Chronicles of the Lazy Sovereign Chapter 16

# 16

Taejonbirok Volume 1 Episode 16

Chapter 6 – Fox and Dog Jang Il (1)

First impression?

Did you say first impression?

It was very intense.

There will never be a stronger first impression than that.

When I was a young beggar, I once saw a notorious murderer named Bloodthirsty Demon in Gangbuk.

I thought I would never be scared of a person again after seeing that hideous sight of him covered in blood, but that thought was shattered the moment I saw him.

what?

Martial arts?

That's not it.

No, I said no.

It's not that kind of surprise… … So let's see, how should I explain it?

Amazement at the being who mercilessly crushed my pride, which I thought would never be lacking in one field?

What do you mean?

Anyway, it's hard to explain in words.

But it was really, really intense.

It was really intense, really.

* * *

Jang Il was very embarrassed now.

'Let's see… … .'

When was the last time he was this flustered?

When did you first see the Bloodthirsty Demon in the past?

'No.'

Or when he found out that the beggar who brought him in when he had nowhere to go was the Elder of Openness?

'It seems a little bit more severe.'

When you find out that the stupid Jeongchil who couldn't even ask for food and was always yelling and kicking people is actually the lost only child of a high-ranking official?

'Well, it's definitely more of a shock than that.'

Jang Il looked at the person who had embarrassed him.

the poor.

It was difficult to express it in other words.

He was just a beggar.

The problem wasn't that he was a beggar. No one would be shocked by the sight of a beggar.

Especially, it was safe to say that a beggar who lived with beggars every day like Jang Il would never feel shocked when he saw another beggar.

The problem was that something that could never happen and should not happen was happening now.

How did this happen?

The beggar that Jang-il saw right now was qualitatively different from the countless groups of beggars he had seen so far.

Ah, it was different.

Anyone could tell that this was no ordinary beggar. He was literally a true beggar. Jang Il felt awe at the feeling of seeing a beggar among beggars, something he had never imagined.

First, those clothes!

The clothes of beggars are usually dirty and patched together, so they are no different from rags. Beggars who cannot get proper clothes sometimes find straws and roll them up roughly and walk around.

So, beggar clothes were all similar.

Some people feel individuality in beggar clothes, but that individuality is a result without purpose, so beggar clothes cannot represent a person's characteristics.

At least that's what Jang Il thought so far.

But the beggar in front of him now was wearing clothes of a different dimension.

'It's as if I've been wearing those clothes my whole life, traveling through all kinds of remote and rugged places.'

The clothes worn by the beggar in front of me seemed to have the elegance of an antique, beyond history and tradition.

Well, that's fine.

The clothes might be a little dirty or worn out.

Even that strange piece of cloth, which moves between the subtle boundary between rags and clothes and maintains the form and purpose of clothing in a very ambiguous manner, can be seen as a compromise that it is a type of clothing that can exist in the world.

However, the hands and feet revealed through the rags were clearly those of a beggar.

Should I say that it feels like a dried-out bone walking around with only skin on it?

I thought it would be just like that if I sprinkled water on my throat and made it swell a little.

If the body had been lying on the floor instead of standing, Jang Il would have called the kids without a moment's hesitation and told them to remove the body.

The problem was that the corpse was now standing there, staring at him.

"hmm……."

Jang Il savored this fresh shock.

Moreover, the mud that had clung to Moknae's hands and feet looked like it had not touched water for at least several years, even to this beggar of beggars.

Even if a beggar lives without washing, as long as there are rivers and it rains, he cannot live without touching water. And even a beggar has a basic desire for cleanliness, so it is not the case that he does not wash at all.

But the beggar in front of me was mercilessly breaking Jang Il's common sense.

furthermore…….

The face that could be seen occasionally through the long hair that had clearly gone unnoticed for years was almost skeletal, beyond ominous.

'Should I call this a beggar or a ghost?'

Jang Il was extremely embarrassed.

Even to him, who was in charge of the opening ceremony of the Bunta, the being in front of him was a true beggar, something he had never seen before.

Even if you go to an open market, you won't find such beggars.

Jang-il, who had lived as a beggar and would continue to live as one, shuddered at the feeling of his common sense about beggars being shattered. He felt the humiliation of having his self-esteem and pride as a beggar shattered piece by piece by a beggar who was not even open-minded.

While Jang-il was still in shock, the beggar's mouth slowly opened.

“Is this place open?”

Jang Il nodded without realizing it.

Yet, he trembled with a strange feeling.

It was difficult to guess the age of the beggar who was clearly in front of me.

But it would take a long time to acquire the dignity of a beggar to that extent.

The strange thing is that the voice heard is surprisingly quite thin and refreshing.

If you just listen to the voice, it's barely a contract?

But judging by his appearance, he looks to be at least over 50 years old.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Jang Il felt sad once again as his pride crumbled away moment by moment.

It was essential for a beggar to figure out someone's identity, age, and psychological state just by looking at their appearance.

That way, you won't have to break a bowl and eat it while begging.

Jang Il's pride, which he had been proud of as a master at least in this field, was shattered in an instant and fell to the floor.

“I came here to ask you something.”

“……What?”

Jang Il's reaction came out nervously.

When people see something that is outside their understanding, they tend to be wary.

“That’s a bit much…….”

Jang Il looked the beggar in front of him up and down and snorted.

“Money?”

“Do I have to pay?”

Hey there, hey there.

How can you be a beggar when you don't know anything about the world?

If information is fast, you're a beggar.

If the information is late, it's not strange for a beggar to die.

There were many beggars who went to a house that usually gave them plenty of food and asked for food without knowing what was going on, broke the bowl, became swollen all over their body, and bled.

The reason there is so much information in openness is because beggars are that sensitive to information.

“Then is there anything free in this world? You want to give information to beggars who can’t even afford to eat without paying a single penny?”

“That’s definitely a problem.”

“Since we are in the same industry, I would like to do it for free if possible, but here too, there are rules.”

“Similar industry?”

“Because it’s the same thing.”

The monster shook his head.

“Isn’t that the beggar?”

“…….”

Jang Il felt sad.

The perfect beggar, whom he had never seen in his twenty years of life, and had never thought he would ever see, was now denying that he was a beggar.

“A beggar?”

“No.”

"padrone?"

“I said no.”

Jang Il was angry.

“Anyone can tell he’s a beggar, but he’s not!”

But the monster was also angry.

“You call a beggar when you see a normal person! How can I be a beggar!”

Jang Il frowned as he watched the beggar's reaction.

Surely there's something strange about this reaction?

“……When was the last time you saw Tokyo?”

“Five years ago?”

Jang Il nodded.

That was understandable.

Judging from his behavior, he doesn't look like he's been near a river for five years. If you didn't know what he looked like, you might argue that he's not a beggar.

But that's not true.

It was time to tell this beggar the truth.

“It’s better to admit it now. You’re a complete loser to anyone. Of course, admitting it won’t be easy, but if you let it go, everything will be easier.”

“I told you I’m not a beggar!”

“Ugh, anyway, if you don’t have money, you can’t get information or anything, so go ahead.”

The monster hesitated a little, looking a bit embarrassed, then slowly opened his mouth.

“Is there no other way? I don’t have any money…….”

“Or you can earn money by begging.”

“Why are you begging when you’re not even a beggar!”

“It’s not that a beggar begs, but that you become a beggar after begging. It looks like you haven’t even eaten anything yet, so you should learn how to beg at least this time. I’m saying this because I feel sorry for you. If you just put a basket in front of the seat you’re sitting in, you’ll make a lot of money, so why are you wasting that talent?”

“Okay, just teach me how.”

“The method is…….”

At that moment, a brilliant idea occurred to Jang Il.

“……Want to do some work?”

“What's going on?”

“It’s really easy and convenient. Just sit down! No, just lie down. Just do this for two days and I’ll give you the information I want! But it won’t be difficult!”

The beggar nodded slightly.

“Well, that’s about it.”

"okay?"

A smile appeared on Jang Il's lips.

The beggar, no, Wi Yeon-ho was sad.

It was very sad.

'This isn't it… … .'

Jang Il kept his word.

Wi Yeon-ho really didn't have to do anything.

All you had to do was sit down for a while, and if that was too much trouble, you could just lie down and roll around.

No, rather, Jang-il would be delighted if he could at least get some sleep.

Still, Wei Yanhu was infinitely sad.

While he was lying down, Jang-il fell down before him and cried.

“Ku …

“…….”

“It’s already been five days since I’ve had a bite to eat! Father! I’m sorry! Fellow disciples, please help me! My father!”

There was no need to shout loudly.

People who were interested in Jang Il, who was crying like a beggar, wiped the moisture from their eyes and took out the money in their pockets one by one and left when they saw Wi Yeon-ho lying down.

There seemed to be something about Wei Yanho's appearance that people could not just look at and pass by.

Even the tearful women and the warriors who looked like they wouldn't bleed even if pricked with a needle forcibly hid their distorted faces, took coins out of their sleeves, threw them, and ran away.

Some people even ran home crying loudly and took money to give to charity.

In an instant, coins piled up like a mountain in front of Jang Il and Wi Yeon-ho.

Then, after Jang-il collected the money that had accumulated to a certain extent, he waited for some time and then cried again and looked for his father, and once again, the coins piled up like a mountain.

After repeating this several times, the coins piled up in the basket I brought to the point where they couldn't fit any more.

It was a very successful begging.

But Wei Yanhui just stared blankly at the sky.

'This isn't it… … .'

Wi Yeon-ho felt infinitely sad.