Eat The World Tree Chapter 145: Three Peaches (5)

Hmm.

Droplets of water fell from my still-damp hair. Hongyeon was holding so docunts, and I carefully read through them.

Hey.

?

This doesnt seem to be the part I was supposed to handle, does it?

What, really?

A troubled look appeared on Hongyeons face. Even after checking the docunts again, it was clear that this was not the task I had been assigned.

She quickly skimd the docunts in her hand, then narrowed her brows, realizing her mistake.

Sorry. It seems Ive been forgetting things here and there with all the work lately.

That could happen. Its easy to make mistakes when youre suddenly overwheld with work.

I took the docunts from Hongyeons hand and read through them carefully.

Ah. Suddenly, a familiar na caught my eye amidst the long sentences.

-Cheondo.

Among the newcors starting tomorrow was the na Cheondo.

Why is she here?

I was puzzled. It would be hard to find ti for training, so why?

Cheondo was known to dedicate herself entirely to training, except for the occasional shift at the inn.

It seed she had decided to assist with this stressful task.

Ill ask her tomorrow.

Since we were going to et tomorrow anyway.

I handed the docunts back to Hongyeon after finishing reading them. Hongyeon took the docunts with both hands.

.

The hands that received the docunts were trembling, for so reason.

Her eyes, filled with fear, were bright red. Anxiety was evident in Hongyeons complexion.

Arent you going to scold ?

After a while, she finally spoke.

Scold? Why would I scold you?

Thinking my eyes are bad, that I should be able to handle sothing like this properly.

What?

As my voice rose, Hongyeon hastily shook her head from side to side.

No, no! Sorry. I guess I was talking nonsense.

Hongyeon apologized again, looking disheartened and pressing her brow.

I always thought thats how it was, so I assud it would be the sa today.

What do you an always?

.

She looked at earnestly.

What, why?

When I stood my ground, Hongyeon looked down like a dog who had lost a fight.

No matter how much I tried to be nice, it always ended up like this. I sat down next to Hongyeon and pulled out a few file folders.

Ill help out for today. Go to bed early. You dont need to stay up all night following . Im a special case, and youre not.

I started organizing the docunts, holding the pen firmly.

Hongyeon stared at , then gave a bitter smile and bowed her head.

Thank you.

What would you do without here?

The sound of the pen was pleasantly crisp. The sensation of dipping the quill and writing was incomparably satisfying.

Hongyeon also held a pen and focused on processing the docunts.

Its funny. To start all this and then run away alone.

What are you talking about? Wasnt this what you intended to do?

Right.

Hongyeon chuckled softly, laughing out loud like a hearty colleague at work.

I raised an eyebrow. Have I ever seen this woman laugh since I ca here? All I rembered were faces grimaced in pain or soaked in fatigue.

Are you actually resting?

I am. When I sleep.

So, youre saying you work whenever youre awake.

The more I saw Hongyeon, the more I thought that she was soone politicians and businessn would go to great lengths to accommodate.

Dowon is a place created by that old man. I only have affection for it. Working there is hardly different from playing.

She had a sense of responsibility for her work and was wise beyond what one might expect for soone at Dowon.

She learned how to use a computer, which was completely foreign to her, in just a few days and taught others, proving her intelligence was nothing short of genius.

Even considering political factions to corner was a smart move. The problem was that her opponent was .

Working more these days, I can clearly see the changes happening. It feels like a golden age is just around the corner. What could be more enjoyable than laying the groundwork for that?

Despite her eyelids trembling from accumulated fatigue, Hongyeon smiled.

The way she spoke, it was as if she had co straight from the martial world of the past.

Thats why Im thankful to you. Without you, Young Demon, it might have taken years to get this far.

Not too long ago, you were the one who wanted to cut off my arm.

Im sorry for that.

I responded harshly to the embarrassing admission, but she apologized sincerely.

Since she was this gentle, I had nothing to say. It seems like spending almost all day working together, Hongyeon had grown fond of .

Just checking, you havent forgotten that I wont be here in two months, right?

Of course. Didnt I ntion it earlier?

Dowon, destined to disappear.

Only the old man and I knew about it.

This place, Dowon, was dood to vanish in the near future. I knew because I ca from the future, and the old man had a vague suspicion of it.

Thats why I knew. The reforms I was leading now were, in truth, utterly pointless.

What would Hongyeon think when Dowon falls?

I thought about it but decided it wasnt my concern.

-Scribble, scribble.

The reason I continued to work, despite knowing the future couldnt be changed, was simple.

Its the unease lingering in the back of my mind.

If, in the tiline I lived in, the actions I took now in the past were recorded in history

Then I couldnt change the present, yet I was changing it.

A terrible paradox.

When I first arrived in this world, I lived in a house prepared by soone I didnt know.

Now, in the past, I had arranged for that house and identity myself.

What was once a thoughtless act now seed to fit together like a puzzle.

The World Tree of Ti told I couldnt change the present.

[You can influence, but no matter what you do, the outco remains the sa.]

Thats the conclusion I had reached while living here, in what was known as the past.

After realizing I could exert so influence, I beca more cautious in everything I did.

What if, by so chance, the present were to change?

There might have been a hiccup sowhere during the long gap, causing the World Tree of Ti to provide incorrect information.

My head hurts, and now Im overthinking.

My frontal lobe felt like its on fire.

Keep it simple. Being in the past has been beneficial for .

Since the flow of ti differed between the present and the past, training or gathering information had been more efficient here.

That was enough for now.

-If youre disgusted by , then just step on and go. Ill keep following.

The thought of the present kept coming back.

I took a deep breath and erased Jin Dallaes voice that had co to unconsciously.

Still, my hands continued to work on the docunts.

About an hour later, splitting the work between the two of us, we finished quickly.

Done. You?

Im almost done too.

Click, click. Putting away our pens simultaneously, we concluded our work.

Working together often, we beca efficient in our tasks.

I stood up, stretched, and reached for the light switch.

Then go in and rest well.

Arent you sleeping?

I end up facing trouble whenever I sleep. I really dont feel like sleeping. Maybe Ill do so magic training before going to work. Whatever.

I couldnt afford to fall asleep carelessly and dream again.

-Creak.

I opened the door. The cold dawn air seeped into the room. Unlike the present, the weather here was quite chilly.

Just as I was about to step out, a voice ca from behind .

So how about a drink? I too find it hard to just go to sleep tonight.

Alcohol.

The enticing word lingered in my ears. It had been quite so ti since I last had a drink, enough to develop a craving for it.

Theres a fruit wine brewed from peaches. The sticky aftertaste and the overwhelming fragrance are exceptional.

What a sales pitch.

Deal.

Deal?

It ans Im in.

Sotis alcohol was the best dicine. Now was one of those tis.

The day after drinking with Hongyeon, I received training from Cheonma and went to work in the morning, where I imdiately noticed a new face with a familiar look.

Even compared to those around her, she had a radiant face.

One of the three beauties of Dowon, Cheondo, was smiling brightly at .

How are you doing, Young Demon~

When I showed a dumbfounded expression, Cheondo gestured with one hand as if asking to play along.

I asked her softly, trying to match her tone.

Why did you start working?

I wanted to learn about work.

The strength in her voice made it clear that she was sincere in her desire to learn about work.

I had other questions, but it seed I would only be able to ask them after her work was done.

I called over a woman who was awkwardly fumbling with the printer.

You.

Yes? Did you call , Young Demon?

Teach her how to work. Start with what you do.

Simple tasks like docunt processing that could be learned on the first try. Or listening to complaints from people living in Dowon.

Cheondo was all ears, her shoulders tensed with eagerness.

Can you do it?

I have to.

Hey. You dont have to do this. Its just manual labor.

I whispered so that the other employees couldnt hear, but Cheondo didnt respond.

She was stubbornly determined. I sighed and lightly tapped Cheondo on the head.

Go ahead and try. Youll get used to it. You might get scolded at first, but thats how everyone learns.

Understood Should I follow this lady?

Given it was her first ti, she would inevitably make so mistakes, but her pretty face might save her from getting scolded too harshly.

I watched Cheondo until she was out of sight, and then Hongyeon asked a question.

Is that girl the one you called for?

Eh? No, thats not it.

I thought it was clear you had a special interest in her since shes new. Guess I was wrong.

Sotis, I directly recruited promising newcors to work as laborers.

Hongyeon must have thought I was doing the sa with Cheondo.

Shell figure it out, right? Shell find her own work to do in three days.

Cheondo was one of the few won in Dowon who had received so education.

Hongyeon looked at Cheondo and shrugged her shoulders.

If you say so it must be right.

Hongyeon seed much friendlier after we shared a drink yesterday.

We looked around, shared a cup of tea, and then went back to our respective tasks.

During breaks from work, I checked on Cheondo and, as expected, found her sweating profusely every ti she showed her face.

If you cant do even the simple tasks, what will you do?

Im, Im sorry.

Ill teach you again. Co here.

A civil servant scolding the Young Demon.

In so way, it was quite a spectacle.

Fortunately, due to the interest of many people, there was no shortage of work to be done.

Theres nothing more painful than coming to work and not finding anything to do.

I finished my tea and went back inside the office.

-Slurp.

After hours of processing docunts, eating, and occasionally answering external calls, the day quickly turned to dusk.

The end of a day at Dowon without overti.

I left the office to look for Cheondo.

I saw the lonely back of a girl, not sensing any presence from her.

Ugh.

As expected, Cheondo was leaning on the desk with a soulless expression.