Chapter 25: Treating the Daughter of a Noble [4]

The woman was staring directly at Baek Kang-hyuk.

Caught off guard, Kang-hyuk let out an awkward chuckle.

“Oh.”

Then, he quickly hid behind Yeon.

‘Damn it.’

What was the point of hiding after making eye contact? It was already too late.

His mind raced with possible ways to salvage the situation, but none of them were particularly “happy” options.

‘Chang-gwon is connected to my father, so… marriage?’

At least the woman was fairly beautiful, despite her swollen face.

‘If she looks this good when she’s swollen, she must be really pretty.’

Kang-hyuk had always dreamed of living freely, but it seemed that dream had come to an end.

While he mentally fast-forwarded through a life of marriage, children, and grandchildren, the woman spoke again.

“I asked, who are you?”

Her tone was calm but firm—dignified, even. It was clear she was Chang-gwon’s daughter.

Despite her fever and the situation, she still carried herself with a sense of authority.

“Say something.”

Kang-hyuk whispered to Yeon, who flinched.

“Say what?”

“I don’t know, just make something up.”

Kang-hyuk shrunk further behind Yeon, though his large frame still made him quite visible.

The woman pointed directly at him.

“I asked about the person behind you. If you don’t answer, I’ll scream.”

There was no doubt about who she was pointing at.

Yeon sighed in relief and stepped aside, retreating.

“Young master, you need to say something.”

“What am I supposed to say?”

“Just make something up!”

Kang-hyuk felt a surge of irritation. It was his own advice coming back to bite him, and now it sounded absurd.

Reflecting on his earlier irresponsibility, he stepped forward.

“Uh, you’re talking to me?”

“Yes.”

The woman was now sitting upright, her posture composed despite her illness.

Her clothes were a bit disheveled, but the air of refinement she exuded rivaled that of any high-ranking noblewoman.

‘She really is the daughter of a Joseon scholar.’

That old man, Chang-gwon, must have raised her with impeccable discipline.

‘At least she doesn’t seem like she’ll scream as long as I answer.’

Perhaps he could talk his way out of this.

Kang-hyuk cleared his throat and adjusted his stance, mimicking the formal posture his father, Seung-moon, often used when greeting important guests.

Given his impressive build, Kang-hyuk looked quite dignified.

Nothing about him suggested he was the kind of man who would sneak into a noblewoman’s room in the dead of night.

“I’m Baek Kang-hyuk.”

He introduced himself with a deliberately smooth tone, accompanied by a confident gaze.

The dim lighting from the oil lamp played in his favor, casting shadows that made him appear more striking.

‘Back in my professor days, just one look like this and people were hooked.’

Though this woman seemed a bit different.

She remained entirely unfazed and spoke again, her voice unwavering.

“Very well. What brings you here?”

“Ah, well…”

Kang-hyuk stumbled for a moment before recalling the needle they had extracted earlier.

“Right, I came because of this.”

“A needle?”

“Yes, take a closer look—it’s broken in the middle.”

The woman glanced at the needle he was holding.

Although it was rusty and smelled unpleasant, it was indeed a needle.

“You came here to find that needle?”

“No, not exactly.”

Typical of a scholar’s daughter—she was as rigid as her father.

Kang-hyuk shook his head and pointed to her foot.

“This was stuck in your foot. That’s why no medicine was working.”

“Oh.”

The woman let out a small sound of realization and looked down at her foot.

Pus and a bit of blood were seeping from the wound where the needle had been lodged.

Despite the mess, the pain had subsided significantly.

Now she realized why the man’s voice seemed familiar.

“You’re the doctor who came earlier this evening.”

“Yes, that was me.”

The woman glanced outside. It was pitch dark, clearly the middle of the night.

“But why come back at such a late hour?”

“Your father wouldn’t let me see you directly.”

“So you came at this hour just to treat me?”

“Exactly.”

“Isn’t it past curfew?”

“As long as you don’t get caught, it’s fine.”

Not the best thing to say, considering he had just been caught by the patient herself.

“Hmm.”

The woman wiggled her toes.

The swelling had gone down a bit, and the movement felt easier.

Regardless of the strange circumstances, it was clear that Kang-hyuk had indeed treated her.

And from the looks of it, the actual hands-on treatment had been done by the other woman present.

“I see. Thank you for treating me.”

Understanding the situation, the woman bowed her head in gratitude.

Surprisingly, Joseon people could be quite straightforward at times.

Kang-hyuk waved his hand dismissively.

“No, no, the treatment isn’t finished yet.”

“But I already feel much better than before.”

Though she had taken painkillers, her mind seemed clear, and she didn’t seem likely to cause a scene.

And there didn’t seem to be any future issues with her either.

‘Since things have gone this far, I might as well finish the treatment.’

How often would he have a chance to perform house calls in the middle of the night, dodging patrols?

Even for someone as daring as Kang-hyuk, he didn’t want to go through this again.

“Since we’re here, let’s finish the treatment properly.”

“Is there more to do?”

“Yes. There’s a lot of infection around the area where the needle was. We need to clean it out. I didn’t want to do it earlier because I was worried you’d wake up, but now that you’re awake, we can proceed.”

“I assume you won’t be doing it yourself.”

Though she was grateful, there were still boundaries to be observed.

Kang-hyuk understood her concerns completely.

‘Ah, right. They have that rule about men and women not touching after a certain age.’

He found it a ridiculous concept, but this was Joseon, after all.

“This young lady here will handle it. As you can see, she’s a woman.”

“Yes, I’m a woman.”

Yeon awkwardly tucked her hair behind her ears and gave a stiff smile.

She wasn’t used to letting her hair down like this, and it felt strange.

Her skin, darkened from years of outdoor work, only added to her unique charm.

“Very well.”

The woman nodded and extended her foot again, showing a level of composure that exceeded her father’s.

“Good. Yeon, open the bag again.”

“Yes, young master.”

Yeon quickly opened the medical bag.

Kang-hyuk took out a cotton swab and a pair of tweezers, handing them to Yeon.

“Think you can do this?”

“Oh, come on.”

She couldn’t exactly say no in front of the patient.

She let out a deep sigh.

“It’s not difficult. Just clean out the infected areas around where the needle was.”

“With this?”

“Yes, and use the tweezers to dig out anything that looks bad.”

“Won’t it hurt?”

The sole of the foot was a particularly sensitive area.

Any injury there would hurt more than usual.

“It’ll hurt. Just let us know if it becomes unbearable. You don’t need to endure it.”

“I understand. But… my father usually wakes up early and coughs.”

“Oh.”

While they had managed to get through this encounter, getting caught by Chang-gwon would be an entirely different story.

Best case scenario, they would have to get married. Worst case, they might not leave the house alive.

“We definitely can’t have that. Yeon, did you hear that?”

“Yes, yes.”

Yeon had seen plenty of people at the marketplace over the years.

Though she’d only met Chang-gwon yesterday, she already had a rough understanding of his personality.

If things went badly, Kang-hyuk might be spared, but Yeon and Mak-bong were certain to be punished.

At best, they’d be beaten. At worst, they could end up tied to a post or flogged.

Sweat trickled down her forehead.

“You’re doing great. Now, clean that spot. And scrape over there.”

“What about this area?”

“That part… it’ll be painful. Leave it for now. The medicine should take care of it.”

“Alright, young master.”

The woman proved to have a surprising amount of tolerance for pain.

Yeon’s hands were steady and capable.

Thanks to that, the treatment went smoothly and without delay.

“Good job, both of you. Now, put this on her foot.”

Kang-hyuk handed Yeon an antibacterial gauze pad.

Yeon expertly applied the gauze to the woman’s foot.

“That should do it.”

Kang-hyuk surveyed the woman’s foot one last time before standing up.

Whether it was just his imagination or not, the sky outside seemed a little brighter than before.

‘If we stay any longer, we’ll be in serious trouble.’

Yeon was just as eager to leave.

“Let’s go, young master.”

“Yes. Well done. And don’t tell your father about this, alright?”

The woman gave a knowing smile.

“Don’t worry. I won’t.”

“By the way, I don’t even know your name.”

First Yi Sun-shin, now this woman. He kept forgetting to ask for names.

‘Could she be a famous historical figure too?’

Kang-hyuk glanced at her, wondering if he had overlooked some famous historical figure from the Jeong family.

The woman smiled softly and lowered her head.

“Sorry for the late introduction. My name is Jeong Yeo-ju.”

“Yeo-ju?”

Unfortunately, the name didn’t ring any bells.

‘Strange, though. I feel like I’ve heard that name before.’

The moment she said her name, a sense of familiarity washed over him.

It was as if he had known her for a very long time.

‘Did I have a student by that name?’

Kang-hyuk quickly shook his head.

There were only a handful of female students he had ever taught, and he would have remembered all of their names.

“That’s a nice name. Anyway, we’ll be leaving now. Get plenty of rest—that’ll help you recover faster.”

“I will. Thank you, and safe travels.”

Just as they were leaving, Kang-hyuk noticed Yeon tying her hair up again.

Though it was just a simple bun, it gave her a different look altogether.

His heart skipped a beat.

‘Yeon looks familiar too.’

It was odd.

Why did he feel such familiarity and nostalgia looking at these women?

For someone as cool-headed as Kang-hyuk, it was a startling realization.

‘Maybe it’s because I’ve been so pent-up.’

Looking back, ever since coming to Joseon, he hadn’t had a single release.

Just a few nights ago, he had even had a wet dream.

What was he, a teenager?

The idea of waking up alone at night like that, and sneaking off to deal with it… if Dol-seok had seen him, he’d never live it down.

‘Yeah, that’s probably it.’

As Kang-hyuk was lost in thought, he heard a groan from beneath him.

It was Mak-bong, still crouched under Kang-hyuk’s foot.

“Uh, young master, we need to get going. I’m in a lot of pain here…”

“Oh, right. Sorry, sorry.”

Kang-hyuk quickly hopped over the wall.

Mak-bong followed right behind him.

Yeon, who had already crossed, waved them over, looking slightly annoyed.

“The mosquitoes are already out.”

“Oh, it’s the patrol.”

Mak-bong grabbed Kang-hyuk and Yeon, pulling them into the shadows.

Two patrolmen passed by, holding torches.

Once they were safely gone, Mak-bong sighed in relief.

“Young master, why did you go through all that trouble to treat her? From what I saw, it didn’t look like a particularly wealthy household.”

“Hmm.”

Surprisingly, Kang-hyuk found it hard to come up with an answer.

Sure, he took great pride in being a doctor.

‘I don’t like seeing my patients die, but…’

That didn’t mean he was the type to risk his life for just anyone.

Looking back, it was as if something had possessed him to jump over that wall and treat her.

“I’m not really sure. Maybe we knew each other in a past life. Let’s get going before we get caught.”