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Chapter – 14
Follow Your Heart
Child counseling sessions were conducted much more intimately and honestly than those with adults.
Children would sometimes state facts as if they were lies, and lies as if they were facts.
Or, they would say unexpected things, like chasing after castles in the air.
The counselor had to find the true feelings of the child client within those words.
Of course, Amang had no such experience.
‘A child addicted to approval.’
The child before her—that is, Geum Jin—was hunched over, extremely tense. It was plain to see how Grand Preceptor Geum had taught him.
The appropriate whip and carrot.
‘Perhaps there were even more carrots than whips.’
The appearance of fearing failure.
That appearance of desperately craving only the correct answer.
She roughly got a sense of what kind of person he was.
‘Grand Preceptor Geum. You’ve ruined this child.’
She had absolutely no experience conducting child counseling sessions…
But Amang was somewhat confident.
Her memory of doing temporary off-campus work during her university days was still vivid!
That was probably at an elementary school library, right?
An elementary school library during summer vacation.
A place where dozens of inquiry calls came in daily because students had to read recommended books for their vacation homework.
And back then, Amang was the only temporary worker.
‘I thought I was going to die.’
Thanks to that, she spent the entire vacation stuck among elementary school students, feeling utterly drained.
Ah, being a teacher is such a tough job.
No matter what, the energetic elementary school students never got tired.
“Why are you so worried?”
Amang tilted her head innocently.
Simultaneously, she began observing him.
His complexion turning pale, his tongue repeatedly wetting his parched lips. He looked completely dejected!
‘The attitude of someone who has never given a wrong answer.’
That kind of appearance often showed up in children burdened with heavy responsibility.
Especially if they had been subjected to coercive words disguised as praise.
“This subject has never been wrong before.”
Bingo. Correct answer.
The hypothesis she formed by dredging up her experience was roughly correct. Still, the most important thing was…
‘Make him admit it himself.’
There’s nothing better for building rapport.
Amang recalled the friends who had passed by her until now.
They all had worried faces, fidgeting anxiously, before finally saying, ‘Um…’ to start the conversation.
And Amang simply listened to them.
Silently, for hours on end.
“Hmm, never been wrong? So you’re saying you only ever gave the correct answer?”
“That is correct.”
“Is that possible?”
“This subject did so.”
“Really?”
First, express doubt.
People backed into a corner are more likely to spill the truth.
Especially a child who doesn’t know the ways of the world yet.
“Yes.”
“Ah! Perhaps the Grand Preceptor didn’t give you many problems, right?”
“That is not so. His Lordship always gives me problems at least once a month.”
“Geum Jin. Be honest. You’re lying, aren’t you?”
The Grand Preceptor’s grandson.
A position others couldn’t easily challenge.
It was an honorable family, but that very point could be poison for a child.
‘Because there’s no one to evaluate his true abilities!’
She had vaguely sensed it during the lecture earlier.
That Geum Jin was overly defensive and tried hard to produce the ‘best answer.’
That means, in other words…
‘An environment where he was raised to only give correct answers.’
Hmm.
On the surface, it seemed like an excellent educational environment.
But if he were cornered or forced to give a wrong answer…
“How could you say something so harsh!”
One’s true nature comes out without realizing it.
Geum Jin, flaring up and jumping to his feet, was fuming.
A severe emotional agitation.
‘He took the bait.’
She thought it was a bit harsh to do this to a ten-year-old child.
But since shock therapy was the most effective method for Amang in real situations, she had no choice.
“Gasp! My apologies!”
“Huh?”
“Your Highness?”
“Right. You weren’t wrong. You were never wrong, not even once.”
Stating that he was designed to always give the correct answer could be phrased differently like this:
‘Producing the answer that best aligns with Grand Preceptor Geum’s ideology.’
In short, he was in a state where Grand Preceptor Geum’s ideology had been instilled in him.
There couldn’t be a CSAT (Korean SAT) in this era, so all problems were essay-type.
Among them, the reason Geum Jin was highly regarded was because the ideology of the Grand Preceptor, who had been in charge of the imperial family’s education for generations, was embedded in his answers.
‘It took me a while to realize this.’
It became visible with just a slight shift in perspective.
The intention of the person who set the problem.
At first, she thought the correct answer was whatever pleased Grand Preceptor Geum’s heart.
But what if it was the opposite?
What if, through that test, he wanted to know Geum Jin’s true nature?
‘Anyone can try to curry favor.’
She thought others had probably considered this much.
If so, what Geum Jin needed to do was precisely one thing.
“The existence of a correct answer proves that other choices are wrong. Now, Geum Jin. Do you think there is a wrong person among the three sons?”
“…No. The three sons merely have different dispositions; none are wrong.”
“Right? There are no useless people in the world.”
He had to realize it for himself.
Only then would it be meaningful.
The princess who was stomping around angrily just moments ago had vanished without a trace. The Amang reflected in Geum Jin’s eyes seemed like a calm sage.
“Grand Preceptor Geum will not say your answer is wrong, no matter what you present.”
“!”
“Of course, you might get scolded if you can’t explain your reasons when asked.”
“I understand.”
“Huh?”
“The words you spoke, Your Highness, and the true correct answer.”
Oh.
“This subject understands.”
He’s smarter than he looks?
“Really? What did you come up with?”
“The second son should become the successor.”
That thought was still there.
“Reason?”
“The second son is a person who pursues profit. Furthermore, compared to the first and third sons, he is also a person who understands practical benefits. The position of Chancellor must synthesize the views of the ministers and present realistic solutions. Therefore, the second son, who knows how to look at reality, is the most suitable.”
It felt like watching a speech at an oratory contest.
Geum Jin, who had a neat appearance, was as sharp as he looked.
‘He speaks better than I do.’
Amang, who was recalling her own ten-year-old self, shook her head.
She should stop thinking about that.
“And there is more.”
“What is it?”
“Because the second son survived.”
“Survived?”
“The reason the first son can protect his good heart and the third son can burn with his artistic soul is precisely because of the second son.”
“What does that mean? Explain in more detail.”
Before she knew it, Amang had moved close to Geum Jin.
Forgetting their embarrassment, the two children huddled together and engaged in a deep conversation.
“This is this subject’s imagination, but the second son must have faced many trials while growing up. Because his older and younger brothers held beliefs far removed from reality.”
“Beliefs?”
“Yes. But the second son must have vaguely realized it. The way the world treated them, the sons of the Chancellor. He must have known that countless dangers lurked, making it impossible to remain trapped in fantasy.”
In a world teeming with villains, the first son sought goodness; amidst a world filled with ugliness, the third son viewed it as beautiful.
The two viewed the world positively. No matter what difficulties they faced, they lived believing in their convictions.
“And so, the second son resolved himself. He realized that someone’s sacrifice was necessary to protect the beliefs of those two.”
The world wasn’t that easy. The moment the fantasy blinding the first and third sons was stripped away, they would be plunged into great shock.
A tragic event of abandoning their beliefs might occur.
For those who understood the ways of the world, hardship and trials always followed.
‘That’s a good interpretation.’
It was an interpretation that hardly seemed to come from the mind of a ten-year-old. Truly, he was the Grand Preceptor’s grandson. No wonder the Emperor considered him for Crown Prince.
“So, Geum Jin, is that your thought? That the second son even abandoned his own beliefs to protect those two?”
“Correct.”
“What do you think the second son’s beliefs were?”
Geum Jin had no answer.
His pupils rolled slowly, as if he was lost in thought.
‘I didn’t really want to go this far either.’
The good thing about Grand Preceptor Geum’s problem was that it allowed a glimpse into the speaker’s own beliefs. Thanks to that, she didn’t have to waste energy on useless questions.
Thank you, Grand Preceptor Geum!
“This subject’s thoughts have not reached that far.”
“You know what I think? I think it’s ‘affection’.”
If Geum Jin was right, then the second son must be a caring person. Even if he took on the role of the villain in the family and might be seen as selfish…
He must have thought extensively for the sake of the first and third sons. Making sure the two didn’t have to work, perhaps.
The driving force behind that was love. Familial affection.
“If he lacked affection for his brothers, he wouldn’t have even thought of that.”
This confirmed one thing for sure.
Geum Jin had uttered the word ‘sacrifice’.
‘He must have given up a lot.’
For instance, a normal childhood—instead of playing freely, he must have grown up under strict life rules.
“Your Highness’s insight is most admirable.”
Geum Jin’s eyes sparkled.
Ahem! Believe it or not, I liked nonsense problems back in my day!
Amang proudly placed her hands on her hips.
“The problem is solved now, right? Wow, it’s over!”
“It is thanks to you, Your Highness.”
“Ah, what did I do—”
Geum Jin couldn’t take his eyes off Amang.
Had he ever been this close to someone before?
Geum Jin had always been around older people.
The princess, who was a handspan shorter than Geum Jin, turned her head away coyly.
“If you’re that grateful, then play with me.”
“Play, you say?”
“You. You’ve never played before, have you?”
“I have played ‘Reciting Classical Allusions’ with the attendants.”
Amang was shocked.
‘That counts as playing?’
This gentle little kid really lived a joyless life. Kid, you know, kids who study well usually play well too. This noona will teach you the joy of games today!
Tap.
Amang’s small palm rested on top of Geum Jin’s head.
“I’ll show you. True play.”
The most thrilling moment of Geum Jin’s life was waiting for him.
Geum Jin, who was conscious of the palm on his head, swallowed dryly.
