Chapter 13
With just the single sentence, “I’m going to take the jangjasu exam,” Shina had surprised Hyeokho, turned Mando’s stomach, and left Cheondo exasperated. Exhausted, she collapsed onto her bed.
“Miss! Are you okay?”
Danmi rushed over.
“Why? Do I look like a fully salted cabbage or something?”
Shina responded, barely opening one eye. She was drained, yet her mood was so good that jokes came easily.
“Yes… you have no energy at all. You’re like a wet cotton ball. Your face is pale… Did the Bureau Master scold you a lot?”
On the contrary, she had gotten what she wanted: the right to participate in the jangjasu exam. In fact, she had gained more than that.
“Grandfather’s gaze towards me has changed.”
It was soft, warm even.
If asked whether she had earned Hyeokho’s trust, she would have a hard time answering.
“Not yet, I suppose.”
But there was no doubt she had left a mark on Hyeokho’s mind.
Shina grinned.
“What are you so happy about?”
Danmi, curious about what had happened at Wolhwa Hall, fidgeted impatiently.
“My grandfather recognized me.”
Danmi’s expression clouded. The other grandchildren had long been acknowledged; would it really feel that good to her that it was happening now?
“Just that?”
Seeing Shina delighted at something so ordinary made Danmi feel uneasy.
“‘Just that’? It’s huge.”
“It’s not money, nor food, nor anything tangible. Recognition that doesn’t even have a physical form — what use is that?”
Danmi grumbled.
‘Danmi only sees part of it.’
Once it was known that Hyeokho was paying attention to Shina, many things would change. The attitude of the attendants toward her would shift, and then Danmi would receive the tangible kindness she longed for. For example, attendants would clean the pavilions more often, and they would stop leaving supplies undone, whether intentionally or by accident.
Shina was content with just that.
“One can’t be full from the first bite, after all.”
“Don’t get too happy. How much discrimination has the little lady endured until now!”
Danmi’s voice carried indignation as she recalled the past.
Hyeokho hadn’t been particularly attentive to Yuwon Pavilion, but he had clearly ignored Biwon Pavilion. Still, he had no idea just how much Shina had been discriminated against — even by the attendants who dared to look down on her.
“Grandfather doesn’t know.”
“How could he not? The Bureau Master should know everything!”
The taller one finds it hard to see what’s beneath them. The Bureau Master had many duties and people to look after, so he sometimes neglected individual affairs. He had also trusted that his grown children would handle matters themselves. Even Baeklim hadn’t expected the household to be mismanaged like this.
“Grandfather isn’t a god. He can’t know everything. But from now on, he will.”
Danmi blinked.
“How can he know what he hasn’t known until now?”
Shina smiled. Her previously pale face now flushed with color.
“That’s because…”
Shina paused for effect.
“Tell me quickly! I’m dying of curiosity!”
“I’ll tell him everything.”
From now on, Shina planned to speak out whenever she felt wronged, unfairly treated, or hurt. Her grandfather would then thunder in anger and punish Baeklim and the others — he was fair in such matters.
But first, there was something to be done.
‘I need to be close enough to Grandfather to tattle, to build trust so he will absolutely believe me.’
In that sense, this jangjasu exam was extremely important.
“Danmi, I’m going to rest a bit.”
Thinking had drained her energy. She lay back down, unable to continue, needing sleep.
Danmi, her curiosity unsatisfied, looked after her as she rested.
Shina’s eyes fluttered closed. Suddenly, she remembered something she had missed.
She shot up, grasping Danmi’s hand.
“Mugyeol.”
Although she had been busy talking with her grandfather, she hadn’t checked on Mugyeol after Mando had struck him.
She needed to assess his condition, treat him, and tell him to stay at Biwon Pavilion from now on.
“Huh?”
“Bring Mugyeol… here.”
That was Shina’s last spark of energy.
After speaking, her body slumped like a marionette with its strings cut. Soon, the room was filled with the pleasant sound of her breathing.
“…Shina taking the jangjasu… and you as her escort… absolutely cannot happen.”
“Father, Shina’s will… she wouldn’t be swayed.”
Shina’s consciousness gradually returned at the low voices.
“Don’t make me say it twice. You will not do it. The jangjasu selection exam of the Manyang Bureau is not easy. Even a skilled escort assisting an experienced candidate struggles. Do you think it’s easy? Dangerous situations prohibited in regular escort duties happen often.”
Cheonlim recalled his previous experience supervising the jangjasu selection. Manyang Bureau treated the exam candidates well, leading them to take it extremely seriously.
Some overambitious candidates had caused accidents, trying to eliminate competitors by stealing their standard items or sabotaging them. Even though direct attacks were banned, candidates still devised wild interference strategies.
Hyeokho concluded that rules only created loopholes, so he left just two:
- Do not directly attack others.
- Do not destroy another’s standard items.
Beyond that, no restrictions existed. Minor interference was allowed, and candidates were judged on skill if they meddled with or took others’ items.
‘I know all that already.’
Shina, now fully awake, thought as she wriggled.
Normally, Cheondo would immediately sense such movements, yet he had not noticed her presence.
Shina considered getting up but changed her mind.
‘I want to know my brother’s true feelings.’
When she had asked Cheondo to assist her in the jangjasu exam, he had agreed, thinking it an easy task for a trainee escort.
In her previous life, whenever Mando led the large escort group, she had noticed Cheondo’s bitter expression.
‘He pretends not to care, but my brother does enjoy escort work.’
Now, hearing her father’s warnings, she grew curious about Cheondo’s true feelings.
“Something unimaginable will happen.”
“But Father, someday, both Shina and I will have to go on our first escort. Can’t we see this as a rehearsal?”
“That’s different!”
When a So family child turned fifteen and went on their first escort mission, an experienced escort and several jangjasu accompanied them. Additional guards could also be added depending on the situation.
“During your first escort, you play a support role. But for the jangjasu selection exam, you must do everything yourself. You must find your own hiding spots. There will be no one to protect you.”
“I understand.”
“Cheondo, didn’t you say you preferred studying over escort duties now?”
‘Right, my brother loved books. He often read to me when I was bedridden. Was his expression during that time misunderstood? Was his dream to be a scholar?’
Shina’s heart grew heavy.
“Cheondo, speak freely.”
Cheonlim, having raised his voice earlier, now lowered it and looked at Cheondo with pity.
“Father, I…”
Cheondo lowered his head, then spoke.
“I wanted to follow the path of a scholar because I disliked the Bureau, not because I loved learning.”
“What?”
Cheonlim was taken aback by the unexpected answer. Shina perked up in curiosity.
“Because the Bureau abandoned my father… and abandoned Shina.”
He spoke with calmness, making it sound even sadder.
