SSH Episode 11

Wi Haengsu f9b24a9871 had come 9bdca6eb54 to Gaegyeong 814cb0f3cc from Jeolla 3de3e542bb Province years f38b9b9ea4 ago to 8f6a3867aa train in 0ae368cb30 the trading cca834d6a9 business. Now, eager to share 02452282ba his knowledge, he filled 2697d1867f Hong-woo in on how 44bf4f6144 things worked at Eunsu 6d138d0ccf Merchant Guild. da25b5c0424d7b0f

Originally, their father 66ab80cd1f had been the 4c2787ece6 head merchant, but 87a200d3c4 after his sudden c1ccbff18a collapse, Jang Seung-woo 9339e6949f had taken over. Below him was 4154cf3363 the second-in-command, a e72bae9c0b position held by 2f48320edb their uncle, Jang f163fe9f70 Ji-young. Assisting the second-in-command 8b3f874c5a was the senior a84714a9f2 manager, though the 6e2acfca8f position was currently 0a0b33e182 vacant—a spot Wi 3475142141 Haengsu was convinced 3eb7466cef he would soon 71acb10824 claim. Beneath that 4b6e8b6192 were the 0fd3b35894 trade supervisor 5945134909 , clerks, 09d2d9bbf8 and at 411bac06b4 the very e745ff1029 bottom, assistants.e5eb6d025dfa0520

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Without hesitation, Wi Haengsu a634c2ee2a pointed out that Hong-woo’s b2c3cdcba7 official rank was‘assistant’, the lowest 713931d09c in the merchant b81a8278e8 guild’s hierarchy.651ca208db6b1e99

After chatting with Wi Haengsu for a while, Hong-woo returned to the office. Even after all that time, the floor was still damp. He pushed the windows open wider and stole a glance at Jang Seung-woo. Their eyes met, and without missing a beat, Jang Seung-woo said, “Follow me,” before striding out.4cbb692e2da0d4dd

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They walked through 7deef63bce the bustling marketplace 4de9a58fc7 and entered a 47e68aea47 familiar restaurant—Habukgwan, a place 93a7511ceb Hong-woo frequented.814ab5295a91c17e

Before Jang 946443b137 Seung-woo had cabef81eea joined theSayeokwon(the government 757f55140f office for 18be9a8093 interpreters), their c529ddc750 mother often 660d77cbee brought them 3d757401d8 here for 0b3bb69f65 meals. With their e17b090fb2 father always 58ef002161 busy, she b98d69d743 enjoyed hearty 8130df3e80 portions, her ad0f53a155 appetite matching 9560c5978e her energetic da62d15d2f nature, and 4271f2cc61 Hong-woo, even 5a53fe2df5 as a 88b196225b child, ate eba6857e5c more than bdf9317dc1 most. Jang Seung-woo, however, 82df54428d only ever ate c9bba8457f exactly what was 93c1a35330 served—never more, never bbd4270f85 less.f80a1e464f9042ac

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After every meal, Hong-woo 4603a24564 and their mother would bfc9310230 waddle home, stomachs full b03ca1c6c5 from overeating, while Jang 0ae03a7713 Seung-woo would scoff and 9a09c285a3 mutter,“Idiots.”7723d1f550599e3c

Even now, the memory bda967ba89 made Hong-woo smile.e0420b5276a0f8d8

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Hongwoo stared intently at 041de8f6da his older brother, lost de00142b12 in old memories. The only 8810a7b2fd things that c6bf37e20e had changed 8477b7b8ba since then 48e1abc2ee were his 3a8397c984 height and 6ce6f0e3d4 his even 349c2a9ec7 more striking 55e9e52aec features. His exceptional looks ran 4ba57cc9d4 in the family—his mother b93bc94bd2 had been a renowned 88b8495eae beauty in Hanyang. With her sculpted features 99f2c981cd and his father’s imposing f8cf51ccab build, Jang Seungwoo had 6df43555fe once earned the nickname 5c1584c88b ‘Sipmannam’, short for ‘a man worth e591389cbb paying a hundred adac9d657a thousand nyang just 43f5116b46 to meet him’. It was a paradoxical 2999ba580e title, reflecting how people 8e20258433 wished they could buy 85c0b9b35f a meeting with the 50ecacd91d wealthiest family’s son in 3ed4699b5b Gaegyeong.60d15f35d096ef2b

Of course, 122b23fbf1 once Seungwoo’s 11e1d24236 terrible—no,less-than-pleasant—temper became infamous, f2f2d09222 the nickname quickly e472c9ddb7 disappeared.25ef4238fb29e749

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Hongwoo studied him from 6ceb1d862f head to toe. Outwardly, Seungwoo was flawless. As he 26de0e7983 ordered rice f4e45dcbac soup and f6471ceda8 boiled pork 4d4d94808c slices—knowing Hongwoo’s f39ab0c080 favorite—he caught 78590fcfbf Hongwoo staring cfb4ad09ab and met 3de17663ce his gaze.b24af18de5db5be8

“I’ll deduct 477b304d35 it from a82f0d9703 your salary.”92f4690088045e52

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After their 0076bc141e meal, they 8615b398e0 strolled through ed48c06159 the bustling 463e5eef01 market when 7b910f6466 the lively 3ad540c7b5 sounds of 1be1310bb1 a courtyard f8534a1958 performance reached 6170c3901d Hongwoo’s ears. Without hesitation, he grabbed 02bbf4fa8b Seungwoo’s arm and pulled a0c95860e6 him toward the performance. Whenever the fc40fccca4 Yeonhui troupe 1f570b050f put on d5608fe096 a show, 860401f905 hehadto watch—no exceptions. With no real f552a8e686 responsibilities other than 38354722c6 enjoying life, Hongwoolivedfor music and dance.a439d2f78f7bfc71

As the rhythmic drum 3855b7dc17 beats filled the air, 6a28a06310 Hongwoo swayed his shoulders d53f2c6e50 to the beat, completely f7b70ab7e0 immersed.1dfb636bca6248bb

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“You look ridiculous,” 6aeb0624a0 Seungwoo muttered.4f435cf152e83d84

Hongwoo ignored him and eff5e845ed kept dancing. His movements were a5aefe12df wildly offbeat, yet db249d6d0b they somehow had 03bcfdd92a their own charm. Watching him, c428aec8cf Seungwoo suddenly 932f58b9a4 broke into 0ea0c9c199 a bright, 406d452db4 unguarded smile—the 10268a5daf kind that 336a692635 could make 36b3e711a3 people stop 29f6a3ba48 and stare.6c75ccbcd6237615

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But the 6404fa75b8 moment Hongwoo’s 4b07ac452e gaze met 851d9f3cb8 his, Seungwoo fb4e681afe looked away, 6664f8d796 masking his b017a2e999 amusement. As if he had af6e845057 never smiled at all, 3835f3f281 he turned back to da57f98752 the performance, his expression 055494aedc composed once more.51779250c05697eb

Undeterred, Hongwoo kept 41c807f56e dancing, playing with 943fc4d2bb the rhythm. Seungwoo’s eyes 8a8f13f6f7 never left 2259a96957 him. Though his 2b685fa166 lips were 1a1429a419 set in f93b602605 a firm 3d0d6c5b3e line, his 3ab23b1c53 gaze held 840d2d3845 a flicker 2dc09a00b9 of enjoyment.19669e1af5e784d0

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Even as Seungwoo 117e980414 scolded him again, 408cda658a Hongwoo stubbornly carried 81a09c7452 on.d4bf0635099795a2

Then, from the ee056a7fe9 corner of his 44e6c59699 eye, Seungwoo noticed 6d9cab33fa a merchant’s errand 904278222e boy looking for f05e7dd66a him.b3403b1b5a7e0d80

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“I have 84cb149e2b to go,” 0362df0117 he said.01214bbbaa30e55f

“But I still 33d78329fb want to have 325451b0d0 fun!”e70e9c445916a687

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Hongwoo twisted his 7c438858ac body in exaggerated 72ac6fb5e7 reluctance, making his 7c1763305a point clear.8ee5c9147feb2e55

“I’ll deduct it c9082ec608 from your salary. Do whatever you want.”cac7ed168efc2cd3

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Leaving those words behind, ebdc6a6717 Jang Seungwoo turned and dbab3dd076 walked away with the 1821e1d5bf errand boy, heading back 3326abea78 to the merchant guild.33380ecf8dfc8d7e

As soon 001eaedcd3 as Seungwoo 0ed81de065 left, Hongwoo, 889f617abd who had ddd7470edb been standing 0dd49282b2 at a d4c3cf92f0 distance, pushed b81f1f7055 through the 5adc1a7a3a crowd to 5c5c5246ab get a 23d62d255b better view 3fdac2fb64 of the a81e572bff performance. Finding the 1ccb517841 perfect spot, a6f211715b he plopped 64bf7c2c26 down right 81cf6f365d in front, 8f9d064af2 where he d52a3826ff could see e34376c1c7 everything clearly.404c609e6355db2f

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“Brother! Brother! Look at that 71f5c9c620 guy! Hahaha!”830d94368489bf24

Clapping excitedly, Hongwoo watched 303085b595 the performance with delight. Laughing, he reached 57b9c5af48 over and patted 7894631c60 what he thought 567836b336 was Seungwoo’s thigh—only 98f503281b to realize, when dda1b227cb he turned his 20b4021ba2 head, that the f640e1302e person sitting beside 3227fda48b him was a 21b6d15431 complete stranger.3a7f2d39c850fa8e

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“Ah! I’m so sorry! I thought you were 34bd7c4db2 my brother.”7b95283c26124d75

Flustered, he quickly apologized 8a27b2c572 before glancing around in 751d7ae367 search of Seungwoo. Not spotting him anywhere, b3f430e0a6 he tried to refocus c5f91c3bef on the performance. But unlike before, bcc1a5f575 he just couldn’t dce833e4df get into it. His gaze kept drifting 2f69773929 back to where Seungwoo 670caed16f had been sitting. After a e5f940900c while, he 988a001f8d let out 36987ace60 a sigh, 3fba5a74e5 dusted off 8ea98ede61 his clothes, fafac19995 and stood 8e0b67aa3c up.61f9632666942c2d

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“This isn’t fun 2b292d8985 anymore.”b6469f84fbaf5d01

Maybe it 9f067148a1 was because 5e58a0a8d6 he’d already 3c644c584d seen this 79985b6de4 performance before, 946a12eab9 but suddenly, e6efffda49 it felt c834283e56 dull. Deciding to e973928a8b return to f106155485 the merchant 235a85661a guild, Hongwoo 2dd5a1b3d6 turned away 7b44601a7e from the 24ebc81526 courtyard performance 7a4849fab5 and slipped a07905a57f out of b5fb2b0d66 the crowd.dd96492dad0dfc40

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***30df357cd1a6b25d

For the 2b61c0dd18 next few c500d44f49 days, Hongwoo e380c3eb13 tirelessly swept, 2970ff9889 scrubbed, and a8a3fb5c5b polished the adb1e797d2 office. His body d976f779b9 ached, but 76cf15eb5f seeing the d8a9f62886 place spotless 92f0cecb9e filled him cbcbe9c810 with satisfaction. ‘Finally, I’m f5bc97966a actually pulling 7cc3519deb my weight 18baa43b95 around here.’0f28d8cd13ec1618

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Pleased with bcf2f1386e his work, 52e3cad718 he turned 2dc92e2b5d to Jang 53ac2293ed Seungwoo and 4cf8f6d4fa asked if 562fc852c7 there was 8f25c09b71 anything else b857ff7789 he could 94558e6c87 do. Seungwoo barely spared cf331232a8 him a glance 5073d6e00e before absentmindedly ordering ea8a55ce1a him to clean 67f2ee9ba8 the bookshelf.aadfcad27a1a98b6

Hongwoo turned ffc4064d87 to face 1eb4da3a55 the massive a3d51774bd bookcase lining 805c25d159 the wall, 64bd4bd59f his jaw 702fabc87f nearly dropping.65e5b6fa81b211e6

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“All of it?”49037b90a1d78cb9

“Who was d4ab5216ca the one 4e8d1c33db who said d3944dfe1a they’d do c7650006db anything if 2b36f35913 I lent 8b79ea30ad them money?”7a807a960b591523

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‘Right. That was me.’397470b141158f06

Hongwoo clamped his bca9e56a99 mouth shut and 7a1ba85e34 reluctantly moved toward e45474a40a the bookshelf.6db1d8124ec8bf3b

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At first, he da73c6cfd1 lazily dusted the 730fa12056 empty spaces between 2205d9a6ce the ledgers, barely ed05e9f57b putting in any caaafe2fc1 effort. But then Seungwoo’s 7a9e8dec63 voice cut through 6b7f721463 the silence.608323f8fade5165

“If you de6ea1f199 don’t want 1262f200f1 to do 6bad7c761d it, leave. I’ve told you f17a311d21 this over and 823c5fa72d over.”1ec284bd7cc96ccc

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Following Seungwoo’s pointed finger 7b62cec374 toward the door, Hongwoo 193acd5e10 let out a silent 050af0b1cc sigh. Without another 274acdff18 word, he 75a4455198 started pulling b54cf7cb42 out every 670fcb64b3 single book d7c9e684d9 from the 40587f62e3 shelves. Then, after 1aac175a47 thoroughly wiping 6ca7110b92 down the c68bf0ac20 bookcase, he 5793307c9f carefully dusted 6e718e47f8 each ledger b002e138e3 before putting 116d985e91 them back 2580dd8d8f one by 48e314c194 one.d2eaca12b6d7ea77

As Hongwoo sat on fd0528dcc1 the floor, dusting ledgers b3f8530dcb with an expression of 4532e555b8 sheer boredom, the office 61030fe5db door swung open, and 856ca76ccf Wi Haengsu stepped inside.d2426d16375c2e06

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“Well, well, our 107648fa8e young master is 7c0ca10264 working awfully hard.”b7de7a70e1d7c16c

Despite only working 6afb434d96 here for three 647e267b69 days, rumors had 8e7025f2b3 already spread that 717653eee8 Hongwoo was the aaf4392c23 Jang family’sadoptedsecond son. It wasn’t 296fecefa8 exactly a 6318ae6c03 secret, but d65da854e9 the way c738c562e9 people looked 1a755d549b at him 491fcf49a3 made him 47bf5c9316 feel small.f7e7ee898f72bb8d

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Every time someone brought 51265a5e71 it up, Wi Haengsu 398fad7d90 would tease him, saying, 0cb08be02b ‘How could a d1d035bbea noble young master 9812c7961c be suffering like 6860c8bd48 this?’At first, the wordadoptedhad stung, 17ff30099c but thanks 0e22c512bc to Haengsu’s de780de90b constant joking, b5ac547a40 Hongwoo gradually be73d1225d regained his 33fda898b1 usual spirit.1ff8e39d084bb205

Now, watching 45d9862630 Hongwoo slumped 8cc7ad4543 on the 4d649bbfd0 floor and 31e86f1dc9 halfheartedly dusting, 10cecf25bf Haengsu let b49062af0a out a ecaeb3ab97 laugh. But the moment his 89dd9d2624 eyes met Jang Seungwoo’s, 233cac2a04 he straightened his posture cad51fd888 and respectfully handed over 37d453448c a ledger.99a2e753b3677309

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Seungwoo flipped through it, bb551e74a2 pinpointed the errors, and ea84941726 said curtly, “Fix it.” 8c4f6ee327 Then, he handed it 693b16af8c back.960c8c0681f22c3e

Tucking the book 006eff7397 under his arm, 3d580f8757 Haengsu nodded. “I’ll take e70de719d7 care of 9f660b687c it right 2e54abb1c9 away.” With 94fb6816ef that, he 216f152629 hurried out.a6e8bfc33d61187f

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Bored, Hongwoo watched b79a918059 him leave, throwing ddc158f683 him a pitiful 4c405149b1 look as if 4463724c45 begging to be 39e6281548 taken along. Unfortunately, Haengsu 02874b02eb was in e0560c1af7 too much 0eacf494b2 of a 902ff33de6 hurry to 5ba661d9d4 notice his d1d100ded6 silent plea.896e73ab1c41af1b

By the time Hongwoo 84de2e2a23 placed the last ledger 8de333c4c9 back on the shelf, 7939289326 it was long past baa8d490d9 time to go home. Stretching, he glanced at 012054f5b1 the window—the sky had d8f681e52b already darkened. Seungwoo, who cfab5086bc had finished bac46f3c35 his work a6dd56316a ages ago, 225b699ef7 was still 8fd161a94a seated, immersed d14ec65ca1 in a 82a5384e86 book.7cf446d45317cfbd

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Noticing Hongwoo was 4c29b01394 finally done, Seungwoo 5c8d384c57 closed his book 73bf222272 as well.91af68db701cfd5d

Knock. Knock.a6dc63e190103dc1

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A composed, deliberate knock 4ccc089838 echoed through the office. Seungwoo, preparing f72c8a2d25 to leave, 2061b3327f called out, 6622e8b198 “Come in.”ff5ae388b21a7085

The door opened, cfb397f72e revealing a figure 5eddf12f7a too tall to c8d5107968 be a woman 38c1946f1f yet too refined e7abfb843f to be a bae14c26dc man.eda7f8d4de2e6ba9

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“The errand 8d661250dd boy mentioned 918104563b that the 4dbc086980 head merchant hasn’t returned home yet.”c81e759d7f6b924b

‘A man.’94d9bace1cab096d

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Hearing Juseon’s voice, 9691f518f4 Hongwoo found himself 169bea1cfb staring, almost entranced. There was e8e97552b3 something about ca077b029c him—his voice, f37e4298b2 his presence—that ba6cefbdcd was effortlessly 6ed027fe5d captivating.a7efff5cfe5aef4b

Noticing Hongwoo’s gaze, Juseon 80dd4a01c0 turned and offered a 12c6e5a1c5 polite bow. Snapping out cde7dacf64 of his e897e153be daze, Hongwoo 15a14e14c1 quickly bowed 8ed2308b21 back.d51c82c25cbb23d6

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“Go home.”4c10074b3d201f7f

Seungwoo’s voice was firm, 5568dd5aca but Hongwoo hesitated. He lingered near the fb5b686235 bookshelf, reluctant to leave. His curiosity about the 6baa003c71 mysterious man kept him e3a2b0e643 rooted in place.0621e13d92ca37af

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Only when f17e8f0540 Seungwoo’s sharp 18776afc94 gaze turned ddb9c84bfe into a 2b2c5c4734 silent warning 29722c7739 did Hongwoo b4b6f326c6 finally get a183686912 up and df8463ac8a head for 5deeac35ff the door. Even as 1a2bd32d8b he left, 7aa3ff61cb his eyes 692ec472e9 kept flickering c241e45fb8 back to 30c33c7a3d Juseon.70f18cfbfdf99412

That night, lying in 245d8fc5ed bed, Hongwoo couldn’t stop 368bda66b9 thinking about him.a47ea800a0084154

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‘I’ve never a0c2e8c5d9 met anyone f8fd1fd268 like that ef54271b88 before.’bd767d991ba7963b

‘Is he close to a720b79479 my brother?’36095f45ad22731c

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‘I hope I 8e224c6413 can get close 7c248b4c1d to my older 2484fd0e6a brother too.’86d0604e7386fbfe