SSH Episode 14

“Head Manager Wi asked me to come with him to the warehouse for a bit!”

Hongwoo quickly threw Head Manager Wi under the bus. ‘Sorry, sir. If you were in my shoes, facing that glare, you’d have done the same.’

Under Jang Seungwoo’s piercing gaze, Hongwoo braced himself. He had to pay off his debt as soon as possible. Getting kicked out of the merchant guild before doing so was out of the question. Once he repaid the debt, he could start saving money. And once he had enough money, he could—finally relax—no, become a proper, self-sufficient person.

Trying to shift the conversation, Hongwoo spoke up.
“I heard you’ve been appointed Deputy Head Merchant. Congratulations.”

“I’m honored, but please call me Juseon as before. The title hasn’t changed much about my work.”

If Head Manager Wi had been promoted, he would have taken it as his rightful due, strutting around as ‘The Great Deputy Head Merchant Wi’. Juseon, on the other hand, simply smiled, his eyes curving like crescent moons, his humility effortless. He seemed perfect inside and out.

But Hongwoo knew someone who had an equally flawless exterior—yet was rotten to the core.

“How long has it been since I told you to wash those brushes? And I asked you to make them look new, not ruin them. Don’t tell me you went looking for a sable to make fresh ones instead?”

That very person was now sneering at him. No wonder his glare felt sharper than usual. Not waiting for another round of scolding, Hongwoo spun on his heel and hurried out.

When he reached the spot where he had left the brushes, his eyes widened in horror. The bristles had dried and frayed, splitting like old broomsticks. ‘What the—?’ This wasn’t how they looked after washing them in the morning…

His round eyes wobbled, as if shaken by an earthquake. ‘What am I supposed to do now?’

Creeeaaak.

The office door groaned open ominously. Hongwoo stepped inside, clutching the ruined brushes like damning evidence. Juseon’s face froze in shock, while Jang Seungwoo’s brow arched ever so slightly.

Hongwoo’s heart pounded. ‘Whatever he’s about to say, it’s not going to be good.’

Deep breath. ‘In—out, in—out.’ He forced himself to loosen up.

“Are you kidding me?”

‘As expected. My older brother is terrifying.’

Hongwoo had tried to calm himself with deep breaths, but they were utterly useless. He had braced himself for Jang Seungwoo’s reprimand, yet the cold sharpness in his brother’s voice still sent a shiver down his spine.

“Fix them. Every single one.”

Seungwoo let out a dry, disbelieving chuckle before his expression hardened, his tone turning icy.

‘He really is my older brother.’ Hongwoo felt his legs weaken.

Even though he had mentally prepared for this, the growing darkness in Seungwoo’s eyes made his heart race. It felt like standing face-to-face with a massive tiger in the wild. His body tensed, cold sweat forming on his skin. The future ahead of him looked bleak.

Snapping himself out of it, Hongwoo forced himself into action. He had fully realized just how terrifying his brother was—now it was time to fix the problem.

“I-I’ll take care of it right away!”

Snatching up the ruined brushes, he bolted out of the office. Unlike when he had walked in, this time, he was moving like prey fleeing a predator.

***

At the brush shop, Hongwoo shifted anxiously while the shopkeeper examined the damaged brushes.

The old man inspected them with a keen eye. With some oil to restore their sheen, glue to bind the bristles, and a little reshaping, they could be salvaged. The process wasn’t difficult, but the shopkeeper immediately recognized an opportunity—Hongwoo was clearly a young master, sheltered and naive.

With a seasoned merchant’s cunning, the shopkeeper put on a regretful expression.

“I’ve been making brushes since I was five, but I’ve never seen anyone bring in such expensive ones in this condition. Fixing them won’t be easy but I’ll give it a try. The problem is… it’s going to cost you.”

Hongwoo’s face fell. “I, uh… I don’t have any money right now. What should I do?”

Hook, line, and sinker.

The shopkeeper watched with amusement as Hongwoo visibly panicked.

He was already struggling to pay off his debt, and Seungwoo had an uncanny ability to sniff out whenever he slacked off. His brother had made it clear—any distractions would come straight out of his salary. With most of his wages already set aside for debt repayment, he’d barely have anything left.

If he went back empty-handed… just imagining Seungwoo’s reaction made his head spin.

The shopkeeper smirked. “You seem to be in quite the predicament, young master.”

As Hongwoo stood by, inspecting the ruined brushes he had created, a customer beside him struck up a conversation.

“Yes. I’m still paying off my debts, and I have no money right now. This is a disaster.”

The customer clicked his tongue in sympathy. “Tsk, tsk. If you’re struggling that much, why don’t you try the government office?”

“The government office?”

“Sometimes, they offer temporary jobs.”

“Really? Thank you for the information! You’re a lifesaver!”

Hongwoo bowed repeatedly in gratitude.

Turning back to the shopkeeper, he pleaded, “I promise I’ll get the money as soon as possible. Please make sure the brushes are properly fixed by then!” With that, he hurried out of the shop.

***

After wandering for what felt like an eternity, Hongwoo finally arrived at the government office. ‘Ugh. I didn’t realize it was this far.’ Catching his breath, he stopped a passing official and asked if there were any jobs available.

“There’s one but it’s selling flogging rights. Never seen a noble do it before. Think you can handle it?”

Flogging…?

The only kind of beating Hongwoo had ever experienced was a flick to the forehead from Jang Seungwoo. The idea of actual punishment made him uneasy.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

“Well… depends on the person. I’ve seen flogging sellers bribe the enforcers to go easy on them.”

The official, who had worked at the government office for years, gave Hongwoo a once-over. The idea of a noble—one from a family rumored to have more wealth than the king—selling himself for a beating was absurd.

It disgusted him. He’d already seen privileged nobles indulge in ‘peasant experiences’ for amusement, but now they wanted to steal the struggles of the lower class too? The sheer audacity of it made his blood boil.

“Well? Are you doing it or not?”

Hongwoo hated pain. But… he was also curious. He had always heard about flogging, but he’d never experienced it. How bad could it really be? And if it hurt too much, he could just quit midway, right? It’s not like they’d actually beat him to death—he wasn’t even the criminal.

Conveniently forgetting the fact that people had died from flogging, Hongwoo allowed his curiosity to take over.

“I’ll do it!”

The official, still looking unimpressed, told Hongwoo to return at the same time next week to sell his flogging rights.

‘Whew… at least I’ve secured the money for the brushes.’

For the first time, Hongwoo had solved a problem without begging anyone for help, and he felt a surge of pride. Maybe independence was making him more responsible.

He still didn’t know much about the world, but he was learning—one step at a time.

Now that he had figured out how to pay for the brush repairs, the real problem was sneaking out of Eunsu Merchant Guild on the day of the flogging without his older brother noticing. Hongwoo racked his brain for a solution but couldn’t come up with one.

Still, where there’s a will, there’s a way. He’d have to take a risk.

The plan? Pretend to be sick.

His brother wasn’t the type to let him off easily, but even he wouldn’t force a sick person to work… right? Right? Then again, Hongwoo knew better than anyone that his brother was not the kind of person to send him home just because he claimed to be unwell.

But this was his only option.

Years of watching street performers had given him a solid grasp of acting. He would just have to trust in his skills.

***

The Day of the Flogging

That morning, as soon as Hongwoo arrived at work, he clutched his stomach and complained to Jang Seungwoo.

“My stomach hurts.”

“Then go to the latrine.”

His brother barely looked up as he dismissed him.

‘Huh…? That’s it?’

Hongwoo had expected a snide remark like, “Going to the latrine first thing in the morning? As expected, our little poop-doll never disappoints.” But surprisingly, his brother didn’t say anything else.

‘Could it be? Is his personality finally improving?’

Hongwoo went to the latrine but made a detour to the well on his way back. If he wanted to look convincingly sick, he needed to seem feverish.

He dampened his bangs slightly, creating a few beads of sweat, then stumbled weakly back toward the office, imitating an exhausted gait.

When he entered the room, visibly clutching his stomach in pain, Jang Seungwoo didn’t even glance at him.

Seeing that his act wasn’t working, Hongwoo let out a low groan.

That finally did the trick. His brother looked up and studied him.

“Are you really that sick?”