Chapter 4. A Life-or-Death Gamble
A middle-aged man with a stern face entered the audience hall.
With his neck craned forward, glancing sideways at his surroundings, he looked exactly like a turtle.
If that was the case, then this man must be…
“Chief Royal Physician Byeoljubu pays his respects to Your Majesty.”
She had guessed from his turtle-like appearance, but it was confirmed: the man was indeed Byeoljubu.
There was only one surprising thing.
“‘Chief Royal Physician’? That means he’s a doctor.”
In the traditional Sugungga tale, Byeoljubu’s exact position was never clearly defined.
So Cheong had vaguely assumed he was just another bureaucrat of the Dragon Palace—never imagining he was the royal physician.
Let alone the chief royal physician.
“To use an unproven technique on His Majesty’s divine body? To pierce him with a needle? That is utterly preposterous!”
His soft-spoken tone was calm and gentle.
But the stubbornly set lips and chilly eyes made it clear to Cheong—Byeoljubu was no ordinary man.
Unlike the others, cowering in fear, he exuded a calm assertiveness.
Cheong knew she had to regain the initiative he had stolen from her.
“The needles are so fine there’s no danger at all! And besides, His Majesty is a divine dragon, so—”
“Silence! How dare a mere human raise her voice in the presence of His Majesty!”
As Cheong interjected, Byeoljubu turned and roared at her.
The force of it was so sharp, Cheong instinctively clamped her mouth shut.
His gaze turned back to Haewon.
As the sharp glare lifted from her, Cheong exhaled a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.
“This is nothing like the Sugungga I know.”
In the original tale, Byeoljubu had been gullible, falling easily for the rabbit’s trickery.
But this real-life Byeoljubu was no fool—if anything, he had the cunning of a seasoned schemer.
“Your Majesty, please do not be swayed by the deceitful words of this human woman. Let her pay with her life for disturbing your spirit.”
Hearing the words calling for her execution, Cheong clenched her jaw tightly.
Byeoljubu side-eyed her twisted expression with amusement, then smirked.
“I can’t let this despicable turtle end my life like this.”
She had to survive this somehow.
Cheong’s mind raced.
There had to be a way out.
“Let’s gamble one more time.”
Her brain worked so hard it felt like it would cramp. Then she took a deep breath, resolved.
If she was going to die anyway, she wanted to try everything she could.
So she wouldn’t die with regret.
“Your Excellency, the Chief Royal Physician, makes a valid point.”
Instead of resisting, Cheong sided with Byeoljubu.
The unexpected response made him look at her with suspicion.
Meeting his gaze calmly, Cheong delivered her blow.
“It’s only natural to be wary of unfamiliar treatments. But to reject a miraculous medical technique in favor of eating a rabbit’s liver? That’s the truly foolish act.”
“A rabbit’s liver?”
Haewon’s brows furrowed—not deeply, but noticeably. A negative reaction.
Cheong felt a glimmer of hope.
“Yes. The Chief Royal Physician went to the surface to capture a rabbit and planned to use its liver to cure Your Majesty’s illness—”
“Your Majesty! This is slander! Please do not believe that wicked woman’s words!”
Byeoljubu cut in, flustered and loud.
His overreaction made Cheong smirk with satisfaction.
“Judging by how agitated you are, it seems I’ve struck a nerve?”
“There’s no such thing!”
“If that’s the case, why are you yelling? It’s suspicious.”
Cheong deliberately needled him.
Whether he had actually brought back a rabbit or not, it was clear Haewon had no interest in consuming its liver to cure his illness.
In fact, he seemed disgusted by the barbaric idea.
“Chief Royal Physician, is what she said true?”
“It is not, Your Majesty! How could I ever consider making medicine from the liver of a mere surface-dwelling creature?”
Byeoljubu bowed low, knocking his head against the floor in what looked like sincere desperation.
His reaction was intense.
Now Cheong had only to pin everything on Byeoljubu acting alone.
Having run all the calculations, she spoke quietly.
“I think he did consider it.”
The banging of his forehead stopped at her words.
Everyone’s eyes turned to her.
“You wretched woman, you are trying to disgrace me!”
“I’m not disgracing you—I merely stated my opinion. I said it was a barbaric treatment, and Your Excellency responded with such detail about making medicine with a liver. How else would such specific language come out unless you had the thought yourself?”
“You shameless…!”
Just as Byeoljubu was about to curse at her, Haewon raised a hand.
“So the royal authority is not only diminished but trampled into the dirt.”
His cold, dry voice silenced them both.
“I apologize. I was momentarily provoked by someone belittling my medicine.”
Cheong bowed her head, but didn’t stop speaking her mind.
Haewon gazed at her in silence.
Anyone else would’ve been too scared to speak, but this bold human woman didn’t lose her composure.
“At this point, I’m genuinely curious about this miraculous medicine you speak of.”
At his words, Cheong’s head shot up.
Byeoljubu’s face turned grim.
“But the Chief Physician’s words also have merit.”
Byeoljubu’s expression brightened.
Cheong’s, on the other hand, began to stiffen.
Watching the emotions flicker across their faces, Haewon seemed amused.
“So prove your so-called miraculous medicine by curing a patient.”
“I will never forget this grace! Thank you so much!”
Overjoyed to be spared, Cheong bowed repeatedly.
Haewon watched her flushed, relieved face and smiled faintly.
“But if you fail to prove your skills… you will have to offer your neck in return.”
* * *
“Aaah…”
Cheong stretched and groaned.
Now that the tension had eased, muscle aches crept in, and her whole body ached.
“Well, of course I was tense—my life was on the line.”
She shivered as she recalled facing the Dragon King.
Now that she thought about it, she couldn’t understand how she’d managed to pull that off.
Not only had she dared to talk back to a king, but she had brazenly declared she could cure his chronic illness.
No sane person would do that.
“Ugh, whatever. At least I’m still alive.”
She flopped onto the bedding.
“Honestly, I thought he’d execute me on the spot. That was unexpected.”
Of course, the permission came with conditions—she had to treat a patient first.
She rolled around on the bed as she muttered to herself.
It was a bit harder than a modern bed, but the soft blanket made it tolerable.
Compared to the stone floor of the prison, this was pure luxury—and all thanks to the Dragon King, Haewon.
He had provided her a small room with just a bed and a table.
That didn’t mean she was free.
A court lady stood guard outside, keeping a constant eye on her.
“Is he a good person or a bad one?”
Covering her eyes with her arm, Cheong recalled Haewon’s face.
His expressionless face beneath his ornate clothes.
His cold red eyes devoid of emotion.
The eunuch’s corpse lying beside the throne, surrounded by a pool of blood.
Haewon had seemed the very embodiment of a tyrant.
The terrified reactions of his officials and palace staff had only confirmed it.
And yet, she couldn’t shake the feeling he wasn’t entirely bad.
If he were truly heartless, he wouldn’t have given her this chance at all.
“Ugh, what am I even thinking?”
She lowered her arm and sat up abruptly.
“Must be getting cocky if I’ve got time to daydream.”
She might have survived for now, but there was no telling how long this peace would last.
Tomorrow, she’d be expected to treat the patient Haewon chose.
She had no time to waste lounging around.
“I’ll earn his trust and then ask to be sent back to the human world.”
That was her real goal.
In the Legend of Shim Cheong, the Dragon King sends Shim Cheong back to the human world on a lotus flower.
Though this story had already diverged far from the original, Cheong was determined to steer it back on course.
“The Han River and Indangsu… There must be some connection.”
She planned to return to the human world and investigate Indangsu—the sea where the real Shim Cheong had supposedly drowned.
If she dug deep enough, she might find clues to return to her own world.
But for now, she had nothing. No acupuncture needles, no tools—nothing.
“I’m screwed.”
If tomorrow came and she wasn’t prepared, she’d be helpless—and her barely spared life would be lost for good.
