Framed Mother 1
Ever since Kim Man-gyeom, the new magistrate, took up his post in the village, I'd deliberately acted as if I had no connection to him whatsoever—no interest, no concern. Curiosity about the new official quickly faded. This was a small, dull village to begin with; nothing ever happened here, structurally speaking. The magistrate spent more time away from the Gwansa (Magistrate's Office), visiting landlords and officials in nearby larger towns, than he did cooped up in his office.
"He must be getting horny by now, but still no word."
Was he laying the groundwork? Or had he yet to realize his connections had dried up, and the landlords were just entertaining him lavishly? I couldn't tell. But knowing it wouldn't be long, I savored the brief peace with Mother.
Today was no different from any other—same old routine. While doing chores at the Herbalist Elder's house, a man burst in, out of breath, calling for me.
"Jeong Yun! Jeong Yun, you here?!"
"Yes, I'm here. What brings you running so urgently, sir?"
The man who came looking for me was panting hard, his urgency plain as day. I could sense he'd rushed straight here without a break, and instinct told me the time had come.
"Hah! Hah! Big trouble! No time to explain—hurry to your mother!"
"My mother? What's happened to her?"
Jeong Hyang was quite popular even in this tiny village, so everyone's eyes snapped to us. The gasping man's words were unbelievable to the others—but to me, they were the news I'd been waiting for.
"Your mother's been dragged off to the Gwansa!"
"What?!"
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
I and the others working at the herbalist's all cried out in shock.
"That damn...! Ahem! Greedy bastard of a magistrate—should've known he'd cause trouble. I saw it with my own eyes: they hauled your mother off on some ridiculous charge of stealing valuables!"
It was a frame-up. Everyone in the village, including me as her son, knew the kind of life Jeong Hyang had led. We all gasped at the absurdity.
"You're saying she was taken away for something that outrageous?"
"Yes! People tried to tell him it was nonsense, but he wouldn't listen. Tteokjip I-ssi even went to the Gwansa to protest the false accusation and got beaten with a rod for his trouble!"
The rice cake shop owner had always been openly sweet on Mother, so it made sense he'd be the first to step up—knowing she was innocent. He'd probably gone lightly, hoping to score points with her now that the deed was done. But his opponent was a magistrate, the incarnation of corrupt officialdom, beyond all reason. The crowd reacted with a mix of outrage that even Tteokjip I-ssi's rightful plea had been ignored and he'd been flogged instead.
He's flying off the handle. Looks like he's already buttered up the local landlords and officials. Or maybe his connections dried up and he's lashing out, aiming to become the snake's head. Probably the former.
In a small, isolated village like this, news didn't just spread slowly—it barely spread at all. That's why, in the story, Jeong Yun's mother had to go all the way to the capital to appeal her injustice, dying of illness at an inn along the way. The fact that no one had appealed to the offices in larger nearby towns meant the new magistrate had slithered around, securing the local powers for a while now.
"Jeong Yun."
"Yes, Elder."
The Herbalist Elder called me quietly. Playing the filial son, I stiffened my face and replied.
"Go on home now. Heaven and earth know your mother's innocence. Don't worry too much."
"Thank you, Elder. Then I'll..."
He said the words, but his eyes were grave, heavy with the wisdom of years. His demeanor suggested he sensed this wouldn't resolve easily. With the others seeing me off, I left the herbalist's house—not heading straight for the Gwansa, but home first.
"What a mess."
The house was trashed, like burglars had hit it. Nothing broken or stolen, but I could see Mother's desperate struggle as they dragged her off unjustly.
"Where'd I put it..."
I dug out the wad of cash I'd saved separately from my hard work at the herbalist's. Not a fortune, but hefty enough to buy one "service" from that man. Tucking it away, I headed not to the Gwansa, but to the village outskirts.
I approached a shabby thatched hut, standing alone like a patched-up ruin, and called the owner.
"Seo Yun-baek? You home?"
Most folks would be out working in broad daylight, but sure enough, there was movement inside.
"What brings you looking for a wretch like me?"
The man who crawled out the door reeked of booze even from a distance. His tangled hair hid his face, his unkempt look fitting the word "wretch" perfectly. But through the open door, I glimpsed the room inside: all sorts of game he'd hunted hanging there.
This unremarkable man—the village's sole outsider, origins unknown—was Seo Yun-baek.
One of the two extras shoehorned into Chujeongjeon, which doesn't need many characters. Creepy in real life, too.
Chujeongjeon had only endings of violation—no need for extras. The violator: Kim Man-gyeom the magistrate. The heroine to violate: Jeong Hyang. The cuckolded son: Jeong Yun. Yet two extras pop up: Tteokjip I-ssi, who protests when Mother is taken, and the man before me, Seo Yun-baek. The rice cake guy fits naturally to highlight her injustice, but Seo Yun-baek just appears out of nowhere and vanishes without purpose. Why describe his looks if he does nothing? It ended without resolving that hook.
After transmigrating, I'd pondered how to reclaim Mother from the magistrate. The answer was this man and the cash in my hand.
"Hello, Seo Yun-baek. I'm Jeong Yun, and..."
"Oh, I know. You're Lady Jeong Hyang's son, right?"
Our first meeting, yet he knew me—I startled inwardly.
Did he meet Jeong Yun before Chujeongjeon starts?
Should I play along or keep distance? As I mulled it over, Seo Yun-baek spoke first.
"So, what sudden business brings you to me? Something happen to Lady Jeong Hyang?"
What the—?
The story only hints he's no ordinary guy, then drops him till the end. As a reader, I'd come thinking he'd make a good card to retrieve Mother someday—but this didn't fit the plot at all.
"How did you..."
Silence is golden. I bowed, hiding my expression, and gave the bare minimum to keep the conversation going.
"You're the only one who welcomed this village stray, and you've often looked after a worthless wretch like me. Even a beast repays kindness, doesn't it?"
Seo Yun-baek gulped from his bottle, wetting his throat, then fixed his sharp eyes—peeking through his messy hair—on me and continued.
"I know your mother often visits a guy like me, tending to me despite your poor household. A devoted son uncomfortable with that wouldn't come in person unless it was serious."
Such backstory? A connection before Chujeongjeon began. I'd just come hoping he might serve as a tool to get Mother back someday—and hit the jackpot. Bowing politely, I explained what happened to her.
"That rotten..."
Seo Yun-baek spat a curse. Even if he had standout skills here as a hunter or otherwise, he had no means to topple a seated official, corrupt or not. If he did, Jeong Yun wouldn't have died in the streets, and Mother wouldn't have become the magistrate's concubine and fallen.
"Listen, Jeong Yun. I can guess why you're here..."
"Hear me out first, then decide."
I set the fee wad down before him and continued.
"Find me evidence of Kim Man-gyeom's corruption—enough to report him or summon an undercover inspector from the capital."
"No, that's not as easy as—hm? Just evidence to bring him down? Not his head?"
"How could a bookish weakling who can't even swing a blade and two fringe hunters take the neck of a seated magistrate? Even if we did, the aftermath would be worse."
"True..."
Seo Yun-baek scratched his head, embarrassed, then went on.
"Evidence... yeah, that I can probably manage. But the problem is..."
"It'll take time, right?"
"Yeah. Time—that's the issue."
He looked up at me gravely, as if he couldn't bear to say what might happen to Mother in the meantime.
"So, can you do it?"
I asked coldly, never mind that—can you do your job? My icy demeanor, unbelievable from the good, filial son Jeong Yun, narrowed his eyes.