Unbinding Tradition

103. His wife; His strength! ✨

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The dim glow of the lantern flickered as the night breeze whistled through the empty streets. The collector's office stood eerily silent, its corridors vacant except for one man-Jeon Jungkook.

The once-authoritative Collector, now reduced to clerical tasks, sat hunched over a pile of files. His fingers absently tapped against the wooden desk as his eyes flickered to the clock on the wall.

10:00 PM.

It was time.

He swiftly stacked the papers, ensuring everything was in order before locking up. Glancing around, he stepped outside, his sharp eyes scanning the deserted street. No one. But he had learned the hard way that silence did not always mean safety.

Jungkook walked briskly to his bike, adjusting the scarf around his neck before kick-starting it. The old machine roared to life, and within seconds, he sped off, cutting through the dusty roads under the faint glow of the moon.

---

The path was long, stretching away from the heart of the village into a desolate area. A place where secrets were safe. After riding for a while, Jungkook finally arrived at his destination-a small, worn-out hut, tucked amidst overgrown bushes. He slowed down, parking his bike a safe distance away before proceeding on foot.

His eyes darted around, ensuring no prying eyes were following him. Satisfied, he pushed open the creaky wooden door and stepped inside.

Inside, a single lantern barely lit the room, casting eerie shadows against the mud walls. Seated on the floor, wrapped in a thick shawl, was a man. As soon as Jungkook entered, the man uncovered his face, revealing a pair of worn-out yet alert eyes.

The servant from the Sarpanch's house.

The man had once been a nameless worker in the Sarpanch's vast haveli, one of the many who had endured his cruelty in silence. But fate had turned, and now, he was Jungkook's only hope.

"Sahab..." the servant whispered, his voice barely above a murmur as he reached into the folds of his shawl. "I brought what I could find."

He pulled out a stack of papers and extended them toward Jungkook. The former collector wasted no time, grabbing the documents and stepping closer to the lantern, his brows furrowing as he began flipping through them.

The Papers

Jungkook's eyes scanned the pages, absorbing the contents:

Financial records with suspicious transactions: Several entries showed large sums of money being withdrawn from the village development funds with no record of where they went. The amounts were enough to fund multiple schools, roads, and even a hospital, yet the village had seen none of these improvements.

Illegal land acquisitions: The Sarpanch had fraudulently transferred government-owned lands into his family's name. While most of the village believed these lands were still under government control, in reality, they had been seized through bribery and deceit.

Letters to corrupt officials: There were notes addressed to influential bureaucrats, promising them a cut of profits in exchange for turning a blind eye to his misdeeds. These hinted at a network of corruption but weren't incriminating enough on their own.

Jungkook exhaled sharply, his fingers tightening around the papers.

Jk- This proves his corruption... but it's not enough to destroy him. (he murmured, more to himself than to the servant)

He flipped through the last few sheets, then paused.

A name caught his eye.

Ramprasad-The man Sarpanch blamed for government property theft.