Chapter 661: I’ll Invest. In That Merchant Guild.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 661: I’ll Invest. In That Merchant Guild.
"It’s never too late to scale up a business once you’ve proven its commercial viability."
Sun-woo continued, his expression firm.
It was a mistake common among novice entrepreneurs—trying to grow a business big, wide, and grand right out of the gate without any understanding of the market, analysis, or proof of profit.
They did it because they assumed a bigger business meant more money.
Even without seeing any actual profit, they would look at their growing enterprise and think only of the money that would surely roll in later.
It was a incredibly dangerous way of thinking.
Business was a beast that could be utterly ruined by even the slightest, most unnoticeable misalignment.
And yet, these two, who were just starting out, had the audacity to talk about recruiting investors and expanding their scale?
It was preposterous.
"But... if the scale is small... we’ll only make pocket change..."
Yorang spoke up, her lips curled in a pout after hearing Sun-woo’s words.
"......I... agree with her. If the scale is small, the returns are bound to be small as well. In business, momentum is everything."
Neung So-hwa nodded in agreement and continued.
"Think about it. Between a large merchant guild and a small one, which would you trust more? Wouldn't it be the larger one? That is what momentum is. Furthermore, did I not mention it? The Imperial Court has agreed to adjust the customs duties. Investors will flock to us like mad. To refuse investment and insist on starting with small capital in such a situation... it is simply absurd."
Neung So-hwa began to lay out her own logic, arguing the necessity of a large-scale operation.
It seemed she, like Yorang, had no desire for a small-scale business.
'Sigh.'
Sun-woo let out a long sigh inwardly.
He felt a wave of frustration at the two of them, who seemed to see the trees but miss the forest.
He could excuse Yorang since she was ignorant of the ways of the world, but he hadn't expected even the brilliant Neung So-hwa to take business so lightly.
"Right now, neither of you is thinking about the potential for loss at all."
Sun-woo continued, his tone becoming quite serious.
"You’re only thinking about the money you’ll make, which is why you’re obsessed with scaling up."
"You have to think about succeeding!"
Yorang raised her voice.
She didn't like Sun-woo’s words, which felt like he was throwing cold water on their plans when he should have been wishing them luck.
"She is right, Sun-woo. Have you not heard that one must first envision success to draw closer to it?"
Neung So-hwa added, agreeing with Yorang.
"Just because you want things to go well doesn't mean you can gloss over the practical realities."
Sun-woo remained firm.
"What exactly is the problem? Have we not already secured our primary customer base?"
Neung So-hwa asked, looking as if she truly didn't understand.
"You haven't secured them. You’ve only predicted that they will be there."
Sun-woo shook his head and spoke.
"Your proposal is certainly persuasive. If we use your Imperial connections for promotion, foreign snacks could become a trend among the wealthy class. If we’re lucky, they could establish themselves as luxury goods, providing a steady stream of profit."
Sun-woo continued calmly.
"Then what is the problem?"
Neung So-hwa asked, sounding puzzled.
Everything was perfect. Why was he opposing them so vehemently?
"It’s all based on assumptions."
Sun-woo spoke in a composed tone.
Her proposal was indeed persuasive.
If they enjoyed the promotional effects of her connections...
Foreign snacks might indeed become a fad among the wealthy.
As she said, the psychology of imitation could kick in.
But all of this was merely a possibility.
It hadn't happened yet. It wasn't proven.
"International trade is full of variables. Goods can be damaged, and if you don't establish proper supply lines, you’ll often find yourself coming back empty-handed because you couldn't source the products. Expanding the scale in this situation is far too reckless."
Sun-woo looked at the two women with a sharp gaze.
The import-export business between nations was a venture fraught with variables.
Various problems could arise depending on the local situation.
Goods could be ruined by the weather.
Unexpected friction with locals could prevent a deal from happening.
And since they were traveling long distances, they had to account for the possibility of attacks by mountain bandits or marauders.
Especially for a first-timer trying to open a new trade route, the likelihood of being swayed by these chaotic local conditions was high.
So how could they drastically increase the scale of the business?
Especially when they didn't even have accurate data on demand yet.
It was no different from being determined to go bankrupt.
"To succeed in business, you need accurate analysis, reliable data, and a proven track record. But right now, you have none of those, do you?"
Sun-woo looked at Neung So-hwa with a piercing gaze.
"And in this situation, you want to attract investment and grow the business? Are you in your right mind?"
"..........."
"Sure, getting investment will be easy. You’ve lowered the customs rates, and you, a Commandery Princess, are involved. Even if the business proposal is amateurish, people will invest without much doubt. The name of the Imperial Family carries that much weight."
Sun-woo continued in a level voice.
"In that situation, what do you think happens if the imported snack business fails?"
Sun-woo asked, looking at both Neung So-hwa and Yorang.
"....The investors will lose their money."
".....We’ll all go down together."
Hearing his words, the two women answered in dejected voices.
"Exactly. Everyone will go down together. And they’ll lose their money."
Sun-woo nodded.
"The people who invested because they trusted the name of the Imperial Family and Princess Gyeonghwa will all be ruined."
"That investment capital will represent a lot of things. It might be the small savings a farmer tucked away bit by bit every day. It might be the money a servant received after decades of labor. It could be a young man’s wedding fund, or the retirement savings of an elderly couple hoping to finally rest."
"............"
"If the business fails, the investors won't even be able to recover their principal. And the burden will fall entirely on them. Is that what you want?"
Sun-woo asked Neung So-hwa, his eyes filled with absolute sincerity.
".......No."
Neung So-hwa denied it, her expression drooping.
She didn't want that.
She didn't want to see people who invested blindly lose everything because of her greed.
"Do you want those people to live miserable lives?"
Sun-woo turned his gaze to Yorang and asked.
"..........No."
Yorang answered weakly.
She wanted financial independence.
But she didn't want others to become unhappy because of her greed.
To become a Yokai Immortal, she had to accumulate good karma.
She couldn't cause great harm to others out of greed.
Moreover, the thought of others suffering because of her made her heart ache with guilt.
In such a situation, she couldn't stubbornly insist on her way.
"You only seek investment when you have certainty. Attracting investment for an uncertain business by borrowing prestige is a scam."
Sun-woo spoke with a scolding expression.
"............."
"............"
The two women fell silent.
He wasn't wrong. Every single word he said was right.
Because of that, they had nothing to say.
They had almost ruined other people's lives out of thoughtlessness; what could they possibly say?
".......I'm sorrrryyyy.."
Finally, Yorang apologized sorrowfully.
"......I... am also sorry... My thinking was shallow."
Neung So-hwa followed suit and apologized.
She had realized just how big of a disaster she had almost caused.
"It’s because you didn't know. It’s okay."
Sun-woo spoke in a calm tone.
He knew well that they had no ill intent.
He knew better than anyone how kind-hearted these women were.
Though Yorang was a spiritual being who had shed her form as a Human-Faced Spider to become human, she was more human than most humans.
There was no way such a Yorang would intentionally deceive someone for profit.
Neung So-hwa was a member of the Imperial Family, carrying the noblest blood in the Central Plains.
Yet she was neither arrogant nor overbearing.
She was simply a woman who knew how to give and how to be considerate.
There was no way such a Neung So-hwa would try to trick others.
Both of them simply hadn't known. They hadn't known the risks of business.
"..........I'll... save up money... and start... on a small scale... Sun-woo..."
Yorang spoke, looking dejected.
"I shall invest. If it fails, then only I shall be ruined, will I not?"
Neung So-hwa spoke as she looked at Yorang.
It seemed she was trying to comfort her in her own way.
"Why are you starting with the assumption that we'll fail!?"
Yorang flared up, raising her voice.
She found it deeply unpleasant that she was speaking as if failure was a given.
"It was just a figure of speech. I did not mean we would fail!"
"Liar! You think we're going to fail too, don't you!"
"Wh... what are you talking about...... how could that be?"
Hearing Yorang’s words, Neung So-hwa spoke with a flustered expression.
In truth, after hearing Sun-woo’s lecture, she had begun to harbor negative thoughts that it might not work out.
So when Yorang hit the nail on the head, she couldn't help but be flustered.
"You're stuttering."
Yorang narrowed her eyes and questioned her.
"........You are mistaken."
Neung So-hwa blushed in embarrassment and tried to deny it.
"Fine! I'll save my own money and do it! I don't need So-hwa's help!"
Yorang shouted, her voice rising.
Her pride had been wounded.
"Calm down.... Yorang..... I did not mean it.... It is just that, listening to Sun-woo.... I thought it might be a bit dangerous."
"How can the person who proposed the business say that!"
Yorang shouted, genuinely angry.
The very person who had gotten her all hyped up was now doubting the business, and it made her blood boil.
"......For that....... I have no excuse."
Neung So-hwa lowered her head slightly, feeling guilty.
Her sense of apology toward Yorang surged.
"Fine! Importing snacks! Founding a merchant guild! I'll do it all by saving my monthly salary!"
Yorang declared loudly.
"But..... if you do that.... will it not take too long? I shall lend you the money..."
"Forget it! I'm not talking to So-hwa."
Having finished her piece, Yorang snapped her head away.
'.......Oh dear.'
Seeing this, Neung So-hwa looked troubled.
It seemed Yorang was well and truly sulking.
"How about me instead of So-hwa?"
Sun-woo, who had been watching them quietly, finally spoke up.
""Huh?!""
The two women jumped in surprise and looked at Sun-woo.
Their expressions showed they hadn't expected this at all.
"I’ll invest. In that merchant guild."
Sun-woo spoke in a calm tone.
"Is that true!?"
"Is it really true!?"
The two women asked Sun-woo, their faces filled with doubt.
They were questioning if he was actually serious.
"Yeah."
Sun-woo nodded slightly in affirmation.
"Wh... why?"
Yorang looked at him, looking lost.
She couldn't understand it.
Just moments ago, Sun-woo had been passionately lecturing them on the dangers of the business.
For that same Sun-woo to suddenly flip his position and offer to invest was baffling.
"Because I want to invest."
Sun-woo replied simply.
"But earlier, you said..... it was a dangerous business....."
Yorang spoke hesitantly.
"What business isn't dangerous? Anything involving money is risky."
Sun-woo dismissed her concern with a casual look.
"........You said international trade has too many variables...."
"It has many variables, but the potential profit is just as large."
"..............Are you really... going to invest?"
Yorang asked, still looking suspicious.
She suspected he might be playing a prank on her.
"Have you ever seen me lie?"
Sun-woo looked at the suspicious Yorang as if she were adorable and spoke.
"Yes."
Yorang affirmed immediately, without a second of hesitation.
"When did I ever..... you brat."
Sun-woo scowled deeply.
"Sun-woo, do you have no conscience? Or are you just pretending not to remember?"
Yorang asked him, sounding genuinely curious.
She was baffled by his shameless attitude.
"How can you be so shameless when it hasn't even been that long since you were talking nonsense?"
".............."
Sun-woo fell silent at Yorang’s sharp, piercing words.
Every single word felt like a direct hit to his heart.
"Should I list every single lie you've told, one by one?"
Yorang asked, her eyes sparkling.
"......No."
Sun-woo shook his head.
Knowing Yorang’s incredible memory, she probably would recite every single lie he’d ever told.
"..........Is your promise to invest a lie too?"
Yorang looked at Sun-woo, still skeptical.
Her trust in him had plummeted even further.
"I might just not invest at all then."
Sun-woo spoke to her with a stern expression.
He had tried to do something nice for once, but this little troublemaker wasn't helping.
"Eeeek..... No, you can't do that~!"
At Sun-woo’s words, Yorang immediately dropped her suspicious gaze and lunged at him.
Realizing Sun-woo was serious, she immediately turned on the charm.
Flump.
Yorang threw herself directly into Sun-woo’s arms.
"You little minx."
Sun-woo looked down at Yorang in his arms.
He thought it was quite cunning of her to act so shrewdly in moments like this, despite usually behaving like a child.
"Hehehehe...... That's right.... I'm a minx... How did you know?"
Yorang smiled playfully as she spoke.
Chuckles.
Hearing that, Sun-woo let out a small chuckle.
It wasn't a bad feeling at all.