As True as a Dream

He was handsome, rich, and good to her, even if he was sometimes mean and spiteful.

 

But that wasn’t all.

 

When Hae-Joo thought of Yi Ho these days, her mouth went dry and she couldn’t work.

 

She couldn’t think about what she was doing or laugh for no reason.

 

She’d stare blankly, imagining his delicate hands, his dark eyes and red lips, and her chest would tighten at the thought of his pale face.

 

Hae-Joo didn’t mind the distance that would have prevented anyone else from getting close to her.

 

Touching his ear, getting close to his face, kissing his lips or hugging his shoulder – all intimate acts.

 

It wasn’t unpleasant or unwelcome, but it was embarrassing and uncomfortable.

 

Even meaningless conversations were fun with him.

 

‘Huh? When did I become like this?’

 

Eun-sil looked at Hae-joo strangely and elbowed her in the side.

 

Startled, Hae-Joo looked back at Eun-sil.

 “Let’s go to my house for dinner to celebrate your engagement. My uncle came to visit my mom the other day and gave me a lot of pork. Let’s roast some meat.” “Meat? Yes, yes.” 

Hae-Joo nodded, somewhat distractedly, and added

 “Then let’s stop at Bonjintong and get some herbal medicine. I’ll give it to your mother.” “Herbal medicine? Are you serious?” “I’m not as empty as you are. Wait a minute. I’ll change and come out.” 

Hae-Joo left the silver room and entered the house.

 

But she didn’t move immediately, just leaned against the closed door and blinked dazedly.

 “You like him, don’t you?” 

Hae-Joo raised her hand to cover her forehead and then suddenly realized.

 “…Huh, okay…I do.” 

‘How? Since when?’

 

She doesn’t know.

 

She just knows that this is the result.

 

She was stunned and ashamed.

 

Hae-Joo cupped her hands over her nose and mouth and let out a painful groan.

 “I’m finished. This is my first love…” 

***

 

349 Sampantong. Governor Jiro Saito’s private residence.

 

Unlike the city, which was buzzing with the news of the engagement of Ban Yi Ho, the owner of Gyeongseong’s best restaurant, which had appeared in the tabloids this morning, the governor’s residence was dreary and murderous.

 “[Why are we still like this, the children are all dying, what have we done so far, is this the best we can do?]” 

Saito’s voice was heavy, and in front of him was a doctor kneeling on the floor with his head half removed.

 

The nurse’s kneeling under the huge bed with white curtains were also silent.

 “[Father… it hurts… Do something…!]” 

Saito’s chest heaved in anger as he heard a faint voice from inside the bed, a voice that sounded like a woman’s voice. 

 

Only then did he lift one side of the curtains.

 

On the bed, Mao lay prostrate with an anguished face.

 

Mao’s skin, once smooth as silk, had become a mess in these few days, as if she had contracted a skin disease.

 “[Dr. Yamato, are those really boils?]” 

Dr. Yamato, the doctor lying dead on the floor, broke out in a cold sweat and shook his head.

 “[That’s right, Your Excellency.]” 

A few days after Mao’s birthday party went awry, red boils began to appear all over her body.

 

Over time, the boils spread throughout her body, and some became large enough to require incision.

 

Dr. Yamato, who was summoned at short notice to the governor’s residence, was horrified by the seemingly multiplying boils and began treating Mao in every way he could.

 

He made incisions to expand the pus with coal-acid water, squeezed out the pus, disinfected it, and prescribed poultices.

 

But the boils would not heal, and when one disappeared, two more would appear.

 

His treatments could not keep up with the rate at which the boils were forming.

 

Mao’s face, once as delicate and pretty as a Hina doll, was so disfigured that he dared not make eye contact.

 

The young woman who had been raised by the governor’s hand was in so much pain that she fainted several times a day.

 “[What on earth caused this boil?]” “[This… The cause of boils is usually due to unclean living habits…]” 

Dr. Yamato swallowed his words, unable to hold back the flesh that was pouring out of him.

 “[Are you sure? Are you saying that our Mao is dirty and that’s why she has this disease?]” 

Dr. Yamato thought that it wouldn’t be strange if his neck separated from his body at this moment.

 “[What kind of boils spread like an epidemic like that, are there any cases in the Empire?]” “[No, I’ve never seen one. This is the first time].” “[And how are you so sure it’s a boil?]” “[I’m sorry, Your Excellency, this is indeed a boil, I’m sorry].” 

Dr. Yamato had nothing more to say, so he simply begged off.

 

When Saito stopped speaking, the room fell silent, with only Mao’s groaning echoing through the room.

 “[Father…!]” “[It’s going to be okay, it’s going to be okay].” 

Saito leaned over and gently stroked Mao’s hair in a comforting manner, turning his head away with a stern face.

 “[I’ve heard that you’re the best doctor in the empire, do whatever it takes to make her better!]” “[There’s a new boils ointment on the market, why don’t you try it?]” “[A new boil ointment?]” “[It’s a new medicine from a Korean pharmaceutical company. Word of mouth says it’s effective.]” “[Shut up!]” 

Before Dr. Yamato could finish his sentence, Saito exploded as if his patience had run out.

 “[The medicine made by the savage Koreans will work! Cure her somehow! If one head can’t do it, I’ll gather several heads and find a way! If you can’t cure her, I’ll cut you open and feed your intestines to the dogs!]” “[Yes, yes! I’ll gather all the doctors in the relevant fields and find a way!]” 

Saito glared at Dr. Yamato as if to tear him to pieces and left the room.

 

Dr. Yamato jumped to his feet and ran after Saito, falling to his knees.

 

It had been three days since Mao Saito’s body began to boil.

 

At first, they thought it was just a boil, but they didn’t expect it to be this bad.

 

Cold sweat trickled down Dr. Yamato’s narrow chin and dripped onto the floor.

 

Then he heard the sound of light footsteps coming from somewhere.

 “[Father!]” 

Dr. Yamato looked up in surprise at the unexpected title.

 

At the end of the hallway was a small boy, about six or seven years old, with a black patch over his right eye.

 

At his side was a woman with a Parisian complexion in her late 20s.

 

‘Was there such a child in this house?’

 

Seeing the child, Saito smiled and patted the boy’s head as if he had never been so upset.

 

After Saito left, the child ran distractedly up and down the hall, but soon ran up to the woman and hugged her around the waist.

 “Mother, I’m hungry, I want to eat something tasty!” 

Dr. Yamato frowned.

 

He examined the woman at the child’s side carefully.

 

‘Was the mother Korean?’

 

It was a well-known story on the mainland that Governor Saito had taken special care of Mao Saito, the daughter of his widowed wife.

 

A Korean spy in the house!

 

Dr. Yamato quickly turned away from the sight of Yasa, whom no one would ever know.

 

He quickly turned away and put what he had just seen out of his mind.

 

Pretending not to see such things was the way to live a long life.

 

***

 

Hae-Joo and Eun-sil arrived at Eun-sil’s thatched house in Sungin Town with the medicine they found at the herbalist’s shop.

 

Eun-sil’s mother, who was standing in front of the straw house, saw them and shook as if she was going to collapse.

 

Startled, Eun-sil and Hae-Joo rushed to her aid.

 “Eun-ho! Eun-dong! Where are you? What’s wrong, Mom?” 

Panicked by her distraught mother, who could barely speak, Eun-sil called out her siblings’ names.

 

Then Eun-dong, the family’s youngest child, came running out of the kitchen with a bowl of water.

 

Eun-dong burst into tears, releasing all the fear she had been holding in.

 “Sis… Eun-ho isn’t home. Mom went to Uncle Kang’s house and asked him, but he didn’t know…” 

The child’s explanation was not smooth, but the meaning was clear.

 “Eun-sil, Eun-ho… Hasn’t he come home yet? It’s getting dark… He’s never done this before…” 

Eun-sil’s mother, who was lying on the futon, asked worriedly.

 “Mom, Eun-ho went to help Uncle Kang with his herd today, I’ll go get him, don’t worry.” “I’ve heard that a lot of people are going missing these days… There’s also talk of Western ghosts roaming around… You don’t think anything happened to Eun-ho, do you?”Visit my Ko-fi for discounted advance chapters!!