Yesteryear

Song Mingi

Wooyoung and Berosus left early in the morning for work. Berosus' wife was still asleep when they tiptoed out into the cool air of the morning. The early sunlight broke around the Tower of Babel and threw long shadows in the city that was already busy with people scurrying around for their daily tasks.

When they reached the bazaar, the two men got food from a stand that had opened already. Their daily business went on just like yesterday, but the bazaar had changed its details. Some travelling merchants had left the city entirely, and other vendors whose wares looked no less fascinating filled in their places. Wooyoung watched them set up their booths while Berosus chattered with the food merchant.

Gradually, the city awoke to fill with new spirits. The never-ending flux of newcomers from the gates exchanged places with those leaving to try their luck elsewhere. Before the sun radiated down on them, everybody had set up their tables again and hid away in their scarce shadows. Today, a group of musicians blessed the bustling market with their music. A flute player started out with slow and soothing tunes, while a drum and the occasional tambourine underlined its melody. Later, as the hustle and bustle of the bazaar picked up, their pace also did. Accompanied by merry music, the thriving city did their businesses.

Wooyoung sweated rivers as he helped Berosus with his booth. Merely standing wanted him to spread all limbs off so his skin would touch nowhere. When paired with his lifting duty, sweat dropped from his chin onto his beautiful garments.

Whenever no customer demanded their attention, Berosus and Wooyoung had pleasant conversations about the weather and the city. Wooyoung learned that Mingi's rank was high enough to take Wooyoung onto a trip up the tower and that he had to visit the beautiful gardens if he got an opportunity to. Wooyoung agreed with that enthusiastically. He barely understood his companion over the many overlapping voices on the market, but Berosus didn't mind repeating himself. If he heard an accent on Wooyoung, he didn't let it show.

In learning so diligently, Wooyoung made sure that he would stand out less. As long as his excuse to be a distant traveller got accepted, he didn't need to fret. But if they found him suspicious for coming from so far away, he might be marked a threat and executed before he could get to Mingi's records.

Not that Wooyoung wouldn't flee with his time remote before that. But he could never be so sure.

A few hours passed, and it got hotter and hotter. Inwardly, Wooyoung joked with himself that Yongguk probably would have passed out from the heat already, but he was off no better. Heaving and parched, Wooyoung praised every gulp of water Berosus offered to him. The other man was far more composed and used to the heat. He even swayed his body to the music.

The sun stood high at noon and Wooyoung pondered getting lunch for the two of them when they got approached by a peculiar visitor. His tall frame stood out between the broad men working on the bazaar. Dark hair stuck to his forehead as he made his way over to the booth Berosus and Wooyoung suffered in. A glance at their reddened faces baking like an oven had the young man smile. Wooyoung scrutinised the big leather bag he carried.

"Good morning, Berosus. How are you?"

The deep timbre of his tone resonated in Wooyoung's chest. It was soothing and scratchy at the same time; like the granite rocks in Prague's mild forests that Wooyoung missed so much currently. A glorious voice, especially when paired with Akkadian tones.

"Always happy when I see you, Mingi. May I introduce you to Wooyoung? He searched for you." Berosus gestured over to the boy, who stood from his stack of stones that made for a seat in surprise. As Mingi noticed him with a polite smile, Wooyoung fumbled for words over having found him so abruptly.