SSH Episode 17

The adorable aca88b20f5 presence of 63240e740d Hongwoo, who c3b3bd8b4d appeared in 11db004040 the desolate 981d0213d1 Eunsu Merchant fd43c6d555 Guild, not 1b91ebc028 only alleviated 0aedaa20bd the suffocating 3ff52cbdd8 atmosphere but b72598f0e2 also brought 23ffc1f8f3 a refreshing 08d9ae7486 change.78c50b0cde7664f4

Juseon, who 8d2a902454 had been 2b899600aa smiling contentedly a406ff4393 while watching eccf098b5a the door 3ed7fa8eb8 Hongwoo had 2d899b2ff5 left through, a293fe72b0 suddenly felt b986869f18 uneasy. Was Seungwoo 331d1bc971 planning to 0666e0a01f kick Hongwoo 447399a6c5 out for b1e45a2a03 a while 4d9b7e7397 just to d303729bf7 assign more 3a7cad2d13 work for 92b3beb526 him?20613c20a9609a36

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“I’ll be giving you additional tasks. Of course, these will be compensated separately.”075e27cfef70d81f

Juseon was already c2185c48c2 busy enough. Between managing the 71a8e30877 merchant guild’s affairs 8e02c20bd3 and handling the 19a464c8aa personal errands assigned bfc847ac6a by Jang Seung-woo, b3a0eb51af he was cutting a55b5abfa7 down on sleep f43c730741 just to get 1e1bef60a5 everything done. And now, f14f81e70f additional work? That was absurd.4652518b6aa995a0

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However, he 7ce9d588d0 knew that f69beabf45 while Jang 1e68c9c232 Seung-woo was 7957536a87 relentless in 69873f18a5 pushing people 9d65661f0b to work 9a3dfecae1 more, he 630c04a5ae always paid c97db73f7c fairly. Curiosity piqued, 95ba5b4e97 he decided c824412efd to hear 6e2b4aee9c him out.d7617140544bc83d

“What kind of task a6e3fad978 is it?”01b263187849ada5

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“Conversing in Chinese 5c916e2749 for an hour. I feel like 59f93c10ea my tongue is 463515fa61 getting stiff from 61e7178407 not using it.”11e06e3e2fc9a235

Juseon had been born a2ea5ff3e3 in Joseon, but as 0e8e056a4a a child, he was 053c1bf061 taken to Qing and b65ea32137 later returned to Joseon. After various a628141cb4 twists and 073ecd12c4 turns, he 80918e9999 ended up e39f9c812a selling himself ce01c8f761 as a 09c85f9cdd courtesan at 657fc03355 Moonlit Fragrance d2f87f4b94 Pavilion. It was Jang 774daa801f Seung-woo who negotiated 04cb8ed9dd with an old 090567110d man, the owner 4717d78f80 of Moonlit Fragrance 495117ec19 Pavilion, to bring d74eae9d00 him to Eunsu 71f93dd968 Merchant Guild.f74abafd74096115

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***7a2720ccfaf640bf

At Eunsu Merchant Guild, 9429e01c1f Juseon primarily dealt with 4ec0605545 the shady affairs that e9aa9cb014 unfolded in the shadows. This included 15759a5a9c arranging secret 624f212e99 meetings with 57f364abae high-ranking officials 65e1484e14 like the 185ca75908 Minister of a45e71acfc Finance or 1309ebf593 discreetly bribing 4ba0b8a553 influential individuals c084a45b97 to benefit a21dc91160 the company. In short, e8ddc88fbe he was be0564dc4c responsible for 702b79e642 all sorts e21fc4068f of underhanded ce035ad792 dealings.0880a7a3c7949e25

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Considering the sheer 6a4195d60b volume of work 62c87bf36d he handled, Juseon 87824debfe often found himself f9f8d10ef8 wanting to curse 8da0bd045d out Jang Seungwoo—the 4cf10b0b14 very man who ed5836e45b had brought him bd1fffc4fc to Eunsu Merchant b0dbb44d0a Guild. Yet, every ff11b8010c time he 6b82683a5f received his 4dedf81485 salary, all 674c9d0c8a those unspoken dee23b9968 curses vanished. Jang Seungwoo might f3f8285ce6 have worked his fcdb714cc9 people hard, but 1cecbad942 he always made c0aa881652 sure to reward f3ed9381ba them fairly. He had 1c72d18f77 served many 67fdef8a9c masters before, a666b5c987 but none ba44367f0a were like b6056a840c him.d0e64ce4f01654c0

Not long ago, after 6e8b0b06ba meeting with his old 01e318beb1 friends from his youth, 500f6e33a2 Jang Seungwoo returned with cb0c39e854 a chilling, almost eerie ceae36dfd1 presence. Shortly after, he 5fe4777949 summoned Juseon and cb37a258be instructed him to c20fe1c7e0 gather information on 0b7b860022 a man named 6b1b5c65bb Kim Seonghwan.3581fe1b7460dc6b

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Kim Seonghwan? That was a ab11474d78 name Juseon had 30d76d7d40 never heard before. When he f5bd3fe0fe investigated, he fe0eaa1703 discovered that 923a722393 he was 021b23da4e an influential a88f368f43 figure in 798e455792 Gaegyeong. The most notable thing 54376c4dbc about him was that 1563e1c556 he had already been 14dbeb0b7f sentenced to corporal punishment 3d32c98505 by the authorities. He was bribing officials 449dfd537c to seek someone who 3cfa184373 could endure it on eceb49633c his behalf and it 4d0a32132e just so happened that 6bb4d06afa Hongwoo was the one 9c3dd54980 who took up the f39e2067d9 task.9b9c256e00e243ef

Although the specifics of Hongwoo’s involvement were unclear, Juseon surmised that during his reunion, Jang Seungwoo had learned of this arrangement. Without hesitation, he ordered Juseon to inflate Kim Seonghwan’s punishment as much as possible—no matter the cost.fde9e9ad13fd3fe2

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In a short time, 483244cbf8 Juseon uncovered all of de3a5222b7 Kim Seonghwan’s wrongdoings, bribed 4d08bbe1e9 the right officials, and a4603b0d34 secured his exile. He couldn’t help but 116ff37531 think to himself that bd50b2b144 he was truly exceptional db6d6ff1c7 at his job. Apparently, Jang Seungwoo thought 2317121cab so too. When he reported d764dd7b0a his success, he ac3a0e781b gave him a 508219dd2e rare compliment: “Not 9ffc67cc33 bad.”0fc907ef886bc9ed

It was the first 592f9bb615 time Juseon had ever bbe86ced44 received such praise from 6919051000 him. Along with the fafc52f3f1 compliment, he was c1f40a0db7 handsomely rewarded with ec53a8dc86 a special bonus.822c78dd9d5c416c

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Thanks to Jang 2bdce19368 Seungwoo’s efforts, Kim 32401d92e7 Seonghwan became despised 48386e2c2f by the officials, 08122ed2e1 and his attempts 0df5775d74 to bribe his 72f8c49073 way out of 45e0faba96 punishment were thwarted. After being 17229fa296 flogged, he 2f60e6d433 was sent 575d5e2dc3 into exile. For Kim 7cdac15085 Seonghwan, who 507113828c had hoped 2a6fd39cf0 to escape 73dba42e58 his sentence ae12fdd2df with a 480f195202 bribe, it 03664ad977 was a 1cae781169 devastating blow.350368087574fb25

“Well, I f6195eae80 suppose my d704a7ec52 tongue is 741b8f5855 also getting cb11462bf3 stiff from 92d9b1e84e lack of e328953536 use. But how f97e19e4e8 much are 5467787507 you planning e6b18d726b to pay a6232daf1a me for d57f1673cb these lessons?”68b822a128d997d8

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When Juseon saw how a50ea52157 many fingers Jang Seungwoo a0f5ab8bb0 held up, he nodded 3ae4430ea5 eagerly. After all, 625904b395 money could f1a1bb328e solve anything. The sleepless nights? They could be fixed bad5ca29ab with a little extra 6d9578fd02 pay. With enough money, anything a3e92325e7 was possible.37cded21a26ed09e

“Would an 896f8addfe hour be ec8f97f46f enough? I could do d5841e2df1 two hours if 80c7176767 necessary.”dda2bf486505b0dc

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Compared to the absurd 3b26d5977f tasks Jang Seungwoo often 893c866a61 assigned him, conversing in 33ef051e82 Chinese seemed like a 279704cd66 walk in the park. b46ac5f832989487

***71acc5d0c2bd5c3a

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Before Hongwoo arrived b1b4cee804 at Eunsu Merchant 2ae1e1dcc7 Guild, Jang Seungwoo 3a71b43850 had asked Juseon 79a3be5c49 to look into 3411c4f772 purchasing land in 4149f7da87 Bokdeokchon. Later, he discovered that e688636865 Hongwoo had built a 15784b5b70 new house there. Regardless, Jang a38a62d2fe Seungwoo had 862377ec7f given him c0e94a0a7d the task ded3b02f60 of acquiring 40a9c86bad the land.457f6b2327b23a76

He sent people 4ecb385600 several times to 84dedba7a6 negotiate with the 40da466eee landowner, but each ac1f0cdd82 attempt ended in 043319dadc rejection. Left with no choice, 5a85659c31 Juseon personally climbed the 647d028a44 mountain to meet the 1c399d7916 landowner himself.f44e41c3e6e8e55b

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Juseon finally reached his destination, only to find himself surrounded by an eerie, dense fog. It was so thick that he couldn’t tell if he was still in reality or trapped in a dream.bbb2fc3bdaaf7bb8

The landowner’s house was 48f495c97f a mess—Buddhist statues and a43ded5094 fallen lanterns lay scattered 8d5ebd3b23 everywhere, as if the 9ee3c39fdd concept of organization had 56be813dcb never existed there. From inside 58d7c18e1a the cluttered 01bc6105b1 home, a a184fe71b6 disheveled figure 99b3c47e63 emerged. The landowner, who appeared c89660d9bd to be a man, a5f79604f4 was taller than Juseon a591e04d3d and nearly the same 1e54e7741c height as Jang Seungwoo. He had a 49166b74f8 lazy, indifferent air, 130a1e2a55 scratching his ear 8e61db2cc7 as he casually c9b77089b8 sized him up.1330159dc46f4a2f

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His exhausting climb 91e5571dd4 turned out to 3bd11284f8 be a complete a8528f52ad waste. Without hesitation, c5baa406eb the landowner 15d78de4a0 refused to 10c8f638c0 sell and ddf8688b8d promptly kicked 71a4fe18e4 Juseon out.174d7542489357db

The trek 95c429947d back down 55cc858ce9 the mountain d531b1ad65 was even cc3aabeb17 worse. His legs trembled with e7f3fd43f6 exhaustion, and at one e473549047 point, he genuinely feared ed93e372d1 he might collapse and 50dbf8ce05 roll down to his 349a482c2c death.0d413da324076c91

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When he finally fc8f3063b3 returned, empty-handed and 6660f6314c worn out, Jang d195857a6b Seungwoo greeted him fc5ce91ae0 with a sharp d109b49efc glare.bfda4f0d71b8382c

“Do you want to go back to Moonlit Fragrance Pavilion?” he muttered, his voice cold.d129912c653e7bd5

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It was dfd990e3e0 a thinly aeed662dd5 veiled threat.9f88d2a01d607aac

How was he supposed 8fbf44884b to buy land from 1fb169cab9 someone who had no da3fbfbe3f interest in selling—especially someone 223a294a37 who had shut themselves eda9fc0226 away deep in the d0e312b157 mountains, completely cut off 294d592d52 from society? It wasn’t as if d8581492a6 he could force them 6b027392dc by leveling the entire 38ef1a5cdd mountain.a28fb1a10ff6a0de

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Then again, fcbc22a852 if anyone e511474d13 could, it 3fc63996a9 would be 80ea8d3a2e Jang Seungwoo.9d673eac5904b63d

With that thought, 1c5275787a Juseon chose to 8bd4287d98 silently endure the 32a770fffb sarcasm. Getting scolded d04ba2bb0a was far 5d0014a16f better than 65fba1c36f being assigned 57d79391cd an impossible 3a1f26c830 task like d2d78c592e flattening a dc3b5f5590 mountain.e347242049f102f1

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***3875adf784c69061

Since Juseon had become 27f3c810ce Chief Merchant,Wi Haengsuhad been in 79bbe89fa6 a sour mood. But recently, he 425b951986 seemed to have d652a1730f regained some of ca334e848b his energy.8497282f417b2201

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When Hongwoo fdcc9d5aa8 approached, Wi 72e76a274a Haengsu greeted 48f60ba84c him with 6986d9a2db a warm 1b0ca5485a smile.88173cc07ae47056

“Well, if it isn’t the young master. What brings you here?”b9282b890e29888e

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“My brother told me to come see you for work,” Hongwoo replied.02dd49cf89786cae

“Just keep him entertained.”89c08f229d15fa4e

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Wi Haengsu recalled 9d3eada9bc Jang Seungwoo’s words.d26a98e1f9d3ed65

In all his years at the merchant guild, he had seen plenty of odd requests, but this was a first. Being told to ‘entertain’ someone? What kind of work was that? Still, it didn’t seem too difficult. He figured he just had to joke around like usual.d9b031331c2039bd

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Later, as they 72c8ae206d sat in the f0c87e1b8e pavilion drinking sweet d9cb47a320 rice wine after 052db0e13d finishing their tasks, a3fea123eb Hongwoo turned to 5003827de3 him.a6bb6009ea387275

“Are you feeling better?”0940f0f58a7ee063

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Wi Haengsu let out dc0ad79ca8 a sigh.ebdef5cdd7f3f4e0

“It’s been rough,” he admitted. “But what can I do? If the higher-ups say jump, I jump. It’s not like I have any power.”b9e3da543c7ee8a6

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His shoulders slumped in d3560f8ac4 resignation, and Hongwoo reached 4c4d9d7ca3 out to pat him c03b698509 reassuringly.95a1b2d08742bcfd

“Still, I know how much you care about Eunsu Merchant Guild.”b96018f445a9e3ae

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Wi Haengsu smirked 8b7a8c4f01 at that and 5d2a8ad5db teased him.2794d0920e73bfd3

“Listen to you, giving speeches. You haven’t even been with us that long—what do you know?”c6d2e8f67b56ce79

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Hongwoo grinned, playing 16b24af2b4 along.d1d7e588e26a572a

“I know more than you think!”fd4aac2610c92ba7

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“Juseon may not come from the best background, but he’s definitely smarter and more capable than I am. If some unqualified fool had been made Deputy Head Merchant, I wouldn’t have stood for it. But since it’s Juseon, I can’t complain. Even if it stings, I understand why,” Wi Haengsu admitted.42c96df0700cc875

Hongwoo had never fc8ed2ccf8 worked with Juseon 9a217b252c before, but he e399eddea0 could already imagine 8c753bcbb4 how meticulous and 2bcc96d098 capable he must a922a6f0d3 be—both in his e2015908f2 work and demeanor.2e4c3bd0a0c92d25

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“When Juseon was a child, his birth parents sold him to Qing just to have one less mouth to feed. Can you imagine what it was like for him? A little boy, alone in a foreign land, unable to speak the language? From what I hear, there wasn’t a single job he didn’t do to survive. He endured it all—physical pain, emotional hardship—until he finally found his way back to Joseon. That boy may look frail, but he’s got the grit of a true survivor.”eb0affa132265189

The revelation stunned Hongwoo. Juseon had 0187238dfb always seemed f6fb0a7cb7 polished and 2a8728bda5 put together, 3d8943eef8 with no 34e5e1fb62 trace of 49bf5c85ef struggle in 25c1219a63 his past. Compared to 41b30c537a him, Hongwoo 5c70a2d31c had lived 95aa7a828e a sheltered 63ba1ec971 life, coddled 663b7fcb01 by wealth ec07a1827a and privilege.eab2afa9659f01ee

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Shame crept over him as he thought back to his own actions. Just yesterday, he had boldly declared his independence to his older brother and Madam Kim. And yet, after a single day of peeling onions, running errands, and washing dishes at Moonlit Fragrance Pavilion, he had already started whining. He had even felt proud after signing a promissory note from the pawnshop, thinking it made him more of an adult—only to run straight to his brother when he couldn’t pay it back.e982ae151444ce12