Chapter 2
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 2
Chapter 2. Fifteen Again (2)
That thought came to me again, and I sighed.
Then I continued to think.
What if this is an illusion I am seeing before I die?
That can't be helped. What else can a dead person do?
But what if I really did return to when I was fifteen?
When my thoughts reached that point, I bit my lip.
Then everything I had gone through would be the future that awaited me in this life.
I didn't want to meet such a miserable end again.
It was obvious that I would clash with the Martial Alliance's Baekcheon Trading Company.
My dream was to make the Eunhae Trading Company the world's best trading company, and I had no intention of giving up on that dream.
However, in order to do so, I needed the strength to protect myself, my family, and the trading company.
Having experienced such a terrible future, I felt the need for this even more strongly.
The Baekcheon Trading Company is backed by the Martial Alliance.
They have overwhelming amounts of money and power.
As I was seriously thinking about what to do, I heard the voices of Pal-gap and other servants outside.
“What? Is it snowing already?”
“Oh, it's going to be hard to shovel the snow.”
“I hope it doesn't pile up.”
I chuckled at their words.
I remembered the snow that fell around lunchtime on the day after my fifteenth birthday because it was much earlier than usual.
And I also remembered that it snowed quite heavily.
I jumped up from my bed.
“That's right! Why didn't I think of that?”
The fact that I had returned to the past meant that I knew what would happen in the future.
Among them were some miraculous encounters.
Those encounters currently have no owners.
If something has no owner, the person who finds it is the owner.
“Before that...”
I slumped down on the bed.
“I have to do something about this sickly body first.”
I felt pity for myself at that time, wondering how I had lived with such a sickly body.
When I was young, I was a healthy boy, just like any other child.
However, after I turned twelve, my health began to decline, and by the time I turned twenty, I had difficulty walking without a cane.
But that won't happen now.
I know my current physical condition very well.
“And I know all the good and bad things that will happen in the future.”
If I use that information to move faster than anyone else, I will be the one who gains the most.
I clenched my fists.
If I had traveled back in time, I had to avenge my family.
Even if the destruction of the Eunhae Trading Company and my death had not yet happened, it was already a fact to me.
However, there was one thing that bothered me.
The last words that Captain Namgung Kang said to me just before he tried to kill me.
“The truth is, you are the reason why the higher-ups destroyed the Eunhae Trading Company.”
It's because of me...
I guess it's because our company competed too fairly and interfered with the Baekcheon Trading Company.
I can tell that from what he said before.
But I felt that there must be another reason.
He had already said that our trading company was a nuisance for various reasons, but he specifically said it was because of me at the end.
“I'll have to look into this slowly. I still have plenty of time.”
I was thirty-nine when I died.
That means I have more than twenty years.
And I have no intention of changing my goal.
“Since you looked down on my money, I'll use it to destroy you.”
* * *
That afternoon.
I was summoned by my father.
When I opened the door to the head of the trading company's office, I saw my father sitting in front of his desk.
When I saw him, tears welled up in my eyes.
Eun Gil-sang, head of the Eunhae Trading Company.
He is my father.
He retired after passing on his position as head of the trading company to my older brother.
However, not long after he began the retirement life he had always wanted, he fell ill with an unknown disease and passed away before he could even try to recover.
Unlike his sickly appearance at the time, he looked perfectly healthy, and I was overcome with emotion.
My face must have been red from desperately trying to hold back my tears, because my father looked at me and tilted his head.
“You look red. Are you feeling sick? Chief administrator Yu said you didn't look well.”
Chief administrator Yu must have come to report on me.
I had expected it.
He had a duty to report accurately on the achievements of his successors who were learning the practical work at the Jaegyeonggak.
However, I did not think he would report so quickly.
“I should have gone to your quarters myself. I am sorry.”
“No, Father.”
“I am worried because you have been sick a lot lately.”
His voice and eyes were full of worry.
I bit my lip to keep from crying.
“Are you overwhelmed by your work or feeling unwell? If so, I can delay your start date.”
I realized that was why my father had called me.
The successor to the Trading Company had to undergo five years of practical training as soon as he turned fifteen.
For the first three years, I learned about the flow of money at the Finance Department.
Then, for one year, I learned about the detailed operations of the Trading Company at the Seungpung Department, which oversees the entire Trading Company.
During the last year, I had to gain practical experience at the Sangyug Department, which is in charge of selecting and selling the Trading Company's products, before I could officially become the successor as the Captain.
Therefore, there was no choice but to learn the practical skills.
That's why my father didn't mention it.
I don't want that either.
Moreover, in order to prevent the martial aunt from coming to the finance department soon, I must begin learning the practical skills.
I composed myself and answered in as calm a voice as possible.
“No, Father. I will start practical training without delay starting tomorrow.”
“Are you sure you'll be okay? Are you pushing yourself too hard because of the pressure of being one of the successors?”
I sighed inwardly at his question.
His worried expression hurt my heart.
I thought about it for a moment.
I wanted to find a way to ease my father's worries and carry out my plan.
“...I guess it's okay to take a few days off.”
After calculating in my head, I said cautiously.
“Then, Father, can I take five days off? I'll take care of myself during that time.”
Hearing my words, my father finally looked relieved.
“That is a good idea. I will inform Chief Administrator Yu, so please do as you say.”
“Yes, Father. I am sorry for causing you worry.”
“I must ask Physician Baek to prepare some herbal medicine.”
Herbal medicine.
I almost let out a sigh without realizing it.
Because the herbal medicine I had been taking almost killed me.
Taking any more herbal medicine was dangerous.
“I'm sorry, Father. It hasn't been long since I took the herbal medicine. Even something that is good for you can be poisonous if you take too much. I think I'll just rest in my room.”
“All right. Do that.”
* * *
I returned to my room, lay down on my bed, and sighed.
“Ugh! Are you out of breath just from walking a little?”
How could I grow the Trading Company and get revenge when I was sick?
So, I had to hurry and take care of my health first.
In fact, I wasn't sick because of a common illness.
I recalled the time when I ran the Eunhae Fabric Store in the future.
.
.
.
It was when I had just taken over the Eunhae Fabric Store.
I had just turned 20 years old.
A young woman came to the fabric store to sell the silk she had woven.
Selling fabrics they had woven themselves was a common source of income for women, so there was nothing unusual about that.
However, her silk was special.
It was the first time I had seen silk of such high quality.
I offered her a generous price.
It was about three times the price of ordinary silk, and when she questioned me, I explained, "A merchant is someone who buys good products at a fair price and sells them to those who need them at a profit.
“A merchant is someone who buys good products at a fair price and sells them at a profit to those who need them. Someone who buys good products without paying a fair price is an evil energy.”
It was my belief that such merchants would never last long. That is why I did not want to underestimate the value of goods.
Our relationship continued, and we called her “Bamboo Forest Weaver” at our cloth shop.
She lived in a bamboo forest nearby.
I carefully looked after her family.
It was a long-standing tradition to value people, and I believed the same.
Thanks to her silk, our fabric store grew rapidly.
Her silk became famous among the wealthy people in the neighborhood.
In addition, we set high prices for good silk, so people who produced high-quality silk began to visit us to do business.
I didn't stop there.
I used the high-quality silk to make items that the wealthy would like and started selling them, making a huge profit.
And my encounter with Jukrim Jiknyeo ultimately saved my life.
When I was 23 years old, in the winter, a middle-aged man came to see me.
He was one of the five great doctors, known as the Black Flute Doctor.
He was Heukjeok, one of the five great physicians.
He was so named because he always carried a black flute with him, and he was a wandering physician who belonged to neither the white nor the black side.
I welcomed him warmly.
My illness was getting worse, and I had been looking for a physician.
So it was a surprise that he came to me.
He spoke abruptly as soon as we met.
“I heard about you from my daughter.”
“What?”
I tilted my head at Heukjeok's unexpected words.
“The wife of Mr. Kwak from Bamboo Valley. I am her father.”
“Ah...”
The wife of Mr. Kwak from Bamboo Valley must be Jukrim Jiknyeo.
Heok-jik narrowed his eyes and asked.
“Did you know she was my daughter and approach her on purpose?”
“No, I didn't know.”
I really didn't know.
If I had known, I would have gone to see her sooner.
“Then why did you pay such a high price for the silk and take such good care of her family?”
“There was no particular reason. I just admired her talent.”
“You admired her talent?”
“Yes. That is the tradition of my family. Small merchants only see the money in front of them, but great merchants see the long-term income beyond people. I believe the same.”
He stared at me silently.
After staring at me for a while, he smiled slightly.
“You mean it. That's why he asked me.”
“What?”
“My daughter asked me. She said that someone as good as you should be saved. She said that no one had ever looked after her family so carefully. She said she wanted to repay your kindness.”
His words made me feel embarrassed and ashamed.
I had only done it for my own benefit, yet he said I had done him a favor.
“It doesn't matter what your reasons were. When my daughter was in need of a father, you left her at your friend's house and wandered around like the wind... It's too late now, but you must fulfill your duty as a father.”
He held out his hand to me.
“Give me your wrist.”
Hypnotized by his words, I held out my wrist, and Heukjeok began to check my pulse.
After examining it for about half a second, his expression changed.
It was as if he had discovered something interesting.
He took his hand away and said, "You were born with the body of a man who possesses the body of a dragon, but you have no water in your body.
“A man was born with the body of a black dragon, but since there is no water in his body, it is only natural that he is dying of dehydration.”
“What? A black dragon? What is that?”
“A black dragon is a being that controls water energy. That is why it is a constitution seen in women with strong yin energy. Those born with the body of a black dragon tend to have exceptional insight.”
“You mean... because I'm a man?”
“That's right. I've never seen a man with a Genryu Seita before.”
“Ah...”
“You probably started feeling sick around the age of twelve.”
“...That's right.”
“As your masculine identity grew stronger, your yang energy would have become stronger. At this rate, you won't make it past five years.”
“What do you mean?”
Seeing my surprise, Heukjeok nodded heavily.
“Yes. You will die within five years.”
I was stunned for a moment.
I thought it was just an illness, but I couldn't believe it was due to my constitution.
Moreover, I wouldn't even live to see five years!
It was a bolt from the blue.
I asked desperately.
“How can I live? Elder! I want to live. I don't want to be sick anymore.”
I couldn't die like this.
I didn't want to see my family grieving as they tried everything to cure me.
Heukjeok-ui Seon said to me.
“Huh, didn't my daughter ask me to save you? And I came here to fulfill her request.”