Chapter 14: Subtle Threat
Cheong lightly tapped the spot next to her, surprising Gahwa.
But Gahwa soon shook her head.
“It’s okay. I don’t want to take your food. It’s not much anyway.”
“It doesn’t taste good eating alone.”
“But still…”
“Come on.”
At Cheong’s urging, Gahwa finally sat next to her.
“I used the chopsticks already, so please use the spoon.”
Cheong placed the spoon in Gahwa’s hand.
“Alright… thank you.”
Gahwa mumbled, and Cheong smiled kindly.
“No need to thank me. Back where I lived, even close friends or family shared a single bean.”
Gahwa silently looked at Cheong while holding the spoon.
She didn’t know why, but her eyes seemed a little watery.
“No need to cry over it, though.”
Cheong grinned playfully. At that, Gahwa quickly turned her head.
“W-When did I cry!”
“Your eyes looked watery just now…”
“I-It’s just dust in my eyes!”
Gahwa rubbed her eyes hard with the back of her hand.
“Yes, yes, I understand. Now eat before it gets cold.”
Cheong replied calmly and started eating with her chopsticks.
She didn’t feel bad about Gahwa’s blunt attitude.
Cheong knew Gahwa wasn’t stingy or mean—just bad at showing her feelings.
After that, the two focused on eating.
“Gahwa, are you in there?”
As they were finishing their meal, someone called from outside.
“I’m inside. Who is it?”
“It’s Soha, a court lady.”
Hearing the name and title, Gahwa got up and opened the door.
A woman about the same age as Gahwa came in. She glanced at Cheong and then at the spoon in Gahwa’s hand.
Feeling the judgmental gaze, Gahwa quickly hid the spoon behind her back.
“What brings you here?”
Gahwa asked, and Soha looked away as she answered.
“Someone wants to meet the human staying here.”
“What’s their reason?”
“How should I know why anyone wants to meet a lowly human?”
Soha sneered as she glanced at Cheong.
Seeing her look down on Cheong, Gahwa frowned and crossed her arms.
“She’s not a lowly human. She’s a doctor.”
“Whatever. I delivered the message. I’ll go now. The guest is waiting outside.”
Without waiting for a reply, Soha turned and left.
“That rude girl…”
Gahwa cursed under her breath.
Cheong also didn’t like Soha’s attitude.
‘She’s a bija, which is lower rank than a court lady.’
Yet Soha treated Gahwa like she was lower or equal in rank.
Still, Gahwa seemed more upset about Soha’s attitude toward Cheong than toward herself.
“She may be human, but she’s the doctor treating His Highness. That girl’s out of her mind.”
Hearing that, Cheong’s stiff face softened.
“Court Lady Gahwa, are you taking my side?”
Cheong clasped her hands and looked at Gahwa with shining eyes.
“Hmph, think what you want.”
“You’re so kind, Court Lady.”
Gahwa turned her head and rubbed the back of her neck, clearly embarrassed.
The tips of her ears were red.
“Ahem. So, are you going to meet the one who came looking for you?”
Gahwa quickly changed the subject.
She didn’t know how to handle compliments since she grew up hearing more scolding than praise.
Thankfully, she succeeded in distracting Cheong.
“I’ll meet them.”
“Alright. I’ll bring them in.”
Cheong nodded, and Gahwa left the room.
After a short conversation outside, the door opened again.
‘Wait, that man…’
The bald man who walked in was the one Cheong had treated for Bell’s Palsy.
And behind him came another man.
He had tanned skin, muscular build, a bold outfit with just a vest on his bare body—and a glowing bald head like the sun…
“Mr. Palcho?”
It was Palcho, the best blacksmith in Yonggung.
Cheong looked at the two bald men who came to see her, confused.
These were the ones who had rejected her treatment and slammed the door in her face.
Why would they come see her now?
“Why are you here…?”
“Doctor! Thank you so much for curing my son’s illness!”
Before Cheong could finish, Palcho bowed deeply before her.
Seeing a big muscular man bow like that, Cheong was caught off guard.
“What are you doing! Thank the doctor now!”
At his loud command, the younger bald man also quickly bowed.
“Thank you so much! Please don’t take my past words seriously.”
“Oh, I thought you looked familiar.”
Cheong had felt déjà vu while treating the younger man.
“Yes, this is my son, Paljae.”
So the young man was Palcho’s son.
Their body shapes and skin tones were different, but the smooth bald heads looked exactly the same when they bowed.
Looking at the two bald heads, Cheong smiled.
But the smile was more evil than kind.
“Actually, I’ve been thinking about what your son said. I couldn’t even enjoy my meal properly.”
Even with her empty lunch tray in front of her, Cheong lied shamelessly.
Gahwa quietly pushed the tray away so it couldn’t be seen and stood in front of it.
“What do you mean? What did you say to the doctor, you fool?!”
“A-Ah, Father, well…”
As Palcho shouted, Paljae panicked and stammered.
Cheong finished for him.
“He laughed at my words and said ‘What nonsense.’ Oh, and he also asked if humans treat with their mouths.”
Cheong tilted her head, pretending to think, but made sure the father and son could hear her clearly.
SLAP!
As soon as Cheong finished, Palcho smacked the back of his son’s head with his giant hand.
A loud slap echoed in the room.
“Ow, Father!”
Paljae clutched his head and looked up at his dad with teary eyes.
“How dare you say such trash to the person who saved your life? Is that how I raised you?!”
Even after hitting him, Palcho was still fuming and shaking with anger.
“I’m sorry! Please, just talk, not hit!”
Paljae covered his face with his arms.
“Right. Let’s calm down and talk instead.”
Even Cheong stepped in to stop him, but Palcho didn’t calm down.
“No! If he did wrong, he must take responsibility. Don’t stop me!”
Palcho raised his hand again, and Cheong had to speak up.
“Your son just recovered. If he doesn’t rest properly, the illness might return. Is that what you want?”
Palcho’s hand stopped in mid-air.
Paljae peeked through his arms at Cheong and his father.
“But I can’t just ignore what he did.”
Palcho didn’t back down even after Cheong’s warning.
He looked rough on the outside but had a strong, upright character.
“You’re right. But as a doctor, my top concern is the patient’s health.”
“Doctor…”
Paljae looked at Cheong like she was his savior.
“If that’s truly how you feel…”
Just as Palcho lowered his hand, Cheong spoke again.
“There are other ways to show regret. For example…”
“For example?”
“You could offer help using your skills. Or compensate with something material.”
Cheong smiled meaningfully at Palcho.
