Chapter 179 To Joseon [1]
Chapter 179 To Joseon [1]
Dolseok’s bizarre behavior continued.
For one thing, he could not sit still in one place for very long.
Creeeak.
Kanghyeok sat up at the sound of wood scraping in the distance.
Perhaps because he had been lying on the tatami floor so long, faint little marks had been been left across his forearm.
“He went out again?”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“What about Makbong?”
“Makbong went with him too.”
Yeoni nodded with a face that said she was sick of it by now.
And understandably so.
During the month it had taken them to leave Kyoto and reach Nagoya, and especially over the last two weeks, the two of them had been going to relieve themselves so often that it was getting ridiculous.
“I have no idea what the two of them keep sneaking off to do.”
Yeoju also shook her head and added a word.
At that, Yeoni, all fired up, began chattering away in detail.
“Exactly. I don’t know what sort of scheming they’re doing in that short little time, but who on earth urinates that often?”
“And sometimes, if you look, the front of their trousers is wet too.”
“You mean they wet themselves?”
“Not exactly wet themselves… it looks more like it leaked.”
“Then are they really peeing themselves?”
“How would I know?”
Watching the two of them go back and forth like that, laughter almost slipped out on its own.
Suppressing the sneer that was trying to escape, Kanghyeok spoke.
“You two really don’t know anything, do you?”
“Huh?”
“You don’t know why they’re like that?”
“No. We…”
Yeoni and Yeoju exchanged looks, then shook their heads.
Their faces were genuinely innocent.
They were on a completely different level from those two disgusting bastards outside.
“As expected of pure young ladies who haven’t gone bad. I’ll go take a look at those two first, so just wait here.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
Laughing heartily, Kanghyeok got to his feet.
Then he looked toward the courtyard where Dolseok and Makbong had likely gone.
This was an era with neither fines for public urination nor any laws about it, so there was no telling exactly where they were relieving themselves.
But one thing was certain.
They’re probably passing urine mixed with pus. And it’ll sting like hell.
And all this time they had been hiding it from Kanghyeok.
Stupidly.
From what he had observed, the two of them kept discussing things and trying one thing after another.
They had even gone so far as to flip through medical texts.
That was thanks to Dolseok having become clumsy but functional at reading and writing.
But all those efforts were completely futile.
Kanghyeok slowly crossed the courtyard, looking this way and that through the garden.
They’re not exactly small, so why can’t I see them?
He had assumed they would just be pissing right nearby, but apparently they still had a little decency.
Well, if Yeoni or Yeoju caught them in the act, they would probably be embarrassed.
Getting found out like that would have been mortifying even if everything were normal.
And right now, things were definitely not normal.
It was obvious everything down there had swollen red.
“Ah, there they are.”
The two had practically fled all the way to the main gate to take care of their business.
Even though it was nighttime, there were torches and the moon was bright enough that he could tell from a distance what their urine streams looked like.
They were weak.
Like decrepit old men in their eighties dribbling it out.
Makbong, at least, had already finished and was shaking himself off, but Dolseok had not even managed that.
“Ugh…”
He was groaning in pain, and the phrase brought it on himself fit the scene perfectly.
“You bastards.”
“Ah, oh.”
“Y-Young Master.”
Makbong quickly bowed his head in greeting.
But Dolseok did little more than jerk his head slightly. He could not even turn around.
His urine stream kept stopping and starting again.
“Ugh.”
Dolseok let out an even deeper groan from sheer discomfort.
No matter how informal their relationship was, he still was not so shameless as to show his master his thing.
“Hmm.”
But there was one thing Dolseok had overlooked.
He still did not truly understand what kind of person his master Kanghyeok was.
“Y-Young Master. If you stare so hard…”
“Hold still a second. How did you put up with this? It looks like it hurts like hell.”
Kanghyeok pointed at the severely swollen underside of Dolseok’s member.
He would need to touch it to know for sure, but the swelling did not look normal at all.
No matter how he looked at it, it seemed full of pus.
“It does hurt… but I can bear it.”
“You lying little shit. Then is that cold sweat because you’re too warm?”
Kanghyeok asked as he felt the sharp winter wind blowing.
“That’s not it, but…”
“This needs to be cut open. That’s the only way it’ll get better.”
“What?”
Dolseok was so shocked that he forgot he was even peeing and shouted.
He also turned his body toward Kanghyeok, and in doing so, his urine mixed with pus splashed onto part of Kanghyeok’s trousers.
It was an infuriating situation.
“Ha… this bastard. He pisses on his master… and not just piss, but a sack of germs?”
“I’m sorry.”
“If you’re sorry, then pay for it.”
Kanghyeok’s eyes had already taken on the look of a man determined to cut.
Ordinarily, Dolseok would have given in.
He had studied medicine and performed quite a few operations himself by now.
But this time was an exception.
“This?”
“Yes. Right there. The place you’re covering with your hand.”
“No. No way. I still haven’t… I still haven’t used it nearly enough yet.”
“Who said I’m cutting it off? I’m just making a small incision there.”
“Even so, no.”
Dolseok hurriedly yanked his trousers back up and stood firm like a stone statue.
Even Makbong had never seen him this stubborn before, and neither had Kanghyeok.
To dare turn his back to his master like that.
At this rate, cooperation looked impossible.
“Hey, you’re not turning around?”
“Please spare me. No. Not there.”
“For god’s sake…”
“I’m sorry. No.”
Dolseok had even dropped to his knees and started begging.
Seeing that should have softened one’s heart, but instead it only made Kanghyeok want to cut it more.
He did not know why. He just did.
Should I just force it and get it over with?
It was not like there was no way.
Makbong was here, and so was Yeoni.
“Young Master, if he’s begging this much… maybe just leave it alone for now…”
But Makbong took Dolseok’s side.
“Hmm… same disease, so now you’re covering for each other?”
“It’s not that… you know how it is. This place is a bit… if someone said they were going to cut yours there, Young Master, what would you do?”
Makbong pointed at Kanghyeok’s lower half.
Once he tried putting himself in that position, his heart did soften a little.
“I’d have killed them already.”
“Exactly.”
“Fine then… take this first.”
The diagnosis was obvious enough.
Urine mixed with pus from the genitals after reckless sexual contact, along with retained urine, pain, and an abscess.
To anyone’s eyes, it was gonorrhea.
Normally, the fastest fix would be a mycin-class antibiotic injection in the butt…
But there was no way to obtain something like that here.
Fortunately, the antibiotic in the house-call bag was quite potent.
It was oral, but it was still a third-generation cephalosporin antibiotic.
“Take two of these at a time.”
“Th-thank you.”
“This alone can make it better, right?”
Dolseok asked as he swallowed them dry without even water.
Honestly, Kanghyeok was doubtful.
Pus that had already collected was quickest to heal when cut open.
Still, depending on the case, it did sometimes improve with antibiotics alone.
This bastard doesn’t have diabetes or anything, right?
As long as he did not have some disease like that, he was young and healthy enough that he would probably endure somehow.
The real concern was the schedule the group was facing.
“Just take it diligently for now. But…”
By tomorrow, they would be boarding the ship back to Joseon.
Unlike on the way there, they would be departing directly from Nagoya this time, so the trip was said to take about two to three days.
“What if it suddenly gets worse after we board? Why not just let me cut it today, then you can get on the ship tomorrow feeling relieved?”
“No. No way.”
“What are you going to do if I end up having to cut it on the ship and the whole thing really gets sliced off?”
“Mm… no. I’ll bear it.”
“Fine, whatever. Do as you please. Take the anti-inflammatory too.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
If even the Governor of Pyeongyang said no, then it was no, was it not?
Kanghyeok had no desire to force treatment on someone who refused it this stubbornly.
“All right then, take it quickly and let’s get some sleep. They say we’ll be on the ship a long time starting tomorrow… this is worrying, really worrying.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
When Kanghyeok saw Dolseok again in the morning, he still looked miserable.
He seemed a little better than before taking the medicine, but that was probably just because of the anti-inflammatory.
Makbong, on the other hand, had perked right back up after only one day.
“Oh, Young Master, that medicine really is the best.”
“That’s why I told you to come sooner. Why did you two stubbornly hold out?”
“Well… just like you said, once you actually catch something like that, it’s kind of embarrassing.”
“Embarrassing, my ass. What’s embarrassing is ending up like Dolseok, where the thing there needs to be cut.”
At Kanghyeok’s words, Makbong’s face darkened at once.
No matter what, the two of them were each other’s only real friends.
They went around doing bad things together and all.
If something really happened to Dolseok’s thing, who would Makbong even run around with?
Strangely enough, when it came to that sort of matter, Kanghyeok was practically a saint.
“It won’t really go wrong, will it?”
“How would I know? He won’t even show it to me, so what am I supposed to do?”
Kanghyeok pointed at Dolseok, who was standing hunched awkwardly at the prow.
No matter how he looked at it, a nice decisive incision would be best, but the idiot kept stubbornly refusing.
“All right! We’re casting off now!”
Just as Kanghyeok was lightly shaking his head, Chief Envoy Hwang Yungil shouted at the top of his lungs.
At his command, the Japanese sailors sent from Nagoya and the Joseon naval men all hurried into action.
Soon the ship began cutting across the waters off Nagoya.
Just like on the way there, it was not only one or two ships, so the sight was imposing indeed.
Some Japanese people had even come out in little boats just to watch the spectacle.
“The weather’s good.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
Unexpectedly, it was Yeoni who answered Kanghyeok’s remark.
Was she not the very one who had been so seasick on the trip over that she shut herself inside the cabin as soon as they boarded?
This time she looked quite all right.
“Oh… Yeoni. Looks like you’re doing better this time?”
“Yes. Maybe because the weather is good… I’m not seasick.”
“That’s good. Everyone looks happy.”
“Yes. We’re on the road home, after all.”
“What about Yeoju?”
“She’s over there drawing.”
Yeoni pointed toward the stern of the ship.
Just as she said, Yeoju was painting the scenery of Nagoya as it gradually receded into the distance.
If one did not think about the coming war, it really was scenery worth painting.
There was still no sign at all of it becoming a forward base.
For now, it looked only like a quiet harbor.
“Nice. She’s got some taste.”
“Yes. But…”
“But what?”
“Look over there.”
This time what Yeoni pointed at was Dolseok.
While everyone else was excited about returning home, Dolseok alone looked as miserable as chewed mugwort.
Judging by the way he kept breaking out in cold sweat, he was in serious pain.
“That idiot’s like that because I offered to treat him and he refused.”
“Really? But why? What kind of illness is it?”
“Ah.”
Now that it came to explaining it to Yeoni, Kanghyeok felt a little embarrassed.
Yeoni really was a girl who knew absolutely nothing about these matters.
Just as he was about to mumble his way around it, something slammed hard into the ship.
“Waves are getting rough. You okay?”
“Huh? Yes, I think so. So far.”
“Hey, everyone all right?”
At Kanghyeok’s call, Yeoju and Makbong both waved back in response.
As expected, Dolseok alone was the exception.
And understandably so. He had already fallen over from the impact of the waves and was sprawled flat.
“Oh, good grief. That idiot…”
“I’ll go bring him.”
“By yourself?”
“I’m coming too.”
Makbong, standing behind her, stepped forward too.
The loyalty he showed his dull-witted friend was moving enough to bring tears to one’s eyes.
When the two of them brought Dolseok over, he looked terrible.
First of all, he had an intense fever.
As expected… the abscess is the problem.
Kanghyeok stroked his chin and looked around.
The waves kept pounding against the ship without stop.
“Ha…”
The sigh came out on its own.
How had it turned out that both on the way there and on the way back, there had to be surgery?
But there was no choice.
This was urgent.
If they let it go on like this, they might really have to cut the whole thing off.
“Makbong.”
“Yes.”
“Lay him down in there.”
“What… are you going to do?”
“Cut it open.”
“There?”
“Yes. His cock.”