“It seems I was the only one who was concerned.”

Hong Woo Geon’s muttering was small and quiet.

But it clearly reached and lodged in Jwa Woo’s ears.

Though it was casually tossed out as if it were nothing.

Strangely, Jwa Woo’s breath caught in her throat.

A tingling sensation rose from the tips of her fingers and toes. How could this strange feeling be described?

She felt inexplicably thirsty.

Jwa Woo aimlessly drank water while glancing sideways at Hong Woo Geon.

Hong Woo Geon’s gaze, which had been fixed on Jwa Woo, instantly caught her eye movement.

Their gazes intertwined in mid-air.

For a moment, the air between the two slowly began to swell.

To break the tightly wound tension, Jwa Woo awkwardly spoke up.

“What nonsense are you speaking?”

“Nonsense?”

“What do you mean I was concerned about something?”

“Aren’t we on the same team? Of course you should be concerned.”

“Ah, the same team…”

What was I thinking.

Jwa Woo, feeling embarrassed by her momentary tension, quickly changed the subject.

“By the way, what will you do? Since she left crying like that…”

As Jwa Woo spoke while staring in the direction Arang had disappeared, Hong Woo Geon quickly retorted.

“Don’t worry about others, worry about yourself first.”

“Pardon?”

“Can’t you hear your stomach wailing miserably since earlier?”

Before Jwa Woo could refute Hong Woo Geon’s words, a ‘gurgle’ sound leaked from her stomach.

“…”

This doesn’t look good at all.

“Let’s soothe your stomach first before worrying about others crying, alright?”

“I’m tearfully grateful.”

Jwa Woo said as she scooped up a spoonful of rice.

“If you’re that grateful, be sure to repay this favor later.”

Hong Woo Geon said while putting some meat side dish on top of Jwa Woo’s rice. Seeing his attentive gesture, Jwa Woo raised her voice unnecessarily.

“I’ll comfort my own stomach. So you should go comfort Lady Arang instead.”

“If I was going to comfort her, I wouldn’t have started in the first place. And clearly drawing the line when something isn’t right is good for that child too.”

Hong Woo Geon was cold and dispassionate, unlike his usual self.

This unfamiliar side of him felt strange.

“You’re colder than I thought.”

“Don’t worry, I’m warm to my own people.”

Hong Woo Geon gazed at Jwa Woo with gentle eyes. Meeting his gaze, Jwa Woo quickly lowered her eyes and shoved rice into her mouth.

Then suddenly remembering, she asked.

“By the way, where did Lee Gyo Young and Yoo Chi Sung go?”

“They’re examining documents at the government office.”

“Everyone’s working hard.”

“Of course. It’s a test. So you too, don’t fret and hesitate watching others unnecessarily, just do your job properly in your place.”

Hong Woo Geon said as if telling Jwa Woo to focus, having read her inner thoughts of continuing to worry about Arang.

“Don’t worry, I’m doing my job well without making women cry.”

“Tsk tsk, so weak to tears.”

“A tender-hearted lady left crying, how could I not be concerned about those tears?”

“There could be a sharp dagger hidden in a woman’s tears. Be careful.”

“…?”

What does he mean…

Finishing his cryptic words, Hong Woo Geon slowly savored his portion of food as he ate dinner.

Throughout the meal, Jwa Woo and Hong Woo Geon talked a lot, trying to figure out the connection between the behavior and expressions of the people they met in the village and the houses suffering from stomach aches.

What’s this, I feel just like a real royal inspector.

Jwa Woo smiled as she watched Hong Woo Geon talk about Jung Saengwon, said to be the richest man in the village.

The stuffiness that had been weighing on her chest all day had disappeared without her noticing.

[This is the timeline separator]

Late afternoon.

Just as Jwa Woo’s rice bowl was nearly empty, Lee Gyo Young and Yoo Chi Sung returned to the guesthouse.

“What? You’re already finished?”

Yoo Chi Sung, who had just sat down at the table, expressed his disappointment.

“Rice tastes best when it’s warm.”

Hong Woo Geon answered indifferently.

Beside him, Jwa Woo showed an apologetic expression.

“I’m sorry.”

“What’s there to be sorry about? You must have been tired after running around all day, what’s the big deal about eating one meal first?”

Lee Gyo Young looked coldly at Yoo Chi Sung as if he was nitpicking over nothing.

“That’s what I’m saying.”

Hong Woo Geon chimed in with Lee Gyo Young’s words.

“Didn’t you two eat all the delicious food?”

Hong Woo Geon asked Yoo Chi Sung, who was complaining like a child.

“If you’re that disappointed, should we ask for a new table to be set?”

“That would be ni- ack.”

Lee Gyo Young’s fingertips lightly brushed Yoo Chi Sung’s side as he was answering.

Ignoring Yoo Chi Sung’s sullen face, Lee Gyo Young opened his mouth.

“It’s fine. More importantly, how did it go meeting the villagers today?”

Lee Gyo Young’s gaze turned to Jwa Woo.

“There was nothing special. How about you? I heard you spent all day examining documents at the government office. Did you discover anything unusual?”

“We didn’t find anything particularly strange on our end either.”

“What could be the reason for the villagers’ stomach aches? It’s not like there’s something wrong with the shared well, and the people who got sick didn’t eat anything together. They’re not even close acquaintances who frequently interact.”

“I think it might be an endemic disease.”

Yoo Chi Sung interjected casually.

The gazes of Jwa Woo, Hong Woo Geon, and Lee Gyo Young turned to Yoo Chi Sung.

Yoo Chi Sung continued speaking with his characteristic friendly smile.

“There was a similar incident in the village where I used to live. Some villagers started suffering from severe stomach aches.”

“What was the reason?”

“The drinking water used in the village was the problem.”

“The drinking water?”

“Apparently, there was a lot of limestone mixed in the water coming down from the mountain. It accumulated in people’s bodies and formed small stones, causing some to have severe stomach aches.”

“How did they solve it?”

Yoo Chi Sung answered Jwa Woo’s question.

“With water.”

“With water?”

“It was the physician’s prescription. He said the only way was to keep drinking water to flush out the stones accumulated in the body, so for a while, villagers were drinking water by the bucketful.”

“I see such things happen too.”

As Jwa Woo nodded, something flashed through her mind.

“Wait!”

Jwa Woo fell silent, deep in thought. Everyone’s gaze turned to her.

“What? Did you think of something?”

Hong Woo Geon asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

Jwa Woo looked around slowly and opened her mouth.

“What if there’s something the people with stomach aches ate in common, even if they didn’t eat together?”

“Something eaten in common, but not eaten together.”

Hong Woo Geon muttered, resting his chin on his hand.

Jwa Woo, with a strange smile on her lips, continued his words.

“For example…”

[This is the timeline separator]

At the foot of the mountain overlooking the village.

A massive mansion stood on land with mountains at its back and water in front.

Large coniferous trees had grown in the backyard of the house, causing the fierce winds coming down from the mountains to lose strength and collapse in the small forest each time. The stream flowing in front of the house played a significant role in cooling the summer heat.

The elevated floor connected to the men’s quarters was open on all sides, providing a clear view of the village below.

Though the night breeze was still cold, it was a pleasantly cool chill.

Jung Saengwon sat on the elevated floor of the men’s quarters, looking down at the village.

Despite Jung Saengwon’s small stature of only five feet.

Was it because of the arrogance etched on his face? Jung Saengwon did not look small at all.

For this reason, some people called him the ‘small giant’.

The small giant Jung Saengwon stared at the village plains shrouded in darkness.

Most of those plains belonged to Jung Saengwon.

How much effort had he put in to acquire that?

The more he pondered, the more pride in himself welled up. Along with it came lingering attachment to the parts he had yet to acquire.

How could he grasp all of that in his hands even a day sooner?

As Jung Saengwon was contemplating, the sound of hurried footsteps reached his ears.

It was Steward Koo, who was in charge of Jung Saengwon’s household affairs.

Steward Koo deeply bowed towards his small-statured master sitting with his back turned.

Jung Saengwon opened his mouth without taking his eyes off the darkened village.

“Well, how did it go?”

“As you instructed, we’ve bought up all the grains in the vicinity.”

A thick curve appeared on Jung Saengwon’s lips, which had been expressionless until now.

“Well done. It’s almost the barley hump, we need to prepare as much as necessary.”

“As a matter of fact, several villagers have already come by asking for grain.”

Jung Saengwon’s brow furrowed at Steward Koo’s report.

“Surely, you didn’t give them anything?”

“Goodness, master. How could this one do such a thing without permission?”

“Right. We must not release the goods before preparations are complete. Understand?”

“Yes, yes, of course.”

“How is Dolseok doing?”

“Don’t worry. He’s working day and night in the grain storehouse, trying to process even the newly acquired grain within the deadline.”

“Is there enough material?”

“It’s sufficient.”

“Very well.”

Only then did the wrinkles on Jung Saengwon’s forehead disappear, seemingly satisfied. Steward Koo, who had been glancing at his master’s expression, finally let out a sigh of relief.

[This is the timeline separator]

“For example? What is it?”

Yoo Chi Sung asked Jwa Woo, who was wearing a meaningful expression.

“I’ll need to look into it more to be certain, but…”

“Stop beating around the bush and speak properly.”

Yoo Chi Sung urged Jwa Woo, growing impatient.

“There is something the villagers ate in common.”

“So, what is it?”

It was Hong Woo Geon who answered Yoo Chi Sung’s question.

“Jung Saengwon’s grain.”

“Yes, that’s right. Most villagers borrowed grain from Jung Saengwon when they ran out.”

“Huh? Why?”

This time Lee Gyo Young spoke up.

“Come to think of it, Jung Saengwon’s wealth seems to have noticeably increased over the past few years. Looking at the accounting ledgers at the government office, eight-tenths of Yaseong County’s taxes came from Jung Saengwon.”

A gleam appeared in Hong Woo Geon’s eyes at Lee Gyo Young’s words.

“We need to find out by what methods that man is inflating his wealth.”

“What is all this talk about?”

Except for Yoo Chi Sung, who still couldn’t grasp the situation, the other three divided their roles.

“Let’s go around the village together tomorrow.”

Hong Woo Geon looked at Jwa Woo.

“Yes, let’s do that.”

“I’ll examine the government office documents more closely with Yoo Chi Sung.”

Jwa Woo’s voice followed Lee Gyo Young’s words.

“Please find out especially to whom the land and property of the deceased were transferred.”

“I will do so.”

“What is it? What did Jung Saengwon do?”

Jwa Woo answered Yoo Chi Sung, who asked again.

“That’s what we’re going to find out. What Jung Saengwon did. And what he’s doing now…”

Jwa Woo gazed into the darkness through the open window.

It was the moment when the secret this village had been harboring was starting to reveal its tail.