TDLWFJ 10

Chapter 10

Nahee headed to the shrine before the break of dawn.

It had already been several years since her husband died. Except for special occasions, this had become part of her routine.

Lighting a lamp in the shrine no one but her ever visited, burning incense, and praying for the repose of a husband whose face she had never even seen.

Even though she had resolved to get a divorce, Nahee never neglected this duty.

People around her kept referring to him as “your husband,” “your man.” Perhaps she had grown attached to the dead, or perhaps she pitied the fact that even his blood relatives never came to look after him. She couldn’t quite understand her own feelings.

Or maybe it had simply become a habit.

So today as well, she opened the shrine door expecting it to be empty—only to flinch in shock.

There was someone there before her.

“Y-you…?”

As Nahee stammered, the visitor—Hari—turned and pressed a finger to her lips.

A signal to be quiet. Swallowing her breath, Nahee quickly shut the door and stepped inside.

“Why are you here? No—how did you get in?”

The Choi household wasn’t guarded as heavily as a government office or palace, but it wasn’t so lax that people could come and go unnoticed either.

Moreover, the time and place were both inappropriate for receiving guests.

Though they forced mourning upon Nahee, the people of the Choi household treated the shrine as if it didn’t exist.

Which meant Hari had snuck in.

“I have someone helping me.”

The owner of Punguibang, Lee Woon.

Hari recalled him lingering near the walls of the Choi estate.

Suddenly, the soles of her feet throbbed—the same feet she had used to step on his back to climb over.

“Do you really have to go this far? If you tell me the details, I’ll find another way.”

Even his concerned voice echoed in her mind.

Woon was a strange man.

They had only met a few times—yet he worried as if they were family.

Is he just nosy? Soft-hearted? Or simply careless with his concern?

While Hari drifted in thought, Nahee lit the candles and offered incense.

“May I offer one as well?”

Nahee hesitated, eyes widening.

The first person ever to offer incense in her husband’s shrine… was an outsider helping her divorce.

Should she allow this?

“It’s only proper for an advocate to hear both sides.”

“You’re saying you’ll talk to the dead?”

“Well, the dead don’t speak. But if he feels wronged… who knows? Maybe he’ll give me a sign.”

Nahee couldn’t understand a word Hari said, but she stepped aside.

Hari silently placed the incense, bowed her head briefly, then sat beside Nahee.

“If you have something to say, say it quickly and leave. No one comes here, but just in case.”

Hari hesitated.

The woman who once spoke like flowing water now couldn’t easily open her mouth, and Nahee’s heart began to pound uneasily.

“Don’t tell me you came to say you’re giving up on my divorce?”

“No. And I won’t be pursuing a divorce—I’ll obtain an annulment.”

Nahee clenched her skirt tightly.

Hari was promising something Nahee had never even dared to dream of.

No more cruel in-laws. No more bland food. No more wearing plain white mourning clothes. She could wear beautiful ornaments again.

Just imagining it made her happy.

“But for that, I need your help.”

“My help?”

“The eldest son of this household. Tell me everything you know about him.”

“There’s not much…”

“If there’s nothing, then find out from now on and tell me. Anything is fine—places he frequents, the people he associates with. If you observe him, something unusual will stand out.”

“…Does it have to be about him? There is something that’s been bothering me.”

Hari’s eyes gleamed.

“What is it?”

“Your Excellency, you must enter the palace.”

Siyeong spoke to Woon, who lingered near the Choi estate wall.

“My client hasn’t come out yet.”

The client referred to Hari.

She had asked him to help her sneak in, and Woon had promised to help her out as well.

But though she said half an hour would be enough, an hour had already passed.

Soon, the outer servants would begin arriving for work. Moving inside the estate would become much more difficult.

“I suppose I must go in myself.”

“Your Excellency, if you don’t leave now—”

“Siyeong, His Majesty would scold me more for abandoning someone in danger than for failing to keep an appointment.”

Siyeong fell silent.

“I’ll go check.”

Before more people began moving about, he had to bring Hari out.

“Your Excellency—no, you mustn’t—!”

Before Siyeong could stop him, Woon lightly vaulted over the wall.

His fluttering robe slipped smoothly down as he landed with a solid thud on the other side.

“Siyeong, don’t follow. I’ll be back shortly.”

At the deep voice from beyond the wall, Siyeong sighed and leaned against it.

“Please… be careful.”

Woon took the warning to heart and surveyed the estate.

Though the sun had risen, it was still early—no one was moving about.

Most importantly, this was near the shrine, where no one came until midday.

He headed there first.

Only one pair of shoes sat on the stepping stone outside, but he paid it no mind and stood by the door.

“Lady Hari, are you inside?”

The still air within the shrine seemed to ripple.

After a moment, the door creaked open—and not Hari, but a sharp-looking woman stepped out.

At the sight of her mourning attire, Woon recognized her as Nahee.

“My apologies. I’ve come looking for Advocate Ahn.”

“She’s not here.”

“Then where is she?”

Nahee looked him up and down warily.

“I’m assisting her with your matter. I’m also the one who helped her enter today. Didn’t she mention me?”

After a brief hesitation, Nahee replied,

“She went to the storage shed. An abandoned one.”

After explaining the location, Woon gave a short nod and turned away.

For some reason, his heart was pounding.

Perhaps it was because of the expression Hari had worn yesterday when she asked for help meeting Nahee.

Though her voice was calm, her smile had been bitter—and it lingered in his mind.

Even when she said she had found a lead for victory, she hadn’t looked happy at all.

And then there was her additional request—

“Is there a place where Yang Heoyeong can safely hide?”

It felt as though something was about to happen to her.

His silent steps gradually quickened.

Hari stood where Nahee had directed her.

A storage shed unused since Nahee’s wedding.

Even during years of abundant harvest, when space for rice was scarce, Lord Choi and his wife had never opened this shed.

Yang Heoyeong’s words crossed her mind:

‘The eldest son used to drag the second into the shed, beat him, and lock him up.’

If it had happened repeatedly, there had to be traces.

Hari swallowed and pushed the door open. Fortunately, it wasn’t locked.

The moment she stepped inside, the stale smell of mold and dust rushed at her.

At the same time, an inexplicable chill ran down her spine.

Hari was a divorce specialist, but during her trainee years, she had handled many criminal cases.

She had seen and heard plenty—and had often visited violent crime scenes.

That’s how she knew.

This is a crime scene.

The question was whether any evidence remained.

Though she told herself not to expect much after so much time had passed, hope kept creeping in.

As an advocate, catching the culprit was the authorities’ job—but if that happened, Nahee’s annulment case would become even harder.

I need to find evidence. Or a witness.

Hari waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness.

Soon, shapes became clear.

Inside the empty shed lay a hoe, a sickle, unidentified piles, and scattered ropes.

I want to examine this closely…

But there wasn’t enough light.

Just as she decided to return later and turned to leave—

“Why are we checking a shed we’ve left alone all this time? The eldest young master is as fickle as boiling porridge.”

“Stop complaining and just do it. Unless you want to get beaten by him again. You know how violent he is.”

Two servants from the Choi household were approaching.

I have to run!

But her frozen body wouldn’t move.

“Get inside.”

At that moment, Woon suddenly appeared and pushed Hari back into the shed.