Reaping What You Sow (7)
He let out a sigh and nodded.
"I'll accept your proposal."
"Wise choice."
I pulled another document from my bosom and held it out.
"What's this?"
"A compensation agreement."
"...?"
"You have to make it right for the Mi Gwa Merchant Group, which suffered because of the branch leader."
"Ah..."
The compensation didn't include anything for the managers and workers who'd nearly died because of Nam Ho's branch leader.
They'd been working at the welfare-friendly Mi Gwa Merchant Group, and it was their own greed that led to it.
Saving their lives from near-death was payment enough.
You reap what you sow, as the saying goes.
Spare the money, pay back with money.
"But the compensation is three-tenths of the net profit?"
"Yes."
"Then... doesn't that leave only four-tenths for the merchant group?"
"Pretty much."
"You're going too far!"
"Want to back out?"
.
.
.
That evening.
I returned to the Mi Gwa Merchant Group's office.
I told Uncle and Ji-seo hyung about my visit to the Nam Ho Merchant Group that day.
"I've reached an agreement with Nam Ho. Both groups will withdraw from the price war."
"What?"
Uncle repeated my words in shock.
"What do you mean? Withdraw from the price war?"
"Exactly that. We'll both go back to our original herb prices."
"But why stop here?"
Uncle nodded at Ji-seo hyung's question.
"Right, like Ji-seo says, why quit now? A little more pressure and we could've crushed Nam Ho."
I just looked at Uncle steadily.
"We could've become Guiju's top herb broker. Why kick away this chance?"
His words left me dumbfounded.
Ah, damn... this uncle of mine.
Why couldn't he ever surprise me?
Good thing I'd made that secret deal with Nam Ho.
"Uncle."
My tone must've sounded off, because Uncle looked at me tensely.
"Did I ever say I'd destroy Nam Ho for you?"
"..."
"I said I'd save Mi Gwa, not ruin Nam Ho."
"..."
"Right?"
"Y-Yeah."
"We were the ones who nearly went under. Now that things have turned around, you want to charge in recklessly?"
Ji-seo hyung shook his head.
"Still, I can't accept this. We just need to push a bit more, don't we?"
"And then?"
"As this group's sub-leader, I demand you step down as acting leader."
Jin-ho hyung, sitting beside me, bristled.
"What? Seo-ho's been running himself ragged to turn this around!"
"This is our chance to grow Mi Gwa further—throwing it away means you're unfit as acting leader!"
Ah, damn... this hyung too.
How did he never deviate from my expectations?
I'd seen it coming ever since Uncle handed me the acting leader role and said he'd just read books in his quarters.
It's true what they say—you're never the same coming out of the privy as going in.
But I'd anticipated this much, so no big deal.
People can't be fixed, they say—but I'm Eun Seo-ho, the guy who proves they can.
And did Ji-seo hyung realize?
That little outburst just sealed my decision to execute the plan I'd prepared.
I'd been hesitating a bit, but that hesitation was gone.
I reached out and calmed Jin-ho hyung.
"Hyung, sit."
"But..."
"It's fine. Sit."
Jin-ho hyung must've sensed something in my voice; he sat obediently.
Though he still frowned, clearly unhappy.
I turned to Ji-seo hyung.
"Is that because you covet the acting leader spot? Or the leader position itself?"
"Well, of course..."
"Sounds like you want the leader seat. Uncle's still very much alive."
Ji-seo hyung panicked and waved his hands frantically.
"N-No, that's not what I meant..."
"Yeah, I get it. You don't trust me."
"Y-Yeah."
"But this turnaround? It's the result of untrustworthy me."
"...Ahem."
Ji-seo hyung continued.
"We know you've worked hard. We'll express our thanks separately, so from now on, we'll handle it..."
"So, you want me out? But it's not even half a year yet, and you're the one first demanding to end this contract. So it's at Mi Gwa's request."
I pressed on.
"In that case, Mi Gwa should compensate for the damages, right?"
I smiled as I said it.
"If Mi Gwa reimburses everything invested so far, I'll step down right now and head back to Eunhae."
Uncle and Ji-seo hyung's eyes widened.
"For real?"
"Yes."
I stood up.
Approaching the desk, I took a brush and wrote out the terms I'd prepared in advance on a sheet of paper.
Then placed it on the table.
I'd hoped never to need this contract.
"Just sign here."
The two read the contract I offered.
Nothing special about it.
Mi Gwa's Eun Jo-san and Eun Ji-seo requested Eun Seo-ho step down as acting leader, and in exchange, Mi Gwa would reimburse all funds expended by Eunhae up to now.
"Pay the investment, and I'll step down immediately. The leader seat goes back to you, Uncle."
"..."
"And the credit for saving this group? That'll be yours too."
Uncle nodded at my words.
"Got it. I'll sign and reclaim the leader position."
"Father! W-Wait..."
Before Ji-seo hyung could stop him, Uncle signed boldly.
Seeing that, I was certain.
Even if Uncle hadn't killed himself in my past life, Mi Gwa would've gone under anyway.
Whatever the case, things were falling into place just as I'd planned.
Shh-.
I quickly snatched the contract and spoke.
"But Uncle, why didn't you ask the most important question?"
"Most important?"
"How much has been invested so far? Shouldn't you ask that first?"
Only then did realization dawn; Uncle's face went pale as a ghost.
Ji-seo hyung sighed.
I grinned and pulled a ledger from my pocket, placing it on the table.
"This is what Mi Gwa's been funded so far."
Uncle and Ji-seo hyung snatched it up and pored over it frantically.
I chuckled inwardly. Uncle's pupils were shaking wildly.
"Th-This much?"
"Yes."
I nodded.
"Don't believe it? Recalculate yourselves."
Uncle probably didn't know the amount. I'd deliberately not told him.
If he'd had any sense, he'd have asked me or checked himself.
Eh, no saving it.
Now I see why Grandfather sighed whenever Uncle came up.
Pride aside, he must've known about these flaws.
Ji-seo hyung was a tad better, but demanding I step down showed he was no different.
"So, got the money to pay it back?"
Uncle squeezed out a reply.
"Once the group makes money, we'll pay bit by bit..."
"How long you gonna make us wait? Look at the deficits."
"..."
"The contract says payment by month's end. How do you plan to manage that?"
Ji-seo hyung glared at me.
"You tricked us!"
Jin-ho hyung shot back.
"Trick? Who tricked who? Seo-ho spoke nothing but truth, and you signed happily out of pride."
"Kuh!"
Uncle ground his teeth.
"You took the acting role planning this from the start?"
"No."
"Liar!"
"Really, I had no such plans—until Ji-seo hyung demanded I step down. I was just going to save this place and leave cleanly after half a year with a 'take care.'"
Uncle glared at Ji-seo hyung; the latter went mute as a clam.
"Why do you think I said half a year? That's how long it took to save it."
"..."
"You think you two—who ran it into the ground—can fix it quick?"
"..."
"Frankly, the investment so far exceeds this group's worth."
"Even so, how could it be more than the group..."
"A shell racked with debt and deficits—what's that worth?"
Their heads drooped lower.
My words pierced reality; they finally faced it.
"We're selling herbs cheaper than we buy them. That's nonstop losses."
"If you step down, keep low prices to ruin Nam Ho, then hike them—you'll really go bust."
Now Eunhae backed Nam Ho.
* * *
Eun Jo-san felt like he'd been doused with ice water.
When he snapped to, he'd done something utterly absurd.
His pride had tripped him up again.
As Eun Seo-ho said, he should've sacrificed small pride for the big picture.
Eun Jo-san turned to his son.
Sub-leader Eun Ji-seo.
Truth be told, when his son told Eun Seo-ho to step down, he'd felt relieved.
It was what he'd wanted to say.
We could've been Guiju's top herb brokers with a bit more push—why stop?
He hadn't wanted to lose the chance.
But now he resented his son for saying it.
Without that, things wouldn't have escalated.
But what was done was done.
So he pondered countermeasures.
Push harder, finish Nam Ho, then raise prices.
But as if reading his mind, Eun Seo-ho warned it'd lead to ruin.
His uncle—who'd advised bending pride—had spoken gravely before leaving for Eunhae.
"Not easy to say, but you're my nephew, so I must."
"What?"
"You lack leader qualities."
"What?"
"Why not join Eunhae? I can set you up well."
"What do you mean?"
"This way, it'll end up in someone else's hands."
But he'd ignored it, even gotten angry.
Didn't even see his uncle off after five years of service.
Now those words echoed relentlessly.
Seeing Eun Seo-ho, he understood why his uncle said he lacked qualities.
That's what leader qualities look like.
Eun Seo-ho asked again.
"So, how will you pay?"
"..."
Nothing.
No source of funds.
Only now did Eun Jo-san recall: even before Eun Seo-ho took over, Mi Gwa was already in the red.
He'd mistaken it for normalcy.
His mouth went dry.
"Can't you... give us a few days?"
Eun Seo-ho replied firmly to Eun Ji-seo.
"Then you shouldn't have signed."
"I didn't—Father did."
"Your name's on it too."
"Kuh!"
Suddenly, Eun Seo-ho softened.
"But the debtor is Mi Gwa Merchant Group."
"So if my son and I step down, our debt vanishes?"
"Yes. Hand over Mi Gwa, and the debt's gone."
In the end, his uncle was right—the group would go to someone else.