A heavy silence settled between them. The Cheonrok had disappeared decades ago in search of Hwanggwaju, and Lord Yeomjeong admitted he’d already consumed all the Hwanggwaju he’d brewed before then. For the two to be unconnected now would have been stranger than not.
Seo Jae-ha finally broke the silence, his voice weak and drained.
“So he gave it to the Cheonrok.”
But the questions didn’t end there.
“Then why did he vanish? Do you think that has anything to do with Lord Yeomjeong?”
Appearing and disappearing at will was one thing, but going completely missing was something else entirely. Even if the Cheonrok was a wanderer at heart—no, because he was—total silence from him was suspicious. Especially if his disappearance came after he had already received the Hwanggwaju…
“…Don’t tell me Lord Yeomjeong actually did something to him?”
What if something went wrong during the exchange? If the two had clashed, and Yeomjeong bore a grudge, could he have harmed the Cheonrok?
The thought alone drained the color from Jae-ha’s face. Weren’t you the one who said nobody would ever harm Cheonrok? So what happened between them?
“…I don’t know.”
Ju Hae-hyun’s face had gone pale too. The Cheonrok’s ability to draw affection wasn’t absolute. Rare as it was, he could make an enemy. If—just if—he had done something truly terrible.
But that wasn’t the point. What mattered was finding the Cheonrok alive and bringing him back to Seo-cheon. If the Cheonrok was already dead, Sala Doryeong would never awaken, Jae-ha would truly become one of the dead, and both Hae-hyun and Su-min would be dragged to Hell. A “bad ending” didn’t even begin to cover it—that would be outright annihilation.
“…We’ll have to start asking around about the Cheonrok.”
Jae-ha’s voice had grown thin, and a fog crept into his thoughts. What if we’ve had this wrong from the start?
As they descended the staircase they had once climbed so determinedly, the faces around them changed. Guests grew fewer, workers more numerous. Unlike the quiet upper levels, the lower floors buzzed with life despite the late hour.
“Are the drinks all ready? Finish them now or you’ll regret it tomorrow!”
“Still got three barrels left. What about the decorations? I heard the crowd’s bigger than expected, so we’ll be pulling an all-nighter.”
“Yeah, I’ll head over once I’m done here.”
The workers bustled about, shouting over the din. Their clothes were rumpled from hours of labor, yet their faces shone with energy. Compared to the idling revelers upstairs, those working below seemed far more like they were part of a real festival.
As Jae-ha descended, watching it all unfold, a man up ahead wiped his hands on his apron and caught his eye. Smiling warmly, the man waved.
“Hey! You lads free? We need something taken to the kitchen fast—could you lend a hand?”
He was so natural that for a second Jae-ha thought they actually knew each other. He was about to politely decline when Hae-hyun suddenly stepped forward.
“What is it you need?”
His tone suggested he really meant to help. Wait—why now? We don’t have time for this. Jae-ha whispered in disbelief.
“Don’t we need to hurry?”
Hae-hyun barely moved his lips in reply.
“It’s just a cover. Less suspicious than wandering around asking questions.”
It was the perfect excuse to move unnoticed in the chaos. …Our clever pup. Jae-ha found himself quietly impressed and nodded. The man grinned wide.
“Sorry to trouble you guests with grunt work, but as you can see, we’re drowning here.”
“Why’s it so hectic? Feels like a war broke out.”
At Jae-ha’s joke, the man laughed and gave a quick explanation.
“An impromptu banquet started in the rear gardens. All the Celestial Lords, Hwang-ryong, even the Seongwans showed up. We’ve been scrambling to prepare, and of course that means overtime.”
“I see…”
Even a “small” banquet involving such figures was no simple affair. To preserve Lord Yeomjeong’s honor, everything—from food and drink to seating—had to be immaculate. No wonder the servants had been roused at this hour. In the end, it was always the whims of the powerful that caused chaos.
Still… wasn’t it odd? Lord Tamlang had stormed out earlier, looking ready to tear Yeomjeong apart, yet now she was drinking with him? Has she changed her mind? Strange, but none of Jae-ha’s concern.
At least it meant Yeomjeong was tied up elsewhere—a bit of good fortune when they needed to snoop around.
“Anyway, no time to chat. Just haul all the sacks stacked to the right of the storage room door over to the kitchen, would you?”
With that, the man hurried off before they could even answer, quickly lost in the crowd.
Inside the storage room, a few workers were already rifling through shelves. The sacks were easy to spot by the door. There they are. Jae-ha turned to tell Hae-hyun—only to find he had vanished.
Where did he go? Looking around in confusion, Jae-ha spotted a broad back in the far corner. Quick, aren’t you? He walked over.
From a distance, it wasn’t clear, but up close he saw Hae-hyun blocking someone from view. Is he with someone? Did he run into an acquaintance? Casually, Jae-ha called out.
“Hae-hyun, what—”
His words died mid-sentence. The man in front of Hae-hyun collapsed to the ground.
“Oh, sunbae. Did you find the sacks?”
Hae-hyun even greeted him calmly, bracing the fallen man against the wall as if it were nothing. His swift, practiced movements made it clear this wasn’t his first time.
“What… did you just do?”
He didn’t kill him… right? Jae-ha’s voice wavered with doubt. He didn’t think Hae-hyun would go that far… but still.
“Just put him to sleep. He’ll wake up in a few hours.”
“…Why knock someone out all of a sudden?”
“He got suspicious the moment I asked something. Better this than risk him calling the guards.”
His reply was smooth, almost casual. Not untrue—but it looked far too much like intimidation followed by a takedown.
Breaking in, threatening people, knocking them out… Jae-ha kept throwing uneasy glances at the unconscious worker while Hae-hyun strode deeper inside. What now? He hurried after him, only to see another worker rummaging through rows of jars.
In just a few steps, Hae-hyun reached him—flipping him over, pinning his arm behind his back, pressing him down with frightening ease. His voice was low and cold.
“You know anything about Hwanggwaju?”
“W-what?”
When the man’s voice started to rise, Hae-hyun pushed his head down hard. The man groaned and struggled, but he couldn’t break free.
“Hwanggwaju. Or the Cheonrok. One of the two, isn’t it?”
The flat, emotionless tone made it all the more chilling. The worker stammered desperately.
“I—I don’t know! Please, let me go.”
“You don’t even know where the Hwanggwaju brewery is?”
“The… the brewery’s location is top secret, even within the city—”
Before he could finish, golden light flared at Hae-hyun’s fingertips. The man slumped limp, just like the first.
“……”
Jae-ha, who had witnessed it all, narrowed his eyes. Why is he so damn good at this?
“Sunbae, put this on.”
Hae-hyun didn’t stop there. He stripped the worker’s outer uniform and handed it to Jae-ha. The design matched the others—it was clearly what staff wore here.
Jae-ha accepted it blankly, glancing at the man now unconscious in nothing but his underwear. Sorry, mister, he thought guiltily.
“Hae-hyun… are we really allowed to do this?”
Now dressed in the uniform, Jae-ha’s conscience stung. Raised in a lawful society, he couldn’t help but protest. But Hae-hyun didn’t flinch.
“This is the fastest way.”
True… it really is.
“No one’s hurt. They’ll just wake up after a few hours’ good sleep. Honestly, after being touched by Haetae’s energy, they’ll probably feel better than before.”
He said it so casually while slipping into another uniform—probably taken from the first man. Wait, when did he even—
“Oppa, are you in there?”
A young girl’s voice called from the entrance.
