Chapter 131: Returning Home in Glory [1] Since Ryu Seong-ryong was not the one directly involved, he was not as quick on the uptake as Hwang Yungil. But Hwang Yungil, who actually had to go all the way to Japan himself, could not afford to be slow about it.
So he pulled strings in every direction, and thanks to that, Kanghyeok was able to receive an official post less than ten days after the banquet. And not somewhere else, either, but right in the courtyard inside the clinic.
"Uh... Your... royal grace...?"
"You must say, 'I bow my gratitude for His Majesty's grace.'"
"'I bow my gratitude for His Majesty's grace.' Is that it now?"
"Ah, no. You have to bow."
At Hwang Yungil's words, Kanghyeok got ready to bow. But he had absolutely no idea which direction he was supposed to bow toward.
Unable to bear it any longer, Yungil pointed toward the palace, and only then did Kanghyeok drop into a full bow. Even then, he tried to stop after doing it only once, so Yungil had to press him on.
"You have to do it four times. Four times. Honestly, this man."
Driven by his urgency, Hwang Yungil, who had been dropping by the clinic every single day lately, clicked his tongue. Watching Kanghyeok fail to manage even the simplest formal greeting, he found himself wondering whether he had misjudged him after all.
Is something lacking in this fellow? Otherwise, how could a man his age not even know how to express gratitude for the favor he had received from His Majesty?
At least it was a low-ranking post like Jikjang, so that was fortunate. If it had been a high office, he might have made an even greater spectacle of himself in front of the king. And there was no way a fastidious monarch would have simply let that slide.
Growing concerned again, he turned to look behind him. He was worried that the eunuch who had brought the royal edict might make a fuss.
Of course, it was needless worry. Kim Gyehan had come personally.
"Haha. Scholar Baek... no, I suppose now I should say Baek Jikjang. You have not changed a bit."
"It has been a while, Elder Kim."
"Elder, he says. So, you're going to see your father this time?"
"Yes."
"When you go, make sure to pass along my regards as well. Tell him this Kim Gyehan misses him very much."
"Yes, I will do so."
Hwang Yungil tilted his head as he watched the two, who looked rather closer than one would expect from merely a patient and physician.
He did say he nearly died and was saved. Even so, the attitude Kim Gyehan had shown this time was a little strange.
On the very day Hwang Yungil and Ryu Seong-ryong submitted their memorial requesting an official appointment for Kanghyeok, Seonjo had been in a very bad mood over something. He did not know what had caused it, but in any case, that was what happened.
It had nearly fallen through.
No matter how displeased he was, to completely ignore the request of two such eminent ministers... Just thinking about it made the hairs on the back of Hwang Yungil's neck stand on end in embarrassment. Just when he had begun to think taking Baek Kanghyeok to Japan was finished for good, Kim Gyehan stepped in, with tea brewed at exactly the right temperature using the king's favorite leaves. Then he began praising Kanghyeok so lavishly that, if someone unaware had seen it, they might have thought Baek Kanghyeok was the son Kim Gyehan had secretly fathered.
Still, it worked out in the end, so all is well. Then again, Kanghyeok really does treat his patients especially well.
In truth, only someone on the level of Kim Simin received that sort of treatment. Hwang Yungil was under a tremendous misunderstanding.
Kim Gyehan treated Kanghyeok well partly out of gratitude as a patient, yes, but there was another reason too.
Still holding Kim Gyehan's hand, Kanghyeok laughed heartily.
"So then... has that exercise equipment I gave you been useful?"
"Ah, yes. I do feel better. Like you said, if something ever happens, I ought to be able to carry His Majesty on my back and run. I am still lacking, though."
"Even so, your calves and thighs have gotten much thicker."
"That is all thanks to you. Somehow, I feel more energetic in the mornings too. Thanks to that, I can serve with even more diligence, and that pleases me."
Looking at Kim Gyehan, who still proudly boasted of his unwavering loyalty, Kanghyeok could not help admiring him.
I really did the right thing consulting Yeoju about what gift to give this man.
The ministers at court knew a great many people. In fact, it would have been hard to find anyone in Hanyang with connections as broad as Kanghyeok's. But when it came to eunuchs, who stayed closest to the king, Kim Gyehan was his only connection. So he had needed to put some thought into it, and that was where Yeoju's advice had proven effective.
That eunuch seems to live for loyalty alone. If you give him something that helps him care for the king better, he will like it.
After thinking it over, the most useful thing had indeed turned out to be exercise equipment. A squat machine, in particular, for strengthening the lower body.
As it happened, before he came to Joseon, one of his friends had once asked him for advice while trying to build home training equipment. Because of that, he had been able to design the machine almost perfectly, and now that he saw the result, it had worked quite well.
I complained, asking what the hell he was making something like that for.
He regretted having mocked him for it.
Anyway, at this level, carrying Seonjo on his back while fleeing should not be too difficult. And Kim Gyehan did not look like the type to neglect his training from here on out.
"Well then, I should be going. His Majesty has been summoning me especially often these days."
"That is good news. Please go carefully."
"Yes. Give my regards to Elder Baek Seungmun."
"I will."
Kim Gyehan left as hurriedly as he had arrived. Perhaps because his legs had grown more muscular, he looked quite vigorous.
The next to leave the clinic was Hwang Yungil. Now that Kanghyeok's trip to Japan had been decided, did he not have his own work to attend to? After all, he was the Chief Envoy of a diplomatic mission of considerable scale, so he was buried in official business. So much so that it almost felt miraculous that he still managed to visit Kanghyeok's clinic now and then.
"Then I should be off as well. You must be quite busy too, if you are heading as far as Suwon."
"Yes, Elder. Then I will see you before departure."
"Yes... and please pass along my regards to Elder Seungmun as well."
"I understand."
He had already said his farewells earlier to Ryu Seong-ryong and Yi Hangbok, so there was no particular reason to see them again. Yi Sun-sin and Kim Simin had both left Hanyang long ago.
Mm. Then shall I get moving too?
Kanghyeok looked around the clinic, where despite the cold weather quite a number of patients were waiting. Once rumors spread that Kanghyeok had even received an official post, even more patients had begun flocking in. That was true even though coming here did not mean Kanghyeok would personally treat them.
Human psychology was hard to understand.
Business is good.
He could practically see the wealth piling up neatly in the back courtyard.
While he was away in Suwon, and even while he was away in Japan, he had not the slightest intention of closing this clinic. He meant to keep it running. Even if the director was absent, he could still make use of hired doctors.
That fellow Dongpa. He will handle it well enough, right?
The others were not people he felt comfortable leaving behind. In case of some unforeseen attack, Makbong and Yeoni were essential personnel. So was Yeoju, who had to do the drawing. Dolseok was a bit more questionable, but Kanghyeok had decided to take him too. There were very few men as attentive as him when it came to noticing exactly what Kanghyeok needed.
So Dongpa, who had joined most recently, suddenly ended up being the one left alone at the clinic.
"Hey, Dongpa. Busy?"
"Master."
Dongpa rose at once, a complete reversal from how he had once been. Just as stubborn as he had been before, once he accepted something, he was cool about it to an almost unbelievable degree.
"You will be fine on your own, right? If you get lonely, Heo Jun is there, and Heo Im too, so call them over."
"As a matter of fact, we have already decided to gather once every ten days to discuss patients."
"Really? Good. And as for the income... talk it over properly with Dorikkae and keep it stored away. Skimming a little is fine, but if you skim too much, I will not let it slide."
"Skimming...? How could I possibly dare..."
Dongpa scratched the back of his head, wearing the most innocent expression he could manage. It was all an act, and Kanghyeok was not nearly naive enough to fall for it.
"You are going to steal some anyway. Just do not get caught."
"Yes, yes."
"But do not try to hit me from behind. You know what happens if you do, right?"
"O-of course."
The person Dongpa was closest to, more than anyone else, was probably Dorikkae. Dolseok, Yeoni, Makbong, and Yeoju were all far too close to Kanghyeok already, so it had been difficult for Dongpa to wedge himself among them. Because of that, most of what he learned about Kanghyeok had come through Dorikkae.
At first, he had thought every bit of it was exaggerated nonsense, but after enough time had passed, all of it had begun to sound plausible.
To think I rubbed a man like this the wrong way.
Back when they were at Bojewon, his eyes must have been badly clouded. If he had kept resisting like that, for all he knew he might have become a corpse for anatomy practice by now. Or perhaps he would have been tortured alive.
Watching Dongpa tremble for no clear reason, Kanghyeok snorted.
"You little bastard, are you cold? Why are you shaking like that?"
"N-no."
"Anyway, take care of things until I return."
"Yes, Master."
The rest of them were already busy packing. That was because Kanghyeok had told them to load onto the ox cart anything that looked suitable to give to Seungmun. So much wealth had piled up over time that even after loading only the finest items, the cart still creaked under the weight.
"Young master, are you sure you are taking this too? The more I think about it, the stranger it seems."
Dolseok waved around a gilt Buddha statue in his hand. By all common sense, there was no way someone as thoroughly Confucian as Baek Seungmun would be pleased to receive such a Buddhist statue. It would already be fortunate if he did not smash it into the ground.
But Kanghyeok nodded without hesitation.
"We are taking it."
"Won't madam dislike that?"
"That is for Lord Busa."
"Ah."
Dolseok immediately set the statue back down, looking like he understood.
The Busa who had been said to be on his way to becoming Minister of Personnel was still serving as Suwon Busa. That was because once the Gichuk Purge broke out, suppression of the Westerners had begun. In truth, the fact that he had managed to keep even the post of Busa was fortunate. Many had been exiled or stripped of office entirely.
In the letter he sent recently, he said it seemed to be because of his Buddhist devotion.
For a yangban, he really was out of his mind. What on earth did he think would happen if Kanghyeok got malicious and leaked that letter?
At the same time, Kanghyeok was grateful. It meant the man trusted him that much and thought of him with real affection.
And it sounds like he has been going here and there together with the old man too.
Since Kanghyeok was no longer giving him Viagra, it seemed his interest in pleasure houses had cooled off. Instead, he apparently spent his time wandering around with Seungmun, visiting Suwon's scenic places, writing poetry, and reading books.
From Kanghyeok's perspective, the Busa was practically carrying out the filial duty Kanghyeok himself ought to have been doing, so he could only feel grateful.
If I had a Buddha statue made of pure gold, I would give him that. Then again... that man would probably prefer Viagra more.
It was possible that the one longing most desperately for Kanghyeok's return was not Seungmun at all, but Suwon Busa Kim Yungil.
The thought of Yungil, no doubt wondering when to bring up Viagra the moment he saw him, made Kanghyeok burst into laughter.
"Young master, you really must be happy at the thought of going back home."
Dolseok, who had been unable to hide his excitement all this time, came over rubbing his hands together eagerly.
Ah, this one really is going back to his hometown house, isn't he?
In truth, Suwon was no hometown at all for Kanghyeok. He had been born by Caesarean section at a university hospital in Seoul. If it had not been for Seungmun, who looked exactly like his father, he probably would not even have considered going.
"Well. Something like that."
"Madam will be absolutely delighted. Young master has finally entered official service... and to rise straight to Jikjang at that."
"Anyone hearing you would think I had become a State Councillor."
"A State Councillor! That is a bit..."
"Why, do you think I could not do it?"
At Dolseok's words, Kanghyeok laughed loudly.
As if that were remotely possible. Positions like that are for distinguished men like Lord Ryu Seong-ryong over there. It would be enough if he reached a level where people would not look down on him wherever he went.
Kanghyeok laughed for a while, then smacked Dolseok on the head for no reason.
"Even if it is true, you should not say it like that."
"You always hit me..."
"Go fetch Yeoju for me."
"What for, miss?"
The back of Dolseok's head lit up once more when he turned back with a sullen look.
Leaning close to Dolseok's ear as he rubbed at the pain he could not hide, Kanghyeok said, "Have you forgotten Elder Jeong Changgwon already? I packed up some books he liked while he was alive."
"Ah, ah! Of course. This servant was careless... I will call her at once."
"Go on."
As Dolseok hurried off toward Yeoju, he thought to himself, But since when has young master started taking such care of Miss Yeoju...?
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