The Physician Jin Gwang-ryeol
"Have you confirmed it?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. According to the physicians from the Royal Infirmary dispatched to Samgaksan, it is highly likely to be a severe case of Mama. Red, pus-filled boils have covered the bodies of the afflicted, and every one of them is suffering from a raging, high fever."
"Good heavens…."
Not a minor case. A severe one. What kind of calamity is this to befall us at the start of the new year? Seonjo immediately pressed the messenger for more details.
"The patients! How many patients have been identified in total?"
"That is… there was only one patient who fell ill yesterday, but I heard that overnight, eight of the commoners living around that house have been infected."
"Tsk, it is undoubtedly an epidemic. Then, has the quarantine been strictly enforced?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. The house of the first patient was immediately burned down, and all twenty households in the surrounding Gye (neighborhood association) were emptied, with all access forbidden. The physicians have set up temporary sickbeds in a remote area where commoners do not tread, and they have moved all the infected patients and those nearby to that location."
"... Very well, that much is…."
At least he had done what he could. Eight—the lives of eight innocent commoners were truly tragic, but if this could drive away the great Mama, it was certainly a bargain. Please, let it end here. Just as Seonjo was offering up prayers and relief, a truly devastating piece of news reached his ears.
"However, the problem is…."
"What is it? What else is there?"
"Yes, the first patient to fall ill is a woodcutter, and it is said that for the past two days, he has been cutting wood in the mountains and bringing it to the market to sell."
"What! Where? To whom? Has his path been traced?"
"... That is!"
"Speak quickly! We have no time!"
"His path cannot be traced. The patient's mind is so clouded that he is in no state to speak…."
"Then you should have used torture to make him speak if you had to! What about those around him? What about his family? Was there no family who knew his whereabouts?"
"Yes…. The dispatched physician inquired, but he was a bachelor who lived alone from the start…."
"Haa…. What are we to do about this."
At that moment, the doors to the royal audience chamber opened, and more tragic news arrived.
"Your Majesty! It is said that patients have also emerged from the Myeongrye-gye in Namchon!"
"Urgent report! The commoners of Jangtongbang in the center of the city are also complaining of the illness!"
"No, what did you say…."
Cold sweat streamed down Seonjo's forehead. It was beyond control. It was too late to catch Mama with initial measures like simple blockades. If so….
After ruminating on past precedents for a long while, Seonjo stood up abruptly from the throne and spoke.
"Send messengers immediately to the cities near Hanyang, including Gaeseong, Suwon, and Jemulpo, and gather medicinal herbs and physicians. It does not matter if they are royal physicians, village doctors, or wandering healers. If they have hands to work, you must bring them all."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"The Ministry of Public Works shall take all waiting clerks and go out to build temporary sickbeds near the outbreak areas, and the Ministry of Taxation shall open the national treasury to support all these efforts. If it is insufficient, you may open the Naesusa (the King's private treasury)."
"Yes! Your Majesty!"
"We understand, Your Majesty!"
"And as of this hour, close the Yugijeon (the six licensed market shops) in Hanyang, and enforce a curfew in all areas where the illness is appearing. The Ministry of Military Affairs shall control the commoners alongside the soldiers from the barracks."
"Understood! Your Majesty!"
"There is no time. Move quickly."
What else could there be? He had implemented all the precedents for epidemics accumulated over the past several hundred years. Only one thing remained. Damn it, people are dying of disease, and this is all we can do?
Seonjo said in a desolate voice.
"We shall hold a Sonnim-gut (a shamanistic ritual for the 'Guest' deity), so send word to the Hogubang (census office) to summon a shaman."
***
"Little brother, what are you doing right now?"
"I'm not sure. This is my first time seeing this, too."
I had just returned home with my older brother and taken a nap to catch up on sleep, but in that short time, the house had turned into a scene of chaos. Hearing the noisy clattering, I went out to the courtyard to find everyone in the house moving busily under my older brother's direction.
Rough Geumjul (taboo ropes) made of twisted straw were hung on the main gate and walls, and between them, sharp pine needles—said to pierce ghosts—and blood-red chili peppers were densely embedded. On a table set in the middle of the courtyard, a pig's head and various ritual foods were packed tightly, and next to them, a large jakdu (shaman's blade) boasted a chillingly sharp edge.
While I was looking around the courtyard with my sister, wondering what on earth was going on, the tightly shut main gate opened, and Mr. Hak-swae entered.
"Young Master, I have brought them."
"You've worked hard. Are they reliable?"
"Yes, they are the most capable shamans in the western village."
"Good…. Bring them inside quickly."
"Understood, Young Master."
At Mr. Hak-swae's gesture, a woman with heavy makeup and a flashy, five-colored jeogori (jacket) shook a bundle of bells in her hand, and an old man with white hair and a red cloth tied around his topknot followed, beating a drum as they crossed our threshold.
Jingle-jangle. Boom-boom.
Starting from the main gate, they roamed every corner of the house—the walls, the well, the pantry, and the inner rooms—before approaching my older brother as if they had finished their inspection.
"Greetings. I am Wol-ah, a shaman who serves the Jihayeojanggun (Earth Female General) of Seoritgol."
"I am Heo Bong. So, having looked around, how is it?"
"Judging by the site, it seems a 'great guest' will be arriving soon."
"... Is that so."
At the shaman's words, my older brother nodded bitterly. In truth, Heo Bong knew it too. He knew that no matter how many Sonnim-gut rituals they performed, it wouldn't be of much help. Why else would shamans be classified among the eight lowest classes in Joseon? Their actions were nothing but deceiving the people, a pseudo-religion that a scholar following the teachings of Confucius and Mencius should never go near.
The problem was that he couldn't not do it. Since the epidemic itself was an uncontrollable, supernatural force, what did it matter if it was a deception? Whether it helped or not, if it could help them escape the plague and keep the family safe, he would have to do more than just a Sonnim-gut. Having steeled his heart, Heo Bong said to the shaman Wol-ah.
"We have no time to delay, so start quickly. We have prepared all the basics; is there anything else you need?"
"... No. It would have been good to have peach branches, which the General likes, but it seems too late to find them now."
After looking over the Geumjul, the blade, and the ritual table spread out like spiderwebs across the house, she snapped off a branch from the persimmon tree on the wall as a substitute. After waving the branch around and striking the main gate for a while, she said.
"I will begin immediately. Please call everyone who lives in this house. I will share the General's energy. No matter how violent the Dusin (Smallpox Deity) may be, I will block it at least once."
"Understood. Hak-swae, did you hear?"
"Yes, Young Master."
When Mr. Hak-swae brought everyone in the house to the courtyard, the shaman opened her bundle, put on a red shaman's costume, and stuck flashy pheasant feathers into her hair. When she spread the fan in her right hand, the Sambulseok (Three Buddhas) painted inside seemed to squirm, and the bundle of brass bells in her left hand broke the silence with a loud clatter.
As the shaman began to spin rapidly in place, the hem of her red skirt puffed up like a spinning top. Her eyes rolled back, leaving only the whites visible. It was possession. At the same time, Wol-ah's voice rang out through the courtyard, cracking like metal.
- Come.
"Little brother, I'm scared."
"Sister, it's nothing. Looking at it, it's just a ritual, and it's all superstition. Just watch it for fun."
They were making such a fuss since broad daylight, so that's what they were doing. Still, to think the solution to a spreading epidemic was to call a shaman and hold a ritual. Is medieval Joseon going to be okay like this?
"Hmm."
Well, it was at least entertaining to watch. As expected of a professional, even with her eyes rolled back, she walked across the sharp blade with ease, shaking her fan and bells. Soon, she went around to every person in the courtyard, sprinkling red beans and waving the persimmon branch. The sweat flowing from her forehead melted her heavy makeup, creating streaks of 'blood'—it was more than impressive; it was grotesque.
While I was watching the fascinating ritual with my senses sharpened, I suddenly made eye contact with her.
- ? What is this, why are you like this? Don't come here.
The shaman, shedding red 'blood' tears, dragged her feet across the ground and walked toward me. As the chilling energy rising from behind her drew closer, my body recoiled on its own. And then, she approached me and asked.
- What are you?
"Pardon?"
What is this, it's scary.
- Why are you inside there?
"Uh?"
I just got goosebumps.
- What is it? How did you get in?
"That… I'm not sure either…."
And then, twisting her waist in a grotesque manner and staring at me with a chilling gaze, she suddenly burst into a wild, maniacal laugh.
- Kya-hahahaha!! Kya-hahahahahahaha!!
"Little brother, I'm really scared."
"I'm scared too, sister."
I almost got sucked in. I was being sucked in. My legs trembled as my knees gave way, and cold sweat poured down my forehead without pause. No wonder they say if you get hooked on a shaman, you'll ruin your family. Just as I was holding my sister's hand, trembling and trying to avoid her gaze, the laughter stopped in an instant.
Then, wiping the flowing red tears with her sleeve and smearing her face with them, she whispered secretly into my ear.
- I'll trust only you. This is not a request.
At the same time, the shaman Wol-ah collapsed onto the courtyard floor as if she had lost consciousness.
***
"Ugh."
It feels unpleasant. I thought all that talk about being cursed or having bad luck was nonsense, but after experiencing it myself, my whole body feels itchy. I couldn't not believe it after seeing it with my own eyes. Perhaps there was a reason why the profession of shamanism remained active even in my past life, where it was highly developed.
"Ah, whatever."
I, who had been lying on the floor trying to soothe my exhausted mind and body, jumped up from my seat. Since she said it wasn't a request, I had to do something. If I just sat there doing nothing and then met her in the afterlife, there would be no answer then. I had already experienced possession, so ghosts could exist too, right? That's it! I was going to do it anyway, but now I just have more motivation. Earth Female General! I will do as you command!
I rushed to my desk and immediately took out a yellow-haired brush from the drawer.
"But what and how should I write it?"
However, once I tried to write, I felt frustrated. It wasn't just any genre; it was a medical story. It wasn't a genre that could be solved by just ripping off someone else's work like last time. It required high-level professional knowledge appropriate for the era, and I had to create a backstory to explain to others how I knew such things.
"Haa…."
For now… the setting is obviously Joseon. The protagonist is obviously a physician. That much is settled. But the only Joseon physician I know is Heo Jun. I should go with Heo Jun…. No, wait, Heo Jun is a person who is alive and well right now. I'm screwed.
While I continued to agonize, spinning the brush in my fingers, a name suddenly flashed into my mind, and I decided on the title of the book. Yes, yes, that's right. If it's a famous physician from the old days, it has to be this person.
[The Physician Jin Gwang-ryeol]