36 Chapter 36 (1/2)
Suhyuk went in, and he spread the medicine and other stuff he bought.
”What is all this?”
”Sir, you should not apply soybean paste on the wound.”
He read somewhere that the alkaline ammonia that soybean paste contains helps the wound healing by causing the neutralization reaction, but it is not clear, because it was not his specialty. However, one thing he can be sure of is that secondary infection can be caused by soybean paste.
”Sir, can I take a look at the wound?”
The old man nodded, with his eyes opened wide.
Did he steal all this stuff from a pharmacy? There were unknown drugs scattered about.
”Are you a doctor?” asked the old man. He's never seen such a young doctor.
Suhyuk was laughing silently.
”Let me wipe away the soybean paste,” Suhyuk said, and carefully removed it from his forearm.
He saw a scar there. However, he could not confirm it because it was covered with soybean paste.
”You will feel a bit sore.”
Suhyuk picked up the saline solution. Saline solution is used to remove germs and bacteria, but this was the only thing that he prepared. But even this was a nice preparation.
Suhyuk, who thoroughly cleansed the wound, opened his mouth,
”How did you get hurt?”
”I fell down while working.”
”Where was it?”
”I fell from the stairs.”
Suhyuk's face was a little relieved.
It means that he was not hurt by rusty steel. Still, damaged skin. How much was it damaged?
The skin consists of the epidermis, followed by the dermis and subcutaneous fat. The epidermis is fake skin. The outermost, non-nucleated dead cells are layers that make up the epidermis. When one goes to a public bathhouse, the dirt one cleans from his or her body is this.
And the dermis. This can be said to be real skin. It excretes wastes, and it includes thing like the immune cells, marine-algae, sebaceous gland, lymphatic etc, and plays a leading role including in skin nutrition and perception function. The last is subcutaneous fat. It is a layer where fat cells accumulate. It maintains body temperature, protects against physical shocks and damage, and accumulates the energy that the body consumes. Obesity comes naturally when the subcutaneous fat is thickened.
But the old man before his eyes was far from being obese. He had skinny arms like twigs.
After completely removing the impurities on his arms Suhyuk thoroughly examined the wound, and he smiled a little smile. The dermis was damaged, but fortunately the wound was not so deep, so did not have to be sewn. The wound was disinfected once again and the ointment was applied, and band and bandage were applied.
”Grandpa, you should not use soybean paste next time. Otherwise, you'd be in big trouble.”
Inflammation came secondary to infection, and if infection is neglected, it causes complications.
If so, the situation can change from light to worst.
”I'm done.”
The old man looked at his arms here and there. His arms wrapped with bandages.
Has he ever been treated like this?
”Are you from a public health center?”
Sometimes they would come for volunteer service from the health center.
But the prescription was different. Unlike those who put a stethoscope to him a few times and dropped off medicine, this young man made the old man feel he was like a doctor, or something more than that.
”I've come here for volunteer work, Grandpa, I'll be back.”
When Suhyuk turned back, he said,
”Eat this once, it's big and very sweet.”
It was a few steamed sweet potatoes that he offered.
Exposing his white teeth, Suhyuk took and bit it without peeling it.
”It's delicious.”
”Isn't it? I bought them from the market...”
At that moment, the two children living with him came in from the next room.
They were watching the sweet potatoes that he was holding in his hands.
”Now here you go,” Suhyuk said, handing them the sweet potatoes.
”Hey, that's for the doctor,” said the old man.
”I ate a lot of rice before coming here. I'm full.”
When did Suhyuk eat rice? After school he rushed to this place.
Cough!
At the sound of coughing, Suhyuk bent one knee and adjusted his eye level with his.
”You have a cold?”
Then he felt the child's forehead. No fever, no dry cough, which meant he had a light cold. Suhyuk offered medicine.
”Eat sweet potatoes and have this pill before you go to bed, okay?”
”Yes, sir!”
”Do you wash your hands every day?”
Even washing hands everyday can prevent one from catching a cold well enough.
Suhyuk, with a slight smile, turned back to visit the next house.
”Hey! What's your name?”
He heard the grandpa's voice when he was going out, but did not stop and moved to the next destination.
Suhyuk, who visited the old woman's house in the hillside village, was looking at her swollen feet. He thought it was inflammation, but it was pus. It would be better if the drug treatment was done at the same time, but it was certain that she would not go to the hospital to save money. Suhyuk laughed, while looking up at her,
”You will feel pain a little. Please be patient as you're an adult,” said Suhyuk.
He moved a scalpel, which then reached her feet.
Did blood come out? No. A yellow liquid flowed out instead of blood.
Suhyuk began to touch her feet and squeeze the pus again and again until blood ran out.
It did not last long. With her eyes closed and subtle wrinkles on her face, she opened her eyelids.
Suhyuk disinfected as before and took a bandage in his hand.
The more he put the bandage around her feet, the more uncomfortable he felt.
”This medicine is...”
Suhyuk rephrased his words. His complicated explanation only made her head complicated.
”Please take this medicine three times a day, and your feet will get better soon. If you feel pain or feel uncomfortable, you have to go to the hospital, okay?”
Of course she would not have to go there as a must, because he would come back again.
”You just keep giving me so much... Wait a minute.”
Entering the kitchen, she showed up again with corn and some milk.
”This is very delicious. Try it!”
”Thanks for the food!”
Then Suhyuk visited a few more households.
He was able to finish his work and return from the hillside village around 10pm.
He was holding a lot of foods in his hands.
”Oh, they're heavy!”
Corn, plastic bottles of sweet rice drink, boiled sweet potatoes, etc.
Suhyuk's visit lasted for two weeks. And when he did not go there anymore, a rumor was spreading in the hillside village: he was an unnamed white angel, who then flew to heaven with reattached wings.
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”Why did you come again? I told you not to!”
With a cold gaze and a rough tone, she asked Suhyuk. He just laughed.