Chapter 20: Sword [4]

“Ah! Lee Sunshin.” Ganghyuk repeated his name.

‘If he is twenty eight, then he is older than me… Wait a second… Lee Sunshin? The very Lee Sunshin?’ Ganghyuk opened his eyes wide.

“Your name is Lee Sunshin…? Really?”

“Yes, why are you so surprised?”

“Sir, please let me sleep. Please.” At this point, Dolseok couldn’t help but murmur because he had been woken up by the conversation between Ganghyuk and the patient.

‘Bang’

Ganghyuk ignored his mumbling and kept asking after hitting Dolseok.

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“Lee Sunshin? Did I treat Lee Sunshin?”

“You might be mistaking me for someone else. I am a nobody.” Sunshin looked at Ganghyuk with puzzled face. As a matter of fact, the Lee Sunshin at that time was not really famous…At least not at that moment.

‘Yes, I had thought he must be an extraordinary man.’ He showed a patience and will that no ordinary man could have. That was why he could win the war with only twelve ships.

Ganghyuk looked at Sunshin with a deeply moved face. But then, he felt something different.

‘If I make a fuss now, he might change.’

Now that could get very serious; the very history of Korea might be shattered.

“Ah, nothing. Nobody can endure this kind of an operation normally. Okay, let’s sleep now. If you feel anything strange, please do let me know.”

“Ok, I will.”

Ganghyuk lied down after watching him lying down on the pillow, who fell asleep soon as he had been on his nerves all this while. Although he had a big operation just now, it seemed that he did not feel much pain.

‘Admiral Lee Sunshin is sleeping beside me.’ Ganghyuk could not fall asleep, and one could not blame him really. To think of it, the famous Lee Sunshin was lying beside him. If he did not feel anything, now that would have been far stranger.

‘Then… is this the reign of King Seonjo? Then, I must be in Imjin waeran, right?’

He did not like the situation where he had to come to Joseon and then experience the war.

It was too much.

‘No. I think, I have some time still. I should find a way to go back. If not, I will go somewhere else… But right now, I need to help in the rehabilitation of Lee Sunshin.’

Ganghyuk was feeling extremely honored. He had operated Sunshin, and had the chance to help him with rehabilitation.

‘Ok, it is good to sleep now.’

It was a tiring day, so when he tried to sleep, he ended up falling asleep in no time.

…

“Sir, Sir…”

“Yes, Dolseok?”

Dolseok was looking at the yard with anxious eyes instead of preparing a basin with warm water.

“Please stop him. He will not listen to me.”

“What is it?”

“Look at him.”

“No… Hey! No… fu…”

Ganghyuk barely stopped himself from saying the whole thing; he had almost cursed him out loud.

‘He must be scolded.’

Ganghyuk went out of the room with impolite thoughts.

“What are you doing?”

“Ah! I was practicing my swordsmanship.” Sunshin answered while standing awkwardly.

“Ah, are you?”

He almost understood him because his answer even sounded logical.

‘No, it cannot be like that.’ Sunshin just had had an operation the day before. So, Ganghyuk shook his head and told him. “If the wound gets open again, what will you do? Come in right away.”

“My leg was injured, but my arms are perfect.”

He was a man famous in history. So when he said that, it sounded logical even though it was utter nonsense.

“This is what he has been doing.” Dolseok looked at Ganghyuk, asking his help.

“You must tell him not to…”

“He did not listen to even you, not to mention someone like me. How can I stop him?”

“Yes, that’s true I guess.”

‘Why am I losing my cool today?’ Ganghyuk came to the ground with puzzled face while thinking. Even Lee Sunshin must listen to the doctor, and if the doctor was Ganghyuk, he must listen to him.

Thinking this, he tapped Sunshin’s shoulder carefully, who was already absorbed in the practice.

“Hello, bot. Stop the practice. You will kill me.”

“Why are you keeping me from practicing?”

“The stitches might burst.”

“I know my body best.”

“If you know your body best, why did you come to the clinic almost dead?”

“I knew that status, so I came.”

“Ka.” Ganghyuk couldn’t help but exclaim. He even thought for some time whether the Japanese came into the sea because they were irritated by the conversation with Lee Sunshin.

“Sir…”

“What?”

“He is bleeding.”

“What? Where? Alas, I expected it.”

He had a big muscle. And now he practiced sword, causing the would to open again.

The bandage that covered his wound had become red. It was fortunate that the materials used on the body were not renewed. Otherwise, he might have been lying on the ground with pain.

“Come, come here again. You need to be stitched again.”

“Oh, I am sorry.” Sunshin finally went into the room while enduring the pain. He then pushed his leg without saying anything. Fortunately, it was not a big rupture, and would require several stitches only at best.

“Dolseok, get the bag now.”

“Yes, Sir.” Dolseok brought the bag that Ganghyuk always grabbed tightly while sleeping.

“Let’s see…” Ganghyuk searched inside the bag and found that the materials he used yesterday were all replenished as expected.

‘Fortunately…’ Without this bag, Ganghyuk would have been no better than a quack.

“Give me your leg.”

“Yes, here it is.”

Ganghyuk rubbed the wound with a disinfectant.

“You must not be adamant like this. If it gets ruptured more, what will you do?”

“I am sorry.”

He was very cool, and as he acknowledged his fault, Ganghyuk did not scold anymore.

“Please be careful from now on. Before the complete recovery, you must follow my orders. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I see.”

“It will be painful.”

“Okay.”

“Dolseok, are you working or not? Come here.”

“Yes, sir.”

Ganghyuk could not scold Chungmugong anymore, and therefore, Dolseok became the sacrifice.

“You must follow my orders for two weeks. It is something that can get ruptured and worsen very easily.”

“I see. I promise.”

“I will trust you then.”

He believed that Lee Sunshin would keep the promise, rolling the bandage again on the wound while thinking that. Fortunately, Lee Sunshin was a man of his word, and he kept sitting down still afterward.

Therefore, Ganghyuk could take a rest, that was before someone knocked on the door.

‘Knock, knock.’

“Dolseok, please tell him that we will not be working today.”

“Yes, sir.”

Nobody would mind a day off after all. Hearing him, Dolseok went out like the wind, and came back soon with a letter.

“Sir, it is from the governor.”

“Why didn’t he pay a visit by himself?”

“I don’t know. He asked you to read it.”

“OK.”

Ganghyuk opened the letter without any special thoughts. The contents of the letter were not long, though they were not that clear.

‘Oh my goodness…”

For him, the paper was white and the letters were black. He was proud of his knowledge in Chinese characters at college, but there were still not many letters he could read.

Ganghyuk looked around the room and saw Dolseok, who was rubbing his head with dumbfounded eyes, and Sunshin, who was in meditation. Maybe Dolseok was even more ignorant than Ganghyuk himself.

‘But, I cannot ask Sunshin to read it for me… No.’

Ganghyuk was a doctor. Maybe, he could ask the patient to do something with the excuse that it was a kind of treatment.

Actually, he had seen an experiment aired in an educational broadcasting program. ‘When the doctor asked patients to do squat walking and touch the elbow with their tongue, the patients followed the doctor without suspicion.’

It was an eye clinic, and the patients came there to have a Lasik operation.

“Ahem! Brother Sunshin?”

“What is it?”

“You had a difficult operation yesterday. I need to know of your status. Is it alright, now?”

“Yes, I am fine.”

Ganghyuk then gave him the letter, “Read it loudly.”

“But, this one is for you.”

“It is okay. I have already read it and know the contents.”

“En…”

Sunshin wondered for some time and then nodded his head. He had promised that he would follow his orders. And, there was no reason to reject his offer.

“Okay… Ganghyuk, Are you well? I heard that Sunshin went to you yesterday. I wonder if the treatment went well with him. This afternoon, we will have a party that I had told you about before. Please come and tell me the details of the story. Do not forget to get my medicine… Is it okay, now?

It seemed that the party would be held today. Ganghyuk stood up and put on the coat.

“Well done. As you have read, I need to go there.”

“Ok.”

He was very cool. But Ganghyuk, as a doctor, could never be cool as Sunshin.

“Dolseok, you must take care of him.”

“Are you going alone? You don’t know the way.”

Yes, Gagnhyuk in this world was the man who could not go home without someone’s help. Then, how could he go to Paldalsan alone?

“I will visit the inn on the way and bring one of the Aeogae fellows.”

“How about asking one of them to take care of him?” Dolseok looked at Sunshin sideways, who was already in deep meditation. He looked tougher than Ganghyuk in many ways, so Dolseok expected to have a harder time with him.

But, Ganghyuk did not help him, “You are the best in medicine other than me. They were only giving number plates all this while. How can they take care of the patient?”

“Ok, then, please come back as soon as possible.”

“Yes, I will. The governor will not keep me long because of the patient.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I have taken out the necessary tools, so please use them if necessary.”

“Yes.”

“You can have the chicken that the patient left yesterday. But, do not eat it alone.”

“Oh! Thank you.”

Ganghyuk left the clinic, leaving Dolseok there with the patient. The inn where the Aeogae fellows were staying was not far from the clinic.

‘It must be there.’

From what Ganghyuk had heard, not all the fellows were in the inn. Only the ones with some status, such as Pyeonsu, Yeoni, and Makbong were staying in the inn. The rest of them stayed in the houses of villagers, doing some work for them.

‘Squeak’

Ganghyuk pushed the door to open it and then went inside the inn, seeing which, the hostess came out to greet him.

“Hello, sir.”

Ganghyuk had treated her when she had sprained her ankle. Therefore, she showed gladness on seeing him.

Ganghyuk asked the hostess, “Are Eoreumsani and Makbong in?”

“Yes, sir. I will call them.”

“Yes, please do.”

After a few minutes, Yeoni came out at a brisk pace. It seemed that Makbong had gone somewhere.

“Sir, what brought you here?”

“Are you alone?”

“Yes.”

“En…”

Ganghyuk rubbed his beard.

‘It is not good to go there with a woman.’

It was no ordinary place, but the party of the governor. There must be Gisaeng there. The people there would be touching the busts of girls and make other flirtatious actions regardless of the place.

‘But, I cannot go there alone either.’

If he got lost, then that would be serious. He would have great trouble, and furthermore, he would have lost his face.

‘It would be ok if I let her stay far from the scene, wouldn’t it?’