The Twisted Tale of Jang-geum
Jeong Suchan let out a cry of pure disbelief.
Let’s summarize. Min Jeongho is azoospermic. In short, he is sterile. Sterile! Min Jeongho is sterile. If Min Jeongho is sterile, then the child Shin Aeri is carrying cannot be his. Then where did that seed come from? Adultery. And Min Jeongho, having discovered Shin Aeri’s secret, headed toward Namchon to uncover the truth, only to meet with a suspicious accident. That means murder.
"Have I lost my mind?"
Murder, adultery, sterility. As these provocative subjects—things one couldn't even dare speak of—piled up one after another, Jeong Suchan’s mind went blank. There was no greater offense to the teachings of the sages than this. It was the most scandalous piece of literature he had ever laid eyes on. As a scholar who should shun the corruption of the masses and meditate on the teachings of Confucius, he was genuinely debating whether he should continue reading this book.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Jeong Suchan glanced around, then immediately turned the page. He was simply too curious about the rest of the story to just close it.
- Th... then, are you saying my husband was murdered?
- For now, it is merely a suspicion. We must investigate slowly from here on.
- Please, let me help as well. If I can avenge my husband, I will do anything.
- If that is what you wish, then do so. First, I must tell you what I have investigated so far. I have identified a total of four suspects. The coachman who drove the horse recklessly, the white-haired old man met in Namchon, the servant who ran errands by Jeongho’s side, and Shin Aeri herself.
- I intend to meet them one by one starting now.
- The two, having joined forces in their righteous cause, began to track Min Jeongho’s final movements from that day.
- For the sake of a secret investigation, Jang-geum applied heavy makeup and a mole under her eye as a disguise, while Park Pangon acted as her bodyguard, collecting scattered evidence one by one.
- The statements of the four were as follows.
"Ah." Was this the direction it was taking? The subject matter was horrifyingly radical, but the development wasn't bad. If it were a story about Park Pangon and Dae Jang-geum joining forces to uncover Min Jeongho’s unjust death and punishing the culprit, it would be discussing the friendship between peers and the affection between husband and wife—which aligns with the principles of the Three Bonds and Five Relationships. In that case, it wasn't quite an offense to the sages. To think he could bypass the criticism like this; truly, he was the era’s master of prose, Heo Gyun.
Having shed his guilty conscience toward Confucius, Jeong Suchan excitedly turned the page.
- The coachman who drove the horse recklessly stated: "Because the sun set early that day, it was very dark, and Master Min Jeongho staggered as if he were drunk. It is true that I drove the horse recklessly, but I never once left the central road."
- The white-haired old man of Namchon who met Min Jeongho said: "That master asked me about someone named Shin Aeri, and when I said I didn't know her, he left Namchon immediately. The sun was shining brightly then, so the coachman’s claim that it was dark is a lie."
- The servant who attended to Min Jeongho said: "My master did not drink alcohol that day. And since it was dark, I was holding a lantern, so the words of the white-haired old man and the coachman are each one lie."
- Shin Aeri slammed the table and threatened: "I have been cooped up in this house for over a month taking care of my newborn child. I haven't met anyone other than the household staff for the past month, so how dare you suspect me!! Grab anyone living in this house and ask them! Is there anything wrong with what I said!!"
- Everyone living in Min Jeongho’s house said: "The Mistress’s words are the truth. Since the young master was born, the Mistress has not met anyone from the outside."
- ?
- It was truly a strange matter. Park Pangon and Dae Jang-geum approached the four people who seemed suspicious, but the more evidence they gathered, the deeper the case fell into a labyrinth.
"No, who on earth is the culprit?"
He had naturally assumed it was Shin Aeri. Fearing the discovery of her illegitimate child, she used those around her to commit foul deeds, leading to Min Jeongho’s death, and through the tracking of Park Pangon and Dae Jang-geum, her evil deeds would be revealed. Wasn't that a classic, clean progression? But to take it a step further? What truth could possibly be hidden here?
Jeong Suchan turned the page with curious eyes.
- "This won't do. I must seek help from those who can assist in solving this case. I will be away for a while, so please wait until then. You don't seem to have anywhere else to go, so if you wish, you may stay at my house."
- "Understood. Please, take care of yourself."
- Thus, Dae Jang-geum stayed at his house until Park Pangon returned. A warm house and a soft quilt—it was a luxury she hadn't known for a long time since being kicked out of Min Jeongho’s house. However, her relief did not last long. Not long after Park Pangon left, another threat came for her...
- "Dae Jang-geum is in this house!! Arrest her at once!!"
- "What is the meaning of this! What crime have I committed!!"
- The police officer who stormed into Park Pangon’s house arrested Dae Jang-geum and said: "Dae Jang-geum, I am arresting you on charges of murdering Min Jeongho."
"This must also be the culprit's conspiracy."
It was obvious, but there was no way Dae Jang-geum killed Min Jeongho. Surely one of the four was the culprit, and they must have met those two, so they must have realized they were digging for the truth. They were likely framing Dae Jang-geum to cover up their own crimes.
"Yes, this is actually better."
The culprit’s behavior was despicable, but this made it easier. Once they arrived at the government office, there would surely be someone who framed Dae Jang-geum, and in the end, that person would be the culprit who killed Min Jeongho.
Jeong Suchan immediately turned the page to confirm the culprit's identity.
- "Dae Jang-geum, kneel before the Magistrate."
- Dae Jang-geum, forced to her knees by the rough hands of the officers, shouted as if filled with spite: "Magistrate, I am innocent. How could you do this?"
- "I also do not believe that you, who have rendered great service to the country and cared for the people, have committed a crime. However, as a Magistrate, I cannot ignore a report that has been filed. If you wish to prove your innocence, respond to the trial faithfully. Guards! Bring in the witness."
- "Yes, Magistrate."
- The clerk, following the Magistrate’s order, brought in the witness who had been huddled in a corner of the office. And when Jang-geum saw the witness’s face, she said in a trembling voice: "M... Mother?"
The one who framed Jang-geum for the murder of Min Jeongho was none other than Min Jeongho’s mother, Ahn Jeongsook.
"Ahn Jeongsook is the culprit?"
Does that make sense? Ahn Jeongsook was a woman with a twisted heart, a wicked mother-in-law who abused Jang-geum, but regardless, she was Min Jeongho’s mother. How could a mother kill her own son?
- "Dae Jang-geum, you wretch!! Magistrate, that woman killed my son. All the testimony is contained in this letter, so please check it."
- "Evidence?"
- "Yes! I have investigated everything since the day my son died. And finally, I found decisive evidence related to my son’s death."
- "Let me see." The Magistrate immediately checked the letter containing the testimony.
- What was written in the letter were the autopsy findings of the medical examiner and the coroner. And a shocking truth was revealed: Min Jeongho’s cause of death was not an accident involving a horse, but poisoning from the start. They had inserted a silver hairpin into the deceased Min Jeongho’s esophagus, and the color had turned black.
- "Our Jeongho ate nothing that day except for the breakfast Jang-geum prepared. This is a story I heard directly from the servant who follows Jeongho like a shadow."
- "Hmm... If that is truly the case, this matter requires a proper investigation. Guards! Lock Dae Jang-geum in prison for now, and have the officers bring everyone related to this to the office."
- "It wasn't me! Magistrate!!"
- Dae Jang-geum’s cries had no strength left. And the witnesses who flocked to the office all agreed with Ahn Jeongsook’s evidence.
And just as Jang-geum was being dragged to the Ministry of Justice, helplessly framed as the culprit, a man’s voice rang out.
"The Royal Secret Inspector is here!!!"
"Suddenly?"
A man holding a golden horse-shaped medallion, his face hidden by a white fan, appeared alongside dozens of officers wielding clubs.
"I am the Inspector, Park Pangon."
Park Pangon was a Royal Secret Inspector? No, what on earth was happening with the story? Jeong Suchan eventually gave up on thinking. He realized that trying to follow this story with his own brain was meaningless. He simply turned the page.
- "I have personally investigated this Min Jeongho case through my secret inspection. Magistrate, may I reveal the truth?"
- "Please, do so."
- "The more I investigated this case, the stranger it became. At first, I tried to find the culprit by gathering the testimonies of the suspects, but their testimonies were strangely contradictory, making it impossible to reach a conclusion. It was a situation where no one could be pointed out as the culprit."
- Park Pangon, who had snapped his fan shut, pointed to each of the suspects gathered in the office.
- "So I changed my thinking. I gathered the testimonies of the people around them, not their own. First, the coachman—you said Min Jeongho was staggering from drunkenness, but from what I’ve found, you were the one who was drunk. I have secured evidence from the tavern owner in Jangsan-gol that the coachman was drinking from midday, so don't think you can deny it."
- "Gasp!!!"
- "Servant, since the coachman was riding the horse in the middle of the day, your claim that you were holding a lantern because it was dark must be a lie. Then, what were you doing with your two hands, not holding a lantern, while failing to protect your staggering master?"
- "Th... that is."
- "Old man, you said you didn't know about Shin Aeri, but when I personally inquired in Namchon, I found you had a daughter. A daughter who changed her name, hid her identity, and married into a noble house."
- "How... how did you...?"
- "And Shin Aeri, I confirmed that you haven't met anyone other than the household staff. No, if I had to be precise, there was no reason to meet anyone. The one who conspired with you is that servant. Yes, was the adultery with the servant enjoyable?"
- "Lies... that's a lie..."
- "The child Shin Aeri gave birth to is not Min Jeongho’s child, but a child born from adultery with the servant. You all were watching for an opportunity to hide that fact, and when the drunken coachman came rushing recklessly, you, the servant, thought this was your chance and pushed Min Jeongho. And to frame Jang-geum as the culprit, you put poison into the corpse of the dead Min Jeongho. Isn't that right?"
- Park Pangon snapped his fan open and shouted: "According to my investigation, you are all culprits."
"So that's it!"
The scattered pieces had finally come together. Yes, he had wondered why the testimonies were contradictory; it was because every suspect had their own crime and was spewing words that were advantageous to themselves. Park Pangon—he had wondered what kind of person he was, but his brain worked quite well, didn't it? Jeong Suchan turned the page, finally seeing the thread of truth.
- "What are you talking about? The baby is from adultery!! You killed our Jeongho!!"
- Ahn Jeongsook, who had been listening to the story, let out a scream that sounded like she had lost her mind.
- But Park Pangon’s reply was truly cold: "Why are you so surprised? Isn't it the same for you, Ahn Jeongsook? Listen here, Min Jeongho was suffering from azoospermia. Do you not know what that means?"
- "What...?"
- "It means it's hereditary! Just like your husband, Min Jeongho’s father!!"
"Gasp, don't tell me Min Jeongho’s father was also sterile!!"
Then Min Jeongho wasn't a Min from the start. Wait, thinking about it, it’s hereditary, isn't it? Then perhaps Min Jeongho’s grandfather was also azoospermic? Could it be that there was no such thing as a 'Min' in the world? Damn it, even if he traced his dog’s pedigree, it wouldn't be this messy. What kind of drugs had he taken to come up with a story like this? Regardless, the end of this absurd story was in sight. Jeong Suchan turned the page to confirm Jang-geum’s ending.
- Everyone related to Min Jeongho’s death was dragged to the Ministry of Justice and punished, and Ahn Jeongsook was also kicked out of the Min family after her past adultery was revealed.
- And Park Pangon said to the released Dae Jang-geum: "If you have nowhere to go, won't you come with me? I want to heal your wounds."
- "... May I?"
- "Of course. If you are Jeongho’s wife, you are also my wife."
- Thus, Dae Jang-geum and Park Pangon held hands, looked up at the sky together, and honored the dead Min Jeongho.
- "Jeongho, I will take care of Dae Jang-geum. As much as you couldn't."
- "Husband, I will serve Pangon-ssi. As much as I couldn't serve you."
- The two embraced passionately, confirming each other’s hearts.
- To Min Jeongho in the sky, they were a truly beautiful couple.
- The Temptation of Jang-geum. [FIN]
"?"
What is this? How could the ending be like this? If this happens, there’s no friendship between peers, no affection between husband and wife—it’s just an offense to the sages. No matter how much one might covet something, how could one steal a friend’s wife? And Dae Jang-geum accepts it? What’s beautiful about that? No, did Heo Gyun get dementia at that young age? How on earth was he going to handle this? Jeong Suchan turned the page, hoping there was a scene to fix this. A truly hollow word awaited him.
- Author: Park Pangon
- Editor: Park Pangon
"So that's what Park Pangon was!!"
Jeong Suchan, having realized the whole truth, let out a cry.
"Park Pangon, you crazy bastard!!"