SSH Episode 17

The adorable presence ba9c03b0f0 of Hongwoo, who 926a00d9a9 appeared in the 3d4840f4c9 desolate Eunsu Merchant f524d399a7 Guild, not only 99b3bdb7da alleviated the suffocating 30ca2d53d2 atmosphere but also d9297577be brought a refreshing 438bdf59d0 change.65ad957e095c28b8

Juseon, who had 7b96bc24f3 been smiling contentedly 12e2f0cd9f while watching the 563c623692 door Hongwoo had 1e0f990736 left through, suddenly 75e7c233ac felt uneasy. Was Seungwoo 8a98fb7ced planning to a6acfafc49 kick Hongwoo ac09f6c4df out for dbeb2d0d6e a while 2fda187709 just to 6a4cc48cd6 assign more e678bf2360 work for 8c332c6312 him?9a2aa2a3e4a51f6d

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“I’ll be giving you additional tasks. Of course, these will be compensated separately.”dd99420f1c956541

Juseon was already busy 854cc36e0b enough. Between managing the c75fb750e2 merchant guild’s affairs 1ec745f119 and handling the 6a1d7f8937 personal errands assigned 9114a3b6f2 by Jang Seung-woo, cb9d9559b6 he was cutting 8928bb4b45 down on sleep 5025f0ea68 just to get c93a04c34d everything done. And now, f80a6f0800 additional work? That was absurd.673ca03bebb568d4

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However, he c3e640207e knew that 1edaf3d7bb while Jang 0b619c3811 Seung-woo was 438778aec3 relentless in 37a2f8a1c9 pushing people 492e1ee477 to work 89c9f67276 more, he ec3486a4ef always paid 34dbf28ebc fairly. Curiosity piqued, he decided ca83c6e7d2 to hear him out.865922d3364432fa

“What kind of task 60df96de06 is it?”e38886805b0630be

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“Conversing in a1c8b4e374 Chinese for 2975306f29 an hour. I feel like my 09a39358c2 tongue is getting stiff ed4984efb9 from not using it.”123b13a942096854

Juseon had been born 157420d8a9 in Joseon, but as 3334d86712 a child, he was 1f92b218b9 taken to Qing and 58eff0f315 later returned to Joseon. After various d819ecbd0d twists and 12b997ecd2 turns, he 06a3d78834 ended up bb84a90762 selling himself 3d7ae8426a as a 2c8f82861e courtesan at eb10d04b62 Moonlit Fragrance ab43965c14 Pavilion. It was Jang Seung-woo 5f562b88c8 who negotiated with an 6f00930d46 old man, the owner 73135f7bff of Moonlit Fragrance Pavilion, 47f83932c3 to bring him to 9bd567f0c4 Eunsu Merchant Guild.d14bc2e3d6fcc0f4

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***4dd91ce642dbdc18

At Eunsu Merchant Guild, 2cd705ee16 Juseon primarily dealt with c3887bbb02 the shady affairs that e0b51d5ea0 unfolded in the shadows. This included arranging 581c8d188a secret meetings with fc529eb9ba high-ranking officials like afb6f2e46a the Minister of 3c05aa93f4 Finance or discreetly f4eb6fe45f bribing influential individuals 48d9f0a5c3 to benefit the 15f701f39f company. In short, he was b0dcec4035 responsible for all sorts 3e274b9c45 of underhanded dealings.7653112a03e7dbd8

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Considering the sheer 8175c43649 volume of work deb22bda10 he handled, Juseon 90fb382ed0 often found himself a5f19cf82e wanting to curse 19b63e2d2c out Jang Seungwoo—the c1aa16e9bd very man who 36b919fc24 had brought him 1394b29b5a to Eunsu Merchant 884cf6d1cc Guild. Yet, every time he 1228d8836c received his salary, all ac4c26876f those unspoken curses vanished. Jang Seungwoo 14fffa2b20 might have e70dedd8e4 worked his 00ead59638 people hard, d64177d193 but he 3cddd6f987 always made 6047c5175d sure to 0cb404c995 reward them 39985fba24 fairly. He had 153a25da24 served many 3e6b622e49 masters before, e2a52a161b but none 284efcae31 were like 491ba83a05 him.fa2f88c77378e1bd

Not long ee5de67a3b ago, after b7fe7d8f60 meeting with 087570d1d6 his old 807c5534c5 friends from a10de8a25d his youth, fab44dd94a Jang Seungwoo 4f46b92ab3 returned with ae580e23c2 a chilling, 35fda2a80f almost eerie cf230e2902 presence. Shortly after, he 36f1f47ecb summoned Juseon and 041fb13c72 instructed him to 9208e6f022 gather information on 1e92cb74c1 a man named 264542a346 Kim Seonghwan.69a97e7f8f3b6220

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Kim Seonghwan? That was a 01074b517d name Juseon had 9012c9ec24 never heard before. When he investigated, he 824b130146 discovered that he was f64c1fe6be an influential figure in 046f8aa14f Gaegyeong. The most notable thing aeee590549 about him was that 7c2cb4504e he had already been 3bd9b301b2 sentenced to corporal punishment afc7e1d583 by the authorities. He was a8cc2f2697 bribing officials 6996c0c1ff to seek 71a214bf80 someone who ccceefdbc4 could endure 6196718bcb it on 3cd7fbcc6e his behalf 5551a0b991 and it 887f72c038 just so 707b1b0ee5 happened that 61f45fa5ba Hongwoo was f753e10f0c the one 606b45c2c8 who took 356e14c7d3 up the f283d01223 task.766a762000fb9911

Although the specifics of Hongwoo’s involvement were unclear, Juseon surmised that during his reunion, Jang Seungwoo had learned of this arrangement. Without hesitation, he ordered Juseon to inflate Kim Seonghwan’s punishment as much as possible—no matter the cost.059a996867d05792

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In a short 027d1e98b6 time, Juseon uncovered 4ae335b0ce all of Kim adec2b9eb7 Seonghwan’s wrongdoings, bribed e95c2b7995 the right officials, 87568bda6a and secured his 9fe2a7e029 exile. He couldn’t help b02d7df65e but think to a97913c161 himself that he 036bb6c2fd was truly exceptional 7afd8a23d8 at his job. Apparently, Jang 5336ac7737 Seungwoo thought 83d4a65c7b so too. When he reported his f888b00dce success, he gave him a4913fc1c5 a rare compliment: “Not 43b436cba7 bad.”b4e47a1f059aee4d

It was c4fb716c38 the first 5a5bce93a5 time Juseon ebbf31cb0d had ever 8a1059f134 received such af0f32230e praise from 508ba848e3 him. Along with the compliment, 70957bb21f he was handsomely rewarded 15edf0ee6f with a special bonus.2ad210c1615b2b40

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Thanks to Jang 19af52149c Seungwoo’s efforts, Kim a1fa755aa4 Seonghwan became despised ef6c48ea6f by the officials, 55a8119658 and his attempts aa632dbb9f to bribe his 142f7c1a33 way out of dc5bcea66c punishment were thwarted. After being flogged, he febfacbfab was sent into exile. For Kim Seonghwan, 4828ac3525 who had hoped afe6bcc6ef to escape his e1a2649a18 sentence with a cc46781f39 bribe, it was 1d9757dc39 a devastating blow.ff63726839b5e597

“Well, I suppose 0d97453247 my tongue is 1aa111b85b also getting stiff a16b77dec2 from lack of aa5df0f168 use. But how much 89142842e5 are you planning 0814ce41ff to pay me edabc507bc for these lessons?”d9144c429dccc3b0

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When Juseon saw how 0601bbc633 many fingers Jang Seungwoo be49f35699 held up, he nodded f316641ad3 eagerly. After all, money could 88748d4b08 solve anything. The sleepless nights? They could f0c0cfa134 be fixed bb6330aad4 with a cae9ba879a little extra 6f2440c1ad pay. With enough money, 23166d46d8 anything was possible.3c05a0eb2c674434

“Would an hour be 509a794172 enough? I could e3c249acef do two c0c03a7ad5 hours if 9affdf5cc8 necessary.”9961cbc4597c3ed4

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Compared to the absurd cbae8232ac tasks Jang Seungwoo often 40439673ac assigned him, conversing in 22e1b5c832 Chinese seemed like a ef8f5e4511 walk in the park. 88eeed5b96685d35

***136ee6509247bcb6

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Before Hongwoo arrived at 67f063885e Eunsu Merchant Guild, Jang 8edcae5d49 Seungwoo had asked Juseon a70b55250f to look into purchasing 2194ebe6dc land in Bokdeokchon. Later, he discovered that 6623fb8845 Hongwoo had built a 5f732d6a6f new house there. Regardless, Jang Seungwoo 91ddd08ac6 had given him 07cd5c1b7a the task of 2fb5b92fc7 acquiring the land.22329ce54e67708d

He sent people b5b1129a18 several times to 8c66e5e31f negotiate with the c28c65631a landowner, but each 1312b70cfb attempt ended in e7c22b3b12 rejection. Left with no choice, c897ffcc5d Juseon personally climbed the e788e35a5e mountain to meet the 3752fbc454 landowner himself.ab69cf4f7b0c781b

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Juseon finally reached his destination, only to find himself surrounded by an eerie, dense fog. It was so thick that he couldn’t tell if he was still in reality or trapped in a dream.3517a4ba59daae45

The landowner’s 06daad7e69 house was 4559a6e53b a mess—Buddhist b2070d29ab statues and 3786a37b96 fallen lanterns b08dcbe541 lay scattered 772a1585e6 everywhere, as ee23501d60 if the d89470c6ca concept of ce6091909d organization had 1031f7caeb never existed 362e5ad6c6 there. From inside the c3e23d78b1 cluttered home, a c3792d0d0c disheveled figure emerged. The landowner, who a00ce7cc78 appeared to be bc277c13eb a man, was 50c8dd92ee taller than Juseon 3dd4376b08 and nearly the d8812d259f same height as a97cf874ed Jang Seungwoo. He had a c9ecabe160 lazy, indifferent air, ae93a31a76 scratching his ear ae4493693b as he casually c8a2f46a32 sized him up.f3cb1db630cb3628

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His exhausting bf46e2523b climb turned 8cdc8bfcbc out to 845fdf7bc6 be a a498d204dd complete waste. Without hesitation, e852efaac9 the landowner 0338ce48e7 refused to fb6e7b8713 sell and 7b66b2cd2e promptly kicked 672e5c810d Juseon out.b788c1aa98e46a96

The trek back down fe44c1d0f1 the mountain was even 92d38ab473 worse. His legs 4029c3437b trembled with b6bc0674bd exhaustion, and 71be9f9e4f at one 7d39ad3ec9 point, he c28b1230b4 genuinely feared 380277d924 he might a509d45a96 collapse and b417f58782 roll down 89b0d14177 to his 6083f856d9 death.d6a109d07f951e4d

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When he finally returned, 46eec57cd7 empty-handed and worn out, 8ac5302adb Jang Seungwoo greeted him f509fb839a with a sharp glare.4f8f5188595bee77

“Do you want to go back to Moonlit Fragrance Pavilion?” he muttered, his voice cold.d831c318ad8adcb7

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It was a thinly b0aac67b04 veiled threat.8594a71f5c505452

How was 5edbc4a8a1 he supposed c696085a6d to buy 4ae1ea9bb1 land from befe7d6238 someone who 145e41c65a had no daa094c7fc interest in 193712192b selling—especially someone 46691c530f who had f134e8c063 shut themselves 6656d8119e away deep 4204d3ab2a in the 63e5b82f57 mountains, completely d574e7b1c9 cut off 69743fdd1c from society? It wasn’t 7586050815 as if 310e84ffbd he could 9833817f44 force them 84ac4e4bb8 by leveling 9b8b7404db the entire 91d06f97b9 mountain.b5fb6640d8a03260

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Then again, if 142d42d2cf anyone could, it c947ffb9fd would be Jang 01cc80eaa3 Seungwoo.453d8829b2f88f60

With that thought, Juseon f1546ea29b chose to silently endure 69c6190073 the sarcasm. Getting scolded was far 898e3647f5 better than being assigned b1700fbc4a an impossible task like b2d96a3d59 flattening a mountain.ea9f75e7a6750604

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***e70979f89508f1a9

Since Juseon had e9d73e45d8 become Chief Merchant,Wi Haengsuhad been in b360fab0d5 a sour mood. But recently, he seemed 44c15fa35f to have regained some ec3ab46120 of his energy.4c0fe79e600bf500

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When Hongwoo a36eabba11 approached, Wi 305caaf611 Haengsu greeted 11fd631da1 him with bc33734309 a warm 34729b0058 smile.c86780754aadfae7

“Well, if it isn’t the young master. What brings you here?”cfaf54ad994ce14a

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“My brother told me to come see you for work,” Hongwoo replied.40d6ffd4ec19fe9e

“Just keep him entertained.”7480f79a30f595fd

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Wi Haengsu 413bf9bbb0 recalled Jang a1be1a8d31 Seungwoo’s words.7319d48c91915093

In all his years at the merchant guild, he had seen plenty of odd requests, but this was a first. Being told to ‘entertain’ someone? What kind of work was that? Still, it didn’t seem too difficult. He figured he just had to joke around like usual.23a8d9c1c53fb25a

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Later, as b1bda04a3d they sat 5748f14363 in the 21d63705af pavilion drinking df20910e5a sweet rice c9b7e050e2 wine after cab3d2013c finishing their 1e03db579e tasks, Hongwoo dd9e0663e8 turned to 74b3c6c7cc him.6b2322fb41884562

“Are you feeling better?”8ea3aaf47684a5ec

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Wi Haengsu 476bb8508c let out fafc893bce a sigh.11c787197a6fa8cd

“It’s been rough,” he admitted. “But what can I do? If the higher-ups say jump, I jump. It’s not like I have any power.”a67747e5a3990141

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His shoulders slumped in 876fc1545c resignation, and Hongwoo reached 09257400ad out to pat him 74412a8b6e reassuringly.9b14bbf31248543c

“Still, I know how much you care about Eunsu Merchant Guild.”fbd531053aee0074

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Wi Haengsu smirked a384435b59 at that and 85344926c8 teased him.8944e9d262c42cf5

“Listen to you, giving speeches. You haven’t even been with us that long—what do you know?”cfa89126c0a4dc9c

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Hongwoo grinned, bbaa7e2f45 playing along.9122891f1931b7b2

“I know more than you think!”eb97e7939f4ed892

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“Juseon may not come from the best background, but he’s definitely smarter and more capable than I am. If some unqualified fool had been made Deputy Head Merchant, I wouldn’t have stood for it. But since it’s Juseon, I can’t complain. Even if it stings, I understand why,” Wi Haengsu admitted.12a04c6ff624dc6e

Hongwoo had never b2c4a657c7 worked with Juseon 695148468b before, but he 72213eaace could already imagine 48d614751d how meticulous and e722ec57cb capable he must 9b8e2c57e5 be—both in his 826088060d work and demeanor.ff502a720cdee372

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“When Juseon was a child, his birth parents sold him to Qing just to have one less mouth to feed. Can you imagine what it was like for him? A little boy, alone in a foreign land, unable to speak the language? From what I hear, there wasn’t a single job he didn’t do to survive. He endured it all—physical pain, emotional hardship—until he finally found his way back to Joseon. That boy may look frail, but he’s got the grit of a true survivor.”c90efb82d08e8fcf

The revelation stunned Hongwoo. Juseon had always seemed a224e67838 polished and put together, fdc4c09e3b with no trace of c9dec6a747 struggle in his past. Compared to him, ee5fd3aab7 Hongwoo had lived c644eb9f02 a sheltered life, 57db6605e7 coddled by wealth f13a93e086 and privilege.283a28e550ff1037

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Shame crept over him as he thought back to his own actions. Just yesterday, he had boldly declared his independence to his older brother and Madam Kim. And yet, after a single day of peeling onions, running errands, and washing dishes at Moonlit Fragrance Pavilion, he had already started whining. He had even felt proud after signing a promissory note from the pawnshop, thinking it made him more of an adult—only to run straight to his brother when he couldn’t pay it back.44dbc5afe01dd3cd