We had just finished our historical expedition by chatting and were loading the barrels of shells into the wagon when the old man, An, and gangly old man from earlier arrived.
“A light-headed old man,”
Or should I say, that’s what I’m saying about? He became a great merchant on his own. He has a lot of energy.
“I’ve made a lot of money with this light-head.”
“Huh. That’s a good one.”
“I’m sorry, young man. I couldn’t help you earlier. My name is Vermund Vajibadr. I’m the chairman of the Vajibadr Trading Company.”
“That’s very polite of you. I know you’ve heard about it from your neighbors that it is hard to pronounce my name. So, you can just call me Bae. That’s what we call ourselves in the village.”
The people of the village call him a genius. A man of substance.
I cowered at what my grandfather said.
“A genius, right? Well, that’s what it looks like on the outside, but inside he is in his mid-50s. I’m not just a man, I’m an old man who has only grown older. I’m so embarrassed that I’m dying in agony.”
“You’re a child prodigy at ten, a genius at fifteen, and an ordinary person after twenty. I’m just an ordinary person.”
I don’t know if it’s a hazy memory.
“Cooch, cooch. You’re funny. If you are…. well, if Bae is normal, then I’m just an ordinary guy.”
“If you’re an average person, then they’re all fools.”
“Well, I don’t care what they think. I’m just me. I’m the chairman, the chairman.”
“There is no point in comparing them. Each his own. They say that only you walk your own path.”
“That’s true.”
The old man chuckled. I’ve heard that many of the guys who have become successful are difficult to deal with, but he’s a very friendly chairman.
“What’s that, by the way?”
“It’s a shattered shell.”
“Shells? What are you going to do with it?”
‘Well. I wonder what they’re going to do?’
“Unfortunately, I’m a cynical person and don’t talk that easily,” He said.
The old man didn’t expect me to speak so quickly and he didn’t pursue it further.
“And what do you want from me? Or is it just to have a walk in the park?”
“No, I came to see you, Bae. I came to ask for your help.”
“To a ten-year-old kid?”
“Yeah. Ten-year-old kid. You can laugh at me if you want. I’d even bow down to the Grim Reaper if I could.”
“Well, asking is free.”
He cooed again.
“Of course, thank you. I can’t say everything, but I will thank you to the best of my ability.”
“You’re looking pretty desperate.”
”Ah. If this fails, the Chamber of Commerce will go down and the royal capital will fall into chaos.”
“Chaos? I’m not going to say “what”. I won’t even say it to your face. I guess that’s the best I can say to Chairman-san, and I don’t want to get into any trouble. It’s good luck to stay out of it.”
“However, I’m not so good-natured that I’d have to be abused or denied in order to help someone, and I also hate people who don’t have integrity. But, that doesn’t mean I’m not looking for trust and confidence. I’m not interested in hearing about it. Do you still want me to help you?”
“Please. I need your help.”
The old man bowed his head deeply. That’s really great.
“Chairman-san. If you don’t mind, Chairman-san, would you like to spend the night at my place?”
For a moment, I looked at him uncomprehendingly, but Chairman-san is a bundle of experience and intuition. He immediately grinned.