Valuables Should Be Stored in the Warehouse (3)
There had been a time when Heo Un, the young master—no, now Heo Un the clerk—had received permission from Pavilion Master Yeon to be formally assigned to Shangyu Pavilion, and they'd shared a light conversation.
"What do you think is the thing you're most confident in, young master? Or the talent you believe you possess?"
"Hm... If I had to pick just one, it would be memorization."
"Memorization?"
"Yes. I remember everything I've seen once. Hard to believe, I know."
"No, I believe you. You're not the type to lie, after all. That's an incredible talent."
"I'm embarrassed."
"To be honest with you... because you only have one leg, there will be some difficulties in your work."
"I suppose so."
"But once people recognize your abilities, they'll overlook that much. They might even seek you out more."
"......"
"I believe you can make that happen. Since memorization is your specialty, when you go to Shangyu Pavilion, take some time to read and memorize the ledgers there."
"Understood."
"It'd be especially good to start with this year's ledgers for the items we mainly trade, like silk. Those records will come in handy often and be a big help."
I recalled my conversation with Heo Un and chuckled softly.
He had indeed followed my advice and memorized the ledgers related to silk.
Meanwhile, Pavilion Master Yeon, still looking puzzled, asked again.
"You're saying you remember that? As far as I know, there were about two hundred..."
"Around two hundred ninety bolts, I believe."
Pavilion Master Yeon continued at the unpaid clerk's words.
"Right, two hundred ninety bolts. And you remember all of them?"
The murmurs around them didn't stop.
Probably because Heo Un's claim sounded like bravado.
Now it was time for me to step in.
"Pavilion Master Yeon, worst case, we lose nothing, right? Why not test him?"
"Very well. We need to restore the records anyway, so having him try is a good idea."
Heo Un sat in the prepared spot, closed his eyes briefly, and took a deep breath.
After counting to about twenty,
he opened his eyes, picked up the brush, and began writing down what he remembered on the paper.
Scratch, scratch,
scratch, scratch,
scratch, scratch, scratch,
As people watched, their eyes widened. The managers and clerks in charge of silk trades looked like they might faint.
"H-he really... he really remembers everything!"
"My god!"
I smiled in satisfaction at the sight.
This was the biggest reason I'd sent Heo Un to Shangyu Pavilion.
A way for him to make an indelible impression on everyone at once and earn their recognition.
Of course, I also didn't want to see the pavilion's clerks suffer.
Even after all that hard work, they hadn't fully restored the ledgers.
Sweeping the yard and picking up coins, was it? Something like that.
Heo Un was the core of the new Intelligence Division.
For him to secure a position there, it was better to have recommendations and recognition from multiple people rather than just my unilateral endorsement.
Heo Un wrote down the ledger contents without hesitation, and the other clerks, without any orders, hurried to replenish ink and paper.
It took nearly an hour before Heo Un set down his brush. Stacks of paper had piled up beside him.
"That's all of it. Everything I remember."
The managers and clerks checking beside him were amazed. The clerk responsible for the blunder shouted in感動.
"It matches the ledger I saw exactly!"
But Pavilion Master Yeon didn't accept it at face value and ordered another verification.
"Good work. But we need to confirm. As I said earlier, request cooperation from the other pavilions and gather the data."
"Understood."
"And check if it matches what Heo clerk wrote."
I returned to my office.
I couldn't be away from my post for too long.
Since Pavilion Master Yeon had ordered additional checks, it would take time to confirm.
It was the natural action for a pavilion master, so I let it slide quietly.
Heo Un's ability was certain, so once this was over, even Pavilion Master Yeon would trust his memory.
I focused on my work with peace of mind.
.
.
.
That evening,
I went to look for Heo Un, but he hadn't gone home yet.
"Working overtime?"
Then, from afar, I heard a group approaching.
"Incredible. Reciting it word for word without a single mistake."
"I'm embarrassed."
"Hey, thanks to you, this guy's still breathing. No matter how hard we tried, how could we recreate the exact same ledgers? He'd have been half-dead from Pavilion Master Yeon after it wrapped up."
"Ugh! Just thinking about it is terrifying!"
Mixed in with their conversation was a sound.
Clatter, clatter.
The sound of a cart being pulled.
Soon, two people and a cart came into view.
And riding in that cart was a familiar face.
Heo Un.
He'd clearly made a strong impression with today's events.
Seeing them banter like equals, he must have made friends.
I smiled faintly and said to Palgap,
"Let's come back later."
"Yes, young master."
We quietly moved away from the inn, watching as the two clerks helped Heo Un down from the cart and into the inn.
Heo Un looked awkward but not displeased.
Once they'd left, I headed back to the inn.
"Is Clerk Heo in?"
"Come in."
I opened the door and entered. Heo Un was sitting at the low table.
"Ah! Young branch leader!"
"No need for formalities. Sit comfortably."
I sat across from him and said,
"Your performance today was impressive."
"It was thanks to your advice, young branch leader."
"Thanks to you, Shangyu Pavilion's clerks suffered less. As branch leader, I thank you."
I cupped my hands and bowed slightly, leaving Heo Un flustered.
"It felt... strange, but not bad."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. This is the first time I've been recognized by others like this."
He scratched under his ear and continued.
"I'm glad I could be of help."
A sudden question occurred to me.
He'd worked at Baekcheon Merchant Group, so with that monstrous memory, hadn't he ever been recognized there?
"By chance, do the others at Baekcheon not know about your memory?"
"I never told them."
"Pardon?"
"My father... told me not to reveal it carelessly. Said it could invite jealousy, and to reveal it when the time came."
"And that time?"
"He said I'd know it when it arrived. And with the ledger loss this time, I realized it. I remembered you asking about my talents before, and it felt like this was the moment Father meant."
"But you told me before that."
"Well..."
Heo Un smiled and replied,
"Even if it was Father in a dream, you're the one who believed in and hired someone like me, so I wanted to repay that trust."
"......"
In any case, Heo Un's father, Chief Manager Heo Won, had known.
That his son would be chased out of Baekcheon Merchant Group.
And he couldn't tolerate his son's talent being used for Baekcheon.
"Watching you rewrite the entire ledger from memory earlier made me curious about something."
"What is it?"
"What's the limit of that memory of yours?"
"That's..."
He looked troubled.
"Truthfully, I don't know either. I've never felt a limit."
"Pardon?"
"When I worked at Baekcheon, I had to go through all the ledgers in the archive, and I still remember every single one."
"Incredible!"
Wait,
Did I just hear something strange?
Did I mishear?
"You're saying you remember every ledger in Baekcheon's archive?"
"Yes."
"......"
I'd thought Chief Manager Heo Won had kept it secret because he didn't want his son's talent exploited by Baekcheon.
But that wasn't it.
Sorting ledgers inevitably means seeing their contents. If others at Baekcheon learned he could memorize them all, and word reached Merchant Lord Nangong Gang's ears?
Nangong Gang would choose one of two options.
Forcefully keep him in Baekcheon.
Or kill him.
Given his nature, killing was more likely.
That's why Chief Manager Heo Won had told him to keep it secret—to save his son's life.
He'd served by Nangong Gang's side for years and knew his tendencies well.
"What's wrong?"
Heo Un tilted his head as I sat frozen.
"Oh, nothing. Have you eaten dinner?"
"Yes, with my fellow clerks earlier."
I told Heo Un to rest and left his inn.
What a fool Nangong Gang was.
What he'd discarded wasn't just treasure. It was treasure beyond measure.
Because ledgers were the one thing merchant groups never wanted rivals to see.
The sages say a gentleman doesn't laugh at others' misfortune.
Guess I'm no gentleman.
I couldn't stop grinning.
Even Palgap remarked,
"Young master, did you swallow some wind?"
"It's not too late yet. Let's go to Gongmil."
Seeing those fellow clerks bringing Heo Un in a cart earlier had sparked an idea.
What if we put wheels on a chair?
* * *
The next morning's Eunwol Pavilion meeting.
They discussed yesterday's ledger loss at Shangyu Pavilion.
Unless it was urgent, such matters were typically agenda items at these regular meetings.
As expected, Father showed great interest.
"Is that true?"
"Yes."
"Heavens! An unexpected talent."
He glanced at me slyly, his expression saying, You knew and brought him, didn't you!
I grinned.
I knew, but it wasn't just for that talent.
"Keep a close eye on him. A talent like that will be invaluable in the new Intelligence Division."
"Understood."
Father knew too, how crucial memorization was for handling intelligence.
"Now, next item."
"Next is our Eunpung Division."
The external overseer continued.
"Chunil pointed out vulnerabilities in our security. We gave him ten days' grace, and last night he reported on it."
"What did he say?"
"The saying 'only a snake knows a snake's path' holds true."
The overseer explained Chunil's points: poor management of ventilation holes, risks of theft due to roof structures, and more.
"Here's the report."
He handed Father a scroll.
Neat handwriting—I could guess whose work it was.
Hyungjin was working hard.
"All sound points. Discuss repairs with Se풍 Pavilion Master."
"Understood."
"We shall."
.
.
.
The meeting ended early, so I returned to my room with some time to spare.
Lying on the bed, I pondered.
Security...
Thanks to Chunil, I wouldn't suffer thief losses in this life.
But what to do about this?
Under the bed I was lying on was the luminous pearl I'd brought from Luoyang.
Winter was coming, and we'd place heated braziers under the bed, so I needed to store the pearl somewhere before that.
And for future acquisitions, the warehouse needed to be sizable.
I couldn't carry valuables in my pouch everywhere.
Pouches had limits too.
"First, I need blueprints..."
I got up, sat at the desk, poured water into the inkstone, and ground the ink.
It was the inkstone the old sundries shop owner had thrown in as a bonus when I bought the secret poem for Brother Jeong Ho's branch leader announcement gift.
Nice grinding feel.
Daejeon is Daejeon, after all.
As I ground the ink, I muttered,
"Warehouse... how to build it... more importantly, where..."
That was when it happened.
The inkstone's color shifted to white jade.
"...!"
A chill wind blew from beside me.
Turning my head, I saw a white door appear in midair.
"Ah! You scared me!"
I was startled by the sudden change in the inkstone, and now a suspicious door in thin air.
Then Palgap entered.
"What is it, young master?"
"Uh, uh, no... a door suddenly appeared in midair..."
"Pardon? What do you mean, a door?"