"It is my fault that your whole family died."

As soon as these words are uttered, the entire narrow room falls silent. Everyone is immersed in their own thoughts and emotions, but no one could find a single word to voice their thoughts. Sungmin looks towards Kyuhyun. His face is now as white as a sheet. Deep in his eyes, Sungmin can see all of his confusion, anger, sorrow, and pain, all boxed up inside, only waiting to explode.

Meanwhile, Jungho remains in his position on the ground, his head bowed to their feet. He continues sobbing for another while, then suddenly, as if just having an epiphany, he looks up to Kyuhyun and tries to reach for him while rambling on a bunch of incoherent words: "But, doryeonnim, you... you are here. You are alive. You got out of the purge somehow. That means not all of the Jun family died, right? I did not kill all of the Jun family? I can still be forgiven, right? Do you forgive me, doryeonnim?".

With each of his words, Jungho takes another step closer to Kyuhyun on his knees, his hand grabbing tight a corner of Kyuhyun's sleeves. Kyuhyun tries hard to fend Jungho off of himself, as if a touch from the man can make his whole body and soul just as dirty as the man himself.

Sungmin watches the two of them struggling for what seems like a decade, then he decides to take matters into his own hands. He immediately knocks out Jungho and turns to Kyuhyun: "Kyuhyun, let's continue this after we get back to Bukhansan. Our priority today is to hand over the bandits to local authorities. If they see Jungho, they will take him as well! We'll have to get him out of here before they get here. Kyuhyun!"

Seeing that Kyuhyun still seems to be deep inside his own world, Sungmin approaches him and gently puts his hands on his face. The warmth of another person's hands on his face slightly startles Kyuhyun, but when he realizes who it was, Kyuhyun slowly gathers himself and helps Sungmin carry the man out of the cave.

The local authorities arrive just moments after Sungmin and Kyuhyun carry Jungho out of the cave and hide him among their horses. After searching the bandits' lair and taking all of them into custody, a middle-aged investigator approaches Kyuhyun and Sungmin to express his gratitude. But before he leaves, he turns to them one more time to ask: "By the way, did any of you see a young man, in his mid-twenties, wearing royal attire, when you were inside the cave?"

The investigator's description of the person suddenly makes Sungmin feel anxious, as he knows exactly who he is looking for. It is no other than himself. For the first time since these past two days, he has felt grateful for the disguise that Kyuhyun had done for him.

Seeing both Kyuhyun and Sungmin passionately shaking their heads at his question, the investigator lets out a sigh and continues: "You probably don't know this, but Lee Soui mama has been missing from this very forest after being attacked by these bandits two months ago. We have been turning this forest and nearby areas upside down looking for him, but have seen no trace of him. Now that we have also searched the bandits' lair and still could not find him, I don't know where else to look.". The man shakes his head every time he lets out a sigh, and when he finishes, he gives them a goodbye gesture and heading for his team: "Thank you again. I will not forget to give you all credit for this arrest."

"There's no need for that, nauri.", Sungmin quickly answers. And when the investigator is about to leave the forest, he gives him another smile and says: "And nauri, something tells me that Lee Soui mama will turn up soon. Trust me."

Although the investigator is surprised to hear such a statement, he returns Sungmin's smile and quickly gets out of the dark and gloomy forest that has been his nightmare for the last three years.

After the investigators and the bandits are all gone, Kyuhyun and Sungmin decide to rent a palanquin to carry Jungho back to Bukhansan. The trip back to the mountain somehow seems so much longer than the trip to Yangjae two days ago.

After a few days of rest, Jungho finally wakes up from his deep sleep due to Sungmin's hit. Now they can finally interrogate him about what really happened to the Jun family fifteen years ago. 

From what Sungmin can guess, Jungho must have been a servant in the Jun family fifteen years ago, judging from how he addressed Jun Kihong and Kyuhyun in the cave. Moreover, his relationship with Kyuhyun must also have been closer than just a regular servant, since Kyuhyun could recognize his voice in just a moment after fifteen years has passed. These clues prompted Sungmin to believe that Jungho must have been Kyuhyun's caretaker or head servant when he was working in the Jun residence.

Sungmin slowly enters the room that Jungho has been staying in for the last few days. Inside, Kyuhyun is already sitting neatly next to the Jungho's mattress, with the man still kneeling in front of him, his head drooped forwards lifelessly.

Sungmin sits down next to Kyuhyun and steals a glance at him. Kyuhyun's face has regained some life as compared to when they were in the cave, but his eyes maintain a stare as cold and sharp as the deathliest weapon. The two of them, one master, one servant, remain in their own positions without any sign of anyone speaking up soon. And Sungmin can partly understand. What can they say in such a situation, such a complicated mess that they are in now? How to begin to say the things that they had always wanted to say? And what good would it do even if they said it?

After a long while of silence, Sungmin decides to start the conversation himself, as he is afraid that if Kyuhyun has to wait just another moment, he will explode from all the thoughts and emotions that are running in his mind

"So, Jungho-ssi, tell us everything that happened twenty years ago. And spare no details, because anything can help us get closer to the truth.", Sungmin says as slowly and seriously as he can.

Jungho takes a deep breath, and something tells Sungmin that after this breath will come one of the most important and heart-breaking stories that he has ever had the chance to hear.

Fifteen years ago, Jun Kihong was a young Minister in the Royal Court. He had brilliant ideas about erasing the boundaries between classes in Joseon. Some of his ideas included removing restrictions for commoners to join the state examinations, the Royal Court, the Army, as well as lowering taxes for farmers and small traders. These ideas, despite having been well-received by the common people, were not so popular among his fellow Ministers in the Court. To be fair, the current class system has been in place for hundreds of years. It was not that easy to be challenged in the short time that Jun Kihong worked in the Court. Besides, it was the yangban¹ who benefited the most from this system, so they were not willing to ever give up power and control of the economy and the Royal Court.

So, the rest of the Ministers aligned with each other to come to the King and accuse Jun Kihong of colluding with the Russians and being a spy within the Court. The previous King was extremely paranoid about Russian invasion and about them putting spies in his Court, and so, sadly, he believed the Ministers' accusation. But there was no proof of Jun Kihong's crime. Not yet. So the Ministers decided to create one themselves. They tried to get close to Jun Kihong's most trusted confidantes: Lee Youngwoon, Gwan Namgil, and Yang Seonghun. Lee Youngwoon, of course, was Sungmin's father, and the Daesaseong of Seonggyungwan, the Royal Academy, at the time. Lee Youngwoon was in charge of running the academy. He had met Jun Kihong when they were students at Seonggyungwan themselves, and had instantly become close due to their common views on education and other government policies. So when the Ministers wanted to take down Jun Kihong, the first person that they thought could help them achieve that goal was Lee Youngwoon. But Lee Youngwoon was extremely cautious and loyal to his friend and colleague. He would not discuss anything with the Ministers other than their work at the Court, and so the Ministers knew to give up on Lee Youngwoon as soon as they came to him.

The second and third person that the Ministers turned to were Gwan Namgil and Yang Seonghun. These two were respectively Jun Kihong's most-trusted advisor and head guard. But just like Lee Youngwoon, these two were the most loyal and stand-up men that anyone could find. Once again, the Ministers failed to get close to Jun Kihong through his confidants. 

The next time that the Ministers tried something else, they decided to get to a person of a lower status and poorer background, so they would be desperate enough to follow their instructions and betray their own master. Eventually, they found a servant in the Jun residence who came from a poor village outside of Hanyang. This man had a sick elderly mother to take care of and a younger brother about to enter school. This man was Jungho.

Jungho was the caretaker of Jun Taekyung, Jun Kihong's first and only son. He had access to every room in the Jun residence. His family was extremely poor, and he also had to take care of his sick elderly mother and younger brother. Even though his wages at the Jun residence were relatively high as compared with his fellow caretakers, taking care of two dependents took away most of his income every month. And so the Ministers offered to pay him ten times the amount that he was paid at the Jun residence. 

At first, Jungho turned down their offer out of his loyalty to his own master. But a few months went by, and his mother became sicker and sicker. He was no longer able to afford to pay for both her medications and his brother's tuition. Eventually, he had to take the Ministers' offer to betray his own master in return for some cash.

As the Ministers instructed, Jungho was to put secret documents to the Russians inside the Jun residence, framing Jun Kihong of being in association with the Russian government and sending secret documents to the enemy. After the documents were found in Jun Kihong's residence, he was immediately convicted of treason and the King ordered a purge of his entire family as well as distant relatives. In one night, everyone in the Jun residence, including Jun Kihong, his wife, his advisor, head guard, all of his servants and guards. Except for Kyuhyun. And Jungho. This is why Kyuhyun was completely stunned when he heard the voice that he had thought was also lost in the purge fifteen years ago. This is why he thought that he had seen a ghost.

Jungho was spared because he had made all of this possible for the Ministers. So they arranged a shelter for Jungho and his family among their relatives.

"But my mother still died a few months after that", Jungho's voice has become mournful, "one year later, my brother drowned in a river on a windless day, just like some sick joke from the gods above. Maybe it is their way of punishing a traitor like me. I killed your whole family, so they killed my family"

"Good", Sungmin hears Kyuhyun utter coldly. His eyes never leave Jungho and keep glaring into the other's eyes as if he can just take his life any moment now. "So you know how it feels".

Jungho looks up to meet Kyuhyun's eyes, his voice getting more bitter and irritated: "Do you think it is easy living my life!? Not one day has passed that I don't dream about your family coming back asking for my life! And all because of what!? Because I was born a lowly commoner? Why did you get to be born into wealth and status, while I was born to a sick mother and a younger brother to take care of?"

"No one can choose where they come from, but you can always choose what you do with it", Kyuhyun's voice remains cold and indifferent to all the sufferings that Jungho had mentioned.

"Easy for you to say from your high horse. It is easy for you to judge when it is not your life and not your mistakes." Jungho's voice has somehow become lower and more bitter. Inside his voice, Sungmin can also hear a tinge of grief and regret.

"But I begged them to spare your life that night.", Jungho turns to Kyuhyun again, "I begged them not to kill you. You were only a five-year-old boy. So I begged and begged. I never knew if they had done it or not, because everyone still believed that you were also killed in that purge. No one thought that you were still alive and somehow were able to get out of there."

"There was another five-year-old boy", Kyuhyun closes his eyes, as if reminiscing something incredibly painful, "Jihu. He was a servant's son. I played with him every day when I was young. He was killed while in my room that night, so everyone thought he was me. Nobody thought to look any further."

Sungmin's heart suddenly feels heavier than ever. In all these years, he never heard Kyuhyun mention this detail. But when he thinks about it again, Kyuhyun has hardly ever mentioned his family and everything that happened to them fifteen years ago, except for one time when they first met. This is understandable after all. If talking and thinking about it is only gonna cause further pain, then keeping it all inside is probably a better choice.

Then, when Kyuhyun and Sungmin both seem to have their guards down, Jungho suddenly charges towards Kyuhyun. Being trained in martial arts, Kyuhyun has no difficulty in stopping him mid-way, but Jungho only reaches for Kyuhyun's sword: "Doryeonnim, I know it was all my fault! I have done so much wrong that I don't even know if I have ever done anything right in my life anymore. So I know I have no right to ask for forgiveness. I only ask you to kill me right here, right now. I can't take back everything that I have done, but at least this way, you can have your revenge against me."

To an outsider like Sungmin, these words seem completely non-sensical. What good can come out of killing this man right at this moment? If there is any reward, it is the fact that killing him would bring no trouble, either. After all, Jungho is now a man without family, friends or master. No one would be looking for him even if he disappeared from this earth right at this moment.

But to an insider, this is a different story. Sometimes, emotions make even the most non-sensical things seem logical and sensible. Sungmin looks towards Kyuhyun. Kyuhyun remains in the same position, his eyes focused on one point on the floor as if contemplating what the other had just said.

"Jungho-ssi", Sungmin has no other choice but to interrupt, "if you really want to compensate for your mistakes and make it up to the Jun family and Kyuhyun, then dying is not the best way to do it."

This seems to get Jungho' attention. He looks in Sungmin's direction, his eyes wide open in surprise and anticipation of Sungmin's further suggestions.

"If you really want to redeem yourself, Jungho-ssi, you can help us expose the Ministers that framed Minister Jun fifteen years ago. Are you willing to do that?"

"But...but...", Jungho stutters, and for a moment, seems to be at a loss for words, "Minister Park, Kim yeonggam and Park yeonggam were the most powerful people in Joseon. Are you sure with only us three people..."

"We don't just have three people", Sungmin smiles, "We have our own force. We are capable. They have been hiding in the dark for decades. The cat has to come out of the bag sooner or later, they cannot hide forever. Wait, Jungho-ssi, you said Minister Park, Kim yeonggam and Park yeonggam?"

Suddenly, Sungmin realizes what these names mean. He looks towards Kyuhyun, and his eyes seem to indicate the same thing.

"Yes...", Jungho answers.

"You mean... State Councillor Park, Minister Kim and Minister Park?"

"Have they risen to the level of State Councillor and Minister now? It could be", Jungho's voice seems unsure.

"Yes, fifteen years ago, Park Jiyun was only a Minister, Kim Yungyeom and Park Namdul were only middle-rank officials, but for some reason, after the Jun family's purge, they were promoted very quickly. Plus, everything went smoothly for them without the interference of Minister Jun in their affairs. So Park Jiyun is now State Councillor Park, and Kim Yungyeom and Park Namdul have been promoted to Ministers since then."

Sungmin remembers clearly that period of time. It was a difficult time for his family as well. After Jun Kihong was convicted of treason, his father was also under a lot of suspicions. His work could not go as well as before, and everywhere he went, people would whisper different things about him and the Jun family. Eventually, he had to leave his job at Seongyungwan and open his own academy, Seowangmyeong. Even though until this day, his father never mentioned those days to Sungmin again, he can still imagine that must have been the most difficult time in his father's life.

Speaking of Kim Yungyeom², Sungmin's mind suddenly is shifted back to his first day at school, when he was bullied by Kim Yungyeom's son himself, Kim Hongdae. Sungmin knew right then and there that Kim Yungyeom must be corrupt, working in the Ministry of Taxation for so many years, but he had never thought that he was also involved in the Jun family's execution.

"The crimes fifteen years ago were committed by State Councillor Park, Minister Park and Minister Kim, but the most recent deeds were in no doubt done by the Queen and Park Bin.", Kyuhyun has regained his sense and turns to Sungmin again.

It takes Sungmin a while to understand that Kyuhyun is referring to the attack in Yangjae two months ago. He nods in agreement. Kyuhyun's statement was not wrong. The Queen was the daughter of Park Jiyun, and Park Bin was the daughter of Park Namdul. Plus, Park Jiyun and Park Namdul were first cousins, which made the Queen and Park Bin second cousins. The Park clan was the most powerful and tightly knit clan in Hanyang, so there was no doubt that everything they do, they do it for the sake of their whole clan. 

Sungmin tries to recall other memories from the past. From what he can remember, a few years after the Jun family's execution, the previous King proposed a marriage between his own son, the current King, and the daughter of Park Jiyun. This reinforced the alliance between the Chois and the Parks, and made the Park clan even stronger than before. 

Then, a few years after the coronation of the new King, Park Jiyun offered his cousin's daughter to the then Crown Prince. As the Park clan was so powerful at the time, no one questioned his intention and dared to go against his wishes. Now that Sungmin thinks about it, this seems to be a way for Park Jiyun to repay what he owes to Park Namdul. Park Namdul is in no doubt his right hand. He seems to be the one who executes the orders of Park Jiyun, while Park Jiyun was the brains behind every conspiracy.

At this point, Sungmin turns to Jungho and enquires again.

"Jungho-ssi, do you know who the Yangjae bandits report to? Who ordered the attack against me?"

Jungho nods his head and speaks in the lowest tone possible: "It is an unspoken truth that the Yangjae bandits are the henchmen for the Park clan. Half the wealth that they were able to rip off of common people went to the Park family, half of it was distributed among the bandits. From time to time, the bandits also assassinated rivals of the Park clan in exchange for cash and immunity from the authorities. It is no coincidence that they have been wreaking havoc for the past three years, around the time that Park ascended the ranks so quickly in the Palace. They were founded only one or two years after Park Bin entered the Palace and gained the King's favour. They mostly do dirty work for Park Bin and the Park clan."

"And the Queen?", Kyuhyun asks again.

"The Queen does not have direct contact with the bandits. I don't know if she is aware of or also conspires with her family. Every order they received has been from Park Bin and Park Namdul."

With Jungho's explanation, all the pieces of this puzzle seem to have come together for Sungmin. His attack. The robberies and murders in Yangjae forest. The involvement of Park Bin, Jang Sugui, the Queen and the whole Park clan. 

More than four years ago, Park Bin was nominated by Park Jiyun to be a concubine as a way of further strengthening the alliance between the King and the Park clan, as well as a way of repaying Park Namdul for all the dirty work that he had done for Park Jiyun. One or two years later, when Park Bin created a strong enough foundation in the Palace, she and Park Namdul formed the gang of bandits in Yangjae forest from street thugs to rob commoners and assassinate their rivals at the Court. Then, around three years ago, Sungmin entered the Palace and heard the rumour from Ryeowook about Park Bin's overreaction to the servants' joke about the Jun family's purge.

'Everything is finally coming together', Sungmin thinks to himself. This explains perfectly why Park Bin had acted the way that she did three years ago. Then, when Sungmin decided to investigate her more closely, threatening her and her family's secret, she arranged an attack in Yangjae forest to get rid of him, also getting rid of another concubine gaining favour from the King. Killing two birds with one stone.

"Then, does Jang Sugui have anything to do with this?", Sungmin asks.

"Jang Sugui follows Park Bin like a puppet follows its master", Kyuhyun's voice is once again cold and full of hatred, "but judging from her low ranks and poor backgrounds, she could not have had anything to do with my family. If she had anything to do with your attack, it must be purely out of jealousy."

Sungmin nods at Kyuhyun. At the moment, it is not yet clear about Jang Sugui's involvement and intentions, so he will leave it for now and come back to it when he has more clues.

But there is still one more thing that has not yet been discussed until now. Sungmin turns to Jungho: "But, then, how did you end up with the Yangjae bandits, Jungho-ssi?"

Jungho closes his eyes as if reminiscing days of suffering and misery, his voice as low and thin as ever: "I stayed with Park Namdul's relatives these past years, each family for a few years. I moved from family to family too many times I can no longer remember. But the relatives do not want outsiders in their families, especially ones from Park Namdul. They feel like I was put there by Park Namdul to spy on them. So they made it hard for me to work and live, and eventually, I had to move. When the Yangjae bandits were formed, Park Namdul put me there, both to hide me deep in the forest and to get rid of me. I have been staying there serving them ever since."

"Those bandits were really Park Namdul's right hand.", Sungmin mutters, "This time, after we have cleaned up their lair, Park Namdul must have caught wind of what happened. He will be on our tails soon enough."

Kyuhyun nods in agreement.

But Sungmin looks at him again, his eyes as bright as day, and flashes Kyuhyun one of his most confident and hopeful smiles that he has ever shown anyone: "Then, we'll just have to make sure that we are the ones to make the first moves. Kyuhyun, Jungho-ssi, are you ready to make them pay for their crimes and bring justice to the Jun family?"

The room falls to silence, but with just their eyes, Sungmin gets the exact answers that he needs.

And begins their quest for redemption and justice against the most powerful and corrupted people in the heart of Joseon.

***********

1. Yangban: noblemen and royalties.

2. Kim Yungyeom: mentioned in Chapter 6, Seolnal, as the father of Kim Hongdae, the boy who bullied Sungmin on his first day of school.