One-Hearted Devotion (3)
My father pondered for a moment before asking me,
"Why do you suddenly ask about that?"
"It's because of Deputy Officer Jo Yeong-yeong."
"……."
From the look on his face, Father already seemed to know about Deputy Officer Jo Yeong-yeong's feelings.
"As far as I know, she's had feelings for Inner Supervisor Yu for over five years now. And I've heard she's been refusing all the marriage proposals from her family."
I continued,
"Inner Supervisor Yu may have already missed his chance, but at this rate, I'm worried Deputy Officer Jo will miss hers too. I know it might seem like I'm meddling…… but isn't her family one of our merchant group's longtime retainer clans? They might end up resenting us over this."
"That's true."
"So, it's time to bring this to a conclusion. It would be ideal if the two of them tied the knot, but if not, we need to help her sort out her feelings."
Father asked in response to my words,
"Is that why you asked about why Inner Supervisor Yu hasn't remarried? So you could tell her the reason?"
"Why would I tell her?"
"Hm?"
"I'm no veteran of life……."
Though in reality, I'd lived nearly forty years.
"……but to someone lost in the throes of infatuation, no reason seems like anything but a trial to overcome. Why else would they say even a lover's fart smells sweet?"
"Fair enough."
"If the reason is valid, I'll handle convincing her to give it up myself."
Father thought for a moment, then nodded.
"Truth be told, I've felt sorry for her every time I see Deputy Officer Jo."
"……."
"This was back when I was young. I'd just become head of the merchant group, and I was in Beijing for a meeting of the hundred great trading houses. That's where it was held."
I listened closely to Father's story.
"After the meeting ended, I decided to sightsee in Beijing and witnessed a huge commotion. At the time, Inner Supervisor Yu was being falsely accused of murdering his bride."
"……."
Yu So-ak stepped away from his desk in the office and approached the window.
When he opened it, a chill winter wind blew in.
Just then, a guard's voice came from outside the door.
"Inner Supervisor, Deputy Officer Jo brought some snacks."
The door opened, and the guard entered, placing a plate on the side table.
"Pine nut cookies today. Enjoy."
After the guard left, Yu So-ak stared at the cookies.
He bit his lip at the sight of the pastries prettily adorned with pine nuts.
For the past five or six years, Jo Yeong-yeong had steadily brought him snacks whenever he worked late into the night.
Now he knew.
It wasn't just kindness—it meant she harbored feelings for him.
But he couldn't accept her overtures. He still couldn't forget that memory.
So he had to firmly reject her heart. And truthfully, he'd tried to tell her several times already.
But…….
Whenever he saw her large, clear eyes, the words wouldn't come.
He feared tears welling up in those big eyes.
Come to think of it, it had been a snowy winter back then, just like now.
Yu So-ak had met a woman through his superior's matchmaking and married her.
As was usual with arranged marriages to strangers, he figured affection would grow once they lived together.
And so the wedding day arrived.
The boisterous banquet dragged on, filled with greetings to guests and all manner of bustle.
Finally, he entered the bridal chamber.
They were both embarrassed, but a drink or two gave them courage.
So he offered her the hairpin he'd cherished.
"This was my mother's. She said to give it to my life companion. Will you accept it?"
"Yes."
The bride extended her flushed hand, and he slipped the hairpin onto her finger.
Then they spent the night together.
The next morning, when Yu So-ak awoke…….
"Gasp!"
He discovered his bride's corpse—already cold. Her throat stabbed by a sharp weapon, blood everywhere in a gruesome scene.
Yu So-ak himself was covered in blood, so he was naturally pegged as the killer.
He was dragged to the magistrate's office and subjected to all sorts of torture to force a confession.
He was truly innocent.
But under endless interrogation, he began to doubt himself.
His body and mind were breaking down.
Dying like this wouldn't be unjust.
But he felt guilty staining his family and sorry to the bride for not catching the real culprit.
Beneath those feelings lay despair.
No one believed him. On the contrary, they piled scorn on him as if this were their chance.
That hurt him even more.
How much time passed like that?
"Hey, snap out of it!"
"……?"
Clinging to his hazy mind, he opened his eyes to see the bailiff grinning.
"You're proven innocent."
"What?"
"We caught the real killer!"
He couldn't tell if it was a dream or reality.
As he blinked and staggered into the magistrate's courtyard, a man approached.
His name was Eun Gil-sang.
Head of the Eunhae Merchant Group—and the benefactor who cleared his name.
"So that's what happened."
Father nodded with a complicated expression.
"But even after seeing that, I just shrugged it off and headed to a jewelry shop. And it turned out fate had me spot the man trying to sell that hairpin right there."
Father continued,
"The owner seemed hesitant to appraise it, so I offered to help. We were old acquaintances, after all."
Our group dealt in such jewelry items quite heavily, if not as our mainstay.
"As I examined the hairpin, I noticed something off. A bloodstain that hadn't been fully cleaned. The intricate filigree hid the dried blood. And it was fresh, not old. My instincts told me something was wrong, so I got the man's details."
And he learned it tied to the recent local murder—the very case where Inner Supervisor Yu had been framed.
"I showed the hairpin to Inner Supervisor Yu's family, and they confirmed it was his mother's keepsake."
"So that's how you uncovered the truth."
Father nodded at my words.
"The culprit was the man the bride had been seeing. When she chose the arranged marriage over him, he sneaked into the bridal chamber and urged her to run away with him……."
"But she refused."
"Right. A promising man on the rise after passing the exams was far better than some nobody. She thought practically. Enraged, he left the room, grabbed a kitchen knife, came back, and killed her."
"……."
"He said he noticed the hairpin on her finger in the midst of it."
Father had saved Inner Supervisor Yu So-ak, but his mother's hairpin had made it possible.
Without it, the evidence would have been hard to find.
"After he was freed, as he pondered his future, I offhandedly suggested working for our group……."
"And the big fish bit."
"Big fish…… yeah, looking back, that's spot on. Anyway, it's not that Inner Supervisor Yu hasn't met women since. He's tried a few times for marriage, but always backed out. Probably because the image of that dead bride haunts him every time."
I could guess why Inner Supervisor Yu avoided going to Beijing so much.
Being there forced him to confront those memories.
And why he buried himself in work like a madman—to escape them.
Aigoo, poor Inner Supervisor Yu with such a tragic past.
Pity welled up in me.
"So that's why he hasn't remarried. Or strictly speaking, why he hasn't had a second marriage. They were wed, even if just for one night."
"Does Deputy Officer Jo know he was once married?"
"She probably does. That girl's sharper than she looks."
That raised a point worth considering.
Was her affection for Inner Supervisor Yu So-ak born of pity for his story, or genuine love for the man himself?
Some people confuse sympathy for love.
"By the way, Seo-ho."
"Yes, Father."
"You still have no thoughts of marriage?"
"……."
A few days after my talk with Father,
Proclamations went up across the empire.
A liquor ban had been issued.
With famine forcing people into beggary, it was a natural measure from the Emperor.
Sitting in my spot at Eunwol Pavilion, the head of Sepung Pavilion's division entered.
"You're early."
"Yes. Have you arrived, Pavilion Head Jeok?"
He nodded at my greeting. He was getting on in years and considering retirement soon…….
From my perspective, I'd prefer he stayed longer.
In my previous life, he'd stepped down when I was twenty-five.
"Third Branch Leader."
"Yes, speak."
"This old man has a favor to ask."
Hm? Pavilion Head Jeok asking me for a favor?
This was unprecedented, so I wondered what it could be.
"I heard we're recruiting the brewers through our Eunhae Merchant Group this time."
"Correct."
Precisely, it was already underway, not just planned.
"Among them, there's a place north of Sungyang County making something called White Dew Liquor."
Pavilion Head Jeok continued,
"Please include them in the investigation."
"Pardon?"
I'd expected him to ask to recruit them. Not investigate.
"Is that enough?"
"Yes."
He nodded.
"Truthfully, that place holds a special spot in my heart. It's run by a friend I made by chance. But I can't let personal feelings sway the results, can I?"
"……."
"Of course, their liquor is exceptional. The name White Dew Liquor isn't for show."
"So you're confident."
"Naturally. I fancy myself knowledgeable about liquor. Hahaha."
I laughed too, but not because it was a joke.
Pavilion Head Jeok truly knew his alcohol.
"It's just so tucked away in the mountains that few know of it. That's why I'm asking—to ensure it doesn't get overlooked."
"Then of course it'll be included."
I nodded readily and looked at him.
He'd been with the group since Grandfather's days as head.
He knew everything and had seen it all.
He'd once offered to answer any one question I had, but I hadn't used it yet.
Time to cash in.
"Not as payment, but I have one request."
"Go ahead."
"You know Deputy Officer Jo Yeong-yeong has feelings for Inner Supervisor Yu So-ak, right?"
"……."
Pavilion Head Jeok's gentle smile.
He knew.
"It's time for them to either marry or put it to rest."
"True. Chief Clerk Jo's been fuming over his daughter."
"So, help me out."
The next day,
Yu So-ak headed to the carriage house.
He'd been tasked with inspecting the breweries and investigating them.
With piles of paperwork, he had no desire to leave the office.
But Pavilion Head Jeok Byeong-cheol had insisted, "Wouldn't it be better to see and judge for yourself?"
As a longtime pillar of the group, his words carried weight.
So it was decided.
At least Hubei Province was his only assignment. Other regions were too cold for travel.
"Ah! You're already here?"
Then Eun Seo-ho approached.
He was joining the trip too.
"Just arrived."
"Oh, shall we go then?"
They boarded the carriage and began visiting the listed breweries.
The ban had halted production, but the brewers didn't look too downcast.
They figured it wouldn't last long.
But Eun Seo-ho firmly countered,
"No, this liquor ban will drag on quite a while."
His usual sharp insight had prompted the group's actions this time too.
Inner Supervisor Yu unconsciously rubbed his knee.
It ached—maybe from the cold, or because it was winter like that time.
"Your knee hurts."
"Ah, yes."
"Let me take a look."
Before he could respond, Eun Seo-ho lifted his robe and examined it, then asked with a startled expression,
"This…… isn't this a torture scar?"