Chapter 23: Treating the Daughter of a Noble [2]
It wasn’t exactly a time when oil was abundant.
Especially for a household as poor as Chang-gwon’s, it was obvious they would be even more lacking.
They had only one servant, and he was an old man.
To Baek Kang-hyuk, it didn’t seem like there would be any obstacles to his plan.
He didn’t want to beg Chang-gwon either.
‘This is the same stubborn man who wouldn’t even listen to the governor earlier. He’d never listen to me.’
Though Baek Kang-hyuk saw him as a patient, he had dealt with countless people before.
Just by looking, he could assess what kind of person they were.
Not that he was reading their fortune or anything.
‘It’s too much of a hassle to argue with him… I’ll just come back when the curfew bell rings.’
Kang-hyuk glanced back at Yeon, who was standing behind him.
Since he didn’t want to touch the woman himself, Yeon’s presence was essential.
For her, jumping over a wall like this wouldn’t be a problem.
‘Yes, let’s go with that.’
Once he made up his mind, he felt much more relaxed.
Seeing Kang-hyuk smiling, Chang-gwon tilted his head in curiosity.
“Do you know what illness it is?”
“Ah.”
Kang-hyuk quickly changed his expression and replied with a serious face.
Considering the fever and leg pain, there was definitely some sort of infection.
He didn’t know the exact type, but there was no harm in giving her antibiotics.
“First of all…”
Kang-hyuk took out some antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, and narcotic painkillers from his medical bag and handed them to Chang-gwon.
“Please give her these. It should make her feel better.”
She’d also sleep deeply, which would make it easier when he returned later that night.
Of course, Chang-gwon, unaware of Kang-hyuk’s ulterior motive, lowered his head gratefully.
“Thank you. If my daughter gets better, I won’t forget your kindness.”
“It’s nothing. I’ll return tomorrow.”
“Will you?”
“The doctor needs to check the progress. Take care, sir.”
Kang-hyuk and Yeon quickly left Chang-gwon’s house.
With such a small yard, it didn’t take long at all.
Yeon hurried after Kang-hyuk, following closely.
“You’re really amazing, young master.”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“How did you diagnose her illness without even seeing her?”
Yeon looked genuinely impressed.
It would’ve been nice if things had gone as smoothly as she thought.
Kang-hyuk chuckled bitterly and shook his head.
“I’m no god. How could I know?”
“Then what about the medicine you gave her?”
“The medicine will help, but it won’t cure her completely.”
“Then what are we going to do? From her voice, she sounded like she was on the brink of death.”
For all her boldness and toughness, she had a kind heart.
Kang-hyuk leaned closer and whispered in Yeon’s ear.
His breath tickled her, causing her to flinch, but he didn’t seem to notice.
“Your specialty is jumping high, isn’t it?”
“Huh? Yes…”
“We’ll have to come back here later.”
“Back here? When?”
It was already dark.
Clearly, the time to be wandering around had passed.
“After the curfew bell rings.”
“The bell? You mean during curfew?”
“Exactly.”
“Why… wait, you’re not serious, are you?”
“I think I need to see her in person to treat her properly. I’ll need your help. Are you up for it?”
Any trace of lingering alcohol in Yeon’s system vanished instantly.
She knew Baek Kang-hyuk wasn’t one to be bound by rules, but she never imagined he’d go this far.
What kind of nobleman would even think of sneaking into a woman’s room at night?
“Uh… so you’re planning to kidnap her like in a **bossam** [1] ?”
“No, no. What are you talking about?”
Even Baek Kang-hyuk wasn’t reckless enough to kidnap a noblewoman just to treat her.
If he got caught, Chang-gwon would no doubt react violently, regardless of how much favor Kang-hyuk had earned with the governor.
“So, are you just going to enter her room? What if she screams?”
“Don’t worry. One of the medicines I gave her will make her drowsy.”
“But still, if she feels a man’s hand, she’ll cause an uproar.”
“Huh? You’ll be the one touching her.”
Wait, what kind of nonsense was this?
Yeon widened her eyes in disbelief.
“Me?”
“Yes. There shouldn’t be any problem if you do it, right?”
“I’ve never treated anyone before.”
Of course she hadn’t.
She had likely been the cause of needing treatment more times than she’d ever tried giving it.
“It’s fine. I’ll teach you as we go.”
Kang-hyuk nodded confidently, as if that would reassure her.
“Huh?”
“I’m not only good at treating people, I’m also great at teaching.”
Yeon lowered her gaze to the ground, unable to show just how flabbergasted she was by his arrogance.
Kang-hyuk seemed to interpret her silence differently.
“What, are you not confident?”
His teasing tone stirred Yeon’s pride.
She wasn’t just any woman—she had even disguised herself as a man and worked as a bodyguard. Naturally, she had no shortage of pride or boldness.
“Why wouldn’t I be confident?”
“Good, then. We’ll go as soon as the bell rings, got it?”
“Hah…”
She felt like she had been completely outmaneuvered.
The idea of sneaking out during the curfew made her head spin.
Yeon sighed several more times before looking up at Kang-hyuk.
“Then, please bring along Mak-bong too.”
“Mak-bong?”
Kang-hyuk immediately pictured Mak-bong—short, stocky, with thick muscles.
He could probably jump well, but he also gave off the impression that he was a bit slow.
“Why him?”
“Mak-bong is good at sneaking around at night.”
“Really…? Why would he need to do that?”
“Well…”
Yeon hesitated, looking down at her feet.
She wasn’t usually one to waver, but there was clearly something going on.
Kang-hyuk, sensing this, waited patiently for her to explain.
Fortunately, the silence didn’t last long.
“There’s a widows’ village nearby.”
“A widows’ village?”
“Mak-bong helps them out and gets paid for it.”
“Helping out? At night? Oh… night work?”
Kang-hyuk nodded as if he had just understood everything.
‘Now that I think about it, the way Mak-bong swings on the seesaw… that core strength is no joke.’
Even as a man, Kang-hyuk found it a bit intimidating.
It made sense that widows, who hadn’t felt a man’s touch in a long time, would be interested.
No advertising would be needed either.
Joseon nights were quiet, and the walls weren’t exactly soundproof.
“Right, he’d be great at avoiding patrols.”
“Yes… well, they say even cow dung has its uses, and I guess this is one of those times.”
After sharing this amusing story, they quickly reached the village marketplace.
Kang-hyuk patted Yeon on the back and said:
“Come back after the bell rings. I won’t be sleeping.”
“Yes, young master.”
With a respectful bow, Yeon entered the tavern.
Kang-hyuk began making his way back to his clinic.
‘Now… I wonder how they’re doing.’
He doubted Dol-seok would’ve dared to mess with Yi Sun-shin.
Dol-seok was a smart kid who knew when to push and when to pull.
– *Screech*
The sound of the front gate echoed through the yard as Dol-seok came running out barefoot.
“Oh, young master!”
His frantic demeanor made it seem like something terrible had happened to Yi Sun-shin.
But then, Sun-shin’s calm voice followed.
“You’re late.”
He didn’t sound like someone who was seriously ill, so Kang-hyuk could breathe a sigh of relief.
Kang-hyuk turned to the panicked Dol-seok and asked:
“What’s got you so riled up?”
“Oh, it’s just…”
Dol-seok shook his head several times before finally speaking.
“He’s so strict! Just a moment ago, he even scolded me while I was emptying the chamber pot.”
“Chamber pot?”
“And during dinner too… Oh, young master, please don’t leave me alone with him tomorrow.”
It seemed Dol-seok had been through quite the ordeal, judging by how he clung to Kang-hyuk’s clothes like a child.
Though Kang-hyuk felt a bit sorry for him, he would have to leave Dol-seok alone with Sun-shin again tomorrow.
Clicking his tongue, Kang-hyuk shook his head.
“Well, too bad. I have somewhere else to be.”
“What? Right now?”
“Yeah. Now let go of me. I need to check on the patient first, don’t I?”
“You’re going out again, in the middle of the night… Oh, young master, I can’t handle him on my own.”
Dol-seok pleaded with his eyes, but since he wasn’t particularly good-looking, it didn’t have much effect.
Instead, Kang-hyuk felt a strange mix of amusement and frustration.
He pushed Dol-seok’s eyebrows apart and said:
“I need someone to look after the patient, you idiot.”
“Patient? Go and see for yourself. He’s not a patient anymore.”
“After the surgery yesterday, of course he is.”
Entering the room, Kang-hyuk realized Dol-seok wasn’t entirely wrong.
Yi Sun-shin was sitting on the floor with his right leg stretched out in front of a low desk, reading a book that looked difficult even at a glance.
Beside him, piles of similar books were stacked up.
“You’re here?”
“Yes. Where did all these books come from?”
At Kang-hyuk’s question, Sun-shin pointed his chin toward Dol-seok.
“I had him fetch them.”
“From where?”
“Here and there.”
When Kang-hyuk looked back, Dol-seok answered with a pout.
“I went around to all the noble families I know.”
It looked like he’d been through quite an ordeal.
‘Well, if you’re serving someone like Yi Sun-shin, this is the least you can do.’
In fact, they should’ve been grateful just to be in Sun-shin’s presence.
While Kang-hyuk tended to be relaxed, it didn’t mean Sun-shin was unnecessarily strict.
It was more likely that Dol-seok had simply gotten too complacent.
Turning back to Sun-shin, Kang-hyuk asked:
“How’s the wound?”
“Your skill is excellent. It doesn’t hurt as long as I don’t move.”
A satisfied smile spread across Kang-hyuk’s face.
Pain was one of the best indicators of how well a surgery had gone.
‘If I told people I performed this kind of surgery in this place, no one would believe me.’
Even Kang-hyuk had thought it would be impossible before he tried it.
‘Guess I really am a genius.’
Chuckling to himself, Kang-hyuk started unwrapping the bandages around Sun-shin’s leg.
As expected, the wound was healing well.
Even the part that had burst open earlier in the day had settled down nicely.
“It looks great. I’ll disinfect it and wrap it in fresh bandages, just in case.”
“Thank you.”
“Dol-seok, lift his leg.”
“Yes, young master.”
Despite everything, Dol-seok was still a loyal servant.
He was also turning into a decent apprentice.
He had gotten pretty good at handling bandages by now.
‘Of course, he’s been learning directly from me one-on-one.’
If he couldn’t handle this much, there’d be no hope for him.
“Alright. No, stop there. His toes need to be visible.”
“Oh, right. You said the color of the toes is important, didn’t you?”
“Exactly. You’ve improved.”
“Thank you.”
With Dol-seok’s help, rebandaging Yi Sun-shin’s leg was done in no time.
“Everything looks good. If things continue like this, you’ll be able to start walking soon.”
“Thank you. When can I get the sword back?”
“I’ll let you know about that later. For now, take this medicine.”
“Hmm. Alright.”
Though he seemed a bit disappointed, Sun-shin took the medicine without complaint.
Due to the sedative effect, it didn’t take long for Sun-shin to drift off to sleep.
Dol-seok, who had quietly prepared the bedding, tiptoed over.
“Young master, why don’t you just sleep here? Please?”
“No, I have somewhere to be.”
“But where could you possibly be going during curfew?”
“I’m not going alone.”
Not alone? Who on earth was he going with?
Dol-seok’s eyes darted around, and then he leaned in, pale-faced, and whispered.
“You’re not… going with Yeon, are you? Oh no, young master, if Madam finds out—”
“It’s Yeon, but it’s not what you think. Mak-bong’s coming too.”
“Mak-bong?”
What could he possibly be up to with two servants?
While Dol-seok was lost in thought, imagining all sorts of things, a tapping sound came from the courtyard.
When he peeked outside, he saw Yeon and Mak-bong had arrived.
They must’ve climbed over the wall.
“Young master, let’s go.”
“Alright, I’m coming.”
Kang-hyuk grabbed his medical bag and prepared to head out.
From outside, he overheard Yeon and Mak-bong talking.
“How high is the wall over there?”
“Lower than this one. I’ll go first, and then Mak-bong, you help young master over.”
“Piece of cake. Who’s this girl that young master is doing all this for?”
“I don’t know. Her father’s a professor, I think? Just make sure we don’t get caught by the patrol.”
“As long as you and young master do your part, we’ll be fine.”
Mak-bong chuckled, while Dol-seok’s face turned into one of sheer despair.
‘Oh no… young master is getting involved in **bossam** now!’
* * *
Footnotes:
[1] bossam : The act of abducting a woman, typically for marriage.