"Father, please give me your hand."
When Lee Seong-Min extended his hand to his son, Dan Woosung took hold of his father's rough and calloused hand and checked his pulse. Learning martial arts was closely tied to understanding the body, so Dan Woosung could be considered more skilled than most Physicians. However, it felt awkward to pretend to be a Physician in front of Lee Seong-Min, so he simply massaged the hand as if performing acupressure.
Dan Woosung spoke.
"I heard that your illness can be easily treated if its cause is removed. I'll take care of the cause little by little, so please recover."
There was no serious illness.
It was, literally, a sickness of the heart.
Mental disorder caused by psychological factors. Of course, if the situation didn't improve, even a healthy body could fall ill due to mental stress.
Lee Seong-Min, lying down, couldn't answer right away. The very son who had been the main cause of his illness had now returned, changed — it was only natural to be bewildered. After swallowing his dry saliva a few times, Lee Seong-Min finally replied.
"Still, I appreciate the words."
Dan Woosung tapped the back of Lee Seong-Min's hand, as if to say, "Don't worry," and spoke.
"It's not just empty words. It will happen."
As Dan Woosung smiled, Lee Seong-Min looked at his expression and slowly nodded.
"Alright. Understood. Welcome back. You should go and rest now."
"Yes."
Lee Seong-Min quietly watched his eldest son leave, then suddenly looked at his own hand. The acupressure had been so intense that red marks remained all over his palm. This man, seasoned by a life in trade, had some sense. While staring at his palm, he came to a realization.
'My son has learned martial arts.'
.
.
.
Dan Woosung kept the news of Gongsun Myung's death a secret for the time being. It would only complicate the mind of someone who was ill. Except for the one who had orchestrated it, no one seemed to care much about Gongsun Myung's absence. Since he wasn't part of the household, there was no reason for him to return with them.
After meeting with the Head of the Eunha Merchant Group, Dan Woosung followed a servant's guidance to visit his second younger brother.
Lee Hwa-Eon, the second young master who worked as Chief Steward, was injured and undergoing treatment.
He had never expected a warm welcome from his brothers. It was well known that the more money a family had, the more often the siblings clashed as they grew up.
He was simply curious to see their expressions. He also wanted to find out who had ordered the attack through the Physician, and the best place to start was with those closest.
From his past life, Dan Woosung had seen countless cases where family became enemies. Those with power caused tragedy by trying to resolve things with force, and those with money caused tragedy by trying to gain more of it.
***
Lee Hwa-Eon sat shirtless, while a servant applied Golden Wound Medicine to his shoulder.
From outside the door, a guard spoke.
"Chief Steward, the First Young Master is here."
Lee Hwa-Eon tilted his head and gestured for the servant to go check. He had already heard that the First Young Master had returned, but it was strange that he had come to visit first.
From beyond the door, Dan Woosung spoke.
"I'm coming in."
"Yes."
When the First Young Master entered with a stern expression, Lee Hwa-Eon began putting on his shirt and spoke in a dry tone.
"I was applying Golden Wound Medicine…"
"Stay as you are."
For a moment, the two brothers stared at each other.
Dan Woosung could see that Lee Hwa-Eon resembled the First Young Master quite a bit. However, the emotions reflected in Lee Hwa-Eon's expression and gaze were not friendly. Even after such a long time, he showed no sign of being glad to see him. Since it was a sentiment Lee Jin-Eon had also held, Dan Woosung didn't mind much. According to Lee Jin-Eon's memories, Lee Hwa-Eon had never been a particularly troublesome person.
Lee Hwa-Eon asked with a blank expression,
"How is your health? You seem to have improved quite a bit."
Looking around at the documents piled high on Lee Hwa-Eon's desk and the room itself, Dan Woosung replied,
"I'm fine now. I heard from Mok In-Seop that you fought with our third brother."
"Yes."
"I can understand the fight, but how did it end up with you getting stabbed?"
Noticing the change in Dan Woosung's tone, Lee Hwa-Eon tilted his head and replied,
"It just happened."
"Who stabbed you…?"
"Do you think I'd be hurt by guards? I was trying to stop the fight and it turned out this way. I was holding a sword too, so I can't exactly protest."
"You mean the third brother stabbed you?"
"Yes."
Dan Woosung nodded.
Whether he had orchestrated it or not, the third brother probably deserved a beating. Ever since he was young, he had admired the martial arts and was by far the most violent of the three brothers.
Noticing a change in his eldest brother, Lee Hwa-Eon asked,
"But did something happen at the safe house? You seem like a completely different person. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not."
Dan Woosung nodded.
"Do I look that different?"
"Yes."
"Good eye. By the way, when will you return to your duties as Chief Steward?"
"It's not a serious injury. I'll rest just today and resume work tomorrow."
Dan Woosung immediately responded.
"Then, send word to the Smiling Immortal Sect rejecting their request."
Lee Hwa-Eon looked surprised and replied.
"Pardon? I was planning to smooth it over with a suitable gift. They seemed ready to show up here if we didn't respond. They even hinted they might interfere with our other businesses."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."
Dan Woosung smiled and spoke.
"That makes it even better. Reject them. If they show up, I'll meet with them. We're a merchant group that turns a profit, not a charity. We don't need to bow our heads every time a Jianghu sect gets angry. And the more I think about it after hearing from Mok In-Seop… this issue might not be the Smiling Immortal Sect's fault."
"Then whose fault is it?"
"It's the Ouyang Family. If the Smiling Immortal Sect is demanding money from us with the Ouyang Family's approval, then part of the money they extort will likely go to the Ouyang Family. That would mean the Ouyang Family is receiving protection fees from us while also using the Smiling Immortal Sect to squeeze even more out of us."
"Isn't that a bit of a stretch?"
As Lee Hwa-Eon tilted his head, Dan Woosung replied.
"Think about it. Would a small sect like the Smiling Immortal Sect try to extort money from a merchant group guarded by an Ouyang Family master acting as the Captain of the guard division? What's more suspicious here? If they're threatening us, it's more logical to see the Ouyang Family as the problem. If a force stronger than the Ouyang Family pressured us, I could understand, but…"
After a moment of thought, Lee Hwa-Eon finally said,
"Alright, I'll reject them. You're right, elder brother. Since a fight may break out, I'll instruct the guard division to prepare."
Dan Woosung nodded and began flipping through the employee registry he found on the desk. Lee Hwa-Eon, surprised that his older brother was flipping through a ledger he had never even looked at himself, asked,
"What are you looking for?"
"Just going through the registry for a moment."
"Yes."
Merchants kept thorough records.
Moreover, with his younger brother acting as Chief Steward, it was safe to say that all the important information about the merchant group was here.
Dan Woosung traced his finger across the registry, reading each name until he stopped at the entry labeled Gongsun Myung.
「Gongsun Myung, from Yuan, recommended by Ouyang Hou, Second-Class, 3rd grade monthly salary.」
Seeing the name he expected, Dan Woosung felt a small sense of relief. It meant he wouldn't have to kill Lee Jin-Eon's man with his own hands.
Still, this captain of the guard division, Ouyang Hou, looked like he was planning to swallow the entire Eunha Merchant Group whole. He was stirring up the organization inside and out without restraint.
Dan Woosung closed the registry, as if there was nothing more to see, and said,
"Hwa-Eon, take care of yourself."
"Where are you going?"
"Going to educate our third brother a bit."
"Pardon?"
As Dan Woosung strode out, Lee Hwa-Eon kept tilting his head in confusion. It was strange enough that the First Young Master was showing interest in merchant group matters, but it was even stranger that he was going to see the third brother, with whom he'd had a poor relationship. More than anything, the tone and mood of their conversation up to now had been odd.
Educate him?
He'd be lucky if he didn't get beaten up.
Still, since it seemed like a positive change, it wasn't entirely unpleasant. All in all, the return of the First Young Master was bewildering.
As Dan Woosung stepped out from Lee Hwa-Eon's residence, Mok In-Seop followed him with a grin.
"First Young Master, it's Mok In-Seop. I was on duty rotation and came late to greet you."
Walking side by side, Dan Woosung said,
"I noticed the entire guard division came out to greet me. Bit too much of a welcome for a scoundrel."
"Heh heh, is that so? Anyway, where are you headed? The young master's quarters aren't this way."
"To the third brother."
"Haha, then I'll accompany you."
"Why?"
Mok In-Seop grinned and said,
"It'll get noisy, won't it? And since you don't have an assigned escort yet, I ought to accompany you. We got seriously scolded by the vice captain because the Chief Steward got injured."
Mok In-Seop was curious to see the meeting between the changed First Young Master and the hot-tempered third young master. If the third young master's guards drew their swords again, Mok In-Seop had no intention of standing by quietly this time.
In front of the third young master's residence, Mok In-Seop arrogantly said,
"Hey, the First Young Master is here, go let them know inside."
"Yes."
A young man who had been sweeping the courtyard scurried off, and Mok In-Seop gestured as if to say, "Go on in."
"Please, go ahead."
.
.
.
"You've come?"
Those were the first words from the third young master, Lee Ja-Eon. Glancing briefly at Mok In-Seop, he added disinterestedly,
"Haven't seen you in a while, Mr. Mok."
Mok In-Seop grinned and replied,
"Yes, Third Young Master."
Lee Ja-Eon had been in the training hall at the back garden, cutting into wooden dummies with a real sword. Two of his personal guards stood nearby, watching.
As Dan Woosung observed, Lee Ja-Eon sliced through two wooden dummies standing side by side. Inspecting the cut surfaces, he spoke.
"What wind blew you here?"
Dan Woosung didn't reply.
Instead, he looked around the training ground floor, then quietly studied the stern-looking guards' faces. They weren't anyone from Lee Jin-Eon's memories. Dan Woosung wasn't eager to beat his third brother in front of outsiders.
Looking at Mok In-Seop, Dan Woosung said,
"I have something to say to my brother. Everyone else, leave."
Mok In-Seop, clearly disappointed, replied first.
"Yes, understood."
Mok In-Seop figured the third brother was about to get a solid beating.
'Ah, I really wanted to see that… What a shame.'
As Mok In-Seop strode away, the guards looked at Lee Ja-Eon's face. They wouldn't move unless Lee Ja-Eon told them to.
Lee Ja-Eon smirked and said,
"What's with the guards? What, planning to go a round with me? Did you dig up some rare elixir from Jinhua Mountain or something? Ridiculous."
He threw his sword to one of the guards, who caught it, and waved his hand dismissively.
"You idiots, when the First Young Master of the Eunha Merchant Group says get out, why are you standing around like fools? How insolent…"
The guards bowed their heads and replied,
"Yes."
After Mok In-Seop and the guards had all left the back garden, Lee Ja-Eon walked up to Dan Woosung and looked him over closely.
"You've recovered. Though your expression… you look like a different person. Did something happen? You're even capable of glaring at people now. Took the wrong medicine? Or did a nourishing and rejuvenating tonic mess with your brain?"
Dan Woosung spoke.
"Ja-Eon."
Lee Ja-Eon placed a hand firmly on Dan Woosung's shoulder and said,
"Elder Brother, get a grip. You're back now, so stop causing incidents. And stop drinking like a fish."
Dan Woosung nodded.
"That's the plan."
Lee Ja-Eon nodded too.
"Smart move. I've been scared to admit I'm still Lee Jin-Eon's younger brother. If Father hadn't sent you to the safe house, I bet your nickname in the Jianghu would've become something like Pervert Demon."
Dan Woosung observed Lee Ja-Eon's physical condition. He was curious about how much his brother had trained. But his hands, supposedly those of a swordsman, were clean and soft.
Lee Ja-Eon kept talking.
"'Pervert Demon' might be too generous, so let's go with Brothel Pervert Demon. That's more fitting for your level."
As he spoke, Lee Ja-Eon's grip on Dan Woosung's shoulder tightened.
He leaned in close to whisper, just low enough that no one else would hear.
"If you don't want to get beaten like before, stay quiet. I'll stay out of your way too. Things at the merchant group aren't going well lately."
By now, the First Young Master would normally have cried out that his shoulder hurt — but his expression didn't even twitch. Instead, Dan Woosung reached out and placed his right hand on Lee Ja-Eon's shoulder, mirroring the gesture.
"I got it."
"Oh, so you've come to your senses?"
As Dan Woosung began to apply force, he said,
"When someone brushes death, sometimes they change. In my case, I'd say the change has been for the better."
Lee Ja-Eon's face instantly contorted. A short, sharp cry escaped him.
"Ah! Agh, agh, agh!"
His older brother's grip was so powerful that his shoulder felt like it would shatter from the pain. The unfortunate truth was — Dan Woosung had only just started using real strength.
< Fist King, My Brothers… > The End