As soon as I saw Moyong Mo, I quickly jumped off the mine cart and hid behind it.
Could there be such a streak of bad luck?
Of all days, I had to meet Moyong Mo on the day I was sneaking in as a miner.
The moment I spotted Moyong Mo, all the mischief I had caused in the mine today flashed in my mind.
The heightened sense of obligation I attained by reaching the peak of Hwa-gyeong.
I got so carried away with that sensation that I exceeded the limits of propriety.
“Welcome!”
Fortunately, Moyong Mo and his group paid more attention to the supervisors who came running out of the mine than to my hasty hiding behind the cart.
“Yes, Director Jang. You’ve worked hard.”
“I apologize! I should have come out to meet you earlier…”
As the supervisor bowed repeatedly and fumbled, a thin merchant who seemed to hold a high position glanced at me and spoke up.
“But isn’t the safety management rather lacking considering the hard work? You’re letting people ride in the mine cart?”
“Oh! No! It was merely to boost morale as we had a lot of miners who extracted ores today!”
“Huh. As someone in charge…”
Just as the thin merchant was putting pressure on the supervisor…
“Hahahahaha!!”
Moyong Mo’s laugh cut through the merchant’s words.
“It truly looks like you enjoy your work! Hahahaha!!”
As Moyong Mo laughed heartily, the thin merchant immediately changed his tone, releasing the pressure on the supervisor.
“Huh. It seems this Jang only knows one side of the matter and neglected the other. Just as maintaining safety is crucial, boosting miners’ morale is just as important.”
“Hahaha! How can I blame you? You simply did what you had to do!”
“No, no. To govern the subordinates, one must know ten things, but I had pretended I grasped everything just knowing one fact… I have received a great realization from you today, Great Hero Moyong Mo.”
“Hahaha! That’s fortunate!”
I couldn’t help but marvel at the scene before my eyes.
A rookie pretending to have genuinely learned something from a mere comment, while Moyong Mo, falling for his act, wore a smile that said, “Well, I accomplished something during this inspection.”
“I will look into ways to boost miners’ morale and report.”
“Sorry for piling on unnecessary work.”
“That’s absurd! We must continually strive for the mine’s progress, right?”
“Hahahahaha!”
“Hehehehehe!”
Their banter bewildered not just the miners but also the supervisors.
“Now, let’s check the harvest!”
“Hmm! Just by looking, the yield is tremendous! Is this what was mined in just one day?”
“That’s right. Isn’t this a remarkable insight from the Moyong Clan to explore new veins?”
The thin sycophant was buttering up Moyong Mo like it was second nature.
“Hahaha! The miners must have worked incredibly hard.”
Suddenly, Moyong Mo turned to look in my direction.
“Are you the miner who worked the hardest today?”
“Y-Yes, that would be me.”
Yeo Gwang-soo stared at me with a peculiar look. It made sense, given my suddenly altered voice.
“Mmm…”
Out of nowhere, Moyong Mo was glaring at me.
…Have I been caught?
While Moyong Mo had a bit of a tendency to overly feign joviality and get swept away by the sycophant merchant, he was still a peak expert and wasn’t entirely clueless.
If he were truly oblivious, he wouldn’t have even considered the option of taking my drinks in that inn back then.
Moyong Mo had a doubtful expression.
He definitely seemed uncertain.
Of course, the Hwa-gyeong martial artist I met back at the inn and I are not the same person, right?
What kind of Hwa-gyeong expert would disguise themselves as a miner and swing a pickaxe?
Trust your instincts! Moyong Mo!
Perhaps my little encouragement worked.
Of course not.
Just as I saw Moyong Mo nod in that dubious expression.
“Oh my! Don’t even mention it! Half of today’s mined iron ore was extracted by me!”
The supervisor interrupted, spitting as he cut in.
“He worked so well! Every time he swung the pickaxe, the ores fell freely; it was truly miraculous!”
Hearing the supervisor’s words, Moyong Mo’s face hardened once more.
“He swings the pickaxe with such intensity, akin to a martial artist wielding their sword! In my ten years as a supervisor, I’ve never seen anyone work as well as this person!”
Yup. It was over.
I abandoned all hope and turned to Moyong Mo.
Looking into the trembling eyes of Moyong Mo was a sign that it was pointless to deny any longer.
Seeing this, the scheming merchant asked curiously, “Do you know him?”
“…Ha…Haha! Of course not! It’s just that he looks a bit like a certain younger brother of mine!”
“Huh, what a curious coincidence. It seems that Great Hero Moyong Mo has deep ties with this mine.”
“Haha! Hahaha! Hahaha!”
Moyong Mo laughed repeatedly with an awkward voice and eventually left with the merchants.
The fact that he didn’t even share a glance with me till the very end was just icing on the cake.
As Moyong Mo departed, he shivered.
-I’ll see you later at Seou Inn. Younger Brother.
It was because I sent a secret message.
Watching the retreating figure of Moyong Mo, I licked my lips. Could that guy be silenced?
“Hey, you all! You’ve worked hard today! Hahahaha! Yes, especially you! You did great!”
The supervisor seemed to think he had made a first impression on Moyong Mo and was bursting with laughter.
Why was he so confident that he earned points?
The thin merchant, the actual superior, was probably obliged to come up with a morale-boosting plan because of the supervisor’s antics.
In my mind, it seemed he had definitely lost points, yet for some reason, the supervisor looked particularly pleased.
“Does that Great Hero Moyong Mo visit often?”
“Very much so! You could say he’s the only one from the Moyong Clan who conducts field inspections!”
“Oh, it seems others don’t frequently come.”
“Well, in the past, other folks from the Moyong Clan used to drop by for inspections, but lately, it’s only been Great Hero Moyong Mo.”
As the supervisor cheerfully responded to my question, he suddenly realized something and pulled out work certificates from his pocket to hand out.
“Come on! Time to clock out early! Wrapping it up tomorrow! Hahahaha!”
The miners’ faces brightened considerably.
After all, who would dislike early quitting?
“Wow! Thanks to you, I’m experiencing an early clock-out!”
“It seems even that nefarious supervisor can’t help but acknowledge your efforts!”
“That truly was a divine pickaxe swing!”
On my way down the mountain, the miners showered me with compliments.
Rejecting their offers to drink, saying I was too tired…
“Of course. You did quite a performance today.”
Though I wished to conclude our camaraderie over a drink when their favorability rose, my immediate concern was with Moyong Mo.
If Moyong Mo opened his mouth, I wouldn’t be able to play the role of the miner any longer, so whose favorability mattered, really?
“You! You were born to be a miner! You’ll achieve greatness, so don’t give up!”
With Yeo Gwang-soo sending me off, I headed toward the inn where I planned to meet Moyong Mo.
There, I saw Moyong Mo waiting for me with a worried expression.
“Hahaha! Younger Brother, were you waiting for me?”
“Y-Yes, older brother…”
Moyong Mo wore a slightly awkward smile.
“I was quite surprised to run into you at the mine today!”
“…I never imagined I would see you there either. Why were you disguised as a miner in the Moyong Clan’s mine?”
Moyong Mo’s face held a look of suspicion.
It was only natural that he would be on guard since an unknown Hwa-gyeong martial artist was sneaking around his turf.
“Younger Brother!”
“Yes.”
That’s why I expressed my frustration.
“How disappointing!”
“…Excuse me?”
“Do you think I would just allow anyone to refer to me as an older brother? I was genuinely drawn in by your jolliness that day…! Yet, you’re trying to avoid me!”
A deep look of suspicion crossed Moyong Mo’s face for a moment.
“I heard your companions are mingling with the Moyong Yeon-hwa from the main house…”
“Exactly!”
“What?”
“That’s why I disguised myself as a miner to get into the mine!”
Confusion flickered across Moyong Mo’s face.
“Younger Brother! I want to nurture our bond, but I have my standing also! Naturally, I must mingle with the folks from the main house when my companions are present!”
“…Is that so?”
“Haha! You’re being naive!”
I struck my chest in frustration as I spoke passionately.
“With my elevated status, what reason do I have to disguise myself as a mere miner? It’s all to meet you!”
“Hmmm.”
“Well, I’m not oblivious to the rivalry between the Moyong Clan and the Shengsu Faction, so how could I forge ties with you while having Moyong Yeon-hwa, the Miss, right beside me? I heard you’ve been inspecting the mine thoroughly, and the rumors have spread wide!”
“Is that so?”
Moyong Mo’s lips curled slightly.
“Yes! No one attends to the mines as well as you do! Upon hearing that rumor, what came to mind was: ‘Surely, this young one will be working hard to calm the many rumors that will arise due to the arrival of folks from the main house! If I sneak in as a miner, I’ll get to see him!’”
“You did indeed come to meet me by sneaking into the mines?”
“Precisely! I braved the labor just to catch a glimpse of your face!”
I rolled my eyes dramatically while watching Moyong Mo.
“Well, it was indeed nice to witness your passionate performance…”
“Older brother…”
Moyong Mo, seemingly touched, looked at me and suddenly rose in decision, striking his fist.
“I apologize! Older brother! Forgive me for this misunderstanding! I briefly failed to recognize your sincere intentions and entertained ill thoughts!”
…Am I being fooled?
That thought briefly crossed my mind, but then I realized that it seemed more realistic to say a Hwa-gyeong martial artist sneaked into a mine disguised as a miner, rather than just being crazy.
The former would just be a madman, while the latter has at least some romance.
Hmm.
When I eventually report to Moyong Seo, I’ll assert that my actions were designed to extract information from Moyong Mo.
“That’s alright! I also admit to having acted in a way that could lead to misunderstandings! So, let’s clear all confusion and drink until we’re wasted!”
“Yes, older brother!”
Raising my cup to extract insider information from Moyong Mo, he teetered with tears in his eyes.
* *
My impression of Moyong Mo was simple.
Just a conceited brat living life on his terms.
Even without the fact that he belonged to the Shengsu Faction’s branch clan, he didn’t back down even when being glared at by his companions. His excessive display of heroic demeanor and the way he was manipulated by those scheming merchants in the mine were more than enough evidence.
But as I shared wine with him and listened to his words, my perspective slightly shifted.
“I felt the mining town seemed even more run down than before; it didn’t sit well with me.”
He might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but it looked like he had some genuine concern.
“As long as one works diligently, good results will inevitably follow.”
“Hahaha! That’s right! I’ve been feeling a bit disheartened lately due to the lack of results, but your encouragement has invigorated me!”
He seemed rather thirsty for recognition, and just a few words of praise made him beam, which felt a bit pitiful.
“Things are tough. It’s really tough… The prominent righteous faction nearby does not regard us favorably, and that perception shows no signs of changing.”
Moyong Mo sighed deeply.
“Still, isn’t it wrong for them to hound the young ladies so persistently?”
A bitter look flickered across Moyong Mo’s face.
“I know it’s absurd to engage them, but what can I do when they don’t even respond?”
“Hmmm.”
I began to harbor doubts.
Setting aside results, I knew that Moyong Mo was earnestly working hard for the Faction. But why was the Shengsu Faction letting him just run around like this?
It was clear that Moyong Mo held a sense of responsibility and wasn’t a bad person.
But that’s all there was to him.
He was a rich kid, spoiled and clueless about the world, with a significant lack of experience in every aspect.
The excessive hearty laughter he displayed while trying to be honest and how he clung desperately to his companions felt like excess enthusiasm that would only create chaos.
But why wasn’t the Moyong Clan keeping a tighter leash on someone like him?
Suddenly, the supervisor’s words flashed through my mind.
He said the other members of the Moyong Clan hardly ever dropped by.
“The mine is our clan’s matter, but wouldn’t it be wise to seek help from others?”
Moyong Mo let out a long sigh and emptied his cup.
“Everyone’s got their own work to handle.”
“Things to handle, huh?”
That was a significant statement.
Was there something else competing for attention in the Shengsu Faction besides the mine?
“Huh, so besides focusing on the mine, does the Shengsu Faction have other matters to attend to?”
I cautiously probed, but Moyong Mo kept his lips sealed and merely drank.
Could it be that there wasn’t enough trust to discuss these intimate matters?
“Drink up!”
“Yes, older brother!”
Rather than greedily prying for secrets, I focused on comforting Moyong Mo. I figured it would be better to build rapport and gather clues gradually rather than recklessly digging for secrets.
And the next day.
I promptly headed straight to Moyong Seo and Moyong Yeon-hwa.
Moyong Seo and Moyong Yeon-hwa gasped in astonishment upon hearing about my achievements.
“Huh… So you managed both to win Moyong Mo’s heart and grasp the dynamics of the mine in one fell swoop. What a brilliant stratagem!”
“To infiltrate the mine as a miner for handling matters of the main house… Truly, you didn’t shy away from any labor.”
“Too kind.”
“No, that’s no flattery. It’s something I never would have imagined. You certainly did well putting this in your hands.”
Listening to Moyong Seo’s praises made me feel a bit bashful, and I cleared my throat.
“Even being humble…”
Just like that, it seemed my favorability rating had risen a notch with Moyong Seo.
“Hmm, but it’s clear something is brewing inside the Faction.”
“Right. It makes sense. There must be something they trust to avoid causing a commotion.”
Moyong Seo stroked his beard while frowning.
“My intuition says it’s not good. We need to check this out for certain.”
“Perhaps the two of you could look into the internal atmosphere within the Shengsu Faction.”
Even if the main house and Shengsu Faction were at odds, it would be hard to refuse a visit from Moyong Seo, who was like a senior elder of the Moyong Clan.
“Absolutely not.”
However, Moyong Seo flatly rejected my proposal.
“It would be better for Yeon-hwa and you to infiltrate the Faction.”
Instead, he threw out a suggestion I hadn’t even considered.
