I Became the Oriental Doctor for Divine Beasts - Chapter 107

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Korean Medicine Doctor for the Divine Beasts
#107
Hae Sung-woo’s chest suddenly tightened.
‘All alone from such a young age…….’
Though far younger than him, Go Yeon-hee always carried herself with composure and quiet strength.
She must have been bewildered, thrust suddenly into this strange world, yet she gave no sign of it.
She accepted her fate with more spirit than anyone, and instead threw herself into tending the other Divine Beasts.
Hae Sung-woo hung his head.
A memory surfaced—something he’d heard at the teahouse.
—”Some people can’t talk to their families, even when they want to.”
He hadn’t understood then. Why her eyes had looked so wounded.
‘She was talking about herself.’
And here he was, running away for more than a decade because he was afraid of growing distant from his brothers.
“…….”
Heat crawled across his face for no reason.
The Inn Proprietress glanced at the clock and spoke.
“My, it’s already evening.”
Then she asked naturally.
“Sung-woo, have you had dinner? Are you eating properly these days?”
“……!”
Hae Sung-woo’s throat suddenly tightened.
She had worried herself sick over his three brothers, unable to eat properly for nearly half a year.
And yet.
Here she was, concerned whether her own son had managed a single meal.
His eyes stung, but he forced himself to smile.
“I haven’t eaten yet. What about you, Mother?”
“Hmm?”
“Is there anything you’d like to eat?”
“Well, I……”
Mother trailed off.
Hae Sung-woo, who had been waiting for her answer, spoke on impulse.
“Tell me anything. I’ll make it for you.”
“……!”
Mother’s eyes widened.
For good reason.
When was the last time Hae Sung-woo had offered to cook for his family?
Of course, living alone in his apartment, he made simple meals for himself.
But to cook for someone else—especially for family—was something he hadn’t done in far too long.
“Sung-woo.”
Her voice trembled.
“Is that really true? You’ll cook……?”
“Yes. What would you like to eat?”
When Hae Sung-woo asked again, Mother hurriedly wiped her eyes.
“Well, then…….”
After a moment’s thought, she managed a weary smile.
“How about Taro Root Soup and Steamed Egg? We used to eat those often at Chuseok when you were young.”
“That sounds good.”
Hae Sung-woo smiled too.
Before long, simple dishes were laid out on the table.
Mild Taro Root Soup and tender Steamed Egg, along with some shredded fish and seasoned vegetables.
Mother was picking up her spoon when she paused.
“Hmm? Sung-woo, didn’t we usually put a lot of perilla powder in Taro Root Soup? This one…….”
“Ah, yes.”
Hae Sung-woo laughed.
“You haven’t been eating well for so long. I thought too rich a broth might strain your stomach, so I reduced the perilla powder. I made the broth a bit thinner, used leaner fish, and seasoned it much lighter than usual.”
He added as if it were obvious.
“You have to consider the diner’s condition.”
Mother said nothing.
Then, slowly, she lifted a spoonful of broth to her lips.
“……!”
Her eyes wavered.
Spoonful after spoonful, the bowl was soon empty.
It had been a very long time since Mother had eaten without leaving anything behind.
Hae Sung-woo, watching her, asked with surprise.
“Mother, are you all right? Finishing everything like that…….”
Looking at her son, Mother’s eyes reddened.
“Sung-woo, I ate so well just now. It’s been such a long time.”
She smiled through glistening tears.
Hae Sung-woo, slightly stunned, could only stare at her.
For her lost appetite, the entire family had offered her delicacies.
Yet all it took to make her smile was a single bowl of Taro Root Soup.
In that moment, Hae Sung-woo understood something.
‘Running away isn’t the answer.’
He couldn’t hide and evade forever.
For Mother’s sake, if nothing else, he had to face his brothers openly.
‘Even if it’s frightening, I have to confront it once.’
As he resolved this, the image of a Korean Medicine Doctor with cat-like eyes came to mind.
The person who had named his illness as an illness. The one who had quietly given courage to someone who only knew how to run.
A sense of liberation washed over him, and Sung-woo let out a small laugh.
‘Go Yeon-hee……. You really are a remarkable healer.’
* * *
Soon it would be Chuseok.
A festival where family gathered to share food and give thanks to their ancestors.
But for the Hae Clan, Chuseok was no simple holiday.
For the three Hae brothers especially, Chuseok had been less a festival than a crucial trial since childhood.
The dishes made by the direct line of three brothers were the whole clan’s concern.
—”Show me in advance what dishes you’ll present this Chuseok.”
—”Yes, Father.”
Thus, Hae Gang-hyeok, the head of the Hae Clan, always tasted his three sons’ food before the festival proper.
It was a kind of preliminary examination.
And this coming weekend was precisely that day.
For a long time, only the eldest and second son had participated. The youngest, Hae Sung-woo, had refused to cook for some years now.
But.
“Brothers.”
This time, Hae Sung-woo spoke to them first.
“I will cook for this Chuseok as well.”
“……!”
Hae Il-woo and Hae Jung-woo’s eyes widened simultaneously.
“What?”
“You?”
Their gazes wavered with unease.
‘Surely not that guy……?’
‘Does he suddenly have interest in being successor?’
Wariness arose naturally.
In such a moment, for the first time in ages, the three brothers stood in the same kitchen.
Slash, slash.
Thwack!
Sizzle.
The sounds of knife work, splattering oil, and bubbling pots…….
The kitchen was noisy, yet an awkward silence hung over everything.
There was not a word of conversation between the brothers.
The eldest and second son worked with teeth gritted and hearts fully committed.
‘I won’t lose to the youngest again!’
They were accomplished owner-chefs now, each running a well-known restaurant.
To lose to the youngest again here would mean they could never hold their heads up.
Time passed, and each brother’s dish was complete.
Hae Il-woo had made a traditional Royal Seafood Casserole and Braised Short Ribs.
Hae Jung-woo had prepared a fusion scallop dish with truffle mushrooms and Korean beef.
But.
“……?”
“What?”
The brothers, who had been tense, blinked at the sight of the youngest’s food.
What Hae Sung-woo had made was strikingly simple.
Taro Root Soup, Rolled Omelet, Seasoned Spinach—truly ordinary home-style fare.
Hae Jung-woo asked, bewildered.
“Sung-woo. You’re serving this to Father?”
Hae Sung-woo, instead of answering, looked at his two brothers.
And.
He posed a question he had buried for a long time, dropping his formal speech for the dialect of his childhood.
“Did I… make things harder for you two?”
“!!”
For a moment, the air in the kitchen seemed to stop.
“What?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Hae Il-woo stiffened, and Hae Jung-woo looked bewildered.
“Just curious.”
Hae Sung-woo forced a smile, his voice trembling slightly as he asked.
“Did you hate that I stopped cooking?”
“…….”
While his brothers struggled to speak, Hae Sung-woo continued quietly.
“Brothers. Do you remember this food?”
Both men’s eyes turned toward the table.
In that instant, they forgot how to breathe.
Then they remembered.
‘It’s the dish the youngest made the first time he presented food to the family…….’
The youngest, his young face tight with nervousness, had asked.
—”How is it? Tasty?”
And that day, after tasting their youngest brother’s food, the two had been genuinely overjoyed.
—”Wow, we’ve got a prodigy in this house!”
—”Sung-woo, it’s really delicious! Let’s open a restaurant together when you grow up!”
No jealousy, no rivalry—just pure praise for their youngest brother’s cooking.
Seeing his brothers at a loss for words, Hae Sung-woo laughed softly.
“I really loved that moment. When we shared food with you two and laughed together…….”
Only then did Hae Il-woo and Hae Jung-woo understand.
Why the youngest had chosen to make this particular dish today.
And why he had suddenly stopped cooking all those years ago.
In truth, the two of them had harbored quiet suspicions for a long time.
‘What if the youngest withdrew out of consideration for us?’
But they had shaken their heads. Surely not. It couldn’t be.
Yet in the moment they realized it was true.
The two brothers couldn’t speak.
“…….”
Hae Il-woo slowly covered his face with his hands, while Hae Jung-woo stared down at the table with a rigid expression for a long while.
* * *
The gathering where the clan head tasted his sons’ food before Chuseok.
Hae Gang-hyeok, the master of the Hae Clan, widened his eyes.
“Sung-woo cooked something?”
Though he rarely showed emotion, this time surprise was difficult to hide.
He had assumed Sung-woo would beg off as usual…….
Steadying his trembling heart, Hae Gang-hyeok sat before the table beside his wife.
The eldest and second sons brought out their dishes in turn.
‘Il-woo chose traditional Korean cuisine. And Jung-woo, elaborate fusion Korean fare.’
Both deserved passing marks. Though neither quite satisfied him.
And finally… Hae Sung-woo presented his dish.
The moment Hae Gang-hyeok saw his youngest son’s food, his brow furrowed slightly.
‘Hmm? That boy picks up a knife after all this time and makes something so ordinary?’
Puzzled, Hae Gang-hyeok nevertheless said nothing and lifted his spoon.
And.
The moment he brought a spoonful of broth to his lips.
“……!”
Hae Gang-hyeok’s hand stilled.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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