“Master, that patient is really pretty.” 

“Which one? We’ve seen so many people today,” Doctor Oh sighs. “That reminds me, are you sleeping here again tonight?”

The apprentice blushes and averts his eyes, “Yes… Master is too tired to look after Miss Yong.”

“Ah. Is she the really pretty patient you’re referring to?” Doctor Oh places a cheeky finger on his smirk. “You know, her father is a scary person. How are you going to impress him? Also, let’s not ignore the fact that her father and I hate each other’s guts.”

“I know. I’m going to go buy some sweets, then I’ll come back to make dinner, Master.”

The young man runs out. 

Doctor Oh takes a tray of medical supplies and goes upstairs. He knocks and announces his entrance. The girl sits upright with her face turned to the window as if watching the sunset. The warm light makes her face illuminate a soft and healthy blush but her eyes are cold. 

“Let’s change your bandages.”

The girl glances at Doctor Oh and lifts her shirt, revealing the old bandages. After redoing the bandages, Doctor Oh notes, “The wound looks fresh and seems to be healing along well. But is it too painful to bear? Are you hurt?”

“Fine.”

“I’ll get going. Sungho will bring you your dinner shortly.”

As soon as Doctor Oh is out of the room, he wipes his cold sweats, straightens his weak legs, and tells himself, Why am I walking on eggshells around her? This is my house. Well, at least she’s his daughter and not mine. The moment she’s well, I’m giving her back.

“Why are you standing there like a coward, Master?” Sungho raises an eyebrow as he walks upstairs. 

Doctor Oh clicks his tongue, “You’ll understand when you’re an adult.”

“Master has feelings for Miss Yong?”

“No. How did you even get that idea?” Doctor Oh pinches the apprentice’s cheek. “She is a frightening teenage girl.”

“Master is scared of a little girl?” 

Doctor Oh pauses for a while, then laughs and goes downstairs for dinner.

Sungho shakes off the tired irritation and knocks on the door with a smile on his face. He enters with a tray of soup and sweets. 

Yong narrows her brows and presses her lips, ignoring the face of the boy but watching the honey sesame cookie carefully. It is odd to her that this boy goes out of his way to bring a sweet with a meal every time. 

On a different note, since she gained consciousness this morning, she has yet to see those new parents of hers or her slow little brother. Did they abandon her because she probably won’t recover from this wound? Or is it because she’s too old and they only want the baby so they can play house with it? 

“You should eat the sesame cookie again this time too. Your father explicitly told me to buy you a sweet with every meal.” Sungho places the tray of food beside the bed and sits back to watch Yong eat. 

Her pale nose twitches, revealing her confused thoughts. She sighs and picks up the spoon for the soup. 

Sungho gets up and closes the window. He turns back and says to her, “Your father will be here to see you tomorrow. Are you happy?”

“Why would I be?” She answers after a moment of silence.

“Why not? Everyone does not get to have an attentive father. Take me for example, I never get to see my father even when I request an audience.”

Yong places the spoon beside the bowl of soup and takes the sesame cookie. She has eaten more sweets in the past two days than she has in her entire life. She has pretended to dislike sweets or be too grown up for sweets in front of Young. But here, no one but she gets to eat it, and even if she doesn't, no one is going to take it from her. She can’t save it for Young either since she doesn’t know when Eunwoo will come to pick her up.

“I see. Are all town people like that?”

Sungho smiles and shakes his head, “Nope. Not all town people. What else would you like to know about me?”

She breaks her sesame cookie in half and hands him half.

“It’s okay. Your father bought them for you, you should eat all of them. I’m a man. I don’t like sweets.”

“A man? Where?” Yong looks around the room.

“Ha.” Sungho scratches the back of his head with a flustered laugh, “You got me. But I’m almost a man. I don’t need sweets. Finish that and the soup, then I’ll bring your medicine and another cookie.”

Yong places the half cookie at the edge of the tray and eats her half. Other than sweets, she doesn’t have an appetite for food. However, she still eats anyway because she thinks it’s too wasteful to leave it uneaten. After all, she needs to eat every meal she can get. 

Sungho goes out and brings in a small bowl of medicine and another sesame cookie. The color of the medicine is disturbing, black. It doesn’t smell edible. 

He gives her the medicine first and shows off the reward so that she’ll drink it. He laughs, “It’s only a little bitter. My Master says that medicine is bitter because poison is sweet.”

“So you’ve been poisoning me?”

“Ah? Oh, no. Um, I think that was just a saying, you know. The sweets I gave you are not poisonous.”

Yong grinds her teeth as she picks up the bowl of dark medicine. She drinks it in one go and shoves the sesame cookie into her mouth right afterward. 

A substantially large smile is drawn on Sungho’s face. He is fascinated by Yong, who he thinks is beautiful and courageous. 

The following day, there is lots of noise downstairs like usual but Yong hears footsteps going up the stairs after Sungho has gone to take her tray down. There is a knock on the door, and Sungho calls, “Your father and little brother are here to see you.”

“Dok—Young!” 

The door opens and Eunwoo gestures for her to stay in bed. Sungho excuses himself. 

“Noona! I miss you!” The little boy rushes to her bedside with a brimming smile. He turns his head toward Eunwoo, “Appa, help Young sit on the bed with noona.”

“Alright, but don’t get too close. You might hurt your sister.”

Eunwoo sits on the chair that Sungho usually sat on, and he watches the two siblings catching up. He sees how Yong pats Young’s head, checks his ears and limbs, and couldn’t stop herself from pinching the fatter cheeks.

“And then, Appa taught me how to grind the ink stone properly. I’ll show you how and we can write and draw all day.” 

Yong glances at Eunwoo, “I’m a girl. Knowing how to write and draw will only take money out of the bag. And you’re not a real boy either. Don’t bother Ahjussi so much.”

“Then why would I adopt you both for? If not to invest in your future?” Eunwoo narrows his brows, feeling a little saddened. “If I wanted slaves, I would’ve bought slaves. And if I wanted sons, I would’ve adopted boys. I adopted you both to be Minjun and my children, so I will treat you as such.”

“Did I ask you to adopt us?” Yong rolls her eyes, “It wasn’t even your idea. Don’t act like my father just because you adopted me. I didn’t ask for a new father.”

“Yong, you’re right. I apologize. However, we are guardian and child now. I am not here to replace your father. As your guardian, I do things I believe are in your best interest. Also, I ask that we respect each other as human beings, and we do that by addressing each other accordingly. I don’t expect you to call me father, uncle is fine.”

The youngest in the room has teary eyes and covers his ears. He doesn’t understand why Yong is acting this way when Eunwoo and Minjun have treated them like their children. He has finally experienced what it's like being hugged and cuddled in a home of loving parents, so why can’t his sister just enjoy this life with him? 

Yong pulls Young closer to her, “Isn’t Ahjussi here to meet six bad men? I’ll watch Young until then.”

“Stay with your sister, Young. Appa will be back in a while and we’ll go home.”

“Okay!” Although Young doesn’t want Eunwoo to leave, he tries to be a good child. 

Eunwoo goes downstairs. It is quiet. Doctor Oh is sitting by the counter, drinking tea and going through the rough calculations. His whole expression is sharp and handsome. He looks up to see Eunwoo coming down the stairs and snickers joyously. 

“Have you never seen a modern man going down ancient stairs?”

“That’s not it.” Doctor Oh returns to the papers in hand, “How is it like having a teenage daughter? Walking on eggshells?”

“So you’re scared of her too.”

Doctor Oh clicks his tongue, unwilling to admit it in front of Eunwoo. To change the subject, “I went ahead and looked at the final answer. So the solar eclipse is happening in one hundred and six days, early summer.”

“Based on the assumptions I made and stated there, yes.”

“Well, that’s good. I hear it’s a bad sign if a baby is born during a solar eclipse. Since witchcraft is real, I can only assume bad omens are real too. Good thing your wife will give birth in a month or so. Have you picked—”

“My wife is only five months pregnant.”

“What?” Doctor Oh slams the papers onto the counter. “He’s so big… Could it be twins?”

“We don’t think so. His dream is only of a singular dragon.” 

Doctor Oh rubs his chin, “I mean, you’re pretty much a giant and your wife is only of average build for this period… Have you guys picked out a midwife? You’ll need a very experienced one. That baby is going to be huge. It’ll be very hard on your wife.”

“I was going to ask you.”

“Me?” Doctor Oh is flabbergasted. “Didn’t I tell you my field of expertise is internal medicine? I have no experience in obstetrics or gynecology.”

Eunwoo walks over and presses his large hands down on Doctor Oh’s shoulders, “Please. I have no one else. I can only depend on you for this.”

“Fuck off. You think that’ll work on me?”

“You’re a genius doctor. You can solve any problem and perform any surgery that comes your way.”

Doctor Oh blushes and snickers, “You’re right, I am a genius doctor. Tell me about your wife’s family pregnancy history, and also yours.”

“Both of our mothers died giving birth to us,” Eunwoo says with an enlightened laugh. “Please Doctor, we need you and your advanced medical knowledge.”

The light seems to fade from Doctor Oh’s eyes as his jaw drops. 

“Don’t look so defeated, genius doctor. Please help us through this pregnancy. I’ll never get my wife pregnant again.” Still, Eunwoo’s smile is gentle and warm. 

Although Doctor Oh is much shorter than Eunwoo, he grabs Eunwoo’s collar, “You better not be a deadbeat husband and father. And you better treasure him like a goddess, or I’ll kill you myself and marry your wife.”

“I am. I promise. I love him to death.”

“Go and quickly finish your business here today. Bring your wife next time you come to see your scary teenage daughter again.”