A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 204

204. Where the Moon Shines (2)

A drop of blood welled on Dang Wol-ah’s white fingertip.

*Tring.*

The faint sound echoed in the silent room. Dang Wol-ah stared at her trembling finger, then looked up at Son Bin.

“Young Master Son.”

Dang Wol-ah’s voice wavered. Son Bin stood close, his usual gentle expression strained. It was clear he wasn’t feeling well.

“I’m fine.”

*Clack.*

Son Bin set down the long needle he’d been holding.

“But I am a little tired.”

The group, who had been holding their breath, finally spoke.

“Hyung! Are you okay? Does it hurt?”

“Bin-ah, are you alright?”

“Young Master Son!”

Seo Rin, the Nam-ak Old Master, and Sa Soo-yeon all looked concerned. Son Bin smiled at them.

“Young Lady Wol-ah is the one who suffered. I only told her what to do.”

Son Bin turned to Dang Wol-ah, and the others followed his gaze.

“Wol-ah, are you okay?”

Dang Hwa-ryun asked. Dang Wol-ah replied softly.

“I’m fine.”

Her eyes remained fixed on the child lying on the bed.

The child’s grotesque appearance hadn’t changed, but he was breathing evenly, his expression peaceful. His mouth was slightly open, like a child napping.

“Young Lady Wol-ah and I saved this child together,” Son Bin said with a smile. Considering the pain Dang Wol-ah had endured, it was a vast understatement.

Dang Wol-ah repeated Son Bin’s words softly.

“The child of me and Young Master Son…”

Her voice was quiet, but everyone heard. Dang Hwa-ryun frowned, but Son Bin quickly interjected.

“Ah, you shouldn’t leave out important words like that.”

Son Bin continued awkwardly, “We must say that we ‘saved’ these children. Do you understand, Young Lady Wol-ah?”

He spoke as if urging her. Dang Wol-ah nodded, but seemed distracted.

Son Bin felt a prickle of unease. He pretended to ignore Dang Hwa-ryun’s piercing gaze and glanced at Sa Soo-yeon.

Sa Soo-yeon was watching Dang Wol-ah, her eyes already glistening with tears.

Sensing Son Bin’s gaze, she turned to him and smiled.

“You’ve worked hard, Young Master Son.”

“Ah, I didn’t do much…”

Her tearful eyes were so beautiful that Son Bin, who had been speaking modestly, trailed off.

“Thank you, Young Lady Soo-yeon.”

Son Bin smiled, a smile so bright that even Dang Hwa-ryun momentarily widened her eyes.

“Then, we should save the other children now, right?”

Everyone looked surprised.

“Shouldn’t we rest a little first?” Old Madam Dang Wun-yeong asked, her expression worried. Son Bin shook his head.

“No. After all, all I do is guide Young Lady Wol-ah’s needles…”

Son Bin looked at Dang Wol-ah, who returned his gaze.

“It will be easier from now on. Right, Young Lady Wol-ah?”

Dang Wol-ah nodded almost imperceptibly, but her eyes shone brighter than ever.

***

*Clack.*

The door opened, and moonlight spilled into the dark room. The Divine Doctor, who was preparing medicine, turned.

“Who is it? Wol-ah?”

“Yes.”

A small, delicate voice replied. The door closed. The Divine Doctor turned back to his medicine as Dang Wol-ah slowly entered.

*Sigh, sigh.*

Dang Wol-ah stopped before the large bed. There were supposed to be five beds, but now there was only one large bed and two empty small beds.

Five children were huddled together on the large bed, wearing patient gowns. Some were lying face down, others were twisting, like puppies tangled in sleep.

“They all gathered together, even though they must be out of it from sleep,” the Divine Doctor said.

“Since five of them were crammed onto that narrow bed, I had them put in a large one. They must have missed body heat.”

Dang Wol-ah quietly looked down at the sleeping children. Some had their arms and legs draped over the child next to them, and one was even using another’s stomach as a pillow.

“Is this okay?”

“It’s okay.”

*Clack.*

The Divine Doctor, having finished preparing the medicine, rose and picked up the only lit lamp, approaching the bed.

*Thud, thud.*

As he brought the lamp closer, the sleeping children’s faces became visible in the light.

“These guys must have realized it instinctively – that they can touch each other now.”

It would have been unimaginable before. Their poisons would have harmed each other.

Dang Wol-ah quietly examined the children.

They had almost no hair or eyebrows, and large scabs were scattered across their skin like stains.

But the way they were sleeping was just like any children who had fallen asleep.

*Rustle.*

Dang Wol-ah gently lifted the arm of a sleeping child. She counted something under her breath, then examined the foot of another child.

“What are you doing?” the Divine Doctor asked.

“I’m checking.”

“What?”

“Whether they all have ten fingers and ten toes.”

The Divine Doctor chuckled.

“There’s nothing to worry about. Their bodies are all fine for now.”

It seemed far from fine, but the Divine Doctor was confident. Soon, they would all regain their original appearances.

“They’re all there,” Dang Wol-ah said, having examined all five children’s hands and feet.

“I told you they were fine, didn’t I?”

Listening to the Divine Doctor, Dang Wol-ah touched the children’s short hair. It had barely broken through the skin, feeling more like animal fur than hair.

“The hair color… will be a little different. It was *byeonjil* [altered/corrupted] with random poison, and now even the source energy has changed. Depending on the child, there may be colors that cannot naturally occur.”

“When will they wake up?”

“They’ll come to their senses tomorrow morning. The shock was so great that their bodies are now stabilizing themselves.”

Dang Wol-ah nodded.

“You came at the right time. There’s something I need to tell you.”

“Yes.”

“As I said, the source energy of these children has fundamentally changed. Their inner strength, made of poison, will grow just by breathing. So, if these children are not to be consumed by their own poison, they must have someone’s warmth. Like you… or Yeon-ah.”

The Divine Doctor spoke firmly.

“If that fails, these children…”

He couldn’t bring himself to continue. How could he say that it might become a disaster for the world, in front of Dang Wol-ah, who was in the same situation?

“It’s okay.”

*Rustle.*

Stroking the children’s short hair, Dang Wol-ah said, “If it’s a world that can’t even protect children like these, I don’t care if it all melts away.”

Dang Wol-ah’s quiet words were eerie. The Divine Doctor gave a bitter smile.

“Life is never given according to qualifications.”

The Divine Doctor said, his eyes shining. “That’s why they say life is given by heaven. The qualification to live is not something that people can judge.”

It was his unshakable belief as a doctor. Dang Wol-ah said nothing.

“These children’s growth will be very slow. But over time, they will gradually regain their original appearances. I’ve also put the abnormally distorted skeletons back in place for now. It may still look a little strange, but it will become normal over time.”

Realigning misaligned skeletons was unimaginable with ordinary medical skills. If it wasn’t for the Divine Doctor, no one in the world would have even attempted it.

“Thank you.”

“There’s no need to thank me. I’ve just done what I had to do, and…”

The Divine Doctor had almost collapsed while taking care of these five children. If the Nam-ak Old Master hadn’t helped with his inner strength, he wouldn’t have been able to treat them properly.

But he just thought he had done his duty. That was another reason why he had gained his reputation.

“Because they are the children you and Bin saved.”

The Divine Doctor smiled as he looked at Dang Wol-ah, who slowly lowered her head and expressed her gratitude once again.

“Go in and rest. You must be tired too.”

Dang Wol-ah shook her head.

“I’ll stay here until the children wake up.”

“Is that so? Then call me if anything happens.”

The Divine Doctor put the lamp on the table next to the bed and left the room, also desperately needing rest.

*Tap.*

As he left, a gust of cold night air entered the room and disappeared. Dang Wol-ah quietly looked down at the children.

The sleeping children, illuminated by the lamplight, looked dreamlike and beautiful.

*

*

*

The child woke up to the bright light.

“Ugh…”

The child rubbed his eyes. It was an action that would never have been possible before, but his instinct already knew it was possible.

The child turned his head towards the light.

It was still night, but the moonlight streaming through the open window brightly illuminated the room.

The blue moonlight filled the entire room, pouring in.

The child stared blankly at the moon. The flawless moon cast its light on the world below like a noble goddess.

*Rustle.*

Another child twitched beside him.

The first child abruptly sat up, his eyes still closed. The other children stirred and woke up.

“Ah?”

The children looked around, confused.

Partly because they were still sleepy, but also because they had never slept together like this before. It was also the first time they had woken up without any pain.

“Awoong?”

The children looked at the blue moonlight, then at each other. It was all new, and the environment was unfamiliar, so they looked around with dazed eyes.

*Sigh, sigh.*

At the sound of small footsteps, the children turned their heads and saw their ‘master.’

*Thwack.*

Recognizing that presence, the children immediately prostrated themselves on the floor, heads bowed. They didn’t care whether they were on the bed or the floor.

The dreamlike, languid feeling vanished, replaced by tension.

*Sigh, sigh.*

A slender figure, a face covered with *myeonsa* [veil], and white, fair hands.

It was their ‘master.’

None of them would ever forget the moment when green energy lingered in those white hands.

*Tap.*

She, Dang Wol-ah, stopped.

Dang Wol-ah looked down at the children, who were watching her every move. Their appearance was different from when they were called monsters, but their actions were the same.

“Stand up.”

A low voice flowed from Dang Wol-ah’s mouth.

“Awoo?”

One of the prostrating children tilted his head. Before, only metallic sounds would have come from his broken throat, but now it sounded almost human.

*Hoo.*

Energy flowed from Dang Wol-ah’s entire body. Lightly raising her hand, she said again, “Stand up.”

*Pak.*

This time, there was no hesitation. The children immediately stood, their movements as immediate as animals.

“Straighten your backs. Stick out your chests and lift your heads. You are not beasts.”

Almost none of the children understood the meaning.

But Dang Wol-ah didn’t care. Meeting their gazes, she said, “You are people.”

*Thump.*

They didn’t understand what it meant, but her voice resonated deeply in their hearts.

Perhaps their animalistic senses had detected something in her voice.

“Sa, Saam…”

One child imitated Dang Wol-ah’s words. She nodded.

“Yes.”

They didn’t understand, but the sound of ‘person’ felt good. They were repeating it in their minds when their ‘master’ said, “Come here.”

The child she pointed to hesitated, then slowly walked towards her, his gait awkward because his skeleton had changed.

*Sigh.*

The approaching child barely reached Dang Wol-ah’s chest. She reached out her hand.

*Flinch.*

The child was clearly terrified, but Dang Wol-ah quietly touched his head.

The child’s prickly red hair. Dang Wol-ah opened her mouth.

“Your name from now on is ‘Hong-ah.’”

That was as pleasing as the sound of ‘person,’ perhaps because of the warmth in her voice. He didn’t know that Hong-ah meant ‘red child.’

“Sit.”

The master’s command was one of the few words he understood.

The child, now named ‘Hong-ah,’ quietly knelt at his master’s feet.

Dang Wol-ah sighed.

She meant for him to sit on the chair, but it seemed that hadn’t been conveyed. She had no intention of repeating the command.

*Sigh.*

Dang Wol-ah quietly stroked ‘Hong-ah’s’ prickly hair, feeling a soft warmth. Hong-ah closed his eyes and rubbed his face against her clothes with a satisfied expression.

“Come here.”

The second child was called.

Dang Wol-ah stroked his head once, feeling him tremble slightly.

“Your name from now on is ‘Cheong-ah.’”

“Eo-ah.”

Perhaps that was what he was trying to say, Cheong-ah.

“Yes, Cheong-ah. You sit too.”

Cheong-ah also knelt at Dang Wol-ah’s feet and put his head under her hand. Dang Wol-ah quietly stroked his head, and he closed his eyes and smiled contentedly.

Dang Wol-ah looked at the remaining children, who were shining their eyes and full of anticipation.

“Come here.”

As soon as she spoke, they quickly approached.

When Dang Wol-ah had given names to all of them, five children were huddled together at her feet.

“Haa.”

Looking at them, Dang Wol-ah sighed, but a gentle smile spread on her lips.

*Sigh.*

Dang Wol-ah slowly lowered her body, bringing her eye level closer to theirs. She quietly lifted her *myeonsa* [veil].

Dang Wol-ah’s face was revealed under the blue moonlight.

‘Hong-ah’ momentarily recalled the moon illuminating the room. Dang Wol-ah was more beautiful and majestic than the moon.

“You are the children of me and Young Master Son,” she said quietly. Although they didn’t understand, they widened their eyes and looked up at her.

“So don’t die. Don’t get hurt, and don’t break down. You…”

Dang Wol-ah smiled like the bright moonlight.

“You must be happy. Like me.”

That resonance penetrated their hearts like an absolute command.

The children didn’t understand, but they nodded. Dang Wol-ah quietly stroked them.

“Ah, awoo.”

“Eoeu.”

The children put their heads under her hands. Dang Wol-ah continued to stroke their heads without missing a single one.

The blue moonlight brightly illuminated the room.