Kingdom

144. Crossroads (5)

The village consists of a few dozen houses, located on both sides of a small river. Around the settlement, there are many farmlands, full of fruits and vegetables of any kind. The air smells of herbs and spices left to dry in the sun.

Nori walks hand in hand with Sora who is busy telling her about the people who live in the village, those who work the fields, and those who take care of the pigs and the chickens. She points at a newly built large house, explaining that this is their new infirmary.

"The King is training doctors," Sora says, "and sending one to each village to make sure the people and the animals are healthy. Not every village has an infirmary, some people travel to nearby cities to see a doctor, but we have both a doctor for the people and one for the animals. A lot of the food we produce goes straight to the Palace, so they want to make sure we are all healthy."

"The King is taking good care of you," Nori says. "I hope other villages will get doctors, too."

"It will take time to train more medics," Yoobin says. "We got lucky to get one. The King is fond of our village, and other villages around the capital."

"Why?" Nori asks jokingly. "Is it because of the food you produce? Is it that tasty?"

"Many of us fought in the wars," Jinho says with a serious and proud expression. He has self-invited himself to the birthday lunch, following in their footsteps, his eyes focused on Nori the entire time as if expecting her to turn into a dragon any moment now. "The King even rewarded us with a new well. He knows we are loyal to him."

"Some are still fighting wars in their heads," Yoobin mumbles jokingly. Jinho frowns at him, resembling an angry dog ready to bite.

"It's hard to leave the fighting behind, is it not?" Nori says, turning to face Jinho. "Some scars take longer to heal." She smiles at him. "But I hope in time the war will leave your heart and you will be able to enjoy the peace you fought to secure."

Jinho blinks at her, the anger in his expression melting away. He clears his throat. "I need to be on alert, there are spies everywhere."

Nori's smile widens. "Of course, Daegu is lucky to have such diligent citizens. You deserve another award from the King for your services. I will make sure he knows of you."

Jinho's face turns red, and he looks away. "I need no recognition. I am just trying to protect my lands from shady people. My knee is not the same after the war, but my spirit is strong. I won't let anyone hurt the people of this village."

Nori laughs. "We have a true hero here."

Jinho blushes even more, he puffs and scoffs and remains silent for the rest of the walk. Sora resumes her talking, pointing left and right and bombarding Nori with information of any kind - from the names of the people who live here, to their occupations and interests.

It seems Sora is friends with everyone and she knows everything there is to know about this town. She will be the perfect spy, yet Nori decides it's not wise to joke about it in front of Jinho.

Yoobin's house is located at the end of the village, close to a large orchard. The building is modest and simple, yet bigger than most houses Nori saw on their way. Its architecture is slightly different from the typical peasant house in Ilsan, with more straight lines and fewer decorations.

The noise of women laughing and talking spreads from the open doors of the house. A young boy, not more than 15 years old, sits on the porch, cleaning a pair of shoes. The dog barks enthusiastically and runs to sniff and lick his hands.

"Jun, is everyone here already?" Yoobin asks him.

"Both my aunts arrived. They are helping mother in the kitchen. Uncle Guseok and cousin Iseul will be here in a bit." The boy stares at Nori as if she is a unicorn. "Who is this?"