Chapter 152: Chapter 25
That woman was now looking straight at Kanghyok.
Slightly embarrassed, he kept making silly mistakes before her.
“Oops!”
And then he quickly hid behind Yoni’s back.
‘Dang it.’
What’s the point of hiding when her eyes already met his?
‘As Changkwon has a teacher-student relationship with Sungmun, her father must be…’
He might have to get married to her in the worst situation.
Fortunately, she was pretty in his eyes. ‘Though her face is swollen like that, she still looks pretty.’
Kanghyok wanted to lead a free life as much as he could, but it seemed his plan was doomed now.
While he was nervously thinking about this, she asked again, “I asked who you are.”
She asked in a calm and resolute voice.
She should feel pretty drowsy after taking that sedating medication, but she had an aura of dignity when she spoke to him.
“Just say something to her,” he whispered to Yoni.
“How?”
“I don’t know. Just say something.”
Hunching his shoulders all the more, he hid behind Yoni. But as he was tall and big, so that didn’t help either.
“I asked whom the man behind you was. If you don’t reply, I’ll shout,” she said, pointing at Kanghyok.
With a sigh of relief, Yoni then stepped back. “Master, say something to her.”
“What should I tell her?”
“Well, try to make up a story.”
Repenting a bit for his irresponsible act, Kanghyok said, “Umm. Are you talking about me?”
“Yes.”
Before he came into the room, she already tied up her clothes and sat up.
‘Yeah, you really look like the daughter of a famous Confucian scholar in Joseon.’
Clearing his throat several times, he also straightened up before her.
That’s what his father used to do when he greeted guests in his room.
“My name is Kanghyok Paek.” With a furtive look, he answered in a dignified voice. ‘When I was a medical professor, every woman became crazy about me when I showed this posture.’
But she asked again without being moved at all, “So, what business brought you here?”
“Oh, that’s because…” After hesitating for a moment, he recalled the needle Yoni removed from the sole of her foot. “Yeah, I came here because of this.”
“Needle?”
“Yes, if you see it closely, it’s broken in the middle.”
She looked at the tip of the needle he was holding.
It was faded, smelling of a disgusting odor, but it was clearly a needle.
“Did you come as far as here to find this?”
“Not really.”
Shaking his head, he pointed at her foot.
“This was stuck within the sole of your foot. That’s why you didn’t get better even after you took herbal medicine.”
“Oh, I see.” With a short moan, she looked at her foot.
A bit of yellow pus and red blood was still coming out of the wound where the needle was stuck. She felt much less pain now that the needle was removed.
Only then could she realize that his voice was not strange.
“You’re the doctor who came here to talk to me this evening, right?”
“Yes, it was me.”
Tilting her head from side to side, she looked outside.
It was still quite dark outside.
“By the way, why did you come here again when it’s so dark outside?”
“Your father didn’t allow me to see you in person.”
“Then, did you come here to treat my foot at this time?”
“Yes.”
“It looks like the curfew time now.”
“Well, we won’t be caught anyway.”
“Umm.” She wiggled the toes of her right foot. She felt much better now as her swelling was relieved a lot.
Anyway, it was true that he treated her, and it was Yoni who touched her body.
“I see. Thanks so much for treating me.”
After she figured out the situation, she bowed politely to him.
Waving at her, he said, “No, I’m still treating you. I’m not done yet.”
“I feel much better now.”
Even though she had a painkiller, her mind seemed clear.
There was no possibility she could scream or take issue with his treatment later.
‘As I am here, let me treat her completely.’
When could he come back again?
Even if he wanted to come back, he had to avoid the nighttime patrollers.
No matter how courageous he was, he hated coming back again.
“I think I have to treat you here once and for all.”
“What else do you have to treat?”
“There is too much inflammation around the area where the needle was stuck, so I need to dig out the pus there. I didn’t do it because you might wake up.”
“You won’t do it by yourself, right?”
Though he was her savior, he had to honor the customs of Joseon.
He fully understood her remarks.
‘In Joseon, there is a saying that a boy and a girl should not sit together after they reach the age of seven.’
Though Kanghyok thought that was sheer nonsense, he was in Joseon anyway.
“This person here will do it. Are you a woman?”
“Yes, I am.”
Combing her hair back, Yoni gave an awkward smile.
“That sounds good,” said the woman.
Nodding her head, she then stretched her foot. She looked cheerful.
“Great. Yoni, open the bag again.”
“Yes, sir.”
She quickly opened it. Kanghyok took out cotton swabs and tweezers and gave them to her.
“Can you do it well?”
“Oh my…”
Yoni could not say no in front of that woman. She just let out a sigh.
“Not that difficult. Just remove that dirty thing from the spot you pulled out the needle from.”
“With this?”
“Yes, and then poke it with that white swab.”
“Won’t she feel pain?”
“It will hurt a lot. Tell me if you feel too much pain. You don’t have to endure it.”
“Got it, but…”
“You have to hurry up, because my father gets up very early.”
“I see.”
She could give him a pass, but Changkwon would not.
“Did you hear it, Yoni?”
“Yes, yes.”
Though Yoni saw Changkwon first at yesterday’s party, he was a confirmed Confucian scholar.
He could forgive Kanghyok, but Yoni and Makbong would probably be beaten harshly.
“You’re enduring it pretty good. Remove it, and poke there with the swab.”
“What about here?”
“Oh, she might feel extreme pain there. Just leave it there. She can take medicine.”
“Got it, master.”
She endured it well.
Yoni quickly treated her as instructed.
“Nice job! Now, paste this on the sole of her foot.”
Kanghyok handed a gauze with antimicrobial paste to Yoni.
She skillfully pasted it on her foot.
“Done!”
After checking her foot roughly, he stood up.
‘I might be in big trouble if I stayed here a little longer.’
Yoni was impatient, too.
“Let’s leave now, master.”
“Sure. Good job! Don’t tell it to your father.”
That woman was tactful enough to understand his message.
“Don’t worry.”
“Oh, I treated you without knowing your name.”
As was the case with Soonsin Lee, he forgot the patient’s name often.
‘Is this woman famous, too?’
He tried to recall those Joseon women who were famous with the surname Chung.
With a little smile, she answered, lowering her head, “I apologize for introducing myself late. My name is Yoju Chung.”
“Yoju.”
That name was not familiar to him.
“Good name. Anway, we’re leaving now. Have some more sleep. That will help you get better.”
“Got it. Take care. Thanks so much.”
When they were about to come out of the room, Yoni was tying up a topknot like a man.
Kanghyok was thrilled to see her doing it once again.
‘When did I have sex last?’
Looking back, he hadn’t had any sex with a woman since he came to Joseon.
He even had a wet dream several days ago.
‘Dang it. That’s why I was sexually stimulated.’
While he was thinking about it, he heard some groaning underneath.
It was Makbong who was lying underneath him.
“Master, we have to get out of here as soon as possible. It is starting to hurt…”
“Oh, sorry, sorry.”
Kanghyok quickly stepped on his back and climbed over the wall.
Makbong also quickly jumped over it.
Yoni, who was already over the wall, waved her hand as if she was annoyed.
“Mosquitoes here?’
“What? Curfew patrollers are coming.”
Makbong urgently pulled Kanghyok and Yoni inside.
Soon, two patrollers passed by.
“Master, why did you go to the trouble of treating that woman? It looks like she is from a poor family.”
“Umm.”
He couldn’t recall the right reason quickly.
Looking back, he climbed over the wall, as if he was bewitched by something, and then treated her.
“I don’t know either. Looks like she and I must have some connection from a previous life. We might get caught. Let’s hurry up.”