After the awkward silence ended, the herbalist left the office.
“I wanted to return it completely, but I could only salvage half.”
The fact that Im Ha-yeon had stolen is something that cannot be told to the members of Hyangwoo.
Anyway, since I decided to receive half of the elixir as compensation, all I have to do is return the elixir I received as it is.
I looked at the elixirs filled about halfway in the box and said to the acupuncturist, looking a bit regretful.
“Club leader! How can you say such a thing? I know you meant it as a joke, but if you say that, I can’t possibly hold my head up high.”
“Haha! Still, since I received the money for the medicine, my heart feels much lighter. Please take this.”
I handed the receipt I received from the herbalist to the acupuncturist. The acupuncturist was startled and waved his hands in denial.
“Club leader, I don’t think it’s proper for me to take this money. The money received for the medicine is money you accepted, so please do as you wish.”
As expected from the great Eastern civility, the politeness and propriety overflow.
At that moment, willing to say I’d spend it on something good, I was about to take the receipt when I felt the gazes of Joseon employees piercing me from behind the acupuncturist.
Isn’t taking all this money improper too? But then I have a way.
Quickly hiding my greed, I smiled like a generous leader and opened my mouth.
“Don’t make me look like an ungracious person. I stepped in because our Joseon people suffered unjustly, not just because of a few coins.”
“Club leader…”
The acupuncturist looked at me with wide eyes as if he was touched and couldn’t close his mouth.
“After all, you are our club leader.”
“I can’t compare to the Central Plain people who try to snatch a piece of bread.”
“No, you just said…”
“Are you suspecting the club leader right now?”
Right. Your club leader doesn’t intend to snatch money. So praise me more.
“With that money, it would be better to renovate the acupuncture center. I feel unsettled seeing such a capable acupuncturist working in a rundown place.”
I presented the receipt with a pitiful expression, as if I were heartbroken over the news of a relative living in poverty.
For now, let’s refuse the money. Just pretending to be generous.
“Huh. If that’s the leader’s wish, I shall renovate the acupuncture center… Um, club leader?”
The acupuncturist looked at me with a flustered expression. That was understandable.
After all, he hadn’t loosened his grip on the receipt.
“……”
This guy’s crafty. He just tried to take it back after I refused it once!
“You should let go of the club leader’s hand…”
“Ahem.”
A businessman shouldn’t lack in perception.
I gave the acupuncturist a slightly uncomfortable smile, then looked at the Joseon people behind him.
I might be generous, but do the other Joseon people also seem generous?
“Ah! I, I didn’t consider the members who work hard!”
“If you renovate the acupuncture center, then you must throw a grand feast for the members.”
I spoke as if I had just realized something, letting go of the receipt.
“No! Where would such a space exist in a small acupuncture center? Naturally, the club leader must grace us with your presence during the celebration! I shall give you half of it.”
So much? I was just trying to give a small token of thanks.
“The hardworking members should receive just enough to eat and drink.”
“No! The club leader will continue to help our struggling Joseon people, so how can we settle for that?”
The remaining money should be used to help Joseon people like me who are in trouble.
“Then I will use this money for the members.”
After all, I’m also a member of Hyangwoo, so that’s fine, right?
After pocketing the receipt again, I gave him a separate receipt stating half the amount.
“I have something extra I’d like to say.”
“Please speak.”
“Though it says half on the receipt, in reality, I’ve received the entire amount that should’ve been earned from selling the elixir at once. Originally, I should’ve barely earned that money over a long time.”
The acupuncturist’s face lit up with a smile as he looked at the receipt.
He managed to recover the stolen elixir and gained all the money he initially aimed for. For him, it must be the best outcome.
“Haha, now that you have a large sum, you mustn’t skip out on the funds pooling.”
“Of course! I will ensure there are no issues with the funds. Even if it’s my turn to come in at the end, I won’t say anything. But what I wanted to say isn’t that.”
“Then what is it?”
I looked at the acupuncturist with a puzzled expression. What could he be trying to say?
The acupuncturist stood before the box containing the elixirs that had been a significant worry for him the past few days, spread his hands wide, and said to me,
“I’ve earned enough, so I will give you all the elixirs here, club leader.”
———————–
“I wanted to take only half, but I ended up with all of it.”
Im Ha-yeon said to me while looking at the elixirs inside the box.
Half the receipt and all the elixirs. The acupuncturist has compensated for all the money he needed to earn from selling the elixirs, and I received the money and the elixirs as a reward.
Except for the herbalist who, due to the karma of stealing ginseng candy, would unwittingly have to face a life-changing gacha in a year, everyone was smiling.
“No matter how much I refuse, they insist on giving, so I have no choice but to accept.”
I set the herbalist beside the delivery person who was in the midst of a life-changing gacha and had the other employees receive mental training from the front before returning smilingly and said,
“Now what do I do with this?”
Im Ha-yeon replied with a wrinkled expression. My work involves a bookstore and an inn, so selling medicine is quite ambiguous.
“If I eat it all, will it help with my skills?”
After all, since it’s candy, if I eat one after a meal, it might help with my skills at least a little.
“You, your skill level is already bottom tier, right? You won’t gain much from just eating a piece of candy that has a bit of extract mixed in, instead of the actual ginseng.”
The ginseng candy has ginseng in it, but the amount of ginseng extract mixed in is extremely small to increase the quantity. It’s like calling a snack made from lobster-infused water a lobster snack, or a shrimp burger that’s actually made from pollack.
It’s an elixir created for middle-aged men and third-rate martial artists for stamina boosting and mild skill improvement.
For me, it must be a highly inefficient elixir considering the price.
“Well then, I can only use the elixir for a different purpose.”
I quietly murmured while looking at the elixir.
Though my skills as a martial artist are still third-rate, my inner force is top-tier. I wanted to make a pun but, here, thinking about how it’s ambiguous for me to use, I couldn’t sell it either.
It’s already rumored among the employees to be an elixir that ensures precise strikes, so maybe I should use it for this month’s employee award. Just for special cases, I’ll only give it to married men.
Since it’s said to help with stamina recovery, it might also work as a gift for the sick members or injured martial artists.
“What did you say…?”
What’s up with her?
Im Ha-yeon suddenly asked me with wide eyes, surprised.
“There are stolen goods mixed in, so it’s awkward to sell. It’s better for me to keep it personally and use it when needed.”
Why’s she looking so surprised?
“How are we going to use this?”
“That’s a decision I should discuss with Ha-yeon.”
Half of this is the elixir that Ha-yeon switched out late at night; I never intended to eat it all alone.
“Are you… really going to discuss it with me?”
Why is her voice trembling?
“I can’t use it by myself. Naturally, I should discuss it with you before using it.”
It’s an elixir, so I’d need the help of a skilled martial artist, right?
“Well, that’s true. But, but, don’t get any strange ideas!”
Suddenly, Im Ha-yeon took the posture of a refined lady and quickly distanced herself from me.
Am I dumping too many trifling matters on her? If so, I can’t help it.
“If Ha-yeon is having a tough time, I can talk to someone else.”
“Wha—?!”
“Ha-yeon? Why did you suddenly move back and then right up to my face?”
“Who are you going to use it with?”
Im Ha-yeon brought her face closer to me, questioning me intensely.
“Ha-yeon?”
“Who are you going to use it with? Don’t tell me…”
Why is she mad?
I feel the pressure closing in on me; it seems like Ha-yeon is indeed a skilled martial artist. The atmosphere suggests that if I say something wrong, I’m in for a big lecture.
When I’m at a loss, it’s best to raise my hands in surrender.
“Since it’s an elixir, shouldn’t I consult with a skilled martial artist? I don’t have anyone that comes to mind right now, so I’ll leave it be for the time being.”
I won’t use it.
“Elixir? Ah…”
Only then did Im Ha-yeon seem to realize that we had misunderstood each other, stepping back a bit in surprise.
“What misunderstanding is there?”
“Ugh! Really! It’s nothing!”
Im Ha-yeon turned her head slightly flushed.
Ah. No way.
I almost let out a snicker, but if I pretended to notice and laugh now, she might avoid my face for a week.
“If I finish off the elixir, I was hoping for a boost in my skills, but what a disappointment.”
Since I made an error that led to her misunderstanding, I casually transitioned the topic, speaking with a voice of disappointment.
“You’re lacking in inner force, not skills. Just practice the Shadowless Body Technique that I taught you. Then you could confidently claim to be at least mid-tier level.”
Im Ha-yeon must have wanted to evade her embarrassment, as she hastily replied.
“Are you saying I could reach mid-tier?”
I looked at her in surprise, eyes wide.
In the martial arts world where any martial art learned clumsily is called shoddy, mid-tier would be considered to be a serious martial artist.
“You already use stealth techniques well. Once you master the Shadowless Body Technique, any mid-tier martial artist would be toast before they knew what hit them!”
“I could be mid-tier?”
Small Wheel Mental Image Technique. Stealth techniques from the Tang family. Shadowless Body Technique. Thinking about it, she has now mastered not only the inner force theory but also the martial arts and agility techniques.
“The mastery of the Shadowless Body Technique isn’t deep enough yet, so not just yet. But if you keep practicing steadily, you’ll soon be able to confidently call yourself mid-tier.”
Im Ha-yeon looked at me proudly, as if she were the teacher showing off a student’s accomplishments.
You guys are third-rate. I’m mid-tier. A day will come when I can say this with complete coherence.
I looked at my hand with a somewhat emotional expression.
Im Ha-yeon, looking happily at me, soon opened her mouth.
“Ah… And the ginseng candy is confiscated. Use it after discussing with me.”
Why though?
——–
“One problem solved, and next up is the first sub-branch funds pooling.”
Another busy day is coming to an end. I quietly muttered the things I need to do tomorrow as I lay in bed.
With the acupuncturist’s funds concluded, the first round of funds pooling was successfully gathered.
While the Joseon people were diligently spreading the news, I had already scouted the next inn, so the sub-branch should go smoothly without any issues.
“I just hope nothing goes wrong at the inn.”
The headquarters and the branch offices of Jeon Gil-san 1 and 2 are all operating smoothly with no problems. However, as the branches increase, the worries about incidents occurring in the inn naturally grow too.
Since the inn requires acquiring a building with at least three floors for the operation of Nine Black Qi Hands, we cannot forgo the guests who come for lodging and food.
Finally, as inns are places where people meet, it’s inevitable for fights to occur between guests.
Of course, while major brawls that make the owner of the inn weep profusely are very rare, every time a fight breaks out, the inn has to suffer.
“Hiring security separately would be… Wait a minute!”
Just then, I have a good item in my hand.
I have something I can try.
