Arc 22 — Isolation
Luoyang Sword Family.
Geomga Jeonjang, headquarters.
The Director of Geomga Jeonjang—the man who held dominant sway over the economy of the northern lands—commanded a private annex that opened from the main building by a single connecting corridor. That alone was enough to show the height of his station.
“…….”
Yet Yeon So-hyeon, walking that corridor, felt none of its splendor or grandeur. To his eyes the annex looked isolated, set apart and alone.
“This way, please.”
The Director’s secretary opened the door. Beyond it lay a reception chamber of quiet refinement.
“First Young Master.”
Hong Dok-ji, already waiting, rose and offered her greeting.
“How is the administrative wing?”
She bowed her head in reply.
“Excellent. The staff, the facilities—nothing is wanting.”
He nodded and glanced aside.
“……First Young Master.”
It was Dokgo Ya-yeon, Master of the Central Investigation Department.
“I cannot report the details of our investigation, but everything is proceeding smoothly.”
“Good.”
“……Only this: much of the evidence has already been destroyed. We are having to reinforce large portions with testimony.”
“I see.”
Once Yeon So-hyeon had arrived, the secretary guided them deeper into the annex, toward the rear garden.
Trailing behind him, Hong Dok-ji cast a sidelong glance at the Central Investigation Department Master. The famous White-haired White-eyed Ghost. What sort of relationship does she have with the First Young Master…?
They had exchanged only the briefest of greetings in the reception room and had not spoken another word since. Hong Dok-ji looked forward again; a moment later Dokgo Ya-yeon herself slid a cool glance toward her companion.
A woman of the Hong clan, formerly of the Tang Sect, and said to be the Fourth Young Master’s closest confidante—beyond that, nothing is known.
And yet this same woman had introduced herself as the First Young Master’s administrative chief, his office manager.
Dokgo Ya-yeon turned her gaze ahead to Yeon So-hyeon’s back. …So the First Young Master has already begun absorbing the Fourth Young Master’s faction.
But thoughts of each other soon slipped away.
The Director of Geomga Jeonjang.
How will he play this…?
To Dokgo Ya-yeon the Director was the head of the very organization under investigation. To Hong Dok-ji he was one of the supreme power-holders of the Luoyang Sword Family. The title alone was enough to command lavish reception even in the imperial capital.
As long as he isn’t hostile… Even if trouble arises, the First Young Master will have thought of something… right?
…In the worst case I must be ready to face not only the Vice-Director but the Director himself.
All their worries and expectations collapsed the instant they met the man.
“Heo, charged with the Sword Family’s Jeonjang, greets the First Young Master of the main house.”
The elderly man stood ramrod-straight, a long white beard flowing down his chest, every line of him the picture of measured courtesy.
“Above all else, I apologize for troubling Your Lordship to come here in person.”
As one of the family’s senior pillars—equal in rank to the head of the Construction Hall—the Director of Geomga Jeonjang was fully entitled to speak to the First Young Master as an equal. Yet from the first moment they had met until this very hour he had never once abandoned his formal deference.
Looking at the old man, a flicker of pity and sorrow crossed Yeon So-hyeon’s eyes.
“……You have worked hard, Director.”
The elder bowed even more deeply.
“Hard work? A mere warehouse-keeper who has failed even to fulfill his proper charge has no right to speak of hardship.”
The Director of Geomga Jeonjang had just called himself a warehouse-keeper.
“…….”
The two middle-aged women glanced rapidly between Yeon So-hyeon and the old man.
Have these two known each other all along?
…Indeed. When that enormous investment suddenly arrived from Geomga Jeonjang last time, something already felt off.
Whatever they thought, both women lowered their breathing and kept their bearing carefully correct. This was a meeting between the First Young Master of the Luoyang Sword Family and the Director of Geomga Jeonjang.
“Do not speak so, Director. Without you, today’s investigation could never have taken place.”
“……!”
The two women barely managed to hide their shock.
“It was nothing.”
“Nothing? It was excellent judgment and decisive courage.”
The Director stroked his beard and shook his head.
“I merely took the Chief Administrator of the Inner Court as my model and tried to imitate him.”
So that was it…!
Only then did Dokgo Ya-yeon understand; she nodded inwardly.
…The Chief Administrator used the chaos the First Young Master created in the Inner Court to purge its corrupt elements. The Director of Geomga Jeonjang saw that and arranged this board together with the First Young Master.
“Master of the Central Investigation Department.”
Dokgo Ya-yeon, lost in thought behind the hanging screen, started at the sound of her title and answered at once.
“…Yes, First Young Master.”
Yeon So-hyeon turned to her.
“Do you now understand whose game you have thrust your head into?”
It was the same teaching he had once given her—the maxim she had carried in her heart ever since.
“…Yes, First Young Master.”
She combined what she already knew with the new pieces and spoke calmly.
“The reason the Minister of the Censorate turned a blind eye to the movements of the Central Investigation Department is that he already knew the Director had opened this board with you.”
“Exactly.”
She had not known it, but the same reason explained why the Vice-Director of Jeonjang had believed the Censorate would remain motionless. The Minister had deliberately misled him.
“And…”
A faint crease appeared at the corner of her eyes.
“The Minister chose silent acquiescence rather than formal authorization so that he could distance himself from the Central Investigation Department when it comes under attack for abandoning political neutrality.”
Soon the aftershocks of the investigation would shake the Central Investigation Department to its foundations. Everyone who bore a grudge against it, everyone who found it inconvenient, would come howling for blood.
“Do you regret it?”
Her answer was immediate and firm.
“I have already made my resolve.”
She and every one of her subordinates had prepared themselves.
“We will show the entire main house just how terrifying it is to lay hands on the Central Investigation Department.”
Yeon So-hyeon smiled gently at her.
“As expected—excellent.”
What was she supposed to say?
“…….”
Dokgo Ya-yeon simply bowed her head.
“But you need not worry too greatly about the aftermath.”
“…What do you mean?”
Still smiling, he answered.
“The Chief Administrator of the Inner Court. That old man will never let this chance pass.”
“……!”
“He will not miss an opportunity to carve the rotten flesh out of Geomga Jeonjang.”
Dokgo Ya-yeon nodded.
“…Of course. And after the last incident with you, he also needs to re-secure the position he lost.”
Yeon So-hyeon shrugged.
“If only to prove he is still standing, that old monster will come charging in like a rabid dog.”
When that happened, the Central Investigation Department would no longer be the issue. Geomga Jeonjang managed the family’s wealth; every power-holder, to greater or lesser degree, was entangled with it—including its darker corners.
“…The main house is about to be turned upside down again.”
Yeon So-hyeon smiled faintly.
“That is precisely why the Minister struck first through the Central Investigation Department while at the same time creating space for himself to step back by framing it as mere acquiescence.”
“…I see.”
Dokgo Ya-yeon closed her eyes and slowly nodded. …I am still so far from enough.
Beneath her impassive face she swallowed a quiet sigh.
“Dokgo Ya-yeon.”
As though he had read her thoughts, Yeon So-hyeon spoke her name in a gentle tone.
“Your ability is already more than sufficient. You simply do not yet stand in a position that handles that much information.”
“Moreover…”
The Director, who had been listening quietly, spoke at last.
“For this Sword Family to function properly, not every person needs to be a master of political sense. Rather, it is the present house that is wrong for demanding such things of everyone.”
He raised a hand and pointed to himself.
“This old man, for one, is far removed from politics. I am rather poor at it. Yet if each person simply does his utmost in the place he has been given…”
He looked at Yeon So-hyeon.
“Then one day, just as today, a leader who understands that intention will appear and help resolve the problem.”
“…….”
Yeon So-hyeon avoided the old man’s gaze and looked off into the distance for no particular reason.
“Master of the Central Investigation Department.”
Smiling at the First Young Master’s reaction, the Director turned to Dokgo Ya-yeon.
“Follow my secretary.”
The secretary, who had been waiting motionless behind them, bowed.
“I shall guide you.”
Before she could ask, the Director explained.
“The Vice-Director’s faction destroyed most of the internal evidence documents, but this old man took measures in advance and secured copies.”
He had described himself as politically clumsy, yet Dokgo Ya-yeon found the claim hard to believe. As expected…
He was the giant who had single-handedly held up Geomga Jeonjang—an organization not merely complex but tangled with countless interests—until this very day.
“…I am grateful for your cooperation, Director.”
A faintly apologetic look crossed the old man’s face.
“Only… regarding those copies, there is one request I would make—”
Dokgo Ya-yeon, long accustomed to such situations, nodded.
“Have no concern. The copies will neither leak outside nor be used as legal evidence.”
Their value lay simply in allowing the full picture of what had occurred to be seen clearly.
“…Thank you.”
A leader of an organization must never, under any circumstances, be seen personally cutting down his own subordinates while under external attack. Such an act would inevitably harm even the uninvolved and erode trust in the leader himself.
“Then.”
After Dokgo Ya-yeon withdrew with the secretary, Yeon So-hyeon called to Hong Dok-ji.
“Office Manager.”
“…Ah—yes, First Young Master!”
She had been turning over the lessons of the day and snapped back to attention.
“Here.”
She drew a thick bundle of transaction slips from her robes and offered them respectfully to the Director.
“First Young Master, these are…?”
“The investigation has begun at once, yet the internal house-cleaning of Geomga Jeonjang will not finish in a single stroke, will it?”
Even the Inner Court, ruled by the Chief Administrator, had required considerable time to purge itself. In Geomga Jeonjang, where multiple factions still contended, reclaiming his rightful position and reorganizing the structure would take longer still. The Vice-Director himself had not escaped the investigation.
“Use these when the Business Support Department recovers the funds it invested through Geomga Jeonjang.”
A sharp light flashed in the Director’s eyes.
“…You intend to use this opportunity to pull those businesses completely out from under the main house’s shadow.”
“I do. However…”
Yeon So-hyeon put on a faintly embarrassed expression.
“Apart from the Business Support Department, I have not yet prepared the sum you yourself invested.”
He meant the capital the Director had advanced under his personal authority.
“Do not trouble yourself over that.”
The old man smiled.
“This old man still has that much strength left.”
Yeon So-hyeon rubbed the bridge of his nose.
“In return—if one can call it that… Before long a colossal investment opportunity will arise.”
“An investment opportunity… you say?”
A meaningful smile curved Yeon So-hyeon’s lips.
“Yes. It will be of no help in sorting out the internal affairs of Jeonjang, yet it will be great enough to restore your position in a single stroke.”
As they left the annex, Hong Dok-ji called to him.
“First Young Master.”
“Mm?”
Uncertain whether she had the right to ask, yet unable by nature to keep silent, she finally voiced the question.
“How exactly did you build such a relationship of trust with the Director from the past?”
“……?”
When Yeon So-hyeon stopped and looked back at her, she hurriedly waved her hands.
“Ah—no, never mind. It is a private matter; you need not answer.”
He smiled at her.
“There is no relationship of trust built from the past between him and me.”
“…What?”
After the First Young Master and Hong Dok-ji had vanished from sight, the secretary who had asked the Director the question still could not hide his bewilderment.
“Y-you had no relationship with the First Young Master at all?”
“None.”
The Director nodded.
“I was appointed to this post only after the Supreme Operations Council was established. Until then, as you know, I was stationed at an outer branch.”
“…….”
Facing the blank stare of his secretary, the old man shrugged.
“So the first time I met the First Young Master in person was the previous occasion.”
That previous occasion had been the day he visited Wongak Pavilion regarding the punitive reparations of the Inner Court.
“…Then how could you place your trust in him so readily?”
“Trust, is it.”
After a long, vacant moment the Director smiled at the man who had asked.
“It is not that the First Young Master and I must form trust with each other.”
He spoke the principle he had carried as one charged with a heavy responsibility of the Luoyang Sword Family.
“It is I who must strive so that I may earn the First Young Master’s trust.”
He patted the shoulder of his still-deep-in-thought secretary, then turned and walked away.
Of course, that is not the only reason.
The old man held one more reason in his heart—one he dared not speak even to his closest subordinate.
If anything should ever happen to me… the next Director of the main house will be you.
Those had been the words left by the Supreme Family Head on a visit long ago to the branch the old man had then overseen.
Remember this: should anything befall me… the main house still has young So-hyeon.
Repeating the Supreme Family Head’s voice in his mind, the old man looked up at the night sky.
Stepping once more into the main hall of Geomga Jeonjang’s headquarters, Yeon So-hyeon wore a faintly awkward smile.
Well, this is… something.
Two young girls waiting in the corridor smiled at him. That the smiles felt especially strained was no mere fancy.
“Elder Brother…”
“It has been a long time.”
They were the Third Young Mistress Yeon Da-eun and the Fourth Young Mistress Yeon Da-hye.