The Delivery Flagbearer.
In the delivery business, the most important thing is to have the food arrive warm and quickly, without getting cold or burnt. To achieve that, speed is essential.
If it were modern times, I would have used motorcycles, but in this martial arts world, there’s no such thing. Without motorcycles, I need a way to create feet faster than any bike.
I would teach the delivery people Light Body Movement to deliver orders further and faster. The scope of the delivery business would expand, and martial artists with martial arts training could also help calm down any minor fights at taverns.
It was certainly worth a try, but there was one significant problem.
“I understand what you’re saying. But, Club Leader, even without Light Body Movement, you need at least a second-rate inner strength to use it. It’s impossible in just a day or two.”
Inner strength. Ultimately, it was a matter of inner strength. The 5 years of inner strength I had accumulated from my daily Qi Breakfast every morning. One needs at least that much to utilize Light Body Movement.
Of course, I had a few solutions to resolve this issue.
“I plan to teach a form of Light Body Movement specifically for delivery.”
“A form of Light Body Movement for delivery? What’s that?”
“It requires less inner strength than other martial arts, but consumes it quickly. If trained properly, it can be used even with inner strength at the lower end of the third-grade level.”
Im Ha-yeon chimed in beside me.
Though I sometimes forgot, she was also a martial arts genius—The Shadowless Thief. It would be easy for her to improve upon the generic Light Body Movement available in the market.
“Wow. So there is a modified martial art for covering long distances in Light Body Movement. However, even at the lower end of the third-grade level, it will still require 3 to 4 years of inner strength.”
But I had a solution for that too.
“I plan to offer elixirs to talented children.”
I had a Jumping Level-Up Ticket—or rather, an experience point booster of my own.
“Elixirs?! How can you afford such a precious item?!”
There’s a type of elixir, like red ginseng candy, that can help boost inner strength for third-rate folks. Of course, I thought of deducting it from the membership fee.
“Additionally, those delivery people who diligently train and show remarkable growth will have good job opportunities, like at the post office, introduced to them later.”
I had also brought in the motivation for the delivery guys to learn martial arts. But after hearing that, Choi Pyosa’s complexion darkened.
“Club Leader, the post offices in the Central Plains don’t want Joseon people with uncertain identities.”
“Oh? Is that so?”
“Trust is the lifeblood of the profession. Of course, there are cases like mine where someone gets hired by a small, unreliable post office. Do you know what happens then?”
“What happens?”
“You get treated like a discard. When I started as a postman, I had two Joseon friends with me. One friend died in our first year and the other one in our tenth year. By my twentieth year, I became a lame duck as a reward for successfully completing impossible missions.”
“…”
“Club Leader, while we have black hair, we will forever be outsiders in this land of the Central Plains. Just because a martial artist studies martial arts doesn’t mean good job opportunities suddenly come easier.”
Regret was dripping from Choi Pyosa’s words.
But I had already thought about this situation.
“What about the Seocheon Post Office?”
If I could introduce a post office where there wouldn’t be any problems, that should settle everything.
“Are you talking about the Seocheon Post Office run by the Sichuan Tang Family?”
“I have been treated like a guest at the Tang Family, and I already have their approval. Besides, my business is set to progress further with the Seocheon Post Office, so they’ll have to watch what they do around me. Don’t worry about it.”
“Ha ha ha.”
“A flagbearer is a person who holds the flag at the forefront of a battlefield. If these flagbearers can live lives not merely surviving from day to day, but thinking about the future, they will surely invigorate the Joseon community in the years to come.”
A society where everyone lives well together. I spoke to him as if I was someone painting a grand picture.
In reality, though, it was more about me living a little better.
“Wow… The greatest blessing for the Wuhan Joseon community in the past few decades seems to be the Club Leader, Kang Yoon-ho. I will do my utmost.”
Ultimately, I succeeded in persuading Choi Pyosa to become the martial arts teacher for the delivery people.
———————-
After finishing my discussion with Choi Pyosa, I stepped outside to see the sun begin to set.
What should I have for dinner with Im Ha-yeon? I had been so busy all day that I didn’t take the time to consider her feelings when I made the suggestion.
“It’s already this late. Do you have something you want to eat?”
“I have a place in mind. Follow me.”
Im Ha-yeon readily stepped forward at my words.
Where is she taking me? A fancy restaurant, perhaps? I didn’t mind much. She had been going through a lot lately, so I couldn’t help but think I’d be willing to spend at least that much.
However, the place she brought me was entirely opposite of my expectations.
“There’s a restaurant like this here?”
A little shop, tucked away from the bustling streets. A thin stream of smoke was wafting from what looked like a restaurant.
“Welcome! Hey! Club Leader! Hello!”
As we entered the shop, a black-haired man with a bit of a mustache began to greet us.
“Please tell me this isn’t…”
“It’s a restaurant run by Joseon folks like you. Can we sit here?”
Who did she hear this from? Im Ha-yeon pointed to an empty seat.
“Sit down! Club Leader! Should I call your mother from the kitchen?”
“That’s okay. Just bring the food.”
“Yes. What would you like to have?”
What do they serve here? I looked at Im Ha-yeon a bit puzzled, and she just smiled wider and held up two fingers.
“Two bowls of spicy pork soup, please.”
“Sure!”
“Please give me extra green onion.”
“Whoa! You know how to eat, pretty lady! I’ll bring it right away.”
So it was a pork soup place, huh? In the back of my mind, I recalled tales where members of the community mentioned how a bowl of soup would make a bottle of alcohol slide down easily.
So this was that place.
“Add some boiled pork as well.”
I quickly called over the man to add my order.
“Yes, Club Leader!”
“Is this alright?”
I asked Im Ha-yeon while looking around the shabby interior of the place.
We could’ve gone to a nicer place.
“Given our situation, would you want to order high-class food at a prestigious restaurant?”
“Hahaha…”
With the exams for Man Geum-jeon and Sim Moon, it really was a matter of squeezing everything to expand the business.
“So, was it delicious?”
Suddenly, a sharp question pierced through. Was that a sudden interrogation?
Though the subject and object of the sentence were omitted, I was not oblivious to the underlying meaning behind the question.
“Not all food, even if it’s fancy, tastes good.”
It was delicious, though.
“If you’re having meals with a beautiful woman, it’s bound to taste good, right?”
I admit it.
But if I spoke without a filter here, I could be in for a soup shower.
With one hand resting on my chin, I shot a rather cheeky smile at Im Ha-yeon.
“So, I was waiting for this delicious meal.”
“…”
In the shabby pork soup restaurant, the cheeks of the woman with stunning beauty even among the vast Wuhan slightly trembled.
“I find meals like this, where I can eat comfortably with a close person, taste much better.”
Fortunately, my reaction seemed to be good.
I cheekily poked at Im Ha-yeon, whose tense expression was about to crack.
“Haa… If you can’t even speak…”
Im Ha-yeon sighed softly, and then a gentle smile spread across her previously tense face.
Thank goodness, that was a safe pass. I could have ended up with soup either going into my mouth or up my nose.
“Your spicy pork soup has arrived!”
“Let’s eat.”
This must be a proper pork soup place. This is the first time I’ve seen soup served after boiling.
As I was about to add salt and pepper to my soup and dig in, Im Ha-yeon suddenly gave me a look. Why’s that?
“You can’t just eat spicy pork soup with just salt! Here, eat it with some green onions too.”
Im Ha-yeon lovingly picked up some chives with her chopsticks and placed them on my spoon.
“Where’d you learn this…?”
How does a Central Plains woman know traditional Busan cuisine?
“Thanks to your employees who taught me well.”
“They even taught you such things?”
“They said they must teach me about Joseon culture since I’m part of the family, addressing me as ‘Sister-in-law.’ Previously, they were arguing over what goes best with sundae, with dipping sauces like Ssamjang and Gochujang.”
Im Ha-yeon seemed to recall the scene then, giving a look that seemed almost comical.
“Hahaha. They think of you as family after all.”
A group of people from the same hometown gathered in a foreign land usually tends to form a closed community.
Especially in the Central Plains, where they’re looked down upon as barbarians. Naturally, they bind together and help one another; hence the closed nature.
But perhaps due to my relationship with Im Ha-yeon, or perhaps due to her unique sociability, there was a general atmosphere of acceptance among them.
“Hmm… It’s not bad at all.”
With a hint of nasal voice, Im Ha-yeon smiled as she stirred the soup.
Initially, she had gotten angry every time I called her ‘Sister-in-law.’ But now it seemed she was too tired to keep denying it. What a significant improvement.
“Considering there’s more work piling up, I hope this doesn’t make you busier, Im Ha-yeon.”
I gobbled down the soup and asked her.
“Teaching the delivery guys Light Body Movement?”
“Yes.”
“Creating it might be a hassle, but the learning will be quick for them, right? It’s not like a groundbreaking new technique; it’s just a basic form of Light Body Movement. It’s selecting talented kids that will be the difficult part.”
“You don’t really have to worry about that.”
“Really?”
“The children with solid backgrounds, good personalities, and signs of talent will be picked up in the Joseon community meetings.”
“Are they selecting kids to use as your employees?”
“Exactly. All you have to do is select from the kids they’ve chosen.”
I had no intention of burdening her.
If she rose to the position of managing people, she could leave those tedious matters to others.
“That’s a relief to hear.”
Im Ha-yeon seemed to realize I had finished my soup as she wiped away her sweat and wrapped up her remaining meal.
It felt oddly unfamiliar to be eating pork soup with a woman who looked like she would only go to Michelin-starred high-end restaurants.
“I’m always grateful.”
I took a handkerchief out of my pocket and handed it to her, speaking in a serious tone.
“No, I… Uh. Was the soup tasty?”
She turned away suddenly as if caught off guard, asking me.
“It tasted like the Dongnae port of Joseon.”
It was a taste that warmed my heart.
“Hmm. Is that so? Then today, I’ll take care of the bill.”
“What are you talking about? Of course, I… huh?”
As I got up to pay, Im Ha-yeon firmly grabbed my sleeve.
What do you mean by paying? You don’t have any money for that. Get your salary straightened out before you talk like that. I thought about saying that, but her expression was infinitely serious.
Did she have something to say?
As I sat back down, Im Ha-yeon kept her hand on my sleeve, looking sweetly at me as she spoke.
“Even without spending a lot of money, we can have fun and be happy with just this. So let’s continue to endure together a bit longer.”
Her voice was filled with a mix of sadness and apology.
It seems like, just as I sometimes express my gratitude to her, she wanted to convey her thanks and remorse to me this time.
Then there was only one thing for me to say.
“I had a great meal.”
“So did I.”
————
A few days after notifying the community that we’d started the first phase and explaining the tale of the Delivery Flagbearer,
It would take quite a while to teach a third-rate martial artist sufficient Light Body Movement. Therefore, the selection process was conducted cautiously.
“You!”
Then, Im Ha-yeon burst into my office, barging through the door.
“What’s going on?”
“Hmm? What were you doing?”
“I was organizing things.”
I had been tidying up the papers piled up chaotically on my desk.
“And I told you to clean up regularly. Why do I always have to repeat myself? What’s in that box? I’ve never seen it before.”
Im Ha-yeon asked as she eyed the luxurious box I was hastily putting away in my drawer.
Inside the box was something far pricier than the box itself, but it wasn’t worth bringing up.
“Nothing much. But why are you suddenly barging in? What do you need?”
“Come out. I think you need to deal with this.”
What could it be?
————
“What’s everyone doing? The Club Leader is coming!”
“Hello, everyone!”
“What’s going on?”
As I descended from the inn, I found Sam-gu and several strong Joseon youths waiting for me.
“Club Leader! If we learn martial arts and work as delivery people, will you really recommend us for the Seocheon Post Office?”
“Word is spreading in the community!”
The young men approached me eagerly as soon as they greeted me.
“Whoa! This kid’s being rude in front of the Club Leader! Who are you to take initiative when the Club Leader hasn’t even spoken yet?”
“I’m sorry!”
The youths ducked down in unison at Choi Il-gu’s rebuke.
It seems they came to see me due to rumors about teaching delivery people martial arts.
“It’s true that I’m thinking of selecting some talented ones to recommend to become postmen. But, Choi Il-gu, what’s going on here?”
I glared at Choi Il-gu, who looked flustered.
“These fellows learned some martial arts in the Wuhan Joseon community. They’re at least at the threshold of second-rate fighters.”
“Second-rate martial artists?”
What do martial artists who already know martial arts want here?
The plan was to cultivate third-rate martial artists to learn Light Body Movement to eventually make them second-rate fighters.
But why were these second-rate martial artists coming here when they could have just that?
As I wore a confused expression, the young men who had been observing me quickly bowed again and shouted.
“Club Leader! Please let us be part of the Delivery Flagbearer!”
