Episode 5
“I’m back. What were you doing?”
Look, I told you not to let your guard down.
Though I realized it from way down there, the child had already woken up. Choyoon tenderly announced their return as they opened the rickety door of the garden fence and entered.
‘I’m back, I’ll be back. This should be done as a basic manner.’
There was no response from inside. It was a natural reaction since the child had been told not to speak until their throat got better, but it was slightly different in Chunyoh’s case.
Choyoon first opened the wooden door and checked the situation inside. A small child with tousled black hair like a crow was sitting listlessly on the bed. The child didn’t give Choyoon even a glance, staring blankly into space, which looked quite pitiful.
“You woke up. Is your throat okay? You didn’t feel any chest tightness?”
Choyoon lightly touched the child’s wrist and neck while sitting beside the bed. They assessed the child’s condition through the slight vibrations and energy transmitted from the acupressure points and then pressed various parts of the child’s thin back.
Chunyo’s pitch-black eyes, just like their hair, were fixed on some spot on the floor, without any movement. But a teacher is someone who should act persistently even when there is no response.
Choyoon gently took out a wooden comb from a small drawer and combed the child’s hair while speaking tenderly.
“Sa-yeong and Sa-hyun went down the mountain to buy dinner. We’re planning to use chicken soup to boost your energy for a while. If there’s something you can’t eat or a particular taste you like, let me know now.”
“……”
“You seem well enough to take medicine, so from tomorrow, I’ll give you pills along with the herbal decoction. They might taste astringent and sour, but you have to hold them in your mouth and let them melt to moisten your parched throat.”
The child still didn’t respond. Choyoon quietly combed the child’s tangled hair and tied it neatly with a white silk ribbon. Having previously dealt with Sa-yeong and Sa-hyun’s hair, Choyoon seemed to be quite skillful at it.
‘How can you do it so well but leave the kids’ hair in that state? Those who eat their meals with knives, damn it.’
Choyoon criticized herself inwardly, twisting her lips in a slight smirk. Remembering the children’s hair, which had been completely tangled when she first met them, Choyoon felt annoyed at ‘Choyoon’s’ neglectful teaching methods.
Of course, ‘Choyoon’ was just an indifferent person who neither knew how nor saw the need to touch children’s hair, but that wasn’t important to Jeong Ha-yoon.
How neglected must the kids have been for them to be so happy when their hair was brushed? Remembering how Sa-yeong and Sa-hyun were delighted with their neat hair made Ha-yoon feel internally twisted.
‘No, from now on, I’ll just do better.’
Choyoon organized her thoughts and patted the child’s shoulder, saying.
“Just sitting or lying won’t be such a good way to recover. If you’re okay with it, would you help me?”
For the first time, the child responded. Choyoon looked down at Chunyo’s pitch-black eyes staring at them and showed the warmest smile she could muster.
It’s said that the best remedy for a depressed child is self-directed sensory experience learning.
◇
The child, who had come out after a long time, seemed to have difficulty walking and staggered. Choyoon naturally stood by the child’s side, letting them lean on her shoulder. Then, she spoke to the child who reflexively squinted against the bright sunlight.
“I’ll find you a sunny spot nearby, so look for the rolled-up bamboo mat in the yard. Be careful not to trip and hurt your knees.”
The child turned around to fetch the bamboo mat without saying anything. Watching this, Choyoon thought to herself.
‘Seeing them respond when asked for help, they don’t seem so bad…’
In the original work, even the character Chunjino was described as an ‘impressive antagonist’. A character who was strong, cold-hearted but not dirty. They even killed their subordinates who tried to hinder the protagonist with filthy tricks. They had enough charisma and philosophy of their own, and there was enough reason for them to walk the opposite path, hating the Baekhyopmaeng and the orthodox Murim.
‘So, maybe if I raise them well… they won’t become a villain? Early education shapes one’s personality for a lifetime, after all.’
Choyoon thought hard, looking for a sunny spot among the trees. In fact, there was a spot already noticed on the way here. It was a flat rock outside the fence, a bit of a walk away.
The refreshing morning sunlight was shining down there. Taking in the sunlight all over their body, Choyoon turned to look at the child. Holding a bamboo mat in their arms, they were walking gingerly.
The piercingly black eyes that flew towards her felt vividly intense. Perhaps it was because of its purity and instinctive nature of a child. Choyoon felt unsettled in a corner of her heart for some reason.
Without showing it, Choyoon pointed to the rock below.
“Spread the mat widely here.”
Despite staggering steps, the child carefully placed their feet on the ground. The cloth shoes seemed a bit too large for them.
‘Could it be since they were Sa-yeong’s shoes when she was eight? Well, at that age, kids grow up fast. Falling on the mountain path could be serious, so I should get them fitted shoes soon.’
The child’s clothing was the same. It was something Choyoon barely found rummaging through the hut. Being only seven and quite skinny, the clothes were naturally loose on Chunyo.
Choyoon watched the child attentively. To foster a proper sense of independence, it was crucial not to take over a child’s tasks even if the person seemed to struggle.
Despite their unsteady walking, Chunyo was managing well. Finally, the distance between them narrowed to a few feet, and the small feet stepped into the sunlight surrounding Choyoon.
Thud─
The rugged mountain path finally caused trouble. Perhaps relaxing with the thought of reaching their destination. Chunyo tripped on a stone, falling forward.
If they fell on this path, their almost healed knees and shins would surely be hurt again. Chunyo instinctively shut their eyes, bracing for the impending pain.
But the ground their falling body met wasn’t hard. Choyoon, already standing before them, caught their falling body.
“Looks like the shoes are too big.”
Choyoon patted the child’s shoulder a few times in praise. Then naturally took the bamboo mat the child held onto even while falling and spread it out on the rock.
“Come here.”
When the child came closer, Choyoon scattered the rhododendron leaves she had hidden in her sleeve onto the mat. The child blinked a few times, surprised, with an expressionless face. Choyoon casually scattered the leaves with her hands and said.
“These are rhododendron leaves. They have numerous uses, living up to their name as 万病草 (all-illness grass). The leaves have a separate name, 石南葉 (southern rock leaves). They bloom white flowers in summer and look similar to the azaleas. Have you seen azaleas before?”
“……”
“They are dried in the sunlight like this and stored as medicinal herbs. Make sure every leaf gets the sunlight evenly. If you handle them forcefully, they’ll get ruined, so do it gently.”
Most importantly, given your injuries. Choyoon glanced down at the ever-silent child.
The child paused for a moment before cautiously approaching the rock and reaching out their hand. They carefully laid each dark green leaf neatly on the bamboo mat. Choyoon smiled contentedly and said.
“You have delicate hands. That will be useful.”
How does ‘Oh, my sweetie, you’re doing such a meticulous job!’ get translated into this? Is this the best you could do, Yakseon?
Choyoon bit the inside of her cheek hard. But at least the child didn’t seem displeased by the compliment (more specifically, there was no reaction as they went about their task), so that was a small relief.
Choyoon organized the herbs from the opposite side of the child and spoke.
“In summer, when the flowers are in full bloom, they emit a lovely fragrance, so these plants are also called 香樹 (fragrant trees). They grow twice as tall as me and are characterized by their evergreen leaves.”
“……”
“Even when the whole world is covered in snow, these trees stand out with their green leaves. With unyielding vitality, they became medicinal herbs that treat all illnesses.”
Besides that, they restore weakened energy, nurture the spleen and stomach, treat joint inflammations, and relieve pain and fever…
Choyoon’s herb-enthusiast talk went on for quite a while. It was practically like reading a professional herbal medicine book to a child instead of a fairy tale, so she wondered if the child would find it interesting. But once she started talking about herbs, she couldn’t stop.
Eventually, by the time all the herbs were sorted, Choyoon had finished explaining the two subtypes of rhododendron leaves. She looked at the child who had completed their task and spoke after mixing in some non-herbal conversation for the first time in a while.
“This should be enough. Sunbathing can be tiring when you lack energy, so let’s go inside.”
The child nodded slightly and stepped back. See, they said self-directed sensory experience learning helps boost a child’s energy. Choyoon smiled contentedly as she carried the child. Though the child hardened in surprise for a moment, soon they comfortably nestled in Choyoon’s embrace.
‘Now let’s feed them some porridge and put them to sleep again.’
Progressing one step at a time every day this way, there would surely be a path that will become visible. This was Choyoon’s hopeful plan.
