THWCS 17

Chapter 17

The man who had gone to the thatched hut’s entrance took a few agile colleagues with him and immediately headed into the mountains.

Ishin leaned slantwise against a nearby tree, looking through the wide-open wattle gate at the so-called “three fugitive brothers.”

His deep eyes once again skimmed over their shabby clothing.

The brothers’ worn-out clothes were so filthy that one could easily mistake them for rags.

Yet scattered across the dirt-stained and tattered fabric were specks of red.

Bloodstains.

Judging solely from their situation, one might assume it was blood from injuries sustained during interrogation at the prefecture office.

But they had supposedly been on the run for over a month.

If that were true, the red stains should have long turned brown or blended in with the other blackened grime on the clothes.

But judging by how fresh the color looked, the blood had been smeared no more than half a month ago.

They could have been injured while climbing the mountain, but injuries wouldn’t create splatters like that.

Those marks were clearly someone else’s blood.

If night had already fallen, Ishin would have sent Gwino to investigate the brothers. But it wasn’t even past the time of Chen (around 11 a.m.).

So he sent Seok Jangdu and the others to first examine the route the brothers had taken.

Ishin’s sharp gaze remained fixed on the brothers, who continued crying out their unjust grievances.

If they truly were innocent, he would admit them as residents of Jejado—but if not, things wouldn’t end well for them.

“Paechu*, what shall we do? Should we watch them until news comes back, like before?”

(*Paechu — the title the fugitives use to refer to Ishin, meaning something like “chief.”)

Before long, Duyeong came out from inside the hut and approached him.

“Duyeong, do you think those men are innocent?”

At Ishin’s question, Duyeong glanced back at the brothers surrounded by the others.

“No. I don’t think they are.”

“Mm. So wait.”

Duyeong, too, must have noticed the blood splattered on their clothes.

Ishin lifted the corner of his mouth in a crooked smile.

Duyeong was one of the fugitives Ishin had accepted into Jejado. He had originally been a talented young soldier who, purely through skill, became the commander of the arrest unit at eighteen.

One day, while investigating a murder that occurred in a powerful noble family to which he had returned after resigning from office, the prefect hinted at covering up the case.

But Duyeong persisted with the investigation and ended up clashing with the suspected culprit—the family’s illegitimate son.

The result was that Duyeong was framed as the murderer and imprisoned.

His elderly mother, shaken by the ordeal, fell ill and soon passed away.

Her last words: “If your conscience is clear, then survive no matter what.”

Soon after, Duyeong risked his life to escape from prison, wandered Mount Jeokbyeok, and eventually encountered Ishin, who allowed him to live on Jejado.

Duyeong then became Ishin’s right hand, tasked with evaluating and supervising the fugitives who sought refuge on the island.

As the years passed, the prisoners Ishin brought to Jejado gradually gathered around him in loyal groups and began calling him Paechu.

Though Duyeong and Ishin were the same age, Duyeong sincerely respected him.

When he first saw Ishin, he honestly thought he wasn’t human.

A face so beautiful it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him a fox spirit from legends, coupled with an unpredictable disposition—lazy at times, and at others as sharp as a finely honed blade.

Above all, the awe he felt upon learning Ishin possessed a “strange ability to command spirits” was indescribable.

“What’s with that creepy gaze?”

Snapping out of his memories, Duyeong suddenly recalled a rumor he had heard in the marketplace about Ishin, and he grinned slyly.

“By the way, you’re getting married soon, aren’t you? I heard your betrothed came to Jejado.”

“Who said that?”

Displeasure immediately flashed across Ishin’s face.

“The rumors are everywhere.”

Ishin shot Duyeong, who was smiling smugly, a look that said the question wasn’t even worth answering.

At the same time, he remembered the missing half of the black jade pendant.

He’d only noticed it was gone that morning.

But he wasn’t anxious.

The pendant was a spiritual artifact—it would return to him soon, silently, without anyone noticing.

What bothered him was the rumor Duyeong mentioned—that he was getting married—and that it had already spread across Jejado.

And all within a single day since Yeongwon had appeared.

Matters of marriage were internal affairs of the Geom (黔) household, so the reason such news spread so quickly was obvious.

The elders of Seonwondang flashed through Ishin’s mind—elders who were entirely incompatible with him.

They resented to their bones the fact that he was head of the Geom clan, yet were stubbornly committed to the old-fashioned duty of preserving the family line.

They were the very ones who desperately wished for him to marry and produce an heir.

Claiming that a child born from the clan head would likely be the next clan head.

“Bullshit.”

Muttering under his breath, Ishin pushed himself away from the tree.

“Watch those guys until things are confirmed.”

“Yes, Paechu.”

Leaving Duyeong’s respectful bow behind, Ishin headed back toward Jejado.

* * *

“Milady… is this really the residence of the head of the Geom household?”

Sorae peeked through the side gate, looking doubtful.

Yeongwon, standing behind her, saw the desolate courtyard and could only gape wordlessly. It didn’t look like a place where anyone lived.

“That servant definitely said this was Yeonggyeongdang, didn’t she?”

“Yes, she did… but honestly, even the servants’ quarters were cleaner than this. Maybe they’re teasing us because we’re from outside?”

“Well…”

Yeongwon pursed her lips, unable to finish the sentence.

But the maidservant who had given them directions had been very polite—too polite to be teasing them.

Still, the courtyard visible beyond the gate made it hard not to suspect a prank.

The plants that should have been lush along the walls were withered to dry husks, and what must once have been flower beds were nothing but dead, black soil.

Off to one side lay rusted tools—pitchforks, rakes, hoes, brooms—haphazardly thrown about.

Not rusted from age but rather from months of neglect.

Looking a little further, the main hall was completely empty—no furniture at all.

So many spiders must have made their homes there that even from this distance, webs hanging from the beams swayed visibly.

And this wasn’t all.

On their way here, Yeongwon and Sorae had passed numerous courtyards in the Geom compound.

Each had four or five servants cleaning or working.

But here, at Yeonggyeongdang—supposedly the residence of the clan head—not a single human figure was in sight.

Had it been nighttime instead of bright day, the place would have looked like a haunted house where ghosts would appear.

“Milady, we were definitely tricked. How can the clan head’s residence look like this?”

Still unconvinced, Sorae muttered on.

“I’ll go ask again where Yeonggyeongdang is. Please wait a moment.”

Just then, as Yeongwon despairingly scanned the courtyard, her gaze landed on the plaque hanging above the main hall.

“Sorae!”

She quickly grabbed Sorae’s arm just as the girl tried to run off.

“It is Yeonggyeongdang. Look—it says so.”

Covered in dust and partially damaged, but still clearly written on the plaque were the characters for Yeonggyeongdang (演敬堂).

“What…?”

Yeongwon and Sorae were whispering to each other when a low voice sounded behind them.

It was Ishin.

Yeongwon nearly screamed in fright, like someone caught stealing, and almost stumbled backward.

Fortunately, Sorae caught her in time.

“M-Milady… this person…”

Straightening herself as if nothing had happened, Yeongwon glanced toward Sorae.

But Sorae stood frozen, mouth hanging open like someone whose jaw had dropped—staring blankly ahead.

Yeongwon discreetly poked her in the waist.

She recognized the voice, of course, but Sorae’s reaction confirmed it.

“Lord Geom.”

Yeongwon felt a prickling sensation at the top of her scalp under Ishin’s piercing stare.

“C-Clan head? This is the clan head? This man is the Geom clan head?”

Sorae suddenly grabbed Yeongwon’s arm, eyes sparkling wildly.

Her lips curved upward as if reaching the heavens.

Milady! If it’s this man, you’re not being shortchanged! I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful as you—until now!

Seeing her maid’s face explode with joy, Yeongwon’s cheeks burned with embarrassment, and she glared at her fiercely.

Stop it!

“What are you doing?” Ishin asked again, seeing their silent exchange.

“I—I have something to tell you. Do you have a moment?”

Still flustered from Sorae’s antics, Yeongwon managed to speak politely—though she sounded a bit strained.

“No. Move.”

His mouth curved as if smiling, but the words were utterly cold.

At his blunt rejection, Sorae’s beaming face froze instantly.

Yeongwon, however, having already experienced his personality a few times, took it in stride.

“It’s important. Your jade pendant—did you lose it?”

Flowery words were never needed with this man.