Chapter 304
The Youngest Son of the Silver Sea Trading Company Chapter 304
Chapter 304. Single-minded (3)
My father thought for a moment and asked me.
“Why are you asking me that all of a sudden?”
“It's because of Lieutenant Cho Yeong-yeong.”
“...”
Looking at my father's expression, it seemed that he already knew about Lieutenant Cho Yeong-yeong's feelings.
“As far as I know, Lieutenant Cho Young-young has had feelings for Chief Administrator Yoo for over five years. And I heard that Lieutenant Cho Young-young continues to refuse matchmaking proposals from his family.”
I continued.
“Even if Chief Administrator Yoo has already missed his chance to marry, I am worried that Deputy Chief Administrator Cho Young-young will also miss his chance if things continue like this. I know I am being nosy, but Deputy Chief Administrator Cho Young-young's family has been a long-standing vassal family of our Trading Company. This matter could cause them to hold a grudge against us.”
“That is true.”
“That's why I think we need to come to a conclusion. It would be nice if the two of them got married, but if that's not possible, I think we need to help Chief Administrator Cho Young-yeong move on.”
My father asked me, “So, you asked Chief Administrator Yoo why he doesn't want to get married? Are you going to tell Chief Administrator Cho Young-yeong the reason?”
“Why should I tell him?”
“Huh?”
“I haven't lived a long life, but...”
In fact, he was nearly forty years old.
“To someone who is deeply in love, no reason is good enough. Why else would they say that even the smell of their lover's farts is sweet?”
“That's true.”
“If the reason is valid, I will do my best to dissuade him.”
After thinking for a moment, my father nodded.
“To be honest, I also felt sorry for Captain Cho every time I saw him.”
“...”
“It was when I was young. At that time, I had just become the head of a trading company and went to Beijing for a meeting of the 100 trading companies. The meeting was held in Beijing.”
I listened intently to my father's words.
“After the meeting, I was sightseeing in Beijing when I saw a big commotion. At that time, Chief Administrator Yoo was being falsely accused of killing a priest.”
“...”
* * *
Yoo So-ak stepped away from his desk and looked out the window.
When he opened the window, a cold winter wind blew in.
At that moment, he heard the voice of his bodyguard outside the door.
“Chief Administrator, your aide has brought you a snack.”
The door opened, and the bodyguard entered and placed a plate on the table.
“Today, we have pine nut cookies. Please enjoy.”
The bodyguard left, and Yoo So-ak looked at the cookies.
Yoo So-ak bit his lip as he looked at the cookies, which were beautifully decorated with pine nuts.
For the past five years, Cho Young-young had been bringing him snacks at night because he was always working late.
Now he understood.
It wasn't just a kind gesture, but a sign that she had feelings for him.
He couldn't accept her feelings because he still couldn't forget what had happened back then.
Therefore, he had to firmly reject Cho Yeong-yeong's feelings. And in fact, he had tried to tell her many times.
But...
When he looked into Cho Yeong-yeong's large, clear eyes, he couldn't bring himself to speak.
He was afraid that tears would well up in those big eyes.
Come to think of it, it was winter and snowing just like now.
Yoo So-ak met a woman through his superior's matchmaking and decided to get married.
As is often the case, he didn't know the woman very well, but he thought that he would grow to love her as they lived together.
The day of the wedding arrived.
He spent a busy time greeting the guests at the lively banquet.
Finally, they entered the bridal chamber.
They were both embarrassed, but after a glass or two of wine, they gained courage.
So he handed his bride the ring he had been keeping.
“This is my mother's ring. She told me to give it to you when I found my soul mate. Will you accept it?”
“Yes.”
The bride held out her hand with a red face, and he put the ring on her finger.
Then the two spent the night together.
The next day, when Yoo So-ak woke up...
“Huh!”
He found his bride already dead. She was in a terrible state, her throat slashed with a sharp weapon and blood splattered everywhere.
Yoo So-ak was also covered in blood, so he was naturally suspected of being the murderer.
He was taken to the county office and tortured until he confessed.
He was truly innocent.
However, as he continued to be interrogated, he began to doubt himself.
His body and mind were exhausted.
He felt it was unfair to die like this.
However, he felt sorry for bringing shame to his family and felt sorry to his priest for not being able to catch the real culprit.
Behind those feelings was despair.
No one believed him. Instead, they criticized him as if this was their chance.
That hurt Yoo So-ak even more.
How much time had passed?
“Hey, you! Come to your senses!”
“...?”
He opened his eyes, clutching his dazed mind, and saw a police officer smiling at him.
“Your innocence has been proven.”
“What?”
“The real culprit has been caught!”
He couldn't tell if this was a dream or reality.
When he blinked his eyes and stood up with difficulty in the courtyard of the government office, a man approached him.
His name was Eun Gil-sang.
He was the captain of the Eunhae Trading Company and the man who proved his innocence.
* * *
“So that's what happened.”
My father nodded with a complicated look on his face.
“But at that time, even after seeing what happened, I just thought it was nothing and headed to the jewelry store. And it was fate that I saw a man trying to sell a ring at the jewelry store I went to.”
My father continued.
“The owner seemed to have difficulty appraising the ring, so I offered to help him. I was also on good terms with the owner.”
Such jewelry is one of the items that our trading company deals with quite heavily, if not as our main product.
"So, when I appraised the ring, I noticed something strange. There was a bloodstain that hadn't been cleaned off. The craftsmanship was quite intricate, so it was impossible to completely remove the dried bloodstain. It wasn't an old bloodstain, but a recent one. Instinctively sensing that something was wrong, I found out the man's personal information.“
And then I found out that there had been a recent murder in the neighborhood and that the chief administrator was suspected of being the culprit.
”So I showed the ring to the chief administrator's family, and they confirmed that it belonged to his mother.“
”That's how you uncovered the truth behind the case."
My father nodded at my words.
“The culprit was a man who had been seeing the priest. When the priest abandoned him and married a man chosen by her family, the man secretly entered the bridal chamber and urged the priest to run away with him...”
“The priest refused.”
“Yes. She thought that a man who had passed the civil service examination and was now enjoying success was much better than a man with no future. It was a realistic decision. Enraged, the man left the room, but returned with a kitchen knife and killed the priestess.”
“...”
“In the commotion, he noticed the bracelet on the priestess's hand.”
It was my father who saved Chief Administrator Yoo So-ak, but it was his mother who saved him.
If it weren't for that ring, it would have been difficult to find evidence.
“After he was released, Chief Administrator Yoo was worried about his future, so I casually suggested that he try working at our Trading Company...”
“He jumped at the chance.”
“A big fish... Come to think of it, that's true. Anyway, Chief Administrator Yoo didn't stop meeting women after that. He met several women for marriage, but he kept giving up. I think it must have been difficult for him because he kept remembering his dead bride.”
I thought I understood why Chief Administrator Yoo was so reluctant to go to Beijing.
If he went to Beijing, he would be confronted with his memories of that time.
And I thought I understood why he worked like a madman. It was to escape those memories.
Oh, so that's why Chief Administrator Yoo had such a story.
I began to feel sorry for him.
"So that's why Chief Administrator Yoo hasn't remarried. No... Strictly speaking, he can't remarry. Even though it was only one night, he was married.“
”But does Assistant Officer Cho Young-young know that Chief Administrator Yoo was married once?“
”I'm sure he does. He's more capable than he looks."
If that was the case, there was something to consider.
That was whether Lieutenant Cho Yeong-yeong had feelings for Chief Administrator Yoo So-ak simply out of pity for his situation, or whether it was love for Yoo So-ak himself.
Sometimes people confuse pity and love.
“By the way, Seo Ho.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Are you still not thinking about marriage?”
“....”
* *
A few days after my conversation with my father.
A notice was posted throughout the empire.
A prohibition on alcohol had been issued.
Due to the famine, there were people who were barely surviving, so it was a natural measure for the emperor to take.
As I sat at my seat in Eunwolgak, the enemy commander entered.
“You're early.”
“Yes. Captain Jik, you're here?”
He nodded in response to my greeting. He is getting old and is thinking about retiring soon...
From my perspective, I would prefer if Captain Jik stayed longer.
In my previous life, he retired when I was twenty-five.
“Third Captain.”
“Yes. Please speak.”
“This old man has a favor to ask.”
Huh? Lord Jik has a favor for me?
This had never happened before, so I wondered what it could be.
“I heard that you are planning to recruit those who make sake for our Eunhae Trading Company.”
“That is correct.”
To be precise, it is not a plan, but already in progress.
“Among them, there is a place in the north of Sungyang County that makes a liquor called Baekroju.”
Jik Gak-ju continued.
“Please include them in your investigation.”
“What?”
I honestly thought he would ask me to include them in the recruitment. But he asked me to include them in the investigation.
“Is that enough?”
“Yes.”
The enemy commander nodded.
“Actually, that place is special to me personally. It was started by someone who happened to become a close friend of mine. But that doesn't mean I can let my personal feelings influence the outcome, does it?”
“....”
“Of course, the sake there is truly excellent. It's not called Hakuro-shu for nothing.”
“You're confident, aren't you?”
“Of course. I consider myself quite knowledgeable about sake. Ha ha ha ha.”
I laughed at his words, but it wasn't because I thought he was joking.
Mr. Jik really did know a lot about sake.
“However, it is tucked away in the mountains, so not many people know about it. That is why... I am asking you, because I am worried that it might be left off the list.”
“Then, of course, we must include it in our investigation.”
I nodded readily and looked at Captain Enemy.
He had been with this trading company since my grandfather was the head of the Trading Company.
He knows a lot and has experienced many things.
He once said he would answer any question I had, but I haven't found the right time to ask him yet.
So, I'll take this opportunity.
“It's not really a favor, but I have a request.”
“Please tell me.”
“You know that Lieutenant Cho Young-young has feelings for Chief Administrator Yoo So-ak, right?”
“...
The gentle smile of the enemy chief.
It meant that he knew.
”I think it's time for the two of them to either get married or make up their minds.“
”That's true. As it is, Cho Hyung-soo is already upset because of Lieutenant Cho.“
”That's why I'm asking for your help."
* * *
The next day
Yoo So-ak headed for the deputy director's office.
He had been assigned to investigate the Taoism followers.
He had a lot of paperwork to do, so he didn't want to leave his office.
However, Jik Byeong-cheol actively suggested, “Wouldn't it be better to see it for yourself and make your own judgment?” so Yoo So-ak decided to go himself.
Jik Byeong-cheol was a person who had worked hard for this trading company for a long time, so his words carried weight.
That was why the decision was made.
Still, it was fortunate that he was only assigned to Hubei Province. This was because it was difficult to travel to other regions due to the cold weather.
“Ah! You're already here?”
At that moment, Eun Seo-ho approached them.
He was also going to travel with them this time.
“I just arrived.”
“Oh, shall we go?”
They got into the carriage and began to look around at the brewers listed on the roster.
Although they had stopped making alcohol due to the prohibition, the brewers did not look very gloomy.
They believed that the prohibition would be lifted soon.
However, Eun Seo-ho firmly refuted that opinion.
“No, this prohibition will last quite a long time.”
As he had always shown exceptional insight, the Eunhae Trading Company decided to follow Eun Seo-ho's opinion this time as well.
Chief administrator Yoo unconsciously rubbed his knees.
Perhaps it was because it was cold, or perhaps it was because of what had happened that winter, but his knees were aching.
“Your knees seem to be hurting.”
“Yes.”
“Let me take a look.”
Before he could say anything, Eun Seo-ho lifted Yoo So-ak's clothes and asked with a look of confusion.
“Is this... a mark from being beaten?”