Page 18 of Gumiho Kiss
“Send for a nurse.”
“For your head, my lady?”The servant started to pull open the screened door.
“Please waste no time in calling for one,” Chin Sun replied a little too shrilly.Pain rolled through her body, but she had to keep it tamped down.Her survival depended on it.“I fear I shall faint if I don’t receive aid soon.”
Her words had the desired effect, for Ah In stepped away from the door to do as she’d been bidden.“I’ll go to the nearest clinic and?—”
“Actually, see if there’s one available at the police bureau.It’s much closer.”
Dead silence followed for several seconds until Ah In hesitantly inquired, “A damo, my lady?Are you certain?”
Damos were the lowest-ranking female nurses, sent to work for the police bureaus as punishment for receiving low grades in their schooling.They handled the tasks men couldn’t perform, such as examining female corpses.Confucianism decreed men were not to touch women who weren’t close relatives, even in death.
“I may be ill, but my judgment is still sound,” Chin Sun said, adding some bite to her tone.“Fetch one at once.”
When Ah In scurried off, Chin Sun anxiously counted the minutes until her return.It was still early morning, which was a miracle in itself, but the day wouldn’t tarry for her sake.If the damo didn’t show up soon, someone else would come to check on her, whether it was another servant or a family member.She wished she could remove her soiled clothes, but moving too much could reopen her wounds, and she doubted she could handle losing any more blood.
“I’ve brought Hae Rim and a bowl of water in case you need it, my lady,” came Ah In’s voice.
Chin Sun made sure her clothes were completely covered by the sleeping mat before she uttered a soft, “Send her in.”
A young woman stepped into the room, head lowered, so Chin Sun couldn’t get a clear view of her face.She wore a white apron, and her hair was tied back with a long red ribbon.A small bag hung from her shoulder, and an oddly shaped ring rested on her forefinger.
Once the door was shut and it was just the two of them, Chin Sun pulled back the blanket.“Thank you for coming.”
“How may I assist you, agasshi?”The nurse finally raised her head, revealing a pretty face with round cheeks, but her genial countenance fell away at the sight of the blood, replaced by eyes as large as deep-fried honey cookies.A green pallor came over her skin like she was about to vomit.
Chin Sun’s lips thinned with irritation.This Hae Rim was supposed to be a nurse, and a damo at that.Surely she was familiar with sword wounds.
“I should think you’d know the answer to that.”
Chin Sun’s words jarred Hae Rim from her paralysis, the stunned look on her face disappearing behind a serious expression.“Let’s see what we’re working with, agasshi.”
For the next several minutes, the damo inspected, cleaned, stitched up, and bound Chin Sun’s wounds.She also managed to get Chin Sun out of her ruined hanbok and into some clean clothes.There were no broken ribs or signs of infection, but it was crucial that Chin Sun stay in the bed for several days; otherwise, she would slow down her recovery or perhaps even bleed to death.Rest would be the best medicine, though Hae Rim did sprinkle some powdered herbs onto the injured areas to help with the healing process.
Chin Sun said little during her visit, not wanting the nurse to start asking questions about the cause of her injuries.But when Hae Rim stated that she was finished and needed to speak with the rest of the family, Chin Sun grabbed her wrist.
Something almost like disdain flickered in the damo’s eyes before she ducked her head in submission.“Is there something else?”
“What you’ve seen here does not travel beyond this room.Is that clear?”
“But, agasshi, your family needs to?—”
Chin Sun shook her head.“No one can know.I don’t care how much it costs to keep you quiet.You will not speak of this, or there will be consequences you won’t like.”She increased the pressure on the woman’s wrist.
The damo winced a bit but nodded.“I understand.If you’d rather it be a secret than let your family ease your suffering, I will keep my mouth shut.”
Chin Sun didn’t appreciate the jab, but she released her.
Hae Rim rubbed her wrist, then gathered her things.“But do you truly think this will stay quiet?I’m sure your servant has already told the rest of the household about my visit.”
Chin Sun’s lip curled back.She was liking this girl less and less.“I’ll handle that.Ask Ah In to pay you on your way out.”
“I’ll return tomorrow to change the dressings.Try not to move too much, or you may reopen your wounds.”
Hae Rim didn’t wait for a response before she bowed and departed, but as she stepped out of the screened doors, Sang Mi burst inside.
“Unni, what happened?”She dropped to the floor beside the mat, eyes red and face flushed.“Are you all right?”
