The Arsonist's Bold Confession
Thanks to Yang Wife bribing the martial instructor, the true culprit made his appearance—and I got to skip class. Not only that, I spent the entire day with her. Sitting in Dang Jihwan's spot, eating Dang Jihwan's breakfast, wearing Dang Jihwan's clothes, reading the book Dang Jihwan had been flipping through absentmindedly, all while keeping an eye on his mother across from me.
At a glance, it almost felt like some "day in the life with mom" experience. But this Dang Yohwan wasn't so oblivious that he could just bask in this warm domestic bliss without a care!
Yang Wife held her embroidery in hand, but her needlework was half-hearted at best. A maid who'd gone to scout the punishment hall came rushing back with urgent news.
"Young miss, the second young master is interrogating our young master right in front of the punishment hall master!"
"Is that so? Yohwan, let's go."
Yang Wife looked up, our eyes met, and I stood from my seat. She put me out front, following close behind as we headed out.
"Is that the kid?"
"Setting fire to the punishment hall? He's got some guts."
"Where'd the third wife come from again...?"
The relatives chattered freely, mixing curiosity with gossip, but the moment they spotted Yang Wife, they shut up and cleared the way without a word.
Pushing through the murmuring crowd, we arrived to find Dang Jihwan in the thick of a brutal grilling.
"Gah! Even the deputy hall master and all the off-duty enforcers that night testified the same— you gonna deny it?"
A burly middle-aged man with a ferocious face bellowed at Number Four. A few more steps closer, and I could clearly see Dang Jihwan's pitiful expression as he faced the tirade. He looked so haggard, like they'd starved him or something—must've been exhausted from hours under false accusation.
"Mother."
But thinking of those whistling front teeth of his, I felt zero sympathy.
"Perfect timing, Yang Wife. The fourth young master claims he was with you last night—is that true?"
He offered a perfunctory bow as if greeting the family head's wife, but his voice stayed intimidating. Yang Wife responded with impressive poise and calm.
"My son's words are true, Punishment Hall Master."
This was my chance to save the innocent Dang Jihwan. Sure, I was the real culprit, but that wasn't my problem. Protagonists always show up last anyway.
"Does that mean my men in the punishment hall committed perjury?"
Counting to three in my head, I was ready to dash out and reveal the truth: it wasn't Jihwan hyung who set the fire—it was me! The true culprit is right here! In my imagination, I was already soaked in a shower of praise. Sugoiii! Genius! Class! Wow aura! Incredible! Malaget!
But reality's full of twists, and some deer-like figure bounded out to block me.
"Jihwan!"
"Sohee? Soheeeeyaaah!"
The five-year-old's tackle hit me like a shockwave, and this five-year-old me couldn't hold—down I went on my butt.
Thud— Sohee landed softly on top of me, just like a restaurant rice pot lid plopping down.
Aah, so this is inertia? Didn't Newton stay single his whole life? How'd he figure this out in practice?
"Dirt! Dirt in my eyes!"
It was more like sand or dust, but something definitely got in there.
"Yohwan, sorry—!"
As she wiped away her tears, Sohee's face finally came into view. Dang Sohee, sleeves filthy as always, grinning her usual bright smile.
"Sohee, you been good?"
The relatives who'd gathered to hunt the arsonist now stared at our slapstick routine, but who cares?
I'm the protagonist! You're all just extras!
One smile from Sohee, and the background faded into a soft out-of-focus blur.
"Yeah! Had a blast playing with the deputy hall master!"
"What? With that jerk?"
I shot a glare at Number Two standing off in the distance. He wasn't even looking our way, just standing guard to make sure Dang Jihwan couldn't bolt.
"Huh? Uncle?"
I was stunned for a sec, but her reaction made sense.
Uncle my ass—that's just her calling the old guy wrong, right?
To Sohee, Dang Chehwan probably wasn't even "uncle" level. Thinking about it, it pissed me off. Last time he nitpicked my hand movements, but he can't even watch his own mouth?
"Anyway, glad you had fun."
Seeing her like this put my mind at ease. At least this upright sect didn't go hard on a five-year-old.
"Fifth young master."
Then the punishment hall master approached me.
"Me? Yeah?"
"Is it true you've been training Tang Family Fist alongside the second young master and grown close?"
"Eh, something like that."
"Yang Wife! Were you planning to dupe this clueless fifth young master into taking the fall for the fourth young master's crimes?!"
"That's outrageous! If anything, it's my son who's—!"
"Enough!"
I swallowed hard at the hall master's deduction. Fair point— with her own son's safety on the line, Yang Wife could've easily thrown me under the bus.
Pretty sharp, huh?
Too bad he was barking up the completely wrong tree.
Then Sohee whispered in my ear.
"Yohwan, you can't lie in front of the punishment hall master."
Dang Sohee, of all people, worrying about me. Geez, do I look like a pushover? Who'd let a cheeky kid like her get away with that?
Of course, with my adult mind, I didn't let it show.
"It's fine, Sohee."
What I was about to say next wasn't a lie at all. I could state it plainly.
"I set the fire."
Dang Jihwan, who'd been under suspicion until now, watched his little brother too.
[Dang Jihwan, since when do you have a twin?]
The unpleasant weight on his shoulders. Hearing such idiotic telepathy from someone he could barely acknowledge as a brother made him want to bite his tongue.
[He's my half-brother.]
[What? Dad's got another secret bastard?]
Dang Jihwan didn't know the full story about that guy either. Even his own mother couldn't dig up anything on Dang Yohwan's birth mother. Looking back, the family head must've clamped down hard with a gag order.
By now, Dang Chehwan had stepped away from Dang Jihwan and bowed his head.
"My oversight."
The punishment hall master eyed the fifth young master's face with his sharp, slender gaze. Then he asked Dang Chehwan,
"Deputy hall master. That night, did the 'kid' who started the blaze and fled have a chipped front tooth?"
Of course not. Dang Jihwan's own front teeth weren't even loose yet at six years old. I'd smashed Dang Yohwan's tooth in a fit of rage, but now I was glad—in hindsight, if I hadn't, we'd both be in deep shit.
Was this what they called the uncertainties of life?
"That is..."
"Gah!"
"The punishment hall's duty is to maintain order in Tang Family Village. When we can't even keep tabs on the whole clan's registry, failing to recognize your own brother?! I see how much the second young master has mocked the deputy title! I'll petition the family head to strip you of it!"
"Uncle, please, anything but that..."
In a flash, he was acupoint-struck, dropping to his knees like a criminal.
"Gahk—"
Dang Jihwan watched Dang Chehwan suffer public humiliation with surprising detachment.
Dang Chehwan's just a pretty peach with a worm inside.
It felt good since the guy had mocked him and his mother, but Dang Jihwan had never seen him as a rival. Decent martial skills, but arrogance matched by complacency. He was utterly inept with people.
...The first and third young masters are the real competition.
Unbidden, Dang Jihwan's gaze drifted to his one true 'little brother.'
Meanwhile, that Dang Yohwan guy... he's sloppy, but he always gets what he wants.
In Dang Jihwan's eyes—preparing steadily for the future with his mother's encouragement—Dang Yohwan was a fascinating oddity. Forbidden or not, his skills weren't far behind Dang Jihwan's, who'd secretly learned from his mother bit by bit.
"Fifth young master."
"Did you commit arson out of grudge against the second young master?"
"You could say that."
"Good. Well done."
"Well, since Dang Chehwan came at me— ...Huh?"
Dang Yohwan blinked, stunned by the lack of reprimand. Now that he was outed as the punishment hall arsonist, he'd expected some punishment—that was natural for a prestigious clan heir. Tricking and harming an older brother? Filial impiety charges for sure. Like how Dang Chehwan's maternal clan, the spear-focused Shinchang Yang family, prized honor.
"Kids play with fire sometimes."
But this was the Sichuan Tang Clan. Their motto? Revenge at tenfold leverage. Not double, not sevenfold—full ten times. Ten was a big number. Ten times a thousand won was ten thousand. Even a grown adult couldn't match ten times a newborn's height (about 50cm). How did Tang Clan members pull off such massive revenge so casually?
The answer lay in clan-wide early education. Even the devilish traits that scared off the Demonic Cult weren't innate—they were cultivated. Exaggerating a bit, every poison fanatic the Tangs had produced over the past four centuries was a victim of family tradition.
Other clans? When siblings squabbled, they'd force reconciliation regardless of fault, nagging about brotherly love. Not the Tangs.
In this Tang Family Village, moderate kid squabbles were actually encouraged virtues! Sneak attacks, deep schemes, decisive counters, convoluted plots—all fair game!
In that unique cultural context, a nephew brazenly tricking his over-ten-year-old uncle looked downright promising to the punishment hall master.
This kid's got real potential!
A building burned? No biggie, no other damage, and they could rebuild the hall. The Tangs had money.
The onlookers' sentiments matched the hall master's. Normally off-limits, but by author fiat, let's peek into the extras' minds—Ajin, Deuba, and Tree's thoughts.
They nodded in understanding and quickly dispersed back to their busy routines. Caught on? A side effect of overemphasizing revenge: ends-justify-the-means pragmatism and extreme selfishness run rampant. Less a personality flaw, more a chronic manpower shortage.
Out of ten Tangs, seven master hidden weapons, six medicine, eleven poison arts. Everyone pulls double duty. And for the women? Slacking on beauty upkeep was unforgivable. A Tang daughter not being beautiful? Unthinkable!