The Tally of a King
"Mak-gae, you're not planning on rotting away in this tavern for the rest of your days, are you?"
"P-pardon?"
Mak-gae, who had been at a complete loss only moments before, lifted his head. To his astonishment, Hwang Ga's face, which had seemed so cold, had softened considerably. One might even call it benevolent, if one squinted.
"I have high expectations for you. A man can make mistakes, I grant you—but that sort of thing must never happen again."
"Yes, Elder. I'll tighten discipline."
"You've locked up the ones who started the ruckus, I trust."
"I have. They're confined as we speak."
"We must make an example of them. Punish them according to the rules. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."
"Understood."
Hwang Ga snapped his fan shut with a sharp clack. His face had already slipped back into its customary look of listless boredom. His gaze, which had been drifting around the room, came to rest on Jang Hui-sun, who was still fussing nervously nearby.
"Ah, Jang Hui-sun."
In years, Jang Hui-sun was a good two or three Hwang Ga's senior, yet the merchant addressed him without the slightest hesitation—and, remarkably, it felt perfectly natural.
"There you are. Had yourself another drink, I see."
Hwang Ga laid particular weight on the word drink. Jang Hui-sun shuffled his feet.
"Yes... Elder."
"You've only just finished the job, so I can't begrudge you a cup or two. But if I had to name your one flaw—no, your solitary flaw—it's what you become once the wine takes hold. It does nothing for your standing with the men under you."
Jang Hui-sun pulled an embarrassed face. Fair enough, he supposed, when the disgrace in question involved rolling about a barn cradling a piglet.
"Just do try to keep it moderate."
"I'll bear it in mind."
Jang Hui-sun bowed his head again and again. Hwang Ga smiled once more.
"Who else could I trust with the waterways of Manpo but you? Get some rest."
"Thank you. Ah—but Elder, there is one thing."
"What is it?"
Hwang Ga responded, opening his fan with a flourish.
"There are three men asking to cross the river. They made their request of me directly, but I thought I should speak to you and get your approval."
"Three?"
Hwang Ga's brow furrowed.
"In times like these?"
"My apologies."
"Hmm."
Hwang Ga appeared to mull it over.
"If it's a request from the Dosagong, I could certainly consider it. But who are they?"
Jang Hui-sun recounted the whole story from the beginning. Hwang Ga nodded along several times, though every now and then he would throw a sharp, probing glance at Hong-wi and his companions.
That look... it reminds me of Han Myeong-hoe.
So Hong-wi thought. A short while later, Hwang Ga gave a slight shrug.
"I'd like a word with these guests of ours."
Before long, Hong-wi's party and Hwang Ga sat facing one another across a table, Hwang Ga's men ringing them in a tight half-circle.
Like walking into the heart of enemy territory.
And what was worse, this Hwang Ga fellow had gone to the trouble of seating them only to avoid meeting their eyes entirely. Just refuse or approve already. There's no need to keep everyone hanging like this...
Ho-in, frankly, found the whole situation insulting.
Hong-wi, for his part, faced Hwang Ga with perfect composure.
"From the look of you, young master, you were raised in comfort and privilege."
It took Hwang Ga a long while to break the silence. When he finally spoke, it was in a slow, unhurried drawl.
"Times being what they are, it's not unheard of for the high-born to cast themselves into the muck among the lowly. A difficult choice, that. It's hardly my place to say so, guest, but wouldn't it be wiser to hide your rank and shelter yourself somewhere on Joseon soil?"
Ho-in swallowed his irritation. If they could have done that, they would have done it long ago.
"There are circumstances that make that impossible."
"I suppose there would be."
Hwang Ga shrugged. Hong-wi counterattacked.
"I wasn't aware smugglers interrogated their passengers about the pedigree of every man and parcel they carry."
At that, a smile touched the corner of Cha Gyeong-yeon's mouth. It was the very words Hwang Ga himself had spoken to Jang Hui-sun not long ago. Laughter rippled through the smuggler's men. It was a rare sight indeed, a stripling boy retorting so boldly to their boss. Even Hwang Ga permitted himself a faint smile.
"Fair point. But in hard times like these, one must be mindful of the authorities' eyes."
"Then I've come to the wrong man. I was told that Hwang Ga of the Amnok could cut a path through any circumstance whatsoever."
The atmosphere shifted in an instant. Hwang Ga's eyes narrowed.
"So our young gentleman has a talent for provocation as well."
"What I'm asking borders on breaking the law. I wouldn't have come to a man whose cunning I doubted."
"Your reputation for my cunning is that good, is it?"
"I've come because I want to find out for myself."
"Hmm."
Hwang Ga tapped the table, looking genuinely entertained.
"In all my years running this business, you're the most amusing guest I've ever received. Not that I'd turn away a customer who walks in my door—but if you're all bluster with no fare to pay, that's another matter entirely."
Ho-in thought, here it comes. Come to think of it, how much would this man demand for the crossing? Surely more than any ordinary boatman would ask. Anxiously, he reckoned up what they had on them. No telling how much this villain would demand—and their stores didn't leave him feeling at all reassured.
"Name your price."
"Impatient, aren't we, young sir! These things are settled with a calm bit of haggling. Still, three heads is no cheap crossing, I'll grant you."
The initiative was slipping into Hwang Ga's hands. It was then that Jang Hui-sun spoke up, hesitantly.
"Th-that is, Elder, these men made their request of me directly, so—"
Hwang Ga raised a hand, cutting him off.
"Hui-sun, Hui-sun... Have I not drilled this into you? If you're good at something, you must never, ever do it for free. I don't deny you're a decent sort, Hui-sun, but that habit of yours is chewing away at our own worth."
Jang Hui-sun fell silent. Hwang Ga turned slowly back to Hong-wi. Without ever taking his eyes off the young man, he tilted his head at a peculiar angle—rather like a serpent sizing up its prey.
"I see... Young sir. It seems you went to the Dosagong first with your request. But don't nurse premature hopes. I do nothing for anyone without payment."
"If a man has skill and the pride to match, that's only natural."
"Much obliged. But acknowledging another man's skill isn't done with pretty words—it's done with payment to match. So tell me, young sir: what can you give me?"
Ho-in drew in a breath. They did carry a few valuables, but he couldn't be sure any of it would catch Hwang Ga's eye. Would a man of his standing even blink at ordinary treasure?
"I'll stake my word on it,"
Hong-wi said.
"It will be something that astonishes you."
For an instant, the corner of Hwang Ga's cold mouth twitched—but he didn't break. The same could not be said for his henchmen, who had been swallowing nervously at his side. They burst out laughing all at once.
The one-eyed man shouted out.
"Well, aren't you the bold one, young master! You've got a fine face, but from the looks of what you're wearing, there's not much behind it!"
"Quiet, Kkeok-chi."
The one-eyed man called Kkeok-chi shut his mouth. Hwang Ga fixed Hong-wi with an icy stare.
"Now and then I meet men who make boasts like that, but all they've won with time and effort is a pile of hot air and a few trinkets. So—what exactly is it you have, young master?"
"Like yourself, I have time to spare."
Once more a look of amusement spread across Hwang Ga's face, and once more he did not laugh aloud.
"Our young gentleman is quick with the retort. But even repartee must be rationed against the patience of the other party."
The next moment, Hwang Ga leaned in close.
"Very well, then—let's lay our cards on the table. We've said we both have time, but wasting it on empty preliminaries serves no one. This world is full of men who pinch every penny of gold yet squander their hours without a second thought. Fools, every last one of them, wouldn't you say?"
"I agree entirely."
"Good. Then you and I speak the same language, young master."
Hwang Ga grinned.
"Not to boast, but I have laid eyes on all manner of rare treasures in my day. If you've heard anything of me, you'll know I once served as an official keeper of the government storehouses. In that line of work, one glimpses the tribute goods bound for Hanyang, and I've come to know the finest things by sight. And this is supposed to astonish me?"
"And what will you do if it does?"
"Hm."
Hwang Ga appeared to consider for a moment. Then he looked around at his men.
"It seems you've forgotten you sit among men who think rather lightly of the nation's laws."
"If that's so, then a few of them are overdue for a lesson in manners!"
Ho-in shot to his feet in a fury. The next instant, he remembered that their weapons had been entrusted to that man Mak-gae. Hwang Ga's men tensed at once, a low murmur running through them. Hwang Ga's expression didn't waver.
"Your young master keeps loyal men about him—though loyalty without judgment could use some schooling."
Hong-wi answered only with a smile.
"Ho-in, sit. We came here to get what each of us wants, not to fight—no?"
Ho-in sat back down, sulking. Hong-wi turned his gaze back to Hwang Ga.
"You speak truly. But I believe it will not come to that."
"Why do you think so?"
"Because in my eyes, you are a man who knows the difference. You understand the value of discipline, don't you? Without discipline, we become no better than the savages out there."
"Hoh..."
Hwang Ga laughed.
"I've met countless men in my time, but never one I coveted as I covet you. Very well, young master. If you truly possess something of that caliber, I will send you across the river myself. Now, let's waste no more time. What is this thing you're so confident about?"
"This, precisely!"
Hong-wi drew it from the breast of his robe.
A paejjok...?
Hwang Ga took the object in hand. The next moment, his face froze.
"This is... a tally bearing the king's own cipher."
At those words, the air inside the tavern turned to ice in a heartbeat. The king! However bold the lawless men who carried their gallbladders outside their bellies, before the authority of a sovereign even they faltered. So it was even with Hwang Ga.
"Are you afraid?"
"Me? Afraid? Hwang Ga?"
He murmured it almost to himself.
"There is nothing in this world I fear."
The next moment, he was himself again.
"But I confess I'm curious... how you came by this, and what on earth you intend to do with it. For men like us—and here, on the very edge of nowhere, it's far too—"
Hwang Ga's lips twisted slightly, as if the words about to leave his own mouth displeased him greatly. But deny it though he might, there was no way around it.
"...It is a treasure."
And so Hwang Ga conceded Hong-wi's victory. Hong-wi spoke quietly.
"If the man called Hwang Ga is truly what rumor makes him, then you will find a use for it, one way or another."
Hwang Ga's lips twitched. The next moment, he threw back his head and roared with laughter—and this time it was no pretense, but a laugh of genuine delight.
"You've caught me again! Mak-gae, bring out the wine. Hm, today is a strange day indeed. Twice—twice, mind you—this Hwang Ga has been outplayed by a green young lord who doesn't know the ways of the world. Hm! This is why the world is so wide and so entertaining. Wouldn't you all agree?"
Hwang Ga's men murmured their assent.
"Yes, I can find a use for this thing eventually, if not right away. I'll provide you a boat and a boatman worth his salt. Now, who shall I give you...?"
He pondered a moment, then snapped his fingers.
"Is Kkeok-chi free just now?"
Before Mak-gae could answer, the one-eyed Kkeok-chi stepped forward.
"Just leave it to me. My bones have been aching for the work as it is."
He turned to Hong-wi and gave an awkward smile.
"When it comes to crossing this river, you'll find few better than me."
"Kkeok-chi's a capable man, that's true."
Hwang Ga conceded as much. Hong-wi studied him for a moment, then shook his head slightly.
"No—I would ask for someone else."
Kkeok-chi's face twisted. He took a step forward and loomed over Hong-wi.
"And who exactly would the young lord prefer, hm? Got someone in mind already, have you? You don't strike me as a man who knows a thing about this trade."
Hong-wi answered him by turning to Hwang Ga.
"I'm told that when it comes to knowing the waterways of Manpo, no one surpasses Jang Hui-sun."
"Hm."
A wintry smile flickered across Hwang Ga's lips. A moment later, he called for Jang Hui-sun.
"Jang Hui-sun. Can you take it on? You've only just finished a job, I know, but—"
"No, Elder!"
The one-eyed Kkeok-chi cried out in protest.
"Stealing another man's earnings like this—by our own rules that's—"
"Stealing?"
Hwang Ga snapped his fan open with a crack. The room fell so utterly silent that the sound of the fan rang out with startling force. Cowed by the atmosphere, Kkeok-chi's eyes wavered.
"Nothing has been decided yet, and above all, the guest has not agreed. And you call that stealing?"
"That's not what I meant—"
"Then listen to the guest and let the decision be made accordingly. By the rules, as always. Will that suit you?"
Kkeok-chi wore a resentful expression, but soon yielded.
"Forgive the discourtesy. So—you'd rather have Jang Hui-sun. Understandable; the man did just come off a major job. And he's been resting a while besides."
"I thank you for the offer, but if it's no trouble, I wish to entrust myself to Boatman Jang Hui-sun."
Hong-wi made his wishes unmistakably clear. Hwang Ga nodded without hesitation.
"So be it."
With business concluded, Hwang Ga waved his fan and rose from his seat.
"A safe crossing to you. Who knows—we may meet again someday."
"That may well be."
Hong-wi replied. The moment Hwang Ga left his seat, the one-eyed Kkeok-chi glared at Jang Hui-sun.
"First you cost me my brother. Then you stole the Dosagong's seat. And now you mean to cut off my very livelihood, is that it?"
"I still regret what happened to your brother. And the Dosagong post—I refused it outright at first. You know that as well as anyone, Kkeok-chi."
Even as Jang Hui-sun answered, Kkeok-chi's good eye was burning with fury. He pointed a finger at Jang Hui-sun as he spoke.
"Ever since the day you handed my brother over to those Song dogs, nothing has gone right for me."
Jang Hui-sun said nothing. Kkeok-chi spat the words out, his gaze brimming with venom.
"You know the rules. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a life for a life. This Kkeok-chi never forgets. Your days of strutting around Manpo are numbered."
He stalked out, his crew filing out after him in a long line.
Cha Gyeong-yeon turned to Jang Hui-sun.
"What in the world is that one-eyed Kkeok-chi's grudge against you, Seongnime? He mentioned a brother earlier—Galchi, was it? What happened to Galchi?"
"There's a story there."
Jang Hui-sun let out a long sigh.