Chapter 15: Me, You Punk, and the Suwon Busa [3] Anseong was a district that could take nearly a full day to reach on foot from Suwon.
If he had come all the way from there, he must have had a fairly desperate reason.
And yet to behave with such arrogance.
Kanghyeok was so dumbfounded that the words hardly came out.
Still, just in case, I should make preparations.
Had not even the patrol men come with him?
There was no telling how wildly they might act, relying on that flimsy shield of being attached to the Hyeongam.
Kanghyeok called quietly to Dolseok.
"Dolseok."
"Yes, young master."
"The Busa has not come by yet today, has he? Go and bring him."
"What?"
The Busa was normally the sort to come of his own accord well enough.
Ever since Kanghyeok had moved to the market, which was closer both to the government office and the Busa's own residence, he had even come twice in a day sometimes.
"If I say bring him, then bring him, you fool."
"Uh… yes, young master."
Who would dare argue with his order?
Dolseok immediately pushed through the patrol men and ran outside.
Kanghyeok was not the only one appalled by the Hyeongam's sudden arrival.
Yeoni, who had been managing the patient order all by herself, felt the same.
"The young master is currently seeing patients, so please wait your turn."
With that, she placed an order token into the official's hand.
Written clearly on the token was the number 22.
Since he had come last, he was to be seen last.
At that, the Hyeongam's expression became quite something to behold.
The physician he had called out for did not appear, and instead some common lowborn creature handed him an order token, so it was understandable.
With a face full of rage, he asked the seori,
"What did this wretch just say?"
"He… said to wait."
—Smack.
The Hyeongam slapped the seori across the face on the spot.
He struck so hard that even Kanghyeok inside was startled.
As the atmosphere began to turn strange, members of the Aeogae troupe who had been near the market started gathering one by one.
"These fools truly cannot understand words. Start by teaching the one standing right in front of us some manners."
At the Hyeongam's single order, the patrol men lunged forward.
They swung their yukmo bangmangi about wildly, but Yeoni was so nimble that they had trouble catching her.
They were making a complete spectacle of themselves when Kanghyeok opened the door.
"My, how noisy. How dare you make a disturbance here!"
Kanghyeok had already finished the consultation long ago.
He had only been delayed because he was straightening his attire.
In a voice full of authority, he rebuked the patrol men.
"Will you not stop?"
Kanghyeok slowly rose to his feet and looked down at them.
Dressed in a silk durumagi with a belt adorned in jade, he was the very image of a yangban.
His face was pale as cotton, his teeth perfectly even, making him look like the very example of a noble young master.
It formed a sharp contrast with the pockmarked, squat Hyeongam.
Regardless of status, there were always faces that naturally looked noble, and those that did not.
The patrol men involuntarily sucked in a breath.
One of them even dropped his yukmo bangmangi.
Even Yeoni, who had been darting around in quick flight, stopped in place.
The Hyeongam too looked somewhat startled by the unexpected sight.
He had only recently taken up his post.
He had merely heard that there was a skilled physician in Suwon, but he did not know who it was.
He had never imagined the man would be someone who exuded such obvious refinement.
But he quickly returned to his usual arrogant expression and scolded Kanghyeok.
"How insolent. Do you know who I am?"
Had they not shouted "The Hyeongam is arriving" hundreds of times already?
It would have been stranger not to know.
With a faint smile, Kanghyeok said,
"You are the Anseong Hyeongam."
"Then how dare you act so brazenly when you know that!"
"And do you, Hyeongam, know where this is?"
Would Kanghyeok really have borrowed a house from the Busa because he had no money?
If all the fees he had received so far were added up, they were more than enough to rent a house of this size.
And if it truly came to it, he could have asked Seungmun.
But Kanghyeok had chosen to borrow from the Busa.
Not buy.
At Kanghyeok's words, the Hyeongam looked more flustered and glanced around.
At a rough glance, it was a house one could commonly see in the market.
Its location was good, and it was large, but still.
"And where exactly is this, that you dare act so brazenly?"
His voice was still full of pomp, but compared to before, his force had definitely weakened.
The patrol men had all tucked their yukmo bangmangi back into their waists.
That young man who was stubbornly standing up to the Hyeongam did not seem like an ordinary person.
Kanghyeok, on the other hand, looked far more relaxed.
Because in the distance, he could see the Busa approaching.
Should I drag this out a little longer?
Kanghyeok deliberately slowed his speech.
"This is the house of Lord Kim Yungil, Suwon Dohobu Busa."
"Kim Yungil…?"
The Hyeongam might be the magistrate of Anseong, but there was no way he would not know the Suwon Busa right next door.
The Hyeongam was not subordinate to the Busa, and in principle, their relationship was horizontal.
But that was only in principle.
Before power, such principles were meaningless.
The gap between Senior Third Rank and Sixth Rank was enormous.
What was more, Suwon Busa Kim Yungil was one of the rising stars of the Easterners faction, along with Kim Seongil, who served as a Jangnyeong of the Saheonbu.
Compared with the declining Westerners faction, his future was brilliantly open.
"H-how are you giving medical treatment in Lord Busa's house?"
"Well now. Are you saying you came all the way here from Anseong without even knowing whom you were coming to for treatment?"
When he heard that, it was undeniably true.
The Hyeongam was naturally a hasty man, and this time there had been an urgent matter too, so he had rushed over in too much haste.
He did feel regret belatedly, but the Anseong Hyeongam was a man who cared excessively about dignity.
Naturally, not other people's dignity—only his own.
"Are you saying I had to know exactly who you were before coming?"
The Hyeongam made an unreasonable protest, trying to hide his embarrassment.
He was still making a scene when the sound of an approaching procession was heard as well.
"Hya! Out of the way! The Suwon Busa is arriving!"
The Hyeongam turned with a startled face and saw Busa Kim Yungil, who looked deeply displeased.
"I-it has been some time, Daegam."
"It has. What brings you all the way here? And with patrol men too?"
"That is…"
"Do you dare mean to cause trouble in my jurisdiction?"
"That is not the case…"
"If not that, then have you come to tear down my house?"
There was not a single thing the Hyeongam had done right since coming here, so all he could do was flounder.
"At least get down from your horse. Must I keep looking up at you forever?"
"M-my apologies."
The Busa passed the Hyeongam coldly and went straight toward Kanghyeok.
"Ah, but in any case… I actually had something I wanted to ask of you, Kanghyeok. This turns out quite well."
"Did you, sir?"
Kanghyeok greeted the Busa in the most respectful tone in the world.
It was an entirely different attitude from the one he had shown the Hyeongam.
"Yes. Shall we go inside first?"
"Let us."
Soon the door slammed shut.
The expression on the Hyeongam's face, still awkwardly halfway off his horse, was something to see.
From his point of view, it felt wholly unfair.
What is this? He gives me an order token and humiliates me, but the Busa walks right in?
Whether the Hyeongam thought so or not, Kanghyeok had already begun chatting with the Busa.
The rule of this clinic was that anyone who wanted treatment had to wait, regardless of status.
That said, exceptions existed.
If someone's status was too high, there was simply no helping it.
And the Busa isn't the kind of person who makes me feel bad, either.
Regardless of his personal reputation, he always treated Kanghyeok well.
If there was give, there had to be take.
With a serious expression, Kanghyeok asked the Busa.
He had long since already handed over the Viagra.
"What was it you wished to ask of me?"
"Ah. It's nothing else—I'd like you to see a patient for me."
"How could I refuse a request from you, sir? Tell them to come whenever they like."
The Busa seemed pleased by Kanghyeok's frank and easy manner.
"Thank you."
"But what kind of patient is it?"
"It seems he fell from a horse yesterday. They say his leg is broken… Because of that, he failed the examination, and he is deeply disheartened. He is a man of outstanding martial skill."
A fracture of the leg.
Depending on the case, surgery might be necessary.
And was he not said to be skilled in martial arts?
That meant even more careful treatment would be required.
Could that really be done here?
I'd still be better than anyone else.
Kanghyeok nodded at once.
"Yes. Leave him to me. I expect the result will be better than at any other physician's."
"If it's you, I can trust it. Very well. I'll send word before the day is out."
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