Chapter 31 — The Second Legal Principle: Creditor’s Subrogation (2)
"...Y-Young Master?"
"...?"
"H-Huh? Huh? W-Wait... y-you're filing a l-lawsuit... against me?"
"...What in the world is going on?"
Everyone was confused.
Doyul alone remained calm.
...This needs to work exactly as intended.
If one wanted to deceive the enemy, it was sometimes necessary to deceive one's allies first.
After untangling the many threads of the case, every step so far had finally converged onto a single path.
Still smiling pleasantly, Doyul approached Park Jeongdo and whispered.
"Elder, don't worry."
"...?"
"Everything in Eonyang has been settled."
"...?"
Park Jeongdo wondered if Doyul had gone mad.
What is this brat talking about?
"From now on, you can simply trust me."
"You bastard! What are you scheming?"
Park Jeongdo also lowered his voice while watching the people around them.
Doyul chuckled.
"After speaking with Jeongmu, I realized there had been a misunderstanding."
"...Hm?"
"I should have introduced myself to you sooner. Had I done so, we could have cleared up the misunderstanding much earlier."
"...What exactly are you talking about?"
Doyul smiled brightly.
"Why do you think a yangban like me ever lowered himself to work as a vulgar oejibu?"
Vulgar...?
The word was so unlike Doyul that Park Jeongdo answered without thinking.
"...Money?"
"Exactly."
Doyul nodded.
"Preparing for the main state examination requires money."
"And not just a little."
...What?
Is he trying to get a foot in the door now?
Park Jeongdo thought for a moment before asking.
"What do you want from me?"
Doyul answered immediately.
"Give me the share you intended to give Jeongmu."
"...What?"
"If you promise me that, I will crush Lee Isu so thoroughly that there won't be even the slightest problem left behind."
As their whispered conversation dragged on, the people around them began murmuring.
"Why is the Yulli whispering with Elder Park...?"
Kim Jiseok also sank into thought.
What in the world is he discussing with Park Jeongdo?
I can't read him at all.
Doyul continued quietly.
"This won't be a bad proposal for you either."
As a merchant at heart, Park Jeongdo immediately began calculating the gains and losses.
Hah. He interfered with us the entire time, and now he wants to swoop in at the end and claim a share?
I thought he was some stiff-necked scholar, but he's practically a robber.
Doyul's shamelessness was absurd.
Strangely enough, Park Jeongdo didn't dislike it nearly as much as he expected.
Still... having someone like this on my side would be reassuring.
After everything he's done to me, I ought to despise him, yet somehow I don't.
Talent is talent, after all.
"So that's why you filed a lawsuit against Lee Isu."
Park Jeongdo stroked his beard.
"But the current lawsuit is already nearing its conclusion. It doesn't seem as though I need your help anymore."
"Why should I accept your offer?"
"Your point is reasonable, Elder, but you're overlooking several things."
Doyul bowed slightly.
"First, right now the defendants cannot demand the return of their land from you only because Jeongmu is absent."
"But if Jeongmu's involvement is later exposed and the matter becomes a larger problem, you may find yourself in difficulty."
Doyul smiled.
"However, if I crush Lee Isu here and now, that changes everything."
"You won't have to worry about this ever resurfacing."
"...Hmm."
Park Jeongdo found himself nodding.
"Second, you will need someone to handle the various tasks Jeongmu used to do for you."
"If you can acquire someone more capable for the same price, wouldn't that be a profitable trade?"
"...Ghh."
Nod. Nod.
He couldn't deny that either.
Judging by how thoroughly he saw through Jeongmu's entire plan, Jeongmu must have been dancing in the palm of his hand.
Park Jeongdo cautiously asked.
"Then where is Jeongmu now?"
Doyul laughed as though the question were meaningless.
"Well... by now, I imagine he's resting comfortably somewhere nice."
"Haha..."
There is no question that Kang Doyul is superior.
He has both intelligence and nerve.
I'd be lying if I said I didn't want him.
"And lastly..."
Doyul smiled.
"I'll show you the result before asking for anything."
"...What do you mean?"
"Watch my lawsuit against Lee Isu first."
"Afterward, decide whether I'm worth paying."
"If you conclude that I am, then give me Jeongmu's share and put me to good use."
"...Quite the confidence you have."
Park Jeongdo found the proposal tempting.
If that's the offer... why would I refuse?
Kang Doyul was volunteering to take care of an annoyance for free.
Naturally, Park Jeongdo didn't trust him.
But even if Doyul performed poorly in the lawsuit...
He'll be the one embarrassed.
It won't affect me at all.
I can simply cut him loose afterward.
"Ahem. Since you've gone this far, I suppose it would be discourteous to stop you."
"Fine."
"Do as you please."
"...I'm glad to hear it."
Doyul bowed politely.
Then he approached Kim Jiseok with an innocent smile.
"I am Kang Doyul, legal representative for Jeongmu."
"..."
"May I begin the lawsuit against the defendants' legal representative, Lee Isu, immediately?"
"...Hah."
Kim Jiseok let out a hollow laugh.
Park Jeongdo smoothly interjected.
"Isn't he the famous Yulli everyone calls so wise? Surely he has some reasoning behind this."
"Why not hear him out?"
"..."
Kim Jiseok wondered how Doyul had managed to talk Park Jeongdo into this.
Did he somehow collude with Park Jeongdo in that short span of time?
An unpleasant feeling began creeping up inside him.
Then...
No.
Something is strange.
Kim Jiseok sensed a contradiction.
There are too many things that don't add up.
What benefit could Kang Doyul possibly gain by suing Isu on Jeongmu's behalf...?
"...!"
Then a possibility suddenly occurred to him.
Could it be...?
While Kim Jiseok thought, Park Jeongdo added.
"Ahem. Just as you allowed Lee Isu to rush into the government office and volunteer as legal representative..."
"Wouldn't it be fair to allow Yulli Kang to serve as a representative as well?"
It was forced logic.
Lee Isu immediately objected.
"B-But! The Yulli becoming Jeongmu's representative is completely different..."
"He's right."
"...Huh?"
To Isu's surprise, Kim Jiseok readily agreed with Park Jeongdo.
"I permit the lawsuit brought by plaintiff's representative Kang Doyul against the defendants' representative, Lee Isu."
Once Kim Jiseok made his decision, Doyul smiled softly and bowed.
"Thank you."
Kim Jiseok then turned to Park Jeongdo.
"I have a question for you."
"The current lawsuit is nearing its conclusion."
"However, considering the nature of the lawsuit Kang Doyul has just raised, I believe I must first determine the dispute between those two before rendering judgment in yours."
"Will you accept that?"
Park Jeongdo thought.
The lawsuit between Kang Doyul and Lee Isu has to be heard first?
It's unfortunate that I won't receive an immediate final judgment.
But if Doyul crushes Isu first, the entire matter changes completely.
And even if he loses, I can simply receive my judgment afterward.
There is no real downside.
Park Jeongdo lowered his head with a dignified expression.
"If both the Yulli and the magistrate have their reasons, then I have no objection."
"Very well."
Lee Isu looked utterly lost.
"W-What is happening right now?!"
His head felt ready to burst from the sudden actions of the two people he trusted most.
Yulli? Magistrate? What in the world are you doing?!
As expected... Kim Jiseok caught on quickly.
The moment Doyul had heard the full details of Im Dogyeom's land case...
Creditor's subrogation.
The solution had come to him almost immediately.
[Article 404 of the Civil Act — Creditor's Subrogation: A creditor may exercise the rights of the debtor in order to preserve his own claim.]
The doctrine itself was simple enough that even a first-year law student could identify it.
The difficult part was applying it here.
The problem is that this is Joseon.
The essence of a claim was a private right between one person and another.
Its effect was generally limited to the party bound by the obligation.
That was the relative effect of obligations.
And when such rights collided with other interests, gaps inevitably appeared because of that limitation.
Modern law fills those gaps through subrogation and compulsory execution...
But importing such a modern concept directly into Joseon would be impossible.
Doyul had to reconstruct it in a way that felt natural within Joseon's legal world.
He had thought through the problem again and again.
Suppose the stage is limited to Yeongsan.
Then the dispute will probably end up being Park Jeongdo versus Lee Isu.
The true legal relationship includes Jeongmu in the middle, but... Jeongmu and I will both be tied up in Eonyang.
Doyul stared at the relationship he had written down.
Im Dogyeom (Lee Isu) → Jeongmu → Park Jeongdo
Then he drew a line through Jeongmu's name.
Im Dogyeom (Lee Isu) → Jeongmu → Park Jeongdo
For Lee Isu to defeat Park Jeongdo, he ultimately needs to exercise Jeongmu's rights in Jeongmu's place.
But there is no chance Jeongmu will voluntarily join our side.
And if everything goes according to plan, he'll be detained in Eonyang anyway.
Then Doyul froze.
Wait.
His entire plan began from one thought.
The core of subrogation is that when the debtor refuses or fails to exercise his own right, the creditor can exercise it in his place.
Then there's no reason to overcomplicate this.
Doyul wrote his own name onto the relationship chart.
What if... I become Jeongmu's legal representative?
There was a possibility.
He immediately began checking the weaknesses in the plan.
First problem, Park Jeongdo.
If I claim to represent Jeongmu, Park Jeongdo won't simply stand by and watch.
Which meant Doyul had to deceive Park Jeongdo.
And Kim Jiseok...
That worried him far less.
It'll be fine.
If I make that kind of argument, Kim Jiseok will definitely sense something is strange.
If Lee Isu became the defendants' representative...
If the lawsuit between Park Jeongdo and Lee Isu had not yet ended...
And if Doyul could finish the case with Jeongmu and return to Yeongsan before judgment was rendered...
Then...
The memory ended.
Doyul looked at Isu.
Only one final step remained.
Just as expected, Isu became the representative.
Up to this point, this was probably close to the original drama's storyline.
But from here on...
"Yulli! W-Why are you bringing a lawsuit against me?!"
...things will be a little different.
Kim Jiseok, who had begun to grasp Doyul's intent, spoke slowly.
"...The plaintiff may state his grievance."
"I humbly submit, Magistrate."
Doyul spoke evenly.
"I bring an action against Lee Isu, the representative of all defendants, seeking confirmation that the plaintiff lawfully purchased the lands from the defendants."
"Y-Yulli...!"
"...I permit it."
Isu shrank under Doyul's gaze.
Why...
Why is the Yulli suing me?
The man Isu had thought he could never surpass.
The wisest person in the county.
The person he admired more than anyone and desperately wanted to serve.
"Isu."
"...Y-Yes?"
Was now challenging him directly.
Figure it out, Lee Isu.
"Are you planning to stand there forever with that foolish expression?"
"...!"
Doyul deliberately provoked him.
But Isu could not answer.
"Didn't I just tell you?"
"A jurist is someone who must fight fiercely even in a battle he seems destined to lose."
"Yulli..."
"You'd better give this everything you have."
I have no choice.
If I act even slightly unnatural, Park Jeongdo will stop this immediately.
There was one absolute condition for Doyul's plan to work.
And this is my final role.
His words about fighting desperately even in a losing battle...
Were never really meant for Isu.
For Isu to step into Jeongmu's place and exercise his rights...
I have to lose to Lee Isu.
Defeat me, Lee Isu.
"The plaintiff's representative will now present his argument."
"...Proceed."
Doyul stared directly at Isu and slowly began.
"Every parcel of land that plaintiff Jeongmu purchased from the defendants..."
"...was acquired through a lawful transaction."
