Chapter 206: A Day Without Work is a Day Without Food (3)

Around the time when construction was in full swing at the place that was once the estate of the Heavenly Orchid Society...

The guy who came up with the whole "A Day Without Work is a Day Without Food " was sleeping like a log. He finally dragged himself out of bed late in the morning, feeling refreshed.

"Haaaah~!"

As he let out a satisfying yawn and stretched, a cheerful greeting came from beyond the door.

The voice of one like Dam Bin or Jin Hayeon, who always welcomed him.—

“YOUNG MASTER! YOU’RE FINALLY AWAKE!!”

—were nowhere to be heard.

Instead, it was that attention-seeking lunatic shouting his head off.

Il-mok's good mood evaporated the moment he woke up. He sighed and responded.

“What’s wrong with you this early in the morning?”

Il-mok was starting to think that guy needed some serious counseling.

'Ugh. Talking about counseling reminds me of that other lunatic…'

The thought brought back memories of a certain mad scientist from the Hall of the Demonic Way who'd insisted on following him.

Thank god he'd managed to escape to the Central Plains before that bastard could chase after him.

While Il-mok was briefly lost in thoughts about that crazy physician, Baek Cheon entered the room along with Ouyang Mun and Hyeokryeon Seon-ah, who'd been standing guard.

"Young Master! Actually, I have a favor to ask!"

"A favor?"

Il-mok had a bad feeling about this.

A request from a lunatic was bound to be something insane.

But before Il-mok could even think of a way to say no, Baek Cheon started gushing.

“Last night, when we sang the hymns with the musicians… it was a revelation! I realized it’s the perfect way to spread the teachings of the Divine Cult, Young Master! So, I was thinking… could we maybe practice with them, even when we’re not holding a gathering?”

Baek Cheon's expression grew ecstatic as he recalled the previous night.

That glorious scene of everyone singing along to his hymns while the courtesans played their instruments.

Even now, just thinking about that euphoric moment made his body tremble with excitement.

Watching Baek Cheon shake and shiver with that deranged look in his eyes, Il-mok felt his skin crawl.

'Ugh.'

But setting aside how disgusting Baek Cheon was, his request was actually pretty useful.

"Is Dam Bin or Miss Jin awake?"

"Yes, big brother."

"They're outside right now, teaching Miss Jeong and Miss Ju."

"Hmm."

Il-mok seemed to ponder for just a moment before giving his orders.

"Leave the training to Dam Bin and bring Miss Jin here."

"Right away, Young Master!"

Ouyang Mun practically skipped out of the hall with a huge smile on her face.

A moment later, Ouyang Mun and Jin Hayeon returned with their expressions a perfect contrast to each other.

"Miss Jin. I need you to make a quick trip to the red-light district."

It was an instruction ripe for misunderstanding, but Jin Hayeon asked with an indifferent expression.

"What orders should I relay there?"

"Young Master Baek Cheon wants to practice hymns with the courtesans. Ask them to cooperate. Do not drag them here against their will.”

If the courtesans of the red-light district had been fanatics of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, there would have been no need to use the word ‘cooperation.’

He could just snap his fingers, and they'd all be lining up, eyes gleaming with madness, screaming, “I’ll do anything for the Heavenly Demon!”

But they weren’t at that stage yet. For now, he had to be careful.

“Also, while you're there, hire some cooks and have them make some food.”

"Food for the workers at the construction site?"

"Correct. The estate’s huge, so there’s plenty of space that's not being worked on. They can use a spot like that for the rehearsal.”

"Then I'll also have them prepare food for Young Master Baek Cheon and the courtesans, and I'll bring money in advance to distribute to the workers."

When Il-mok nodded at Jin Hayeon's words, she clasped her fists and left the hall.

***

At the estate, the former beggars and the construction crew were sweating buckets.

Suddenly, a group of about a dozen people showed up.

One masked woman, one man with unnervingly clear eyes, ten other women.

All the women except the masked one were carrying trays loaded with food.

“Please take a short break and have some refreshments.”

When one of the women said this with a smile, the master carpenter overseeing the construction, Deok Gwang, nodded and shouted.

"Everyone, take a half-hour break!"

The moment his order fell, the former beggars and workers gathered around and began eating the food the women had brought.

Watching this scene, the woman in the wrathful deity mask spoke in an indifferent tone.

"Let's go."

As soon as her instruction dropped, the clear-eyed man and the ten women followed her, but...

Oddly enough, they were heading toward the interior of the estate.

“Hey, where are you headed?” Deok Gwang asked.

The masked woman stopped and turned. “We’re going to rehearse in an area that isn't being worked on.”

“Rehearse?”

Deok Gwang stroked his scratchy beard for a second, then just shrugged and turned away.

As long as they didn't interfere with the construction, he couldn't care less.

“Guess they’re going to sing for us while we work,” he muttered to himself.

Ignoring the carpenter’s muttering, the masked woman led her group to a different part of the estate.

"This spot should work well for your rehearsal.”

At the masked woman's words, the performance began under Baek Cheon's direction.

"Let's start with Siloam."

The woman who had brought them—Jin Hayeon—stepped back and watched with her usual blank expression.

Her job was to keep an eye on things.

You might think it was to make sure the courtesans didn’t try anything funny, like spying or passing messages.

But you’d be wrong.

—Young Master Baek Cheon is a lunatic who could go off the rails at any moment, so Miss Jin, please keep watch and stop him if needed.

It was actually because of a secret message Il-mok had sent while giving his instructions, without Baek Cheon knowing.

And there was one more thing Il-mok had instructed.

After Baek Cheon and the ten women had been practicing for quite a while...

Around the point when one hour had passed, Jin Hayeon, who had been watching the practice with an impassive face, opened her mouth.

"Let's take a fifteen-minute break."

Baek Cheon immediately objected to her instruction.

“A break? But we’re nowhere near good enough yet! What are you talking about?”

"Unlike you, Young Master Baek, these women haven't trained in martial arts. You need to think about their physical limits.”

This was another one of Il-mok’s secret orders for Jin Hayeon. He’d known that if left to his own devices, the lunatic would get so caught up in the practice that he’d work the musicians until they literally collapsed.

—Also, you might strain your voice, Young Master, so wet your throat with some water. Young Master Il-mok sent word that he's concerned your precious vocal cords, the very instrument needed to spread the word of our cult, might get damaged.

On top of that, Il-mok hadn't forgotten to advise her on exactly how to phrase things so Baek Cheon would listen.

—As expected, Eighth Young Master is even thinking about my precious vocal cords! This Baek is deeply, deeply moved!

Jin Hayeon just gave a slight, tired shake of her head.

"Ahem. Everyone, take a fifteen-minute break!"

In a much better mood, Baek Cheon gave the order and began wetting his throat with water to care for his voice.

"Phew."

Finally getting a break, the women let out a collective sigh of relief. They started massaging sore muscles and grabbing some water.

The women were divided into two groups. Three women who'd been dragged here from the Heavenly Orchid Society and somehow ended up singing hymns with Baek Cheon. And seven courtesans who'd come to play instruments for the practice.

They were all in the same place, but there was an awkward vibe between them. Finally, one of the singers broke the ice.

“This must be pretty tough for you all, huh?”

"It'd be a lie to say it's not tiring, but it's worth it."

"Worth it?"

"Thanks to the Maitreya Luminous Cult folks, we can earn money now. More than that, we can just be performers now. We don’t have to sell our bodies anymore if we don't want to, and no one punishes us for it. Being able to pay them back for that, even with just a little music… of course it’s worth it.”

That was the main reason all seven courtesans had volunteered.

And since the taverns and brothels had all taken the previous night off for the gathering, they had the energy to spare.

In the strange atmosphere, one courtesan spoke calmly.

"Do you all remember what the Incarnation of Maitreya said at last night's gathering?"

"Do you mean ‘A Day Without Work is a Day Without Food'?"

"Yes. To me, that saying felt like it meant the opposite."

"???"

When everyone looked at her with puzzled expressions, she smiled gently.

“‘If you don’t work, you don’t eat.’ Doesn't that also mean, ‘If you do work, you get to eat’? It’s a promise, right? I was sold here to pay off a debt. I worked—I was forced to sell my body—and I never got paid a single cent for any of it.”

"......"

No one knew what to say to that.

It wasn't just that they felt sorry for her. It was that almost every woman there had a similar story.

Rather than sympathy, it was more like empathy.

The three singers might not have been sold to a brothel, but they were basically the property of the Heavenly Orchid Society Leader.

And that courtesan was speaking up because she knew these women were in similar circumstances to her own.

Her face was a strange mix of sorrow for the past and relief for the future.

“But now, when I work, I get to make a living. I can't be punished or beaten anymore just for refusing to sell my body.”

Maybe it was her courage in sharing her story. Maybe it was the fact that everyone there knew exactly what she was talking about.

Whatever the reason, the barrier between the two groups of women just melted away. Soon they were all chatting quietly, sharing names and stories.

And without anyone noticing...

Jin Hayeon, who'd been standing watch several steps back, had the tiniest smile on her lips.

A smile of absolute pride in the man she worked for.

***

Meanwhile...

On the opposite side of the estate, where the women and Baek Cheon were busy coordinating hymns, the construction crew who'd finished their meal were once again hard at work on construction.

“Glo~ ry! Glory! O’ Divine Cult!!”

They could hear the music practice faintly in the distance.

The former beggars had also attended last night's gathering, so they knew the hymn.

Naturally, they too began humming that catchy song.

“Glo~ ry! Glory! O’ Divine Cult!!”

Before long, even the workers who'd never attended a gathering were all humming the hymn as they continued their labor.

Watching this scene of everyone singing a work song he'd never heard before in his life, Deok Gwang tilted his head in confusion.

“Glo~ ry! Glory! O’ Divine Cult!!”

But the song was leaking from his own mouth all the same.

A few hours later, as the sun was starting to set, the music group returned to the main site.

Right on cue, a cart with dinner arrived, and several new people appeared at the estate while pulling a cart.

"The sun will set soon, so how about we stop construction for today?"

Deok Gwang nodded. “Alright, that’s a wrap for today! Dinner time!”

At his instruction, the workers and former beggars gathered around the cart, and the women who'd been rehearsing also settled down beside the workers and began eating.

“Great work today,” some of the women said to the construction crew and the men broke into goofy grins.

“Since we have come together like this, it must be fate. Please, join us.”

A few of the more sociable ones started mixing, and soon everyone was chatting while they ate.

After dinner, the courtesans headed back to town for their own jobs. Then, the masked woman stood before the workers.

"Here's today's wages. Everyone worked hard."

The workers were pleased with the slightly more generous wages than they usually received.

But the men who used to be beggars…

"......"

They just stared at the money in their hands. After so long, working a real job and earning real pay… the look on their faces was impossible to describe.