The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim - Chapter 105

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 105

An Juhui.

She was a maverick who was often called peculiar even among traditional medicine pharmacists.

When she entered the Department of Oriental Pharmacy, she thought it would be full of people who loved traditional medicine like herself.

But most students didn’t even know what a traditional medicine pharmacist was and had just entered based on their grades, with only occasional students whose families were pharmacists or Korean medicine doctors mixed in.

However, An Juhui had genuinely loved traditional medicinal herbs since childhood.

Her first memory in life was the scent of ginseng that her father had obtained from somewhere.

At that time, An Juhui was so fascinated by ginseng that she ate all the roots he brought and threw a tantrum demanding more.

When her mother slyly offered her deodeok instead, the 4-year-old child made a fuss saying it was completely different.

“Hehe, you shouldn’t eat so much ginseng.”

Worried that there might be something wrong with her body that made her love ginseng so much, her parents took her to an Oriental Medicine Clinic.

The Korean Medicine Doctor who checked her pulse said there wasn’t anything particularly wrong and handed her a few pieces of licorice root.

“Wow!”

It was delicious. It was amazing.

The sweet scent of licorice was as beautiful as ginseng.

Since she had been obsessed with medicinal herbs throughout her student years, An Juhui found the classes in the Department of Oriental Pharmacy extremely interesting.

Pharmacology, prescription studies, molecular biology.

She loved all perspectives on traditional medicine.

So she also pursued master’s and doctoral programs.

The common type of research about which traditional medicine is effective for which disease slightly missed her interests.

An Juhui repeatedly conducted research in her own way that made no money at all, such as literature research tracing the origin plants of medicinal materials (plants used as traditional medicinal herbs and the original plants with the same components and medicinal effects) or studying when certain characteristics make effects stronger or weaker, etc.

But eventually she had to graduate.

After submitting resumes here and there, she ended up getting a job at a Herbal Medicine Store.

At her first workplace, the traditional medicine pharmacist was doing everything from patient consultation to prescribing and dispensing.

Although she had learned some traditional diagnosis at school, they wanted her to prescribe directly?

“Is it okay to provide medical treatment?”

“It’s an ambiguous area, but it’s not exactly forbidden. We have no choice. The system is structured this way.”

The traditional medicine pharmacist system was originally created with the premise of separating traditional medicine and pharmacy.

However, unlike Western Medicine, the traditional medicine field had no separation between treatment and medicine at all.

Oriental Medicine Clinics were dispensing, and Herbal Medicine Stores were providing medical treatment.

“Hmm.”

It felt uncomfortable.

While she was confident she knew more about traditional medicine itself than anyone, she had many inadequacies when it came to disease diagnosis.

Eventually, An Juhui decided to change jobs before long.

The salary was a bit lower, but it was a position dedicated solely to dispensing at an Oriental Medicine Clinic.

“Why did you order angelica from such an expensive place? It’s cheaper if you order from A-Hub!”

“But the angelica here has too weak a scent.”

“…Scent?”

“Yes. If the scent is like this, the tissue isn’t firm enough.”

“As long as the weight is right, what does that matter? Order from a cheap place!”

“But if it’s this bland, there’s no point in putting angelica in the prescription.”

“Just do as you’re told!”

She had no authority at this place at all.

The Clinic Director was obsessed only with minimizing material costs, telling her to use only the cheapest medicinal herbs.

She changed jobs again.

This resignation wasn’t voluntary.

Some time later, she went to work part-time at a pharmacy.

“Please give me one painkiller.”

“Yes. That’s 3,000 won.”

Here, she couldn’t even see traditional medicine.

Where should I go?

Would an Oriental Medicine Hospital be better?

They often only manage medicinal materials or handle decoction at most, but no positions were available.

Go back to school?

The research An Juhui had done was outside the academic mainstream, and she didn’t think she could become a professor with her temperament.

Get a job at a pharmaceutical company?

Wouldn’t that have even less freedom than a regular pharmacy or Oriental Medicine Clinic?

There were quite many places where she could work with a traditional medicine pharmacist license.

But there was nowhere that she wanted to be.

All she wanted was to dispense the medicines she loved in their best form, so why wasn’t there a place where she could do that?

For several years after graduation, An Juhui drifted aimlessly between various jobs.

Working, then getting fired.

Working again, then losing her temper in a sudden outburst.

And sometimes quitting on her own.

Had she been working at this current job for a little over 3 months?

“You’re saying this astragalus is top grade?”

“Yes. I heard it’s 5-year-old root?”

“The scent doesn’t seem like 5-year-old root. It tastes different when decocted too.”

“…Do 1-year-old roots and 5-year-old roots taste different?”

“Of course. The taste is different and the effects are different too. Otherwise, why would anyone pay expensive money for 5-year-old roots?”

She had another minor conflict with her employer.

“Hmm…, I don’t know. Just leave it be.”

“No, we paid expensive money to order this on purpose, but it might not be top quality?”

“You said everything except the astragalus was fine. Let’s just let it slide. After all, we’re paying for this company’s marketing value and premium quality mark. There can be occasional mistakes.”

“That’s ridiculous. I’ll go and confront them about it!”

An Juhui felt like she was going crazy with frustration.

Her employer told her to just let it go, but she needed to confirm right away whether this astragalus was really 5-year-old root.

So she came directly to the Korean branch office of the Chinese company that handled exports.

But it was no use.

They advertised so much about managing everything at the highest grade, yet they wouldn’t even show her the warehouse directly.

“Is it really that difficult to show me the astragalus slices in their original state!”

Someone who seemed to be in a high position appeared to be passing by, so An Juhui raised her voice even louder.

If they were importing slices already cut in China, at least show her those!

Having come this far, she was determined to check it out of sheer stubbornness.

“…”

However, no matter how much she protested, the middle-aged man who appeared to be in a high position paid her no attention.

The only person who showed interest in An Juhui was the youngest-looking woman among the group.

Though she would probably just glance briefly and leave…

“Excuse me, are you a traditional medicine pharmacist? May I ask your name?”

But the woman broke away from her group and came running to An Juhui.

“If you want to ask someone’s name, isn’t it proper etiquette to introduce yourself first?”

An Juhui replied curtly.

She wasn’t in a good mood.

She had been shouting for the person in charge to come out and to let her see the warehouse, only to be refused, while that group was receiving guidance from someone important.

“Ah, I apologize! I’m Hanyewon, director of Seongsoo Oriental Medicine Clinic!”

So she was a Korean medicine doctor.

The woman who introduced herself as Hanyewon didn’t seem displeased by An Juhui’s attitude at all, instead smiling brightly as she handed over her business card.

If she was being this forthcoming, An Juhui had no choice but to reveal her own name.

“I’m An Juhui, and yes, I’m a traditional medicine pharmacist. I work at Choegohanagyuk, for now.”

“‘For now’?”

“Yes.”

There was no need to explain her detailed life story to an unknown Korean medicine doctor.

An Juhui closed her mouth.

“Could you spare me just a little time? I have something I really want to discuss with you!”

Regardless of that, this woman seemed completely unbothered by whatever attitude she showed.

Hanyewon grasped An Juhui’s hands tightly as she spoke.

…Her eyes were sparkling?

It was very, extremely burdensome.

‘What does she know about me?’

An Juhui unconsciously took a step back.

Then Hanyewon took two steps forward, urging her for her contact information.

She was wary, but somehow when looking at traditional medicine, it felt like seeing her own reflection in a mirror.

“Alright.”

An Juhui nodded without even knowing what this was about.

* * *

I asked Park Seon-yun and the branch manager for their understanding and brought An Juhui to the warehouse.

The staff member who had been blocking An Juhui’s protest seemed somewhat troubled, but after hearing her story, the branch manager actually gladly permitted her to check the inventory.

“It’s definitely 5-year-old root, right?”

The branch manager looked at me and Park Seon-yun rather than An Juhui and smiled broadly.

It didn’t seem like he had hastily memorized the content to guide Park Seon-yun’s visit, but it was truly surprising that someone at the branch manager level knew all the inventory storage methods and conditions.

This was definitely remarkable.

“…It is 5-year-old root. If you could just show this, why did you say it wasn’t allowed?”

An Juhui clicked her tongue even after confirming the thickness of the astragalus.

I had also confirmed they were using 5-year-old astragalus root when I passed through the storage area earlier.

I clearly remembered it because despite being 5-year-old root, the energy it contained was minimal, so I had excluded it from my list of medicinal materials to purchase.

“You’ve confirmed it, so that’s enough, right? Please leave now!”

It was the staff member who had been blocking An Juhui outside.

It seemed the branch manager actually knew about the slice conditions, while that staff member had been blocking her blindly without knowing.

“…I understand.”

An Juhui left without saying anything.

Since there was no problem with the orthodox method of checking the age, she had nothing more to say.

I approached her and whispered quietly.

At a volume that the branch manager or staff wouldn’t hear.

“It’s 5-year-old root but it’s not even as good as 1-year-old root, right? It looks strange to me too. I wonder if there was some problem at the farm during the cultivation year? Whether climate or soil.”

An Juhui looked back at me with a sullen expression.

“Still, the other medicinal herbs are good, so I’m thinking of contracting for some items. The angelica, dwarf lilyturf, and poria are definitely top quality. They’re all excellent on average.”

As soon as she heard those words, An Juhui’s eyes lit up.

“You could tell that?”

Only then did An Juhui seem to take interest in me.

“Let’s talk about it in more detail next time. I’ll contact you.”

“Alright. You said Seongsoo Oriental Medicine Clinic, right? I’ll go there, so please contact me as soon as possible.”

An Juhui left just like that without even greeting the staff or branch manager.

The staff member gritted their teeth saying they would file a complaint with Choegohanagyuk, but… it might actually be better if they got fired.

“Thank you for showing us around and even accommodating our request. Now let’s talk about the contract.”

I went into the office building with Park Seon-yun and finalized the contract terms.

For now, we decided to purchase only a few items that were definitely top quality, and I also received a price list for additional purchases of other medicinal herbs.

I subtly mentioned the quality issue with the astragalus directly to the branch manager.

“Branch Manager, the astragalus root count is correct, but you should probably do a component test.”

Unlike the staff member who had angrily shouted at An Juhui earlier, Branch Manager Liu Wei just nodded, saying he would check it once.

It was a better price than the pharmaceutical company we had been dealing with, and Park Seon-yun reviewed the contract beside me, guaranteeing that the terms were the same as her company’s.

I stamped it without hesitation.

“Thank you so much for taking the time today.”

“Haha, not at all. It was enjoyable going around together. I’m learning so much from Branch Manager Liu Wei and the Clinic Director.”

I expressed my gratitude to Park Seon-yun once more.

Thanks to her, I not only contracted for good medicinal herbs at an excellent price, but also discovered the talent I had been desperately searching for.

“Are you thinking of scouting that traditional medicine pharmacist from earlier?”

“Yes.”

“…You must really like her? I’m a bit envious.”

“Ahaha, you’re joking.”

“Ahem, anyway, I’m glad I could be of help.”

She was extremely helpful indeed.

“If there’s ever anything you need my help with, please let me know anytime!”

In my joy at meeting An Juhui, I generously threw out an empty promise to Park Seon-yun.

* * *

A few days later, An Juhui and I met in my examination room.

Since I was trying to scout her, I had intended to show my sincerity by personally visiting her residence, but she insisted it would be more convenient to come to the workplace for an interview.

‘Is she seriously considering changing jobs?’

Just from her answer that she ‘still’ worked at Choegohanagyuk, it seemed like she wanted to leave her current job.

An Juhui might also want to see the workplace, so I accepted her suggestion.

‘How did she distinguish the astragalus quality? Does she know enough about other medicinal herbs too, not just astragalus?’

My intuition was certain. I generally trust my instincts.

But a verification process to confirm her abilities before hiring is necessary.

She couldn’t possibly sense qi like I do, so I was curious about what she had observed.

I also wanted to ask why she wanted to quit her previous job.

That way I could meet the conditions she wanted.

Her attitude was also slightly, just very sli-ightly concerning, but since a traditional medicine pharmacist working in an external decoction room wouldn’t directly see patients.

That probably wouldn’t matter, right?

“Let me introduce myself once more. I’m Han Yewon, director of Seongsoo Oriental Medicine Clinic. I asked to meet with you because there are some things I definitely wanted to ask.”

I sat facing An Juhui and began the interview.

“Ah, yes. I’m An Juhui. I’m currently unemployed.”

“…You quit before coming?”

“Don’t worry, I didn’t quit because of you, Clinic Director. …When I said the astragalus was indeed 5-year-old, my employer got angry asking why I was stirring up trouble. I got fired.”

“Oh my… I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It happens often, so don’t worry about it.”

Even while saying she got fired, she was conducting the interview with her arms crossed, so it really didn’t seem like an uncommon occurrence.

Her personality is quite something more than I thought?

“Yes, then let me ask you some questions right away. How did you distinguish the astragalus quality last time?”

“You can tell just by the scent. Why don’t you know that?”

“The scent?”

“The taste is also mild. And when you eat it, the feeling of warmth spreading inside is different too.”

“Ah…”

“Don’t you know it that way too, Clinic Director?”

Do, do I?

I don’t have the ability to distinguish quality by scent.

What I sense through qi sensitivity, this person knows through her five senses.

“Excuse me, but could I test you a bit?”

I swallowed nervously.

I needed to confirm whether she could definitely distinguish the quality of other medicinal herbs as well.

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