“What kind of fool would dare to use our ancestor’s name like that?!”
Elder Oh felt his head heating up with anger. Of course, the other members of the Elders’ Council, fully absorbed in the reading, shared his sentiments.
As a member of the Jegal clan, he had been taught to uphold the family name at all costs. Now, someone was brazenly using their ancestor’s name for personal gain.
He had never even thought about such a thing happening in his life, and it felt like a blow to the gut for Elder Oh.
The characters were just as stunned.
[W-What? Wh-What did you just say…]
“Officer Jung was so flabbergasted that his words stumbled out. I watched him and felt thankful I wasn’t part of it. If I had opened my mouth, I’d probably be shaking in shock.”
[Why are you surprised? Didn’t he say he needed a guarantee? He claims he won’t tarnish the ancestor’s name.]
[But come on! Even if you say that, using our ancestor’s name? That’s way too much!]
[Exactly! What if it fails? What then?]
“As our eyes widened and couldn’t grow any bigger while staring at Jegal Seolrok, he responded to us with his characteristic one-sided smirk.”
[If it fails, it’s blasphemy. If it succeeds, it’s just filial piety, right?]
“It’s just plain blasphemy, you fool!!!”
Elder Oh felt the heat rising in his head and had to grip the back of his neck.
“Oh, my head… oh, my head!!! I thought at least a smart one had finally appeared in the Jegal clan, but how could such a dimwit come forth?”
Though he was just a fictional character, he had admired him. A sigh slipped from Elder Oh’s lips.
The greatest event in the Jegal clan was the ancestral ritual for Jegal Muhu. The clan was filled with pride for their ancestor.
“I can’t see any way out of this. How could he dare to invoke our ancestor’s name in this situation?”
No matter how headstrong he was, invoking the ancestor’s name for personal matters? Even as a fictional character, wasn’t that pushing it too far? Elder Oh felt like rushing to scold Ho Pil about it.
Yet, even while gripping his neck, he didn’t let go of the book.
“T-This fool needs to be checked if he’s really tarnishing the ancestor’s name…”
Does he actually believe he won’t sully it? Is he genuinely poised to brag about this in front of the ancestor?
He was curious.
So curious.
Deciding to read to the end, Elder Oh focused back on the book.
————
[Detective. If you claim you’re putting the ancestor’s name on the line, then I’ll stake my position too.]
[Just do as I say.]
[Don’t fret! Let’s put the spirits of our unjustly deceased to rest and catch this vile criminal!]
[Right. And it’ll also boost Officer Jung’s performance.]
[Of course, that’s more important!]
“Officer Jung doesn’t seem completely incompetent, though.”
The next section followed the story of Officer Jung getting permission from the higher-ups. Though he risked his position for promotion, he also seemed genuinely enthusiastic about bringing justice to the victims.
Elder Oh read on as Officer Jung diligently conveyed the news he had collected to Jegal Seolrok.
[I found the victims. They were the postmen from the Cheongsan Post Office.]
[Cheongsan Post Office?]
[The unnamed postmaster’s grandfather was a disciple of the Mount Wu sect, making it one of the top post offices in Wuhan.]
[I’ve heard of it.]
[It was a request to move cargo from Yichang to Wuhan; apparently, it was a pretty big deal. Losing key strength in the Cheongsan Post Office must have had some serious repercussions.]
“Are you telling me that the postmen from one of Wuhan’s top five post offices were all wiped out?”
This wasn’t a simple case; it was on a large scale. Elder Oh couldn’t tear his eyes away from the information.
[The ship and captain weren’t even from Cheongsan.]
[Can you even deduce that much? Yes! I heard the ship and crew were rented. I’ll let you know if any other info comes in.]
“What the heck is going on with this incident?”
Officer Jung was working hard for his promotion, and Elder Oh absorbed all the continuing information like a sponge.
[Looks like we found the culprit!]
[Oh really?]
[Why are you sounding so indifferent? The culprit is the Jangga Merchant Group! They were having financial issues! They bought a massive amount of silk, and if there’s a cargo issue, they promised to compensate tenfold!]
[That’s going to hit the Cheongsan Post Office hard.]
[If the Jangga Merchant Group colluded with the captain to pull this off, they’d profit from the silk and reap ten times the compensation as well! We must catch this scoundrel!]
[Is there anything else?]
[…Do you think they might not be the culprits?]
[We must consider what we see. We can’t just look through the lens of our preconceived notions.]
[Even though it’s all circumstantial evidence… I get it. I’ll see if there’s another suspect.]
“Even I think the Jangga Merchant Group is the culprit. Is there really another suspect?”
The suspicions were overflowing. Even if the protagonist can’t arrest someone based only on circumstantial evidence, this was just too certain.
Elder Oh could only tilt his head at Jegal Seolrok, who wore a cold expression.
[Have you heard about the Jangseon Room? It’s where they rent out ships and crew. Apparently, there was a big fight after their deal with Cheongsan Post Office was cut off! Plus, it seems the captain had a close friendship with the head of Jangseon!]
[Is there anything more?]
[There was an incident where the post office wiped out a group called Cheongachae before. Their head and assistant are missing. There are rumors about them being dead, but some are saying it was for revenge.]
[Continue.]
[The post office surely has countless foes. There’s also the Heuknok Post Office, run by a faction-affiliated postmaster. They’re infamous for scaring off bandits and petty criminals at the mere sight of their flag. Apparently, they’ve been in fierce competition with Cheongsan Post Office for big contracts for a few months.]
[Looks like the post office has many enemies.]
[Of course! It’s one of the top five in Wuhan after three generations! Naturally, there would be a lot of resentment!]
[Have the missing crew members been found?]
[We’re still searching. I’ll let you know as soon as we get any information.]
Countless circumstantial evidence was presented. Elder Oh continued to read the stories.
——
[Did you burn yet another cigarette?]
“After the incident happened, that evening, Jegal Seolrok was chain-smoking nonstop in his room.”
“Who in the world is the culprit?”
There were no answers. Elder Oh looked at the numerous circumstances and evidence, feeling overly frustrated. With such a vast land in Wuhan, how many suspects could there even be?
Even if there was a culprit, how on earth would they catch them? Elder Oh understood Jegal Seolrok’s mind, who had been smoking all day.
“However, smearing our ancestor’s name is another matter entirely!!!”
Of course, Jegal Seolrok felt compelled to catch the culprit.
[Cigarettes are the best for contemplation.]
[That’s bad for your health.]
[Sometimes, it’s necessary to burn the life away to gain something.]
[I hear those are the excuses of patients who can’t quit smoking.]
“Hahaha!”
“I wonder what was so funny about that, but Jegal Seolrok chuckled occasionally. I felt embarrassed, yet I kept talking.”
[That was one of the better excuses I’ve heard from patients.]
[Yes, what brings you here?]
[You were wandering around until sunset yesterday, but today you’re not going out at all?]
“It’s only natural to go outside to find the culprit, right? According to my understanding, it should be. Especially since he involved our ancestor’s name! But Jegal Seolrok seemed like a carefree slacker as always, just chain-smoking.”
[Aren’t there people out there working hard on my behalf? I generally prefer giving advice from a seated position to running around.]
[But…]
“Is he maybe obligated to keep the ancestor’s name a secret until the grave?” As I worriedly prodded, he smiled at me with an unbelievable expression.
[Don’t worry. I’ve already found the culprit.]
[……What?]
“What?!”
Elder Oh was shocked and had to double-check if the sentence he had just read was correct.
[You found the culprit already?]
[I found him yesterday. Do you think I would stake our ancestor’s name on a lie?]
[Then why…!]
“Then why are you just sitting around puffing away? Hurry up and catch the culprit, you fool!”
Basing it on their ancestor’s name.
That was indeed a powerful phrase. If you were a member of the Jegal clan, that was something you had to take seriously. Elder Oh reflected if he had ever gotten so absorbed in a story like this in his life; he could honestly say he had not.
[That’s precisely it.]
[Huh?]
[It’s the motive behind the crime. Why did they do this? There are still unanswered questions, aren’t there?]
[Well, we could just catch them and make them confess, right!]
[You’d be surprised how often words spoken to end suffering are not the truth.]
[But still, the ones who killed people!]
[Don’t get too excited. At this rate, anyone would think Elder Kang was a Jegal.]
“But you are a Jegal! So why are you acting so relaxed when our ancestor’s name is on the line!? Huh! Huh! Huh!”
At this rate, it felt like I’d jump into the story, grab Jegal Seolrok by the collar, and shake him.
I needed to take a deep breath.
Elder Oh sipped a glass of water on the table, walked around the room to calm his mind, and then sat back down at the table.
[Are you planning to keep smoking those cigarettes?]
[There’s nothing more enjoyable than solving a perplexing problem.]
[Some issues have time limits, you know.]
[So that’s why you enjoy the taste of cigarettes even more.]
“I really had to ponder if the landlord’s surname was indeed Jegal, seeing his overly nonchalant demeanor.”
[Sigh. If you want to make a name for yourself, then considering So Hyuk’s thoughts wouldn’t be a bad idea.]
[Make a name for myself?]
[Right now, everyone in Wuhan knows about the ghost ship incident. A ghost moving the ship. The dead rising to the heavens. Corpses making a boat move. All kinds of rumors are swirling. If you manage to resolve such an incident, then of course, So Hyuk’s name will rise, yes?]
“If he really knew the culprit, perhaps waiting could be a good way to go about it. As I nodded and came to a conclusion, Jegal Seolrok’s eyes grew as wide as if struck by lightning.”
[So Hyuk?]
[That was it!! Ha! Ha!!! Yes! That’s exactly it! There’s no one way to solve a problem! Officer Kang! I have somewhere to go! You run to the government office for me!]
“I had seen this scene in the morning. No way! Before I could think, Jegal Seolrok clenched his fist and charged out the door.”
[Huh?]
[Have Officer Jung report at noon tomorrow! I’m saying I found the solution!]
