Doctor Goes Back to Joseon - Chapter 53: The Bodyguard Warrior [3]

The place Yeon pointed to was the only one around without any smoke rising.

In other words, it was likely safe.

“Alright, let’s go. How far is it?”

“That… I don’t know.”

“As long as we get there before sunset.”

“Yes.”

“Can you walk?”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Yeon forced a smile as she took a step. There was no doubt her movements were functional, although likely painful.

“Want me to carry you?”

“No, no need.”

“Then use this.”

Kang-hyuk handed her a sword he had dropped on the ground earlier. Though slightly short, it would serve well enough as a cane. Especially if she held one in each hand, it would work quite well.

“This?”

“Yes, as a cane.”

“Oh, okay.”

Using the scabbard as a cane, Yeon walked along adeptly. Kang-hyuk didn’t even need to slow his pace for her.

After walking for a while, the edge of the thicket came into view. Beyond it lay expansive fields. Though deserted, there were no corpses or flames in sight.

“That’s the place, right?”

“Yes. I remembered it as being a fairly large village.”

“Indeed, it’s huge.”

At a glance, it seemed to house more than 500 households. While the Wae Pirates were numerous, this village’s size would have made it a difficult target.

“Yes, it looks alright, but… it’s still best to be cautious,” Yeon whispered, peeking out of the thicket.

“Should we move after dark?”

“Shall we?”

“Yeah. It’s easier to avoid being seen that way.”

If discovered, they could run, but Yeon wasn’t in a condition to do so. Since they’d confirmed the presence of civilian homes, resting for a while wasn’t a bad idea.

“Yes.”

“I should’ve brought some food.”

“Ah, I have a little.”

Yeon set down the bundle she’d been carrying on her back. It seemed she had brought one of the rations given to the soldiers.

Its contents were utterly disappointing. There was a strange powder with an odd color.

“What is this?”

“Pine needle powder.”

“Pine needles? People eat this?”

“Yes. It looks like it’s mixed with rice powder, so it should be edible.”

“Huh.”

Kang-hyuk was momentarily speechless.

‘She actually eats this?’

It was so dry it looked like it would choke him, but Yeon ate it without hesitation. What hurt his pride most was that the more he watched, the hungrier he felt.

*Growl.*

Yeon, busy eating the powder, smiled brightly. She handed Kang-hyuk some of the powder with her unwashed hands.

“Young Master, here.”

“Ah… okay.”

There was no other choice. He couldn’t very well ask an injured Yeon to go hunting, nor could he do it himself. Wandering the forest wouldn’t be much different from aimless searching.

‘Not a single edible fruit or berry in the woods….’

He had seen mushrooms on the way, but they looked like something that would kill him on the spot.

As a doctor, he couldn’t risk being poisoned in the wild.

*Sigh.*

Kang-hyuk sighed lightly and shoved the mixture of pine needle powder and rice powder into his mouth.

“Ugh!”

A scream escaped as soon as he tasted it. The dryness made it stick to the inside of his mouth like glue.

*Cough, cough.*

“Are you alright?”

Yeon quickly patted him on the back.

“I’m f-fine… w-water.”

“This is all I have….”

Yeon handed him some saline solution. To think he’d have to drink this again, voluntarily this time.

‘Damn it….’

Muttering a curse under his breath, Kang-hyuk accepted the saline. The liquid swirled in its bag, mirroring his own turmoil.

“Ugh….”

Even the second time, it tasted terrible. If not for the powder, he would have spat it out immediately.

“You need to eat to survive, Young Master.”

“Yeah….”

“If you chew it long enough, it even tastes sweet.”

“I’ll try.”

Resigned, Kang-hyuk continued eating the powder. By the time the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows, the light was noticeably dimmer.

“Shall we go now?”

“Yes. Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m even better than before.”

With fresh bandages, Yeon’s movements seemed smoother. As long as she didn’t run too much, she should be fine. She even re-tied her hair, looking much more composed.

“Good thing it’s not a joint injury. Let’s go.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

The two cautiously left the thicket. The village remained eerily silent. As they crossed the wet fields and reached the village entrance, they didn’t see a single living soul.

‘Why does this feel so strange?’

The village was peaceful—too peaceful. Under normal circumstances, it would have been a serene scene worth admiring, but something felt off.

Unlike the villages he’d seen before, this one had a distinctly different atmosphere.

“Wait, hold on.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Kang-hyuk hid behind the wall at the edge of the village. Yeon followed, slipping into the space beside him. Her small frame fit snugly against him.

“Doesn’t something feel odd?”

“Pardon?”

“This place….”

“It’s too quiet?”

“No, it’s more than that.”

A quiet village wasn’t unheard of. The people could have locked themselves in, too terrified to come out, especially after the reverse massacre of the punitive force just the day before.

If the villagers weren’t scared, that would have been more unusual.

“Ah, I see.”

Kang-hyuk clapped his palm with his fist as he muttered to himself. Yeon looked at him, puzzled.

“What’s wrong, Young Master?”

“There’s no smoke.”

“That’s because the Wae Pirates [1] haven’t been here yet, isn’t it?”

“No, it’s not that….”

Kang-hyuk scanned the village again.

It was still eerily silent, with no smoke in sight.

Wasn’t it already evening?

“There’s no smoke from cooking.”

“Ah!”

Yeon let out a noise involuntarily, then quickly covered her mouth. Fortunately, it seemed no one had heard.

“Should we hurry out of here?”

“It’s too late.”

Kang-hyuk pointed behind them.

Armed Wae Pirates were crossing the fields in a line. Their numbers weren’t overwhelming, but still too many for the two of them to handle.

“Damn.”

“We should run inside for now.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

The situation had already spiraled out of control. The two of them began sprinting through the village.

Signs of a previous raid were evident; there were bloodstains scattered here and there, but no bodies. Someone seemed to have cleaned up.

As they were running, someone called out to them.

“Hey, you there!”

Looking back, they saw a man armed with a makeshift bamboo spear.

“Ah, so there are survivors.”

“What brings you here?”

“There are… various reasons.”

The man glanced over Kang-hyuk’s appearance, tilting his head in confusion.

“You don’t look like someone heading to a battlefield… but you are carrying a sword.”

“I was with the punitive force.”

“Ah! The punitive force! Come this way. Everyone’s gathered here.”

“There are many survivors?”

“The professor worked hard to save us.”

“Professor?”

Now it was Kang-hyuk’s turn to tilt his head. After all, there was only one professor he knew of in Joseon.

In the village square, as the man had said, a large number of people were gathered. Purely in terms of numbers, it seemed they outnumbered the Wae Pirates, but their weapons were pitiful.

Most held farming tools or bamboo spears as their makeshift weapons. The chaos from fear of the Wae Pirates was palpable. Everyone seemed to feel an overwhelming need to say something, as if silence was unbearable.

The man who had brought Kang-hyuk opened his mouth to address the crowd.

“Alright, everyone. Let’s hear from the professor first.”

At once, the square fell silent.

*Clack.*

Almost simultaneously, someone stepped out of a door.

Sure enough, it was someone Kang-hyuk knew well. It was Chang-gwon, wearing a slightly grimy *durumagi* (traditional Korean overcoat) neatly, his streaked hair tightly tied, giving him an unexpectedly strong impression.

“The Wae Pirates have come again?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good grief. And where is the punitive force?”

“What should we do?”

“Hmm.”

Chang-gwon’s face was filled with worry. After all, no one here, including himself, had ever held a sword before.

Most were scholars from the local school, so it was natural. They may have read military texts out of curiosity, but it offered little practical help.

They had barely managed to survive the first raid through sheer willpower, but this time it seemed unlikely.

After some hesitation, Chang-gwon spoke heavily.

“We’ll have to gather and defend as we did before.”

“Yes. By the way, there’s someone who claims to have been with the punitive force.”

“Really? Where?”

Chang-gwon’s face briefly lit up before darkening even more than before. There were only two people the man could point to.

The term “punitive force” seemed generous; they looked more like stragglers. And indeed, they were.

“Why are there only two from the punitive force?”

“Didn’t you hear the fire and the clashing weapons last night?”

“Ah… so that’s what happened. Let’s see them anyway.”

“Yes.”

The remaining villagers followed Chang-gwon’s orders and moved toward the square, armed with what could barely be called weapons.

“Ah?”

“It really is the professor, isn’t it?”

“What brings you here?”

“I was conscripted at the magistrate’s request, but we got separated from the main force during last night’s raid.”

“I see. Well, that’s good. We could use every hand we can get.”

Chang-gwon grasped Kang-hyuk’s hand firmly. His hands, which had only ever held a brush, were surprisingly soft.

It didn’t look like a battle they could win.

“Are you seriously planning to fight?”

“We must fight.”

If the village had been intact, it might have been different. But with only a few dozen scholars and farmers, it seemed impossible. The pirates were professionals, while their side wasn’t even close to amateurs.

“From what I saw, those pirates are incredibly vicious.”

“Even so, we must fight. How could a scholar run to save their own life?”

Chang-gwon hadn’t lost any of his usual stubbornness.

“Even a thin arrow is hard to break when bundled together. Join us.”

“Hah….”

Kang-hyuk unconsciously glanced down at the village below.

The Wae Pirates were already swarming in from all directions. Escaping them seemed even harder than fighting.

‘Yeon’s not in good condition… there are people here….’

What choice did he have? They had to fight.

“Fine. Let’s go.”

“You’ve made the right decision. Your master would be proud.”

By “master,” he likely meant Seungmun. The way he spoke suggested he thought Kang-hyuk’s master was already dead, which only made him feel gloomier.

The villagers had already gathered in the square, each holding their makeshift weapons with resolute expressions.

Chang-gwon boldly stepped to the front without hesitation.

“Everyone, steel your hearts.”

“Yes, Professor!”

Several scholars stood protectively around him.

Kang-hyuk naturally moved toward the rear—or tried to.

“Young Master, shouldn’t we also go to the front?”

“You’re injured. Where would you go?”

“But he’s Lady Yeoju’s father.”

Why were there always people who insisted on saying the right thing around him? Sometimes, you needed flatterers too.

With a deep sigh, Kang-hyuk moved behind Chang-gwon.

“Fine. If things go south, run. Got it?”

“Don’t worry, Young Master. I’ll protect you.”

“Thanks.”

Finally, Kang-hyuk drew his sword. At least his weapon seemed better than anyone else’s. As for his skill, it was anyone’s guess.

“They’re coming!”

Someone in the rear shouted as the Wae Pirates began their charge.

***
Footnote:
[1 ] *Wae Pirates (왜구)*: Refers to Japanese raiders who frequently attacked coastal regions of Korea during the Goryeo and Joseon Dynasties. These pirates, known as Wokou in Japanese, were a mix of Japanese and other groups, notorious for their pillaging and incursions. The term “Wae” was historically used in Korea to denote Japan, often with a negative connotation during periods of conflict.