In The Shadow of Asora

16. Afternoon News

As always, the medicine shop was bathed in a thick cloud of different smells and intoxicating smoke. Usually, coming here meant relief and pride after a long period of hard work. Jongho visited here whenever he completed his deliveries in one piece and gained a few more weeks of life for his father.

Not today.

Three days had passed before Jongho had decided to swing by. After his father's death, he drowned himself in labour so that the loss would not settle too much in his heart. Since he experienced death two times before, too, holding a ritual for his father felt like a chore that he could do in his sleep. First, he took care of the man's body and carried it to one of the large coal factories. For a low price, they cremated his father and declared their condolences.

Jongho didn't contact Mingi to join him at the funeral. He wanted to bid his goodbyes independently, and Mingi could take a break from the sudden emotional reversal.

With the bunny singing its sad melody, Jongho sat at the cliff. The pot with ashes next to him was open, and from time to time, the ice-cold wind carried some grains off over the ocean.

Their home felt lonely now. Back when they had lived as four people in the tiny, cramped space, it had always seemed too small and lively for all of them. Jongho remembered his complaints that Yunho took up so much more space than the rest of them. His older brother could only laugh and ruffle his hair for that.

With his father around, the room had been diluted and filled with anxiety-pregnant air most of the time. But every day, his father had been happy to see him come home.

Now, whenever Jongho returned there, nobody greeted him. Nobody needed his care and words of affirmation.

To distract himself from the emptiness in his chest, Jongho pushed all feelings aside and worked instead. He travelled through Zey as usual, and whenever he was home, he thought rationally about the things he could sell or new things he needed.

Selling his father's medicine was the last step. It was a major reminder of his condition and struggles, and returning here was closure for Jongho.

"Oh, back so soon? Do you come for more stocks or did it fall again?" The old lady behind the counter greeted him with kind eyes. Jongho managed a tired smile before he sat down the box with powder on the table.

"Thank you for prolonging his time for so long. I greatly appreciate it. It seems as if I got over-confident in my planning."

When understanding dawned upon her, her lips pursed into a sad line. No words of consolation could turn back time, and neither of them was surprised. All this time, it had been obvious that it would end here.

Wordlessly, she reached for the bag and began weighing the medicine. Some vendors didn't like to exchange their goods back, but Jongho was glad that she treated it fairly.

"What will you do now? Your life and working schedule all resolved around your family. Will you continue?" She purposefully lowered her voice to a respectful murmur. Jongho's eyes were unfocused as he watched her work.

He had no idea.

There was nothing to do for him. He lacked anything that held him to Zey now. He could jump an airship and fly off; he could take a carriage into the bustling city in the north. He could freely change his surroundings to somewhere that allowed him to live well and climb the social ladder as long as he worked hard.

Shrugging, he pushed his unwashed hair back.

"I'll wait and see; it's too soon to tell."

She finished her task quickly and handed him his money. Now that he didn't have to buy medicines from it, it felt like a fortune in his hand. What would he buy from it?