Chapter 14: I am, after all, the Suwon Magistrate [2]

“Young master, he’s coming again.”

“Really? That man sure is persistent.”

The man Dolseok and Kang-hyuk were pointing at was none other than Kim Yoon-gil, the Suwon Magistrate. Ever since he got a taste of Viagra, he had been visiting the clinic almost daily.

He really was a persistent fellow.

“Clear the way! The Suwon Magistrate is coming!”

At first, he would sneak in secretly, but now he made no such effort. He came with his servants, his official staff, and even minor officials in tow.

Naturally, Magistrate Kim rode in on horseback.

Thanks to him, the already busy clinic had become even more crowded.

“Coming yesterday, and again today? This is ridiculous.”

Kang-hyuk watched as Magistrate Kim pushed through the crowd, a smile fixed on his face. He had no choice but to smile; after all, the magistrate held the most power in Suwon.

‘I also have some favors to ask him.’

Magistrate Kim, in turn, was smiling from ear to ear.

To him, Kang-hyuk was nothing short of a savior.

“Well, Kang-hyuk, how was your night?”

“Fine, sir. Did you sleep well too?”

“All thanks to you! Hem-hem.”

Magistrate Kim cleared his throat and handed Kang-hyuk a silk pouch. It was the same pouch Kang-hyuk had seen yesterday and the day before.

It seemed the magistrate had turned it into his “Viagra pouch.”

“Here you go.”

“Thank you, as always.”

After placing the pouch inside his robe, Magistrate Kim turned to leave.

But Kang-hyuk called out to him.

“Uh, sir.”

“Hm? What is it?”

Since it was Kang-hyuk, Magistrate Kim stopped immediately and turned around.

“I have a request.”

“Anything. Just say the word.”

Magistrate Kim was so eager to help that he even jumped off his horse.

“Oh.”

Someone waiting in line let out a gasp of admiration.

In Suwon, there were very few people who could even make eye contact with the magistrate, let alone talk to him directly.

Most of them were retired high-ranking officials or renowned scholars, like Seungmun.

The fact that Kang-hyuk, a relatively unknown figure, had such a rapport with the magistrate made everyone regard him with awe.

“It’s nothing much… I’ve heard you have a house available in the market.”

Magistrate Kim was a textbook example of a corrupt official, and Suwon was one of the wealthier regions, along with Kaesong, Ganghwa, and Gwangju. Naturally, he owned a lot of property, not just in the market but all across Suwon, Gyeonggi, and even in Hanyang (modern-day Seoul).

“I do. Are you thinking of moving in? Planning to get married, perhaps?”

“No, nothing like that. I’m thinking of setting up a separate clinic in the market.”

“In the market?”

“Yes. Look at this place. Does this look like a scholar’s house?”

Kang-hyuk gestured toward the crowd of people.

Even though Seungmun’s house was large, the constant bustling of patients made it chaotic every day. Kang-hyuk felt bad for the scholar, who could no longer study in peace or even receive guests.

Magistrate Kim seemed to understand, nodding in agreement.

“You’re right. No wonder your father has been going out more often recently.”

“Yes. So, would it be possible?”

Kang-hyuk slightly bowed his head, waiting for the magistrate’s response.

In truth, the crowded house wasn’t the only reason. People of lower status, like those in the Aeogae gang, found it difficult to even enter Seungmun’s house.

Most of the current patients were wealthy commoners, and if Kang-hyuk wanted to gather more information, he needed to attract people from all walks of life, especially those of lower status.

And on top of that, Seungmun constantly nagged him about studying whenever they crossed paths, making life even more difficult.

“If I set up a clinic in the market, things will be much easier.”

Magistrate Kim stroked his chin, then grinned.

“Consider it done. You can use the house in exchange for your medical services. Does that sound fair?”

“Yes, that would be perfect.”

“Good. I’ll send someone over today to tidy it up. You won’t need to do much; I had a new roof put in recently.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Though corrupt and lascivious, Magistrate Kim was a man of his word. He gave Kang-hyuk one of the best houses he owned in the market, and even made sure it was cleaned and ready to use.

The yard was spacious enough that even if many patients gathered, it wouldn’t be a problem.

***

Dolseok sniffed the air as he entered the new clinic.

“I really like the smell of the market.”

“After being cooped up in the house, it feels much better here.”

“Yes, young master. But what will you do with the payments people bring?”

“I’ve spoken to my father, and he agreed to have a cart brought over every day to collect everything. I’m not sure if one cart will be enough, though.”

Kang-hyuk pointed to the line of people already waiting in the yard.

Dolseok couldn’t handle everything on his own, so some of the members of the Aeogae gang had come to help.

Today, even Yeon and Makbong were there, since they didn’t have a performance scheduled.

Makbong was busy handing out carved wooden number tokens to organize the line.

“Yeon, come here for a moment.”

At Kang-hyuk’s call, Yeon dashed over, as if her feet were on fire.

“Yes, sir. You called?”

“How’s the task I assigned going?”

“Ah, that… I’ve been to Suwon and even Anseong, but no one seems to know anything.”

Kang-hyuk wasn’t too disappointed; he hadn’t expected it to be easy.

‘If only I could remember what I did just before I ended up here.’

He vaguely recalled touching something, but he couldn’t remember what it was, making it useless information.

“I see. Thank you for your efforts.”

“I’m sorry I let you down.”

“No, it’s fine. Keep looking into it.”

“Yes, young master. I’ll continue asking the patients subtly.”

“Thank you.”

After sending Yeon off, Kang-hyuk glanced around the yard.

Even though it was still early in the day, there were already so many people.

‘The sun is getting hotter…’

It was early summer now.

When Kang-hyuk first arrived in Joseon, it had been spring, so quite a bit of time had passed. Yet, he hadn’t found a single clue about how to return to his time.

It was becoming more likely that he would be stuck here for the long term.

‘Ah, whatever. Let’s just focus on making money.’

After all, there was no such thing as too much wealth.

Not in Joseon, or anywhere else for that matter.

“Dolseok, let’s start seeing patients.”

“Yes, young master. Alright! The doctor is ready! Everyone, come in one by one!”

At Dolseok’s command, the patients rushed forward.

“Hold on, hold on! One at a time!”

Dolseok didn’t hesitate to scold even the commoners.

Part of it was due to his own pride as a commoner, but mostly it was because of the power Kang-hyuk wielded.

With even the Suwon Magistrate as a regular patient, anyone who missed their turn would only be hurting themselves.

Even the nobles patiently waited their turn, clutching their numbered tokens.

Kang-hyuk had gotten used to speaking informally to most people.

In the few months he had been here, he had adapted to the strict class system.

If he had come here as a commoner, it might have been tough, but being born into the yangban (noble) class made things easier.

He turned to the middle-aged man lying on the examination bed.

“How are you feeling?”

“Thanks to the medicine you gave me, I feel much better.”

“Let’s see…”

Kang-hyuk placed his stethoscope on the man’s abdomen and listened. The rumbling he’d heard during the first visit had lessened significantly.

When he first came in, the patient was in such bad shape that he nearly defecated in the middle of the exam. Now, he was practically healed.

“There’s no infection, so you don’t need to take any more medicine.”

“Oh, thank you, sir!”

The patient left behind a few measures of rice as payment and headed home.

‘That should be enough for Dolseok’s lunch.’

Since Kang-hyuk left the payment amount up to the patients, it varied.

Nobles, out of pride, would offer leather, pressed meat, or dried fish, while commoners could only afford to bring rice.

Some patients even tried to take both the medicine and the rice they brought, but Yeon or Makbong quickly put an end to that.

Just like now.

“You little rat! How dare you steal right in front of me!”

Yeon was shouting at a man who was a head taller than her.

She was so fierce that the man, clearly caught red-handed, couldn’t move.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

“Someone like you deserves a beating.”

With that, Yeon leaped up and slammed her heel into the thief’s shoulder.

“Ow!”

With a sickening crack, the man’s knees buckled beneath him.

Clutching his shoulder in pain, he let out a wail.

“Oh god, it hurts!”

Kang-hyuk watched the scene unfold for a moment before stepping out of the clinic.

“Does it hurt a lot?”

“Please, sir, spare me!”

“Why would I kill you?”

Kang-hyuk casually examined the man’s shoulder.

“It seems like your shoulder popped out when you fell. I’ll fix it. The fee is a sack of rice, alright?”

“A whole sack? That’s too—”

“Or you could go to the authorities for theft. Makbong!”

“Yes, young master.”

As fierce as Yeon was, Makbong’s hulking figure was on a whole other level.

The man’s face went pale.

“I’ll bring it, I’ll bring it.”

“Good. This will hurt a bit, so bear with it.”

Using his impeccable skills, Kang-hyuk quickly popped the shoulder back into place.

The man, surprised at how quickly his shoulder was fixed, rotated it several times, then bowed repeatedly.

“Thank you, thank you!”

“Alright.”

“Then, I’ll go—”

“Have you gone mad? Makbong, go with him to make sure he pays.”

“Yes, young master.”

It may have seemed a bit harsh, but Kang-hyuk’s skill was undeniable.

After all, hadn’t he fixed the man’s shoulder in an instant?

The other patients, seeing this, waited for their turn with even more eagerness.

As Kang-hyuk continued his examinations, another commotion arose outside.

Kang-hyuk glanced out, wondering if another thief had appeared.

“What’s going on out there?”

It seemed some kind of official procession had arrived.

A man, clearly an official, was sitting arrogantly on his horse, looking down on the crowd with disdain.

Instead of a saddle, he sat on a cushioned mat, making him look somewhat comical.

“Make way! The Anseong County Magistrate is here!”

The magistrate’s soldiers were brandishing their batons, threatening the crowd.

By now, Kang-hyuk was familiar with the ranks of Joseon officials.

The Suwon Magistrate was a third-rank official, which was quite high.

But the Anseong Magistrate? He was merely a sixth-rank official.

Of course, Kang-hyuk didn’t hold any official rank, but even so, there was no reason for this man to act so high and mighty, especially not here.

‘He doesn’t know that this house belongs to the Suwon Magistrate, does he?’

Kang-hyuk continued his work as the scene unfolded outside.

Just as he was examining another patient, a low-ranking official entered the clinic.

“Is the doctor here? The Anseong Magistrate requests your services. Come out immediately!”