Chapter 9

“How did it go?”

When Hayun returned, all the prisoners immediately stuck their faces through the bars. The biggest concern in this place was whether Hayun would be punished or not.

“Haa……”

Instead of answering, Hayun dropped down against the wall.

The prisoners gathered around her, curious.

“Why? Didn’t it go well? Why are you only sighing?”

“Well…… I managed to get past the slave issue.”

“You did?”

“But this time, they said something about another crime.”

“Another crime? What crime did you supposedly commit this time?”

Hayun hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“They said I was pretending to belong to another family or something……”

“What? Pretending to belong to another family?”

As soon as Hayun gave her answer, the prison was thrown into an uproar.

In an era when social status was everything, pretending to belong to another family was one of the most serious crimes.

In reality, Hayun, who had no way to prove her status, was not much different from a slave.

And because she had supposedly pretended to belong to another family, this was not something that would end with just a few beatings.

If she was lucky, she would receive a hundred lashes and be exiled to a remote area. If she was unlucky, it was a serious crime that could even result in her being executed in the marketplace.

The prisoners asked worriedly.

“How did things end up like this……?”

“They asked for my bon-gwan, so I told them, and somehow it turned into this.”

“Your bon-gwan? Why? Which one is it?”

In response to the prisoners’ questions, Hayun mentioned her bon-gwan again.

“……Jeonju Im clan.”

“Jeonju Im clan?”

The prison became noisy once again.

Although the Jeonju Im clan was not a yangban family, at that time, the Jeonju Im clan had a status that was almost equal to one.

There was even a saying:

“Even if the king’s storehouse runs dry, the Jeonju Im clan’s storehouse will never be empty.”

When the prisoners realized that Hayun belonged to such a famous clan, their way of speaking suddenly became much more polite.

“Are you really…… no, are you really a lady of the Jeonju Im clan?”

“Yes. I am. I’m certain.”

“Hmm, if you gave your bon-gwan correctly, then it isn’t really pretending to belong to another family……”

The prisoners’ eyes shook slightly.

Their eyes were filled with suspicion, confusion, and bewilderment.

‘A lady of the Jeonju Im clan sells gukbap?’

‘And looking like that?’

‘Forget it. Even I wouldn’t believe it.’

Even if Hayun’s words were true, there was still one problem she had to overcome.

If Hayun was a close cousin of him, then everything would be settled without any trouble. But if she was only a distant relative, or simply a stranger who happened to have the same family name, there would be no reason for him to help her.

Hayun’s fate depended on how closely she was related to him.

Knowing this, the prisoners tried their best to comfort Hayun.

“It’ll probably work out. Everything will probably be fine. So don’t worry too much.”

“Thank you. Even just saying that makes me feel better.”

Either way, the water had already been spilled.

There was nothing Hayun could do now except wait anxiously for the day to come.

---

A few days later.

“Come this way.”

“……!”

At the prison guard’s words, Hayun felt as if her heart had dropped.

After being locked up in the prison for several days, she had begun to feel as though she really were a criminal.

‘Is the result coming out today……?’

Hayun followed the prison guard with trembling steps.

Unlike the dark interrogation room she had visited before, the place Hayun arrived at this time was very bright.

“Huh……!”

The place Hayun had arrived at was the public courtroom (公廳) where trials were held at the government office. Numerous people, including police officers, were gathered there.

‘Who are those people……?’

Hayun raised her head and looked toward the main seat.

Standing there were Assistant Magistrate Choi Hyangseo, Magistrate Kim Seogon, and a dignified-looking middle-aged man dressed in a silk robe.

When Hayun appeared, Choi Hyangseo shouted in an excited voice.

“It is this woman! She is the slave who pretended to belong to the Jeonju Im clan!”

“Hmm.”

The magistrate looked at Hayun for a moment before turning his eyes toward the middle-aged man beside him. He did not seem particularly interested in the trial.

“What do you think? Does she look like the one?”

“I’m not sure. I’ll have to take a closer look to know.”

“Is that so?”

The middle-aged man seemed to be in a position that even the magistrate could not treat casually, as he maintained an extremely respectful attitude.

“The prisoner will raise her head.”

At the magistrate’s command, Hayun slowly raised her head.

Then her eyes met those of the middle-aged man wearing the silk robe.

Flinch!

The moment their eyes met, only one thought flashed through Hayun’s mind.

‘……I’m screwed.’

She had expected this to some extent.

But after seeing him in person, she became certain.

That man was not an ordinary person.

“……”

The middle-aged man said nothing.

He simply looked at Hayun.

‘How long is he going to keep staring at me?’

His gaze felt as if he could see straight through her.

Hayun instinctively realized it.

Everything was over.

‘What’s going to happen to me now? Will I be beaten? Or will they burn a mark onto me?’

All kinds of thoughts flashed through her mind in that short moment.

Now that she was practically confirmed to be a slave, severe punishment would surely follow.

She wanted to cry and shout that it was not true, but this was not a place where such arguments would work.

Hayun’s fate was entirely in the hands of that middle-aged man.

If he said she had stolen property from a household, her wrist could be cut off. If he said she had insulted a family, her face could be branded.

Gulp!

Hayun waited anxiously for his decision.

A moment later.

The middle-aged man finally opened his mouth.

And what he said shocked everyone, including Hayun.

“She is indeed a member of our family.”

“……What?”

Choi Hyangseo asked again with an expression of disbelief.

“Are you serious?”

“That child is my…… niece.”

“Your niece?”

Choi Hyangseo’s eyes filled with confusion.

“That can’t be……”

“Are you saying that I am lying now?”

“N-No, that’s not what I meant……”

That short-haired young woman was the middle-aged man’s niece?

The situation was so unbelievable that silence fell over the courtroom.

Then, suddenly, the middle-aged man spoke to Hayun.

“I heard you left home some time ago. So you were here.”

“Excuse me?”

“I heard that you lost your memory……”

“Ah, yes. I did lose my memory, but……”

Hayun was just as confused.

‘Who exactly is this man?’

She was grateful that he was helping her, but there had to be a reason why he was helping her this sincerely.

She could not figure out what he was thinking.

But no matter what, Hayun was not stupid enough to let go of the lifeline he was throwing her.

‘This is my chance! I have to grab it no matter what!’

If she wanted to survive, she was ready to make up any lie she had to.

So Hayun quickly began playing along with the middle-aged man.

“Your father was very worried because you hadn’t come home for several days.”

“My father?”

Of course, Hayun’s real father did not exist in this place.

Even in the future, Hayun’s real father had been dead for a long time.

More importantly, Hayun was currently pretending to have lost her memory.

It would be strange if she suddenly remembered her father.

‘What am I supposed to do?’

As Hayun stood there blankly, the middle-aged man cleared his throat and gave her a hint.

“Ahem. You don’t remember Dolseok?”

“……!”

A moment later, Hayun understood what he meant and began the greatest acting performance of her life.

“Ah! My dad! I remember! I remember my dad! My dad, Im Dolseok!”

“Ahem. It seems your memory has finally returned.”

The middle-aged man nodded with satisfaction at Hayun’s acting.

“Uncle! I remember you too! I don’t remember your name yet…… but I remember your face!”

“Yes, yes. Of course you should remember. After all, how could I forget raising you?”

Even though they had just met for the first time, the two of them worked together perfectly.

Hayun was acting so naturally that she almost started to believe that he really was her uncle.

“I’m glad your memory has returned, even if only like this.”

“Uncle! Where is my father now?”

“Where else would he be? He is safely at home. Even now, he prays every day for you to return safely.”

“Dad! Daaad―! I miss you! Sob, sob!”

Hayun’s acting was so convincing that several police officers began wiping away their tears.

“Sniff, this is so touching.”

“Oh dear, what kind of misfortune did that young lady suffer……”

“What in the world happened to her……? I can’t see anymore because my eyes are full of tears.”

“Ah, I should at least ask my parents how they’re doing on my way home today.”

Choi Hyangseo watched the scene with a confused expression.

“W-What is going on……!”

Bringing the middle-aged man here after going to such lengths had turned out to be a disaster.

He had never imagined that Hayun would really be his niece.

‘No! That can’t be! There’s no way that woman who was selling gukbap at a tavern could be that man’s niece!’

It was a lie.

It had to be a lie.

Choi Hyangseo realized this too late, but unfortunately, this was not a place where such arguments would work.

Everything depended entirely on the middle-aged man’s will.

‘It’s a conspiracy! This is definitely a conspiracy……!’

But the middle-aged man’s decision was firm.

He urged them to release Hayun immediately.

“Well, her identity has been confirmed, so release that child at once.”

“What? Ah, well, that……”

Choi Hyangseo hesitated at the middle-aged man’s urging.

Then the magistrate beside him repeatedly cleared his throat in displeasure.

“Ahem! Hmm!”

A few days ago, Choi Hyangseo had confidently claimed that he had a chance to win the favor of the Jeonju Im clan.

The magistrate had placed considerable expectations on him because of that, but the result was the complete opposite.

It was practically as if Choi Hyangseo had publicly humiliated him instead.

If he had his way, he wanted to beat Choi Hyangseo with a club instead of Hayun.

“This isn’t how it was supposed to go……”

As Choi Hyangseo stood there blankly, his plan completely ruined, the middle-aged man urged him again.

“Hey, official. Are you going to keep my niece tied up like this?”

“N-No, of course not.”

“Eish! Tsk!”

In the end, the magistrate could no longer stand watching the situation and ordered Hayun to be released.

“What are you all doing? Hurry up and untie her.”

“Yes!”

Thanks to the middle-aged man’s help, Hayun was cleared of the false charges and let out a sigh of relief.

“Phew, I’m alive.”

Hayun bowed respectfully to the middle-aged man.

“Thank you for saving me. I owe my life to you.”

“You’ve had a hard time.”

Up close, the middle-aged man gave off an indescribable presence.

He was full of dignity, yet wise.

And also bold.

It was the presence of a truly great man, something Hayun had never experienced before.

“Here, put this on.”

“……!”

The middle-aged man took off his robe and gave it to Hayun, who had become worn out after spending days in prison.

Then he looked at the magistrate and asked,

“Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, may we leave?”

“Yes, of course. Certainly. I’m sorry to have troubled you with something like this when you must be busy.”

“It was no trouble. This was for my own blood relative. Of course I had to come running.”

“Please take care on your way home.”

As the magistrate released Hayun, he glared at Choi Hyangseo.

He had been made a complete fool of because of him, so he could not simply let this go.

“Official, after this is over, come and have a talk with me.”

“Oh dear, I’m finished. I’m completely finished……”

With all the strength leaving his legs, Choi Hyangseo collapsed onto the floor.

Meanwhile, Hayun, now free, proudly walked out through the main gate of the government office.

Once they were a good distance away from the government office, Hayun finally gave the middle-aged man a proper expression of gratitude.

“Thank you for helping me. Thanks to you, I survived.”

At Hayun’s words, the middle-aged man narrowed one eye and said,

“What’s there to thank me for between blood relatives? We should help each other and live together. Isn’t that right?”

“Excuse me? Ah, yes. That’s right. That’s right.”

Hayun could not hide her embarrassment as the middle-aged man continued acting as if he really were her uncle.

Then, suddenly, the middle-aged man casually said something that carried a deeper meaning.

“But next time you decide to lie, at least do it properly. The 32nd-generation descendant of our family hasn’t even been born yet.”

“……!”

It felt as if she had been hit on the head with a hammer.

As expected, he knew that everything Hayun had said was a lie.

‘And yet he still helped me?’

Why?

What was the reason?

What had he seen in her?

Hayun wanted to know his intentions.

Unable to hold back any longer, she asked,

“Even though you knew I was lying, why did you help me?”

At that question, the middle-aged man stared directly at Hayun.

She had felt it earlier too, but there was something about his gaze that seemed to possess the insight to see straight through everything.

“That’s because I’m interested in you as a person with talent.”

“?”

When Hayun looked completely confused, the middle-aged man gave her a meaningful smile.

“Was it called Insaeng Tavern? The place you renovated?”

“How did you know about that……?”

The middle-aged man seemed to have already finished investigating Hayun. He knew everything about her.

“The rumors about that place have spread all the way to Uiju. How could I not know?”

Saying that, the middle-aged man walked ahead.

“Let’s see how your gukbap tastes. Just how impressive is that tavern for such rumors to have spread so far?”

What kind of person was he?

How did he know everything?

Hayun stared blankly at the middle-aged man for a moment.

Then, seeing that he was already walking far ahead, she hurriedly followed after him.