"We found them in the shack. They were sleeping there."
Choi Young furrowed. "And..." he asked impatiently and with clear irritation.
"And they attacked the farmer who kept some of his things there. He was bit in his arm. They are animals! And should be treated as such."
The warrior glared, clearly dissatisfied with the implication.
The man hurriedly added, "The large sack of rice was missing and they refused to admit they took it. They had a knapsack with military signage that was clearly stolen. So we decided to detain them and find who they stole it from."
"You really have nothing better to do in this godforsaken hole!" He started with a low menacing timbre growing louder with each word, finishing so strong at the end, it made everybody present terrified. He did not lift a finger, but it was clear that if he wished, he would have sliced all the men in a room with one smooth blow. At least that's what they all heard in his tone.
"General, please spare us," yelped the head policeman and fell to his knees in front of Choi Young. "Wwweeee oonnllyy thought to do the riiiight thing..." He stuttered.
"Do these small children look like hardened criminals to you?"
"No, sir!"
"And do you have any evidence that the alleged rice sack was actually in the shack when they were there?"
The man vehemently shook his head in denial.
Choi Young hated to talk for that long, but he forced himself for the sake of Dae Man and all Woodlachi under his command. He had to make this last and most important point. "And what of their personal possessions - even if it were true and the items were stolen, did someone report them missing?"
"No, sir!"
"Give me the key!" Choi Young took one step forward towering above the short and already bent over in fear and deference official.
The officer called one of the guards who pulled out a large key from his sleeve. "Here," he handed it over.
The General walked a few feet toward the holding cell and called, " Dae Man, here is the key."
A hand reached out through the doorway and grabbed the key.
Turning to the policemen Choi Young dismissed them with a calmer demeanor, "You may go." Everybody quickly dispersed. He waited for a couple of minutes and then poked his head inside. "How are the boys?"
"I got them."
"Good. Wait for me outside, I have one more thing to deal with."
. . .
Choi Young waved for the head policeman, who was waiting at the main entrance, to come up. "Where is the farmer who made the complaint?"
"He is in the office, sir. My secretary is completing the report."
"I would like to speak with him briefly."
"Of course, please follow me."
A scruffy man with shifty eyes was retelling his story with animated mannerisms to the scribe. Choi Young caught the end tail of it and his expression darkened. "...Those little animals were fighting like tigers, biting and kicking back. Look at my arm! Who will compensate me for the loss now? Where is my rice? And their military supplies are obviously stolen."
"Are you the victim?" He inquired.
The man turned to see the tall dark figure in the doorway. Cautiously he responded, "Yes, I am. And who would you be?"
"I am somebody from the capital who has interest in this matter."
"Really?" The villager quickly noticed the uniform and smirked. "So the little scumbags stole from your people?"
"Be careful with your mouth," hissed Choi Young, whose composure was rapidly weakening. "Tell me more about the missing grain."
"Just two nights ago I personally put rice in the shed for safekeeping."
"Why not keep it at home?"
The question obviously stumbled the man. His eyes darted back and force and he coughed in his sleeve. "It is a private matter, sir."
"Private matter? I understand," Choi Young sneered. "So there are no witnesses to attest to your claim."
"Attest, sir? I did not attest anyone." The man replied just in case he was being accused of something dangerous.
Choi Young momentary closed his eyes to regroup. "You don't have anyone who saw you place the rice in the shack, correct?"
"No sir."
"A private matter," confirmed Choi Young as if to himself.
"Yes, sir."
Choi Young turned around ready to leave and then a thought occurred to him. "Say, what is the punishment for stealing rice?"
"They have to pay either in coin or food."
"And if they don't have either?"
"They have to work to pay off the loss."
"Thank you." He left smiling into his beard.
. . .
"He is lying. He has an ulterior motive."
"Of course, he is." Dae Man dropped the words in a hurry. He had a very bad couple of days. He wanted to clean up and feed his kids and bring them home to their mother. Choi Young can sort out the details and tell him later. He trusted the General to handle these difficult matters.
"Even the lowest of the peasants wants to have a slave. Free labor is the price for the lies."
The phrase buzzed by Dae Man's ears, but the meaning still managed to find its way inside, grabbing his attention. He really did not have time to kill anyone today; luckily killing was not his style, although he was good at it if necessary. His nostrils flared angrily and foreboding steel flashed in his soft and kind eyes.
"Dae Man-ah, wait. What are you planning to do?" Called Choi Young, concerned about his friend, who despite his appearances had a fiery warrior temperament and could be quite impulsive. He could not have a Woodlachi officer cutting a villager's tongue in broad daylight or dismembering him slowly as onlookers gawked... The General did not have much imagination when it came to what kind of approach Dae Man might take, if it were him – he would choose a simple and finite one.
"He'll live," Dae Man replied, leaving the children and Choi Young still looking at each other with worry.
"Uncle Choi Young, what will my father do?" Asked Soon Uk.
"I have no idea," answered the man sincerely.
"Come children," Dae Man did not waste a minute. He turned and sprung on his light feet. Glancing at Choi Young apologetically, as if it to say 'we are only children, we do as we are told', the kids ran off after their father. The general felt how his tightened chest deflated with the relieved exhale - the man who was ignorant enough to deal with Woodalchi, will be able to return home tonight without any major injuries.
. . .
The villager was surprised to see a strange party blocking his way. A man, dressed in the same uniform as the officer interrogating him earlier, stood with his feet spread apart, firmly grounded in his spot. In one hand he was holding a sword, glistening in the sun and in another a boy's hand, who in turn was gripping another child's hand in his.
"The little vermin!" Yelped the villager, incredulous. They were supposed to be rotting in jail and waiting to be retrieved by him to do his bidding at the farm at his pleasure.
"Hey," he called from a safe distance, thinking that a sword probably would not reach him that far. "What are you doing with these thieves? Who let them out?"
"These are my children," screamed at him Dae Man. "My children would never steal anything." His fiery eyes darkened with indignation.
The villager's resolve began to shake. These kids were not worth all the trouble. Too many powerful adults were on their side.
"Then I'm glad you found your children, officer," he said, crooked smile on his face. "Have a safe journey home." The man moved to a side, trying to get around the human blockade, but it proved somewhat impossible. Dae Man's body appeared to have frozen in place, merged with the ground on which he stood and the damned kids were not moving a muscle either.
"If I may pass, sir," the villager asked as politely as possible.
"You may not," replied Dae Man. He only raised his sword to point at the man, but the scared villager tripped and fell backwards, raising his hands above for protection.
"Please spare me."
Dae Man sighed and lowered his weapon. "Get up. I have no plans of killing you."
"Of course, sir." The man scrambled to his feet and shook of the dust. "The matter is closed. I guess I was mistaken."
"I would like for you to apologize to my children," Dae Man turned to his boys, who were watching the scene in awe. They were really amazed at how cool their father appeared, probably as scary as Daejang himself or even scarier.
The man was visibly peeved, but under the circumstances he had not better option. "Sorry, boys. I made a mistake. Go on, hurry home."
Dae Man did not appear to be satisfied with such insincere apology. He did not flinch a muscle and his sword brightly sparkled unsheathed and ready.
But the brothers had no interest in prolonging this... – whatever it was they were not sure. They had a feeling things would not end well if they lingered any longer. The kids exchanged a quick look and then simultaneously each grabbed Dae Man's sleeve, tugging for attention. "Aboji, can we please go home?"
"All right." He had no plan what to do next, actually, besides beating the man up to a pulp, which would not be something he wanted his children to witness. He smiled at the boys and put the sword in its scabbard. "Mom is worried crazy. You may have to take a beating for your little stunt. And I would not be the one to deliver it." He ruffled their hair. "But first, we need to feed and clean you up."
The General's horse was parked just behind the nearest corner. He watched the scene, his eyes twinkling with pride. His Dae Man grew up to be a good man and a good father.
Choi Young lazily yawned and stretched his arms high, smiling and closing his eyes as the sun hit his face. The rescue was a success, Woodlachi's name upheld and the villager taught a lesson. All is well in a day's work and now he could go home to his family. He pressed the heels into the horse's sides and pulled the reigns. "Yah, yah" he smacked his lips, prompting the stallion to go. A minute later, he was galloping fast, only a trail of dust behind him and a dog trying to keep up with the pace.