Chapter 5: The Tightrope and the Swing [1]

*Deng.*

*Deng.*

*Deng.*

It was still early dawn, and the world outside was dark.

‘Are they crazy? Why are there so many bell chimes…?’

The bell rang a total of 28 times. Kang-hyuk later learned that this was called **Paru**, a bell that rang around 5 a.m., signaling the end of the curfew.

Kang-hyuk was already used to waking up early, so he got up and opened the door to his room. The crisp, cold air felt refreshing.

‘At least this is nice.’

In the modern world, air pollution was rampant, but here, the air was clean—a rare and pleasant experience.

However, there were far more things to be missed than enjoyed. Without his phone, his fingers itched with boredom.

“Did you call for me, sir?”

Turning his head, Kang-hyuk saw Dolseok approaching with a steaming basin of water, setting it down in front of him.

‘Being a noble sure is nice.’

To have a servant bring him water for washing as soon as he woke up—it was a luxury. Kang-hyuk nodded with satisfaction.

“Thanks. How’s Okseok doing?”

“He’s much better, sir. However…”

Dolseok trailed off, staring down at the ground, clearly troubled.

“Did something happen?”

Though his speech was still awkward, Kang-hyuk was getting used to it. Who knew that the historical drama *Tears of the Dragon* he had watched as a child would prove useful now?

“The white, long thing you gave me has disappeared. No matter how hard I search, I can’t find it. I’m so sorry.”

“What? The medicine I told you to crush and give to him?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Hmm.”

Kang-hyuk let out a short sigh. It was just two antibiotic pills, but in this world, they were irreplaceable. The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth.

“You should’ve taken better care of it. Never mind. I’ll give you more.”

“Thank you, sir. I’m truly sorry.”

Kang-hyuk opened the doctor’s bag by his bedside and rummaged through the compartment where he had stored the **Meiact** antibiotics. Something felt strange.

“Hm?”

There were exactly 60 pills left.

‘What is this?’

At first, he thought he had miscounted. But after counting several times, it was clear: 60 pills.

‘Could it be…?’

The whole situation of being transported to Joseon was already beyond comprehension. On a hunch, Kang-hyuk opened the incision set he had used yesterday.

‘The thread is still here.’

Even the blade he had attached to the scalpel was in its original state, as if it had never been used.

‘What’s going on here?’

Kang-hyuk rubbed his chin, his face turning serious. He had lived his life believing in science, a man who prided himself on being logical. Every phenomenon had to have a cause and effect, with a logical process in between.

‘I really don’t like this.’

But what could he do? Sometimes, things happened that defied explanation.

‘At least I’ve gained more medicine.’

Having more was certainly better than running out. Kang-hyuk pulled out two more pills and handed them to Dolseok.

“Here. Crush them finely… No, I’ll come with you.”

“Thank you, sir.”

After a quick face wash, Kang-hyuk headed to Okseok’s room with Dolseok. Okseok’s condition had significantly improved since yesterday. He was even sitting up.

When Okseok saw Kang-hyuk, he attempted to stand.

“Young master…”

“No need to get up. Let me check your abdomen.”

“Yes, sir.”

Kang-hyuk carefully examined the incision he had made. Fortunately, the stitches were still intact.

‘It seems that whatever I use remains inside the body.’

If the medicine had vanished, the stitches should have disappeared as well, and Okseok wouldn’t have recovered this well.

“Good. You don’t need to crush it anymore. Here, swallow these.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Have you passed gas?”

“Oh… yes, I think I did.”

“Good. Then you can start eating porridge.”

“Thank you, young master.”

“Get some rest.”

Kang-hyuk covered Okseok’s belly and left the room. As soon as they were outside, Dolseok fell to his knees and bowed deeply.

“Young master! Thank you so much for saving Okseok!”

Though Kang-hyuk had received plenty of gratitude in the past, this was the first time someone had bowed so deeply. Considering the difference in their social status, it shouldn’t have been a big deal, but Kang-hyuk still found it unfamiliar.

Hurriedly, he grabbed Dolseok by the shoulder and pulled him up.

“What are you doing?”

“I must show my gratitude to my savior.”

“I just did what I had to. Don’t make a fuss.”

“But how can I not… Oh! Should I catch a rabbit for you today?”

A rabbit? A wild rabbit, full of parasites, no doubt.

“No need. Why don’t we take a walk outside instead?”

“Outside, sir?”

“Yes.”

“Very well. I’ll prepare breakfast first.”

Dolseok quickly jumped to his feet and ran off toward the kitchen.

Now that he thought about it, the smell of cooking had been wafting in for a while. The kitchen staff was busy preparing food.

‘I was feeling a bit hungry.’

Rubbing his stomach, Kang-hyuk returned to his room to wait. Soon enough, Dolseok brought in a tray.

“Please eat, young master.”

The meal Dolseok had prepared was quite disappointing: white rice, salted shrimp sauce, soy sauce, and radish kimchi.

“Thanks.”

Kang-hyuk tried not to show his surprise.

‘No meat?’

He had never imagined soy sauce would be considered a side dish. Wasn’t it just for dipping things in?

‘And why is there so much rice?’

The portion was at least three times what he usually ate. Peeking outside, he noticed that the servants, including Dolseok, were eating too. However, they didn’t even have salted shrimp—just soy sauce and radish kimchi.

It seemed that they made up for the lack of calories with large servings of rice.

Kang-hyuk barely managed to eat half a bowl before setting the tray aside.

Dolseok, looking concerned, asked, “Are you feeling unwell, young master?”

“No, I’m fine. I just don’t have much of an appetite. Let’s go.”

“Yes. I heard there’s a **Sandae** [1] play happening at the market today. Should we go there first?”

“Sandae play?”

“Yes, the troupe from **Aeogae** is coming to perform at the market today.”

A troupe, huh?

Any gathering of people was a good thing. There would be chatter, and perhaps Kang-hyuk could learn something useful.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“I’ll clean up and get ready right away.”

Dolseok took the leftover food to the kitchen. While he was gone, Kang-hyuk rummaged through his doctor’s bag. If he was going to be here for a while, it was important to know exactly what he had.

‘I checked the antibiotics yesterday. Anti-inflammatory drugs, blood pressure meds, diabetes meds, disinfectant, and… huh? What’s this?’

There was a drug that had no business being in a doctor’s bag.

‘Viagra? That chairman…’

At his age, asking for Viagra? The man was something else.

‘But it’s not a bad thing to have.’

There were quite a few pills—180 of them.

‘180… even if I used them every day, that’s six months’ worth.’

The chairman had certainly been ambitious.

Kang-hyuk shook his head and took out ten pills of each kind. He needed to confirm his suspicion.

‘If the bag keeps restocking itself…’

If that was the case, even if this strange situation lasted a long time, he would be somewhat reassured.

Stuffing the pills into his pockets, he heard Dolseok calling from outside.

“Young master! We’re ready to go!”

 

***

Footnotes:
[1] Sandae (산대놀이): A traditional Korean masked dance-drama, often performed during festivals or special occasions. Sandae plays typically involve a series of comedic and satirical skits, with performers wearing masks to portray various characters such as nobles, commoners, and mythical figures. The performances serve both as entertainment and social commentary, highlighting issues of morality, class, and human folly in a lighthearted manner.