At her father's order Yoni held his trouser legs.

As Kanghyok didn't tie them tightly, she could take off his trousers. “What are you doing?”

“Sorry, sir. How can we let our benefactor leave without serving you a meal and a drink?” Yoni said, now with a male voice.

“Huh?” Kanghyok gave a hearty laugh as if he thought it ludicrous.

She was imitating a man, with her hair shaken loose.

When he laughed like that, others stopped him and entreated, “Sir, we're really sorry. Please blow off your steam and have a drink with us!”

“Goodness gracious!”

Though Kanghyok was not upset at all, she seemed to think so.

When Kanghyok turned his head, Dolsok already took a seat. With all smiles Dolsok was filling a cup with alcohol on his own.

“Okay, guys. It's the first time I'm having a drink here.”

At his remark, Dolsok made a surprised look. In fact, Kanghyok was notorious as a heavy drinker in Suwon. In Dolsok's best recollection, he drank booze just three days ago!

Of course, n.o.body mentioned about that.

“Let me taste the drink here,” said Kanghyok.

When he presented a cup, Pyonsu quickly filled it. “Such as it is, I'm the head of this acrobatic group, Wolbaek. Just call me Pyonsu, though.”

“Sounds good.” Kanghyok began to gulp down drinks.

‘Tastes sour, but also sweet. I like it…'

When he attended drinking parties with his friends at the hospital, he usually emptied his gla.s.s at a time.

Obviously the members of the Aeogae team was impressed by Kanghyok's drinking.

“Sir, this is Yoni. Please let me fill your cup.”

“Oh, that's good.”

“Please don't leak to anybody that I'm a woman. If my ident.i.ty is revealed, I'll be in big trouble.”

“Don't worry.”

Actually, Kanghyok was very good at keeping things under wraps. In fact, he knew too many secrets about his patients that it could take several days to tell them if he decided to. Of course, he kept them secret.

Nodding his head strongly, he drank up.

And then the guy who played on the swing crawled up to him on his knees, “Sir, my name is Makbong. I'm really sorry for what I did.”

“No problem. Just fill it up.”

Aside from Yoni and Makbong, many others of the Aeogae team wanted to offer liquor to him.

Kanghyok saved Pyonsu's life and they were quite impressed with the way he drank.

Kanghyok was not the type of person who refused it when somebody offered drinks. Besides, his head was spinning like a top. So he continued to accept their refills until he was completely drunk.

Because his master was already drunk, Dolsok could hardly drink.

“See you later, folks,” carried on the back of Dolsok, Kanghyok said goodbye to them.

At that moment Yoni quickly approached and asked, “Sir, when can I pick up the medicine for my father?”

“You have to come everyday. Come to my house tomorrow.”

“Ah, yes. As soon as the curfew is lifted, let me run to your house.”

“Okay.”

Kanghyok and Dolsok now came out of the kisaeng house.

Though it was bright inside, it was actually quite dark outside.

Dolsok carefully lifted the torch.

“Master, how come you drank so much like that?”

He was smiling at Dolsok quietly. When he drank like that, he felt he could now think straight.

‘No matter how hard I think about it, I have no idea how to go back to modern Korea.'

Initially, he thought he was dreaming, but he wasn't. How could a dream be so vivid before him?

‘I'm afraid I may have to live in this old Korea…'

Helped by Dolsok, half-leaning against him, Kangsok moved his feet.

As if he helped his master a lot, Dolsok seemed to be quite accustomed to it.

‘If I was destined to live here, I can't live like this.'

Suddenly Kanghyok's eyes sparkled in the darkness.

‘This will make it possible.'

Kanghyok looked down at the bag that he had been holding tightly. And then he raised his head and got off Dolsok's back.

“Now I think I am sober. Let's walk slowly and watch the stars.”

“What? You see the stars every night, don't you?”

“Hey, don't talk back.”

“Got it. You should not walk so slowly like this. In no time the curfew bell may ring.”

“Oh, I see. Let me trot then.”

“Sure, if he knows you got stopped by the curfew ring, your father will get mad.”

When Kanghyok walked back home, his father Sungmun was sitting on the main floor.

Though he face looked blank, there was obviously some remorse on it. He was Sungmun's only son, but he didn't live up to his father's high expectations. And when he saw his son coming back, drunk again, he just didn't feel good.

“Are you back now?” Sungmun asked as if he didn't expect any good response from his son.

“Yes, dad. I'm a bit late.”

“A bit? Didn't you hear the curfew ring a moment ago?”

Indeed he was hearing a curfew ring in the distance. That meant he came home very late.

“I hear it.”

“Looks like your ears are not clogged. d.a.m.n it, you're now 24. It's time you should have achieved something at that age.”

‘I'm 24?'

He felt as if he looked young. He looked down at his hand for a moment.

He could achieve something great with his medical skills, his medical knowledge and the bag containing the essential medical tools and medicine, though that was not what his father wanted.

“Don't worry. I'm going to do something big.”

He didn't look like a drunkard as he said in a very confident manner.

His confident posture made Sungmun stand down. In the past, he was a high-ranking official in the royal court that commanded everybody's respect. But in front of his son, he was such a mellow father.

“Okay, that sound great. Let me hit the sack. Bye.”

“Good night.”

Sungmun turned back and went to his room.

Kanghyok thought he really looked like his late father.

‘That old man is trying to act brusque to me, though he can't.'

One of the good things he found here in old Korea was seeing that old man. For he felt he was seeing his late father that he thought he could never see again.

‘Let me have that old man see me succeed.'

Though he looked healthy now, that old man might die anytime. After all, this was old Korea; a Chosun with no modern medicine.

When he was lost in thought like that, Dolsok approached him and whispered, “It's cold here. Let's come in.”

“Oh, I see. Go to sleep, Dolsok.”

“Yes, master.”

After sending him back, Kanghyok went into his room. He was still holding the bag, with the pills in the pouch.

‘I have to check out first how this works.'

Kanghyok put the bag and the pill pouch off his bed and laid himself down.

If his prediction was right, all the medicine should be back in the bag tomorrow morning.

‘If that could happen, I think I could live better here than in modern Korea.'