Chapter 5
“…….”
Despite his foul temper and utterly rotten personality, the man had a striking appearance, rare even in recent times.
His eyes, long and slanted, were sharp and clear; his thick eyebrows and dense lashes gave his face a strong, defined look. His nose was smooth and high, his lips flawless, not a single crack or chapped spot in sight.
There was no flush to his cheeks, yet that too gave off a peculiar aura.
“No wonder twelve courtesans attach themselves to him each day,” she thought.
She couldn’t bring herself to touch him. Her fingers curled in frustration, unable to reach him. She had handled his face freely when measuring his forehead, neck, and pulse—but now, with personal feelings involved, she couldn’t even brush a single strand of hair.
“Ugh.”
She shook off her skirt and stood. She remembered, with some irritation, the man’s nasty remark about why she had taken so long.
Judging by the shadows outside, the appointed time hadn’t even arrived yet. Besides, it was his fault for moving this far up. He couldn’t even control his temper and now complained about her timing.
She had walked until her lungs burned, and yet he still had the audacity to act wronged.
Still, she hadn’t snapped back. His breathing was uneven, shaky, as if each exhale cost him great effort. Somehow, he seemed to be forcing himself to appear okay, though clearly exhausted.
“If only I had brought some warm tea…” she muttered.
Or perhaps a cart would have been necessary.
Whatever the reason, staying in the cold any longer would be too much. Dancho placed her hands on her hips and surveyed the area.
Moving this distracted man to a proper resting place would be a challenge she hadn’t anticipated. And with all this snow, conventional methods wouldn’t work at all.
“In the end… it seems I have no choice.”
She shook the snow from her palms, inhaled deeply, and rolled up her sleeves with determination.
⋆★⋆
Her eyelids were heavy. After several attempts, she managed to pry them open, and her cloudy vision cleared.
The first thing she saw was a faded yellow ceiling.
‘Where am I?’
She stared for a moment, then closed and opened her eyes again.
The ceiling appeared a little clearer, still faded and yellowed.
“…….”
She had never had reason to open her eyes in such a shabby place, nor had she ever wanted to.
Right. It’s a dream. I’m dreaming.
She closed her eyes again, but this time, they felt weighed down, as if her body were falling somewhere.
A shallow breath approached from somewhere. The near breath tickled her face as it moved around, not staying in one place.
“…….”
Am I paralyzed by sleep?
Her nerves tensed as the warm breath reached her ear.
Not a paralysis,
a dog… perhaps?
The thought of a dog sniffing her made her laugh quietly. Now that she thought about it, the breathing was cautious, as if checking whether she was alive or dead.
She wanted to push it away, but somehow she couldn’t move a finger. It was slightly despairing.
Ha… am I dying? Am I about to die?
“Dead?”
Perhaps.
“No, you just opened your eyes.”
Not dead?
“I didn’t see it.”
“Shh. Be quiet. You definitely opened your eyes.”
The tickling breath approached again, but this time stayed in one place. The panting remained, as if observing her intently. It wasn’t a ghost, and certainly not a dog.
Then… who was it?
“What if I became an idiot because you threw me earlier?”
Thrown?
“Did I pull your topknot too hard?”
Topknot?
“Maybe you hit your head on the step when I put you down. Let’s see if your head’s split open.”
If that were true, she should have said so immediately. Hitting one’s head on a step… how dangerous…
“That wouldn’t make you an idiot.”
Huh. That voice. That indifferent tone.
Then her face came to mind. The cheeky one holding the laundry bat. Right, they had met a civilian in the snowy mountains.
“Your head should feel heavy. You didn’t study well, right? When you get up, try writing the Thousand Character Classic. Heaven 천, earth 지, sword 현, yellow 누루…”
“누루 황.”
“Yeah, that. If you can write it all, you’re fine.”
Huh.
“But why are your arms and legs so long? I need to get your clothes again.”
“Ah… please.”
For the first time in a long while, she felt utterly dumbfounded.
The breath continued brushing her ears. It was like torture with feathers.
Unable to endure it any longer, she forced her eyelids open.
Then, the eyes that had been staring at her so intently were caught right in front of her.
⋆★⋆
“…….”
“…….”
There was a moment of silence. Only the round, wide eyes darted around in surprise.
Ha. Of course. Eye contact this close would be terrifying; it was no wonder he couldn’t look straight at her.
Seeing the effort it had taken to move him here alone, Yeonwon decided to extend a small courtesy. She parted her dry lips with effort.
“No need to be afraid. I…”
“Drink.”
A bowl of milky water was suddenly thrust forward. The clear eyes staring at her weren’t showing fear, not even a hint.
Though she had no strength left to speak, Yeonwon gathered herself for one more attempt.
“What exactly is this water…”
“You need to drink it quickly.”
Grabbing his chin, she forced the bowl into his mouth. A few sips went down his throat.
Caught off guard, he was speechless.
What he realized was that his strength had declined enough for him to be surprised this easily, and that this civilian’s grip was far stronger than it appeared.
“The poison entered through your wound. This water is medicine to draw it out. You must drink it quickly to remove the poison.”
“Poison… through the wound?”
Yeonwon furrowed his brow in exasperation. Now he understood why his strength had dropped so abruptly. Just a brush of a sword, and he hadn’t stopped the bleeding—it must have been the poison.
“What kind of poison?”
“I don’t know.”
So boldly said, he momentarily doubted his ears.
“How can you treat it if you don’t know what it is?”
“That’s why you drink this.”
“What… drink? What is this…?”
Again, he was caught off guard. This civilian’s skill at forcing someone to ingest medicine was near miraculous.
This time, clumps of gritty medicine slid down his throat. The taste was horrid.
“What on earth is this? What have you made me eat?”
He endured, but his indignation crept in. Dancho, using a dry towel, dabbed his mouth without hesitation.
“This is the herbalist’s medicine. It works against most poisons. A healthy person could take it safely, but someone with bad energy in their body will vomit it. Think of the ‘good poison’ drawing out the ‘bad poison.’”
“Good poison… so you’ve given me poison?”
“You must repeat the process until you vomit clear fluid. So endure and drink.”
How could someone remain so calm after giving poison? Explaining it with such ease was infuriating.
No matter that it was treatment—forcing someone to swallow poison without warning was audacious. This civilian was audacious beyond belief.
“You know who I am?”
Of course not. After all, he had been pretending to be the man she intended to take along.
Yet she asked anyway, a subtle reminder that he should show more respect. At least this way, he wouldn’t experience such rudeness again.
Having one’s mouth forced open by a civilian and forced to swallow medicine was the most absurd, humiliating ordeal he had ever faced. Likely, nothing more bizarre would happen in his life.
And yet…
“Why am I lying face down?”
Only now did Yeonwon realize. Looking at Dancho, she noticed the floor beneath her was unusual.
Unless Dancho was floating on the ceiling, he was lying prone. The thought made him laugh again.
Ha… the medicine, or poison, poured into his mouth the moment he regained consciousness, leaving him unable to gauge whether he was lying or face down.
Now he understood why his chest felt tight and why he felt as if his body were falling forward. The faded ceiling he had seen was merely the yellow floor.
Of course. No wonder the ceiling felt too close. No wonder he hadn’t realized she had tilted his head backward instead of supporting it when giving him the medicine.
“What is this posture meant to treat?”
Gathering patience, he asked. Seeing how she had stacked pillows and blankets under his upper body to avoid pressure on his injured shoulder, it seemed to be a peculiar method of the herbalist.
Perhaps it was for controlling the bleeding from the shoulder…
“I applied medicine to your buttocks.”
“…….”
“…….”
A brief silence followed. A new, unexpected challenge. Yeonwon shook his head to regain composure.
“What did you say? Where did you apply what?”
“Your buttocks. I applied medicine there to prevent irritation.”
“…….”
His mouth opened, but no words came out. Was that really news to report so cheerfully? Yeonwon’s voice rose slightly.
“Are you saying you pulled down my trousers?”
If you want, I can continue and translate the next chapter or remaining scenes in the same style, keeping all the humor, tension, and nuance intact.
