Chapter 28 (Kapitel 21): Tiyung – Summary and Analysis
Spoiler Warning: This summary contains spoilers for Chapter 28 of Five Broken Blades – Verrat ist Pflicht.
Summary
Tiyung and Sora have been traveling together for three days. As they ride in a carriage, Sora breaks the silence to ask Tiyung why he gave money to beggar children and provided meals for servants. She suspects he is trying to impress others. Tiyung replies that he is not his father and that he would rather give to a hundred pretending beggars than ignore one truly needy child. He admits his past behavior was different—he used to act like a tyrant in his father's poison school, demanding tea and pastries from the girls, especially Sora. He reveals that he did this to protect her: showing kindness would have made her a target for Seok's cruelty. He recalls watching a girl's body burn on a pyre, terrified it might be Sora, and feeling immense relief when he saw her alive among the survivors. He kept his composure by faking a yawn because his father was watching.
Sora then asks directly whether Seok wants the throne. Tiyung says yes, or at least more power. She wonders why Seok is not satisfied with ruling a quarter of the kingdom. Tiyung explains that some men are insatiable because they are empty inside. When Sora says she sometimes feels emptied of herself, Tiyung reminds her that she still has Daysum and is still herself. He warns that he too will likely become corrupted by power, just as his father was once a good man according to his mother. Sora is skeptical. Tiyung then offers to help her as an ally, not a friend. After a pause, she nods once. The chapter ends with Tiyung's inner revelation: his father commanded him to kill Sora after the king is dead.
Key Events
- Tiyung and Sora travel together for three days; she questions his act of charity toward beggar children.
- Tiyung explains his past tyranny in the poison school was a mask to protect Sora from Seok's wrath.
- He recalls witnessing the cremation of a dead girl and his relief that Sora survived.
- Sora asks about Seok's desire for the throne; Tiyung confirms his father is insatiable because of inner emptiness.
- Tiyung reveals that his mother claims Seok was once a good man before power corrupted him.
- Tiyung offers an alliance; Sora reluctantly agrees.
- Tiyung discloses to the reader that Seok ordered him to assassinate Sora after the king dies.
Character Development
This chapter deepens Tiyung's internal conflict. He admits his former cruelty was a performance to protect both himself and Sora, showing a capacity for self-sacrifice and remorse. His love for Sora is evident, yet he suppresses it, knowing she will never return it. His offer of alliance is genuine, but it is immediately undercut by the deadly order from Seok, forcing him into a double betrayal. Sora, meanwhile, reveals vulnerability when she admits to feeling emptied, but she remains guarded and analytical. Her grudging acceptance of Tiyung's help signals her desperation and her pragmatic willingness to use any tool against Seok.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Power and Corruption: Tiyung's discussion of his father's transformation from a good man to a tyrant illustrates the theme that power inevitably corrupts. He fears the same fate for himself.
- Emptiness: The motif of being "empty inside" applies to Seok's insatiable hunger for power and to Sora's feeling of being drained. Tiyung's offer to help is a counterweight—a chance to act before he too becomes hollow.
- Masks and Performance: Tiyung's past tyranny and present kindness are both acts. He wears a facade of indifference to protect his true feelings, mirroring the masks worn by the "five broken blades."
- Memory and Witness: Tiyung remembers the forgotten girls burned on pyres. His refusal to forget contrasts with Seok's desire to erase them, making memory a quiet act of resistance.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 28 is a turning point for Tiyung's character. It lays bare his hidden love and guilt, his strained relationship with his father, and the impossible position he now occupies. The alliance with Sora is forged—but it is poisoned from the start. The revelation of Seok's assassination order creates dramatic irony and raises the stakes for the rest of the journey to Rahway. Tiyung's inner conflict between duty and conscience becomes the central emotional tension of his arc.
Study Questions and Answers
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Why does Tiyung give silver coins to the beggar children, and how does this contrast with his father's attitude?
Tiyung does it out of genuine compassion and a desire to be different from Seok, who dismisses the children as frauds. He explains that it is better to help a hundred imposters than ignore one truly needy child. This act shows he is trying to reclaim his mother's "soft heart" and reject his father's ruthlessness. -
What does Tiyung mean when he says that Seok and other powerful men are "empty inside"?
He means that no amount of land or wealth can fill a fundamental lack in their souls. Their greed is driven by an inner void, not by genuine need. This insight explains Seok's relentless ambition and contrasts with Sora's fear of becoming similarly hollow. -
How does the final line of the chapter change the meaning of Tiyung's offer of help to Sora?
Tiyung's offer appears to be a sincere attempt to redeem himself by aiding Sora against Seok. However, the revelation that Seok ordered him to kill her transforms the alliance into a trap. The reader now understands that Tiyung is caught between his love for Sora and his obedience to his father, creating dramatic tension for the chapters ahead.