Chapter 20: The Blade [4] "Ah, Yi Sun-sin."
Kanghyeok repeated the three-character name to himself.
If he's twenty-eight, then he's older brother Sun-sin. Wait… Yi Sun-sin? That Yi Sun-sin?
Kanghyeok's eyes went round.
"Is your name really… Yi Sun-sin?"
"It is. Why are you so surprised?"
"Young master, please, let's sleep."
Dolseok, woken by Kanghyeok, muttered with a sullen face.
—Flick.
Kanghyeok lightly flicked him on the forehead, then went back to being astonished.
"Yi Sun-sin. I'm treating Yi Sun-sin."
"Are you perhaps mistaking me for someone else? I am no one of importance."
Sun-sin looked at Kanghyeok as if he had no idea what he meant.
In truth, at this point in time, Yi Sun-sin was not yet a particularly famous man.
At least, not yet.
That explains it. I knew he wasn't ordinary.
That level of patience and mental strength, beyond what could be thought human.
Wasn't this exactly the kind of man who would later achieve a great victory with a mere twelve ships?
Kanghyeok looked at Sun-sin with deeply moved eyes.
Then a chill ran through him.
If I get too excited right now, he might change as a person.
And that would be a disaster, would it not?
The history of the Republic of Korea itself might be shaken.
"Ahem. No, it's nothing. Not just anyone could endure an operation like this. In any case, let's sleep. If anything feels wrong, you must tell us."
"Understood."
After seeing Sun-sin lie down quietly on the pillow, Kanghyeok lay down as well.
Sun-sin, true to his thick nerves, fell asleep almost at once.
He had just had surgery, and yet he did not even seem to be in much pain.
To think Yi Sun-sin is sleeping right beside me.
It was Kanghyeok, rather, who could not fall asleep easily.
Just think about it. A great figure he had only ever seen in statues was lying beside him.
If that felt ordinary, that would have been stranger.
Wait… does that mean this is King Seonjo's era? Don't tell me I'm going to end up living through the Imjin War too?
It was already miserable enough to have ended up in Joseon after living in what was, comparatively speaking, a peaceful age, and now even war?
That was too much.
No, there's still time before that. I should find a way back. Or move farther north… and help Yi Sun-sin with rehabilitation too.
There could be no greater honor than this.
He had operated on Admiral Chungmugong himself, and would even help with his rehabilitation.
First, sleep.
It had been quite an exhausting day.
Once he made up his mind to sleep, he sank into it quickly enough.
"Young master, young master."
"Ah. Dolseok, is that you?"
Kanghyeok rubbed his eyes and sat up.
Instead of, as usual, bringing a basin for washing, Dolseok was staring out at the yard with eyes full of worry.
"Please stop that gentleman. He won't listen to me."
"Hm? What?"
"Just look at that."
"No, that man— this son of a—"
Kanghyeok hurriedly swallowed the rest of the words.
He had almost cursed Chungmugong without thinking.
Though honestly, he'd deserve it.
With that irreverent thought, Kanghyeok stepped out into the yard.
"Excuse me, but what exactly are you doing?"
"Ah, I was swinging my sword a little."
Sun-sin answered while standing in an awkward stance.
"Oh, I see."
The reply was so calm that Kanghyeok nearly accepted it on the spot.
No, that's not right.
The man had only had surgery yesterday.
Kanghyeok shook his head firmly and said,
"What do you think will happen if the wound tears open like that? Come inside at once!"
"It is my leg that was injured, not my arm."
As expected of a great figure from history.
Even when he said complete nonsense, there was logic to it.
"This is what I was telling you."
Dolseok looked at Kanghyeok as if to say, See?
"You still should have stopped him."
"If he won't listen to you, young master, how could I possibly stop him?"
That too was true.
Why do I keep losing the argument today?
Tilting his head, Kanghyeok stepped out into the yard.
No matter if this was Yi Sun-sin, he still had to listen to the doctor.
Especially when the doctor was Kanghyeok.
Kanghyeok carefully patted Sun-sin on the shoulder.
At some point, he had already become absorbed in swinging the sword again.
"Um, hyungnim? Ah, stop swinging that for a moment. You'll hit me."
"Why do you keep making such a fuss?"
"I'm telling you, it's going to split open at this rate."
"I know my own body best."
"Then how did you come in here half-dead yesterday?"
"That is precisely why I came to a physician."
"Kya."
A sound of admiration escaped Kanghyeok before he knew it.
For a moment, he wondered whether the Japanese at Myeongnyang had jumped into the sea out of sheer frustration after arguing with him.
"Young master."
"What."
"That gentleman is bleeding."
"What? Where? Ah, I knew this would happen."
Wasn't his calf muscle huge to begin with?
On top of that, he had been swinging a sword around, so there was no way it could hold without reopening.
The bandage Kanghyeok had wrapped the day before was turning red.
At least items that had already been used on the body did not reset.
Otherwise, the whole thing might have fallen right off by now.
"Alright, stop at once. Come up here. I'll have to stitch it again."
"Hah."
Even Sun-sin looked a little embarrassed at this.
He came into the room while enduring the pain, then silently stretched out his leg.
Fortunately, the wound did not seem to have reopened too badly.
Three or four stitches would be enough at most.
"Dolseok, bring me the bag."
"Yes, young master."
Dolseok hurriedly brought over the bag Kanghyeok had been clutching in his sleep just moments ago.
"Let's see…"
Kanghyeok rummaged through the bag.
Everything he had almost used up yesterday had been fully renewed.
As expected. Good.
No matter how skilled Kanghyeok was, without this bag he would not be any better than a quack.
"Alright, put your leg out."
"Understood."
As Kanghyeok scrubbed the wound clean with disinfectant, he spoke.
"There are limits to stubbornness. What would you have done if this had torn open more badly?"
"My apologies."
When he was cool, he was absurdly cool.
He admitted fault so readily that Kanghyeok had nothing more to say.
"From now on, be careful. Until this is fully healed, you are going to listen to me no matter what. Understood?"
"I understand. I will do so."
"This will sting a little."
"Understood."
"Dolseok, are you just standing there? Come over here."
"Ah, yes, yes."
He could hardly get any angrier at Chungmugong himself.
Poor Dolseok was the only one left to suffer.
"There. That's done. For about two weeks, you must follow exactly what I say. This area tears open easily."
"I understand. I give you my word."
"Yes. I'll trust you."
Surely Yi Sun-sin would not go back on his word.
Thinking that, Kanghyeok rewrapped the bandage.
Fortunately, Sun-sin was the sort of man who kept what he said.
After that, he remained seated quietly in place.
Thanks to that, Kanghyeok was able to rest a little more comfortably.
—Knock knock.
Until someone knocked at the main gate.
"Dolseok, go out and tell them we're not seeing patients today."
"Yes, young master."
Why would anyone feel bad about being told they could rest?
Dolseok ran out as if he were flying.
Then he came back holding a letter.
"Young master, they say it's from the Busa."
"Really? Why didn't he come in person?"
"I don't know. He said you should read it."
"Alright."
Kanghyeok accepted the letter and opened it without thinking much of it.
It did not seem very long.
Though he could not be sure.
Good grief…
To him, it was nothing but white paper and black writing.
He had once prided himself on knowing a fair number of Chinese characters thanks to having been in the calligraphy club at university.
Yet there was hardly anything he could actually read.
Without realizing it, Kanghyeok looked around the room.
There was Dolseok, scratching his head with a stupid expression, and Sun-sin, sitting with his eyes closed in meditation.
There was no question that Dolseok was even more illiterate than Kanghyeok.
It's not as if I can ask Yi Sun-sin to read it for me— no, wait.
Wasn't Kanghyeok a doctor?
Which meant he could make patients do almost anything, so long as he wrapped it in the excuse of treatment.
He had actually seen an experiment like that on an educational program once.
They made patients do duck-walks and even touch their tongues to their elbows, and everyone still did it.
It was even at an ophthalmology clinic, and the patients had only come in for LASIK.
"Ahem. Hyungnim Sun-sin?"
"What is it?"
"Yesterday's treatment was rather rough, wasn't it? I need to check what condition your body is in now. Do you have a moment?"
"Very well."
Kanghyeok handed the Busa's letter to Sun-sin.
"Here, read this aloud for me."
"Is this not a letter addressed to you?"
"I've already read it and know the contents, so it doesn't matter."
"Mm…"
Sun-sin hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
Had he not only just promised to listen to Kanghyeok?
He had no way to refuse.
"Understood. 'Kanghyeok, have you been well? I heard Sun-sin went to you yesterday, and I am curious whether the treatment went well. This afternoon there will be the banquet I mentioned yesterday, so tell me the details there. Ah, and do not forget to bring the medicine when you come.' There. Is that all?"
It seemed the banquet had been set for today itself.
Kanghyeok sprang to his feet, throwing on his durumagi as he answered,
"You did very well. As you just read, it seems I have to go there."
"Go ahead."
He was cool enough to deserve a couple of smacks by modern standards.
But no matter how cool Sun-sin was, Kanghyeok, the doctor, could not afford to be.
"Dolseok, take good care of Hyungnim Sun-sin."
"You're going alone? You don't even know the way."
And indeed, at present, Kanghyeok was the sort of man who could not even find his own way home by himself.
There was no way he could get all the way to Paldalsan alone.
"I'm going to stop by the tavern and take one of the troupe people with me."
"Can't one of them stay here and look after him instead?"
Dolseok glanced sidelong at Sun-sin.
Sun-sin had already closed his eyes again and fallen back into meditation.
No matter how one looked at him, he seemed far more stubborn than Kanghyeok, who was at least nominally the master here.
It was easy to imagine that staying with him would be exhausting.
But Kanghyeok was a heartless man.
"You're the most skilled in medicine after me. Those people have only handed out order tokens so far. Do you think they can care for a patient?"
"Oh dear. Then please come back as quickly as you can."
"I will. The Busa won't keep me long over just one patient."
"Yes, young master."
"I've already set out the tools you're likely to need, so use them if necessary."
"Yes, yes."
"Ah, and that chicken the patient left yesterday—you eat it. Just don't eat it all by yourself."
"Oh, thank you."
Leaving behind Dolseok, who bowed deeply at the waist, Kanghyeok left the clinic.
The tavern where the troupe was staying was not very far from here.
That way, right?
From what Kanghyeok had heard, not all of the troupe were staying at the tavern.
Only those with status, like the Pyeonsu, Yeoni, and Makbong, were lodging there.
The rest seemed to be staying in nearby private homes, doing odd jobs in exchange.
—Creak.
Kanghyeok pushed open the little gate woven from intertwined branches and stepped into the tavern.
At once, the tavern mistress came hurrying out.
"Oh my, young master!"
Perhaps because he had once treated her sprained leg, she was exceptionally friendly.
Waving his hand at the delighted tavern mistress, Kanghyeok said,
"Ah, is the Eoreumsani inside? And Makbong?"
"Yes, yes, of course. I'll call them."
"Mm, thanks."
A little later, only Yeoni appeared.
It seemed Makbong had gone out somewhere.
"Young master, what brings you here…"
"Is it only you?"
"Yes."
"Mm."
Kanghyeok lightly scratched at his chin.
It's a bit awkward to go with a woman…
And to no other place than the Busa's banquet.
There was no way there would not be gisaeng there.
No matter where it was, they would probably be grabbing at breasts freely and the like.
I can't go alone, though.
If he got lost on the way to the banquet, that would be a disaster.
The hardship would be one thing, but the humiliation would last a lifetime.
Whatever. I'll just tell her to stay a little farther away.
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