Doctor Goes Back to Joseon

 

“Hugh, this odor.”

Ganghyuk murmured, swaying his fan.

Bad odor came from the lane to Bojewon.

Pee, vomit, and alcohol…

“Goodness, that is from the wanderers from Gyeonggido.”

Makbong said with a frowned face.

He had not been in dirty places until he met Ganghyuk.

He could not bear the situation he’s seeing and frowned his face.

“Wanderer?”

Ganghyuk asked, putting a cotton ball in his nostrils.

Yeoju had already worn a mask, and it was she who had advised Ganghyuk to cover his nostrils.

“Yes. Governor of Suwon is quite a good officer.”

“Yes, Governor Kim Yungil is a fairly good officer.”

Even though he liked money, he did not squeeze commoners too much.

He was interested in the way of living commoners had and he did not demand too much to threaten their survival.

He might earn more to sell low ranking offices.

‘If he could be the Minister of Internal Affairs, he could make the most of it.’

Even when he was only a governor, he could sell offices at a good price.

If he could sell offices in full scale as a minister, he might earn billions.

It was a pity he could not be a minister because of the effects of Gichukoksa.

“…But other places are different. The officers squeeze commoners, and they hardly have enough to feed themselves. If there is a battle or a contagious disease, they do not have any means to make a living.”

“Ha…”

When he looked back at his fellows, all were frowning, covering their nose because of the odor.

Ganghyuk felt sorry for Yeoju.

The others were servants or slaves, but Yeoju was a noblewoman.

He felt sorry because he put her in this kind of horrible situation.

‘But if I left her alone there, she might die if they found out she’s a relative of Jeong Yeorip.’

Soon his thought reached her, it would not do harm if he praised her efforts.

It did not cost at all, but the effect might be good.

“Yeoju, you seem to be working too hard these days.”

“No, sir. I like this work.”

“I am glad to hear that.”

Ganghyuk moved quickly, laughing.

The street became cleaner as they came nearer to Bojewon.

As it was where the government office resided, they managed to make it clean somehow.

There were no dirty street dogs, and people sitting with no souls in their eyes.

A banner attracted their attention.

“Famous doctor Baik Ganghyuk came from Hanyang!”

“We, the Bojewon Family, welcome Dr. Baik Ganghyuk.”

Ganghyuk looked at the banner again to see if he had read it right.

He doubted for a minute if this was the reality, or if he was dreaming.

However, it was the former.

“What is this?”

Ganghyuk pointed the banners at the entry of Bojewon.

There were a lot of other banners praising the skills of Ganghyuk.

As it was written in Hangeul, Yeoni and Dolseok could read the banners without Yeoju’s help.

Then all of them showed a puzzled look.

“Eo? They are welcoming you, sir.”

“What is this? I did not expect this at all.”

Ganghyuk remembered his friend who found a place in Haenam.

He was a good doctor, but he could not be a professor since Ganghyuk was far better than him.

When he came back to his hometown, Haenam Hospital hired him as the chief surgeon and advertised his office like how they did with the banners.

‘I thought they made a fuss back then without a reason, but now I know that it was implanted in our old tradition.’

Ganghyuk read the texts on the bulletin board.

They dealt with many events such as smallpox, monk Samyung, Kim Kyehan, and Gwanghae.

The handwritten posters explained Ganghyuk’s traces and achievements.

“Did Dr. Heo write them?”

“Yes, I think so. Ah, this is the prince’s handwriting.”

Yeoju pointed a corner of the poster.

There was a masculine-looking calligraphy written by Gwanghae.

“Baik Ganghyuk is a divine doctor. Officers and citizens should treat him with their best.”

It was a thoughtful note written to give praise to the good doctor.

However, he wrote in Chinese characters, so people would not know what it meant.

“Why did they think its a good idea to have the need to make this kind of fuss?”

“But it would make our work easier.”

“Yes, that is a good thing, at least.”

Gwanghyuk went to Bojewon.

The size of Bojewon was bigger than he expected.

It had a high wall and more than ten rooms.

When they came to the gate, a guard stopped them.

He had a round face.

“Who…are…you?”

He could not treat them rudely because of the costumes worn by Ganghyuk and his fellows.

Even the servants wore good clothes at this difficult time.

In particular, in the middle of the fellows, Ganghyuk stood and his attire was untouchable in a good way.

Green silk robe and a fur vest. There were corals at the end of his string to fix the hat he wore.

“Ah, I am Baik Ganghyuk. I came to serve here.”

It did not look like a person who came for service.

His attitude was as bad as a gangster in the marketplace.

However, everyone in Bojewon was already notified of Ganghyuk’s arrival.

He bowed immediately.

“How are you, sir?”

“Eum, may I come in?”

“Of course, sir. Could you wait here for a while? I will get a guide for you.”

“Good.”

The guard went it.

Heo Jun could not make this happen.

Even though Heo Jun had an office in the fourth grade, he could not influence other offices outside of Naeeuiwon.

Moreover, he was not formally married…

Even officers of the same rank as he could easily ignore him.

‘Power is a really good thing.’

It was certain that Gwanghae asked this,

Even though Gwanghae was also a son of a concubine, he was still a prince. The normal rules did not apply to the royal family.

Moreover, King Seonjo did not have a son from his formal marriage.

The guard brought a slave with him.

He looked so shabby Ganghyuk though he’s one of his patients.

He had a big wart on the cheek.

It might be his complexity, he turned his head slightly so that he could hide it from the sight.

However, Ganghyuk could notice it at first glance.

This slave also had a round face.

“How are you, sir?”

“Eum”

“Sir, your place is Jinjewon. Please come with me.”

The slave guided him, bowing excessively while he was at it.

Ganghyuk liked his attitude.

Nobody disliked polite people.

‘I wish I can remove his wart later.’

Ganghyuk followed him with a satisfied face.

Dolseok, Yeoni, Makbong, Yeoju and the carriage followed.

In the cart, there were rice, dried fish, meat, and various herbs. It could attract people’s attention.

Some of them raised their thumbs up.

“Dr. Baik Ganghyuk is a good doctor, they say.”

“Yes, I heard. He saved the living Buddha.”

“He defeated Japanese bandits.”

“He caught a man in the act of treason.”

“Hya…He is handsome, too.”

“Yes, I know.”

He could not help laughing.

They praised him without knowing his real intention.

Dolseok whispered at him.

“Sir, I think it is time for you to get a public office.”

“Public office? I may…?”

“Eo? Did you change your mind? Great Master will like it very much.”

“Father…”

Seungmun made implicit pressure.

‘Ah, the old man. He wants too many things. Public office and marriage.”

It was the Joseon era and he was a nobleman.

No wonder Seungmun wanted him to have a public office and marry.

However, the old Baik Ganghyuk was a scoundrel.

Now he became a famous doctor in Hanyang.

The greed of parents was limitless though.

‘Considering Gichukoksa… Public office is nothing.’

Power did not last forever.

One day they were high officers but in the next moment, they were killed or remotely exiled.

‘There might be another incident similar to this before Imjinwaeran.’

There were always some incidents.

They fought each other without knowing there would be a big war.

He did not want to be a sacrifice between them.

Ganghyuk shook his head.

“I don’t have any intention to have a public office now. Ah, is it here?”

The slave stopped in front of a medium sized building.

Considering the shoes on the stone, there might be a guest.

Ganghyuk asked.

“Is there someone inside?”

“Ah, yes, there is a doctor who works in Jinjewon. He must be in duty now.”

“Aha, you have a doctor already.”

“Yes, sir, but it is notified that you will arrive today, you may go in.”

“Okay. Thank you.”

“You are welcome. Please call me if you need my service.”

The slave retreated politely.

Ganghyuk said watching him disappear with a bow.

“Dolseok, why don’t you follow his example?”

“Ai, sir, we are different. We are not in a simple master-and-servant relationship.”

“Then what is it?”

“We are your students.”

“Teacher and student, master and servant…I think they are the same relationship.”

“Hehe, but what we do have is loyalty, sir.”

Dolseok smiled. He had yellow teeth.

If Ganghyuk had some dental knowledge, he could make whiten them.

‘Yes, he is right.’

He had never doubted their loyalty.

“Okay, come on in.”

“Yes, sir.”

When they entered the building, the aroma of herbs overwhelmed them.

It was the smell Dolseok liked.

“Won, I like it.”

“Smell…”

In this world, herb smell was not everywhere.

However, in the modern world, they put herbs in the food they eat daily such as Samgyetang [Chicken soup with Ginseng].

As Ganghyuk came from that world, he was not moved by this smell.

He did not know of a doctor who could use these herbs properly except Heo Jun.

“Heum. Heum.”

He could not intrude someone else’s examine room, although his arrival was already notified.

Ganghyuk made some throat-clearing sounds but there was no answer from within.

‘What is it?’

He repeated twice and then thrice, but there was no answer either.

Makbong could not wait and opened the door with a swear.

‘Is the man inside dead?’

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The doctor inside was surprised, but he restored his placidity soon.

He greeted Ganghyuk.

“How are you. I am Dongpa, a doctor of Jinjewon.”

He said politely, but his face did not hide his discomfort.

‘Heum, is it a territorial behavior?”