Deciding the Path (2)
“Family Head, I have something to tell you.”
At some point during the welcoming procession, Grand Elder Gong Yasin spoke to Jin Ha-seong with a grave expression.
“Haha, Grand Elder. I’ve only just arrived.”
“It’s urgent.”
“What?”
Jin Ha-seong’s smiling face hardened instantly. He’d sensed the odd atmosphere. Come to think of it, certain people who should have been there were missing.
“Where’s the family mother…?”
“Please, come inside first.”
Gong Yasin hesitated as he spoke. It wasn’t just the family mother who was absent. Baekhak, who cherished Jin Yeo-rip more than anyone and should have been in the welcoming line despite being an elder, was nowhere to be seen. What was going on? And why did the elders look like that? He’d returned from a major undertaking with great success—even if the factions differed, they should have been overflowing with joy. But the moment Gong Yasin spoke, the mood had turned heavy in an instant.
“Family Head. You must be tired from the long journey, so why not send the young master back to rest fully for now?”
Gong Yasin’s suggestion made sense, and Jin Ha-seong nodded in agreement.
“Yeo-rip.”
“Yes?”
“You played a big part in this. The journey wasn’t short, so you must be worn out. Head back and rest today. We’ll meet at the family meeting tomorrow. I’ll commend your achievements highly then.”
“Understood.”
Jin Yeo-rip bowed politely with a smile at his father’s words. Highly… maybe twenty nyang? Heh heh. After all that back-and-forth, he’d planned to hand it over in front of everyone. So Hye found it strange that Hwang Ja-su wasn’t there, but what could it be? He must have been busy.
“Wang-seok.”
“Yes, Family Head.”
“Escort Yeo-rip back to Unjeong Pavilion.”
“Yes, sir.”
Wang-seok, following orders, assigned a Bihwang Corps warrior. Inside Cheongeumbang, extra guards weren’t strictly necessary, but this was to show everyone. To demonstrate that Jin Yeo-rip held that much importance.
“That kid… ahem!”
Jin Ha-seong watched his son’s retreating figure toward Unjeong Pavilion with a pleased expression, then cleared his throat and turned to Gong Yasin.
“It seems serious, so we can’t talk here on the road. Let’s head to Da Geumgak.”
“Yes.”
A meaningful smile crept onto Gong Yasin’s lips as he followed behind Jin Ha-seong, who walked ahead under guard.
“So Hye! Physician Hwang!”
Upon arriving at Unjeong Pavilion and parting from the Bihwang Corps warrior, Jin Yeo-rip flung open the tightly shut door and called out energetically. But the place was empty. Unjeong Pavilion had only housed the four of them to keep Yang Sojin’s eyes and ears away, so their absence made it feel eerily quiet. Im Pilsaeng had left for some errand too.
“That’s weird. Where’d they go?”
Jin Yeo-rip tilted his head and plopped down on the veranda. Lying back, he could see the sky peeking through the eaves. Not a cloud in sight—it felt utterly leisurely.
“Unjeong Pavilion, where clouds linger… but today, no clouds, no people.”
A wave of loneliness hit him, and he chuckled wryly before lying there staring at the sky for a good while. The warm sunlight poured down, bringing on a drowsy haze. His father was right; the journey had been quite long. He’d spent it all cooped up in the carriage.
Gurgle.
Used to three meals a day, his stomach growled.
“Tch, not even Uncle Pilsaeng here.”
Jin Yeo-rip gave a bitter smile. Back in the day, he’d cooked decently. The rice cooker was his friend… Side dishes? Kimchi alone sufficed, so meals weren’t hard to prepare. But fate had made him a rich kid overnight. Simple fill-up meals turned into lavish spreads every time, and since then, he’d never cooked for himself.
“What a cushy life.”
Feeling the hunger pangs, Jin Yeo-rip chuckled and sat up.
“Hm, something serious must’ve come up? Looks like it’ll take a while.”
He frowned and sighed. To eat, he’d need to light the kitchen fire. Make side dishes too. But no electric rice cooker. He’d have to use an iron pot for rice. Never done it before—he couldn’t even imagine starting.
“People really need to learn skills. Sigh, can’t even make rice and here I am scraping by like this.”
Shaking his head, Jin Yeo-rip stood up fully. They’d be back by dinner at latest. First, deal with the hunger.
“Yeah, whatever. Might as well grab a bowl of noodles from Uncle Jang-il while I’m at it.”
Was it because he’d been away so long? Missing Jang-il’s face, Jin Yeo-rip headed out right away to solve both issues. Passing through Naemiwon and into Oesiwon, he followed the familiar path to the alley he always jogged. Hilarious, really. Yeorip-ro… But deep down, it felt good. How many people had streets named after them? That’s why folks chased success so hard. Sure, money, but also to taste true honor.
“…Huh?”
Just entering Yeorip-ro’s mouth, Jin Yeo-rip stopped dead.
Why? The usual banners were gone. The ones merchants hung with beaming smiles—vanished.
And that wasn’t all.
“Huh? What the…”
Entering the alley with growing unease, Jin Yeo-rip couldn’t hide his shock. Dawn before sunrise. They always rose earliest to prep for business, yet not a soul in sight. Most shops had wooden shutters up, some even broken. What happened? This alley boomed more than any. It looked ransacked.
His steps quickened. Brisk walk to jog, then sprint—to Jang-il’s noodle shop. No noodle cart. No Jang-il greeting him as always. Yeorip-ro, devoid of passersby to ask, looked like a dead street. An inexplicably anxious thought surged. No reason why. Standing dazed for a while, then—panting footsteps from behind, someone calling him.
“Young Master! Young Master!”
“…You?”
It was chubby Kang Woong. Out of shape, he’d run hard—flushed face drenched in sweat.
“Woong-ah, what’re you doing here?”
“Huff, huff.”
Woong panted at the puzzled question. But his face was off. Hair disheveled, cheeks bruised like he’d been beaten.
“What happened to you?”
“That’s not important right now.”
“Huh?”
“Big trouble. Huge trouble.”
“…”
Out of nowhere? How’s anyone supposed to know without details? He wasn’t a mind reader.
“Woong-ah, explain properly. If you skip the context, how am I supposed to get it?”
“Ah!”
Finally realizing. What an idiot… As Jin Yeo-rip smirked, Kang Woong blurted something baffling.
“They’ve all been arrested. Everyone.”
“Everyone? Arrested? What’re you talking about?”
“Everyone doing business on Yeorip-ro— all rounded up!”
“…What did you say?”
Jin Yeo-rip’s head tilted sharply. It didn’t compute.
“While you were away dealing with the Byeoksan Stronghold, the inner faction started investigating Oesiwon.”
“The inner faction investigated Oesiwon?”
“Yes!”
“Why all of a sudden?”
“Because of the young master’s assault incident before.”
“What?”
Jin Yeo-rip’s eyes twitched. Back then, all the thugs were caught, and Gwak-chu—Cheongeumbang’s back-alley thug turned informant—was jailed. He’d handled it himself. Made the kids confess, saddled the elders with debt. So why investigate Oesiwon now?
Kang Woong explained the full story.
“Word is, they had doubts about that incident, so the inner faction re-investigated Gwak-chu.”
“…”
“Then, an unexpected figure got caught up.”
“Unexpected figure?”
“Noodle shop owner Jang Il.”
“What?”
“Accused of selling your info to Gwak-chu.”
“What the hell?”
Absurd—it came out as a shout.
“The investigation’s already over.”
“…”
“They found out Jang Il had been extracting tons of info from laborers and maids coming and going from Taewon and Naemiwon.”
Ridiculous. Sure, Jang Il was quick on gossip—that much Jin Yeo-rip knew. But just rumors. “So-and-so’s house did this…”
“The family mother added charges of blabbing about family affairs alongside the Gwak-chu thing, and rounded up all involved.”
“…”
“That’s why all the Yeorip-ro merchants are locked in the inner faction’s cells, being probed for more crimes.”
“What the fuck! What kind of bullshit is that!”
Jin Yeo-rip couldn’t hold back anymore. Bullshit like this didn’t exist. Jang Il selling his info to Gwak-chu? Framed. The chatty guy was easy to pin crimes on. And gossiping family matters? Badmouthing superiors behind closed doors—what crime was that?
“But during the inner faction warriors’ raid that turned Yeorip-ro upside down…”
Kang Woong trailed off. Jin Yeo-rip ground his teeth, eyes fierce, urging him on.
“Spit it out. What happened in the process?”
“So Hye and Hwang Ja-su from Unjeong Pavilion showed up to block them and argue, but got arrested.”
“What? What the fuck kind of crap is that! Why arrest So Hye and Physician Hwang!”
“I don’t know the details. But from what our family suppliers to the inner faction said, they’re in bad shape. Severely beaten, passed out multiple times already.”
Grind.
His teeth ground. Rage boiled, laced with killing intent spilling out.
Such a thing happened? Such a thing!
“The branch families protested, but they shut everyone up citing the family mother’s authority. Sorry. All branch heads, including my father, are confined at home.”
“What?”
“But when I heard you were back, I had to tell you—so I snuck out alone.”
Now he understood the messed-up face. And why no branch families welcomed him. That wife…
Crunch.
The Twelve Flows inside him stirred with emotion, flooding his dantian like rapids, naturally entering its cycle. Unrestrained fury rose, touching that deep-buried part. He’d lived steadfastly alone in his past life, just starting to feel human warmth in this one. Though his soul had swapped bodies, could those deep grudges vanish? The suppressed emotions, hidden deep, erupted and mingled with the Twelve Flows’ cycle.
A false charge pinned on those who’d served his mother. Deliberate. They’d become threats. As he rose higher, they blocked her path. How could she not know? She knew he got info from Jang Il, so framed him. Knew he cherished So Hye and Hwang Ja-su, so imprisoned and beat them.
But she shouldn’t have. Tormenting those around someone to hurt them was the lowest act. For a boy whose family crumbled under false charges, and a man tasting family warmth for the first time in a new world—it was unforgivable.
She’d crossed the line he’d set, by one step.
He knew he should endure. Knew she was provoking him, hoping he’d react. But he wouldn’t hold back. Even if it was a wrong choice altering the future—some things in the world couldn’t be traded for anything.