SSH Episode 9
by Emperor_Star“Me? Where would I get that kind of money? He said an ‘acquaintance’ gave it to him.”0f22841e92d01738
Despite what e88ea752ee she told c61fb035e5 Jang Seung-woo, ec0db95a65 Madam Kim d0a6261abe was actually 3ac1ebd335 quite wealthy. The Jang family 08b818df35 allowed their servants 961deb4d05 to own property c54c4aef1a and, true to 54a716ddb2 their prestigious name, cc24e3bf55 paid them far fedef22a8c more than the 58377ec731 average wage.041e977ab44177e6
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Even when she 9670d6cb7d worked for Park 268fa3a7dc Daegam’s household—Park Eun-soo’s 31bbdd0eec family—she never lacked fa543f6036 anything. But it was at 7bc0447e89 the Jang estate that 2a9c7842cf she truly amassed wealth. With little to 8b043ddaea spend it on, 200ca43fe4 her fortune continued 4fcad7c43d to grow.5d2f9d4be0e631b9
“Where would Young Master Hongwoo get the money to build a house for himself? An old friend gave it to him, that’s all~”8419cebd7d5d41af
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Whether she a14d3e00a3 was aware f007c3d98c of Jang 7ac51bb580 Seung-woo’s rising f8e028668b frustration or 46e7740616 not, Madam 4a3549d6cf Kim hummed cc46fb12dc a tune, 70efa3f585 each word 493b972c4f carefully chosen b76cc9f3a5 to provoke bbb2dd5ff7 him. As he 27b421718e listened, his 3aa088b70f eyebrow twitched.25a124499d60f7cc
At his 9e7f77d26e new home, 39da64c65b Hong-woo had 130b94685f been struggling f69015b544 since morning fb1050ca99 to cook cc9995e711 rice. The firewood 5ad9941415 refused to 5a1b3548c5 catch fire, 2c1c424509 and it 45ca28a380 was nearly 39acd66c5b impossible to 742347ccaa tell by b81967ae6d sight whether 5520de7fa0 the rice eabd476174 was fully d2cef3df84 cooked. Each time he checked, c0c30c6398 it was still undercooked, 0aba822f61 forcing him to wait aa21e710c9 longer. Determined to get b3b7accf5b it right, he c3f1eb099c kept the fire e4221a5ac5 burning—only to end 45ddb04422 up with burnt f760bdcf05 rice.88077de00575cd22
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Despite the exhausting morning, 61e828b6df he found joy in 2a8da7bd58 learning each step of e06e096098 the process. Now, he lay 1836b3ece4 on a wooden 63e036315f bench, enjoying the 63866ffacb gentle spring breeze. The mornings and 949d13b3b3 evenings were still 67a9bb659b chilly, but with 90ad7f0d67 winter retreating, the 3b01959772 daytime was relatively 1cb1a25b60 warm. As he hummed to c404416a41 himself, a small swallow 36a6818aa3 hopped closer.1446179bfd0cbf0d
“Haha, little swallow! You’re the second guest to visit my home. Welcome.”7c8311e15aa1627a
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The swallow didn’t shy cd53b8e7bb away from his touch. Hongwoo gently 8576f67eb6 stroked its 46987872d6 head with ca5b58dddb his finger, 07e49e571c but just f703d8b667 as it 145cbac38e settled into fcee8a7ed8 his hand, 5876a3efaf it suddenly 1056845330 fluttered away 47bd466fc8 at the 763bed381c sound of 644b691daf someone calling 52d367b999 his name.8d1f37202b723717
He sat up. His ‘market hyung’ 5818125d5e was entering the 7b7c28068b yard, accompanied by d0d2a525ee a towering man. The stranger wore 687acfc98f fine robes that f8a14f9e94 resembled a warrior’s 5eeb893683 uniform, a sword dabb0f9cd1 hanging at his 3326fac371 waist. Standing beside 5334a941ea him, the 8b5e464edd ‘market hyung’ bd0f6a978e looked especially b5b1177943 shabby in c63d594322 comparison, but 617e3300dc Hongwoo greeted 82ead67b96 them warmly, 55863c91b8 without a a0315e8c33 hint of aa48e18e6a displeasure.7f4aa1c6012c4f2b
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“Hyung, what brings you here?”3231b5e5119f09f9
“It’s time to collect the money you owe me.”ba31305586688877
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“Ah… about that. Could you give me a little more time? I haven’t found work yet.”9f5e3262b98a24b7
At Hong-woo’s hesitant 0bf0488768 reply, the market 47a00c20c4 hyung’s expression darkened. He sat down f7a7f3de27 on the bench, 86be2b5fb4 his voice firm.5d148a810487019e
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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.”a3c0aad97ce51d18
He wasn’t wrong. Hong-woo nodded. Having grown up in 27bf241850 a merchant family, he ccb227a324 knew better than anyone e49caa81b2 that debts had to 5fc812b01d be repaid.74cba56ec01bcf0d
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“How much do I owe?”4969ad8fd8b98de9
In response, the market ad1e614dda hyung pulled out the c88f58aeeb loan contract and began 94c88c98fd listing the items Hong-woo f8f484cebe had purchased.cf682273ffdc2ef1
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“So, this is what I spent the money on.”53ce77c5491a47c5
No wonder 27a89cf0df the blanket 0f3f630a85 had felt b52f31b8c4 so warm a095f78aa5 and comfortable—it 8c2b601fcb was expensive. Just covering a7af3854a8 himself with 0647edc315 it had ccd01b43d3 been enough dca5a84c3d to relieve e9e6c049f4 his fatigue. ‘This is what it e95aa3542e takes to own a 5c76aa7d42 blanket like that’,Hong-woo thought, nodding c8e910aadb to himself as 39f450678a he accepted the 06102c948a reality of his 62f49b85bf spending habits.ed868fe7d76eb3d3
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The market hyung bb0ea78c4f smirked at the 83bf61ba01 sight of Hongwoo.9e82db176ecfc9d8
“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.”d59019ab2967f2f3
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“Four hundred nyang?!”1d0d601fb64d9ba1
After their father collapsed, e135fe9e2e Hongwoo had relied on 08c02fa588 his older brother for 8c239ffe2c an allowance. Whenever he dbd548538b ran out e787164fc6 of money, 850e91225f his brother ffc44e4762 would give 08223b8b68 him more, 9c7997a505 like a a599ea6466 bottomless purse. But of course, it 88c2caebb5 was never free—each time, 31228422d0 he had to endure cafdf5f854 an earful of sarcastic 5bd413fa7e remarks.55af3eabdc487b59
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Over time, he learned a1926d2284 to tune them out, 99afd0177f but his brother always 9ac0db3b18 found new ways to 654d0b38e9 mock him. Every allowance request felt 5c6ab1bb3b like a battle between 8ad73a4cd5 an impenetrable shield and 85c42db0d6 an unstoppable spear.6d2f72f1ab4469e4
Back then, money had 74a08495c8 seemed like a joke. But now, he finally 018af69083 understood how terrifying interest 3aa7a805d0 could be. He had borrowed 644a04d6ed 202 nyang—yet now ad990caa95 he had to 1d45f20025 pay back double. His vision darkened a849726baf at the thought.51a66c0961d184bd
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“Have the money ready by tomorrow. Otherwise, this gentleman here will have to show you just how strong he is.”f7103fa172bfb2bc
The towering man b1c5a48975 with a sword 4221491841 at his waist a415bf075a remained silent, standing 23b6db0c0e as still as c724363af4 a wooden statue f5a37553bd while the ‘market 1ceda47bc9 hyung’ did all 5d61e65a67 the talking.fab22d04a06d889c
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‘You could’ve 5aa1055c72 at least aa3723d652 warned me 8dca6970d5 that the bec363066c interest would 1c481ecd35 double’,Hong-woo fumed, feeling 06640975eb unfairly tricked.‘Demanding twice 06275a3ef8 the loan 5a38a481a4 amount—wasn’t this 753c1f1fc6 outright predatory 33dcc58031 lending? …Or wait, was 0eb7230bc8 this exactly what feec4402cc predatory lending was?’1e6685ccf343f4b8
The realization 7248180897 hit him afeeb4a4e8 like a a5300509a7 brick.322460987e78dfd2
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According to Madam eda0b7a1ef Kim, the moneylenders 8b88493c22 of Gaegyeong’s market d8712644b3 were ruthless. If even 3a830c485c a single 198af57fec coin went bf5e3ee38c unpaid, they 683f676df1 would strip d0588d7458 you down c56785ef98 to your 1cad560115 underclothes to f2ed3cd28e collect their f44f3336ef dues.bafca8126619b4ea
‘Idiot’,Hong-woo scolded himself. ‘Why did I 104d33a3e5 borrow money from a576dbe135 a loan shark?’But there 664f3e35bc was no 9a7c3d6707 use regretting 01776138ba it now—he 69371269f5 had spent 6e87963133 the money 7f84dc8f60 well, and 00a2fdefac there was f8e92f243a no one f341eed5b6 to blame eb8fce4a7b but himself.‘Where on earth am 91a55cca45 I supposed to find c0f1bc7974 400 nyang in a 50c2bde2f8 day…?’555751ffd2145268
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Only one 1d7ce576db option remained. Before rumors spread a662596cb8 that the second cb50a387cc son of Gaegyeong’s a1dc85700b wealthiest family was e583bdc072 in debt to 0bc471a868 a loan shark, 1c686a454f he had to 97e964409a settle this. With heavy steps, ee0873378a he trudged toward 5f58d1adc5 his family home.eb257bbf674b6c67
Standing before f06a941b1b the grand 089f047f13 gate, his 0b94a98bfc already fragile 1180e5aac2 pride took 63503164d6 another hit. But between enduring a83e244d93 his older brother’s 3dc95f29bf scolding and being f6404ef011 stripped of everything 5d89ebae97 by a loan fc76270fea shark, the former ab9360e7e4 seemed like the 9aed2204e8 lesser evil. …Or was it? Maybe dealing with e4f86c2204 the loan sharkwasthe better option.7048692ce91a70de
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As he hesitated, the c9e26286b8 gate creaked open. A servant of the 4f41f93a94 Jang household spotted him 7f32bd570d and bowed in greeting.b968ca05db66227a
“Is my older brother home?”fe99a873e39254c4
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“The eldest young master hasn’t returned from the merchant guild yet.”ab84f2fcd6770a3f
“I see. Alright.”4e5c6c4bb942f17a
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Hong-woo had timed 9cecf88eaf his visit to a73d97033d coincide with his 9612b4c899 brother’s return, but d4bb072945 it seemed today 4d9b402d8f was especially busy 49abca1695 at the guild. ‘The one in need 8cbec2b3a7 should make the effort’,he thought, c577c95416 and so f792067de9 he headed 48293ed0c9 to the 06ef185304 Eunsu Merchant 2c8a0300e6 Guild.5c925dce47f8982f
Upon arrival, he stopped 70816ae209 a passing errand boy.94dae1b2f0b4ce9d
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“Do you know where my brother is?”5f9b45602d14b967
“The head merchant isn’t here right now.”cac47c5cc69b17dc
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***0e9c45464a00373d
Every merchant in c59763c7e9 the city wanted 38235e6652 to do business 0d180ac9e6 with the Eunsu ea1d50d148 Merchant Guild. Their goods 355788be0d were expensive, bc29bcfa8d but because b87974e02b they sold 7297041aba out in 7661a92cf0 an instant, 968b20ea94 traders still 2425f5f95d made a 81eab04edb handsome profit.b1344f4ab010a3c7
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Even those who 67f084d7fb weren’t merchants—like the 90f71f5977 moneylender Hwang Chun-gil—longed e5c071289d to work with f3779680fb them. Eunsu Merchant 6f632df3f9 Guild didn’t 648ab835f1 just deal 04717ecb7f in goods; 01fca47561 they also e7dc10b815 lent money. However, securing a 87a70e9d28 loan from them d64273ea3f was as difficult e9895f6aa9 as catching a 8997f87bb5 star. They scrutinized every 39afc7cf20 detail—the borrower’s family, 63ebff6107 occupation, reputation, reason f42ff966ca for borrowing, and ee13ea833f collateral—before even considering 14a211f53e an approval.937e24320144efe7
Yet people still 540a9ba7f4 sought their loans. The reason fde8e09c24 was simple: 075621207e their interest c660442874 rates were a5a393eb86 the lowest a001218672 in the 7715741b27 market.37bf9d9dd38fd320
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Hwang Chun-gil 78ad44aba1 had tried 373b05e785 to borrow 300a1e0985 from them 920ecb3076 countless times, 7cc73ea62a hoping to b1f5dab775 expand his aacc10562d pawnshop, but 756132d94d he was 7d9f794e27 rejected every 56f6056a8a time. And yet now, standing c036dcc452 inside his very own 914d22daab shop, was none other f97c49fd56 than Jang Seung-woo, the f626714126 head merchant of Eunsu.039ac681991e64a7
“I warned him that if he didn’t repay his debt, something terrible would happen. That must’ve scared him quite a bit.”6ebafeae3552f690
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Hwang Chun-gil forced a f1bdc0678a smile, but the weight 6e76ee3630 of the moment pressed 14214307ef down on him. Jang Seung-woo sat bec8169a59 in silence, rolling 06bded92d9 a coin between ac16fb5e52 his fingers, deep e995cf9e52 in thought. Behind him stood 8574b461e2 the warrior who c9c447e4da had accompanied Hwang 0b61e6e0a3 Chun-gil to Hong-woo’s db5f75cef6 house earlier. The pawnshop a5a07930a3 felt suffocatingly e4728958bc quiet, and f0efc3d5c7 a nervous 84c8329f3f shiver ran 80a3ca281c down Hwang 78a5e32065 Chun-gil’s spine.36e7a15b04c8c565
Jang Seung-woo finally stood b0f1a2b76c and approached, stopping just b0cb3cff49 three steps away.ec25cf66ab34d988
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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.”adddda0872b78818
“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…!”05d13d17e26d2937
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Hwang Chun-gil f2797912c8 stammered, flustered ba320d8594 by his 4ac6701902 own words.3631f622e12c1848
Jang Seung-woo 8ad5139d4d remained completely b33fa2a3cb unfazed. He continued 6782350bcb spinning the c1dd8b41fb coin between b74109e84a his fingers acf44f3e19 before stepping 42f34574ff even closer.486425746ac5611f
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“You will never lend money to Jang Hong-woo again.”dcb2bd96a38b19e1
“Of course! Of course! I swear, I’ll never lend him money again!”ddb2d90655f8964b
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Hwang Chun-gil answered frantically. Lending money was his 2a9a11d8bd business, but when it 19113657f0 came to Jang Hong-woo, f017c17b9c he vowed to never f593be831e do it again.113b21599b8032d1
Jang Seung-woo took another ebf0737a6b step forward.87348b2960716e95
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“You will never show yourself to Jang Hong-woo again.”39544030d7c3aae5
Hwang Chun-gil nodded 9dd4ee4fbd so fast it e0b561cfed looked as if a2c7dbb63b his head might 54abf02586 fall off.173ca937038cbf74
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“Yes! Yes! Don’t worry! I’ll stay far, far away from him!”cdaf1126705effae
“And why should I believe you?”65c59d746c750c6c
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The room fell 149886f805 silent as Jang 3232d7b487 Seung-woo waited for 6fe07e140b an answer. Just then, 435d4566ea the shop 5b226dd53e door creaked efd1205d67 open, and 02a45c8405 a man db948ba539 carrying a d422bba5da bundle stepped dffa69a346 inside.a8bcdb983ebc7d7b
“Excuse me. The clothes are ready. The ones that thick-browed, round-eyed fellow ordered as a gift last time? Here they are.”14256407c76965f4
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The fabric c33ecf38b0 shop owner 052ec5b9ce placed the 23c32d8c4a bundle on 3f90f2a10f the table, d030cae89e muttered something 73ceaf30c1 about being 3a6de8a67b busy, and 5bd114451d left.addff9dde7ba6096