Doctor Goes Back to Joseon - Chapter 63: Catching a Hemorrhoid [1]

The time Kang-hyuk had promised Seongryong was only five days.

‘He also had anemia.’

Just in case, Kang-hyuk flipped the man’s eyelid, and sure enough, it was pale.

It seemed he had been bleeding excessively due to the hemorrhoids.

That made it impossible to delay any further.

As a result, the schedule became very tight.

“Dolseok, are the guys ready?”

“Yes. But are you really planning to feed them that?”

Dolseok pointed to the medicinal decoction Kang-hyuk was holding.

At first glance, it looked like a typical herbal medicine commonly seen at any clinic, judging by its smell and color.

But if one knew the inside story, it was anything but ordinary.

“I’ll feed them. It’s safe, relatively speaking.”

“Isn’t that the stuff that killed the dogs not too long ago?”

Dolseok’s words weren’t unfounded; the decoction wasn’t your average medicine.

It contained a mix of toad venom (seom-su) and monkshood (cho-o), ingredients typically used in poison. In essence, it was a kind of toxin.

Even Makbong and Yeon knew well how terrifying the medicine was.

“That’s why, sir, please reconsider one more time,” Makbong, as burly and intimidating as he was, shuddered as he spoke.

Yeon and Yeoju wore similar expressions of unease.

The only person who seemed completely calm was Kang-hyuk.

“What’s the problem? I’m starting with half the dose that’s safe for dogs. Besides, if it weren’t for me, they’d already be dead.”

He gestured toward the former bandits hauling hay.

Though they used to be a band of rogues, now they were nothing more than hardworking servants.

After providing them with three meals a day without fail, Kang-hyuk had noticed them gradually developing a sense of loyalty.

To Dolseok, in particular, they were invaluable.

After all, they were taking over his share of the workload.

“They would have died anyway…?”

“Exactly. Don’t you remember their bandit days?”

“Well, that’s true, but they’re not like that anymore.”

“Let’s just call it even. They used flails and clubs; I’m using this medicine.”

It seemed like a fair trade at first glance.

The problem was that the flails and clubs the bandits wielded posed no real threat, while the medicine was exceedingly dangerous—especially to those who had seen its effects on the dogs.

“I really don’t want to deal with dead bodies…”

“You won’t have to. Nobody’s dying.”

“If you say so, young master.”

Still looking uneasy, Dolseok signaled with his hand.

Thanks to their training, one gesture was all it took to summon the bandits.

“You called for us?”

The flail-wielding man approached with a cheerful expression.

He was drenched in sweat, having carried hay all morning.

Behind him, the rest of the bandits, each holding clubs, lined up neatly.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Not at all, sir. Just being taken in and cared for like this is a blessing.”

The man with the flail wasn’t their leader for nothing.

Though his skills with the flail were subpar, he was good with words.

Thanks to him, a smile crept onto Kang-hyuk’s lips.

“Alright. You can take a break for today. Let’s try some medicine.”

“Medicine?”

The man’s eyes widened at the mention of medicine.

Dolseok’s love of bragging was to blame.

The bandits were already well aware that Kang-hyuk was renowned as a skilled doctor in Suwon.

Medicine from such a famous doctor was bound to be miraculous—or so they believed.

Not in the way they hoped, though.

“Yes, medicine.”

“Is it just for me?”

“No, everyone gets to try it.”

Kang-hyuk pointed to five bowls of medicine.

Each bowl had a different dosage—the strongest on the far right, and the weakest on the far left.

“Thank you!”

Not knowing what it was, the flail-wielding man bowed repeatedly in gratitude.

Makbong and Yeon, who had grown fond of the bandits after repeatedly beating them into submission, turned their heads.

It seemed they couldn’t bear to watch.

They couldn’t shake the image of the bandits foaming at the mouth and dying.

Kang-hyuk, on the other hand, remained completely unbothered.

He first led the club-wielding man on the far left to the weakest bowl.

“Drink this and lie down over there.”

“Lie down?”

“Yes. It helps the medicine work better.”

In truth, it was to prevent them from collapsing suddenly.

But as long as the end result was the same, Kang-hyuk didn’t see the need to explain everything.

One by one, the club-wielding bandits began lying down on the wooden floor of the pavilion.

Finally, it was the turn of the flail-wielding leader.

“This one’s for you.”

“Mine looks stronger, doesn’t it?”

Both the scent and color were noticeably different from the others.

“Well, you’re the leader.”

“Thank you!”

In reality, Kang-hyuk chose him because he was the biggest of the group.

There was no need to share that detail, though.

-Gulp, gulp.

The leader closed his eyes and gulped down the medicine.

“Ahh.”

He even let out a satisfied sigh.

Kang-hyuk thought of the story of Great Monk Wonhyo and the water from a skull as he gently laid the leader down.

Only then did the rest of the group, who had been watching from afar, approach.

The first to speak was, of course, Dolseok.

“Are they… gone?”

“Where would they go, you fool? They’re just sleeping.”

Yeoju chimed in.

“Many classical texts compare death to sleep. It seems the young master has a keen sense of poetry, just as Father mentioned.”

“That’s not what this is about!”

Poetry, of all things.

He hadn’t even opened a single poetry book.

Kang-hyuk shook his head and approached the man lying on the far left.

It took some time, but the man was sound asleep.

“Sleep tight.”

“He’s even snoring.”

Curious, Makbong brought his hand to the man’s nose and mouth.

Warm breaths confirmed that he was, indeed, still alive.

He was also deeply asleep, oblivious to the hand waving in front of his face.

“Dolseok.”

“Yes, young master?”

“Pinch his calf with this.”

“You put him to sleep, and now you want to wake him up?”

Dolseok looked utterly confused.

“You’re being annoying. Yeon.”

“Yes, sir!”

Kang-hyuk had a method he often used in such situations.

At his command, Yeon instinctively kicked Dolseok in the back.

-Thud.

A dull sound was followed by Dolseok gasping for air.

“Ugh.”

“Pinch him, you fool.”

“Yes, yes.”

Now compliant, Dolseok rolled up the man’s pant leg and pinched his calf.

Despite the prodding, the man didn’t stir. He was deep in sleep, completely unresponsive.

“Right now?”

“Yes, now.”

“Understood, young master.”

Dolseok examined the tweezers Kang-hyuk handed him one more time.

These weren’t ordinary tweezers—they had serrated teeth. Pinching someone with them wasn’t just about waking them up; it might draw blood.

“Are you sure I’m supposed to use this?”

“Oh, that fool. Makbong—”

“No, no! I’ll do it.”

With a resigned sigh, Dolseok pinched the man’s calf with the tweezers.

“Ahhh!”

The man, who had been fast asleep, shot up like a spring.

Meanwhile, Yeoju was diligently sketching the scene in her notebook, jotting down Kang-hyuk’s comments.

“As expected, that dosage was a bit too mild. Next.”

“Uh… why am I… here?”

The man seemed to have no memory of falling asleep after taking the medicine.

This unexpected side effect thoroughly pleased Kang-hyuk.

“Oh, this is great. Write down that it causes anterograde amnesia.”

“What does that mean?”

Yeoju wasn’t one to hesitate when curious, especially when documenting something. Her thoroughness bordered on obsessive, as she aimed to leave no errors in her records.

Kang-hyuk, appreciating her enthusiasm, explained patiently.

“Simply put, it means they don’t remember anything after taking the medicine.”

“Ah, I see.”

As Yeoju jotted down the peculiar side effect, Makbong showed a sudden, intense interest.

“They lose their memory?”

“Yes, after taking the medicine. But why do you care?”

“Oh, no reason. It’s just… fascinating.”

Makbong let out a sly chuckle that made him look positively sinister. Even without asking, it was obvious what sort of mischief he was imagining.

“You don’t even need something like this to do your usual nonsense.”

“What nonsense? I didn’t say anything!”

“It’s written all over your face.”

“No, it’s not…”

“Move aside.”

“Yes, sir…”

Kang-hyuk shoved the sulking Makbong to the side and turned his attention to the next man.

The man was breathing steadily and sleeping deeply. Saliva dripped from the corners of his mouth, making him look even more disheveled than the first.

“Dolseok, pinch this one.”

“Yes, sir.”

Having gotten used to the task, Dolseok swiftly pinched the man’s calf with the tweezers.

“Ugh.”

The man groaned but didn’t immediately spring up, instead seeming groggy as though still under the spell of sleep.

“Good. This one seems to have a stronger effect, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, young master.”

Yeoju nodded briefly, her hand working tirelessly to document the observations.

The third man couldn’t endure the tweezers either.

But the fourth presented a different case, leaving Dolseok visibly flustered.

“Young master, this one isn’t waking up.”

“Really?”

That was a promising sign.

Kang-hyuk strode over and swiftly removed the man’s outer garment.

“Young master? What are you doing?”

“Calves are less sensitive to pain. To see if they won’t wake even with a blade, we need to try something stronger.”

Kang-hyuk pressed his fist firmly into the man’s chest.

The man groaned softly.

“Mmm, hmm.”

The situation felt strange.

He was the one causing the pain, yet it almost felt like he was the one being mocked.

“Hmm, hmm… there…”

Although the man didn’t wake up, which was excellent for evaluating the medicine’s efficacy, Kang-hyuk couldn’t help but feel irritated for no apparent reason.

“What’s wrong with this guy?”

Yeon tilted her head as she approached.

“Oh, this guy is a bit unusual.”

“Unusual?”

“He often smiles while getting hit. I thought it was just a weird facial tic, but now I’m not so sure.”

“Does he… enjoy pain?”

It wasn’t entirely out of the realm of possibility.

The world was vast, and it wasn’t short on peculiar individuals.

‘With this guy, I can’t tell if the results are accurate.’

They say that someone who enjoys something will always outperform someone who’s merely trying. The comparison felt odd, but testing pain tolerance on this man seemed futile.

“Let’s just wake him up.”

“How should we wake him?”

There were three primary methods to wake someone from anesthesia.

The first was to use an antidote with effects opposite to the anesthetic.

‘That’s not an option.’

No such antidote existed, and even if it did, it wasn’t worth the effort.

The second was to wait until the anesthetic wore off.

‘Not an option either.’

It was safe, but waiting was too tedious.

The third was to administer a strong stimulus to rouse them.

Kang-hyuk finally nodded.

“Do something painful but non-damaging to wake him up.”

“Understood.”

Without hesitation, Yeon carried out the order with a somewhat cruel technique. She moistened her finger with saliva and jabbed it into the man’s ear canal.

“Uwaaahhh!”

The man shrieked in pain, jerking upright—or at least trying to. His legs wobbled as he struggled to stay upright.

“Oh, so an overdose causes muscle relaxation as well.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means the muscles lose strength.”

“Ah, I see.”

Yeoju nodded repeatedly as she diligently recorded the observation.

“If the dose is increased further, it could lead to death.”

“Why is that?”

“Breathing is controlled by muscles, too. If they lose strength, you can’t breathe.”

“Understood. I’ve learned so much from you, young master.”

In moments like these, Yeoju’s eagerness to learn was genuinely endearing. Kang-hyuk couldn’t help but let out a hearty laugh.

“Haha. Alright, let’s check the last one.”

The leader, the flail-wielding man, was sprawled out as if dead.

He most closely resembled the anesthetized patients Kang-hyuk had seen in operating rooms.

‘The depth is quite strong.’

Fortunately, it hadn’t reached the point of respiratory failure. Kang-hyuk confirmed this by observing the rhythmic rise and fall of the man’s chest.

If his reaction to pain was appropriate, this dosage would be ideal.

“Dolseok.”

“Yes?”

“He’s not waking up.”

“Good.”

Next, Kang-hyuk pressed his fist into the man’s chest.

Even with Kang-hyuk’s rough treatment, the leader didn’t stir. He let out the occasional groan, but it wasn’t concerning.

‘Perfect. This dosage is just right.’

Kang-hyuk compared the leader’s physique to Seongryong’s.

At a glance, Seongryong was slightly smaller.

‘Then let’s go with the dosage used on the fourth guy.’

Since he planned to use a local anesthetic anyway, it should be fine.

All that remained was a bit more practice on hemorrhoid surgery to make it perfect.

“Alright. Inform the lord. We’re almost ready.”

“Yes, young master.”