Chapter 415
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 415
Chapter 415. A New Beginning for Yangyang Martial Arts Academy (1)
Chairman Sung-joon was feeling very uneasy these days.
That was because the tavern business he had been ambitiously promoting had failed miserably.
It was a complete failure.
“Chairman.”
“What is it?”
The chief administrator approached him and asked cautiously.
“What should we do about paying the salaries of the family's employees this month...?”
At those words, Sung-joon felt a chill run down his spine.
“Just... wait a little longer.”
“Yes, sir.”
After the chief administrator left, Sung-joon stood up from his seat and nervously opened the window.
He couldn't stand the feeling of suffocation.
But...
Of all places, he could see an eight-story building in the distance from that window.
That building was none other than the tavern he had built, Kahoru.
His heart boiled over, and he slammed the window shut.
When he first built Kahoru against his father's wishes, he was full of hope.
He thought he would rake in money like other chairmen who owned businesses around Seoho.
However, contrary to his expectations, Kahoru did not have many customers.
To find out why, he paid a large sum of money to the Hao Clan for information.
“They say there's no reason to go there because you can't see the West Lake from there.”
“But you can see the West Lake from the eighth floor.”
“Most of the tavern's customers are those who eat on the lower floors. And visitors from other towns come to see the West Lake, so why would they go to Kahoru when there are places closer to the West Lake?”
“....”
Upon hearing the blunt information from the Hao Clan, Chairman Seong felt as if he had just woken up from a dream.
Come to think of it, many people had tried to dissuade him from the Kahoru business.
Not only his family, but also his chief administrator and his close friends tried to dissuade him.
However, he was a man who trusted his own judgment and thought that the other chairmen were just jealous of him.
In any case, he couldn't let it fail right from the start, so he swallowed his tears and lowered the price significantly.
As a result, customers with little money began to trickle in, but before long, a prohibition on alcohol was imposed.
As the chairman, Seong Jang-ju was furious.
He had spent all his money to build the Kahoru, but instead of recouping his investment, he was struggling to cover the operating costs.
At that moment, the door opened and a servant entered.
“Chairman. What are your plans for today's meeting?”
“Oh, I forgot that today was the day of the meeting.”
There was a meeting organized by the local chairmen. The name of the meeting was derived from a legend in which two sages made a famous wine, but it turned sour and became Seoho.
He recalled the last meeting.
Seong Jang-ju was not the only one who was struggling these days.
With the long famine, civil unrest broke out everywhere, and a prohibition on alcohol was imposed, leaving the Jang-jus who owned businesses around Seoho in a state of despair as they struggled with mounting deficits.
Even though he was in the same boat, it was amusing to see the once-proud Jang-jus looking so miserable.
“Let's go. Make sure everyone is ready.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
It was evening.
Chairman Sung headed to the meeting place.
The meeting was held at the Moon Tavern, which was owned by Man Jang, a member of the same group.
“Welcome.”
“Ahem, is everyone here?”
“Yes, he is on this floor.”
Seong Jang-ju went up to the second floor and tilted his head.
It was because it was so different from the last time he came.
Things that were old and hadn't been repaired were neatly repaired or replaced with new ones.
As soon as he went up to the second floor, he saw Man Jang-ju.
“Man Jang-ju, you said you didn't have money to repair anything, but what happened all of a sudden? Did you find a pot of gold somewhere?”
“No, I didn't repair it.”
“What do you mean? If you didn't repair this tavern, then who did?”
“The new owner of this tavern repaired it.”
“New owner?”
“I sold this tavern a while ago.”
Come to think of it, the worry that had been filling Chairman Man's face had completely disappeared.
He looked refreshed, as if he had just had a tooth pulled.
However, given the current situation, he couldn't have gotten a good price for it.
“I see. How could you sell such a nice tavern for such a low price?”
“What? A low price? No.”
He waved his hand and said.
“Actually, the price I asked was low. But the person who bought this tavern said that it was too cheap and bought it at a good price.”
“Where did you find such a fool?”
Hearing his words, someone behind him said with discomfort.
“How can you refer to our benefactor as a fool?”
“Ahem! He didn't hear you say that.”
Seong Jang-ju blinked his eyes.
‘Did these people collectively eat something wrong?’
Come to think of it, the worry I saw on their faces earlier had disappeared.
Could it be?
Seong Jang-ju asked them.
“Did you also sell your businesses to that Ho... I mean, that person?”
“Yes.”
“We sold them at a very good price.”
“It was worth rushing to Cheongpa-ru as soon as we heard what Chairman Man said.”
Hearing this, Chairman Sung asked Chairman Man as if questioning him.
“This is unfair. Why didn't you tell me?”
“I couldn't tell you, could I? When I asked you before if you would sell it if someone wanted to buy it, what did you say? Didn't you say that there was no way you would sell it?”
“....”
He was speechless.
“That's why I didn't tell you, so don't feel bad.”
Hearing this, Sung Jang-ju cleared his throat and changed the subject.
“So, who did you sell it to?”
“You must have heard of him, Sung Jang-ju. It's Eun Seo-ho, the junior leader of Eunhae Trading Company.”
“Ah! That Sun-hyeok-mi?”
“Yes.”
“But when the famine ends, the businesses will make a lot of money again... Won't that be quite painful later on?”
“That's possible.”
“But isn't it more important to put out the fire at your feet right now?”
“And the conditions were satisfactory in their own way.”
He wondered what kind of conditions they were. Whether they sensed his curiosity or wanted to boast, the chairmen readily answered.
“They said they would give us one-tenth of the profits from the businesses we transferred to them over the next ten years.”
“One-tenth?”
“Yes. We are very satisfied. We were able to put out the fire in front of us, and we will receive additional profits for ten years.”
“But if they're willing to give up one-tenth of their profits, the conditions must be…”
“The conditions weren't that difficult. They just want us to protect Yang Yangmu!”
At those words, Seong Jang-ju's face contorted.
This was because Yang Yangmu and Seong Jang-ju did not have a good relationship.
“Come to think of it, I heard that you are acquiring additional businesses.”
At those words, Chairman Sung's ears pricked up.
He didn't know what connection Eun Seo-ho and Yangyang Martial Arts Academy had, but if they were that powerful, Ga Ho-ru would probably buy them at a good price.
Suddenly, his heart began to pound with excitement.
* * *
“With this contract, you have acquired a total of twenty-two businesses.”
I nodded at Seo Hyang's words.
“That should be enough, right?”
Pal-gap replied to my question.
“Hmm, young master. How would we know? You're the one who knows.”
Well, that's true.
Twenty-two businesses meant that I now owned almost half of the businesses near Seoho.
As the rumor spread, no one came to me, which meant that they had no intention of selling their businesses.
Or maybe they had already been sold to someone else.
I wasn't going to monopolize the businesses in this area, so this was enough.
Then Seo Hyang said, "In my opinion, you have acquired almost all of the major businesses.
“It seems to me that you have acquired almost all of the major businesses.”
As she said, we were able to acquire most of the high-quality businesses because we timed it right when the large businesses were struggling.
“Then let's finish acquiring the businesses here.”
“Yes, sir.”
By the way, did you say yesterday that there was a meeting of the Mingzhu Association, which Chairman Seo belongs to?
Now that the Hao Clan was operating normally, I didn't buy any more information, but I was able to learn a lot from the information I had gathered so far.
Many of the chairmen who sold their businesses to me belonged to a group called the Mingzhu Association.
If that's the case, now that they've heard my story, they must be excited and nervous about handing over Gaohu to me.
What should I do?
I have no intention of buying Kahoru.
Anyway, it's time to wrap up my business in Hangzhou.
The next day
I headed to the Yangyang Martial Arts Academy early in the morning.
“Welcome.”
Principal Yeom greeted me with a smile.
“Your name is everywhere.”
“Hahaha, I did a pretty good job.”
“So, did you get everything you wanted?”
I nodded in response to his question.
“Of course. I got more than I could have hoped for.”
“I'm glad to hear that. Oh, and I really enjoyed the food you sent. It was delicious.”
“I'm glad you liked it.”
I continued.
“Do you have time today?”
“I don't have anything in particular to do.”
“Then come with me. We must reclaim the land of the Yangyang Martial Arts Academy.”
I headed to the house of the Chairman of the Martial Arts Academy with Yeom.
The gatekeeper saw us and asked,
“What is it?”
“We are here to see the Chairman.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No, we don't.”
The gatekeeper shook his head and said,
“The Chairman is a busy man. Please make an appointment and come back later.”
I replied,
“We will. Please tell the Chairman that a man named Eun Seo-ho from Eunhaesang Trading Company will visit him again in six months.”
With that, we returned to the Yangyang Martial Arts Academy. Then, Principal Yeom tilted his head and asked me, “Is it okay to wait six months?”
“Yes, it's fine.
It's Chairman Jang who is in a hurry. He will definitely come within three days.”
I said six months to make him more anxious.
* *
After Eun Seo-ho and his party left, the gatekeeper reported to the chairman of the city.
“A guest just came and asked to see the chairman, but I told him you had no prior appointment, so I sent him away.”
“Well done. He wanted to see the chairman without an appointment! He must be very ambitious!”
“They said they would come back in six months.”
The attendant took out a schedule from his sleeve and unfolded it.
“In six months... That would be December of this year? Who did you say they were?”
“They said they were Eun Seo-ho from Eunhaesang Trading Company.”
“Eunhaesang Trading Company...”
The attendant froze in place.
He raised his head with difficulty and asked.
“What did you say?”
“He said he was Eun Seo-ho from Eunhae Trading Company and that he came with Yeom, the principal of the Yangyang Martial Arts Academy...”
“Damn it! You must be crazy to want to die at the hands of the Chairman!”
“What?”
The gatekeeper was stunned by the sudden change in attitude, as he had just been praised for doing a good job.
“He is our Chairman's lifeline!”
“What?”
Half a year!
It would be terrible to deal with the Chairman, who had accumulated a huge deficit over the past six months.
The attendant hurried to the chairman's office.
* *
The reception room of the Yangyang Martial Arts Academy.
The principal Yeom and I were facing Chairman Sung.
The principal Yeom was staring at me with his mouth open.
He looked as if he couldn't believe how I had done it.
I smiled and answered with my eyes.
See? I told you he would come in three days.
He must have been in a hurry.
What do you mean, three days?
He came to the Yangyang Martial Arts Academy today, the very next day.
“I apologize for the trouble caused by our gatekeeper yesterday.”
He was extremely polite.
“Don't mention it. The gatekeeper was just doing his job.”
“Thank you for understanding. By any chance... are you here to take over Kahoru?”
Oh, Chairman Jang.
You're not just being cautious, you're being overly cautious.
I said with an apologetic look on my face.
“I'm sorry, but that's not why I'm here.”
“What?”
“As of yesterday, we have completed the acquisition of all businesses in the Seoho area. I was just getting ready to head back.”
“What?”
His face turned dark, as if he couldn't believe what I was saying.
“What do you mean? Are you saying that you're no longer acquiring any businesses?”
“Yes, that's right.”
“No! Then why did you want to see me?”
At his words, I took the documents out of my pocket and unfolded them.
“This is the contract signed by the late Chairman Seong Jang-myung and the late Principal of the Yangyang Martial Arts Academy.”
“Contract? What is that...”
As he muttered, Chairman Seong's eyes began to shake violently as he looked at the contract.
This is a genuine contract for the lease of 500 pyeong of land located in ×× between Seong Jimin of Hangzhou and Yang Yangmu Academy.
I, Seong Jimin, promise to lease the land to Yang Yangmu Academy permanently in exchange for five nang of silver every year as a reward for saving my life.
If this promise is broken and my descendants order them to vacate the premises, the rights to the land will be transferred to Yangyang Martial Arts Academy, and the obligation to pay rent will also be nullified.
He looked incredulous.
“This document has already been notarized by Jihyeon, so it is definitely the original.”
"...
“Furthermore, there is clear evidence that the Chairman of the martial arts academy ordered the eviction and moved out, so it is clear that the rights to the land have been transferred to the Yangyang Martial Arts Academy.”
I continued.
“So now, please return the land.”