Chapter 463: Where Are You and What Are You Doing, Benefactor?
Chapter 463: Where Are You and What Are You Doing, Benefactor?
One never realizes it on the day it happens.
It is only when years have passed and one looks back that the realization finally dawns.
Ah! That was the day my life changed.
For Yong Ja-myeong, that day had finally come.
It wasn't simply because his life had been snatched from the brink of death. It was because his entire outlook on the world had been transformed.
"I was brimming with confidence back then," he reminisced.
He had every reason to be. He was young, intelligent, and possessed such a keen eye for business that everything he touched turned to gold.
"I felt that even sleeping was a waste of time. Money was scattered everywhere, and I felt that if I didn't pick it up first, someone else would."
In his youth, he was utterly consumed by the thrill of the hunt. No other emotion could rival the joy of turning a profit.
"Success followed success. It felt as if all the world's fortune was concentrating on me alone. Yet, I didn't become arrogant. If anything, I was more humble and worked harder. Even so, the misfortune destined for me eventually found its mark."
Yong Ja-myeong looked down at his wine cup in silence. In the reflection on the surface of the liquor, he saw the ghost of his younger self.
*
"Leader, you are going to become the God of Merchants!"
Man So spoke with a broad, toothy grin.
"Don't go gilding my reputation for nothing," Yong Ja-myeong replied, shaking his head with a laugh. His smile, which always put others at ease, was the same even in his youth.
"It’s not mere flattery. You know how many merchants I’ve met, don't you? Just you wait and see; you will definitely become the greatest merchant of all."
It had been about three or four years since he had first met Man So. The man made a living doing various odd jobs for merchant groups. He scouted product information, recruited laborers, and connected merchants with wandering ronin. To put it kindly, he was versatile; to put it bluntly, he handled the dirty work. Because he threw himself into the merchant group's affairs as if they were his own, everyone in the Silver River Merchant Group liked him.
Then, one day...
"We have arrived."
The two men entered a small manor. Man So had brought him here to introduce him to someone new.
"Now that the merchant group has established itself, it's time to recruit martial artists. We can't delay any longer."
This was before Yong Ja-myeong had formed a bond with Baek Chong; at this time, the merchant group had no martial artists of its own. For transporting goods, they used escort agencies, and for general affairs, they relied on the staff who had been there from the start. When they occasionally needed protection, they hired mercenaries through Man So's introductions.
However, as the scale of the merchant group grew, so did the need for dedicated guards. Both the value and the volume of the goods they handled had increased. It was no longer a matter that could be solved by having able-bodied laborers take turns watching the warehouse.
Yet, Yong Ja-myeong had been unable to make a decision easily.
What if those martial artists harbor ulterior motives?
The worry never left his mind. It was his nature to be cautious, to not trust others easily. Eventually, however, he had been persuaded by Man So to meet a master.
"What kind of martial artist are you introducing?"
"A trustworthy person. If he isn't to your liking, Leader, you don't have to hire him."
Yong Ja-myeong figured that if it was someone Man So trusted, they must be reliable. The man had never disappointed him once.
He had no idea that today would be the day that streak ended.
His first impression of the waiting martial artist was poor. There was a lecherous glint in the man's sharp eyes, and he radiated a cunning, oily aura. From the jagged scar on his face to his twisted lips, everything about him was off-putting.
"It is a pleasure to meet you."
At Yong Ja-myeong's greeting, the martial artist merely smirked. The sight of it made Yong Ja-myeong’s skin crawl. He glanced at Man So standing beside him.
Is this the person you called 'trustworthy'?
Man So was smiling as usual. But just as Yong Ja-myeong began to feel that the smile seemed strangely unfamiliar, the martial artist spoke.
"Is it this guy?"
At those words, which dripped with foul intent, Yong Ja-myeong's heart sank.
The martial artist picked up a wine bottle from the table, swigged directly from it, and then swept the documents beside it onto the floor.
"Sign it."
*
Yong Ja-myeong returned to the present.
"It was a scheme Man So pulled off by bringing in that martial artist. Do you know what I was truly afraid of back then?"
Geom Mu-geuk asked as he poured wine into the older man's cup. "What was it?"
"The fact that my death would be a dog's death—utterly meaningless."
Geom Mu-geuk understood the weight of those words perfectly. "They were after a relatively small amount of money, then."
Yong Ja-myeong nodded.
"The money they tried to seize was a mere few thousand taels. Of course, it would be a fortune to some, but to me, who was firmly establishing the foundation of the merchant group at the time, it wasn't that much. Their plan was likely just to embezzle the goods that had arrived at the warehouse. It was possible as long as they had documents with my signature. Man So had helped with our logistics frequently, after all."
"Man So must have had a rough idea of your financial status, Leader."
"He would have known."
"Then why didn't he aim for a larger sum?"
"The martial artist he conspired with was no ordinary man. It was the Yin Blood Ghost, who was notorious at the time."
The Yin Blood Ghost.
He was a depraved predator who had gained infamy in the Murim years ago. He was a man the Murim Alliance had designated a Public Enemy for raping and murdering countless women regardless of age.
"At the time, the bastard was fleeing from someone. He joined hands with Man So because he needed to secure escape funds quickly. The two had known each other for a long time."
All of those details were facts that only came to light later.
"Can you believe it? I lived a life that had nothing to do with such scum, yet I ended up entangled with a monster like that."
Geom Mu-geuk listened in silence. His role right now was to be a witness to the story.
"I asked Man So, 'You have a rough idea of how much wealth I have, don't you? So why did you commit such an act for a mere few thousand taels?'"
Yong Ja-myeong's face flushed as if he were reliving the moment.
"Then, the man smiled shamelessly and said, 'Then give me more, if it bothers you so much.'"
Fury clouded Yong Ja-myeong's face.
"I was truly enraged. Not at him, but at myself for being deceived. He was a foul creature who associated with a lecher in the first place, yet I hadn't noticed even a hint of his true nature."
"So, what happened next?"
Yong Ja-myeong drank, and Geom Mu-geuk refilled his cup. These were words that couldn't be spoken without the aid of alcohol.
"First, he started beating me."
*
Thud! Crack!
As the beating continued, Yong Ja-myeong cried out in agony.
"I'll sign! I'll do it!"
The one beating him wasn't the Yin Blood Ghost, but Man So.
He didn't even pretend to listen, raining down relentless blows. Yong Ja-myeong knew the man was trying to break his spirit. Even merchants sometimes need to break an opponent's will during a deal; Man So had chosen the most extreme and violent method.
When someone who has never been in a fight is exposed to violence for the first time, they tend to surrender easily. Shocked, pained, and terrified... Am I really going to be beaten to death like this? One's spirit is bound to crumble in an instant. It was a terror that those who haven't experienced it could never truly understand.
"Please! Stop!"
Yong Ja-myeong curled into a ball, shielding his head. He was in despair. It wasn't just the pain; it was the fact that these men had shown their faces and were carrying this out so openly.
They are going to kill me anyway.
Man So, having stopped the beating, hauled Yong Ja-myeong up by his collar.
"Now, sign."
Yong Ja-myeong knew he would die the moment the ink dried.
"I'll give you more money. A truly massive amount..."
Thud!
Man So's fist flew again. An even more brutal beating began. Man So knew Yong Ja-myeong well. He knew that because he was a smart man, he wouldn't sign easily. That was why he was trying to beat the very soul out of him.
Even while screaming, Yong Ja-myeong had only one thought.
I have to live. I don't want to die at the hands of a bastard like this!
The man hauled Yong Ja-myeong up again. In the background, the Yin Blood Ghost was pacing by the window. He seemed anxious, as if he could feel a shadow looming over him.
"Finish it quickly!"
At his words, Man So hurried Yong Ja-myeong. "Sign."
"I'll give you my entire fortune. So..."
Thud! Thud!
Even the pain could not overcome the primal fear of death. Tears streamed from Yong Ja-myeong's eyes. He cried because it hurt, and he cried because it was so profoundly unfair.
How hard had he lived? He had worked while cutting back on sleep. He had tried his best to treat the people of the merchant group well. And the end of all that effort was a death in a gutter like this?
He shouldn't have trusted people. He had claimed to be cautious, yet he had let his guard down.
'You are going to become the God of Merchants!'
This was the result of being intoxicated by those sweet words. By the time he came to his senses, the trap had already snapped shut.
Please save me.
He prayed to the heavens. If there was a god of merchants, he prayed to that god as well.
If you save me! If you only save me!
Before he could even finish his vow, the door was kicked open.
*
With a face full of emotion, Yong Ja-myeong said, "That person walked in through there."
Geom Mu-geuk imagined the moment. He pictured the image of his young father.
"When that person entered, I felt the very air in the room change."
Yong Ja-myeong closed his eyes and recalled the scene. If the previous memories were of pain, from here on, they were memories of joy and longing.
"How should I describe this man?"
Seeing Yong Ja-myeong struggle for words, Geom Mu-geuk smiled. It wouldn't be easy to describe him based on such a brief encounter.
"First, I thought he was incredibly handsome."
"More than me?"
At Geom Mu-geuk's question, Yong Ja-myeong nodded firmly.
"I think you've briefly forgotten who I am," Geom Mu-geuk joked.
"I'm sorry, but he is my benefactor."
"I'll take it as you adding 'benefactor points' to his score."
Yong Ja-myeong smiled at the joke. Since it was a pleasant story now, he was more relaxed.
"He was handsome, yet he radiated a feeling of immense, crushing strength. He was somehow cold and haughty. I don't know how else to describe him."
Father's appearance in his youth... I want to see it so badly myself, Geom Mu-geuk thought. To the point where I wish I could have been there.
"The moment he saw him, the Yin Blood Ghost began to tremble. That was the first time I had ever seen such extreme terror on a human face. I realized then that the reason the bastard had been anxious the whole time was because of that man. And what happened next was instantaneous. There was a flash of brilliant light, and that lecherous bastard was carved into pieces. He collapsed, his form unrecognizable. As a martial artist, you might like this kind of story, but in truth, my eyes couldn't even follow the movement."
Seeing as he was torn to pieces, he must have made Father quite angry, Geom Mu-geuk mused. He probably raped and murdered a woman from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
"So, what did you do?"
"At first, I was frozen, unable to speak. When that man looked over at me, I shouted, 'Please save me! I am not an accomplice of these men!'"
Yong Ja-myeong returned once more to that day, to that very spot in the past.
*
He still remembered it. That gaze that had looked upon him.
The gaze was asking for a reason. Why should I believe you? Why should I let you live?
Yong Ja-myeong instinctively felt that his life or death depended on his answer. What should he say? His mind raced, but his mouth was already moving. He hoped his instincts were right.
"That man who tried to kill me always said... that I would become the God of Merchants. I want to achieve that."
He didn't know why he had said those words. They had just tumbled out of his mouth.
The man didn't handle things based on intuition alone. He went to the table and looked at the contract lying there. He confirmed that it was a situation where someone was being forced to sign.
This time, the man looked at Man So.
"This man is lying. He is..."
The man waited, but the next words didn't come. Man So possessed the eloquence to spin a plausible lie even in the face of death, but today was different. The moment he met the gaze of the man silently observing him, his voice failed him.
He had lived his entire life in hypocrisy and lies, but in this final moment, he died truthfully, unable to utter a single deception.
With a flash of light, his body was cleaved in two.
"Please, tell me your name, Benefactor!" Yong Ja-myeong had cried out.
But the man left the place without a word.
"I will become the world's greatest merchant and surely repay you!"
He made the promise to that man that he hadn't been able to make to the heavens.
It was a pity. He wished the man had at least said something to take credit, or at the very least, smiled at him. But he left just as abruptly as he had arrived.
*
"That is what happened that day."
Geom Mu-geuk raised his wine cup. Yong Ja-myeong clinked his cup against it. The two drank in silence. For a moment, they both thought of the same person.
"You kept your promise to become the world's greatest merchant."
"But he doesn't know that, does he?"
That was his greatest regret. He wanted to meet that man and tell him.
Do you remember? I am the man you saved back then. As I said then, I have become the greatest merchant.
If only he could say those words, he felt he would have no lingering regrets. He could have just brushed it off as luck, but for some reason, he kept thinking of that man. It felt as if they were entangled by the chains of fate.
"I searched everywhere to find my benefactor, but I couldn't. No one had seen him. Sometimes, I even think... did I just dream it all?"
It was a shame. He was getting older every year. That man must have aged as well. How had he changed? What was he doing with his life?
"Do you happen to have a portrait of him?"
At that, Yong Ja-myeong pulled a piece of paper from his breast pocket. He took it out carefully, as if it might crumble at the slightest touch.
"I always carry it with me."
The paper, folded neatly inside a silk cloth, was old and discolored. Its edges looked as if they might tear at any moment.
"This is the original I drew back then. I was going to make hundreds of copies to find him, but I stopped. I thought it might be a nuisance to him."
Geom Mu-geuk looked at the face drawn on the old paper. The colors had faded so much that someone seeing it for the first time might not even recognize it, but within the lines, Geom Mu-geuk saw his father.
Father.
So this is how I get to see Father's youth.
"I can't remember his face very well anymore," Yong Ja-myeong sighed.
He had thought he would never forget. No, he had been certain of it. But like the paper the portrait was drawn on, the memory had grown increasingly faint as the years passed.
Yong Ja-myeong watched Geom Mu-geuk as he stared at the portrait. He saw a deep, aching longing in those clear eyes.
Why is he looking at it like that?
In the next moment, Yong Ja-myeong flinched.
The man's face, which had been growing faint as if shrouded in mist, began to emerge in his mind's eye. It was a face that had been fading recently, but now it appeared as clearly as if the rescue had happened yesterday.
Benefactor!
He was so glad to see that face clearly. It was as vivid as if the man were standing right in front of him.
But why?
What did the reason matter? This feeling of joy was what was important.
I have grown so old, yet you are the same. Benefactor, where are you and what are you doing now? Are you perhaps suffering because you have no money? I have plenty of money. Please, find me quickly and let me repay that debt!
Then, he happened to glance at Geom Mu-geuk.
"!"
Goosebumps broke out all over his body. It was because he felt that the benefactor from back then and the Geom Mu-geuk before him now felt... similar. It was as if the man from that time were sitting right in front of him. Their features weren't even that similar, yet the essence was identical.
At that very moment!
"...Could it be?"
Over the face of the young benefactor, another person's face began to overlap.
The face of the person who had summoned him here.
The face of the Absolute Master of this era.
The face of the Heavenly Demon, Geom Wu-jin, crossed the long span of time to overlap with the face of the young benefactor.
The two faces became exactly one.