Chapter 24: Treating the Daughter of a Noble [3]
“No way, you idiot. What do you take me for?”
Baek Kang-hyuk reassured the tearful and panicking Dol-seok before heading out of the room.
Though his method of reassurance might have been a bit flawed.
“Young master!”
Dol-seok called out desperately, even though his hands and feet were tied.
“Just stay put and sleep. I’m not going to do anything bad.”
Kang-hyuk tried to offer a comforting smile.
Behind him, Yeon and Mak-bong grinned in a similar fashion.
Under the dim, awkwardly bright moonlight, their smiles had an eerie quality.
It looked like a group of bandits preparing for a heist.
“Oh no…”
Dol-seok held his forehead and groaned.
“I told you, I’m going to treat the professor’s daughter.”
“At this time of night? Without telling the professor?”
“It’s complicated. I’ll explain everything later. No time now.”
Kang-hyuk shut the door behind him.
Dol-seok’s exasperated sigh could be heard from inside.
“So he just leaves me tied up and goes.”
For a brief moment, Kang-hyuk considered untying him but quickly shook his head.
‘He’d just cause more trouble.’
Dol-seok was strong, and it had taken both Kang-hyuk and Mak-bong to restrain him earlier. He didn’t want to go through that hassle again.
“Mak-bong, when do we move?”
“Not yet. There are usually a lot of patrols around the market.”
“Hmm.”
Kang-hyuk was eager to get going, but they had to wait.
He didn’t mind waiting, but Dol-seok’s muttering from inside was starting to irritate him.
“Oh dear… poor madam, what will she do?”
Worrying about the household’s reputation.
“I thought the young master was finally growing up, but now he’s doing things like this.”
Even worrying about Kang-hyuk himself.
Just as Kang-hyuk’s patience was wearing thin, Mak-bong nodded.
“It’s time. Run diagonally from here as fast as you can and hide behind the wall.”
“Now?”
“Yes, young master, you go first.”
“Alright.”
Kang-hyuk sprinted off with his medical bag in hand.
The bag rattled with all its contents, but it didn’t slow him down much.
When he glanced back, Yeon and Mak-bong were keeping up with ease.
“From here, it’ll be simple. Just follow me closely.”
With that, Mak-bong moved swiftly, jumping from wall to wall.
Each time he paused, a patrol would appear like clockwork.
‘This is a skill in itself.’
Mak-bong’s experience sneaking in and out of the widows’ village must have paid off.
He moved through the streets of Suwon like they were his own living room.
“Is this the place?”
Mak-bong pointed to a small thatched-roof house.
It looked quite shabby for a residence of someone ranked at **jong 6-pum** (6th lower rank).
The low walls only added to the humble appearance.
Kang-hyuk, being tall, could easily see over the wall just by standing on tiptoes.
A horse tethered outside confirmed that this was the right house.
“Yeah, this is it. The woman is in that room.”
He pointed to the room where the woman was resting.
Neither Yeon nor Mak-bong could see inside, but they trusted Kang-hyuk’s word.
“Let me go over first.”
Yeon took a few steps, then leaped gracefully over the wall without making a sound.
Her movements were so light that not a single noise was heard.
“Now it’s your turn.”
“Right… How did she manage to jump over that so easily?”
Kang-hyuk hesitated for a moment, realizing the wall was actually quite high.
Before he could think too much, Mak-bong crouched down and offered his back.
“Step on my back, young master.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“Alright then.”
It wouldn’t be polite to refuse help that was being offered so earnestly.
Kang-hyuk carefully stepped onto Mak-bong’s back.
Mak-bong grunted slightly under the weight.
“Ugh.”
Kang-hyuk quickly pushed off Mak-bong’s back and managed to get over the wall with Yeon’s help.
“Ow.”
A low groan came from Mak-bong on the other side.
“Now it’s my turn. Hup.”
Despite being much heavier than Kang-hyuk, Mak-bong vaulted over the wall in one go.
He landed with a bit more noise than Yeon, but it wasn’t too loud.
Once over, he whispered:
“Not even a single ant in sight.”
“They probably don’t have money to hire any servants.”
If they had any money, they would have fixed up the house first.
“That explains why the professor’s clothes looked so shabby.”
Yeon mumbled, remembering how Chang-gwon had looked earlier that day.
Though to be fair, Yeon’s clothes weren’t much better.
“Alright, let’s head in.”
“Are you sure it’s safe? What if she screams?”
“Don’t worry. Even if she does, I’ve got an excuse ready.”
The medicine Kang-hyuk had given her earlier wasn’t just any ordinary drug.
The effects were so strong that even Yi Sun-shin had fallen asleep during surgery.
The woman would likely be sound asleep by now, completely unaware of anything around her.
If someone as strong as Sun-shin had been knocked out by the medicine, there was no way she’d be able to resist.
“But still…”
“I said, don’t worry.”
With a slightly annoyed tone, Kang-hyuk opened the woman’s door slightly.
‘Lately, it seems like whenever I tell someone not to worry, they end up worrying even more.’
Back at the hospital, it had been the opposite.
Sometimes, it had been a hassle to deal with people who treated him like a god.
People like the hospital director, for example.
As expected, as soon as he opened the door, loud snoring filled the air.
“Phew, that’s loud.”
Mak-bong pinched his nose.
Though the smell had improved a little, the stench was still overpowering.
Kang-hyuk shook his head and stepped into the room.
“Looks like the medicine I gave earlier didn’t work. Yeon, come in.”
“Uh… yes, young master.”
Yeon hesitated but followed Kang-hyuk into the room.
“Mak-bong, keep watch outside. If anything happens, let us know right away.”
“Yes, I’ll keep a sharp lookout.”
“I’m counting on you. Don’t fall asleep.”
“I don’t sleep at this time anyway, heh heh.”
Mak-bong grinned and nodded, his laughter carrying a slightly perverse undertone.
‘He might be sleazy, but he’s reliable.’
With Mak-bong standing guard, it was time to focus on the treatment.
The room was so dark that Kang-hyuk could barely see even a few inches in front of him.
‘Guess I’ll need to light the lamp.’
There was no harm in being cautious about everything.
Kang-hyuk positioned himself behind Yeon and whispered.
“Remember, you’ll be the one physically handling the patient.”
“Ugh, right.”
“First, light the lamp.”
“Yes.”
Yeon lit the oil lamp in the corner of the room.
Compared to the lamps in Kang-hyuk’s clinic, the light was much dimmer.
“Why is it so dark?”
“They’re probably using castor oil. Your family uses whale oil, young master.”
“Whale oil? I use whale oil?”
“Yes, it’s very expensive.”
Apparently, even oil for lamps had different price ranges, something Kang-hyuk hadn’t known.
‘That old man… always grumbling but looking after me so well.’
All the supplies for the clinic were provided by his father, Seung-moon, and it seemed even the lamp oil was of the highest quality.
‘He’ll probably be pleased if I recite a poem for him later.’
Even though Seung-moon wasn’t his biological father, Kang-hyuk figured he was doing his part to be a filial son.
Finishing his thoughts, Kang-hyuk scanned the room.
Though the light was dim, it was enough to make things out.
‘Wow… there are a lot of books.’
Not only were there books everywhere, but paintings were hung all around the room as well.
It seemed the woman had rather refined tastes.
Though that wasn’t what Kang-hyuk was interested in.
He stopped his quick inspection and whispered to Yeon again.
“Now, let your hair down. That way, if she wakes up, she won’t be too startled.”
“Yes.”
As Kang-hyuk’s warm breath tickled Yeon’s ear, she blushed slightly and untied her topknot.
Her sleek, dark hair fell down around her shoulders.
‘Oh.’
It gave her a completely different look compared to when she’d been dressed as a man.
‘She’s pretty. Seems familiar too.’
He couldn’t quite place it, but maybe she resembled a celebrity or someone he had seen before.
“This looks much better. Now, let’s take a look at the foot.”
“Uh… yes.”
Yeon cautiously lifted the blanket.
The foul odor grew even stronger.
It was enough to make Kang-hyuk want to throw open the door just to air the place out.
“Ugh…”
Yeon turned her head and covered her nose.
Meanwhile, Kang-hyuk examined the wound in detail.
‘As expected, the infection in the foot is bad… Hmm.’
Judging by Chang-gwon’s age, Kang-hyuk had assumed his daughter would be quite young.
Despite her swollen face, she still had clear, smooth skin.
‘She likely wasn’t suffering from any prior condition.’
It was rare for a simple wound to get this bad without some other underlying issue.
The possibility that something was still lodged inside the wound was high.
‘Hmm.’
He had to make a decision.
‘She might wake up, but…’
If worse came to worst, they could bluff their way through it.
As long as Kang-hyuk stayed out of sight.
“Yeon, can you check her forehead?”
“Huh? Yes. Wow, she’s burning up.”
“Right?”
A high fever combined with a sedative.
‘Screw it, let’s go for it. If things go south, we’ll just make a run for it.’
Even if she woke up, she wouldn’t remember much.
Kang-hyuk took out a pair of mosquito forceps and tweezers from his medical bag and handed them to Yeon.
“You see the wound on the sole of her foot?”
“Yes.”
“Use these to dig around a bit. Something’s probably lodged inside.”
“What? What if she wakes up?”
“Just make something up if she does. I’ll stay hidden, and no one will recognize you with your hair down.”
Kang-hyuk kept whispering close to Yeon’s ear.
With his scent and warm breath so close, it was starting to make Yeon feel strange.
She was more flustered than the unconscious woman.
“Uh… okay.”
“Good. Just follow my instructions.”
“Alright.”
“Turn her foot slightly to the right. Yes, there.”
Yeon carefully began probing the woman’s foot with the mosquito forceps.
“Mmm…”
The woman stirred as if in pain.
Yeon panicked and looked back at Kang-hyuk, who just nodded calmly.
“It’s fine, it’s fine.”
“Oh…”
Yeon took a deep breath and pushed the forceps deeper into the wound.
“Ah. There’s definitely something in here.”
“Right? Try to grab it.”
“Okay, okay.”
The mosquito forceps were perfect for gripping small objects.
With their fine teeth and locking mechanism, they were ideal for situations like this.
“I think I’ve got it.”
“Oh, I can see it. Pull it out.”
“Yes.”
Yeon, seeming to gain confidence, pulled on the forceps.
– *Schk*
With a satisfying sound, a rusty needle emerged from the wound.
It looked like it had snapped off when someone had tried to pull it out earlier.
‘No wonder her leg was so swollen.’
The wound was red and inflamed.
She would need a heavy dose of antibiotics for a while.
“Is this enough to make her better?”
“Yeah, you did great. Really well done.”
Kang-hyuk smiled warmly and patted Yeon on the head.
“This is the first time I’ve ever treated someone.”
“It’s my first time doing something like this too.”
“Will she recover quickly?”
“Her leg still looks good. We won’t need to amputate, thank goodness.”
Now all they had to do was leave.
However, just as they were about to make their exit, the woman opened her eyes.
“Who… who are you?”
“Oh.”