"Please, help me."
Summoning the last of my strength, I ran into the middle of the street and pleaded with a middle-aged Western woman passing by in a sedan chair. I had finally gained knowledge of the future, but if things continued like this, I was going to starve to death or be beaten to death as a child before I even reached adulthood. Fortunately, thanks to my future knowledge, I could speak English and address the Western woman.
"Oh my. Did that child just speak English? Did a little child like that really speak English?"
Realizing the middle-aged woman was using American English, I shouted loudly again in American English.
"Please, help me. I haven't eaten anything since yesterday. I feel like I'm going to die of hunger."
A young man wearing a small gat (traditional Korean hat), who was walking beside the sedan chair carrying the Western woman, approached me and spoke in Korean.
"Where did this beggar brat suddenly pop out from? You damn beggar, get lost right now. Where do you think you are, causing a scene like this?"
Thinking I was just a beggar boy trying to cling to the Westerner to beg, the man tried to chase me away. Since I was covered in a straw mat I had picked up while fleeing here, it was natural for him to mistake me for a beggar. Seeing the man about to kick me, the woman shouted urgently.
"Don't hit that child. I have something to ask him."
A middle-aged man wearing a large gat, presumably an interpreter following beside the woman, shouted at the man who was about to kick me.
"Stop it. The Madam says she has something to ask the boy. Don't chase him away, bring him here."
"If you get close to a beggar brat like this, you'll catch lice."
"The child just spoke English. It's very strange for such a little boy to know how to speak English. Stop talking back and bring him here."
The man grabbed me by the scruff of my neck as if handling something filthy and dragged me in front of the sedan chair.
The middle-aged man who appeared to be the interpreter spoke.
"What is your name? Which family's son are you that you learned English at that age?"
I couldn't tell them my real name. Moreover, I couldn't tell them the truth about how future knowledge had suddenly entered my head, allowing me to speak English. I had to tell a lie, but I was so scared that the excuse I had prepared beforehand didn't come to mind immediately.
"I, I..."
Seeing me hesitate and unable to answer out of fear, the Western woman in the sedan chair spoke.
"The child is frightened. So, let me ask."
"Where did you learn English? And why are you begging here?"
The woman's voice was very gentle, and the excuse I had thought of earlier came back to me.
"My father was an interpreter, so I had the opportunity to learn English. But both my parents passed away, and with no relatives left, I became a beggar like this. And since yesterday, begging hasn't gone well, so I haven't eaten anything."
"Hmm, you seem like a smart child, what a pity. How old are you now?"
"I am six years old, ma'am."
"Oh my, it seems you've learned manners properly too."
While we were talking, a woman riding in another sedan chair got off and approached. Judging by her appearance, which seemed to have a mix of African heritage, and her attire, she seemed to be this lady's maid.
"Madam, why have we stopped here?"
"Dorothy, well, this child spoke to me in English. He says his father was an interpreter, but his parents died, leaving him an orphan and a beggar."
Dorothy looked me over briefly and said,
"It's better to just throw him some money and leave. If you take pity on him and bring him along, the Master might get angry."
Hearing Dorothy's words, the interpreter shook his head vigorously and intervened.
"It would be better to give him food right now and send him away, but you shouldn't give him money. If a young child like that has money, not only will adults take it from him, but he might also suffer other harm. It would be better to take him, feed him something, tell the Master, and then send him on his way."
"That would be best. But the child looks young and weak; can he follow us? Can we let him ride in the sedan chair?"
Dorothy intervened again.
"No, Madam. That child might have lice or fleas, so you can't have him ride next to you. It's better if I let him ride in my sedan chair and I walk."
The middle-aged man grabbed me, checked through my hair, lifted the straw mat I was wearing, and checked my clothes here and there. He looked a bit surprised, thought for a moment, and said,
"It doesn't seem like he has lice or fleas, but his attire is dirty, so if he rides next to Madam, something might get on Madam's clothes. It would be best to do as Ms. Dorothy suggested."
I was put into Dorothy's sedan chair, and the middle-aged man lowered the blinds of the chair, saying,
"It's not good for other people to see us carrying a beggar boy in a sedan chair."
I sensed from the man's tone that he was somehow trying to protect me, and I wondered if he had perhaps realized my identity. Although I was covering my body with a straw mat, the clothes I was wearing underneath were made of quite high-quality material. The man seemed to have noticed that and was acting accordingly.
There was a slight altercation with the Japanese manager in front of the hotel in Incheon where the lady was staying, saying they couldn't let a dirty beggar boy in. But eventually, I entered the hotel, had a meal, took a bath, was given a set of clean clothes, and fell into a deep sleep.
English interpreter Seo Chang-hee looked at the little boy who had fallen into a deep sleep on the bed and thought.
Is this boy dressed like a beggar really the child I think he is? If there was anyone among the people who were with me who had the same thought as me, wouldn't it be better to grab this boy now and report him to the government office?
Seo Chang-hee shook his head inwardly. If that child is indeed who I think he is, I must save him no matter what. Even if someone notices and reports me, if I feign ignorance, the trouble won't reach me.
While Seo Chang-hee was deep in thought looking at the sleeping child, Mr. John Ford, who had gone sightseeing separately from his wife, returned.
Having heard the situation from his wife and Dorothy, John Ford entered the room, looked at the sleeping child, and said,
"Mr. Seo, what kind of child do you think this boy is?"
Seo Chang-hee honestly thought it would be best if Mr. Ford took this child abroad, but he wondered if it was okay to tell the circumstances and ask a favor of someone he had met only three days ago.
While Seo Chang-hee was contemplating what to say, Mrs. Ford and Dorothy entered the room.
"I didn't know because he was wrapped in a straw mat, but the clothes he's wearing underneath are made of very good material. The fact that such a young child speaks English fluently, and that he disguised himself as a beggar while wearing high-quality clothes underneath. It seems he's not a child from an ordinary background."
Dorothy nodded at the lady's words and said,
"When I was bathing him earlier, I saw that he had no lice or fleas and his body was very clean. It seems he's definitely not an ordinary kid. Seeing him sleeping like this, he's really cute. With his hair braided long like this, doesn't he look just like a girl? Among all the Asian children I've seen so far, I think this one is the most handsome."
Mr. Ford also looked at the sleeping child and said,
"I thought he was a girl because of his hair and the way he looked sleeping, but I guess he's a boy?"
Dorothy replied fussily.
"I would have mistaken him for a girl too if I hadn't bathed him myself. Since Korean people let even boys grow their hair long like this, it's perfect for mistaking them for girls. It's truly pitiful how such a cute child ended up suffering like that."
As Mr. Ford nodded at Dorothy's words, Mrs. Ford held out a pocket watch and said,
"John, look at this watch. This fell out when I was undressing the child to bathe him. It looks like a quite expensive watch to me; what do you think?"
"Breguet? This is a really high-end Swiss watch, and both the watch and the chain are made of platinum. This is a truly expensive item; if a little boy has something like this, he really doesn't seem like an ordinary child."
Seeing Mr. and Mrs. Ford adoring the child, Seo Chang-hee finally made up his mind and spoke up.
"What do you think about this child?"
Mr. Ford said, slightly puzzled.
"Considering his clothes and this watch, he seems to be a child with some history, but it's difficult for us, who know nothing of Joseon's situation, to guess his identity. Do you have any guesses, Mr. Seo?"
"Don't you think this child's English is too fluent for his age?"
The Ford couple and Dorothy nodded simultaneously.
"Even among professional interpreters in Joseon right now, there are few who use such fluent English. But this little child not only uses fluent English but is also polite. This child is truly strange."
John Ford nodded, then suddenly had a question and asked.
"Do you perhaps guess the identity of this child, Mr. Seo?"
Seo Chang-hee nodded and said,
"You are already aware of the news that a coup occurred in Joseon a few days ago and many people died, right? That is why you gave up on going to Seoul and planned to just tour the nearby surroundings and return."
John Ford nodded and said,
"I heard that many people died, including the Prime Minister, who was an expert on foreign affairs. Then, Mr. Seo, do you think this child is a surviving family member of theirs?"
"The Prime Minister was beaten to death in the street and his wife committed suicide, but I heard that the whereabouts of their late-born son are unknown. I heard that the Prime Minister's wife strangled the child and then hanged herself next to him, but the servants couldn't bear to watch and left, and when they returned, only the child who was lying there dead had disappeared. I suspect this child might be the Prime Minister's young son whose whereabouts are unknown."
"Is there any proof that this child is the Prime Minister's son?"
"The Prime Minister was famous as the most outstanding expert on foreign affairs in Joseon, but he was also famous from long ago for his good skills and brilliant mind. Seeing that this child has fluent English skills and is knowledgeable about Western etiquette, it is clear that he is not just a child who speaks English well, but a very brilliant child. And crucially, I have frequently visited the Prime Minister's house in the past, and this child resembles the Prime Minister's wife very much. Also, regarding the watch this child had, apart from the Prime Minister, only royalty would possess such a watch."
The Ford couple and Dorothy listened to Seo Chang-hee with their mouths open in astonishment. Even if it was a small country attached to a corner of East Asia, the Prime Minister of a country with a population of over ten million was no ordinary status. Being the son of such a person was absolutely not a matter to be overlooked.
John Ford calmed his surprised heart and asked Seo Chang-hee.
"Then what do you think I should do?"
"If this child remains in Joseon, he will die immediately. The Prime Minister was a person who received a lot of support from the people, but he also had very many political enemies. Moreover, since the anger over the assassination of the Queen and the Short Hair Ordinance has not subsided at all yet, there will be people who want to exterminate the Prime Minister's bloodline at this opportunity. The only way for this child to live is to go abroad. If you cannot take this child in, Mr. Ford, you could ask an acquaintance of the Prime Minister in Japan or the United States. Since the Prime Minister was an expert on foreign affairs and had many acquaintances abroad, there will surely be someone who will take this child in."
Mrs. Ford intervened.
"I remember hearing that Percy was close with the Prime Minister of Joseon. Percy might take this child in. If Percy won't take him, we could take him in. We can't let such a cute and smart child die."
Dorothy also chimed in.
"That's right. If we let such a small and pitiful child die, God will not forgive us. Sir, please take this child in."
John Ford asked Seo Chang-hee.
"What do you think is the first thing I should do to help this child now?"
Seo Chang-hee replied.
"Joseon is currently too dangerous a land for this child. Among the people who saw us during the day, there might be someone who realized this child's identity and reported it to the government office, and we don't know when government officials might barge in. The most urgent thing to save this child right now is to take him and leave this country as soon as possible."