665 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Chapter 665 of "The Number One Under Heaven's Childhood Friend" > Northern Rabbit - Web Novel Archives The first place we arrived after leaving with Moyong Hee-a was a nearby town. I wondered why she had dragged me out, but it turned out to be nothing particularly special. "The sales have dropped a little." At her casual remark, the man in front of her wiped his cold sweat and responded. "Well, that's because... a new tavern opened nearby..." Rustle. Without looking at the man, Moyong Hee-a simply scrutinized the letter densely filled with text. "Are you saying it’s because of the competition, Mr. Tavern Keeper?" "That's right. Since the sect is directly operating the competing tavern, it seems like some of the patrons are heading over there." "Hmm." Despite the man's explanation, Moyong Hee-a continued to focus on the letter. "I suppose that could be the case. We have some information that a few of our old patrons are using the Myunghwa Tavern." Myunghwa Tavern was the name of the newly established inn run directly by the Martial Alliance in Hanam. "So, even if sales have fallen, I don’t intend to blame you, Mr. Tavern Keeper." Rustle. After reading the last page of the letter, Moyong Hee-a finally glanced up at the man with an unusually cold gaze. "Is there something strange?" "...!" The man flinched at her words. Through the thick folds of his neck, the sweat trickling down was clearly visible. "I understand if the customer number decreased, but... despite that, the number of sold liquors has increased, especially high-end ones? Is there a specific reason?" The man gulped dryly but quickly replied to her question. "Hahaha, it’s because we’ve had quite a few wealthy patrons recently." "Wealthy patrons, you say? Do you have any information on them?" "Here it is." Without a moment's hesitation, the man produced a letter from his pocket and handed it to Moyong Hee-a. He unfolded the letter immediately, revealing several names written inside. "Mihyeon Trading Company leader... Guhyeon Bangju..." They were not leaders of particularly famous organizations but were names one might have heard recently. Those people were known as the nouveau riche. They were individuals who took advantage of the outbreak of the Red Demon, exporting arms during the turmoil. As the peace shattered, the importance of weaponry surged, and those who prepared beforehand could reap substantial profits. "Recently, rare guests like them have been visiting us. Thanks to them, our sales haven't dropped as much." "Hmm... I see." As he listened, Moyong Hee-a nodded slightly. Perhaps believing he had successfully deflected suspicion, a trace of relief appeared on the man’s face. "In regard to the fallen sales, I will strive to recover them through my own efforts-" "No, it's alright." Moyong Hee-a interrupted him with a smile. Sensing something in her demeanor, the man’s eyes flickered nervously. "It's hard to solely blame you for the decreased sales. There’s no need to exhaust yourself unnecessarily. Just keep operating as you have been." "Di-director..." For a moment, the man's eyes brimmed with emotion at Moyong Hee-a’s unexpected words of warmth. "I’ll continue to manage it as best as I can!" "Yes, please do." With a smile, Moyong Hee-a replied to the tavern keeper's exclaimed promise. Then she gently folded the letter, placed it into her garment, and stepped outside the tavern. Watching her leave, a thought occurred. Could she not have noticed anything strange? Such thoughts once crossed my mind. '...This is already the third time.' Recalling the preceding incidents, those worries had long vanished. Look at her now. The smile that had adorned Moyong Hee-a’s face moments before was gone, replaced by a cold expression. She passed the letter to the person beside her with a graceful gesture. Then spoke with a chilling tone. "Clean it up." Was she referring to the letter or the tavern keeper himself? There was no doubt in the intent. The answer was apparent. "I heard he was somewhat clever, but embezzling like this... how foolish." Her expression was disdainful, as if contemplating an insect. Contempt was unmistakably evident. "Did he think disguising his actions with liquor would go unnoticed with these ledgers clearly indicating the discrepancies?" It was utterly trivial. That sentiment was evident in Moyong Hee-a’s voice. "Report the tavern keeper's actions to the main office, and keep a close eye on the people listed here." "Understood." The man who received the order cautiously took the letter. "I’ll bring you a list of new tavern keepers within two days." "Please do. Also, the Mihyeon Trading Company leader has several vulnerabilities, so..." Efficiently carried out. This was the moment a somewhat well-known Hanam tavern’s ownership was about to change hands with just a few words. "I will personally report to the leader, so just handle what's been tasked." "I won’t fail." The conversation concluded, and the man holding the letter slowly disappeared from view. "Whew." Moyong Hee-a exhaled deeply, fanning herself lightly. Watching her, I asked. "Finished?" She turned to look at me as I spoke. Her eyes were like those of a cat, captivating and mesmerizing. The subtle rouge on her cheeks only added to her radiant aura. I could feel the stares from those around us. Even though I was subtly concealing her presence, it was evident. ‘Bi Hyun-hwa feels trivial in comparison.’ In terms of allure alone, Bi Hyun-hwa and Moyong Hee-a might seem similar, but the qualitative difference was clear. While Bi Hyun-hwa tries to enhance her appeal using her appearance, Moyong Hee-a exudes a natural presence. She embodies nobility and elegance. It’s like gazing at a finely crafted jewel. I found myself unconsciously drawn to her, watching as she answered my question. "Halfway done." Halfway? "Halfway already...?" "Yes." We had been moving around since early morning, and it was now noon. So much time had passed, yet it was only halfway through...? When I stood there with a dumbfounded expression, Moyong Hee-a burst into laughter. "Do you realize how funny you look right now?" "...You’re telling me we’re only halfway through? It’s already past lunchtime, and we haven’t even eaten." "Did you expect work would be over quickly?" "At the very least, I thought we’d have a meal." "There’s food all around us." She turned the conversation back to lunch, and Moyong Hee-a began moving forward. Curious, I watched her approach a nearby street vendor. It seemed to be selling skewers. "Can I have two, please?" "Ah... y-yes!" The vendor seemed startled at Moyong Hee-a's unexpected appearance, clearly surprised that someone of her stature would stop by his stall. Well, truth be told... 'I would be surprised too.' Even if I didn’t know who Moyong Hee-a was, I might have gawked at her. Moyong Hee-a exuded the aura of someone from a prestigious family lineage. For such an elegant woman to suddenly buy skewers from a street vendor, even the covert onlookers seemed taken aback. "Here... here you go..." "Thank you." She accepted the two skewers with trembling hands and handed one to me. Looking at it, I asked. "...Is this lunch?" "Why? It's tasty, isn’t it? Don’t you like this kind of thing?" Some people from noble families or prestigious backgrounds disliked street food. If it was about hygiene, I could understand, but most of the time, it seemed more of an affectation. I might have been that petty when I was younger too. "Who doesn’t know it tastes good? I’m just wondering if it’s enough to fill us up." Having experienced all sorts of things in life, I’d long lost the luxury of such pretensions. I took a bite. Seeing me eat, Moyong Hee-a took a bite too. "It’s delicious." "Indeed. I’ll probably need a couple more." It wasn’t a proper meal, but as long as it filled our stomachs, it served its purpose. Satisfied with even this, I nodded. "True. Oh, by the way, I didn't bring any money." "...What?" "Would you mind paying for me?" Her confident tone made me chuckle. "What if I didn’t have any money?" "I didn’t think that far ahead." Thankfully, I did have some money on me. After buying and eating a few more skewers, I paid the vendor and we moved on. We continued eating a few more things along the way, and as I watched Moyong Hee-a eat, a thought struck me. "You eat more than I expected." "Do I?" I realized Moyong Hee-a was a better eater than I had anticipated. She wasn’t at the level of Wi Seol-ah, but she gobbled down quite a bit. "It’s delicious. Especially since I haven’t had this kind of food in a while." "How long has it been?" "Let’s see...? Probably half a year." "Why hold back for so long? If you like it, just eat it." Half a year was quite a stretch. "There’s no major reason. I tend to hold back on things I like." "Why?" "If I indulge too much in what I desire, I might tire of it quickly. That’s not ideal." There was something peculiar in the way she looked at me while saying this. "So I hold back. Precious emotions need to be cherished." Was she perhaps saying she savors tasty things sparingly? That seemed to be the gist of it. "And what about you?" "Me what?" "Why do you obsess over meals so much?" "...Huh?" It was an unexpected question. "Whenever the topic of missing meals comes up, you always seem to care so much." "Really? Do I?" "Yes. You often ask whether I’ve eaten or not." "Hmm." Now that I thought about it, I suppose I did. "You mention it even when just passing by, so why is it such a big deal?" Moyong Hee-a seemed genuinely puzzled by the emphasis I placed on meals. Watching her, there was a hint of exasperation in my gaze. "Why are you looking at me like that?" "It’s nothing." There was hardly anything else I could say. Hearing such a question from none other than Moyong Hee-a was unexpected, to say the least. If I’d come to place such importance on meals, it certainly had to be because of her. 'Or rather, because of Seolbong (Snow Phoenix).' The Moyong Hee-a standing in front of me.