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Chapter 7 …
An Hari, daughter of Ahn Jung-ho, the Chief Inspector of the Office of the Censor-General and mentor to King Lee Gwang of Joseon.
Woon had repeatedly asked his elder brother why Hari had rejected him, but that day he never received an answer.
Afterward, he quietly looked into Hari’s background and kept a close eye on everything she did.
He couldn’t help but be interested.
Marriage was one of the greatest affairs of human life and the very foundation of Joseon.
Naturally, a woman who rejected it entirely drew his attention.
“You even know my name?”
Hari’s eyes widened into circles, and the corners of her lips curved upward.
‘I’m famous!’
Once I settle Nahee’s marriage annulment case, I’ll become the number one divorce advocate in Hanyang.
“Of course I do.”
The cold-hearted woman who had mercilessly rejected him.
Yet unlike what he had imagined, Hari had a gentle, round-faced appearance and smiled easily.
Perhaps because of that…
At first, it had only been curiosity.
Now, he genuinely wanted to know.
‘Why does she dislike me?’
Since he was hiding his identity as the master of Punguibang, he couldn’t simply ask her directly, which only made it more frustrating.
Just then, Hari asked,
“May I know the name of the master of Punguibang?”
“Ah…”
Woon suddenly became curious.
How would she react if she learned that he was the very man she had dumped without hesitation?
‘She’ll find out eventually anyway… Should I just tell her the truth?’
The impulse lasted only a moment.
He couldn’t let foolish curiosity interfere with a greater purpose.
At the same time, he didn’t want to give a fake name to the woman with whom he had almost shared a marriage.
Since fate had brought them together again like this, perhaps their connection wasn’t completely over.
Very few people knew his true name, so the chances of Hari discovering his identity were slim.
“My name is Lee Woon.”
The moment they heard Prince Hwain’s true name, Chilbok and Siyoung both flinched.
Hari reacted the same way.
‘Did she recognize who I am?’
For the briefest instant, Woon’s eyes flickered with a strange mixture of expectation and discomfort.
“Your name…”
“What? Is it the same as someone you know?”
It certainly sounded oddly familiar.
But she couldn’t quite place it.
‘Why does this bother me? Ah, it’s probably nothing.’
If he had been an important character in Eunwon, she would definitely have remembered him.
Which meant this man must simply be one of the countless unnamed supporting characters who made up the world of Eunwon, just like Hari herself.
Shaking off the lingering unease, Hari said,
“Now that we’ve introduced ourselves, I’d like to make a request.”
“Go ahead.”
Woon straightened his posture.
His serious eyes sharpened.
“Please find someone for me.”
He tapped the table lightly with his index finger, appearing to think for a moment before asking,
“Who?”
“Yang Heo-young. Four years ago, that person worked as a matchmaker in Bukchon.”
“Why are you looking for them?”
“Do I have to tell you that as well?”
“If it’s an honorable reason, there should be no reason you can’t say it. Punguibang doesn’t pursue people without knowing why.”
Although people said Punguibang would do anything for the right price, it still had its own principles.
The foremost one was simple.
It never did anything that would harm innocent people.
The same applied to finding someone.
What if the person being sought was a tenant farmer who had fled a cruel landlord?
What if it was a woman who had run away to avoid being sold?
What if they were people hiding to escape becoming hostages of Qing?
No matter how much money was offered, Punguibang would never track them down.
That was why the reason always had to be known.
Hari stared directly at Woon.
Her eyes clearly asked,
“Do you really need to know?”
Meeting her gaze without hesitation, Woon simply nodded.
After a moment, Hari let out a sigh.
“I’d like everyone else to step outside.”
“Miss, no!”
Maldong, who had remained silent until now, crossed his index fingers into an X.
“Why not?”
Hari turned toward her, mouthing the words.
Maldong leaned close and whispered into her ear.
“Haven’t you heard it enough already? ‘Men and women over the age of seven should not sit together.’ You’ll ruin your marriage prospects, Miss.”
Hari had given up on marriage long ago.
Yet Maldong still stubbornly clung to the idea.
“Don’t worry. He’s not my type.”
The hand Woon had been raising to drink his tea paused.
Unfortunately for them, his hearing was excellent.
He heard every word of the whispered conversation.
“Miss, that’s not the issue.”
“Then don’t worry about that either. I don’t think he’s interested in me anyway.”
Is that so?
Woon quietly lifted the corners of his lips as he sipped his tea.
“It’s because rumors might spread.”
Unable to remain silent any longer, Woon cut in.
“If that’s what worries you, then you needn’t be concerned.”
Hari’s eyes widened after realizing he’d overheard them.
‘She looks like a rabbit.’
After that brief impression, Woon continued,
“As long as Miss Ahn doesn’t tell anyone herself, Punguibang will never speak of what happened here today first. Punguibang is famous for taking its secrets to the grave.”
Though, admittedly, he had never actually been in a grave.
Maldong pursed her lips before quietly backing down.
Now that she thought about it, she’d heard countless rumors that Punguibang handled all kinds of matters.
But she’d never heard anyone explain exactly what kind of work it actually did.
“You two should leave as well.”
Unlike Maldong, Chilbok and Siyoung neither objected nor commented.
They silently left the annex and closed the paper door behind them.
The sound of the three departing footsteps gradually faded into the distance.
The two remaining inside quietly drank their tea while waiting until the others were completely gone.
The deeply brewed tea was exquisite.
Come to think of it, everything in the room—and everything the man wore or carried—was of exceptional quality.
Did that disappoint her?
Not at all.
If anything, it gave her even greater confidence in his abilities.
‘It’s not easy making money out of other people’s pockets.’
Coming here had definitely been the right choice.
“Everything I’m about to tell you must remain known only to you, Sir.”
“Please make an exception for Chilbok and Siyoung.”
“…Excuse me?”
“The older man with the sesame-seed-sized mole on his temple is Chilbok. The one standing beside me like a shadow with the sword is Siyoung. They both assist me in my work.”
“Ah… I understand that much. Then I’ll continue.”
Woon set down his teacup and listened attentively.
At times, he sighed quietly.
Other times, he stopped Hari in the middle of her explanation and sank into deep thought.
“…And that’s why I need to find Yang Heo-young. Can you do it?”
“I can find them in four days.”
“What? That quickly?”
“Isn’t finding them quickly a good thing? Why are you so surprised?”
“It’s just… sooner than I expected…”
“Because I’m that capable?”
Hari burst into laughter at the man’s confidence.
She normally hated people who boasted.
Yet somehow, when Woon did it, she didn’t mind.
In fact…
It was almost cute.
She had the distinct feeling it wasn’t empty bragging.
Nor did it seem like he was trying to intimidate her.
He was nothing like the pot-bellied senior partner attorneys that Jung Hari had dealt with in modern Korea.
Come to think of it…
How old was this man?
Setting aside her personal curiosity, Hari returned to the matter at hand.
“I suppose we’ll know once the results come in. I’d appreciate it if you could find them as quickly as possible. Time is of the essence.”
No matter how carefully one guarded spoken words, secrets inevitably leaked over time.
Because they had no physical form, they could slip through even the narrowest crack.
No matter how cautious one was, there was never a guarantee a secret would remain hidden forever.
That was why she had to hurry.
Before the Choi family discovered Nahee’s resolve and prepared their counterattack.
“How much should I pay as the commission?”
Punguibang had no fixed fee for commissions.
Every request was priced according to its circumstances.
Since this matter involved more than simply locating someone, Woon couldn’t immediately quote a price.
Instead, he asked,
“How much do you charge as an Oejibu?”
“The advance fee is five nyang in yeopjeon. The success fee depends on the outcome.”
“Then let’s do this. I won’t charge an advance. Instead, if you win Madam Kim’s lawsuit, I’ll take half of your success fee.”
“I can’t agree to that.”
“Why? Don’t you have confidence?”
“Of course I do. I’ll definitely win. It’s just that… the amount I’d have to split with you would be far too large.”
Hari smiled brightly.
The amount of money she intended to win in this trial would leave everyone utterly astonished.
“Then let’s pretend this request never happened.”
“…What?”
“Unless you’re willing to answer a few of my questions.”
Hari assumed he was about to ask for legal advice.
What else would someone ask an Oejibu besides legal consultation?
Running a place like Punguibang inevitably meant walking the line between legality and illegality.
Legal counsel was essential.
If it meant lowering the commission fee, she was more than happy to provide free legal advice.
“Go ahead.”
“Why are you doing this?”
The man’s interest wasn’t in the commission.
It was in Hari herself.
“Do you truly intend never to marry?”
