The Identity of the Fire Mouth
"Tsk, tsk. I knew he was a crook!"
A collective groan and murmur rippled through the gathered onlookers.
"To feign innocence so brazenly after being caught red-handed...!"
"Thank goodness that little child was clever, or we would've all been completely duped!"
"Hurry and give the old man his money back! And return that young master's clothes, too!"
Only now, once the hidden wooden token had popped out into plain sight, did the spectators who had merely watched from the sidelines start chiming in with indignant shouts.
Yet the yabawi scammer wasn't about to back down so easily.
"What? Do you have proof? I'm asking if you have any real proof that this wooden token was used in the game!"
Uh, well...
Truth be told, there isn't any.
I had seen him swap the tokens with my own two eyes, crystal clear. Because I was so short, my eye level gave me an unobstructed view of the swift, sneaky sleight of hand darting in and out of his broad sleeves. But it wasn't as if I could produce photographic evidence in the Joseon Dynasty. Naturally, there was no tangible proof...
"I knew it! I was right! Ha! There was no way I could be wrong!"
Right at that moment, the young master—the Fire Mouth himself—stormed back into the fray with a thunderous bellow.
"Cowardly! Unjust! Despicable!"
As the Fire Mouth erupted anew, I saw the swindler visibly flinch.
A golden rule I had momentarily forgotten surfaced in my mind: Right. A fight is all about momentum!
And so, I decided to ride that wave of momentum.
"Give the money back! You bad man, sucking the marrow from an old grandpa's bones! Swindler!"
Beside me, the Fire Mouth caught my rally and ran with it.
"Yes, exactly! Swindlers! Shameless scoundrels! Base! Covetous! Miserly leeches!"
It was right then.
"I've listened to quite enough out of you brats...!"
A burly man built like a mountain bandit stomped his heavy feet and charged straight toward the boy and me. Reaching us in the blink of an eye, the brute grabbed both of us by our collars and hoisted us straight into the air!
Gasp. This, I hadn't anticipated.
Was my life... in mortal peril already?
Just then, a ringing, piercing shout echoed from behind the crowd.
"It's the police! The constables are coming!"
The effect of those single words was electrifying.
Games of chance like yabawi and gambling were strictly outlawed by the state. Not only the swindlers, but also anyone who placed bets—and even idle bystanders watching the spectacle—could be rounded up and punished. Panic swept through the onlookers, sending them scattering in confusion.
Once more, the sharp voice rang out: "The soldiers are right over there!"
The brute holding the boy and me dangling in midair abruptly dropped us like hot potatoes. Without looking back, the yabawi gang turned on their heels and bolted.
At that split second:
"Where do you think you're going! You have to give the elder's money back before you leave!"
The Fire Mouth lunged forward and grabbed hold of the swindler's trouser hem, refusing to let go. Thrown off balance, the scammer stumbled, and the coin pouch clutched in his hand went flying into the air...
Clatter, jingle!
A shower of copper coins rained down from the sky. Caught in the bright sunlight, the glittering coins shone as though they were pure gold.
Whoa. It's literally raining money!
"Gah! My money! My coins!"
Even as he wailed in anguish, the scammer didn't dare turn back, fleeing for dear life.
Once the frantic scramble—people fleeing or diving to scoop up loose coins—finally cleared, the street fell quiet.
"Whew, I survived."
Only then did I pat my chest and let out a long breath of relief. That voice yelling at the top of its lungs about the police had saved my skin. And the reason that voice had sounded so familiar...
"That was a picture-perfect entrance, Seol-hyang Hamanim!"
...was because the mastermind was none other than Seol-hyang.
Naturally, the part about the constables coming had been a complete lie. I dashed over to Seol-hyang and threw my arms around her.
My savior! So clever. So cool. The absolute best!
"Bong-bong-ah. What in the world happened while I just popped into the outhouse?"
"Hehe. How long were you watching?"
"Since you fired that slingshot. Good heavens. How on earth do you shoot so well? And where did you even get that slingshot?"
"Uh... I'll tell you all about that later."
"By the way, do you know that young master over there?"
"Nope."
Only then did I turn back to look at the boy. He was standing beside the elderly man who had been in despair after losing all his money.
"Elder, this should be plenty, right?"
A sizable mob had scrambled for the spilled coins, yet the boy had somehow muscled his way through the crowd and gathered up the old man's share. Tears welled in the old man's eyes as he bowed and offered his heartfelt gratitude.
The boy had a motor-mouth, a slightly unhinged glint in his eyes, and an utterly unpredictable mental state—a bizarre fellow through and through, but...
He's not a bad kid.
No, that was too stingy an assessment.
A bit eccentric, but genuinely good-hearted.
I quickly upgraded my verdict.
Just then, the boy walked over to me.
"Thanks, shrimp."
...Did this punk just?
Did he not know that calling a little kid a 'shrimp' was a universally forbidden taboo across all eras and cultures?
"I'm not a shrimp, you know."
"Then... thank you, baby."
"I'm not a baby either?!" I snapped with a screech.
I just saved him from being stripped of his clothes and humiliated, and here he was flexing his age superiority...!
"Young Master. Our little lady's name is Hwang Bong-bong."
Seol-hyang suddenly chimed in.
...Little lady? What's that about?
That was a title reserved for the daughters of prestigious noble households. Seol-hyang gave me a sly wink.
"Hwang Bong-bong. A somewhat bizarre name, indeed."
"Not as bizarre as your laugh."
"Despite your tender age, your resourcefulness is remarkable, and seeing how you wield that slingshot, you possess great aptitude for martial arts. Are you the descendant of a military official?"
"Despite your tender age, you recklessly jump into trouble first, and seeing how you were about to have your clothes stripped off, you clearly possess no aptitude for martial arts whatsoever. Whose descendant are you?"
Ha! I've got a bit of a Fire Mouth in me too, buddy.
Perhaps stunned by my sharp comeback, the boy blinked blankly at me before straightening his expression into one of utter solemnity.
"Me? If you must know who I am... I am a scion of the Goryeong Bak clan, whose great-grandfather served as the Minister of Personnel during the reign of the Great King Hyeonjong..."
What in the world? How stuffy and pedantic.
Cut it out.
"Save the introductions. Grandfather over there got his money back, right? And you kept your clothes safe and sound?"
"Well, yes, but..."
"Then I'll take my leave."
Grabbing Seol-hyang's hand, I turned around on my heel. Truly, we were pressed for time. We hadn't even stopped by Seol-hyang's family home yet, let alone visited anywhere near mine.
Yet the boy came dashing after us, speaking up once more.
"You said your name was Bong-bong, right? Someday, I wish to repay this debt of gratitude. So please, at least tell me which household's daughter you are."
"Even if I told you, you wouldn't know. I'm not from Hanyang. I live far away."
Feeling lazy, I just gave a vague brush-off.
"Ah... I see. Then, should you run into any trouble while staying in Hanyang, come find me!"
"How am I supposed to find you in the middle of Hanyang without knowing who you are?"
"Ah. Indeed! You truly are clever! Resourceful! Sagacious...!"
"Spit it out quickly. I'm busy."
As I shook my head in exasperation, the boy puffed out his chest and declared:
"Come to the estate of Lord Lee Tae-jwa, Saseo at the Crown Prince Tutorial Office, and tell them you have come to see his maternal nephew! Understand?"
"Sure... yup."
I nodded for the sake of giving an answer, but let it go in one ear and out the other. It wasn't as if I could leave the palace whenever I wanted; what reason would I ever have to seek help from a little boy?
If anything, it's more likely I'll be the one saving him again, just like today.
I resumed walking alongside Seol-hyang.
"Bong-bong-ah!"
He shouted at the back of my head.
"My name is Bak Mun-su! Just ask for Bak Mun-su!"
Huh?
My feet froze on the spot.
Did he just say... Bak Mun-su?
Wait, what?
THAT Bak Mun-su? The legendary Secret Royal Inspector?!
To think I met Bak Mun-su.
As we left Unjongga, I was practically buzzing with excitement. My heart thumped frantically against my ribs from the sheer thrill of meeting a monumental historical figure face-to-face.
Who was Bak Mun-su?
In the entire annals of Joseon history, he had built a legendary reputation so towering that even most kings couldn't hold a candle to it. Elementary school kids in modern Korea might not know kings like Yejong, Gyeongjong, or Heonjong, but the moment the name 'Bak Mun-su' came up, every single one of them would shout in unison: 'Secret Royal Inspector!'
Could it just be someone who shares the same name?
The momentary doubt vanished as quickly as it appeared.
Speaking of Bak Mun-su, he was famous throughout his entire life for his fiery temper and explosive speech.
"Unreasonable! Unjust! Iniquitous! Unrighteous!"
The spectacle of that boy shouting all manner of grandiose complaints was the very living embodiment of a Fire Mouth.
"Bong-bong-ah. What has you lost in thought like that?"
"Hehe. It's nothing at all."
Seol-hyang was peering down at me curiously. Flashing a bright, innocent smile, I pretended it was nothing.
Running into Bak Mun-su was undeniably an extraordinary experience. There was an intoxicating flutter in my chest from witnessing the childhood of a great man etched like a star across history with my own two eyes. Still, that was all it amounted to.
In this life, I was destined to live as a court maid. As a helpless orphan with not a single living relative to my name, there was little reason I would ever maintain ties beyond the palace walls.
Far into the future, when Bak Mun-su finally passed the state civil service examination and began frequenting the royal court... surviving until then was what mattered most to me right now.
...Still, the Annals really are terrifyingly accurate.
I couldn't help the thought from crossing my mind. After all, in the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty, Bak Mun-su was recorded with a rather unique characterization.
Namely:
A madman.
In plain terms: a certified lunatic.