Chapter 23
“Now that you’ve exchanged greetings, shall we take our seats?”
At Hari’s words, Un sat down first.
It seemed he intended to stay until the very end.
After a brief moment of thought, Hari turned to Choonja.
“This is the Lord of Punguibang. I explained the situation to him because we wanted help with Eunyoung’s case. He’s someone trustworthy—would it be alright if he stays?”
The corner of Un’s lips twitched.
‘A trustworthy person, is it? She even has a good eye for people.’
While Un was feeling pleased, Choonja replied,
“If Father has brought him, then of course it’s fine.”
Both Choonja, who called Chilbok “Father,” and Chilbok, who heard it, looked extremely embarrassed and awkward. Hari and Un, who were listening, felt no less awkward.
“Y-You don’t have to call me Father.”
Chilbok spoke carefully.
“No. Even if this relationship is temporary because of the lawsuit, adoption is still adoption, and a father is still a father. And since you’ve so willingly helped my daughter and me, even calling you Grandfather wouldn’t be enough.”
He disliked “Father,” but “Grandfather” was even worse, so Chilbok accepted the title of Father.
“Call me whatever you like.”
“Now that that’s settled, I’ll explain the real reason I called you all here.”
Hari hung a chart on the wall. At the top, it read ‘Wang Eunyoung Case,’ and below it were the key points of the divorce case listed in order.
“This shouldn’t happen, but the Ok Noyeoran side may call Lord Gong as a witness.”
“M-Me? Why me?”
Chilbok, who hated anything related to government offices, widened his eyes in shock.
“They could argue that the lawsuit itself is invalid because you formed a false relationship for the sake of this case.”
In truth, people rarely went that far.
Many even treated oejibu as family to represent them in lawsuits.
There was even a joke: ‘An oejibu has a hundred children and a thousand nephews.’
Until now, people had generally turned a blind eye.
But if the opposing side chose to make an issue of it, it could anger the judge and influence the ruling.
“Then what should we do?”
Choonja’s face turned pale.
“We deny it.”
Hari answered simply.
“But just denying it won’t convince Magistrate Panyun. We need to know some things about each other, and there must be a reason why Lord Gong adopted this lady.”
When they thought about it, Hari was right. From then on, the four of them put their heads together to fabricate a plausible backstory.
“When I was in danger in the mountains ten years ago, I was helped by this lady’s father.”
Chilbok began.
“Later, I tried to repay the favor but couldn’t find him. Then this year, I finally located him, only to learn he had already passed away.”
Un continued.
“So, to repay the debt, you adopted this lady as your daughter. How does that sound?”
Hari concluded. With all four of them contributing, the story came together quickly.
“My father wasn’t exactly a good person…”
“You don’t need to mention that part.”
“I’m fine with anything, as long as I can raise Eunyoung until she grows up. But will Magistrate Panyun believe this?”
“He might ask why you’re repaying a debt through adoption. If he does, Lord Gong, you can answer like this.”
Hari cleared her throat, straightened her shoulders, and put on a solemn expression.
“This was the only way I could give her my entire fortune—through inheritance.”
“What? I have no intention of doing that!”
Startled, Chilbok nearly jumped out of his seat, but Un pressed down on his shoulder to calm him.
“We know. It won’t actually come to that. It’s just for show.”
Hari winked.
“We need to finish everything quickly. It’s disadvantageous for us if Eunyoung continues staying at her maternal home.”
If Ok Noyeoran twisted the story into being a devoted husband waiting for his runaway wife, they could gain public sympathy—something they absolutely had to avoid.
“That settles your backstory. Let’s move on.”
Before diving into strategy, Hari took a breath and turned to Choonja.
“You must tell me everything honestly. Did you really receive nothing from Ok Noyeoran before the wedding? Not even afterward?”
Choonja’s brows drooped.
“Nothing except rice and meat.”
Hari let out a deep sigh.
If they couldn’t prove it was a transactional marriage…
“Would it be difficult to bring Eunyoung back home?”
Tears welled up in Choonja’s eyes. Though she was strong enough to walk out of the bridal chamber with her young daughter, she was still just an ordinary mother who couldn’t help but cry when thinking of her child’s bleak future.
Hari took out a handkerchief and placed it in Choonja’s hand.
“I’ll find a way. So don’t leave Eunyoung’s side for even a moment. If her father causes trouble, come here. And if Ok Noyeoran comes looking for you, don’t meet him. Understood?”
Choonja buried her face in the handkerchief and nodded repeatedly.
It didn’t seem like further discussion would yield anything helpful.
Hari turned to Un.
“I’m sorry, my lord, but could you escort her home?”
“Chilbok will go.”
At the sudden mention of his name, Chilbok blinked in confusion.
Un looked at him steadily and said,
“Isn’t she your daughter? A father should escort her home.”
He wasn’t wrong—but why did it feel so unfair?
With a resentful expression, Chilbok eventually extended his hand to Choonja.
“Let’s go.”
* * *
After Choonja and Chilbok left, Hari stood before the chart on the wall.
‘We need proof that this was a transactional marriage… but that’ll be hard to obtain. Then is there only one way left?’
She was deep in thought, trying to figure out how to safely get Eunyoung out of the Ok family.
“What are you planning to do?”
A faint plum blossom scent grew stronger, and a shadow fell over Hari. She turned her head and looked at Un standing beside her.
“My lord, you’re still here?”
“Would you rather I had left?”
Un spoke in a tone that feigned disappointment.
“You said you were busy.”
Hari shrugged, as if she didn’t understand why he would feel that way.
‘Then why did I feel disappointed?’
Un brushed aside the useless thought and replied,
“I am busy, but I couldn’t leave without knowing how you plan to resolve this.”
He was supposed to meet someone from Qing that night. Preparing the gifts to send ahead meant his time was tight.
But he didn’t feel comfortable leaving Hari alone. While he was curious about how she would handle Wang Eunyoung’s divorce case, the truth was—he was more worried.
No matter how he looked at it, it didn’t seem like Magistrate Panyun would rule in Hari’s favor.
Until now, the magistrate had ruled in Hari’s favor in every divorce case she handled. Not because he was just or compassionate toward the weak.
It was because Hari’s arguments were flawless and supported by perfect evidence. And as an official upholding Confucian values, there had always been undeniable reasons to grant the divorce.
Also, the opposing parties had been irredeemably vile—beyond even the mercy of a benevolent Buddha.
In truth, Magistrate Panyun was nothing more than a greedy man. That was what made Hari’s victories shine even more.
But this case would not be easy.
“So what exactly do you plan to do?”
“If you’re curious, come to the Hanseong Office later and see for yourself.”
When Hari refused to answer, Un’s concern deepened.
She sounded confident—but what if she hadn’t actually found grounds for divorce yet?
“It seems like there’s something I could help with.”
Un cautiously offered his assistance.
Hari, who had been staring at the chart, turned to look at him.
How can his eyes be so clear? And those eyelashes… so long.
Her thoughts drifted for a moment before she tightened her brows.
“Do you want to help?”
“Hm?”
“If you want to help, just say so. Why speak in circles?”
She had seen right through him.
Caught off guard, Un parted his lips slightly.
