He sighed and nodded.
“I accept the offer.”
“Wise choice.”
I pulled out another document from my coat and handed it over.
“What’s this?”
“It’s the compensation agreement.”
“…?”
“You should compensate the Migwa Merchant Group for the damage you’ve caused.”
“Ah…”
The compensation didn’t include anything for the Clerks and workers who almost died because of the Namho Merchant Lord.
They’d chosen greed while working at the Migwa Merchant Group, which was known for its generous welfare.
I spared their lives, that’s enough.
You caused financial harm, so pay with money.
“But… compensation is 30% of net profits?”
“Yes.”
“Then… the merchant group only keeps 40%?”
“That’s right.”
“You… you’re ruthless!”
“Would you rather I take your signboard down?”
.
.
.
That evening.
I returned to the Migwa Merchant Group’s office.
And explained to Uncle and Cousin Ji-seo what happened today at the Namho Merchant Group.
“I’ve reached an agreement with the Namho Merchant Group. Both sides will withdraw from the price war.”
“What?”
Uncle asked back.
“What do you mean? Withdraw from the price war?”
“Exactly as I said. Both sides will withdraw. Starting now, we’ll return to the original herb prices.”
“But… why stop now?”
Uncle nodded at Cousin Ji-seo’s question.
“Exactly. Like Ji-seo said, why stop now? If we push just a bit further, we can crush the Namho Merchant Group.”
I quietly looked at Uncle.
“Then the Migwa Merchant Group would become the top herb intermediary in Guizhou. Why throw away this golden opportunity?”
Hearing that left me speechless.
Ah… seriously, this Uncle.
Why do you never disappoint my expectations?
At that moment, I was truly glad I made a secret agreement with the Namho Merchant Group.
“Uncle.”
Maybe my tone sounded unusual because Uncle’s face tensed.
“Did I ever say I’d crush the Namho Merchant Group for you?”
“…”
“I clearly said I’d save the Migwa Merchant Group. I never said I’d crush Namho.”
“…”
“Am I wrong?”
“N-no, you’re right.”
“If things had gone a little worse, the one who would’ve gone bankrupt is the Migwa Merchant Group. And now that the tables have turned, you’re telling me to throw myself at them like a mad dog?”
Cousin Ji-seo shook his head.
“Still… I can’t accept this. We just need to push a little more, don’t we?”
“And?”
“As the Deputy Merchant Lord of this merchant group, I demand that you step down from the Acting Merchant Lord position.”
Hearing that made Jin-ho, who was sitting next to me, jump up.
“What?! Seo-ho’s the one who ran himself ragged fixing this mess!”
“This is an opportunity to grow the Migwa Merchant Group even bigger, and he’s just gonna throw it away? Then he doesn’t deserve to be Acting Merchant Lord!”
Ah, seriously… this guy.
Why do none of you ever betray my expectations?
I should’ve seen it coming the moment my cousin said he’d retreat to his quarters and read books while I acted as Merchant Lord.
There’s a reason people say the attitude going into the outhouse changes on the way out. (TL Note: As in, people always change their tune once the hard part’s over)
But it’s fine.
I expected this much.
People say you can’t change someone’s nature.
But I, Eun Seo-ho, am living proof that you can.
And I wonder… does Ji-seo even realize?
That with those very words, he just made me decide to execute the plan I’d been debating.
I was hesitating… but not anymore.
I stretched my arm out to calm Jin-ho.
“Brother, sit down.”
“But…”
“It’s fine. Sit.”
Maybe something in my voice convinced him, because Jin-ho sat down without another word.
Though he was still frowning, clearly unhappy.
I looked at Ji-seo and asked,
“Are you saying this because you want the Acting Merchant Lord’s seat… or because you wanted the Merchant Lord’s seat all along?”
“Well, obviously…”
“Ah… so it was the Merchant Lord’s seat you had your eyes on. Even though Uncle’s still alive and well.”
Ji-seo flinched, frantically waving his hands.
“N-no, that’s not what I meant…”
“I know. I get it. You just don’t trust me.”
“Y-yeah. That’s it.”
“But here’s the thing. This reversal of fortune… was achieved by the very person you don’t trust.”
“…Ahem.”
Ji-seo cleared his throat and continued.
“We do acknowledge that you worked hard. So we’ll properly express our gratitude. From here on, we’ll handle things ourselves…”
“In other words, step aside now. But the one who first brought up canceling the contract… is you, Deputy Merchant Lord Ji-seo of the Migwa Merchant Group. So this is at Migwa’s request.”
I pressed on.
“And in cases like this… shouldn’t the Migwa Merchant Group compensate for the losses?”
I smiled.
“If you reimburse all the money invested so far, I’ll step away right now and return to the Eunhae Merchant Group.”
At my words, Uncle and Ji-seo’s eyes widened.
“Are you serious?”
“Completely.”
I stood from my seat.
Walked to the desk, picked up a brush, and started writing the contract I’d already drafted in my head.
Then placed it neatly on the table.
I was hoping we wouldn’t have to use this.
“Just sign here.”
The two read over the contract.
The terms were simple.
Eun Jo-san and Eun Ji-seo of the Migwa Merchant Group requested Eun Seo-ho step down from the Acting Merchant Lord position.
In return, the Migwa Merchant Group would compensate the Eunhae Merchant Group for all expenditures made up to this point.
“If you pay back what was invested… I’ll step down immediately, and Uncle will resume the Merchant Lord position.”
“…”
“And the credit for saving this merchant group… will go back to you, Uncle.”
Uncle nodded.
“Alright. I’ll sign this contract and reclaim my seat as Merchant Lord.”
“Father! W-wait…”
Before Ji-seo could even try to stop him, Uncle had already signed without hesitation.
Seeing that, I was completely convinced.
Even if Uncle hadn’t committed suicide in my previous life… the Migwa Merchant Group would’ve collapsed anyway.
Either way, everything was falling into place exactly as I planned.
Sssht—.
I quickly snatched the contract and said,
“But Uncle… why didn’t you ask the most important question?”
“The most important…?”
“Shouldn’t you have asked how much has been invested so far?”
Only then did Uncle’s face turn ghostly pale, realizing something was very wrong.
And Ji-seo let out a deep sigh.
I smiled faintly, pulled out a ledger from my pouch, and placed it on the tea table.
“This is the total amount invested in the Migwa Merchant Group so far.”
At my words, Uncle and Cousin Ji-seo hurriedly grabbed it and started flipping through the pages.
I chuckled inwardly.
Uncle’s pupils were trembling uncontrollably.
“This… this much went in?”
“Yes.”
I nodded.
“If you don’t believe it, feel free to calculate it yourself.”
Uncle didn’t know the total amount.
Because I deliberately never told him.
Still, if he had even an ounce of sense left, he should’ve asked me for the numbers or checked them himself.
Tsk.
Hopeless.
Now I understood why Grandfather always sighed whenever Uncle’s name came up.
Sure, it was about pride… but I bet he also knew about this side of him.
Cousin Ji-seo was a bit better, but considering he asked me to step down from Acting Merchant Lord… they’re all the same.
“So… do you have the money to pay it back?”
I asked.
Uncle squeezed out a voice full of strain.
“If the merchant group earns profits in the future… little by little…”
“How long do you expect me to wait? Do you even know how deep the deficit is right now?”
“…”
“Besides, the contract clearly states payment is due by the end of this month. How do you plan to pay?”
Cousin Ji-seo glared at me.
“You deceived us!”
At that, Jin-ho, sitting beside me, snapped back.
“Who deceived who? Seo-ho’s been truthful from the start. Uncle’s the one who signed with a big smile on his face just to protect his pride.”
“Ghk!”
Uncle ground his teeth.
“Did you… plan this from the start when you took the Merchant Lord seat?”
“Not at all.”
“Don’t lie!”
“Truly, I didn’t. Not until Cousin Ji-seo told me to step down from Acting Merchant Lord. Before that, I was fully prepared to work hard, save this merchant group, and politely say ‘farewell’ after six months.”
Uncle turned his sharp gaze toward Ji-seo, and Ji-seo went completely silent like he had a mouth full of honey.
“Why do you think I said it would take six months? Because that’s how long it takes to save this merchant group.”
“…”
“And do you really think the two people who ruined this merchant group can turn it around faster than I can?”
“…”
“Frankly… the amount invested so far is worth far more than the merchant group itself.”
“That’s ridiculous… how could it be worth more than…”
“Really? Then how much do you think a shell of a merchant group with nothing but debts and deficit-laden ledgers is worth?”
Their heads slowly drooped.
“Right now, the price we pay to buy herbs is higher than the price we sell them for. In other words, we’ve been bleeding losses non-stop.”
My words, stabbing at reality, finally forced them to face it.
“If you think you can step in after I step down… destroy the Namho Merchant Group with this low-price strategy, then jack prices back up… let me be clear. If you do that, you’ll really go bankrupt.”
Because now… the Namho Merchant Group is backed by the Eunhae Merchant Group.
Eun Jo-san felt like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over him.
Snapping back to his senses… he realized he’d done something utterly absurd.
Once again, his pride had tripped him up.
Just as Eun Seo-ho said… he should’ve sacrificed small pride for greater pride.
Eun Jo-san turned his head to look at his son.
Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Ji-seo.
Honestly… when his son demanded that Seo-ho step down as Acting Merchant Lord, he felt relieved.
Because it was what he wanted to say himself.
If they just push a little harder, they can become the top herb intermediary in Guizhou.
He didn’t want to miss this chance.
But now… he resented his son for saying that out loud.
If Ji-seo hadn’t said it… things wouldn’t have spiraled this far.
But what’s done is done.
So now he had to figure out what to do next.
His plan was simple.
Destroy the Namho Merchant Group… then raise the price of herbs again.
But somehow… as if reading his mind, Eun Seo-ho had already warned him.
If they do that, they’ll really go bankrupt.
He recalled what his Grandfather had told him before returning to the Eunhae Merchant Group.
— It’s not easy for me to say this… but since you’re my nephew, I must.
— What is it?
— You’re not fit to be Merchant Lord.
— …What?
— So… why not join the Eunhae Merchant Group? I can set you up with a good position.
— What are you saying?
— At this rate… this merchant group will end up in someone else’s hands.
But he didn’t even listen to that advice.
He got angry instead.
And when his Grandfather left after five years of struggling for the Migwa Merchant Group… he didn’t even bother to see him off.
Now… that advice kept echoing in his head.
Looking at Eun Seo-ho… he finally understood why Grandfather had said he wasn’t fit to be Merchant Lord.
‘Yeah… if this is what a true Merchant Lord looks like… then that’s what he meant.’
Eun Seo-ho asked again.
“So… how do you plan to pay this money?”
“…”
He was at a complete loss.
There was no hole left to pull money from.
Only now… did Eun Jo-san realize that even before Eun Seo-ho became Acting Merchant Lord, the merchant group was already running a deficit.
He’d just deluded himself into thinking it had returned to normal.
His mouth went dry.
“Could you… maybe give us a few more days?”
At that, Eun Ji-seo chimed in.
But Eun Seo-ho firmly replied.
“If that’s how you felt… you shouldn’t have signed the contract in the first place.”
“I didn’t sign it! Father did!”
“Your name’s on the contract too, Cousin.”
“Ghk!”
Suddenly, he softened his expression.
“But… the debtor here is the Migwa Merchant Group itself.”
“Meaning… if my son and I step down from Merchant Lord and Deputy Merchant Lord… the debt disappears?”
“Exactly. If you hand over the merchant group… this debt will be cleared.”
In the end… it unfolded exactly as Grandfather had warned.
This merchant group would end up in someone else’s hands.
–TL Notes–
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