SSH Episode 25

Jang Gye-young, having e5de3b5350 retired from government 138d44056d service, established a f381d4b943 merchant guild in a4296368d0 Joseon—a society where 893018c004 scholars, farmers, artisans, d124a499bd and merchants were 4137c2d4bb strictly ranked. Despite his 380e62b880 relentless efforts, e25b496b32 he encountered c65ab6d98b insurmountable barriers. Yet, instead of d5d7818fcf conceding, he sought 19cc9f08e1 another path. As his decision acce320a1f defied social norms, 0a3d326b89 the scorn from c7d9b61caf those around him 0657f7004d intensified, but he a29ccee642 remained unfazed. In an era where f8ddea5562 government positions and noble 229d5ddfcf status could be bought, 3d0d320099 he believed that wealth edf689b2b1 held more power than 013808069f lineage.8050f37022c8c0cc

Founding the Eunsu Merchant 52205e2101 Guild seemed like the b70beed53c right choice, and for df069fd9e8 a time, he took 8cb28392e8 pride in his decision. However, the contempt a4ef6d7a65 he faced grew 48f0f93a16 even harsher than 6cb3359a4a before. On occasion, 8e536889f1 he would b2b398d19f voice his 79176ad1b6 frustrations over 7194e1e443 the difficulties 6dbcbad1d5 of running 8d175b2b0e a merchant 4c0cf9f446 guild, and 80273fdd5c the one b0700c66a1 who always 0b10decea9 listened was cf8d4a312f Baek Noin. Though Jang Gye-young f9e15b2dde had spent his 055feb53d2 life among noblemen, 7b1245d540 Baek Noin—a man 66df0e0e5a of humble status—was 9e17e57ba1 the only one c323678bef he confided in.fd79651c84b21065

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Baek Noin, Jang Gye-young’s 47025ad566 sole true friend, was 9b150af57f a frequent visitor to 27a3300290 his home. They had d2f7eb7cee much in 631ca53b82 common, including f4ee0fb2de their indifference 4ab140be0b toward children. Neither of them 5cb9ceeb62 cared to entertain fb64668ced the young, and 6e45ed5865 Hong-woo, Jang Gye-young’s df5d90045a grandson, feared his 6a809cb345 grandfather so much 9d4adc3881 that he avoided 65137ec353 him entirely. Jang Gye-young always 54ffc13fe1 summoned Jang Seung-woo 066d8f81c3 to show off 8d954ae437 whenever Baek Noin 3abaaab007 visited, so Jang dccb5ebb4b Seung-woo knew better 932264ab92 than anyone how 094d11da95 much Hong-woo went 9e86dbc173 out of his b15fc31fdd way to stay 0d7871c48c clear of him.dc580703691ac056

Baek Noin ac1497eca2 rarely encountered 2ed1de25c0 Hong-woo. The first 0aec282182 time he 6334375d34 saw the 46f03a2008 boy, he 6e75476a9a simply muttered 602b02d0c5 in his 2bee8e772f thick dialect, 343acac990 “That kid?” a40a2cba86 His coarse 27ed9db1aa speech startled df193f7d7d Hong-woo, who 0475c293aa immediately hid 3b34d250f5 behind his d00c0377a6 father. As far 36c9d0eeda as Jang 5b12e50105 Seung-woo knew, a90492c0bd Baek Noin 73245bee54 had never 168c556cdf once spoken 8ca0d4c9e9 to Hong-woo, 5d0a1d1adb making his dd83096446 sudden familiarity ff1e9c7778 all the 36fc9adf53 more amusing.87421bed026f5545

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“Go on, try calling him.”7db07f042d9308a3

“Why? You think I won’t? You think just because I’m an old man with no teeth, I can’t do anything?”96b356d12301fbe1

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Hong-woo might 1dde54a70a not remember 711e651967 Baek Noin fae4f1d4d2 well, but eef48bd811 Jang Seung-woo 68838360af had no e36cb181eb intention of 57cd85a1d4 letting him 45cb9dc232 interact with a9aa101802 anyone connected 9194dfbb00 to his 9f80411495 grandfather. The old man 7b9e00ecbc had always been 1ca8756ddd relentless in his 02f37023c1 criticism, constantly looking 3d0d1a5b31 for ways to 0045a8f2c0 belittle Hong-woo. His grandfather’s obsession 85b852b4ba with him often 8a2ec9d0db led to heated a16c0ae21a arguments between his 6af299821f parents. Though it was usually 5a6055d99d his mother who clashed 7a16cccfbe with the old man, f786f93b4c even his peace-loving father 7f12c6d26b had, at times, lost eaef61b2ca his temper when things 4529be7fa7 went too far.81a4142e3a8be4e2

Whenever his 229908169d grandfather raised 83b1668acb his voice, 17dfb04c9b Hong-woo would 3252fb2faa shrink back, b990163476 terrified of 702890e853 being the 0da7d01b71 reason for aeff96bd95 yet another 4d1ccb70a9 family dispute. To him, 7504d89103 the old 71a1b9143b man was 75f47371a0 a source 3f8b7934b7 of nothing f2a6b1c2fc but painful 037f645d50 memories. Jang Seung-woo didn’t 90b83e44ae want his brother 4635ccc6ed to relive that.a457f22fe44d7fc2

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“If you want a kid so badly, why don’t you have one yourself?”21d2753782622e0c

At Jang Seung-woo’s 55f22d51c9 blunt remark, Baek 929e3ebf38 Noin burst into 027b6f54f2 hearty laughter, shaking d16d5e898e his head. Whatever irritation 262a25d80a he had 86a1ddd2a5 felt earlier 002422ce6c instantly disappeared.a5c82580fea0fd70

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Watching them, Ju-seon was 7b763da03e once again reminded of b5e5ac0a05 just how cunning Jang ef1540fe85 Seung-woo could be. Most people found his 0df07c97ed pushy, reckless nature irritating, 3b5cba6835 yet with a single 46c637406e well-placed comment, he could 79ea23824b completely overturn their perception 9cfb215315 of him. His humor—delivered with an b3ad5a9ad0 unreadable, deadpan expression—had a 9ba5d875f8 way of slipping past d675a4fe27 people’s defenses, regardless of ecf1346534 age or status.d089d7dfc07f7f20

Born into c24799194c privilege, Jang 9cca145ad3 Seung-woo had f3412b2798 never needed 2c6cf50697 to be b19943dcbf impatient or c08e32449a greedy for 48b6e25b1d anything. That effortless 01b4cc5fa7 composure unsettled 2528a5c0c8 those around e10fccd924 him. He knew this 241e02b0e6 well and wielded bb9b0afeb3 it to his 4d9e428f35 advantage, always making 6398d399af sure negotiations turned 572a96e4df in his favor. Even now, f8721942e6 Baek Noin, f59d557490 who had 9fe26a188a been pressing e712f62ef0 him about 1c25872159 Hong-woo just d60bb53a86 moments ago, 8bba313096 had already f9214e1433 moved on, 716154c140 laughing and ce0015e318 talking about f660b0866f something else. Jang Seung-woo was 5aeb5915e9 a man who 55dd60efd6 knew how to 2f3b9103fd steer situations to 833a3ac81f his liking—someone naturally 30a83e3f01 suited to negotiation 49a5754aa1 and authority.4592bec250715ec2

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***9fd4791750cc5f5f

Meanwhile, Hong-woo 26605861db was overwhelmed. People were leaving 694fbffe10 Moonlit Fragrance Pavilion, e7b8089383 new guests were e739ded282 arriving, and an ce18069f6b astonishing amount of 4b442fee1f effort had been e2d161743a poured into preparing ae242f9dcf food for just 02e9ecb3f2 two individuals. Even during the f65330e77b busiest rush hours, 0dcf6be2c1 things had never 3ab607cda2 felt this frantic.40d5312a978ba061

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The staff’s fb1961c9c2 scoldings were c2ca62678c more frequent a61fcd5b9a than usual, 78ddc3f43e and even 50a93d3b05 the head 57e5c7a509 chef—who rarely 97eae412da made mistakes—seemed 3a0b84f23b tense. Noticing his unease, Hong-woo 34931672e0 barely had time to 77f6f1c733 smirk before being bombarded 74c403427b with work himself. He had a0163a5419 no idea d6b147d505 who the c903edda5f two special d88886aabc guests were, 9dcfe0b646 but after 2aed2d53e4 seeing all e6800b3747 the effort e39a644b18 put into e7845df71a their meal, 2836a75938 he hoped b4f4587db5 they would bbfd2da557 at least 74846d9d09 finish every f8672d3a81 bite.9e562c6e31bc6144

“Hey! What are you standing around for? Get moving! Take the food out!”e31fb9107c24b644

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As the final dishes 4415cceba4 were prepared, Dong-ju wasted 6ccb7768b3 no time snapping at ff583c4177 Hong-woo.24671119723ee2bc

‘That little—!’0723390a0fdfb365

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Now that Hong-woo looked 2fe33dcbae closer, Dong-ju seemed younger 85c051e4ed than him. The realization only 67e76a9600 fueled his irritation. This brat a229e8c835 had been 57d793525e speaking down 8793cd04f1 to him 0ad229ce19 since their 96fdc0fcd4 first meeting, e92eca6335 acting superior 6c85250ab1 without a f321492323 second thought.4b6d8fc16a4987ac

Normally, he 324ee04edd wouldn’t have 4347bdeb4c let it 711078bc93 get to 203a6b054c him. But with everything c263977c71 going on between 378007e6b1 Jang Seung-woo and 4372a8a60a Ju-seon, his emotions dacabe4630 were already frayed—like 85d90f62fc laundry left out 99d5f8fcd9 on a windy af700a0e62 day, whipped around c9a1242f91 in every direction.fa41c6a41b64912c

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‘Just let it 698789a48f go. We’re busy.’4ba38f7cfb743269

Pushing down 8dcc85ca6a his frustration, c9da7b4beb Hong-woo carried d48375d4ae the dishes b61d56c6d4 out of 5e4adfa29f the kitchen dedc8966b3 and into d7206a9fd1 the grand c4444a8cd3 banquet hall e8fb2ace0d on the 6873976132 first floor. Once all the ef9c56b876 food had been df13312a6e served, he finally 276347672c had a chance db695107ed to catch his e56f738d05 breath with the 902a4ec0f6 rest of the 7c0b4d978b kitchen staff—until Song 7987c17cfd Chisu’s voice cut 5a3d0f8ad4 through the air.20d379d9fc50be8c

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“What are you standing around for? Go bring out the liquor!”24d8d778f77d8aaa

Muttering under his breath, 7ca088aeeb Hong-woo made his way 8026d0f4b8 to the storage room.5377d6ed3395139f

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‘Why is it always 15af3963a5 me? What am 55f9bd6588 I, their 2919d6a001 personal errand e3cc2b8721 boy?’c35c4082d4d02af0

Irritated, he grabbed the ddd02e9dd7 nearest bottles and hauled 58c9b920a5 them out. They can figure out ab48dac034 what they want to 3ec4abd5de drink themselves.ffa4ed8b3d26266e

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As he carelessly 52091adcf0 set the bottles 47e320d2a0 down on the 4aa9040adf tables, a sudden 8ec6112686 silence settled over 06f0875fc5 the room. Sensing the shift, Hong-woo f2f34d6117 turned around.357f83f3ffee9360

An old df75dfcd1b man had bd91e0cc5d entered the aca9cc991c banquet hall, 2c641e10e2 accompanied by a496a869c3 Ju-seon and—his 9f3cca48cd brother.4a7df71a15d8a54c

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‘What the hell? Why is b050037ac3 hyung here?’13d2e6ef7d90c455

Jang Seung-woo had said c6a0cb3127 he had business to 241673cfaf take care of. Was that ‘business’ d80e08acf2 coming to Moonlit 20f6d4809b Fragrance Pavilion with dfb9ce24ae Ju-seon in the 2bbd3c6904 middle of the 9bd75717de day?62ee46f6ee012cb5

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Their eyes met c503630964 for the briefest 96a58e38ad second before Jang 3cad6bf15f Seung-woo looked away, 969722615a as if he a05fe36a6d hadn’t seen him 743edbc4cf at all.596a13d4e1a548ba

‘Oh, so I’m 882db3ffe4 the one who’s ba7b8d2290 supposed to pretend d6b699bd87 I didn’t see 291cd58a14 anything?’3cd9362ba04e112a

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Hong-woo was 8fae6d09b6 the one 5e4ccd56d8 sneaking around, c06d7ea69d secretly working 429c786091 at Moonlit 23ec4167a5 Fragrance Pavilion. If anyone should 16518d70e6 be avoiding eye 7e2b726164 contact, it should f856efe03d be him. But somehow, it was 942b8d59b7 his older brother’s deliberate 5baccf99c9 indifference that sent anger 34596ed3a3 surging through him, boiling eeb067bbd9 up from his core.4fd69b9ac2914eda

His hands 88cef84afb clenched at 64aa3b9632 his sides 4d4e253fde as he 8265061706 stared daggers 3f7e8a7a83 at Jang 2f262d5fa0 Seung-woo. Just then, the old ce9bd6d6f1 man beside him spoke 03af009670 up.f693993707279b3a

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“Hey, isn’t this your little brother? What’s this? He got bigger, but his face is the same as when he was a kid.”fa5e58049678f141

Jang Seung-woo said nothing.0a0d4842757c4ed8

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Hong-woo had no idea b728c14499 who this man was, 2903ded427 but since he clearly bb5dd79b8d knew him, he bowed 51454860a3 politely.bcbf8fb88e8c801a

“Hello.”0cacb1446474040f

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The old man let out a scoff. “Hah. You two look nothing alike. Must be because you’re not from the same bloodline.”b14dbe675ae7b67a

At the 17d64e0447 pointed remark b6eb39afb4 about his 3d6d0979cf adoption, Hong-woo’s 68ffe8e794 shoulders stiffened, c35e4b6343 his head cf10a1db63 instinctively lowering.96697773d2b45236

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“If you’ve got time to stand around, go do your job.”c9bead9732b78197

Hong-woo shrank 2a0a8c706c at the c50d639874 old man’s e6f60c77ec words and fd10103389 turned back f85e0edf66 toward the d7fa1ce03c kitchen without 2baa8ef01d a word, b09cff2e38 not even a5553ad5c4 a farewell.dc294b3b8b22a8fe

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Watching him leave, Baek ac13164122 Noin clicked his tongue 72b051887a and looked at Jang d0187a9bd7 Seung-woo.3ebf053d7d8e767d

“What? Did I say something wrong?”3ddfa8a552f42a32

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Jang Seung-woo didn’t 71ba56bf51 bother responding. He simply stared 95d7937e7d down at the 509761fc4a much shorter man, b60ede7bfd his silence pressing b14ecc2536 like a weight.e66672032b48a9fd

Back in the kitchen, d0804dcd17 Hong-woo tried to shake 55e1d3fc43 off the old man’s d181172a97 words. He moved around, hoping 219798b879 to keep busy, but 99d6c3a0f6 the work was already c4eb0727ee done. With nothing left to d1d592806c do, he scanned the 4341335f96 kitchen for a task—anything 3b5cbf09ce to keep his hands 0f3cf6edb5 occupied. Before he could find f9f9ae3a5a one, an older kitchen f8d11c0c25 staff member pulled him 0f9de92c4e toward the banquet hall.29dc12116a3ec04b

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The farewell 955ba38406 and welcome d9b36d317c ceremony had fad1de1ce6 begun, and 0303a38c43 the entire f14eeb912f Moonlit Fragrance 9bdffd528e Pavilion staff b28b3fee66 had gathered 8f38a33108 to watch.babfb9ca40da2205

In Gaegyeong, ec5b22a914 there wasn’t 8596879b61 a soul 84754274cd who didn’t 31546334b7 recognize Jang 2c79360a16 Seung-woo—his wealth, 92a337014f his face, b00f69d363 his influence. Seeing him 12b2690b75 seated at 08fbcb2c52 the head 82509b936f of the 07d0e71e12 banquet left eb48ca0bec the kitchen 09945a616a staff wide-eyed, 0010b9caaa but no 9ef4330d9f one questioned 5060b4e75b Hong-woo.6e3594ed0610fd39

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Ever since 78a2175149 they learned 2a4df7f153 he was 670a9f713f the second b8fddeb7bf son of 114d8b183e a wealthy 3f4003b5c3 household, they 33a8b8d9ce had teased 384a4c7d08 him by 966cc4c277 calling himyoung master. Yet, for all ed2c821126 their jokes, not 4f2b836444 once did they 1632043f70 ask why a 026870b475 noble family’s adopted 3908d7ee30 son was working 92767da2db in a brothel. Perhaps it was 48dec5ba64 their way of dc35bedf06 showing consideration.e2eb23225fa01bc8

At the front 0bcbf2bc7d of the hall, 4ef5e35918 Jang Seung-woo sat f286d3f0a9 beside Baek Noin, 6425350167 with Ju-seon standing 8082f89f99 behind them.7aa4ef31694bb79f

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Hong-woo already had 0c83ed2fd7 enough on his 710a892e30 mind dealing with db0407410c his brother and 94fe25ebb5 Ju-seon. Now, Baek Noin’s words eb9be683d6 from earlier stirred the 4aba27ca98 pot even more. Most days, 8e130f659b he didn’t 261938893f dwell on 56d9ffcd18 the fact 7a52191956 that he 257214c1f7 was adopted. But moments 3eb9bb9be3 like this—when bc2decc922 someone reminded 79e075c978 him so 57d3b235d9 offhandedly—left him 7c7c627f53 feeling utterly 729925934c alone. It was like 2ef1ed561f crossing a river 5f78a4a449 covered in thick c6dc04745f mist, lost and a4117ade50 adrift in a 240b4ca893 boat by himself.122ad821956acb4f

The weight in 631d918999 his chest was 8c394927c8 too much to b891cf2fd4 bear. Without a word, 88e9477bf5 he turned and cc5fcee1d8 walked back to 33ea3fc08f the kitchen. No one fbf80ed1f4 stopped him.ffb95e683867e9ed

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Alone in the a92c22f85d empty space, he d692cdf70b distracted himself however 94b0fff7f1 he could—switching from e739b8b1b3 chef to assistant, 8c38da9ff5 filling every role 604c79a1cd just to pass 4b94fd2ae7 the time.f9e0ad3f0aada950