Chapter 32
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 32
Chapter 32. Announcement of the New Captain (3)
It was truly unfortunate.
Not only did a promising warrior die,
but my brother would live the rest of his life in regret and self-blame.
On top of that, we were unable to catch the assassin or the person who ordered the assassination.
In fact, my actions were meant to prevent that from happening.
I did everything I could to prepare for the worst.
I believe we can prevent the worst from happening.
Still, I thought it would be better to give him a heads up.
“Brother, about tomorrow...”
“Yes. Why are you looking so serious all of a sudden?”
“I have a bad feeling about something. It may be just my imagination, but I want you to listen to me tomorrow. Listen carefully to what the former warrior has to say. Don't be stubborn.”
“Huh? The former warrior?”
My brother tilted his head and looked at the former warrior.
Of course, the former warrior had no idea what was going on.
“I understand.”
“Can you promise me?”
“I promise.”
Standing behind us, the warrior Jeon Woo-jin clasped his hands together and said,
“Don't worry. I will protect the first young master with my life.”
I laughed inwardly.
He knows that's why he's saying that.
However, I couldn't say that, so I clasped my hands together and said,
“Please take good care of my brother.”
I will save his life.
* *
It's morning.
I got up from my bed, did some breathing exercises, and changed my clothes.
Today is Jeong-ho's captain announcement ceremony.
Even so, Master would not skip training.
As I stepped out into the courtyard, Master entered at the same time.
A few hours later, I sat down in the courtyard.
Today, as usual, I trained until I was exhausted and on the verge of collapse.
“I will end today's training.”
“Well done.”
My master bowed his head in response, then looked at me seriously and said, “You must be careful today.”
“What?”
“There is a strong killing intent.”
I was momentarily stunned by my master's words.
To be honest, if I hadn't known what was going to happen today, I would have dismissed it as nothing.
However, knowing what was going to happen today, it didn't sound like something to be taken lightly.
“What do you mean, Master?”
“Earlier, I sensed a strong killing intent inside the Trading Company.”
“How did you know?”
“This is the power of the Taiyin Binghai Technique that I taught you. When you reach a higher level, you will understand what it means.”
Even with his explanation, I still didn't understand.
I had clearly reached the level of a first-class warrior in my previous life, and I had now risen to a similar level.
Even so, I couldn't sense the killing intent that my master was talking about.
This raised a question in my mind.
In my previous life, I had also invited the people from the Changin Escort Agency, who were important business partners, to the banquet.
If so, wouldn't Master have known about it in advance and been able to prevent it?
“There is a high possibility that uninvited guests will visit.”
“I will tell my father to tighten security.”
“That would be best. Coincidentally, I will not be able to attend the banquet. I have to go on a business trip to Zhejiang Province starting tomorrow, and I won't be back for about a month.”
My master's words made me realize why he couldn't stop what happened back then.
He was away on business.
“Anyway, just practice the movements of the first form, Snowfall, that I taught you today.”
“Yes, sir. But is it okay for me to practice sword techniques by myself?”
“You have already passed the dangerous stage by practicing alone.”
“I see.”
With that, I quietly turned my head away.
I felt like I had been caught trying to cheat.
Wait a minute.
My master immediately noticed my intense killing intent. If that's the case, then he must know about the killer too, right?
There is a reason why I am only preparing for the worst and have not blocked the killer from the source.
That is because I don't know who the killer is.
According to Jung-ho Hyung-nim's testimony, the perpetrator was wearing women's armor and a mask, so his face was completely hidden.
That means the enemy could be a woman, but it could also be a man dressed as a woman.
“Master, do you know who is targeting our Trading Company?”
“I don't know. I only sensed their killing intent for a moment. And they quickly hid it. If you had been closer, you would have been able to tell. It's unfortunate.”
Master continued.
“This is no ordinary person. So, don't let your guard down.”
.
.
.
The banquet began.
The musicians and dancers who had been invited that morning entertained the guests with music and dance, and the guests who had been waiting in line at the gate of the Eunhae Trading Company began to enter the banquet hall.
Over 200 dishes had been prepared for this banquet.
The more people who came, the brighter the future of the trading company would be, so a banquet of this scale had been prepared.
Thinking of the money spent on this banquet, I remembered Chief Administrator Yu clutching his head and silently screaming.
It was understandable.
The cost of this banquet was enormous.
In my opinion, it was money well spent, but Chief Administrator Yu is the chief administrator and finance minister.
That means he has to make all the decisions about spending with a heavy heart.
I guess that's why Eunhae Trading Company is doing so well.
Today, Jin-ho and I are in charge of entertaining people who are around my age.
In other words, the children of these distinguished guests.
Their seats have been set aside in the garden pavilion.
“Please come in, Mister.”
“It's been a long time. You look different. You've grown taller and look healthier.”
“I think it's because I've been practicing sword fighting. Please come in and enjoy yourselves.”
“Let's do that.”
As I was greeting the guests, I turned my head toward a gaze I felt from somewhere.
However, where I felt the gaze was, the young ladies were gathered, pretending not to notice me.
They definitely said something to me.
Next to me, Jin-ho sighed and said,
“The doorstep will be worn out from all the matchmakers coming and going.”
“What do you mean? I'm only fifteen, why would matchmakers be coming already?”
“Fifteen is an acceptable age for marriage.”
“That may be true, but why are you suddenly saying that?”
“Do you look at your mirror?”
“Well...”
I was at a loss for words.
Come to think of it, I hadn't looked at a mirror in a while.
My servant takes care of my appearance, so I don't need to look in the mirror.
Besides, I don't have a hobby of admiring my own face.
At that moment, another Mister approached with a young lady. Jin-ho and I quickly greeted them with a bow.
“Welcome, Mister and young lady.”
“Thank you for inviting us on such a special day.”
“We are delighted that you accepted our invitation and came here in person. We thank you on behalf of our brother.”
“Hahaha. Of course we had to come. Right, Baek-ah?”
“Yes, Orabeoni.”
Their names were Han Baek-geon and Han Baek-ah.
Han Baek-geon was two years older than me and the same age as my brother Jin-ho, and Han Baek-ah was one year younger than me.
They were the children of the Hongnang Trading Company, which I held in high regard.
It was a trading company that knew the rules of business well, and like us, it was one of the top 100 trading companies in the world.
Han Baek-geon would inherit the Hongnang Trading Company.
They were friendly rivals with our Eunhae Trading Company and would later grow to become one of the ten largest trading companies in the world.
They were good rivals.
However, the person who was more frightening than Mister Han Baek-geon was Miss Han Baek-ah, who stood quietly behind him.
She was the head of the Hongnang Trading Company and was called Hongnang Jichu, meaning “the awl of Hongnang,” because she was like the awl of the company.
She sometimes made sharp remarks that even surprised me.
I smiled and said,
“Please sit down. We have prepared a lot of food.”
However, when Hanbaek-ah Miss caught my eye, her face turned slightly red.
“...?”
At that moment, the other ladies called Han Baek-ah, and she headed toward them.
“Mister.”
Then, Han Baek-gun called me.
“Yes.”
“Just in case, don't you dare touch my sister.”
“...What?”
Then, he headed toward where the other gentlemen were sitting.
I had no idea what he was talking about, but when Jin-ho saw me, he smiled and tapped me on the shoulder without saying a word.
“....”
What is it?
As I stood in front of the pavilion greeting guests, it was soon time for the fourth hour (9:00-11:00 a.m.).
Dong-dong-dong!
The music that had been playing in unison with the drumbeats stopped abruptly.
Then, everyone's eyes turned to the podium set up in front of Eunryongjeon, the largest building in the Trading Company and the symbol of the company, where my father's office was located.
My father, dressed in colorful clothes, raised his voice and said,
“I am Eun Gil-sang, the head of Eunhae Trading Company. I would like to express my gratitude to everyone for attending the ceremony to announce my eldest son as the new captain.”
My father bowed his head to express his gratitude to the guests.
“Now, I would like to introduce my eldest son, Eun Jeong-ho.”
At my father's words, my brother Jeong-ho stepped onto the platform. He clasped his hands together and said, "I am Eun Jeong-ho, the eldest son of Eunhae Trading Company.
“I am Eun Jeong-ho, the eldest son of the Eunhae Trading Company. I would like to express my gratitude to everyone for attending today.”
My father looked at my brother with a satisfied expression and announced to everyone.
“Today, I, Eun Gil-sang, the head of the Eunhae Trading Company, hereby announce that my eldest son, Eun Jeong-ho, has officially become the deputy head of the company.”
He then handed Jung-ho the silver nameplate that was on the tray held by his second-in-command, Yoo Dae-ik, and Jung-ho accepted it and hung it around his waist.
Seeing Jung-ho express his feelings about becoming the captain with a big smile on his face, I smiled too.
This time, I hoped that smile would continue.
* * *
As time passed, the banquet began to reach its peak.
Eun Jeong-ho was busy thanking those who attended the banquet.
Usually, he would express his gratitude with a simple “Thank you,” but there were situations where that was not possible.
This was the case when someone gave him a rather expensive gift or a large amount of money.
It was customary to call such people into a separate room to exchange greetings.
Eun Jeong-ho pressed his fingers between his eyebrows.
Seeing this, his bodyguard, Jeon Woo-jin, said with a worried look.
“You look tired.”
Eun Jeong-ho's attendant sighed softly and grumbled.
"It can't be helped. I've already met with twelve people separately. And why do they have to talk so much? Just say, 'Congratulations on becoming a captain. I look forward to working with you. Let's be friends. You could have just said that, but instead you beat around the bush...“
”Don't be like that. I'm sure it was difficult for them to say those things.“
”Our young master Jung-ho is too kind. Isn't that right, Mr. Jeon?"
Jeon Woo-jin nodded in response to his attendant's question.
“I agree with you.”
“I want to refuse them bluntly, but what can I do when I have this kind of personality?”
Eun Jeong-ho laughed and continued.
“Still, I'm lucky to have people around me who guide me well.”
Hearing Eun Jeong-ho's words, the attendant suddenly became playful and said, "Oh, I remember.
“Come to think of it, she came today, didn't she?”
“Who are you talking about?”
“You know who I mean, the young mistress from the Jin martial arts academy.”
“Ugh!”
Eun Jeong-ho's face turned red at the page's words, and the page laughed.
“If only the young mistress could see you like this.”
“Hm.”
At that moment, the maid in charge of the reception room approached and said.
“Young master, a guest is waiting to see you in the study.”
“Oh, really? Then I should go.”
Eun Jeong-ho headed for the study.
When he was almost at the door, Jeon Woo-jin stopped.
Then he called out to Eun Jeong-ho.
“Young master.”
“Yes? What is it?”
“I don't think you should meet the person inside. I can't explain why, but I have a bad feeling about it. In cases like this, something bad usually happens.”
“But he's waiting to see me. It would be rude to send him away.”
“Still, I think you should be careful.”
“It's fine. It's a banquet for our Trading Company, and Woo-jin is here. What could possibly happen?”
As Eun Jeong-ho said that and opened the door, he remembered what his younger brother, Eun Seo-ho, had said last night.
He had asked him to listen carefully to what Woo Jin said because he felt uneasy.
And he promised to do so.