Chapter 3: It's Not Indigestion [2] "The black bag?"
"Yes! The one from earlier!"
"Ah, yes, young master."
Dolseok muttered blankly before rushing off.
The ones left stunned were the summoned physician and Seungmun.
"What are you doing right now? I told you we must quickly decoct Pyeongwi-san and Gwache-san and administer them!"
Regardless of status, physicians were treated with considerable respect as professionals, so his tone carried confidence.
Moreover, the physician who had been called was not a commoner but the son of a noble household—though born of a concubine.
Kanghyeok, however, scoffed inwardly.
Pyeongwi-san? Gwache-san?
He didn't know exactly what kind of medicine they were just from their names.
But he was certain of one thing—this was not an illness that would be cured with medication.
Without much effort, Kanghyeok pushed the physician aside.
"You brat! How dare you treat a physician we brought here with such effort like this!"
Seungmun took the physician's side.
Kanghyeok didn't even bother responding.
He didn't know where this was or what kind of situation this was.
But this patient is real.
Who was Kanghyeok?
The acknowledged top surgeon in South Korea.
Whoever the patient was, if they passed through his hands, they had to live.
"Young master, here it is!"
Dolseok pushed through the tense atmosphere and handed over the house-call bag.
Whatever else, he seemed quite loyal as Kanghyeok's servant.
"Good. Well done."
Kanghyeok quickly opened the bag.
Since it had been prepared for the chairman, it was well stocked.
No wonder it was heavy.
It contained not only a basic incision and drainage set, but also antibiotics and local anesthetics in ample supply.
There were even tools like a hammer, chisel, plates, and a small bone saw.
Why would they pack this…? No, actually, good.
At this level, it could pass for a small emergency room.
The physician didn't even dare approach Kanghyeok.
Instead, Seungmun shouted again.
A servant, in some ways, was closer than family.
It would be strange not to worry.
"What exactly are you doing?!"
Only then did Kanghyeok look at Seungmun.
For some reason, the man looked exactly like his own father.
This level of detail… this isn't a dream.
But it didn't feel like reality either.
Don't tell me this is some ridiculous story where I've been sent to the past.
It didn't seem entirely impossible.
First, save the patient.
Putting on sterilized gloves, Kanghyeok replied.
"Eld—… no. Father, please leave this to me for a moment. We need to save the child, don't we?"
"Then we should leave it to the physician!"
"This physician is a quack."
"What did you say, you brat—!"
Though his words were harsh, his concern for his son was evident.
Doubt had already begun to creep into his eyes.
After all, Kanghyeok had shown flashes of brilliance since childhood.
"What are all those strange things? Don't tell me you learned this from that Hee-jun fellow?"
Kanghyeok had no idea who Hee-jun was.
Good excuse, though.
He had already measured out the local anesthetic.
Ignoring Seungmun's words, he replied casually.
"Yes, yes. I learned it from him. Dolseok, close the door. If wind gets in, Okseok will die."
"Y-yes."
As Dolseok hurried to close the door, Seungmun shouted.
"Who are you listening to?!"
"If you want to save Okseok too, then listen to me."
Kanghyeok's voice had completely settled.
There was an aura about him that was not easily defied.
The presence built from mastery in a field spread around him like a halo.
Seungmun might hesitate—but Dolseok could not refuse.
His younger brother's life was on the line, and for some reason, the most trustworthy person right now was the reckless young master.
He may look like that now, but he was famous when he was young.
At age three, when he had already mastered the Thousand Character Classic, people said a genius had been born into the Suwon Baek clan.
With his handsome looks, marriage proposals had poured in even in his teens.
Now he's a mess…
Still, he was someone with a warm heart.
Dolseok vividly remembered the past.
Back then, he himself had been lying sick like Okseok.
In the middle of winter, the young master had caught a rabbit just to help reduce his fever.
How could he forget the young master blowing warm air on his frozen hands while offering him the rabbit?
"Master, Okseok will die!"
Dolseok shut the door firmly and ran to Kanghyeok's side.
Shouts came from outside, but they lacked their earlier sharpness.
"Young master, is there anything I can help with?"
"Just hold the light. It's too dark to see."
"Yes. But, young master…"
"What."
"You really are going to save Okseok, right?"
At that, the physician in the corner snorted.
"Save him? Hmph."
When Kanghyeok turned around, the physician coughed awkwardly and looked away.
He didn't leave.
He was curious how Kanghyeok would treat him.
"Dolseok."
"Yes."
"Stop talking nonsense and hold the light properly."
"Yes."
"Okseok, it will feel cold and painful."
"Yes… young master…"
Kanghyeok injected the local anesthetic multiple times into Okseok's lower right abdomen.
Never thought I'd do this under local anesthesia.
He looked at Okseok with concern.
He had no doubt in his own skill.
But he worried about the patient.
"Don't move."
"Yes…"
"Tell me if it hurts."
"Yes."
Kanghyeok picked up the scalpel.
The blade reflected the firelight, sending a chill down the spine.
Dolseok asked in a trembling voice,
"Young master… what are you planning to do with that…?"
"Just hold the light. If you want him to live."
"Y-yes…"
Dolseok held the lantern, forced into it.
With his brother's life on the line, he had no choice.
"Now, no one moves."
Kanghyeok made an incision in Okseok's lower right abdomen.
From the roughly 3 cm cut, red blood flowed out.
The physician watching could no longer hold back.
"A-are you insane?!"
"Quiet."
"This won't do. I must inform the elder—"
The physician jumped to his feet.
It wasn't because of filial body taboos.
In early Joseon, Confucian norms weren't as rigid as in later periods.
It was simply that the sight of blood was unfamiliar and frightening.
If even the physician reacted like that, Dolseok stood no chance of being unaffected.
"Y-young master?"
"Hold the light."
"Ah… yes."
At least Dolseok was obedient.
He held the light steady and did nothing else.
Only the physician was making a scene.
Dolseok looked at Kanghyeok helplessly.
Kanghyeok never took his eyes off the wound.
"Make him quiet."
"…How?"
"Hit him or whatever. He's interfering. Hold the light steady."
"…Right."
To Dolseok, the physician was someone of much higher status.
But what could he do?
His brother might die.
If he said he was following Kanghyeok's orders, surely he wouldn't be killed for it.
"Physician."
"What, you brat."
"Don't call me 'brat.'"
"Ugh!"
With a single kick from Dolseok, the physician tumbled back into a corner.
The lantern flickered slightly, but not enough to affect Kanghyeok.
He had already opened the peritoneum and was facing the severely inflamed appendix.
No wonder it hurts this much. Good thing it hasn't ruptured.
If it had, there would be no way.
Not here.
"Can you endure it?"
"Yes… young master."
"You're doing well. It's almost done."
—Gulp.
Dolseok could only swallow nervously as he watched.
Cutting open a living person.
If it had been anyone else, they would have already been wrapped in a straw mat for execution.
No—if something went wrong, even Kanghyeok…
"Hold the light properly."
"Yes!"
Perhaps because he had just had disloyal thoughts, his response was especially quick.
Kanghyeok tied off the swollen appendix.
Then cut it cleanly with scissors.
Finding it was the hardest part—once found, there was no easier surgery.
"It's done. Just need to suture. Hold on a bit longer."
"Yes…"
"It doesn't hurt, right?"
"No."
Kanghyeok quickly closed the peritoneum and completed the skin sutures.
The gaping wound closed as if it had been a lie.
For Kanghyeok, it was nothing special.
But to Dolseok, it was nothing short of a miracle.
To cut open flesh and then put it back together.
Kanghyeok, however, felt nothing in particular.
He had done this countless times even as a resident.
He removed his gloves and gently patted Okseok's head.
"You did very well. Your fever should go down soon. Get some rest."
"Yes… young master…"
"Good."
After days of illness and the tension of surgery, Okseok quickly fell asleep.
His face was peaceful—something unseen until now.
Only then could Dolseok speak.
Still holding the lantern, his face was filled with shock.
It was natural—he had just witnessed a miracle.
"Young master… how on earth did you do that?"
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