“Cough!”
Blood splattered on the ground every time I coughed.
It felt like my chest was burning from the inside.
I’d forced my inner energy too hard, and now my energy channels were boiling over.
Leaning against a tree, I looked around.
Everything—horses, wagons, and carts—was up in flames.
A fire meant to erase all evidence.
A bitter laugh slipped out at the sight.
‘They’ve done this more than once…’
.
.
.
My name’s Eun Seo-ho (銀曙浩).
I’m the youngest son of the Eunhae Merchant Group (銀海商團).
When I was born, Eunhae was barely clinging to a spot among the Hundred Merchant Groups of the world.
Too big to be a small merchant group, too small to be a major one—somewhere in between.
Born into that in-between group, I jumped into managing it once I turned fifteen.
Of course, that didn’t mean I became a leader right away. I had to learn the ropes in various parts of the group first.
That was a tradition set by my great-grandfather.
His philosophy was simple—if you put someone in charge without any experience, it’s the fastest way to ruin everything.
After five years of learning and hands-on work, I finally got to run a small shop when I turned twenty.
The first place I managed was Eunhae Textiles, part of our merchant group.
In just three years, Eunhae Textiles became the most famous fabric shop in Hubei, even beyond Sunyang County (崇陽縣), and everyone praised my skills.
And I, too, realized I had a natural gift for commerce.
My grandfather was always proud when he looked at me.
He’d say I was the spitting image of my great-grandfather, who took a single silver ingot and turned it into a group that ranked among the Hundred Merchant Groups.
Those were happy days.
Then one day, my eldest brother came to me with a proposal.
“I want to hand over the position of head of the merchant group to you. The more I think about it, the more I feel you’re the better fit.”
“Sorry, Brother, but no. That seat’s yours.”
“But anyone can see you’re the more talented merchant.”
“I don’t want that position out of ambition. I just genuinely enjoy growing the group.”
“You enjoy growing the group? You mean that?”
“Yes! I mean it. Watching the group grow by my own hands feels so rewarding.”
“In that case, all the more reason—”
“Ah, I said no! Brother! Honestly, that position means meeting all kinds of tricky people and keeping up appearances for the sake of reputation, doesn’t it?”
“…”
“I’d rather operate below the surface. There’s a certain thrill to it, you know?”
My brother let out a small chuckle at my words.
He was part of the group too. He knew what I meant.
“Well, I suppose that kind of work suits someone sharp like you.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
“If that’s your wish, fine. I’ll take the role and carry the weight with a smile.”
And so, my considerate and kind brother became the head of the merchant group.
My second brother, righteous and skilled in martial arts, became the leader of Eunpoong Division.
And I, the clever one, played the strategist for both of them.
People called the three of us the ‘Wise and Virtuous Leader’ (賢德), the ‘Cloud General’ (雲將), and the ‘Hidden Dragon’ (臥龍) of the Eunhae Merchant Group.
Our teamwork turned the Eunhae Merchant Group into one of the top three in the world.
Those were truly happy days.
At this rate, becoming the number one merchant group in the world wasn’t just a dream.
But then, everything changed.
On my way back after receiving a message from my second brother that he’d prepared a birthday meal for me, I was ambushed.
Of course, ambushes weren’t new.
Growing a merchant group inevitably draws jealousy and resentment.
Until now, I’d always made it through.
But not today.
I was the only one still alive.
Barely—badly wounded, and barely able to move.
Step, step, step.
A man approached me.
A man with a goatee.
Namgoong Gang (南宮鋼), head of the Baekcheon Merchant Group (白天商團), our rival.
The Baekcheon Group, founded with funds from the Murim Alliance, had been far above the Eunhae Group when I first started working in the capital.
They were one of the top three merchant groups back then—ranked third.
But once I got involved in operations, we overtook them.
I’d heard Baekcheon was planning something big to strike back,
But a surprise attack using the Murim Alliance’s militant arm—an organization said to represent justice and virtue?
Unbelievable.
“Cough! So you’re planning to kill me today?”
He gave a slight smirk.
“I’ll admit, it’s a shame. I know your talents well. You’re the one who brought a group from the bottom of the Hundred up to the top three.”
“I appreciate the compliment—cough! But this isn’t the kind of setting where I’d like to hear that. Don’t you think this is a little, haah, underhanded?”
“Well, you could see it that way.”
“I thought we’d been competing fairly all this time—cough!—was I wrong?”
“Competing? You’ve got a funny way of putting things.”
He laughed heartily.
“You only got to run wild because the higher-ups allowed it.”
“…”
“Honestly, I enjoyed watching you. All that running around for a bit of money—it was entertaining.”
“A bit of… money, you say?”
Something flared up inside me without warning.
“Why did the Murim Alliance even establish a merchant group? Wasn’t it for money?”
“You really think it was all for some petty profit?”
“Isn’t that obvious? A merchant group’s whole purpose is to make money…”
“If that’s what you thought, you were wrong. Why would anyone start a merchant group just to make money? Money comes to us without asking.”
Namgoong Gang gave a laugh full of disdain.
“Then what’s it all for…?”
“Unifying the Murim.”
“…”
“…That’s just a front. The real reason was to divert attention from the Murim Alliance. That’s why the higher-ups put me in charge and had me establish the merchant group.”
Namgoong Gang, head of the Baekcheon Merchant Group, gave a sly, twisted smile.
“In that case, I don’t get it even more… Why’re you trying to kill me? You said you don’t care about making money…”
“You’re an eyesore to the higher-ups.”
“What’re you… talking about?”
“Your Eunhae Merchant Group grew too big. It’s become a nuisance. And all your righteous posturing doesn’t sit well with them either. Thanks to you guys, the standard of ‘virtue’ got raised unnecessarily. So yeah—you’re in the way.”
Grit.
I clenched my teeth.
Now that I thought about it, the Baekcheon Group overlapped heavily with ours, both in core products and territory.
Especially when it came to herbs and silk—we’d been in fierce competition, and ultimately, we won.
I’d always done my best, and I thought we were respectable rivals.
But this?
This was beyond infuriating—it was downright crushing.
‘Wait… He said we’re a thorn in their side. Don’t tell me—’
If what he said was true, they wouldn’t stop at just me.
And the fact they knew my exact location… something felt very wrong.
“…What about the rest of my family?”
At that, Namgoong Gang gave that same unsettling smile.
“I was wondering when you’d ask.”
He turned to one of his men.
“Bring me that box.”
He took the box from the subordinate, opened the lid, and showed me what was inside.
In that instant, my mind went blank.
And my body began to tremble.
It was my second brother’s head.
The brother who’d sent me the message, saying he’d prepared a birthday meal…
“Do you like your present? The one they used to call Cloud General of Hubei begged so hard to spare just you. Heh heh.”
At that moment, I realized something.
I’d always grown colder when I got angry—but there’s a type of rage that makes you lose all sense of calm.
I hurled curses at him and swung my fist.
“You son of a—!”
But it was meaningless.
Whack!
Namgoong Gang, amused by my fury, kicked me, sending me sprawling to the ground.
He drew his sword.
“Yeah, that’s the reaction I wanted. Would’ve been boring if you didn’t show anything.”
His sword touched my throat.
“But did you know?”
“Know what?”
“The real reason the Eunhae Merchant Group had to be wiped out… was you.”
“W–What are you talking about…?”
“Farewell.”
Thud!
At that moment, I felt my entire body freeze over.
So this… is what dying feels like…
.
.
.
“Master…”
“…”
“Young Master Eun Seo-ho!”
I snapped back to reality at the sound of someone calling my name.
Standing before me was Yu So-ak (柳小岳), the Chief Administrator.
“You’re dozing off on your first day? What are you thinking?”
“Huh? Oh, what do you mean, first day?”
“I told you, didn’t I? To go over last year’s grain delivery records and prepare this report. Sure, it might feel overwhelming on your first day, but…”
I couldn’t understand what was going on.
The sensation of Namgoong Gang’s sword piercing my throat was still vivid.
And now Yu So-ak was scolding me?
‘What… is this?’
I glanced around.
This was definitely Finance Pavilion.
But not the Finance Pavilion I remembered.
The structure, the layout—it was all unmistakably…
‘This is when I first started my training.’
I could never forget it.
I spent three years learning the ropes in this very office.
And the documents laid out on the desk before me—I remembered them clearly.
They were from my first day at the Finance Pavilion, when I messed everything up and got scolded badly by Yu So-ak.
“…!”
That thought struck me, and I looked up at Yu So-ak.
“Chief Administrator Yu. How old am I today?”
“What?”
“How old am I?”
“What kind of question is that…”
Yu So-ak looked startled.
But I had to know.
I had to confirm if my suspicion was right.
“Please, just tell me.”
“Yesterday was your fifteenth birthday.”
“…”
I looked down at my hands. They were still undeveloped—young.
I raised both hands and slapped myself hard across the face.
Smack!
“Ow!”
It hurt. A lot.
“Y–Young Master, what are you doing all of a sudden?”
Yu So-ak looked shocked, his eyes wide. The others around us were just as surprised.
As the burning pain spread across my cheeks, I muttered to myself.
“I… I died, didn’t I?”
.
.
.
That day, I left work early.
Yu So-ak must’ve been concerned about my condition and let me go.
“Are you sure you don’t need a physician?”
My attendant, Palgap (八甲), asked from behind.
He wasn’t the old Palgap I knew, but the young version of him. It felt strange—but he was still Palgap.
I waved it off.
“I’m fine. Just a bit tired.”
“Young Master…”
“I really am fine.”
“No, it’s just… This isn’t the way to your quarters, sir.”
I stopped in my tracks.
Come to think of it, I’d been heading toward the separate quarters I used when I was thirty-nine.
I’d only been assigned those once I turned twenty.
But right now, I should be using a room attached to the main residence. Even though fifteen is technically of age, at Eunhae we weren’t considered adults until we’d finished five years of training.
“Ah…”
I quickly changed direction, retraced my memories, and found the right room.
Clack.
As I opened the door, a familiar scene welcomed me.
I nearly let my guard down, but held firm and spoke to Palgap.
“I need to rest for a bit. Try not to disturb me.”
“Understood, sir.”
Palgap answered and closed the door behind him.
I collapsed onto the bedding.
‘Is this… real?’
I still couldn’t believe it. I reached up and touched my neck.
It was perfectly intact.
Then I pinched my arm hard.
It hurt so much I nearly teared up.
I was… really alive?
And somehow, I’d come back—to when I was fifteen.
I had no idea how this miracle had happened.
I recalled the moment of my death.
Namgoong Gang’s despicable face was still etched in my mind.
The warriors and staff who died protecting me.
My second brother’s severed head.
It all came back, clear as day, and I clenched my fists.
The Eunhae Merchant Group, built by me and my family over a lifetime, had been crushed far too easily.
Not by fair competition—but through brute force.
Rage burned inside me.
If I’d had more power, more strength… things wouldn’t have ended like that.
‘But… Have I really come back?’
–TL Notes–
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