211

Chapter 211 - Reopening - 3

"Let's clean up."

The day after arriving at Ui-chang, I told the warriors of the Dang family to shake off the travel fatigue at Baekgajang, then headed back to the Daseogak.

"When will I ever finish cleaning this place?"

I muttered to myself as I surveyed the seemingly echoic interior of the bookstore.

While it was tempting to use the help of the Dang family's warriors who came as an escort, overworking them might breed resentment. I needed to ponder how to employ them wisely while I began a rudimentary cleanup.

Dusting off the top of the bookshelf sent out clouds of dust like an exploding bomb.

This was worse than I imagined. The Dang family members must be sufficiently rested by now. Maybe I should just call them over.

"The door is open?"

Should I not dust the bookshelf but take out each book and dust them off instead?

As I was contemplating this seriously, a ruckus arose from the entrance of Daseogak.

"Really? Has Manager Kang Yeonhoo really come?"

"There's no 'open for business' sign! You there! We shouldn't enter!"

"Just poking our faces in for a peek won't hurt!"

Were they members of the Daseohoe? I stepped towards the entrance, carrying a dust wand that seemed to only create more work the more it was used.

"It's been a while since we last met."

Standing at the door were people from Daseohoe I hadn't seen yesterday.

"It really is Manager Kang Yeonhoo!"

"Good heavens!"

"It brings me great joy to see the faces of those I've missed for so long."

I greeted them warmly, much like a soldier on leave reporting his survival to his online gaming guildmates during a meetup.

"We're glad too!"

"Have you been safe?"

The people from Daseohoe responded with wide smiles.

"Thanks to your concerns, I've been well. Currently, I'm preparing for the reopening of Daseogak, which has been left unattended for too long."

It could be troublesome if the members of Daseohoe, coming in out of curiosity, made the already messy bookshop even messier. It was best to step outside for now.

With a look of exasperation at the headache-inducing mess inside, I glanced briefly at the interior of Daseogak before returning my gaze to the people from Daseohoe.

"It seems like I'm in for a few days of hardship."

"Wasn't there a new sign out front looking to hire staff?"

Realizing my intention to keep them from entering Daseohoe, one of the members pointed out the large sign at the door.

[Now Hiring.]

The handwriting was truly that of a master calligrapher.

Without jobs boards like Jobkorea or Indeed in this world, the old-fashioned 'now hiring' sign was the way to go.

"Yes. Having been away for a while, I am now in a situation where I can no longer rely on the people who previously assisted here, and it seems I need to hire new staff."

Yesterday, just in case, I had sought out the former employees who worked at Daseogak.

The search ended in complete failure.

Most had been helping out to pass the time since the days of Hwarin's grandfather's ownership of the shop, and in the months I had been away, had retired.

Indeed, in the growing busyness of Daseogak, I had already been holding back those who wanted to quit, and with Hwarin now established in her family's Dang household, it was difficult to compel help through her connections as well.

"It seems returning has brought a mountain of work."

One member of Daseohoe, squinting at the dust beyond the door, commented.

"What matters is that I have returned safely. Might there be someone from Daseohoe who you could recommend as an employee?"

While the masterfully written hiring sign should have been effective enough, nothing beats personal connections when it comes to finding people.

"Are you asking us to recommend someone as an employee?"

"Yes. I would welcome someone who is diligent, good-looking, and knowledgeable about books."

Daseogak is not just a bookstore, but also a café.

An employee should not only be literate but also have enough strength to handle heavy books with ease. It would be ideal if they had the appearance suitable for service and could answer customer inquiries with some degree of common sense.

By any standard, the requirements for the job were not easy.

"An employee referral, you say…"

"Hmm."

"Doesn't that appeal to you?"

As I asked for a recommendation, everyone from Daseohoe suddenly avoided my gaze.

"Ahem, you see, I don't really have... a wide range of acquaintances."

"Oh, is that so? Same here."

Ah, is that the case?

"To say you have few connections! Everyone in Daseohoe is friends, how can you say it is narrow!"

"Are you and I actually friends?"

"Are we not?"

"..."

"Ah... Just a moment, I think I'm experiencing a panic attack; I need to take my medication."

"Ha ha ha. Everyone is too harsh with their jokes. I understand that many in the Daseohoe are also quite busy with their public and private affairs."

I tried to lift the suddenly heavy mood with laughter.

"Of course! Daseohoe is filled with distinguished literary figures and famous carriers like the postmasters."

"Yes, indeed."

Those sought-after individuals could provide a recommendation.

"But those of us here at this time, we are not among them."

"..."

"If we had that much work to do, would we be punching the clock every day at Daseohoe meetings?"

"Ahahahaha."

I couldn't help but smile bitterly at the self-criticism of the members of Daseohoe.

It was morning now. Indeed, it was time to be bustling about preparing for the day. I ought to ask others coming at different times.

"The reason for this hiring is due to the purple-haired young lady not returning?"

"Yes. Hwarin has chosen to live with the Dang family."

With a bittersweet smile, I informed the people from Daseohoe of Hwarin's absence.

"We've lost a core talent of Daseogak."

"That's true. She was indispensable to Daseohoe as well."

"The chaos-broom. The nuisance-eraser. It's a shame that Miss Dang Hwarin is gone."

"Eh? Chaos-broom?"

"When Miss Hwarin sent away troublemakers from Daseogak or the disruptors of Daseohoe, she'd appear out of nowhere and drive them out. So we jokingly called her the trouble-eraser, the one who sweeps away chaos, the Fentangzhu (Burnsweep)."

"That nickname for a lady is a bit..."

Eraser, broom... Nicknames suited for the glorious role of unpaid dawn moderators of toxic users but not for women.

"No, it's just slang among us. How could we say such to a woman?"

"Indeed, it is not easy."

"Exactly. It's not easy."

The people from Daseohoe nodded in agreement.

"We have our own nickname for her. The Poisonous Butterfly."

"The Poisonous Butterfly?"

That was Dang Hwarin's original alias.

"You know the rumors around Daseogak. Whenever a customer would start causing a fuss, they'd suddenly find themselves hit with a bout of diarrhea. Strangely enough, Miss Hwarin would always flit by quietly like a butterfly right when that happened. So, amongst ourselves, we've called her the Poisonous Butterfly."

"Ahahaha."

That's the tale of Hwarin and her use of the poisonous seven-treasures powder.

It seems a few of the Daseohoe members had caught on to the fact that when she deemed a patron too troublesome, she'd sprinkle them with her laxative-laden concoction.

"Now that Miss Hwarin is gone, dealing with difficult customers will be tough. It'd be handy to have someone trained in martial arts in the bookstore to handle them."

"Adding all these conditions, you might as well recruit someone from a prestigious martial sect, but that isn't exactly easy, is it?"

"That's true. I'll spread the word through Daseohoe and see if we can find someone. Speaking of martial arts, have you considered asking the Hao Sect for an employee referral?"

One of the Daseohoe members suggested something I hadn't thought of.

"The Hao Sect? Isn't that the sect that deals in information?"

Why would the name of the Hao Sect come up here?

"Isn't personnel information also 'information'? People from all sorts of jobs, from inn waiters to courtesans to stable hands, they all join. When someone needs staff, it's not uncommon for them to turn to the Hao Sect."

From the local inn waiters to the courtesans of pleasure houses. Indeed, the Hao Sect was known for enlisting people from the lower strata of society indiscriminately.

It's a group where, apart from the Hao Sect's executive ranks, members trade information with each other for profit, driven by survival.

Could it be that in this world, they also provide employee referrals?

"How would I go about finding the Hao Sect to ask for this?"

"How to find them?"

A member of Daseohoe asked me back with a puzzled expression.

"Isn't it difficult to locate a secret sect like the Hao Sect?"

Typically in martial arts novels, the Hao Sect is portrayed as a secretive organization.

To uncover a branch of the Hao Sect, one needs to follow wuxia clichés. Engage some tough-looking waiters or pickpockets, subdue them, and then start the interrogation with "You're with the Hao Sect, right?"

Then, a member of the Hao Sect retorts, "How did you know I was with the Hao Sect?"

How would I know? Trial and error until I catch one. Once the connection to the Hao Sect is made, I utter a secret passphrase I've learned somewhere, and they guide me to a hidden branch of the Hao Sect.

How am I, a mere bookstore owner, supposed to go through all this?

"Huh? What are you talking about? Do you know about the Hao Restaurant near the docks?"

"The place known for its delicious dumplings?"

That's where Hwarin and I used to go to eat dumplings.

"The owner there is the chief of the Hao Sect's Ui-chang branch."

"..."

Why wasn't this a secret organization?

"You there! Why don't you mention that getting a referral from the Hao Sect either requires being a member or spending a significant sum?"

"A significant sum?"

"It might not cost much to hire an ordinary waiter in a single day, but with the conditions set forth by Manager Kang Yeonhoo, who isn't even a member of the sect, you'd likely need to pay a considerable referral fee."

This is the issue with foreigners with black hair. Living in a foreign land means having fewer connections to rely on.

It would be good to get a referral from the Daseohoe people, but it's better to keep several channels open.

The talk of a hefty referral fee bothers me.

It's always preferable to reduce expenses, but if it yields a competent employee, it might not be a bad deal.

'If there's a way to get a cheap referral from the Hao Sect... Ah! That's right.'

I turned towards the Daseohoe member who talked about the referral fee and opened my mouth.

"Didn't you say members of the Hao Sect sometimes cut each other deals?"

"That's usually the case, but are you a member of the Hao Sect, Manager Kang Yeonhoo?"

"No, but there is a way to get a cheap referral."

"Huh?"

I had a very cheap method up my sleeve.

-------------

True to the Daseohoe member's word, when I visited the Hao Restaurant annex and mentioned Hao Sect business, I was immediately guided through.

"A foreigner with black hair? What business do you have here?"

Was this man skilled in martial arts? A burly man who seemed out of place in a simple dumpling joint addressed me with an indifferent expression.

"I have business with the Hao Sect."

"Are you here looking for a job? This is not a place where a foreigner like you can be hired."

The man grumbled as if someone had sent a foreigner over as a joke to mock him.

"That is not the purpose of my visit."

His rudeness on first encounter was typical of Central Plains folks, so I didn't take it personally and shook my head.

"Then what? Don't tell me a foreigner like you wants to join the Hao Sect? If so, bring a Hao Sect member to vouch for your identity. Wait, hold on. I feel like I've seen your face somewhere before..."

Did he recognize me? The man furrowed his brow and approached me.

"I may not have a guarantor, but I do have something that can vouch for my identity."

It didn't matter. I hadn't come here to use my face as a bargaining chip.

I took out my secret weapon from my belongings, the item I'd use in lieu of a referral fee, and presented it to the Hao Sect member.

"What's this coin you're showing me? Oh...? What is this? Black money?!"

"Yes. Black money."

Good. He recognized it. I was worried he might not know what it was, but here was someone who identified it right away.

The item I offered was a black coin engraved with the character for "dirty" (汚). The black money (黑錢).

It was a black coin given to me by Mr. Wang, who owned a cloth shop in Chilgokhyeon.

"This... Why is a foreigner holding this?"

"It belongs to me. Is there anything else you need?"

Mr. Wang had given it to me to use when I had a favor to ask of the Hao Sect, but since there was rarely anything I needed from them, it had been left sitting in a corner of the room.

"I apologize! That was rude of me!"

"Is this sufficient?"

"Yes! Of course! Please, just give me a moment."

The man left his seat and scurried away with a shocked expression.

-----

Bam!

"Chief! There's trouble!"

In the Hao Sect's Ui-chang branch office. A member of the Hao Sect burst through the door, gasping for air, as he interrupted the leader's business.

"Has this fool lost his mind? What's the matter?"

The chief, whose delicate work on a bonsai nearly caused one of its branches to snap, frowned and shouted.

"Th-th-th-th..."

"What's the fuss with 'mu' something? Speak clearly!"

"The Black Coin of the Mu Yeong Shin Fighters has appeared!"