The Lazy Young Master
The Seomun Clan, located in the Pungsan region of Hubei.
Once counted among the Five Great Noble Families, it had been a prestigious martial clan. But after suffering heavy losses during the great war between the orthodox and demonic factions, it now barely maintained its name as a modest merchant group.
The current head of the family was Seomun Dam. He was the one who had steadied the crumbling clan and merchant group, and he had three sons.
The eldest son was Seomun Jin-gang, twenty-four years old this year. From a young age, he had been exceptionally intelligent, skilled not only at handling numbers but also at reading people. Though he walked the path of a scholar rather than a warrior, he possessed a strong sense of conviction and had already been designated as the successor to the Seomun Merchant Group.
The second son was Seomun Jang-cheon, twenty years old. Unlike his elder brother, he lacked scholarly talent, but he had a towering physique, a bold personality, and outstanding martial aptitude. He had trained early as a secular disciple of the Wudang Sect and had now reached the ranks of a first-class martial artist.
And then there was the problematic third son, Seomun Hwan.
In his youth, he had excelled in both intelligence and martial talent, drawing the expectations of the entire clan. The family head and even the elders of the merchant group had spared no praise, calling him "the hope of the Seomun Clan."
But Seomun Hwan had one very serious flaw…
He was far, far too lazy.
He only studied the interesting parts and repeated only the effortless movements when practicing martial arts. Even when the family head summoned renowned tutors, he would doze off during lessons, and when invited masters came to teach him, he would quietly slip away. It was a common occurrence.
At first, everyone waited, thinking, "He'll change as he grows older," but even now, at eighteen, he remained the same. He was now called a good-for-nothing or a troublemaker.
Today, as well, he only emerged from his room after the sun had climbed high into the sky, rubbing his sleepy eyes.
"Haaam!"
Letting out a long yawn, Seomun Hwan opened the door and stepped outside, squinting as he shielded his eyes from the sunlight reflecting off the tiled roof.
"Maybe it's because my dreams were restless? I slept for a long time, but I'm still tired."
As he scratched his backside with one hand, a servant came running toward him in a hurry.
"Young Master!"
"Walk slowly, Deokheum. You're going to trip at that rate."
"Surely… you aren't coughing right now, are you? Just how much sleep do you get in a day?"
"The weather's warm, so sleep comes easily."
While answering, Seomun Hwan glanced toward the edge of the courtyard with one eye. Lush trees bloomed with flowers in full splendor, and beneath their shade stood a wooden bench. It was Seomun Hwan's favorite spot for afternoon naps.
"Young Master, your elder brothers left early this morning."
"The eldest went to check the account books again, and the second went to meet the Wudang elders, right?"
"Yes, that's correct. Today, you should at least pay your respects to the elders…"
"Deokheum."
Seomun Hwan turned his head.
"……Yes?"
"True respect comes from the heart. Dragging yourself there with sleepy eyes isn't proper manners, is it?"
"……Does it really work that way?"
Seomun Hwan stretched his body languidly and began walking toward the bench. One slow step, then another. With every step, laziness seemed to ooze from his entire body.
Watching his master flop down onto the bench, Deokheum asked with a look of dismay.
"Young Master, when do you plan to resume your martial arts training?"
Seomun Hwan replied calmly.
"You know, I've had a realization lately."
"Yes?"
"Whether it's martial arts or anything else, forcing yourself to do it just makes it boring."
"……So you're saying you won't do it?"
"Exactly. Haha, Deokheum, you're really sharp."
Deokheum shook his head in disbelief. He once again felt the reality that the master once called a genius had now become a professional napper. With a deep sigh, Deokheum turned to leave when Seomun Hwan called out again.
"Deokheum."
"Yes, Young Master!"
Being called repeatedly, irritation crept into Deokheum's voice.
"You know a lot about the current state of the martial world, don't you? You always liked hearing those kinds of stories."
At those words, Deokheum scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Well, for someone like me, there's not much else to enjoy besides rumors, is there?"
"So? What have you heard about the current situation in the murim?"
"What could there be? It's peaceful as always. Aside from one clash between the Green Forest and the Yangtze River Water Bandit Alliance, nothing much has happened."
"Is that so?"
Seomun Hwan continued in a languid voice.
"What about the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult? How are those guys doing lately?"
At the question, Deokheum asked in surprise.
"What?! Why would you mention those vicious demonic cultists?"
"Just curious. Are they still holed up in the Heavenly Mountains and not coming out?"
"They nearly faced extinction because of the rebellion the Hwanma started in the past. It will take them at least another twenty years to recover from the damage and regain their former strength. That's why they've been quiet."
"……Is that right?"
"It happened before you were even born, Young Master. There's no need to worry. I'll be off to work now."
As Deokheum bowed and left, Seomun Hwan muttered while lying on the bench.
"Hmph! Those guys wouldn't stay that obedient."
Deokheum wasn't wrong. To capture him in his past life as the Hwanma, they had mobilized tens of thousands of martial artists, but only about a thousand had survived. They had devised an elaborate trap, but they hadn't known he had hidden more than half of his power. So it would still take the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult several more decades to restore its former glory.
"But if it's them……"
He recalled the cult leader and his disciples—more brilliant and ambitious than anyone else. Did they really have the patience to stay silent for all those long years?
"I don't know. It has nothing to do with me now. They say the Murim Alliance is stronger than ever, so they'll handle it themselves."
Perhaps because he had recalled unpleasant memories, Seomun Hwan, who normally fell asleep the moment his head touched the pillow, couldn't sleep at all. Tossing and turning, he eventually rose slowly from the bench.
"I wonder what everyone's up to."
Seomun Hwan scratched his backside and moved.
Inside the Seomun Merchant Group's office.
Seomun Jin-gang, the eldest son of the Seomun Clan, closed the account book heavily and let out a sigh.
"I can't make sense of it at all."
Beside him, two accountants of the merchant group bowed their heads.
"We're sorry, Young Master. But the books are clearly correct."
"Anyone can see the numbers are perfect. It's structured to show a profit, and the return rate is even higher than usual."
Seomun Jin-gang, who had been promised the position of the next family head and next head of the merchant group, had been managing the account books for the past three years. Handling numbers was tedious work, but the diligent and meticulous Seomun Jin-gang never delegated it and handled the books himself.
However, for the past few months, profits had strangely been declining. He had thought he could quickly identify the cause by checking the books, but no matter how much he searched, he couldn't find the problem.
Resting his chin on his hand, Seomun Jin-gang spoke in a low voice.
"Inventory losses are inevitable when running a merchant group, but……"
Seomun Jin-gang sighed. The problem was that the books were too perfect. They were so normal that they seemed suspicious. At first, he had suspected double bookkeeping, but there were no signs of that either.
"It's like a ghost has possessed the real ledger."
Just then, someone entered with a familiar yawn.
"Haaam! Brother, are you still looking at that?"
With loosely tied hair, a half-slipped robe, and a peach rice cake in hand—the very embodiment of laziness, his third younger brother, had appeared.
Already exhausted, Seomun Jin-gang waved his hand dismissively.
"Hwan. Everyone's busy right now. If you're bored, go play outside."
"I know, I know. Since everyone's racking their brains and sweating, shouldn't I help out a little too?"
Seomun Hwan casually sat down on a chair and began flipping through one of the account books.
"No, if you touch it so carelessly……"
Seomun Jin-gang started to scold him but soon gave up with a sigh.
"Fine, do as you like."
After all, there was no answer in sight. If Seomun Hwan happened to find something by chance, that would be fine. Besides, he wouldn't listen even if told to stop. He'd probably get bored after a quick look and leave soon anyway.
Contrary to Seomun Jin-gang's expectations, Seomun Hwan rummaged through the books for a while. At first, he seemed to be skimming, but his gaze gradually sharpened.
"Hmph!"
Seomun Hwan's fingertip stopped at a particular page in the ledger.
"This is the problem."
"What?"
"Brother, look here. These shipping records show specific items being returned at one-month intervals."
"……So?"
"But the returned items aren't being restocked. According to the books, they've been moved to the warehouse organization category."
"Wait, what are you saying?"
As Seomun Jin-gang adjusted his seat, Seomun Hwan pointed at the ledger with his finger.
"This isn't double bookkeeping. The books haven't been tampered with. They were designed from the start so that tampering wouldn't even be necessary."
One of the accountants asked with wide eyes.
"What do you mean by that?"
Seomun Hwan spoke while chewing on his peach rice cake.
"In other words, they've created an entirely new depreciation category. Some of the materials in the logistics section have been reclassified as long-term storage value-loss items. It's called a loss on paper, but in reality, it's just an invisible cleanup. Since those materials are already marked as gone in the books, no one looks for them."
"Then……"
"The actual goods are being secretly resold for personal gain."
Seomun Hwan flipped through the ledger once more.
"Here. This is the adjustment value category. There's a strange gap between the purchase price and the appraised value. It's being adjusted by just one jeon each time, and if this repeats, it creates a significant profit margin in the total transaction amount. The remaining profit is then siphoned off under the return cost category."
The accountants shuddered.
"Such a method… is possible?"
"This is… not just clever, it's art."
Seomun Jin-gang checked the ledger Seomun Hwan had pointed out with an incredulous expression. To his surprise, Seomun Hwan was right. If Seomun Hwan hadn't pointed it out, it was a highly secretive method that he and the accountants would never have noticed.
Seomun Jin-gang gritted his teeth and asked sharply.
"The culprit? Can you identify them?"
"Someone who breaks down the categories in such detail, knows the actual logistics flow, and has the authority to adjust purchase prices……"
Seomun Hwan trailed off and placed his finger on the cover of the ledger.
"The third branch warehouse manager, Han Man-deuk. This is his method."
Seomun Jin-gang stared at Seomun Hwan for a moment before immediately giving orders.
"Arrest Han Man-deuk immediately. I'll interrogate him myself."
Seomun Jin-gang stormed out of the room with the momentum of someone ready to beat Han Man-deuk to death on the spot. Even after he left, the accountants remained unable to speak for a while, comparing the ledgers. Only after a long time did someone finally speak.
"Young Master, do you… study account books separately in your spare time?"
"Huh? Me?"
Seomun Hwan blinked and said.
"That sounds like too much trouble. I just got lucky."
"……Is that so?"
The accountants, who knew Seomun Hwan's usual behavior well, nodded. Of course, this wasn't a problem that could be solved by simple luck.
'They say he was the most brilliant when he was young……'
'What a waste. If only he'd kept trying with that mind……'
Leaving behind their pitying gazes, Seomun Hwan stepped out the door.
"Haaam! If I want to laze around for the rest of my life, the Seomun Merchant Group has to stay strong."
To Seomun Hwan, the clan was an endless source of money. Only if the merchant group remained prosperous could he continue living a lazy life forever.
"Haaam! Using my head for once has made me sleepy again."
Stretching extravagantly, Seomun Hwan trudged back toward his room.
"The blanket is still the best, after all."