Lack of Coherence

“So, what do you want me to do?”

“Pardon?”

I questioned Yi Do-won’s words.

He roughly skimmed through the ledger detailing Byeon Hakdo’s corruption that I had brought, then placed it on the desk as if throwing it.

The old desk shook as if it would collapse from the fall of the thick book.

“So, what is your intention in showing this to me?”

Yi Do-won gestured at the ledger.

“This is a ledger detailing the current magistrate’s corruption. As a former magistrate, shouldn’t I report this?”

“Former magistrate implies that I am not the current magistrate.”

“Do you believe that ignoring corruption is the behavior of a virtuous nobleman, a Confucian scholar?”

“Then, do you believe that readily trusting this ledger you brought is the behavior of a virtuous nobleman, a Confucian scholar?”

Yi Do-won stroked his beard, seemingly questioning the ledger’s credibility.

“Even if I’ve lived recklessly, this is absolutely not false. Furthermore, with this much evidence, it is right to conduct an audit first.”

“Yes, it would be right to conduct an audit. With this level of corruption, an inspector could arrive before the auditor.”

“Then!”

“It is the auditor’s or inspector’s job to handle. It is not something for someone without authority to interfere with.”

Yi Do-won distanced himself from the desk with the ledger as if he didn’t want to see it.

I and Yi Do-won uncomfortably faced each other in the unadorned, desolate room.

Every time I possessed someone, I frequently experienced this kind of silence.

Yi Do-won also seemed uncomfortable with this silence, revealing his displeasure without hiding it.

I had overcome this silence sometimes with nonchalance, sometimes with firmness.

But I don’t know why I’m acting so emotionally this time.

Is it because I saw Chunhyang’s blood- and sweat-soaked appearance?

The fragrance of flowers blooming on the street crossed the gate and permeated the room where I and Yi Do-won were.

With a subtle yet intense fragrance that made my head spin, I couldn’t help but frown.

I could feel the sounds of the servants sweeping the yard and the mother anxiously wondering how the conversation between the father and son was progressing.

“So.”

It was Yi Do-won who broke the silence.

I shifted my gaze, which had been lowered, back to him.

His deep eyes captured me.

It was something different from the constantly frowning and unpleasant gaze.

“Is this the solution you’ve brought? To use my influence to drive out Byeon Hakdo?”

My breath caught. It was the truth.

I could take this and go outside Namwon to report it.

But in the meantime, Chunhyang’s suffering would be prolonged.

I thought that if I used the position and connections of Yi Do-won, a prominent figure in Namwon, I could definitely control Byeon Hakdo.

Moreover, I calculated that someone who advocated integrity and uprightness as a nobleman would react sensitively to Byeon Hakdo’s corruption.

But Yi Do-won was even more of a purist, and I failed to take that into account.

“You defied your father’s wishes, and now you’re resorting to your father’s power.”

Yi Do-won clicked his tongue.

“Pathetic.”

Something inside me raised its head at Yi Do-won’s rebuke.

“You loved that girl so much that you were willing to sever ties with your father, weren’t you?”

“I….”

The original Inho would have.

I don’t love Chunhyang that much. There was no time, no connection.

But I decided to live the original Inho’s life.

That’s why I faced death as the captain of the Knights, and why I guarded the border alone as the Grand Duke of the North until I died.

My personal opinions and feelings did not exist there.

It was my respect for the owner of the body who died for an unknown reason, and my answer to the goddess who dropped me into this endless cycle of possession.

But why, why can’t I do that in this dimension?

[Whatever it takes, I will save you. Just know that.]

Was this the duty I was originally supposed to fulfill, or was it my choice?

[Is that Young master’s choice?]

Why did Chunhyang’s nonchalant question sound like it was directed at me?

“Young master! Chunhyang is…!”

Just as the strong smell of flowers was making my head spin, Bangja’s voice was heard from outside.

Yi Do-won, disturbed by the interruption, only frowned and didn’t say anything else.

The vegetation boasted its freshness in contrast to the cruel scene.

The smell of grass and the fragrance of flowers spread subtly throughout the government office.

When I arrived at the government office, panting with Bangja, Chunhyang had already been flogged once.

Byeon Hakdo, seemingly pleased with yesterday’s affair, sat on the upper seat with a triumphant look, merely looking down at the bleeding Chunhyang.

He still hadn’t given up his desire for Chunhyang, as he hadn’t touched her face, making me think he was a truly terrible bastard.

Whether he thought there was no one to stop him, or whether he wanted to show this scene to everyone as a warning, the place was crowded with people.

Half of them were saddened by the fact that the flower of Namwon was being tortured, and half of them simply thought it was a new spectacle.

The soldiers holding the clubs had faces twisted as if they had eaten shit.

“Do you, the criminal Chunhyang, admit to the crime of violating the foundation of the country?”

Byeon Hakdo asked with a feigned stern voice. It felt like he was trying to frame her refusal to serve him as defiance against a nobleman.

Chunhyang, who had been hanging her head and dripping blood and saliva on the ground, raised her head.

Even though it was just raising her head, her white neck trembled desperately as if it had lost its strength.

“…If keeping faith with my husband is a crime… then I am a criminal.”

Byeon Hakdo frowned at the low but clear murmur.

“The lowly woman is mocking the court. Fine, since you still don’t know your crime, I will let you know. Execute her!”

“Yes, yes!”

The flogging started again, and each time it struck, pieces of Chunhyang’s flesh came off.

Now, she didn’t even have the strength to scream, and Chunhyang only let out a low groan, showing no other reaction.

“…….”

“…….”

Suddenly, I felt like I made eye contact with Chunhyang.

The flogging lasted quite a long time. The soldiers wielding the instruments of torture noticeably slowed down the speed of the flogging, perhaps for Chunhyang’s sake.

“Isn’t she going to die like that?”

“Someone has to stop it….”

“Hey, what nonsense are you talking about….”

I could hear people whispering.

It felt like people’s gazes were directed at me.

“Young master….”

It seemed like Bangja was also looking at me.

I….

[The original Inho would have done this in this situation.]

The original Inho in this situation….

[Is that Young master’s choice?]

I would….

[So, Young master, I implore you to leave now. This lowly woman will cherish this meeting with Young master even in death.]

I would…!

[That’s fortunate. If you were an obedient son, you wouldn’t be able to act like this now.]

I!

A man ran out through the crowd.

He struck the necks of the soldiers wielding the clubs. The soldiers collapsed from the sudden attack.

Byeon Hakdo’s eyes widened at the uninvited guest.

“Who is that?”

The man didn’t reveal his identity even at Byeon Hakdo’s question.

“What are the soldiers doing? Capture that man!”

Byeon Hakdo shouted.

The man silently knocked down the soldiers who were charging at him with spears.

Every time he swung his arm, the spear shaft broke, and every time he moved his leg, people collapsed.

And people who recognized the culprit of the commotion began to whisper.

“Isn’t that Kang In-ho, Young master?”

“Really! Did he return from Hanyang?”

“Is it true that he has a relationship with Chunhyang…?”

Perhaps he heard the commotion of the people, Byeon Hakdo, who had sharp ears, shouted.

“What is this commotion, the son of the Elder? Are you not afraid of the law of the country?”

Perhaps Byeon Hakdo’s shout reached him, the man’s head turned.

The man’s eyes turned to him.

Byeon Hakdo’s face turned pale when he saw himself reflected in those endless, empty eyes.

“Seize him… seize him!!”

Byeon Hakdo, who couldn’t finish his words in fear, stuttered, and the crowd that had been pushed back parted once again.

“What is this commotion!!!”

At the thunderous shout, like the roar of a tiger, people lowered their heads and stepped back.

A man appeared, fluttering his white robe along the path created by the people.

“Elder…!”

Byeon Hakdo looked at Kang In-ho and hurriedly ran to the man.

He was so hasty that he didn’t even fix his strap.

“The Young master suddenly intruded on the execution…!”

He bent over and pleaded with the man.

Perhaps he thought that the only person who could stop the man who had intruded on the execution ground was his father, Yi Do-won, Byeon Hakdo reported to him, even fabricating a crime that didn’t exist.

Yi Do-won merely looked down at such Byeon Hakdo.

“…That’s what happened.”

“I see. My son has committed a great discourtesy. Obstructing state affairs… I must punish him.”

“Then, then!”

Byeon Hakdo’s face brightened.

“Yes, I will punish my son later, but I would like you to handle my work first.”

“Yes, what is it?”

Yi Do-won took out a hidden card from his sleeve.

“Royal Secret Inspector is here.”

At Yi Do-won’s declaration, men holding clubs poured into the government office.