SSH Episode 11

Wi Haengsu had d1a323074b come to Gaegyeong 468eca7dc4 from Jeolla Province cace931e86 years ago to c8200386dc train in the 61a78d4f36 trading business. Now, eager f615ed0d04 to share 23a6646146 his knowledge, c20687d5da he filled a342019eaa Hong-woo in 03e97c32f3 on how 43d367ee09 things worked 95821c5935 at Eunsu 3ab3fcf5e3 Merchant Guild. 15ea346c9660af06

Originally, their 28acb7bbb6 father had 65d5cc3d83 been the 939e438b47 head merchant, 8311678beb but after 51526056b4 his sudden 3eea3b4157 collapse, Jang 54b721e92c Seung-woo had f131d836ac taken over. Below him 45b34f3f85 was the 62a9c5eabc second-in-command, a e99fe3319d position held f746e54ce5 by their 784f9aace3 uncle, Jang 2d3e3409b1 Ji-young. Assisting the 2326b18d02 second-in-command was 029cf957b8 the senior 91c7c4cdb7 manager, though f1e2ecfe3f the position 2b9dc62f47 was currently aae1bfcc9f vacant—a spot e7f5127a78 Wi Haengsu df7e7ab60d was convinced 8fb7f619f4 he would 54a4b98562 soon claim. Beneath that were the e70e637ca6 trade supervisor , clerks, 4bc655a17d and at the very 26da94efd3 bottom, assistants.6036ba8d6d432d9d

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Without hesitation, bb45476ff6 Wi Haengsu 1cd7b572f5 pointed out 8816691c67 that Hong-woo’s 3071d04558 official rank 900b8e1ecd was‘assistant’, the 1560313361 lowest in e13211318f the merchant 17dcaaa3b6 guild’s hierarchy.210669833719fdb6

After chatting with Wi Haengsu for a while, Hong-woo returned to the office. Even after all that time, the floor was still damp. He pushed the windows open wider and stole a glance at Jang Seung-woo. Their eyes met, and without missing a beat, Jang Seung-woo said, “Follow me,” before striding out.dadec675dd370f2b

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They walked through 8637f9a254 the bustling marketplace be8ed08ded and entered a 3e95910484 familiar restaurant—Habukgwan, a place 749b6ba166 Hong-woo frequented.621fd9733a56cc52

Before Jang Seung-woo e71925f075 had joined theSayeokwon(the government office for 7b983598bb interpreters), their mother often 2cf7b910f8 brought them here for 7a9829e678 meals. With their father always d1576c0099 busy, she enjoyed hearty 3c3f149fc7 portions, her appetite matching f7211c7f76 her energetic nature, and c21b726572 Hong-woo, even as a 61e675c78d child, ate more than 93aa1a5714 most. Jang Seung-woo, however, 4ef7fe4940 only ever ate 6d7b08dc0d exactly what was 8f54c54373 served—never more, never 5c5e223cf6 less.4c8d099a998cd792

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After every 92b24f839d meal, Hong-woo 9919850e54 and their 5d403c69ac mother would d96923c62a waddle home, 12b49c293e stomachs full 9db27df136 from overeating, 528209e2bf while Jang 01a73dd581 Seung-woo would b00deadf57 scoff and 64e985b7d4 mutter,“Idiots.”9fca34cc0567277b

Even now, the d0feb24fd1 memory made Hong-woo 9f6ea136e3 smile.dc24751f1ce7d969

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Hongwoo stared intently at a439c00db0 his older brother, lost af50ad9d82 in old memories. The only things 317262a581 that had changed bdfccef60c since then were 6bdee3796a his height and f4b29ff040 his even more c9d8a90673 striking features. His exceptional d80cfc02ad looks ran 19cde9a145 in the c5665ae637 family—his mother 0d1182d2df had been 39df6e4faa a renowned 58149f4634 beauty in b9199249cf Hanyang. With her 0c222772d4 sculpted features ad51e34128 and his f3933f000a father’s imposing be5559f56c build, Jang 9bd586da9e Seungwoo had 16d2f8991c once earned aa94f45f42 the nickname 2e9fde205c ‘Sipmannam’, short for ‘a man 0ddc92d36e worth paying f0e3c05687 a hundred 0d75ef6b04 thousand nyang 76f9b9338b just to 3bc86a08c6 meet him’. It was 5b3349c9f7 a paradoxical 274abafd33 title, reflecting 3dff914771 how people e210be62f5 wished they e477a57de0 could buy 0d49588c73 a meeting 02ba07f66e with the 7c8e2a4adb wealthiest family’s 8158e6959c son in 42ac73f248 Gaegyeong.a6cc4657e680378c

Of course, once Seungwoo’s 149383a46a terrible—no,less-than-pleasant—temper became infamous, e76e44afc1 the nickname quickly 669acf8471 disappeared.0d6d74fe62178e3e

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Hongwoo studied him cc8be95056 from head to 2f2acc8aba toe. Outwardly, Seungwoo 6f14b88c61 was flawless. As he ordered rice d6e35d8d57 soup and boiled pork 8e754f7b5b slices—knowing Hongwoo’s favorite—he caught 4f69e50596 Hongwoo staring and met 19dd721991 his gaze.5ad8629aec14ef18

“I’ll deduct it 21eef12d20 from your salary.”4d843862a172cbe4

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After their meal, they 1b4946483b strolled through the bustling 9a2bb4b739 market when the lively de2021f084 sounds of a courtyard d35dd00863 performance reached Hongwoo’s ears. Without hesitation, 6ae1021b9a he grabbed 14e711a142 Seungwoo’s arm bd5fdce627 and pulled 3bbdc61acd him toward bb68119dd8 the performance. Whenever the Yeonhui 1213c2255e troupe put on 8565ce83d6 a show, hehadto watch—no exceptions. With no real responsibilities 2388c064fa other than enjoying life, e289bbb3c9 Hongwoolivedfor music and 9e6488960f dance.43f7873acde7c067

As the rhythmic 220e847836 drum beats filled 37007aa338 the air, Hongwoo 216b710e5e swayed his shoulders 18196d3d43 to the beat, b347da3a0e completely immersed.899a2885bce31320

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“You look ridiculous,” 9c76a59d94 Seungwoo muttered.2325774cd237457a

Hongwoo ignored him and 6dad7da27f kept dancing. His movements da290ca00a were wildly 055ec748d9 offbeat, yet f6a26aa245 they somehow 3a5209d4db had their f7ea9630f3 own charm. Watching him, 121ab8ed10 Seungwoo suddenly 39a6e64f0b broke into 31d0cac944 a bright, 168bb983ba unguarded smile—the 093dff22ad kind that 67afe59cd9 could make f83bc4f548 people stop a84d07e190 and stare.bdf5543948ccd264

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But the moment 2ab81fb601 Hongwoo’s gaze met 4e6b434bd6 his, Seungwoo looked 2269bfe7f3 away, masking his adfbb2d334 amusement. As if he 8270da8539 had never smiled 2efa68bce5 at all, he 2afef3bb45 turned back to 822a8736d5 the performance, his d557176ac4 expression composed once d36fb0bba3 more.ffc31606019c1707

Undeterred, Hongwoo 3002766fad kept dancing, 33efeb212d playing with 9227cfe9fc the rhythm. Seungwoo’s eyes never left e9cf17e45d him. Though his lips 65222d9d67 were set in 0d96d26808 a firm line, 2285885046 his gaze held d5d0588322 a flicker of cf3ecc8304 enjoyment.1f4fa113885b5be6

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Even as 57b6fd9d69 Seungwoo scolded 3a1c31fc35 him again, c0b95078e5 Hongwoo stubbornly db1707420c carried on.36bab0dc166c83da

Then, from 946a522890 the corner 0f5c23c998 of his 3dce0c8a44 eye, Seungwoo db3ddc4b0d noticed a 8e35681e28 merchant’s errand 65b235f6f5 boy looking eae68bdac8 for him.ee1c8a7a2ad51699

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“I have 97ae31d917 to go,” 4b0b07e9e3 he said.8dc83e0555f1bc05

“But I b307732887 still want 642363fde2 to have cdf0526585 fun!”953dde8c2561c4da

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Hongwoo twisted his 1a9a76b666 body in exaggerated 150ab863c8 reluctance, making his 06b33ebc21 point clear.572f1e0fefc32cbb

“I’ll deduct 83570f475a it from 04d85a5af9 your salary. Do whatever you want.”8c5756cd584cbc5c

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Leaving those 9afb2706c6 words behind, d1e6f25c9b Jang Seungwoo 738748c7d5 turned and 2b063dbf70 walked away 7827423312 with the 3bbb9aa028 errand boy, 70529e0868 heading back d8f9178e36 to the a9b3170b9d merchant guild.79cfc4fdc4bf5f4e

As soon as 19b3e6f71c Seungwoo left, Hongwoo, e9525ddde2 who had been 7ecca9765a standing at a 65dc89217b distance, pushed through 02b7d380cc the crowd to d7ae7d42ac get a better b69fb2c719 view of the afe0c5e0b3 performance. Finding the 605c8f1cbd perfect spot, e094e355d1 he plopped 10f80ce683 down right da37c33822 in front, 4ab1063d0e where he ed54acb078 could see 26d4527af5 everything clearly.e68c81bc5b492613

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“Brother! Brother! Look at 376791a887 that guy! Hahaha!”ebab55d2836bf41e

Clapping excitedly, Hongwoo watched d5e907ecea the performance with delight. Laughing, he reached over 3408ca425d and patted what he 8f538cef9d thought was Seungwoo’s thigh—only 7918670ea4 to realize, when he b12f68d3d5 turned his head, that 0072d104bf the person sitting beside 32bfe28c19 him was a complete ca8146f837 stranger.7b905330d713d6d1

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“Ah! I’m so sorry! I thought 1556249388 you were 103633fb39 my brother.”da6e0019827e62b5

Flustered, he quickly 6cc573b721 apologized before glancing 94c03846f2 around in search 4d7e950e67 of Seungwoo. Not spotting him anywhere, 908466b9fc he tried to refocus 9af8637801 on the performance. But unlike before, he 80f19fa1b1 just couldn’t get into 03b35802e7 it. His gaze kept a3c95e30b4 drifting back to 9d9811fe87 where Seungwoo had 48b6aa79ce been sitting. After a while, he 9e0b324371 let out a sigh, 3f8b5940ba dusted off his clothes, d7613d0ff7 and stood up.679a1b798760ef1f

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“This isn’t fun 1a5f10d47a anymore.”3043ca51467ca089

Maybe it f7b415572e was because a6483a03b3 he’d already 4aa0be69d1 seen this b02b394b56 performance before, a4748be810 but suddenly, b0bbcb1ee3 it felt 429eaf9b39 dull. Deciding to cf8d908cd3 return to 81fdd27beb the merchant 8249259541 guild, Hongwoo 84c390d959 turned away e7d970dfae from the 3604c3091f courtyard performance 0590304cbe and slipped af1754a081 out of e44a1a21a2 the crowd.c76db6e84c7275b5

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***d47f50c26db1fc0f

For the fa1d1afb8d next few 885c1c5a79 days, Hongwoo ccb03770a9 tirelessly swept, 44b134c2cf scrubbed, and 6952aa7ade polished the 6982014a74 office. His body 82879d4fa1 ached, but 9dc648eb70 seeing the 3f65a4f025 place spotless 7edb623e2a filled him f5bd8177e7 with satisfaction. ‘Finally, I’m 8affad5518 actually pulling c69b36c217 my weight 5b70eb1967 around here.’84a0dc07c42eea4d

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Pleased with his work, eb5c8a0d57 he turned to Jang b746cbd773 Seungwoo and asked if ab3aa7dd30 there was anything else ed619261d9 he could do. Seungwoo barely spared 627db7f4a7 him a glance 1e67acb322 before absentmindedly ordering da562bdca8 him to clean 8b20692dee the bookshelf.08c47f7e22e9a1a4

Hongwoo turned to b163f283de face the massive adfd28883a bookcase lining the e288cb9bf1 wall, his jaw f33bf9d0fd nearly dropping.7f15267b04241c8d

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“All of it?”28c331df54a28b87

“Who was 3a9b28273b the one 252201cefa who said 02684550f1 they’d do be4b38ed8a anything if 961b5a1bb1 I lent da9f8fa49f them money?”44b5169b63cd25ff

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‘Right. That was me.’b545987d46435b7c

Hongwoo clamped his mouth 38dc10e4c5 shut and reluctantly moved 02400b86b6 toward the bookshelf.03816e3ae98209a8

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At first, he 37d5704798 lazily dusted the ad8b3ba854 empty spaces between 1fed85f221 the ledgers, barely 36c3f05a50 putting in any 60ca9f6ddb effort. But then Seungwoo’s voice d60ac153fc cut through the silence.52a3c8be3ffee19a

“If you don’t want 942232f0c5 to do it, leave. I’ve told 86042c750d you this 382684d40a over and abdfe0bb62 over.”3f38ccded226cda3

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Following Seungwoo’s 625f82eb34 pointed finger b3c9b3596d toward the 1bc1aadde8 door, Hongwoo 342f1d5643 let out a0c7f3b8ab a silent 619c40b9d9 sigh. Without another word, he bc759d2f3d started pulling out every ff1758fc2f single book from the 406cdd9280 shelves. Then, after 7845e4205e thoroughly wiping c470183cee down the 9ab03b2fb1 bookcase, he 5803b8990d carefully dusted 7818aa027f each ledger 434a7267a0 before putting 60a48e1610 them back e5b68b3a80 one by a6b3021431 one.659c3ca179d80782

As Hongwoo sat on 427593a486 the floor, dusting ledgers 44a5418658 with an expression of f25582bc03 sheer boredom, the office cb0a01cb56 door swung open, and c57fb6f892 Wi Haengsu stepped inside.7e95bb15f767a03a

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“Well, well, our young dc922eb259 master is working awfully 28b2835bbf hard.”a8cc498646795662

Despite only working 155ece82b6 here for three 6c0451373f days, rumors had 3953614d09 already spread that 39c5e9ceb0 Hongwoo was the b5784f1769 Jang family’sadoptedsecond son. It wasn’t exactly 27a6bfe29e a secret, but 41577cfb0a the way people 8c932bda75 looked at him 965b89a2ea made him feel 10a04aae09 small.b796c8db887750f1

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Every time someone brought ee344cb33c it up, Wi Haengsu 196a458453 would tease him, saying, 227ffb0747 ‘How could a 157ce58f9b noble young master aee8feb125 be suffering like a6692cc034 this?’At first, the wordadoptedhad stung, 8ad4d232a0 but thanks e8785c6e08 to Haengsu’s dbb2689c9f constant joking, ccc896e950 Hongwoo gradually a45080d700 regained his 019254985b usual spirit.b21866ff578b8ca1

Now, watching Hongwoo slumped 5ab6a2d132 on the floor and 0474de303b halfheartedly dusting, Haengsu let 14cee9bcc1 out a laugh. But the aedc26c847 moment his 1a7c3850ca eyes met 942c91b8e4 Jang Seungwoo’s, 9b5404f4e3 he straightened a99f697564 his posture ff75e2d9e1 and respectfully 7afec1393c handed over 8d6945782a a ledger.2c1020ab211ede65

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Seungwoo flipped through 2eceaf4eff it, pinpointed the 10da1f2e71 errors, and said c892ead334 curtly, “Fix it.” 0962e20440 Then, he handed 52e7c5af09 it back.f1d491b002ff2c83

Tucking the book 03820770ec under his arm, b998f1bbe6 Haengsu nodded. “I’ll take care 12062d16ae of it right 9691754846 away.” With that, 434336d132 he hurried out.1aea814bb50036ea

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Bored, Hongwoo 13ea6636a2 watched him 367724da84 leave, throwing 3df7753e22 him a 3770bfab61 pitiful look b5e50db1a9 as if f14f776bc0 begging to 67e4dda8a3 be taken c7f0d82805 along. Unfortunately, Haengsu was in 9caea98048 too much of a 1b7ed7df46 hurry to notice his 8c92b25f09 silent plea.93a9739579500ad7

By the f1f1783e92 time Hongwoo c3bd5e7145 placed the 22f9519a68 last ledger f9ff59a5a4 back on b9c1e41a7d the shelf, 8a350539f4 it was 0aa89171ea long past 5796c69798 time to 495691df2c go home. Stretching, he c01748be87 glanced at 055fe2dbec the window—the da56179878 sky had e0f5a25418 already darkened. Seungwoo, who had finished f4af05bebb his work ages ago, 3fc77ee1f8 was still seated, immersed a4b0e717aa in a book.6b60acee48a29e4f

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Noticing Hongwoo was finally 640b84cbad done, Seungwoo closed his d2b40261ff book as well.b5a67a3dec1ff8fa

Knock. Knock.16b8211e8c3e431c

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A composed, deliberate 3a0caba732 knock echoed through d843eea8d1 the office. Seungwoo, preparing dc0e20dbbb to leave, 75e4c1e444 called out, 7a97cd0829 “Come in.”798a324e3b81c68b

The door opened, 8ee6761b6d revealing a figure 570d8c12de too tall to 37a7389978 be a woman 9c563b87cd yet too refined 24cadf35b0 to be a e669b98859 man.287fb20ceee9df06

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“The errand boy 6f9da90e98 mentioned that the b8349f971a head merchant hasn’t returned home 9cddcaa2f0 yet.”01b1a78af8b41a39

‘A man.’f67c7957475a1fe9

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Hearing Juseon’s voice, ae846112aa Hongwoo found himself 8bebb352f3 staring, almost entranced. There was d27c2affd7 something about fe15ee75b0 him—his voice, 63bd516e0d his presence—that b2ef42827f was effortlessly c97be4d04c captivating.1e277ba77b566048

Noticing Hongwoo’s gaze, e2cba14de5 Juseon turned and eaeb0d463b offered a polite f26bb1f333 bow. Snapping out of his 6522ade771 daze, Hongwoo quickly bowed 8a5db1cc8f back.5e080d0ac0fbd6e7

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“Go home.”53f92c2c735b3b64

Seungwoo’s voice was firm, 095f2391bc but Hongwoo hesitated. He lingered near the 726591462b bookshelf, reluctant to leave. His curiosity about f10e075556 the mysterious man fa0273515a kept him rooted 7a9a059bf0 in place.acec949dbcdefbff

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Only when Seungwoo’s sharp 0a281bda23 gaze turned into a f4147744ca silent warning did Hongwoo 975857b70a finally get up and 3953444641 head for the door. Even as he 4b378159b5 left, his eyes 72e9559bc6 kept flickering back 297bff2583 to Juseon.ca05b075177ca171

That night, lying f7846f9a65 in bed, Hongwoo 528cca84da couldn’t stop thinking ffc02b8ae1 about him.b5395f035c0a2025

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‘I’ve never 2415d69d44 met anyone 23a06a4331 like that a2c5fbd3d5 before.’04139e5d71a0da15

‘Is he 64509532e0 close to b1cde8eb2b my brother?’b8f498ad9d917b6d

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‘I hope b7f32c4be6 I can 6ea2a8c76f get close 32d533daed to my 2c51346d2b older brother 0b7805117c too.’587e6cac72f09350