When Pyo-wol returned to the inn, it was already late in the evening.
Inside the inn, the members of the Heavenly Flower Variety Theater Troupe were gathered. Their faces were filled with tired yet satisfied expressions after a full day of wandering and performing around Runan.
“People were so surprised that they couldn’t even close their mouths!”
“I guess that’s enough to get the word out that we’re performing, right?”
“Well, I’m sure we made enough noise about it.”
“I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s performance.”
The troupe members chatted as they took a sip of their drinks.
Pyo-wol looked around the inn for a moment, but he couldn’t see So Gyeoksan anywhere.
Just then, Yi Okran spotted Pyo-wol. She then approached him,
“Oh, you’re here.”
“Where’s Gyeoksan?”
“He went out since he had some other matters to attend to.”
“Other matters?”
“Yes! He said he’ll be back by tomorrow evening at the latest.”
“Will the performance continue without him?”
“Our leader rarely performs, and we’re the ones organizing the show since the beginning, so it’s not a problem even if he’s not there.”
Pyo-wol nodded at Yi Okran’s explanation.
“If you haven’t had dinner yet, would you like to join me? I feel bad that I haven’t treated you properly yet, and besides, you’re a friend of our leader.”
“It’s okay.”
“But still, please give me a chance. It’s the first time I’ve met someone who knows about our leader’s past, so I really want to treat you well.”
“Did he not tell you about his past?”
“No.”
“Then I can’t tell you either.”
“But—”
“If you have any questions, you should ask him directly. Don’t make things difficult for other people.”
“I did put you on the spot, I’m sorry.”
Yi Okran easily admitted her mistake and apologized, but that didn’t mean she was giving up on sharing a meal with Pyo-wol.
“In that case, I’ll just treat you to a meal. That will be okay with you, right?”
Pyo-wol thought she was quite insistent, hut he had no more reason or excuse to refuse.
“Sure.”
“Thank you.”
Yi Okran said with a pleased expression.
“Hey! Clear one table and bring out some new food!”
As soon as Yi Okran gave the command, the members of the troupe, who had been laughing and talking, began to move in unison.
The male members cleared the table, while the female members went to the kitchen to fetch food for Yi Okran and Pyo-wol.
In no time, a table was filled with food.
“Please sit.”
At Yi Okran’s words, Pyo-wol sat down. Then, as if waiting, one of the female members sat down next to Pyo-wol.
When Pyo-wol frowned slightly, Yi Okran laughed and said,
“Don’t worry. She’s doing it because she wants to.”
“That’s right, I’ve been wanting to sit next to you since the moment I first saw you.”
The female troupe member said, with a bashful smile.
Yi Okran explained further.
“Being a member of a small theater troupe is actually not an easy job. As you know, many people consider us to be of lowly class. Beautiful and charming people like the one next to you are often preyed upon by the higher-ups.”
“It’s my first time hearing about that.”
“Of course. It’s because it’s not well known, but it’s actually quite a common occurrence.”
While people enjoyed the performances of a theater troupe, they also tended to think of them as very lowly beings. This was especially true for those of higher social status.
They would often not leave a beautiful woman alone in their midst.
They would sometimes coax the troupe leader into giving them the female members, either through threats or money. And the ones who succumbed to the temptation would end up throwing the female members to the higher ups for a night.
This was their world, where such things happened frequently.
“But our leader is different. No matter how much money was offered to him, he would never give away a member if they didn’t want to. No matter how much other people threaten him, he will always protect them. It’s thanks to him that we can perform with such bright faces.”
“He must be a good leader for you guys.”
“Yes, I can’t compare him to anyone else.”
“Honestly, there’s no one like our leader. Before he arrived, we lived such hellish lives.”
The female member sitting next to Pyo-wol said while putting the food in front of her onto her plate.
The female member’s name was Ga Hyang.
She had a cute appearance and a beautiful voice, which made her a target for many people. In fact, there were times when she had to sell her body against her will, but none of the money she earned went into her pocket.
All the money she was supposed to receive went straight to the pockets of their previous leader. He would often use the money to entertain himself and show favoritism to other members.
Even if she wanted to escape, she couldn’t.
That was because their previous leader dominated the troupe with violence.
If So Gyeoksan hadn’t appeared, their hellish lives would have continued until today.
Pyo-wol found their words quite surprising.
The way they just described So Gyeoksan was different from the one he knew in the past.
During their time in the underground cave, So Gyeoksan was more gloomy than anyone else. He was similar to Pyo-wol in a way that he was unwilling to show his true colors.
While there were times So Gyeoksan stood by So Yeowol and Song Cheonwoo, he only did so out of necessity. He was still always ready to betray them at any moment.
It was for this reason that Pyo-wol found So Gyeoksan untrustworthy and unreliable. However, to these people, So Gyeoksan seemed to play the role of a pretty dependable protector and leader.
Ga Hyang leaned closer to Pyo-wol’s side and said,
“Plus, our leader doesn’t mind if we don’t make any profit from our performances. To be honest, our performances are not always successful, more often than not, we lose money, but our leader would always manage to bring money from somewhere else and fill in the gaps. We know that he wouldn’t be able to do so in such a normal way which is why we’re curious about our leader’s past.”
“I’ve already told you that if you’re curious, you should ask him yourself.”
“Oh my! How heartless.”
Ga Hyang looked at Pyo-wol with a smile. Although she said that Pyo-wol was heartless, her eyes still curved like a half-moon, filled with affection.
Yi Okran looked at Ga Hyang and said,
“You’re going to find yourself in a lot of trouble, Ga Hyang. You should not be the kind of girl who gives her heart to others so easily.”
“What woman wouldn’t like such a handsome man? I’m already happy just by looking at him—”
“Girl! Looks aren’t everything, what truly matters is—”
“I know, it’s the heart. I’ve heard it so much, my ears are bleeding.”
“You—”
“I don’t know. It may be the heart for you, but to me, it’s about the person’s appearance.”
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