CH 21

‘It’s done.’

Chun-wol was sitting, looking at me astonished whilst holding her slapped cheek, and Baek No-pyeong, who was still lying down, was looking at me. I shouted at Baek No-pyeong.

“Father! I have finally understood! I will go in accordance to your wishes and become an imperial soldier of the Great Japanese Empire!”

“……!”

At those words the old man was surprised, his hollow eyes growing wider than before,

“That’s my boy! You have finally grown up!”

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And even started clapping and laughing.

“You’ve made the right decision! Atta boy! You are definitely my son! You’re my son!”

Then, he put up an angry expression and turned towards Chun-wol,

“You bitch! Huh! The Japanese army is what?! Watch what you say!”

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And scolded Chun-wol. The old man, still laughing, turned to me,

“Alright, Cheol-yeon, you too, calm down! Even if this immature girl is running her mouth, there was no need to hit her? You could have just quietly talked to her…….”

“I am sorry. My patriotism suddenly boiled over……”

I told the old man with my head down. Baek No-pyeong, the old man looked at me, satisfied, and asked me.

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“Alright! Is there anything else you need? You father will give you anything!”

‘This is it!’

I opened my mouth as if I had been waiting.

“Truth is, there are some things. First of all, Cheol-woo is managing my bank account right now. I would like to take care of that myself.”

This was something I had learnt a few days ago, when I received a scholarship for next semester from the Daedonga Yeopsa Foundation. My bank account was under my half-brother, Baek Cheol-woo’s name.

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“Yes! Of course! You have grown up and matured now, so you should take care of your own money! Of course……”

“And I would also like to get an increased allowance to cover my living expenses.”

“Living expenses? If it’s about living expenses…… Isn’t 30 won per month enough? That’s a month’s salary for most factory workers……”

The old man was defensive about money for a bit but,

“Father! There are too many expenses involved in attending school. And if I, a future imperial soldier of the Great Japanese Empire, lived like a factory worker, do you not think I would become a laughing stock between my peers?”

As I mentioned the keyword “imperial soldier of the Great Japanese Empire” again, the old man bent over.

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“Of course! You are right! I will increase it to 50 won! That should be enough!”

I wondered how much 50 won was worth. It was hard to tell…… Would that be similar to 1 or 2 million in the 21st century?

‘I would like to get a bit more if I plan to get ready to go to the US.’

However, if I was too greedy I may end up raising suspicions and screw everything up, so I decided to be satisfied with this for now.

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“Thank you! Father!”

“Of course! My son!”

“Then I shall get going! Good night……”

I bowed to the old man and then got up. The old man looked up at me with a proud face, but his expression changed as he was Baek Cheol-woo and his son, who were standing in front of the bedroom due to the sudden disturbance,

“Why are you two standing there? Anything interesting happening? Go away!”

He shouted out. At those words, Baek Cheol-woo and his son went back to their own rooms. I was about to leave the master bedroom and return to my own room, but before that, I formally apologized to Chun-wol.

“I am sorry I laid my hand on you.”

“There is nothing to worry about, young master. I did not receive an education……. It is my big mouth’s fault.”

Chun-wol answered back smiling as if getting slapped was nothing.

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I came out of the master bedroom, closed the door and came into the yard. Takahiro, who was still waiting in the yard, asked.

『……Did it all go well?』

『Well, everything is fine.』

『I’m going to go sleep, so you should as well. ……You’re not following me to bed as well, right?』

I called the butler and asked him to give a spare room for Takahiro to use. Takahiro said

『Good night.』

And followed the butler behind the main house.

I was left alone again in the yard, so I stood there for a while and thought.

‘That was good.’

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I had bought the old man’s trust and succeeded in raising my salary, I mean, my allowance. From now on I would have no economic difficulties, whether it was attending school or raising funds to go to the US.

‘The problem is that snake-like woman.’

I glanced at the master bedroom and thought. On the outside, she was just a concubine who was taking care of the old man……

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However, I had checked her status earlier when we had physical contact, and memorized it.

[User information]

Name 桂春喜 (Gye Chun-hee)

Age 19

Mana class B-class

Awakened abilities Toxic secretion/B-class

Status Normal

[▷Main screen]

‘Her real name is Gye Chun-hee and she’s a B-class toxic secretion user.’

She was an Awakened, and one who secreted toxic substances. She was threatening the old man’s life, but I did not know if it was to get a hold of his riches or what.

I waited in my room in the main house for a bit, and then soon after, I head speaking from the master bedroom.

“I will get going, my Lord.”

“Sure, sure! Chun-wol…… It’s dark outside so be careful! And come tomorrow……”

“Of course. I shall see you tomorrow evening.”

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After hearing Chun-wol open and close the door to the master bedroom as she came out, I quietly came out of my room as well.

I went over the stone wall next to the front gate and followed the long stone wall path behind Chun-wol, hiding myself.

However, there was someone standing behind a telephone pole down the road that Chun-wol was walking on. Soon, the middle-aged man came out of the dark. Surprisingly, it was my half-brother, Baek Cheol-woo.

‘What is he doing there?’

I was surprised for a moment, but I watched the two quietly, making sure no one could notice me. Baek Cheol-woo lowered his voice and asked Chun-wol.

“Hey, Chun-wol! When the hell is Father going to die?”

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What? At Baek Cheol-woo’s ridiculous question, Chun-wol answered, irritated.

“He doesn’t die even if I use poison, then what should I do? How is that old man so resilient……”

“Then you can use more poison! You said it’s like sorcery and that it wouldn’t leave any evidence……”

“Even if it’s poison made with magic, if I use too much there will be evidence left over! I have to go about it lightly……”

Wait, wait. Chun-wol’s attempt to poison the old man was all Baek Cheol-woo’s plan?

Chun-wol continued.

“And anyway, why the hurry? The old man will die when his time comes!”

“Didn’t you see that earlier? If that boy, Cheol-yeon, joins the army and receives a badge of honor or become a lieutenant…… If that happens Father might not give me the title and instead give it to him!”

It was all just to inherit the title.

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It was natural for Baek Cheol-woo, who was the eldest son and the legitimate son, to inherit the title, but he probably started getting worried when I entered the Yeopsa vocational school. So, before the old man changed his mind, he had hired Chun-wol to kill him.

Baek Cheol-woo, who was clearly in a hurry, continued.

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“The old man should die before Cheol-yeon graduates for everything to go according to plan, no? Anyway, put more effort into it! I’ll repay you a hundred, a thousand times if I inherit the title……”

Baek Cheol-woo asked Chun-wol to do her best like this for a while, and then cautiously turned around and headed to the house.

‘I can’t believe this, seriously……’

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I hid in the darkness again as I approached Chun-wol. But, before Chun-wol had even taken a few steps, another young man appeared from behind a telephone pole.

This time it was Baek Cheol-woo’s son, Baek Nam-soo. Baek Nam-soo looked around before he cautiously asked Chun-wol.

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Chun-wol was irritated.

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“So what if I coax him? The hypnotic drugs aren’t even working on him! ……I’m even giving him paralytic drugs, and using two or three drugs at the same time makes them less effective……”

“But still, you have to try harder. If you do, my inheritance will be bigger, and would that be good only for me? I would naturally share some of it with you!”

“Then give me more than your father!”

“Well, I can’t give you more than dad, but you should look at the future! The future……”

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Watching those secret meetings, I was completely dumbfounded.

‘Could there be family that’s any more dysfunctional than this.’

Both father and son had hired a woman to try to use the old man’s death for their own benefit. And on top of that, this woman was taking advantage of the rich to get some profit out of all of this.

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Anyway, considering it had gone this way, I couldn’t just stand with my arms crossed. Whether the old man die early or lost his mind, it would be disastrous for me. I had to do something about that woman.

‘Do I eliminate her?’

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I thought about it for a bit, but that wasn’t the answer. Even if I got rid of Chun-wol, the father and son would just hire a different person.

After Baek Nam-soo left, I finally approached Chun-wol.

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“Oh my!”

As I approached her, Chun-wol was surprised for bit, and after recognizing me her eyes narrowed, she smiled and said.

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“Aren’t you the young master? How can I help you……”

I said, out of the blue.

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“Well, how about we go to the police station first?”

“The police station?”

“Yes.”

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But she said, smiling, without even batting an eye.

“Haha! It seems you heard what your brother and nephew said…… Sure, report me to the police! There’s no evidence so I’ll just be questioned and let go!”

As she had said, poison made with magic would disappear after a few hours. There would be no toxic substances found in Baek No-pyeong’s body or room. And since the average person needed specialized equipment to detect mana, there was no way she would get caught out in the country like this.

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However, she had no chance against my status window.

“Chun-wol.”

“Why are you calling my name?”

“Real name, Gye Chun-hee. 19 years old. Second class body acting substance secretion user.”

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As her real name and specific ability came out of my mouth, Chun-wol turned pale.

“H-How did you……?”

“I can know anything. Your file was in the Special High School Mana Crime Bureau.”

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Of course, this was a lie. Even the ability name itself, it appeared as “toxic secretion/B-class” in the status window, and I didn’t know what it was called in this era, so I just made it up on the spot, and, of course, what I said about the Crime Bureau was also a lie.

However, Chun-wol was completely mortified.

“Eep…….”

Perhaps she thought there was no point in evading me now, she raised both her hands and began to pray.

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“M-Master! Young master! P-Please have mercy. Please. W-What should I do? Should I kill the old man? Or rather, should I tell him to rewrite his will? I will do whatever you ask of me!”

I told her.

“Keep him alive.”

“Pardon me?…… Keep him alive?”

The old man had to live on. Considering I couldn’t earn my own money right now, I needed him to stay alive if I wanted to keep on getting my tuition and living expenses covered.

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If the old man died and my half-brother, Baek Cheol-woo inherited the title and property, or my nephew, Baek Nam-soo took all of the inheritance, what would happen? From that day on, I would not be able to go to school and just become a beggar!

No matter how I went about it, I didn’t think there was a chance for Baek Cheol-woo or Baek Nam-soo to pay for my tuition. I was a thorn in the side, so why would they spend so much for me to have food, clothes and an education?

‘I can’t have that happen!’

I continued.

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“Yes. Keep him alive at least until I graduate. However, don’t keep him too healthy, just keep him breathing like he is right now. And, of course, don’t let it go the way Baek Cheol-woo or Baek Nam-soo want. Understood? If you do as I say, I’ll get rid of your files at the Jongno Police Station.”

After hearing this, Chun-wol was even more surprised than earlier,

“C-Can you really get rid of them…?”

“I’m close to Murasaki of Jongno Police Station. You’re heard that name as well, right? I see him every day because I work with him, and well, hmm! Getting rid of a piece of paper is a piece of cake…….”

Of course, I had only identified her name and ability through my status window, I had never even seen such a document. As for what I had said about Murasaki from the Jongno Police Station, well, I was in the same squad as his son, so it wasn’t a lie.

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However, Chun-wol had believed me completely, and just continued to thank me. I spoke condescendingly.

“Okay. That’s enough…… Oh yes.”

I suddenly asked.

“You, can you by any chance make antidotes as well?”

I asked because I had suddenly thought about Professor Saigane.

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I had suddenly remembered how Professor Saigane still had hives on his face due to the allergic reaction he suffered from the anesthetic poison in the tea house the other day.

“Antidote?”

“Yes. I mean, an antidote for anesthetic poisons. Someone I know is allergic to anesthetic poison…… And he’s been suffering because of his allergy for a while.”

“Well, that I do have.”

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She took out a small bottle about the size of a Bacchus bottle from her chest. But the glass bottle was tightly wrapped in black paper.

“Why is it wrapped so tightly?”

“Well, it is an antidote, but if it comes into contact with sunlight, it evaporates and becomes anesthetic poison again. Tell him to take it at night.”

“Okay.”

I put it in the inside pocket of my uniform’s top. Then a question came to my head. If she had the ability to make anesthetics, as well as antidotes on top of that, wouldn’t her abilities shine through if she applied them in a medicinal field?

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Of course, from what I had seen so far, it was common for Awakened Joseon people to fall into a life of crime, but she was only 19 years old. What had caused a girl that’s only 19 to do such cruel things? I asked her.

“Anyway, why are you doing this kind of things? Do your parents know about this?”

“……Pfft! If my parents were alive, would I be living like this?”

“Ah…… I’m sorry. I didn’t know they had passed……”

I apologized for insulting her parents without even knowing the situation. But Chun-wol continued,

“Dead? Hoho!”

She laughed, and she continued speaking after taking a cigarette from the box she had in her purse and lighting it.

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“I wouldn’t know! They sold me over to a whorehouse when I was younger and ran away, so I don’t know where they are nor if they’re dead or alive! Even if they’re alive, I hope they die!”

Hmm……. I didn’t know what to think. It was unfortunate, but there was nothing I could do. Each person had their own circumstances.

Chun-wol flicked the fingers holding her cigarette and said.

“If you are finished, I will get going.”

“Ah, sure…….”

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She flung her hair as she turned around, and I also returned to the main house and went to sleep.

***

Second day, Sundary morning.

After saying goodbye to the old man, I left my family’s house and came back to Gyeongseong. As I exited Gyeongseon station, I got into a taxi.

『Hai! Doko ni ikimasu ka?』

“To the Donamjeong tram stop.”

“Ah, you were a Joseon person. Yes, understood.”

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The driver must have thought I was Japanese. After all, taxi drivers would have more Japanese customers.

‘Even in the 21st century, I couldn’t take taxis whenever I wanted like this.’

『What are you doing? Why don’t you go home?』

『……Did I not tell you? The Lady ordered me to accompany you……』

But still, was he planning on following me all the way to the boarding house?

『Hey! There’s no rooms for you in the boarding house!』

『…….』

『I mean, there are empty rooms but…… Sigh……』

Ham Won-sam and his daughter would probably still be in the hospital, so their room was probably empty.

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The guy eventually did, after all, follow me all the way to the boarding house. But I couldn’t possible have him use their room, so I had him come into my room, and then I lied down in my room for a bit

‘Damn, there’s nothing to do. I might as well go to the hospital.’

And I got up. As I did this, Takahiro, who had been sitting down on his knees on one side of the room, raise his head and asked.

『Where are you going?』

『The hospital.』

『I shall accompany you.』

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I stopped Takahiro, who was about to get up.

『Hey, hey. No. You just…… Alright. If you have time leftover, prepare dinner.』

At that, Takahiro, who was half stood up, stopped and asked, frowning.

『……Dinner, did you say?』

『You came to serve me, right? I mean, the girl that used to prepare me my meals is in the hospital, so I need someone to cook for me. You know how to cook, right?』

『……Yes, sir.』

So I shook Takahiro off and left the room. I was putting on my shoes when I heard the sound of the front gate opening.

『Is it here?』

『Yes! It is here.』

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Two men came in, opening the gate. One of them was the officer I saw at the tea house the other day, an officer wearing a chief inspector police badge.

And next to him was a man in a leather jacket and wearing a hunting cap.

The man wearing the leather jacket glanced at me, and then strode across the yard, opened the door to Ham Won-sam’s room, and then turned to me and asked.

“You’re the student that’s staying here, right? What was it, Shirabayashi Detsuzen? Baekrim Cheol-yeon?”

“……? Yes, why?”

“Where’s Ham Won-sam? And his daughter?”

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The tone of his voice as he asked me this was rude, so I glared at him and answered bluntly.

“He was hurt so he is in the hospital…… What is it?”

“What? This guy is treating me like a 「bakani」 just because I’m a sen-jin detective…….”

The guy in the leather jacket mocked me saying I was taking him for a fool, snorted, and then pulled out his wallet from inside his jacket and showed it to me as he said.

“I’m Special Detective Kang, with the Gyeongseong-bu Jongro Police Station. This man is Chief Inspector Tanimura Ichiro.”

I had seen the chief inspector a few days ago, but special? Did he mean the Special High Police when he said “special”? They were a police force that arrested people for being thought criminals and what now but…… What was such a terrifying person doing here?

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The man who identified himself as Detective Kang put the wallet back into his pocket and continued.

“Anyway, we don’t have business with Ham Won-sam today. We came here because we have business with you.”

“With me?”

“Yes. You were at the tea house during the robbery the day before yesterday, right? Chief Inspector Tanimura here says he saw you.”

Detective Kang pointed at the Chief Inspector next to him. Yeah, that man did write my name down that day. I answered.

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“What about it?”

“Yeah, we arrested the robber and let him go again…… But he went missing last night and was found dead this morning. So you who are an Awakened who had connections with him, have also been identified as a suspect – is what I’m getting at. Let’s talk about the details after first getting to the police station.”

What?

“I’m a suspect……?”