The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim - Chapter 14

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

Chapter 14

Oh? Surprisingly, they didn’t raise their son with excessive indulgence?

I watched with great interest as someone I had respected long ago conducted themselves.

“You wrecked two Mercedes and now you’ve caused another accident.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“And it’s a repeat DUI offense? There’s a limit to how much you can tarnish my name.”

Cho Haneul couldn’t move a muscle and begged his mother.

But she didn’t budge an inch.

“I’ve finished talking with your mother. You handle this matter by yourself.”

“What? Father!”

“I’ve already contacted Hoyoung not to give you a single penny, so don’t even think about begging your younger brother.”

Professor Cho Hoyoung was also resolute.

“Father, then… No. How much did you hear? If you don’t help me, I might go to prison.”

“That would be for the best.”

Director Choi Eunhee even let out a snicker.

“Since it’s drunk driving, insurance won’t cover it either, right? Take a leave of absence, serve your sentence, and pay off your debts when you get out. That sounds perfect.”

“M-Mother!”

Cho Haneul couldn’t get a proper word out and trembled.

After a long while, the only thing he managed to say was this.

“I have to graduate from school. You were the one who told me to go.”

“None of that matters. I’ll consider myself as having no son, so pay everything back and then whether you attend one more semester or drop out, do whatever you want!”

Director Choi Eunhee said that and got in the car.

As if they had come specifically to deliver that message, the couple disappeared just like that.

“Ah…”

Cho Haneul watched the car driving away in despair.

“Let’s go.”

Leaving him behind, Hwangseoyeong and I also left the parking lot.

Hwang Sanghun hesitated about whether he should comfort Cho Haneul, then gave up and got in his own car.

Left alone in the place where his supposedly great family had turned their backs on him, he stood in the same spot for a long time.

* * *

A few days later, the graduation exam results came out.

I took first place with a considerable gap ahead of not only Cho Haneul but also Hwang Sanghun.

“Since you need to receive the valedictorian medal, you must attend the graduation ceremony.”

Although there was still plenty of time left in the grade review period, I also got a tip from the department head.

“Wow, you’re ruthless, absolutely ruthless!”

“You actually did it.”

The Senior Student and Hwangseoyeung, who had watched me study right next to them, gave me thumbs up. Both of them had also improved their grades significantly compared to last semester.

“Just trust me for the national exam too.”

“Well, you studied so hard for the graduation exam that you could probably slack off for the national exam…”

“Oh no, that’s being complacent. You must do your best aiming for perfect scores on every exam!”

The national exam in January only required passing, but there was no reason to waste the optimal opportunity to cram vast amounts of modern medical knowledge into my head.

I didn’t put down my books for even a moment until the day I took the national exam.

Time passed like that.

I naturally passed the national exam with stability.

And the graduation ceremony that took place some time later.

For a university graduation ceremony, almost all students attended, but Cho Haneul was nowhere to be seen.

From what I heard, he had a big fight with Hwang Sanghun and holed himself up, then even failed the national exam… Could that really be true?

“Congratulations on graduating valedictorian.”

Hwang Sanghun suddenly acted friendly and offered his greetings.

“Oh, yes. Congratulations to you too.”

Even though he narrowly missed receiving the gold medal and plaque on the graduation ceremony stage, there was no trace of regret on his face.

I thought about asking about Cho Haneul but stopped. It’s none of my business now anyway.

“I thought we’d be working together, so it’s disappointing.”

Hwang Sanghun showed plenty of lingering attachment in an unexpected way.

Since I avoided the worst-case scenario of becoming workplace colleagues with Cho Haneul, wasn’t this a good thing regardless of me?

In the end, he was the only one among our classmates who became an intern at the university hospital, and as soon as his Korean medicine license came out, he received training and had already started working.

The more I saw his haggard appearance, the more convinced I became that my choice wasn’t wrong.

“I told you last time that I wouldn’t do it.”

Professor Lee Minseok had already come by. He listed various advantages and told me to think about it once more, but he couldn’t persuade me.

“Your future plans are…”

“I’m going to rest for a while.”

Hwangseoyeong also suggested that I join Hwangje Korean Medicine Hospital with her, but I declined that as well.

I had firmly made up my mind long ago.

I won’t do anything.

More diligently than anyone else, I will do absolutely nothing.

I studied way too hard because of certain someone.

“Right. …If you need help when you’re looking for a job or opening a practice, give me a call.”

Huh. Does he think he’s some kind of real estate expert? Even as I thought this, I roughly nodded my head.

I probably won’t have any reason to contact him anyway.

After hesitating several times, Hwang Sanghun was eventually led outside by Kim Minggyu and Lee Cheoljen.

I also took photos with Hwangseoyeong and several other classmates I had been close with, and attended the after-party.

Senior Student, perhaps due to her outgoing personality, had already secured a job and was scheduled to start working as soon as her license came out.

The other classmates were also preparing for employment or planning overseas trips.

Unlike them, my plan was to have no plan, so the only thing I had accomplished was signing a lease for an apartment.

I needed somewhere to go when I got kicked out of the dormitory.

“Ah, I’m truly free.”

As I left the school I had grown somewhat attached to, I declared my liberation.

Now it was time to have fun.

* * *

“Alright~ energy’s all charged up. Time to rush through the events.”

My morning routine was always mobile games!

I ordered delivery and set up a few auto-battles, and before long the food arrived. I enjoyed my meal while completing the daily quests.

What’s next?

Naturally, it was time to play PC games. Mobile games were just a side activity.

Until when?

Until I got sleepy.

The next day followed the same routine.

“Ah, enhancement never works on the first try!”

The same days flowed by.

“Finally an SSR! Wow, I actually have days when I don’t hit pity!”

And so April arrived.

“Ugh….”

“Seoyeong! You worked so hard! Should I massage your shoulders?”

“Thanks….”

My friend, who had been busy starting work at Hwangje Korean Medicine Hospital and adapting to it, came to visit after a long time.

“Have you been living like this the whole time?”

Hwangseoyeong said this while looking at my dual monitors displaying NewTube and two games.

“Pretty much.”

“I’m jealous. I should have rested too….”

“Hang in there. Fighting!”

The more I saw her suffering, the more I felt my choice was right.

I spent all my time in the cyber world, except for the minimum needed for meals, sleep, and household chores.

“Does this even make sense? It’s totally fake.”

I would get excited or angry over pointless NewTube stories.

“Should I take a trip somewhere?”

I also toured the whole world through the internet.

May arrived.

“Travel… China is absolutely out. Japan is… what if something like China happens? I don’t have money to go to the Americas or Europe.”

Being stuck at home was stifling, but I rarely felt like going anywhere.

Just once, I took a domestic trip to Gangwon-do.

But my phone was more interesting than practicing breathing exercises in the fresh air.

“Yeowon.”

One day, Hwangseoyeong spoke seriously.

“Aren’t you going to get a job?”

“Huh?”

“This is in Yongin, so the commute would be pretty good. How about submitting your resume?”

She even went as far as searching job sites herself to find me a deputy director position.

“Hmm….”

Only then did I start thinking about the future.

Throughout my time in the Martial Arts World, I had been running forward looking only toward returning to modern South Korea.

During my time there, I never had a moment’s rest.

– Divine Physician, please save our son!

– My elderly mother can’t eat anything at all. Could you please check her pulse just once?

How could I turn away from those who came to me with desperate pleas?

I treated every patient who came without refusing anyone, and in my spare time, I studied the Soul Return Great Method.

Just when I thought the great method had succeeded and I could finally rest properly, classes resumed as soon as I returned.

Anyway, I needed to get my license, so as a student, there was only one predetermined path.

I took graduation exams and the national examination, then graduated.

I had achieved all my goals. I thought all that was left was to enjoy life, but…

‘I should probably get a job to make a living, right?’

I scratched my head and said.

“Let me play around a little more and think about it.”

It still wasn’t enough.

“Alright. I was just worried, so I mentioned it once. Don’t mind it.”

I briefly checked my dwindling bank account balance and immediately turned on a game.

After all, getting my character’s equipment was more important.

Finally, summer arrived. It was June.

“Hmm…”

There was nothing to do.

Sometimes I would fully charge my mobile game energy and grind games, but the content was lacking.

I hadn’t gotten all the equipment in PC games, but after running the same raid about 200 times, I got sick of it.

I impulsively deleted the game.

“How empty. Is this the void that someone who has achieved everything feels?”

There was nothing to watch on NewTube either.

I visited my subscribed NewTubers’ channels every day, but no matter how often they uploaded videos, the limit was 1 or 2 per day.

“Isn’t there any new content somewhere…”

I downloaded games I hadn’t tried before and deleted them, searched for new NewTubers and clicked on various shorts.

“Oh?”

Then suddenly, one thumbnail caught my eye.

[If there are no difficulties, you have chosen the wrong path.]

I hadn’t watched a single motivational video in the past six months, so how did something like this get caught in the algorithm?

I watched the video as if possessed by something.

‘Difficulties… Sigh, I haven’t had any difficult things lately. I don’t even feel the sense of achievement from clearing raids.’

I suddenly felt deep self-loathing. I remembered the days when I faced difficult patients and empathized with their pain.

Shortly after, a related video automatically started playing.

[I only work 16 hours a day, 120 hours a week, all 52 weeks of the year, yet people still call me lucky.]

It was a famous quote from a certain CEO who makes electric cars and spaceships.

I sat up straight and watched the following video.

‘…Amazing.’

Watching the passion of a man who dreams of Mars colonization, didn’t my heart naturally start burning with excitement?

‘Ah, this isn’t right. I can’t live like this.’

I too had days when I dreamed of impossible things and lived each day to the fullest.

Those busy and difficult times seemed happier than now when I only do what I want to do.

My master had said something similar. That a life spent striving toward something you desperately yearn for is the most beautiful.

I made up my mind.

“I need to see patients.”

I immediately went to the oriental medicine doctor community and found the job postings / transfer board.

I clicked on the post at the very top.

It was roughly about transferring an oriental medicine clinic they were operating because they were moving to another city.

“Opening a clinic.”

I immediately commented on that post. That I would come to see the oriental medicine clinic.

A reply came in less than 10 seconds, and I made an appointment with that director.

28 hours later, I stamped the contract.

* * *

After completing the transfer contract, the next evening.

I called Hwangseoyeong out to eat dinner outside.

Since I would soon have to go to another region, shouldn’t we enjoy our last supper?

“Great! I’ll call Jieun unnie too!”

Hwangseoyeong said she was worried because I stayed home too much, and invited even the senior student to the dinner.

“Yeowon~ Seoyeong~ How have you been?!”

Meeting her for the first time since graduation, she energetically welcomed us.

“Yeowon, do you still not have a job? Should I introduce you to some?”

Senior Student spoke worriedly, having heard some story from Hwangseoyeong.

I appreciated the sentiment, but I had already decided what to do.

“Ah, I’ve decided to open a clinic. I signed the contract and everything!”

Hwangseoyeong and Senior Student’s eyes widened.

“What?”

“So suddenly?”

“…You’re not joking, are you?”

I showed them the contract with the seal stamped on it.

“You didn’t say anything about that!”

“Have you been preparing to open a clinic this whole time?”

The two of them fired questions at me rapid-fire.

“No, it’s not like that. I was watching NewTube and got really inspired.”

“Huh?”

“By who?”

“This person. I even bought his autobiography! And I changed my wallpaper to space too.”

I proudly showed them the book I had purchased.

“…Space? Don’t tell me?”

Both of their expressions changed strangely.

Why are they acting like that? I wouldn’t know since I was in the Martial Arts World for so long, but he seemed like a famous person that everyone in South Korea would know?

“So… so, no, wait a minute.”

“The book and wallpaper are whatever.”

“Are you saying you read that autobiography, got inspired, and signed a transfer contract?”

It was actually NewTube, but the autobiography was also moving content.

I nodded my head.

“The joy of working 120 hours a week, isn’t that amazing? I’m going to open the Oriental Medicine Clinic at 7 o’clock too!”

Senior Student’s jaw dropped, and Hwangseoyeong buried her head on the table and started pulling at her hair.

“Aaaaaaah! You’re crazy!”

“Hey, what were you doing not stopping her?”

“Nooooo, I thought it was weird that you were playing around so much unlike yourself, but how could you suddenly jump into something like this!”

Why, what’s wrong?

Not understanding their excitement at all, I tilted my head and stroked the book.

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