Chapter 96
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 96
Chapter 96. Eun Jin-ho Goes Missing (4)
Jin-ho, who was kicked in the shin, screamed in pain.
“Ugh!”
He cried out in surprise.
“What? It wasn't a hallucination?”
“Yes.”
I replied.
“I came to rescue you. Let's go home.”
Then I said to the people next to him.
“We came to rescue you. Let's go back to the Trading Company.”
Hearing my words, Jin-ho shouted angrily.
“Why did you come here? What about your family?”
“I came to rescue you, and I got permission from my family. It was difficult to get their permission.”
Jin-ho shouted in exasperation.
“No! That's not it! This place is…”
“I know. It's a place made of fog. If you go in, you'll disappear.”
“You knew that and still came in?”
I nodded in response.
“Don't worry. I brought a device that will allow us to get out.”
At my words, hope began to rise in the faces of Sang-hoon and the escort agency members.
“Are you thirsty? Let's quench our thirst first and then move on.”
My companions and I put down the water containers we had been carrying on our backs.
Jin-ho and his companions rushed to the water containers and began to fill their own containers and drink.
People who have been starving for a long time cannot eat regular food right away, or they will get sick. They must first drink water and rice gruel to restore their strength before eating regular food.
We couldn't rest here, so we had to be satisfied with quenching our thirst with water.
After taking a breather, they immediately started walking behind us.
As we walked along the stretched rope, I realized something was wrong.
It should have been tight because it was tied to a tree.
But
why did it feel loose and drag behind us even when we pulled it?
We soon found out why.
“Huh?”
Pal-gap was holding the rope with a panicked look on his face, but the end was broken.
“Dao-nim, this...”
Everyone knew without being told.
It would be difficult to get out of here.
However, no one said anything because they were afraid to say it.
Jin-ho asked me.
“If we wait here, the others will come looking for us, right?”
“Well...”
“...”
“If we end up in the fog, we agreed to wait outside for two days. If no one comes out after two days, we'll send someone else in.”
“...”
Jin-ho sighed.
“I'm sorry.”
He shook his head at my words.
“How could you have known it was broken? You don't have to apologize.”
“What should we do now?”
Jin-ho thought about my question for a moment and said, “Let's find where the rope is connected.
The cut part of the rope is here, so the connection must be somewhere nearby.”
We started moving, looking for the connecting part of the broken rope.
But then Jin-ho called me.
“Seo-ho, why are you going that way?”
“What do you mean?”
“The path is this way. Why are you going into the grass?”
What is he talking about?
Grass?
No, I'm going the right way.
In fact, the others were heading toward the grass.
I thought I knew why the missing people couldn't get out of the forest.
The fog was interfering with their five senses, preventing them from thinking clearly.
According to Jin-ho, no matter which path they took, they walked for three days straight before finding the abandoned cart.
This fog is making the road go around in circles.
“Jin-ho, you said you abandoned the cart earlier.”
“Why?”
“You said you gave up after walking for three days and abandoned the cart there, right?”
“Yes, that's right.”
We got here in just a moment.
At that moment, Pal-gap asked me cautiously.
“Young master, you said the same thing earlier, but why do you keep trying to go off the road?”
“You said that earlier too?”
“Yes.”
“You followed me well earlier, didn't you?”
“That's because I am your servant.”
I looked at Lee Pil.
“Then you too, Lee Pil?”
“I just followed you. It is my duty as a bodyguard to follow wherever my Liege goes.”
“...”
A hollow smile appeared on my face.
For some reason, I was not affected by the fog. That was why I could see the right path.
That was why I was able to find Jin-ho and his group in just a moment.
If not, we would have walked for three days and found Jin-ho and his group when we were exhausted.
That means Jin-ho and his group walked around in circles for three days, even though it wasn't a long distance.
“Jin-ho. You and your group are walking through a field. I'm on the right path.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Look at the bottom of your pants.”
Jin-ho looked at the bottom of his pants and was immediately confused. It was stained with green grass.
“Why is there grass on my pants?”
“The fog is deceiving your senses. That's why you've been walking around in circles.”
Jin-ho and his friends nodded in agreement.
They had actually experienced this maddening situation themselves.
“But I…”
I didn't know why the fog had no effect on me, but I felt I needed some kind of explanation.
“Maybe it's because of my martial arts training. I can see the path clearly. That's why I found it in just a moment earlier.”
“I see.”
Fortunately, everyone seemed to understand.
“We'll keep getting lost if we stay here, so wait here for a moment. I'll go find where the rope is connected.”
“Are you sure you'll be okay by yourself?”
“Actually, I think I'll be better off alone right now.”
Lee Pil bowed his head.
“I'm sorry I couldn't follow you.”
“It was an unavoidable situation.”
“I came with you to repay your kindness…”
I smiled at Seo Woo's words and replied.
“You're still helping me a lot.”
Jin-ho ordered everyone to wait for a moment. Come to think of it, Jin-ho had been giving orders since earlier, as if he was the leader.
I looked at the Head Escort who was with Jin-ho and clicked my tongue.
Jin-ho completely pushed me aside.
Anyway, I started wandering around in the fog to find the connection between the ropes.
As I expected, the fog only obstructed my view.
It had no effect on me.
Soon, I found the connection between the ropes.
Looking at the cut, it didn't seem like someone had cut it on purpose.
It was just a defective rope.
I tied the rope tightly again, untangled it, and returned to where Jin-ho was.
“Jin-ho!”
When I approached Jin-ho and his group, they were surprised to see me.
“You're already here?”
“Yes. Just as you said, there was a connection nearby.”
I said, showing him the rope.
“We can go now.”
“Let's go.”
At my words, Jin-ho stood up, and we began to move, holding the rope I had connected.
Finally, we arrived at the entrance of Moo-Chul-Moo-San.
However, we couldn't let our guard down until the very end.
That's why I deliberately didn't tell them that this was the entrance.
“Come on, let's go.”
“Move quickly.”
With that, I led Jin-ho and his group out of Moo-Chul-Moo-San, and I was the last to leave.
When I came out of Moo-Chul-Moo-San, I saw them crying with emotion as they looked at the bright sunlight.
It had been a month.
They had been in a desperate situation for a month.
I saw them too, and I saw dead bodies lying everywhere, so their anxiety must have been extreme.
So I could understand why they were crying like that.
Still, I was worried that they would faint from exhaustion if they stayed there.
As if he knew my concern, Head Escort Makchung said,
“I understand how you feel, but I think it would be better to go back to the inn to wash up and get some sleep.”
Then he said to the search party,
“We are going back to the inn.”
“Yes!”
.
.
.
We returned to the Eulim Inn.
We had been notified in advance and prepared clean water to wash ourselves, and we used expensive soap generously to wash away the dirt.
Those who washed first came to the dining room and ate rice porridge.
Clatter, clatter, clatter
Usually, we would chat while eating, but now no one spoke.
We were too busy eating porridge with our heads buried in our bowls.
Jin-ho was among them.
“I understand, but please eat slowly.”
“I'll take care of it.”
Jin-ho said as he ate porridge.
“I made a promise in that strange forest. I promised myself that I would never leave food uneaten again.”
“....”
“Eating like this reminds me of that time.”
I chuckled.
“Still, eat slowly.”
Jin-ho finished his bowl of rice porridge and smiled at me.
“Ah, now I can see properly. Even when I was hungry and my vision was blurry, you were still handsome, but now that I look at you, you really are handsome, my brother.”
“Don't flatter me.”
I chuckled.
“Anyway, thank you for saving my life.”
“I'm the one who should be thanking you. I got angry earlier, but when you said you came to save me, I almost cried.”
“Didn't you cry when you came out of the foggy forest earlier?”
Jin-ho coughed awkwardly at my words.
“Um, let's forget about that.”
Then he smiled and continued.
“Thank you for saving me and my friends.”
At that moment, Team Leader Jeong-chung approached us.
“Young Master Jin-ho.”
“Team Leader Jeong.”
“I'm so glad you're safe.”
Team Leader Jeong looked at Jin-ho with tears in his eyes, and seeing that, I said, “You're his guardian, aren't you?”
“Actually, Team Leader Jeong-chung volunteered to join the rescue team.”
“Oh! I see. For me...”
“You are my benefactor. How could I just stand by and do nothing?”
Through that conversation, I learned that Jin-ho had helped Team Leader Jeong-chung.
I wondered what kind of help he had given him to make them so close.
That was something I didn't know in my previous life.
I'll ask him later.
Right now, I just want to enjoy being alive.
.
.
.
It has been six days since Jin-ho and his companions were rescued.
Those who had been trapped in the prison without any food or water were able to regain some of their strength.
Meanwhile, the escorts, the mercenaries, and some members of the Trading Company headed for the tea plantations of the Yunnan Silver Sea Trading Company.
There, they found a large quantity of raw tea ready for distribution, which they had to take back with them.
That was the only way to sell it before it was too late.
They arrived today with the tea.
So now they had to go back.
Due to its nature, pu-erh tea absorbs odors quite well. Therefore, they had to move as quickly as possible.
After a long discussion, we decided to leave early tomorrow morning.
.
.
.
“Thank you very much for taking care of us.”
“I'm glad you found the Trading Company.”
We thanked Sung Joon-baek, who was stationed in Yunnan Province, and headed for Eunhae Trading Company.
But why did I suddenly feel so uneasy?
It was the same feeling of uneasiness I felt when I missed something.
What was it?
What was it?
Then it happened.
Dududu.
The ground suddenly began to shake, and only then did I remember what had happened.
It was when I was seventeen.
There was an earthquake in southern Yunnan.
I heard that some people were injured while traveling on a mountain road.
At the time, I didn't think much of it.
It didn't concern our Eunhae Trading Company, and it wasn't a very strong earthquake, so the roads were quickly repaired.
However, the caravan in my memory is now our caravan.
The ground shook, and dirt and rocks rolled down from the surrounding mountains.
The horses were panicking.
“Calm the horses down!”
“I can't calm them down.”
“Then let them go!”
“Yes!”
“Everyone, move away from the carriages! Don't stick your heads out! You'll die if you get hit on the head!”
Having experienced something like this before, Head Escort Mak Chung calmly gave orders.
Come to think of it, Seo Woo Musha is also calm.
“Are earthquakes common in Yunnan?”
“They happen often.”
I see.
Like traveling, escorting is definitely an extreme profession.
Just then.
“Young master!”
Jin-ho's bodyguard shouted.
When I turned my head, I saw Hyung-nim Jin-ho, who couldn't withstand the shaking of the ground, falling toward the cliff beside the road.
Why, Hyung-nim Jin-ho?
Looking closely, it seemed that he had tried to protect Hangsu.
My body moved faster than my mind.
It seemed to be thanks to my Master's training.
I grabbed Hyung-nim Jin-ho's arm and pulled him up.
Thud!
Jin-ho landed on the ground, but he hadn't anticipated the recoil.
Our positions had reversed.
I felt the ground beneath my feet give way, and I let go of Jin-ho's hand.
“Seo-ho!”
Jin-ho's face, screaming toward me, was my last memory.