The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 304

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 304

Chapter 304. Unwavering (3)

Father pondered for a moment before asking me.
“Why do you suddenly ask such a thing?”
“Because of Cho Young-young.”
“….”
From Father’s expression, it seemed he already understood Cho Young-young’s feelings.
“If I’m not mistaken, Cho Young-young has harbored feelings for Yu Inner Chief Manager for over five years now. And I’ve heard that Cho Young-young continues to refuse matchmaking proposals from his family.”
I continued.
“Even if Yu Inner Chief Manager has passed the marriageable age, I worry that Cho Young-young might also miss his chance at marriage. I know I’m being presumptuous, but… isn’t Cho Young-young’s family one of our Merchant Guild’s long-serving vassal clans? This situation could breed resentment.”
“That’s true.”
“So I think a conclusion must be reached now. It would be best if the two of them became husband and wife, but if that’s not possible, then Cho Young-young’s feelings must be resolved.”
Father asked in response to my words.
“So you asked why Yu Inner Chief Manager doesn’t marry? To tell Cho Young-young the reason?”
“Why would I tell him?”
“Hmm?”
“I haven’t lived for many years, but….”
Though in truth, I had lived nearly forty years.
“To someone consumed by romantic affection, any reason appears only as an obstacle to overcome. Why else would there be a saying that even the beloved’s foul odor smells sweet?”
“That’s true.”
“If that reason is valid, I will convince him to abandon his feelings myself.”
Father, who had been thinking for a moment, nodded.
“Truth be told, I’ve felt sorry for Cho whenever I see him.”
“….”
“It was when I was young. I had just become Merchant Guild Leader, and I went to Beijing for a Baekdae Trading Company Alliance meeting. The meeting was held in Beijing.”
I listened intently to Father’s words.
“After the meeting ended, while I was sightseeing in Beijing, I witnessed a great commotion. At that time, Yu Inner Chief Manager was being falsely accused of murdering his bride.”
“….”

* * *

Yu So-ak stepped back from the wooden table in his office and moved toward the window.
As he opened it, a cold winter breeze swept inside.
Just then, a voice called from beyond the door.
“Internal Chief Manager, Cho Deputy Officer has brought refreshments.”
The Guard entered and placed a plate on the tea table.
“Pine nut pastries today. Please enjoy them.”
After the Guard left, Yu So-ak gazed at the pastries.
He bit his lip as he looked at the delicately decorated confections adorned with pine nuts.
For the past five or six years, Jo Young-young had consistently brought him snacks during his late-night work sessions.
Now I understood.
It wasn’t mere kindness—it meant she held affection for me.
I couldn’t accept the connection she sought. The memories from back then still haunted me.
So I had to firmly reject Jo Young-young’s feelings. In fact, I’d tried to say something about it several times already.
But…
When I saw those large, clear eyes of hers, the words wouldn’t come.
I was afraid of seeing tears well up in those eyes.
Now that I thought about it, it had been winter with snow falling just like this back then.
Through an arrangement made by my superior, I had met a woman and entered into marriage.
As was customary, I married a woman I barely knew, but I thought that living together and growing close would naturally bring affection between us.
And so the wedding day arrived.
A grand banquet unfolded, and I spent the busy hours greeting guests.
Then at last, I entered the bridal chamber.
We were both embarrassed, but after a drink or two, courage came.
So I offered the bride a ring I had been keeping.
“This is my mother’s ring. She told me to give it to my wife when I married. Will you accept it?”
“Yes.”
The bride extended her hand, her face flushed, and I slipped the ring onto her finger.
And we spent the night together.
When I awoke the next morning…
“No!”
I found the bride had become a cold corpse. Her neck pierced by a blade, blood everywhere—a horrifying sight.
Since I too was covered in blood, I was naturally identified as the culprit.
I was dragged to the County Office and subjected to brutal interrogation, forced to confess.
I was truly innocent.
But as the questioning continued, I began to doubt myself.
Both body and spirit grew exhausted.
I didn’t feel wronged at the prospect of dying this way.
But I was sorry for bringing shame upon my family, and I felt remorse toward the bride for failing to catch the real murderer.
Behind such feelings lay despair.
No one believed in me. Rather, they seized the opportunity to heap reproach upon me.
For Yu So-ak, it was an even deeper wound.
How much time had passed like that?
“Hey there. Come to your senses!”
“…?”
As I grasped at my muddled mind and opened my eyes, a Constable spoke with a smile.
“Your innocence has been proven.”
“What?”
“The real culprit has been caught!”
I couldn’t tell if this was a dream or reality.
When he stood in the County Office courtyard with difficulty, blinking his eyes, a man approached him.
His name was Eun Gil-sang.
He was the Merchant Guild Leader of the Eunhae Trading Company and the benefactor who had cleared his name.

* * *

“So that’s what happened.”
Father nodded with a complicated expression.
“But at that time, even after witnessing it, I simply accepted it as fate and headed to the jewelry shop. And it was destiny that I happened to see a man trying to sell a ring at that very jewelry shop.”
Father continued.
“The owner seemed to have difficulty appraising that ring, so I offered to help. We were also quite well acquainted.”
Among the items our Merchant Guild handles, jewelry is one of the more significant categories, even if not our primary focus.
“So I appraised the ring and discovered something odd—dried bloodstains that hadn’t been completely cleaned. The craftsmanship was quite intricate, so the dried blood had escaped complete removal from the crevices. And these weren’t old bloodstains but recent ones. Instinctively sensing something amiss, I obtained information about the man’s identity.”
And I learned that a recent murder case in the nearby region was one where the Yu Inner Chief Manager had been framed as the culprit.
“So I showed the ring to the Yu Inner Chief Manager’s family, and we confirmed it was a keepsake of the Yu Inner Chief Manager’s mother.”
“So you uncovered the truth of the case that way.”
Father nodded at my words.
“The culprit was a man who had been meeting with the bride. When the bride abandoned him and married the man chosen by her family, that man secretly entered the bridal chamber and urged her to run away with him….”
“The bride refused.”
“Yes. A man who had passed the examination and was rising steadily was far better than some unremarkable fellow. She thought practically about it. Enraged, the man left the room, then returned with a kitchen knife and killed the bride.”
“….”
“In the process, the ring on the bride’s finger caught his eye.”
It was Father who saved Yu Inner Chief Manager, but the grace of the Inner Chief Manager’s mother had played a role.
Without that ring, it would have been difficult to find evidence.
“After being released like that, when the Yu Inner Chief Manager was troubled about his future, I casually suggested he try working at our Merchant Guild….”
“And the big fish took the bait.”
“Big fish… yes, come to think of it, that’s the right way to put it. In any case, the Yu Inner Chief Manager hasn’t avoided meeting women since then. He met women several times for marriage, but kept giving up. I suspect that each time, the image of the dead bride comes back to haunt him, making it difficult.”
I began to understand why the Yu Inner Chief Manager was particularly reluctant to go to Beijing.
Because going to Beijing would mean confronting those memories from back then.
And I also understood why he worked so frantically. It was to escape from those memories.
Ah, so our Yu Inner Chief Manager had such a story.
A sense of pity began to stir within me.
“So that’s why Yu Inner Chief Manager hasn’t been able to remarry. Or rather, to be precise, he hasn’t been able to take a second wife. Even though it was merely a single night’s connection, they were married once.”
“But does Cho Young-young Deputy Officer know that Yu Inner Chief Manager was married once before?”
“He probably does. That young man is more capable than he appears.”
If that were the case, there was something worth considering here.
It was whether Cho Young-young Deputy Officer’s affection for Yu So-ak Inner Chief Manager stemmed simply from compassion for his circumstances, or whether it was genuine romantic attraction to Yu So-ak as a person.
After all, some people do confuse pity with love.
“By the way, Seo-ho.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Do you still have no intention of marrying?”
….

* * *

Several days after my conversation with Father.
Proclamations were posted throughout the Empire.
An alcohol ban had been issued.
With poor harvests causing people to wander as beggars, it was a natural measure for the Emperor to take.

As I sat at my place in the Eun Wol Pavilion, the Sefung Officer entered.
“You’ve arrived early.”
“Yes. Has the Sefung Officer arrived?”
He nodded at my greeting. He was getting on in years now and seemed to be considering stepping back gradually….
From my perspective, it would be better if the Sefung Officer remained for longer.
In my previous life, he had stepped down when I turned twenty-five.
“Third Sub-unit Leader.”
“Yes. Please speak.”
“This old man has a favor to ask of you.”
What? The Sefung Officer asking me for a favor?
It was something that had never happened before, so I wondered what this could possibly be about.
“I heard that our Eunhae Trading Company plans to recruit those who brew alcohol.”
“That’s correct.”
To be precise, it’s not a plan—it’s already underway.
“Among them, there is a place north of Chongyang County that produces something called Baekro Wine.”
The Sefung Officer continued.
“Please include them in your investigation targets.”
“I beg your pardon?”
I honestly expected him to ask me to add them to the recruitment targets. But to ask me to add them to the investigation targets instead.
“Is that all you need?”
“Yes.”
Jeok Gak-ju nodded.
“In truth, that place holds particular significance for me personally. It happens to be the distillery of someone who became my friend by chance. Yet I cannot allow my private sentiments to sway the outcome, can I?”
“….”
“Of course, the spirits produced there are truly exceptional. The name ‘White Heron Liquor’ was not bestowed without reason.”
“You sound confident.”
“Indeed I am. I consider myself quite knowledgeable about spirits. Hahahaha.”
I laughed along with him, though not because I took his words as mere jest.
Jeok Gak-ju genuinely possessed deep expertise in spirits.
“However, that place lies buried deep within the mountains, so most people remain unaware of its existence. Therefore… I fear it might be overlooked from the list, which is why I make this request.”
“Then it should naturally be included in our investigation.”
I nodded readily and regarded Jeok Gak-ju.
He had served in this trading company since my grandfather held the position of Merchant Guild Leader.
A man who knew much and had experienced much.
He had once mentioned he would answer one question for me, but I had not yet found occasion to use such a favor.
I should seize this opportunity.
“It may be presumptuous to call it compensation, but I have one request.”
“Please speak.”
“You are aware that Cho Young-young harbors feelings for Yu So-ak, are you not?”
“….”
A gentle smile crossed Jeok Gak-ju’s face.
It meant he knew.
“It seems the time has come for those two to reach a resolution—whether through marriage or by settling their hearts.”
“That is true. Cho Haeng-su has been troubled by Cho Young-young’s situation.”
“So I ask—will you help me?”

* * *

The next day,
Yu So-ak set out for Cha-jang.
He had been tasked with surveying the distilleries and investigating matters concerning them.
With a backlog of documents piling up, he had preferred not to leave his office.
However, Jeok Byeong-chul Officer had actively suggested, “Wouldn’t it be better to observe and judge such matters firsthand?” and so Yu So-ak found himself moving personally.
Jeok Byeong-chul Officer was a man who had devoted himself to the Merchant Guild for many years, so his words carried considerable weight.
Thus the decision was made accordingly.
Still, there was one consolation—he would only be overseeing Hubei Province. This was fortunate, as travel in other regions would have been difficult due to the harsh cold.
“Ah! You’ve already arrived?”
Just then, Eun Seo-ho approached.
Eun Seo-ho had also been arranged to travel with them this time.
“I just got here.”
“Ah, then shall we go?”
With that, they boarded the carriage and began surveying the distilleries listed on their roster.
Though the liquor ban had halted production, the distillery owners’ expressions were not particularly grim.
They believed the ban would be lifted before long.
However, Eun Seo-ho firmly refuted such optimism.

“No, this liquor ban will likely last quite some time.”

Because he had demonstrated exceptional foresight on previous occasions, the Eunhae Trading Company had moved according to Eun Seo-ho’s assessment this time as well.
Yu Inner Chief Manager unconsciously rubbed his knee.
Whether from the bitter cold or because it was the winter when that incident had occurred, his knee throbbed with pain.
“It seems your knee is troubling you.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Allow me to examine it.”
Before Yu So-ak could respond, Eun Seo-ho rolled up his pant leg and inspected it, then asked with a startled expression.
“This… isn’t this a mark from torture?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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