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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: A Lucky Charm
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"Ha! Responsibility? How the hell is someone like you going to take responsibility? Shit, you gonna bet your life on it?"
"I will. My life."
Jo Pyeong-do flinched at Do Tong-dal's resolute answer.
"Look at this little bastard, all talk. You're really betting your life? On the ledgers?"
"Yes."
"Shit, next you'll be betting your life on collecting debts, gathering taxes, and carrying luggage?"
"I will. Isn't it only natural for a gangster to bet his life on everything he does?"
Jo Pyeong-do was speechless, his mouth opening and closing like a goldfish. Wang Chil burst into a hearty laugh.
"Puhahaha—! Well, it's been a while since we've had a new recruit I like! Alright! Let's see what these life-or-death ledgers look like!"
Do Tong-dal sat in the chair Wang Chil offered and opened the ledger. He sighed the moment he saw it, thanks to the crude handwriting.
The smudged and cracked characters were nearly impossible to decipher.
"Several characters are written incorrectly."
"W-What do you mean, incorrect!"
"This character here should have a different radical, and this one should use another component. And at a glance, the calculations are off, too. It's a complete mess."
"A-A mess? You little bastard... Those are shop names! How would you know the names of the shops on Gwanghwa Road?"
"I'm a fixture on Gwanghwa Road. They call me the Gwanghwa Road troublemaker."
Seo Wang-su clapped his hands.
"Ah! So you're the one who cracked two of our Red Tiger Society boys over the head a couple of years ago, right?"
"I got beaten so badly that day I couldn't get up for a fortnight."
Seo Wang-su said to Wang Chil.
"Hyeong-nim, this kid's got potential, doesn't he? He's literate and has guts."
"First, let's see how he handles the ledgers. Don't forget you bet your life on it."
"Yes. By the way, do you have an abacus?"
Since no one knew how to use one, of course they didn't have one. So Jo Pyeong-do went to borrow one from the Baekmi Restaurant on the first floor.
As he was correcting the mistakes, Wang Chil asked.
"How long will it take?"
Fixing it is twice as hard as writing it from scratch.
"It'll probably take about one shichen."
One shichen? Jo Pyeong-do, who'd been struggling with the ledgers for three days, had said it would take at least two more shichen.
"Then we'll have to pay our respects to the branch office tomorrow. Managing our establishments is the priority. I'm stepping out for a bit."
Wang Chil left, and Seo Wang-su also went out, taking Jo Pyeong-do and Kang Bu-song with him. They all returned after the shichen Do Tong-dal had mentioned had passed.
"Are you finished?"
In response to Wang Chil's question, Do Tong-dal held out the ledger.
"It was too difficult to fix, so I rewrote it from scratch."
Wang Chil opened the ledger. Being illiterate, all he knew was that the white part was paper and the black part was writing.
But he had seen hundreds, even thousands, of ledgers in his time. Yet this was the first time he'd seen one so cleanly organized.
"I don't know shit about writing, but this looks damn good. Don't you think?"
Seo Wang-su, who was looking at the ledger beside him, also nodded.
"I agree. It's... neat. Pyeong-do, what do you think?"
"Well... it's similar to mine."
"Similar, my ass. Be a man and admit it when you're beat. You've been whining about not wanting to do the ledgers, and now this new kid has made it easy for you. You should be grateful."
Wang Chil slung an arm around Do Tong-dal's shoulder.
"Looks like a lucky charm has rolled into our Haesa-so. Stay with us for a long time. Don't you go anywhere."
"Yes. I'll stay by Hyeong-nim's side for the rest of my life."
"Hehehe... Listen to this kid, such a smooth talker. Should we stop by the Cheonsang-ru today? Wang-su, you take Pyeong-do and... what's his name... just take the new kid and head over to Hongmun Road."
Jo Pyeong-do's face twisted. Going to the high-class gisaeng house, Cheonsang-ru, was a feast for the eyes and ears, unlike Hongmun Road, which was just swarming with prostitutes.
Do Tong-dal packed his bamboo slips and charcoal into his bag. After a short walk, they arrived at Cheonsang-ru, where many people were bustling about.
Looking at the three-story Cheonsang-ru with its blue-tiled roof, a poignant emotion welled up in his chest.
In his past life, it had been his dream to drink all night with a gisaeng in that very place. When he joined the Red Tiger Society, he thought that dream would soon come true.
But in the end, he couldn't even achieve that simple(?) dream.
'What a pathetic life it was.'
He had been in the Heuksa-hoe for 42 years, and all he had to show for it was a single wood carving and fifteen mun coins.
But this life would be different. This time, he would live the most glamorous life with the greatest power at the very top of the night.
"What are you staring at so blankly?"
Wang Chil tapped his shoulder, and Do Tong-dal snapped back to his senses.
"It's nice."
"Right? It's the best gisaeng house in our territory. Though if you go to the city center, there are plenty of even better ones."
As they headed for the entrance of Cheonsang-ru, the employees greeted them familiarly.
"Welcome, So-jang-nim."
"Hello."
"It's been a while, hasn't it? Please come visit more often."
Wang Chil was welcomed wherever he went. His philosophy was that since the money from their pockets fed his men, the least they could do was help them out to the best of their ability, even if they couldn't treat them like masters.
"My goodness! The So-jang-nim has graced us with his presence today!"
The middle-aged man approaching with a broad smile was Go Chan-yeong, the general manager of Cheonsang-ru.
"My apologies for it being so long."
"Not at all. I should have been the one to visit and pay my respects..."
For a gisaeng house where all sorts of incidents were common, the existence of the Heuksa-hoe was a necessary evil.
"I stopped by on other business, and also to introduce a new recruit."
"The So-jang-nim himself came to introduce a new recruit?"
Go Chan-yeong looked at Do Tong-dal with new interest. Wang Chil whispered to him.
"Not only is he a smart kid, but he's also learned the Thousand Character Classic and the... what was it... the Four Books something-or-other."
"What? The Four Books and Three Classics?"
"That's it. The Four Books and Three Classics. He's also a whiz at organizing ledgers. I'm planning to groom him, so I'd appreciate your help, General Manager Go."
"Hahaha! You've found yourself a fine talent."
Go Chan-yeong said to Do Tong-dal.
"I am Go Chan-yeong, the general manager of Cheonsang-ru. We'll be seeing a lot of each other, so I look forward to working with you."
The general manager of a high-class establishment like Cheonsang-ru was someone a low-ranking member couldn't even dare to speak to.
Do Tong-dal bowed politely, but not obsequiously. Go Chan-yeong spoke to Wang Chil.
"We've just gotten a new shipment of Hwaseolju. Please, come in and have a taste."
You could almost see the saliva pooling in Wang Chil's mouth.
"I'm dying for a drink, but I have to teach this kid the ropes..."
"Hyeong-nim, please go have a drink. I can look around by myself."
"What do you know?"
"If I do something wrong, you can correct me later. Right now, it's more important for you to talk with the General Manager. Please, go ahead."
Go Chan-yeong let out a hearty laugh.
"A truly sharp young man."
"Isn't he? It seems my luck with people has finally turned, late as it is. Off you go, then. If there's anything you don't know, there's a guy named Tak, ask him."
As Wang Chil walked away with Go Chan-yeong, he said, "I hope that kid sticks around for a long time."
"Hyeong-nim, this time I'll be with you for a very long time—until I'm old and senile."
Muttering this to Wang Chil's back, Do Tong-dal headed for the rear entrance where deliveries were made.
Passing through a backyard with a small pond, Do Tong-dal tilted his head.
"But I feel like something happened today..."
There was definitely some kind of incident. The only reason Do Tong-dal, who could remember every name without fail, couldn't recall it was because he had been so overwhelmed.
The first time he'd come to Cheonsang-ru, he had been so lost and confused that he'd ended up breaking a water jar.
"Since the memory is hazy, it must not have had much to do with me."
So, he wasn't worried about the memory he couldn't recall.
Clatter! Clatter!
An old man passed by, pulling a cart laden with boxes of liquor. The man, well past his sixtieth birthday, somehow reminded Do Tong-dal of his past self.
Seeing him pulling a liquor cart at that age, the old man must not have had an easy life either.
'The ones at the bottom do all the hard work, while some other bastard reaps the rewards.'
Of all the businesses dealing with gisaeng houses, the most profitable were liquor and women.
That's why the liquor and women for any sizable gisaeng house were handled by the main headquarters or a branch office. The Haesa-so, at the very bottom, only supplied miscellaneous goods that were a lot of work for little profit.
The liquor that had just passed by was also supplied by the Baekdong branch.
'Our Haesa-so needs to get its hands on a lucrative business...'
As he was thinking this, Do Tong-dal's steps halted.
"Liquor!"
The events of that day—today—finally came back to him. It had nothing to do with him, but it was still a fairly important event.
Do Tong-dal spun around hastily. The cart with the liquor boxes was moving away as slowly as a tortoise, while a person was drawing closer.
The woman, who looked to be around thirty, was Yeon Ja-yeon, the owner of this Cheonsang-ru.
Just as the cart and she were about to pass each other, the rope holding the liquor boxes snapped!
"Look out!"
Do Tong-dal sprinted toward Yeon Ja-yeon. As the rope broke, a box burst open, and the liquor bottles inside tumbled toward her.
Realizing the situation too late, Yeon Ja-yeon could only stare at the bottles falling toward her, frozen in place.
Do Tong-dal reached Yeon Ja-yeon before the bottles from the cart did. He grabbed her shoulders, pulled her into his arms, and turned his back to the falling liquor.
Crash!
With a loud crash, the bottles shattered as they hit the ground. Do Tong-dal felt a sharp pain in his head and back and dropped to his knees.
Yeon Ja-yeon, who was facing him, also fell to the ground. Do Tong-dal protected her, propped up on his arms and knees.
The bottles shattered into fine shards, and the liquor sprayed everywhere like foam. Drenched in alcohol, their eyes met and locked in the air, barely a handspan apart.
All the bottles that could fall from the cart had fallen. And then... Drip! Drip! Do Tong-dal's blood dripped onto the ground next to Yeon Ja-yeon's face.
"Are you alright?"
Do Tong-dal asked first.
"You seem to be the one who's hurt."
"I'm fine."
"I'm fine, too."
"Shall we try to move then?"
Do Tong-dal pushed himself up and offered her a hand. Her hand, when she took it, was cold.
After helping Yeon Ja-yeon to her feet, Do Tong-dal staggered from a sudden wave of dizziness. This time, Yeon Ja-yeon quickly supported him.
Do Tong-dal smiled and said.
"It must be good liquor if the smell alone is enough to make one drunk."
The workers belatedly rushed over.
"Ru-ju-nim! Are you alright?"
"You fools! You should have been more careful! Call a physician! Hurry!"
Yeon Ja-yeon said to the panicking workers.
"There's no need to cause a scene. But we should still call a physician."
Her gaze turned to Do Tong-dal.
"I don't know who you are, but I'm deeply indebted to you for what you've just done."
"My name is Do Tong-dal. I'm new at the Gwanghwa Road Haesa-so."
"Ah, I see."
Yeon Ja-yeon had a room prepared for Do Tong-dal and ordered a bath to be drawn.
The room, with its large bed, was opulent and fragrant. Do Tong-dal had never slept in such a fine room before.
"Gong-ja-nim, your bath is ready."
It was the first time he'd ever been called Gong-ja-nim.
'I'm having a lot of new experiences today.'
Being attended to by a maidservant while he bathed, he already felt like an emperor of the night.
"Coming back to my past life, I get to enjoy such luxury at Cheonsang-ru. From now on, I'll continue to..."
Muttering to himself, Do Tong-dal shot up, his upper body emerging from the water.
"Come to think of it, in three days, this Cheonsang-ru will no longer be under our Haesa-so's management!"
The greedy chief of the Baekdong branch will snatch it away. Back then, they had a competition with the Baekdong branch over something, but it was an impossible bet from the start.
'What was the bet?'
His memories of the events around this time were all hazy. It was probably because his first days in the Red Tiger Society had been so chaotic.
Do Tong-dal pressed his fingers to his temples.
"I have to remember..."