Cole is ten years old this year. If he were from a poor family, he would be at the age to start working, but fortunately, Cole was born into a family that could afford to live comfortably.
When Satin casually suggested that Cole should study literature, Cole’s father, Max, readily agreed.
“Learning anything is good,” Max said.
“Cole is smart, so he’ll pick it up quickly,” Satin replied.
“Oh, smart he is. If it weren’t for his teacher, he’d still be running around outside,” Max joked, but quickly added, “But health is the most important thing, right?”
“Of course,” Satin agreed.
Max then asked, “But to study literature, doesn’t he need books?”
“Yes, I was planning to buy some later,” Satin said.
“Where are you going to buy them?” Max asked.
“There’s a bookstore near the temple. I always buy them there,” Satin replied.
“That place? They might not have books for kids,” Max said.
“I know, but I have to try,” Satin said.
Satin remembered that Max was a native of Cloverland and had been running his business in the same location for two generations. He seemed to know a lot about where to find things, even if he didn’t sell them himself.
After a moment of thought, Max said, “There’s another bookstore near the North Gate. They might have books for kids.”
“How do you know that?” Satin asked.
“There’s a group in the Merchants’ Union. We recommend customers to each other, even if we sell different things. It’s quite helpful,” Max explained.
‘That’s a good strategy,’ Satin thought. If you’re not in a competing business, there’s no harm in recommending customers to each other.
Satin thought, ‘Just because you eat fish doesn’t mean you can’t eat meat.’
He made a mental note to join the Merchants’ Union if he ever opened a bulgogi restaurant. But first, he needed to succeed in making soy sauce.
Satin sighed, thinking about his failed attempts to make soy sauce. “Failure is the mother of success,” he reminded himself. But if every failure is a mother, success would have a lot of mothers to support.
With his business concluded, Satin said his goodbyes and left the shop. Max followed him out and gave him a bag of beans. They were chickpeas, with one pointed end, something Satin had never seen in this world before.
Seeing Satin’s surprised expression, Max proudly explained, “They’re imported from the south. They’re delicious when cooked, but they need to be soaked for a long time because they’re hard.”
Satin wondered which southern country they came from. It seemed like they had everything.
He politely tried to decline the beans, but Max insisted, “It’s just a small amount.”
Satin smiled and accepted the bag. “Thank you, I’ll enjoy them.”
He got on a carriage headed towards the North Gate. This world also had rush hours, but at this time of day, the roads were usually quiet.
As he looked out at the familiar scenery, he suddenly thought, ‘Is Cain still watching me?’
Everyone around him seemed suspicious—the passenger across from him, the people walking by the window.
Why was that person wearing such a wide-brimmed hat now that the heat had subsided? Why were they staring at the carriage instead of moving out of the way? Were they trying too hard not to look suspicious?
Once Satin started to suspect, there was no end to his doubts.
‘Whatever,’ he thought. Even if Cain or someone hired by him was watching, it wasn’t a big problem. Cain’s separation anxiety might be an issue, but having someone watching could actually be beneficial. If something happened, he could get help.
Satin waited comfortably for the carriage to reach its destination. He had already made a shopping list.
‘I need to buy books for Cole and maybe some self-help books for adults,’ he thought. The self-help books were for Cain, not Cole. While health is important, a healthy mind is even better.
***
It took some time to find the bookstore Max had mentioned. The narrow, winding alleys made it difficult to navigate. However, once he arrived, Satin was impressed by the size of the bookstore.
‘This place is huge,’ he thought. He wondered why such a large bookstore was hidden away. Then he realized, “It’s because they don’t get many customers.”
In this world, studying was seen as a hobby for the rich or nobles. It was rare for commoners to read for pleasure. The bookstore near the temple had a good location but was never busy.
Satin was excited to explore the bookstore. He planned to find books for Cole first, then for Cain, and finally some novels for himself. If there were any books on farming, he would buy a couple of those too.
There were no employees to greet him, but he could sense someone’s presence inside. He walked through the aisles, making noise on purpose to alert the staff.
‘This is going to be tough,’ he thought, seeing the countless bookshelves filled with books, some even stacked on the floor. The organization was not very clear; romance novels and adventure stories shared the same shelf.
He quickly scanned the titles and moved to the next shelf, which had a mix of novels and history books. The following shelf had history and geography books.
‘There seems to be some kind of system,’ he thought. After geography books, there were more history books focused on war, followed by books on strategy. Then came classic novels and coming-of-age stories.
‘I’m not sure why coming-of-age stories and philosophy books are together.’
He picked a coming-of-age novel about a boy who grows up in the countryside, moves to the city, gets married, and eventually returns to his hometown. It seemed like a pastoral novel, and he decided to give it to Cain. Maybe this would help him mature more than a self-help book.
For Cole, he chose a short adventure novel with lots of metaphors, perfect for learning.
With the necessary books chosen, Satin moved deeper into the store to find something for himself. The shelves blocked the sunlight, but lamps were placed throughout the store, making it easy to browse.
He lost track of time, engrossed in the books. Suddenly, he heard a voice.
“Excuse me,” a man with a cloth covering his nose and mouth said, pointing to the floor. “You dropped some beans.”
Satin was confused at first but quickly realized he had dropped the beans Max gave him. He hurriedly picked them up, grateful that the man had pointed it out.
The man hesitated before helping Satin pick up the beans. He looked young, maybe not even twenty. Satin thanked him, and they both stood up.
“Thank you,” Satin said. The man nodded and said, “Just call me when you’re ready to check out.”
It seemed the person was a staff member, not a guest. Perhaps very shy, they mumbled the last part of their sentence indistinctly.
Satin chuckled softly and nodded.
“Yes, I will.”
“Then please take your time.”
The staff member retreated backward. However, unlike before, they didn’t go out of sight. They tidied a nearby bookshelf, glancing at Satin repeatedly.
‘What’s this?’
Were they paying extra attention because he was the only customer?
Satin pretended not to notice the staff member’s gaze and continued to browse the bookshelves. The pretense of nonchalance didn’t last long.
Earlier, he had thought being watched wasn’t so bad, but being observed so openly made him quite uncomfortable. His hands and feet kept feeling awkward.
Eventually, Satin couldn’t bear it any longer and asked, “Do you have something to say?”
“Yes?”
The staff member was startled and looked around. As if there was anyone else there.
Belatedly, the staff member’s face flushed red as they apologized.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that you, um, resemble someone I know, so without realizing…”
“Oh, is that so?”
“I’m truly sorry… It’s a deceased friend, but you look so incredibly alike, even your voice is similar. I really…”
The staff member’s muttering sounded more like self-reproach than an apology.
Satin stared at the staff member’s face for a moment before approaching. He pulled down the cloth that had been wrapped around his face, revealing his nose. And his plump cheeks.
It was a round face, like a bun. Satin knew someone with long limbs and a round face like that.
“…Rogers?”
