From the entrance of the market, stalls decorated with branches of plum blossoms in full bloom caught the eye. Dried plum buds, plum wine, ornaments in the shape of plum blossoms — there was much to see, and his eyes were delighted.

He needed to look here and there, so his head kept swiveling. Moving his light feet busily, Yunseo stopped in front of a stall piled high with paper flowers.

The paper flowers were in the shape of red and white plum blossoms. Since it was a custom at the festival for both men and women to put paper flowers in their hair, it seemed they were sold in anticipation of the season.

"Is this your first time at Yeonju's festival?"

At the stall owner's question, Yunseo thought it must have been obvious and affirmed it with some embarrassment. The owner came out as though pleased and held up a paper flower.

"Normally men wear white blossoms since they wear red clothes, and women wear red blossoms since they wear white clothes."

"Ah, is that so."

"By any chance, is there a woman you have in your heart? If you are a decent young man, it is good to prepare at least one paper flower in advance, one might say."

"Ah……. I intend to give it to a man."

"……Oh! Flowers are most harmonious when colors of the same shade are together."

The owner pulled the corners of his mouth all the way up. It was a little awkward, but no sense of antipathy could be discerned. When Yunseo smiled hesitantly and requested two paper flowers, the owner brightened as he handed them over.

"Have a blessed day!"

Yunseo put the paper flowers in his pouch and walked on, leaving the owner's bright farewell behind him. He had wandered around sightseeing here and there and was quite thirsty. He was going to go to a tea house he had spotted on his way when the crowd suddenly gathered and the road became congested.

Yunseo confirmed the imperial guards protecting him from being pushed by others. He was about to step back and take another way, when a woman who had been coming toward him with her shoulders hunched inward was pushed fairly hard by a passing man and her body tilted backward.

"Oh!"

"Ah!"

Without even time to think, Yunseo reached out his arm and caught her back. The woman, who had presumably expected to fall and had her face scrunched up, opened her eyes wide and quickly regained her balance. Yunseo created space by wrapping his arm without touching the woman's body, and led her away from the crowded road.

"Are you alright?"

If she had fallen in a place like this, she could have been hurt. As he checked whether she had twisted an ankle, the woman quickly bowed her head.

"Thank you for helping me."

"I am glad you were not hurt."

He belatedly confirmed the woman's face. A woman who appeared to be around the same age had a sparkling expression and looked up at Yunseo.

"I nearly came to great harm. May I ask the name of my savior?"

"Savior — not at all. I am just…… So-and-so."

He knew answering a question about his name like this was impolite, but there was no helping it. But the woman, perhaps thinking there was some reason, nodded as though understanding.

"My name is Han Sohyeong."

"I see. Where were you headed?"

"Yes, I had something to buy. And you, sir……"

Being called "sir" made him feel proud, realizing he now looked like a proper adult anywhere.

"I was just doing a little sightseeing."

"If this is your first time here, might I offer to show you around? I would like to offer even a small repayment like that."

"Ah……"

"Ahem."

A sudden cough from behind — he turned to see a Yongrin who had drawn near was loitering. Sohyeong's goodwill was appreciated, but it was obvious that accompanying a stranger would double the burden on the escorts. Yunseo pulled up the corner of his mouth softly for a tactful refusal.

"Regrettably, it seems I must hurry back as there is someone waiting for me."

"Ah, in that case……"

"Then please have a good time."

He said his farewells and turned away. As he left, it seemed as though some sound came from behind, but since it was not a call, Yunseo moved his feet quickly toward the tea house.

He was guided to a quiet seat on the second floor and ordered tea and refreshments. He offered to the escorts as well, but they occupied the seats in front of and behind Yunseo and did not touch the tea at all. He felt sorry that if Hwi had come with him, these people too could have rested a little more comfortably.

Yunseo slowly drank his tea and enjoyed the view outside. Quiet, leisurely time alone was good too, but if Hwi had been with him the enjoyment would have come back doubled. This kind of wistfulness also arose because there were two of them. Next time they would come together, so there was no need to feel too sorry.

When the bowl of refreshments and teacup showed their bottoms, he rose from his seat. If he went back now, it seemed he would arrive exactly at the promised time.

Yunseo came out of the tea house, mounted his horse, and as he was leaving Yeonju Fortress he felt a faint nausea. Was it because he had ridden right after eating something? It was bearable, so he quickened his pace. Before long the house where Hwi was waiting came into view.

Just as he opened the door and went in, he came face to face with Hwi who was standing right in front. Yunseo smiled brightly and went straight into Hwi's arms.

"I am back!"

Hwi hesitated for a moment, then drew Yunseo in. The sound of his low laughter reached his ear.

"It seems you had a fun outing."

"Yes. I will tell you what I did on the way."

"Your body is a little cold."

"It must be from being outside the whole time. Let me put on one more outer garment and come back."

Yunseo went into the room, set down the pouch with the paper flowers, and put on his outer garment. Then he hesitated for a moment before taking out one of the pills the physician had prepared before the journey and taking it.

Since it was what one took when there was indigestion, the nausea would improve too. He made a simple judgment about his condition and went outside.

Yangso guided Yunseo and Hwi to a neighboring district. It was a place where a fire had recently broken out and burned part of the government office,* and reconstruction was in progress.

One of Hwasicheong's main duties was to inspect each district, and today they had decided to verify whether the hired laborers* were properly receiving their wages and treatment, and whether construction was proceeding smoothly. The purpose was to experience firsthand some of the work routinely done by Hwasicheong Yongrin and to see local affairs with their own eyes.

Arriving at the construction site, Yunseo checked his clothing. He had been wearing plain commoner clothes from the first time he went out, so he did not look very different from passersby. Yangso had a taller height than most women and her bearing was not ordinary, but she instantly performed the movements of an ordinary person and blended in among the laborers.

"Is the pay decent here?"

The laborers who happened to be sitting here and there eating their late afternoon meal received Yangso in a lukewarm way. Yangso paid no mind to their not-so-welcoming air and boldly asked this and that. She looked so much like someone genuinely interested in the work that it seemed natural.

Yunseo watched Yangso's actions with admiration and briefly glanced at Hwi. He was not disguising himself like Yangso, nor dressing plainly like Yunseo. The reason was that doing so would make him all the more conspicuous and attract attention.

Even if Hwi tried to disguise himself as a commoner, the innate authority he possessed would not be concealed. In that case, should he not fill in what his partner could not do?

Yunseo cleared his throat, squared his shoulders, and said.

"I will go and listen too."

Hwi looked steadily at Yunseo and then nodded. He had anticipated Hwi might stop him, but he received agreement more easily than expected. Yunseo lightly stepped off toward the laborers seated at a distance.

Thinking about how to approach, he decided to use Yangso's method. As he lingered nearby and coughed a few times, the laborers' gazes fell on Yunseo. Yunseo quietly took a seat beside the laborers who were sitting down.

"I…… I was wandering here and there trying to earn my keep and saw this place. How might one go about doing manual labor here?"

"Looking at you, you seem like a pampered young lord — you'd better not think about getting into rough work."

"……Pardon? I am nothing like that. But is this work really that rough?"

"A young man like you would be done in one day."

"For what it's worth, I am confident in doing physical work."

"It's not just about strength. If you get hurt, your life is ruined."

"Is the risk of injury really that great?"

The laborer made a dismissive sound, then looked over Yunseo's wide-eyed face, let out a sigh, and reluctantly explained. The gist was that if you were injured, you were immediately excluded from the work and could not receive your full wages, and on top of that it was not easy to see a physician, so recovery was difficult.

Since it was the work of rebuilding a government office, one could argue that it was government work — and yet to receive no compensation even if injured at the site felt unreasonable. Moreover, the fact that even the physicians that had been set up were insufficient compared to demand truly hit home as a serious problem.

"Then that would be the greatest difficulty."

"You could say that…… ahem, actually, why am I telling you this……. Anyway, move along. You might get hurt just loitering around."

Seemingly uncomfortable about having shared personal matters with an outsider, the laborer glanced at Yunseo and waved him off. As it happened, the laborers who had finished eating were beginning to rise one by one, and Yunseo obediently stepped back.

*Author's note: 정청 (政廳) = a government office where official business is conducted. National Institute of Korean Language, Standard Korean Language Dictionary.

*Author's note: 모군 (募軍) = a person who works for wages at a construction site or the like. National Institute of Korean Language, Standard Korean Language Dictionary.