I Became the Oriental Doctor for Divine Beasts - Chapter 43

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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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She had become the Korean medicine practitioner for the divine beings.
#43
From the perspective of her attending physician, Professor Choi Jin-wook.
Jo Mi-so’s condition was, to put it plainly, dire.
Level of consciousness, extent of brain damage, reflex responses — every indicator was poor.
From long clinical experience, he knew.
‘This patient was a case where we should have been prepared for death.’
Or, even if she survived, there was a high probability she would remain in a vegetative state for life.
That was his honest assessment.
But now?
The patient’s eyes had opened, and her cognitive functions were returning.
‘The timing is too convenient to call it mere chance.’
The signs of recovery had appeared after Ko Yeon-hee’s treatment began.
To be frank.
When he first met her, Professor Choi had looked down on her.
‘Far too young. And a Korean medicine practitioner, of all things.’
What could she possibly do for a critical patient like this?
Only now did he realize how arrogant that thought had been.
‘The rumor that she treated the former Baekho Hospital chairman… I thought it was just hearsay.’
It appears to have been true after all.
Moreover—
Ko Yeon-hee had not stopped at simply providing treatment.
He had no idea how she’d managed it.
But she had brought the patient’s own daughter into the hospital room.
‘No ordinary doctor would ever do such a thing.’
Guardian consent, legal issues, questions of liability — even thinking about it was bothersome, risky, and exhausting.
Yet Ko Yeon-hee was different.
She had not turned away from the patient’s circumstances.
She had made even the child’s emotional healing part of the treatment itself.
When the medical staff at Baekho Hospital heard that story.
They truly gasped in wonder.
‘Her skill is one thing, but the sincerity of her care for patients — that’s genuine.’
He had never encountered a medical professional so ideally drawn, like a work of art.
Someone with such talent…
Ambition began to stir.
In the course of his work, he often encountered intractable patients whom no amount of effort could save.
‘If I could entrust those patients to Ko Yeon-hee?’
It would be good for the patients.
And Baekho Hospital’s standing would rise another notch.
Now Professor Choi no longer saw Ko Yeon-hee as a green Korean medicine practitioner.
He found himself filled with respect — no, admiration — as one medical professional toward another.
‘How far could a person like her go?’
His curiosity about her potential, pure and simple, had awakened.
Professor Choi gazed at Ko Yeon-hee from the corner of his eye and made a quiet vow to himself.
‘I must present terms she cannot refuse.’
He had already obtained direct approval from the hospital director.
The proposal for a Cooperative Korean Medicine Practitioner position, that is.
* * *

Saturday afternoon.
I visited Jo Mi-so’s hospital room together with her attending physician.
Since the day I had brought Su-a, Mi-so’s daughter, to the room.
The patient had now progressed beyond simple yes-or-no responses to understanding and following basic instructions.
Her cognitive functions were returning step by step.
‘At this rate…’
The calculation came naturally to mind.
Mi-so would be able to speak within a week.
Which meant direct testimony about the assailant would become possible.
The attending physician confirmed the chart one last time and nodded.
“We’ll conclude today’s assessment here.”
We left the room and stood in the hallway.
But then.
‘Hm?’
Why was he looking at me like that?
I laughed awkwardly and blinked.
Somewhere along the way, the attending physician had begun looking at me with open admiration.
He spoke to me first.
“Your patient Jo Mi-so is recovering beautifully. I’ll be frank — it’s remarkable. Considering her initial condition, this borders on miraculous.”
I answered that I was relieved and smiled.
“Your name is Ko Yeon-hee, correct?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Are you, by any chance, the Korean medicine practitioner who treated the former Baekho Hospital chairman?”
“…”
Instead of answering, I awkwardly drew up the corners of my mouth.
That reaction alone was enough; the attending physician exclaimed softly to himself.
“So it is! Once might be coincidence or miracle, I’d grant you. But twice in succession like this — that’s skill. Considerable skill.”
“You’re too kind.”
I waved my hand dismissively.
After a moment of silence, he began speaking as though he had made a great decision.
“Ko Yeon-hee. Would you consider becoming a Cooperative Korean Medicine Practitioner at Baekho Hospital?”
“I’m sorry — what does that mean exactly?”
“When we encounter particularly difficult cases in our treatment, we would request a collaborative consultation with you.”
I was momentarily at a loss for words.
“I’m not affiliated with any major hospital. I just run a small Korean medicine clinic.”
Seeing my hesitation, the attending physician pressed his case enthusiastically.
“That’s precisely why we want this. We’d like to establish a connection with someone of your caliber before other hospitals take notice of your talents.”
Having clearly given this considerable thought, he began laying out the practical details.
“You’d be compensated per consultation — the fee would be substantial. Administratively, you’d be registered as a collaborative consultant, officially listed on our hospital homepage and bulletin boards. We’d also provide a nameplate, which would give your clinic excellent publicity.”
I fell into thought.
‘If these are patients even a major hospital has given up on…’
They would certainly be difficult cases.
People who had tried everything possible, and yet here they were.
Just as my deliberation deepened.
‘!’
Without thinking, I glanced aside and noticed Jo Mi-so’s hospital room door slightly ajar.
Through the gap, a picture on the wall caught my eye.
‘That’s… a drawing Su-a made.’
Inside the paper, a mother and child held hands, smiling happily.
The colorful crayon strokes, clumsy but unmistakably clear, had sketched out ‘a future together with Mom.’
Looking at it, my heart ached.
‘That’s right. If I can offer patients even the smallest help.’
If I can catch even a single life and pull it back.
And if treating intractable patients allows me to gain more training and experience as a Korean medicine practitioner.
There was no reason to refuse this offer.
I turned back to the attending physician.
This time without hesitation.
“Understood. I’ll do it. I’ll be a Cooperative Korean Medicine Practitioner.”
The attending physician’s face lit up at once.
He grinned like someone who’d just won the lottery.
I was surprised that someone so austere and charismatic could make such an expression.
“Thank you so much! Then I’ll inform the hospital and proceed with the administrative steps. I’ll contact you again soon.”
What on earth had just happened?
I exhaled softly, watching his receding figure disappear down the hallway.
Recalling my first meeting with that physician, I felt a strange sense of times changed.
‘Back then, his disdain was so obvious.’
It was at that moment.
Familiar figures appeared at the far end of the corridor.
Detective Jin Do-gyeong was approaching, holding Su-a’s hand.
What stood out was that Su-a no longer wore a Shoulder Support Brace on her left shoulder.
The Meridian Threading had worked perfectly.
The moment Su-a saw me, her eyes widened and she called out.
“Oh! It’s angel unnie! Hello!”
The girl’s face was noticeably brighter. It was a completely different expression from days before.
I smiled and bent down.
“Su-a, hello. But why do you call me an angel?”
Su-a answered without hesitation.
“Because you’re pretty like an angel, kind, and you granted my wish.”
“Your wish?”
“Yes. My wish for a family that would love me.”
“Ah…”
At those words, both Detective Jin Do-gyeong and I were left speechless.
Su-a’s situation was already exactly as the detective had understood it.
She had family she lived with.
But she had no family that ‘loved’ her.
‘There was no economic lack, but emotionally she was completely neglected.’
Her grandparents had taken her in but didn’t involve themselves deeply.
Her biological father was infatuated with another woman and casually told her, “Say you’re my cousin in front of people.”
As a result.
The child had grown increasingly withdrawn, becoming a silent girl who only drew pictures at school.
I managed to smile.
“Once your mom recovers more, she’ll hug you often. And she’ll tell you she loves you many times over.”
“Wow! Thank you so much, angel unnie!”
Su-a’s face brightened.
Detective Jin Do-gyeong, watching this scene with quiet warmth, suddenly turned to me and whispered.
“Now it’s not the scent of iron anymore, but citrus.”
“I’m sorry?”
“I mean Professor Choi Jin-wook, Jo Mi-so’s attending physician.”
Detective Jin gestured down the hallway and let out a knowing laugh.
It was the direction where that doctor had disappeared.
“He passed us just now. He seemed quite impressed with you.”

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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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