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∼Chapter 09∼
“What happened?”
As soon as Hayoon returned, all the prisoners pressed their faces against the bars. The only thing anyone cared about in this place was whether Hayoon would be punished or not.
“Haa…”
Instead of answering, Hayoon slumped down against the wall.
The prisoners, curious about what had happened, gathered around her.
“Why? Didn’t it go well? Why are you sighing like that?”
“Well… I managed to get past the runaway slave issue.”
“You did?”
“But this time, they’re accusing me of something else.”
“Something else? What other crime did you commit?”
Hayoon hesitated for a moment before opening her mouth.
“They said I was impersonating a family or something…”
“What? Impersonating a family?”
The moment Hayoon answered, the entire cell erupted into chaos.
In an era when one’s status meant everything, impersonating a family was one of the most serious crimes imaginable.
Since Hayoon had no way to prove her identity, she was practically no different from a slave.
And if someone in her position had impersonated a prestigious family, this was certainly not something that would end with just a few dozen lashes.
If she were lucky, she might receive a hundred lashes before being exiled to some remote region. If she were unlucky, she could even be executed publicly in the marketplace without anyone being able to say it was excessive.
The prisoners asked worriedly,
“Heh, how in the world did things get that bad…?”
“They just asked for my bon-gwan, so I told them, and somehow this happened.”
“Your bon-gwan? Why? Which one is it?”
In response to their questions, Hayoon once again mentioned her ancestral clan.
“…The Jeonju Im clan.”
“The Jeonju Im clan?”
The cell erupted once again.
Although the Jeonju Im clan was not technically a yangban family, at the time, the family held a status comparable to one.
It was even said,
“Even if the royal granaries run dry, the granaries of the Jeonju Im clan will never be empty.”
When the prisoners realized that Hayoon belonged to such a famous clan, their tone suddenly became much more respectful.
“Are you really… No, are you really an Im from the Jeonju Im clan, miss?”
“Yes. I am. I’m certain of it.”
“Hmm. If you gave your bon-gwan correctly, then technically you’re not impersonating them…”
The prisoners’ eyes wavered strangely.
Their gazes were filled with a mixture of suspicion, bewilderment, and confusion.
‘A young lady from the Jeonju Im clan sells rice soup?’
‘And looking like that?’
‘Hell, even I wouldn’t believe it.’
Even if Hayoon’s words were true, there was still one major problem she had to overcome.
If Hayoon happened to be a close cousin of him, then the matter would probably be smoothed over without incident. But if she were merely a distant relative—or simply an unrelated person who happened to share the same surname—there would be no reason for him to help her.
Hayoon’s fate depended entirely on just how close she was to him.
Knowing this, the prisoners did their best to comfort Hayoon.
“It’ll work out. It’ll probably all be fine. So don’t worry too much.”
“Thank you. Even just hearing you say that helps.”
Either way, the water had already been spilled.
There was nothing Hayoon could do now except wait anxiously for the day when she would learn her fate.
A few days later.
“Come this way.”
At the jailer’s words, Hayoon felt her heart drop.
She had been locked inside the cell for several days, and she had begun to feel as though she were actually a criminal.
‘Is the result… coming out today?’
Hayoon followed the jailer with trembling steps.
Unlike the dark interrogation room she had visited before, the place Hayoon arrived at this time was brightly lit.
“Gasp…!”
The place she had been brought to was the public court hall where trials were held at the government office.
The hall was crowded with countless people, including constables.
‘Who are those people…?’
Hayoon raised her head and looked toward the seats of honor.
Standing there were Chief Clerk Choi Hyangseo, Magistrate Kim Seogon, and a dignified-looking middle-aged man dressed in a fine silk robe.
As soon as Hayoon appeared, Choi Hyangseo shouted in a somewhat excited voice.
“This is the woman! She is the runaway slave who impersonated the Jeonju Im clan!”
“Hmm.”
After examining Hayoon for a moment, the magistrate turned his gaze toward the middle-aged man beside him.
He did not seem particularly interested in the trial.
“What do you think? Does she look like one?”
“I’m not sure. I’ll have to examine her more carefully to know.”
“Is that so?”
The middle-aged man seemed to hold a position even the magistrate could not treat casually, as he maintained an extremely respectful attitude.
“The prisoner will raise her head.”
At the magistrate’s command, Hayoon slowly lifted her head.
Her eyes met those of the middle-aged man in the silk robe.
Flinch!
The instant their eyes met, only one thought flashed through Hayoon’s mind.
‘…I’m screwed.’
To some extent, she had expected this.
But seeing him face-to-face made her certain.
That man was no ordinary person.
The middle-aged man said nothing.
He simply stared at Hayoon.
‘How long is he going to keep staring at me?’
There was something about his gaze, as though he could see straight through her.
Hayoon instinctively realized it.
Everything was over.
‘What’s going to happen to me now? Will I be beaten with clubs? Or will they brand my face?’
All kinds of thoughts raced through her mind in that brief moment.
Now that she was essentially certain to be branded a slave, some form of severe punishment would surely follow.
She wanted to cry and scream that it wasn’t true, but this was not a place where such arguments would work.
Hayoon’s fate rested entirely in the hands of that middle-aged man.
If he claimed she had stolen from his household, her hands might be cut off. If he said she had insulted his family, her face could be branded.
Gulp!
Hayoon waited anxiously for his decision.
After a while.
The middle-aged man finally opened his mouth.
And what he said shocked everyone present, including Hayoon.
“She is indeed a member of our family.”
“…Pardon?”
Choi Hyangseo asked back with an expression of disbelief.
“Are you serious?”
“That child is my… niece.”
“Your niece?”
Choi Hyangseo’s eyes filled with bewilderment.
“That can’t be…”
“Are you saying that I am lying right now?”
“N-No, that’s not what I meant…”
That short-haired young woman was this middle-aged man’s niece?
The situation was so unbelievable that silence fell over the entire courtroom.
Then, suddenly, the middle-aged man spoke to Hayoon.
“I heard you left home some time ago. So you were here all this time.”
“Pardon?”
“I heard you lost your memory…”
“Ah, yes. I did lose my memory, but…”
Hayoon was just as bewildered.
‘Who the hell is this guy?’
She was grateful that he was helping her, but there had to be a reason he was going this far to help her.
She had no idea what his intentions were.
But regardless, Hayoon was not foolish enough to let go of the lifeline he was throwing her.
‘This is my chance! I have to grab it no matter what!’
If she wanted to survive, she was at the point where she would have to invent lies that had never existed.
So Hayoon hurriedly began matching the middle-aged man’s story.
“Your mother has been terribly worried since you hadn’t returned home for several days.”
“My mother?”
Of course, Hayoon’s actual mother did not exist here.
More importantly, Hayoon was supposed to have lost her memories.
It would be strange if she suddenly remembered her mother now.
‘What am I supposed to do?’
When Hayoon simply stared blankly, the middle-aged man cleared his throat and gave her a meaningful look.
“Ahem. You don’t remember your aunt Okhee?”
“……!”
A moment later, Hayoon realized what he meant and began the greatest performance of her life.
“Ahhh! My mom! I remember! I remember my mom! My mom, Kim Okhee!”
“Ahem. Not Kim Okhee. Im Okhee.”
“Ah! Right! Mom Im Okhee!”
“Heh heh. It seems your memories have finally returned.”
The middle-aged man nodded with satisfaction at Hayoon’s performance.
“Uncle! I remember you too! I don’t quite remember your name yet, but I remember your face!”
“Yes, yes. Of course you should remember. How could you forget after I raised you myself?”
Despite having met for the first time, the two of them were perfectly in sync.
Their performance was so convincing that even Hayoon briefly wondered whether he really might be her uncle.
“At least it’s fortunate that your memories have returned, even if only like this.”
“Uncle! Where is my mother now?”
“Where else? She’s at home. Even now, she prays every day that you’ll return safely.”
“Mom! Mooom! I miss you! Sniff, sniff!”
Hayoon’s desperate cries for her mother were so convincing that several constables began wiping away tears.
“Sniff… This is so touching.”
“Oh, dear. What could have happened to such a young woman to make her suffer like this…?”
“What a terrible thing… I can’t see anymore because my eyes are full of tears.”
“Man… I should at least go home and greet my own mother on the way back today.”
Choi Hyangseo stared at the scene with a flustered expression.
“W-What is this…?!”
He had gone to great lengths to bring the middle-aged man here, just in case.
But it had turned out to be the very thing that ruined everything.
He had never imagined that Hayoon would actually be his niece.
‘No! It can’t be! There’s no way that woman who was selling rice soup at a tavern could be that man’s niece!’
It was a lie.
This was definitely a lie.
Choi Hyangseo realized the truth belatedly, but unfortunately, this was not a place where such arguments would work.
Everything depended solely on the middle-aged man’s will.
‘It’s a conspiracy! This is definitely some kind of conspiracy…!’
But the middle-aged man’s decision was firm.
He urged them to release Hayoon immediately.
“Now that her identity has been confirmed, please release that child.”
“Pardon? Well, I, um…”
Choi Hyangseo hesitated under the middle-aged man’s pressure.
The magistrate beside him repeatedly cleared his throat in displeasure.
“Ahem! Ahem!”
A few days earlier, Choi Hyangseo had boasted that he had an opportunity to curry favor with the Jeonju Im clan.
The magistrate had consequently been looking forward to the matter quite a bit, but the result had been the exact opposite.
Choi Hyangseo had effectively humiliated him in public.
If he could have had his way, he wanted to beat Choi Hyangseo with clubs instead of Hayoon.
“This isn’t how it was supposed to…”
As Choi Hyangseo stood there dumbfounded by how completely his plan had fallen apart, the middle-aged man urged him again.
“Hey, clerk. Are you planning to keep my niece tied up like this?”
“N-No, of course not.”
“Eugh! Tsk!”
Unable to watch the situation any longer, the magistrate finally ordered Hayoon to be released.
“What are you waiting for? Untie her at once.”
“Yes, sir!”
Thanks to the middle-aged man’s help, Hayoon was cleared of the false accusations and let out a sigh of relief.
“Whew. I’m alive.”
Hayoon turned toward the middle-aged man and expressed her gratitude.
“Thank you for saving me. I owe you my life.”
“You’ve suffered enough.”
Standing close to him, Hayoon could sense something about him that was difficult to put into words.
He possessed an air of dignity, yet also wisdom.
And above all, he was bold.
It was the bearing of a truly great man, something Hayoon had never encountered before.
“Here. Put this on.”
“……!”
Seeing Hayoon, who had become haggard after spending so much time in prison, the middle-aged man took off his robe and handed it to her.
Then he looked toward the magistrate.
“Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, may we leave?”
“Of course! Absolutely. I’m sorry to have caused you such trouble when you must be busy.”
“Trouble? This was for my own flesh and blood. I should have come running.”
“Please take care on your way home.”
As the magistrate released Hayoon, he glared at Choi Hyangseo.
He had been thoroughly humiliated because of him, and there was no way he could simply let this go.
“Clerk, come see me afterward. We need to have a little talk.”
“Oh, I’m ruined. I’m completely ruined…”
Choi Hyangseo’s legs gave out, and he slumped to the floor.
Meanwhile, Hayoon, now a free woman, confidently walked out through the main gate of the government office.
Only after they had gotten a considerable distance away from the government office did Hayoon properly express her gratitude.
“Thank you for helping me. I’m alive thanks to you.”
At Hayoon’s words, the middle-aged man narrowed one eye and said,
“What is there to thank each other for between family? We have to help each other survive. Isn’t that right?”
“Pardon? Yes, that’s right. Exactly.”
Hayoon could not hide her embarrassment as she watched the middle-aged man continue the act.
Then, all of a sudden, he casually dropped a pointed remark.
“But next time you decide to lie, at least do it properly. The thirty-second-generation descendant of our family hasn’t even been born yet.”
“……!”
It felt as though she had been struck in the head with a hammer.
As expected, he knew that everything Hayoon had said was a lie.
‘And yet he still helped me?’
Why?
What had he seen in her?
Hayoon was curious about his intentions.
Unable to hold back any longer, she asked,
“Why did you help me even though you knew I was lying?”
At the question, the middle-aged man stared intently at Hayoon.
She had sensed it earlier as well, but there was something about his gaze that felt almost like penetrating insight, as though he could see through everything.
“That’s because I’m interested in you as a person of potential.”
“?”
When Hayoon looked completely unable to understand, the middle-aged man gave her a meaningful smile.
“It was called Life Tavern, wasn’t it? The place you renovated?”
“How did you…?”
It seemed the middle-aged man had already finished investigating Hayoon and knew everything about her.
“Rumors about that place have spread all the way to Uiju. How could I not know?”
With that, the middle-aged man walked ahead.
“Let’s see how the rice soup tastes. Just how remarkable is that tavern for such rumors to have spread so far?”
What exactly does this man do?
How does he know everything?
Hayoon stared blankly at the middle-aged man for a moment.
Then, seeing him already walking far ahead, she hurriedly followed after him.
