Chapter 282

**Meeting - 8** “You dare spread false rumors about our pharmacy!” Morning at the inn. Before any guests had even arrived, an enraged thief burst through the door. The owner of the pharmacy's face was flushed with anger. He looked like he might collapse from high blood pressure. “False rumors? What rumors are you talking about?” I took a leisurely sip of tea and asked with a sly expression. “I know everything! You can't pretend you don't know!” “The only thing I know about your pharmacy is that you disguise low-quality ginseng as premium Korean ginseng and that you didn’t prepare the elixir I requested but consumed it all instead.” “How dare you say that!” Well, since it was all true, the owner couldn’t outright deny it. “Since I know both of these things to be true, they can’t be false rumors. So what are you so angry about?” “Your black-haired lackeys have been spreading unspeakable things about our pharmacy! That we mix fake medicines! That we intentionally use just a little bit of expensive medicine! And that we mix, mix, mix dung into the medicine!” “There’s a Korean saying, ‘There’s no smoke without fire.’ Perhaps your shady dealings have finally caught up with you?” To put it kindly, it was business tactics. To put it bluntly, it was deceit. Even if it wasn’t the malicious rumor I spread, it was true that the pharmacy had been involved in shenanigans unbeknownst to most. “Such things never happened!” “Like how you didn’t steal the elixir from the acupuncture clinic?” I smirked with one corner of my lips raised. “Uuuuuurgh! You have no intention of resolving this situation, do you?” “Just like you don’t know the whereabouts of the red ginseng candy, I have no idea who started the rumors about your pharmacy.” Does he think yelling will solve anything? When you can’t handle things yourself, you need to negotiate. And for that, you need to show enticing cards. Coming in with threats was not the way to go. I sipped my tea again, gazing out the window as if I had no further interest in engaging with him. “You Mongrel! You’re so arrogant because you’ve got a seat that’s not even yours officially!” The owner finally crossed the line with his words about my attitude. “What?” “What did that bastard just say to the Hall Master?” “Does he know where he is right now?” All the Koreans in the inn leapt out at the owner’s slur. “Wh-What is this? Why is everyone here?” That’s right. This is the Korean base in Muhyeon. The owner looked flustered and started to back away. “Close the door. He still seems confused about the situation.” Where does he think he’s going? “Yes, sir!” “Is it a fight? I’m in too!” “Ah!” “Step, step back.” The guards hurried to protect the pharmacy owner, who looked terrified. “Did you think we’d bow our heads in fear just because you called us mongrels?” I looked at the owner with an expressionless face and asked. The inn was boiling with anger. The pharmacy owner’s face, which came in red, was now turning pale. I can crush you any time I want. From now on, you better watch your words. Seeing the nervous owner swallow his saliva, I nodded to allow him to speak. “No, it’s just that, Hall Master Kang.” “Are you looking for the Hall Master of the Mongrels?” “I, I misspoke. People sometimes can’t think straight.” “If you were good at thinking straight, you wouldn’t be in this mess.” “I came to clear up a misunderstanding, whatever the false rumors are!” Still insisting he was wrongly accused, the pharmacy owner beat his chest in frustration. Scoffing at his pathetic display, I put down my teacup and addressed him with a nonchalant expression. “That day... the cart headed to the clinic never arrived.” “…!” The owner’s eyes widened in shock. “If you want to apologize, you should bring a gift. Whether I accept your apology or not will start when I see the gift. Now then, the guest is leaving! Escort him out!” “Hall Master Kang! No! Please listen to me! Kang Hall Master!” In the end, the owner was expelled from the inn without achieving anything. ----------------- “This is actually working.” In the office of the inn, Im Ha Yeon marveled. “A merchant who loses their credibility also loses their value in the market.” “For decades, there must have been some malicious rumors, but I didn’t expect him to come in such a rage.” “It’s probably the first time the whole town is talking. Although they may have used shady tactics, it was probably done discreetly. But when everyone conspires at once, the story changes.” “I never imagined the rumors spread by Koreans would catch fire so quickly.” “People are most resentful when they’re suffering. And if they felt that suffering while also spending money, their resentment would be that much greater. Malicious rumors spread quickly; that’s the nature of it. If there are malicious rumors about the pharmacy, they’ll naturally spread easily.” When I was younger, I once saw local hospitals fighting. It got so severe that they posted large notices accusing each other of spreading malicious rumors. That’s when I first realized hospitals could also engage in bloody competition in an endless rivalry society. The funny part is, in the end, the winner wasn’t either of the two hospitals that had their image badly tarnished, but a third hospital that opened up opportunistically. “Should we hand over the elixir?” “He’s been in business for a long time. He knows better than anyone how powerful rumors are.” Local pharmacies are particularly sensitive to rumors. Charging high prices or over-treatment could cause them to lose customers in an instant. “It shouldn’t take long to get it back. I’m off to start my training now.” “Wait.” I called Im Ha Yeon, who was about to leave the office. “Yes?” “I don’t intend to end it here.” With a mischievous grin, I said to her. “What scheme are you planning next?” “Hahaha. Just one more preparation.” ----------------- “Here’s the red ginseng candy.” It was a few days later that the owner of the pharmacy brought back the box containing the elixir. “You.” “...Sir.” “Ha. So the red ginseng candy suddenly fell from the sky, did it?” The thief had no right to act high and mighty. “One of our employees made a mistake…” The owner of the pharmacy stammered, embarrassment causing his face to flush various shades of red. “A mistake, you say? Have him shown out.” He still hadn’t come to his senses. “My greed got the best of me! I thought it wouldn’t be noticeable if I took one from such a large amount. My body felt so heated and energized… That night, I had a fulfilling moment with one of my concubines—felt like I was decades younger.” The pharmacy owner hurriedly bowed his head. Historically, Korean ginseng was even used as an imperial tonic for vitality. Its effectiveness was indisputable. “Before you apologize to me, you might want to apologize to someone else first.” I glanced over at the acupuncturist standing with a frigid expression nearby. The pharmacy owner, apparently unaware of his presence, gasped and quickly bowed again. “I’m sorry. I will provide compensation. I’ll pay twice the sale price of the elixir I consumed as an apology.” “…” The acupuncturist remained unmoved. “Perhaps you should first check how much of the medicine is missing.” “Yes, Hall Master.” “Aren’t you going to count the quantity of the medicine you came to apologize for? It seems about five fun are missing.” The pharmacy owner said this to me as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. When the acupuncturist opened the box, there indeed appeared to be a small empty space, as the owner had claimed. Sure, he counted diligently since he intended to return it. But did he really count accurately? “…Huh? This! There’s fake medicine mixed in here!” The acupuncturist incredulously held out the elixir to me. “I knew it. A leopard can’t change its spots.” Unwrapped, the supposedly red ginseng candy revealed instead a copper-colored pill. “No, th-that can’t be!” Of course it can. Why wouldn’t it? I smiled inwardly at the flustered expression on the pharmacy owner’s face and recalled a recent conversation with Im Ha Yeon. “Steal red ginseng candy? Just last time you said not to steal.” “Everything has its own time. This time, we’ll do it my way.” “What do you plan to do?” “Korean market-style bait and switch.” “Why is the medicine inside the red ginseng candy package different?” “You have multiple wives and concubines. You must have been enjoying it every day.” What’s your next move? I questioned him in a disappointed voice. “This wasn’t my doing! Why would I commit such an act when I came to apologize?” To him, it must have seemed absurd. Yet, we were the victims. He was the perpetrator. The negotiation wouldn’t move forward if the perpetrator felt wronged. We needed to maximize our claim and divert his frustration elsewhere. “Must be one of your employees pulling a stunt.” “Could it be? Maybe he…or she…” “Seems like there's no shortage of suspects.” A lot of hands had probably touched the medicine before it was prepared. Since it was the owner who breached the trust first by skimming the elixir, it wouldn't be unbelievable if someone else tampered with it further. Someone physically present—that’s all he could see. But how could he imagine a thief who had expertly swapped it? “This can't be happening…” “You claim to be a victim despite being the one who caused this mess? Guys, unwrap everything and inspect each item.” “Yes, Hall Master!” The other employees in the office began carefully unwrapping each package. “Half of them are fake.” I had told them not to overdo it, but it seemed they had gone above and beyond. Even though I had instigated it, the extent of the switcheroo would impress even a seasoned market merchant. As expected, ‘Muyeong Shintu’ never disappoints. “What do you propose to do?” “This is impossible! Impossible!” “If you want this handled quietly, pay the acupuncture clinic four times the sale price of the elixir, not just twice.” “That much money?” The elixir made with precious Korean red ginseng and rare ingredients was no small expense. Asking him to pay four times the sale price, instead of just the cost, would be a significant burden, even for a pharmacy. “Unless you want to go head to head with me.” I warned him, staring indifferently at the box containing the elixir. Having confessed to theft, he couldn’t back out now. Rumors about the pharmacy owner swiping rare red ginseng would spread like wildfire throughout Muhyeon. A merchant who loses their reputation cannot stand in the market, something the owner surely understood. “…” “You may leave now. Let him out.” “I concede. I will pay four times the sale price.” The pharmacy owner slumped in defeat. “That will suffice.” “And the rumors…” Just then, I poured out the water in my teacup in front of the owner, causing him to step back in shock. His eyes questioned my actions, but I simply showed him the empty cup and spoke. “The spilled water here, that’s the credibility you lost because of your greed.” “…” Did I spill this water? Or did someone else spill the credit that was once in the cup? Can you gather the spilled water back into the cup? The pharmacy owner remained silent. “I'll help to some extent, but you must rebuild your own trust earnestly.” I had no intention of fully covering up for him. I’d reduce the malicious rumors, blend them with others, and that’s it. The pharmacy owner gave me a deep bow and spoke again. “I apologize. Truly, I do. My beloved concubine recently became pregnant. Even though I used wrong methods, I got an unexpected late child. I'll strive to be a father I’m not ashamed of.” Huh? Ah. That. Wait. It seems someone else reaped the benefits of the red ginseng. I suppressed my shock and glanced at the corner. There, a nervous delivery person with eyes showing signs of an internal earthquake stood fidgeting. Surely, it can’t be... Is it because the other employees already know the situation? As the pharmacy owner handed over a receipt listing four times the price of the elixir to the acupuncturist, an awkward silence descended upon the office.