s.h.i.+vering—or chills, which sounds more medical.

It could be the symptoms right before a fever or the result of a high fever.

“You just said he is s.h.i.+vering, right?”

“Yes, he is suddenly s.h.i.+vering all over.”

“Hmm. Let me go and check him.”

“Yes, master.”

He was fit as a fiddle right before he took a whole chicken. Then, he suddenly began to s.h.i.+ver.

Kanghyok hurriedly held his bag and went out.

“He is in the room now,” said Oksok.

Tak, tak, tak.

He heard a sharp noise inside.

‘What the heck is this noise?'

Tilting his head to one side, he c.o.c.ked an ear.

‘Is he hitting against something? Is he in serious condition?'

He suddenly looked pale.

Though he was not Kanghyok's biological father, Sungmun was really similar to Kanghyok's late father in terms of character and appearance, as well as his brusque love for his son.

‘No way!'

Kanghyok quickly took off shoes to enter his room.

Standing beside him with a worried look, Soonsin said, “He seems really sick.”

“I think I have to examine him first.”

“Sure, I think he will get better if you treat him.”

Soonsin looked down at his leg that he already removed the st.i.tches from.

Though he didn't know much about Kanghyok, Soonsin felt he was the best doctor in Joseon for he saw someone with a similar condition who had to live with a limp all his life.

Without Kanghyok's help, he would have lived with a limp.

“Dad, I'm here.”

“Ugh… hmm,” groaned Sungmun with a very bad voice.

Kanghyok quickly opened the door to find his father s.h.i.+vering from top to bottom under a blanket.

Obviously, he was feeling chills even in the hot weather outside.

“Let me check your condition first.”

“Sure, sure…”

Sungmun heard his son was a famous doctor, but it was the first time he would experience his son's medical skills.

He saw strange medical devices in Kanghyok's bag, which was quite different from his medical knowledge.

“It's exactly as I heard… So strange.”

“Let me first check if you have a high fever.”

Kanghyok immediately found out he had fever.

‘39.8 °C. Too high.'

It's too high a fever for an old man like Sungmun to endure.

“You will feel a chill with this injection.”

“Oh, got it.”

As he was absent-minded because of his high fever, Sungmun just left himself at the mercy of his son.

‘Hmm… His lung sound is okay.'

That's a good sign, because there was nothing scarier than pneumonia to an old man.

‘His throat and ears look okay, though I'm not sure of his abdomen condition…'

Kanghyok could not figure out why he had such a fever.

It might be an unknown fever.

As if he was very uncomfortable, Sungmun was still s.h.i.+vering.

“Did you find anything?”

Kanghyok could not find the exact cause of the fever.

‘Let me have him take some medicine.'

In a modern hospital he could test Sungmun's blood or take an X-ray for a more accurate examination.

“Just swallow these pills with water. You will get better.”

“Swallow them all?”

“Yes, dad.”

“Got it.”

Sungmun quickly swallowed the four pills Kanghyok gave.

The pills were antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs, which were very strong.

“Let me check if the pills can take any effect.”

“Oh, yeah. Oksok!”

“Yes, master.”

“Heat the room with more firewood. I'm so cold here.”

Heat the room during summer?

Oksok and Dolsok looked at each other for a moment at Sungmun's crazy request.

“Yes, master. I'll do it right now.”

Soon, Sungmun's whole room was heated.

As he had no fever and didn't feel any cold, Kanghyok couldn't stand it.

‘Whew! So warm here.'

But he could not reveal his feelings in Sungmun's presence.

“How do you feel now?”

“I feel better. But I'm not sure if it's the medicine or the heat here that makes me feel better.”

“Don't be nervous. Just be patient.”

“Got it.”

As time went by, Sungmun obviously looked better.

“Much better now. I think I can go to sleep.”

“Yes, dad. Have some good sleep.”

“Thanks, son. Good job.”

Holding the bag, Kanghyok came out.

‘The fever will come back sometime tomorrow.'

No matter how effective the pills were, it wouldn't cure his infection overnight.

Soonsin, who had been standing outside for a while, asked, “How is his condition?”

“His fever is gone now.”

“You're the doctor!”

“I am not sure yet.”

“Let me go to sleep then. If something happens, please let me know, too.”

“Will do.”

Soonsin walked up to the guest room.

Seeing them separate, Oksok and Dolsok came running to him.

“How about your father's condition?”

“Oksok, you need to keep an eye on him today.”

“Sure, master.”

“If he has fever again tonight, let me know immediately.”

“Yes, master.”

He came back to his room with a troubled look.

‘I can't do anything without this bag.'

In fact, the types of medicine in the bag were very limited. Antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, painkillers, antacids, etc. Except for special drugs like v.i.a.g.r.a, they were all basic medicine.

He would not know when he would run into patients with incurable illnesses. Moreover, he was now back in Joseon where the people had no sense of sanitation or infection.

‘Just unnecessary worry.'

Though he felt a bit uncomfortable about his father's condition, Kanghyok hit the sack.

“Kanghyok, that medicine works like magic.”

The next morning Sungmun became fit as a fiddle.

Even before he had breakfast, he felt well enough to take a stroll.

“Are you sure you're okay?”

“Oh, yes. As they say, you're the real doctor.”

But Kanghyok felt strange.

How come his fever, which was hovering around 40 °C, dropped overnight?

“Dad, let me check your condition one more time.”

“Sure.”

Sungmun readily left himself at the mercy of Kanghyok.

No matter how closely he checked, he couldn't find anything unusual.

‘This is good, but let me give him some more medicine.'

He asked Oksok whether Sungmun slept last night. Oksok said he did.

There was no change in the color of his urine sample.

“Your condition is better, but take some more medicine.”

“Okay, okay.”

Though his fever went down, Kanghyok could not be sure.

“Dolsok, we won't accept patients today and tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir. As the master is sick, you shouldn't.”

“Send someone to the mayor to deliver the pill.”

“Yes, master.”

Though he closed the clinic for a couple of days, he could not turn a deaf ear to the mayor who received a v.i.a.g.r.a pill everyday.

There was a rumor that the mayor would soon be promoted to a higher position at the central government.

‘His connections with the central government would benefit me.'

In particular, Joseon was a centralized state.

In the meantime, Sungmun looked okay to the eye. He could eat and read as usual. He talked with Soonsin casually. However, he didn't drink.

For the second day since his treatment, Sungmun was still feeling okay.

Everybody felt relieved now, including Dolsok, Oksok and Soonsin.

But Kanghyok kept observing his condition with a suspicious look.

‘I feel uneasy, though.'

But when Sungmun felt nothing unusual for the third day, Kanghyok felt a bit relieved.

‘Is he really okay now?'

“Master, why don't we go to the market street for a change?”

Obviously, Dolsok wanted to have some drinks.

He knew his master made some money by treating lots of patients.

“Well…”

“Your father will be okay, sir.”

“No, let's stay with him until today. If he still feels okay tomorrow, let me treat you.”

“Really? I've got money, too.”

Recalling lots of money his master made until now, Dolsok was nodding.

“Master, master!”

Oksok rushed to him with the same worried look that he saw three days ago.

“What's the matter?”

“Your father is s.h.i.+vering violently again.”

“Really? Let's go now.”

Quickly holding the bag, Kanghyok ran to his father.

“Eek…”

Sungmun was s.h.i.+vering from top to bottom under a blanket like before.

Kanghyok started checking his condition.

'40 °C!'

But his lungs and throat were okay.

Kanghyok noticed a mosquito bite.

‘Mosquito… Fever back in three days…'

Come to think of it, his liver was swollen, too.

‘Okay, I found the cause of this fever.'

The thing was how to treat the cause of his sickness, which was malaria.

There was no malaria medicine in the bag.