The Apothecary Diaries (2023) s01e08 Episode Script

1
ORIGINAL STORY BY NATSU HYUUGA
THIS STORY IS A FICION, AND ALL NAMES OF
FIGURES ND ORGANIZATIONS ARE FICTITIOUS.
MOREOVER, THE STORY HAS NO RELATION
TO REAL-LIFE INCIDENTS AND EVENTS.
Oh, right. I'm home.
My hair's so sticky
Old man must be
At the farm.
He's not young,
so I'd like him to
stop working at the farm
But he sure loves making medicine out of
herbs he grew himself,
that old man.
You'll break it.
I don't know you.
Are you an outside apprentice?
- The old man
- Come!
Big Sis!
I brought the apothecary!
- Quickly!
- This smell!
Ms. Apothecary!
I made them vomit it out, but
Not yet!
He's not breathing.
Her breath is weak too.
I'll check whether there's any vomit
in his throat.
- You check her.
- Yes!
He has no pulse.
Nothing in his throat, either.
Just saliva.
Bring some water!
Don't make them drink water!
Charcoal. Bring some charcoal!
Yes, ma'am!
What is all this, so early in the morning?
I want to take a bath
Thank you, Ms. Apothecary.
They're both stable now.
- Oh, leave that.
- Even the vomit?
- There might be poison left over.
- Poison
I'll prepare some tea.
The sick people were a courtesan
and her customer.
The room was filled with the scent
of alcohol and tobacco.
Two liquor bottles.
Shattered glass cups.
Is this wheat stalk?
A smoking pipe, and tobacco leaves.
What an elaborate act this is.
Here's some charcoal.
Can you bring a wood tablet
and something to write with?
What?
The old man should be at the farm
by the southern outer walls.
Can you bring him too?
I got it.
You're late, old man.
This girl was concerned for my legs.
I crushed the charcoal.
I'll mix it with the herbs
and have them take it right away.
Can you drink this?
And him?
He's okay. He took the medicine.
I guess your treatment was all right.
Just "all right"?
Old man is someone who can learn
two or three things
out of a single piece of information.
What poison did you think this was?
Here it comes!
Old man tries to teach me lessons
like this sometimes.
Tobacco leaves are poisonous.
This is what they'd use
for a suicide pact.
I hear you didn't make them drink water.
That would have reverse effects.
That's true.
Gastric fluid can prevent
the absorption of poison,
so in that case, water wouldn't help.
But what if this was dissolved in water
in the first place?
There are no leaves in the vomit!
I missed it. Am I still half-asleep?
If the poison was dissolved in water,
it's better to dilute it.
All right. Now I know.
I'm sorry about this.
Offering tea sweets reserved for guests?
They're quite generous.
I see.
They use this to prevent lipstick stains
on the cups.
You really helped us a lot.
This is a mere token, but
- No, I can't accept that
- Old man.
Can you afford rent to Grams this month?
I happily accept.
Geez. This old man
This instance was
a classic case of a suicide pact.
Not uncommon here.
A woman with a long term of service
and a man
that can't afford to buy her out.
Couples like that always have one plan.
But that man
He was dressed in expensive clothing.
He has a handsome face.
He doesn't seem to have a problem
with money or women.
Though I'm making assumptions.
Old man wouldn't like that.
He doesn't seem the type to take poison
for his future with a courtesan
I'm going to go check.
The man's condition was more serious.
What are you doing?!
Don't get in my way!
Bastards like him should die!
Ouch
What are you two doing?
Ms. Apothecary,
can I talk to you for a minute?
He was a very problematic customer.
He would say sweet words to courtesans,
act as if he were buying them out,
then abandon them once he got bored.
He incurred a lot of wrath.
He'd almost get stabbed
by an enraged woman,
or get poisoned.
But he's spoiled by his father,
who's a wealthy merchant.
Every time,
he would resolve problems with money.
Recently,
he would come to brothels accompanied by
guards that he asked his parents for.
Her older sister was also
abandoned by that man.
She was looking forward to
living with him,
but he took it back
on the day of the buyout.
That's why she couldn't forgive him.
She was attached to the courtesan
that drank the poison today, so
So I'm supposed to pretend
I didn't see this?
Customers like that shouldn't be
permitted to enter.
It was her that fell for him.
And it led to today's
suicide pact incident?
That's definitely a bad look
for the brothel.
They must've been so generous with us
because we prevented the death of a
wealthy merchant's son at their business.
And that's why
This situation must've felt
so unjust to this girl.
I understand.
I just happened to be back home today.
But if she runs errands every day,
she might have known the hours
that old man is out.
Normally, one would call a doctor.
If she purposefully came to call on
an absent apothecary
That apprentice girl
She's small, but frightening.
What a situation for you,
after you came all this way.
Old man. Show me the cash.
Yup. There's money inside.
Along with an added amount of hush money.
But something about this bothers me.
From what I hear, the man doesn't seem
the delicate type.
Would a man like that make a suicide pact
for a woman he loves?
Was it a forced suicide pact?
But would a man who had been poisoned
before be so careless?
Maomao.
I told you, don't make assumptions.
You already know the truth, don't you?
Let me remember.
What was at the scene?
Did I miss anything?
Tobacco leaves are poisonous.
This is what they'd use
for a suicide pact.
But what if this was dissolved in water
in the first place?
It was her that fell for him.
Bastards like him should die!
She was attached to the courtesan
that drank the poison today, so
I see. They use this to prevent
lipstick stains on the cups.
This wasn't a suicide pact.
It was murder.
Substance dissolved in water Wheat stalk
Two different types of alcohol
It's all over, all right?
I know that.
A murder, not a suicide pact.
And the murderer was the courtesan.
The murder weapon was alcohol
poisoned with tobacco.
But how did she make the man drink
the poison, when he was so cautious
of his safety that he had personal guards?
It's quite simple.
She could drink it herself.
If the courtesan is safe,
the man would drink the alcohol, too.
But if she actually drank
the poisonous alcohol, she'd be in danger.
That's why she used those tools.
Two types of alcohol and one cup.
Different types of alcohol differ
in richness and density.
If you pour light alcohol slowly
on top of heavy alcohol,
it will create
aesthetically pleasing layers.
If she performed this trick
as a way to please customers,
the courtesan could drink only
the bottom layer
using the wheat stalk.
The courtesan also drank
the top layer alcohol.
Only a small amount,
so that she wouldn't die.
The plan would be pointless
if she died as well.
She calculated the timing
so that he would die,
and she would survive.
That's why it happened in the morning.
And conveniently,
someone found them like that.
She is delicate,
but tough at the same time.
What are you doing, Big Sis?
You have to stay asleep!
The apprentice's actions were a bit off.
She went to the apothecary
and not the doctor
so that the man would run out of time.
She took her time to bring old man.
Was she not concerned for her "Big Sis"?
Did she not think that just like her
actual older sister, someone close to her
could die again?
It's almost as if she knew
she wouldn't die.
Could be. Or I'm just overthinking things.
And the courtesan who was oddly
sympathetic to the apprentice.
The granny who paid us well.
Anyone can seem suspicious
if you view them that way.
Could it be that everyone was
I can't be making assumptions.
I wanted to come back here
for a long time.
But here's no different
than the rear palace.
It's a flower garden, a bird cage.
All become poisoned by
the air in this trapped environment.
And the courtesans, by eating
others' poisons,
themselves become sweet poison.
THE VERDIGRIS HOUSE
I don't know what will happen
to that courtesan.
The spoiled son could
claim and complain that he got poisoned,
or it could be that
the brothel threatens him
for ruining their merchandise.
It doesn't matter either way.
If we troubled our minds
about these things,
we'd never survive this town.
Maomao!
Big Sis Meimei!
You're already going back to the palace?
I still have a year left
in my term of service.
And if I quit my job,
I'd cause trouble to others.
I see. But you only just got home.
Everyone was so worried
after you went missing suddenly.
Pairin, Juka, and Granny too.
But they didn't mention that at all
Everyone acted like
nothing was wrong, right?
It's because you came back.
I see.
Did that make you sad?
It's okay, baby!
Stop that, Big Sis Meimei!
Maomao. Did you go to the annex?
Yeah. I'll go later.
Be careful, all right?
You too, old man.
I'll be off.
My three-day homecoming
ended before I realized.
You're already going home?
What a disappointment!
Right, Sir Lihaku?
Yes! What a disappointment, truly!
Looks like he enjoyed his time here.
Once you taste the sweet nectar
of the heavens,
you can't come back to earth.
He'll continue to get squeezed out
so that he neither lives nor dies.
Even so,
I'm the one paying for what
the advance payment couldn't cover.
Call me when you're back, all right?
Now I know exactly
where I'm selling myself to next.
Why is he glaring at me like that?
I'll get out of here quickly.
I'm going to go change now.
- Tell us
- Everything
Later!
I'll be waiting for you
in the reception room.
Excuse me.
His attitude is worse than usual.
Am I just imagining things?
I hope that's the case.
We'll put it that way.
But why is it just the two of us?
I hear you visited home.
Yes.
How was it?
Everyone seemed to be doing well.
I was glad.
- I see.
- Yes, sir.
And what kind of man is this Lihaku?
Huh?
He's my surety.
Why does he know his name?
Do you know what that means?
Yes. He has to be of a certain status.
Otherwise, he can't be my surety.
What?
Did he give you a hair clip?
He was handing several of them out.
It was an obligatory gift to me.
You mean to tell me
I lost to an obligatory gift?
I gave you one also.
But you never talked to me.
"I"? What?
So he's in a bad mood
because I didn't propose an offer to him?
That's very strange.
It's better not to get involved in
troublesome things.
He's always bored.
Does he want attention,
even when it's troublesome?
I'm so sorry, sir.
I could not think of a worthy payment
that would satisfy you.
What payment?
Did you make this "payment"
to this Lihaku man?
Of course. He seemed happy with
his one night of dreams.
One night?
He seemed extremely satisfied.
I'm glad I worked hard too.
What are you doing?
Use this, before it stains.
Excuse me, sir.
You should wash this right away.
I'll carry this teacup away,
so don't touch it.
Excuse me.
PREVIEW OF NEXT EPISODE
Next episode, "Suicide or Murder?"
Subtitle translation by: Yukimi Ohashi