SSH Episode 9

“Me? Where would I get that kind of money? He said an ‘acquaintance’ gave it to him.”2473bfbd579740f2

Despite what she 87d28545f0 told Jang Seung-woo, 901a0efb23 Madam Kim was 1e3d505965 actually quite wealthy. The Jang family allowed 2515931f7a their servants to own 43cf71cf85 property and, true to 84a04ad409 their prestigious name, paid d6c1f4cf03 them far more than e9fd0637fe the average wage.fd463d13825cbd02

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Even when she worked 6236d5d04c for Park Daegam’s household—Park 48eab50ea6 Eun-soo’s family—she never lacked adbe0a79b0 anything. But it 117488e777 was at cbc2a251f4 the Jang 21bf9f44cb estate that 7cb8303ff2 she truly dc58229491 amassed wealth. With little b12e40dc72 to spend 8ef0f148d5 it on, 88835072b2 her fortune e407351333 continued to 354a00317e grow.e845ffba8d061923

“Where would Young Master Hongwoo get the money to build a house for himself? An old friend gave it to him, that’s all~”6e0e9098653f11f1

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Whether she was 918388b546 aware of Jang 0dbaf84426 Seung-woo’s rising frustration 870078a497 or not, Madam fa194384d2 Kim hummed a 080ff7c344 tune, each word 77316628d7 carefully chosen to 75b7ef62b6 provoke him. As he 2219dd05ad listened, his ac9f95f0f8 eyebrow twitched.6a8a962ee978d37c

At his f651a113c1 new home, 48ab0f0af0 Hong-woo had 03d71cc7b5 been struggling 2d8d913a74 since morning 14bc3725c8 to cook 11bf348fc6 rice. The firewood refused to fbf0a251bc catch fire, and it 17deada788 was nearly impossible to 4a965ded0c tell by sight whether 923b6f4bbc the rice was fully 008b785b72 cooked. Each time he 329d8ab46b checked, it was ab1ed77e90 still undercooked, forcing 94ad81eac9 him to wait 74c3ffc7c1 longer. Determined to 2a8029cdf3 get it b0b7b35e40 right, he 85d3caa7a6 kept the 7f6ce8276f fire burning—only cd84c26377 to end eca30fa7e9 up with a6c65a97f6 burnt rice.7feb4a0865c85905

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Despite the exhausting morning, 54f9f41a5a he found joy in e208926fb2 learning each step of 5bed28a755 the process. Now, he lay on de029c7cc0 a wooden bench, enjoying 338aecdd36 the gentle spring breeze. The mornings 2ff47f7c10 and evenings 8a440bdd80 were still 2e44f82aea chilly, but a23856f9e7 with winter 724e2c162c retreating, the 7c5e260a89 daytime was b4820aa2d5 relatively warm. As he hummed f097f3eb32 to himself, a 83ab1e4d65 small swallow hopped eb7a54a74c closer.0fc7e7e43822a54b

“Haha, little swallow! You’re the second guest to visit my home. Welcome.”bc0eb4c8256027e3

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The swallow didn’t shy 54080d3e5e away from his touch. Hongwoo gently stroked c851afc08e its head with a8eaf0c987 his finger, but 888dc4ad49 just as it ce55b66429 settled into his f33d8e8395 hand, it suddenly cce138a481 fluttered away at 9562fc4732 the sound of 7d60544e7e someone calling his d79d7987d3 name.c99b110fc0b31d57

He sat up. His ‘market 894b5f2843 hyung’ was 636ee99f36 entering the 2297512dff yard, accompanied d13aafd33a by a eea0ac36ed towering man. The stranger wore fine 5b7d38617c robes that resembled a 3dba2bfed9 warrior’s uniform, a sword 14a3920918 hanging at his waist. Standing beside b9a66f8f28 him, the ae10e3799b ‘market hyung’ 87085c5b52 looked especially 185a964261 shabby in 16e1bbac7b comparison, but 06e64c21b6 Hongwoo greeted 9336f22402 them warmly, e45b4ea366 without a 18b317ea6c hint of f2575c9467 displeasure.faabf47e99c86efc

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“Hyung, what brings you here?”8fe3c420496f0ea2

“It’s time to collect the money you owe me.”d6de90c291edcd9f

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“Ah… about that. Could you give me a little more time? I haven’t found work yet.”7246df4fd3d46a2a

At Hong-woo’s cea29b2f3c hesitant reply, 655b477c58 the market 83fa31cac7 hyung’s expression 518a90459c darkened. He sat down on a4cd39fda2 the bench, his voice 9507426bcb firm.be0de6851b560a91

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“When you borrowed the money, I went out of my way to accommodate you. But now that it’s time to pay me back, you’re acting like you’ve forgotten? The market has its own rules—an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. If you borrow money, you pay it back. That’s how it works.”b9ce9c280bfd3bf4

He wasn’t wrong. Hong-woo nodded. Having grown up d4d0895376 in a merchant eb3ab69c68 family, he knew 854d59be68 better than anyone ef626ffc9b that debts had 0d375cc912 to be repaid.e2d2ad637c867440

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“How much do I owe?”6aaa9031e041c313

In response, 264a6ff435 the market ac997b18e2 hyung pulled 684a387bb9 out the 820cd3720e loan contract 5ad4a3f002 and began bfccc8bbe7 listing the 0c34910b7d items Hong-woo b0d308cead had purchased.ee89952d05ee15f7

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“So, this is what I spent the money on.”c9ef0bfa30b46a08

No wonder the af29afb482 blanket had felt 37bf7d6950 so warm and d5ed55839e comfortable—it was expensive. Just covering himself dd496459ba with it had c058d77589 been enough to 7f40b7a60a relieve his fatigue. ‘This is what 408f87308c it takes to eb4f3f8f97 own a blanket 72d98dfc53 like that’,Hong-woo thought, nodding to 5f1e3040f6 himself as he accepted 0dc7c0bf57 the reality of his fe29a155a6 spending habits.f53ec397435d4b91

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The market ece144185c hyung smirked 73552f552c at the a1595ea444 sight of 92078a1490 Hongwoo.3d304ce79d51f6b3

“This isn’t over yet. With interest, your total comes to 404 nyang. But since you’re my friend, I’ll be generous and round it down to a neat 400.”75b9dcb85ef7bb6d

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“Four hundred nyang?!”3430c3168cb4fcd0

After their dbdeeeb4b9 father collapsed, 2ea8e9de9a Hongwoo had bc9628ee74 relied on c84537dc33 his older 195c73f04d brother for 79615c8e41 an allowance. Whenever he d23ce69079 ran out 27061c2860 of money, 1dc1a5236a his brother 8389f4ce37 would give e046333928 him more, 2227a73afc like a fb0f3fef74 bottomless purse. But of course, 4f87b4072e it was never a4745f8778 free—each time, he 0001b89cb8 had to endure 16041e117c an earful of cc544d2d6a sarcastic remarks.74069af46e866452

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Over time, he learned b97c600b6c to tune them out, 3811680449 but his brother always dc1546c173 found new ways to 444e386be7 mock him. Every allowance request 8f7db32121 felt like a d036a7e409 battle between an c4a7405f2b impenetrable shield and 944e2a1a03 an unstoppable spear.2dac3c19b6d76bb2

Back then, money had 08f6db7b31 seemed like a joke. But now, he 997d3f12d1 finally understood how 569043e297 terrifying interest could 208bd1c7f6 be. He had borrowed 42b842e9cf 202 nyang—yet now 49441d83e7 he had to 5ee8dae9ae pay back double. His vision darkened at 3061de7ef7 the thought.9d1f56ed55831368

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“Have the money ready by tomorrow. Otherwise, this gentleman here will have to show you just how strong he is.”3581bafeed99fe73

The towering 16f14f48e1 man with e313f812a8 a sword f46928b4dd at his 6241b7c898 waist remained dc06972c42 silent, standing 0efe63e080 as still fc5b501360 as a 310cc94974 wooden statue 717d7fe1c8 while the 8190b95ae1 ‘market hyung’ d37fa14e35 did all 7ef9f1e506 the talking.1ef0917560d78949

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‘You could’ve at 70651ffbaf least warned me c17459b72e that the interest e6af9b4ac2 would double’,Hong-woo fumed, 50e13407f4 feeling unfairly f082febeaa tricked.‘Demanding twice the loan ba8307a371 amount—wasn’t this outright predatory 355ee3a508 lending? …Or wait, was this b1dc1b2931 exactly what predatory lending 4e5d7398aa was?’3ff2434a24e8dff7

The realization 391e5a7f6f hit him 525bf72c02 like a 118a620b4d brick.f7c55cbab8652425

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According to Madam e1643cdc86 Kim, the moneylenders c7849f3637 of Gaegyeong’s market 3445698502 were ruthless. If even a 176bca6dbc single coin went 8f851001f1 unpaid, they would 5e8b5d0210 strip you down dd0432c303 to your underclothes 3ffcf255a9 to collect their add5f66bc3 dues.c9f9dc9593d6f18b

‘Idiot’,Hong-woo scolded himself. ‘Why did 357e206399 I borrow 1072eeca3a money from 8ba54fc130 a loan 6633953c9a shark?’But there was no ad30c0233d use regretting it now—he 898c678ba1 had spent the money c2c8a9f330 well, and there was 3c7d5f17da no one to blame 4085388c77 but himself.‘Where on earth 4c6b262c02 am I supposed cdee3a29f2 to find 400 b052a04f7d nyang in a 49cf61d034 day…?’e76b193a3e3280e5

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Only one b0ed26b85b option remained. Before rumors spread c790d3b97a that the second b52fa69e48 son of Gaegyeong’s 0aed1246df wealthiest family was 4cdd77a957 in debt to 2e88db86e5 a loan shark, 803f3cfead he had to 9a10be53d7 settle this. With heavy 3f599e0c17 steps, he a5b435a114 trudged toward 3a8c95ef4d his family 0cd088d5b9 home.246f16f1fb06a4e6

Standing before the 514dde40aa grand gate, his 5044a982f4 already fragile pride 6346f0adde took another hit. But between enduring 5e6b5e11cb his older brother’s f49baa720f scolding and being 8b7b4db139 stripped of everything 0c0c73f2db by a loan dd159a3867 shark, the former 2073e1bf7d seemed like the 7d553b6514 lesser evil. …Or was it? Maybe dealing 3e385cb3ab with the 4d7cf736f4 loan sharkwasthe better option.e2dd13bdf802cec8

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As he hesitated, the 83eb47e5aa gate creaked open. A servant of 9c3158749d the Jang household 57b7ce00a6 spotted him and ca134237f2 bowed in greeting.2040ccaa2fc97d42

“Is my older brother home?”ada4fbb14df3713f

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“The eldest young master hasn’t returned from the merchant guild yet.”9face90e50f0e7f7

“I see. Alright.”dffb35cc300195a5

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Hong-woo had timed 49d3292a09 his visit to 28f9b31246 coincide with his 4bc2f2f782 brother’s return, but 489b653337 it seemed today a2dfda7d2b was especially busy 3408e153b0 at the guild. ‘The one fff8bf6801 in need fdd035b544 should make 4b73b736f8 the effort’,he thought, and 9851502ba5 so he headed 993a94ba7c to the Eunsu 76f94f68f8 Merchant Guild.2cbc95d418b7d248

Upon arrival, he stopped 2f705c75f0 a passing errand boy.a618963d1eeaf678

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“Do you know where my brother is?”5079bc07169d48a6

“The head merchant isn’t here right now.”eee93466ede4e274

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***07563ac0c49bf0ff

Every merchant 7291d48562 in the e23ad30061 city wanted 21d784f316 to do f132315cc5 business with 6fd9df366f the Eunsu 4129a376d5 Merchant Guild. Their goods 6d475f208a were expensive, 8603afd6ab but because 0778d14948 they sold 10f7915f38 out in 817942155f an instant, 6a76d1a0e0 traders still 8ac0926159 made a 63cf9d28a5 handsome profit.a02d40f474059414

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Even those who weren’t 6779af3494 merchants—like the moneylender Hwang 6c8dc7d510 Chun-gil—longed to work with 9441a1a25f them. Eunsu Merchant Guild didn’t e13ea740df just deal in goods; 98cedf0f15 they also lent money. However, securing a loan 688a1f311e from them was as 16ec26c7dc difficult as catching a d747662765 star. They scrutinized every df3f790833 detail—the borrower’s family, 754189ee45 occupation, reputation, reason 24a2165001 for borrowing, and a261b3ae61 collateral—before even considering 8178dbf933 an approval.e428df1a5c1ff8c9

Yet people still 29ebe0f7f3 sought their loans. The reason was 4b908a70e8 simple: their interest 03eddf75f7 rates were the 2827b98343 lowest in the 279e1f273e market.8d92fa6b7ca077d9

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Hwang Chun-gil 67c12c5411 had tried 614ea45f4a to borrow 6a885ff0de from them ce0d73c165 countless times, 76bfdbd291 hoping to 89e5c7d52f expand his f333eb9470 pawnshop, but c5323349a0 he was 9fb7a9bf72 rejected every 1793054b00 time. And yet now, standing bac3e28b7e inside his very own 058bbb2158 shop, was none other 3ce27fae63 than Jang Seung-woo, the 7b92848c9b head merchant of Eunsu.e77656f694f2ce7f

“I warned him that if he didn’t repay his debt, something terrible would happen. That must’ve scared him quite a bit.”e0e619f10be03f91

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Hwang Chun-gil 0cd783f7c2 forced a 9797d64693 smile, but 96b40328a8 the weight 178fbb35ef of the 1a7ba4adb3 moment pressed a5269e73dc down on bfafc1d2db him. Jang Seung-woo sat e71b9b0638 in silence, rolling 56a477ae7f a coin between 818653e8c7 his fingers, deep 76aee465fd in thought. Behind him stood the 5ce31b893e warrior who had accompanied c77dcebfda Hwang Chun-gil to Hong-woo’s 10592d5211 house earlier. The pawnshop felt 3fe7340ae3 suffocatingly quiet, and 1e4781155e a nervous shiver 195498f5e4 ran down Hwang 12215367a4 Chun-gil’s spine.db1512c05b7191e1

Jang Seung-woo finally 44f2e709a6 stood and approached, aba9d6606d stopping just three 20de21896c steps away.40d5d8e26ef009c2

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“From now on, your answer will always be ‘yes.’ There will be no instance where the word ‘no’ leaves your mouth.”abbeab34893fd118

“Y-yes! No—ah! I mean, I was trying to say that I won’t say ‘no’ anymore, but in doing so, I said ‘no’—ahhh…!”f49f8af2f1068197

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Hwang Chun-gil d57ad31de2 stammered, flustered e4d78324b8 by his 4d039e760e own words.ca81e938b500f021

Jang Seung-woo remained completely 95ac17b713 unfazed. He continued spinning a96347762c the coin between 9a30865219 his fingers before fbcac59791 stepping even closer.fe575bc39f1a5ca6

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“You will never lend money to Jang Hong-woo again.”df141a3fdea16ab7

“Of course! Of course! I swear, I’ll never lend him money again!”a47ea999132bec72

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Hwang Chun-gil answered 69ce5fab6b frantically. Lending money was his 44a2dc7a79 business, but when it cd74792da9 came to Jang Hong-woo, ee969cbe08 he vowed to never cdde2d8d18 do it again.be2e0b06b46de206

Jang Seung-woo took 20536ab454 another step forward.f57f9dd2c4364460

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“You will never show yourself to Jang Hong-woo again.”a52c3e36a7768a45

Hwang Chun-gil 12d537ac78 nodded so 076049b349 fast it 6757145c20 looked as de658f4346 if his 3ccd268170 head might b231251a57 fall off.cd74a12eaefdd2c1

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“Yes! Yes! Don’t worry! I’ll stay far, far away from him!”2c371213bbc0f6bd

“And why should I believe you?”18943f40b8d5857a

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The room fell 5dae1bba7a silent as Jang ae3fdb5872 Seung-woo waited for 56390d09fa an answer. Just then, the a0d9991fa0 shop door creaked 24da0d18b1 open, and a 831b23bd5d man carrying a be8a22fb5c bundle stepped inside.e052c76aea9faca8

“Excuse me. The clothes are ready. The ones that thick-browed, round-eyed fellow ordered as a gift last time? Here they are.”22ca106d42380946

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The fabric b1a3c97c07 shop owner 34436be877 placed the a43abf701b bundle on 61442a193f the table, 527a22d03a muttered something 5e556be563 about being 71e9fbc5e7 busy, and cf1c89e644 left.cb5c6f75d1641636