Chapter 148 (1/2)

Chapter 148: Chapter 21

“You're really walking well,” said Kanghyok. He was gasping for breath while following Yoni. He thought that Mt. Paldan was just in the vicinity of his neighborhood, but it was not. If he had known it was so far away, he would have stopped by his home to get on a horse.

The last time he had a long walk was when he went on a march during military training when he was young.

But Yoni walked briskly without any difficulty. Walking ahead, she sometimes looked back and said, “What did you say, sir? Ah, I'm used to walking like this, sir.” She was lightly wet with sweat, which looked s.e.xy to him.

‘I must be crazy to think her s.e.xy.'

Shaking his head, he quickened his pace. “I think I have to run in my neighborhood. I can't catch up with you.”

“Master, you are not supposed to run as a n.o.bleman.”

“I know, but I don't want to gasp for breath like this.”

“I guess Makbong would have already arrived there and taken his seat at the party. By the way, you are walking slowly because you're holding the bag anyway.”

With a bright smile, Yoni pointed to a stump she pa.s.sed by a while ago.

“Phew, I think we're almost there anyway.”

Though Yoni was ahead of her, he was much taller. So, he could notice the mayor's company gathered at the small pavilion in the distance.

The party place was a beautiful scenic area with lots of red flowers blooming everywhere.

Mayor Yungil Kim and other higher-ups were already having their fling with gisaeng (Korean geisha).

“We're late. Let's go now.”

“Yes, master.”

It took some more walking for both of them to get to the pavilion finally.

There were lots of horses put to the heelpost. Obviously, all of them except for Kanghyok got on horses to come here.

Mayor Kim, who was touching a gisaeng's breast freely, shouted with a happy look, “Hey, Kanghyok, welcome! Come this way.”

“Yes, sir.”

“As you have already heard, guys, this is Doctor Kanghyok Paek, the talk of the town these days.” The mayor didn't blame him for coming late, but kept on praising him.

“Aha, I know him, of course! That only son of Lord Sungmun Paek! Actually, he treated me before.”

It was the local judge Jungbok Lee who stood up and lavished praise on Kanghyok.

Though Kanghyok heard his name, he didn't know Jungbok was a judge.

“Oh, I see,” said another one curtly. He was Changkwon Chung, a learned scholar in the Suwon administrative office. His face suggested that he was a typical Confucian scholar.

Kanghyok saw him several times at his house because he was one of his father's disciples.

This scholar was notorious for making people around him pretty upset and uncomfortable.

Most of the others at the party were Confucian scholars the same age as Kanghyok or younger than him.

“Now, everybody is here. Let's start now.” The mayor now stopped flirting with the gisaeng and became serious.

At the same time, the young scholars became tense, with some swallowing dry saliva out of anxiety.

‘Umm… I feel like the atmosphere is a bit tense here.'

Kanghyok went through the turbulent years of his being a freshman at college, a medical intern, and a resident along the way.

Though he forgot all those tough days in the past, the memories were still quite vivid.

‘Looks like the mayor is a.s.signing something to everyone.'

As expected, the servants serving the mayor began to hand out something to the partic.i.p.ants.

‘Writing brush, ink stick, inkstone and hanji, or traditional Korean paper…'

As the mayor already informed Kanghyok, he was going to have a poetry contest.

“How about the condition of the paper?”

At his question the judge replied instantly, “Very good.”

“I guess so. They were provided by the paper factory I chose in person.”

Kanghyok could recognize that the quality of the paper was high.

He was once a member of a calligraphy club in college.

He spent hundreds pieces of hanji at that time practicing Chinese characters.

“Ummm… What would be a good t.i.tle for today's poem?”

“Mayor, I think the flowers around us are so beautiful today.”

“Oh, that sounds good. I love those reddish flowers. Let them take this as the topic of their poems.” The mayor issued an order to the contestants at the party.

The young scholars were busy creating some nice poetic ideas.

On the other hand, Kanghyok's lips turned into a deep frown.

‘d.a.m.n it!'

Kanghyok knew little poetry, and less about those related to flowers.

He could compose one if the mayor asked for any poem that came to their minds.

Turning his head, Judge Changkwon Chung was staring at him sternly.

‘Let me use all my brainpower!'

Putting one Korean cookie into his mouth, Kanghyok turned the topic over in his mind.

As the cookie was soaked with honey, he felt much better.

‘Great, something is starting to come to mind.'

He was very good at putting his brain to work as a student.

He began to recall every poem he could think of.

‘Right now the king must be Sonjo, and I guess it's the late 16th century.'