[Author: Jinwi University Possession]
[Title: Guys, I’m Writing an Alternate History Paper—Help Me Out]
—”How could Ok Jinseo save the Korean Empire?”
[Comments]
[Daebung01: That woman should have just stayed stuck in Gando and done nothing. They say she made the Korean Empire collapse ten years earlier.]
[┗Daebung02: It’s just a matter of sooner or later. The Korean Empire was doomed anyway, lol. Thanks to Ok Jinseo, at least we can brag that we conquered Manchuria.]
[Daebung02: The country was bound to fall. If Ok Jinseo wanted to change things, she should have marched down with the Gando army and smashed Gojong’s head.]
[┗Jinwi University Possession: …Did Ok Jinseo swear loyalty to the emperor?]
[┗┗Daebung02: It was more because of Lee Beomyun. He was a hardcore status quo supporter, so when Gojong eagerly accepted Britain and Japan’s alliance proposal in exchange for handing over Manchuria, Lee Beomyun had no choice but to follow.]
[Of course, Gojong wasn’t entirely foolish—he planned to use the Great Powers to kick Japan out of the peninsula later, like the Triple Intervention. But that was never going to work. If Lee Beomyun had been dealt with and Ok Jinseo had led Gando herself, maybe things would have been different. But it was tough for a woman to do that back then.]
***
‘The future stays the same? Did things collapse faster because of me?’
‘Thinking about the annexation of the Korean Empire, I can’t say it was entirely my fault.’
‘But in the end, doesn’t all of this come back to Gojong?’
‘Then what should Ok Jinseo herself—’
I stopped before finishing the thought.
It’s supposed to be a research paper.
Asking more questions would be awkward.
And honestly, I was afraid.
“It wouldn’t be fair to blame it all on Lee Beomyun.”
It’s only natural for a vassal to be loyal to the emperor.
I need to rethink this.
‘Maybe it would have been better if Gojong had died instead?’
After all, Empress Myeongseong should have died during the Imo Rebellion, but when she was assassinated by the Japanese, the Eulmi Righteous Army rose up.
If that’s the case, Gojong’s death might actually be the best option.
‘A military coup? No, by this era’s standards, a coup would just end with securing Hanseong and nothing more.’
Japan would intervene and crush us even faster.
‘Then what about assassination and deploying the Gando army south?’
‘No, killing Gojong should be a last resort.’
‘If I bring Gojong to Gando and pressure him properly, things might work out.’
‘Gojong isn’t an idiot. If he ends up in Gando, he’d rather side with Russia than risk dying at the hands of their troops.’
‘Yes. Assassination is the final option.’
For now, I need to do what’s still possible.
***
“Jinseo! The Governor-General of the Far East is here to see you.”
“The Governor-General?”
‘He came all the way here? Not to see Lee Beomyun, but me?’
I’f he made the trip to Fengtian, it must be something serious.’
‘Is he here to ask about Japan? Something like, ‘Are you conspiring with Japan?’ If that’s what he says, we’ll have nothing to say in return.’
So now it’s my turn to persuade the Governor-General.
***
“You were right.”
I had a feeling I’d need to persuade him, but now he’s telling me I was right?
“What do you mean, sir?”
He comes in out of nowhere and says I was right.
There’s only one possible reason for his visit.
“You are a cunning woman. Listen carefully. Everything has happened just as you predicted. Prepare to leave for Saint Petersburg immediately. The Tsar has already been informed that an exceptional Eastern physician is on the way, so you won’t need to bring anything.”
“What do you mean?”
‘Why is he suddenly sending me to Saint Petersburg?’
‘I still have things to do in Gando.’
‘Wait—no way.’
‘Is he talking about that? The thing I’ve been waiting for?’
“The Empress has given birth to a son. And he has hemophilia.”
So the time has come.
Yes, this is just about right.
Around when Japan would be probing our movements, Alexei would be born.
That means it’s time to prepare to create a new Wanli Emperor.
‘If I can successfully treat a single hemophiliac child and win the favor of the Tsar’s family, it won’t be a bad move.’
“I see. Then I must leave at once.”
Dealing with Gojong can wait.
“The Tsar himself knows of you. You must succeed. It will benefit your country as well.”
“I will see to it.”
No matter what, I will save Alexei.
I will make Nicholas II the new Wanli Emperor and turn him into an ally to crush Japan’s invasion.
If we can just defeat Japan, everything else becomes possible.
***
And I needed Lee Beomyun’s permission.
“The Governor-General is sending you to the Russian capital? To meet the Tsar?”
“I will explain later.”
He wouldn’t believe me now anyway.
And even if he did, a Korean saving the Russian heir would be beyond his comprehension.
“Wouldn’t you need an imperial decree for something like this?”
Absolutely not.
‘If Gunbami finds out, who knows what he’ll do?’
No point in stirring up trouble unnecessarily.
“It seems I was summoned personally. While I’m away, General, you must expand our forces. Whether we fight Russia, Britain, or the Japanese, we must be prepared.”
Lee Beomyun frowned, clearly uneasy, but eventually nodded.
“Understood. But for safety’s sake, I’ll assign you a chief of staff as an escort.”
“A chief of staff?”
‘Isn’t he being too considerate?’
“Sapo’s chief of staff, Ahn Junggeun. Take care of him.”
‘What the—Ahn Junggeun?!’
‘Was he originally Lee Beomyun’s chief of staff?’
I mean, sure, he assassinated Ito, but as far as I know, his military skills weren’t outstanding.
‘Would he still assassinate Ito in this altered history?’
I don’t know what Ahn Junggeun was doing at this exact time, so I have no way of knowing.
History has already changed.
Where will this lead?
Once a snowball starts rolling, it only grows larger.
I have no idea how far the ripples of my actions will spread.
And I must take responsibility for them.
To do that, I must go to Saint Petersburg.
Lee Beomyun watched from a distance until Jinseo had completely disappeared from sight.
It was truly impressive to see someone so fearless heading straight for the capital of Arasa.
***
“If you had been born a man, you would have been an outstanding general.”
Lee Beomyun recalled the last words spoken by Ok Jinseo’s father, a merchant who had always helped him, before he went missing.
[If anything happens to me, please take care of Jinseo. She is my only remaining bloodline.]
At first, he had thought it was simply a father’s deep affection for his only daughter.
But that child—so remarkable—was capable of doing things no ordinary girl would, even making Gando a subject of interest among the great powers.
No matter how he thought about it, it was impossible to believe that the daughter of a merchant had learned European languages by wandering around Europe.
Perhaps she had studied European language textbooks on her own.
Now that he thought about it, Jinseo’s father had left something for her, saying it was to be given to her later.
A few pieces of jewelry and a book that seemed to be a genealogy.
Thud—
“Oh no.”
As he bent down to pick up the book he had accidentally dropped, Lee Beomyun caught a glimpse of its contents—and his jaw dropped.
Jakjegun, the grandfather of Wang Geon, the founder of Goryeo. Wang Geon. King Gongmin.
“Jakjegun, Taejo Wang Geon, Wang Bayan Temur (King Gongmin)… What is this?”
‘Why were names from the royal lineage of the previous dynasty appearing in Jinseo’s genealogy?’
‘Wasn’t Princess Noguk supposed to have died along with the child in her womb?’
He didn’t fully understand, but one thing was certain—Jinseo was the descendant of a family with ties to the old dynasty.
Her ability to achieve military success on the battlefield had already made her stand out as extraordinary, but he had assumed there would be limits to what a woman could do.
And yet… he had never imagined the connection would run this deep.
The name Ok Jinseo was surely known in Hanseong by now.
If this truth were ever revealed—
‘Jinseo will be killed.’
Even though she was a girl, she was a remarkable figure who had led soldiers and driven out the Qing army.
Letting her die was not an option.
If—by any chance, however small—some catastrophe befell their homeland, if the Korean Empire were to fall…
Jinseo could become a new hope.
***
Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire
The year was 1906 in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
The Russo-Japanese War had not yet begun, but the imperial court was not in good condition.
Every day, Nicholas II was consumed with rage, berating the doctors.
“This is outrageous! You mean to tell me hemophilia cannot be cured?”
“Your Majesty, we do not even understand how hemophilia occurs. No doctor in the world can cure it.”
The physicians were utterly distressed.
There was simply no way to cure the disease, ‘so what could they do?’
After enduring hours of the Tsar’s wrath, the exhausted doctors finally withdrew.
“Damn it! And these are supposed to be the finest doctors in the empire!”
Nicholas II slammed his fist against the wall.
How could it be that after all his efforts to produce an heir, the boy was so frail?
“Then why not entrust him to that Korean child the governor-general of the Far East sent?”
Ah, yes.
The one Olga had been eager to see.
The governor-general had recommended the child as some kind of gifted Eastern mystic, ‘but how could that possibly be true?’
This was nothing more than a desperate attempt to grasp at straws.
“Olga has been looking forward to meeting that child. But a mystic is not a doctor.”
“If the child fails, we can hold them accountable and cut off support for Korea.”
“Very well. Let’s see what happens.”
Though Olga was interested in the child, if they failed to cure the prince… Nicholas himself wasn’t sure what he would do.
For now, this was their last hope.
***
The moment we arrived in Saint Petersburg, Ahn Junggeun and I were placed under the watchful eyes of the Okhrana agents, both as guards and as spies.
“Is this really okay?”
“Stay patient, Chief of Staff. Now that we’re here, we don’t have the luxury of simply turning back.”
I tried to act composed in front of Ahn Junggeun, but the truth was, I wasn’t sure I could pull this off.
More than anything, I had never even managed to visit Japan in my past life, and yet here I was, in Russia.
“To think I’d come to Russia, a place I never even saw in my previous life.”
“What are you talking about?”
The Okhrana agent guiding me shot me a sharp look, but I forced a bright smile.
Right now, looking confident was more important than appearing nervous.
If I showed weakness, they would begin doubting whether I could really do anything.
“My apologies. It’s just that this is my first—no, it’s been a long time since I was last in Russia.”
“Impressive. A child speaking Russian fluently… seems the rumors were true.”
‘Wait, was I already famous here?’
I’d like to know what kind of rumors they were spreading about me.
“You will soon be granted an audience with His Majesty the Tsar. Show him the utmost respect.”
At the moment, I was dressed in nothing but my Korean Empire military uniform.
‘If I had to greet the Tsar like this… well, should I just prostrate myself?’
At the very least, I needed to show some level of humility.
And so, I was led to the Winter Palace—to meet a Tsar with whom I had no ties in either this life or the last.
***
“The Chief of Staff of the Sapo, Ok Jinseo of the Korean Empire, is honored to meet His Imperial Majesty of Russia.”
“The Chief of Staff of the Sapo, Ahn Junggeun, is honored to meet His Imperial Majesty of Russia.”
The greetings were fine.
But—
It felt like I was an exhibit at a zoo.
High-ranking officials, soldiers, and even the royal family members I had only ever seen in photographs were all here.
“Is that really the woman who rampaged through Manchuria?”
“I expected a monster, but she is no less impressive than a European woman.”
“So this is an Eastern woman… fascinating.”
There was certainly a lot of chatter.
‘But was it really necessary to be so obvious about it?’