Chapter 112 - The Bookstore - 4
Debt is also a capability.
During my college days, struggling to pay off student loans, I scoffed at the notion that debt could be seen as a capability. I cursed it, asking if pain was the hallmark of youth. However, after graduating and becoming a member of society, I painfully realized the truth in that statement.
The ability to enter a lease in the expensive area near the company with a loan. The ability to purchase high-end electronics on a three-month interest-free installment plan. The ability to splurge on this month's limited gacha draws and pass the burden onto next month's self.
Indeed, all of these were capabilities.
The bookstore inherited by Dang Hwa Rin was no exception.
"A bookstore like that can't be bought by the barbarian Kang Yoon Ho, nor by the modern Kang Yoon Ho."
The capital of Hubei province may be Wuhan, but Yichang is also large enough to be considered a second city. The bookstore Dang Hwa Rin inherited was on a main road in Yichang.
It's mind-boggling to think how much it would cost to purchase such a building.
Certainly, selling the bookstore would greatly aid in debt repayment. Thus, a bit of cunning is necessary.
"At such times, one just needs to dazzle with an attractive bait to muddle their minds."
If I am to establish a foundation of fame in this world, I absolutely need Dang Hwa Rin's bookstore.
The bait of debt repayment.
To obtain the bookstore, let's deceive them with this carefully prepared, seductive bait.
-----
"To take on half of the debt in exchange for the inherited bookstore? Why?"
The old man with sharp features looked at me with a skeptical gaze, wondering why I would want the small bookstore that seems insufficient to take on half of the remaining debt.
He was right. Considering the amount of the debt, the bookstore seemed relatively insignificant. A rational person would see no need to accept such a loss.
That's why my first argument had to start with irrationality rather than rationality.
"It's because that place is where Miss Dang Hwa Rin's maternal grandfather first started his business."
"Started his business?"
"50 years ago. Miss Hwa Rin's maternal grandfather began with that bookstore and gradually expanded his business. Now, her grandfather is no longer with us, and everything he built is in danger of scattering to the winds. Miss Dang Hwa Rin desires that bookstore to continue the spirit, will, and responsibility her grandfather left behind."
"Huh, I remember that friend Baek started out with a bookstore..."
The old man gazed into the air with a nostalgic expression for a moment. Did he know Dang Hwa Rin's grandfather? That would explain why he seemed cooperative.
An irrational yet convincing argument. The creditors, including the old man who seemed quite aged, looked at Dang Hwa Rin with a sympathetic eye.
"Cut the crap! That bookstore is in such a great location! You're just trying to snag it for yourself!"
"He's offering to take on half the debt because it's a profitable deal for him!"
A few creditors shattered the pleasant mood by raising their voices.
As expected. For them, debt is a more pressing issue than sentimental motives.
Taking on such an irrational debt makes one suspect that, perhaps, the bookstore has untapped potential for profit.
"Please take a moment to look at this."
I instructed a person I had prepared earlier to distribute small ledger books to the creditors.
"What's this?"
"It's a summary of the bookstore's ledger, showing the net profit for the past few years."
"Who ever heard of a business that openly shares its books? Are you sure this isn't a falsified ledger?"
"There are a few creditors among you who have verified the actual books, so please have no doubts."
Looking to the creditors I had preemptively shared the books with, they raised their hands to affirm that the records matched the actual ledger by nodding.
"The net profit is too low!"
"Is this all it can make?"
The creditors exchanged shocked glances as they reviewed the ledger.
"Unlike 50 years ago, with an increase in competing bookstores and issues managing inventory and expenses, the net profits are not particularly high. Do you really think this bookstore can handle such a substantial debt?"
"But it's in a good location!"
"If you wish, we can list this bookstore on the market. Then, Miss Dang Hwa Rin's debt burden will be gone."
"No, that's not it. The debt must be addressed..."
Not by anyone's decision.
"The bookstore must take on the debt. If we sell the bookstore and settle the debt, what could we do with the leftover money? With the remaining funds, could we treat all of you here to a bowl of rice soup with some boiled meat? Oh! Perhaps it would be better to buy drinks instead to ease the stomachache you'll have from debts never to be recovered."
"..."
"To even consider paying off half of the debt, there must be at least one profitable avenue. If you're unwilling to compromise even for such a puny shop, Miss Dang Hwa Rin has no moral obligation to fulfill this debt."
I disguised the bookstore as something insignificant when compared to the debt. A building, which could be suitable for coffee franchises or clinics, was instantly reduced to a mere hole-in-the-wall shop.
She intends to inherit that humble bookstore to carry on her grandfather's will.
Are you going to deride her noble determination to somehow manage the debt with the insignificant earnings from that bookstore?
If not, then so be it. You lot can stay here. We'll be on our way.
"Ahem."
"Right, got to give some breathing room."
Whether my reasoning worked or not, the once furious creditors coughed awkwardly and looked away.
Good. Hwa Rin, it's your turn. I nodded to Dang Hwa Rin, signaling her, and she stepped forward and began to speak.
"That bookstore..."
Everyone's attention sharpened at the sound of her voice, a potential party of the debt.
"Is filled with memories of playing with my maternal grandfather when I was a child. If my grandfather, thinking of our memories, left the bookstore separately, as his granddaughter, I believe I should inherit that bookstore to repay your debts."
Dang Hwa Rin expressed her will to repay the debts with a firm tone.
"The young one thinking of her grandfather is admirable."
"Would have treated her to a meal if she hadn't come for this issue today."
"It'd be improper for an old man like me. Yet, I'd be glad if my grandson turned out like that."
Perhaps it was the praiseworthy sight that elicited such a response. Creditors who appeared to be of an advanced age, and those who seemed to have daughters, whispered among themselves with unrestrained, gratified smiles.
"Better to collect some debt than none at all, right?"
"True. There needs to be someone to repay it."
"They'll regret it later, no doubt, but they aren't of an age to discern what's best."
The people who did not look at Dang Hwa Rin with sympathetic eyes were also changing their stance, advocating that giving up the bookstore to her would be wise. It went just as expected.
The assumption that, due to her youth, she lacked foresight and had a narrow perspective, leading to foolish decision-making.
The scoff at the idea of living and dying as a slave to debt, believing it was a youthful mistake, without realizing the actual plan was concealed.
"What about the other half of the debt! If you're shouldering it, might as well take care of all of it!"
The scoffing man, keeping the same expression, threw the remainder of the debt our way.
The logic was sound, the atmosphere favorable.
Now to reveal the final master stroke and conclude.
"I am aware of the whereabouts of Miss Hwa Rin's mother. Pursue her to collect the remaining debt, as she is the rightful heir."
Dang Hwa Rin had confided to me that her mother had fled to a large estate in Shaanxi Province.
"What? You know where she went?"
"Where did that woman run off to!"
"Which is..."
"Which is?"
I pulled out a document from my pocket, drawing curious eyes away from myself and onto the papers as I began to speak.
"If all the creditors stamp their seals on this written agreement acknowledging the inheritance of the bookstore and the settlement of half the debt, then I will inform you."
Let's wrap this up.
-----
"I'll stamp my seal!"
As I presented the document, only a few creditors stamped their seals; the rest hesitated, looking around at one another.
Hurry it up. If you refuse to stamp your seal, we won't settle any debts at all.
Contrary to my thoughts, there was no outright refusal from the creditors, but they hesitated without showing signs of standing up to proceed.
That's when the sharp-featured old man, who had been perusing the distributed ledger book, stood up.
"Heh heh heh. This is interesting. Very interesting."
The old man looked briefly at the few who had already stamped their seals, then, waving the ledger book I had created, approached me with a grin, as if to say he was onto my little scheme.
This is troublesome. His intuition isn't good news for me.
"Will you stamp your seal?"
Let's keep a composed face. I began to calmly pull out another prepared document.
"It's quite a funny prank from a young friend who seems too mature for his age."
The old man spoke in a hushed tone that was barely audible to those nearby.
Has he caught on?
"I do not understand what you are suggesting."
I replied, feigning ignorance as I questioned the old man.
"Heh heh heh. Pretending ignorance when you know perfectly well—that's a shameless courage you've got there. Do you want this seal?"
"Of course. Here are your name and credentials. Only the seal is needed..."
"It seems. Do you have the blood of that Baek fellow? Or are you engaged to that child?"
The old man, sidestepping the question, looked at Dang Hwa Rin.
"Just a friend."
"A friend, is it? For a mere friend to go this far. Heh heh heh. Then, perchance, would you consider becoming my grandson-in-law?"
"Excuse me?"
I was stunned by the unexpected proposal and my thoughts froze.
"I have a granddaughter who doesn't venture out much; rather well-regarded beauty in Hubei province. How about it? Become my grandson-in-law and work under me?"
What is this now? Am I being headhunted? Or is he joking? I couldn't tell with the old man's stern face breaking into a smile.
While I was momentarily stunned, a side whisper reached my ears.
"Hey... Yoon Ho."
Dang Hwa Rin approached and tugged at the end of my sleeve with an anxious voice.
Why's she acting like this? Surely she doesn't think I'd entertain a scout's offer. Hey, I wouldn't have risked my life on this journey with you if I was just looking for an easy life.
I clasped Dang Hwa Rin's anxious hand that gripped my sleeve. Hwa Rin, remember I said I'd help? No need to worry, I'm not considering it.
Dang Hwa Rin trembled slightly as I took her hand and then bowed her head.
I nodded slightly to the old man before speaking up.
"I am grateful you think so highly of this black-haired barbarian. Yet, how can a black mongrel strut proudly under a tiger that commands the world? I am content with my place."
"Mongrel, is it? The only ones who can bark before famished beasts are not mongrels, but wolves."
The old man dropped his smile and glared at me, as if he could see something deep inside.
"Just a young wolf, barking at the day for a friend's plight. I am thankful you regard it so highly."
I bowed once more, graciously but firmly declining his offer.
"Heh heh heh. The young wolf does not wish to associate with the old tiger. So be it. I shall stamp the seal."
Fortunately, the old man, still smiling, heartily stamped his seal.
"Look, Maan Geumjeonjang Norya has stamped his seal!"
"Maan Geumjeonjang Norya? Shouldn't he be in the capital? Hurry, call the guild master!"
"To have such a strict Norya step forward and stamp, that's something!"
Maan Geumjeonjang...
In martial arts stories, if 'Maan Geum' is attached, it means one of the wealthiest in the central plains.
"Heh heh heh. I hope to see your face from time to time."
The old man vanished back into the crowd, leaving me flustered.
As Maan Geumjeonjang Norya stamped his seal, the rest of the creditors quickly followed suit.
*******
After everything was settled, inside Baek Household's room.
"Such indifference. I thought he'd die hoarding wealth like me, but in the end, he performed charity to his heart's content. Baek, did you wish to go somewhere nice?"
Norya looked at the ancestral plaque of Dang Hwa Rin's deceased maternal grandfather with a bitter expression, muttering to himself.
"Norya, your joke has gone too far."
The chief steward of the Baek Household watched for a while before speaking out.
Norya was the sworn friend of Dang Hwa Rin's maternal grandfather. He came late today, unable to attend his friend's funeral.
Norya silently offered incense to the ancestral plaque of his deceased friend and then turned his head to look at the chief steward.
"I do not make jokes about my family."
"Really?"
The chief steward's mouth hung open in shock as he asked Norya again.
"All of Baek's children were no good, but it turns out one of them had the skill to snag a fine man."
Norya sat down in his chair, recalling the young man who had taken the lead in all the day's proceedings on the platform.
"I was willing to step in just to protect Baek's granddaughter, but it seems that won't be necessary now. I didn't expect him to play such tricks."
Norya thought of Kang Yoon Ho and let out a small laugh.
He had taken control of the situation at will, clouding the creditors' judgment with his eloquence to achieve his desired outcome.
And to think such competence came from someone barely past the cusp of youth.
"Heh heh heh."
The chief steward let out an awkward laugh upon realizing Norya had noticed all the scheming.
"Don't worry, I don't intend to scold you. But that "drunken wolf cub"... It's intriguing to think what he'll be capable of once he grows bolder and his claws become sharper."
If something is desirable, one simply takes it. Yet, a youth who willingly steps in to clean up after a sworn friend is a rare find. Norya was a person who knew how to wait for the sake of a friend.
Swallowing his regret, Norya looked at the plaque of his missed friend with a sense of longing more keen than usual.
******
"Haah. I feel like I've aged a decade. Who'd have thought he'd notice."
I sat down in the bookstore we'd narrowly managed to keep and let out a sigh.
"Was it because of that man named Norya earlier?"
Dang Hwa Rin asked with a dissatisfied expression as she mentioned the man named Norya.
"Yeah. Turns out he was your maternal grandfather's friend. If not for that, things could have gone very badly."
"What did you do to cause such trouble?"
Although Dang Hwa Rin was the subject of this ordeal, the lead had been taken by the chief steward and myself, so there was quite a bit she hadn't been informed about.
Fortunately, now that everything had ended successfully, I could share the good news with her.
With an awkward smile, I opened up to her.
"Actually, I played a little trick. Want to hear about it?"