“Master, I see him coming to you see again.”

“Really? What a crazy guy he is!”

What Dolsok and Kanghyok pointed at was none other than Yungil Kim, the mayor of Suwon. Once he started taking v.i.a.g.r.a, he came to see Kanghyok everyday.

“Everybody, clear the way! The mayor of Suwon is coming!”

He came alone at first, but now, he was accompanied not only by his personal servant, but also an official servant and a petty official.

Of course, the mayor was on a horse when he came.

Though Kanghyok's examination room was crowded, it got even more crowded now.

“Good heavens! He came yesterday and he's coming back again today. He might feel sore there.”

Kanghyok looked at Yungil elbowing his way into the examination room.

Of course, Yungil's face was full of smiles. “Hey, Kanghyok. How are you?”

“”I'm fine, sir. How about you?”

“All good thanks to you, man.” And then he cleared his throat and showed him a pouch.

The same pouch Kanghyon saw yesterday, and the day before yesterday.

It was like an exclusive pouch for v.i.a.g.r.a.

“Here you go, sir.”

“Thanks every time.” The mayor took it and turned back to leave.

Kanghyok called him and said, “By the way, sir.”

“Yes? Anything to say?”

It was none other than Kanghyuk who was calling.

The mayor instantly stopped walking and turned back.

“Can you do me a favor?”

“Tell me.” The mayor was ready to accept it. He even vaulted from the saddle.

“Oh my…” those waiting for their turn uttered a low exclamation.

There were only a few in Suwon who could dare make eye contact with the mayor. Naturally, they looked up to Kanghyok as he could do so.

“It's not just that… I heard you had an extra house in the market street.”

The mayor was a typical corrupt official, so Suwon was a rich city like Kaesung, Kanghwa and Kw.a.n.gju.

He apparently owned a vast wealth. He had several houses and rice paddies not only in Suwon, but also in Kyonggi and Hanyang.

“Right, I have one. Are you going to settle there? Have you decided to get married?”

“No, sir. I'm going to open a clinic there.”

“On the market street?”

“Yes, look at this room. Do you think this is good enough for a n.o.bleman like me?” Kanghyok pointed to many servants crowded at the yard and his room.

As if he figured out what Kanghyok wanted, the mayor nodded. “Got it. That's why your father often came out of his house these days.”

“Will you accept my request?” Saying that, Kanghyok looked askance at the mayor.

In fact, it was difficult for commoners like the Aeogae acrobatic team members to visit the examination room. Even those waiting for their turn were all rich n.o.blemen.

‘If I want to get information, I need to use them as much as possible…'

And Kanghyok found it too annoying for his father to keep emphasizing that he had to take the civil service exam. He would no longer hear his father's nagging if he were in the clinic in the market street.

“No problem. I'm going to let you use it in return for the treatment fee. Okay?”

“That sounds good.”

“Got it. Let me send you some servants so you can remodel it. As it recently had a new roof installed, you don't have to remodel it much.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Though the mayor was a corrupt official and a womanizer, he kept the promise he once made. He gave Kanghyok the best out of several houses that he had in the market street.

As the yard was very big, he would have no problem no matter how crowded the patients were.

Kanghyok moved in the house in no time.

Entering it, Dolsok said, “I like this place in the market street. Before I moved here, I found my room too small and stuffy. Now, I feel really good here. By the way, master, what are you going to do with the patients' compensation for your services? They're bringing lots of stuff here everyday.”

“Well, my father's servant would load them on a cart and take it home. I'm not sure if one cart is enough to carry them all.” Kanghyok pointed to a long line in the yard.

In fact, as Dolsok alone found it hard to a.s.sist Kanghyok, some of the Aeogae team were providing a helping hand.

As they happened to have no performance today, Yoni and Makbong helped Kanghyok today. Makbong was handing out a treatment ticket to them.

“Yoni, come over here,” said Kanghyok.

She quickly came to him, answering, “Yes, master.”

“Any update on what I asked you before?”

“Oh, I asked lots of people moving around not only in Suwon but also Ansung and other places… but n.o.body said they heard of the Republic of Korea.”

As Kanghyok didn't expect much in the first place, he wasn't disappointed, either.

‘I wish I could remember what I did right before I came here.' He could recall that he did touch something. Though he didn't know what it was, it was of use anyway.

“Oh, I see. Thanks for letting me know,” said Kanghyok.

“Sorry to have let you down.”

“No, that's alright. Keep asking, will you?”

“Yes, master. Let me ask the patients furtively.”

“Sounds good. Thanks.” After he sent her back, he looked around the yard. There were lots of people crowded already even early in the morning.

‘The sun is getting hotter…' It's already early summer. It was around early spring that Kanghyok traveled back into old Korea, so time pa.s.sed very quickly. But he couldn't find any clue to go back to modern Korea. There was a growing possibility that he might have to settle down here.

‘d.a.m.n it. Let me just focus on work and make money.' The more he makes money, the better. That would be the same in old Korea as modern Korea.

At Dolsok's handing out patient tickets, the patients gathered around him.

“Dolsok, get me a patient now.”

“Yes, master. Now, our master will start his work. Come inside in numerical order.”

They then rushed in all at the same time.

“Hey hey, come in one by one!” Dolsok didn't hesitate to point his finger at them even though they were all n.o.blemen. So, even a higher n.o.bleman had no choice but to wait for his turn.

Kanghyok asked an old man on the bed, “So, how about your condition now?”

“Much better since I took pill you gave me.”

“I see. Let me check…”

When he put the stethoscope on the man's belly, he rarely heard any bubbling up now. “You don't have to worry as it's not an infectious disease. You don't have to take medicine anymore.”

“Thanks so much, sir.” The patient unloaded a bag of rice on the cart in return for his service and then left.

‘That's more than enough for Dolsok's one-day meal.'

The patients offered various types of payments in kind. Typically n.o.blemen gave leather, slices of boiled meat or fish meat, while commoners usually offered rice.

A certain patient received his treatment and tried to take back rice, but usually it was Makbong or Yoni who handled patients like him.

“You a mean rat! How can you steal before my eyes?” Yoni shouted at the young man who was taller than her.

“Oops, I've done something wrong. Forgive me.”

“I can't let you go like this.” Then she bounced up and kicked his shoulder with her heel.

“What a life!” he groaned.

Looking at that spectacle for a long moment, Kanghyok came out of the examination room.

“Are you hurt?”

“Yes, sir. Please forgive me.”

“Looks like your shoulder got loose as you fell. Let me fix it. Eighteen kilograms of rice for your service, okay?”

“Eighteen kilograms of rice? That's too much…”

“Otherwise I'll report you to the police for stealing. Makbong!”

“Yes, master.”

The guy was white-faced now.

“Got it, sir. Will do as ordered,” the guy said.

“You will feel a bit hurt, so endure it.”

Kanghyok put his shoulder in its original place miraculously.

Looking at his shoulder here and there, he kept lowering his head and said, “Thanks so much. Thanks.”

“Okay.”

“Let me go now then, sir.”

“Crazy, man. Hey, Makbong. Follow him and exact the rice from him.”

“Yes, master.”

At that moment Kanghyok looked out the examining room as he heard disturbances outside.

“Who are they?”

It looked like another high-ranking official stopped by. With an official belt around his waist, a n.o.bleman on a horse was looking down with arrogant eyes.

“Clear the way, you b.a.s.t.a.r.ds! Here comes the governor of Ansung County!” Petty officials moved around with clubs.

Kanghyok was aware of the ranks of officials in old Korea. The mayor of Suwon belonged to the third highest rank group. On the other hand, the county governor was only in the sixth highest rank group. Though Kanghyok had no official rank t.i.tle, he was not the type of person that the Ansung County Head could treat arrogantly.

Besides, Kanghyok was now in the boundary of the Suwon mayor's residence.

‘He is new to me. It looks like he doesn't know this house is the Suwon mayor's.'

Without paying attention to him, he saw his patient as usual.

While he was in the thick of treating a patient, a petty official came to him and asked, “Where is the doctor? The Governor of Ansung County wants to see him. Come out quickly!”