Chapter 37
Translator: penny
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Defiant Stand
Time flowed on endlessly.
Tomorrow was the day the Red Serpent Sect would come calling, but Eun Garyeon had ultimately failed to prepare the money.
'No way out...'
She had tried everything, but it was all for nothing.
It felt like her hands and feet had been severed.
There were solutions in theory, but she couldn't put any of them into action.
Watching her grow paler by the day, Jang Yunho cautiously spoke up.
"Merchant Group Leader, something's off. That Eun Taehyeok seems suspicious..."
"Young Master Jang. I know, so you don't need to say it..."
At this point, anyone could see something was wrong.
At first, she hadn't wanted to believe it.
They were family, after all.
But after going to the branch office herself to collect the payment, she knew for sure.
-What are you talking about? Didn't you say last time to pay back in a month?
Eun Taehyeok's claim that they were pressing for payment was a blatant lie.
She had confronted them on the spot and collected the overdue payment, but even that changed nothing.
-Didn't we tell you? Unless you pay all our back wages, we're not working.
The head clerk refused outright, as if money wasn't even the point.
And that same night, she heard that Eun Taehyeok and Im Jungdo had been drinking amiably together.
'Uncle, was the Eun Merchant Group that tempting to you?'
She knew Eun Taehyeok was greedy, but she never imagined he'd go this far.
They were blood relatives, after all.
By the time she realized it, it was far too late.
All her limbs had already been cut away, and there was nothing left she could do.
Suddenly, Mok Jimyeong's words came back to her: Don't give a single coin to anyone until the Tang Family's goods arrive.
'It's not that I won't give it... I just can't.'
The employees refused to take it, and it wasn't nearly enough to pay off the debts anyway.
All she had on hand was twenty gold taels.
And even if she held out without paying a dime, as Mok Jimyeong advised, it wouldn't help.
With the employees in this state, she couldn't sell anything even if the Tang Family's goods arrived.
The employees were already beyond her control.
No matter how she tried to persuade them, they wouldn't even listen to her.
In the midst of all this, she had one ally left: Jang Yunho, standing right in front of her.
Now, only one day remained.
Eun Garyeon steeled her resolve.
"...Young Master Jang."
"Yes, Merchant Group Leader."
"Do you remember, back when we arrived in Beijing with Mok escort? I said I'd give you a bonus."
She had told Mok Jimyeong she would throw a feast.
And to Jang Yunho, she promised a generous bonus for his hard work.
Looking back now, it was an embarrassing... but carefree moment.
"Ah, yes, I remember."
"Here's the bonus you were owed. You've worked hard all this time."
Eun Garyeon casually offered him twenty gold taels.
The entire amount she had gotten from the branch office.
"Merchant Group Leader, I... I can't accept this!"
Jang Yunho had been there too, so he understood.
What this money meant.
What she intended by giving it to him.
"Take it. Tomorrow, the Red Serpent Sect will seize it anyway. And... thank you for all your hard work, Young Master Jang."
She planned to face the Red Serpent Sect alone.
'This is the right thing.'
It was money she hadn't even touched, but it was still a debt of the Eun Merchant Group.
As the leader, she had no choice but to bear it.
But Jang Yunho was different.
Even without martial arts, she knew Jang Yunho was an exceptional warrior for his young age.
He could shine anywhere, not just in the Eun Merchant Group.
So this money was her thanks for everything.
Knowing that, Jang Yunho refused it and calmly asked a question instead.
"If I leave, what will you do, Merchant Group Leader?"
"Well... as Mok escort said, I'll just have to hold out as best I can."
She had to at least try struggling.
Persuading the employees one by one and holding on until the Tang Family's goods arrived was her only option.
'Though I doubt it will make a difference...'
Eun Taehyeok and Im Jungdo had schemed so thoroughly that rumors were spreading among the employees: If Eun Garyeon just disappeared, the Eun Merchant Group would thrive again.
She had even overheard vicious remarks like, "The group is struggling because a young girl is leading it."
Still, she couldn't just give up and despair.
"Merchant Group Leader, are you thinking of running away?"
Jang Yunho couldn't understand her attitude.
It wasn't even money she had borrowed herself.
If she wanted to leave, he was confident he could protect her.
But Eun Garyeon gave a resigned smile.
"The Eun Merchant Group is here. Where would I go? Heh."
To Eun Garyeon, the Eun Merchant Group was her entire life.
If she ran away as Jang Yunho suggested, she could start anew, but would that be a life fitting for "Eun Garyeon"?
She had no other choice.
In that case...
"...I'll help you hold out here at the Eun Merchant Group, Merchant Group Leader."
The bodyguard would protect her as always.
***
The morning after Jang Yunho refused the bonus.
A Red Serpent Sect disciple arrived as if he had been waiting.
"Heh heh, got the money ready?"
They led him to the reception room as before, and he smirked knowingly, like he already knew everything.
'Just as I thought...'
They were all in on it.
She had suspected as much, but confirming it left a bitter taste.
Still, Eun Garyeon kept her composure and spoke evenly.
"It's not ready yet, so come back later."
Her bold attitude made the Red Serpent Sect disciple wonder, Does this girl still not grasp the situation?
He found himself reflexively questioning her.
"Hah, what are you talking about?"
"The money isn't ready yet, so come back next time."
Eun Garyeon repeated firmly.
The Red Serpent Sect disciple started getting angry.
"Didn't you hear what I said last time? I told you what happens if you're even a day late..."
"You said you'd leave it to my imagination. Anyway, it's not ready today, so come back later."
The Red Serpent Sect disciple finally shot to his feet.
"Is this bitch crazy? Borrowing money and acting all high and mighty?"
"I haven't committed any crime."
"Not paying back money is a crime. Hah, I've never met such a brazen wench."
It wasn't money she had borrowed.
But there was no need to point that out.
"If it's a crime, report it to the authorities."
Of course, if they did report it, it would become a crime.
The promissory note and all the evidence existed.
But actually filing a report would buy her a lot of time.
The authorities didn't act immediately on reports like that.
Besides...
'That's not what they want.'
The Red Serpent Sect wasn't really after the money.
The disciple was flustered by this unprecedented situation.
Normally, when he showed up, they begged for more time, trembling.
Then he would strut around, refuse, and threaten them.
That was the routine.
'What the hell is with this crazy bitch?'
Eun Garyeon was far too confident.
He panicked briefly but quickly regained his composure and started yelling.
"You bitch! Let's see if you can say that at the Red Serpent Sect!"
The Red Serpent Sect disciple grabbed Eun Garyeon's wrist to drag her away.
But...
"What do you think you're doing?"
Jang Yunho, who had been standing quietly like a folding screen, grabbed the disciple's wrist instead.
At the same time, Jang Yunho unleashed a fierce aura.
'Urgh...'
He had forgotten about the bodyguard.
And one far superior to him.
As the trembling Red Serpent Sect disciple floundered, Eun Garyeon spoke calmly once more.
"The Eun Merchant Group is here. Where do you think you're taking me? If someone needs me, have them come themselves."
With that, Jang Yunho flung the disciple to the floor.
"You heard her? Tell whoever has business to come themselves."
"Y-you think you'll get away with this?!"
The disciple, sprawled on the floor, ground his teeth.
But that was all.
Eun Garyeon and Jang Yunho left the reception room, ignoring him.
"Will this be okay? If they report it to the authorities..."
Jang Yunho asked cautiously.
Eun Garyeon smiled.
"That might actually be better."
It would buy them time, after all.
She had a lot to do right away.
She needed to persuade the employees again and reach out to trading partners.
As she prepared to get started, an unexpected intruder arrived.
"Why are you still here?"
It was her uncle, Eun Taehyeok.
He wasn't even bothering to hide his dirty intentions anymore, his face twisted in a scowl.
Eun Garyeon responded nonchalantly.
"Then where should I be?"
"You can't pay back the money, so of course you should go apologize in person!"
"Uncle. I'll handle that myself. You do your own job."
Eun Taehyeok was momentarily speechless at his niece's unfamiliar attitude.
But only for a moment.
"You'll regret this."
He spat the words and stormed out.
'Haa... This is exhausting.'
It wasn't even past noon yet, but Eun Garyeon was already worn out.
Still...
'I'll do my best to hold on.'
She would struggle with everything she had.