The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim - Chapter 120

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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 120

“What? A martial arts concept? What on earth are they thinking?”

As expected, Chu Miyoung was horrified.

In fact, it was a natural reaction for any normal person.

“Hmm, wouldn’t that consume too much of our network image? What if patients expect the same concept at other branches?”

A valid point.

“I’ve thought about that problem. I think we can make the name slightly different. Seongsumullim Oriental Medicine Clinic. Coincidentally, the clinic that Doctor Yu’s grandfather used to run at that location was called Mullim Oriental Medicine Clinic.”

“…Don’t tell me that was a martial arts concept too?”

“Of course not. He just had some martial arts novels stuck in the waiting room.”

“Then why is his grandson going one step, no, ten steps further?”

I had nothing to say about that part either.

What can I do when Yu Gyeonghun and Jeon Minji want to do it?

“That’s what I’m saying.”

“Fine. Well, let’s say that’s the case. You’re only going with a martial arts concept for the interior, right?”

“We’ll also get costumes made, and upload some martial arts videos on YouTube and Instagram.”

Costumes? YouTube? Chu Miyoung hesitated.

“There are already clinic directors who practice in modified hanbok at traditional Korean houses, right? Think of it as an arrangement of that.”

“…Is that so? Even that is disliked by Korean medicine doctors who think it’s old-fashioned…”

“The selling point is wearing those clothes while practicing medicine in a modern way.”

“Ah, so on YouTube, except for the martial arts videos, you’ll explain diseases and Korean medicine treatments in a modern way? That might actually be okay. They might even like it because it can promote a lot?”

Chu Miyoung’s face relaxed.

Right? It’s fine, isn’t it? As long as we don’t say things like treating with internal energy.

Though I actually do use internal energy.

While having various conversations, we quickly arrived at the planned site of Seongsumullim Oriental Medicine Clinic.

“Huh? Is this it?”

“It seems like it, right?”

The site was much larger than I had imagined.

I guess there was a reason they brought up the farm talk. The garden wasn’t being maintained at all.

“Doctor, hello!”

“You must be Director Chu? Nice to meet you for the first time! Thank you for coming all the way to Jeju Island!”

Yu Gyeonghun and Jeon Minji warmly welcomed us.

“Nice to meet you. Um… is the clinic building here?”

The two of them sparkled with overflowing enthusiasm.

But the building was desolate.

Honestly, it could be called ruins.

“This… we’ll have to repair everything from scratch. Is the interior budget okay?”

How long has it been since this place was maintained?

Converting the 2nd floor into a herbal medicine preparation room had cost more money than expected.

Regardless of the concept, it would cost quite a bit just to make it into an ordinary clinic, right?

In its current state, it looks like it would become a ghost story clinic rather than a martial arts clinic.

“Ah, Minji’s family decided to support us a little? No, quite a bit. We’ll redo the interior here, and if it’s not enough, we can get a loan using the building as collateral.”

Ah, so her family is well-off. Okay.

Why do I feel like everyone except me has a silver spoon?

“Have you thought about how to use the space?”

Chu Miyoung asked.

“Ah, yes. Originally, grandfather used the right side as an examination room, the center as a treatment room, and the entire left side as a waiting room. Back then, medicine was the main thing and the waiting room was packed full, so that structure was possible.”

It was a story from the days when patients would flood in wanting herbal medicine as soon as a clinic opened, and acupuncture was just done by laying people on the floor for free.

These days, there’s not a single place operating in that format.

“Honestly, we don’t need such a large waiting room, so we thought about using the left side as a cafe and making a smart farm in the garden…”

“A smart farm really won’t work.”

“Doctor Han talked us out of it. How about just having two examination rooms on the right, a large treatment room on the left? The connecting passage would be the waiting room, and we’ll make Haegeonji in the garden!”

Suddenly Haegeonji here?

I did mention a pond, but Haegeonji seems a bit out of nowhere.

“If you move around passing through the waiting room like that, the flow would be too long.”

Instead of asking what Haegeonji was, Chu Miyoung pointed out a practical problem.

The clinic is too big.

If there’s even a pond in the middle, you’d have no choice but to go to the treatment room through the waiting room, which would waste a lot of movement.

Hmm, it’s ambiguous… Wait, Haegeonji?

“Doctor Yu, but what exactly is your concept going to be?”

“Pardon?”

An idea came to mind that seemed like it could efficiently utilize the space while making Haegeonji look plausible.

“Since it’s a clinic, maybe Murong Sega or Sichuan Dang Family, or just Cheonma since they’re the strongest.”

“Obviously Cheonma!”

Yu Gyeonghun answered sharply.

Of course, right? Whether it’s cooking, massage, or a clinic, Cheonma doing it draws more aggro anyway.

“What about Doctor Jeon? There can’t be two Cheonmas.”

“Huh? What do I need to do too?”

I asked Jeon Minji as well, but she didn’t quite understand the question and tilted her head in confusion.

“Don’t I just need to wear martial arts concept clothes?”

I shook my head.

If we were going to do this anyway, it seemed like it would be more fun to establish a clear concept.

“Clinic Director, you’ll be the Martial Arts Alliance Leader. And we’ll create a competitive structure with the waiting room in the center.”

“Oh?”

“Don’t share the treatment room. Make a Jeongpa examination room and Jeongpa treatment room on the right, and a Makyeo examination room and Makyeo treatment room on the left.”

“Ooh!”

“Then having Haegeonji in the center would look quite fitting too, wouldn’t it? Ah, it’s perfect since you two have different treatment styles anyway.”

Yu Gyeonghun clapped his hands.

“That’s excellent! Minji follows the righteous path with painless acupuncture using repeated mild stimulation, and I use many strong stimulation treatments like long needles, pharmacopuncture, thread embedding, and bee venom therapy, so it’s perfect!”

He was extremely pleased.

He said we could do two types of interior concepts and started thinking of all sorts of props.

“We’ll hang swords and Oriental paintings. Since Makyeo is originally based on fire worship, we’ll put up lights that look like luminous pearls and place suspicious boxes around…!”

“This is Makyeo? The image colors are red and black?”

“Ah, yes! That’s right!”

Chu Miyoung, who didn’t know much about martial arts, also helped by looking up webtoons.

“There’s nothing specifically set for the Martial Arts Alliance side, right?”

“Let’s go with blue and white for contrast. Based on the Changcheon Namgung Family.”

While the Namgung family doesn’t always serve as the Martial Arts Alliance Leader, since it’s just a concept anyway, it’s better to have a clear image.

“Hmm, having all white furniture would be too modern, so let’s use brown for the floors and beds, and prepare paintings in blue tones.”

“I have a patient who does painting, so I’ll see if I can get some suitable Oriental paintings.”

“Ooh!”

The conversation continued with ideas about having a gayageum and setting up a study in the Martial Arts Alliance corridor.

“We should display all the martial arts novels that Old Man has been collecting for a long time.”

The discussion kept flowing.

“What about speech patterns? Should I use normal polite language and have Gyeonghun oppa speak down to people like Cheonma?”

“I think local patients who come in without knowing might feel too uncomfortable.”

“Hey, send all patients who come without knowing to the Martial Arts Alliance Leader. Most patients prefer painless treatment anyway. If the treatment isn’t working well and they want to taste demonic energy, then they can go to Cheonma.”

Would that be okay?

When doctors like Clinic Director Kim Chunsik wear white coats and shout “Scalpel!!” it first creates a rebellious feeling of “who are you to scold me?” But honestly, wouldn’t it just be funny if Cheonma spoke down to people?

“Oh right, if tourists come asking for treatment when they’re not sick, you absolutely cannot bill insurance! The Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service will catch everything!”

“The Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service?”

In the middle of discussing concepts, Chu Miyoung suddenly pointed out an important issue as if she just remembered.

The Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service, formally known as the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service. It’s an organization that reviews medical care benefit costs and evaluates the appropriateness of medical care benefits.

When hospitals and clinics request health insurance payments, money comes in after evaluation by this organization.

“If this becomes an issue, they’ll definitely send inspectors. When I was Vice Director at Haneul Clinic, I experienced it once. People come and watch for a month to see if you actually provided the treatments and whether you’re over-treating.”

I knew that on-site inspections sometimes occurred at hospitals and clinics suspected of excessive billing.

I heard it’s scarier than tax audits? They go through years of accounting books and recover improper charges by asking patients one by one to verify whether treatments that weren’t performed were billed.

“Of course we shouldn’t treat people who aren’t sick…?”

Yu Gyeonghun tilted his head in confusion.

“There will be people who come just for the experience with absolutely nothing wrong, so we need countermeasures. Like receiving private payments…”

Chu Miyoung seemed very worried.

“Let’s create a separate program. Something like constitutional consultation. Anyway, those tourists will want to see Cheonma with the interior and concept, so I don’t think they’ll insist on getting acupuncture.”

“Ah! I’ll try designing one!”

Yu Gyeonghun immediately adopted my idea.

Constitutional consultation by Cheonma – that sounds terrifying, doesn’t it?

The conversation naturally flowed to SNS.

Yu Gyeonghun and Jeon Minji also didn’t want to harm other branches, so they agreed to separate Instagram accounts.

Instead of creating a separate Seongsumullim Oriental Medicine Clinic Instagram, Chu Miyoung would introduce it by posting teaser videos a few times on the integrated Seongsoo Oriental Medicine Clinic account.

“Make sure the interior is naturally exposed in advertisements, but the main focus should always be treatment! You understand, right?”

“It’s important to maintain the line of being an Oriental medicine clinic. For YouTube videos too, aside from occasionally posting martial arts videos as medical staff introductions, it would be good to introduce diseases and treatments like a normal medical channel.”

“While wearing martial arts costumes?”

“That’s right.”

“Sounds good!”

“Don’t get consumed by the concept! Fighting!”

It seems like they’re already consumed by it… Chu Miyoung muttered, but even while saying that, she worked harder than anyone on interior and costume design.

I’m glad she came along.

“Wow, the sun has already set. We still need to learn martial arts.”

Originally, I planned to teach martial arts today too, but time flew by in an instant.

“Let’s do it tomorrow. Since it’s come to this, I’ll redesign them into Cheonma Gunrimbo version and Emperor Sword Form version.”

* * *

Leaving the couple at the planned site of the Oriental medicine clinic to organize more ideas, Chu Miyoung and I came to the hotel.

“Wow, the room is so nice!”

Chu Miyoung started taking photos frantically as soon as she entered the room.

Actually, to be precise, she had been taking photos since we were outside the planned site of the Oriental medicine clinic and the hotel.

Is photography a daily routine if you want to be an influencer?

“I should post a story saying I’m preparing for the 4th branch~.”

She uploaded the post and changed her clothes.

Then we went down to the lobby.

“Ah, the swimming pool!”

The woman who had been maturely reviewing various issues just moments ago let out a cry of despair upon hearing that the swimming pool was closed.

“I was looking forward to it…!”

“You can go tomorrow morning.”

“Sigh, I guess there’s no choice. Since we’re down here, should we buy something? No wait. Clinic Director, do you like alcohol?”

“So-so?”

I don’t dislike it. But it’s not like I enjoy it enough to drink when I’m alone.

I suppose I enjoy the occasional drinking session.

“Since we can’t go to the swimming pool, let’s go to the bar at least!”

“Shall we? I’ll pay.”

I was grateful that she willingly came all the way to Jeju Island, and that she helped enthusiastically despite initially opposing it.

I gladly headed to the bar together with Chu Miyoung.

“Oh, cognac? I’ve been wanting to try this. Can I order it?”

“Of course.”

Since I was a novice when it came to Western liquor, I let Chu Miyoung order whatever she wanted to her heart’s content.

Shortly after, the bartender brought out the alcohol in pretty glasses, and she started taking photos frantically again.

‘Hmm?’

After waiting for her to finish taking enough photos, I had a drink, but it was stronger than I expected.

Does Chu Miyoung have a high alcohol tolerance? This seems a bit dangerous for me.

…I can’t create another dark history like the one that brought together the couple Yu Gyeonghun and Jeon Minji.

Absolutely, absolutely not.

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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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