I Became the Oriental Doctor for Divine Beasts - Chapter 34
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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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He became the physician of the Godly Beasts.
#34
Detective Jin Do-gyeong’s request: treat Jo Mi-so, who had slipped into a coma from traumatic intracranial hemorrhage.
“…….”
I couldn’t answer right away, and my lips pressed together tightly.
At the word “unconscious,” a memory from long ago flickered through my mind.
When Chairman Baek Ho-jung had collapsed.
Back then, simply clearing the blocked meridians with spiritual energy had brought swift results.
Besides, the chairman was a Godly Beast, with recovery far surpassing any human’s.
‘But this time…….’
I drew a slow breath.
This patient was an ordinary human who had suffered severe head trauma.
Not a matter of blocked meridians, but physical damage.
To be honest—
I had no confidence I could heal her quickly.
Pouring in spiritual energy might prove futile.
Worse, I might cause her harm by pushing too hard.
“…….”
And yet.
Even so.
I hung my head in thought for a long moment, then clenched my fists.
In treating brain damage, time is everything.
With each passing hour, the chances of recovery diminish noticeably.
‘I can’t just stand idle.’
Even if the outcome is uncertain.
If there’s something I can do, I must do it.
I steeled my resolve and looked up.
“Yes. I’ll do my very best.”
In that instant, Do-gyeong’s expression brightened considerably.
“Ah……! Thank you, truly.”
She exhaled in relief and bowed her head.
I shifted my gaze and examined Jin Do-gyeong’s left shoulder.
A shoulder stabilizer brace was cinched firmly in place.
“But… what happened to your shoulder, Detective?”
Do-gyeong hesitated for a moment, then steadied her shoulder with her other hand.
“The rotator cuff tore while I was chasing a suspect. It’s put me in quite a difficult position, actually.”
“How so?”
“I can’t return to active duty for some time.”
She clenched her teeth.
“I need to be on the scene for this case. I track them by scent—I have to smell it myself—but with my arm like this, I’ve been pulled from fieldwork.”
Disappointment and anger mingled in her words.
I leaned forward naturally.
“If I fix your shoulder quickly, it would help you catch those suspects faster, wouldn’t it?”
“……Yes. It would help tremendously.”
Do-gyeong met my eyes, then spoke honestly.
“But I don’t think it’ll be easy. Orthopedics said six weeks recovery, and I’ve visited several clinics, but… this isn’t a simple sprain—it’s muscle rupture. They all said there’s nothing that can be done.”
As if resigned, she shrugged, then winced in pain.
I considered for a moment, then spoke carefully.
“Detective. Would you let me take a look?”
At my words, Jin Do-gyeong’s eyebrows shot up.
Surprise and relief crossed her face at once.
“Is it really possible? I want to return to the field as quickly as I can!”
“I can’t promise anything. But it’s worth trying, isn’t it?”
She bowed deeply.
“Thank you! I thought it would be too much to ask, knowing you have limits to your spiritual energy, and here I am asking you to treat both Jo Mi-so and me.”
I waved my hand dismissively.
“Now’s not the time for such concerns. We need to catch the criminals.”
Then I smiled brightly and added deliberately,
“Even if I have to wring out every last drop of spiritual energy like water from a dry cloth, I’ll heal both Mi-so and you.”
“My goodness. What if you collapse again?”
“Ah, ha ha.”
Do-gyeong laughed awkwardly and waved her hand.
I laughed along thoughtlessly, then suddenly felt something odd and asked,
“But where did you hear about my spiritual energy reserves and that I collapsed before?”
“Oh, that? From Baek Eun-ho.”
“……What?”
“When we were talking about the Black Lotus Society case. I asked if I could bring a group of injured detectives to the clinic, and he got serious and said—”
She imitated Baek Eun-ho’s low, gruff voice.
“‘Don’t be a nuisance and show up all at once.'”
Do-gyeong’s imitation was so vivid, I could almost hear Baek Eun-ho himself.
“He said that given your nature, you can’t leave a patient alone, and you’d stupidly exhaust every bit of spiritual energy treating them.”
My eyes widened.
Baek Eun-ho said that? Was he actually worried about me?
As I was thinking that, Do-gyeong added,
“He said Baek Myo-dang Clinic is like an emergency room for Godly Beasts, so you always need to keep some spiritual energy in reserve.”
“……Ha ha.”
Well, of course. An emergency room for Godly Beasts, then.
And what was that? I’d stupidly exhaust myself treating them?
‘Is that a compliment or an insult?’
The small warmth rising in my chest vanished instantly.
I cleared my throat once and stood.
“Anyway, Detective. Since you’re here, let me examine your shoulder first. Shall we go to the treatment room?”
Then I gestured toward the treatment room.
Do-gyeong looked at me for a moment, then nodded with a tense expression.
“Yes. Thank you for your help.”
* * *
I guided Detective Jin Do-gyeong to the treatment room.
Click—
As I flipped the switch, the treatment room, darkened in preparation for closing, brightened again.
“Detective Jin, why don’t you sit on the bed here? And show me that injured shoulder.”
Do-gyeong carefully unfastened the stabilizer and sat on the bed.
I stood beside her and examined her shoulder closely.
Bruising mottled the shoulder muscles in several places.
‘At this level, even at rest the shoulder must ache dully and throb…….’
Yet Detective Jin bore the pain with composure throughout, which was quietly impressive.
Before beginning serious treatment, I started with questions first.
“You mentioned you’ve already been to an orthopedic clinic and a Korean medicine clinic, right? What tests did they run, and what was the diagnosis?”
When a patient has already visited another medical facility, it’s quite important to confirm what opinion they received.
Referencing another physician’s diagnosis helps set the treatment direction.
“The orthopedic clinic did an ultrasound.”
Do-gyeong explained calmly.
“They said part of the rotator cuff muscle was torn. It was a moderate muscle rupture, and they said six weeks recovery.”
“I see. That’s Grade 2 damage, then.”
I frowned and nodded.
Muscle rupture.
It refers to muscle fibers being partially or completely torn by external impact or excessive force.
Grade 1 damage doesn’t significantly impair daily life.
But Grade 2 and above restrict movement.
Grade 3, complete rupture, requires surgery and months of treatment.
‘If only it had been simple muscle soreness or a sprain…….’
With muscle rupture, pain persists at rest, strength fails when moving, and in severe cases, lifting the arm becomes nearly impossible.
Treatment is fundamentally rest and immobilization.
Most importantly, the torn muscle needs time to reattach.
After organizing my thoughts, I asked again.
“Which Korean medicine clinic did you visit?”
Do-gyeong’s gaze shifted away for a moment, then she bowed her head abruptly.
“……I apologize, Doctor.”
“Yes? Why suddenly?”
She seemed uncomfortable and scratched her cheek.
“Truth is… I went to another clinic nearby first. They were affiliated with the orthopedic clinic and made a strong recommendation. It was hard to refuse.”
As if embarrassed, Do-gyeong offered an explanation I hadn’t asked for.
“And after hearing what Baek talked about, you seemed so busy that I felt sorry asking you to treat me too.”
“Ah……. I see.”
I was dazed for a moment, then nodded.
‘A new clinic nearby?’
A face naturally came to mind.
O Ro-ji, successor to Owhee Korean Medicine Hospital and my university classmate.
‘Come to think of it, Ro-ji came by recently with housewarming cakes, saying she’d opened a practice in this area.’
Now that I thought about it, when I’d looked at the source of recent new patients,
the inflow from the neighborhood had noticeably declined.
Was that because Ro-ji’s clinic had opened?
And—
my suspicion proved correct.
“It’s called ‘O Ro-ji’s Clinic’—a branch of Owhee Korean Medicine Hospital, they said.”
The name I’d anticipated came from Do-gyeong’s lips.
O Ro-ji was a classmate who had always competed for top marks with me in school.
She studied hard and was a brilliant student.
‘After graduation, she must have received proper training under her famous doctor father, so she’s grown even more skilled.’
Considering her diagnosis would surely help me treat the detective properly.
With that in mind, I asked with curiosity in my eyes,
“What diagnosis did they give you there?”
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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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