Chapter 25 — Two Cases, One Jurist (1)
Doyul hurried to Isu's house.
The interior looked as though robbers had torn through it.
And Isu sat there in a daze.
Doyul suppressed the complicated feelings rising inside him and spoke calmly.
"Lock the door. For now, don't make any noise. If anyone tries to force their way inside, I'll tell them you're currently being questioned and send them away. Don't worry."
"...Yulli."
Isu's voice was completely different from usual.
His bright, energetic demeanor was gone.
He sounded like someone who had given up on everything.
"We don't have time for this."
"Do you know what was inside this wrapping cloth?"
Isu looked at the cloth lying discarded on the floor.
"There was dried meat."
"What does that have to do with the situation right now...?"
"Father told me it was a reward from the magistrate."
He said it was because I'd given a good answer.
That the magistrate wanted to encourage me...
So he'd given me a prize."
Isu raised his head and smiled sadly.
Doyul flinched when he saw his face.
...! His face is swollen red.
It looks like someone hit him.
Has somebody already been here?
"...Did someone come here? Whatever wrongdoing may have occurred should be judged according to the law. This isn't right."
Only then did Doyul take a closer look around.
Anything worth money appeared to have already been taken.
Perhaps someone furious had come here.
Or perhaps someone had simply seen an excuse to steal.
Either way, it seemed they had beaten Isu and taken his possessions.
Yet Isu continued as though none of that mattered.
"I already knew what Father told me was a lie. Whenever he lied, he always avoided looking me in the eyes."
"But even so... I was happy."
"...Isu."
"Who gave it to him didn't matter. Whether he bought it at the market or received it from someone else.... I was simply grateful that Father had thought of me."
"..."
"But it turns out even this dried meat came from Elder Park Jeongdo."
His voice began to choke.
"Apparently... Father had been helping him... exploit other... people..."
Isu forced each word out so that his voice wouldn't break completely.
"And this must have been payment for that."
"Yulli."
"We can decide the proper punishment after everything has been fully investigated."
"What am I supposed to do?"
"..."
"People from the county came here earlier and shouted at me. They asked whether I had known about all this corruption. They asked whether I enjoyed living comfortably while making other people shed tears of blood."
He gave a hollow laugh.
"I couldn't say a single word."
Doyul groaned softly.
"...You should have defended yourself."
"Perhaps they weren't wrong."
"...Isu."
"There were days when even I thought something was strange."
"At some point, more valuables began appearing in our house. Our household became more prosperous by the day."
"Just once..."
His fingers tightened.
"Just once, I could have asked Father where all of it came from."
"But I didn't."
"I think I was afraid."
"Afraid that Father, whom everyone respected, might have been doing something wrong."
"Afraid that my peaceful life, and all the kindness I received from others, might have been built on someone else's sacrifice."
"I did nothing."
"I simply enjoyed everything."
"Can I really say I have no guilt?"
"Maybe even when I shared the examination hint Father gave me with you..."
Isu lowered his gaze.
"...Maybe I only did that because I wanted peace of mind."
"You're thinking too harshly."
"But what right do I have to tell the people that I'm being treated unfairly?"
"Then what do you want to do?"
Isu lay down weakly on the floor.
"I don't know."
"..."
"Maybe the only way I can atone is to simply accept whatever happens."
"A lowly person like me dared dream of things beyond my station."
"If people curse me, I'll listen."
"If they hit me, I'll endure it."
"If they demand an apology, I'll apologize."
His throat tightened further.
"Beyond that..."
"Now..."
"I truly don't know..."
"What else I'm supposed to do."
Doyul stared at him.
What happened to Isu after this point in the original drama?
Was he merely a victim who had become deeply entangled in the incident?
But...
If that's how the story went, then I refuse.
Doyul saw himself reflected in Isu's empty eyes.
For a moment, he saw his younger self.
"Hyung. There's something I've always wondered."
"Yeah, Doyul. What is it? You're ranked first, so obviously it isn't about studying."
"Why do you guys... take care of me?"
At Doyul's question, Changwoo had smiled warmly and patted his head.
"Hmm... just because?"
"...What?"
"Just because. Literally, just because."
"What kind of answer is that?"
"That's just how these things are. You'll understand someday."
...Was this what he meant?
For the first time, Doyul felt he could understand his classmates a little.
And he made a decision.
Fine.
I'll find Lee Isu's role myself.
If I don't have enough information, I'll gather whatever I'm missing and infer the most reasonable conclusion.
The Ibang had been directly involved in this incident.
That meant there was a good chance Isu possessed information that could help unexpectedly.
Something Isu knew might even become the decisive clue.
And...
The truth was, Doyul simply didn't want to leave him like this.
As long as I'm certain he isn't a villain, helping him can't hurt.
I just need to think and judge based on the situation in front of me.
And even if Lee Isu was nothing more than a victim in the original drama...
Doyul was confident.
"There will be something only you can do, Isu. Something that you must do."
"Atone, you mean? Whatever form it takes, however long it takes, I intend to do that."
If he doesn't have a role...
I'll make one for him.
Doyul smiled.
"...Good. But the method may be different from what you're imagining."
"Yulli... what do you mean?"
Doyul retied the strings of his gat as he prepared to leave.
Isu hurriedly sat up in confusion.
"I am the son of a corrupt local clerk."
"Everyone hates me, and their anger is justified."
"So someone like me..."
"What could I possibly do?"
Doyul smiled at him.
"That is exactly why you must do your best."
"...!"
Isu, who had been lying there helplessly, suddenly sat upright.
"...Yulli."
He stared at Doyul.
"Do you..."
"..."
"Not hate me?"
"Don't skip your meals. Make sure you eat properly. You'll ruin your health otherwise."
"...!"
At those words, Isu sank down again.
But something inside him had changed completely.
"...Yulli."
Doyul hurried back toward the government office.
Left alone, Isu quietly murmured several names.
"...Magistrate."
Tears welled in his eyes like glass beads.
"And... Father."
Donggu, who was standing outside on Doyul's orders to keep anyone from entering, sniffled.
"...Sniff!"
Isu had no way of knowing he was there.
So he poured out everything he had been holding inside.
"I'm scared."
"I'm still young."
"I don't understand anything, and everything frightens me."
"But..."
"Can I really do this?"
"If I can... what am I supposed to do?"
His tears began overflowing uncontrollably.
"And... and..."
Isu sobbed like a newborn child.
"Why..."
"Why doesn't the Yulli hate someone like me...?"
He cried for a very long time.
Long enough to empty out all the grief and fear inside him.
When Doyul returned to the government office, the disturbance outside had already been brought under control.
"Read this."
Kim Jiseok handed Doyul a letter.
It had been sent by the Governor of Gyeongsang Province.
"Just as expected. The governor has ordered that Eonyang County handle the criminal proceedings."
Doyul slowly read the letter.
[I have received your report. To ensure that not even the slightest concern of partiality arises in determining right and wrong, Magistrate Choi of Eonyang shall take charge of this matter. In accordance with the Great Ming Code, Yeongsan shall conduct the first examination of the corpse. Afterward, the magistrate of Yeongsan shall send the defendants to Eonyang, where their interrogation shall proceed. Following the first examination, all procedures concerning the second examination and criminal proceedings shall likewise be transferred to Magistrate Choi.]
"...Then the Ibang's body is currently...?"
"Yeoni is examining it."
"...Understood."
"I'll assign several constables to you. Take the defendants with you and leave for Eonyang as soon as possible. The matter is complicated, so you'll need considerable time to explain everything to Magistrate Choi."
"I will."
Kim Jiseok handed over another letter, this one written personally by him.
"Give this to Magistrate Choi and explain the matter carefully. Your wisdom is like an awl hidden in a sack. He'll recognize your ability soon enough."
"...You flatter me."
Their conversation remained dry and practical.
But there was one thing Kim Jiseok absolutely needed to ask.
His voice grew heavy.
"How is Isu?"
Doyul thought for a moment before answering briefly.
"...He's still deeply confused. But fortunately, nothing happened that we need to fear immediately. I left Donggu there in case something else occurs, so he should be safe."
"...I see. I'll look after Isu myself. Take Donggu with you to Eonyang. You'll need a servant there."
"I will."
Kim Jiseok's expression was deeply troubled.
"He's a kindhearted and intelligent boy."
"...What are you trying to say?"
"Everything will follow the proper course. So don't worry about anything else."
"..."
Kim Jiseok looked at Doyul in amazement.
The young man had seen straight through him.
"...You're right. Time is short, so prepare quickly."
"I'll take my leave."
"...Wait."
Before Doyul could leave, Kim Jiseok gave one final warning.
"Do you remember the dispute over the tangerine agreement?"
"I do."
"The man who represented Park Jeongdo's servant in that case is apparently going to defend these two hunters as well."
"...!"
Jeongmu is coming to Eonyang?
"Be careful."
"...Understood."
Something about that information snagged uncomfortably in Doyul's mind.
But he had no time to dwell on it.
He had to prepare to leave for Eonyang immediately.
He hurried away.
Meanwhile, at Park Jeongdo's residence...
"Hahahahaha! Now this is what I call a perfect plan!"
With Jeongmu already sent to Eonyang, Park Jeongdo remained behind alone.
He held stacks of written agreements in both hands and laughed in delight.
"Jeongmu has finally accomplished something worthwhile! Yes! Fighting and winning is only the skill of an intermediate player. The true master wins without even fighting! Hahahaha!"
He recalled his earlier conversation with Jeongmu.
"Elder, there is something you must do."
"Hm? What is it?"
"I will leave for Eonyang to represent the hunters."
"You're going all the way to Eonyang just to represent those worthless fools? Why?"
"Kim Jiseok will send Kang Doyul to Eonyang. That damned brat will undoubtedly interfere in the criminal proceedings there as well."
"I want to crush him with my own hands."
"That's unlike you. You're willing to go through that much trouble because of a personal grudge?"
"Of course that isn't the only reason."
"We must take advantage of Kang Doyul's absence."
"I will keep him occupied for as long as possible."
"What... do you mean?"
"He may be our enemy, but even I cannot deny his intelligence."
"However, a man has only one body."
"...Hm?"
"While Kang Doyul is away from Yeongsan, you should open the lawsuit first."
"Your opponents will be nothing more than illiterate country fools."
"In that case..."
"Victory is inevitable."
Jeongmu's meticulous plan extended all the way back to the land fraud.
"Hahahaha! I would pay good money to see Kim Jiseok's face when this happens!"
Once a lawsuit had been won, its result could not easily be overturned.
And so...
Park Jeongdo patiently waited for the moment Doyul left Yeongsan.
Before long, he received word that Kang Doyul had departed for Eonyang with the defendants.
"Well then."
"It's about time I went."
Holding stacks of agreements in both hands...
Park Jeongdo headed toward the government office.
He intended to file a lawsuit seeking formal confirmation that all of his land transactions had been legally valid.
