The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim - Chapter 130

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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 130

“Ugh! Uwaaek!”

Shin Heejoo felt defiant after visiting the Oriental Medicine Clinic.

Anorexia? She was only vomiting when necessary, by her own will.

That’s why she thought she’d prove that she could control it herself.

Just one week, she’d try to hold back the vomiting.

“Kek, kek!”

But she couldn’t just pass by the bread on the dining table.

She was overwhelmed by anxiety that she had to quickly get rid of the carb mass before it was absorbed.

– It is indeed a pathological condition. Your brain function needs to recover through adequate meals and sleep before you can make proper judgments. Anorexia actually causes problems in the brain’s neural networks.

The Korean Medicine Doctor’s words kept coming to mind.

She wanted to shout ‘I can stop vomiting if I put my mind to it!’ but in the end, it turned out just as he said.

But saying she can’t make judgments was too much.

Swoosh, she looked down at her body and saw her sagging belly fat.

It was unsightly.

She had to get rid of this.

‘I can’t control my appetite because I’m not taking the medicine, so this is what happened.’

She was trying hard to endure it, but mom? Brother? Who bought bread and left it at home?

…No. It was all her gluttony that was the problem. Others could eat whatever they wanted.

– The obsession you feel about body shape and eating is not your fault either.

Shin Heejoo stood up abruptly.

She gave up on forcing herself to vomit and went to her room.

No one had ever told her it wasn’t her fault.

– If you don’t sleep like this, you’ll collapse before even a week passes.

She was confused.

It was almost a full week, but she was still fine.

To be precise, she had some stomach pain and headaches, but she didn’t feel like she was going to collapse.

‘Being awake helps with basal metabolism anyway.’

She could exercise and then fall asleep naturally.

Shin Heejoo tried to follow along with ab exercises while watching YouTube.

Thud

But she couldn’t hold a plank for even 10 seconds.

‘Ah, I shouldn’t have done that. My stomach hurts.’

Perhaps from exerting strength she hadn’t used before, her lower abdomen started hurting.

Thinking of going to the restroom, Shin Heejoo stood up abruptly.

But then, her head spun.

‘Orthostatic hypotension again… Huh?’

Huh?

Huh huh?

She couldn’t maintain her balance.

She shouldn’t hit her head…

Thump!

* * *

In that fleeting moment, countless voices flashed by.

– Piggy~ Aren’t you eating pork soup today?

– Are you really 48 kilos?

– How do you get thinner every time I see you? You’re nothing but bones.

– Are you sprawled out like a pig again?

The kids who bullied her for eating soup well.

Her first boyfriend whose mocking face was so memorable.

A friend who wanted her to gain weight, whose subtle jealousy was obvious.

Her father, who she just wanted to kill…

– You have absolutely no weight to lose

– Our Oriental Medicine Clinic has fully disclosed the side effects-

Even the Gangnam Oriental Medicine Clinic that made her sign a waiver after going back and forth.

The voices deeply etched in her mind flashed by like a revolving lantern.

The last voice she heard rang out clearly.

– You’re in a state where you can’t make judgments. Whether you’re healthy or not, fat or thin.

Now she really didn’t know.

Am I fat? But why do people say I’m thin? Why does it feel good when they say I’m thin?

– It’s not your fault.

– The way to change this situation isn’t diet pills, but proper diet and sleep.

Was the Korean Medicine Doctor who said that thin? Or fat?

He just… looked good.

Your words carry conviction too.

And you had abs… So that lean build isn’t the ideal form, but rather that kind?

An ideal body?

An attractive person?

Instead of the skinny foreign women on my phone, that clinic director lingered in my mind.

Her figure was just a blur though.

– Take your medicine right away, and come back again.

Only that tone, telling me to definitely come back, remained clearly in my memory.

* * *

Shin Heejoo’s eyes snapped open.

“Heejoo? Are you okay? Heejoo!”

Huh, didn’t I just collapse? I thought I was seeing my life flash before my eyes.

Was it a dream?

“Did I collapse? Was I sleeping?”

“That’s what Mom wants to ask you! How long were you like that? I was shocked to find you sleeping on the floor!”

I must have fallen asleep right there from exhaustion.

“…I don’t know either.”

Shin Heejoo dragged her swaying body over and opened the refrigerator door.

Though she had said it wasn’t necessary, there were several packets of herbal medicine that her mother had brought from Seongsoo Oriental Medicine Clinic.

“Are you really okay? What were you doing when you collapsed? Shouldn’t we go to the emergency room?”

She didn’t know how to answer.

A 10-second plank? Or was it while trying to go to the restroom?

“I guess I just fell asleep. I feel better after sleeping a bit. It’s not serious enough for the emergency room.”

Her mother snatched away the medicine packet that Shin Heejoo was about to open.

“You’re going to take this? Wait, let Mom heat it up for you!”

Though her habitual rebellious feelings arose.

Shin Heejoo succeeded in suppressing them.

She just sat blankly at the dining table, waiting for the medicine to be heated.

– Take your medicine right away, and come back again.

…Maybe I should go back.

“Mom.”

“Yes, hurry up and drink it. What can Mom do for you?”

“Can you drive me on your day off? Let’s go back there.”

“Seongsoo Oriental Medicine Clinic?”

“Yeah.”

“You’ve finally decided to get treatment? Let’s go first thing tomorrow!”

It wasn’t that urgent though.

Shin Heejoo’s mother was restless, worried that her daughter might change her mind.

She was making a fuss about needing to put up a closed sign right away.

* * *

“You made up your mind faster than I expected.”

“…I haven’t really made up my mind, I just… just came to see. The medicine does help with the stomach pain.”

“Just like you said, Clinic Director, Heejoo collapsed yesterday! You don’t know how shocked I was to find her sleeping on the floor. She’s okay, right?”

“That wasn’t a big deal. I just lost strength and fell asleep.”

“That’s what collapsing is!”

Since her pulse was really poor, I had said she would collapse within a week.

But I thought it would take more time for her to actually come to the clinic after that.

“I tried not to vomit after hearing what you said, but I threw up three times this past week.”

“It’s hard to control, isn’t it? But you did well. You tried to stop.”

“…Yesterday I just thought I didn’t even know why I was doing this to myself.”

She had developed disease awareness (the recognition that she was currently ill).

This is where it starts.

The patient herself has the will to recover.

And she hasn’t yet taken appetite suppressants with high drug dependency.

“Let’s treat this step by step. We need to start by restoring your digestive system that’s been damaged by prolonged fasting. Then gradually you’ll sleep better, and blood will flow properly to your brain.”

“…If I get treatment, will something change? Can I get better? I don’t even know when this started. No, I don’t even know what this is…”

“You will definitely get better.”

“…”

Shin Heejoo paused without answering.

Her eyes lost focus, and she stared at me blankly as if entranced.

“Hearing you say that makes me feel like it really will happen.”

Then she lowered her head and chuckled softly.

“I only say what’s possible. If I’m not confident, I tell you straight out. I will treat you.”

If I waver, the patient will be ten times more anxious.

Of course there’s no 100% guarantee, but for a patient who’s come this far, improvement will definitely show.

I didn’t miss the opportunity when the patient became cooperative and conducted another medical interview.

I needed to properly ask about specific indigestion patterns, sleep patterns, bowel movements, and such.

I had to check how this differed from last time when she had no awareness of her illness, and prescribe treatment according to her symptoms.

“Does your appetite seem excessive? Or does it seem normal like other people’s?”

“…Other people say my gluttony is excessive.”

“What do you think, Heejoo?”

“…When I heard those words, it didn’t seem excessive. Now, even when I try to restrain myself, I can’t seem to hold back.”

I nodded.

“From now on, don’t force yourself to hold back.”

Regarding digestive function, she seemed unable to make accurate judgments herself, speaking very confusedly about frequent vomiting and abdominal pain.

In such cases, it’s right to prioritize abdominal examination and pulse diagnosis over medical interviews.

After noting down her expressions for reference, I thought of medicinal herbs that could tonify her weakened digestive system.

“I’ll give you Guipi-tang with increased amounts of ginseng and astragalus, plus medicine that directly aids digestion. Your energy needs to rise significantly.”

“Ah, yes.”

“I’ll attach detailed instructions about the medicine for your reference. Although you didn’t fast, your digestive system is weakened to that extent, so you need a period to adapt to food. Have rice porridge for at least two days, regular porridge for five days, and if there’s no vomiting or abdominal pain, move to regular Korean meals.”

“Yes, I’ll prepare it.”

Shin Heejoo’s mother answered.

“Chew thoroughly 30 times before swallowing, and don’t think about nutritional balance right now. Let’s see how your appetite, digestive function, and weight recover after a month and adjust accordingly.”

“Understood.”

“Please call anytime if you have questions.”

“Thank you.”

Shin Heejoo answered plainly and left the examination room, while her mother bowed 90 degrees at the door.

* * *

Fortunately, as the Korean medicine doctor said, her daughter changed her mind within a week.

Shin Heejoo’s mother, Yu Jinjoo, made soup and rice at the restaurant during the day and pondered what dishes her daughter might like at night.

The period for eating porridge had ended, and now she could eat rice to some extent.

Whether she had deliberately collapsed, it was confusing at first.

But gratitude came first at the fact that her daughter, who wouldn’t listen to anything she said, had changed.

“Just one bowl of pork soup, please.”

While washing dishes in the restaurant kitchen, she heard her daughter’s voice.

“Yes~.”

The staff took the order.

Since she had never come since they started working together, he didn’t know her daughter’s face.

“What brings you here?”

But how could a mother not recognize her child’s voice?

Yu Jinjoo immediately came out of the kitchen and looked at her daughter.

“I just wanted to eat soup and rice.”

Pork soup and rice was what Yu Jinjoo made best.

It was also the first food that came to mind when she thought about what to do alone after the divorce.

But her daughter didn’t like pork soup and rice.

She ate it well when she was young, but as she grew up, whether her food preferences changed, she would shudder and hate it just from smelling it.

So spraying deodorizer after work had become routine.

“I’ll make it for you right away.”

Though she thought it was strange, she didn’t ask unnecessary questions.

Yu Jinjoo served the pork soup and rice as her daughter wanted.

Even then, she pretended to be busy and went into the kitchen.

She was afraid she might interfere unnecessarily.

Hiding in the kitchen and secretly watching.

“Sigh…”

Heejoo’s hands trembled.

‘Is she okay?’

Though worried, Yu Jinjoo tried not to intervene.

Her daughter ate the pork soup and rice very combatively, chewing 30 times thoroughly as the Korean medicine doctor instructed.

“Sniff, sob!”

“Heejoo, what’s wrong?”

But when she realized her daughter was crying, Yu Jinjoo’s body shot out without her knowing.

“Mom… I’m sorry.”

“What’s wrong, Heejoo? Did something happen?”

Shin Heejoo shook her head.

“Nothing happened… nothing happened.”

“Tell me. What’s wrong? Did someone make things hard for Heejoo? Did mom do something wrong?”

She shook her head even more vigorously.

“No. Mom… didn’t do anything wrong. Even though I don’t know anything, I know that. It’s all me…”

“Our Heejoo didn’t do anything wrong either. Just stay healthy, that’s all our daughter needs to do.”

The daughter finally nodded her head.

“I’m sorry, and thank you.”

“Mom is sorry and thankful too.”

Nod, nod.

She bobbed her head several times.

“It’s delicious.”

She smiled brightly.

“Hm? The soup is delicious?”

“It’s delicious. Really delicious. Mom’s soup is the most delicious in the world.”

That day, Shin Heejoo completely finished the pork soup she had so disliked.

* * *

A few days later.

Shin Heejoo and Yu Jinjoo finished their month-long medication and went to the clinic for a follow-up consultation.

“Today we’ll have separate consultations~.”

The consultation with the daughter took quite long, over 20 minutes, but there weren’t many questions for Yu Jinjoo.

Whether she ate food at night, whether she complained of vomiting or stomach pain, and so on.

Yu Jinjoo answered faithfully, of course.

“Thank you so much. Thanks to you, Clinic Director, my daughter is eating properly. It seems like it’s only a matter of time before she gets healthy.”

“It’s because you supported her well. I’ll gradually counsel her so we can approach and resolve the fundamental issues.”

“Supporting her well… Until now, I was just foolishly getting angry and crying because I didn’t know what to do, but thanks to you, my relationship with my daughter has improved too. Really, I don’t know how to express my gratitude.”

She bobbed her head several times.

“But where did you get that herbal medicine you said you took last time?”

As if suddenly remembering, the Korean Medicine Doctor asked.

“Oh, Haneul Clinic. After she took that, the child wouldn’t sleep at all, so I was searching to see if it was a strange place when I found out about here too.”

She didn’t have any particular ill will toward that place. They probably gave it because her daughter was making a fuss asking for it.

Yu Jinjoo said it casually.

But in that moment, the Korean Medicine Doctor’s face hardened coldly.

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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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