Chapter 3

: It is not indigestion [2]

Black bag?


Yes, the one that I had.


Ah! Yes, sir.

Dolseok ran to get the bag while murmuring with a vacant face. Those who were surprised the most were the doctor and old man Seungmun.

What are you doing now? We need to give him medicine for his indigestion.

The doctor was very resistant against Ganghyuk’s sudden outburst, since he was generally treated well, regardless of hierarchy, because of his profession. Additionally, he was not a layman, but a child of a noble, though he was from a mistress.
Of course, Ganghyuk laughed sardonically.
‘Pyeongwisan and Gwachesan?’
He did not know what was up with the names, but he was sure that the patient could not be cured with just medication. Thus, he pushed the doctor away without much strength.

Boy! What are you doing to the doctor we managed to call after so many efforts?
Seungmun burst in anger, taking the side of the doctor.
But, despite all the uproar around him, Ganghyuk did not move at all. He did not know where he was and what happened there.
‘But, the patient is real.’
Ganghyuk was the best surgeon in Korea. If he had a patient in front of his eyes and he operated on the latter, the patient was almost sure to survive.

Sir, here it is.
Dolseok rushed in and gave him the bag, ignoring the bad mood dispersed in the scene.
It seemed that he must be a very faithful servant of Ganghyuk.

Good.
Ganghyuk opened the bag with haste. The contents were quite appropriate, because they were packed for the chairman.
‘So that is why it was so heavy!’
There were tools for section and drainage, as well as plenty of antibiotics and anesthetics. There was a small hammer, chisel, and small compass saw.
This bag could indeed be called as a ‘Small Emergency Room’.
After the slight physical altercation, the doctor did not dare come to near Ganghyuk. Instead, Seungmun was the one who scolded him.
A servant living together in the same house usually meant much more than a mere servant. The servant might be closer to the master than people would normally imagine. So, it is natural that he was worried about the boy’s life.

Tell me what you are doing now.

Hearing this, Ganghyuk looked at Seungmun. The latter looked exactly the same as his father. ‘It is not a dream at all, as it feels quite concrete.’
But, it did indeed not seem to be real.
‘Did I come to the past? It cannot be.
Ganghyuk wondered. But, it seemed that traveling to the past was indeed a feasible explanation, considering the neighborhood.
‘Anyway, the urgent thing is to make him live.’
He answered as he was wearing the operation gloves.
Sir… No, father… Please leave him with me for a while. We need to save him.


Yes, that is why we must let the doctor treat him.


No, this doctor is a quack.


What? What are you talking about?
Although the old man spoke harshly, he seemed to love his son very much, as an expression of half-doubt and half-belief crept up in his eyes.
This was because Ganghyuk was said to be a genius in his childhood.

What are those funny things? Did you learn this from Heejun?

Ganghyuk did not know who Heejun was, and it was not important to him.
‘Maybe it can be a good excuse.’
By this time, Ganghyuk had already prepared topical anesthetics. He then answered absentmindedly while listening to his question in an absent sort of way.

Yes, yes. I learned from the friend. Dolseok, close the door. If even any wind comes, Okseok will die.


Eo… Eo… Yes.

But, when Dolseok tried to close the door hastily, Seungmun cried.
Dolseok, who are you listening to?


If you want to save Okseok, please listen to me, father.

His voice was calm, and there was an aura of confidence around him as if nobody could stop him. His aura from his expertise accumulated in the field shone in every direction like a halo.
Dolseok could not refuse to comply even though Seungmun was half in doubt.
It was his brother’s life. In this urgent situation, he was the most reliable person that he could count on, although he had been a bounder for a while.
‘Although he looks like a bounder now, he was very clever and famous in his childhood.’
When he finished Cheonjamun (1) at the age of three, he was called a genius, and was the pride of the Baik family in Suwon. As he looked good, there were many people who wanted to make him marry their daughters, and he was a celebrity among matrimonial brokers at that time.
‘He is a bounder now, but… he used to be quite affectionate as well.’
Dolseok remembered an incident from his childhood. At that time, he was sick and lying down listlessly just like Okseok. At that time, the little master caught a rabbit for him to reduce his temperature. He was nothing but a servant, but the latter still took all the pains for him.
He could not forget the little master giving a rabbit to him with his red, frozen hands.
‘Sir, he said that Okseok may die.
And with those few words, Dolseok closed the door and went back to Ganghyuk, even though there was some yelling that could be heard from outside, albeit not a harsh one.

Sir, what can I do for you?


Hold the lamp. It is too dark to see clearly.


Yes, sir. But…


What?


You are going to save Okseok, right?

Hearing the words of Dolseok, the doctor snorted,
Save him? Heung!

But, when Ganghyuk turned to look back, the doctor pretended to be indifferently clearing his throat, yet remaining in the room.
It seemed that he was curious about how Ganghyuk would treat the boy.

Dolseok?


Yes


Hold the lamp tightly without asking useless questions.


Yes, sir.


Okseok, it may get very cold and be a bit painful.


Yes, sir.

After saying that, Ganghyuk injected anesthetics into the boy’s right abdomen many times.
‘I had not imagined that I would do this operation with local anesthesia’ He looked at Okseok with worry. He did not have any suspicion about his own skills; he was worried about the patient.

Do not move.


No, I won’t.


Tell me if you feel any pain.


Yes.

Then, Ganghyuk held up the mess. When the sharp blade shone under the light, he felt something weird.
Dolseok asked with a trembling voice.
Sir… what are you going to do with that?


Hold the lamp high if you want to save Okseok.


Yes, yes.

Dolseok had to bite the bullet and hold the lamp. He had to follow Ganghyuk’s order, as it was a matter of life or death for Okseok.

Well, nobody should move now.
And while saying those words, Ganghyuk opened the right abdomen of Okseok with the mess. Red blood immediately flowed out of the three centimeters long cut.
The doctor who was watching them silently made a great fuss.

Are you crazy?

Be quiet!


No! I have to report it to the master.
The doctor shouted as he got up. The reaction was not just because of the Confucian teaching that the body and all its parts were from parents. In early Joseon, Confucian teachings were not so strong as during late Joseon. But, it was still a strange and frightening scene to see all that blood.
And, if the doctor felt like that, Dolseok must have been feeling the same way as well.

Eh… eh… Sir?


Hold the lamp.


Eh… yes.

Dolseok was very obedient as he held the lamp tight according to the firm orders from Ganghyuk, and did not try to make any other reaction.
It was only the doctor who seemed to be on a rampage.
Dolseok looked at Ganghyuk at a loss, not knowing what to do. But, the latter did not take off his eyes from the incision.

Make him quiet.


Eh? How?


No matter how. He is interfering with the operation. Hold the lamp tight.


Yes, well…

To Dolseok, the doctor was a big shot. But, what else could he do? His brother might die if this carried on. Maybe, if he told the latter that he had just followed the order of his master, he would not be punished to death.

Doctor, sir…


Why, boy?


Do not call me a boy.


Eok…

With a single kick, the doctor was thrown away to a corner. But, because of this, the lamp was shaken a little, although it did not make any difference to Ganghyuk. He had already opened the peritoneum and encountered the appendix, which was festering.
‘It is natural to have such pain with this appendix.’
If it had burst, he would not have had any solution. If he had good tools and environment, he could do something even then, but it would have been impossible here.

Are you OK?


Yes, sir.


Good boy. Almost finished.

‘Gulp!’ Dolseok swallowed dry saliva as he watched what Ganghyuk was doing. Cutting the body while one was alive… If it were not Ganghyuk who was doing this, he would have beaten him to death.
No, if Okseok died, he would not leave even Ganghyuk intact…

Hold the lamp tight.


Yes… Yes!

Since he was thinking of somewhat unfaithful things, he answered more quickly and clearly.
At this point, Ganghyuk tied the appendix with a thread, then cut it with scissors. It was a very easy operation once the appendix was located.

It is done. Now, I need to sew. Hold yourself.


Yes, sir.


Not feeling any pain, are you?


No.

Ganghyuk closed the peritoneum and finished the skin closure; the wide open incision was closed tight.
Although it was nothing to Ganghyuk considering his experience and skills, it was almost a miracle to Dolseok.
Cutting the flesh and then closing it again…
It was not a big thing to Ganghyuk. He had seen a lot of cases of such kinds of operations even when he was a resident.
He then took off the gloves and stroked his head.

You did a good job. Now, the fever will be gone. Have a good sleep.


Yes, sir.


Yes.

Okseok fell asleep after the several days of fighting with the illness and the tension from the operation. His face looked more peaceful than ever.
Dolseok could not utter a sound at this moment. He still held the lamp in his hand, and his face under the light was full of surprise.
It was natural, because what he saw seemed to be miracle to him.

Sir… How could you do that?

1) Cheonjamun – Thousand Chinese Characters