Chapter 16

“Elder—!”

The Fourth Young Master, Yeon-bi, sprinted, his voice booming.

“Brother—!”

The faces of those he scurried past were filled with bewilderment, but the boy paid them no mind.

“—Sir!”

He reached the main entrance of the joint business headquarters in a single dash and finally spotted Yeon So-hyeon.

“Your younger brother has been eagerly awaiting your arrival, Elder Brother—!”

The wide, beaming smile on the Fourth Young Master’s face froze solid.

“Hoh? So that’s how you were able to arrive at just the right time.”

The Grand Young Master, Yeon So-hyeon, was smiling down at two young girls, gently stroking their heads.

“Yes, Elder Brother!” the third young lady, Yeon Da-eun, chirped happily. Beside her, the fourth young lady, Yeon Da-hye, muttered under her breath.

“…If someone hadn’t insisted on changing into a new dress, we would have arrived much earlier.”

Yeon Da-eun’s face flushed crimson. “I may have brought it up, but you, Da-hye, were the one who insisted we had to look our prettiest for Elder Brother and actually called for a tailor to buy new clothes!”

“And if someone hadn’t decided that while we were at it, we should also buy new rouge—?!”

The two began to bicker, swatting at each other like a pair of tangled kittens.

“…Are those the twin third and fourth young ladies?”

“Hoho. They are even more adorable than the rumors say.”

The sight brought warm smiles to the faces of the onlookers passing through the entrance hall, but Yeon-bi’s reaction was quite different.

“Th-the witches…!”

His face went deathly pale. He rose onto the balls of his feet and began to tiptoe backward. It seemed, for a moment, that all his grueling training under the Sichuan Tang Clan’s Shadow Corps was about to pay off. His escape would have been a success, had Yeon So-hyeon not spotted him and called out with a smile.

“Oh? Why, if it isn’t Yeon-bi. Did you run all this way to greet your elder brother?”

Had there ever been a moment in his life when he resented his elder brother more? And yet, at the same time, he was overjoyed to be so warmly welcomed by him.

“Ha-haha. Y-yes, that is correct, Elder Brother. It is I, your younger brother, Yeon-bi.”

Unable to either laugh or cry, Yeon-bi offered a formal greeting.

“Ooh?!”

“It’s Bi-ah…!”

Just as he feared, the twin sisters, their eyes glinting, were now advancing on him.

“You little, you little…!”

“Your elder sisters have arrived, and you were trying to run away…!”

As his sisters approached, their fingers wiggling ominously, Yeon-bi let out a convulsive shriek. “Sh-shoo! Get away from me! Begone, you witches…!”

The twins’ eyes narrowed.

“Calling your dear sisters ‘witches’ after so long…!”

Yeon Da-hye finished Yeon Da-eun’s thought. “Huhu. It seems you still haven’t learned your place. We shall have to thoroughly remind you of a younger brother’s proper mindset.”

A sinister grin spread across Yeon Da-eun’s face. “Indeed. How about we play ‘little sister’ like we used to?”

“Our Bi-ah is just so adorable, and being dressed as a girl suits him so well…!”

Dressed as a girl…! A flood of humiliating memories from his past flashed through his mind. All the blood drained from Yeon-bi’s face.

“K-khh…!”

He stumbled backward until his back hit a cold wall. With nowhere left to retreat, he looked up at the ceiling and cried out in despair, “Oh, heavens, why did you create me, Yeon-bi, only to also create these two witches?!”

“No, you’ve got it all wrong, dear,” Yeon Da-eun said, now right in front of him, puffing her cheeks out in mock anger. “The heavens created us, and then gave us the cutest little brother in the world.”

Yeon Da-hye giggled, puffing her cheeks out in the same manner. “Now, now. Just give up and surrender peacefully.”

Yeon-bi squeezed his eyes shut and yelled, “Hngh..! I’d rather you kill me…!”

Whether he was aware of his little brother’s tragic plight or not, Yeon So-hyeon simply watched the reunion of his precious siblings with a sentimental gaze.

“H-help me! Elder Brother!”

Yeon So-hyeon finally let out a laugh. “As I recall, the three of you have always been so close.”

***

A short while later, in the Fourth Young Master Yeon-bi’s office:

“…And so, in exchange for removing the investors’ names from the list,” Yeon-bi reported, “I was in the process of confiscating the funds they had invested.”

Normally, he would have been puffing out his chest, his nose held high, boasting of his achievements to his elder brother. But now, his voice grew smaller and smaller, until it was nearly a mumble.

“As expected,” Yeon So-hyeon nodded. “Clean, excellent work, just as I would expect from you. Well done.”

Ordinarily, a compliment from his most respected elder brother would have made him feel as if he had conquered the world.

“…No, Elder Brother. It was nothing.” He hung his head, his voice like air escaping a balloon. As he did, his hair, tied into ‘twin pigtails,’ bounced cutely.

Oh, my dignity….

It was a small mercy that there were only a few people in the office. Had this been a public place, his dignity would have been ground to dust and scattered to the winds.

“Pfft…!”

“Kikik…!”

His sisters—no, the witches—who were also present, were snickering at him openly.

“Our little brother is so cute.”

“When you’re done with work, shall we go to the hot springs with your ‘big sisters’?”

“Grrr…!” He clenched his small hands into tight fists and trembled, silently swallowing his rage. One day, I will repay this humiliation…!

“Hmm.”

Having finished organizing his thoughts, Yeon So-hyeon nodded and turned his attention to the twin sisters. “And what business brings the two of you to seek out your big brother?”

The girls, who had been giggling just a moment ago, immediately adopted a composed demeanor.

“Ahem.” After clearing her throat to shift the mood, the third young lady, Yeon Da-eun, spoke with a serious expression. “The merchant associations of the Ha Clan that remain in Luoyang are under attack.”

Yeon Da-hye elaborated, “As you know, our Ha Clan’s associations have been importing and selling tea from the main clan estate in Luoyang…”

Yeon Da-eun continued, “The owners of the buildings where our teahouses were located have suddenly sent unilateral termination notices for our leases. We’ve lost contact with our distributors, and suddenly our goods are being held up with claims of problems with customs documents…”

Yeon Da-hye summarized her sister’s points. “We are in a situation where we cannot conduct any business at all. So, we had no choice but to temporarily suspend all our operations.”

“…How could all this happen overnight?” the Fourth Young Master muttered from the side. “This all began the moment it became known that you had sided with Elder Brother. There is no need to even question who is behind this.”

The third young lady, Yeon Da-eun, shrugged. “It was either the Second Young Master’s faction or the Third Young Master’s.”

The fourth young lady, Yeon Da-hye, smiled bitterly. “By joining hands with you, Elder Brother, our political power within the clan has grown…” No one in the Luoyang Sword Clan could look down on the sisters as they once had. But.

“In exchange, you have made enemies,” Yeon So-hyeon finished.

The sisters nodded as if it were of little consequence.

“Well, we more or less expected it.”

“Though the attacks did come faster and were more fatal than we thought.”

“That is why we are here, Elder Brother.” Yeon Da-eun reached into her robes and produced a document tied with a silk ribbon. “Since it has come to this, we have decided to liquidate all of our immediately disposable assets.”

“…!” An expression of shock appeared on Yeon-bi’s face. Regardless of whether it was the right or wrong decision, their decisiveness and speed of action were astonishing.

“Fortunately,” Yeon Da-hye said with a shrug, “it seems our enemies wish to check us, not make an enemy of the Ha Clan’s main clan.”

“So there has been no interference with the liquidation of our assets.”

Yeon So-hyeon accepted the document offered respectfully with both hands by Yeon Da-eun. “And this document is?”

A confident smile spread across Yeon Da-eun’s face. “That is a document pledging to invest all of our available assets into your business, Elder Brother.”

Yeon Da-hye smiled, mirroring her sister’s expression. “And the assets that have not yet been liquidated due to their size, we intend to invest them all in your business the moment they are converted to cash.”

“As expected of my elder sisters, your boldness is admirable, but…!” the Fourth Young Master interjected with a squeak. “You must be more precise in your wording, sisters! This is not Elder Brother’s business alone, but a joint venture between Elder Brother and myself!”

Yeon Da-eun scoffed and ignored him. “So, Elder Brother,” Yeon Da-hye said, her gaze fixed on Yeon So-hyeon. “Will you accept our investment?”

Yeon So-hyeon’s expression was so utterly composed that it was impossible to read his thoughts. “Hmm.” He finally spoke. “Before that, let me ask one thing.”

At his words, the twins straightened their posture. “Yes, Elder Brother. Ask us anything.”

“What is the primary reason you are liquidating your assets?” Yeon So-hyeon asked, his voice low. “Surely, it is not because you are afraid of the enemy’s unseen attacks?”

Yeon Da-eun immediately shook her head. “No, that is not it.”

Yeon Da-hye’s eyes sparkled. “This decision is something we learned from you, Elder Brother.”

A smile appeared on Yeon So-hyeon’s face. “Learned from me, you say?”

Yeon Da-eun nodded, her gesture filled with conviction. “Yes. Elder Brother, you are currently facing both the Second and Third Young Masters simultaneously, yet you are suffering remarkably little damage.”

The Fourth Young Master nodded in her stead, his pigtails bouncing. “That is true. And that is because—.”

Yeon Da-hye cut him off. “It is because your battlefront is extremely small and narrow compared to that of the Second and Third Young Masters.”

“Your forces are still small compared to your enemies, Elder Brother. But that, in turn, reduces the number of angles from which the enemy can attack.”

“That is why,” Yeon Da-eun said with a grin. “We have also decided to drastically shrink our own battlefront and eliminate the angles from which the enemy can attack us.”

Yeon Da-hye finished her sister’s thought. “And that is the reason why we are liquidating our businesses to invest in your venture, Elder Brother.”

Having said their piece, they quietly watched Yeon So-hyeon.

“…”

Though the Fourth Young Master showed no outward expression, he was nodding to himself. …An excellent line of reasoning. The third and fourth young ladies had always seemed ordinary compared to their other siblings. To him, they had been the only family members he could be somewhat ‘at ease’ with. But while their other siblings had been growing, they had not been idle. At times like this, he was reminded that they all shared the same blood.

“So, Elder Brother. Was our answer to your satisfaction?”

“Will you accept our investment?”

“It is a good answer,” Yeon So-hyeon said, nodding calmly after closing his eyes for a moment. “And regardless of your answer, I had intended to accept your investment from the start.” He opened his eyes and looked at the two girls, who could not hide their joy. “Did I not tell you before?”

As he looked at them with a benevolent smile, the two girls giggled.

“Of course, we remember.”

“How could we forget?”

The first time he had reunited with them after so long, Yeon So-hyeon had said this to his twin younger sisters: “Go on. Do as you wish.”

Yeon So-hyeon nodded. “Yes. That is it precisely.”

***

“Well then, Elder Brother.”

“We must be going now to hasten the sale of our businesses.”

The third and fourth young ladies, Yeon Da-eun and Yeon Da-hye, took their leave with a polite bow.

“You don’t have to come back, sisters,” the Fourth Young Master said, waving from the side. They ignored him.

After they left, a brief silence fell over the office.

“…”

The Fourth Young Master, Yeon-bi, who had been silent alongside him, carefully studied his elder brother’s expression and spoke. “…Elder Brother.”

The third and fourth young ladies hadn’t noticed, but Yeon So-hyeon’s expression had been rigid for some time now. Others might not know, but the Fourth Young Master could see it. The expressions Yeon So-hyeon wore were often like finely crafted masks.

“Please calm your anger…”

Just then, Yeon So-hyeon spoke. “Yeon-bi.”

Yeon-bi jumped. “Y-yes!”

Yeon So-hyeon, his eyes still closed, spoke in a ‘calm’ voice. “There were families who have wished to form an alliance with me for some time.”

Yeon-bi nodded quickly. “Y-yes, that’s right.” He elaborated from memory. “There have been continuous requests for an audience from families who are hostile to the Second Young Master. And as of yesterday, we have begun receiving requests from families hostile to the Third Young Master’s faction as well.” The boy scratched his cheek. “But I heard you told them you would only meet with them after a sufficient amount of time had passed.”

“Yes,” Yeon So-hyeon said, nodding slowly with his eyes closed. “That is what I said.” He had refused their alliance because he had no intention of letting them simply hop on the bandwagon and take all the credit later. “They must be sufficiently anxious by now, no?”

“Of course,” Yeon-bi replied immediately. “Currently, you are continuously holding your own against both the Second and Third Young Masters with your existing forces. No, you are even gaining points against them.” He continued with gusto, not needing to think twice. “If those men wish to share in the glory of victory later, they will have to put the fate of their families on the line and join the fight now.”

“I see.” Yeon So-hyeon instructed Yeon-bi in an even tone. “Send a messenger and relay this to them.” His eyes opened a fraction, and a cold blue flame seemed to flicker within. “Tell them that if they bring me the heads of all those who have touched the businesses of my two dearest sisters, Da-hye and Da-eun…”

A chill ran down the Fourth Young Master’s spine, and goosebumps rose on his skin.

“…I will accept them as my allies.”

The Fourth Young Master immediately bowed his head. “Yes, Elder Brother.”

As Yeon-bi hurried out of the office, Yeon So-hyeon let out a small sigh and leaned back, sinking deep into his chair. The words he had spoken to his twin sisters echoed in his mind.

“Go on. Do as you wish.”

And that promise had an unspoken second half.

“This brother of yours will not let anyone touch you.”

There are some things in this world that you should never, ever touch.