Ballad of the Mountain Fox

제 33 장: A Measure of Guilt

"Won Soo!"

Young Min kicked out at his current opponent, cursing as a searing pain tore up his leg in protest. He gritted his teeth against the discomfort and blocked the next attack, all the while trying to get to the prone form of his servant, to see if Won Soo was all right.

But it was no use! Even though Ji Hoon's men and the mountain bandits were fighting each other, they still outnumbered Young Min, and his curse was not helping. Any moment now, and the pain in his legs would be too unbearable to ignore. He would-

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF THE KING IS GOING ON HERE?"

If there was one thing Young Min could say about the mountain bandits, it was that they got distracted easily. He used the interruption to knock his opponent unconscious with the hilt of his sword before his own legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground.

"I will not stand to have such a disturbance right outside my own home! I demand you all leave this instant!"

Young Min gritted his teeth and finally looked up to find the source of the outburst. None other than Jimin's father was standing in the doorway to his estate, with a handful of manservants holding various gardening instruments standing behind him as enforcement.

Ji Hoon's three skilled fighters were the first to leave, shooting glares in Young Min's direction as they limped off down the road. Young Min did not trust them to stay away for long-after all, their employer still resided behind the walls of the Oh estate. As soon as Jimin's father went back inside, they would return.

The robbers staggered away next, supporting three of their own fighters who did not rise, including the one that Young Min had just knocked unconscious.

That only left Young Min and the prone form of Won Soo lying in the middle of the street.

Ignoring the pain of his curse, Young Min staggered to his feet-or tried to. His legs refused to hold his weight any longer, and he instead resorted to crawling across the ground to reach his servant.

"Won Soo!" Young Min hissed. There was a pool of blood forming on the ground, and a large gash in his servant's side. Won Soo's eyes were closed and his face was dangerously pale.

"Is that you, Park Young Min?" Jimin's father called out, and Young Min looked up. "What are you doing here, in the middle of all this ruckus?"

Young Min could feel tears forming in his eyes and blinked them back furiously. "Please," he said, "Can you help him?"

Jimin's father gestured to two of the servants behind him, and the men stepped out from the gate to pick up Won Soo and carry him inside. Young Min tried to go with them, but his legs still refused to cooperate.

"Well?" Jimin's father said. "Get up!"

Young Min shook his head. "I-I can't."

Another servant was sent to help Young Min to his feet, and the young noble leaned on the man's offered shoulder as they made their way through the front gate.

Then Young Min suddenly stopped. "Wait!"

He turned around, searching the road behind him. But it was empty, and Kim Nara was nowhere to be found. Where had she gone?

"What is it?" Jimin's father asked, sounding a bit annoyed.

"Um, nothing. Nevermind," Young Min said.

"Hmph. What were you doing out there, anyway? I thought the son of the Minister of Justice wouldn't involve himself in such...affairs." The distaste in the nobleman's voice was obvious as they continued walking through the yard to the house. "There has been talk in the town that you've been involved in some disreputable matters as of late. I certainly didn't think I'd see someone with such a distinguished background associating in a street fight with a group of lowly thugs right outside my front door."