NTH 37

There was nothing particularly wrong with what Jang Geonung said, but for some reason, Yunhyeong felt a boiling anger inside him. Words popped out of his mouth without passing through his mind.

“I heard that man takes the best care of the horses in this Office of Royal Stables, so if he remains bedridden like that, what will happen to the horses? His Majesty the King and His Highness the Crown Prince will have a royal procession soon.”

Jang Geonung narrowed his eyes as if scoffing.

“It is not as if this fellow is the only slave in the Office of Royal Stables. Anyone can feed the horses and clean up their dung. I, a geodal, will see to it myself.”

In that moment, Yunhyeong felt a surge of irritation at Jang Geonung, who was talking back to him without yielding a single word. Because of this, he ended up making a rather impulsive decision.

“That is enough. I will move Makdongi to my house right now, so you carry him on your back.”

“To your lordship’s residence? What do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what I said. What are you doing, not carrying him on your back immediately?”

For the first time since confronting Yunhyeong, Jang Geonung was at a loss for words, but he soon hoisted Makdongi onto his back with an expressionless face.

Yunhyeong took Makdongi to his own house, which was not far from the Office of Royal Stables. He sent Jang Geonung, who had carried him, back immediately.

Yunhyeong had his personal servant clean Makdongi’s face and the nape of his neck with a wet towel and ordered a physician to be brought. Even during this time, Makdongi did not fully regain consciousness and continued to let out pained groans.

After the physician arrived and performed a simple pulse diagnosis, he applied a poultice to the blue bruises on his face and stomach, and Makdongi’s breathing became a little more comfortable.

Yunhyeong gazed at Makdongi’s sleeping face for a moment. It was strange that although this was clearly the first time he had seen the man in this life, he did not feel like a complete stranger. He still did not understand why he was pouring so much attention into this slave and even brought him to his home, but he did not regret it either.

When Yunhyeong returned to the Office of Royal Stables to attend to his duties and then went back home around sunset, Makdongi was sitting on the edge of the main wooden floor, blankly staring at the setting sun in the sky. When he saw Yunhyeong approaching, he stood up and bowed his head.

“I heard that you had me treated and took care of me so I could rest. Thank you very much.”

“Why are you out here when you have not fully recovered yet.”

“Now that I am awake, I must go back. I cannot keep lying in your lordship’s residence. I was waiting to bid you farewell before leaving.”

“Never mind that, stay here for a few more days and rest.”

“If I do that, I will be in big trouble. If I get kicked out of the Office of Royal Stables for playing around without working as I please, I have nowhere else to go.”

“It is my order, so do not talk back any further and just eat your dinner.”

Yunhyeong ignored Makdongi, who was looking at him with a flustered expression, and called his personal servant, telling him to prepare a meal for Makdongi.

When Yunhyeong went to the guest room after finishing his own dinner, Makdongi was asleep, curled up in a corner without even spreading out the bedding. Yunhyeong covered his body with a blanket and quietly left the room.

The next day, after arriving at the Office of Royal Stables for work, Yunhyeong conducted a final inspection and looked over the horses to be used in the king’s procession, then spoke to the geodals.

“There must not be the slightest mistake in His Majesty the King’s procession. Observe the condition of the horses meticulously and manage them thoroughly so that no problems arise.”

“Yes, my lord.”

However, Jang Geonung was not among the assembled geodals. Yunhyeong called over the elderly geodal he had spoken with before and asked about Jang Geonung’s whereabouts.

“I sent him to the storage building because he needs to wipe the saddles and harnesses to be used for the procession and check the quantities.”

“Did he show any unusual behavior or act strangely?”

“To my eyes, he seemed the same as usual.”

If Jang Geonung were Makdongi’s lover, it would be natural for him to feel jealousy or anger, not knowing what Yunhyeong might do after taking Makdongi to his private residence.

However, he did not seem particularly agitated when Yunhyeong took Makdongi yesterday. Since he was said to be the same as usual today, it seemed unlikely that Jang Geonung harbored romantic feelings for Makdongi.

When Yunhyeong finished his work and returned home, Makdongi, who was playing with a puppy in a corner of the yard, clasped his hands and bowed his head. Yunhyeong strode over and asked.

“How is your body today.”

“It is much better. Thank you. I was waiting to bid you farewell and return after your lordship came back from work.”

“Your face is still very swollen and the bruising is severe, so it is not a pleasant sight. Stay for a few more days before you go.”

“But I….”

“Is there some problem?”

“I have never played around like this without doing any work, so I feel extremely anxious and uncomfortable.”

“Everyone must rest when they are sick. If you are bored, you can play with Nurongi like you were doing earlier. Since you take good care of horses, you must have become friends with this dog quickly. How is it?”

When Yunhyeong changed the subject, Makdongi hesitated for a moment, then answered calmly.

“Nurongi is very good. And I find animals easier to deal with than people.”

“How can a beast that cannot even speak be more comfortable than a person?”

“Beasts cannot lie and do not know how to hide their emotions. They do not treat people differently according to their social status, and they do not hit or curse without reason.”

It was an answer that Yunhyeong, who had lived his entire life as a wealthy and affluent noble, could never have imagined. As Yunhyeong remained silent, Makdongi crouched down and stroked Nurongi.

“And as you may already know, this Nurongi has a problem with his left eye.”

At Makdongi’s unexpected words, Yunhyeong tilted his head and asked back.

“Left eye? You mean there is some problem?”

“You did not know? He is likely in a state where he can barely see in front of him with his left eye.”

“Is that true? I did not notice at all….”

Makdongi narrowed his eyes and, with a slightly mean-looking expression, spoke as if ignoring Yunhyeong.

“It must be nice to be a nobleman. You can hold a high position in a place that handles animals like the Office of Royal Stables even though you know nothing about animals and do not even care.”

Any other nobleman would have immediately kicked him, spat, and cursed, but Yunhyeong only smiled faintly.

“Indeed. I shall reflect deeply on my failings. So, would you tell me what the problem is with Nurongi’s eye?”

Makdongi seemed surprised by Yunhyeong’s reaction. His bewilderment was brief, and he answered obediently.

“I will show you directly.”

Makdongi untied the band he had been wearing around his forehead and wrapped it around Nurongi’s head, covering his right eye. He threw a ball made of bundled straw into the yard. Fling. But Nurongi just wandered back and forth in confusion, unable to fetch the ball, and only barked. Woof woof.

This time, Makdongi covered Nurongi’s left eye and threw the ball. Then, this time, Nurongi quickly ran, snatched the ball, and came back.

“My goodness. That is truly surprising. I had no idea all this time.”

As Yunhyeong expressed his admiration, Makdongi rubbed the belly of Nurongi, who was lying sprawled on his back in the yard, with the palm of his hand. Swipe swipe.

“Living with only one eye can easily lead to fatigue and illness. He might also bump into things here and there because he cannot gauge distances well.”

“Now that you mention it, that makes sense.”

“Sometimes horses also have such issues when they get old or sick, and those horses are immediately kicked out of the Office of Royal Stables because it is dangerous for high-ranking people to ride them. My heart truly ached every time that happened.”

“Do you like horses that much?”

“Yes. To me, horses are the most wonderful animals in the world. I want to live with horses until the day I die.”

When he talked about horses, Makdongi’s face seemed to light up.

“Then what do you think would be best for Nurongi? Do you think he can get better with treatment?”

“Pardon? Are you perhaps asking for my thoughts right now?”

“What a silly question. Who else is here besides you.”

At Yunhyeong’s words, Makdongi replied in a surprised voice.

“I am just a mere slave, not a physician, and other noble lords never ask slaves such questions.”

Only then could Yunhyeong understand why Makdongi had shown such an attitude.

To both nobles and common people, a slave was not a person but closer to a ‘beast that can understand human words and do as it is told.’ The act of a man with a high rank of Junior Third Grade asking for his opinion and seeking advice was something that Makdongi, a slave, found difficult to accept readily.

“I started raising this dog at my previous post and brought him here, so it has been over a year since we have lived together. Yet, neither I nor any of the servants in this house noticed that Nurongi’s left eye could not see.”

“……”

“But you noticed it in just one day of staying here, did you not. Therefore, it is only natural to ask for your thoughts. Regardless of whether one is a noble or a slave, is it not proper for one who does not know much to receive teaching from one who knows more?”

“Teaching, you say, that is not appropriate. If I may dare to state my thoughts, Nurongi was not injured or sick, but was probably born like this, so using medicine now will be useless. However, having him live with another, younger dog might be helpful to Nurongi.”

“Another dog, you say?”

“Dogs are affectionate animals that follow people well and get along closely with their parents and siblings. If he lives with a young puppy with two perfectly fine eyes, the two can go around together and that dog will be able to help Nurongi. It can help him avoid obstacles and warn him if there is danger.”

“Oho….”

“Then, even if his right eye gets worse than it is now, he can rely on that dog and live without great difficulty. Of course, this would require having the means to feed two dogs when there is not even enough food for people.”

“I will think about it. Thank you for the good advice.”

“It is nothing compared to the care your lordship has shown me.”

Makdongi smiled shyly, looking embarrassed. Although his face was a mess, swollen and bruised here and there with even his lips split, seeing him smile for the first time gave Yunhyeong a strange feeling.

At the same time, he felt a sincere pity for the fact that a person so intelligent and knowledgeable about animals would never escape the work of cleaning up horse dung and stables for his entire life due to the shackles of being a slave.

While he had Makdongi with him, Yunhyeong often talked with him and found that he was quite smart for a slave. Although he could not read, he was quick to understand any story, and perhaps because he had lived his whole life cautiously observing others’ moods, he seemed to help with the household chores on his own without anyone telling him to.

A few days passed like that, and Makdongi, whose body had recovered a great deal, returned to the Office of Royal Stables with Yunhyeong when he went to work early in the morning. Before entering the path that split off toward the stables, Makdongi bowed deeply to Yunhyeong, then clasped his hands and said.

“Thank you so much for taking care of me all this time. I will never forget the grace your lordship has bestowed upon me.”

“You keep bowing over such a trivial matter. The thanks are enough. His Majesty the King’s procession is this afternoon and everyone will be busy, so you too should go and lend a hand quickly.”

“I will do so, my lord. Please take care.”

Watching Makdongi’s back as he bid farewell and headed for the stables, Yunhyeong recalled the conversation he had with him at his private residence just the evening before.

「By the way, if, hypothetically, you were to be freed from servitude, what would you want to do with your life, Makdongi.」

「Pardon? Freed from servitude? I have never thought about that.」

「Why not? Is being freed not the dream that all people of the lowest class carry in their hearts?」

「It is less painful to not even imagine things that can never happen to me.」