As True as a Dream Chapter 158
“Huh? Where did all the newspapers go?”
“They’ve all been loaded and taken. Best to distribute them all before sunrise,” Yi-Ho replied.
Hae-Joo nodded at his answer. The absence of the middle-aged man who always handled things and the old truck usually parked by the warehouse confirmed the papers had indeed been taken.
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
“Good work, Brother Yongzhou. Please reconsider what I mentioned earlier.”
“If there’s proof… I’ll definitely investigate thoroughly.”
At Hae-Joo’s words, Yongzhou nodded and turned away. When he had disappeared into the distance, Hae-Joo approached Ban Yi-Ho.
“Did they take everything?”
“Yes. By this morning, Gyeongseong will be turned upside down.”
“That’s exactly what we wanted.”
Their eyes met and they exchanged quiet smiles.
“Go alone when you visit Bongchun Pavilion later.”
Hae-Joo’s eyebrows shot up at Yi-Ho’s sudden statement after the silence.
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t go. I just won’t show myself. I’ll be right beside you the whole time.”
Though initially confused, Hae-Joo soon understood his meaning. She was the one who had insisted on active participation in this operation. While Yi-Ho had to deal with Man Insa, some matters required operating in the shadows to avoid complications.
“Understood. Be careful.”
“That’s my line.”
Yi-Ho lightly flicked her forehead with his finger.
* * *
Governor-General’s Office, Joseon.
“[Goddamn it…! Who did this? What son of a bitch printed this?!]”
Governor Saito’s chest heaved with rage as he violently threw the newspaper on his desk. The papers had appeared mysteriously and by dawn were scattered throughout every street in Gyeongseong.
The newspaper specifically accused Governor Saito of masterminding the recent murders and disasters that had terrorized the city – with disturbingly precise and factual details. What enraged him most was that most allegations were true.
Like ripples in calm water, the news sent quiet but intense shockwaves through the city. The bizarre incidents and the government’s ambiguous responses had long unsettled Gyeongseong’s citizens.
“[…That bastard Ban Yi-Ho…!]”
Bloodshot eyes burning with anger, Saito suddenly pictured the fox-like face of Ban Yi-Ho. Only that monster who had escaped at Song Yue Pavilion could have uncovered everything so thoroughly.
“Couldn’t even find him after all this? Not very impressive for the Governor-General of Joseon.”
A childish yet mocking voice rang out from one corner of the office – Man Insa wearing his child disguise.
“[When will you find him? That fox.]”
Saito glared murderously at the newspaper. “Soon. Definitely.”
“[Tch, I’d find him faster myself.]”
“[If you could’ve found him, you would’ve done it already,]” Saito muttered indifferently.
Man Insa raised his eyebrows and giggled. “Keke, true. That half-yokai isn’t easy prey.”
A knock interrupted them. A uniformed soldier entered and saluted.
“[Urgent report, sir.]”
The soldier hurriedly placed a small note on the desk. Saito’s eyes blazed as he read it.
“[Dr. Matsudaka never came to Joseon?]”
“[No sir. We checked all ship and train records. No entry for Dr. Matsudaka.]”
Saito remembered the doctor yesterday bowing deeply, insisting on showing Mao to Matsudaka. “[Just one day. Tomorrow will suffice, Your Excellency. After the examination, we’ll escort the young lady to your residence where Dr. Matsudaka himself will explain the results.]”
“[That son of a bitch…!]”
After leaving the hospital yesterday, Saito had ordered his men to verify Matsudaka’s whereabouts. If the elderly doctor had truly come to Joseon for Mao, proper hospitality was required. But this revelation set Saito’s mind racing.
“[Find him! Immediately! The doctor who treated Mao! Check if she’s still in her room!]”
Saito’s face turned deathly pale as he shouted. The startled soldier quickly acknowledged and rushed out.
But watching him leave, Saito’s icy intuition already knew – Mao wouldn’t be in that hospital room.
“Oho? What’s wrong?”
Man Insa twirled over curiously. Saito, face ashen, grabbed the boy’s slender shoulders desperately.
“[You can do it, right? You can find Mao. Yes?]”
“Huh? Daddy lost his daughter?”
“[Find her…! Whatever you want, I’ll give you anything! Just find my…!]”
“Even if it costs every life in Joseon?”
“[Mao’s life is worth more than those vermin.]”
Man Insa’s white teeth glinted in a chilling smile at Saito’s immediate answer.
“The more I eat, the hungrier I get. How perfect.”
Madness flickered in his gleaming eyes.
* * *
Noon, Same Day
Hae-Joo stood before Bongchun Pavilion, a Chinese restaurant in Gyeongseong. Two days earlier, they’d received instructions to come here.
She scanned the area once before entering but detected no sign of Yi-Ho. He was well-hidden indeed.
Maintaining her composure, she stepped inside.
The restaurant was quiet, not particularly busy. A tough-looking man slouching at the counter suddenly straightened up with an exaggerated smile.
“Dining today?”
“Yes. I have a noon reservation. For the blossoming flowers.”
Momentarily unsure what to say, Hae-Joo quietly recited part of the note’s instructions.
The man’s eyes flashed strangely before he smoothly turned. “This way please. Let me show you.”
He led her through narrow winding corridors lined with identical doors – a deliberately confusing layout. Yet the guide moved unerringly to their destination.
“Go on in.”
At the lacquered red door, the man nodded slightly and left.
Taking a nervous breath, Hae-Joo knocked.
“Enter.”
A deep baritone responded.
Inside, the spacious sunlit room contrasted sharply with the cramped hallway. Three people waited – one man in his 30s and two women (one in her 20s, the other 40s). They studied her as intently as she did them.
With her long hair tucked under a cap and worn rough shirt, Hae-Joo could pass for a teenage boy at first glance.
“I’m Kim So-hwa. Our young comrade here is Ahn Young-ji, and this is Comrade Lee Min-byeong.”
The older woman broke the brief silence.
“Yeon Hae-Joo.”
“Comrade Yeon, welcome.”
The man lounging arrogantly at the round table gave her an odd look. “Are you a woman or man? Pretty enough to be annoying if you’re male, but if you’re female, why dress like that?”
His bluntness made Hae-Joo smirk. “Does gender matter?”
“Not what I meant.”
“Female. This outfit’s practical.”
“Ah! A woman! Married? How old?”
“…Excuse me?”
Lee Min-byeong’s sudden friendly demeanor startled her into stepping back.
“I’m Lee Min-byeong! Thirty-five, widowed, healthy single man! Even in men’s clothes, your beauty shines through! What man wouldn’t notice? That’s why I asked.”
“…Twenty.”
“Fifteen years difference… Maybe too much?”
He stroked his beard thoughtfully until So-hwa stepped between them coldly.
“First Comrade Ahn, now Comrade Yeon. What love-starved ghost possesses you?”
“Hoho! You guessed right! Since we’re all living short violent lives anyway, what’s wrong with wanting to share hearts with a beautiful woman?”
“Fifteen years is father-daughter territory.”
“Eh? Nonsense!”
“Easy math if you’d gotten someone pregnant young. Have you no shame? Drop those filthy thoughts.”
So-hwa’s tongue was sharp indeed.
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