Haan

Chapter 3 - Healing Abilities

The next day Ajeossi came home. His rickety cart was filled with stacks of carefully tied firewood he had foraged. Some were for our own use but the bulk of it would be sold or bartered for necessities. He had been busy.

I was still in bed when he walked in through the door. Eun Ho was outside feeding our few chickens and looking for eggs.

"Yeobo!" Ajumma greeted him with a happy cry. She ran to hug her husband surprising him. Ajeossi looked startled for a moment before hugging her back tightly. She was usually shy in expressing her love openly.

"Wae? Did you miss me that much?" he teased her gently releasing his hold.

"I have something to tell you," she said glancing at me.

Following her gaze, Ajeossi saw me lying in my futon.

"Yaaah! Why are you still in bed?" he admonished me. "It's almost midday!"

Before I could reply, Ajumma ushered her husband to the table. Pouring him a cup of water, she told him everything. When she was done, he grabbed her hands, pushing her sleeves away in panic. He must see for himself that his beloved wife was not infected.

"Yeobo, I'm fine. Thanks to Si Woo. I don't quite understand what he did but he purged the plague from me."

"Are you sure?" He held her face for a moment and when she nodded, pulled her in for an emotional hug. His precious Jian. He could have lost her!

"Come, let me show you something."

She led him to her bedroom and pointed to the blacken piece of wood still in the corner. She did not want to touch it. Overnight, it had become totally covered by thick crisscrossing coils. The mysterious disease was still active. The once sturdy wood still looked whole but brittle.

Ajoessi closed his eyes at the plague's evidence, muttering heartfelt prayers to his Gods for sparing his beloved wife.

Slowly, they approached and knelt down next to me. I sat up from my futon, pushing my body up with my hands. It seemed that I had slept for more than twenty-four hours. I felt foolish being caught in bed when the sun was already high in the sky.

"Ajoessi," I greeted him guiltily.

"Si Woo-ah," Ajoessi called me quietly, "How are you feeling? Are you alright?"

"I'm feeling better."

"Gomawo. Thank you for saving my Jiah. I don't know how I'll live if she's gone."

He reached for my shoulders, pulling me in for a hug. After a while, he pushed me back, clapping me on my arms. Ajumma smiled thanking me again quietly.

"Now, tell me, how exactly did you save her? Have you always had these powers?"

"No, I don't know. I only discovered I could heal this way recently."

"Tell me," commanded Ajeossi, "And don't leave out anything."

"Well," I started, "the first time was when I was alone. I came across a tiny kitten. It had a broken leg and its mother had abandoned it to die. It was so pitiful that I had to help. So I picked it up to take it to the doctor but I knew deep down that the doctor would not treat it. He would only say that it's a waste of his medicines to treat animals."

Both Ajoessi and Ajumma nodded agreement. The village doctor was competent but careful with his limited supply of precious medicines. He would only treat patients who really needed his medical skills. Small cuts, common bruises and sprains were ignored. Those would heal on its own. Treating animals were out of the question.

"The next thing I knew, I felt a surge in me and pain in my finger. I dropped the kitten which seemed to be fine and it ran away. The break in its leg had somehow transferred to my finger. My finger was broken. In panic I fell to the ground and backed myself into a tree."

"Then, what happened?"

"I was so scared and wished desperately for my finger to be mended. I needed my hands to help do chores here when Ajoessi is away gathering wood. Then, miraculously the pain was gone. My crooked finger were back to normal and the pain was gone but a twig snapped somewhere from above and fell almost hitting me."

"I had transferred the break to the tree," I concluded to my stunned audience.

"Did you pass out then like you did yesterday?" asked Ajumma curiously.

"No, I just felt dizzy and tired. I was fine after a short rest."

"You said you did it a few times."

"Yes. I couldn't believe I did what I did, so I tried again. I had to make sure. The next time was about a week later. I found an injured rabbit in a trap. I had thought a lot about what might have happened, so I experimented. After a few tries, I managed to transfer its wound to me. Then I transferred it back to it."

Ajoessi and Ajumma exchanged frightened glances at my tale.

"The second time I healed the rabbit, I transferred the wound to a tree. It was getting easier to do it." I finished feeling anxious. Would they think me a monster now? My newfound abilities reeked of witch craft which was not welcomed by the superstitious community.

They kept quiet for a while trying to digest my explanation.

"So, you let someone's dinner go free?" joked Ajoessi awkwardly trying to lighten the somber mood but no one laughed.

"I'm sorry," I suddenly felt self-conscious and guilty at the awkward silence. I sat up in a kneeling position, ready to get up. "I'll leave if I make you feel uncomfortable."

Dread welled up in my soul. I did not want to leave them. I did not want to leave Eun Ho who had become like a little brother to me. I did not want to leave the only place I could remember as home. I had no where to go. But I should. I should not burden this kind and compassionate family with the monster that I've become.

"Aigoo! What are you talking about?" Ajoessi exclaimed pulling me back down. "You saved Jiah from the plague. I ... We could not be more grateful to you."

I heaved a sigh of relief. They wanted me to stay!

"I was only thinking that we should keep this a secret. The villagers ... they may not understand."

Ajumma was nodding, agreeing with her husband.

"Si Woo-ah, I'm afraid if your strange healing powers are known, everyone will either shun you or take advantage of you. Right now, everyone is scared. Anything could happen," he continued.

"Also, you were incapacitated after you helped me. The risk is too high," Ajumma added squeezing my hand. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"So, for now, we should keep it to ourselves."

I nodded obediently. What Ajoessi and Ajumma said made sense.

Just then, a loud wailing sounded outside. It could only mean one thing.

Death.