The Automaton Dolls (1)
The carriages and wagons flew the ornate banner of the Juhwa Merchant Group, along with the escort agency's insignia.
The Juhwa Merchant Group was a trading house of roughly the same scale as the Eunhae Merchant Group.
Soon, members of the Eunhae group met their Juhwa counterparts, exchanging names and greetings.
They then confirmed the details of the transaction.
"As agreed, five hundred bolts of superior Sichuan silk."
"Five hundred catties of Fujian white fox silver needles. And eight hundred catties of Guangxi rock sugar, per contract."
A representative from the Shangyu Pavilion asked, "May we inspect the condition of the white fox silver needles?"
"Of course, you should."
"In that case, we'll examine the silk."
"Please do."
We inspected the goods each side had brought, checking for any defects.
To judge the quality of tea, you have to brew and taste it yourself.
The Shangyu Pavilion rep, who did just that, gave a faint smile and nodded.
"Excellent."
I could tell from my own sip that the tea was top-notch.
The Juhwa folks meticulously checked our silk as well and nodded in approval.
The deal wrapped up smoothly, without a hitch.
That was when it happened.
Someone came dashing into the open clearing where the trade was taking place.
It was one of my bodyguard warriors.
He'd been carrying out the task I'd assigned, so his sprinting over meant my suspicions had come true.
But.
Clinging to the bodyguard's chest was a familiar little girl.
Her name was Gong Rae.
The younger sister of the boy who made the jamuin hyeong.
Everyone looked baffled by the sudden commotion.
I hurried over to him. "What happened?"
Gong Rae answered my question.
"Young master! Help us! They took my family!"
"What?"
"These people just grabbed my mom and brother, saying Dad stole something."
The bodyguard continued, "It's as the girl says. Men from the Jingyeon Merchant Group forcibly dragged away Gong the craftsman's wife and son."
Jingyeon Merchant Group.
That name reignited my fury.
Truth be told, when we caught the thief who'd picked Gong the craftsman's pocket yesterday, something felt off.
From our conversation, he struck me as an extremely cautious type.
Just in case, I'd checked—and sure enough, his money pouch had a strap attached. He'd have tied it to his body.
Yet the thief had cut that strap just to steal it.
Leaving easier marks around him untouched.
And the thief had looked disappointed.
He should have been terrified of the consequences, but disappointed? That was weird.
I had a bad feeling, so I headed to the yamen and slipped a little gift to one of the bailiffs, asking him to keep an eye on the thief.
And that very night, trouble erupted.
One bailiff tried to kill the thief, and the one I'd tasked with watching caught him in the act.
As a crowd gathered and things escalated, that bailiff stabbed himself in the throat with a dagger, or so they said.
The thief confessed everything.
"I-I was just following orders. They told me to steal from Gong Dui the craftsman once he got his wages..."
"Who ordered you?"
"It... it was Hwang Garyeong from the Jingyeon Merchant Group."
Jingyeon Merchant Group.
Rage surged the moment I heard it.
"But why did that bailiff try to kill you?"
"That bailiff's been on the take from the Jingyeon Merchant Group, big time. We had a deal for him to spring me... that son of a bitch!"
So the suicidal bailiff had offed himself out of fear of punishment once his bribery came to light.
"Word is, the Jingyeon folks had their eyes on that craftsman pretty hungrily. Heh."
"...?"
"Even if I failed, I overheard them saying they'd try something else."
That prompted me to send one of my bodyguards to stake out Gong the craftsman's home in secret.
And wouldn't you know it—the Jingyeon group made their move.
I said politely to Squad Leader Jeong Chung, "My apologies, but I need to step away for a bit."
"What's going on?"
I explained the whole story to Jeong Chung Squad Leader.
He pondered briefly, then consulted with Master.
Afterward, he summoned the deputy squad leader of the Silver Wind Brigade's third squad and ordered half the men to come with me.
"Looks like we need a show of force. Go with the deputy."
This unexpected major backup had me bowing deeply.
"Thank you."
"It's only right. Don't mention it."
"Then I'll be off."
.
.
.
I immediately dispatched warriors to scout the situation.
Meanwhile, I asked Gong Rae for the full story.
"But how did you avoid getting dragged off?"
"I hid."
"Hid?"
"Yeah. They grabbed Mom and brother so fast, I climbed onto the roof and hid."
"The roof? Why there?"
"People don't usually look up above their heads. It's out of sight..."
"Smart."
"They rummaged through pots and jars, but couldn't find me."
"Quick thinking—you're impressive!"
"If they took me too, no one would ask for help. It's just Dad, Mom, brother, and me."
I stroked her head and said, "You did great. Thanks to you, I know what's happening."
"When they left, I came down and met the nice warrior uncle."
"I see."
I'd only noticed Gong Mil's talent, but his little sister Gong Rae was sharp too.
She'd sized up the chaos in seconds and found a safe spot to hide.
So that's how the Jingyeon leader crushes promising sprouts that could bloom brilliantly—under his heel.
Fury boiled up again.
Then the scouting warriors returned.
"Young master, we looked into it."
"Yes? What's the situation?"
"Gong Dui the craftsman was arrested for stealing from the merchant group. They took his family too, threatening to sell them if he doesn't pay up."
Gong Rae cried out, "No way! Dad would never! He's always telling us to live right!"
I placed a hand on her head. "You're right. Your dad's not like that. Don't worry—just stay here and play with Palgap."
To Palgap, I said, "Palgap, look after her."
"Got it, young master."
To the warrior: "Where are Gong the craftsman and his family now?"
"At the Jingyeon Merchant Group. They're fairly well-known here in the Jinseon Market for ceramics trading."
"Even so, they're tiny compared to our Eunhae Merchant Group."
I couldn't let them steal Gong Mil back from the Jingyeon leader.
I took the lead. "Let's go."
"Yes, sir."
* * *
Gong Dui couldn't fathom what was happening.
Heading to the Jingyeon Merchant Group that morning had been routine.
Then some high-up showed up with warriors out of nowhere and hauled him in.
The charge: stealing from the group.
He denied it—no way, impossible.
But when they shoved a gold ledger at him, claiming they'd found it at his home, he knew.
He'd fallen into a trap.
"Still denying your guilt?"
"How many times do I have to say it? I'm innocent!"
"Innocent? The evidence says otherwise!"
"I know nothing about it!"
Gong Dui protested vehemently, but Hwang Garyeong had no intention of listening.
"Whatever. Per house rules, thieves must repay five times the value. You don't have it, so no choice—we'll sell your family to cover it."
"What? No, you can't!"
Gong Dui shouted in shock.
A man handed him a sheet of paper.
"What's this?"
"Sign it, and we'll handle the repayment."
"What even is it?"
"A sister-group contract. Just sign, and it's done."
Gong Dui was dumbfounded.
He knew exactly what a sister-group contract meant.
Hwang Garyeong whispered slyly, "Why hesitate? Better to work somewhere familiar than some harsh unknown place, right?"
Grind!
Gong Dui gnashed his teeth.
"Is this because I'm leaving at month's end for another group?"
"What are you on about? Haha. Why would we go to such trouble? Hahaha."
"..."
It was clear.
His obligatory contract had ended last month, and when he tried to move on, they'd pulled this to keep him trapped.
"So? Gonna sign?"
"..."
The situation was absurd.
No one to prove his innocence—he was a proven thief by default.
A powerless potter, tears blurred his vision.
Why did that Eunhae young master's words from yesterday echo now?
"It's funny hearing this from someone in the business, but plenty will do anything for money."
It was true.
Embarrassing to admit, but he was a skilled craftsman.
A money-maker.
That's why this.
"Still, our Eunhae Merchant Group has some conscience. Treating people as precious is our handed-down creed, and I believe it. That's why we offered four shares of the profits. Gotta demand that much to avoid thief rumors."
That young master's eyes had sparkled with conviction in himself.
Maybe he could entrust his son to someone like that.
At least the kid wouldn't see filth like this.
But if I become a slave, the children will...
Thud thud!
Hwang Garyeong rapped the table impatiently.
"Still thinking? Sign already!"
"..."
"Now!"
But it was too late.
His trembling hand reached for the ink.
Bang!
That's when the door flew open.
"We're here for Gong the craftsman!"
The sudden flood of light blinded him. Through it, he glimpsed the pretty boy from yesterday.
"Eh? Y-young master?"
* * *
Learning Gong the craftsman and his family were detained at the Jingyeon Merchant Group, I headed straight there.
"Wh-who are you?"
"From the Eunhae Merchant Group."
"Pardon?"
"Heard you were holding my man without cause."
"What do you...?"
"Make way."
At my word, the warriors shoved the gatekeeper aside and cleared a path. I strode into the compound.
The Jingyeon Merchant Group had struck it rich with jamuin hyeong and relocated their main house to Gyeongseong.
They'd been small before that...
And they'd grown by exploiting kids like Gong Mil.
Shouldn't they treat people decently for that?
One warrior shouted, "They're in there."
I rushed over, dealt with the guarding warriors, and burst inside.
Bang!
I flung the door wide. Two men were visible.
One was Gong the craftsman.
The other was familiar.
The guy who handled dirty work for the Jingyeon leader.
What was his name?
Ah, right.
"First time meeting. Hwang Garyeong, house steward."
"Wh-who the hell are you?"
"Casual speech on first meet? Rude. Haha."
I continued smiling, "From the Eunhae Merchant Group."
"...!"
His face stiffened at the name, suddenly deferential.
"Wh-what brings you?"
"Heard you were detaining one of my people. Came myself."
I picked up the paper in front of Gong the craftsman and read it.
"..."
A sister-group contract.
To become a slave—lifetime terms.
And his whole family too. My teeth ground together.
The false theft charge was for this.
Why go this far?
Gong was valuable. And this stunt meant his contract was ending.
Petty as ever, I'd noted before.