Chapter 29: Fever is Rising, Fever [3]
‘Damn it.’
Kang-hyuk glared at his medical bag in frustration.
Despite all the equipment inside, from scalpels to measuring tools, **there was no malaria medication**. Even a hammer was packed—why, of all things, would a hammer be included?
It was ridiculous.
‘I’ve checked twice. It’s not here.’
With Kang-hyuk’s sharp eye, if he couldn’t find it after two searches, it truly wasn’t there.
‘This is bad.’
Meanwhile, Seungmun continued to tremble under the blankets.
“Kang-hyuk, I need the same medicine you gave me before.”
He still believed that the previous medicine had worked miraculously, unaware that the temporary improvement was just a symptom of malaria’s fever cycle.
But Kang-hyuk couldn’t leave the fever unchecked.
“For today, just take these,” Kang-hyuk said, handing over anti-inflammatory pills and an antacid.
Seungmun, now placing complete trust in Kang-hyuk’s medical skills, swallowed the pills without question.
“Father, this medicine alone isn’t enough. I’ll need to find some other ingredients. Will you be alright if I leave for a while?”
“Yes… as long as I stop trembling, I’ll be able to manage.”
“Okseok! Stoke the fire. Dolseok, get ready to head out.”
“Yes, young master.”
Though Kang-hyuk rarely raised his voice, the servants responded immediately, knowing the urgency.
Dolseok soon appeared, holding the reins of a horse, his face clouded with worry.
“Young master, is it really serious?”
“It’s not too bad yet, but we don’t have the right medicine.”
“Ah… I see.”
Since Kang-hyuk had never been wrong, Dolseok knew the situation had to be serious. His expression darkened further.
“The only place to find medicine like that is the magistrate’s office.”
“Hmm…”
Kang-hyuk hummed thoughtfully.
Going to the magistrate’s office wasn’t an issue—they had good connections with the local magistrate. Surely, he wouldn’t refuse medicine needed to treat Seungmun.
‘But what kind of medicine do I need exactly?’
While the antibiotics in his bag were excellent, they only worked against specific infections.
‘Malaria… How on earth is there malaria in Joseon?’
Kang-hyuk dug through his memories, trying to recall what he had learned about malaria.
‘Wasn’t this disease mostly found near Ganghwa Island and the northern regions?’
He rarely forgot what he studied, and he remembered malaria being an uncommon illness in Korea.
‘But that doesn’t matter now.’
There was no point in lamenting what was already happening. Kang-hyuk shook his head, determined to act.
“Are you ready to go, young master?” Dolseok asked anxiously.
If malaria existed in Joseon, there had to be some local remedy for it.
“Yes, let’s go.”
As they rode out, Kang-hyuk kept sifting through his memories, hoping to recall something useful. Stacked together, the medical textbooks and lecture notes he had studied would reach twice his height.
‘I must have learned something about this.’
Though it was probably just a minor topic…
‘Maybe it came up in the history of medicine?’
Unfortunately, it had likely been in a section rarely covered in exams, and Kang-hyuk hadn’t paid much attention.
Then, out of nowhere, a thought struck him.
“Ah!”
“What is it, young master?”
“Quinine!”
“Quin… what?”
Dolseok looked at him, puzzled.
Kang-hyuk often mumbled strange things to himself, and this seemed like another one of those moments.
“No, quinine isn’t native to here. It’s from South America. There’s something else, though…”
It wasn’t something he had learned as a student—it had come up more recently.
“Ah, right! The Nobel Prize in Medicine!”
The solution hit him like a bolt of lightning, clearing his mind. He became so excited that he wriggled in the saddle, forcing Dolseok to stop the horse.
“Young master? Are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine! I remembered something!”
Dolseok frowned, muttering to himself, “He’s lost it…”
But Kang-hyuk ignored him. His thoughts raced.
“In 2015, Professor Tu Youyou won the Nobel Prize for discovering artemisinin. The active compound comes from… ah, yes!”
He recalled that the plant was common throughout East Asia. In fact, it grew all along the roadside where they were now riding.
“**Mugwort! Find mugwort!**”
“Huh?”
“Don’t just stand there—find some mugwort! It’s the key to treating Father!”
“Yes, yes!”
Dolseok immediately started pulling up plants that were taller than his waist.
Though Kang-hyuk knew the name, he wasn’t entirely sure what the plant looked like, so he asked Dolseok for confirmation.
“Is this it?”
“Yes! This is mugwort—there’s plenty of it around here!”
“Good. Make sure to gather only the new leaves.”
Kang-hyuk jumped off the horse to help, recalling that the active compounds were concentrated in the leaves.
‘The problem is, most of these plants are just tall stems.’
After some effort, they managed to collect enough to fill a small basket.
“Let’s head back home.”
“Yes, young master.”
The moment they arrived at the house, Okseok rushed over to meet them.
“How is Father?”
“The medicine helped a bit, but he’s still resting.”
The anti-inflammatory medication had reduced the fever, but it was only a temporary solution.
‘If this keeps up…’
Without proper treatment, the situation could worsen quickly.
While the three-day malaria cycle usually wasn’t life-threatening, there were no guarantees.
“This plant is the key to his treatment,” Kang-hyuk announced.
“As expected from you, young master.”
Okseok looked relieved, while Dolseok seemed confused.
“But, young master,” Dolseok asked cautiously, “how much of it should he take?”
‘Damn it. I don’t know the dosage.’
Nobody knew how much artemisinin could be extracted from a handful of mugwort leaves.
‘We’ll start small and increase the dosage gradually.’
It wasn’t ideal, but with no other options, Kang-hyuk would have to conduct an **impromptu clinical trial on his own father**.
The issue wasn’t just the dosage, though.
‘Artemisinin doesn’t dissolve well in water.’
He remembered this from a conversation with a patient in an oncology ward.
‘Some people think mugwort tea helps fight cancer, but that’s not entirely true.’
While it was fine as a beverage, it wasn’t effective as a medicine.
Kang-hyuk racked his brain, recalling his college chemistry classes and high school science experiments.
‘Ether would be ideal, but where would I find ether?’
The next best option was alcohol.
“Dolseok, bring me some liquor.”
“Liquor? But the mistress is sick…”
Dolseok shot him a bewildered look.
“Do you think I’m going to drink it? I need it for the medicine.”
“Oh, right. I’ll fetch it right away.”
‘This guy… I swear…’ Kang-hyuk thought to himself, shaking his head.
When Dolseok returned with a jar of liquor, Kang-hyuk took a sip to test it.
“Hmm, this isn’t very strong. Maybe 40 proof, at best.”
“Are you making medicine or just drinking?”
“Shut up.”
After swatting Dolseok on the back of the head, Kang-hyuk set to work.
‘At least it’s decent enough. We’ll steep the leaves in this.’
“Pour the liquor into the pot and add two handfuls of the leaves.”
“Exactly two handfuls?”
“Yes, two.”
Grumbling, Dolseok started heating the mixture. Soon, the room filled with the herbal aroma of mugwort.
‘Good. This might just work.’
“Alright, let’s take this to Father.”
Kang-hyuk carried the warm mugwort-infused liquor to Seungmun’s room.
“Father, try drinking this.”
Seungmun took a sip and smiled.
“This smells nice.”
“Yes, it’s quite mild. It should help.”
“Good. The other medicine didn’t feel like real medicine, but this does.”
“I’ll prepare this for you every day, Father. It’s important for your recovery.”
“Thank you, my son.”
As Seungmun lay down, Kang-hyuk carefully examined his abdomen.
‘The liver’s more swollen than before. The disease is progressing.’
The anti-inflammatories wouldn’t be enough for long.
“Get some rest, Father. It will help with your recovery.”
“Yes, I’ll follow your advice. Your skills are truly remarkable… I see things differently now.”