A deep wave stirred in the depths of her heart.

Her heart raced rapidly with anxiety that her hidden identity had been discovered.

However, Kwon Jwa Woo’s outward appearance remained calm and composed.

“What do you mean?”

A pure and innocent expression spread like ink across her elegant face. Even her blinking eyes held a childlike innocence that said ‘I don’t know anything.’

But Hong Woo Geon was not one to be swayed by such shallow tricks.

After staring at Jwa Woo for a while as if seeing through her, he opened his mouth.

“The one chosen by the Myeongryebang Hwaseobja will surely pass the civil service exam, right?”

“You speak such incomprehensible words, I truly have nothing to say.”

Hong Woo Geon’s confident voice clung to Jwa Woo like a barnacle as she continued to feign ignorance.

“Do you really intend to keep playing dumb?”

“……”

As she had feared, this was the reason she had been kidnapped.

How did he know that I was the ‘Myeongryebang Hwaseobja’?

Until now, she had never directly met any of the examinees. She had only met their fathers.

But they had sworn to never speak about her.

Yet he knew.

The man before her.

The secret that Kwon Jwa Woo, this small and petite woman, was the rumored Hwaseobja.

The secret that she was the Myeongryebang’s ace tutor who somehow ensured that those she chose would pass the civil service exam.

Even so, she could not simply admit it.

Jwa Woo stared at Woo Geon with deliberately clear eyes.

Hong Woo Geon’s smile deepened.

“Three years ago, the eldest son of the great writer Lee Ho Seob passed the civil service exam.”

“What was wrong with that?”

“What could be wrong with a nobleman passing the exam? The problem, if there is one, is that that eldest son was known as the dullest student in Joseon.”

“Some people bloom late in life.”

“It seems his blocked mind suddenly opened up after a lowborn claiming to be the Myeongryebang Hwaseobja started visiting their household.”

“Is that so.”

In response to her indifferent reply as if it were someone else’s business, Woo Geon continued.

“I heard that even the son of Yoo Hwa Geom, Joseon’s greatest painter known for his arrogance and pride, passed the painting exam he was certain to fail with the help of a scholar claiming to be the Hwaseobja.”

“How marvelous.”

“And that’s not all. The second son of Lee So-and-so from the Office of Censors and the son of the Minister of Personnel also passed the civil service exam with the Hwaseobja’s help.”

“That was the Hwaseobja’s help, not mine. Also, I’ve heard that the Hwaseobja they met looked different each time. So who knows who the real Hwaseobja is?”

“As you say, the Hwaseobja visited the successful candidates in different guises each time. But there was one thing they failed to hide.”

“…!”

What? I disguised myself perfectly each time, there’s no way I could have been discovered.

Anxiety crept into Jwa Woo’s clear eyes that had remained bright until now.

A voice that seemed to pour oil on her anxiety continued.

“While the Hwaseobja’s appearance changed each time, there was one thing that remained the same.”

“What… was that?”

“The star-shaped mole near the left earlobe.”

As he spoke, Hong Woo Geon’s hand approached Jwa Woo’s face.

Finally, Woo Geon’s index finger poked Jwa Woo’s left cheek. A chillingly cold sensation touched Jwa Woo’s cheek.

Letting out a low gasp without realizing it, Jwa Woo heard Woo Geon whisper.

“It’s right here. Myeongryebang Hwaseobja.”

It was just for a moment.

That Hong Woo Geon’s fingertip touched Jwa Woo’s face.

But the ripple effect of that brief contact was tremendous.

The disturbance that started from the small mole near Jwa Woo’s left earlobe, as if it were a fixed star, spread across her entire face.

Cracks appeared in Jwa Woo’s face that had been deliberately indifferent. Her mind reeled at the thought that her identity had been exposed to her opponent.

What should she do?

As she pondered, Jwa Woo habitually bit her lip.

Hong Woo Geon watched her gnaw on her lower lip with his arms crossed.

Under his penetrating gaze, a red flush even settled on her cheeks.

In a voice implying that no further deception would work, Woo Geon said.

“Who could have dared to guess that the Myeongryebang Hwaseobja was a woman?”

“……”

I agree.

Even Jwa Woo herself never expected to become a famed tutor.

Not until eight years ago, before her father passed away.

If only that incident hadn’t happened then…

*

Eight years ago.

Kwon Eui Jung, Kwon Jwa Woo’s father and the Chief Inspector of the State Tribunal, was a man respected by all.

It was a time when Queen Dowager Kim acted as regent on behalf of the young king. The power in Joseon was tilted towards the Andong Kim clan, the Queen Dowager’s family. Eight out of ten court officials were filled with people from the Andong Kim clan.

As the Andong Kim clan’s power continued to swell, more and more people began to bow their heads and flatter them.

Amidst all this, only Kwon Eui Jung remained upright. Like unbending bamboo, he did not easily submit to power.

That day was no different.

“It was murder.”

Kwon Eui Jung’s low voice filled the room.

The eyes of the physician examining the body, the coroner surveying the scene, and the instructor from the Ministry of Punishments and the Left Minister of the Board of Punishment all fixed on Kwon Eui Jung as if by agreement.

They had rushed over upon hearing the news of the suicide of Lady Yoon, the widow of the former Mayor of Hanseong.

It was a place where they had come after receiving an earnest request to quietly resolve… the death of the widow who had hanged herself to follow her husband who had passed away earlier due to sudden illness, as a sorrowful and tragic death of a virtuous woman.

But…

“Murder, you say?”

The reproachful voice of Lee Gwan Hong, the Left Minister of the Board of Punishment, was directed at Kwon Eui Jung.

Lee Gwan Hong, with his large build and solid frame, was like a fierce beast. His piercing gaze, intimidating his opponent, penetrated Kwon Eui Jung’s eyes.

But Kwon Eui Jung showed no sign of wavering. He simply expressed his opinion in a calm, measured voice.

“First, a 15-year-old young widow hanged herself to follow her dead husband.”

“What’s the problem with taking her own life to follow her deceased husband?”

“It’s been less than a month since they were married. How much affection could have built up in that time for her to die following a husband who died an untimely death?”

“It is said that in matters of love between men and women, an iron fortress can be built in just a quarter of an hour, let alone a month.”

“Second, there are no marks on the body’s neck.”

Kwon Eui Jung pointed to the drawing of the corpse made by the coroner.

The woman in the picture, which faithfully captured the state of the corpse, looked as clean as if she had died in her sleep.

“She was a refined lady from a noble family, so of course it would be like that.”

Lee Gwan Hong countered with an absurd logic.

Kwon Eui Jung silently raised his head to look at the ceiling.

Everyone in the room followed his gaze. Their eyes landed on the crossbeam spanning the room.

After briefly scanning the surroundings, Kwon Eui Jung brought over a writing desk from a corner of the room.

What is he trying to do?

Curiosity settled in everyone’s eyes.

Kwon Eui Jung silently moved the desk under the crossbeam and climbed onto it.

He then reached up and lightly brushed the top of the crossbeam with his hand. Soon, layers of dust clung thickly to Kwon Eui Jung’s fingers.

Kwon Eui Jung held out his dust-covered fingers to Lee Gwan Hong.

Lee Gwan Hong’s brows furrowed.

“What are you trying to say with this?”

An expression of not understanding the point.

Kwon Eui Jung’s explanation continued.

“No matter how composed a person is, they cannot overcome their instincts. If it’s a living being, they would have struggled at least a little in the moment their last breath was being choked off. No, they must have struggled. Because that is human instinct.”

“And?”

“If so, the rope she hanged herself with would have shaken, and the dust on the crossbeam should not be so neatly accumulated like this.”

“So? What are you trying to say? That it’s murder because the death was too clean?”

“It’s an unjust death.”

“Nonsense!”

“There have been frequent deaths of widows recently.”

“……”

“Ever since they started granting official positions to families who received commendations for virtuous women, occasionally…”

Bang!

The Left Minister slammed his fist on the floor, cutting off Kwon Eui Jung mid-sentence.

“Do you know what kind of family this is? This is the family of the former Mayor of Hanseong.”

“I heard there is still a son in this family who has not attained an official position.”

“Huh! What are you saying now?”

“The coroner said that salt was found in the ashes of the corpse’s excrement.”

At Kwon Eui Jung’s words, the Left Minister turned to look at the coroner standing behind him.

Instead of answering, the coroner simply nodded his head up and down.

“Salt is often found in the excrement of corpses who died from drinking brine.”

“What?”

“I think Lady Yoon might have been murdered.”

An honor killing to receive a commendation for a virtuous woman.

Kwon Eui Jung’s eyes filled with a bitter wind as he swallowed the rest of his words.

A considerable time passed after that.

After completing all investigations, people left the room one by one.

“Must be possessed by the ghost of someone killed by another’s hand. Every time he opens his mouth, it’s murder this, homicide that. Tsk.”

The Left Minister’s sharp sarcasm flew and stuck into Kwon Eui Jung’s back.

“It would have been good to conclude it as the admirable death of a young widow. Yet you go on about murder and homicide, even obtaining permission for an autopsy. How do you feel? Satisfied?”

Kwon Eui Jung gave no response to the Left Minister’s rapid-fire questions.

His impassive attitude seemed to further ignite Lee Gwan Hong’s anger, his face reddening.

“Do you know what you’ve done, Chief Inspector? You’ve thrown filthy water on this great and powerful family. Do you think this family will just sit back and watch? From now on, your path will be a cliff, it will become a thornbush. You should be careful on night roads from now on.”

Even to Lee Gwan Hong’s curse, Kwon Eui Jung simply bowed his head silently.

How could he not understand those inner thoughts that were so clearly visible?

The Left Minister must have been in cahoots with the former Mayor of Hanseong. They probably planned to make Lady Yoon a virtuous woman who died following her husband, erecting a memorial stone. They clearly intended to receive a hefty reward on the day the memorial stone was erected.

Of course his insides would be churning now that their premeditated plan had gone awry.

But even so, he couldn’t pretend not to see what was clearly before his eyes.

It was the case of a young widow, barely fifteen, losing her life.

Once he knew the reason for the death, he had to handle the matter straight and righteous, without bias to any side.

Some might sneer at him as an inflexible and uncompromising person.

But that was the life Kwon Eui Jung had lived, and would continue to live.

However, his life was not to be long.

Five days after definitively ruling the death of Lady Yoon, the widow of the former Mayor of Hanseong, as murder, Kwon Eui Jung died suddenly of unknown causes.

It happened on the eighth day of the last month of the Byeongsin year (1836), when Kwon Eui Jung was on duty at the palace.