A little while later, I entered the dining hall.
“Feels good, doesn’t it?”
As soon as I stepped inside, Jin-ho greeted me.
For some reason, I felt a pang of guilt toward him. No matter how much he said it was fine, my heart didn’t quite agree.
“Jin-ho…”
Hearing me, Jin-ho chuckled.
“This punk… becoming Deputy Merchant Lord before me!”
“Sorry…”
“Stop right there.”
“…?”
“Say sorry one more time and I’ll smack you.”
Jin-ho let out a small laugh.
“You think I don’t know how you feel? But listen… everyone’s got clothes that fit them best. Forcing yourself into clothes that don’t fit only leads to misery.”
He continued,
“The clothes that fit you best right now… are the clothes of a Deputy Merchant Lord. So there’s no need to apologize.”
Yeah… that’s the kind of person Jin-ho is.
“Though I bet those clothes will be too small for you before long.”
“Haha.”
“Anyway… congratulations.”
I looked at Jin-ho.
The image of Jin-ho’s severed head from my past life flickered in my mind.
This time… that kind of ending will never happen to him.
“We’re late!”
Right then, the rest of the family arrived, congratulating me on my appointment as Deputy Merchant Lord.
And of course, I received gifts.
Before sitting down at the table, I called out to my mother.
“Mother, I have a request.”
“A request? I wonder what my youngest could possibly want?”
“Please… name my residence.”
“Name your residence? Why not ask your father or grandfather instead?”
To that, I answered,
“Grandfather named our eldest brother’s residence. Father should name Jin-ho’s when the time comes. Even if I became Deputy Merchant Lord first, I’ve no intention of taking that away from him.”
Looking into my mother’s eyes, I said,
“That’s why… I want my residence to be named by you, Mother.”
In truth, in my past life, grandfather named my residence.
Jin-ho asked father to name his, so it felt only right that I ask mother to name mine.
But back then… I didn’t.
It was much later that I found out mother had quietly been looking forward to it, even preparing a list of hundreds of possible names for my residence.
And she was deeply disappointed when I never asked.
When I learned that… I felt awful.
So this time, I wouldn’t make the same mistake.
Mother hesitated at first.
“No… you should ask your grandfather to name it.”
Even as she said that, her lips trembled slightly.
Mother really can’t lie.
“I still want it to be you, Mother. I believe grandfather and father will understand.”
Hearing that, both grandfather and father nodded without hesitation.
“My dear, let’s have you name Seo-ho’s residence.”
“Indeed. Seo-ho’s residence… should be named by you.”
Mother pretended to ponder for a moment, then smiled.
“Actually, a perfect name just came to me.”
“What is it?”
“Munghok Hall (文曲堂). Named after the Munghok Star (文曲星).”
In the Big Dipper, there are nine stars said to govern the fortunes and misfortunes of mankind.
Each has its own name, and the fourth star is the Munghok Star.
“The Munghok Star governs both wisdom and wealth. I named it hoping that fortune and prosperity will always follow you.”
Yeah… there’s no way this was something she just came up with on the spot.
“It’s a beautiful name. Thank you, Mother.”
Grandfather smiled proudly upon hearing it.
“You’ve received a truly wonderful name.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
“Well then… let’s eat.”
Everyone took their seats, and breakfast was served.
Today’s breakfast was red bean porridge.
A dish to ward off misfortune.
But… Munghok Star is also said to set things right and guide the future.
The more I thought about the name Munghok Hall, the more it felt like it carried an eerie weight.
Could Mother possibly… know I’ve come back in time?
No, no way.
.
.
.
Right after breakfast, I headed back to my residence to change into my ceremonial robes.
These were custom-made by Lady Hong Geum-so, the tailor I brought in to create the Self-Dancing Doll.
As thanks for the wealth I’d brought her, she insisted on personally making my ceremonial robes.
Anyway, it’s about time to cure her husband’s illness.
I hadn’t done it yet for a reason.
I was waiting for the right moment.
To heal the damage in his organs caused by Blood Decay, I needed the proper medicine.
And the best medicine I knew was about to surface in the world soon.
Once I secured it, I’d treat Madam Hong’s husband.
I looked into the mirror.
Even I had to admit… the robes she made were stunning.
“Young Master… you look incredible.”
“Yeah… I kinda do, don’t I?”
“Of course! Our Young Master’s the coolest in the world!”
Grinning from Palgap’s endless praise, I stepped out of the residence.
Yeo Eung-am and Lee Pil were already dressed as well.
Their clothes were blue ceremonial robes designed for ease of movement—robes only personal escort guards were permitted to wear.
Both warriors bowed respectfully.
“We will escort you.”
“I’m counting on you.”
With Palgap and my two escorts accompanying me, I made my way toward the banquet hall.
It was time to welcome the guests.
.
.
.
There were a lot of guests.
Honestly, it wasn’t like I hadn’t expected it.
But… it felt like there were even more people than when I became Deputy Merchant Lord in my previous life.
I greeted every single one.
“Thank you for coming.”
“Please enjoy yourselves.”
It was no easy task.
Watching Father do this beside me, I realized… this must be exhausting for him too.
That’s when Father called me aside.
“Make sure to head down to the lower banquet hall and greet the guests there as well.”
“Understood.”
The banquet was divided into two sections.
We simply called them the upper and lower halls.
The upper hall was for the most distinguished guests—high-ranking officials, other merchant lords, and similar figures.
Everyone else enjoyed the feast in the lower hall.
The reason I had to go down and greet them myself was because they hadn’t come in through the main entrance where formal greetings were exchanged.
They’d entered through a side gate, sitting down comfortably to eat and drink.
But they still came here to celebrate my appointment, so it was only right for me to show my respect.
“Are you enjoying the banquet?”
“Very much so.”
“Please enjoy yourselves.”
“Thank you for the invitation.”
“Thank you for coming today.”
“Congratulations on becoming Deputy Merchant Lord.”
I made my way around, exchanging greetings with everyone. That’s when I spotted a familiar face.
It was Artisan Gong Du-i and his family.
I greeted them warmly. Gong Mil stood there with a bashful look.
“To celebrate your appointment, I’ve made something for you.”
“Oh yeah?”
“It’s nothing much, but… please stop by later.”
“Sure, I will.”
As I ruffled little Gong Lae’s hair, she suddenly said,
“I’ll sing a song for you as my gift!”
“A song?”
Gong Mil explained with an awkward smile.
“Lae’s really good at singing.”
“Really? Alright. I’ll come listen for sure.”
With that promise, I turned to continue greeting the other guests.
“Huh? Chief Administrator?”
To my surprise, Yu So-ak was standing there.
“Shouldn’t you be in the upper hall, not here in the lower one?”
“Can’t do that.”
“Huh?”
“I can’t eat and drink comfortably up there. Besides, I’ve got this kid with me, and he gets indigestion.”
Yu So-ak gestured toward Seok Il-song.
He bowed with an embarrassed look. His cheeks had filled out nicely since I last saw him.
“How’s the work going?”
“It’s going well. The Chief Administrator’s been guiding me carefully.”
“Good. Learn everything you can. The Chief Administrator’s the most capable person I’ve ever met.”
“Yes!”
Hearing that, Yu So-ak turned his head away, looking flustered.
I chuckled and was about to move on when I spotted an important guest.
It was my Master’s wife, known in my past life as the Weaver of the Bamboo Grove.
“Welcome.”
“Thank you for inviting us.”
Standing beside her were two children.
Gwak Hyeong-jin, whose life I once saved, and Gwak Jun-ha, who had been my escort in my past life.
“It’s so good to see you both.”
“We wanted to come earlier and thank you properly, but we didn’t get the chance.”
“Well, I’ve been busy too. Are you still studying diligently?”
“Yes.”
That’s when Gwak Jun-ha chimed in.
“My brother just started learning the Analects!”
“Already?”
“Yeah!”
“Wow… impressive.”
He’d just turned thirteen… and he was already studying the Analects.
It felt good knowing I’d saved such a talent.
I knew one more like him—Seok Il-song, who was currently having a meal next to the Chief Administrator.
If those two became close friends… that’d be perfect.
“By the way… where’s Master?”
“He came with us to the entrance, but said something urgent came up and told us to go ahead.”
“I see.”
“Yes, but he said he wouldn’t be late.”
She glanced around, probably looking for empty seats.
That’s when Yu So-ak called out to her.
“Are you the wife of Escort Chief Gwak?”
“Yes, I am.”
“If you don’t mind, would you like to join us?”
“Would that be alright?”
“Of course. Il-song was just complaining he didn’t have anyone his age to talk to.”
Thanks to Yu So-ak’s rank and somewhat intimidating presence, no one had dared sit near him. So there was plenty of space.
Just then, Deputy Jo Yeong-yeong came looking for me.
“Young Master, it’s time to head to the stage.”
“Ah, is it?”
I politely excused myself and followed her toward the platform.
Father, dressed in magnificent ceremonial robes, stepped forward first and addressed the guests.
“I am Eun Gil-sang, Merchant Lord of the Eunhae Merchant Group. Thank you all for attending my third son Eun Seo-ho’s Deputy Merchant Lord appointment ceremony.”
Father bowed deeply, then introduced me.
“Allow me to present my third son, Eun Seo-ho, the youngest Deputy Merchant Lord in our group’s history.”
At his words, I stepped up onto the platform.
I cupped my fists and bowed to everyone. From here, I could see all their faces clearly.
“I am Eun Seo-ho. Thank you all for coming to celebrate my appointment as Deputy Merchant Lord.”
Father then officially declared to everyone,
“Today, I, Eun Gil-sang, Merchant Lord of the Eunhae Merchant Group, hereby proclaim my third son Eun Seo-ho as an official Deputy Merchant Lord.”
Deputy Yoo Dae-ik held out a silver badge on a tray.
It was engraved with the symbol of our group—a moon floating on the sea.
Unlike the jade badge I’d received earlier, this was the identity plaque meant for daily use.
I took it and fastened it to my waist.
Now, I was officially a Deputy Merchant Lord.
The ceremony went much more smoothly than I expected.
None of the things I’d been worried about happened.
Thank goodness.
At that very moment.
Gwak Myeong-hyeon wiped the blood off his sword with a cloth.
‘The ceremony must be well underway by now.’
With cold eyes, he stared at the corpses of those he’d just cut down.
While escorting his family to the banquet, he sensed their murderous intent.
The masked assassins were clearly targeting the Eunhae Merchant Group.
Gwak Myeong-hyeon followed them, only to realize their true target was Eun Seo-ho.
As expected of assassins, they were tight-lipped.
He couldn’t figure out who hired them.
They attacked him, but frankly, it was laughable how weak they were.
‘I wonder… what my disciple is doing that keeps attracting pests like these.’
A conversation from the other day surfaced in his mind.
— I simply trusted you, Master.
— Me?
— Yes. Master desires nothing but the growth of his disciples. So I just trust and follow.
A disciple who trusted him this deeply.
Originally, he only accepted Seo-ho as a disciple because of the prophecy passed down in his family.
But before he knew it… Seo-ho had become precious to him in earnest.
That must be why…
He’d given Seo-ho one of the few remaining treasures of his clan.
And even though he knew that, like with Jeong-ho’s appointment ceremony, Seo-ho would handle any crisis that came his way… when he saw these masked men, he couldn’t help but step in.
At least for today… no one would be allowed to interfere with his disciple.
‘I won’t allow a single blemish to stain my disciple’s future.’
At some point… Seo-ho had stopped being merely a ‘Young Master’ to him.
Now, he was truly… ‘my disciple.’
Srrk. Clack.
He sheathed his sword.
Men appeared from the shadows to clean up the bodies.
No trace remained that anyone had died here.
Straightening his clothes, Gwak Myeong-hyeon used his internal Qi to clear the smell of blood from himself.
It was time to go to his disciple.
–TL Notes–
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