Seonmi's Wedding (1)
I explained the academy's entry procedures to Jin Yeong Daehyeop.
"I'm truly grateful."
"Not at all. How could I not do this much when I owe the Gold Guard so much?"
Come to think of it, I really should visit that place sometime.
Jeong Ho hyung was coming along for Seonmi's wedding this time, too.
Maybe I could go with him while he's here?
A few days later,
I was heading to the Yeonjun Merchant Group.
Seeing people struggling with the sweltering heat, fanning themselves desperately, a sudden thought struck me.
What if everyone had a portable fan they could carry around? They wouldn't have to fan themselves so hard.
I'd have to discuss it with the production division.
Time really flies.
It had already been five years since I started this second life, and now I was going to witness Seonmi's wedding.
"Young master, it's about time for the group leader and the eldest young master to arrive."
"Oh, has it gotten this late already?"
I quickened my pace.
Grandfather and Jeong Ho hyung were due to arrive at the Yeonjun Merchant Group.
We soon reached the Yeonjun Merchant Group and saw my uncle and aunt waiting outside.
They hadn't arrived yet.
"I'm a bit late."
"No, it's fine. Your grandfather hasn't arrived yet either."
At my uncle's words, I quickly stood beside him.
Perhaps thanks to buying that imperial palace-owned plot of land this time, my uncle seemed a bit softer toward me.
He'd already thought well of me for helping Seon-il hyung with his civil service exams, but now his eyes were filled with genuine fondness.
In truth, my uncle had made Seon-il hyung study because of the abuses by the county office officials.
It was a mindset of, 'I'm lowly, so I'll make my son an official.'
And my uncle admired capable people.
As we waited like that, the sound of a large group approaching from afar reached us.
Several carriages soon arrived, surrounded by Silver Wind Corps warriors.
"Whoa, whoa!"
The coachman reined in the horses, and the carriages stopped.
The door opened, and Grandfather and Jeong Ho hyung stepped out.
Father had planned to come too, but something came up at the last minute.
"You've arrived?"
My aunt and uncle stepped forward to greet Grandfather.
"Yes, it's been a while."
"Father, it must have been a hard journey."
"Your old man's still spry."
After exchanging greetings, Grandfather turned to look at me.
"Grandfather, you've arrived."
"Yes. I heard the news. Things are going well."
"Thanks to your guidance, Grandfather."
"Nonsense. It's your hard work. Anyway, good job."
In the meantime, Jeong Ho hyung was greeting my aunt and uncle.
My eldest sister-in-law hadn't come this time.
Geon-hyeok and Bo-yeon were still at an age where they needed their mother, and it would have been too much to bring them along.
Grandfather headed to his quarters, and I went with Jeong Ho hyung to the new construction site for the Beijing branch.
"When Father heard you'd bought that plot, not just him but all the division heads were shocked."
"Just luck."
"Luck, huh..."
Jeong Ho hyung gave me a strange look.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Just... you seem like the type who could even make his own luck."
"I'm not that amazing."
Jeong Ho hyung chuckled at my words.
Why's he laughing? Was what I said that funny?
"No matter how I think about it, I'm glad you took this on. Do you think I don't know what you're up to? You recommended me to solidify my position as the next group leader, right?"
Ah... so hyung knew too.
I could only scratch the back of my neck.
We headed to the new construction site.
Construction was in full swing at the site where the Beijing branch would be built.
"Ah, Division Head, you've arrived?"
"The eldest division head is here too."
The foreman in charge of the construction greeted us, and we nodded in acknowledgment.
"You've been working hard."
This foreman was someone who'd run a shop in Beijing for a long time.
He'd been promoted to branch manager for this Beijing branch, so he was putting his all into the construction.
"We're currently doing the foundation work. It should be finished in about ten days."
"Father's looking forward to it too. Keep up the good work."
"Understood."
After touring the branch site, we went to the temporary quarters and encouraged the hardworking Hyeonpung Division staff.
"The headquarters has hired a large batch of new staff this time. Once their training's done, we'll assign some here to Hyeonpung Division."
"Thank you!"
"Truly, thank you!"
The staff looked moved, almost in tears, at Jeong Ho hyung's words.
"Is that for real?"
Jeong Ho hyung nodded at my question.
"Yeah."
Of course, I was touched enough to feel tears welling up too.
We finished the schedule with Jeong Ho hyung and headed back to the Yeonjun Merchant Group.
"By the way, when's Seonmi coming home?"
"Tomorrow."
Finally, tomorrow Seonmi would return home.
The next day,
The Yeonjun Merchant Group was bustling from morning.
It was the day Seonmi returned, but also because her wedding was just a few days away.
Aunt had gone out to the courtyard right after breakfast, waiting for Seonmi.
We couldn't leave Aunt waiting alone, so Jeong Ho hyung and I stood by her side too.
Uncle was quite busy.
After waiting about half a shichen, a carriage emblazoned with the Yeonjun Merchant Group's emblem came galloping from afar.
Aunt's face lit up at the sight.
The carriage soon pulled into the courtyard, and the door opened.
"Mother!"
With a joyful voice, she appeared.
"Seonmi!"
Aunt hurried over and embraced Seonmi. She'd lost a little weight since we last saw her, but she looked healthy.
"Ah! Greetings to my two brothers."
Seonmi turned and greeted us politely. She was still full of energy, but thanks to the education from the consort scholars' wives, she carried herself with elegance.
"You've really been studying hard."
Seonmi nodded at my words.
"Yes. To not waste the opportunity you gave me, I've studied and learned diligently."
"Impressive. Honestly, I thought you'd last less than ten days."
"I'm not that fragile."
Right, that's the spirit.
That's how she endured the contempt from her in-laws in my previous life.
"It's hot, isn't it? Come inside and enjoy the fan breeze."
"Yes, Mother."
Watching Seonmi walk with Aunt, something warm swelled in my chest.
"She'll live well from now on."
I nodded at Jeong Ho hyung's words.
"Of course she will."
Come to think of it, in my previous life, Seonmi's wedding had been a bit earlier, in early June.
This time, it was delayed because Seonmi wanted to finish her education to the end, and her in-laws couldn't treat lightly the girl who'd drunk tea with the Empress.
Tap.
Jeong Ho hyung placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Let's have a drink after so long."
"A drink?"
"Jin-ho hasn't been drinking with me lately."
"Huh? Jin-ho hyung's refusing drinks?"
"Yeah. Nowadays, he just shakes his head at the sight of alcohol. Did something happen in the North Sea?"
Well...
After drinking that much, anyone would be sick of it.
I decided to keep protecting Jin-ho hyung's honor.
"What happened? He's just thinking about his health. So you should think about yours too and have some honey water."
"Honey water..."
"And it's not even lunchtime yet."
That was when it happened.
"Huff! Huff!"
Someone was running toward us desperately from afar.
Huh? It's Seon-il hyung?
Why does he look so pale and frantic?
"What happened, hyung?"
"Ah, Jeong Ho hyung, and... huff, Seo-ho. Whew, whew, big trouble."
"What's going on?"
"Senior Won Gyeong... huff, he's gone missing."
What?
What kind of bolt from the blue is this?
Soon, people from the bride's family, the Won household of the Vice Minister of Rites, arrived and confirmed that Seon-il hyung's news was true.
Both families were thrown into chaos, as expected.
"Have you searched everywhere he might have gone?"
Won I-bu-sirang answered my uncle's question.
"Of course."
"Then where on earth..."
With the groom vanishing just days before the wedding, the bride's family was in a panic.
"Maybe... he ran away because he doesn't want to get married?"
Everyone's gaze turned to the voice. It was the groom Won Gyeong's young stepmother.
"I mean, it could happen."
"No way."
Seonmi spoke confidently to her.
"The lord I know would apologize and call off the wedding if he didn't want me, not act so cowardly."
"Well, people can change when a big event looms..."
"Shut your mouth!"
A sharp, ringing voice cut in.
Everyone turned, and there stood an elderly man.
Won I-bu-sirang hurried over and bowed.
"Father, you've come?"
"Yes."
He was Won I-bu-sirang's father and Won Gyeong's grandfather.
He'd just rebuked the woman who'd mentioned running away.
"If the boy's missing, you find him. What? Ran away because he doesn't want to marry? Do you think you can spout nonsense just because your mouth's open?"
"..."
Everyone frowned at Won Gyeong's young stepmother. Come to think of it, in my previous life, she'd made Seonmi's life hell.
Anyway, she was someone I didn't like at all.
"So, have you asked the authorities for help?"
"Yes, of course. And His Majesty the Emperor has promised assistance too."
"Good, that's a relief."
I looked at Seonmi, who was gripping her trembling hands tightly.
Won Gyeong's disappearance...
This hadn't happened in my previous life.
What could have caused it this time? Maybe some of the things I'd changed led to this.
That's why the wedding was delayed.
No need to... no, stop.
I'd decided not to blame myself over things like this anymore.
I clenched my fist.
Something like this? Just solve it.
"I'll go out and search too."
I told my uncle and headed to the courtyard.
Seon-il hyung followed behind me.
"Do you have some method in mind?"
"I'll just do my best."
Worry filled Seon-il hyung's eyes.
"Please. Not just for Seonmi... Senior Won is a really good person. That's why I didn't oppose the marriage."
"Got it. Um, do you have any item Senior Won Gyeong used?"
"Huh? An item... There's something at the palace, but..."
"I need it. Don't ask why."
Seon-il hyung nodded at my words.
The best at finding missing people was right in my sleeve: the golden spirit.
But to have the golden spirit track someone, I needed an item they'd used.
It was awkward to explain to others, so I asked Seon-il hyung.
A little later,
Seon-il hyung brought an item from the palace.
"I thought there might not be anything suitable, but he left a handkerchief behind. He uses it to wipe sweat in summer after washing his face; he kept it in his personal locker."
"Thank you."
I took it to my quarters.
I told Palgap to stand watch, then took out the golden spirit and placed it on the table.
"Golden spirit. Find the owner of this handkerchief."
"Kkwi? Kkwi."
"Silver? I prepared it in advance."
I held out my hand with the silver coin. The golden spirit gulped it down quickly.
Then it sniffed the handkerchief deeply... and—
Pang—!
It shot off like an arrow and returned about an hour later.
Taking only an hour meant it was nearby.
One building.
A man was tightly bound to a pillar there.
It was Won Gyeong, the groom betrothed to Hong Seon-mi.
He'd just woken up after passing out.
He pondered why this had happened to him, but no reason came to mind.
Through the window, he could tell dusk was falling.
Creeeak.
Then the door opened, and three men entered.
"What the hell is..."
Thuk—!
Before he could finish, a dagger whistled past his face and embedded in the pillar.
"..."
"Quiet."
The man who'd thrown the dagger at him had cold eyes.
"S-Still, shouldn't you at least tell me why? Otherwise, it's too unfair."
One of his captors spoke up.
"Why... Right, because of your family, ours was destroyed?"
"...?"
"From your face, you don't get it. Your grandfather ruined our family. So I thought, it'd be quite the sight if the grandson was found dead right before his wedding."
"I wanted to keep you alive longer to torment you, but too many people are looking for you."
He approached Won Gyeong with the dagger.
That was when it happened.
A strange sound reached Won Gyeong's ear.
"Kkwi!"