Okcheon Post Office has not been able to leave the Black Tiger Society tollgate for two days now.
“How dare you pull a knife because you won’t pay five times the toll! What kind of law is this!”
“Shut up! Dochek Post Office! You all go in too!”
As the days went by, more comrades began to gather.
“Huh? It’s not just our Dochek Post Office that got pulled in. Lord Ha, isn’t that our Okcheon Post Office’s Ok Pyo-du over there?”
“Seems like it.”
“Ok Pyo-du! Did you also get dragged here?”
“…….”
A person who appeared to be a postman from Docheon Post Office tried to greet him, but Ok Pyo-du ignored him with a displeased expression.
The Pyo-du of Docheon Post Office raised his hand and spoke while looking at Ok Pyo-du.
“Hey, Okcheon Hobo (沃川虛夫) Ok Pyo-du.”
“And you must be the unusual delivery Ha Pyo-du?”
Was this chat a critical hit?
They exchanged just a few words, yet the expressions of both men began to darken.
“You little punk!”
“How dare you call a senior Okcheon Hobo!”
“We’re almost the same age, what do you mean senior!”
How much could the Black Post Office bristle with such ridiculous titles? Everyone looked a mess, yet here they were throwing punches as rivals.
By the way, do these post offices and Green Forest members fight this often? Isn’t this a bit too much?
“Hey. Isn’t this too much getting caught?”
Looks like I’m not the only one thinking so. One Green Forest member, worried, said to another in their group.
“What can we do? The fan lord took a stab at the chaeyoo and retired to the underworld. With the mountain dwelling changing and money flowing out, this happens.”
So that’s how it is.
Listening carefully to the conversation among the Green Forest members, I began to understand the situation.
Originally, the Black Tiger Society had one chaeyoo and two fan lords.
A chaeyoo with high martial arts prowess. A fan lord who is emotional but skilled, and another fan lord who is smart and decent at speaking. These three managed the Black Tiger Society well.
One day, the chaeyoo, having earned enough money, decided it was time to retire. While it’s understandable to want a comfortable old age, the succession line was the problem.
Without consulting anyone, the chaeyoo passed the position to the smart fan lord. I understand it. They probably thought it was wise to hand it over to a clever one for better management.
The problem is that it’s not just a business but also a violent organization.
Upon hearing the news, the fan lord immediately staged a rebellion, wiping out the chaeyoo’s forces and the other loyal fan lord’s followers as well.
In the process, they lost talent to the underworld and faced a financial crisis, leading to the current reckless situation.
In the end, this mess happened because of the Black Tiger Society’s financial troubles, not because the post offices did anything wrong.
“For ten years we did fine, and this is how we repay it!”
“Won San Post Office! You all go in too!”
As time went by, the number of captured post offices increased.
Just as expected, the Green Forest members are doing their job marvelously, capturing all these Black Post Offices.
“Hey! Isn’t there a lack of space to store them?”
“Let it be for now. When it’s full, we can do some ‘cleanup.’ Hehehe.”
The Green Forest members snickered ominously as they threw the postmen in and disappeared.
‘When the hostages increase, they’ll have to cut out the unnecessary ones.’
It’s a troublesome situation. We, the captive postmen, are cramped so badly that we can’t even lie down, let alone sit properly.
If this keeps up and they run out of space for more people, the likelihood of being disposed of rises.
‘The first to go would definitely be the barbarian who’s neither part of the post office nor has any money coming in.’
Although Lady Tang is far away and we can’t converse, she seems to be treated quite well. The floor is dirt, yet she’s lying on a blanket and receiving treatment.
The real problem is me.
As a black-haired barbarian with no income, I’m in high danger of being sent to the underworld as soon as this place fills up.
‘I need to find a way to survive first before searching for an escape route.’
I must find a way to stay alive until the Okcheon Post Office folks come to negotiate or until I find a method to escape.
—————–
A few days later.
A feast was being held at the open area right in front of the cage where the postmen were trapped.
“Everyone, you’ve worked hard these past few days! Once we deal with those bastards, I’ll reward each of you! So eat and drink today!”
The chaeyoo raised his glass on the prepared platform, announcing the start of the feast to his men.
“Yes! Fan Lord!”
“It’s chaeyoo now, you punks!”
“Hahaha! Yes! Chaeyoo!”
The Black Tiger Society’s feast felt like a wild party, as if they were a bunch of high school boys on a field trip right after finals, eager to forget the struggles of the past few days.
“Hey, about that girl. She sways her hips like this!”
“Hehe, like this?”
Let’s correct that. It was a sight to see middle-aged men with mustaches trying to imitate young girls, shaking their butts—it was not the youthful innocence of school boys but pure embarrassment.
“The smell. It’s amazing.”
“I’m starving.”
It’s already been three days without a meal. The postmen could only gaze enviously at the food the Green Forest members were devouring.
I’m starving too.
While I was blankly watching the feast, the chaeyoo suddenly stood up.
“Where’s that rat? You can’t have a feast without a storyteller! Get out here and tell us something fun!”
The chaeyoo, heavily drunk, shouted towards the Green Forest members.
Looks like the Black Tiger Society has a dedicated storyteller.
“Chaeyoo! It’s the dead fan lord’s faction. Hahaha.”
“Shit, was that so? That rat. Getting caught up with a similar bastard and ended up dead. Isn’t there anyone like that rat? If I like you, I’ll give you a prize!”
The chaeyoo pulled out a pouch of money and scattered it across his drinking table.
“Then I’ll—”
“If I don’t like you, your head will be smashed!”
“…I’ll raise a glass.”
The green-haired officer beside him promptly switched to pouring a drink.
“Anyone! Come out! Really, is there no one?!”
The chaeyoo, with a furious voice, chugged down a drink and began searching the feast for a storyteller. However, the Green Forest members were busy avoiding his gaze to prevent their heads from getting smashed.
“Damn! Is the prospect of my head being smashed making your balls shrink? You idiots! Your lives revolve around either cracking skulls or not! Isn’t that what’s scary? Huh?!”
This seems different from that.
It’s true that risking your life as a bandit would have been in the employment contract, but weren’t there no risks written down for dinners?
The dining culture is an issue, whether in the Central Plains or Joseon.
The chaeyoo, drunk and angrily staring down a manager, began preaching, saying, “These kids these days have no guts. Back in my day, we hiked with the directors on weekends! You get that?”
“Damn it! All the ones I like stick to the dead fan lord, and I’m left with this riffraff!”
The chaeyoo, furious, threw a bottle beside him.
Just like that, the festive atmosphere of a lively drinking party froze, reminiscent of a scene where a manager declares, “We’re behind on our numbers, so get ready for full overtime tomorrow,” inducing an awkward silence.
If the chaeyoo—no, if the leader disappears, everyone will be whispering behind his back.
The Green Forest members tried to show a hint of dislike without attracting the chaeyoo’s attention.
Such circumstances can often create opportunities for others.
“I’ll give it a shot!”
Using the Small Wheel Mental Image Technique, I increased my voice to speak loud enough for the chaeyoo to hear while passing through the frozen feast.
All eyes at the feast turned toward me.
‘Now I must demonstrate my worth.’
I need to be known as someone worth keeping around.
If I can impress the chaeyoo, I might live and find a chance to escape.
“What are you!?”
“I’m the storyteller on a journey!”
I spoke boldly, regardless of the gazes fixed upon me.
“What? Storyteller?”
“How can you have a feast without a storyteller? If you release us, I promise I’ll deliver an incredible tale!”
Oh Black Tiger chaeyoo, you need me, don’t you? Let’s get this ball rolling.
“Hey! Barbarian! Don’t you see the chaeyoo is mad? Do you want to die?”
“You barbarian, how can you call yourself a storyteller?”
“Chaeyoo! Looks like he’s gone mad from hunger.”
“You barbarian! What kind of interesting story could you possibly know?”
Then why don’t you do it? The Green Forest members, wanting to make me a scapegoat in this awkward atmosphere, began to jeer at me.
“Quiet! Barbarian! Are you really a storyteller?”
At the chaeyoo’s words, the atmosphere of the feast froze again.
“I have to be known as the black-haired storyteller from Chilgok County to be considered an outsider!”
I exclaimed, bursting with confidence.
“…Chilgok County? Black-haired storyteller? Hey, isn’t that that guy Kang Mo?”
“Kang Mo? Who’s that?”
“Kang Mo? Isn’t that the heir or the head of the Seong family?”
“Oh! I’ve heard of it! If you go to Chilgok County, they say to listen to that storyteller!”
Fortunately, someone knows my name.
Indeed, my fame spread even in the Daeheung County where the head of the Seong family was. Since the Black Tiger Society isn’t too far from Chilgok County, it’s not surprising someone would know.
“That storyteller! Bring him out!”
I walked out from our cage into the feast area.
“Is that you, Kang Mo? I heard you went to some rich family as a retainer.”
“Is that a lie?”
“You, do you really mean you’re the Kang Mo, the storyteller they’re talking about?”
Facing the Black Tiger chaeyoo, his suspicious eyes scanned me.
“Yes. I am the storyteller from Chilgok County, and it’s also true I prefer wandering the world, enjoying my tales, rather than serving as a retainer in a rich family.”
“Really? Since you’re boldly stepping out, if it’s not fun, you’re ready to lose your head, right?”
The chaeyoo looked at me mockingly with his flushed cheeks, stroking the knife at his waist.
Don’t be scared.
If I stay like this, I’ll just die anyway.
“Haha. That won’t happen. Instead, they will laugh and hold their heads in amusement over my story, so be careful, heads!”
I grinned nonchalantly at the chaeyoo’s malice before glancing at the people of the mountain dwelling.
“Haha. This rat is strangely like that dead rat. It feels just about right for a storyteller. Good! Then tell me a story right away!”
“I can’t do that right away.”
I flatly denied the chaeyoo’s command.
“What? Is this guy kidding?”
The chaeyoo frowned, openly showing his irritation.
If I give in here, it would just put me in the chaeyoo’s mind as ‘just a good storytelling prisoner.’ That’s not enough.
Instead, I want to plant an image of myself that’s more than that.
Make him recognize my stance and enforce it.
Through this process, I would stay in his mind and hopefully win over his favor.
“Chaeyoo! You always have your knife at your waist when you work, right? I also wear a black bamboo hat and a folding fan when I tell tales, but right now I don’t have them.”
I showcased my empty palm to the chaeyoo, appealing that I couldn’t tell a story without them.
“Haha, this one is quite bold. Asking for his fan and hat? Aren’t you scared of losing your head?”
“Wouldn’t the Green Forest member be foolish to show up bare-assed while the post office is approaching?”
“Haha, good point! This brat! I like him better than the idiots getting scared and staying silent! Hey, you there, the dumbass standing around! Bring that equipment here!”
“Yes, understood.”
Thankfully, it worked. I calmed my racing heart, waiting for my gear to arrive.
“Here it is!”
I donned the black bamboo hat and held the folding fan as I stepped onto the platform.
“Haha! I provided you with your gear; if it’s really boring, know that your head will be smashed, from your skull to your balls!”
The chaeyoo said as he looked at me climbing up.
“You can look forward to it.”
Unlike Huarin-ho, I can’t separate after joining; I need to give it my all.
“Greetings! I am Kang Mo, the storyteller from Joseon!”
Clap! Today I unfolded my folding fan and introduced myself to the Green Forest members.
“The barbarian storyteller!!! So, what story are you going to tell!!!”
“In Chilgok County, even if you don’t perform well, you’ll still be a barbarian! Let’s hear it!”
“If it’s not fun, I know how to stab too!”
I gazed at the Green Forest members, steeped in murder, violence, and liquor.
What should I tell?
No matter how captivating the story might be, it needs to fit the time and situation.
The atmosphere is tense but expectant.
In such circumstances, I should cater to them.
The most engaging story for them to relate to.
There’s only one tale to tell.
“I’m about to share a story from Joseon! The legendary figure of Joseon!”
A folk narrative well-known in Korea, even spreading over hundreds of years to the present.
“A bandit who stole from the nation! A righteous outlaw who became hope for the masses! The hero who ushered in a new world!”
A man who rises against the odds and creates a new world.
He is beloved by people from the lowborn to nobles throughout Joseon and even now in South Korea.
Today, the story I’ll tell is…
“The Tale of Hong Gildong!!!”
