Boy Monster Chapter 76

Jae Eunho seemed to have been disguised as a patient carried on a wild ginseng digger’s back. After passing through the bushes on a straw mat, Jae Eunho quickly got off his disciple’s back. The two men bowed from a distance. After finishing their formal greetings, the two men knelt before the king and bowed their heads.

Just then, Jang Hwonwoo took out a silk cloth from a bundle and swiftly spread it under Jae Eunho’s knees. At that point, he was less of an escort warrior and more of a servant boy. Jae Eunho furrowed his dark, straight eyebrows and snapped in a lowered voice, lest Prince Uichin overhear.

“This is a cloth used for the Palgwanhoe ceremony. What are you doing spreading it on the dirt ground!”

“I brought one that befits the beauty and dignity of the person who will use it.”

“Are you joking in a situation like this? You didn’t bring the notebook I told you to bring earlier, did you.”

“Oh dear. I forgot.”

“You steal a ceremonial cloth to bring it here, yet you forget the materials where the great plan is written down. Chukrokjabulgyeonsan (逐鹿者不見山), he who chases the deer sees no mountain. If you get caught up in what’s right in front of you, you’re bound to miss what you must do….”

“But you also said you would come barefoot, yet you packed three pairs of socks, sir.”

“Is that the same as your mistake? You were only thinking about that again, weren’t you?”

“Of course.”

“What!”

Watching the two bickering, Prince Uichin was inwardly pleased. The two men’s quarrel was just like a married couple’s squabble, blaming each other over packing for a family picnic. Yes, seeing how close they seemed, he wouldn’t have to worry about their ability to cooperate.

Sensing that the marital spat wouldn’t end at this rate, Prince Uichin was the first to make a suggestion.

“How about we survey the surroundings first?”

Only then did Jae Eunho stop talking, raised his wrist, and pressed his palms together. The prayer beads glowed faintly for a moment, after which Jae Eunho confirmed their safety.

“There is no one here.”

“We don’t know who might come and when, so it’s best we finish our talk quickly. The reason for setting the experiment for the full moon, is it because of Sa Hwelju?”

Jae Eunho took the lead in discussing the great plan and began to answer.

“Yes, that is correct. Traditionally, the ritual to channel Sa Hwelju’s power has been performed on a full moon or a solar eclipse. Sa Hwelju’s power is closely related to the moon. As it is a power of darkness that deals with death, it resonates with the night and darkness. That is why they say that on the day of a solar eclipse, the power of darkness that Sa Hwelju possesses becomes exceptionally strong. Even when confirming whether one is the master of the power or not, their blood must not be affected by the moonlight. They must be born with an aura so profound (黯黯) and mystical that it is not influenced by the moon.”

“I see. So, while pretending to carry out the experiment on that day, you plan to erase all memories of the Sashimcheon family and Sa Hwelju from the Japanese cabinet members gathered there.”

“Yes. That is why we went to great lengths to place Hiroshi in the position of First Lieutenant, to create an occasion for the key cabinet members to gather.”

It was only right to prevent a divine and immense power from falling into the hands of an enemy nation. Prince Uichin, agreeing with their plan, asked another question.

“It’s good that you’re using the fact that only a few people know of your existence. Seeing Sa Yeonri’s abilities, it’s a perfectly feasible plan, but don’t you need a reason for those high-ranking officials to cross the distant sea all the way to Changdeokgung Palace? If you erase the information about Sa Hwelju, won’t they wonder why they gathered there? It must be a very important matter for military ministers to gather at the palace.”

At the sharp question, Jae Eunho laid out the pre-prepared plan without hesitation.

“We will present one corpse and implant an alternative memory.”

“A corpse?”

“We will implant the alternative memory of ‘the funeral of a psychic who was a secret agent for the Joseon royal family.’ We just need to fabricate and inject a few cases of what kind of exploits they performed on which battlefields. If it’s a project for the doctors’ team to dissect that body, it would have to be done with key military ministers watching.”

In short, the plan was to pull the wool over their eyes by taking away all their memories and instead planting a plausible story of a fake hero. Jang Hwonwoo, taking over the conversation without Jae Eunho’s permission, said.

“We will offer the body of the previous family head.”

The eyes of the startled Prince Uichin and Jang Hwonwoo met. His words meant that he was going to murder the previous family head.

Jae Eunho listened silently to Jang Hwonwoo’s words, his face unreadable. As if he had anticipated Prince Uichin’s agitation, Jang Hwonwoo continued smoothly.

“I will handle that matter myself. That man is currently disheartened and has been pushed behind the scenes, but he will soon try to make a comeback. That means my own life is also in danger. He is a man who would covet the throne if he gets his hands on Sa Hwelju. A tyrant and a murderer who sees Hweljus and Yeonris as objects. We must eliminate the root of the trouble in advance.”

He had heard that the previous family head, who had handed the family over to Japan, was also extremely tyrannical towards the Hweljus and Yeonris. He had reputedly cut off arms and legs as an example and had even ordered executions. Prince Uichin also had ill feelings towards the man, but even if he was a patricidal criminal who had ruined his family, Jang Hwonwoo’s decision to eliminate his own father must not have been easy.

In the struggle for power, fidelity between parents and siblings is hard to find. Underhanded strife, by any means necessary, was a constant occurrence even within the royal family. With a bitter heart, Prince Uichin withheld his reply.

Jae Eunho slowly opened his mouth.

“That is why we need the cooperation of the royal family. After the illusion is implanted, all Your Majesty has to do is say one thing: that you will now collect the body and hold a funeral, so everyone should please return.”

“That much is not difficult. A fake funeral for a fake person… It all sounds fine, but… will the bio-experimentation team of doctors come all this way just to go back empty-handed?”

“We can just inject an illusion that the autopsy yielded no significant findings. The general anatomical knowledge can be pieced together by rummaging through that person’s head.”

Jae Eunho gave a flawless answer. As long as they secured a body to put in the coffin, it was a perfect plan.

Jang Hwonwoo, who would be in charge of the site, continued his explanation.

“On the day, we will have already removed Sa Yeonri’s power-control talisman. Before the experiment ritual begins, Sa Yeonri will implant an illusion in everyone. In the meantime, I will place the previous family head, who is lying on the experiment table, into the coffin. The rest is as we have explained. Once the communion is over, they will politely pay their respects to the coffin and return to their hotel.”

It was a clean operation that required neither bombs nor gunshots. Then, the Japanese military ministers and key cabinet officials would return to their home country burdened only by the war, having forgotten all information about the Sashimcheon family and Sa Hwelju as if it never existed in the first place.

Sa Yeonri’s communion ability, which could search people’s minds and manipulate them with illusions, was at times more useful than any lethal weapon.

“Until they return to Japan and Manchuria, we will cause a fire at the Central Telephone Office to knock out the entire international telephone network in Gyeongseong, making it impossible for them to make international calls, and manipulate the bio-experimentation doctor’s movements to keep him tied up in Gyeongseong for a few more days. We will immediately mobilize all available flight-capable Poong Hweljus to swiftly move to Japan and completely erase any information about us from the remaining high-ranking officials. After that, we just need to sequentially erase any remaining written records, and that will be the end of it.”

The two had meticulously planned even the post-operation cleanup. Unlike the previous family head, who focused only on defeating enemies through battle, Jae Eunho and Jang Hwonwoo’s indirect military strategy was elaborate and flawless. Jae Eunho’s plan to silently and quietly bring ruin upon the opponent resembled his personality. Theirs was a vision and stratagem that made them more than qualified to be entrusted with the family.

The king, lost in thought for a moment, painted a blueprint for what would happen after the operation succeeded.

“Then we can gradually combine the Sashimcheon family’s military power with the Liberation Army’s forces to restore our national sovereignty.”

“It will be more than possible. With the United States having started oil and economic sanctions because of the Japan-Soviet Neutrality Pact, Japan, which is barely procuring war supplies by recklessly printing currency in its colonies, must be feeling suffocated. At this time, we will instill an inflated sense of arrogance in the military clique leaders close to the emperor, that ‘we can beat America, we can win the war,’ to induce a preemptive strike. When they, who have misjudged out of haste and arrogance, self-destruct and weaken, we will step forward and reclaim our homeland.”

“That’s right. War, too, originates from the thoughts of just a few decision-makers…. It’s a persuasive plan. I and the Provisional Government* will be with you in what comes after.”

As Prince Uichin gave his final confirmation, the faces of the two men, which had been hardened with tension, softened considerably. The hope of reclaiming freedom and light after a long wait was approaching. As a bond was forming in the silence, Jang Hwonwoo cautiously asked a question.

“…However, Your Majesty, it seems we haven’t heard news of a Sa Hwelju bloodline being born into the Joseon royal family for a very long time. Has there been such a precedent?”

Prince Uichin replied nonchalantly to Jang Hwonwoo’s question.

“There has been no history of it being absent for several decades. Perhaps someone hid it. It’s just as well, since Japan can’t use that power as they please now. Just think what would have happened if they had seized both the power of Sa Hwelju and its master along with the annexation treaty. Horrifying.”

“If the bloodline was hidden… who would have hidden it, and how?”

“I’m just saying.”

“It would be possible if they deceived everyone with fake blood when offering it at the Hwangudan Altar.”

Prince Uichin, who had over twenty children by now, realized that Jang Hwonwoo suspected him. But even if the fellow suspected him, nothing would change.

It was better for there to be no master of Sa Hwelju for now. Great power is a great maelstrom. If a secret art bestowed by the heavens were to fall into the hands of the enemy, it would become a great disaster. So, with the world embroiled in war, it was better that the master of the power did not exist. No, they must not exist.

Jang Hwonwoo. He was a dangerous beast. If Jae Eunho hadn’t chosen him as a comrade for the great cause, he might have eliminated him early on. That was how much of a troublesome danger the man possessed as an enemy.

But there must have been a clear reason why Jae Eunho chose him. It was because of his communion ability that Jae Eunho had first sent a secret letter to Prince Uichin requesting protection and cooperation. It was because he had searched the prince’s mind and was convinced that he was a man of trustworthy conviction. It must be the same for Jang Hwonwoo. Since he had earned Jae Eunho’s trust, surely he couldn’t be a dangerous person.

Prince Uichin deliberately ignored the chilling nature he felt from Jang Hwonwoo and changed the subject.

“Oh, by the way. You. You’ve detained your master, Sa Yeonri?”

“Yes. I have him detained in my room, day and night….”

Jae Eunho raised his hand high. A loud smack resounded as his palm struck the head of the fearsome-looking servant boy. Jae Eunho, cutting him off, answered instead.

“Day and night, we are putting our heads together and discussing the independence of Joseon. It was a measure I proposed first. I thought it would be the safest excuse to have detailed discussions before the operation.”

“That’s right. Because of that, I often get hit. The handprints are mostly left on my back….”

“I cannot help but resort to caning when teaching a. dull. witted. dis. ci. ple.”

“However, I’m not the only one getting hit. In the upper body of the operation, that is, the brain aspect, I may get scratched up by Sa Yeonri, but in the lower body, for example, the actual assassinations or kidnappings, which are the pillars and lower-body activities of the operation, I am extremely violent and thorough, so in the end, my teacher is also satisfied….”

Jang Hwonwoo, trailing off, somehow swallowed a laugh by himself. But the moment Jae Eunho shot a glare at him from the side, Jang Hwonwoo’s expression instantly turned serious. It was a change of face that would put a Chinese Bian Lian performance to shame.

Footnote:

1. Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea