Chapter 18

Chapter 18 — A Shift in the Balance (1)

One day after the yulli selection examination had ended...

A major shift was taking place in Yeongsan County.

"Huh. What in the world is this?"

Park Jeongdo looked down at the man prostrated before him.

Clearly caught off guard, Park Jeongdo frowned deeply, then failed to hide his confusion.

The man on the floor, however, remained silent with his head bowed.

In the end, the frustrated Park Jeongdo had no choice but to speak first.

"Hey."

"..."

"You can't just say you won't do it anymore and expect that to be the end of it. Say something. Anything. Hah!"

Holding his throbbing head, Park Jeongdo turned toward Jeongmu.

"I didn't hear him wrong, did I?"

"...I heard the same thing."

The official kneeling before Park Jeongdo lowered his head even further.

"What kind of nonsense is this...? You came to me first, flattering me and offering your help. And now you suddenly say you can no longer assist me?"

"...I apologize, Elder."

"Ibang! What exactly are you trying to pull with me?"

The man prostrated before him was none other than the Ibang.

The Ibang had been helping Park Jeongdo.

But after the yulli selection examination dealt him a major shock, he had agonized over the matter and ultimately come to see Park Jeongdo.

"I do not believe I can continue helping you from now on."

"Hah..."

Park Jeongdo and Jeongmu exchanged troubled glances.

Damn it. Why is he making trouble at such an important time?

Park Jeongdo fell into thought.

If he followed his feelings, he would have beaten the Ibang to death for becoming troublesome at such a critical moment.

Unfortunately, casting him aside right now would also be inconvenient.

No choice.

I'll have to placate him.

Changing his approach, Park Jeongdo spoke in a gentler voice.

"Ahem. I don't know what happened, but you must have been carrying quite the burden. Honestly, man. Even so, how can you make such an important decision all by yourself?"

"..."

As far as Park Jeongdo was concerned, the reason the Ibang had suddenly decided to stop cooperating didn't really matter.

The solution seemed simple.

It doesn't matter.

He's even greedier for wealth than I am. Toss him a little more and he'll quiet down.

Park Jeongdo called for a servant.

"Come to think of it, I haven't looked after you properly lately. I suppose you had every right to feel disappointed. Someone! Is anyone there?"

"Y-Yes, Elder!"

A servant immediately rushed over.

"Bring a box and something for him to eat."

"Y-Yes, sir!"

The servant soon returned with pheasant jerky wrapped in fine cotton cloth and a box.

The Ibang stared quietly at the box.

He didn't need to open it to know.

There was undoubtedly a considerable amount of money inside.

With a benevolent expression, Park Jeongdo pushed the dried meat and box toward him.

"Take them. Eat something with this, and buy some meat on your way home. Get yourself a proper meal! For now, go rest."

"..."

"We'll arrange another meeting when the timing is right. Aren't you acting too hastily today? Why don't we discuss this slowly then?"

"...Elder."

"I will pretend I never heard what you said today. So take these and go home."

The Ibang lowered his head with a troubled expression.

"...Elder. I did not come here because I wanted more money."

"What do you mean?"

Park Jeongdo muttered in confusion.

"The reason I decided I should stop helping you is... because of my son."

"Your son? That makes even less sense."

Park Jeongdo frowned.

"Didn't you come to me in the first place because you wanted to make your son Isu a yangban?"

"I would like you to look after Lee Isu."

At Kim Jiseok's words, I couldn't answer immediately.

After thinking for a moment, I slowly asked.

"...What exactly do you mean?"

Kim Jiseok looked out the window and spoke calmly.

"Exactly what I said. Would you speak with Isu privately and encourage him?"

...He really cares about Lee Isu.

At this point, I'm almost certain he's a supporting character.

Then what role does Isu play in the story?

I wanted to ask for the reason immediately.

But directly questioning the magistrate's reasoning could be considered disrespectful.

As I remained silent and watched his expression, Kim Jiseok seemed to read my thoughts and spoke first.

"When the right time comes, I intend to prepare a position for Isu as well."

"...I see."

"Yes. He seems to have circumstances preventing him from accepting one right now, but... he will likely become a local clerk one day. Learning government work in advance would benefit the county greatly."

"..."

"So all you need to do is speak to Isu properly. I will take care of the rest."

The thought that occurred to me was simple.

...He's choosing cooperation.

It was exactly the kind of decision one would expect from the peaceful yet rational Kim Jiseok.

Unlike him, who would soon return to Hanyang, the people of Yeongsan County would most likely continue living here unless something unusual happened.

For the future of the region, the capability of its magistrate mattered greatly.

But cultivating competent lower-ranking officials who managed the countless practical affairs of the county was just as important.

So training the intelligent Lee Isu early was a very reasonable choice.

...And it was probably also necessary for the Ibang, who's been left awkwardly caught in the middle.

The Ibang's behavior had certainly been suspicious.

But rather than tearing everything apart over mere suspicion, Kim Jiseok had chosen to keep him close.

And from my perspective, there was no reason to refuse his request.

"I will do so."

"...Thank you."

That seems settled for now. I'll think about it later.

With the matter concerning Isu temporarily resolved, it was time to deal with another concern.

...So what the hell is that?

Ever since I started working at the government office, something had been bothering me.

Stare.

There's no way I'm imagining it. That person is definitely staring at me.

A very suspicious person working at the government office kept watching me.

A short, unidentified figure wearing a mask had started staring at me whenever there was an opportunity.

At first, I thought I was imagining it.

But after being watched this blatantly, there was no denying it.

"...Magistrate, may I ask you something?"

"Of course. Speak."

I was about to ask Kim Jiseok who the masked person was.

Then I changed my mind.

Hmm. They seem to want something from me. Maybe I should ask them directly.

"My head is aching after reading for so long. May I step outside for a short walk?"

Kim Jiseok nodded readily.

"Of course. You must be tired after working so hard lately. Take your time."

"Thank you."

I bowed in gratitude and slowly left the government office.

Then...

"Hm."

Stop.

"..."

"..."

They followed me outside.

So they definitely have business with me.

The masked figure who had been staring at me inside the government office followed at a distance.

"Do you perhaps have something you want to say to me...?"

"...!"

The mysterious masked person startled the instant I addressed them.

Then they turned and ran away at full speed.

"..."

After putting some distance between us, they hid behind a wall and resumed watching me.

"...What the hell is that?"

Stare.

There was something clumsy about them.

They didn't feel frightening or hateful.

Just...

Annoying.

And troublesome.

I sighed deeply.

"...It'll be faster to go back and ask Kim Jiseok."

When Doyul returned to the government office, the place had suddenly become much noisier.

"...?"

"...You've returned."

In the brief time Doyul had been away, Kim Jiseok already looked exhausted.

"My lord! This is unfair!"

"Good heavens, what could possibly be unfair for you? If anyone is wronged here, it's me!"

"Elder, how can you say you're the wronged one?! How can you do this to me?"

An old man with a full head of white hair and beard was confronting a huge man who looked like a mountain bandit.

Doyul quietly asked Kim Jiseok.

"...What happened?"

"I was waiting for you to return. I've listened to both sides and have my own thoughts, but... I would like to hear yours as well."

Doyul nodded.

"Understood. What happened?"

The old man immediately rushed to speak.

"Goodness! Aren't you the wise scholar everyone says has been solving all the county's problems lately? Please listen to my injustice!"

Elder Yang was a jungin who operated an apothecary.

He was also famous for carefully hoarding every bit of wealth he could and was known throughout the county as a notorious miser.

Elder Yang immediately began complaining to Doyul.

"Scholar, I will soon turn seventy. As I've aged, my strength has weakened, and there isn't a part of my body that doesn't ache!"

Doyul looked unimpressed.

"...And?"

"So I went to the butcher shop to buy some meat and restore my strength... but that greedy Makdong started making absurd demands!"

Elder Yang clicked his tongue and glared at Makdong.

Makdong, owner of the butcher shop, shouted in frustration.

"This is unfair! What greed are you talking about? You said you'd buy ten geun of meat in a few days, so I prepared ten geun!"

"Hah! I told you I would buy ten geun. But just because you prepared ten geun of meat, does that mean I have to buy all of it?"

"...Hm?"

Something about Elder Yang's wording felt strange.

Doyul asked again.

"What do you mean? If you asked him to prepare ten geun and he prepared ten geun, what's the problem...?"

Makdong answered excitedly.

"Exactly! Ten geun is ten geun!"

Elder Yang objected as though Doyul had said something absurd.

"Goodness, Scholar! I merely said I wanted ten geun. How could I possibly buy that much meat?"

"...Huh?"

At that moment, Doyul remembered that Elder Yang ran an apothecary.

...No way.

"Elder, this is too much! If someone comes to a butcher shop and asks for ten geun, obviously they mean ten geun of meat!"

"Hah! Your greed is excessive. When did I ever say I meant a meat geun?"

The reason for their dispute was simple.

The geun was a unit of weight.

In modern Korea, one geun of meat was generally understood as 600 grams.

But...

There was a problem.

A geun did not always represent the same weight.

"If an apothecary says ten geun, naturally he means the medicinal standard! Goodness, you're trying to strip an old man bare!"

One geun of meat is 600 grams.

But one medicinal geun is roughly...

Doyul recalled the measurement.

...60 grams.

A tenfold difference.

Makdong felt terribly wronged.

Elder Yang had asked him to prepare ten geun, so he prepared ten geun of meat.

Six thousand grams.

Now the elder was suddenly refusing to buy it because there was too much.

What was Makdong supposed to do with the rest?

Elder Yang's position was different.

Because he had operated an apothecary for so long, he claimed he had confused the medicinal standard with the meat standard.

So he only intended to buy the amount he needed.

Ten medicinal geun, equivalent to one meat geun.

Six hundred grams.

"Hah..."

After understanding the dispute, Doyul let out a quiet sound.

Kim Jiseok asked.

"...How do you think this should be resolved?"

"...Hmm. This one is..."

Both Makdong and Elder Yang had plenty to say.

"I'm not saying I won't buy anything! Goodness, all I said was that an old man wanted a little meat! How does it make sense for him to prepare such a huge amount and demand that I buy all of it?"

"Elder! What are you talking about?! If you only buy one geun, what am I supposed to do with the other nine geun?"

But there was no obvious answer.

The two continued arguing back and forth.

Meanwhile...

Stare.

"...!"

The mysterious masked person who had been watching Doyul crouched in a corner.

Her name was Yeoni.

And with an intrigued expression, she quietly watched the dispute unfold.