At my words, Clerk Ah responded.
“N–no! If I betray them…”
“Clerk Ah, you’ve already betrayed the Eunhae Merchant Group. So what’s one more betrayal?”
“…”
“And turning your back on them now is a way of atoning to the merchant group you betrayed.”
I looked him straight in the eye and asked,
“And do you really think they’ll keep their promise?”
“…”
At that, Clerk Ah’s eyes trembled violently.
He was starting to guess the fate that awaited both him and his family.
But this was the only hope he had left, so he clung to it.
“Clerk Ah, you know, don’t you? The two things our Eunhae Merchant Group values most.”
He nodded, voice shaking as he replied.
“People… and trust.”
“Yes. Exactly. So… you really can’t bring yourself to trust us?”
“…”
“Well then, this is serious. A clerk of the Eunhae Merchant Group who doesn’t trust the merchant group itself.”
I asked again.
“Has there ever been a single missed monthly wage?”
“N–no. Never.”
“What about vacation time? Ever been denied?”
“Not once.”
“And still, you don’t trust us?”
A heavy silence followed.
Then Clerk Ah cautiously asked,
“You really… can protect my family…?”
He was talking more now.
That meant he was starting to be persuaded.
I felt grateful toward my father and ancestors, who had built that trust over the years.
Because it was that very trust making my words carry weight now.
“Yes. I promise. We’ll protect your family.”
Clerk Ah’s family had done nothing wrong.
But Clerk Ah himself… that was different.
No matter the reason, he was still guilty of attempted arson.
Even so, since he hadn’t actually started the fire, there was room for leniency.
“That fire starter. Hand it over.”
“…”
“Hurry.”
After repeated urging, Clerk Ah, his hand trembling, handed me the fire starter, and I took it.
Then I let out a silent sigh of relief and pressed a hand to my chest.
Just then, members of the Eunpoong Division entered the document archive.
“Young Master! Are you alright?”
A man standing at the front of the Eunpoong members asked. Someone I knew well.
His name was Jeong Chung (丁忠).
One of the squad leaders of the Eunpoong Division.
He’d later become Deputy Commander.
I was glad to see him, in my own way, but I just gave a nod without showing it.
“Yes. I’m fine.”
I turned to Yeo Chang-ui, the clerk behind me.
“But you arrived a lot sooner than I expected.”
“When you asked me to call for the Eunpoong Division, your expression looked serious. So I requested reinforcements as fast as I could. But… why is Clerk Ah Seung…?”
I glanced at Clerk Ah, who was still trembling beside me, and said,
“Attempted arson.”
“What?”
Everyone’s faces turned pale with shock.
Jeong Chung quickly gathered himself and shouted to the others,
“He’s an arsonist! Restrain him!”
“Yes, sir!”
I said to Jeong Chung,
“He’s a key witness. So don’t handle him too roughly. And send someone from the Eunpoong Division to protect his family.”
“Huh?”
Jeong Chung tilted his head at my words, and I continued.
“I gave my word.”
At that, Clerk Ah’s eyes welled up, and he began to sob.
“Where’s your family right now? Please tell me.”
Meeting room of the Eunhae Merchant Group.
The members of the Eunwol Council were gathered there.
Merchant Lord Eun Gil-sang, Internal Chief Administrator and Finance Pavilion Lord Yu So-ak, Eunpoong Division Commander and External Chief Administrator Go Il-pyeong, and the Pavilion Lords of the Trade Pavilion and the Operations Pavilion.
These five comprised the Eunwol Council.
Eun Gil-sang let out a deep sigh as he spoke.
“What in the world is going on…”
At his words, Internal Chief Administrator Yu So-ak replied.
“Still, it’s a tremendous relief. If that place had gone up in flames… I don’t even want to imagine it.”
Though he said that, Yu So-ak’s face was twisted in fury.
Seeing that, the others involuntarily flinched.
Yu So-ak hated nothing more than being disturbed during his sleep.
It couldn’t be helped if the reason was justifiable—but whoever caused the disturbance would still have to face his wrath.
“Ahem, still, Young Master Seo-ho has accomplished something truly great.”
Go Il-pyeong quickly changed the subject.
As the External Chief Administrator of the Eunhae Merchant Group, he also served as the Commander of the Eunpoong Division, handling external affairs and incidents.
His sword was said to shake the heavens with a single strike, earning him the title One Sword Sweeps the Sky (一劍震天)—a martial expert of extraordinary skill.
He was also the martial instructor of Eun Jeong-ho and Eun Jin-ho.
At Go Il-pyeong’s words, Eun Gil-sang gave a light cough.
“Ahem, ahem. He’s my son, but yes—he deserves the praise.”
“But… how did the Young Master know and stop this incident?”
The Trade Pavilion Lord asked.
His name was Jeok Byeong-cheol.
A quiet, reserved man who disliked standing out.
He meticulously managed every aspect of the merchant group’s finances—from the smallest details to the biggest concerns.
Without him, the group wouldn’t function properly, which made his voice carry considerable weight.
To his question, the Operations Pavilion Lord responded.
“I’ve heard the general outline, but I haven’t gotten the full details…”
The Operations Pavilion oversaw product selection, distribution, and all business-related operations.
It was the crown jewel of the Eunhae Merchant Group.
Its Pavilion Lord was a middle-aged woman named Yeon Dami (蓮茶美).
A formidable woman who overcame countless obstacles to help build the group’s current standing, despite the challenges of her gender.
At their words, Eun Gil-sang said,
“The parties involved will be here soon. We’ll ask them directly.”
Right on cue, Eun Seo-ho and Yeo Chang-ui arrived, and the door opened.
The two of them bowed deeply to the five council members.
Eun Gil-sang acknowledged the bow and gestured for them to sit.
They took their seats in front of him.
“First, I want to express my gratitude. Thanks to you, we avoided a disaster.”
At Eun Gil-sang’s words, Yeo Chang-ui waved a hand dismissively.
“All I did was summon the Eunpoong Division.”
“That alone was no small thing. But now I’m curious—how did you realize the tea was drugged and avoid drinking it?”
To that, Yeo Chang-ui answered,
“It was thanks to Young Master Eun Seo-ho’s insight.”
At that reply, Eun Gil-sang turned to Eun Seo-ho and said,
“Yes, I’d heard that you were the one who prevented the incident. What exactly happened?”
“Yes, Father. I’ll explain everything.”
Eun Seo-ho, having caught his breath, began to speak.
“Today, I took the night duty shift in place of Clerk In Dae-su. So, Clerk Yeo Chang-ui and I went to Sammi Restaurant for dinner and then returned to the night duty room. But something felt off.”
“What do you mean?”
“First, the lantern in the night duty room was lit. As Father and Chief Administrator Yu both know, the Finance Pavilion is surrounded by highly flammable materials, so we’re trained to always extinguish the lights when leaving the room.”
At his words, Eun Gil-sang and Yu So-ak both nodded.
Eun Gil-sang had hands-on experience in the Finance Pavilion, and Yu So-ak was its overseeing Chief Administrator—they knew this well.
However—
‘Would most people find that suspicious right away?’
‘Sure, it’s a habit among Finance Pavilion clerks, but he noticed that after only ten days?’
They glanced subtly at one another and quickly realized they were all thinking the same thing.
Eun Seo-ho continued.
“Also, the lid of the teapot had a strange mark. Upon closer inspection, I saw it was a smudge left by an ink-stained hand.”
“What’s strange about that? If someone tried to pour tea, they could’ve touched it, no?”
“If that were the case, the stain would’ve only been on the handle and the top of the lid.”
Eun Seo-ho mimed pouring tea as he spoke.
“When pouring tea, you press down on the lid to keep it from falling—not grip it.”
“Ah!”
“So if the lid was actually removed, that means someone opened it. And you only open the lid when the pot is empty, right?”
“Exactly.”
“But the tea is always freshly delivered just before night duty begins, and there’s never not enough. Meaning, someone deliberately opened it.”
“And there’s no way one of the servants from the tearoom had ink on their hands…”
Eun Ji-bong, Eun Seo-ho’s grandfather, had been extremely particular about tea.
Thanks to that, the tea trade had flourished.
He even built a tearoom within the merchant group and hired specialists to manage and study tea professionally.
That tradition continued to this day. Those who worked there were required to maintain absolute cleanliness at all times.
Eun Ji-bong firmly believed that unclean hands altered the flavor of tea.
Anyone who failed one of his surprise inspections faced serious consequences.
So the tearoom staff were almost obsessive about washing their hands.
There was no way they would’ve touched a teapot lid with ink-stained fingers.
“So that’s when you figured it out?”
“Yes. When I poured the tea and examined the cup, I saw traces of a strange white powder inside. I secretly warned Clerk Yeo not to drink it and pretended to fall asleep.”
“Hmm…”
“While we lay there, someone quietly crept toward the document archive. That’s when I asked Clerk Yeo to call for the Eunpoong Division.”
“I see.”
Eun Gil-sang and the others all nodded.
But inside, their thoughts diverged.
‘He’s my son, but… truly impressive!’
‘Such keen insight.’
‘The future of this merchant group looks bright.’
‘This Young Master shows real promise.’
‘Someone like him ought to learn martial arts…’
Eun Gil-sang spoke again.
“But why did you go after the culprit yourself?”
To that question, Eun Seo-ho looked puzzled.
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m the son of the Merchant Lord—and the successor to the Eunhae Merchant Group.”
That answer left the five veterans speechless.
None of them had expected that response.
Eventually, Eun Gil-sang snapped out of it and cleared his throat.
“Ahem. Ahem. I understand how you feel, but it was reckless. What if the culprit had a weapon?”
“Still, as the successor of this group, how could I stand by and do nothing while something so disgraceful unfolded within it?”
Eun Seo-ho continued cautiously.
“But it’s also true that my actions caused you worry. I apologize.”
“Alright. Just be more careful next time.”
“Yes, sir. And… unexpectedly, he had a second fire starter. I promised to protect his family in exchange for persuading him to surrender. Honestly, the gambling debt and the arson attempt were his fault—but his family is innocent.”
Eun Seo-ho bowed his head once more in apology.
“I’m sorry for making a decision like that without Father’s permission.”
“No need. You did well.”
Eun Gil-sang said.
“You’re right. His family bears no guilt. And you managed to prevent the fire through negotiation. Isn’t that something to be grateful for? I heard he’d already poured oil around the room. If that fire had started… just thinking about it makes my heart sink.”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
The place Clerk Ah Seung had targeted for arson was none other than the “Red Shelf” (紅色書架) within the document archive.
It was where the most critical documents were stored.
That meant—documents with no copies.
In merchant trade, the most vital papers were contracts and delivery confirmations.
Those bore the official seals of both parties.
The authenticity of the documents—and the transactions themselves—was proven by those seals.
Eun Gil-sang picked up the document in front of him.
“Fire Lotus Inn…”
Fire Lotus Inn (化蓮樓) was originally just another small courtesan house, but it had grown rapidly thanks to advice from Eun Gil-sang’s grandfather.
It was converted into a high-class pleasure house (靑樓), staffed with many talented entertainers (藝妓).
Because of that long-standing relationship, the Eunhae Merchant Group had maintained a supply contract with Fire Lotus Inn for decades.
But that relationship was clearly nearing its end.
“The proprietress of Fire Lotus Inn must’ve been desperate—to resort to something like this.”
At Go Il-pyeong’s comment, Yu So-ak burst out in frustration.
“If she had time for this nonsense, she should’ve found the money to pay the contract fee!”
At that moment, Eun Seo-ho cautiously spoke up.
“Father, if I may—there’s something I’m curious about.”
“What is it?”
“You mentioned the contract fee… has there been a delay in payment?”
–TL Notes–
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