Chapter 63: The Slacker Seeks Talent (2)
“Huh?”
Ha Daebung tilted his head with a blank expression.
“I mean... Inspector, sir.”
Twenty long years spent as a merchant.
Ask anyone what matters most to a merchant, and some might say trust, others speed, and others still, investment.
But Ha Daebung had drawn a different conclusion through his long years of merchant life.
Clear hearing.
In simple terms, it meant understanding what someone was trying to say.
In the cutthroat world of commerce, where swindlers tried to twist words every which way to strike advantageous deals, one had to be exceptionally keen to avoid traps and survive without losses.
That was how one survived in the mercantile world swarming with the jaws of hell.
That was why Ha Daebung always made an effort to understand others. Until now, that principle had served him well without much trouble.
But right now, he simply couldn’t understand what the other person was saying. Ha Daebung tilted his head, completely at a loss.
“Would you mind explaining that again?”
At that, Wi Yeonho, who was practically melting into his chair, made a face that said he was about to lose it from irritation.
‘Then try speaking clearly from the start, will you?’
He had shown up first thing in the morning to turn someone’s insides out, spouting incomprehensible nonsense, then got annoyed when it wasn’t understood.
If he weren’t an Inspector, he’d have been thrown out already!
But who exactly was this person in front of him?
He carried the golden sword engraved with the symbol of the Royal Inspectorate. Even if Inspectors held high positions, handing out such a sword to every Inspector would soon leave the national treasury dry, and His Majesty would be forced into a starvation diet.
In other words, this brat must hold a fairly high rank within the Royal Inspectorate.
‘Could he be royalty?’
Even if one had learned to read in the womb and passed the highest exam by age ten, such a position was excessive for someone his age. It would be impossible unless he were of royal blood.
Even if he weren’t, he must be close in status. Ha Daebung was someone who knew his place well and also knew that shouting at an Inspector, possibly from the royal family, was a faster way to die than jumping off a cliff.
“Hehe, I guess I’m a bit slow on the uptake.”
“Seems that way.”
“…”
Ha Daebung wore a wide smile as he endured what was possibly the greatest humiliation one could suffer as a merchant.
‘If it’s disgusting, then it will succeed.’
He recited that timeless truth once more in his heart and turned to look at the small child beside Wi Yeonho.
‘Now what’s that supposed to be?’
He couldn’t understand why he’d brought along a kid who barely had his baby fuzz. The clothes looked like a physician’s robe, but what kind of child wore such a thing?
And what was with that fidgety, anxious face?
‘I don’t get it. I really don’t get it.’
Giving up on understanding, Ha Daebung asked frankly.
“Could you please explain it once more?”
“Ugh.”
With a groan, Wi Yeonho continued.
“I’m saying, this kid here is the rightful heir of the Sacred Hand Grounds.”
“Sacred Hand Grounds?”
Ha Daebung’s brain began to calculate automatically.
“You mean that place that used to be prestigious and wealthy, but now can’t even afford rice gruel and still insists on treating patients?”
Thunk.
Jin Soa’s head dropped straight down again.
“That’s a bit harsh to say in front of the person himself.”
“Ah, I apologize. Just an objective assessment.”
“Well, it’s not wrong.”
Thunk.
Jin Soa’s head drooped even lower. It was to the point that one might worry his neck would snap.
“So, he’s the heir of the Sacred Hand Grounds, I get that, but what’s the purpose of this visit?”
Ha Daebung’s expression darkened mid-sentence.
“If you’re here to ask for a credit loan for this young man, then that’s absolutely out of the question. No matter how esteemed you are as an Inspector, that’s something I simply cannot do.”
“Really?”
“Taking on uncollectable debt is no different from declaring ruin as a merchant. Even if a blade is held to my neck, I cannot do it. I’d rather lend money to the Beggar Sect than to the Sacred Hand Grounds.”
“…So they are worse than a beggar, is what you’re saying.””
“At least beggars can beg.”
Thunk.
Jin Soa’s head drooped even further.
“Hey, your neck’s gonna break.”
“Sorry.”
He didn’t know what he was apologizing for, but Jin Soa kept repeating his apologies.
“A textbook reaction of a debtor. I doubt he’s even borrowed money before. Tsk tsk, pitiful.”
Though it was pitiful, money wasn’t something to be handled with sympathy.
“In any case, that’s not why I came…”
“Yes.”
“Make an investment.”
“…Pardon?”
“In. Vest.”
Ha Daebung’s face began to contort.
An investment?
What difference was there between that and legally demanding money with pretty paperwork?
“...That’s a bit difficult, Inspector sir.”
“Why?”
“I’d rather you ask me directly for a certain amount to be lent. That, I could provide. But if I give money under the name of an investment and can’t recover it, it tarnishes my name, and my credibility as a merchant goes down the drain.”
“Just recover it.”
“And how would I do that?”
Ha Daebung’s mouth addressed Wi Yeonho, but his eyes were fixed on Jin Soa.
Judging by the situation, it sounded like he was being asked to lend money to this young brat. But if he did, how was he supposed to recover it?
It was completely out of the question.
“Tsk tsk, at this rate…”
Wi Yeonho shook his head.
Wi Yeonho shot him a glare, his face full of irritation, and Ha Daebung flinched and bowed his head.
“Hey, uncle.”
“I’m a bachelor.”
“Sorry? Your age is…?”
Ha Daebung shouted, flaring up.
“What does age matter! If I’m not married, I’m a bachelor!”
“Why are you getting all worked up?”
“Apologies. It’s a sensitive topic…”
Wi Yeonho nodded with a look of complete understanding.
“Anyway, it’s because you’re like this that you’re still stuck managing some tiny branch office.”
Ha Daebung’s face trembled with fury.
A tiny branch office?
The Hoebuk Branch of the Silver River Pawnshop was not something to be dismissed even within the trade world. And yet this guy dared to call it a small-time position?
Even someone ignorant of the trade world wouldn’t say something so thoughtless.
“You must not know, but that’s actually a position recognized even within the merchant circles.”
“And yet you’re still just a wage earner.”
“…Are you looking down on wage earners right now?”
There were countless people in the world working for a paycheck!
“With your experience and talent, isn’t it kind of pathetic to still be working for someone else’s money? From how good you are at sucking the lifeblood out of the common folk, if you’d gone into business for yourself, I bet you’d have made a fortune.”
Ha Daebung pursed his lips and said nothing.
It was, in fact, a recent source of frustration for him.
He was bringing in profits that rivaled those of branch offices in major cities like Hebei, Kaifeng, and Luoyang, yet his status couldn’t compare. No matter how hard he worked, the money just fattened the main trading company’s purse, and his own pay barely increased. That, too, was a cause of discontent.
“See this kid?”
“I have eyes, don’t I?”
“What do you see?”
“Some half-baked rookie physician?”
Wi Yeonho shook his head firmly.
“No. I see a pile of money.”
“Inspector…”
Wi Yeonho’s eyes gleamed as he spoke.
“Just hear me out.”
“Yes.”
Wi Yeonho raised a hand and pointed at Jin Soa.
“Sure, he looks clueless, rough around the edges, and honestly like he doesn’t have much going for him…”
“…Do I really look like that?”
Jin Soa hung his head with a face full of wounded pride.
“I mean, a little, yeah.”
But Wi Yeonho was merciless.
“But technically speaking, he’s the heir of the Sacred Hand Grounds, a prodigy who reached the pinnacle of medicine at a young age, and a genuine physician who’s dedicated himself to treating patients without even caring for his own health or asking for money.”
“Well, that’s… admirable.”
Ha Daebung pouted.
Sure, it was admirable. But it had nothing to do with him. He was here to make money, not run a charity.
“And you…”
“I’m a bachelor.”
Even in the midst of an important conversation, Ha Daebung didn’t miss the sensitive trigger word.
“…You’ve spent decades in the trade world, milking every last coin from the poor. I doubt there’s anyone more ruthless than you in all the land. I can vouch for that.”
“…Thank you for the compliment.”
Whether it was a compliment or an insult was debatable, but it wasn’t exactly wrong. Even among his peers, Ha Daebung had a reputation as a ruthless merchant in a human mask.
Wi Yeonho pointed at the two of them.
“Alone, you’re both trash…”
“That’s a bit much.”
“…but together, you make a killer combo.”
“…Huh?”
Ha Daebung tilted his head.
A killer combo? What was that supposed to mean?
“Think about it. If you had been the one running the Sacred Hand Grounds, would it be in the state it is now?”
“No way.”
Ha Daebung shook his head emphatically.
The name Sacred Hand Grounds wasn’t something to scoff at. More accurately, it held immense weight.
In Hubei, the term 'medical clan' was synonymous with the Sacred Hand Grounds. Even across the world, the name had enough recognition to easily make the top ten.
You’d have to work really hard to ruin a place like that. Even just managing it half-decently would feel like money raining from the sky.
“This kid has the medical skill but no management sense. His business acumen is, how should I put it… it’s… um…”
“…That’s quite enough.”
Jin Soa couldn’t bear to hear what came next and cut Wi Yeonho off.
He’d taken enough emotional damage. No more, please.
“But in exchange, he’s got skill and a name that has recognition. Now, if we combine that with your management ability…”
Ha Daebung’s eyebrow twitched.
Wi Yeonho’s words were starting to smell like money.
“Indeed…”
He couldn’t yet grasp the exact shape of the idea, but this was definitely a money-making venture. If he couldn’t even sense that, he had no business calling himself a merchant.
“This sounds profitable.”
Ha Daebung’s expression turned serious.
In an instant, his merchant face was on. He locked eyes with Wi Yeonho.
“I understand what you’re saying, Inspector.”
“I knew it.”
Wi Yeonho nodded from where he was still reclining.
He figured Ha Daebung would understand what he meant. As expected, he caught on right away.
Ha Daebung smiled broadly and asked,
“So, what about the capital?”
“Capital?”
“Yes, the initial investment. With that, I can start painting the picture.”
Wi Yeonho nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“I don’t have any.”
“…Sorry?”
“You’re the one who’s supposed to provide that.”
“Me?”
“Yes.”
Watching Wi Yeonho smile so innocently, Ha Daebung smiled back—just as broadly.
“It was a pleasure meeting you. I won’t be seeing you out.”
And just like that, the opportunity was gone.