“Did you say Master Man Geum-jeon has returned?”
“Yes, yes! He came back a few days ago!”
Who would’ve thought that the old man, who’s as quiet as a grave, would actually return.
I thought he might’ve been taken down by some scary monster that kids used to fear, but it looks like he’s just fine.
“Grandfather kicked out his granddaughter? Did Master Man Geum-jeon get mad at Miss Zhuge or something?”
Right after Master Man Geum-jeon came back, he chased away Cheon So-hee.
Isn’t she at the age where she’s super cute? I just don’t get it. He doesn’t seem like the kind of grandfather who would drop his grandkids into a volcano or something.
“Well, you see…”
Cheon So-hee bent her head down and fidgeted with her hands.
“Looks like something did happen.”
“Uh, regarding Sir Kang… he asked me if we were progressing…”
Me and Cheon So-hee’s love life?
No way.
“Did he speak without sugarcoating it?”
“He, um… asked if we had held hands…”
So he really did drop her into the volcano.
While Master Man Geum-jeon was away, all I did with Cheon So-hee was eat together, receive gifts, and solve one minor incident.
If you ask if there was any significant progress in our romance, honestly, there was none.
Did Master Man Geum-jeon hear the news and decide to take extreme measures?
“Huh? You haven’t held hands?”
Im Ha-yeon, why are you suddenly chuckling?
“W-what? Yes, yes?”
“Huh. I see… Huh.”
Im Ha-yeon smiled at Cheon So-hee, who should be confused, much like a high school girl bragging about getting one more answer right than her friend.
When Cheon So-hee visited the room earlier, she looked all upset, but now she’s bursting with laughter.
“What should I do? Master Kanggg! I don’t really have anywhere to go…”
Even if I pout and complain, I have no real way out of this situation.
“How about staying with your cousin for a bit?”
Like Jeon Gil-san’s house, maybe?
“With my cousin? Not here?”
Ugh. Cheon So-hee looked so disappointed like a stray dog abandoned by its owner, pouting her lips and lowering her head.
That expression is just too unfair!
“Who said you could live here?”
“Hey, Ha-yeon unni, is it okay if I live here?”
“Of course not! And who said you could call me unni?”
“I-I just thought…”
What a mess.
Suddenly the office became chaotic.
One person is putting pressure on the other, and I’m watching as one is turning into stone. Suddenly, I miss Cheon So-hee, who’s around the same age.
So-hee, you might be quiet, but you’re quite mature.
I suddenly want to see her. She’s doing alright, right? I wish you would write me a letter sometimes, too.
“Master Kang.”
While escaping from reality for a moment, someone came from the Man Geum Battlefield.
“What is it?”
“Master Man Geum-jeon is calling for you.”
I was wondering when he would call.
—————
The second evaluation, which had been delayed due to Master Man Geum-jeon’s absence, was finally about to take place.
With my neatly organized materials, I visited Master Man Geum-jeon’s mansion.
Hehe…
Master Man Geum-jeon read the data I provided for a while before breaking into laughter.
Now I feel even more uneasy.
What kind of trouble will he find today? However, what came out of Master Man Geum-jeon’s mouth was unexpected.
“Good job.”
“Excuse me?”
A compliment at this timing?
What is it? Did someone else take my place without me knowing?
“You organized the Joseon people in Wuhan and made them pay for the delivery business, teaching the delivery personnel Light Body Movement to expand their delivery zones. You didn’t settle for just one success.”
“Thanks to your constant guidance, the business is running smoothly.”
It was because you weren’t here that I could focus on the business. I said that with a subtle jab.
Hehe. “I heard some amusing rumors around the marketplace while I was away. I didn’t know you had such cleverness in that area.”
Master Man Geum-jeon seemed to understand my intention and chuckled at me, then asked how I’ve been doing.
“I was just lucky.”
Hehe. “Well, I heard a Joseon person named Ho Pil has a wisdom equal to Kong Ming’s. The rumors seem to have spread all over.”
Probably because Cheon So-hee was next to me at the incident scene, combined with her quoting Kong Ming’s famous sayings, various rumors are likely flying around.
“How can someone like me be compared to Zhuge Liang? I simply gathered information and received help from Cheon So-hee.”
I responded as humbly as I could. Master Man Geum-jeon looked at me as if he knew everything and smiled.
“That girl says otherwise. She said she only assisted, and you made the jaw-dropping conclusions.”
Looks like Cheon So-hee exaggerated her praises a bit.
“I just came to conclusions based on the information available to me. It’s not that amazing; just basic deductions.”
There were only three choices, so it’s easy to find an answer.
Hehe. “That’s the quality someone who stands above others should have.”
Master Man Geum-jeon said to me with a mischievous smile.
“Standing above others, you say?”
“Those who are above must know how to manage people. They need to be observant, allocate manpower properly, and achieve optimal results. You must know what is right and wrong, and you should be the ultimate decision-maker. That is the virtue of a great merchant.”
Master Man Geum-jeon spoke to me like an aged professor trying to teach his disciple about the world.
I felt flustered.
Suddenly switching to complimenting and teaching mode.
Thinking about it, it somewhat makes sense. With the debts hanging over my head and the opposing force being Cheon So-hee, I guess he’s trying to mold me into an employee under him.
Elder. I’m not interested in being your employee.
I have a plan to cut off both shackles myself.
Deciding to deny Master Man Geum-jeon’s words, the rebellious feeling inside me surged.
“I’ve only tried my best to protect those I carry on my shoulders, not those beneath me.”
I have no intention of ruling like you.
Im Ha-yeon, the Wuhan Joseon Association, and the women I need to protect. I am doing my best for the things I have to take responsibility for.
Standing tall, I looked at Master Man Geum-jeon with a serious expression.
“…You’re right. Haha… That’s how it should be.”
Master Man Geum-jeon smiled at me, looking pleased, as if he were staring beyond my face at someone else.
“…..”
Crap. Was that a reverse effect?
Master Man Geum-jeon rummaged through the remaining documents and nodded, declaring to me:
“You’ve passed the second evaluation. But…”
“Is there more I need to do?”
“In terms of romance, you failed.”
No wonder it seemed like I was breezing through from beginning to end.
“Elder, how can there be an answer to romance?”
Of course, I was a model student who only wrote wrong answers and blank sheets in reality.
“There’s no answer, but there is timing.”
“I’m slowly getting closer to Miss Zhuge.”
You want me to get even closer to Cheon So-hee. Isn’t meddling in the love life of your granddaughter going too far?
What the heck?
When I looked at Master Man Geum-jeon with a puzzled expression, he lifted one corner of his mouth as if he could see through my inner thoughts.
“Slowly… by slowly, you mean the time when this exam is over, right?”
Did he catch on?
———————
“I’ve instructed that the living quarters be prepared on the third floor of the Tea Bookstore.”
There’s no way he could’ve figured out my contract relationship.
This must be Master Man Geum-jeon’s thought process.
Kang Yoon-ho plans to keep his relationship with Cheon So-hee on parallel lines until the exam ends.
If no feelings sprout between the two, I’ll go back to Lady Tang.
I have no feelings, and Cheon So-hee lacks initiative.
Since neither of them intends to get involved, I have no choice but to force it.
That must be the reason Cheon So-hee was kicked out of the mansion.
“Even if it’s your grandfather, letting an unmarried granddaughter live with an outside man will only attract ridicule from society.”
In modern times, even a kiss between lovers signifies a promise to be together for life in this world.
Letting a man and a woman live together under one roof? No matter how Master Man Geum-jeon is, that’s just asking for trouble.
“Who said they could live together?”
Master Man Geum-jeon answered nonchalantly to me.
“Huh?”
“I instructed the girl to live on the third floor, not that you have to come in.”
“…….”
If she’s a girl who’s reluctant to leave her house, is he simply planning for them to meet often at work? That wouldn’t be a big deal.
But what Master Man Geum-jeon said next broke my expectations again.
“However, if the girl lives alone, I won’t allow any trouble in the Tea Bookstore, even if it’s just for protection.”
“She might find it very uncomfortable.”
I assumed that the youngest daughter of the Zhuge family must have handled domestic work properly at this point.
“That girl must learn to become someone’s wife.”
“Ugh…”
What would happen to a girl who’s never done housework even once if she lived alone?
I briefly imagined Cheon So-hee’s life as a lone resident.
Dishes piled high like a mountain. Laundry cast off at unknown times. Dust and hair all over the floor.
What if she come out from the shower and found no dry towels and just grabbed a damp, smelly one?
Nah, she probably wouldn’t live like Kang Mo, who’s at the zero-year mark in living alone.
Then what about meals? Can she even cook?
Aren’t we worried she might collapse from malnutrition?
Hehe. “If there’s a man bothering her nearby, that girl would change too.”
In the end, he’s going for “let her be raised freely,” meaning if I’m worried, I can just come in.
“Cheon So-hee is the youngest daughter of the Zhuge family. If word gets out that she’s living with a guy who is neither a wife nor engaged, there will definitely be trouble from the Zhuge family as well.”
Cheon So-hee belongs solely to the Zhuge family, and they wouldn’t tolerate their precious youngest daughter living with a black-haired guy.
Master Man Geum-jeon, even you would struggle with this, right?
“Her mother has given permission.”
Whaaaaaat??
————————
“I just met with my daughter. She said it was allowed.”
Isn’t she from the Zhuge family?
They should stop the youngest daughter from running around with Kang Yoon-ho. What kind of revolutionary spirit does a mother like that possess?
What’s she thinking? Seriously.
Is she her father’s daughter?
Taking a moment to catch my breath and quickly gather my thoughts, I realized that living with Cheon So-hee isn’t an issue. After all, we are technically in a contract relationship.
The biggest problem is that I won’t be able to help Im Ha-yeon if she gets into trouble.
When I come out of the inn, Im Ha-yeon would be left unprotected.
Oh? Wait a moment.
An idea sparks in my head for a moment.
There is a way to turn Master Man Geum-jeon’s plan around.
“Does Miss Zhuge really have to live on the third floor of the Tea Bookstore?”
“Hmm?”
“I’ve lived in a bookstore, and I know. Waking up in a gloomy room surrounded by musty smells isn’t good for health, and it doesn’t help the romantic atmosphere between a man and a woman. Wouldn’t it be better to live in a nice mansion?”
“You mean not on the third floor, but in a mansion?”
“I’ll live in the same mansion with Miss Zhuge, as you wish, Master Man Geum-jeon. We’ll share a carriage to work and have conversations together. Well. But you must prepare the mansion.”
“Suddenly very proactive, huh? Alright, that’s not difficult.”
The bait is set.
Let’s get straight to the point.
“There’s one problem.”
“Let’s discuss married life after the wedding.”
I’m not even thinking about it.
Let’s play pretend for a moment, just like I’ve hidden my fears behind a mask and acted out my everyday life.
I made a very worried face, filled with dread and concern, then spoke.
“It’s not that. There’s someone in Wuhan who has malicious intent towards me.”
“Malicious intent?”
Instantly, Master Man Geum-jeon’s expression sharpened.
“When I delved into the Lush Green Post Office case, it wasn’t just one postal office; it involves several factions and families in collusion. Although I can’t identify them, I’ve felt a suspicious presence following me for the past few days.”
“Hmmm…”
Master Man Geum-jeon stroked his beard with a slightly angry look on his face.
“I can take care of myself, but it’s embarrassing to admit that I have no talent in Wuhan, so I’m worried I won’t be able to protect Miss Zhuge.”
After all, Master Man Geum-jeon has already lost one granddaughter.
There’s no way he would want to go through that again, right?
“Fine. I’ll allocate some guards and give you a mansion near the Tea Bookstore.”
That’s how it should be!
—————
“How did it go?”
Returning to the office, I passed by a disgruntled Im Ha-yeon and approached a very deflated Cheon So-hee.
Cheon So-hee looked up at me, her expression metaphorically like a puppy waiting for its master, all worn out from crying.
How to say this?
In times like this, it’s better to speak quickly instead of taking turns.
“Miss Zhuge. Let’s live together.”
“Yeah, um, whaaaaaat?”
“I’ve gotten permission from Master Man Geum-jeon. Let’s live together for a while. Would that be okay?”
“O-okay!”
Cheon So-hee’s face flushed as she nodded vigorously, like a machine running at full RPM.
Alright, that’s one hurdle cleared.
“You! What did you just say?! What nonsense are you spouting?!”
I approached Im Ha-yeon, whose eyes could not get any wider.
“You! What is the meaning of this?!”
I barely managed to grab the wildly bucking Im Ha-yeon by the shoulders.
Im Ha-yeon’s face was filled with dissatisfaction.
Did I make this decision without thinking?
I gave her a reassuring look, signaling that it was all part of my plan.
Then I made the second announcement.
“Lady Im Ha-yeon, you should also live with me.”
“Whaaattttttt???”
