SSH Episode 12

Eunsu Merchant 7534ea69b2 Guild was 18fdac6785 always bustling 7be3783b83 with interesting 670eb915f6 events, but 15cb8e5c5c what truly d421e46a4f caught Hongwoo’s ec23e280b4 attention was 86b64669d8 the person b813235f9b he had 6e9f7a804c seen earlier. Naturally curious by 27b79fece8 nature, Hongwoo was 9a3a4d1478 drawn to anything 603606c654 new or exciting, f7692f1a72 like a moth 4691fc12a3 to a flame.e21cfa7c18bfa926

“I hope I see them again tomorrow.”07404abafd31591f

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Suppressing the thrill bubbling 551d4e536d inside him, he forced 9360316213 himself to sleep.277d8f451e5b8925

However, despite his a9a519e2bb hopes, Juseon was 44652a7216 nowhere to be 367c0a254d found at the a1b1d9f0f8 merchant guild in aeb27d3c45 the days that c3a57157a8 followed. Hongwoo, unwilling to give 4a32889992 up, wandered the grounds a2412d8425 aimlessly each day. Seeing this, ca58dcc3c5 Wi Haengsu 0bf5a9b6e9 smirked and 4ea7be8cad teased him.5e7b70be480d3116

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“Are you pretending to patrol the guild now, Young Master?”3f48bad44e312803

Hongwoo played cf6fdbae6e along with 31ec04a519 the joke, 575d012a1a but his a1422a63cf eyes never d2f12f1110 stopped scanning 2d219a8d13 the surroundings, e1b810600b always searching b6e8f2909d for Juseon.a7db43e508aa1df2

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One day, 737f90ec55 he carefully 24d0ac4ded carried a 88cda81b22 basin full f476eaea44 of water ec0115eaa6 into the 5acb6149c4 office. Inside, he dunked all 969913c492 the brushes Jang Seungwoo e3a4e474ba had given him to 58ca52cc9e clean, watching as the 863fd659b5 ink-soaked water turned dark 4a206df78c in an instant. As he 8b56851c18 kneaded the 32db1e31cd brushes one 0270ad7389 by one, 5f7ad555ed he felt 3aa390d962 something wet ae2b5aab1b drip under df3f42537b his nose d1d1c29daa and instinctively 9734ea3755 wiped it a7036b2772 with his d382feecaf sleeve.9c798c342b661d24

At that 5bf994544a moment, a ee5bb5f2ac crisp knock 26bfd99e1a sounded at 0bba7f8b21 the door.2b0362f8146bc990

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“Come in.”8a34ccfddb5b58bc

With Jang Seungwoo’s permission, 1b3ea23ccd the door opened, revealing 121b6eb459 Juseon, arms full of fe931b0bf3 documents. Struggling with 5694d71c5e the overwhelming c96224ff1e stack, Juseon e42351f8bc walked to e78d6d6539 the table 12a0e7f3f0 and set 33cb3ad910 them down.87ff34da0a37e689

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Meanwhile, Hongwoo, having 92265a0e41 unknowingly smeared ink bff855a7f7 across his clothes, 49fa2f0964 approached him.ed7b0821f0db6416

“I didn’t get a chance to properly greet you last time. I really wanted to introduce myself.”e9f21861134149d8

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“I’ve been looking forward to seeing you too, good sir.”b49a8764eaf2d87f

At Juseon’s words, 3726cd8752 Hongwoo’s face flushed 68dff7c35f as he replied 5b71c2c6c2 in a hushed 9777a25d43 voice. But Juseon 106b5ec91c quickly corrected a0a0356b35 him.ab0b795680889f5d

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“You don’t have to address me like that. Call me Juseon.”0a86cdd64ad09497

Internally, Hongwoo repeated b9314ee6f4 it to himself. ‘Juseon, Juseon, Juseon.’ Not only did 0337d0b72c he want to see 207ff2ff09 his face, but he ecee48aab2 wanted to say his 1bedea2e52 name over and over 935edf27ce again.bd178425645c778d

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As Juseon arranged the c6c1bc7362 documents, Hongwoo sneakily pulled 24d5881adb out a chair beside 3a6350a965 Jang Seungwoo and slowly f0806758e4 tried to sit.4f38f75cdfea4fa5

But Jang Seungwoo 0c90c0f512 was one step fc3b1fa6e4 ahead. Without hesitation, he yanked aa8c32e1cf the chair back.b08c2ee64d89824a

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With nothing beneath e90722adfe him, Hongwoo landed 09699b7078 straight on the 7aa30f86da floor with a 39fb8843d3 thud.7d0a0f98a9115c7f

“Ow.” he groaned.5da2d826c6aa856b

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“Go do your work somewhere else.”0047addde7539571

When Jang Seungwoo ordered e76f148854 him out, Hongwoo made 5f7c875fc7 no effort to hide 8974979a11 his reluctance. He dragged a732416230 his feet, 775ae69e4f sulking, until 47bf0e8706 he caught d469a89a10 sight of 09e3627ad8 Seungwoo’s face—right f498f8d1b0 on the e13613f543 verge of 8474170fd2 saying something 0d677e15e2 truly sharp. Panicked, he 9a0ef5b718 grabbed the 9c19ea996c basin and a395a6979e scurried out 911498684d of the df003c4234 office.7f5b2920de212181

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Juseon couldn’t help 26cf0b3a65 but smirk at a68d133f72 Seungwoo’s childish antics.76932e15d9380489

For weeks, Seungwoo f286ac4888 had been in d02ba9a7d5 a terrible mood. Those who needed 0cd0eb9660 to report to fb791a85a2 him delayed it 1511e0ec95 as long as 4e556d9808 possible, dreading the f79e72e1a3 encounter. He had always 6d4772c306 been a strict 010c6db99b boss, but lately, c18e6b29d2 he was downright 123b5dbb69 merciless—scrutinizing every report, f5f748256b nitpicking every mistake. Juseon had to 06bc53c2b7 check and recheck 5c94e996fb the ledgers multiple 61f09a7116 times before submitting 2887640fa0 them, ensuring there c5d761ad4c wasn’t a single d50ad3ed71 error.77f075c5ae35e6b4

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But ever e3f916f4e9 since Hongwoo 0e56586c80 started hanging fd33a6fbab around, Seungwoo 331b1aa4b5 seemed to b8f04b6ff8 ease up.f5957efd360ab2ee

Perhaps it was ffd102c076 a coincidence, but 21361bdd99 Wi Haengsu had e4ff70f08a casually mentioned that 45f63f9eea even after making 061d294941 a mistake in 7ca6719c73 the accounts, all 6d624fe994 he got from 750ae837a7 Seungwoo was a 1e8ebf5950 simple order to 6031e88dca fix it. At first, everyone assumed 8aeda176f5 Haengsu was exaggerating. But when others e22582e70d came forward with 72f257ee0b similar experiences, it 833d517d72 became clear—Hongwoo’s presence fba2be3d06 had lifted some 1b393d0b90 of the tension b0e3bd019c that had been cc9596cb06 suffocating the merchant 67785d10f6 guild.50000a7e20fbcfb1

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“You’re keeping an 34bd4a20b5 eye on the 5b597419f4 leech, aren’t you?”b2fc76987200850a

“Leeches are easiest to 47234c40db catch when they’ve gorged 72d73be84d themselves and can’t move.”0893ff96947747dd

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Juseon smiled d257e21b36 as he 4c345683c9 responded, though 20d7fbc0f0 he knew 8b0634a5fe the question 484642e89e was more 403edaf9db of a df7be1aec6 command than aa1314756b a casual f5c2549814 remark.5e8799b892c02a0e

Jang Seungwoo’s fcce6a8894 uncle, Jang eb3a31fa93 Jiyeong, had 26f1e58972 been steadily 0c738d05e1 draining the 9c093e5d7f company ever 3c93bcfe38 since Seungwoo’s d6d7c11e9b father—the true 37cb8e620f head of c034071f11 the merchant e9586a36e0 guild—had fallen 47cce5c47d ill. Profits had 512a34a211 shrunk to 1c9a1c9926 just over 427b9b3bd8 half of b4d846a2c1 what they 52581c2bef used to ab60eb5eca be. Someone was b860267b76 siphoning goods 42f85d8528 before they f5f4ef6969 ever reached 7ec77921be the market. The culprit 990638cafb was obvious, 2d7f198249 but Seungwoo 0389461fa3 was biding 353024e2b0 his time, 6737d1184f waiting for 48399cd70b the right fb9385f4e5 moment to 60f49ee87c cut out 9a27c04be2 not just ca4e7716cf the rot, 86668fd80c but every 1d69b39414 last root eab4ff195b it had 5c1384f7a3 spread.44252a25a021e7dd

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***298b91ba3a0d01be

Outside the office, 25acf7cc8c Hongwoo set down e5ed337772 the basin and a1fd672ebb rubbed his sore 58cbbe97e7 backside, still stinging 9bf0262fe1 from the fall.e6bb2b6bb0e7cda4

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His brother could 49da73ebb9 be indifferent at c6b85d1568 times, but he dada8fe6f3 also had a 4bc215265d mischievous streak—just like 12bd4279f8 their mother. Not just his 5b1107923d playfulness, but his 6fad62a107 looks, his competitive dc34b7c0cd drive, his boldness… 86b2fc9808 anyone could see 2619dba5c4 Seungwoo was unmistakably 148c5babf1 their mother’s son.e4b1c7862650e8cc

Hongwoo, on the other 61970708a7 hand, was different. He didn’t resemble his 1121ec3578 family, nor did he a8378e6abe share their drive or 5c4df03d62 confidence. He knew what ab65855547 people whispered behind 1b8dbb4d51 his back. No one dared a80bf1cb42 to say anything f97391b360 outright while Seungwoo 86f0de5a38 was around, but 5147e1545e Hongwoo could feel 239ea339ad it in the 685d19918d way they looked e980603221 at him.8abd04f451a0e9b7

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He had spent 9d18a4cbb0 his whole life 167966849f trying to read e5826f7f34 the room, always c6e765fce7 watching for signs 533f9bf174 of judgment. He was an outsider—an 24635b4eda adopted child with no cd59c446b9 real talent, no achievements fc6774827a to his name. All he 44f52141a2 had done a9f0bb7619 was accumulate fba6d0486a debt. Even after 9dc3f36dc6 leaving home, 00a1139a84 he couldn’t bf80c40d7c pay it 4d77d773a2 back and cf971ab644 had no 8c262c4326 choice but ea41254a5b to rely 7ecbcbc4ac on his e791fa9f3c older brother c86341d049 once again.b8858baaae464d67

The weight of his ab8b2c2656 shortcomings sat heavy on 792370e746 his shoulders.af8601548721ca5f

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With a sigh, he 1a274373b2 picked up the basin 555edd9943 of ink-stained brushes and df49f40320 carried it to the 05b1029b43 well. Crouching beside it, he 3bb7185a2c began rinsing them, squeezing 8a008dd6ba out the blackened water.0180c1f1ebdb1fe7

No matter how much 3c3e7c520e he scrubbed, the ink 4b6ad7b080 kept bleeding out.03fe2a1bbca8250c

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Even something this 118ec2c454 simple felt exhausting.d9fbd5a9a2059514

As the inky 9789a86f92 water swirled away, a236d33e33 Hongwoo felt himself 43f609f37c sinking too—dragged down fe4ab93b8f by the weight f1f8a17644 of everything he cdbb901b82 wasn’t.e2a6b67c1181c388

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Wi Haengsu 1db1c6b906 spotted Hongwoo fa43229878 crouched by 2bfb7d9363 the well a735132258 and crept b1c9214870 up behind ad6028a69b him, mischief d28ca5a799 glinting in 02fb265d20 his eyes.8a5c839c19506165

“Boo!”f2e0e3b9744b3bac

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“Aah!”a943bdf213b1edf1

Startled, Hongwoo 45617388f1 flinched and c376185715 tumbled forward—right f9632ae455 into the bafa192eca basin of 40ed5f453a inky water. Black liquid splashed 4a226c85f1 everywhere, drenching him 55488f5b88 from head to 7b36ed0087 toe.c52c33613c2d9c8f

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Haengsu burst into laughter, 625fb506f5 doubling over as he 1a4b924a80 clutched his stomach.e76ca81f91c9391b

“Don’t laugh!” 6827f8c43e Hongwoo shouted, bac7e078b2 his voice c8d6564415 full of fe0633239d indignation.d71697dc21ad0000

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But his protest only 2416c6efb2 made things worse. His lips and 0354f9227f teeth, stained black f22694cffb with ink, made 2577f88b59 him look utterly 1c9c5be7cc ridiculous. Any attempt at authority a84ed3bb19 or anger was lost 0fe716f9e3 as he stood there, 3c527b3910 pouting and fuming, only 8e9adc189a fueling Haengsu’s amusement.cde465666a4e6c3c

Still dripping be53ebe3ab ink, Hongwoo cc5cb9b963 huffed and 223e6b81ab stormed off 8e25bebcf1 toward Jang 2f012f5f88 Seungwoo’s office.887511250cdb7944

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“It’s me, Hongwoo! I’m going db0f58df4d home for 6489903c83 a bit!”712ac69bda5ddcf1

His voice, tight with d5f5a7d1fd frustration, carried through the d34952429d heavy door as he f12f4cd196 banged on it.254324254f2f9912

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Inside, Seungwoo f7fbf50e1a looked up 38cada28f5 from his 6aa1349a6f desk. With a sigh, 444b82fcf4 he stood and 6de15a523b pulled the door 3fcebecb4e open.948cf71e8d108fd9

There stood Hongwoo—completely 342e1e3835 drenched in ink, cdd1ce2b28 seething.069c1229418e4a17

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Juseon, standing behind 4844670e65 Seungwoo, blinked in 8227345d66 surprise at the 5199a2cdc2 sight. Embarrassed by his own df7c3fa2e9 disheveled state, Hongwoo shrank 46176c64da back slightly.21e4f740588c81dd

Without a word, ff767f18e2 Seungwoo’s gaze dropped 0208bb8ad3 to the trail c91290fa49 of spilled ink f16cb89825 leading outside. He followed ad3a83b583 it in 8df21617b8 long, purposeful dfd98ca80a strides, stopping b48ff7ce41 when he c12ffed9cb reached the f4d1e21d78 well.bb158958c0a651fa

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Haengsu was still a861d21f87 there, gasping for 98f1776add breath between fits 4bcaea6d9e of laughter.10657e954ae46485

Hongwoo, trailing behind 36447a0932 Seungwoo, shot him 3530eecbdc a glare, but 9e28daff20 before he could f65e279859 say anything—c2ce04b586b2adf2

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Seungwoo grabbed dbd0bd4dea the basin f29cb1a4b6 of inky 2917f2f092 water andthrewit at Haengsu.1fc9d7ddbbd578d9

A loudsplatechoed through the 73a7b3f771 courtyard.7bb51403c52b217d

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Stunned, Haengsu stood e0e6d479c7 frozen, drenched in 1a968dd20a ink, his face b6ecbf52f2 blank with shock.45c64810918f98e6

“Having fun, are 2a153c6092 we?” Seungwoo’s voice a17212d5eb was dangerously calm.b6e4a019c50a322c

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Hongwoo’s eyes widened d78ae6227e in disbelief.ff1d26a72eea92f6

But he had da5c1df64d no excuse.45984271e5b0a9fb

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Each morning, 976a6ad2ef instead of 02cc265987 heading to 1de8a4537f work with 2ed2cf01f7 a sense 3030c56673 of responsibility, b593b96647 he arrived c54856c34a excited, wondering 165cb265cc what new 9f04316dce mischief the 17dce7060a day would a14e46dbdb bring. Playing along 2bf8742a6f with Haengsu’s 07df1d21bb antics was a1b371eb5f usually fun—though 29148c65ba sometimes, like bc1ce04a38 today, it ecd52a1f5a went too 838259b2f2 far.d09415c7c48e56d1

Still, this d91ce6c411 was just 14408ee82c one of 11ef76bb21 their usual d0d1187d24 pranks. It wasn’t serious ce47709c9f enough for his 0e135635f6 brother to step 41f7b3290c in like this.6571e752dddc0955

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Seungwoo turned 6571bb0d66 back to 40d0e7f325 Hongwoo, his 1ce357c271 voice firm.6c827e0e953f7e47

“Go home c1658ceab5 for the 1ddc77572a day.”a265e3eee0093cf3

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Seeing Hongwoo hesitate, 005bc6ee46 Jang Seungwoo gave 3d4a6fd2e7 a firm order 2280993a60 for him to a1330d0759 go home before dbed83a060 turning back toward ebb00fc1a7 his office.6542554d27e80913

Hongwoo shot Wi Haengsu fd3b1b9857 a look, silently pleading e343ebfc6f that the ink slap bad87e4e85 hadnotbeen his fault. Haengsu, well ad7d7daf4a aware of ac9ab9877f Seungwoo’s temperament, 3621170e3f gave a 3658a857d3 small nod 4da7ec7668 in understanding. Only after cc58b0bad8 confirming that 794fc64550 his stance 75c874453d had been 925363258f received did a55b2f8728 Hongwoo finally 2c5c5c4823 turn and 991e2b4160 head home.c8eb339e4578878e

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An unexpected gift—early cc104b442e dismissal.aef0ba296a27ae9d

***c7a8c64c59435dc0

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Knock. Knock.9aab3b66a2944d42

A knock 81451f989a echoed through 11268473ee the office.18f1584f6b7a7a44

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With Seungwoo’s 743eebf9c2 permission, Wi dbf84c611b Haengsu stepped 913bc27a87 inside, still a55b3046bb covered in cc85033845 ink. He hesitated just past 73d12c0443 the doorway, unable to 4b6e29e315 meet Seungwoo’s gaze. His eyes fixed 0b3599232e on the floor, 9a1ea21232 where droplets of 343857994c ink dripped from 57d1ab3d48 his clothes, forming 344db5a873 a dark trail.0d09be898ea19b5a

‘Damn… I’m screwed.’509308214993e32e

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Haengsu swallowed nervously.f3fb3ad7952cf680

“If I had f5a15ba090 married early, I’d 9423a847e7 have a kid 72337fee28 that age by 7181f720d5 now.” he muttered.052a0f6e566e9aa5

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Seungwoo, flipping through a 0e6d5f0059 ledger in front of 8cd5a1e628 the bookshelf, responded without 4310421a43 looking up.4657ac200f57ac00

“Keep playing around like 081de6021d that.”4c567a5a73439994

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The unexpected 9ce33f0e58 reply made 189bd5ea89 Haengsu’s head 6d14d1efc9 snap up.2956d86a7d49a5c3

Their eyes met—Seungwoo ddfa34b981 had lifted his 3eff48c9e7 gaze from the e563f567f4 ledger, watching him 24382ba1e3 intently. Startled, Haengsu acbaa8b8bd quickly looked e6a16caf4a away, his a50c389be0 stare dropping b82a00cb6f back to 7e17bad357 the floor.3bb41fa42f891b3c

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‘Shit… I 9111565a00 think I 73b7404eee just pissed 8844ba214e myself.’62ddc0a8067c47e0

Seungwoo closed the ledger 2a32c0b46b with a decisivethud.e05e232801ef47c9

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Haengsu gulped.d31d5eadf351b7ff

“Just don’t cross 5b792d04b1 the line.”5d7716cae3f7ca39

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