“Would you care for some?”
With a kindly expression, Kim Ji-seok offered him a cup of tea.
…Tea?
In Joseon, people usually served alcohol when entertaining guests, but for some reason, the magistrate preferred tea.
“This is tea that was obtained from Ming with great difficulty. Alcohol is good as well, but if you keep drinking, you end up intoxicated, so it’s not something you can enjoy from the middle of the day. Everything has its proper time.”
“…Thank you.”
Maybe it’s because he’s the protagonist. His personality is anything but ordinary.
Kim Ji-seok smiled warmly as he looked at Do-yeul.
“There’s no need to be nervous. I’ve been in this region for nearly five years now, and I regretted not recognizing a scholar as outstanding as yourself sooner, so I thought I’d invite you for a chat.”
“You flatter me.”
“So then, how long have you been studying? I assume you’re preparing for the state examination?”
The question Kim Ji-seok asked was a routine one commonly directed at scholars.
The problem was that Do-yeul had only just arrived in Joseon.
“…That’s correct.”
Afraid he might say something wrong, Do-yeul remained on high alert.
…Hmm?
Kim Ji-seok picked up on the discomfort that flashed across Do-yeul’s face.
Hmm. A man that wise would not change expression over a simple courtesy question without reason.
And as far as Ji-seok could tell, there was only one possible explanation.
“Could it be… that you’re preparing for the Law Examination?”
The Law Examination was one of Joseon’s miscellaneous state examinations and was roughly comparable to a judicial qualification exam in modern terms.
However, its status was considerably lower, and it was primarily taken by the middle-class officials.
In other words, the magistrate was indirectly asking whether Do-yeul was a middle-class official who was not permitted to sit for the higher civil service examination.
.
At those words, Dong-gu nearly jumped in shock.
“Th-That can’t be! Young Master would never even consider taking a miscellaneous examination…! Gah! M-My apologies! I-I spoke out of turn because I was so startled!”
A slave interrupting the conversation was something that could have warranted serious punishment, but the magistrate let it pass without issue.
“The fault lies in remaining silent when one ought to speak. There is no law that says a man should be reprimanded for speaking the truth, so do not concern yourself with it.”
“Th-Thank you kindly!”
Ji-seok fell into thought.
That’s right. I had already assumed he was a freeborn man after seeing the confidence and intelligence befitting a scholar.
Kim Ji-seok looked Do-yeul over.
Hmm. There’s a deep sadness on his face. He must have quite a story behind him…
Now that he looked more closely, Do-yeul was certainly dressed like a scholar, but from the frayed hem of his robe to the worn hat strings, there was hardly a single part of his attire in good condition.
…Ji-seok misread Do-yeul’s situation.
Of course. He must be a scholar from a fallen family.
Taking the state examination required a great deal of money. Stories of poor scholars passing the exam and transforming their fortunes belonged in novels. In reality, rural scholars often struggled just to gather enough travel expenses to reach Hanyang.
He must be discouraged by his family’s poverty and unable to answer confidently, despite possessing the talent to succeed.
A bright scholar held back by the poverty of his household.
Having reached his conclusion, Ji-seok called for a government servant.
“You there! Bring some rice and meat at once! I intend to reward this young man!”
“Huh? Me?”
“Indeed.”
Ji-seok smiled gently.
“This is simply a reward for the excellent answers you have given. Please do not refuse.”
He even came up with a plausible excuse, worried that Do-yeul might refuse out of pride if he offered it as mere charity.
…All of a sudden?
Of course, Do-yeul had only been choosing his words carefully out of fear of saying something wrong. So while he was grateful for the magistrate’s generosity, the sudden offer of a reward caught him completely off guard.
“…Th-Thank you.”
“Continue your studies diligently. A wise man like you is a rare sight even in Hanyang. So long as you do not abandon your aspirations, you will surely achieve great things someday.”
The magistrate spoke those words and swallowed the rest with a faint smile.
I shall take my time considering how I might help you as well. After all, a truly exceptional talent… belongs in the royal court.
And so, as soon as Do-yeul arrived in Joseon, he unexpectedly gained the favor of the magistrate and a supply of food.
***
Inside a thatched cottage that looked as though it might collapse at any moment,
Dong-gu beamed as he set the table with the rice and meat they had received from the government office.
Receiving the food was good enough, but he seemed even happier that the magistrate had recognized Do-yeul’s talent.
“Young Master! Please, eat while it’s hot!”
“…All right. Thank you.”
But the one who had actually received the reward found nothing to smile about.
…Because the family was far poorer than he had imagined.
He had already known they were not the household of some wealthy young master, considering the clothes he wore were little better than rags, but this was worse than he had expected.
“I was truly astonished back at Oksong. It was a genuinely remarkable talent you showed.”
“Right, right.”
“Now all that’s left is for you to pass the civil service examination with flying colors and rise to prominence!”
Was I supposed to be the family’s great hope or something?
Not that rebuilding the family’s fortunes was anywhere near his priorities.
He had to change the ending of this historical drama.
The problem is that I don’t even know the plot of the drama…
The title of the series was New Tale of the Magistrate.
The general storyline was probably about Kim Ji-seok rising through the ranks.
– And the best part is watching the protagonist shine! He starts out as a magistrate, but later on… Oops, almost spoiled it! You should watch it yourself! Hehe!
…Who would’ve thought something noona said would actually be useful?
Since the story revolved around Kim Ji-seok, maintaining a connection with the magistrate would likely improve his chances of changing the ending.
If I want to change the ending, I at least need to get close to it first. For now, the best course of action is to stay near the magistrate whenever possible.
Fortunately, receiving a gift from him suggested he had made a fairly favorable impression.
Still, if he failed to leave any lasting impression before the magistrate’s term ended and he returned to Hanyang, he would naturally be forgotten.
He did say he’s been assigned to this district for five years. Considering a magistrate’s term of office… it wouldn’t be surprising if he left for Hanyang at any time.
Since this was a historical drama, events would likely move quickly. There was no luxury of taking his time to think things through.
He needed to act as quickly as possible, but he had no idea what he could do to leave a lasting impression.
“Should I seriously start preparing for the state examination? I should’ve paid more attention when noona and hyungs talked about this stuff.”
“Huh? Of course you should. What are you talking about? And who are these noona and hyungs you’re referring to?”
If he passed the state examination and earned Kim Ji-seok’s favor, there would be a good chance of growing closer to him, but he couldn’t afford to stake everything on that alone.
If he ended up assigned to some random post in the middle of nowhere, it could become a serious problem.
He didn’t have time to think things through leisurely, yet he also couldn’t act recklessly when even the smallest action might lead to unforeseen consequences.
Ugh. And on top of that, the family’s poverty is a major problem. At this rate, I’m more worried about starving to death than figuring out how to change the ending.
He had no clear solution, and with his livelihood also at stake, his worries only deepened.
Then, at that moment—
“Ahem! Well now… is anyone home?”
“Hmm?”
“Wh-What’s that?”
A man suddenly came looking for Do-yeul.
***
The man searching for Do-yeul seemed more than a little taken aback by the sight of the shabby thatched cottage.
“Ahem. Given your remarkable learning, I assumed you would be living in a grand tiled mansion fit for nobility. But it seems you are a scholar of admirable integrity.”
After briefly gauging the situation, Do-yeul spoke.
“As you can see, I’m merely a scholar who spends his days reading. My circumstances are… less than ideal. I would appreciate your understanding. But if I may ask, what brings you here?”
As Do-yeul let the question trail off, the man waved his hands dismissively.
“Oh, not at all! I’m the one who showed up unannounced, so what are you apologizing for? Ahem. I am a merchant from the capital named Paen-gi.”
“What?”
What did he just say?
“Is something wrong?”
Thinking he must have misheard, Do-yeul asked again.
“Your name is…?”
“Paen-gi. Paen-gi.”
How does someone end up with the name Paen-gi?
During the Joseon era, surnames were largely reserved for the nobility, while commoners often used native Korean given names. To modern eyes, some of them could seem rather unusual.
Tilt.
“Is there a problem?”
“…Nothing at all. So why have you come looking for me?”
“Ahem! The truth is, I happened to visit Oksong and was deeply impressed after hearing you speak. Even in the capital, I’ve rarely met anyone as wise as you, Scholar!”
“Ah… thank you.”
“Well, the thing is, I’ve found myself in a rather difficult situation… and I’m in desperate need of the help of a wise man.”
What was he getting at?
“…Go on.”
“So I was wondering if I might be able to ask for your assistance. Shameless though it may be, I went to great lengths to track you down! Ahem, ahem!”
Even as he spoke, Paen-gi constantly glanced around as though afraid someone might overhear him.
…I can barely take care of myself. What kind of help does he expect from me? Is this some kind of joke?
As Do-yeul’s expression visibly stiffened, Paen-gi quickly picked up on it and hurriedly added,
“Ah, of course! If you help resolve the matter, I’ll make sure the compensation is more than satisfactory!”
…What kind of problem is serious enough that he’s willing to pay for help?
Before Do-yeul could gather his thoughts, however, Dong-gu’s face twisted into something ferocious enough to rival a demon’s.
Then he unleashed the full force of his outrage upon Paen-gi.
“Impudence!”
…Impudence?
“What do you think you’re saying, coming here and asking such things of my young master? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”
“Ahem, that’s not what I meant. Goodness, what an impatient fellow. You haven’t even heard the whole story yet…”
Do-yeul found the sudden visitor suspicious enough, but Dong-gu’s explosive anger was just as surprising. Paen-gi, however, seemed to have expected that reaction and hurriedly added,
“Ahem, ahem! Surely there’s no need to get angry. Since ancient times, has it not been common for people to seek the help of learned scholars? What could possibly be wrong with a humble commoner asking a wise scholar for assistance…?”
“Stop dancing around the issue! What you’re really asking is for our young master to act as an oejibu, isn’t it? Do I look like a fool to you?”
…Oejibu?
As Dong-gu glared fiercely with eyes blazing, Paen-gi quickly tried to change the subject.
“Ugh, do you think it’s going to rain? My whole body’s aching…?”
“Want me to make sure your body aches whenever it rains for the rest of your life?”
“H-Hiiik!”
Dong-gu had a simple, honest-looking face, but his body was built like solid stone. He had the physique of a man born for hard labor. The scrawny Paen-gi was terrified.
“You dare come here and ask a young master destined for government office to become an oejibu? Sounds like you’ve got a death wish.”
“Th-That’s not what I meant…!”
Enraged, Dong-gu grabbed Paen-gi by the collar and looked ready to throw him outside, but the word oejibu had already lodged itself in Do-yeul’s mind.
I’ve definitely heard that word before. Where was it again…?
It didn’t take long for Do-yeul to trace the memory.
– Forget the judges. That still just leaves magistrates, doesn’t it? It’s not like Joseon had lawyers.
– Actually, it did.
– What?
– I think they were called oejibu? Apparently Joseon had something like lawyers.
Oejibu… I’m pretty sure that was Joseon’s equivalent of a lawyer, wasn’t it?
“Dong-gu, wait a moment!”
“Young master, why?”
“Just let him be.”
At that, both Dong-gu and Paen-gi turned to look at Do-yeul.
“…Let’s hear him out first.”
“O-Oh, ahem! Scholar! Your generosity knows no bounds!”
“Young master! What are you saying?”
…So that’s it. He came here because he wants me to represent him?
Do-yeul thought for a moment.
An oejibu isn’t exactly the same thing as a lawyer… but it would certainly involve dealing with magistrates often. It might even be a fast way to get noticed by one. Hmm. A lawyer in Joseon, huh.
And with one of his other concerns now seemingly solved, a smile crept onto his face.
“There’s no harm in listening. We can decide after we hear him out.”
“A most reasonable approach!”
…At least I won’t have to worry about starving.
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