Doctor goes back to Joseon

Ganghyuk found that Dolseok was right. There was indeed a doctor with a tidy look visible there. It seemed that he had seen many patients already, as he looked quite tired.

“Don’t worry.”

His kindness could be sensed from his voice, and he reminded Ganghyuk of the pediatrics professor in Chungmu Hospital. That professor examined patients and had researched for the well-being of children over his lifetime, publishing a book at last.

‘He was a real teacher, even though we belonged to different departments.’

He felt that this doctor here must be excellent given his voice. After all, it was a reliable voice, giving the impression that one could trust him…

‘Let’s get going’

Ganghyuk approached the doctor after getting off the hose, but a servant blocked the way.

“Sir, please maintain the order.”

Order? It was clearly a misunderstanding. Ganghyuk shook his hands while smiling. “I don’t come here to be examined.”

“Then, why are you here?”

“I came to see him.”

It was very confusing, so the man who blocked Ganghyuk spoke with a puzzled face.

“It is same anyway.”

If Ganghyuk were a commoner, he would have been thrown out immediately; but, he seemed to be a nobleman with status. His white face and imposing figure made him look dignified.

“Sir, the doctor might not like it.”

At this moment, Dolseok and Makbong came forward.

“Fellow! He is not a patient.”

“Do you know who he is?”

The man could not ignore two gangsters talking like that. But, Ganghyuk realized that if he did things this way, there would be no difference between him and the Mayor of Anseong.

‘It is really irritating if somebody bothers an examination.’

He thus thought that it was not the right thing to do. Hence, Ganghyuk pushed away Dolseok and Makbong and then came forward.

‘Heo… These guys misunderstood my intention. I understand. I will wait. When do you expect him to get free?”

“It will take quite some time. You can guess from the length of the queue.”

“Hmm…”

The queue was quite long indeed, reaching out of the house. It seemed that all of the villagers came to see the doctor.

When he thought about it, it was no wonder for the doctor to have a long queue. There were not sufficient doctors while many people were ill.

“It is already very late. Is he still seeing patients?”

Ganghyuk had left his place in the afternoon. It took them quite some time to reach here even though it was in the same city. The sun was about to set at this point.

If it were Ganghyuk, it would be the time to close the clinic for sure.

“The doctor pities the patients, so he may see patients until midnight.”

“Midnight?” In that case, he could not stay waiting there.

“Dolseok, let’s go to the inn. The doctor is a human being at the end of the day, so he will surely take a rest at night.”

“Okay, sir. I will look for a room.”

They had been walking all day. So, when Ganghyuk said that he would take a rest, nobody had a different thought.

…

Back at the inn, Dolseok and Makbong rushed to book the rooms while Ganghyuk and Yeoju waited.

“I feel sorry for having to make you wait, Yeoju.”

“It is fine. I have enough time.”

“Okay. Hopefully we won’t have to wait too much.”

Fortunately, the inn was quite big. As the village was located at the foot of the mountain, having some travelers was expected.

“Sir, we have two rooms. Is that good?”

“Yes, that will be fine.”

Even though Yeoni and Yeoju wore male costumes, he could not stay in the same room with them. Dolseok laughed when Ganghyuk confirmed it, then shouted with a big voice.

“Ma’am! We need food.”

“Yes, yes.”

“Sir, will you have a drink?”

“No.”

“Why? Why are you rejecting a drink?”

Dolseok felt strange when Ganghyuk rejected a drink. Seungmun was no longer sick, and there were no other patients. But, he still rejected a drink.

“When the doctor comes to me, I would like to be sober.”

“He seems to be quite good, but I feel that he cannot be better than you.”

Ganghyuk thought so as well. How could a doctor in the sixteenth century be better than him?

‘No way!’

Ganghyuk had learned the knowledge accumulated for hundreds of years after this doctor died. Moreover, the medical knowledge in the last ten years of his life already surpassed all the knowledge before that point.

Actually, the textbooks got way thicker, and the students had a hard time learning it all.

‘But, I feel there must be something that I can learn here.’

Although he saw the doctor from a distance, Ganghyuk liked his voice. It was somewhat familiar as well.

“We don’t know that for sure. You can have a drink with Makbong. Don’t mind me.”

“Thank you, sir.”

With that, Dolseok and Makbong started drinking after bowing many times.

Gulp!

Ganghyuk looked back towards the sound; Yeoni was staring at the drinking table.

‘Ah! She is a good drinker.’

Indeed, she was a good drinker; if she made up her mind to win, she might even best Dolseok in drinking.

“Yeoni, you can drink as well.”

“Eh? Thank you, sir!”

With that, Yeoni gladly joined the table; Dolseok and Makbong gave a glass to her. It seemed very natural for them to have a drink together.

As it went on like this, Yeoju became sort of an outcast. Ganghyuk was a man who did not think of status and hierarchy. But, Yeoju could not do that.

To her, men and women could not sit together, and so couldn’t a nobleman and servants either. Although she was broadminded, there were the restrictions of the times nevertheless.

“Yeoju, don’t you drink?”

“No, I am good.”

“You will not paint today. So, you can drink if you want.”

“No, it’s fine.”

To Yeoju, Ganghyuk himself was an exception. He was a nobleman, but he did not mind hanging out with servants. He learned medicine, which was regarded as a second grade discipline. He did not mind intruding a woman’s bedroom at night to perform treatment.

‘It would not be bad to draw his ordinary days.’

He was a really interesting person; he seemed to live as he wanted, but he still attracted people. She was clearly attracted by him as well.

“It has been long time since I came out last time. I would like to paint the landscape.”

“That’s nice. You have a good hobby… What is so funny, fellows?” Ganghyuk joined the group with a glass of water.

Dolseok smiled with his breath laced with alcohol. “Listen to Makbong’s story.”

“What is it?”

“It is always the same story.”

It was a story about flirting with a widow. He consoled this widow and that widow in the widow village. Thanks to him, the widow village was full of groans of joy now.

Of course, he added some MSG on his story, so it became really interesting.

‘In my world, he would have surely been caught.’ Ganghyuk looked at Yeoni while thinking. The story was full of slangs and sexual comments, so it was not easy for him to listen to it.

“Then, what did you do?” But, it was useless to worry, as Yeoni urged him to continue the story.

‘Is she a man?’ Ganghyuk was confused for a second on seeing this scene. But, when he saw her slim nose and red lips, he was sure that she was a girl.

“Then, I had her…”

“You are wonderful.”

Dolseok seemed to be really impressed. He did not show such an impressed expression even when Ganghyuk treated Sunshin’s broken leg.

‘The governor Kim Yungil also liked these kinds of stories.’

In fact, he might have even fainted because of the joy and companionship he would have had felt here.

He could not live a day without Viagra. So, Ganghyuk wrote a note for him that he would go to the foot of Mt. Gwanggyo, and hence, would send over a servant with the medicine. Otherwise, he would have gone on to take the challenge without it, feeling confident in himself and the ‘therapy’.

‘That would have been difficult though.’

Viagra was a medicine that couldn’t really be called a treatment. It just temporarily helped to cure impotence. Even if the governor took it constantly, it would not cure his impotence.

Therefore, he was in Ganghyuk’s clutches indeed.

While listening to the story of Makbong, he felt that his sitting posture was inconvenient. While he was trying to change his posture, a man entered the inn.

Makbong and Yeoni were ready to greet him; they were really reliable indeed.

Squeak!

The door opened and the doctor came in with the man who maintained order in the yard. The former looked very tired because of examining patients all day long. But, his eyes were as bright as Sunshin’s.

“Finally, you came here.” Ganghyuk got up and went to greet him.

“May I know who you are?”

“He is the man I told you about a while ago. He told me he would wait for you here.” The guide had probably told doctor about Ganghyuk earlier on.

“Ah!”

Ganghyuk then greeted him. “Good evening. I am Baik Ganghyuk.”

“Baik… Ganghyuk? Ah! You are the one from the marketplace.”

“Yes.”

“I am honored. I had wanted to see you as well.” Ganghyuk was already very famous, so the doctor knew him well.

“Ah! I am called Heo Jun.”

“Heo Jun?”

“Yes, Heo Jun.”

Hoe Jun? The very Heo Jun? Ganghyuk looked at him with a surprised face. But, there was nothing for him to say really. All he could remember about Heo Jun was related to the actor who played the role of his character in a TV drama.

‘That guy was really good.”

The impact of the TV drama based on a character who practiced oriental medicine was very strong. Due to its influence, the Oriental Medicine College in Gyeonghwa University surpassed Chungmu Medical School that year, as many high-ranking students went to the former college.

Ganghyuk and his friend, who were studying in pre-med, were tempted to transfer as well.

‘Everyone I am meeting here is someone famous.’

At first, he met Lee Sunshin, and now Heo Jun. Ganghyuk was sure that he could learn something from him undoubtedly.

“I am very glad to see you. I came to the right person indeed.”

“What do you mean?”

“I would like to learn. Please teach me.”

“Teach you? I am an unknown doctor, no one significant. I am a drop in the bucket compared to your fame.”

He was quite humble, something which could not be expected from Ganghyuk. Hence, he was quite impressed.

‘Yes, this personality was what made him a famous man in the history.’

Once Ganghyuk was impressed by his humble attitude, the latter started looking very good in all aspects to the former.

“No. Please teach me.”

Ganghyuk was well-known even before he became famous for his medical skills; he was well-known as the son of Baik Seungmun. On the other hand, Heo Jun was from a noble family but his mother was not a noble woman.

He could not handle Ganghyuk bowing in front of him.

“Okay, I will do what I can.”

“Thank you!”

“Then, let’s see the patients together from tomorrow. But, I will not give a lick and a promise once I start teaching you.”

“Great! That is what I want.”