Chapter 1

Chapter 1 — Raising the Issue

At nine years old, Kang Doyul appeared on television as a child prodigy in law.

"Excuse me? A nine-year-old memorized every provision of the Civil Act? And your dream is to become Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?"

At eleven, he passed the high school equivalency exam.

["Legal Prodigy Kang Doyul Passes Equivalency Exam at Age Eleven. Says His Dream Remains Unchanged..."]

At twelve, he entered the Department of Economics at Hanguk University.

At fifteen, he graduated early as the top student of his entire class.

...And at that very same age, he entered Hanguk University Law School at the top of the incoming class.

As the legendary boy who had achieved success at an absurdly young age, Doyul attracted attention the moment he entered law school.

Promising geniuses were valuable assets.

Naturally, law firms showered him with offers.

Yet, for some reason, he rejected every single one.

"Doyul, would you consider becoming our firm's scholarship student on the condition that you join us after graduation? We can guarantee a starting salary of several hundred million won."

"I'm sorry."

Naturally, his classmates couldn't suppress their curiosity.

"Doyul, why did you turn down the offer?"

"Exactly! It's incredibly rare to get an offer like that the moment you enter law school!"

Doyul looked perfectly calm.

"I'm planning to enter public service."

"You're one of those prosecution fanatics... I mean, are you preparing to become a prosecutor?"

"No. That's not the path I'm aiming for."

"Then what?"

"I'll become a Supreme Court judicial researcher."

"...A Supreme Court judicial researcher?"

Only five Supreme Court judicial researchers were selected nationwide.

They were fixed-term public officials who assisted Supreme Court justices by reviewing case records.

They were also considered the first candidates in line for judicial appointment, earning them the nickname "judges-in-waiting."

"Yeah."

In other words, his declaration that he would become a Supreme Court judicial researcher meant one thing.

The dream of that nine-year-old boy who wanted to become Chief Justice of the Supreme Court had never changed.

Doyul never pursued personal happiness.

He devoted himself entirely to studying.

His classmates occasionally tried to persuade him to pick up a hobby, but his answer was always the same.

"I'm studying with other people's support. A hobby would be a luxury."

All he ever did was study.

Forget traveling to Japan.

He had never even taken a proper trip within Korea.

He ate almost every meal at the university cafeteria.

People praised Doyul for his frugality.

They said he never wasted the money he received from supporters and only spent it on necessities.

They said he was a naturally upright young man who would surely become a great lawyer and defend the weak someday.

However...

His classmates, who saw him every day, had a very different opinion.

"Guys. Is it really okay to leave Doyul like this?"

"Of course not."

Because Doyul wasn't living modestly.

He was simply abusing himself.

"He needs to learn how to have fun, right?"

His classmates decided they would teach him what ordinary happiness felt like.

"Doyul! Want to go eat tteokbokki?"

"Let's go!"

"Come on! I'll buy you fried food too!"

"Hmm. Tteokbokki."

Doyul hesitated before speaking.

"...Can we get the mildest one?"

"...Huh?"

"Of course, it isn't because I can't handle spicy food. Obviously, I'm perfectly capable of eating spicy food, but excessively spicy food can be harmful to students preparing for exams, so..."

His classmates happily interrupted him.

"Of course we can!"

"Let's go already!"

"I'm starving!"

They dragged Doyul to a nearby snack restaurant.

After taking one bite of tteokbokki, Doyul cautiously looked around.

"...Are you sure this is the mild version?"

"Huh?"

"If it's the mild version, why is it spicy? Doesn't this violate the principle of good faith?"

His classmates froze.

Sure, maybe the food was spicier than expected.

But...

Why was the principle of good faith suddenly involved?

What are we supposed to do with him?

We've got a long way to go.

Seriously.

"Should we complain to the owner? In a broad sense, this could be considered defective performance."

"Doyul. Shut up and eat."

"Huh? How am I supposed to eat with my mouth shut?"

"I'm asking nicely. Shut up and eat."

Nod. Nod.

"...Okay."

Even the legal prodigy Kang Doyul had weaknesses.

His social skills were somewhat lacking.

And he was unbelievably terrible at handling spicy food.

Three years later, three more achievements were added to Doyul's record.

At eighteen, he graduated first in his class from Hanguk University Law School.

At eighteen, he was appointed as a Supreme Court judicial researcher.

At eighteen, he ranked first nationwide on the bar examination.

But something else had changed just as much.

His relationships with other people.

Doyul dreamed of a quiet, peaceful life.

Unfortunately, his classmates had completely destroyed that dream.

Ding. Ding. Ding!

[Kim Nayoon: Guys, you remember we're meeting at the amusement park at one today, right?]

[Kim Minjae: Yep! On my way!]

[Lee Changwoo: Same. Doyul, how much of that historical drama have you watched?]

"..."

While waiting for the bus, Doyul ignored the messages.

[Kim Nayoon: Oh? So now His Majesty doesn't even reply?]

[Kim Nayoon: Answer me right now. Want a knuckle on the head?]

[Kim Minjae: This won't do. We need to forcibly occupy Doyul's house. We can all go there today.]

[Lee Changwoo: LOL. You two are going too far.]

[Kang Doyul: Please remember that every one of you is a lawyer. If harm sufficient to cause fear and thereby create a coercive effect is communicated, commencement of the crime of coercion may be recognized...]

[Kim Nayoon: Shut up. The law is far away, but fists are close. Watch at least Episode 1 on your way here.]

Doyul frowned and sighed.

"...Why do I have to watch a drama?"

[Judgment is hereby rendered! The criminal's offense of deceiving innocent citizens is exceedingly grave! Guards! Twist the criminal's legs!]

"Aaaaargh! M-My lord! Please forgive me!"

"And why this one, of all things?"

[The fictional historical drama, New Magistrate Chronicles, now airing!]

Doyul had absolutely no desire to watch a historical drama.

His classmates, however, stubbornly insisted.

And there was a reason.

"Doyul. Imagine there's someone you want to become friends with. How would you start a conversation?"

"Hmm... When calculating the ratio of reimbursement by subrogation, if a person who is both a guarantor and a property guarantor is regarded as a single person, do you support the guarantor theory or the property-guarantor theory?"

"We're completely screwed."

"Why? Because I don't blindly follow precedent? Uncritically worshiping precedent isn't a good..."

"Argh! You idiot! Everyone will run away if you say something like that!"

New Magistrate Chronicles was a fusion historical drama set in Joseon.

Its protagonist was a magistrate who presided over trials.

His classmates recommended it because they hoped it would give Doyul some normal conversation topics.

"...Hmph. As if there's any conversation topic more fascinating than a fierce conflict between competing legal theories."

Doyul acted prickly on the outside.

But he understood what his classmates were trying to do.

And he was always grateful to them.

"...Hmph."

Sometimes he even wondered whether someone who once had nothing deserved to be treated so kindly.

Doyul had been an orphan.

His entire life changed because of one particular event.

It began when the director of his orphanage, unwilling to waste Doyul's talents, came up with an idea.

"What if we put Doyul on television? Maybe someone will offer to sponsor him. Someone might even want to adopt him!"

They contacted a broadcasting station.

A producer, delighted by the sensational material, immediately rushed over to meet the orphanage director.

"Hmm. It would be better if we added just a little more spice."

"Excuse me? What should we do?"

"Well... you said Doyul has an excellent memory..."

A brilliant idea flashed through the producer's mind.

"A genius boy who memorized the entire law! That's good. We can make something out of this!"

And thus, one boy's dream began according to a television producer's script.

The program's ratings exploded.

People became fascinated with the unfortunate child genius.

Support flooded into the orphanage.

And into Doyul himself.

There were countless inquiries about adopting him as well.

But none resulted in an actual adoption.

Too many scumbags wanted to adopt Doyul in hopes of using him to improve their own lives, and every attempt eventually fell apart.

After going through all of that, the intelligent young Doyul learned something.

Something he needed to do if he wanted to survive.

I have to study if I want to survive.

His entire worth, as someone surviving on the goodwill of others, came from his ability to study.

It was only natural that he eventually developed the dream of becoming Chief Justice.

People wanted Doyul to become a light that illuminated society.

Because of that, Doyul had carried a heavy debt in his heart since childhood.

But...

Thanks to his classmates' relentless efforts, he was slowly beginning to change.

"Hmph. Everyone keeps bullying me. Still..."

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

"...They told me to watch it, so I should at least try."

Then, just as Doyul sat at the bus stop and started playing the historical drama...

"...Huh?"

A child fooling around nearby stumbled into the road.

A truck came roaring toward him.

HOOOOONK!

Without a moment's hesitation, Doyul rushed into the road.

He grabbed the child and desperately threw him toward safety.

Then he turned toward the approaching truck.

The child was safe.

But it was far too late for Doyul to get out of the way.

SCREEEEEECH!

At least... he's safe.

In that brief instant, Doyul thought.

Of course he had to save the child.

People would have wanted him to.

...He hadn't managed to become Chief Justice.

But because he had sacrificed himself to save a child, perhaps people would forgive his failure.

Doyul felt relieved.

And yet...

He couldn't stop a strange feeling from crawling up from deep inside him.

At first, dry and lifeless faces appeared in his mind.

The producer who had made him perform for ratings.

The greedy people who had wanted to become his parents for the sponsorship money.

The faces filled with jealousy and envy whenever they looked at him.

...Ah.

But those colorless memories quickly disappeared.

"Oh my God!"

"Someone fell into the road!"

Soon, warmer faces bloomed in their place.

"How was today?"

"...It was actually pretty fun."

"Doyul! Let's come play together again next time, okay?"

Small but colorful memories blossomed.

And the world regained its color.

HOOOOOOOOONK!

"...I promised I'd watch the historical drama."

And just before the truck struck him...

Snap!

A man snapped his fingers.

Time stopped.

"Hmmmmmm..."

A man dressed in a black durumagi stared at a tablet PC and muttered.

"Kim Jiwoo, age six! Cause of death: struck by a truck!"

The man glanced toward the sidewalk.

The child who was supposed to die was perfectly alive.

"...No. Kang Doyul, age eighteen. Died before his talents could fully bloom."

Every death was tragic in its own way.

But the psychopomp found this one especially bitter.

"What a shame. I'd save you if I could, but that lies beyond my authority. It would violate causality. Besides..."

The psychopomp looked into Doyul's eyes.

"Hmmmm."

"You contain sunlight, but no moisture. You're like a flower that's dried up before it could truly live."

Doyul quietly endured being insulted by a stranger he'd just met.

Then he finally couldn't take it anymore.

"Who are you?"

"Can't you tell just by looking?"

"..."

Doyul thought.

Judging from his clothes, he's probably mentally ill.

The timid psychopomp was slightly wounded.

"T-This happens to be one of the trendsetting items from the Underworld's spring-summer collection!"

"...How did you know what I was thinking?"

"Hmph. Naturally, that's one of my powers. I'm a psychopomp."

Doyul didn't believe in supernatural phenomena.

But even he couldn't deny what he was seeing now.

The entire world had stopped except for the two of them.

The psychopomp spoke irritably.

"Why did you die in someone else's place?"

Doyul couldn't answer.

He didn't regret throwing himself into the road.

But even he was struggling with complicated emotions.

The psychopomp was deep in thought as well.

Damn. Of all people, why did it have to be this child...?

Then his eyes fell on Doyul's phone.

"Y-You... How do you have this?"

"Excuse me? What?"

Oops!

The psychopomp quickly corrected his expression and laughed awkwardly.

"Ahem! Ahem! So you watch this too? You have excellent taste!"

"...What?"

"Th-That show! I enjoyed it very much!"

What kind of psychopomp watches historical dramas?

But upon seeing the drama, an idea occurred to him.

Hoho. Is this what causality means? Perhaps everything was connected from the very beginning. Yes... if it's this much, perhaps I can interfere with fate.

"I'll make you an offer. I'll give you two choices. Why don't you choose?"

The man raised one finger.

"First. I'll turn time back five minutes. Do nothing this time. Then you'll survive."

"What happens to that child?"

"He dies."

Doyul frowned.

"What's the second option?"

The psychopomp hadn't expected him to accept the first one anyway.

Smiling, he placed Doyul's phone in his hand.

"...The historical drama?"

"Correct."

"What am I supposed to do with this? Memorize the script?"

"You're seriously no fun. Enter this historical drama and save its world. Change the ending."

"...Excuse me?"

"The ending was terrible! I thought we'd finally gotten a masterpiece for the ages, and then they ruined the ending! Actually, that drama has an original novel, and compared to the literary quality of the original..."

"What kind of psychopomp gives someone an offer like this just because he didn't like the ending of a historical drama?"

The psychopomp looked at the truck frozen right in front of them.

"Because I feel like it. Isn't it better than dying here? Besides, forcibly saving you is difficult, but sending you to another world connected through causality is much easier."

Doyul was dumbfounded.

"Does trying to watch the drama really count as being connected through causality?"

"You know those stories where someone gets hit by a truck and reincarnates into whatever they were watching? It's roughly the same..."

Doyul stopped listening and began thinking.

The first thing he had learned in life was that every kindness came with an obligation.

Yet at the same time, another memory surfaced.

"Hey! Kang Doyul! You ate at the cafeteria again, didn't you? I packed side dishes for you, so heat these up at home!"

Names belonging to people who had shown him kindness for absolutely no reason shone brightly in his memories.

"Hey! When a person... no, when a psychopomp is talking, you should listen!"

The psychopomp, who happened to be a sensitive, literary-minded young man, became offended.

"Ah. Sorry."

"Ahem! So? What will you do?"

Doyul answered immediately.

"I'll choose the second option."

"...I see."

The psychopomp grinned.

"Good! The contract is complete!"

"But I don't know anything about the drama's plot."

"An old saying goes, virtue comes before talent. Lead through virtue, and your path will naturally open before you."

"Could you be a little more specific?"

The psychopomp stared at him for a moment.

Instead of explaining, he voiced a small concern.

"You possess remarkable talent, but you're lacking in many ways. Think carefully about what you're missing."

Doyul mentally reviewed his bar exam answers.

Was I too focused on applying the law to the facts, so I didn't include enough discussion of academic theories? That's the only thing I can think of.

"Not that! This isn't even the same genre!"

"Then what?"

"Haah... I'd like to help you more, but..."

Snap!

The psychopomp snapped his fingers again.

Time began moving once more.

And Doyul vanished.

"...I've already pushed things far enough. Tch. There's nothing lovable about that kid. Now I'll probably have to write a massive incident report. What an insolent brat. Still, if possible..."

Muttering, the psychopomp disappeared into the darkness with a small smile.

"Go enjoy yourself as much as you want."

Someone suddenly grabbed Doyul.

"Young Master!"

"...Huh?"

Then the man poked him repeatedly.

"What do you think, Young Master?"

...Young Master? Me?

Doyul stared at the man in confusion.

The man dressed in hemp clothing laughed.

"You said you wanted to watch a civil trial, so we came all the way to the government office. Why are you acting strange now?"

...This is how it starts? I don't know anything. What exactly am I supposed to do?

Doyul looked around, desperately trying to understand the situation.

Then voices came from the front.

"My lord! I lent this bastard rice, but now he's saying he'll just consider the debt paid however he wants!"

"And what's wrong with that? I lent him eggs! Our debts are worth about the same, so I'm saying we should cancel them against each other!"

The first farmer struck his chest in frustration.

"I don't have any rice to eat right now! If I'd known this would happen, I never would've lent him any!"

"That's your problem!"

"Enough! Enough! How dare you behave like this before the magistrate!"

"Urgh..."

"Forgive us..."

Watching them, Doyul accidentally muttered aloud.

"So the issue is whether setoff is valid."

...Huh?

"Y-Young Master?"

"What?"

"What did that guy just say?"

Doyul hadn't meant anything by it.

A legal problem he knew had appeared in front of him, so the answer had simply slipped from his mouth.

But the consequences were enormous.

Not only the watching citizens, but even the magistrate presiding over the lawsuit turned toward him.

"You there. What did you just... say?"

"...Ah?"

Doyul stared at the magistrate in shock.

"Nayoon. Is watching this really going to help?"

"The protagonist is a magistrate. That's basically a modern judge. A judge!"

"That's ridiculous."

"Anyway! Make sure you watch it, Doyul. Okay?"

Because the magistrate sitting before him was clearly...

The protagonist of this historical drama.