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Chapter 18
Inside the inn where a commotion had just taken place…
There—
“Ughhh…!”
“Aaagh—!”
The chaos was still continuing.
To be precise, it was only filled with the groans of Ju Chihoon and his subordinates, who were crawling on the floor like insects.
At some point, the woman whose flowing hair and shrunken pupils had returned to normal—Hwayuhwa—spoke with a gentle smile like that of a celestial maiden.
“Still, it’s a relief this surgery wasn’t a complete failure. You can all still manage to survive, right?”
Their bodies trembled.
Not just Ju Chihoon, but especially his subordinates.
The one who had been in the worst condition was practically half-dead.
The crazed woman, who looked strangely excited, spoke again.
“You should consider yourselves lucky. If it hadn’t been such a good day—meeting the boss—I would’ve made a lot more mistakes. Hohoho….”
What was she talking about? If this was a “good day,” then this level of suffering…!
Their bodies trembled violently.
No—shook uncontrollably.
They realized that her “mistakes” were intentional.
In fact, because of her surgery, all the problems in their bodies had worsened.
Treatment? No.
Absolutely not.
If anything, the pain had grown even worse.
It felt like they were going to die—but not quite enough to actually die.
Did they have to live with this agony forever?
‘Th-This woman is truly insane! I’ve never seen a madwoman like this in my life!’
That madwoman smiled as she spoke.
“Everyone, get up quickly. If you keep crawling on the floor, it makes it look like I did something bad.”
“Uh….”
Wasn’t this clearly something bad? As they hesitated with that thought, the madwoman added another remark.
“If you don’t get up quickly, I’ll make it hurt even more.”
“We’ll stand up right away!”
Ju Chihoon and the five men sprang to their feet.
In truth, they wanted to keep sitting.
Partly because of the pain, but also because when they sat, they had a good view of her thighs.
Ju Chihoon prided himself on having met many beautiful women, yet he couldn’t take his eyes off this madwoman’s face and thighs.
Perhaps it was a man’s pitiful instinct.
Considering what she had done, she was a madwoman—but her face was still that of a celestial beauty.
And why were her thighs so beautiful?
Slim, long legs.
Compared to them, all the legs he had seen before didn’t even seem like legs.
Even the courtesan famed as the most beautiful in Hangzhou now seemed grotesque by comparison.
Even after being forcibly “operated on,” he couldn’t look away.
‘Is this how people addicted to opium feel? Knowing they’ll die, yet still continuing….’
That’s right.
She was a madwoman, yet this appearance of hers was addictive.
Even Xi Shi, the legendary beauty of ancient times, would seem ordinary in front of this woman.
A poisonous flower—one you know is deadly, yet can’t resist reaching out to pluck.
Knowing full well it will kill you, yet unable to endure without touching it.
As Ju Chihoon and his five men stared at her with flushed faces, the celestial beauty spoke.
“Because of you, it seems I won’t be able to eat now. Who will guide me to the Dan Family estate?”
“……”
Huh? Why the Dan Family estate?
The six men exchanged glances.
No, they wanted to keep looking at her thighs… but if they went with her, who knew what disaster awaited them?
The celestial beauty smirked.
“You there. The one who brought up Seobongju.”
“Huh?! Me?”
Ju Chihoon was startled.
He couldn’t tell if this was good or bad.
As he hesitated between continuing to look or risking becoming half-crippled, the hem of her skirt and her hair began to flutter again.
“You’re not going to guide me?”
“I will! I’ll guide you! So please, just don’t perform surgery on me! Wait! Don’t pick up the chopsticks again!”
Dan Hyunwoo quietly let out a sigh.
He had a reason for it.
He was waiting for her to arrive.
“She should be here by now…”
A friend—but a notorious woman.
Dan Hyunwoo, waiting for the hidden master Hwayuhwa, who was unknown in the Central Plains, felt anxious.
She should have arrived by now, but a small worry stirred in his heart.
He wasn’t worried about Hwayuhwa.
He was worried about everyone she might encounter.
‘She’s not late because she’s wrapping up her work at the Myeongdae, right?’
He hoped not.
Dan Hyunwoo felt a bit uneasy.
His father’s condition showed no signs of improvement.
He had infused internal energy into him, so his body had regained some health.
But he still couldn’t speak, nor could he recognize him as his son.
How long would this state continue?
As he waited for her, lost in various worries, suddenly Yoo Suchun, who had been sweeping outside, ran in.
“A-A master is approaching!”
Dan Hyunwoo smirked.
‘Oh? Suchun, your senses have improved.’
Well, he had probably become more sensitive from constantly reading the room.
He had to gauge the moods of the Dan family, check whether Jeon Akgwan was doing his job properly, and watch whether Cheon Ilseong caused trouble again—he had a lot on his plate.
Now that he thought about it, Suchun had gotten a bit thinner lately.
Dan Hyunwoo spoke.
“I know. So she’s finally here.”
He slowly walked outside.
Yoo Suchun hurriedly followed, preparing to greet the guest, but suddenly inhaled sharply.
“Gasp…!”
He couldn’t help it.
A beauty as if straight out of a painting was walking toward them.
A slender, delicate figure with a pure and elegant aura.
Skin like white jade, and long hair flowing like water.
When the wind carried her scent, Yoo Suchun felt his mind go blank.
It wasn’t just a scent—it was a fragrance.
His heart dropped.
The woman he had held in his heart as his first love left his mind at that moment.
Why had he ever thought of that woman as his first love?
Only now did he understand what first love truly felt like.
This—this was real first love.
He had seen countless famous beauties in his life, but now he wanted to make them drink the grime from this woman’s toes.
No—such a beauty wouldn’t even have dirt on her toes.
At his age, seeing true beauty for the first time made his heart tremble.
Yes… this was what first love felt like.
As he was thinking this—
The beautiful woman, Hwayuhwa, met Dan Hyunwoo’s eyes and broke into a bright smile.
Her eyes were filled with excitement, her cheeks slightly flushed, her smile blooming like flowers in spring.
With a pure and modest expression like a young girl, she approached Dan Hyunwoo.
Her steps quickened.
She threw herself into his arms.
“Boss! I missed you so much!”
A fragrant scent brushed past Dan Hyunwoo’s nose.
But to him, it was a burdensome scent.
He knew her feelings were mixed into it.
Still, he didn’t push her away.
She had come immediately when called, responding to his desperate need for help.
Their embrace lingered.
Yoo Suchun watched, entranced.
The corner of his eye twitched.
His first love… had fallen.
Hwayuhwa smiled brightly, like a shy girl.
“I was so happy when you sent me a letter, Boss. I wanted to come right away, but I had a lot of pending work, so I finished everything quickly and came.”
She walked lightly through the Dan Family estate.
Her steps were light.
It was the boss’s home she had always wanted to visit at least once.
Now, it felt like a dream.
But Dan Hyunwoo found her burdensome and subtly pushed her away.
She kept trying to cling to him and hook arms with him.
Even as she was pushed back, she kept smiling foolishly.
Finally, Dan Hyunwoo hardened his expression.
“That’s enough. You know very well that behavior of yours is troublesome for me.”
“Ah… I always end up making you angry, Boss. Sorry… hehe.”
Hwayuhwa looked dejected, her expression drooping.
The loneliness hidden in her faint smile made Dan Hyunwoo sigh deeply.
“Sigh… just stay still.”
His hand moved toward Hwayuhwa’s torn skirt, which exposed her thighs.
Though it was clothing with buttons, it was always getting torn.
So he often fixed it.
Gathering heat at his fingertips as if igniting internal energy, he fused the torn fabric together.
“I’ll give you new clothes soon. Endure with this for now.”
“This is why I can’t help but fall for you, Boss!”
Hwayuhwa gazed at him with a fluttering expression.
As always, his cold yet kind demeanor made her heart race.
But Dan Hyunwoo ignored her and called Eun Doyoon, telling him to bring the new clothes he had bought for Dan Seoyeon.
Soon, the clothes were in his hands.
“Go change.”
“I’m fine with the clothes you fixed for me.”
“My father is ill. I need your help.”
Swish.
Hwayuhwa’s atmosphere changed instantly.
Among her many faces, this was the one she had as a physician.
The version of her that had saved countless lives.
“I’ll change quickly and come back.”
Dan Hyunwoo led the way.
Hwayuhwa followed behind him with a serious expression.
This wasn’t just anyone—it was her boss’s father.
Sweat formed on her forehead from tension.
Creak.
The door opened.
From the scent alone, Hwayuhwa could immediately tell that Dan Hyunwoo had taken great care of his father.
There was none of the usual smell of a patient.
The shadow of death was still far away.
‘As expected of the boss.’
Dan Yuseon stared blankly into the air.
Hwayuhwa’s gaze swept over his entire body in an instant.
It was obvious at a glance that Dan Hyunwoo had been forcibly sustaining his body by supplying internal energy.
Something only the boss could do—something no one else could.
But the illness was not simple.
It was severe at a glance.
She understood why he had called her.
“Hyunwoo, who is this person?”
Jin Yeongyeong, who was holding Dan Yuseon’s hand, asked as she looked at Hwayuhwa.
With a slightly furrowed brow.
Even to another woman, she was a breathtaking beauty.
Though her hair was simply tied, reaching her waist, she still looked like that.
She was beautiful, but looked very young.
Why was someone like her entering a patient’s room?
Dan Hyunwoo answered.
“Her name is Hwayuhwa. She’s a physician.”
“A physician?”
That appearance… a physician?
She looked barely twenty.
“Even the best doctor in Hangzhou couldn’t identify the illness. Can this person really treat him?”
“If she cannot, then no one can.”
Even after hearing that, it was hard to believe.
No—she felt uneasy.
Too young to be a physician, too strange to save someone.
At that moment, Hwayuhwa grabbed Jin Yeongyeong’s wrist and checked her pulse.
She was so fast that Jin Yeongyeong only realized it after a moment had passed.
Startled, Jin Yeongyeong looked at her as Hwayuhwa spoke.
“You’ve been hiding it.”
“W-What do you mean?”
“You have pain in your heart, don’t you? You must have gone through many shocks. Your body has weakened greatly. You’re holding on through breathing techniques, but you need treatment soon. And your digestive organs aren’t in good condition either. You often feel acid rising, don’t you?”
“Th-That…”
“Your knees are bad too. They hurt whenever you walk. You must have carried heavy loads for a long time.”
Her knees had been bad for a long time.
Since carrying bolts of silk at the Dan family shop.
And when she wandered the Central Plains searching for Dan Hyunwoo.
Jin Yeongyeong’s eyes widened.
‘Even doctors didn’t know this… and she figured it out just by briefly checking my pulse?’
