The Trap at the Well
“As you’ve likely guessed, you’ll be playing the bait for this request. That is the condition for splitting the reward five ways.”
The place where the five vagabonds, including Ilyang, had relocated was the Cloud Moon Pavilion, located on the outskirts of Giyang County.
It was a teahouse that sold decent quality tea at reasonable prices, making it quite popular among the vagabonds of Giyang County.
The attraction that made this place famous was its second-floor pavilion, which overlooked a beautifully landscaped central garden.
Ilyang raised a cup of Sunken Snow Tea, the pride of the Cloud Moon Pavilion, to his lips.
Gazing down at the manicured garden from the second floor, he posed the most crucial question.
“I understand the role of bait. However, I would like to hear the subsequent strategy. Have you formulated this plan on the premise that I will be completely abducted? Or do you intend to apprehend the kidnappers right before they take me?”
“Naturally, the plan is based on the premise of you being kidnapped and taken away,” Hak In-bo replied.
Ilyang tilted his head.
“And why is that? According to the request board, one can receive the reward simply by capturing the culprits.”
The one-eyed Hak In-bo hesitated to answer for a moment.
After exchanging glances with his companions, he let out a sigh and spoke honestly.
“We received a separate, designated request.”
“A designated request... Don't tell me it is from the Giyang Magistrate?”
“Indeed.”
So the rumors floating around the market streets were true? His actual son was kidnapped?
As Ilyang blinked in surprise,
Hak In-bo glanced around warily before lowering his voice.
“Two days ago, the Giyang Magistrate's son was kidnapped. Though he is not the son of the legal wife, the fact remains that he is his only son.”
Surprisingly, the rumor was true.
Ilyang widened his eyes and whispered to Hak In-bo.
“It seems the rumors were true after all.”
“Yes. That old man, the Giyang Magistrate, made such a massive fuss everywhere that there was no way to keep it quiet.”
“Then this constitutes a double request. It seems we must recalculate our shares.”
“……Hmm?”
Ilyang placed his tiny hand on the table and spoke with a solemn expression.
“If the Giyang Magistrate personally designated this request to you, Master Hak, then surely you must have received a separate commission fee for it as well?”
“……”
Hak In-bo looked as if he had just taken an unexpected blow.
Then, he slowly nodded.
“……You are meticulous with your calculations. Very well, we shall split that five ways as well.”
“Thank you.”
Hak In-bo had agreed readily enough, but he could not hide his lingering regret.
He had clearly intended to only split the reward from the Nangin Association.
How dare he try to pull one over on me.
The commission fee from the Giyang Magistrate turned out to be a staggering one thousand silver coins.
An advance payment of five hundred.
And an additional five hundred upon successful completion of the request.
Then the total reward is...
One thousand five hundred silver coins.
It was an astronomical sum of money.
Even split five ways, each of them would walk away with three hundred silver coins.
Clink, clink—
Hak In-bo pulled out his purse on the spot.
He counted out one hundred silver coins from the advance payment and handed them to Ilyang.
Then, he drafted a contract right in front of Ilyang and obtained his signature.
Only then did he speak.
“According to the investigation by the local authorities, the kidnappers' range of activity is not very wide.”
The results of the official investigation, produced in just a single night, proved to be of significant help.
It allowed them to narrow down the culprits' territory.
Hak In-bo dipped his finger into his teacup, drew a rough map of the terrain on the table with the tea, and pointed to a specific spot.
“When we narrow down their range of activity based on the residential areas of the kidnapped children, this is the only place where all their paths overlap.”
It was a well located in the central district, just inside the city walls.
Coincidentally, it was the exact same spot where Ilyang had put on a public strip show not long ago, desperate to wash himself after forming his 1st Circle.
“The request will begin with you getting kidnapped here, at the Cheongyeon Well.”
“……Understood.”
Upon confirming the location, Ilyang's face grimaced involuntarily as the memory of his embarrassing display at the Cheongyeon Well flashed through his mind.
Misinterpreting his expression, Hak In-bo spoke up.
“Well…… you've already received your advance payment, so I'd appreciate it if you wiped that sour look off your face.”
“Yeah, trust us! We're pretty famous around these parts!”
It was One-Eared Go An-jeok.
He grinned, proudly displaying his single remaining front tooth, but Ilyang did not bother to respond.
I should make some separate preparations just in case.
He acknowledged that these guys were decent assets among the vagabonds.
They were all first-rate experts, and the fact that the Magistrate had personally commissioned them meant they enjoyed a high level of trust in their line of work.
But...
That was all.
What if the kidnappers possessed even greater strength?
The moment he was abducted, his safety could no longer be guaranteed.
I need at least a minimal safety net.
Just as Ilyang was pondering his own contingencies, Hak In-bo spoke.
“Due to the client's circumstances, I'd like to start as quickly as possible. How about you?”
“Ah. Let us move immediately, then.”
It was already the second day since the Magistrate's young son had been kidnapped.
There was no telling whether he was dead or alive.
While the request would technically be fulfilled even if they only recovered a corpse,
it would leave a highly unpleasant aftertaste for Hak In-bo if the client's son actually died.
He might even have to leave Giyang County, which served as his base of operations.
Perhaps because of this, the moment he heard Ilyang's reply, he picked up the teacup he had dipped his finger in earlier, gulped down the remaining tea, and stood up.
“Let's hurry.”
With that, the group stealthily made their way near Ilyang's lodging, toward the Cheongyeon Well.
The village well, Cheongyeon Well.
Though Ilyang had not known it, this was quite a popular spot in the vicinity.
For one, it was famous because its scale was excessively large for a mere well.
Furthermore, it was said to hold historical significance, as the town of Giyang County had originally formed around this very well.
As a result, the townspeople frequented the area quite often.
Still, there are far more people here than I expected.
From shortly after lunchtime,
Ilyang lay flat on a large wooden bench, as still as a corpse.
Yet, even after half a day had passed, there was absolutely no sign of the culprits.
I'm starting to get hungry.
Had the operation failed?
Ilyang and the vagabonds had scattered themselves far apart, pretending to be strangers.
Just as Ilyang reluctantly decided that they should pack up for the day, an unexpected variable appeared.
“Huh? Young Master! What brings you to a humble place like this?”
“……You?”
“It's me! Po-il! Your specially cherished little brother!”
“……”
The jeomsoi of the Manseok Inn.
As the fellow grinned brightly, his dark-skinned face beaming, Ilyang realized things had gotten a bit complicated.
“What are you doing here?”
“I came to fetch bathwater for the guests, of course. I always come out at this hour.”
When Po-il lowered two water buckets—each nearly the size of his own torso—from his carrying pole to show him, Ilyang nodded in understanding.
“You seem to be stronger than you look. Those buckets are quite large.”
“Haha, I'm used to it, so it's easy. As you said, I am quite strong!”
The jeomsoi Po-il replied, rolling up his sleeve and flexing his thin arm with a loud grunt.
A tiny muscle, barely the size of a quail's egg, popped up on his forearm.
“H-How is it? Pretty impressive, isn't it, Young Master?”
“……Yes. Splendid.”
In any case, today seemed to be a bust.
Seeing as there was still no sign of movement even as dusk began to settle, it was clear that today was a lost cause.
Well, you can't expect to succeed on the very first try.
Ilyang caught Hak In-bo's eye and slowly shook his head.
Coincidentally, Hak In-bo seemed to share the same sentiment, letting out a sigh from beneath the eaves near the well.
Let's call it a day for now.
The moment he received the sound transmission, Ilyang turned to Po-il.
“Shall I help you?”
“Huh? No, of course not! This is my job, Young Master. Please, head back to the inn first!”
At Po-il's surprisingly professional refusal, Ilyang nodded, stretched slowly, and stood up.
Then, a sudden thought struck him.
An unexpected realization flashed through his mind.
They said the kidnappings took place around the well, right?
If so, there must have been a reason why they had to target this specific area.
What could that reason be?
What is the reason?
This well was in a highly open area.
It was massive, and because the waterways connected to the well were quite extensive, foot traffic was heavy.
In many ways, it was the worst possible location to kidnap children.
And yet, they insisted on kidnapping children around this spot... Wait.
The waterways?
Ilyang got up from the wooden bench and scanned the area around the well.
With a look of sudden comprehension, he gently placed a hand on the shoulder of Po-il, who was busy hauling up water with a bucket.
“Hmm? You haven't left yet, Young Master?”
“My dear brother. Let us do a little job together.”
The jeomsoi of the Manseok Inn.
Po-il nodded without a shred of hesitation at the sudden proposal.
“Just say the word, Big Brother!”
Ilyang looked into Po-il's fiercely loyal eyes and spoke.
“First, why don't you take off your clothes?”
“……Pardon?”
The loyalty in Po-il's eyes instantly dissolved into sheer horror.