I Became the Oriental Doctor for Divine Beasts - Chapter 41

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

I had become a physician for the Shinsoo.
#41
This time too, I didn’t see the perpetrator’s face, nor any vivid hallucination like something from a film.
Instead, like puzzle pieces, images floated before my eyes.
Colorful macarons from a famous patisserie.
A hair ribbon.
Gleaming seashells, and so forth…….
‘And what about that logo?’
Among them, a familiar symbol appeared.
The emblem of the girl group Lunar—shaped like a silver moon.
The old me wouldn’t have recognized it.
But now I do.
Thanks to growing close with Jeong La-bit, I’ve become quite familiar with that logo.
“Director Go Yeon-hui.”
A moment later.
As we exited the hospital room, Detective Jin Do-gyeong turned to me with expectation kindling in her eyes.
“Did you happen to see anything this time?”
I slowed my pace and nodded.
“Yes, I did see something. But it’s similar to last time. Again, they were images with no clear context.”
I counted off on my fingers as I recalled the visions one by one.
“Macarons, hair ribbons, seashells—things like that. Oh, and the Lunar emblem came up again.”
Detective Jin nodded silently, then pulled out her phone to save a voice memo.
A short vibration sounded as the recording was saved.
I waited for her to finish before continuing.
“Detective Jin. Could Cho Mi-so have been a Lunar fan? The Lunar-related imagery appeared again. It’s not just once—it’s twice now, so it doesn’t seem like mere coincidence.”
“Hmm……. We didn’t find any particular evidence of that during the investigation.”
Detective Jin seemed lost in thought for a moment.
I hesitated briefly before adding softly and carefully.
“I’m not sure if this is important, but… the Lunar fanbase is unexpectedly made up of a lot of elementary school girls.”
Detective Jin looked up.
“Elementary school girls?”
“Yes. I only found out recently myself. They say the group is particularly popular among elementary school girls.”
At my words, Jin Do-gyeong closed her mouth and stroked her chin with her thumb, lost in thought.
Then she reviewed the words she’d just noted again.
“……Come to think of it.”
She spoke slowly.
Her eyes had shifted subtly.
“These listed images… they seem to fit an elementary school girl better than an adult woman.”
My eyes widened.
“Wait, now that you mention it—that’s been true since last time. Strawberry cake, rhinoceros beetles, rainbows. Macarons, hair ribbons, Lunar—they’re all…….”
“Exactly.”
Detective Jin murmured, as if organizing her own thoughts.
“According to her resident registration, Cho Mi-so is unmarried, has no family, no siblings. If that’s the case…….”
Her eyes gleamed sharply.
“I’ll look into whether there was a child she was particularly close to among her neighbors. Or perhaps a child she looked after as a guardian.”
“That’s a good idea. It might not have a direct connection to catching the mugger, but it could help us find someone to visit Mi-so’s bedside.”
And so we returned to Baek Myeong-dang.
After that, I was absorbed in treating patients.
As I administered acupuncture, took pulses, and moved between the waiting room and examination areas tending to patients, the sun had already begun to set.
By the time I’d nearly finished the entire day, my phone rang.
The caller was Detective Jin Do-gyeong.
“Detective?”
– Director Go! You were right.
The voice through the receiver was unmistakably urgent.
“Pardon?”
– There was indeed a girl close to Cho Mi-so! After thoroughly investigating her surroundings, we found a child with whom she had a deep relationship.
I held my breath.
“Who is it?”
After a moment of silence.
Detective Jin lowered her voice a tone.
– Judging from the circumstances, she appears to be Cho Mi-so’s biological daughter.
In that instant, my mind went white.
So… Mi-so’s daughter?
* * *
That evening.
After finishing all the day’s consultations, Baek Myeong-dang was unusually quiet.
Three of us sat facing each other at a table in the waiting room: myself, Detective Jin Do-gyeong, and Baek Eun-ho.
Today was no ordinary chat.
It was a meeting to learn the full story of Cho Mi-so’s case.
“After hearing what Director Go said, I reinvestigated with a focus on the fact that we were dealing with an elementary school girl. And a clue emerged.”
Detective Jin Do-gyeong spoke first.
Her voice was measured, but her tone was grave.
“Several years ago, Cho Mi-so gave birth to a child while unmarried.”
I swallowed hard.
“At the time, Mi-so was young and didn’t have favorable economic circumstances. Yet she was clearly determined to raise the child herself. However, her boyfriend took the child from her. Or rather, he took her by force.”
My chest ached.
Beyond those few tersely summarized sentences, I could feel the confusion and sorrow Mi-so must have endured at the time.
Detective Jin continued matter-of-factly.
“Mi-so never abandoned the child. But she had no means of legal recourse. The biological father’s family used their economic power and connections to push through unilaterally.”
I clenched my fists on my lap and asked.
“Good heavens……. So Mi-so never got to see the child after that?”
“That’s not entirely true.”
Detective Jin shook her head.
“For the first few years, they maintained intermittent contact. Direct contact was restricted, but through the man she often made phone calls and exchanged messages. Mi-so watched the child grow through the man’s SNS account. She sent gifts on birthdays and special occasions.”
Suddenly, the images that had been floating in the vision flickered back into my mind.
‘Those must have all been things Mi-so had given to the child, or things the child loved.’
Then Baek Eun-ho, who had been quietly listening with his arms crossed, spoke.
“But that’s past tense.”
Detective Jin Do-gyeong nodded heavily.
“Yes. The man got involved with someone new. This woman was displeased with the child’s existence. So the man gradually distanced himself from the child as well.”
Baek Eun-ho’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
“A man without paternal affection.”
“That’s right. It seems taking the child in the first place wasn’t really his intention—it was more due to strong pressure from the man’s parents. They couldn’t bear the thought of their bloodline in someone else’s hands. Inheritance disputes likely concerned them too.”
Detective Jin spoke with a sigh mixed in.
“In any case, Mi-so often spoke of having ‘a goal she desperately wanted to achieve.’ So she worked tirelessly, late into the night. Perhaps… once she learned of this situation, she was trying to earn enough money to bring her daughter back.”
The moment I heard those words, it felt as though I’d been struck on the head.
Baek Eun-ho glanced at me.
“Teacher Go. Why does your expression look like that?”
I opened my mouth with difficulty.
“So Mi-so was working late into the night trying to earn money to bring her daughter back, and that’s when this happened to her?”
My throat tightened.
That was… far too cruel.
I dropped my head.
…….
Neither Baek Eun-ho nor Jin Do-gyeong said anything.
The air around us grew heavy.
Do-gyeong murmured in a low voice.
“Right now, from Director Go… I sense the smell of rain-soaked earth. The scent that comes from compassion and anguish.”
Without lifting my head, I continued to listen to her words.
“It would be wonderful if Cho Mi-so could sense this, feel your heart, and wake up.”
It was just as Detective Jin finished speaking and was wiping her face as if in distress.
‘Mi-so could sense it……?’
I found myself mulling over the detective’s words once more.
Sense.
Feel.
Hearts reaching across…….
‘……Ah!’
What if it were like this?
Suddenly, a brilliant idea sparked in my mind.
My heart began to beat a little faster.
I spoke carefully.
“Detective Jin. Would something like this be possible?”
“Yes? What is it?”
I leaned forward and explained my idea in hushed tones.
Detective Jin Do-gyeong’s eyes widened slightly.
“Hmm.”
After thinking for a moment, she nodded.
“Yes. I’ll try it.”
My heart quickened with a small flutter.
Perhaps this.
Might be the key to Cho Mi-so’s recovery.
* * *
After that conversation had passed between us, several days went by.
Detective Jin Do-gyeong and I visited the hospital where Cho Mi-so was admitted once again.
But this time, it wasn’t just the two of us.
“Hi.”
In the hospital lobby.
I stopped before a first-grade elementary school girl.
A small frame, thin limbs, a height noticeably shorter than her peers.
Somewhat shabby clothing.
Her shoulders were hunched tight with tension, and her large eyes glistened with barely suppressed tears.
“You’re Soo-a?”
This was my first meeting with Soo-a, Cho Mi-so’s daughter.

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