Chapter 24
“I should have noticed earlier.”
He had foolishly dismissed her high temperature and fatigue from travel as nothing serious.
Rage surged within him at his own complacency.
Eun Sowol noticed Dok Go-ryong’s trembling fist and gently placed her small hand over it.
“I’m really okay. Just a few nights of sleep and I’ll be fine. It’s always been like this.”
“…It’s always been like this?”
“Yeah. Mom said I get fevers often because I have a weak body.”
Since turning five, she hadn’t been seriously sick, so she’d forgotten. But before that, she had been ill frequently—fevers almost every month were so common she didn’t even recognize it as illness.
“So don’t worry too much. I’m fine, really.”
Her tiny hand patted his clenched fist. Dok Go-ryong sighed deeply and gently sat her on his lap.
“Other than the fever, does anything else hurt?”
“Um… My head hurts a little.”
“What else?”
“And… I’m sleepy…”
“…So that’s why you slept like a sick chick the whole trip.”
“Hey! Who are you calling a sick chick…!”
She pouted and glared at him with all her might, but his eyes looked unusually hollow.
Dok Go-ryong grabbed a blanket nearby and began wrapping it around her.
Like a tiny cocoon, Eun Sowol was soon tightly bundled, unable to move. She leaned into his chest, comforted by his hand gently patting her back.
“Next time you feel even a little feverish—or anything at all—tell me. Got it?”
“…Okay.”
The steady pat on her back, the faint heartbeat she heard through his chest, and the warm body heat…
“This feels nice.”
It was like being held by her mother again.
A soft smile crept across her face.
“Hmm…”
The physician brought by Lee Ji-cheol began examining Eun Sowol.
She suddenly recalled what that bratty kid had said once:
“You’re going to die soon, right?”
“You didn’t know? Guess the Medicine Hall head didn’t tell you anything, huh?”
At the time, she thought it was just a spiteful taunt. But now, an uneasy feeling crept up—what if something really was wrong with her?
“This is taking forever. Is this guy even legit?” Dok Go-ryong grumbled as the examination dragged on.
“You brat! This is Namyang’s most esteemed physician! I went through hell to get him here and you’re insulting him?”
“I’m just saying, if he’s so great, why’s he taking so long to give a diagnosis?”
Eun Sowol noticed the physician’s hand trembling as he held her wrist.
Is it taking longer because Uncle is getting on his nerves?
“Hmm!” The physician finally let go of her wrist and glanced at Dok Go-ryong from head to toe.
“You the guardian?”
“That’s right.”
The physician paused for a moment, looking puzzled.
“Is she your daughter?”
“She’s my niece. Is something wrong?”
“Well, then it’s possible you’re not aware of her condition.”
“Condition? Are you saying she’s ill?”
Eyes wide, Dok Go-ryong tensed, and Lee Ji-cheol leapt in shock.
“Is it something serious?”
With a troubled look, the physician slowly nodded.
“I believe she has Jeolmaek Syndrome.”
“…Jeolmaek?”
“Yes.”
Jeolmaek Syndrome was a congenital condition where one’s internal energy was so strong that it blocked their meridians, disrupting the flow of qi.
It was notoriously hard to treat and often led to a shortened lifespan—basically considered an incurable disease.
“Wait… I have Jeolmaek?”
Eun Sowol was stunned. Then, she tried to object.
“I-I’m healthy! Before coming here, I went camping with Uncle for days and walked long distances! Okay, I have a fever now, but that’s not—!”
“I found it odd too, so I double-checked. Tell me, child, have you ever taken any elixirs before?”
“Elixirs?”
“Yes. Jeolmaek is a congenital disease—it usually shows at birth. So your parents must have known. Maybe they gave you something to help.”
Lowering her head, Eun Sowol’s voice began to tremble.
“M-Mom… used to go into the mountains to gather herbs. She always said I had to take medicine to stay healthy. Even before she collapsed…”
She stopped.
She remembered the day her mother was bitten by a viper. Even as she broke out in cold sweat, she ground the herbs she had picked for her daughter.
“If it weren’t for me… If I hadn’t been sick, she…”
Dok Go-ryong flicked her forehead lightly.
“Don’t go thinking nonsense. You’re blaming yourself for your mother’s death, aren’t you?”
He hit the nail on the head, and she went quiet.
“She just went to gather herbs like she always did. The viper bite was bad luck. She probably climbed those mountains many times before.”
Indeed, Dok Go-hwa-yeong often went herb-picking.
“A parent would sell their soul for their child. If you keep torturing yourself, she’ll never rest peacefully.”
“Tch. Did he really have to phrase it like that?”
It sounded harsh, but it did comfort her—just a bit.
Then Dok Go-ryong asked the physician,
“What kind of Jeolmaek is it? There are different types, right?”
That’s right! There are many types—Sam-eum Jeolmaek, Gu-eum Jeolmaek, Gu-yang Jeolmaek…
Some were treatable. Hopefully hers was one of them.
“I’m afraid I can’t say.”
“Huh?”
“I’ve been a physician for over 20 years, but I’ve never seen a case like this.”
“You’re saying… you don’t know?”
When the physician nodded, both Dok Go-ryong and Eun Sowol frowned deeply.
Is this guy even legit?
“I’ve seen many cases of Jeolmaek—including a woman with Gu-eum Jeolmaek. But this child’s symptoms are unlike anything I’ve seen!”
“How are we supposed to treat her if you don’t even know the type? You want us to sit back and watch her die?”
Dok Go-ryong’s temper exploded.
Ugh. Uncle’s blowing up for me, so I can’t really complain…
Feeling bad for the trembling physician, Eun Sowol gently patted Dok Go-ryong’s arm.
“Uncle, calm down. He’s not finished talking yet.”
Dok Go-ryong glanced at her, then turned back to the physician.
“…There is a way.”
“Don’t stall. Just say it.”
“We need to find the Living-Death Healer.”
“…”
“…”
Raising his index finger and smiling awkwardly, the physician immediately earned Dok Go-ryong rising from his seat and rolling up his sleeves.
“You little—!”
“Ahh! Please spare me!”
“Ryong! Calm down!”
“Uncle, hit him once for me too.”
As Lee Ji-cheol desperately restrained Dok Go-ryong, Eun Sowol fanned the flames.
“You think the Living-Death Healer is some neighborhood dog? That guy’s a legend people rarely ever see!”
“There’s another option!”
“Spit it out before I—!”
“The Sacheon Dang Clan!”
Dok Go-ryong froze.
“The elder of their Medicine Hall—he’s second only to the Living-Death Healer in skill!”
Silence fell. Dok Go-ryong and Eun Sowol sat back down as the physician composed himself.
“Go on.”
“Well… Sacheon is famous for its poisons, but that means their medicine expertise is top-notch too. The elder, Dangpae, is known as the ‘Divine Doctor of Sichuan.’”
“Hmmm…”
“Of course, as a clan elder, he’s not easy to meet. But it’s far more realistic than chasing a ghost like the Living-Death Healer.”
“So you’re sure this elder can diagnose her?”
“He should. Most likely…”
“Most likely?”
“No—yes! I’m certain! Elder Dangpae has never failed to diagnose a patient. He’ll surely identify her condition right away!”
The physician quickly reversed course, trying to avoid Dok Go-ryong’s wrath.
