Chapter 36 A Familiar Name
1051 Words
The next morning, the sky was covered with soft gray clouds.
The air felt heavy, as if rain was waiting somewhere above the city.
Jin Woo arrived at the court early.
He preferred silence before the hall filled with voices and false smiles.
The palace servants bowed as he passed. Officials greeted him politely. Some were sincere. Most were careful.
He answered with the same calm expression.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
He had learned long ago that people often revealed more when they believed you were not watching.
And Jin Woo was always watching.
He entered the records hall again.
Stacks of old reports waited for him. Land records, family registries, military reports, tax documents. Most people would find them boring.
For Jin Woo, they were truth hidden behind paper.
He sat down and opened another file.
His eyes moved slowly across the lines.
At first, it was ordinary.
Then one name made his fingers stop.
Han Seojun.
Jin Woo stared at it for a moment.
The name was familiar.
Too familiar.
He leaned back slightly and closed his eyes.
A memory returned.
Years ago, before his marriage, before his rise became stable, there had been a young officer in the capital. Quiet. Smart. Careful with words.
Han Seojun.
They had crossed paths only a few times, but Jin Woo remembered him clearly.
Because Seojun was not a man who wasted words.
And because once, late at night after a court meeting, Seojun had said something strange.
“Be careful of beautiful things in the palace. The most dangerous poison often wears silk.”
At that time, Jin Woo had only smiled and thought it was a strange warning.
Now, years later, those words returned with a different weight.
Jin Woo opened his eyes.
He looked at the report again.
Han Seojun had disappeared from official records three years ago.
No explanation.
No transfer.
No death notice.
Just gone.
That was not normal.
He turned the page.
Nothing.
Another page.
Still nothing.
It was as if someone had erased him.
Jin Woo’s expression became colder.
People were not removed so cleanly unless someone powerful wanted them gone.
He closed the file.
Quietly.
Carefully.
This was important.
Very important.
Someone who disappeared without a trace was either a threat…
or a witness.
And Jin Woo had a strong feeling Han Seojun had seen something he should not have seen.
Something connected to Ara.
A soft knock came at the door.
“Enter.”
A young servant stepped inside.
“My lord, Minister Choi wishes to see you.”
Jin Woo stood.
“Tell him I am coming.”
The servant bowed and left.
Jin Woo looked once more at the file before placing it aside.
Han Seojun.
He would remember that name.
He would find the truth.
No matter how deeply it was buried.
He walked toward Minister Choi’s office.
Choi was one of the older officials in court. Careful with politics, careful with enemies, and careful with survival.
A man who had lasted this long was never simple.
When Jin Woo entered, Minister Choi smiled politely.
“Lord Jin Woo, please sit.”
Jin Woo sat across from him.
Tea was served.
Neither touched it.
Minister Choi folded his hands.
“You have adjusted quickly after your return.”
“I only do my duty.”
Choi gave a small smile.
“Duty is a beautiful word. Very useful in court.”
Jin Woo remained silent.
The old man watched him for a moment.
Then his voice became quieter.
“There are many people watching you.”
“I know.”
“And yet, you seem unconcerned.”
Jin Woo looked at him calmly.
“Should I be?”
Minister Choi sighed softly.
“You always were difficult to read.”
He leaned forward slightly.
“Then let me be direct. Some doors in this palace should remain closed.”
Jin Woo’s eyes did not move.
“And if those doors were closed to hide blood?”
The room became still.
Even the servant outside seemed far away.
Minister Choi’s expression changed.
Only for a second.
But Jin Woo saw it.
That small reaction was enough.
The old man lowered his voice.
“There are truths that destroy everyone who touches them.”
Jin Woo answered without hesitation.
“Some truths are worth destruction.”
Silence followed.
Long and heavy.
Finally, Minister Choi sat back.
For the first time, his polite smile disappeared.
“You truly came back for this.”
It was not a question.
Jin Woo did not deny it.
“Yes.”
Choi looked at him for a long moment.
Then he said quietly,
“If you continue, you will force powerful people to move against you.”
“They already have.”
Another silence.
Then Minister Choi reached for a paper and wrote something quickly.
He folded it and pushed it across the table.
Jin Woo looked at it.
“A place,” Choi said. “Outside the capital. Old records were once moved there. Forgotten by most.”
Jin Woo took the paper.
“Why help me?”
The old man looked toward the window.
Because once, long ago, your wife helped someone in my family when she had no reason to do so.”
His voice was softer now.
“Kindness creates debts. Some are remembered.”
Jin Woo’s fingers tightened slightly around the paper.
For a brief moment, something passed through his eyes.
Not weakness.
But pain.
Quiet and deep.
He stood and bowed.
“Thank you.”
Minister Choi nodded.
“Be careful, Jin Woo. Revenge can keep a man alive… but it can also make him forget how to live.”
Jin Woo gave a faint, unreadable expression.
“I already know.”
Then he turned and left.
Outside, the first drops of rain began to fall.
Cold against stone.
Soft at first.
Then heavier.
Jin Woo stood under the palace steps, looking at the gray sky.
His hand rested over the folded paper hidden in his sleeve.
Han Seojun.
Old records.
A forgotten place.
The path ahead was becoming clearer.
And for the first time in many days, he felt close to something real.
Not just suspicion.
Not just silence.
But truth.
And truth, once found, could never be buried again.
- Writer
