Chetamja: The King’s Eyes — Chapter 19

NATURALIZED JURCHENS...

...OR NATURALIZED WILD PEOPLE...

...ARE JURCHENS WHO VOLUNTARILY SWITCHED ALLEGIANCE TO LIVE IN THE KINGDOM OF JOSEON.

AND IT WASN'T JUST THE NORTHERN TRIBES. THE JOSEON DYNASTY ACCEPTED NATURALIZED SUBJECTS FROM THE SHOGUNATES OF JAPAN AND SIAM...

...AS A PART OF THE KING'S INCLUSION POLICY.

ENCOURAGING THE NATURALIZATION OF JURCHENS...

...WAS ONE OF THE MANY POLICIES JOSEON ADOPTED IN EFFORTS TO STABILIZE THE NORTHERN REGION.

WHILE JURCHENS WHO CROSSED THE BORDER TO INVADE THE LANDS OF JOSEON WERE CRUSHED WITHOUT MERCY...

...THOSE WHO WISHED TO BECOME SUBJECTS OF JOSEON WERE ACCEPTED UNDER THE KING'S PRINCIPLE TO CONVERT BARBARIANS INTO RESPONSIBLE CONSTITUENTS OF THE KINGDOM.

HARI...

...WAS ONE OF THOSE NATURALIZED JURCHENS.

MOST NATURALIZED SUBJECTS SETTLED NEAR HANYANG*, THE CAPITAL CITY.

*HANYANG: PRESENT-DAY SEOUL

BUT HARI LIVED BY THE NORTHERN BORDER REGION.

AND STRANGELY ENOUGH...

...WHEREVER HARI WENT...

...JURCHEN RAIDS WOULD SOON FOLLOW.

LET ME GO...

LET GO OF MY HAND!

YOU'RE HURTING ME!

IN JOSEON, MEN AND WOMEN ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO MINGLE.

ANYWAY... THANKS FOR HELPING ME. I'M NOT SURE IF YOU WERE EXPECTING SOMETHING IN RETURN...

...BUT I HAVE NOTHING TO GIVE YOU.

I WASN'T EXPECTING ANYTHING. BUT THAT'S INTERESTING.

YOU SOUND LIKE A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PERSON NOW.

WHAT CHOICE DO I HAVE?

IF I DON’T SEEM WEAK AND FRAIL, THEY MIGHT REALLY KILL ME ONE DAY.

YEAH... THAT’S SMART. GOOD THINKING.

SHE’S SMART AND BOLD...

SHE SOUNDS JUST LIKE DONG TOO...

WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME...

WITH THOSE WISTFUL EYES? YOU’RE CREEPING ME OUT.

NO, I WASN’T... HAHA...

ANYWAY, WHY WERE THOSE PEOPLE TREATING YOU LIKE THAT?

BECAUSE I’M A BARBARIAN.

WHAT...?

I'M A NATURALIZED JURCHEN...

WHO DECIDED TO LIVE IN JOSEON.

I SELL INFORMATION TO THE BARBARIANS.

I PRETEND TO BELONG TO JOSEON WHILE SECRETLY SELLING THE KINGDOM OUT. THAT'S WHY THEY BEAT ME.

WH-WHAT...

...ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?

DO YOU REGRET SAVING ME NOW?

MAYBE YOU SHOULD'VE JOINED THEM AND THROWN ROCKS AT ME TOO.

STOP...

I HEARD YOU... SO PLEASE STOP.

SHUT YOUR MOUTH.

DON’T SAY THINGS LIKE THAT...

NOT WITH THAT FACE... NOT WITH THAT LOOK...

IF THAT’S THE KIND OF THINGS YOU DO...

...YOU SHOULD LEAVE THIS PLACE.

NEXT TIME THIS HAPPENS...

...I WON’T HELP YOU EVEN IF YOU’RE ABOUT TO DIE.

DONG... ISN'T HERE.

WHAT DID I EXPECT FROM THAT GIRL ANYWAY? I SHOULDN'T HAVE THOUGHT OF HER AS IF SHE WAS DONG.

SIGH

MY SISTER DIED FIVE YEARS AGO... AND I KNOW THAT.

THAT'S RIGHT... DONG IS GONE NOW.

I'VE COME TO TERMS WITH IT ALREADY.

AND THAT MEANS...

...I'M SEEING THINGS AGAIN.

THE ILLUSION COMES FROM THE GUILT I FEEL.

SHE ISN'T REAL.

I MUST OVERCOME...

OVERCOME THAT ILLUSION...!!

NO...

I CAN’T...

A SPY FOR THE BARBARIANS...?

YES, SIR. MY SQUAD HEARD THAT INFORMATION WHILE THEY WERE OUT IN TOWN.

SO THIS HARI IS A NATURALIZED JURCHEN,

AND BARBARIANS HAVE BEEN RAIDING EVERY VILLAGE SHE SETTLES IN. CORRECT?

YES, SIR. IT COULD BE HEARSAY, BUT WE THOUGHT IT'D BE BEST TO REPORT IT.

W-WAIT A SECOND! WE DON'T HAVE ANY PROOF OF THAT!

I MEAN, THIS IS THE NORTH. BARBARIAN RAIDS HAPPEN ALL THE TIME.

THE VILLAGERS ARE CONVINCED SHE'S A SPY, AND THEY ARE AFRAID OF HER.

OKAY. I SEE WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.

IT'S NOTHING MORE THAN A RUMOR, SIR.

DAM CAN BE REALLY PARANOID AT TIMES. THIS IS HARDLY SOMETHING TO REPORT ABOUT.

WELL DONE.

NOW THAT YOU'VE BEEN ON A COUPLE OF MISSIONS, YOU'RE FINALLY STARTING TO THINK LIKE A CHETAMJA.

QUESTION EVERYTHING. THAT SHOULD BE YOUR FIRST INSTINCT AS A CHETAMJA.

HER REAL NAME IS KAI.

SINCE SHE'S A NATURALIZED JURCHEN, HER NAME IS PRONOUNCED AS HARI HERE.

WE'VE BEEN WATCHING HER EVER SINCE SHE SET FOOT IN THIS VILLAGE.

BUT IT SOUNDS UNREASONABLE, SIR.

THERE'S NO ACTUAL PROOF. IS IT RIGHT TO ACCUSE SOMEONE BASED ON RUMORS?

WE MUST QUESTION EVERY RUMOR AND SUSPICION.

THAT'S WHAT WE DO.

NATURALIZED OR NOT, A BARBARIAN IS A BARBARIAN. THEY ARE OUR ENEMY.

THEY ARE THE VERY REASON WHY WE EXIST.

TRUST NO BARBARIAN.

TRUSTING THEM WILL ONLY LEAD TO YOUR DEATH.

AAAAHHH!

AGH...! AAAH!

WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!!

IT'S FUNNY HOW YOU WERE SO COLD AND HARSH TO ME...

...WHEN YOU'RE TERRIFIED OF A TINY STREAM OF WATER.

YOU LOOKED LIKE YOU WANTED TO DIVE IN BUT COULDN'T MAKE UP YOUR MIND. SO I FIGURED I'D HELP.

WHY...

...YOU...

ACHOO!

YOU--

LET GO OF ME, YOU DISGUSTING MORON...

AAACHOOOO!

HOW THICK COULD YOU BE? IT'S ALMOST THE WINTER SOLSTICE.

DID YOU THINK YOU'D BE JUST FINE AFTER DIVING INTO A RIVER IN THE NORTH?

HEY! I ONLY FELL INTO THE WATER BECAUSE YOU PUSHED ME IN!!

AND YOU WANTED TO GO IN THE WATER.

WHY DID YOU FOLLOW ME HERE?

I HAD NOWHERE ELSE TO GO.

HEY, ARE YOU COMPLAINING BECAUSE A BARBARIAN DECIDED TO FOLLOW YOU?

NO, IT'S NOT THAT...

I-I DON'T KNOW HOW I SHOULD FEEL AROUND YOU.

YOU SAID YOU LIVE HERE, BUT YOU HAVE BARBARIAN BLOOD...

I BELONG TO JOSEON.

I'M A NATURALIZED JURCHEN, AND THAT MEANS I'M A SUBJECT OF JOSEON.

AND SINCE I LIVE UP NORTH...

...I'M FORCED TO RUN FROM BARBARIAN RAIDS ALL THE TIME, JUST LIKE THE REST OF YOU.

I FLED FROM THE RAIDS WITH A BUNCH OF JOSEON VILLAGERS I KNEW.

WE HELPED EACH OTHER AND CONSOLED ONE ANOTHER. WE SHARED ALL THE UPS AND DOWNS TOGETHER.

BUT THE RAIDS NEVER STOPPED, AND EVERYONE I WAS TRAVELING WITH DIED FROM THE ATTACKS.

I WAS LUCKY ON MANY OCCASIONS, AND I HAD THE HELP OF PEOPLE AROUND ME AS WELL.

IN THE END, I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO SURVIVED.

BUT AFTER SOME TIME...

...I NOTICED PEOPLE SAYING THINGS ABOUT ME.

"SHE'S A BARBARIAN SPY."

"SHE SOWS DISASTERS..."

"THAT CURSED GIRL BRINGS BARBARIAN RAIDS WHEREVER SHE GOES."

THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ARE A SUBJECT OF JOSEON WITH BARBARIAN ROOTS.

PEOPLE WILL CALL YOU NAMES FOR SURVIVING THOSE BRUTAL ATTACKS.

NEVER MIND... I SHOULDN’T HAVE SAID THAT..

I WAS JUST VENTING, SO FORGET ABOUT EVERYTHING I SAID.

MY NAME IS HARI. WHAT’S YOURS?

I’M GWIYEONG.

SORRY, I GUESS I NEEDED TO TALK TO SOMEONE AND LET IT ALL OUT.

TOO BAD FOR YOU. IT SO HAPPENED THAT YOU WERE AROUND.

BUT IN RETURN, I’LL HEAR YOU OUT THE NEXT TIME YOU WANT TO TALK.

YOU SEEM LIKE YOU HAVE QUITE A STORY TOO.

DO YOU THINK WE'LL EVER MEET AGAIN?

YOU'D BETTER COME PREPARED.

MY STORY IS PRETTY LONG.

YOU'LL NEED TO MAKE TIME FOR IT.

SURE. SEE YA!

DARN THOSE LITTLE LOVEBIRDS...

I DIDN'T EVEN GET TO EAT ANYTHING TODAY BECAUSE I HAD TO TAIL THEM...

BUT IT WAS WORTH IT.

I CAN INCLUDE HER STORY IN THE REPORT.

THEN ALL THIS NONSENSE ABOUT THAT LITTLE GIRL BEING A SPY CAN FINALLY BE PUT TO REST...

HUH...?

WHAT? WHERE DID SHE GO...?