I Became the Oriental Doctor for Divine Beasts - Chapter 72

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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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Physician to the Divine Beasts
#72
‘Why is she taking pictures of the clinic?’
Of course, Yoon Se-rin wasn’t capturing other patients’ faces or bodies in her shots.
She was focusing mainly on the interior layout, décor, and informational materials posted around the clinic.
It was a bit odd, but not worth stopping her.
‘Then again, since Baek Myodang is built in traditional hanok style, it’s not uncommon for first-time visitors to find it interesting enough to photograph.’
Was she running some kind of blog?
I opened a new electronic chart without further comment.
Then, glancing at her casually, I asked off the cuff.
“Is this your first visit to our clinic, Se-rin?”
“Yes. Why do you ask?”
“Oh, it’s just…”
I tilted my head and murmured as if thinking aloud.
“Your face seems familiar somehow. I’m wondering if we’ve met before.”
At that moment, Se-rin’s shoulders stiffened slightly.
Then she suddenly changed the subject.
“By the way, you don’t have a nurse here? It looks like you handle reception yourself.”
“Ah, yes.”
I nodded.
“But we’re expecting someone to join us soon.”
She’s quite curious, isn’t she?
After finishing the intake, I led Se-rin into my office.
The moment she sat down, Se-rin let out a long sigh.
“It’s summer now, and as my clothes get thinner, I feel like I’ve gained weight, so it’s been bothering me.”
“I see. Let me ask you a few questions first.”
But then.
As soon as we began the consultation, I noticed something odd again.
How should I put it? Her responses were too… flat.
Diet patients typically ask endless questions.
How many kilograms usually drop when taking Diet Herbal Medicine, what diet adjustments to make, whether there are side effects—
Their eyes typically shine differently from other patients.
But Se-rin?
“Yes, I see.”
“I understand.”
“Right.”
She simply listened to my explanations without asking any follow-up questions.
‘What’s going on?’
I paused mid-explanation and observed her discreetly.
She looked like someone who didn’t want to be here but had been dragged along anyway.
And to be honest, Se-rin didn’t have the kind of body shape that suggested significant weight gain.
‘What stands out is actually something else.’
Deep dark circles under her eyes and dull, lifeless skin.
Even her Spiritual Energy, visible through my Divine Sight, was murky.
There was an aura of exhaustion about her.
I straightened my posture and asked.
“But Se-rin, what kind of work do you do?”
It was an unexpected question, and Se-rin blinked, pulling herself up straighter.
“Pardon?”
“Looking at your complexion and expression, you seem to be under considerable fatigue.”
“Wow… you can tell that much just by looking?”
She laughed quietly.
That laugh, too, carried the weight of exhaustion.
“I work at a company. But the work is pretty irregular—when projects pile up, I literally can’t catch my breath with how busy it gets.”
A sigh mixed into Se-rin’s voice.
“Right now, there’s one project that’s not going well, so it’s basically an emergency…”
Her words trailed off, and then she suddenly looked at me.
“But I came here for Diet Herbal Medicine. Why are you asking me all this? Other clinics I’ve been to just asked how many months’ worth I wanted, whether I preferred the strong or mild formula—that’s it.”
For a moment, my expression hardened without my meaning to.
I spoke firmly.
“That’s absolutely the wrong approach. Diet Herbal Medicine is still legitimate herbal medicine. You can’t prescribe recklessly without examining the patient’s condition.”
“Excuse me?”
Se-rin looked at me with surprise in her eyes.
That was when I realized my tone had been rather sharp.
‘Oops. I got a bit carried away there.’
I cleared my throat awkwardly and gave a rueful smile.
“I apologize. I’m not criticizing you as a patient. I’m just shocked that such clinics exist.”
“Oh, no, I wasn’t upset or anything. It’s just…”
Se-rin shook her head.
She paused to choose her words, then spoke.
“It’s the first time I’ve seen a doctor who cares about things like that. Usually, doctors don’t seem to care much about what other clinics do, right?”
“Is that so?”
I tilted my head thoughtfully.
If a fellow practitioner was treating patients carelessly, shouldn’t I feel frustrated and angry?
After all, the patients would suffer the consequences, and it would damage the reputation of all practitioners.
Anyway.
I quickly shifted the subject.
“Se-rin, you’re not sleeping well, are you? And you’re consuming a lot of caffeine.”
“What? Yes.”
Se-rin blinked and nodded slowly.
“You probably experience heart palpitations frequently. Sometimes breathing feels tight too. And your menstrual cycle is likely a bit irregular.”
As I continued speaking, the patient’s eyes grew wider.
“How could you possibly know all that…”
Instead of answering, I extended my hand.
“Let me check your pulse.”
“For Diet Herbal Medicine, you’re checking my pulse too?”
Even as she said this, Se-rin extended her wrist.
I placed my fingers on the inner side of her wrist.
And then, after a moment.
‘No. What is this?’
My eyebrows knitted sharply together.
The pulse was far more unstable than I expected.
A rapid, weak pulse like a fish dragged onto shore barely gasping for air.
Her reserves were nearly depleted, yet she was somehow hanging on.
“Se-rin.”
My voice dropped instinctively.
“This is not the time to diet.”
“What?”
“Your body is already sending warning signals.”
* * *
A few days earlier.
The home of Kim Mi-jeong, a nurse at Orozhi Korean Medicine Clinic.
It was late at night.
Kim Mi-jeong watched her daughter who was watching a variety show on TV in the living room, then opened her mouth.
“Honey, please? As a favor to Mom? Just once~”
Her daughter, Yoon Se-rin, frowned slightly.
“Ugh, Mom! Not you too!”
She hugged a cushion and spoke with irritation in her voice.
“You know how crazy I am right now with this PD pecking at me about ratings! I’m swamped scheduling guests and plotting out episodes—what are you talking about, some kind of medical spy work?”
Kim Mi-jeong looked equally troubled.
“But what am I supposed to do? The director suddenly told me to go back to that clinic I interviewed at before.”
She let out a heavy sigh.
“Honestly, how am I supposed to show my face there again? I sent a message on my first day saying I couldn’t make it.”
“Sigh, why did you do that?”
“How was I supposed to know it would turn out like this? I can’t ask anyone else to do this kind of embarrassing thing—only family.”
Then Mi-jeong grabbed her daughter’s arm.
“Honey, please. Just go once and come back~”
Se-rin pressed her brow with a tired expression.
That was it.
Se-rin was actually Kim Mi-jeong’s daughter, the nurse at Orozhi Korean Medicine Clinic.
And Kim Mi-jeong had originally passed the interview for Baek Myodang Korean Medicine Clinic.
But on her first day.
She switched over to Orozhi Korean Medicine Clinic, which offered higher pay.
At the time, she’d thought it was a practical decision.
‘I knew it was poor form, but the salary difference was significant…’
But then.
Once she actually started, things turned out differently than expected.
As patients began to dwindle, the director grew irritable and sharp with staff.
She snapped over minor mistakes.
There was a baseline contempt for the nursing staff.
And her attitudes shifted with her moods, making her difficult to deal with.
‘But I never expected her to have me spy on another clinic.’
And not just any clinic—the one she’d stolen Mi-jeong from.
Kim Mi-jeong sighed deeply and muttered.
“Geez, that woman is something else. I heard she’s the daughter of Oh Hui Korean Medicine Hospital—her pride knows no bounds.”
Se-rin responded flatly.
“Really? But when I went there to get Diet Herbal Medicine a while back, she was nice. Polished appearance, pretty attractive actually.”
Se-rin had once visited Orozhi Korean Medicine Clinic for a summer diet consultation.
The director had been quite confident back then.
─ “Dieting is ultimately about willpower. If you just follow my guidance, you can lose as much as you want.”
And without any detailed intake assessment, she went straight into explaining the medicine.
─ “There are three levels: mild, medium, and strong. You said you wanted to lose a lot before summer ends, right? Let’s go with the strong one. It’ll be tough, but stick with it.”
Plus, a weight-loss guarantee within one month.
A discount if you paid for several months upfront.
She rattled off success story photos, building momentum in the process.
Honestly, her sales pitch was good, so Se-rin ended up paying for several months on the spot.
However—
Work had been so busy lately that she hadn’t been taking the Diet Herbal Medicine properly.
“Well, that’s because you’re a patient, so the director treats you well.”
At Se-rin’s words, Kim Mi-jeong shook her head firmly.
“If she knew you were a broadcast writer—and specifically for medical entertainment shows—she’d roll out the red carpet.”
At that, Se-rin’s head snapped up.
“Oh! Did I not tell Mom about my job?”

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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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