his chaotic emotions settled, he recalled the conversation of the men behind him in the tavern.

“Sir.”

“Hm.”

“Those men sitting behind me in the tavern. They’re involved in *money-lending, right?”

“Yes.”

As expected. Hwi’s confirmation made it clear the man wasn’t a kind-hearted *moneylender. And…

“Does your master deal in loans?”

Why did that woman, searching for a child, assume Hwi was a moneylender? Yoonso thought he understood. Those who toy with commoners’ lives through money might also traffic people.

“But why… did they talk about field ridges? Unless they’re farmers, they wouldn’t gain much profit from that.”

Hwi didn’t answer Yoonso’s question.

Lost in thought, Yoonso gazed blankly out the window, then suddenly stood and approached it. Amid the darkness, a shrine glowing with yellow light caught his eye.

A lantern adorned with moonlit silk bore the image of a dragon descending to earth. Staring at it, Yoonso mentally traced several characters. Moving to a desk, he poured ink from a bottle onto an inkstone. Dipping a brush, he wrote a character on paper with fluid motions.

「壟」

Looking at the character, Yoonso added another beside it.

「壟斷」

Monopoly. A person intent on monopolizing profit would likely use means beyond moneylending, so it wasn’t an absurd notion. But more than that…

Yoonso closely examined the *character for ridge, then wrote two more below it.

「龍 土」

Breaking down the ridge character yields dragon and earth. Yongji. The shrine built upon it. If sprouts referred to budding leaves, or metaphorically to children…

Yoonso’s eyes widened slowly. He looked up, seeking Hwi. Even seeing the characters, Hwi neither asked nor showed curiosity, as if he already knew. A soft sigh escaped Yoonso.

“I need to visit the shrine tomorrow.”

Even if his guess was wrong, he wanted to confirm. If he was mistaken, that would be good too. At Yoonso’s resolute words, Hwi paused silently before nodding.

𓇢𓆸

Hwi had mentioned that the shrine would be busiest before noon, so Yoonso timed their visit accordingly.

“I could go alone, and you could handle your business, sir.”

“Send a reckless guy like you alone and see what trouble you get into?”

“Reckless? You’re exaggerating.”

He couldn’t claim to be docile, but reckless was an overstatement. Whenever Hwi treated him like a much younger child, it felt strange—not in a good way.

The shrine, set apart from other houses, sat on elevated ground, requiring a climb up stairs. Observing the people coming and going, Yoonso entered the open shrine.

In the wide courtyard, people gathered, praying toward a dragon statue at the front. Seeing their earnest expressions, Yoonso wondered what they were praying for, feeling a pang of sympathy. Clasping his hands, he bowed deeply, then turned to Hwi.

“What should I do now?”

Hwi’s steady gaze seemed to chide Yoonso for rushing in without a plan, and Yoonso gave an awkward smile. Hwi tilted his chin slightly and began walking.