court lady/ palace woman/ Gungnyeo : women waiting on the king and other royalty in traditional Korean society. They should have their eyes to look at the King only ,or they will face the death penalty

“She’s still at it today”

“Oh, that’s not good. Is she being rude to you?”

“Not much, but she keeps complaining about anything in front of her, might be her stress”

“I think so, you know being the court lady in the royal kitchen is not that easy. You have to be much talented or be born in one rich family”

“But her face was quite pale, I don’t think she’s healthy, aside from her stresses”

Now, Seungwan does not know much about this ‘she’ that everyone keeps complaining. However, in the late afternoon of these days, those lady physicians who have to take care of the court ladies at their quarters always came back and start complaining about this ‘she’ in the medicine room.

And Seungwan always happened to be there, doing her work, preparing medicines by prescription.

“Seungwan, has you been to her quarters yet?” being called by her best friend Seulgi, she put down the herb in her hand, and joined the conversation of her best friend along with Yerim, another physician lady here.

“Um. No, not yet. I think.”

She and Seulgi, we are physician ladies who were studying in the same batch and got into the royal palace together. Yerim has just got in a few months, so taking care of those court ladies (known as gungnyeo) is her main work for now.

“Then, can you go? I mean, poor Yerim. She has to take care of this moody court lady three days in a row now” Seulgi turned to me and gave her bear eyes, also Yerim. Of course, Seungwan won’t mind, a duty is a duty, it’s something that has to be done.

“Alright, I will go and check her out tomorrow, where is she?”

“Oh, she’s a kitchen court lady, Bae Joohyun is her name”

.

.

Being a lady is not easy in Great Joseon, as well as being a lady physician. Seungwan is always aware of that, but the eagerness to learn and become a physician is always won, and here she is. Doing her dream job in the royal palace and keeps learning every single day.

“Excuse me, may I go in?” She knocked the wall of the quarters a few times, waiting for some welcome response or else. Eyes wandering around the quarters of these court ladies. We, the physicians don’t have the quarters in the palace because we don’t have to stay and can go back home every day after our work is done.

But these court ladies can’t, high nobility status of them is exchanged with some kinds of freedom and big changes in their life. The King’s ladies should stay in the palace, not outside.

“Um. I will go in now?”
 

Standing still, Seungwan doesn’t know what to do next. She keeps looking around for someone who might be any helps.

“Oh, you might be here for Joohyun.”

As if anybody heard her pleading talk inside her mind, one court lady approached her and greeted her first with such a beautiful bow.

Bowing to the physician first, before Seungwan even turned back.

Such a person with good courtesy.

“Yes, I’m not sure if this is her quarters”

“Oh yes— yes, it is. She is here. Um, I’m Park Sooyoung, the kitchen worker lady. I’m the one who requested for the physician, thank you for checking on my friend” Seungwan nodded, with her hand carrying her equipment box.

“She didn’t answer my knock so—”

“She doesn’t answer anyone. I mean— She’s quite moody these days” Sooyoung answered with a worrying look on her face. There might be a very close friend of each other, Seungwan took a mental note for herself.

“But you can come in, with me, please” Sooyoung open the door and gestured Seungwan to go in first, which Seungwan followed. But as soon as Sooyoung is gonna come into the quarters with her, there’s a voice that called her first.

“Sooyoung-ah!”

“Yes, Lady Kim” Seungwan saw one of sanggung, the court lady of higher rank with her green hanbok. They’re talking about something Seungwan doesn’t quite catch up to, and Sooyoung walked back to the front of the door with an apologetic smile.

“Sorry, it’s urgent. I have to go. Please take care of my friend” As Sooyoung is a Kitchen worker lady, she assumed that Sooyoung has to go somewhere or do something as that Lady commanded.

She bowed again before she left.

Here she goes.

“Excuse me, I’m here to check on your health” She sat and voiced out to the sleeping woman but she didn’t move a single inch.

“Excuse me—”

“I thought I said to your friend yesterday that you don’t have to check on me” So, she isn’t sleeping.

“With all due respect, it’s our duty to be concerned about your health, and your face doesn’t look so healthy now” She still didn’t move even a bit. Seungwan sighed. At least, she’s off with a good star because this court lady doesn’t seem to be that much moody.

“I’m good”

“Please let me check for your pulse” Seungwan requested for her hand

“It’s loud and clear, even I should be better just dying” Now, Seungwan can’t pretend that she didn’t hear that.

“Excuse me, but the court lady can’t die in the palace, and you know that”

“Then send me off” This lady sure wants to test her patience.

“I have to know that you have what disease before send you off, it’s a protocol—”

“You’re so noisy!” An unexpected loud voice of her came with a flying pillow in Seungwan face. And guess what, she didn’t have that much patience, no more.

“Hey! I swear I’ll report this to—”

Even if she knows that it’s useless because the status of a lady physician is far lower than the court lady, she just blurted something out of irritation,

But none of those sentences is finished because as soon as she picked up the pillow from the floor and looked up at the moody lady, Seungwan saw a beautiful, charming, and delicate lady with drops of tears along her red cheeks that made Seungwan realize, that maybe her words are too harsh

Her face is quite pale as Yerim said, but Seungwan spots nothing serious. Her eyes are teary red, might because she’s been crying for a long time. She keeps staring at Seungwan, her eyes filled with the feeling of annoyance.

“Um”

“You will report me to who? Just a lady physician, don’t be so cocky with that so smart brain”

Usually, Seungwan is a very calm person, and she’s very aware that this lady just spatted things out of because of her sadness.

But it might be her tone that pissed her off, those realizations have just gone.

“At least my smarter brain can h