Chapter 28: Fever is Rising, Fever [2]
The concept of “trembling” in a medical sense could be described more formally as **”chills.”**
Chills could either be a precursor to a fever or the result of a high fever—neither of which was a good sign.
“She’s trembling?”
“Yes, it started suddenly.”
“Hmm. Let’s go check on her.”
“Yes, young master.”
Just moments ago, she was well enough to eat an entire chicken. Now she was trembling?
It seemed too sudden, too unexpected.
Kang-hyuk quickly grabbed his medical bag and rushed to the room, followed closely by a now-serious Dolseok, who had been joking earlier.
“She’s in this room,” Okseok said, stopping in front of Seungmun’s quarters.
—**Thud. Thud. Thud.**
Strange noises echoed from within.
‘What is that sound?’
Kang-hyuk tilted his head, straining to listen.
‘That’s… something banging. This might be serious.’
His expression darkened.
Though Seungmun wasn’t his biological father, they shared a striking resemblance in both personality and appearance—down to the quiet but unmistakable affection Seungmun showed him.
‘I can’t lose him.’
Kang-hyuk hurriedly slipped off his shoes and stepped onto the threshold.
Yi Sun-shin, standing nearby, looked concerned.
“Is he very unwell?”
“I need to examine him first.”
“He’ll be fine if you treat him. I know that much.”
Sun-shin glanced at his leg, which Kang-hyuk had expertly stitched and healed, leaving no hindrance to his daily life.
Despite not knowing Kang-hyuk’s full character, Sun-shin was convinced that his medical skills were unmatched in all of Joseon.
He had seen people with similar injuries live as cripples for life—if not for Kang-hyuk, he too would have met the same fate.
“Father, I’m here,” Kang-hyuk called softly.
“Oh… yes…”
The response was faint, the voice weak.
Kang-hyuk quickly slid open the door and entered.
Seungmun was trembling violently under a thick blanket, despite the stifling summer heat.
“Let me examine you, Father.”
“Yes… please…”
Kang-hyuk opened his medical bag.
Though Seungmun had heard rumors about Kang-hyuk’s strange tools, this was his first time seeing them in person. The assortment of unfamiliar medical instruments was nothing like the traditional tools he was accustomed to.
“Such… strange things.”
“Yes, but they work. First, let’s check your temperature.”
Kang-hyuk carefully inserted a thermometer into Seungmun’s ear.
Though the sensation felt odd, Seungmun endured it, trusting in Kang-hyuk’s skill.
There had to be a reason why people like Magistrate Kim Yoon-gil and Chang-gwon praised Kang-hyuk so highly.
—**Beep.**
Thanks to regular maintenance, the thermometer’s battery was always full.
‘39.8°C… That’s dangerously high.’
No wonder Seungmun was trembling—this was not a fever an elderly man could endure easily.
“This might feel a bit cold.”
“Alright…”
Seungmun, delirious from the fever, let Kang-hyuk do as he pleased.
Though Kang-hyuk wasn’t planning to administer an injection just yet, he began a thorough examination.
‘His lungs sound clear.’
That was a relief—pneumonia was always a serious threat to the elderly.
But other than the fever, nothing seemed amiss.
‘His throat, ears, and abdomen all look normal…’
There was no clear reason for the fever. This was what they called an **”unknown fever.”**
“Can you tell what’s wrong?” Seungmun asked, his voice trembling.
“Hmm…”
Kang-hyuk let out a short sigh. He still wasn’t sure.
‘Let’s start with medication.’
In a modern hospital, they could have kept him under observation or run more tests.
But here, there were no blood tests or X-rays—no way to make a precise diagnosis.
He couldn’t afford to wait and see.
“For now, take these pills with water. It should make things more bearable.”
“All of them?”
“Yes, Father.”
Without hesitation, Seungmun swallowed the four pills Kang-hyuk handed him.
The combination of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medication was strong, but Kang-hyuk had also given him an antacid to prevent any complications.
‘I live here, so I’ll catch any side effects early.’
“Let’s see how you feel after the medicine takes effect.”
“Alright… Okseok!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Light a fire in the room. It’s too cold to bear.”
A fire? In the middle of summer?
It was a strange request, but Okseok exchanged glances with Dolseok and quickly nodded.
“Yes, sir. Right away.”
Luckily, they had plenty of firewood from boiling the chickens earlier.
Following their orders, the servants stoked a fire in Seungmun’s room, and soon the warmth spread throughout.
Kang-hyuk, however, found the heat unbearable.
‘Phew, it’s hot.’
Still, he knew better than to complain in front of Seungmun.
“How do you feel now?”
“Better, I think. I’m not sure if it’s the medicine or the fire.”
“Don’t worry. Just give it a bit more time.”
“Alright.”
After some time, Seungmun indeed began to feel better.
It was remarkable how well people from this era responded to medicine.
“I feel much better. I think I’ll be able to sleep now.”
“Yes, Father. Rest well.”
“Thank you for your help.”
Kang-hyuk packed up his medical bag and left the room.
‘I expect the fever will return tomorrow.’
No matter how effective the medication, infections rarely cleared up with a single dose.
As Kang-hyuk stood outside, Yi Sun-shin approached, concern evident on his face.
“How is he?”
“The fever has gone down for now.”
“As expected, you truly are a skilled physician.”
“It’s too early to say for sure.”
“Well, I’m off to bed. If anything happens, let me know.”
“Of course.”
Sun-shin strode off toward the guest room.
Meanwhile, Okseok and Dolseok, their faces smudged with soot from tending the fire, hurried over.
“How is the mistress?”
“Okseok, you’ll need to keep an eye on her tonight.”
“Of course, young master.”
“If her fever returns or she asks for me, come get me immediately.”
“Yes, young master.”
With a heavy heart, Kang-hyuk returned to his room.
His medical bag, sitting quietly in the corner, looked unusually inadequate.
‘I thought this bag would be enough.’
But it was clear that it had its limits. And there was no way to make modern equipment like CT scanners in this era.
‘Even with all my knowledge, I’m helpless without the right tools.’
Most of the medicine he had was basic—antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, painkillers, and antacids. Beyond that, there wasn’t much.
Who knew what kind of diseases might appear next in a time with poor hygiene and little understanding of infectious diseases?
‘No point worrying about it.’
With that uneasy thought lingering in his mind, Kang-hyuk lay down to sleep.
The next morning, Seungmun seemed perfectly healthy, as if the previous day’s fever had been a dream.
Before breakfast, he was already out in the courtyard, taking a walk.
“You’re really alright?”
“Yes, see? Your medicine works wonders.”
It was strange, though. No matter how effective the medication, it was unusual for such a high fever—almost 40°C—to vanish so quickly.
“Let’s do a quick check, just in case.”
“Of course.”
Seungmun readily allowed Kang-hyuk to examine him again, but there were no signs of illness.
‘This is good, but… something feels off.’
Kang-hyuk decided to keep him on the medication, just in case.
Though everything seemed normal—his sleep, urine color, and appetite—Kang-hyuk couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that something was wrong.
“Let’s give it one more day,” Kang-hyuk said to Dolseok.
“Yes, young master. If she’s well tomorrow, we’ll celebrate properly.”
“Deal.”
Just as they were relaxing, Okseok came running—his expression identical to three days ago.
“Young master! The mistress is trembling again!”
“I see. I’ll be right there.”
Kang-hyuk grabbed his medical bag and rushed to Seungmun’s side.
This time, no one hesitated over appearances—there was no time for that.
“Oh…”
Once again, Seungmun lay trembling under the blankets.
Kang-hyuk immediately began his examination.
‘A 40°C fever again.’
Yet his lungs and throat were still clear.
Then, for some reason, Kang-hyuk noticed the mosquito bites on Seungmun’s skin.
‘Mosquito bites… Fever every three days… Malaria.’
Now that he thought about it, Seungmun’s liver seemed slightly swollen—just enough to be noticeable with careful palpation.
‘Alright, I know what it is.’
The problem was, Kang-hyuk didn’t have any malaria medication in his medical bag.