I Am Wronged
"I'm wronged."
"Everyone hauled into the yamen says the exact same thing."
The brute had surrendered without a fight, allowing the soldiers to subdue him easily without suffering any casualties of their own. That said, the civilians hadn't been quite so lucky.
"Aigoo, aigoo. That guy's gonna kill someone."
"What the hell is our country coming to? How does a madman like that even get his hands on a cannon?"
The townsfolk were hurling abuse at the man who'd been dragged in, his appearance screaming "murim warrior" from a mile away. He looked unscathed on the surface, though. Thanks to those guys desperately trying to bluff their way through, this mess was inevitably tangled up with the murim world, guaranteeing headaches for the judgment ahead.
Her gaze shifted to the reports on the shelf.
To sum it up: Some murim wanderers had gotten into a scuffle with the brute in the marketplace a few days back. Unable to hold his temper, the brute had blasted their lodging with a cannon, blowing the pillars to smithereens.
...What the hell is this?
It was the kind of tale that strained belief even for a novel.
But since she'd witnessed the scene firsthand, she had no choice but to accept it as fact and deliver a realistic verdict. The silver lining? Zhejiang Province had no major murim sects. If it was just these small-time outfits, she could probably smooth things over with a good settlement.
"Shut your traps, you thug scum who couldn't even pass the military exam and had to eat sword scraps instead."
"What did you just say, you bastard?!"
But that seemed like a pipe dream. The brute had been cooperative with the soldiers, yet he lunged at the murim folk like a rabid dog whenever they crossed his sight.
Watching them raise each other's boiling points, Joo Hyejin crossed her arms, wondering just how far the government's authority had plummeted to let them act this way.
"You lot—do you have any idea whose domain this is?! His Excellency the Total Commander is watching you with eyes like daggers. Do you want your heads to roll right now?!"
Bijoong, the deputy commander who'd been quietly gauging her expression, barked the moment he saw wrinkles forming on her brow. The room finally quieted a bit at his roar. Even hot-blooded murim types feared the executioner's blade, it seemed.
Whew. Pirates weren't enough—now bandits are stirring up trouble too, and this on top of it all. What the hell do they expect me to do?
She couldn't just brush it off as too busy, though; this was a serious incident. Murim folks causing trouble was routine, but... the problem was that hulking brute. How did he lug around and fire that monstrous hunk of metal barehanded? If she hadn't seen it herself, she never would've bought it. And where the hell did he even get the damn cannon? They'd confiscated it, but its sheer size and weight had left the soldiers without wagons groaning from muscle aches as they hauled it back.
The Ming imperial court strictly controlled gunpowder production, distribution, and use. No sane person would fire one openly in public. Knowing that, even though the murim guys had swung swords too, the brute's cannon stunt had left such a deep impression that these sly bastards were strutting around full of themselves.
"Your Excellency—er, Total Commander. Here's the report on the brute's incident."
A sharp glance from Hyejin made the deputy correct himself mid-slip—how many times was that now?—and Wii Eokgi, her Inspector General escort, began reading the freshly drafted document aloud.
We hereby report on the ringleader of today's incident in the capital.
The individual, known for causing chaos primarily along the coastlines, is named Peng Yujin—a rare surname belonging to a member of the renowned northern murim family, the Peng Clan. However, during direct questioning, he displayed clear disdain for his clan, and it appears he has been excommunicated, severing all ties. We are investigating the reasons behind this.
Curiously, tracing his past incidents reveals indifference to common crimes like theft, but extreme, hypersensitive reactions to specific acts like adultery or betrayal.
Details are under investigation, but this dispute with the Black Market seems part of that pattern. He has shown compliance and cooperation rather than resistance to arrest and interrogation. We await your instructions on whether to punish severely under military law or render another judgment.
What an odd fellow. Murim was full of eccentric, rotten types, but he didn't seem like one. If he were, the soldiers would've taken casualties subduing him—and he'd be facing harsh punishment right now, sparing her the dilemma.
"Yujin, was it? How did you end up drifting all the way to Zhejiang Province?"
The distance from Hebei to Zhejiang was no short jaunt. She couldn't help but wonder before diving into the investigation. The prior reports gave her a rough idea, but certain details sparked her curiosity about him. Lifting her head at last, she saw a surprisingly honest face atop that burly frame—around her age, unexpectedly.
"It's a long story."
A long story? What kind? Even without her imperial princess status, she was the Total Commander of the provincial fleet, a general representing the entire province. Yet this guy showed no intimidation, blabbing away freely. Normally she'd be pissed, but for some reason, he piqued her interest.
"You bastard! Do you know where you are, talking so curtly?!"
Her subordinates saw it differently. Mistaking her contemplation for anger, they started yelling in her stead.
"Enough. I'm curious about this story of yours. Care to share?"
With the deputy out on duties, she had some leeway. She wanted to hear him out. Clearing the room, she settled in to listen.
"Well, you see..."
She hadn't anticipated just how long his tale would be—who'd he get that from?—but that was her miscalculation.
*
His body bore scars from trials and tribulations, clothes torn and caked in dirt and blood. But his spirit was wounded far worse. Still, his eyes burned straight and proud, proving his unbowed resolve.
Yet the world was cruel. Motive mattered less than who did what, where. The false charges pinned on him branded him pure evil, slowly driving him toward death.
Whispers from the crowd reached his ears.
"That problem child from the Peng Clan finally laid hands on a girl from the Namgung family!"
"Tried to rape her, ignoring his place? Unbelievable."
Go on, yap all you want. He was numb to the negativity by now. But,
"...Th-that... Yujin, he..."
'Yeona, look me in the eyes and say it straight. That's the only way to get through this clean.'
The bastard hugged her tight, whispering in her ear, then flashed a vile grin. His expression reeked of twisted glee in toying with someone. It wasn't hard to intuit he'd orchestrated this drama, turning the woman he loved and trusted most against him.
Instinct screamed he was the mastermind.
'It couldn't be helped. You're not bad. This could even make things easier. All your suffering? It's from his incompetence, right?'
He caught her gaze flicking bottom-left—her tell for lying or forcing herself, known from years of watching.
"...Th-that man threatened and harassed me every day. Hoo... Just because we'd been close since childhood, he demanded absurd... hng... acts, like I was his woman or something."
Eyes squeezed shut, she spat it out unnaturally, like rote memorization. A hollow chuckle escaped him. He'd thought himself inured to pain, but betrayal to your face? A whole different league.
The last pillar in his heart snapped.
That support—why it had let him push on despite harsh odds and lacking talent—was gone. Not fading gradually with disappointment, but doused like a flame, leaving an eternal scar.
"I hate you."
Why? It's not true. She knew it too; her flinch under his gaze screamed self-loathing. But the crowd didn't care.
"Th-that filthy trash bastard."
"Told you—character matches skill. That kid was rotten from the start."
"Not a Demonic Cultist, and he dares that? Check if his eyes are bloodshot!"
Her lie ignited them; now they all wanted him villainized, deep down knowing he lacked the guts or power.
"I hate everyone."
Differences in talent aside, he'd believed hard work would pay off eventually. But hopes and efforts crumbled into betrayal. Cursing his worthless body that couldn't even gather a scrap of internal energy.
"I hate this world."
Hated being born into it.
Cornered to the brink, eyes clenched, he chose. Or rather, was forced into it—the seconds ticking down left no room for thought, just brutal reality.
His sole option: no hesitation, he seized it.
Better to end it than drag on in agony. Heavy choice for life's curtain call, but his face eased with relief.
At the cliff's edge with nowhere left to retreat, he relaxed, tilting backward. Body tipping over the void, endless fall began.
Whoooosh.
Thousand Hands Cliff, Hangzhou's famed spectacle and one of the great views, plunged to terrifying depths. Slicing air for a spell, instead of a life flashing, nature's beauty filled Yujin's eyes.
"Beautiful."
A rare feeling. If only he'd lived seeing only such wonders—but the choice was irrevocable, unwanted anyway.
Regret: At least sassed back those who'd wronged him? Spilled now, too late.
As the plunge neared end—whoa—pure awe at beauty in his final words, then splash! Waves sprayed, ocean claiming him.
Summer swelled coastal waves and currents to extremes. Even sturdy flesh yielded powerless to nature.
"...Jin... Yujin!"
Her belated scream reached him, but his face held no emotion—not lingering attachment, but total surrender. Vision slowly swallowed by seawater.