Treatment

Bangja’s condition, as his eyes rolled back, deteriorated with each passing moment.

With a thud, the couple who had been eating in the next room opened the door and came in.

“Dear, quickly, a blanket.”

The woodcutter acted swiftly. He had his wife clear the table and prepare bedding.

While his wife prepared a place to lay the patient down, the woodcutter loosened Bangja’s clothes.

The smell of sweat stung his nose, but he didn’t show it and silently continued his work.

Perhaps he really didn’t mind, I thought.

“Hmm….”

Examining Bangja’s body, he made a sound, his gaze fixed on one spot. I followed his gaze and saw Bangja’s cheek, where there was a faint trace of a wound.

The red and blotchy rash that was rising on Bangja’s body looked serious even to my untrained eye.

Massaging his legs and examining the rash on his body, the woodcutter asked me,

“Did you happen to see a tree with dark green leaves while crossing the mountain, sir? The leaves are more pointed than others.”

Ah—I think I saw something like that.

“I’m not sure, but I think I saw it….”

“Did you perhaps come through a path that people don’t usually use when you crossed the pass?”

“Bangja said he used the path that merchants use, so that’s not it.”

“Is that so? Hmm….”

“Can you tell me what’s going on?”

“There’s a tree called Sudokmok. Its leaves are darker than others and have a pointed shape.”

“Sudokmok, is it.”

“The leaves of the Sudokmok have a poison that repels insects. In my opinion, this man seems to be poisoned by the Sudokmok poison. But….”

“But?”

“Actually, Sudokmok is a tree that can only be found deep in the mountains. I don’t know why Sudokmok is even on the path that people pass by.”

He moved Bangja onto the bedding that his wife had prepared and began to wipe his body with a wet cloth.

There was a significant difference between the areas where the cloth had passed and those that hadn’t.

“If I only listen to the explanation, it seems to be a quite dangerous tree. A tree that contains poison is the first time I’ve heard of it in my life. Joseon is wide, indeed.”

“That’s also a bit strange, actually.”

Strange things are abundant.

I shifted my gaze from Bangja to the woodcutter, and he cleared his throat and began to explain.

“It’s true that Sudokmok has poison. And the symptoms that have appeared on this person’s body are also the same as those of Sudokmok. However, this is the first time I’ve seen someone so intoxicated that they’ve lost consciousness.”

“Isn’t it possible that Bangja’s constitution is different from others, so he reacted more sensitively?”

“Ah… I’m just an ignorant person, so I don’t know much about the realm of medicine, sir.”

He bowed his head apologetically, and I patted his shoulder to indicate that it was okay.

“There’s no need to apologize. Well… it seems like we know the cause roughly, so now we need to treat him. Is there a doctor in this village? If there is, I’d like you to guide me. I will compensate you.”

“There is no doctor in our village, but there is one in the village two over. The distance is quite far, and the day has already settled, so it’s very dangerous to move now, sir.”

“Is that so….”

I trailed off and looked at Bangja again.

Bangja’s breathing was labored, and the color of the rash was getting darker, and its size was getting bigger. It was definitely a sign that his condition was getting worse.

“Um, sir.”

The woodcutter, who was looking at my complicated face, opened his mouth as if something had occurred to him.

“There is a way, though.”

I looked at him.

“It’s a way to get through the situation, but….”

The woodcutter muttered to himself and left the room. After a very short wait, I could see him coming into the room with something in his hand.

“What is that?”

On the woodcutter’s rough hand, like a turtle shell, lay a dried flower.

“Geumancho (Golden Eye Herb).”

“Geumancho?”

Although the color had faded, looking at the color of the dried leaves, it was a dull yellow. If it were a fresh flower, it would probably be a bright and pretty yellow.

“Yes. It’s used as a medicinal herb, so I picked a few. I heard from the doctor that it has detoxification effects.”

While I craned my neck to get a better look at the Geumancho, the woodcutter had his wife bring warm water.

At the woodcutter’s words, his wife quickly brought hot water.

“It’s a temporary measure, but it will improve his condition.”

The woodcutter, gauging the temperature of the water, said, folding his palms together.

As the woodcutter rubbed his hands together, the dried flower crumbled and fell onto the hot water.

As he stirred the water with a spoon, the color of the water in the cup turned yellow, as if it had inherited the color of the flower. It felt like spring had settled down.

At the same time as the color of the water changed, a strong fragrance wafted up.

Sweet yet refreshing, making one’s mind hazy….

The smell of the flower that I had smelled while climbing the hill filled the room.

“The fragrance of Geumancho is quite strong.”

“It seems so. I think I smelled it while climbing the hill.”

“It seems that Geumancho grows in this area. Just one flower emits enough fragrance to fill the room, so in spring, the mountain will probably be covered with the fragrance of Geumancho.”

The woodcutter said, looking at me reacting to the fragrance. He handed me the cup.

“Drinking this will reduce the fever and rash. However, it’s a temporary measure, so you must see a doctor tomorrow when it’s bright.”

The woodcutter emphasized again and again that I should see a doctor when it was bright.

I nodded and poured the water infused with Geumancho into Bangja’s mouth, little by little, with a spoon.

It wasn’t because Bangja was a precious being to me that I enthusiastically started his treatment.

I started his treatment in order to live here.

It wasn’t out of goodwill, but out of calculation.

Even in an unconscious state, Bangja swallowed the Geumancho-infused water well.

“We’ll be leaving now.”

After what felt like 30 minutes, when the rash that had spread on Bangja’s body subsided, the woodcutter said.

“Thank you. I’ve been a lot of trouble.”

Feeling awkward, I gave my thanks, and the woodcutter bowed his head even lower.

“Ah.”

Before opening the door and leaving, the woodcutter turned to me as if he had just thought of something.

“Sometimes the patient will talk nonsense, but it’s not a big deal, so you don’t have to worry about it.”

“Nonsense?”

“It’s because of the anesthetic effect of Geumancho.”

“I see.”

With that, the woodcutter left. I spent the night sleeping lightly next to Bangja.

As the woodcutter said, Bangja occasionally uttered words between nonsense and sleep talking, but there was nothing particularly interesting.

As the sun rose, heralding the next day, I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw Bangja, who was as lively as if nothing had happened.