That thought came to me again, and I let out a deep sigh.
Then my mind kept spinning.
What if this is just a dying hallucination?
If so, then there’s nothing I can do. The dead can’t change anything.
But what if I’ve really returned to the time when I was fifteen?
As soon as that thought hit me, I bit my lip.
That’d mean everything I experienced is waiting for me again in this life.
And I sure as hell didn’t want to meet that miserable end a second time.
After all, clashing with the Baekcheon Merchant Group backed by the Murim Alliance was inevitable.
My dream had always been to make the Eunhae Merchant Group the number one in the world, and I wasn’t about to give up on that dream.
But to achieve it, I’d need the power to protect myself, my family, and the group.
After living through that terrible future, I knew how badly I needed that power.
Baekcheon, with the Murim Alliance at its back, had overwhelming wealth and force.
While I was deep in thought, I heard Palgap’s voice outside, along with another servant.
“Huh? Is it snowing already?”
“Ah, sweeping snow’s a pain.”
“Hope it doesn’t pile up too much.”
I let out a small chuckle at that.
The snow that started falling around noon the day after my fifteenth birthday had come earlier than usual that year—something I remembered clearly.
And it piled up quite a bit.
Suddenly, I sprang up from bed.
“That’s right! Why didn’t I think of that?”
If I really had returned to the past, that meant I knew the future.
And that included knowledge of fortuitous encounters.
Those opportunities didn’t yet have owners.
And when something has no owner, whoever finds it first, owns it.
“But before that…”
I slumped back down on the bed.
“I’ve gotta deal with this weak body first.”
I felt a wave of pity for the younger me, wondering how I even got by like this.
When I was little, I’d been a perfectly healthy boy like any other.
But after turning twelve, my health began to decline, and by twenty, I couldn’t walk without a cane.
But now… that wouldn’t happen.
I knew exactly what was wrong with my body.
‘And I know all the good and bad things that’ll happen in the future, too.’
If I used that information to act faster than anyone else, I’d be the one to gain the most.
I clenched my fists.
If I really had come back in time, I had to take revenge—for myself and for my family.
Even if the fall of the Eunhae Merchant Group and my death hadn’t happened yet, to me, they already had.
Still, something kept bugging me.
That last thing Namgoong Gang said before he killed me.
“The real reason the higher-ups wanted the Eunhae Group gone… was you.”
Because of me, he said…
At face value, it probably meant our group had grown too much, competed too fairly, and became a thorn in their side.
He did say things along those lines earlier.
But it felt like there was more to it.
He’d already listed multiple reasons we were a nuisance, yet he still singled me out at the end.
‘I’ll have to look into that. There’s still plenty of time.’
I died at thirty-nine.
That means I’ve got more than twenty years ahead of me.
And I’ve got no intention of changing my goal.
‘You looked down on money so much—then I’ll use it to crush you.’
That afternoon.
I was summoned by my father.
When I opened the door to the merchant lord’s office, I saw him seated at his desk.
Just seeing him made my eyes well up.
Eun Gil-sang (銀吉相), head of the Eunhae Merchant Group.
My father.
In the future, he’d passed the title to my eldest brother and retired.
But not long into that long-awaited retirement, he fell mysteriously ill and passed away before we could even attempt treatment.
Unlike the pale, sickly image I remembered, he now looked completely healthy. That hit me hard.
I must’ve blushed trying to hold back tears, because Father tilted his head at the sight of me.
“Your face is red. Are you feeling unwell? Chief Administrator Yu said you didn’t look too good earlier.”
So Yu So-ak had already come to report.
I expected as much.
He was required to report accurately on the progress of the merchant group’s heirs in Finance Pavilion.
Still, I didn’t think he’d report this quickly.
“I should’ve gone to your room myself. My apologies.”
“It’s fine, Father.”
“You’ve been having more frequent illnesses lately. I’m concerned.”
The worry in his voice and gaze…
I bit my lip again, worried I might cry.
“Is the workload too much? Or are you not feeling well? If it’s the latter, we can delay your practical training a bit.”
So that was why Father had called me here.
Heirs of the merchant group began five years of training once they turned fifteen.
The first three years were spent in Finance Pavilion, learning the flow of money.
Then a year in the Operations Pavilion (世豊閣), to understand the broader operations of the merchant group.
And finally, a year in the Trade Pavilion (商流閣), where they took part in selecting and selling products.
Only after completing all five years could one officially be recognized as the young merchant lord in line for succession.
Skipping training was not an option.
Which is why Father hadn’t offered it outright.
And I didn’t want that either.
Especially since there was an incident looming at the Finance Pavilion—and the only way to prevent it was to begin my training.
I gathered my emotions and replied in the calmest voice I could manage.
“It’s all right, Father. I’ll begin training without delay starting tomorrow.”
“Are you sure? You’re not pushing yourself just because you feel pressure to perform as one of the heirs?”
At that question, I let out a silent sigh.
Father’s worried expression pained me.
I hesitated for a moment.
I needed to find a way to ease Father’s worry while still moving forward with my plans.
‘…A few days of rest should be fine.’
After running through it all in my head, I spoke carefully.
“Then, Father, would it be all right if I took five days to rest? I’d like to recover my strength during that time.”
Only then did Father’s expression relax.
“You’ve made the right decision. I’ll inform Chief Administrator Yu myself. Do as you said.”
“Yes, Father. I’m sorry for making you worry.”
“I should have Physician Baek prepare a Exilir.”
A Exilir.
I nearly sighed aloud without thinking.
Because of the Exilirs I’d been given back then, I nearly died.
Taking any more now would be dangerous.
“I’m sorry, Father, but I’ve already had some recently. Even good medicine can turn poisonous in excess. I think I’ll be fine with just some rest.”
“All right. Then do so.”
Back in my room, I lay on the bed and sighed.
‘Seriously? Just walking a bit left me this winded?’
How was I supposed to grow the merchant group or seek revenge in this condition?
I needed to heal my body—fast.
The truth was, my poor health wasn’t due to an ordinary illness.
I thought back to the time in my past life when I was managing Eunhae Textiles.
.
.
.
It was right after I took charge of the textile shop—just after I turned twenty.
A young woman came to sell silk she’d woven herself.
Women selling their own fabric wasn’t unusual. It was a common source of income.
But her silk was different.
It was the finest I’d ever seen.
I paid her handsomely—nearly three times the usual price. When she asked why, I told her,
“A merchant pays a fair price for good goods, then sells them to those who need them at a profit. If you buy fine items for less than they’re worth, you’re not a merchant—you’re a swindler.”
That belief was at my core. I never wanted to shortchange someone just to increase my margins.
Our relationship continued from there, and everyone at our shop started calling her the “Weaver of the Bamboo Grove” (죽림직녀), since she lived near the bamboo forest.
I took care to learn about her and her family.
Respecting people had always been a principle passed down in our family—and I lived by it too.
Thanks to her silk, our textile shop grew rapidly.
Her fabrics became a sensation among the local wealthy, and when I began paying good money for quality silk, others producing fine textiles started coming to us as well.
But I didn’t stop there.
I used that silk to create luxury products that the wealthy couldn’t resist, and it brought in huge profits.
And in the end, meeting the Weaver of the Bamboo Grove ended up saving my life.
It was the winter of my twenty-third year.
A middle-aged man came to visit me.
He turned out to be one of the Five Great Physicians—Heukjeok Uiseon (黑笛醫仙), the Black Flute Physician.
He always carried a black flute, and wandered freely, belonging to neither the orthodox nor unorthodox sects.
I welcomed him gladly.
My illness had been worsening, and I’d been trying to find a doctor.
I never expected him to come to me.
When we met, he said abruptly,
“I heard from my daughter.”
“Sorry?”
His sudden comment made me blink.
“Madam Gwak from the Bamboo Grove. She’s my daughter.”
“Oh…”
He was the father of the Weaver of the Bamboo Grove.
He narrowed his eyes and asked,
“Did you approach her on purpose, knowing she was my daughter?”
“No. I had no idea.”
I truly didn’t.
If I had, I’d have gone to see him sooner.
“Then why did you pay such a high price for her silk and look after her family so closely?”
“No special reason. I simply valued her skill.”
“You valued her skill?”
“Yes. It’s a principle passed down from my ancestors. A petty merchant only sees the money in front of them, but a great merchant looks beyond the person in order to reap lasting gains. I believe that too.”
He stared at me for a long moment.
Then he let out a quiet laugh.
“You’re sincere. No wonder she asked me to come.”
“Sir?”
“My daughter begged me to save you. She said no one had ever looked after her family like you did. She wanted to repay the kindness.”
His words made me feel awkward and a little embarrassed.
To me, it had just been good business—but she saw it as a favor.
“Well, whatever the reason, it doesn’t matter. I left her with a friend when she needed a father, then wandered like the wind… I’m late, but I need to start acting like a father now.”
He reached out his hand.
“Give me your wrist.”
As if under a spell, I held it out, and the Black Flute Physician began checking my pulse.
After examining me for about half a minute, his expression shifted.
He looked like he’d found something fascinating.
Then he pulled his hand away and said,
“You were born with the Black Dragon Star Body (玄龍星體), but your body lacks water—so of course you’re wasting away.”
“What? Black Dragon Star Body? What’s that?”
“The Black Dragon rules over water qi. It’s a constitution usually found in women with strong yin qi. Those born with it tend to have exceptional innate talent.”
“So you’re saying… it’s because I’m a man?”
“Exactly. I’ve never seen a man with this constitution before.”
“Ah…”
“You probably started getting sick around age twelve, right?”
“…That’s right.”
“As your yang qi strengthened, it clashed with the water-dominant Black Dragon body. At this rate, you won’t live past five more years.”
“Wh–What are you saying?”
I was stunned.
I thought it was just an illness, but now he was telling me it was my constitution?
And that I wouldn’t live more than five years?
It hit me like a bolt of lightning.
Frantically, I asked,
“What do I need to do to survive, sir? I want to live. I don’t want to be in pain anymore.”
I couldn’t die like that.
I didn’t want to see my family suffer as they tried everything to save me.
To that, the Black Flute Physician said,
“Haha… Didn’t I tell you? My daughter asked me to come—asked me to save you. And that’s why I’m here.”
–TL Notes–
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