Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: A Secret Deal
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‘Bro!! Brother!’
‘Bro!! Brother!’
A scene was reflected transparently in the water. A small, handsome boy appeared.
‘Ah, Bwother! Just once, huh? Just once! Let's switch our turns to go out so I can go, okay?’
‘Ah, Bwother! Just once, huh? Just once! Let's switch our turns to go out so I can go, okay?’
His jet-black hair was tied back in one. Blue eyes.
It was my younger uncle, Heuk Birang.
‘…I don't want to. I have a reason I must go out. I can't switch.’
‘…I don't want to. I have a reason I must go out. I can't switch.’
And then I saw my father, who looked just as young.
Wow, he was handsome even as a kid. Heuk Birang was a pretty boy, too, but my dad was on another level.
‘Bro, you're going to see that girl! Eldest Brother said so, what was it… Ah! Your first love! Huh? I know you're so smitten you're trying to run away.’
‘Bro, you're going to see that girl! Eldest Brother said so, what was it… Ah! Your first love! Huh? I know you're so smitten you're trying to run away.’
My father paused for a moment, then smiled. It was completely different from the languid, aloof, and resigned expression he wore now.
His face was as gentle as the spring sun.
‘Is it that obvious? It shouldn't be.’
‘Is it that obvious? It shouldn't be.’
The father before me slowly closed his eyes. For some reason, he couldn't open them again.
Even as the scene before my eyes blurred and a new one appeared.
So he probably didn't see it.
‘What is this? Is it related to his illness?’
The scene changed, and someone else appeared.
Light purple hair.
Flowing, long hair, a slender silhouette, a pale white face. A rounded belly that was clearly a sign of pregnancy.
I blinked.
‘Me…? No, that's not right.’
She looked similar to my adult face, but she was far more beautiful. The beauty smiled at me.
Even though there was no way she could see me, it felt as if she was gazing right at me.
The woman caressed her swollen belly and smiled, looking utterly blissful.
‘I'd like her name to have 'Yu' in it.’
‘I'd like her name to have 'Yu' in it.’
Ah, that woman is…
I slowly closed my eyes, too.
It seemed my time was up.
When I opened my eyes, I saw my father.
We were still completely soaked.
Drip. Drip.
Water droplets fell.
Something had changed. A look of shock was etched onto my father's face. I grinned, as if I had expected it.
“How was it? My treatment?”
My first ability is to heal my own wounds. As long as it's not a fatal injury, any wound heals completely.
My second is the ability to know the ingredients and formula for a medicine after diagnosing a patient.
If it's an illness I've treated before, I can automatically create the medicine using water, as long as I have the ingredients.
…And my third ability, which I've never revealed to anyone.
The power to cure an incurable disease that has no medicine, or at least improve the condition.
It's a truly incredible ability.
‘It's too dangerous to reveal to anyone.’
Why don't I use such a convenient ability often?
‘Because the constraints are too great.’
The patient and I must be in reasonably clean water together, and I have to pay a price.
That price is my ‘lifespan.’
‘So there's no way I can use it recklessly.’
When I first discovered this ability, I once took a peek at my own lifespan.
It was a large tree made of water. When I thought about the patient's illness and how much I wanted to heal them, the leaves of the tree would rustle.
Just now, right before using this ability, I took a quick look at my lifespan.
And when I tried to completely heal my father…
‘Almost all the leaves fell off.’
I was shocked, as this had never happened before.
It meant I would die.
‘So, a complete cure is difficult with my power alone.’
So I compromised by only showing a slight improvement to demonstrate my ability.
That's why I asked if he remembered anything. He should have regained some memories.
I saw a glimpse, too, after all.
‘Well, I didn't expect to see my mother's face.’
We were still in the water, and I was dangling from my father's hands.
“You… What are you?”
It was quite amusing to see my father's dazed expression.
Especially since he'd been acting like someone who had completely given up just a moment ago.
“Even among the most exceptional ability users of the Heuk Family… there has never been anyone with this kind of power.”
He must have been quite shocked.
I brought my index finger to my lips and grinned.
“Shhh, it's a secwet. A twade secwet.”
My father flinched.
It seemed like he flinched the moment I made that gesture. Or was I imagining it?
“I pwoofed my ability, wight?”
“…And what do you intend to do, having proven it to me?”
“Hewp me.”
I pointed to the western building.
“I wanna go dere. To the Heuk Family's main house.”
I had already calculated what I would gain by getting this person on my side, and what price I would have to pay.
“I wanna be acknowledged. I don't wanna gwow up abawndoned.”
“…”
I'd given up on appealing to emotions a long time ago. No one ever listened to me.
“If you hewp me, I'll make you better… wike I did just now, evewy once in a while.”
I tried to persuade the man.
“I'm still wittle now, dat's why. When I get bigger, I can heal you even mowe.”
I'm sorry, Father. Please forgive this lie. But I swear on my name, I will cure you completely.
‘If I can really return home in this life.’
Then I won't need this body anymore.
Right before I go back using the treasure. If I use all of my remaining lifespan on my father then.
‘I can cure him.’
A disease with no cure. This might be the only way to treat it.
I looked up at my father with bright, clear eyes.
“Help me.”
Is this not enough?
Silence fell.
“…What's your name?”
“Huh?”
“Your name.”
A voice that was neither affectionate nor indifferent reached my ears.
“You said you were my daughter.”
Soaked to the bone, my father swept his hair back and gazed at me gently. His expression was unreadable.
“Biyu. I'm Heuk Bwiyu.”
Did you know? My name.
They said you and Mom each chose one character for it. That was the only story I'd ever heard about my parents.
But I.
I hope you don't remember this one thing.
We're going to part ways anyway, so it's better that way.
My father shifted his position. He placed his hands under my arms and lifted me up.
“…I feel like I'm bewitched. Such a young physician.”
His drenched face came a little closer.
“I've met countless physicians and apothecaries in my life, and numerous ability users from our family have come to me full of confidence.”
“…”
“But you're the first one to ever show any improvement.”
In the original novel, my father was a character who died before the female lead's powers could fully blossom.
Perhaps if the female lead awakens her powers sooner, there might be a way to help him, even without me.
She's a total powerhouse, after all.
I stared at my father blankly before speaking up.
If this is a disease where memories fade day by day, will a day come when he forgets what I said today?
“And… I'm actually fwom another world. Just my soul.”
He showed a slight improvement, but the symptoms will continue. He might forget what happened today by tomorrow.
If he's just going to forget soon, then I can be more at ease with him.
So I casually threw out a story I didn't need to tell.
“…By any chance, were you assigned here because you're sick, too?”
As expected, he didn't seem to believe me at all.
That's just common sense.
I just gave a small, sheepish smile.
“I'm not cwazy. My power is weal, too! You saw it.”
I mumbled an excuse that using this ability took too much energy, so I couldn't use it often.
It wasn't a lie.
My vision was already starting to blur.
‘Looks like I have one more reason to raise our female lead well.’
Raise ‘Heuk Ayan’ well and have her try to treat this man.
“Alright, I'll help you.”
Feeling a hand approach, I grinned.
“I'll grant you what you wish.”
Success.
And the moment the man's hand touched my forehead, I had a strange delusion.
That this hand was caressing me gently.
‘What a strange thought…’
My young eyelids couldn't fight off the drowsiness and fell shut.
Well, I succeeded. I guess I can rest for a bit.