Chapter 19
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: The Dojo Awaits Its First Student
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"Senior Brother."
"What?"
"Are we really just going to leave it like this...?"
"Hm, it's a bit rough around the edges, sure. But when you're first setting up a shell game like this, this much is plenty."
A shell game is always a little sloppy and makeshift by nature.
I'd learned that over years of drifting through Luoyang's gambling dens, watching with my own eyes and experiencing it firsthand.
But to Wang Mun-gi, who was a total novice at this sort of thing, it was completely incomprehensible.
"No, Senior Brother. No matter how I think about it, this just doesn't feel right."
"What's not right this time?"
"Everything! From one to ten!"
Wang Mun-gi shot up from his seat, raising his voice.
"Look at this gate. You said you'd fix it properly once the money started rolling in, but it's still just the temporary patch I slapped together."
"Well..."
Why bother, when you can fix it and even build a new one?
Not exactly.
'There are so many expenses coming up for the next steps. No need to waste money on pointless stuff.'
I averted my eyes from Wang Mun-gi as he vented his frustration in front of the gate.
He might be my junior brother, but when that burly face of his flushed with anger, even I felt a bit intimidated.
"Senior Brother! Are you even listening to me?"
"I'm listening, yeah. Listening just fine."
"Then what about the cracked training ground floor? I could patch or rebuild the gate if it gets smashed, but the training ground? I've got no fix for that."
"What? The floor's cracked? Since when?"
"See? I knew it."
Wang Mun-gi snorted like an enraged tiger and unleashed a torrent of nagging.
The guy had so much to say he didn't pause for breath, rattling off every complaint under the sun.
But I didn't even pretend to listen. Instead, I bolted to the training ground to check the floor myself.
The gate could be a little rickety, but if there were issues with the training facilities, it might cause problems housing the swarm of trainees that could come pouring in.
"Hm... yeah, there's a bit of a crack in the floor."
"A bit? A bit? Senior Brother, how is this 'a bit'? It's one big crack away from splitting wide open."
Wang Mun-gi stomped the floor with his two-hundred-jin frame—thud! thud!—fuming all the while.
"Senior Brother, come on. When we spend money, let's spend it right. Let's pave the training ground with fancy blue steel stone like Mount Hua Sect, plant flowers and trees all around the estate for some nice landscaping..."
Having shouldered all the repairs alone just because of his massive build, he had a lot of pent-up frustration. This time, he even insisted on replacing every roof tile.
But I cut him off without a hint of hesitation.
"Mun-gi."
"Yes, Senior Brother."
"Forgot how much debt the branch is in right now?"
I held up three fingers with a wry smile.
"Three thousand nyang. That's just the principal we borrowed from the Gold Money House, using the estate as collateral."
"......"
"We could barely scrape by paying the interest, let alone the principal. You think we can splash cash around just because we've got a little lump sum now?"
"......Sorry, Senior Brother. I was short-sighted."
The cold hard reality of money talk made Wang Mun-gi's flared nostrils deflate instantly as he hung his head.
He apologized in a choked voice.
"Waking up to five hundred nyang overnight must've gone to my head."
"Chin up. A real man's pride is worth a fortune—can't have it bending like that so easily."
"But..."
"Anyone who's never handled big money their whole life gets a windfall like that, and they're bound to feel it. Happens to everyone."
"......"
"I've been there myself. So don't beat yourself up."
Tap tap.
I gave his shoulder a light pat of encouragement.
Then, seeing his slumped shoulders, I let out a bitter chuckle and naturally shifted my gaze elsewhere.
In the corner of the training ground stood the makeshift wooden practice swords and straw dummies.
They bugged me just as much as the spiderweb cracks in the floor.
'Maybe Mun-gi had a point. Should've spent properly when spending.'
Even a shell game needs some decent presentation to draw a crowd.
And for it to succeed as planned, you had to plant shills in the right spots.
Once interest started building, seed rumors naturally in the inns, hype the crowd based on the vibe.
That's the trick: draw eyes, keep piling on the fuel so attention doesn't fizzle. Textbook shell game management.
I knew all that—so why skimp?
Simple: money.
'If I had plenty, I'd set it up perfectly from the start. You think I wanted to half-ass it?'
Five hundred nyang.
Not chump change, but hardly a fortune.
Patch up the rundown estate, pay off all the small debts to folks around town, stock the empty coffers a bit, set aside cash to grease I Chun-sam's palm...
One hundred nyang left?
Figuring in daily dojo expenses, we'd have less than that in spare change.
And only if operations normalized this month.
If my predictions flopped and we twiddled thumbs for a month straight, that spare cash could vanish like smoke.
In front of the juniors, I talked big. Truth was, I was just as anxious inside.
If only I'd secured some Black Society King Yama Debt for quick cash...
But advising them to offload stolen goods faster led to a spat with their boss, losing my go-to fence.
'Idiots. They barely kept their necks after I pulled strings—should be grateful. But they drag their feet on fences over their losses. Tsk.'
Keep that up, and they'll end up as floaters one day.
But I couldn't waste time fretting over the Black Society boss's safety.
He had money for luxuries till he croaked. One slip-up here, and we'd be back to starving like before.
'Sigh. To avoid that mess, quit overthinking and focus on making this work.'
I shook off the spiraling worries.
"Mun-gi, before the crowds hit, let's scout for anything else that needs fixing."
"Got it."
We inspected beyond the floor—any glaring issues—and patched what we found with quick fixes.
Worked through the morning, scarfed a simple lunch soaked in sweat, then...
Afternoon: sat on the porch, staring endlessly at the gate. Like a dog pining for its owner.
"Senior Brother."
"......"
"From dawn till sunset, not a single ant shows up... This can't be right, can it?"
Unlike morning, anger laced Wang Mun-gi's voice.
"Yeo Chu-sam... said pulling eyes was easier than free rice cakes, swore he'd drag at least a hundred by end of day... All talk, that rat!"
Grind!
Definitely teeth gnashing, but to me, it sounded like bones snapping.
Gulp.
I eyed him warily and swallowed dryly.
His rage at Yeo Chu-sam peaking meant it'd inevitably spill over to me. Obvious as day.
'Chu-sam, what the hell have you been doing all day? Not one single person?'
Anxiety crept in unbidden.
Was it fear the dojo shell game would flop? Or dread of him snapping, 'Where's the guy who swore this would boom from the start and make us all rich?' Hard to tell.
'Chu-sam, one empty day like this, and we'll all go mad. Somehow, drag at least one before sunset.'
I clasped my hands on my thigh, praying desperately.
Heaven must've heard—for an answer came swift.
Creeeak!
The barely-patched gate swung open. Wang Mun-gi and I leaped up, fists clenched.
"Oh yeah, finally!"
"Here we go!"
But the face entering the gate hit us with crushing disappointment. We sighed deeply.
And grumbled curtly.
"Chu-sam, that you?"
"Swore a hundred at least, huh? Came back empty-handed after all?"
"Huh? What're you talking about? Empty-handed?"
Yeo Chu-sam protested: no way no one came, must be a mix-up.
But Mun-gi wouldn't hear excuses.
"Tch. Screw it up, own it. Why's your tongue so silver today?"
"No, I'm not making stuff up..."
"Some days are good, some bad. Can't fill up on the first bite."
"Senior Brother, I'm telling you, Luoyang's buzzing because of us!"
"Enough. No need to explain."
I cut him off with a warm, understanding smile.
Praised his hard work: up at dawn printing flyers, trudging streets since early morning.
"Argh, I'm losing my mind!"
Yeo Chu-sam pounded his chest, venting why no one believed him.
His act was convincing enough to make me wonder... but no people, not even a stray pup, anywhere near.
"Aaaargh! Why won't you believe me?!"
He'd skipped meals, slaved all day for nothing—furious, he stomped and howled like a madman.
Finally exhausted, panting, he gasped something about a mix-up. Vowed to fetch people himself to prove it.
"You two, stay put! I'll go get 'em right now and show you..."
As the hyped-up liar whirled to leave—
Creeeak!
Gate hinges screeched again. A shadowy figure shuffled in, clutching a crumpled flyer.
"......Here to take the entrance exam."