Work Hard

Songs played in a certain village

"Excuse me, sorry! Please pardon us-" Cale could hear Choi Han apologizing over and over as he walked through the crowd of people on the street. He also saw Choi Han occasionally looking back to see if he was able to catch up with him. Cale would always give him a small nod to tell him that he's fine. Of course, he did not even come close to being alright in reality.

W-why did he have to touch that place? I know that it was really crowded with people and it was probably unintentional, but... And especially with it being there...! Cale could feel his face heating up as his expression became bashful.

He looked up to see that Choi Han had stopped walking. Cale quickly stopped himself as well, so as to not repeat the embarrassing incident. Ahh, and why did I have to let out such an odd sound? He was so absorbed in that memory to the point that he didn't realize the lack of people or noises around him.

"Cale-nim." Choi Han's voice was stiff. Cale raised one of his eyebrows in confusion, his still flushed face slowly calming down. "Is that a flute?" Now Cale was perplexed. He walked up to Choi Han and began to hear a tune.

Once he stood next to Choi Han, he could see a man who seemed to be around 40 years of age, standing on the ground . The man was wearing the outfit of any other citizens, though it did look like it had been years since he bought new clothes. He was also holding an instrument that was very similar to a flute and played a relaxing yet sweet melody.

Cale stared at the man and touched the back of his pant pockets while looking towards Choi Han. He could see his innocent face with a calm expression as he closed his eyes, enjoying the music along with the gentle breeze passing by them. Cale smiled and once again looked at the man.

He was now playing a more cheerful song, tapping his feet to match the tune. The man also seemed to be enjoying himself while he played the melody, smiling as he blew into the instrument. People were starting to gather around the man one by one.

When the man finished the song and looked up, he saw a crowd gathering in front of him. His face became flustered, but then he saw something that couldn't compare to the shock from before.

Clang

A small pouch with silver and gold coins plopped in front of him. The man stared at the bag for a moment before looking up to see a hooded man with his arms crossed. He saw the red-brown eyes looking back at him with a gentle gaze.

"Could you perhaps play another song?" The man felt as if he could see a halo on the robed man's head. "O-of course! Would you like to request a song?" He was just doing this to relief some of his accumulated stress. He had been having financial troubles for who knows how long, and had to take on so many jobs that just thinking about it made his head hurt.

Sure, he did get a coin or two from passerby's, but that was all. If he was lucky, a group like this would gather to listen to him before dispersing back into the street, leaving him with a small mound of copper coins. But this...

I can finally repay all the debt with this! The man had to say something to the person who basically resolved his father's debt for him. He was waiting for a response from this angel-like person and finally heard his voice. "Mm, then play a song he wants." He saw the robed man pointing his thumb at a black haired swordsman. He then also looked at the boy who became nervous.

"C-Cale-nim? What song should I choose?" Choi Han's quiet but anxious whisper slipped through Cale's mind whose face was as nonchalant as ever. "Any song you want. It's your day, so you should at least enjoy some music." When Cale saw the nervous Choi Han, he suggested something. "Maybe music that would make you nostalgic."

Choi Han paused for a bit, his expression seeming as if he could not comprehend what he had just heard. Choi Han then sighed as he pushed his hair back. When he raised his head and saw Cale's pink but nonchalant face, he chuckled and said "Thank you, Naru-nim" in a voice loud enough for the man to hear.

Choi Han turned to the man with a small smile on his face. "Do you know of songs played in a place called Harris Village?"

***

"Mom, mom! Look at all those people! It looks fun, can we go there?" A boy held his mother's hand tightly in excitement as he continued. "I heard some music from there, and it was really good! Let's go with dad!" The mother laughed lightly and patted his head. "Sure, let's go when dad comes back."

A muscular man rushed towards the two while holding a bag of snacks. A wide grin was on his face. "Alright, who's ready to have fun?!" The family made jokes about the father being overly enthusiastic and laughed as they walked toward the crowd.

They stood still and listened to the music flowing from an instrument similar to that of a flute. It sounded like a song from a village, the melody painting a picture of people doing their everyday chores, villagers coming home from a long day of hunting, and young children running around happily.

It was a very peaceful tune, and people could almost imagine the beautiful scenery along with the village just from listening to the music. Once the song came to an end, the sound of clapping filled the street. Everyone had relaxed smiled on their faces, and some even had tears collecting in the corner of their eyes. Or to be specific, most people did.

The man wanted to see if his playing was satisfactory to what the swordsman had in mind and looked up, but he saw something strange. He saw that the black haired and black eyed swordsman had a bitter smile on his face, and the robed man was patting him on the back.

Before he could ask anything, the swordsman bowed to him. "Thank you. Your playing was amazing, sir." The man waved his hand in front of him as if to say that it wasn't much, but he couldn't say anything when he saw the genuine smile on the swordsman's face.

"Really, I would love to hear your playing again someday." Choi Han left those words with the man as he looked towards Cale. "Let's go." And with that short response, Choi Han and Cale continued to enjoy the pleasant breeze with smiles on their faces as they walked leisurely around the shops, and especially hovering over the food carts.