“Miss Zhuge. It seems like it will take a while, so why don’t we rest in a quiet place for a bit.”
As Jang Noya stepped away to select the successful candidates, all attention shifted to me and Miss Zhuge.
Miss Zhuge was obviously on edge. If we stayed like this, she might just melt away. I took her out of the room.
“It’s okay to stay seated. I can just hide inside the formation,” she said.
Is hiding even an option?
Miss Zhuge avoided my gaze, as if apologizing.
I get it, given her personality, but still. The bombardment of interest from relatives is overwhelming, and it’s also burdensome when someone else sacrifices themselves for you.
“I’m stressed from being stared at so hard,” she admitted.
At times like this, it’s best to express solidarity. I gave a sheepish smile and spoke my mind.
“Ah! You feel the same way, Master Kang?”
Only then did Miss Zhuge’s expression lighten as she looked up at me.
“The garden is really beautifully arranged. Let’s rest there.”
Just right, as I had something to say to Jeon Gil-san who had gone out first.
“Heh, yes.”
——
“I can’t live like this!!!”
“Um, Mom! Calm down and listen! I really don’t regret it!”
“Does it look like I’m calm right now? Just when I thought you were starting to get your head on straight! This time, I believed in you!”
“Miss Zhuge. Let’s go somewhere else.”
We found our way to a quiet spot in the garden, only to stumble upon someone who was about to blow up. Well then, let’s enjoy the show.
“Hey! Kang Yoon-ho! It’s Hyang!”
I whispered, but did he hear? Jeon Gil-san dashed over to us as if a savior had appeared, fleeing from his mother.
“Haah.”
“Thank you, really. I’m overwhelmed with tears of gratitude, but what’s with the sigh?”
Jeon Gil-san looked at me as if he couldn’t believe it.
“Where do you think you’re running off to?! This is not the time for sighing!”
Oh, what a picturesque slap to the back of the head. Jeon Gil-san’s mother landed a solid hit on her careless son.
“Oof! Mom, let me talk for a bit!”
“What’s there to talk about?!”
“There are things that guys need to discuss! Hyang! Can you give us a moment alone?”
“Eh?”
“Haah. Hyan, come on.”
Jeon Gil-san’s mother looked between me and her son, sighed dramatically, and then took the bewildered Miss Zhuge with her.
———
What should I say to Jeon Gil-san?
“Thanks.”
Of course, that was my starting point. Regardless of the reasons, he supported me even at the cost of his own opportunities.
“Yeah. That’s the first thing.”
Jeon Gil-san nodded, seemingly satisfied.
“What the heck is going on?”
It was as if he wanted an explanation for my decision to go without saying a word.
“I told you, I thought about it and decided it would be better to carry the water jug next to you.”
“No, but seriously.”
“I realized that when I work, I do better under instruction. I guess I’m more suited to being a secondary character than a main lead, like a Zhang Liang who helped establish the Han Dynasty.”
Zhang Liang, the great strategist who assisted Liu Bang in unifying the Han Dynasty. It’s common to say that someone who aims for greatness needs an excellent right-hand person.
“Usually, people saying that should be the mains, right?”
I’ve yet to meet someone using that analogy who was actually decent.
“Stop worrying. Soon, I’ll have you shouting in admiration that I’m your right-hand man. Just listen to what I say next and don’t be shocked.”
“What is it?”
Why is he being so serious all of a sudden? Jeon Gil-san’s expression turned grave.
He looked around cautiously, making sure neither his mother nor Miss Zhuge could hear, then locked eyes with me.
Is this something extremely important?
With an expression that clearly showed he was revealing a significant secret, Jeon Gil-san opened his mouth cautiously.
“Your grandfather has already decided on you.”
“Huh?”
“Not as an heir candidate, but he’s already chosen you as his successor.”
“…….”
Should I be surprised?
Jeon Gil-san stared at me as if he had let slip a crucial secret, then his eyes widened, and he took a step back.
“Ah, did you know?”
“Kind of. But how did you find out?”
I had already heard it all.
Was he disappointed that he wasn’t the one to tell me first? Jeon Gil-san scratched his head with a bitter smile and glanced at his mother far in the distance.
“Grandfather has given you the best of what he has.”
“Are you talking about Miss Zhuge?”
At the spot he glanced, Miss Zhuge was there, wearing an awkward smile. Jeon Gil-san nodded and continued.
“I thought it was strange. I kept my mouth shut not knowing Grandfather’s intentions, but among the cousins, no one can compare to Hyang. Even if she’s a little scatterbrained, she’s beautiful, smart, and full of various talents. She’s from the Zhuge family! Where can you find a bride better than her?”
“She’s too good for a black-haired barbarian.”
I had no reason to deny it.
“At first, I thought it was nothing serious about having a brother-in-law to drink with, but once you became a forced heir candidate, memories of other cousins came flooding back.”
Jeon Gil-san cast a sidelong glance at me while keeping his head still.
“What do you mean?”
“You originally had another fiancée, right?”
“……”
“Don’t get that stiff face. I know that the Baek family head and your maternal grandfather were childhood friends. They were really close. For someone to take the family head’s granddaughter, no matter how close they are, they wouldn’t cross that line. That’s when I realized.”
“What?”
“You’re so desirable that they would risk everything for you. They want you by their side, even if it means giving you the best they have.”
The relief was evident in Jeon Gil-san’s expression as he looked at me.
“……”
“After I figured that out, it made me think. I didn’t intend to give up just because Grandfather thinks that way. But hey, who are you? No matter how much I think about it, my conclusion is the same as Grandfather’s.”
“Jeon Gil-san….”
“Kang Yoon-ho. I believe you can do it. I’ll help you to the best of my ability, so go for it.”
Jeon Gil-san gave my chest a few firm taps with his fist and then extended his hand as if to share everything.
There was no reason to refuse his hand.
It was the hand of a friend who promised to help me.
“The time is up! You have to go back in! Gil-san! I’ll see you at home later!”
Just as Jeon Gil-san vowed to help me, I vowed to trust and support him.
As we shook hands, Jeon Gil-san’s mother’s voice echoed in the distance.
“Ah… hey. After this, can I stay over for a few days?”
I don’t want that.
———
“All has been decided. Thank you all for your hard work.”
The last sixth candidate was chosen. The new competitor continuously greeted me and Man Geum-jeon before taking a seat.
“…….”
Finally, the second test, huh?
I had made it through the first test, thanks to Miss Im Ha-yeon and the Joseon Person Association, without too many worries, but the next test was going to be different.
Everyone was equally tense, wondering what kind of test would come next, maintaining a silent concentration.
Man Geum-jeon seemed very pleased with our nervous expressions, stroking his beard with a smile.
“Let’s begin the next test, Head of Guards.”
“Yes. I’m ready.”
At the Head of Guards’ gesture, two sturdy men brought something forward for us.
“A scroll?”
Before us lay a giant scroll rolled up. The Head of Guards untied the string that held it together tightly.
“Gentlemen, the next test you must face is this.”
A sealed scroll, huh? Is it going to throw a subject at us like previous tests?
Is it maybe an essay question? It wouldn’t be something like “Please make a dish that satisfies Man Geum-jeon,” would it?
The scroll unfurled.
What is it? What’s this test?
“Huh?”
“What the?!”
The scroll’s contents revealed only two characters.
“Chusim(推尋)?”
Chusim. It referred to the act of recovering lent money.
The second test being recovery? Everyone looked at Man Geum-jeon with puzzled expressions.
“The battlefield not only lends money but must also recover it. If you can’t get it back, you become a mere debtor. If the battlefield is treated as just a money box, who needs me to spell it out?”
In the martial world, the battlefield serves as a sort of private bank.
Naturally, there will be times when you lend money, and inevitably, there are people who don’t intend to pay it back.
“Go and recover what you lent.”
The test was undoubtedly fitting to become the successor of the Man Geum Battlefield.
“Are you telling us to become debt collectors?”
One of the candidates seemed flustered and asked Jang Noya.
“Is that something you can’t do?”
“Grandfather, collecting debts….”
“Kids, when you were little, I went to collect debts even with a blade at my throat.”
“……”
Whoa. As expected from the founder of the Man Geum Battlefield. His daughters fell silent at a single remark.
“Head of Guards.”
Man Geum-jeon snickered at his daughters and called for the Head of Guards to continue.
“I will now show the young masters three types of ledgers.”
Once the atmosphere calmed, the Head of Guards produced three small books from his robes.
“Are these the ledgers?”
“Impossible (不可), malicious (惡性), dangerous (危險). They are three types of ledgers organized according to difficulty for your test.”
“Impossible (不可), malicious (惡性), dangerous (危險)?”
“Impossible is as the word suggests. They’re cases we consider impossible to recover. Malicious refers to debtors with significant delinquency. Difficult to receive back. Dangerous contains those who are yet to reach their due date or have just started delinquency. It’s time to send collectors.”
‘This might not be easy.’
It’s no wonder loan sharks employ strongmen as collectors. Just hearing about it sounds tough.
“So, we just need to find someone listed in the ledger and collect the money?”
The Head of Guards shook his head at another candidate’s question.
“You will choose a ledger.”
“A ledger?”
“You may take only one ledger with you when you leave. You need to collect the debts listed in that ledger.”
So, that’s why he mentioned three. It’s too safe for them to send us out alone. Pick one of these ledgers and go face danger. How very nonchalant of him.
“Is there a scoring system for the ledgers?”
“Given that the ledgers are divided, there’s surely a differing weight in Man Geum-jeon’s heart, too.”
Everyone’s gaze turned to confirm this with Man Geum-jeon, but Jang Noya offered no denial.
“Ugh….”
“I’ll give you time to examine the ledgers. Head of Guards.”
“It’s an hourglass. You’ll decide by the time all the sand runs out.”
The sand within the hourglass didn’t seem that plentiful. Perhaps someone shared the same thought as me, and a voice of impatience rang out.
“Grandfather, can we take all three ledgers with us to collect the debts?”
“Assessing the worthiness of the debtor by their standing and determining if they will repay or not is a skill in itself. Look over the ledgers and judge.”
“Ah….”
“I’ll start. Here’s the dangerous ledger.”
He was not only testing for debt recovery capabilities but also for a kind of insight, it seems.
Before I could even process it, the first ledger was placed before me.
‘The dangerous ledger is relatively composed of recoverable people.’
This shouldn’t be too hard. It seems challenging at first glance, but it looks doable.
“Next is the malicious ledger.”
Then came the ledger of malicious difficulty.
“Ah!”
“Huh….”
“What the?!”
Gasps of astonishment escaped. And for good reason.
‘This is the malicious difficulty?’
The malicious ledger contained many names, but there wasn’t a single person that seemed recoverable. Maybe one or two if we worked hard. No, could we even manage that? This felt more like a torture of hope.
What on earth was the impossible ledger, then?
“Lastly, here’s the impossible ledger.”
My curiosity was hardly satisfied.
“Is that… the Head of Guards?!”
“What are you saying?!”
The first ledger presented a blockade.
Now, instead of gasping, we heard screams tinged with disbelief.
The Head of Guards is comparable to a mayor in modern terms. While a notch above, he once nearly lost his head for trying to expose the corruption of a sub-leader.
If the Head of Guards is in debt, how many would nod if I told them to collect from him?
Impossible (不可).
The names listed on the ledger clearly belonged to individuals for whom collecting was beyond possible.
‘The malicious level might mean it’s risky if I try, but with the impossible level, my life might be in danger.’
Looking at the personal information within the ledger, these were individuals the black-haired barbarians wouldn’t even dare speak to.
“Now, we’ll set the hourglass.”
We must choose one of the three ledgers. What to choose?
‘None of the others are even touching the impossible ledger.’
It’s a test. You’d score zero if you don’t get high marks. It’s too risky of a choice. I should stick with either the dangerous or malicious level.
As I was about to put down the impossible ledger like the others,
I accidentally made eye contact with Jang Noya.
Will you give up too?
Didn’t I say I’d prove myself? I could catch a fleeting hint of disappointment in Jang Noya’s eyes.
No! Elder! This is too much and simply impossible. Other candidates can be one of the countless sons of the infinite, and for a black-haired barbarian, how…
Wait a second.
I opened the ledger again.
‘What if… maybe?!’
If my prediction is correct.
“Close the books.”
Time slipped away far too quickly.
“Kang Yoon-ho, please choose your ledger first.”
From the moment I decided, there was no time to thoroughly investigate all three.
Even so.
“Impossible.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ll choose the impossible ledger.”
