Black Corporation: Joseon

On a fine spring day with warm spring sun. 

“That’s all for today, Your Highness.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Didn't he just turn 6 years old? The young boy sent out the young official with polite manners that did not suit his age before stretching out his legs and uttered foul language.

“Fuck…. This is tiring.”

He glanced out the window while squeezing his legs, which were numb from sitting on his knees.

The blue sky over the tiled roof with lined layers entered his eyes.

The young boy looked at the sky and sighed.

“Sigh~ It's good to be born as a prince…. But why should it be a crown prince? On top of that, why does King Sejong have to be my father?”

“Why don't I feel good when I've been reborn?”

The boy who said ‘reborn', something that was unbelievable to others, was Jinho.

He was reborn as Lee Hyang, the oldest child of King Sejong the Great, and King Munjong in the future days.

* * *The first time he opened his eyes, Jinho thought he was in a temporary treatment facility at the scene. It was because the first thing he saw was the rafters.

‘Which house this roof-tiled house belonged to….?’

Jinho, who was pondering about whose house had been set up as a temporary treatment facility he was staying at, soon realized another problem. 

‘What kind of room is this big? And why do I feel very stuffy? Is this a whole-body fracture cast?’

Jinho used all of his strength to turn his head before realizing something.

That his body was lying on tightly secured swaddling clothes, and his body was smaller than expected.

In a situation that was not expected at all, Jinho spontaneously blurted.

“Kkyaa?”

At that moment, from a place his field of view had not reached yet, a female voice was heard.

“Milady! The young master has opened his eyes!”

It took Jinho three days to recognize that he was born as a baby.

He had to eat, sleep, and count the number of rafters while repeatedly lying down in swaddling clothes. Even so, Jinho's head kept moving nonstop to find an answer.

‘I'm sure I've been reborn, but…. where is this? The background looks like Joseon.’

Jinho couldn't be sure about the place he was going to live. It was because he couldn't understand the language.

‘Is this a different world that looks just like Joseon? Well, that's a novelty.’

Jinho, who had been in such confusion, could finally be sure as he understood the language after three months.

‘This is really Joseon! But why is the language….’

Jinho blamed the language without thinking about the fact that over 500 years had passed.

Jinho's actions—to check on the situation—had led his parents to misunderstand.

“My husband, I feel like our child isn’t an ordinary child.”

“Do you feel the same way, my wife? That's what I felt.”

“That’s why I’m worried.”

“The same goes for me.”

The couple's worry was getting deeper as they became more convinced that their child was not an ordinary child.

‘Royal family, isn't it? Royal family….’

Regardless of whether he realized that the worry of his parents from this life was getting deeper over him, Jin-ho was organizing the first round of situations he was in.

1. My father is from the Royal family.
2. The current residence is Kaesong. The capital of Joseon is Hanyang.

Conclusion 1: In the sum of 1 and 2, my present father is far from the throne.

3. Judging from the voices of slaves outside and my parents' clothes, they are quite rich.
4. As far as I know, the royal family consciously avoiding study for survival.

Conclusion 2: I don't have to worry about making ends meet. I didn't need to feel inferior wherever I went, and I only needed to study a little; the end.

5. Based on the information I've heard so far, I'm the eldest. I would never lose my footing in this family.
6. I remember the knowledge that I had in my past life.
7. After growing up to some extent, even though I made problems using my previous life memories, it will be recognized as the eccentricity made by a royal family that has nothing to do.

The last conclusion: Hooray! This is heaven!

Jinho smiled brightly, confirming his conclusion.

‘Looking at the situation, learning a bit of academic study should be enough…. If this was after King Sejong the Great, Hunminjeongeum(1) must have come out, so I just have to learn that. Around that time, Western children who were wandering on the street must have visited China, so if I get some Chinese translations, I can do source laundering(2)! This is heaven!’

Jinho's nanny and mother laughed and talked while looking at Jinho, who was smiling—dreaming of a rosy future.

“Oh, Milady! The young master is laughing!”

“He is. What good things make him laugh this brightly?”

His mother, who was holding Jinho, looked around.

In the surrounding scenery, the voice of her husband—who was reading a book—could be heard as usual. The mother thought that her child was laughing from her husband's voice, and she stroked the child's head out of happiness.

“Looking that you are happy to hear the sound of scripture being read, our baby must have excellent literacy skills.”

It was a fatal illusion.

Meanwhile, Jinho was diligently grasping the situation and modifying the scenario.

‘First, if I look at my parents….’

The first time Jinho saw his mother's face that became swollen because of childbirth and his father, his sentiment was simple.

‘Baby's got a baby.’

If this was the 21st century, both parents would have been in a state of chaos. However, it was understandable because this was during the Joseon Dynasty, where early marriage was common.

‘On top of that, I am the eldest son. Well, I roughly understand the situation, but the problem is that outfit.’

Jinho tilted his head while looking at the attire his parents were wearing.

‘If I think of the dramas that I’ve watched in my previous life, this looks like the early Joseon Dynasty. If I count from the first, Tae-Jeong-Tae-Se-Mun-Dan-Se…. Is this around Seongjong era? Or is it Yeonsangun? If this is the era of Yeonsangun, this would be a real headache.’ (3)

Something more troubling happened to Jinho, who was agonizing about the era he was born.

* * *After passing three to seven days and then a hundred days safely, as his first birthday came closer, people from his mother's family came and went from the house diligently.

One day in the middle of said event preparation.

“You guys stay out for a while.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

After sending the nanny and maidservants outside, Jinho's maternal grandmother spoke to his mother in a quiet voice.

“Does His Highness the Grand Prince still have books close to him?”

“As always, he is absorbed in his study.”

Jinho's mother proudly answered Jinho’s grandmother’s question.

After hearing the answer, his maternal grandmother continued while clasping his mother's hand.

“Nowadays, there are many words going around regarding the Crown Prince's wild behavior. As a result, there are also many words going around regarding His Highness the Grand Prince. Now, My Lady's father is on the move, so I hope My Lady and His Highness could wait and behave carefully.”

His grandmother's words struck his mother.

“Mother! What kind of inscrutable words are you talking about?”

“Please wait carefully and don't talk about this to anyone else.”

It was not only his mother that was shocked by his grandmother's words.

‘What are you talking about? Isn't that mean you're gonna change out the crown prince? Who was the king whose crown prince was changed?’

Jinho, who was laid on a blanket, frantically racked his brain. 

‘The one who succeeded in replacement was King Sejong the Great, and how many people who were close to being replaced?’

Jinho was exploring his memory before he knitted his brow. 

‘There are too many variables.’

There have been many disputes in the history of the Joseon Dynasty because of the qualification of the crown prince.

The number of cases where the problem of replacing the crown prince actually came to the surface was not small, and it was impossible to identify the cases that turned under the surface and fizzled out.

“Our Hyang, is there anything uncomfortable? Are you peeing?”

Looking at the baby's frowned face, the mother gave her mother a warning as she hurriedly looked at the diapers and was busy trembling to check on her child.

“Mother. I'll pretend I didn't hear what you had said today. Please, don't say it again.”

“… I understand.”

“I won't see you off.”

His mother's determined appearance made his grandmother leave the room quietly. His mother, who was only looking at Jinho with her back turned, sighed for a long time.

“Huff~.”

‘Am I going to become a slave as soon as the first birthday passes?’

Jinho—who was anxious about his future—found out at his first birthday party in what era he was born and whose child he was.

* * *“Congratulations!”

“Congratulations!”

“Thank you.”

On the day of Jinho's first birthday party, people wearing colorful silk clothes flocked to congratulate him.

Whenever the guests came, Jinho's father diligently exchanged a bow and responded to their congratulations.

‘This father of mine, you're a pretty reputable royal, even though you live in Kaesong, aren't you? Wait, isn't that even more dangerous?’

While looking at the faces of the guests, Jinho wondered whether he should be happy.

‘I'd be in big trouble if I make a wrong bet….’

“Our Hyang, why are you not happy on this good day?”

Jinho's mother, who was hugging him, took her hand to his butt when she saw Jinho’s frowning face.

“It’s not wet… our Hyang, what is it that makes you not happy?”

Jinho let out a little sigh after hearing his mother's word.

‘I don't know about other problems, but first I must live as Hyang from now on.’

Jinho, who still sometimes confused whether he was Jinho, concluded.

‘From now on I'll live as Hyang who has Jinho's memories.’

As soon as Jinho—no, wait—Hyang decided on his identity, the person who carried the most important answer appeared.

“Haha! Congratulations, Choongnyeong! Congrats, sister-in-law!”

“Congratulations, sister-in-law.”

When two young men—who seemed to be in their mid-20s—appeared, all guests who visited first stood up.

“Welcome, Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Welcome, Your Highness the Grand Prince.”

One of the young men raised his hand and responded to the people, who politely offered their respect.

“Yo~. Nice to meet you.”

The young man in question came to the top seat, fluttering the hem of his dopo, and approached Hyang's mother.

“Sister-in-law, can I hold my nephew?”

“It's an honor, Your Royal Highness.”

The crown prince received Hyang from his mother and he looked at Hyang's face while humoring him lightly.

‘Smile! Smile!’

Hyang smiled brightly—using all of his efforts—when the crown prince hugged him. The crown prince saw Hyang's smile, then he burst out laughing and looked at Hyang's father.

“Haha! Choongnyeong! This child looks very smart, just like you!”

“Thank you very much, Your Royal Highness.”

“Don't be too formal when we are brothers. That is your problem.”

The crown prince rebuked his brother for always answering politely. He then returned Hyang to his mother before he sat on the very top seat, and the banquet continued.

Meanwhile, Hyang was unable to escape the shock.

‘He said Choongnyeong! Did he say my father is the Grand Prince Choongnyeong? Does that mean my father is King Sejong the Great? Then I am Munjong and my child Danjong?’

When Hyang—who could not escape from the sea of shock—managed to come to his senses, the doljabi(4) event was already in front of his eyes.

“Now! Let's see what will my nephew choose!”

Following the crown prince's loud voice, several items were placed in front of Hyang.

When all the eyes of those who attended the banquet were focused on him, Hyang, who was the center of attention, looked at the items placed in front of him.

‘Let's see. Brush, rice, gold nugget, jujube, thread, wooden sword… it's all just so-so.’

Hyang's eye was fixed in one place. He was thinking about what to choose.

The place where his eyes were fixed was the crown prince's ear. To be exact, it was the earring on the crown prince's ear.

‘Is that kind of craftsmanship possible at this age?’

The curious Hyang reached out to the crown prince without realizing it.

“Kkyaa!”

“Me?”

As soon as the crown prince hugged him, Hyang reached out his hand and touched the earring.

“Earring?”

“Kkyaa!”

When Hyang touched an unexpected object, the people gathered at the banquet began to think about how to interpret it.

T/N

(1) Hunminjeongeum: A document describing an entirely new and native script for the Korean language. It was made by King Sejong the Great. Later known as Hangul. ↻

(2) Source laundering: A word based on money laundering. It removes the genuine source of work and redistributes it. ↻

(3) Tae-Jeong-Tae-Se-Mun-Dan-Se: a short for Joseon kings’ temple name. Yeonsangun was a Joseon King that was well-known for his tyranny and a king who doesn’t have a temple name. ↻

(4) Doljabi: A Korean tradition on the first birthday party where the baby faced some items and had to choose one or two. ↻