Early next morning.
I began learning martial arts from my master in the yard outside my room.
"Young master, you must first learn the cultivation technique called the Supreme Yin Ice Sea Divine Arts."
"Yes."
"I usually begin by teaching how to sense energy, but since you already have internal energy in your dantian, we'll proceed directly with the Supreme Yin Ice Sea Divine Arts."
I sat cross-legged, and Master placed his palm on my back.
"Remember the meridian route I guide, and follow along exactly."
Master wrapped the internal energy in my dantian with his own and guided it along the meridians of the Supreme Yin Ice Sea Divine Arts.
It didn't even take half a gapja to complete one full circulation.
That was because my meridians were already fully open.
Master, surprised, asked me,
"Are you already familiar with the Supreme Yin Ice Sea Divine Arts?"
I feigned ignorance.
"What is that?"
"Then how are your meridians...?"
After a brief moment of thought, the Master spoke.
"You mentioned before that you accidentally consumed an elixir, and the energy accumulated in your dantian."
"Yes."
I had already told my master most of what I knew about the energy in my dantian.
I knew he wasn't the type to carelessly speak of such things.
Besides, there was no other way to explain the internal energy in my dantian.
However, the Supreme Yin Ice Sea Divine Arts were different.
It was my master's family's secret technique, so I couldn't exactly admit I knew it.
"In truth, the Supreme Yin Ice Sea Divine Arts is a cultivation technique created to accumulate yin energy in the body as efficiently as possible. According to legend, it was born from the survival instinct of someone on the verge of freezing to death."
"I-Is that so?"
Come to think of it, I almost froze to death once too.
Because of the chilling energy from the Pure Icy Snow Plum.
My master continued explaining.
"I believe your case is the same. Your body instinctively moved the internal energy along that meridian route."
It was an unexpectedly accurate analysis.
"If it hadn't done so, Young master, you likely wouldn't still be in this world. Most likely, you would have frozen to death."
His precise guess gave me chills.
"I-I see. That's a relief."
"In any case, thanks to that fortuitous encounter, we can move directly to physical conditioning."
Master nodded as he continued.
"If one uses martial arts without a foundation in stamina and strength, the body will break down. Therefore, the foundation must be laid properly and thoroughly."
It had been a long time since I heard something like that.
"This is going to be tough."
"It will be grueling, to the point where you'll want to curse, but you must endure it."
"Yes, I'll try to endure."
I began physical training under Master's instructions.
And upon seeing how well I was holding up, he muttered,
"At this rate, I think we can increase the intensity."
"...Excuse me?"
"Then, let's increase the intensity. Let's add two more sandbags."
At those words, I was horrified.
"T-That's too much!"
.
.
.
It was time for work.
Since I had trained my body all morning, I worried whether I could even go to work, as I was completely drained.
However,
Having a lot of internal energy had its downsides.
Once I circulated my energy with breathing techniques, I found myself fully recovered before I knew it.
It was Heaven's will telling me to shut up and get to work.
And if I wanted to achieve my goals, I had to keep moving diligently.
No matter how much experience I had making Eunhae Merchant Group one of the top three in the world, right now, I was still just a fifteen-year-old boy who had only just started actual work.
When I helped secure Lotus Courtesan House last time, I was only able to assist because I had helped stop the fire.
Still, hiding my constitution…
What the Master told me last night left me bewildered.
He said it would bring me no benefit if it became widely known, but in his eyes, I saw there was a more complicated reason.
It's not like he's wrong, and I'm sure he'll tell me when the time comes.
"You've arrived?"
"Yes, good morning."
The eyes of the Finance Pavilion members who greeted me were full of goodwill.
Because I stopped the fire, the Pavilion members hadn't needed to go through hell.
To avoid attracting suspicion, the Finance Pavilion staff hadn't shown up for a while.
Though that meant they'd have to work overtime for a few days, that was a small price to pay compared to the hell they avoided.
Anyway, it had been a while since I saw their faces.
That was when Chief of Internal Affairs Yoo approached, and everyone rose from their seats.
"Young master, you're here,"
He smiled and then addressed everyone.
"Starting today, Young master Eun Seoho will be working as my assistant."
He nailed it in place, just like that.
"What?"
"Huh?"
"R-Really?"
The Pavilion members looked at me and Chief Yoo in shock—especially Pavilion Member Yeo Chang-Ui, who seemed the most surprised.
Because I had shown no signs of this happening.
"Young master?"
"Yes, it seems that's how it turned out."
Yet none of them looked jealous that I was assigned as his assistant.
Rather, they looked sympathetic.
They knew.
They all knew how difficult it was to be Chief Yoo's assistant.
Chief Yoo smiled and turned.
"Then, let's get to work. There's quite a bit to do."
"Yes..."
I followed him into his office, crying on the inside.
Once inside, I immediately noticed the difference.
Right next to his desk, there was another large desk.
It was obvious at a glance that it was mine.
"Please have a seat."
"Yes."
I sat obediently. Soon, paperwork began to pile up on my desk.
"These need to be reviewed, and the key points marked in red and returned to me."
"Yes."
"These here require data research. Please find the relevant materials and add them."
"Yes."
"And these are..."
I had hit the work jackpot.
Only then did I realize.
It wasn't that I was competent—
I had simply tied my own fate into a knot.
.
.
.
Time passed, and the Winter Solstice holiday was fast approaching.
Every year, the Eunhae Merchant Group gave a three- to four-day break around the Winter Solstice.
Of course, not everyone could take off at the same time, so people rotated their days off before and after the Solstice.
During that break, I planned not to get up from bed as much as possible.
I would really rest.
Of course, I couldn't skip martial arts training, but I could confine that to the morning.
It was only natural I looked forward to the holiday.
Assisting Chief Yoo was unbelievably hectic.
It was no wonder he had worked himself to death.
In Chief of Internal Affairs Yoo's office, the only sounds were the flipping of papers and the movement of a brush.
That was because, according to Chief Yoo's principle, if there's time for idle chatter, it's more efficient to spend that time reading even one more character on a document.
I thought the same.
At that moment, I sensed someone approaching through my qi sense.
Maybe because the intensity of my physical training had increased lately, my qi sense had improved as well.
To be honest, while Master's training was still bearable for now, I absolutely never said that out loud.
If I ever said, "It's manageable," he'd reply with, "Ah, is that so?" and then add more sandbags.
That's why I was exaggerating my exhaustion as much as possible.
The sandbags I was using for physical training now totaled twenty-five.
That was about the weight of a decently built adult man.
If I increased the weight any more, I'd seriously die.
Soon, a woman's voice reached my ears — a familiar voice.
"I came, sent by the Merchant Lord."
Then came the voice of Guard Gyo Jin-woon.
"Assistant Jo Youngyoung has arrived."
At those words, Chief Yoo nodded. Seeing that, I quickly responded.
"Please, come in."
The door opened, and a woman in her mid-twenties walked in.
Her name was Jo Youngyoung.
She was from a family that had long worked in the Eunhae Merchant Group, and naturally, she ended up working for the group as well.
Becoming one of the Merchant Lord's assistants at such a young age, and as a woman no less, meant she was both intelligent and highly perceptive.
There were rumors that she and my father had some sort of improper relationship.
To clarify: they didn't.
She once said she had someone she cherished, and in the end, she never married — not even until the day I died.
"What is it?"
"Lord Song Jangju has arrived. The Merchant Lord requests your presence."
"I see. I'll go with you now."
"Yes."
She bowed her head slightly to Chief Yoo, and at that moment, I noticed it.
Her cheeks had faintly flushed red.
By the time she lifted her head again, her expression was the usual calm and emotionless one.
But her gaze was fixed solely on Chief Yoo.
No way... Chief Yoo?
Only then did I begin to understand why she had wept so bitterly when Chief Yoo died.
Why she had never married.
'She truly had a pure, unrequited love.'
Just then, Chief Yoo called out to me.
"Young master."
"Yes!"
"What are you doing? The Merchant Lord is waiting."
"Huh?"
For a moment, I didn't understand what he meant. Lord Song had come, and Chief of Internal Affairs was the one who should be attending — why was I needed?
"Isn't this something only you need to attend, Chief?"
Chief Yoo began unfolding his fingers, one by one, as he explained.
"First, Song Jangju is here to discuss something, which means there will likely be related document work. Since I'm already busy with other tasks, you'll likely need to handle that part. But explaining all that is a hassl—I mean, a waste of time."
"..."
He was definitely about to say "hassle," wasn't he?
"And second, you are one of the successors of the Merchant Group. So you're fully qualified to attend. Any more questions?"
He dressed it up, but in the end, it meant he was taking me along just to handle the work efficiently.
With a small sigh, I followed Chief Yoo to the reception room.
.
.
.
The Eunhae Merchant Group had a dedicated reception room.
Because they often had to receive guests.
A maid from the tea house brewed tea, served cups to everyone, then withdrew.
Inside the reception room were my father, Chief of Internal Affairs, and Pavilion Master Yeon of Sunset Pavilion.
Seated opposite my father was the guest, Song Jangju.
Song Jangju was one of the landowners in this region where Eunhae Merchant Group operated, and a long-time customer of the group.
A very special customer at that.
His luxurious attire — jade-colored silk robes and gold rings on his ears — made it clear he was one of the great landlords of this area.
In the future I had experienced, Song Jangju began to gradually fall into decline, and in the end, he became an old man presiding over a rundown estate, one that was a manor in name only.
"It's been a while since you last visited," my father said.
Song Jangju set down his teacup and replied, "Things just turned out that way. But this is the place I rely on most. That's why I've come to see you, Lord Eun."
At that, my father cautiously asked, "It seems something has happened."
"Yes. I've come to ask for a bit of assistance."
We quietly listened to Song's words.
"Due to my oversight, land wasn't included in the tax records. Now, the Provincial Tax Office Head is taking issue with it."
"Oh dear, I see."
My father nodded with a sympathetic look. But I could see the truth behind Song's expression.
It wasn't a mistake — it was likely an intentional embezzlement.
And he must've been caught by the Tax Head.
"So I consulted with the District Magistrate, who's a close acquaintance, and he told me that the Tax Head is looking for a certain item."
A very simple matter.
He was planning to bribe his way out of trouble.
And that item was the reason Song had come to the Eunhae Merchant Group.
If I noticed, there was no way my father hadn't as well. He asked, gently smiling.
"Your concern is our concern, Lord Song. Please, speak candidly. What is this item?"
"Well…"
Song sighed and answered.
"It's a rare item."
"Pardon? A rare item?"
"Yes, specifically… I need a doll that dances on its own at a specific time."
A moment of silence passed through the reception room at those words.
My father, Chief Yoo, and Pavilion Master Yeon all looked confused.
But I knew exactly what he meant.
'Right. That existed.'
One of the things I regretted most in my previous life.
I had promised myself not to make that same mistake again — and I'd almost done just that.
Perhaps this situation had come to wake me up.
This whole event had started from something that seemed insignificant.