The Fleeing Senior and Enrollment Day
Brothers, don't get involved in this kind of stuff. I'd caught Hong Gil-dong and recovered the matchlocks, so I figured I'd be demoted back to idle captain. But I was wrong. We'd only nabbed the ringleaders that day, so we still had to mop up the remnants. Then there were all the reports to file. Compensation of 100 yang each to the guards who'd ambushed from the attic. 200 yang as a consolation gift to the auntie who'd lost her husband and had her house trashed. And don't forget the turf war with the Jeolla Governor-General's office, who wanted to hog all the credit for our exploits.
In the end, even on the day of the academy entrance, I was still Provisional Search Byeoljang Kim Si-jin, attached to the Jeonju magistrate's office.
"This should do it, right?"
I'd dressed simply but neatly for enrollment. Just as I was about to put on my gat and head out, someone called for me.
"Byeoljang nim. Are you in?"
I opened the closed door and stepped out onto the porch. A servant of the Cham-bong was standing in the courtyard.
"Yeah. What's up?"
"Someone's here to see you, Byeoljang nim."
"......Again?"
My face twisted involuntarily. For the past few days, the only people who'd wanted to see me were from the Jeonju magistrate's office. Or the Jeolla Governor-General's office.
"Aish, seriously......"
Coming to harass me even on enrollment day. How the hell did they manage without me?
Grousing under my breath, I still put on my gat and headed down to the porch. As I slipped on my shoes, I told the servant,
"Got it. I'll head right over."
"Then—"
"No, I'll go. You do your own thing, ajusshi."
I stopped the servant heading for the gate and went myself instead.
I approached the half-open gate and called out without even checking who it was.
"Yes. What is it? What's the problem?"
"Uhahaha! Who's this? If it isn't Byeoljang nim himself!"
"What problem could there be, Byeoljang dongsaeng."
Standing outside the gate weren't any officials—it was Jeong Hyeon-beom and So Ji-hu.
"Huh? Brothers?"
Jeong Hyeon-beom with his bandit-like bushy beard, and So Ji-hu, who looked like he suited glasses better than a sword. Seeing them, my lips curled up without me realizing.
"How have you been?"
"No! Not well at all!"
Jeong Hyeon-beom shook his head firmly at my polite greeting, exaggerating his frown like a Japanese movie actor and bellowing,
"Listen here, Si-jin dongsaeng! I'm truly disappointed! If there was something that fun, shouldn't you have called me?"
"Y-Yeah? What do you mean?"
"What else? Taking down the bandit scum! How could you not call me?"
How was I supposed to call you when all I knew was that you lived in Iksan? You bastard. Ah, wait, he's not yangban. He's a bastard son.
"Sorry. It all happened so fast, we handled it ourselves."
"Kuhahaha! 'Ourselves'? Drawing a line already? I'm hurt!"
"Hey, Hyeon-beom. Ease up."
So Ji-hu chided Jeong Hyeon-beom, whose face was far too bright for someone claiming to be hurt. He politely pointed at me with an open hand and said,
"Kim Byeoljang dongsaeng looks uncomfortable."
"Huh? Me?"
"Please understand, Byeoljang dongsaeng. He's just that immature."
Why was this bastard—no, this illegitimate son—speaking so formally to me? He was at least ten years older.
"Speak casually. Why the sudden formality?"
"Hoho. How could I speak casually to Byeoljang dongsaeng?"
"It's provisional. Won't last long."
"But you're still a proper byeoljang appointed by the Jeonju Deputy Governor. I'm not uncomfortable at all, so don't worry."
I'm the uncomfortable one! You bastard!
"Yeah, yeah. Fine, whatever. So what brings you here?"
I nodded with a forced smile and changed the subject.
"What do you mean 'what brings us'? You punk!"
"Ahem. Watch your mouth around Byeoljang dongsaeng."
"What manners with a dongsaeng? Isn't today the first day of academy?"
"We figured going alone would be awkward, so we came to go together."
Like childhood friends, they bantered with each other while including me.
"Hmm! Looks like you're just about to head out! Since we're here, let's go right now!"
"Ignore him. We can wait, so take your time preparing."
"Nah, let's just go. I was heading out anyway."
I was a bit flustered by their unannounced visit, but I was glad too—there weren't many in Jeonju who treated me like a friend.
We stepped out the gate and headed to the academy together: Jeong Hyeon-beom, So Ji-hu, and me.
Of course, we didn't walk in silence. Jeong Hyeon-beom and So Ji-hu were dying to hear about the Hong Gil-dong bandits, so I started from the thieves I'd run into on the way to Jeonju.
Killing two of the three bandits in an instant. The survivor knowing some guards. The sudden locked-room murder in the jail. Hong Gil-dong boldly entering the yamen to commit murder. Hong Gil-dong coming to kill the traitor's family but getting owned by us instead.
"Kuhuhuhu!"
"Hooo......!"
Masking the matchlock smell with firewood smoke, ambushing from the attic and blasting away at Hong Gil-dong's gang. Jeong Hyeon-beom and So Ji-hu let out exclamations of awe.
"As expected of Si-jin dongsaeng! Taking down the bandit leaders—"
"How did you think to hide the matchlock wick with firewood smoke? Truly admirable."
The two grown men over twenty sparkled like kids.
"Yeah, well, sure. But......"
I sighed at them and shook my head.
"Brothers, don't get involved in this kind of stuff. It's just needlessly dangerous. The paperwork piles up endlessly. It's not worth it for humans."
"Kuhahaha! What else is a martial officer for, you punk!"
"You're one to talk, Si-jin dongsaeng. You went into a room raining bullets trusting just a steamer trunk."
Even though I'd said it was dangerous, they didn't get it. They even seemed envious. I expected it from the boisterous Jeong Hyeon-beom, but even the strict So Ji-hu acted the same, which surprised me.
"Especially, donning a skirt to lure the bandits. I never would've thought of that."
So Ji-hu shook his head in repeated admiration. I soothed him, eyeing his swaying beard with each shake.
"Why not? You'd look good in it, brother."
"What, you punk?!"
"Kuhahaha! He would look good!"
So Ji-hu flushed red at my words, while Jeong Hyeon-beom's booming laugh filled the alley.
I kept telling them the rest: Hong Gil-dong dying twice and coming back. Beating him with a pistol grip until it broke.
By then, we'd arrived at the academy.
The front was bustling like exam day, but filled more with excitement than tension. New students waiting to enroll, their families, and servants crowded around. They lined up at tents pitched in front of the academy, each tent marked with branch names like civil or military exams. That must be where they handled registration.
We got in line at the military branch tent.
Enrollment was simple. Go up to the academy staff at a table, show your household tablet and admission papers, they check your name, done.
"Hey, isn't that guy......"
"The tallest one there?"
"No, the shortest."
Take off my pants and they'd see I'm bigger than you lot. Aside from people whispering after seeing my name, nothing much.
We finished quickly and followed the staff inside. First stop: the dorms.
The dorms were at the far back—a long single-story building. Each had slightly different tile colors, making it easy to tell grades apart.
"What brings you here?"
A man who seemed like the dorm manager approached us as we looked around. Early twenties maybe, dressed shabby but smiling eagerly.
"New students?"
"Yeah."
"Ahem! Hem!"
I was about to smile and greet him when So Ji-hu suddenly cleared his throat pointedly.
"Ahem! Hem! Hyeon-beom! Ahem!"
"Huh? What's that about?"
"Ahem! You, ahem! Ahem!"
Just say it outright. Annoying Confucian rules, old man rules—normally the youngest me would talk to the manager. But as byeoljang, I outranked them. Jeong Hyeon-beom, with no office and relatively young, should handle it.
"You live so strictly."
Jeong Hyeon-beom finally got it and glared at So Ji-hu.
"......"
While the brothers hesitated, the manager stared right through me. Even when I met his eyes questioningly, same thing. He only looked away when Jeong Hyeon-beom spoke.
"That's right. We're the new military branch students enrolling this year."
"Oh, really?"
The manager turned to Jeong Hyeon-beom, eyes sparkling like it was great news. He straightened his bowed back and bellowed at us,
"Hey! You punks! Bow to your senior! How dare you stand tall!"
Not knowing what was up, I looked at Jeong Hyeon-beom and So Ji-hu. They looked just as baffled. Then it hit me.
This was the start of the hazing ritual.
And I remembered simultaneously: King Sejong the Great's—King-God-General-Emperor—secret order to push the hazing.
"Sorry, sunbae nim!"
Thud!
I dropped to my knees in apology right away. Jeong Hyeon-beom and So Ji-hu, confused but compliant, knelt after me.
"Hohohoho! You lot have bright futures!"
The senior in manager garb laughed heartily with hands behind his back. He came right up to me, grinning slyly like he was plotting mischief, and asked,
"Let's hear your name! Who are you?"
No courage to look up at my sky-like sunbae, I bowed my head low and answered,
"Yes! I'm Kim Si-jin of the Kim Ga household from Pyeongan! Sunbae nim!"
"......!"
"Sunbae nim?"
No reply, so I looked up. The sunbae's face was pale as the moon in the night sky.
"K-K-K-Kim Si-jin? You?"
"Yes. What's wrong?"
"N-No, uh, g-get up. N-No, rise. N-No, forget this happened! Go on!"
Changing words more than Udir I'd seen yesterday, he practically fled the scene.
I stood blankly, watching his retreating back.
"Kuhahaha! As expected of Si-jin dongsaeng!"
Jeong Hyeon-beom burst out laughing as he rose.
"Hoho."
So Ji-hu explained as he stood, why the sunbae had bolted.
"Even a tiger-like sunbae can't handle the byeoljang dongsaeng who slew a great tiger with ease."
What? He ran because he was scared of me?
I'd been pumped for hazing duty, but now I felt deflated. Ah, damn. This wasn't good. I had to push the hazing. Plus, it was awkward—I couldn't fulfill the personal order from King Sejong, complete with a secret letter.