He Opened A Matchmaking Agency In 18Th Century London [EN]: Chapter 114

< Persuasion - 114 >

◈ Theo’s Marriage Agency – CEO’s Office

Lord Simon Hughes, visiting the CEO’s office, looked deeply troubled.

The recent hardships in his life were etched on his face.

“Lord Hughes, this is our house blend coffee from the café. Would you care to try some?”

“…Yes.”

Simon didn’t drink the coffee. He merely toyed with the teacup in silence.

Theo didn’t press him, allowing Simon to speak in his own time.

“Lord Sanderson’s words… were correct.”

After a long silence, Simon spoke, his voice subdued.

“At first, I couldn’t detect any cheating. I carefully observed my friends’ actions during the three games, but I didn’t notice anything suspicious. Yet, I still lost over 100 pounds [British currency].”

“……”

“The fourth game began, and everything seemed normal. I even won 150 pounds in that game. At that moment, I foolishly rejoiced, thinking Lord Sanderson was mistaken.

And I tried to immerse myself in the game as usual. Fortunately, I won nearly 50 pounds in the next game, which improved my mood. But…”

The win rate, initially promising, suddenly began to plummet.

And when he lost nearly 300 pounds out of the 1,000 pounds he had borrowed from Theo, he began to suspect his friends’ strange behavior.

“Before, when I started losing money, I would become so caught up in the excitement that I lost all sense of reason. I would only come to my senses after losing everything.

But that day, perhaps because of Lord Sanderson’s words, I couldn’t fully concentrate on the game. Because of that, I was able to remain calm even after losing 300 pounds.”

“Did you notice anything strange when you calmly observed the gambling table?”

“Yes. It was very strange. So, from then on, I cleared my mind of the game and carefully watched my friends’ actions.”

Magic and fraud have something in common: they use misdirection to execute their tricks.

A person who has already lost a lot of money and lost their reason only focuses on their own cards, making it impossible to see the tricks being played.

Simon had been losing his reason like that until now, failing to notice his friends’ fraudulent acts.

But not that day. When he took his eyes off his own cards and quietly watched their actions, their tricks began to become apparent.

“I stopped paying attention to my cards and carefully watched the cards being dealt to my friends. And the shuffling was very strange. It wasn’t just once or twice. They were obviously cheating multiple times.

Whenever I pretended to look at my hand, they would exchange glances and hurriedly change the card they were about to put down. And they kept repeating that.”

Simon continued, his expression pained.

“Eventually, when I didn’t even play a card and just stared at them silently, my friends looked at each other, confused and embarrassed. Their caught-in-the-act expressions sent a chill down my spine.”

They were like brothers, having built up affection while traveling back and forth between London since childhood.

But the moment he confirmed that they had been cheating all along, an indescribable anger surged within him.

Simon jumped up and rushed at the friend who seemed the most suspicious.

Surprisingly, several other cards were hidden under his leg.

That friend apologized to Simon, who was furious, claiming it was just a prank, but no one in their right mind could believe that.

When Simon demanded that they return all the money they had fraudulently taken, they insisted that it was the first time they had done such a prank and refused to return it, even brazenly confronting him.

The other friends were the same. They defended the cheating friend and even portrayed Simon as the bad friend.

Simon realized from their behavior that they were all in cahoots.

In a world without CCTV, he couldn’t fight any further without clear evidence in front of them.

Angry, Simon declared that he was breaking off their friendship, swore never to gamble again, and stormed out of the club.

Returning home, he couldn’t sleep for days due to betrayal and anger. He spent the night trying to figure out how to get back the money he had lost.

But after a few days, strangely enough, the desire to gamble surged up again. He also thought that if there were no cheating, he might be able to win back the lost money with the remaining money.

The satisfaction and sense of accomplishment he had felt there kept tempting him.

“Here…”

Simon Hughes handed an envelope to Theo with a very apologetic expression.

“This is the remaining 720 pounds. I was about to head back to the club without realizing it, but Lord Sanderson’s words flashed through my mind. So, I suppressed the urge to gamble and came here. I will somehow find a way to get the remaining 280 pounds and repay it as soon as possible.”

Theo, who had been listening with his arms crossed, asked bluntly.

“280 pounds?”

“Yes?”

“It must be clearly written in the contract from that day, right? That 100 pounds of interest is added every day since that day?”

“……”

“So, shouldn’t you be paying back 680 pounds in total, with today being the fourth day since you spent the 280 pounds?”

Simon asked back, his face troubled.

“What? Wasn’t that just a joke?”

“A joke? Huh—that’s absurd. You must be greatly mistaken. Why would I bother writing a contract and getting a signature if it was just a joke?”

Simon said, his voice laced with displeasure.

“I was suffering for days from the shock of being betrayed by my brother-like friends, so it was delayed. Can’t you understand that much? I never dreamed that Lord Sanderson would be such a ruthless loan shark. I understand. I will repay the 680 pounds soon, no matter what.”

“Repay soon? By when? In what way? And tomorrow, another 100 pounds will be added, so you’ll have to repay 800 pounds. The day after tomorrow, it will be 900 pounds. Do you understand?”

In fact, Simon was at a loss for how to repay the money.

In the two years he had been addicted to gambling, he had almost squandered his entire fortune.

His friends would avoid him, claiming they had something to do whenever Simon asked to meet.

Moreover, his father, Earl Hughes, had even declared that he would not give him a single penny in the future.

At this time, 680 pounds was a large sum, well over 100 million won [Korean currency] in modern terms.

The annual salary of a bishop of a fairly large church was about 300 pounds, and the annual salary of a lower-ranking clergyman was at most 50 pounds.

For nobles with no clear occupation, once they squandered their inherited wealth and lost their credit with those around them, it became almost impossible to get money.

The reason why gambling was rampant among the nobles and suicides were rampant due to debt collection was precisely because of this background.

Theo said in a cold voice to Simon, who was speechless and hesitant.

“If you don’t repay the principal and interest as signed in the contract, I’ll have no choice but to send you to debtor’s prison.”

“What? Debtor’s… debtor’s prison?”

Simon Hughes’ face turned pale.

“Just so you know, I recently played a big role in sending a man named Alec Parker, the eldest son of an earl’s family in the Manchester area, to debtor’s prison.

He probably won’t be able to get out of prison for at least 20 years. Of course, that’s only possible if he’s still alive in prison.”

“……”

A heavy silence descended.

Simon spoke again.

“You’re really going too far. Isn’t charging such high interest rates illegal?”

“Well, if you feel it’s unfair, go to a magistrate and argue that it’s illegal.”

“Could it be… did my father ask you to put me in a difficult situation?”

“The Earl?”

“Yes. To get me out of gambling and come to my senses.”

Theo burst into laughter.

“Haha—well, now that I hear it, I think the Earl might have had such thoughts. But don’t misunderstand. There was no talk about sending Lord Hughes to debtor’s prison at all.

Alec Parker, the eldest son of the Earl’s family in Manchester that I mentioned earlier, initially met me because of marriage issues, but later ended up in debtor’s prison due to gambling debts.”

“So, if I don’t repay the money, you’re really going to throw me into debtor’s prison?”

“Well… it would be fine if the Earl pays it back, but no one knows what will happen. Looking at Alec Parker’s case, his parents turned their backs on him, saying they couldn’t repay the money, and that’s how he ended up. I just hope that Lord Hughes doesn’t end up in such a situation.”

Simon was troubled. He had already been warned by his father that there would be no financial support in the future, but he didn’t want to ask his parents for help in such a matter out of pride.

For now, he had no choice but to beg Theo.

“Lord Sanderson. As you may have seen when you met him, my father will not lend me any money related to gambling. And, knowing my father’s personality, if I go to debtor’s prison, he will definitely leave me to suffer in there for at least a few months.”

“Then I have no choice. I’ll have to send you to debtor’s prison. But the Earl will probably release you within a year, right?”

Simon pleaded urgently.

“Lord Sanderson! I have a personality that hates living with other people. Besides, debtor’s prisons are full of swindlers and criminals. Please have mercy. I’ve heard rumors that Lord Sanderson is the kindest person, but was I wrong?”

“I do have a warm personality… but I’m not such a fool as to warmly embrace a pathetic person who sold off his family’s farm due to gambling after being taken advantage of by his friends, while his mother is sick.”

“I have no excuse for that… But I had my own unspeakable difficulties. I will never make such a mistake again.”

“Well, whether you make a mistake in the future or not, that’s none of my business. I just want to get my money back.”

“……”

“So, instead of doing this to me, wouldn’t it be better to go to the Earl as soon as possible and beg him to lend you money?”

Simon shouted.

“I told you, that’s impossible! My father will never lend it to me!”

“Then, try borrowing from your friends.”

“……”

Theo, sipping coffee and stealing glances at the dejected Simon, opened his mouth cautiously.

“See? Because you’ve been addicted to gambling, there’s no one who will help Lord Hughes, right? That’s the end of gambling addicts.”

“……”

Simon lowered his head, ashamed.

“Alright. Considering that you came all the way here conscientiously, I’ll offer you one way out.”

“…?”

“I need some information related to my coffee business right now, but it’s proving harder to find than I thought. If you can provide me with the necessary information, I’ll put the debtor’s prison thing on hold for a while.”

Simon raised his head sharply.

“Necessary information? What kind of information…?”

“I vaguely heard at the club last time that you were quite knowledgeable about the British tea market and international commerce… I need information related to the British tea market.”

“Ah! I’m confident in that kind of information!”

“How do you know that information, Lord Hughes?”

“I’ve been very interested in trade and commerce, so I majored in it when I was in college, and I’ve been steadily collecting data and personally researching it based on the performance of related professionals.”

“Good, Lord Hughes. Then I’ll ask you what I want to know.”

“Yes.”

“Do you happen to know a Mrs. Mary Twining?”

“Mrs. Mary Twining… are you talking about the person who runs the Twining tea business?”

The corners of Theo’s mouth unconsciously lifted slightly.

If he knew Mrs. Twining, Simon was truly an expert in this business field.

“Yes, you knew her. Then can you tell me in detail how that company came to dominate the British tea industry?”

At Theo’s question, Simon Hughes answered without hesitation.

“Originally, that company was developed by Mr. Thomas Twining, Mrs. Mary Twining’s father-in-law, who used to run a coffee house in London, by boldly abandoning coffee and focusing on tea.

And even now, that store still sells good quality tea leaves. Thanks to that, they exported a lot to the colonies before the war with North America.”

Theo was investigating the female representative of ‘Twining,’ a company that currently dominates the British ‘tea’ market.

In order to fully open the era of ‘coffee’ in the British beverage market at this time, a confrontation with Twining, which dominated the British tea market, was inevitable.

It was clear that T&S Coffee was a very excellent coffee that had never been seen before, but Theo did not know exactly about the ‘tea’ of Twining, which was currently occupying England.

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you will not be endangered in a hundred battles,

But if you do not know the enemy and know yourself, you may win or lose.

No matter how excellent T&S Coffee is and how well you know its advantages, if you rush in without properly knowing about ‘tea’, which dominates the British market, you may suffer unexpected setbacks.

For that reason, Theo considered giving up the British domestic market if the situation was not favorable and relying on exports to foreign countries where coffee demand was high.

However, since the transportation and storage of food were not smooth in this era, consumption within the UK was very important.

To do that, you have to win the competition with Twining.

Fortunately, Simon Hughes seemed to already know a lot about the representative.

“It was about 60 years ago. Thomas Twining bought three houses and converted them into stores to open the first store dealing with tea leaves on the Strand [a famous street in London] in central London.

And even now, that store still sells good quality tea leaves. Thanks to that, they exported a lot to the colonies before the war with North America.”

“But why is his daughter-in-law, Mrs. Mary Twining, the current representative?”

“Ah, originally, Mr. Daniel Twining, Thomas Twining’s son, inherited his father’s business and raised it well.

But he passed away sooner than expected, so his wife, Mary Twining, took over and has been running it for over 15 years.

But I heard that his son, Richard Twining, is actually in charge of the work. He is currently the chairman of the London Tea Merchants Association.

I had a chance to see him at a club before, and he seemed to know a lot about tea and had excellent sales strategies.”

“Hmm, I see. Then, unlike other European countries, why do you think the UK is so enthusiastic about tea rather than coffee, and coffee has become unpopular?”

Even with the continuous sharp questions, Simon continued to answer without panicking.

“Well, there are many reasons, but I think the main reason is the decline of coffee houses. Only 50 years ago, London was the largest coffee-consuming city in the world, right? There were over 2,000 coffee houses in London alone.

However, coffee houses, which only men can enter, are different in market size from products such as ‘tea’, which can also be in demand by women.

In addition, the UK failed to cultivate the coffee industry like the Netherlands and France by failing to cultivate coffee trees and choosing Indian tea in the competition for colonies.”

Simon was surprisingly accurate in analyzing the British beverage market.

Theo, with a satisfied expression, asked again.

“Then, in your opinion, Lord Hughes, what should be done to make the coffee boom happen again in the UK?”

“Hmm… I think it’s better to use a premium strategy if you’ve already missed the time for popularization. And you should actively use advertisements in newspapers and magazines.

For example, in the early days, tea was placed at the bottom of the weekly Mercurius Politicus [a newspaper] with the advertising phrase ‘We are starting to sell Qing Dynasty tea, which has been recognized for its excellence by all doctors,’ which caused explosive interest.

In addition, a system where you can choose and eat various products yourself ······”

Specific development plans flowed from Simon’s mouth, who had never run a business. More than Theo thought, he seemed to be born with the qualities of a businessman.

Finally, Theo asked about strategic plans to establish coffee in the UK market compared to tea.

“Lord Hughes? As far as I know, tea is popular because it’s simple and quick to drink, just put tea leaves in a cup and pour hot water.

But coffee requires roasting green beans, roasting them, and grinding them to make them drinkable, which is a complicated process, so I think people are reluctant to drink it. Can this coffee really compete with tea?”

Simon smiled.

“On the contrary, I think it would be much more likely to create a coffee shop that specializes in that complicated process.”

“A professional process in a store?”

“In fact, the process of roasting coffee beans, making them into coffee beans, and grinding them again takes time and is very annoying. But if you feel that the taste of the resulting product is good, it will feel more delicious as a reward.

Think about it. Does it feel more valuable and delicious to have something that is difficult to obtain, or does it feel more delicious to have something that is easy to obtain and can be eaten quickly at any time? Besides, the taste you can feel when you watch it with your own eyes is also different.”

“That’s right.”

“Just as Twining created a store that specializes in selling tea leaves, it would be effective to build a store that specializes in selling only coffee beans, not a cafe, in several major cities in the UK, right near Twining’s tea leaf specialty store.

In addition, the professional coffee shop will take over the most annoying process of roasting coffee beans, roasting them appropriately, grinding them if desired, and explaining how to store and eat them well.

Through this process, sales as well as indirect advertising effects will increase value and make it more familiar to people in the market.”

A smile naturally appeared on Theo’s face.

Simon asked with an expectant face at Theo’s appearance.

“Lord Sanderson, with this much information, can you definitely put the debtor’s prison case on hold for now?”

“Yes. I will do that. A promise is a promise.”

Theo asked Simon, who was relieved, as if scolding him.

“But, Lord Hughes? Debtor’s prison is a prison, but how are you going to handle the interest that increases by 100 pounds every day?”

“……”

“You don’t have any special income, and you’ve sold off the farm to receive tenancy, so what can you do to repay my money that’s growing just by getting a temporary hold now?”

“I… I really didn’t know it was a contract with that intention. And above all, I had strong faith in my friends, so I couldn’t imagine that I would lose the bet.”

“If I look at you today, are you going to go home and beg your father? That’s the only way, right?”

Simon shook his head with a firm face.

“That’s impossible.”

“Then, there’s no way to repay the money at the moment?”

“……”

“Shall I give you some practical help regarding repayment?”

Simon tilted his head at the words “practical help.”

“You’re giving me practical help?”

“If you do as I say, Lord Hughes, you can earn money in a short period of time. And I’ll also waive the future interest. In other words, you only have to repay the principal you borrowed and the interest up to today.”

“…?”

End of Episode 114 >