WeTried Translations
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Editor: Abstract
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 105: The Secret of the Jade Token (1)
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[Mumu]
[Mui]
The Jade Medallions were inscribed with Mumu and Mui.
Jin-hyeok and Mo Il-hwa's eyes widened at the sight.
Mumu had simply shown them without explanation, yet Hae Ryang's clue was somehow connected to Mumu. They could not help but be shocked.
"What in the world is this?"
Mumu placed the Jade Medallions on his palm as he answered Mo Il-hwa's question.
"The one inscribed with Mumu is something I've had since I was a baby. I took the one inscribed with Mui from Senior Kang Mu-i."
"You took it from Senior Kang Mu-i? Didn't you say earlier that senior tried to kill you, and that he might be the real culprit behind Young Chun's death, or connected to the culprit?"
"Yeah. That's right."
"And he had one of these too?"
Mo Il-hwa stared intently at the two Jade Medallions.
Their shapes, materials, and craftsmanship were all so similar that it was hard to call it a coincidence. The only difference was the inscriptions.
"Mumu, did Senior Kang Mu-i tell you anything about this?"
"Nothing in detail yet."
"Good grief, this is just..."
Mo Il-hwa could not bring herself to finish.
The patterns on the Jade Medallions, and the way Mumu and Mui resembled a shared generational syllable, made it feel as though they were deeply connected.
Jin-hyeok then asked Mumu, "If you've had it since you were a baby, did your father give it to you?"
"No. They said I was wearing it around my neck when they found me."
"What did your father say about it?"
"He said he thought my birth parents might have put it on me."
Jin-hyeok let out a troubled sound, his expression hardening slightly.
Hae Ryang falling into a coma had been one reason, but Mumu had seemed paler than usual. Now it seemed this was why.
Silence settled over them for a moment. Then Jin-hyeok spoke again.
"Do you... think your birth parents might be connected to the people behind this incident?"
"..."
Mumu did not answer.
Even without a reply, Jin-hyeok knew that meant yes.
So this was what had been weighing on him.
Jin-hyeok could understand Mumu's feelings. Had he been in the same position, he would have been deeply confused as well.
This was not something that could be brushed aside. Regardless of Mumu's own wishes, he might be branded as one of them. Depending on what secrets the Jade Medallions held, it could also change how Mumu himself felt about everything.
"Does anyone else know about those Jade Medallions?"
Mo Il-hwa asked Mumu that question.
Mumu thought for a moment before answering.
"Ha Ryun, Senior Kang Mu-i, and Master Baek Woo-gi, who was the Examiner-in-Chief for the entrance examination, have seen them."
"That makes quite a few people if we include ourselves. Haa..."
Mo Il-hwa sighed, looking troubled.
Jin-hyeok asked, confused, "Why is that a problem?"
"Why do you think? If too many people know about something like this, Mumu could end up in a difficult position for no reason."
"...That's true."
"And it really is bad. The people who tried to commit that arson know, and so does a master with an important post at the academy."
"Ah."
Jin-hyeok let out a sigh.
It was certainly not a good situation. Even if Mumu had not meant for it to happen, it would be best to keep this matter hidden as much as possible.
"Wow... This is really unbelievable."
"Hm? What is?"
Mo Il-hwa clicked her tongue at Mumu's question.
"I thought secrets of birth were the sort of thing that only appeared in storybooks. I never thought it would happen to someone close to us."
"Miss Mo!"
Jin-hyeok lightly rebuked her.
Mumu was at the center of this matter, yet she was openly talking about it without considering how he might feel.
Mo Il-hwa waved her hand.
"I didn't say that to upset him. If it's Mumu's problem, it's practically our problem too."
"...What do you mean, our problem?"
"What, are we strangers?"
Jin-hyeok stared at Mo Il-hwa.
Strictly speaking, were they not strangers? Surely she was not still talking like this because she had some connection with his older brother in mind.
Jin-hyeok sighed.
"Either way, this is a serious matter for Mumu."
"Of course it is. But we need to calmly think together about what to do."
"That's true, but how could we..."
"Mumu's thoughts matter most."
"What?"
"Right, Mumu?"
Mumu tilted his head at Mo Il-hwa's words.
"My thoughts?"
"Yes. Your thoughts."
Mumu pursed his lips for a moment, then spoke.
"...What if I'm really closely connected to the people who tried to kill all the cadets?"
"That's the thing troubling you most?"
"Yeah."
"Given the situation, there is a high chance that you're connected to them."
"...That's true."
"Let me ask you one thing. If it becomes certain that your birth is tied to them, would you want to be with them?"
Mumu frowned at the question. Then he shook his head.
He could not think well of people who had tried to burn every cadet to death.
"I don't like them."
"So you don't think well of them. But what if they have their own reasons?"
"Reasons?"
"Yes. I think every chain of cause and effect has its own reasons. Of course, there are exceptions, fools who hurt and torment others just because they feel like it. But if they are not like that, they may have reasons and old grievances of their own."
Jin-hyeok spoke as though he could not agree.
"Even if they have grievances or reasons, people who tried to massacre countless others and frame someone else for their crimes cannot be considered justified."
"You're so rigid."
"I'm not being rigid. There is a minimum standard of right and wrong."
"That's what makes you rigid. Think about it. Throughout history, when one country invades another and countless people die, the invaded country later takes revenge in kind. Is that wrong?"
"I'm not saying revenge itself is wrong. What I mean is..."
"Then let me put it this way. The invaded country lost all its elderly parents, people who had not even taken part in the war. So when they took revenge, they killed the elderly parents on the other side as well. Up to that point, it might be considered fair. But after enduring hardship and building their strength to take revenge, they decide to eliminate future trouble. Based on that experience, they kill even all the young children on the other side. Is that always wrong?"
"..."
Jin-hyeok could not answer.
He understood what she was trying to say. In a chain of cause and effect with its own reasons and circumstances, it was impossible to say that one side was unquestionably right or wrong.
"So it isn't a matter of right and wrong."
"I'm not saying you're wrong. That's just how I see it."
"...Miss Mo's words have merit as well. It seems my perspective was shallow."
Jin-hyeok saw Mo Il-hwa differently.
He had thought she was simply bold and full of crafty ideas compared to most women. He had not expected her to have such a deeply held view of justice.
"It's just a difference in perspective. No need to call it perspective or anything. Anyway, Mumu, what I want to ask is this. If your birth is connected to them, and they claim they have a cause for doing this, what would you want to do?"
"Me? Um..."
Mumu could not readily answer.
Mo Il-hwa looked at Jin-hyeok this time.
"This isn't just someone else's problem."
Jin-hyeok suddenly felt his chest tighten.
She had a point. The arson incident, and the methods used by the people behind it, were closer to the force of evil than the force of justice.
Seventeen years ago, when the Mighty Conqueror Council fell, countless force of evil members lost their lives. He had even heard that their roots had been wiped out to prevent future trouble.
What if Mumu's parents were among those force of evil members?
If Mumu's birth was tied to them, then force of justice members might be his enemies.
If Mumu learned the truth and chose to join them, there would be no reason to condemn him. As Mo Il-hwa said, it would be natural in a chain of cause and effect.
Still...
Then every force of justice member might see Mumu as an enemy.
That would be the worst possible outcome.
It would be cruel for Mumu, but it would be no different for those around him and his family. His older brother Yu Jin-sung and Jin-hyeok himself were practically people of the force of justice.
What... should I do? If that really happens...
Jin-hyeok's thoughts became tangled.
At first, he had thought this was simply Mumu's problem. But after hearing Mo Il-hwa's words and giving it thought, he realized this was everyone's problem.
If Mumu understands that they have their own reasons and accepts them, would I have to fight Mumu as a member of the force of justice?
Just thinking about it weighed heavily on his heart.
Jin-hyeok now saw Mumu as his brother. If his brother became his enemy, and circumstances forced them into that position, it would be difficult to judge what was right.
Ahhh...
He had never seriously considered the force of justice and the force of evil before. But now that he was forced to think about it, he could not tell what was right and what was wrong.
What would my older brother think? What would Father think...
Thump!
It felt as if Jin-hyeok had been struck in the head by a hammer.
Father...
His father, Yu Yeop-kyung.
Yu Yeop-kyung had been falsely accused and sent into exile as a criminal. The whole world called him a criminal, and even his relatives treated the family as criminals. Yet Yu Jin-sung and their mother had endured it all and believed in him.
"Even if Father truly committed a crime and the whole world became his enemy, we cannot turn against him."
He remembered what his older brother Jin-sung had said.
At that memory, Jin-hyeok's chest grew hot.
Right and wrong, justice and evil, none of that was what mattered.
Why had I let myself be bound by something so trivial?
Smack!
Jin-hyeok tightly gripped Mumu's hand.
"Hm?"
"Mumu."
"What is it?"
"Whoever you are, whatever choice you make after learning the truth, it doesn't matter."
"What do you mean?"
"You're my brother."
"..."
"Even if you're connected to them and decide to join them, I will respect my brother's decision. And I trust you."
"Jin-hyeok..."
"My older brother, Father, and Mother will feel the same way. No, they would support you to the very end. Even if the whole world becomes your enemy, we are family. You will never be alone."
There was firm resolve in his voice.
Mumu's eyes reddened as he saw the boundless trust in Jin-hyeok's gaze.
"Really?"
"Yes. I swear it."
Mumu's chest swelled with emotion, and he understood.
He finally knew why he had felt so down after learning about the Jade Medallions. He had been seized by the fear that he might become separated from the people he treasured.
Squeeze!
Mumu gripped Jin-hyeok's hand tightly as well.
"Thank you. You and our family matter to me too."
The two confirmed their familial bond and trust in each other.
Mumu was grateful for it all. Then Jin-hyeok spoke.
"But..."
"But?"
"...I know you're happy, but loosen your grip a little."
The hand Mumu was holding trembled, apparently in pain.
Mumu hurriedly released it.
"Are you okay?"
"...I'm fine. Anyway, no matter what secret your birth holds, I'll stay with you, so don't worry. And our family was never caught up in the grudges between the force of justice and the force of evil to begin with."
"Oh my. The same goes for our family."
Mo Il-hwa cut in.
Jin-hyeok's eyes brightened.
Come to think of it, she was from an official's family, so she too had little connection to the martial world's grudges. Perhaps that was fortunate for Mumu.
"Il-hwa. Thank you."
"If you're grateful, treat your older sister well for the rest of your life."
"Okay."
Mumu answered with a bright smile.
"Anyway, that's enough of confirming our trust in each other. We need to come up with a plan now."
"A plan?"
"Yes. We still don't know what relationship you have with that side."
"That's true."
"Wouldn't learning that come first? Our trust in each other is one thing, but if it becomes known that your birth is truly connected to them, we don't know how the situation might change."
Jin-hyeok agreed with Mo Il-hwa.
"Miss Mo is right. Only if you or we learn the truth first can we respond to the situation somehow."
"Yeah. Okay."
Mumu answered easily, but Mo Il-hwa spoke to him in a serious voice.
"Mumu, prepare yourself."
"Prepare myself?"
"If your birth is truly connected to them and it comes to light, everyone may see you as an enemy regardless of your own wishes or decisions."
Mumu smiled faintly at her words.
"You're smiling?"
"It's okay."
"It's okay?"
"Yeah. Il-hwa and Jin-hyeok said they would trust me and stay with me."
"Look at this kid. We might feel that way, but isn't it frightening if everyone else becomes your enemy?"
"No. I'm not afraid."
Mumu raised a hand to chest height and clenched his fist tightly.
Crack!
Then he said as though it were nothing.
"We just need to make them think it's more frightening to have me as their enemy."
!?
Jin-hyeok and Mo Il-hwa frowned at the same time.
What kind of thinking was that?
Footnotes:
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