Sejong's Sudden Arrival
"His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived. Ah, damn it. Shouldn't have done this. No wonder they pay 100 nyang per piece."
"So, how is it?"
"...No good."
Doesn't fit the era. Can't recapture the emotions from back then. The speech is too polished.
"H-how about this one?"
"Hmm..."
"D-does this work?"
"No good."
No matter how hard I wrote, it got rejected for all sorts of reasons.
"Th-this one is really good! This one!"
"Ooh."
"I told you it's good—"
"No good!"
"?!"
What pissed me off even more was that every time I rewrote it, it actually got way better than the last version.
"Here. Take it."
Flap!
"Such insolence...?!"
By the end, I was basically hurling the manuscript at him like, "Do whatever the hell you want with it."
The Crown Prince would give me that look—like, what kind of psycho is this guy?—before quietly reading it over.
"...Hm."
"No good again? What's wrong this time?"
"It's good."
"Yes, I knew it w—wait, it's good?"
"Yeah. It's good."
"You little...!"
I didn't give a damn that we were in front of the Crown Prince or that others could hear. I clenched my fists tight, raised them high, and stretched. My joints and muscles, stiff from hours of sitting, screamed in protest.
Crack, pop!
"Aaaah...! Thought I was gonna die...!"
"Heh heh heh. Such a drama queen."
"Your Highness is reviewing it, so you think that way. I legit thought I was dying."
"I've been working like this too, you know."
He wasn't lying. While I slaved away rewriting over and over on my lucky days, he'd been steadily churning through paperwork. All I'd done otherwise was stretch or hit the bathroom.
"Your Highness."
I loosened up a bit from my seat and asked him.
"Can I head out now?"
"Whoa there. You mean clock out?"
"Can't I clock out?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"The palace must be getting comfy for you. Talking like you're haggling at the market."
"My apologies, Your Highness. Idle Captain Kim Si-jin. May I clock out now?"
"I said no."
"..."
"Whoa. Wanna lose an eye?"
"Should Your Highness use such rough language?"
"You little—?"
He reared back his arm like he was about to chuck something at me, and I flinched instinctively. But his hand was empty. He was just faking it, then he chuckled and waved it off.
"Wait just a bit. Someone I'm supposed to meet is coming."
"May I ask who?"
"Someone you know. So just wait a little."
Someone I know? The only person I know in the palace is Lord Yi In-su, right? Is he coming to leave together when I clock out?
"Your Highness."
I was spacing out, staring out the bright window, when a familiar voice came from beyond the sliding door. It was Jeong, the eunuch who'd escorted me here. He announced the arrival of someone I couldn't possibly not recognize.
"His Majesty has arrived."
His Majesty?!
Crash!
I'd been gazing at the sunlit window when I jolted in shock and toppled over in my chair. Forgetting the pain, I scrambled up and whispered frantically to the Crown Prince.
"I-is this for real... King Sejong?"
The Crown Prince matched my hushed tone.
"Yeah."
"B-but why all of a sudden...?"
"Not all of a sudden. He was coming anyway."
"No, but why now... ? It was supposed to be Sunday...?"
"Just. Two birds, one stone. Since you're here."
"You bastaaard...!"
What do I do with this guy? Kill him? Spare him? Just beat the crap out of him? Not just anyone—making me meet King Sejong with zero prep?
"Kuhaha!"
The Crown Prince watched me, face twisted in panic, joy, rage, more panic, and found it hilarious. Then he called out toward the sliding door behind me.
"Got it. We'll head out right away."
"You son of a—!"
That last bit slipped out of my mouth. I glared daggers at the Crown Prince for springing King Sejong on me unprepared, but I didn't have the luxury.
"No need. I'll come in."
"?!?!?!"
Not the eunuch's thin voice, but a deep, resonant baritone. As the sliding door opened, I bolted toward the Jip-hyeon-jeon window on instinct.
"Farewell! I'm off to seek my happiness! Stay well, Your Highness! Ugh, wh-why won't this open?!"
Rattle! Rattle rattle!
The wooden-framed glass window was jammed somewhere and wouldn't budge. After wrestling with it for a bit, I felt the stares pouring in and turned around.
"..."
"..."
"..."
The Crown Prince had stood up at some point, along with Jeong the eunuch who'd guided me, the palace maids who'd opened the doors, and the man in the crimson dragon robe...!
"Pl- pl- pl- pl- please spare me!"
The moment my eyes met the dragon embroidered in gold thread on red silk, I threw myself to the floor in a deep bow. I hadn't trembled like this fighting thieves, hunting tigers, or holding off barbarians.
"Spare me, Your Majesty! I have a fiancée I'm betrothed to and a mother waiting alone at home! Please, spare me!"
"Sigh...?"
I was in the middle of prostrating when I heard a sharp intake of breath. The puzzled sound came from King Sejong himself.
"Son."
"Yes, Father."
"Is this really the Tiger-Slaying Boy, Idle Captain Kim Si-jin?"
"Yes, Father. It's definitely Idle Captain Kim Si-jin."
"I heard he was incredibly brave and bold."
"This is the first time I've seen him so flustered. Perhaps he's overwhelmed by Your Majesty's presence."
"Heh heh heh heh. Am I scarier than a tiger?"
H-he laughed! King Sejong laughed because of me! Now even if I went back to the modern world, no regrets... wait, no! Eori and I haven't even had our wedding yet! And Mom's still stuck with that Kim Jin-sa jerk...!
"Captain Kim."
"Yes! Idle Captain Kim Si-jin reporting!"
His voice calling me triggered my old army reflexes. King Sejong burst into laughter again at my response.
"Heh heh heh. So disciplined for an idler. Captain Kim."
"Yes! Idle Captain Kim Si-jin reporting!"
"Captain Kim."
"Yes! Idle Captain Kim Si-jin reporting!"
"Captain Kim."
"Yes! Idle Captain Kim Si-jin reporting!"
"Heh heh heh heh!"
In the army, this would've been blatant harassment, but coming from King Sejong, it was a free pass. He called me a few more times before issuing a gentle command in a warm voice.
"Rise now."
"Yes, sir!"
I snapped to my feet like a raw recruit. Out of courtesy—and because I couldn't bear to look up at King Sejong—I kept my head bowed. But the next order forced me to lift it.
"Idle Captain Kim Si-jin, raise your head."
"Y-yes, sir!"
"Open your eyes."
"Yes, sir!"
I cautiously opened my tightly shut eyes. And there he was—not the 10,000-won bill portrait, but a man with Kim Gu-style glasses perched on his nose and an iksun-gwan crown on his head.
"Whoa...!"
An awe-struck gasp escaped me. Modern folks only knew the painterly portraits, faded by wars. The real face from history was right in front of me—something we'd never see even in death back home.
His cheeks were a bit chubby, maybe from the Crown Prince's diet tweaks, his eyes crinkled warmly with laugh lines, and his subtle smile radiated contentment.
"Heh heh heh. You'll bore holes in me."
"S-s-s-sorry!"
"Shh. This is Jip-hyeon-jeon."
"S-s-sorry...!"
He pressed a finger to his lips for silence, and I couldn't help overlapping him with some mega-corp CEO. King Sejong, looking that approachable, graciously placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Enough standing. Sit here. Hm? Why's this chair...?"
"I-I'll get it."
"Whoa. I can manage. Think I got no hands or feet?"
King Sejong righted the chair I'd toppled from. He circled the desk and took the seat the Crown Prince had been using.
"Heh heh heh...!"
The Crown Prince, naturally standing beside King Sejong, snickered at me. He must've found my flailing hilarious.
"Right. Han-gap."* Short for Idle Captain, though it sounded like 'sixty'—whatever. I ignored it and turned to King Sejong.
He regarded me warmly and asked,
"I heard you had one request for me. Is that right?"
"R-request, Your Majesty...?"
Ahem!
The Crown Prince cleared his throat and rubbed his left ring finger. I snapped to attention, bowed my head, and replied.
"Forgive my impertinence, Your Majesty, but I have more than one."
"Hm? Is that so? That's not what I heard. What are they?"
I wet my parched lips and calmed my pounding heart before listing my growing wishes.
"F-first, permission to marry my fiancée from the Hwacheok folk. Second, allow the Chaekho Village children to attend the village school. And third, well, that is, a, a signature, just one...!"
Might as well get an autograph since I'm meeting King Sejong!
"Hm. A signature, eh."
King Sejong took up the brush like it was nothing. He swiftly signed the white paper and handed it over.
"Here. Take it."
"Your benevolence overwhelms me, Your Majesty!"
I jumped up and snatched the paper. It trembled in my shaky hands.
"Heh heh heh. That happy about it?"
He seemed pleased by my uncontainable excitement and asked in a fond tone. Still not sitting, I bowed deeply.
"I'll treasure it as a family heirloom, Your Majesty."
"Heh heh heh. Glad you like it so much. Now sit."
"Y-yes, Your Majesty."
I sat back down. Then Jeong the eunuch approached and held out his hand.
"Captain, sir. I'll hold it safely and return it."
"F-for real? Don't, like, sell it or anything."
"How could I commit such blasphemy? No worries—hand it over."
"Ugh...!"
King Sejong's precious signature slipped from my grasp. I lingered on it reluctantly before turning back to His Majesty.
"Han-gap."
"Yes! Idle Captain Kim Si-jin reporting!"
"Your marriage to your fiancée will be officially approved with a marriage certificate. However, enrolling Chaekho Village children in the village school is another matter."
"My apologies, Your Majesty."
"But I could allow perhaps five. What do you think?"
Five?! I thought even one or two was a stretch!
"Your benevolence overwhelms me, Your Majesty!"
"Heh heh heh. Good, good."
King Sejong wanted stories. The thief break-in, reviving the kid who'd stopped breathing, the tiger hunt, and holding off the barbarians.
"Heh heh. When I heard you'd shot the tiger's eyes and nose, I was stunned. Your archery is exceptional!"
"Forgive my impertinence, Your Majesty, but my bow skills aren't that great. It was close enough that I hit it—but from afar, I would've missed."
"Heh heh heh! Is that humility? Aiming for a charging tiger's eyes is feat enough!"
"Your benevolence overwhelms me."
"Hm. How'd you come up with the plan to lure the barbarians inside? Why not fight at the outer walls?"
"The walls were too vast for the village men to defend fully. To maximize a small force's efficiency, fighting amid the village's cover and narrow paths seemed better."
"Oho...!"
The more we talked, the brighter King Sejong's eyes sparkled. He'd glance sideways at the Crown Prince now and then, almost jealously.
"If you'd been born a few years earlier, you'd have shone in civil engineering too."
"Your benevolence overwhelms me, Your Majesty."
"Hm. Good. I'll count on you then."
Seeming done with his tales, King Sejong stood. He patted the shoulder of me, rising to see him off.
"Mugwa academy entrance exam. I root for you."
"Your benevolence overwhelms me."
"Off you go. Good work."
With that, King Sejong left the room. Now it was just me and the Crown Prince again.
Th-that went okay, right? I didn't say anything weird? Shit! That panic earlier when I tried to bolt! Because of that! C-can I start over from the beginning?
"Captain Kim."
"Y-yes, Your Highness."
"Take this."
The Crown Prince picked a white envelope from the desk—something that hadn't been there before King Sejong arrived—and handed it to me.
"What's this?"
"Read it after you clock out. Alone. And don't forget to burn it. Jeong! The captain's clocking out!"
"Yes, Your Highness. This way, Captain, sir."
The Crown Prince shooed me out like business was done. Clutching King Sejong's signature, my plagiarism fee, and the mystery envelope, I exited Gyeongbok Palace.
I opened the envelope once I reached Lord Yi In-su's parlor.
Amnesty Informant