At those words, Eun Gil-Sang looked at Yoo So-Ak.
He was asking with his eyes whether it was okay for Yeo Chang-Ui, who was present, to hear what was about to be said.
Yoo So-Ak nodded in response to that gaze.
"I will speak on his behalf."
"Yes, I'm listening."
"The truth is, the payment from Lotus Courtesan House has been overdue for eleven months now."
"..."
As I listened to Chief of Internal Affairs Yoo, I recalled the future I had experienced.
When an incident occurs, the one who stands to gain the most is often the culprit.
At that time, Lotus Courtesan House was one of the three suspects narrowed down.
In fact, even back then, I had found out that Lotus Courtesan House had delayed a significant payment for nearly a year.
And I even knew the reason why.
But right now, I couldn't reveal that I knew, so I feigned ignorance and asked,
"What? They haven't paid in almost a year? No, more importantly, why didn't you report it to the authorities?"
"That's because of this contract."
Chief Yoo unfolded a document marked [Lotus Courtesan House] and showed the contract attached inside.
"Please look at this clause."
I looked at the part he pointed to.
[If Lotus Courtesan House delays the payment for goods owed to the Eunhae Merchant Group for more than one year, the day after the final due date, Lotus Courtesan House's ownership will be transferred to the Eunhae Merchant Group.]
That was the reason why the Eunhae Merchant Group had let the overdue payment slide for almost a year.
However, in the future I experienced, the Eunhae Merchant Group never received ownership of Lotus Courtesan House.
Not only that, they didn't even recover the overdue payments.
Because, the records and contracts were burned, leaving no proof of the transaction.
So, while in the future the culprit had only been a strong suspicion, this time I was certain.
"But Chief Yoo."
"Yes, young master."
"Has Lotus Courtesan House declined that much lately? Enough to delay payments for nearly a year?"
"No way. It's still one of the five major courtesan houses in Hubei."
"Then…?"
"I couldn't understand why they couldn't pay all this time, but thanks to Ah Seung, I've figured it out."
"…?"
"They're running an illegal business. But the profits are so low, they seem to be strapped for cash."
"I see."
Father sighed.
"But still, what should we do about this? Even if we report it, there was no actual fire, and it won't be easy to prove that Ah Seung was ordered to do this…"
What Father said was true.
But I couldn't just let it go.
Those bastards.
If they wanted to get rid of the documents, they could've just burned those—but to torch everything to avoid being identified?
The damages I saw back then were enormous.
We suffered endlessly, incurred huge losses.
And when we asked for at least half of the overdue payment, they mocked us, "Did we ever make a deal? I don't remember that."
Father and Chief Yoo nearly collapsed from anger.
On top of that, they had the nerve to scold us, "Then you should've managed things better."
Ah, just thinking about that makes my blood boil.
I have to calm down.
Anyway, I couldn't let this slide.
There might be no damage yet, but in the future I lived through, our Eunhae Merchant Group suffered terribly.
As long as I remember it, I couldn't let it become a forgotten past.
Suddenly, a thought passed through my mind.
This is a situation where Lotus Courtesan House might entirely fall into our hands.
Would they really leave it up to just this one clause?
No way.
Then, I noticed the date of the final payment deadline.
Five days from now.
I cautiously asked,
"As I saw, Ah Seung is a very cautious person. So no one ever imagined he'd start a fire. Why would someone like that set fire—today of all days?"
At my question, Chief Go responded.
"As for that, Ah Seung told me himself. He said the fire had to happen by today."
From that, I understood the implication.
"That means, if this plan fails, they'll try something else, right? He's giving them time to prepare a backup plan."
"Ah…"
"They don't want to pay, that's why they did this. You think they'll settle it by paying the overdue amount? If they had the money, they wouldn't be behind in the first place."
At my words, not just Chief Yoo, but Father and everyone else widened their eyes.
"That makes sense."
Said the Pavilion Lord of Sunset Pavilion.
"They'll probably stop at nothing next time."
"Then what should we do…?"
A brief silence followed.
Then, I stepped forward.
"Father, may I offer a suggestion?"
"What is it?"
"We must set fire to the Finance Pavilion."
"Set… a fire?"
Not only Father, but Chief Yoo looked puzzled.
"What are you saying? Set a fire with our own hands?"
"Hohohot!"
A laugh rang out.
It was the Pavilion Master of Sunset Pavilion.
Her eyes sparkled as she continued.
"A scheme of 'using the false to obscure the truth', right?"
"Yes, Pavilion Master Yeon. Because we must use falsehood to cover the truth."
"An explanation, please."
Said the Pavilion Master of Breeze Pavilion.
I calmly explained the strategy I was proposing.
Everyone who heard me smiled and their eyes sparkled.
"And in the end, we'll swallow up the Lotus Courtesan House whole."
The fact that they plotted such a thing means they've already abandoned honor.
There is no mercy for those who've cast away righteousness.
***
Baek Bok, the master of Lotus Courtesan House, is the son of the previous master.
But people say the former master failed to raise his son right.
With good reason—he is arrogant and self-indulgent.
It's likely because he had no adults around to correct him, no one brave enough to offer sound advice.
Everyone just flattered him.
As a result, Lotus Courtesan House's finances worsened over time.
Money is hard to earn but easy to spend.
Eventually, he began to treat massive expenses as nothing, and one day, the chief manager who handled the finances dropped a bomb on him.
"What? There's no money?"
"That's right, House Master."
"What kind of bullshit is that?"
"We're in real danger. There are wages owed to the servants and maids, and the payment due to the Eunhae Merchant Group… anyway, you must reduce expenses."
"Reduce expenses? That's not happening!"
"But House Master…"
"I'm the House Master of Lotus Courtesan House! One of the five great courtesan houses of Hubei!"
He didn't see how that had anything to do with cutting costs, but the manager said nothing more.
If he resisted, an inkstone would fly at his head.
"There's that payment to the Eunhae Merchant Group, right? Try stalling it for a bit."
So he delayed the payment, but that didn't solve anything.
One month passed, then two—still no payment.
In that situation, Baek Bok heard a rumor at a gambling den he frequented—that someone was looking to take over the place.
"Truth is, this place brings in a decent income... but I've got some circumstances, you see. So I'm thinking of selling it."
Even in his own eyes, there was never a moment when the place wasn't packed.
Which meant, it made money.
Thinking he could earn a fortune from it, Baek Bok took over the gambling den on the spot.
But there was one thing he hadn't considered.
The gambling den was an illegal business.
The one who handed it over to him had been skimming bribes meant for higher-ups and, having fallen out of favor, was preparing to flee.
So, not long after Baek Bok acquired it, an official came from the authorities, and Baek Bok had no choice but to hand over bribes with tears in his eyes.
The money he spent on bribes quickly outpaced the earnings from the gambling den, to the point where he had to start funneling income from Lotus Courtesan House as well.
And then, a month ago, the chief manager gave him shocking news.
"House Master, by next month, Lotus Courtesan House will change ownership."
"Huh? What kind of crap are you spouting now?"
At Baek Bok's words, the chief manager sighed and laid a contract in front of him.
"You don't remember. Please take a look at this."
Baek Bok read the clause the chief was pointing at.
[If Lotus Courtesan House delays payment for goods owed to the Eunhae Merchant Group for more than twelve months, ownership of Lotus Courtesan House will transfer to the Eunhae Merchant Group the day after the final payment deadline.]
He asked the chief manager,
"How many months late are we, as of today?"
"This is the eleventh month. We have one month left."
At that, Baek Bok exploded.
"Why are you telling me now, you son of a ××!"
"I've already told you! I've told you five times already!"
"I don't know! I didn't hear it!"
After beating the chief manager bloody, he headed to the gambling den he ran.
Then, drinking heavily, he threw himself into gambling once again.
Any complaints about his situation quickly slipped from his mind.
It was then that someone approached him.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm from the Dowoon Merchant Group. I heard you're in a bit of trouble."
"That's true... what is it?"
"I've come to offer a way to resolve your problem."
He answered curtly.
"What are you talking about... let's hear it."
"You need to get rid of that contract."
"...And how would I do that?"
"Set a fire."
"What?"
"This dangerous task, we'll handle for you. All we ask is one favor."
Of course, they wouldn't do it for free.
But from Baek Bok's perspective, he had no other option.
"What do you want?"
The person from the Dowoon Merchant Group smiled and continued.
"It's nothing difficult. Just trade with our merchant group. And build a pavilion within Lotus Courtesan House for our people to stay. Also, hire those we recommend."
Surprisingly mild conditions.
Baek Bok couldn't help but ask, suspiciously.
"That's really all you want?"
"Of course. Isn't this deal completely in your favor, House Master? But we would like construction to begin right away."
"That's not a problem. I'll give the order to start immediately. But tell me, what if this fails…"
"That won't happen."
"How can you be sure?"
"Because this isn't our only plan. If the first attempt fails, we'll simply use another method."
So, a little over a month passed.
And then, good news reached his ears.
"Did you hear? There was a big fire at the Eunhae Merchant Group!"
"Ah! I heard! It was the Finance Pavilion, right? And they found someone inside, burnt beyond recognition?"
"They say it happened to be the Finance Pavilion, so all the important documents were completely destroyed."
"Now the whole Eunhae Merchant Group is in chaos. I heard all the contracts with courtesan houses in Hubei were lost? What are they going to do?"
"Tsk tsk… should've managed things better."
Listening to that conversation, Baek Bok grinned.
The person from the Dowoon Merchant Group had done their job well.
And then, that day.
A final notice arrived from the Eunhae Merchant Group.
But the usual amount that was always listed was blank—proof that the rumor about Lotus Courtesan House's ledgers being gone was true.
Baek Bok burst into loud laughter.
"Puhahahaha!"
Not willing to waste the opportunity, he immediately summoned the chief manager and gave orders.
"You know the delivery receipts and contracts from the Eunhae Merchant Group? Bring them all. Every last one!"
The chief brought the documents and contracts from their dealings with the Eunhae Merchant Group.
Baek Bok threw them into the courtyard and set them ablaze.
"House Master! What are you doing!"
The chief manager was horrified, but Baek Bok simply grinned and glared at him.
"We never did business with the Eunhae Merchant Group."
"Pardon? What are you saying…"
"You heard them, didn't you? The Eunhae Merchant Group has no way to prove our contract. That means our debt is gone. Wahaha!"
He thought,
With this, everything was settled.
It was a delusion.
I was standing in front of Lotus Courtesan House.
Originally, Father and the other adults were going to handle the matter, but I insisted on coming along.
The five-story pavilion, painted in red lotus hues, was richly adorned and beautiful.
And suddenly, the events from the future I had experienced flashed through my mind.