Chapter 30
Nightmare
So Yuk-rang hated New Year’s Eve. Every year on this night, he would dream of a massive fire.
Whenever he closed his eyes, the blazing flames and the despair he felt within them came vividly to mind. He tried his best not to fall asleep.
“So Yuk-rang, we’re only married in name. Don’t you dare touch me!”
Go-kyo said seriously.
“Ridiculous. Who said I’d touch you?”
He frowned and turned his face away in annoyance.
Go-kyo brought over a bowl of water.
“Who can guarantee that? Men often act differently from what they say, so just in case, I’m placing this water here. If you cross the line in the middle of the night and knock it over, I’ll consider you a beast!”
“Fine, if I cross the line, I’m a beast!”
How could he possibly cross any line? He didn’t think about women at all!
The next morning, he awoke and proudly looked at Go-kyo, as if to say he had proven he had no interest in her.
But instead of feeling pleased, Go-kyo slapped him across the cheek.
“What the… not even as good as a beast!”
Startled by the slap, So Yuk-rang woke up!
When he opened his eyes, he realized he wasn’t in his own room. Several crooked “福” (fortune) characters were stuck on the walls, and the windows were covered with grotesque, ugly paper designs.
All of it was the handiwork of his grandmother and Go So-sun.
Finally, So Yuk-rang remembered where he was. He glanced to his side.
Go-kyo was lying next to him, her chubby cheeks pressed down like a baby’s, her small mouth slightly puckered. She seemed to have been dreaming, her eyes tightly shut as she breathed softly.
All night long, she had held his hand.
So Yuk-rang grimaced at the memory of that strange dream. He coldly withdrew his hand from hers.
Half-asleep and resenting him, Go-kyo groaned but grabbed his hand again.
He tried pulling away once more, but it was no use. She continued to hold it.
After struggling a few times, he finally gave up in exhaustion and fell back asleep.
He had no nightmares until dawn.
Feng-lim stayed in Cheongcheon Village for three days, and during that time, So Yuk-rang shared a room with Go-kyo. Other than her holding his hand on the first night, nothing unusual happened.
Yet for some reason, whenever they woke up, their blankets were always tangled together.
So Yuk-rang, irritated, asked her:
“Are you… doing this on purpose?”
“Huh?”
Go-kyo looked at him, confused.
So Yuk-rang wasn’t sure. Who had crossed the line, and who had tangled the blankets… he couldn’t tell.
Today was the day to remove the stitches from his surgery. Technically, it could be done at home, but doing so there would reveal his identity.
Moreover, since his grandmother had finished taking her Chinese medicine, a new prescription needed to be prepared. Even though this was just a supplementary treatment, it had clearly improved her health.
After breakfast, Go-kyo, So Yuk-rang, and Feng-lim rode Mr. Na’s cart to Hwechundang.
Most of the staff had returned home to celebrate the New Year, leaving only the second master, Chief Wang, and the doctor posing as Mr. Na for So Yuk-rang’s care.
The three deliberately rushed to Hwechundang to check the progress of the surgery.
Everyone involved, including Go-kyo herself, had high expectations.
There had been no issues during the procedure, but the final outcome depended on seeing how well he had recovered.
The stitches were removed by the doctor posing as Mr. Na, who was capable of this level of medical work.
Once the threads were removed, all eyes, as if by agreement, turned to So Yuk-rang.
The second master paid especially close attention. This surgery was connected to many matters, and although he had returned to Gyeongseong for the New Year and been scolded by his father, his determination to cure the young marquis’s illness remained unchanged.
Chief Wang hoped for a successful surgery, being a man with conscience. But at the same time, he also feared it might fail. Conscience only matters when one’s life is at stake—once dead and a ghost, what difference does it make?
Treating the young marquis’s illness could even cost a life!
So Yuk-rang, sitting in the chair, slowly placed his stitched foot on the ground. The cane was nearby, but he didn’t use it.
He finally rose, holding onto the chair, and moved his uninjured left foot first. When he stepped with his right, his leg wobbled briefly, causing everyone to rush forward.
Go-kyo quickly caught him, hugging his chest tightly.
No one spoke, but So Yuk-rang’s ears flushed red.
Go-kyo, unaware of his unusual reaction, focused all her attention on his ankle.
“Are you okay?” she asked, inspecting his foot.
“I’m fine,” he replied with a nod.
He had relied on a cane for six months since his leg injury, as applying pressure to his right foot caused intense pain. He had avoided using it for a long time.
He hadn’t been able to stand properly just now, but it didn’t hurt.
So Yuk-rang took another step with the cane. The pain was truly gone.
He had shown no expression all this time, but now a hint of surprise appeared—he hadn’t expected a full recovery. He had thought he would limp in pain for life…
“Xiaoxing, has it really healed or not?” Feng-lim asked anxiously.
So Yuk-rang looked at him.
“My foot can’t bear weight yet, but it doesn’t hurt.”
Feng-lim couldn’t contain his curiosity.
“Then… is it completely healed? But why can’t you put weight on it?”
The doctor spoke slowly:
“Master Feng-lim, don’t rush. So Yuk-rang’s foot no longer hurts, meaning the surgery was successful. However, because it went untreated for so long, blood circulation was blocked, and the muscles and bones have weakened, making the ankle stiff. With management and training, it will improve.”
“Will it return to how it was before?” Feng-lim asked worriedly.
The doctor discreetly glanced at Go-kyo and smiled.
“It will be a bit difficult, but if he endures, he will recover.”
The surgery’s success greatly reassured the second master. He decided to discuss the consultation with Go-kyo.
Of course, he didn’t intend to share irrelevant details, like the fact that failure could have cost So Yuk-rang his life.
Yet he didn’t expect Go-kyo to immediately refuse without even knowing who the patient was.
“Why?”
The second master was surprised, but Go-kyo spoke without much thought:
“It’s too far. I won’t make house calls. If he wants to be treated, have him come to Hwechundang.”
“No…”
The second master was at a loss. How could someone come directly to a small town to see a physician when they were supposed to be brought home?
He smiled awkwardly.
“It’s not that far. It’s at the hot spring villa near Cheongcheon Village.”
Go-kyo raised an eyebrow.
“Leaving the village isn’t far?”
“….”
The second master was speechless.
He thought Go-kyo was too capable to be a simple villager, yet she acted like a rural country bumpkin who had never left the village, complaining the hot spring villa was too far.
The second master looked at her in exasperation.
“You promised to check once a month.”
“Yes, once a month is fine, but that doesn’t mean house calls.”
“….”
“If the lady doesn’t consent, there’s nothing we can do. Anyway, the neck of our Hwechundang is safe.”
Chief Wang secretly sighed in relief upon learning that Go-kyo had refused.
But the second master was helpless.
“What do you know? You’ve already sent a messenger…”
Chief Wang jumped up in surprise.
“What?”
The second master cleared his throat lightly.
“Didn’t I tell you the lady could treat So Yuk-rang? So… I sent a preliminary message first.”
Everyone in the So nation knew the young master of the Jeongan Marquis family was sick. Even if they risked punishment for failing to cure him, those hoping to earn money would line up for treatment.
If the line of applicants arrived and the message had been sent already, by the time Hwechundang’s turn came, So Yuk-rang might have already passed away.
Chief Wang had no idea what to say.
Unaware of the second master and Chief Wang’s conversation, Go-kyo collected the medicines in the main hall. She added extra herbs to conceal that they were for treating leprosy. With these, she could even prepare a wound ointment at home.
Feng-lim returned to the academy, and Go-kyo and So Yuk-rang rode back to the village in Mr. Na’s cart.
So Yuk-rang wasn’t in pain, but his right foot couldn’t bear weight, so he still needed his cane.
He walked with the cane, returning with Go-kyo. In the distance, a carriage stood in front of their house, its markings vaguely familiar.
The carriage seemed freshly arrived. The driver opened the curtain, assisting a dignified middle-aged man.
“Excuse me, is this So Yuk-rang’s residence?”
The man asked politely from outside the door.
“I am So Yuk-rang,” he replied calmly.
The man turned, smiling warmly at So Yuk-rang and Go-kyo.
“I am Mr. Liu from Cheonhyang Academy. The headmaster and our master have sent you something.”
If someone from the Go family were here, they would have recognized him. He was the one who sent So-sun’s admission documents.
He took a letter from a bundle and handed it to So Yuk-rang.
“This is from the headmaster.”
Then he handed Go-kyo a silk box.
“This is a gift from our master for Miss So-sun.”
Upon hearing there was something for Go So-sun as well, they immediately knew who “the master” referred to.
So Yuk-rang received the letter, and Go-kyo the silk box.
“Please, Mr. Liu, come in and have a seat.”
Mr. Liu smiled.
“No, I have other matters to attend to. I must go.”
At that moment, the grandmother called So Yuk-rang from inside. He entered the room with his cane.
Mr. Liu took a small silk pouch from his chest and placed it in Go-kyo’s hand.
“This is a gift from our master for you.”
“For me?”
Go-kyo asked, but Mr. Liu said nothing and returned to the carriage.
Back in the room, Go-kyo opened the gift. A finely crafted brush made from wolf hair had been sent for Go So-sun, and for herself, a soft, warm jade (yangzhi nanyu: type of jade) was sent.
She tended to feel cold, and carrying the warm jade would help raise her body temperature.
Even without much expertise, Go-kyo immediately recognized it as precious jade. Its value was no less than that of the brush sent to Go So-sun.
She stroked her chin, muttering:
“Ah, I thought I’d been tricked, but I wasn’t…”
She was pleased with the New Year’s gift. Meanwhile, the headmaster of the academy rushed to see what gift So Yuk-rang had received.
Unlike Go-kyo, So Yuk-rang’s expression darkened, as if he might tear something up in frustration.
