CLS-Chapter 63

Chapter 63

From the past, Sacred Hand Hall had been renowned as a prestigious family.

You should know too, how widely the name Sacred Hand Hall resounded throughout the land.

Back then, it wasn’t quite to the current extent, but it had its own reputation, you see.

Hmm?

You’re saying you heard it collapsed?

That’s right.

Yes, it collapsed. Completely collapsed.

Well, Wei Yan-ho had grown so accustomed to living like a beggar that he didn’t realize it, but in reality, Sacred Hand Hall at that time was in such a state that even beggars would put down their begging bowls and leave after going there to ask for alms.

Well, I heard this directly from the branch office at the time, so it’s definitely true. Since they would treat injured beggars who had broken their bowls for free, on days when beggars managed to beg for coins instead of rice, they would bring those coins and give them to help with the household expenses.

What?

You say it sounds like a lie?

What would I gain by lying to you while holding you here? If you don’t believe it, go see for yourself.

Ahem.

One shouldn’t grab a beggar’s leg.

You say you were wrong?

Yes, that’s right.

Anyway, it was in such circumstances that Wei Yan-ho ended up there.

But… things became rather strange.

What do you mean?

You’ll understand if you listen, if you listen.

***

“What on earth does your father do!”

Wei Yan-ho looked ready to breathe fire from his mouth.

But Jin So-ah remained calm as if it were nothing. When talking about his late father, this kind of reaction was easily seen.

If anything, Wei Yan-ho was on the patient side. He hadn’t kicked Jin So-ah away mid-conversation saying he couldn’t listen anymore. Looking back at the reactions of those who heard about his late father, this level of response was on the moderate side.

“I really don’t know how to explain it either.”

“Ugh…”

Wei Yan-ho shook his head.

He could confidently say he belonged at the very bottom, the tail end of human rankings, but Jin So-ah’s late father was someone who had crossed the line.

To lose the family business that had been passed down through generations through gambling.

If Wei Yan-ho had done such a thing, Wei Jeong-han would have cut off his head, son or not.

“So after he passed away, you moved here to live?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“That gentleman was the cause of everything.”

“You could say that.”

“Hmm…”

Wei Yan-ho grabbed his throbbing head. Just listening to the story could cause a headache—it was remarkable that Jin So-ah hadn’t collapsed from stress-induced illness.

“Fine. Let’s say the situation became like this because of your father.”

But it wasn’t the father who was making the situation worse.

A dead person couldn’t cause trouble.

What was currently driving this household to ruin wasn’t them, but the Jin Ye-ran and Jin So-ah siblings.

“Then you should at least work hard to revive the family.”

Wei Yan-ho, who was lazy enough to ruin even a perfectly good family, was strict with others.

Well, if everyone was as lazy as him, there wouldn’t be any rice for Wei Yan-ho to eat, so in a way, it was natural. Laziness was something that could only be indulged based on others’ diligence.

“Of course I’m working hard.”

This was exactly Jin So-ah’s concern.

“I am working hard. It may sound ridiculous coming from my own mouth, but there aren’t many people my age who know as much about medicine as I do, and there aren’t many people my age who have seen as many patients as I have.”

“Showing off?”

“It’s not showing off!”

Jin So-ah shouted in frustration.

“That’s the truth, the truth! I’ve been administering acupuncture since I was six years old. You don’t know how harshly my sister treats people—what others would learn in ten years, I mastered in three.”

“Yes, yes. You’re amazing.”

“I said it’s not showing off!”

Jin So-ah beat his chest as if frustrated.

“It’s not because I’m amazing that it happened that way, but because she didn’t give me a moment’s rest. My sister never left me alone for even a moment.”

“Tsk, what an educator.”

“…”

Jin So-ah looked at Wei Yan-ho with dead fish eyes.

This is why counseling should be done after considering the person. If you looked at who was responsible for the current situation, eighty percent of the blame lay with Jin So-ah, not Wei Yan-ho. The very fact that he wanted serious counseling from Wei Yan-ho was his mistake.

“…I’ve bothered you unnecessarily.”

“That’s because you’re only saying useless things.”

“Useless things?”

“Yeah.”

Wei Yan-ho nodded while lying down.

“That’s not what’s important. What’s important is now, isn’t it?”

“That’s right.”

“However you’ve lived, however your house collapsed—those are all side matters. No matter how much you go ‘Oh dear, oh my’ talking about such things, nothing will change. What’s important is how you’ll make a living from now on.”

“Oh!”

Jin So-ah nodded his head vigorously.

Indeed, those words were right.

This person, despite living while lying around, had the ability to hit the core. This was exactly what Jin So-ah wanted to consult Wei Yan-ho about.

“That’s exactly what I wanted to tell you.”

“Then why so much chatter?”

‘You’re the one who told me to explain everything from the beginning!‘

Jin So-ah suppressed his indignation and opened his mouth.

“I apologize.”

“Tsk tsk tsk.”

Wei Yan-ho clicked his tongue.

Whether it was the late father’s influence or because he’d been too suppressed by his sister growing up, this young man lacked manliness.

“So I’d like to ask you a question.”

“It’s bothersome…”

Jin So-ah stubbornly ignored Wei Yan-ho’s words and continued speaking. Based on his experience so far, if he paid attention to every word Wei Yan-ho said, he wouldn’t be able to continue the conversation.

“What do you think I should do first for our medical family to revive?”

At Jin So-ah’s serious question, Wei Yan-ho frowned.

“There are two things I want to ask…”

“Yes.”

“First is why you’re asking me that. Do you know what kind of person I am?”

“…Trash?”

“A very close answer.”

Wei Yan-ho’s shoulders sagged.

Though he acknowledged it himself, hearing it from someone else’s mouth wasn’t pleasant.

“To be precise, I don’t know what you do, but you could be described as someone who lives in complete unity with the floor, the most comfortable person in the world.”

“…You chose the wrong aptitude. You should have made a living with your mouth. Have you thought about going to court? With that head of yours, the civil service exam wouldn’t be too difficult.”

“So does that answer it?”

“No.”

Jin So-ah let out a slight sigh and continued.

“I’m not trusting you, but the letter of introduction you brought. Someone who brought a letter of introduction from Three Excellence Grand Scholar Moon Yu-hwan couldn’t be an ordinary person.”

“Is that idle uncle such a famous person?”

“Idle!”

Jin So-ah shouted indignantly.

“Three Excellence Grand Scholar Moon Yu-hwan is someone renowned throughout the land for his noble character and lofty learning! How can you call such a person idle!”

“If they’re both playing around without working, they’re all the same idlers. He didn’t seem much different from me.”

“Ugh.”

Jin So-ah tried to argue something but remembered the truth that he shouldn’t react to every word Wei Yan-ho said.

“That’s why I asked you. What do you think I should do? You’re not very trustworthy, but there’s no one around me I can ask such things from.”

“I see.”

Wei Yan-ho nodded greatly.

“Yes, I heard you well.”

Jin So-ah looked at Wei Yan-ho with a somewhat dazed expression.

“What about the answer?”

“Hm?”

“If you understood everything, you should give me an answer.”

Wei Yan-ho opened his mouth wide and laughed. Strangely, the laughter itself seemed hearty, but that hearty laughter felt like mockery to Jin So-ah.

“You forgot the second question.”

“Pardon?”

“The second question is this: Do you think I can give you a proper answer if you ask me such things?”

Jin So-ah’s head dropped to the floor with a thud.

Of course.

It was his mistake to ask such a person out of desperation to grasp at straws. Even straws have their standards.

“Please… excuse me.”

Jin So-ah rose from his seat weakly. There was no need to waste any more time.

“But…”

Wei Yan-ho’s quiet voice stopped Jin So-ah.

“Do you have something more to say?”

Wei Yan-ho yawned so wide his mouth seemed ready to split.

After calling someone over, to yawn so openly—where did this person sell his manners!

“I don’t understand why you’re asking me such things.”

“I said there was no one to ask.”

“There’s an expert.”

“Pardon? What do you mean?”

Jin So-ah asked dumbly.

“Originally, such things should be asked of an expert, not a passing scholar. Medicine to a pharmacist, treatment to a physician.”

“We handle both.”

“Really? I didn’t know that.”

Wei Yan-ho laughed awkwardly.

“Anyway, fine. So who is this expert I should have originally asked?”

“Should I tell you?”

“Of course!”

Wei Yan-ho grinned and answered.

“So what will you do for me if I introduce you to them?”

“…Isn’t it free?”

Wei Yan-ho glared.

“My goodness, you’re saying dangerous things. Where in the world is there such a thing as free! It’s because you like free things that you live like this! Everything in the world has a fair price!”

Jin So-ah looked at Wei Yan-ho with the heart of someone looking at a swindler. The suspicious light visible under his horizontally slit eyes was firm.

“Introducing one person isn’t such a big deal.”

“Tsk! This person knows far too little about worldly matters. Don’t you know that one person can change your entire life? Originally, things that seem trivial after doing them are the most important. You’re living in this state because you can’t do that simple thing!”

“Ugh.”

It was a word that hit the mark.

If it were such a simple thing, Jin So-ah would have already done it.

It was because it seemed simple but wasn’t simple that he hadn’t been able to solve it until now.

“But I have nothing to give you even if I wanted to. You’ve seen the situation clearly.”

“I’m not asking for money right now.”

“Money?”

“…My true feelings slipped out.”

“I said I don’t have money.”

Wei Yan-ho grinned.

“Don’t worry. I’m not asking you to give me money right now either. I’m investing in the future, so you can give me that money in the future too. Let’s see, roughly half of what you’ll earn later? That should be enough.”

“For introducing one person?”

“If you don’t want to, then don’t.”

Jin So-ah’s face trembled.

This person was a swindler. Anyone could see he was a swindler. And he exuded the aura of a proper swindler who had formally learned how to swindle.

‘But somehow I’m drawn to him.‘

As Jin So-ah couldn’t decide, Wei Yan-ho delivered the finishing blow.

“If you don’t change now anyway, you’ll live like this for the rest of your life.”

Boom!

Jin So-ah felt thunder strike in his head.

What was he agonizing about? There was no money being earned now anyway. Just having money to share later would be better than now.

“I’ll do it.”

Wei Yan-ho grinned and reached out his hand while lying down to clasp Jin So-ah’s hand.

“That’s right.”

“So now tell me. Who is this person you’re going to introduce me to?”

“It’s someone you know well too…”

“Pardon?”

Jin So-ah tilted his head with a blank expression.