He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 109

< A Boy's Story >

Tae-oh tilted his head, a sense of familiarity washing over him as he looked at the boy’s face.

The boy, on the other hand, shrank back, wary of Tae-oh. In his experience, well-dressed gentlemen were rarely generous; more often, they turned out to be figures to be feared.

“I didn’t do anything. I was just sitting here.”

“No, lad, that’s not what I meant…”

Startled, the boy hastily gathered his belongings, ready to flee.

In that instant, a memory long dormant in Tae-oh’s mind flashed to life.

Tae-oh exclaimed as if he’d made a great discovery.

“Ah! Wait! I remember now!”

“…?”

“You’re Charlie, aren’t you? Charlie, right?”

The boy blinked, his eyes wide with surprise.

“Was it two years ago? We met at the Birmingham coal mine, didn’t we? Your father had an accident, trapped in the mine?”

“……”

A small gasp escaped the boy’s lips. He seemed to recall the event as well.

“Ah—yes! I remember now! You’re the one who helped get the new steam pump running for my father… aren’t you?”

“Hahaha. Yes, that’s right.”

The boy, now relieved, bowed deeply, his face genuinely welcoming.

Two years prior, Tae-oh had gone to the Birmingham coal mine with James Watt and rescued a miner who had been trapped in a flooded tunnel.
The rescued miner’s ten-year-old son had hugged Tae-oh, crying with gratitude; that boy was Charlie.

Two years had passed, but due to poor nutrition, he hadn’t changed much since the accident, making him recognizable.

“How did you end up in London? Did you move from Birmingham?”

“Yes.”

“And your father? Is he doing well since the accident?”

Charlie offered a bitter smile.

Judging by his expression, they were still facing a difficult life.

“Say, Charlie, there’s something I’m curious about…”

“?”

Tae-oh pointed to the drawing in Charlie’s hand and asked,

“Did you happen to draw that picture?”

Charlie shyly hid the drawing behind his back.

“Why do you ask?”

“I’m not going to say anything bad. It’s just so well-drawn. Did you really draw it?”

Charlie silently nodded.

“Really, you drew that portrait yourself?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Wow.”

It was hard to believe that a twelve-year-old boy could draw at that level, even after hearing it directly from him.

Charlie cautiously spoke,

“But how did you see my drawing? I was sitting on it under the bridge, so it shouldn’t have been visible…”

“Ah, well, I was invited to the Royal Academy of Arts portrait competition. I happened to see your drawing while they were judging.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Is the model for this portrait your father?”

“…Yes.”

Tae-oh’s curiosity was satisfied, and he carefully examined Charlie.

Judging by the soot and his attire, it was clear he was working as a chimney sweep.
Tae-oh wondered about the story of how he had come to London from Birmingham.

However, seeing the boy looking as if he might collapse at any moment, he felt he should feed him dinner first.

“Charlie, are you hungry?”

“……”

“I’m so glad to see you again. This is a great connection. Why don’t you come to my house for dinner? My house is nearby. I’ll take you home later. Let’s go to where my carriage is.”

Charlie’s face lit up at the mention of dinner.

However, he looked down at his clothes, and his expression quickly darkened.

He seemed worried that the soot and dirt on his clothes would soil the carriage.

“Charlie, it’s okay. The inside of the carriage is all black, so it won’t be a problem if you brush it off a few times. And what if it gets a little dirty?”

Tae-oh instructed the coachman to load the chimney cleaning equipment into the luggage compartment, took Charlie’s hesitant hand, and practically ushered him into the carriage.

*

Charlie was fascinated by the carriage.

It seemed he had never ridden in one before.

“Charlie, where are you living in London now?”

Charlie hesitated, then answered in a barely audible voice,

“…I live in the Rookery.”

“Oh. You live in St. Giles Rookery?”

“…Yes.”

St. Giles Rookery.

Located near Covent Garden, this area was known as the most notorious slum in London in the late 18th century.

Without proper sewage or toilet facilities, the streets were overflowing with excrement and waste, causing a terrible stench and frequent outbreaks of various diseases and epidemics.

Unsanitary conditions were not the only problem.

From petty thieves to violent criminals, St. Giles Rookery was a haven for all sorts of criminals, and violence, murder, and arson occurred daily in this extremely dangerous area.

“Wow—!”

Tae-oh, lost in thought, was startled by Charlie’s exclamation.

As the carriage entered Tae-oh’s neighborhood of Mayfair, Charlie gazed out the window, exclaiming in amazement.

‘Mayfair’ was one of the wealthiest areas in London, with wide, open spaces and rows of grand mansions and luxurious townhouses.

To Charlie, who had lived his entire life in a slum, it must have seemed like a completely different world.

“Oh, I’ve only heard about places like this in London… it’s real! The houses are so beautiful!”

Charlie, with his keen eye and rich sensibility, continued to express his admiration.

Then, pointing to a particular house, he raised his voice even higher.

“Wow—look at that house! It’s the most beautiful house here. The blue mountain in the back, the wide field in front, and the elegant garden—how can they be so harmonious? I want to draw that house right now. How can a house be built to look so happy?”

Tae-oh laughed heartily at the words ‘built to look so happy’.

“Hahaha, yes, Charlie. We’ll be going into that house that looks so happy soon. So get ready to get out.”

“Huh?”

“That house is where I live.”

“…!”

*

London, Mayfair, Tae-oh’s mansion.

Charlie, after getting out of the carriage, was busy looking at the building and the garden.

Being a child with a natural artistic sensibility, he was showing an immediate reaction to the special visual stimuli.

Just as Tae-oh could read people’s emotions and heal their minds by understanding their psychology, Charlie seemed to have the talent to express various emotions in his drawings when he looked at people or things.

“Master! Why are you so late…?”

Lucy, who had come out to greet him at the sound of the carriage, stopped speaking when she saw Charlie.

“Who…?”

“Lucy, please prepare dinner for this young guest right away! Something that children will like.”

“Yes? Ah… yes, I will prepare it soon, Master.”

*

Charlie, who had only washed his face in the bathroom, looked as clean as if he had become a different person.

His bright, intelligent eyes and refined face had been hidden by the black soot all along.

“Charlie, are you hungry? Eat up.”

The table was filled with food prepared by Lucy and the maids.

Charlie, who had been staring at the food with his mouth open, hesitated and couldn’t pick up his fork for some reason.

“What’s wrong, Charlie? Is there nothing you like?”

Charlie shook his head weakly with a dark expression.

In that moment, Tae-oh sensed that Charlie’s expression and gestures reflected thoughts of someone else.

Seeing the well-prepared food, he seemed to be thinking of his parents and siblings who were starving at home.

“Charlie, don’t worry. I’ll have them prepare some food for your family to take home. I’ll tell them to pack the most delicious things.”

Charlie’s face turned as red as a beet, having been caught in his thoughts.

“There’s no need to be embarrassed. When I was your age, I also had a hard time because I didn’t have enough to eat. So I understand how you feel.”

“Really? You? But you’re a rich nobleman, aren’t you?”

“No. I was actually a poor person like you. And I wasn’t a nobleman either. I only received the title of nobility recently.”

Charlie was surprised but also comforted by Tae-oh’s words that they had been in the same situation.

“We can talk about that later. For now, let’s eat first. You must have been moving around all day without eating properly because of the chimney cleaning and waiting for the art competition announcement, right?”

“…Yes.”

Charlie then carefully picked up the bread in front of him and began to eat.

But after taking a bite, Charlie was startled.

“Ah… it’s so delicious! I’ve never had such soft bread in my life.”

Then he devoured the bread as if swallowing it whole.

It wasn’t a lavish meal, having been prepared in a hurry. But for Charlie, it was the first gourmet meal he had ever tasted.

Lucy, who was watching from the side as she brought more food, wore a pitiful expression.

Charlie ate silently and ravenously for about 20 minutes.

Before dessert was served, Tae-oh asked about his story.

“When did you come to London from Birmingham?”

“About a year ago.”

“Did you quit the job you had in Birmingham?”

“Yes. Both of my parents developed serious health problems. My father had been very ill since the coal mine accident. So he had to stay in bed, and because of that, we lost our family’s livelihood at the coal mine.”

“Oh, dear.”

“My younger sibling and I had to work at a nearby factory to earn money. But the factory earnings were barely enough for our family of five to live on.”

“……”

“Moreover, we had to buy medicine for my father, who had difficulty breathing, but it was too difficult to get medicine in Birmingham. They said there was medicine in London…”

Even when his father miraculously survived the mine accident, Charlie had a small hope that his family might have a slightly happier future.

But reality was still cruel.

Tae-oh asked again.

“It couldn’t have been easy to find a job in London and support your family without knowing anyone, could it?”

“It just so happened that my father’s friend was in charge of hiring at a chimney sweeping company in London. He said they were taking children from poorhouses as apprentices to work as chimney sweeps, and that the pay would be much better than at the Birmingham factory, so he told us to come.

So my sibling and I thought it would be okay if we went to work, and our whole family moved to London.”

As coal mining became more active, the use of coal for heating and powering factories instead of wood was rapidly increasing in major cities in England.

As a result, there were many tall chimneys in buildings that emitted coal smoke, and many chimney sweeps were needed to remove the soot and debris that accumulated inside the chimneys.

However, since adult men with large builds could not enter and clean the narrow chimneys that were only about 50cm wide, boys between the ages of 5 and 10 with small builds were preferred.

Charlie was 12 years old, so he was older than the average chimney sweep boy, but he seemed to have been able to get the job because of his small stature.

“Is chimney sweeping manageable?”

“Yes… In the coal mine, the whole family had to work, but with chimney sweeping, only my sibling and I have to work.”

Thanks to moving to London and working hard with his sibling, the earnings had improved slightly.

However, chimney sweeping was very harmful to health and so dangerous that it risked their lives, so he was worried about whether he should continue doing that job.

“If my sibling or I get hurt, or if we die in an accident while working… my sick father, my mother, and my poor siblings will all be kicked out onto the streets.”

Charlie lowered his head and continued.

“So I’m trying to be careful not to die no matter what, but recently, one of the children I worked with couldn’t get out of the chimney and suffocated.”

It was so terrible that it was hard to believe that these words were coming from the mouth of a mere 12-year-old child.

Even though it was the 18th century, Tae-oh was speechless at the sight of the young boy worrying about his family being left on the streets after his death.

‘The rich get richer and the poor get poorer is too extreme. On one side, people are treated as noble for playing, eating, and living luxuriously, and on the other side, young children have to risk their lives for a few pennies to support their families…’

It is said that even the king cannot solve the problem of poverty, but the problem of poverty felt too serious.

Having fallen into the 18th century from the 21st century without knowing why, he had no immediate answer as to what he should do for them and how far he could help.

But he felt he couldn’t bear to stand by without doing anything.

‘Okay. Let’s start by helping Charlie right in front of me. And then let’s expand it more and more.’

Tae-oh carefully examined Charlie.

He had felt it when he first saw him at the Birmingham coal mine two years ago, but he was a child with a naturally high sensitivity and observational skills. His drawing skills seemed to have been developed naturally from these qualities.

“You’re really good at drawing, aren’t you? When did you start drawing? Did you learn from anyone?”

Charlie answered with an embarrassed expression.

“Good at drawing? I’m definitely not good at drawing. It’s just that I’ve been drawing with coal grains that fell on the floor whenever I had time to rest while working in the coal mine, so people who have properly learned to draw would criticize me… That’s probably why I failed in this competition.”

He hadn’t learned it specifically, but thanks to his natural talent, he seemed to have mastered drawing by observing on his own.

Moreover, the fact that he was not simply imitating but also putting emotions into his drawings was truly amazing.

“You said the portrait you submitted was of your father, right?”

“Yes. I imagined what he looked like when he was healthy, smiling at me as he came out of the mine.”

“You imagined it and drew it?”

“Yes… My father’s been so unwell lately, so I wanted to show him what he looked like when he was healthy. And I entered the drawing in the competition in the hope that if I won, he might feel a little better. More than anything, if I won the prize money, I could earn money for my father’s medicine.”

Last winter, Charlie happened to see an art competition announcement and spent several weeks drawing in his spare time, struggling to complete his submission.

“Since it’s a drawing, you would have needed coloring paints and tools, and those are quite expensive, aren’t they? How did you get them?”

Charlie scratched his head and smiled.

“Yes… Hehe. That was actually the most difficult problem.”

Charlie, who didn’t have the money to buy coloring materials, managed to complete his work by obtaining discarded paints and brushes from a wealthy merchant’s house.

He was at an age where he would have been engrossed in studying or playing while receiving his parents’ love in modern times, which made Tae-oh feel sorry for him.

Moreover, the talent of a child who had never learned to draw but had beautifully drawn a portrait filled with emotion felt too precious to waste.

Clunk-

Tae-oh, who put down his teacup, playfully opened his mouth.

“Did you eat well?”

“Yes. It was the most delicious meal I’ve ever had in my life.”

“I see, well, if you ate well, you have to pay for it, right?”

Although it was a joke from Tae-oh, Charlie’s face instantly stiffened.

In an era when commoners from poor families were severely punished even for stealing a piece of bread, Charlie was instinctively showing fear.

Tae-oh, who got up from his seat, brought a pencil and paper and placed them next to Charlie, saying,

“From now on, just draw one picture that I want. Then I’ll consider everything you ate today and the food you’ll take home to your family as paid for.”

“Really? Are you serious? You’ll pay for the food if I just draw one picture?”

Tae-oh gently stroked Charlie’s head and nodded.

“Yes, that’s right. You don’t have to draw well, and it’s not a painting that will be evaluated. It’s just a matter of drawing one picture.”