The Granddaughter of Manhyang Escort Bureau Hides Her Magic - Chapter 76
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 76
“……Tell me what you want.”
“Company Head!”
“Manager Oh! Don’t shame me any further.”
Yuhyeon shouted angrily. Oh Bangja’s face contorted.
How dare you raise your voice at me?
Oh Bangja wanted to berate Yuhyeon about what he knew of company affairs and send him back to his room, but he held back due to the outsiders present.
What good would come from being known as someone who oppresses a young company head?
He swallowed a groan and stepped back.
“We will take charge of this matter and investigate it thoroughly.”
Geumwa Trading Company bowed their heads.
“Wait, you can’t just end it with an investigation.”
Shin Ah wagged her finger left and right.
“What would you have us do?”
“What I want is simple. Root out and punish those who embezzle under the pretext of protection fees.”
“That’s overstepping your bounds! Company Head, punishment is for the company head to decide. These people are using a minor dispute as an excuse to infringe on the company head’s authority. If we get swept up in this, we’ll only make fools of ourselves.”
Oh Bangja interjected again.
“A minor dispute? They drew swords against us. Do you think Manhyang Express will stay quiet if they learn of this?”
This was the first Oh Bangja had heard about swords being drawn. He moved his lips then closed them.
But they were defeated by these people even after drawing swords? By three children and a middle-aged man past his prime?
Regardless of whether it was believable, Yuhyeon ground his teeth imagining when this incident would be reported to Manhyang Express.
Manhyang Express would destroy them before Oh Bangja could ruin Geumwa Trading Company.
Perhaps even today.
“Manager Oh, please stop talking.”
“Company Head…….”
“Geez, that old man is noisy. Is there some reason you can’t investigate? You knew about the protection fee extortion too, didn’t you? You took money from those guys, right?”
“What, what, what did you say?”
Oh Bangja shot up from his seat. The chair rolled away with a loud noise.
“I showed courtesy thinking you were from Manhyang Express, but your insolence knows no bounds. There’s no need for further conversation, Company Head. We don’t need to treat as guests those who don’t respect us! The claim of being a daughter of the So Family Clan that leads Manhyang Express must be false too!”
Oh Bangja tried to throw Shin Ah out immediately.
Mugyeol and Juhwa glared at him.
Then those standing behind Oh Bangja also puffed up their bodies and stepped forward.
Both sides were ready to draw swords at a moment’s notice.
The atmosphere turned dangerous in an instant, and cold sweat ran down Yuhyeon’s forehead.
Everyone was tense, watching each other’s movements.
Slurp.
A cheerful sound that didn’t match the explosive situation was heard.
It was a sound that cut through the taut tension.
“I should at least try the tea you served, shouldn’t I?”
Oh Bangja’s insides churned at Shin Ah’s nonchalant tea-drinking behavior.
He should have pressed his advantage and driven them out!
While Oh Bangja made all sorts of faces, Yuhyeon came to his senses and spoke.
“Everyone step back.”
Those standing behind Yuhyeon glanced at Oh Bangja. They only stepped back after Oh Bangja nodded.
Yuhyeon’s ears turned bright red at this sight.
He had long known that Oh Bangja held real power in Geumwa Trading Company.
However, this was the first time Yuhyeon had directly witnessed the manager’s words taking precedence over the company head’s.
The thought that Shin Ah would consider him a puppet company head made him feel even more humiliated.
Yuhyeon’s lips trembled.
Seeing him, Shin Ah inwardly swallowed a sigh.
“You said you’d treat me as a guest, but you deliberately served low-grade tea that’s hard to even find.”
Shin Ah, who had just put down her tea cup, scrunched up her face.
“What do you mean?”
“Have you tried the tea?”
Yuhyeon, having caught his breath, quickly drank the tea. Deep wrinkles formed between his brows.
The tea the servant brought out was what Yuhyeon had been drinking before Shin Ah arrived.
“You’re not planning to sell this to tea houses, are you? Wow, you’re trying to sell me this? Then I’ll tell my family, my in-laws’ eighth cousins, and even leave it in my will. Never do business with that trading company. Even beggars wouldn’t drink this.”
Yuhyeon’s face turned red as if it would burst from Shin Ah’s scathing evaluation. He couldn’t bear it anymore.
After gritting his teeth, Yuhyeon gave instructions to Oh Bangja.
“Manager Oh, cancel the deal with Unjung Tea Garden.”
“Company Head! Do you believe the words of that young child?”
“Though young, she’s an Escort Agency person with the So surname. Being Escort Warriors and Porters, their eye for goods wouldn’t be much different from ours.”
“Are you saying you trust that person’s words over mine, after I’ve devoted 20 years to Geumwa Trading Company?”
Yuhyeon kept his mouth firmly shut. If he answered rashly here, he could face criticism from both sides.
Oh Bangja’s eyes gleamed. He had to press the attack while Yuhyeon was hesitating.
“Company Head, answer me! Do you truly not trust me?”
Yuhyeon’s momentary surge of spirit was extinguished. He drooped his shoulders and lowered his head.
Oh Bangja saw Yuhyeon scratching his thumb cuticle with his index fingernail.
It was a habit that appeared when he was anxious.
Oh Bangja smiled inwardly.
‘No matter how you struggle, you’re in the palm of my hand, little one.’
“Company Head, please answer…….”
“Wait.”
Just as Oh Bangja was about to press Yuhyeon further, Shin Ah stepped forward.
“Why are you asking the company head that? Whether the tea leaves are low-grade or not, just ask the tea houses. Since we’re on the topic, old man, want to make a bet with me? I’ll bet that these tea leaves aren’t even low-grade but should be discarded immediately.”
“…….”
“What, not confident? When did you make such a big fuss asking the company head if he didn’t trust you?”
Oh Bangja couldn’t continue speaking.
Shin Ah snapped her fingers.
When Yuhyeon, who had been looking down, suddenly raised his eyes, he heard Shin Ah’s voice in his head.
「What are you doing? Tell him to make the bet.」
Telepathy?
Yuhyeon blinked rapidly.
He had heard that only peak masters could use telepathy. That tiny child was a peak master?
Yuhyeon, who had learned martial arts superficially due to his father’s insistence that health was more important than studying, swallowed hard.
The small child suddenly seemed as massive as a mountain.
He stared at Shin Ah in a daze.
「Hey, the bet!」
Shin Ah barked.
Yuhyeon’s shoulders jumped.
“I…….”
「Say what I tell you to say.」
Yuhyeon nodded so only Shin Ah could notice.
“I accept the bet.”
Oh Bangja whirled around to look at Yuhyeon. His eyes were blazing with fury.
“Manager Oh, it’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s because I trust you that I’m accepting this bet with the company’s honor at stake. Didn’t you personally go to Unjung Tea Garden to select these tea leaves and pursue the contract?”
“That’s……correct.”
Oh Bangja answered reluctantly.
“I’m confident we’ll win this bet.”
Oh Bangja’s lips twitched. He wanted to argue back, but Yuhyeon spoke so well that there was no opening to change the situation.
Just moments ago, the kid had been intimidated, but now he spoke like flowing water—it was enough to make ghosts weep.
“I intend to accept this bet for the sake of Manager Oh’s honor. Unless… you have something else to say to me?”
Everyone understood the unspoken meaning: if there was any lie, confess it now.
Oh Bangja looked back and forth between Shin Ah and Yuhyeon.
Refusing the bet would be admitting that the tea was the lowest of the low grade.
How did the situation come to this?
In this impossible dilemma, Oh Bangja’s answer was predetermined.
“I’ll take the bet, company head.”
There were plenty of tricks he could use to win the bet.
‘Whether I bribe the tea house or switch the tea leaves… let’s see.’
“If the discussion is over, get out of here.”
There was no time to devise a plan. Oh Bangja’s heart was urgent.
“Wait. The discussion isn’t over yet. Bets come with prizes—what will you give me if I win?”
“What would you like to receive?”
“If I win, how about I take over the work that those mercenaries we caught were doing?”
It meant she wanted to take over Geumwa Trading Company’s transportation business.
* * *
That afternoon.
They requested tea leaf evaluation from the tea house, but were refused as they said they didn’t want troublesome work.
Oh Bangja was relieved to have bought time to bribe a judge, but it was only momentary.
Before he could identify any suitable person to use, Mugyeol brought Ha Ilju, the master calculator, from Manhyang Express.
Shin Ah’s eyes widened when she saw Ha Ilju appear at Geumwa Trading Company.
‘The master schemer shows up here?’
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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