For Sale: Male Lead, Obsession Included - Chapter 126

“Feyden, weren’t you the one who said you’d rather die than wear that? What’s gotten into you?”

“People can change their minds, you know. Don’t be so petty, kid. Well? Doesn’t it look good on me?”

Feyden’s outfit as he arrived for work at the tavern was strikingly different.

He’d always insisted on only wearing the clothes he brought from the Empire, saying he hated the simple hanbok-style garments the people of Dongguk wore.

But today, for whatever reason, he’d shown up in that very young master’s attire.

Feyden kept fiddling with the wide pant legs, seemingly fascinated, and came right up to me.

“Didn’t you say you hated how wide the pants were? Wow. But it really does suit you. You look just like one of those annoyingly smug young masters.”

“Thaaanks.”

Feyden stretched his lips into a long grin and gave me a flick on the forehead. With his fierce eyes like that… it was kind of scary.

I quietly took a step back and hurried over to Jin, who was standing in the back.

“Are those your clothes, Jin?”

“Yes.”

“I bet Feyden threatened you to hand them over.”

“Hey, Potato.”

Jin just blankly looked between Feyden and me. For someone so tall and broad, his inability to joke around or tease back made him seem just like a gentle brown puppy.

Before Feyden could smack me again, I hid behind Jin and quickly shouted,

“Let’s get to work, everyone!”

***

“But… Miss. Do we really need to go this far…? This is just a rural area, and unless there’s a festival, there aren’t many people here…”

Okhee looked around the newly renovated tavern with a worried expression.

We’d cleared out the corner where crocks and junk had been piled, set up more tables, and put up a neat new sign at the entrance to make it clear this was a gukbap place.

We even installed a canopy above the tables so rain wouldn’t get in. Not just the exterior, we’d also brainstormed and upgraded the menu together.

Instead of the old menu, which just had gukbap made with leftover meat and cheap liquor mixed with sake lees, we decided to use better ingredients. We took into account the old complaints that there wasn’t enough meat.

I suggested that if someone ordered two bowls of gukbap and some alcohol, we’d give brown rice for free, and we also added boiled pork slices that would go well as a drinking snack.

Okhee compromised with my suggestions, and the tavern was set to reopen soon.

At first, everyone was against my idea of spending time and money to renovate a gukbap house that was already doing well. But after I shared tips with other shopkeepers in the village—tips that helped their businesses do even better—Okhee eventually agreed with my ideas too.

Still, now that opening day had arrived, she didn’t seem able to shake her worries so easily.

“Don’t worry. If we run a deficit, I’ll take full responsibility.”

I might look like a skinny, underfed child, but I actually have quite a bit of money I can access from the Empire, you know.

Feyden nodded silently at my confident words.

“Still… do you really think this will bring in more customers…”

Watching Okhee anxiously await the first customer, I replied calmly,

“It’s going to be a huge hit.”

In the future I know, Seonui Lake becomes a sacred pilgrimage site and naturally turns into a tourist attraction, and the village thrives because of it.

On top of that, Okhee’s tavern is right by the trail leading to Seonui Lake. There’s no better location. If we establish ourselves as the go-to place before it becomes a tourist spot and spread the word that it’s a famous restaurant…

‘Making a fortune will only be a matter of time.’

And as if to prove Okhee’s worries were baseless, the tavern was packed with customers and received rave reviews.

With the over-the-top nickname of ‘God of Business’ on my back, I helped out at the smoothly running tavern, while also throwing myself into another endeavor. Herbology.

Partly because just running the business was a bit boring, and partly because I thought it would be good to learn.

Handling herbs all his life under his father, Jin had so much knowledge it was no exaggeration to say he could write a whole compendium of Eastern medicine by himself.

I hadn’t realized before, but with that kind of intellect, it almost seemed a waste for him to pick up a sword. It made me think that the saying, ‘a genius isn’t just a genius in one field’, might really be true.

By the time I’d built up enough knowledge of herbs to collect everything on the mountain without Jin’s help, Jin himself had reached the level where he could face Feyden in a real sword match.

It was the third year since I’d come to Dongguk.