Chapter 33: Another Renowned Physician [3]
Perhaps it was a trait shared by all Joseon people, but Heo Jun was certainly diligent.
He woke Kang-hyuk before dawn.
“Please wake up.”
“The sun isn’t even up yet. Why are you doing this? The temple bell hasn’t rung either.”
“You can’t hear the bells from here.”
“Then shouldn’t I sleep a little longer?”
“Your attitude toward learning…”
“Alright, alright. I’m getting up.”
Just like Yi Sun-Shin, Heo Jun had his quirks too.
When Kang-hyuk finally managed to raise his head, Dolseok was still fast asleep.
After drinking so much the previous night, it was only natural.
Makbong, who had been chasing after the tavern maid all night, was nowhere to be seen.
‘What a lucky fellow. Unbelievable.’
It seemed the nobleman was always the one working the hardest.
Feeling annoyed for no reason, Kang-hyuk gave Dolseok a nudge and stepped outside.
“Mm…yeah.”
It didn’t seem to have any effect.
Dolseok lay there with his belly exposed, sleeping soundly.
“Come along.”
“Yes, yes.”
Heo Jun was already fully dressed in proper attire.
Kang-hyuk quickly tidied his hair and followed him.
Though the tavern had been noisy, the early morning hours were silent.
Even the tavern maid was probably still asleep.
From what Makbong had said, she was quite a wild one.
‘The morning air is refreshing.’
Since the summer sun had yet to rise, the cool air felt nice.
A light mist added an air of mystery to the surroundings.
In the yard, Heo Jun began warming up his body with subtle movements.
“A physician deals with the human body, so they must first know how to manage their own.”
“That makes sense.”
“These exercises promote **Su-seung-hwagang** (水昇火降: raising cool energy and lowering hot energy) and the circulation of **Qi** and blood. Please follow along.”
“Ah, yes.”
Managing one’s body—what a profound and admirable concept.
Kang-hyuk agreed wholeheartedly.
‘I built my strength through weight training. I wonder how Heo Jun did it.’
Curiosity filled his mind.
Though he had no idea what Su-seung-hwagang meant, he did his best to keep up.
“These are traditional movements known as the **Anma-doin Method**.”
“Anma-doin, understood.”
With that, Heo Jun began moving slowly, manipulating his facial muscles, tugging on his ears, rubbing his hands together, and placing them over his eyes.
He massaged his forehead and engaged in other seemingly ritualistic actions.
‘This seems more like a ritual than exercise.’
With modern medicine ingrained in his mind, Kang-hyuk struggled to grasp the principles behind it.
However, since it felt oddly refreshing, he continued to follow along diligently.
“Now, let’s move on to more challenging movements. Please keep up.”
“Yes.”
He expected something akin to yoga, but instead, Heo Jun began bouncing from side to side, stepping rhythmically.
Just as Kang-hyuk felt a strange sense of familiarity, Heo Jun let out a spirited cry.
“Ee-k! Ae-k!”
“…?”
“Repeat after me.”
“Ee-k!”
“Ae-k!”
“Ae-k…?”
Kang-hyuk found himself performing exercises he had only seen in humorous internet clips.
It felt awkward to refuse when he had asked for guidance.
‘Well, if I’m doing it, I might as well put my all into it.’
It had been a while since he’d exercised, and he was starting to feel stiff.
Learning a new martial art didn’t seem like a bad idea.
‘Tae-kkyeon shouldn’t be too hard to master.’
“Huff, huff.”
“We’re not done yet.”
“Oh no…”
“Ee-k!”
“Ee-k…!”
But to his surprise, it was no easy feat.
‘They say skilled practitioners of Tae-kkyeon can take down opponents effortlessly.’
If Heo Jun were serious, he could probably overpower Kang-hyuk with ease.
Every time Heo Jun kicked, the sound of the wind echoed sharply.
His moves were so intense that even Makbong and Yeon came out to watch.
“Impressive.”
“You’re doing well.”
Hearing praise from martial arts experts like them was a testament to Heo Jun’s skill.
‘Maybe I could become a master if I keep at it.’
Though the training was exhausting, it sparked a desire to improve.
Just as Kang-hyuk thought he couldn’t take any more, Heo Jun finally stopped.
“That’s enough for now.”
“Phew, I thought I was done for.”
“You’re still young. Surely, you can do better.”
“It’s just… I usually have decent stamina.”
“You’ll need to work harder.”
Though it felt unfair, Kang-hyuk couldn’t argue—he was genuinely worn out.
By now, the mist had cleared, and the sun was beginning to rise.
The tavern maid emerged with a pot of rice soup.
“Dolseok, wake up!”
At Kang-hyuk’s command, Dolseok sluggishly crawled out.
“You really slept well, didn’t you?”
“Ah, young master…”
“Come and eat. You’ll need to help out from now on.”
“Of course.”
Having eaten and rested at someone else’s expense, it was only right to repay the kindness.
Dolseok nodded obediently.
Yeoju, now with her hair tied neatly, also emerged from the room.
Compared to Yeon, her male disguise still seemed awkward.
“Come join us for breakfast, Yeoju. You too, Yeon and Makbong.”
“Yes, young master.”
Once everyone was seated, Kang-hyuk stirred the rice soup.
Compared to what he was used to, it was little more than animal feed—watery broth with overcooked rice.
‘This is what they expect us to eat?’
The hospitality in Joseon was appalling.
Dolseok, who had become accustomed to finer meals thanks to Kang-hyuk, barely touched his food.
Only Makbong devoured his portion with enthusiasm—and it wasn’t even the same soup.
“Why does Makbong’s soup have meat in it?”
“Hehe.”
At Kang-hyuk’s remark, Makbong grinned mischievously.
Turning around, Kang-hyuk caught a glimpse of the blushing tavern maid scurrying away.
“You’ll wear yourself out that way.”
“It’s fine. I eat plenty.”
“Fair enough. Just know that assisting the physician here will be different from working with me. You’ll need to follow his instructions precisely.”
“Understood, young master.”
After all, this was Heo Jun—the renowned physician. Slacking off wasn’t an option.
‘So many incredible things keep happening since I arrived in Joseon.’
Suppressing his excitement, Kang-hyuk finished his soup.
Though it tasted terrible, his early morning workout made it easier to stomach.
“Alright, let’s make the most of today.”
Heo Jun stretched his limbs and stepped outside the tavern.
Kang-hyuk quickly caught up, walking shoulder to shoulder with him.
“Brother Heo Jun.”
“Brother?”
“You’re older, so I should call you brother, right?”
Amused, Heo Jun laughed at Kang-hyuk’s casual expression.
It reminded him of the scholar Yu Hui-chun, who had once treated him kindly despite his low birth.
It was thanks to Yu that Heo Jun had made his way to the capital.
“Call me whatever you like.”
“How long do you plan to stay here?”
Setting a timeline was important for Kang-hyuk, especially when it came to learning.
“I plan to stay for about a month.”
“A month? Then I’ll have to learn as much as I can.”
“Haha, I’m not as great as you think. You might be disappointed.”
Kang-hyuk laughed heartily in response.
If Heo Jun proved disappointing, then no physician in the world would be worth learning from.
Hoping that wouldn’t be the case, Kang-hyuk quickened his pace.
As they left the tavern and followed the road, they saw a crowd gathered ahead.
“There are already so many people.”
A temporary clinic had been set up in the spacious yard of a house near the village entrance.
The owner, having recovered thanks to Heo Jun, had offered the space for free.
“Let’s move through.”
At Heo Jun’s words, the crowd parted like the Red Sea.
“I need to get through too.”
Kang-hyuk followed closely behind.
As Dolseok trailed after him, he sniffed the air.
It was a familiar scent, though not one he had encountered in Kang-hyuk’s clinic.
“Ah, the smell of herbs. Now it feels like a real clinic.”
“What are you mumbling about?”
“Nothing, sir.”
Despite his large frame, Dolseok shrank back sheep
ishly.
Behind him, Makbong strode forward, his large fists leading the way.
“Move aside, move aside.”
After some commotion, they finally found their places.
Yeon and Dolseok assisted Kang-hyuk, while Makbong distributed numbered tickets to the patients.
Yeoju sat in a spot with a clear view, readying her drawing tools.
“Let’s begin, one by one.”
At Heo Jun’s command, patients started coming forward.
Kang-hyuk stood behind him, observing closely, just like the days of his old clinical rotations.
“I see. You have blisters in your mouth and can’t eat, huh?”
After examining the child’s mouth, Heo Jun gave a diagnosis.
“For this condition, use **Yanggyuksan**. Hold it in the mouth, then spit it out.”
“Oh, it’s like a gargle.”
To think gargling existed even in Joseon!
It was an unfamiliar remedy, but Kang-hyuk found it fascinating.
Just as he nodded in satisfaction, Dolseok whispered teasingly from behind.
“Look at you, young master, pretending to know what you don’t.”
“Why, you…”
Kang-hyuk raised his hand to swat Dolseok but stopped mid-motion.
It didn’t seem right to act violently in front of someone like Heo Jun, who was busy treating patients.
‘Let’s recall the Anma-doin exercises.’
Thinking of the strange movements from that morning helped calm his mind.
Just then, Heo Jun called for one of his assistants.
“We’ll need to prepare Yanggyuksan. Bring **Forsythia**, **Scutellaria**, **Gardenia**, **Platycodon**, **Angelica**, and **Licorice**.”
“Yes, sir.”
Though unfamiliar, the names sounded oddly familiar.
They were precisely the herbs Kang-hyuk had wanted to learn about.
“Yeoju, can you sketch these?”
“Of course.”
“Be sure to note the quantities as well.”
“Got it.”
The assistant began brewing the black medicinal concoction.
Kang-hyuk watched closely, his eyes gleaming with interest.
‘A gargle is a simple remedy.’
It was essentially a liquid anti-inflammatory solution.
Ideally, it would contain antiseptics that wouldn’t dry out the mucous membranes, and if it included steroids, healing would be even faster.
‘We probably don’t need all these herbs.’
Only a few key ingredients were necessary, yet the formula included many.
‘They lack the means to analyze the components scientifically.’
The only consolation was that old remedies tended to be relatively safe.
‘It might be worth experimenting by removing some ingredients.’
It would be ideal to use only what was essential.
With that in mind, Kang-hyuk carefully scrutinized Heo Jun’s prescriptions through the lens of modern medicine.
As the days went by, he compiled a list of promising remedies.
**Banhasasim-tang**, **Hwangryeonhaedok-tang**, and **Jawoongo**—these were worth trying immediately.
Yeoju’s drawings were exceptionally detailed, making it easy to identify the herbs.
As Kang-hyuk admired the sketches, a commotion erupted in the yard.
“Physician! Physician!”
“What’s going on?”
Heo Jun, who had been resting, rushed outside.
Hearing the desperate cries, Kang-hyuk followed quickly.
Two men were carrying an injured person, blood streaming from his head.
“He fell from a tree, and now he’s not acting right!”
“Hmm.”
Heo Jun let out a troubled sigh, unable to offer immediate assistance.
In this era, the knowledge of external injuries was limited.
Without proper anatomical knowledge, surgery was nearly impossible.
It was a harsh reminder of the limitations of the time.
Fortunately, there was one person skilled in surgery—Kang-hyuk.
He brushed past Heo Jun and stepped forward.
“Let me handle this.”