67 Oseong Lee Hangbok 2 (1/2)
Hangbok opened his mouth to speak only when he could not see Ryu Seongyong, Lee Suns.h.i.+n, and the other servants anymore. He glanced in all directions to check if there was anyone left. It seemed that he would talk about some unpresentable stuff for sure.
As a result, Ganghyuk's suspicion turned into confidence. 'This one might be wanting v.i.a.g.r.a.'
Why did many people in Joseon have problems in there? Ganghyuk thanked the Chairman who put v.i.a.g.r.a in this home visitation bag.
However, Hangbok's problem was not this. First of all, he was not the patient.
”Do you remember I talked about my wife?”
How could Ganghyuk forget it? He was a man of good memory. Even though he had some liquor, it could not make him dumb.
”Yes, I do.”
”That is not a joke.”
”Pardon? I don't understand.”
He had talked at cross-purposes. He made jokes, and then talked bout international situations, and then the face of his wife…
'Geniuses tend to talk at cross-purposes.' Ganghyuk did not have a deep knowledge about that, but that was something a psychiatrist friend of his told him at a drinking party. At that time, he thought it was nonsense.
But, it seemed that he was saying the truth, and this here was a good sample.
”My wife resembles my father-in-law too much.:
”Okay.” He could not sympathize with his words because he did not know about the face of Gwon Yul. But, he could understand Hangbok's feelings when he remembered faces of professors in Chungmu Hospital.
'The daughter of the president of the hospital looked exactly the same as her father.'
It was not important if she was pretty or not; but of course, she was not pretty. He could not bear the times when she smiled or laughed. Her smile or laughter reminded him of the president, and he just could not stand that.
If she smiled while they were making love, he would remember the president. He did not even want to go down that dark, dark road.
”You must not know what I feel. But, I am tortured.”
”I think I can guess, even though I do not know what you feel exactly.”
”Therefore, I would like to ask if you can change her face with your medical skills.”
”Pardon?”
What an embarra.s.sing demand it was! It seemed that Joseon people took Ganghyuk as some kind of a demiG.o.d.
Plastic surgery?
He had had no experience in taking the scalpel to the face.
”It seems that there were some cases in the old books.”
”Is there a record in the old books?”
Plastic surgery during ancient days? Ganghyuk held his breath. If that were true, there must be high-tech surgery technology which had been forgotten.
”For example, metamorphosis in the old martial arts.”
”Ah, you meant that!”
The next few words did not satisfy his expectations. Ganghyuk had read a lot of martial art books that were full of supernatural phenomena. But, they were not based on the reality. It was pure imagination.
It seemed that Hangbok was talking about those martial arts books. However, he did not give up. ”If not a similar thing, there could be some other methods, I believe.”
”That is…It is a really difficult operation to change the shape of the face.”
”I don't want much. If she can have a smaller chin, she would look quite different.”
”But, it is really difficult operation, and I think the intentions of the patient is the most important.”
He could not do an operation after kidnapping a n.o.blewoman. Unwanted operation was a torture. As he had done it many times recently, he knew it very well.
The bandits all had operations against their will, and truly felt tortured. However, they were necessary for experimentation and practice, so he had to do it. If not for the justification, he would have had felt guiltier.
”She might want it, I am sure. She gives a sigh whenever she looks at herself in the mirror.”
He seemed to remember his wife while talking about her, as his eyes showed some feelings. It seemed that he indeed loved his wife.
'Does he make this fuss because he does not want to see her father on her face?' Ganghyuk was confused.
'Anyway, he is Lee Hangbok.' He could not give a flat refusal to his proposal.
Seongyong was already fully recovered, and would not relapse if he did not use straws to clean his a.n.u.s after stooling.
”I see...Okay then, I will see her.”
”Really? If you make it, I will reward you generously.”
”But, I cannot guarantee the result. As I told you before…”
”Yes, I know. It is not easy to change the appearance. It is really difficult for humans to change the things that heaven gives.”
”Yes, it is fortunate that you know it already.”
”But, I think you may be able to do it anyway.”
Having finished with this conversation and getting the desired response, Hangbok went to the room that he was given. Clearly, all he wanted to talk about was his wife.
Ganghyuk sighed as he came back to his room.
”Sir, you are late today.” Yeoni, who had been waiting for Ganghyuk, greeted him. Seongyong thought that Yeoni and Yeoju were male. Therefore, he gave two rooms only: one for Ganghyuk, and the other for all the others.
But, Ganghyuk was a modern boy, and could not let two men and two girls use the same room. Thus, he shared the large room with Dolseok and Makbong, and gave the small room to Yeoni and Yeoju.
However, this distinction became nominal soon.
”What are you doing? It is already late at night.”
”We were having a drink”
”Only you?”
”Yes.”
In the large room, two men were drunken and already asleep. It seemed Makbong and Dolseok had been playing wrestling, as they were sleeping intertwined. It seemed that they had gone to sleep a long time ago, given the sound of their snores.
'What is their relations.h.i.+p? Are they friends or enemies?' They were always fighting, but they slept together side by side; of course, except when Makbong went out for his 'night business'.
'She is a vicious drinker.'
Yeoju was holding a brush in her hand, but her eyes were closed. She might have gone asleep while drawing. Nevertheless, the drawings were all good. The problem was that she did not draw on the paper, but on the wall and floor.
'She is not sober, either.' Ganghyuk looked at Yeoni, who was almost drunken as well, and her hair were loosened.
”It seems that you are drinking nearly every day.”
”Would you like to drink some?”