Vol 1 Chapter 2 – Heedowon Part 4

“The crisis has passed.”

The physician wiped the sweat from his brow as he spoke. If he had known the Third Disciple was this concerned, he wouldn’t have just prescribed medicine and left. He would have stayed to perform acupuncture too. Regret gnawed at him as he rubbed his hands together.

“I understand. You may go.”

“Yes. If the patient’s condition worsens, please call for me again.”

The physician bowed repeatedly and stepped out. Yae Kang Oh sat on the edge of the bed and studied Woo’s face, now calmer than before. He had spent hours raving with fever, swiping at the air and mumbling incoherently. Now, he had fallen back asleep. His complexion was still poor, but far better than when they first found him.

He hadn’t expected the man’s body to be this weak.

With the kind of look one might give a small dog, Kang Oh examined Woo’s face. He had assumed any grown man would have at least some stamina. He hadn’t expected him to pass out so quickly. Then again, the conditions in the hills weren’t exactly favorable. On top of that, he had been injured and sleeping rough. It made sense he’d end up this sick.

Having more or less come to terms with why Woo had collapsed, Kang Oh leaned in again to wipe the sweat from the patient’s body. Just then, as his shadow fell across him, Woo slowly opened his eyes. Kang Oh froze in place, as if caught doing something shameful.

He had meant to explain that he was only taking care of him, but then he realized Woo’s gaze, though fixed on him, held no focus. He was still adrift somewhere between dream and reality. Once he realized Woo was still drifting between dream and reality, Kang Oh brought the damp cloth closer to him. Woo blinked a few times, as if trying to confirm something. Then, a fragile and indescribably warm smile formed on his lips.

It was a smile as warm as sunlight.

“Thank goodness…”

That you, at least, are safe.

Woo’s lips moved faintly. Kang Oh was seized by a strange sense of unease. The smile on Woo’s face wasn’t the one he wore when awake. It was gentle and soft, something only a person who had truly known happiness could show. Someone who had once lived with warmth in their life.

Not the expression of a man who trembled and bowed his head to the floor in misery every time he met his master.

Kang Oh’s gaze, which had been shaped partly by sympathy and partly by a sense of duty, began to waver. What exactly did he mean by “thank goodness”?

He couldn’t very well shake someone who wasn’t in their right mind just to ask what that smile was for, or what he had meant by calling it fortunate. The only thing he could do was treat it as the nonsense of a feverish dream.

“You’re only getting a pass because you’re sick.”

There was no one around to hear, yet Kang Oh mumbled as if to explain himself. His eyes remained fixed on Woo’s unmoving face. Something about his expression looked more at ease than before, which brought a small measure of relief.

—

When Woo regained consciousness, it took him a moment to realize he was lying on a bed. The moment the thought registered, he flinched and rolled off, hitting the floor in a scramble. As his body moved, the damp cloth that had been resting on his forehead slid off and slipped to the ground.

Why was I lying there?

To Woo, the silk bedding felt more uncomfortable than rough hemp blankets. It was luxurious beyond reason, soft as butterfly wings and warm as a hearth, but even that couldn’t compare to the coarse covers he had once known.

Because his heart was uneasy.

All he had wanted was a roof that didn’t leak and walls that kept the wind out. Even back in that half-collapsed mud hut, he had been quietly grateful to be apart from Kang Oh. No matter how fine the surroundings were or how rare such comfort was after eight years, he felt no joy in it.

They said Heedowon was so beautiful even the dark path spoke of it, but Woo had once lived in places even grander. If he had never known such things, it might have felt different.

But lying on that soft bedding and wrapped in silk more expensive than gold meant nothing. It couldn’t wash away the filth inside the man now occupying it.

He glanced around. There were signs someone had stayed nearby to take care of him. Woo’s face darkened.

He had never expected to remain unscathed after planting a Godok in his body, but he hadn’t thought he would fall this ill either. With his qi completely depleted, he was less a martial artist than an ordinary man now. That alone made recovery difficult.

He slowly gathered the basin and the soaked towel, then rose to his feet.

He felt like he wouldn’t be at ease until he returned it himself, no matter where it was supposed to go.

Having just gotten out of bed, Woo’s thoughts were clouded. Some of it was from the fever, some from the Godok. The fact that he had been lying in bed unsettled him. Being cared for by someone whose name he didn’t even know unsettled him even more. It didn’t matter what he did. He just needed to move, to handle something with his own hands.

Above all, when he stayed still, Paeng’s voice rose inside his head. The voice that had cursed and condemned him in his dreams echoed again. It had tormented him for the past ten years. Lately, he had begun to forget it. But the nightmares brought by the Godok reminded him of Paeng’s end and the curse she left behind.

He must have been born a sinful life, denied even the mercy of forgetting.

Woo stumbled through the corridor with uneven steps. He didn’t know where he was going. Strangely, he didn’t run into anyone. Considering how many people lived in Heedowon, that was an unlikely stroke of luck.

Just as he was about to step down from the veranda, he realized he wasn’t wearing shoes.

“Ah…”

What now? He paused, unsure for a moment, then gave a bitter laugh. The fact that he had stopped just because he had no shoes, acting as if one dream had turned him back into the former Lord of Baekragung, struck him as absurd.

His bare feet touched the ground. Grains of dirt tickled between his toes. As he looked around, wondering where to go, his eyes landed on a small building connected to the main residence of Heedowon. He had a feeling he might find an attendant there. Usually, those who served the master stayed close by for convenience.

That was something he had learned after becoming a servant in Heukcheon.

The path to the left of the fence was partially hidden by landscaping. Trees blocked the view so well that if one wasn’t paying attention, they might not notice anyone passing through. As Woo moved forward, he stumbled on a stone that pressed into his bare foot. Heedowon might have been well-maintained, but the paths used by the servants weren’t designed for leisure walks. Gravel and uneven stones still remained. It was only because most of the rocks had been removed and the ground flattened that walking barefoot didn’t immediately injure him.

He happened to be carrying something heavy, which made it even harder to keep his balance. Just as he thought he might fall, Woo squeezed his eyes shut. He didn’t mind getting hurt, but the thought of causing a commotion already made his head spin.

“Why is the patient walking around?”

A hand steadied him by the waist before he could fall. The low voice that followed had a faint growl to it, enough to make Woo’s back tense.

It was Yae Kang Oh.

“I was just trying to put this away—”

Before Woo could finish, Kang Oh noticed something and cut him off, not even bothering to listen. His tone carried disbelief.

“You’re barefoot?”

If startling others was a skill, then this man had mastered it. But this felt excessive.

The path beside Heedowon’s fence was one Kang Oh often used. He had a fondness for plants. Sometimes, when he saw a beautiful flower or tree while out on errands, he would sketch it from memory. Jinrang would then secretly take those sketches and track down the same species, planting them in the rear garden. Matching the trees and flowers to the scenery Kang Oh liked had become part of the groundskeepers’ duty. That carefully maintained space had grown into a corner Kang Oh always visited upon returning to Heukcheon.

Jinrang had been delighted the first time he found something Kang Oh truly liked. He couldn’t expand the main residence, but the garden could be extended however much he pleased. Which was why, whenever Kang Oh was away, the garden behind Heedowon had gradually been growing larger and larger.

Kang Oh had felt unsettled after seeing Woo’s sleeping face. Once the fever had finally passed, he took a walk through the garden to clear his mind. He believed he had calmed down. But on his way back along the path, he sensed someone nearby.

Between the grass, he caught sight of the top of someone’s head, moving quickly through the shrubs. The face that passed briefly between the branches of the carefully spaced trees was unmistakably Woo’s.

At first, Kang Oh thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. He stood still for a moment, watching through the leaves, trying to convince himself it wasn’t Woo. But when the figure suddenly staggered, he didn’t hesitate. His body moved on its own, and he stepped forward to catch him by the waist.

The basin Woo had been carrying tipped, and water splashed down, soaking Kang Oh’s shoes.

The moment he looked down, his gaze landed on the man’s feet.

They were covered in dirt. Woo stood there barefoot, holding a basin full of water that was clearly going to spill again. Kang Oh couldn’t begin to understand what that man had been thinking.

He had gone to such lengths to let the man rest, only for this to happen.

Woo, feeling his gaze, curled his toes slightly. But it didn’t change the fact that he had gone out barefoot. If anything, the line of his exposed ankle stood out even more as he shifted slightly.

“Your clothes are short too.”

Kang Oh muttered the words quietly. As his gaze moved slowly over Woo, one detail after another came into view. They were things he hadn’t noticed before, and not a single one sat right with him. He sighed, and felt Woo’s shoulders draw in slightly under the weight of his stare.

“Let’s do this first.”

To Kang Oh, the priority was getting the man back inside. But the sight of those dirt-covered feet lingered in his mind. He lifted Woo off the ground and set him down on the railing. The sudden movement caught Woo off guard, and he tightened his grip on the basin in his hands, trying not to show any reaction.

“Hand it over.”

When Woo had stumbled earlier, some water had already spilled, leaving only a faint ripple on the surface. His clothes remained dry. Kang Oh took the basin from him, almost as if snatching it away, then set it down on the ground. He also grabbed the towel Woo had been holding and soaked it in the water.

There he was, the Third Disciple of Heukcheon, crouching in front of a servant. Anyone who saw the scene might have passed out from shock. It would have looked as if the most cherished disciple of the Lord of Heukcheon, the one he treated with such care and affection as if afraid a breeze would carry him off or his sleep be disturbed, was bowing down before a lowborn man.

Woo’s heart had dropped to the pit of his stomach. He frantically waved his hands.

“P-please don’t do this.”

“Hold still.”

Kang Oh spoke as he brought the wet cloth to wipe Woo’s foot. Woo was flustered, but Kang Oh remained completely composed. He simply thought that the patient, whose fever had just gone down, needed to be brought back to bed. Since there was already water and a towel, it made sense to clean off the dirt now so he could lie down without changing his clothes.

Beneath the cloth, Woo’s foot gave a slight twitch. As the fabric moved, Kang Oh’s fingers accidentally brushed against the sole. Already on edge, Woo jolted at the unexpected touch and kicked out before he could stop himself.

But Kang Oh’s hand didn’t budge. He held him firmly in place. Woo realized what he had just done and bowed his head low.

“F-forgive me.”

“Must’ve been ticklish. I tend to rush with this sort of thing. My apologies.”

Kang Oh spoke in an offhanded tone as he wrapped his arms around Woo’s waist and lifted him up. He had already noticed it when he first brought him to Heukcheon. For a grown man, Woo was far too light, as if he were made of nothing but skin and bones.

“I-I can walk. I can do it myself!”

Woo squeezed his eyes shut and shouted. It was the first time he had ever raised his voice like that in front of Kang Oh. In response, Kang Oh gave a calm nod.

“You’re eager to walk now that I’ve gone through all the trouble of washing your feet? Fine, I’ll let you down.”

Even as he said it, his arms still held Woo firmly in place. Woo wriggled in an effort to get down, but Kang Oh, wearing a slightly mischievous look, added,

“If I let you down now, I’ll have no choice but to wash your feet again before we reach the back veranda.”

“N-no, that’s not…”

Woo unintentionally looked at him with a hint of blame in his eyes. Kang Oh let out a thoughtful hum, then asked with feigned innocence, “Did you like the way I took care of you that much? I didn’t think you’d insist on walking just to end it.”

“T-that’s not it.”

Woo’s voice was barely audible as he tried desperately to deny it. The reaction was more amusing than expected, and Kang Oh added with a teasing tone.

“I’ve never washed someone else’s feet before, but I might have a real talent for it. Then again, Master always said I learned quickly.”

It hadn’t been long since he claimed he was clumsy because it was his first time doing something like that. Now, without a hint of shame, he was already full of self-praise. Kang Oh carried himself with such brazen confidence that Woo knew he could never win against him.

And if Jinrang ever found out that his precious disciple had personally served someone like Woo, he would no doubt skin him alive and use it as parchment. In the end, Woo gave up and allowed Kang Oh to carry him.

Once the resistance in his arms faded, Kang Oh continued walking with a lighter mood.
But that only lasted until they reached the building. The moment he stepped up onto the veranda, Woo bolted from his arms as if he were about to leap away.

Kang Oh’s brow furrowed slightly. It wasn’t because he was offended by Woo’s rejection. It was the emptiness he felt the moment Woo left his arms.