The First-Day Frenzy
Jingle, jangle!
"Little brother, starting from the first of next month, come to the branch every day and train hard."
Having finally pried five nyang from the dark-skinned man's pouch, Yeo Chu-sam strutted up to me, looking insufferably smug.
"Senior brother, don't you trust me even now?"
"Hmm."
"No, of course not. We've only hooked one guy so far. This won't satisfy you yet."
Yeo Chu-sam curled his lip slyly.
"What was it you said earlier? 'A dog's first hand is still a dog's hand'?"
"Ahem! Chu-sam, that was..."
"Ah, right. That was you, Mun-gi, not senior brother."
Yeo Chu-sam blew a raspberry right in Wang Mun-gi's embarrassed face.
"Mun-gi, watch closely. See how many more I reel in before sunset."
"Grr."
We'd been back at the branch for less than half a shichen, and he'd already shown noticeable results. It was impossible to smack that irritatingly cocky mouth of his.
So, with no choice, Mun-gi and I swallowed our rising frustration and decided to keep observing.
"Senior brother, how many more do you think he'll bring in today? One or two? Three at most, and even if they show up, there's no guarantee they'll all register."
"Hmm, true enough."
"For now, let him run wild on his own, and we'll respond based on the evening results."
Grind!
Wang Mun-gi gnashed his teeth at Yeo Chu-sam's taunt, his temper flaring.
Of course, Yeo Chu-sam ignored him completely and stepped out the front gate to scout for more prospects heading our way.
I worried their petty squabble might sour things between the brothers, but it took less than a day to realize how pointless that fear was.
"Alright, line up in single file! Line up! Anyone who doesn't line up, cuts in line, or disobeys orders will be disqualified from the test—handle yourselves accordingly!"
"Disqualified? Hey, let's get in line quick."
"Yeah, they said everyone who lines up gets a shot. No point messing around and ruining it. Let's wait patiently."
"Agreed."
Wang Mun-gi had neatly lined up the swarm of people outside the branch like a flock of bees, then dashed inside panting to report.
"Senior brother! I've sorted them out for now, but what's the situation inside? Still chaos?"
"Chaos? That'd be a relief. The training hall's a madhouse right now—a total madhouse."
Jingle, jangle!
I swept the pile of money from our makeshift reception desk into a sack and said to Wang Mun-gi,
"Mun-gi, things seem sorted outside now. From here on, you handle the payments and issue receipts."
"Me? Then what about you, senior brother?"
"What else? Head to the training hall and assist Chu-sam! You think screening and selling to that many people alone is easy?"
"True, but... that guy's so petty, he might not let it go easily."
"Sigh, what can we do? I'll go pretend to grovel and soothe his stingy heart. If I don't step in now, we'll deal with this mess all day."
"Sigh, you're right. Leave this to me and hurry inside."
Wang Mun-gi pushed me toward the training hall, saying he'd handle cleanup.
"Sigh, what a mess this is."
As I headed to the training hall, I glanced at the long line snaking outside and let out a hollow laugh.
I'd expected the Jeomchang Sect style shell game to draw a crowd, but I never imagined it'd explode like this on day one.
"Heh, he bragged about turning Luoyang upside down, and it wasn't hot air after all."
For a while, I figured I'd have to play dead at Yeo Chu-sam's every word, then stepped into the training hall.
Just like outside the gate, it was packed with people, all flushed with excitement, waiting eagerly for their turn.
And Yeo Chu-sam darted around frantically, screening candidates one by one at the mokgak inhyeong.
"Fail!"
"Ugh, please! Just one more chance..."
"No. You've had three already. Fail if you can't do it."
As Yeo Chu-sam drew a firm line, the middle-aged man protested indignantly.
"What? They say yesterday's guys got ten or more tries. Why only three flat for us today?"
"Why? Candy seller's whim."
"What did you say?!"
At Yeo Chu-sam's deadpan response, the man raised his voice in outrage.
Yeo Chu-sam waved him off dismissively, as if annoyed at wasting time on a busy day.
"If you don't like it, don't yell—just go home quietly."
"You bastard!"
"Want another shot? Register at reception outside, train hard for three months, and you'll get one."
"Damn it all!"
For a split second, I wondered if you could run a con like that, but seeing the man bark in anger yet ask where reception was, it hit me.
Yeo Chu-sam, that guy's no ordinary hustler.
If I'd known his business savvy was this sharp, I should've put him on something sooner. All that talent wasted babysitting a stodgy old senior brother with no moneymaking flair.
As I regretted past choices, Yeo Chu-sam switched from blank indifference to salesman smile in an instant, politely directing the man to reception.
"Sir, see you in three months."
I couldn't help but admire his seamless shift.
"Heh, that kid. More impressive the more I see."
Before resuming screenings from atop the training hall, I pulled Yeo Chu-sam aside briefly.
I meant to sincerely apologize for yesterday and offer to help screen, but...
"Senior brother, who's minding reception? Why're you in here?"
He beat me to the punch, so I couldn't get my words out and had to explain first.
"Outside's stabilized, so I left reception to Mun-gi and came to back you up."
At the news of reinforcements, Yeo Chu-sam lit up and hurriedly led me to a corner of the hall.
He glanced around, then whispered excitedly, hopping in place like a kid.
"Senior brother, we're rich! Jackpot!"
"Huh?"
"What? That lukewarm reaction? We're sitting on a goldmine overnight!"
The sharpness that had commanded the crowd moments ago was gone; he was back to his usual cheeky self.
"Ha...?"
I'd thought he'd still be sulking from yesterday, but he didn't care about such trivia.
His grin stretched ear to ear as he painted a rosy future.
"Senior brother, at this rate, we won't just pay off the branch's pawn debt to Geumhwa Jeonjang—we can ditch this back-alley dump and reclaim that prime spot we started with in Luoyang!"
"Uh, yeah, sure."
"So, here's the thing. We should tweak test conditions daily. Thought about it all morning—this won't last long-term."
"Huh? Won't last long? What do you mean?"
Yeo Chu-sam glanced at groups huddled by the dummy, brainstorming pass strategies, then continued.
"Three big reasons it can't sustain."
"Heh, three reasons, huh?"
"Listen without interrupting—I'll explain briefly."
"Got it."
I nodded and shut up, so he laid out why we needed to suck it dry quick and bail, in his own logic.
"First, more suckers than we thought. Not just Luoyang riffraff—even northern drifters will swarm soon."
"Suckers... I mean, more people is good, right? More revenue, sustains the biz."
"Simple view, yeah. But think deeper, senior brother. Right now, day two of opening, we're the only winners. Soon, we'll leak techniques, and everyone passes, snagging Jeomchang secrets without joining."
"Huh? Leak techniques? Meaning?"
I wasn't catching on quick, so he sighed softly and summed up what happens if we drag the shell game out.
"...So, yeah. Samjeok Ilgeom pass tricks spread across Luoyang. In one or two months, any chump passes and bolts with our secrets."
"Exactly."
He wiped the smirk, turning serious.
"Second, rival dojos will push back."
"Push back? Who'd bother a tiny branch like ours?"
"Don't worry—not heavyweights like Shaolin, Wudang, or Huashan. Local Luoyang dojos."
"Hmm."
"Not sure, but a few applicants looked like dojo scouts."
"Heh, they already came and went?"
New gambling den booms, old bosses suck their thumbs. Hustlers fight over turf; same for dojos, apparently.
"For now, small dojos just spying. Later, maybe Nine Great Sects and One Gang move."
"Hmm, from the Nine Great Sects..."
"Not Shaolin, Wudang, Huashan. Probably Gongmu Sect on our level, or slightly better like Zhongnan Sect."
Gongmu Sect and Zhongnan Sect.
Jeomchang always pads the bottom of the Nine Great Sects and One Gang, barely avoiding last place. To me, they were a hair's breadth ahead—plausible.
I figured it'd be straightforward chaos. Didn't realize how much micromanaging this takes.
Glad I handed promo, sales, and ops to quick-witted Yeo Chu-sam.
"Okay, rivals will compete. Got it. Third reason?"
Asking the final nail, Yeo Chu-sam—who'd rattled on like a pro—flinched briefly.
He swallowed dryly, tense for some reason, and murmured faintly.
"That... ties to the first. Things blew up bigger than we thought."
"What's the problem?"
"In other words, drag this out, and word spreads to Unnam that we're baiting with sect arts for a con. Headquarters elders hear, fly into rage, rush to Luoyang, and kill us all..."
"Ha...?"
That's when it hit me.
The insane stunt I'd pulled, blinded by cash.