Ballad of the Mountain Fox

제 19 장: Overheard Overture

That man was staring at her again—glaring, rather.

Nara looked down and began picking at a single piece of straw from the floor.  The last thing she needed was to end up in a fight with one of the other prisoners, but especially that one.  His shoulders were broad and muscled, and the small white scar above his eyebrow promised that he had seen his fair share of fights.  Even though his arm might be injured, Nara doubted she would be able to come out the victor if they began trading punches.

A clanking at the doorway broke the man's focus, and all heads in the cell turned to the corridor.  Soon, the magistrate entered, followed by a brawny man in patched farmer's clothes.

"Ha Won Chul?" the magistrate called out.  The man with the scar deepened his scowl.

"There he is!" the farmer with the magistrate announced, pointing at the very person Nara had been trying to avoid all this time.

The magistrate looked a bit surprised.  "Uh...that's your friend?" he asked after a moment, casting a quick glance at the other prisoners.  "Are you sure?"

"Oh, yes, yes."  The farmer nodded.  "I was so worried when he didn't return in the evening—who knew he would've ended up in a fight!  He's usually quite a peaceable fellow."

Nara raised her brows in speculation, and even the magistrate didn't seem to completely buy the statement.  Won Chul, as he was called, practically radiated hostility.

"Well, I mean, uh, when he's sober."  The farmer gave a nervous laugh.  "But I can assure you, he's nothing to worry about.  This is just one great big misunderstanding."

Won Chul said nothing, but continued to glower at the two men.

"Do you realize where he was found?" the magistrate asked.

"Er..." the farmer cast a hesitant look at his friend.  "I believe he was...hunting?  Yes, he said he would get us some rabbits for dinner.  Usually when he does that, he leaves early in the morning and doesn't come back until late, so I didn't realize he was missing for a while.  I've been looking for him everywhere, but hadn't thought to check here until now."

"A local tradesman found him unconscious two days ago by the side of the road, just a twenty-minute walk away from a reported failed robbery that occurred farther down the mountain," the magistrate explained.

Nara's eyes grew wide, and the magistrate continued.

"Many of the bandits had been killed, but I assume that some managed to escape with their lives.  That one—" he pointed at Nara, who shrunk further into her corner, "—was brought in yesterday on suspicions of being associated with the robbery as well."

Finally, Won Chul spoke.  "I don't know that man," he objected.

The magistrate looked to Nara for confirmation.  She shook her head.

"Still," the magistrate said.  "I don't think an alibi will be enough in this case.  You'll have to wait for a trial."

"At least let me speak to him," the farmer objected before he could be ushered back out the door.  "He's my hyung."

The magistrate drew his lips into a thin line as he considered the plea.  "Five minutes," he finally said, and stormed out.

In the silence that followed, the two men cast slit-eyed glares at Nara, as the magistrate's mention of her had made them wary.  She suddenly found the wall to be very interesting.

At the other end of the cell, the oldest prisoner—a man of about sixty who reeked of soju—emitted a loud snore and rolled over.  The fourth prisoner in the cell, like Nara, also seemed intent on making himself as unnoticeable as possible, and so finally the two men decided that it would be safe to carry out their discussion—albeit in hushed tones.