The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim - Chapter 144

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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 144

Kang Joyun tried his best to listen to the class attentively.

‘Voltage and current and what? Volume? What’s proportional to what? What volume?’

Listening carefully to words he couldn’t understand at all was extremely difficult.

So Kang Joyun changed his approach.

He tried to concentrate by writing down everything the teacher said.

‘…things I like.’

But even that didn’t last more than thirty minutes.

By the 4th period, there was a table drawn in Kang Joyun’s textbook.

Things I want to do. Things I’m good at. Things I like.

He couldn’t fill in much.

Under things he was good at, he wrote archery, and under things he liked, he wrote gaming.

After that, there was nothing left to write.

‘Gaming…’

In an industry even narrower than archery, he knew he didn’t have the skills to succeed as a professional gamer.

“Hey, what are your future dreams?”

As soon as lunch break started, he asked his friends who ate together.

“Me? Civil servant.”

“Scientist.”

“What kind of scientist? Mechanical? Electronic?”

“Don’t know.”

“I’m going to be a YouTuber.”

“Ugh.”

…Do they all not think much about it?

“My dad said he’d teach me heavy equipment.”

“Wow, excavator silver spoon, I’m jealous.”

This guy is about the only one with any kind of plan.

“You’re going to be an archery athlete, so why are you asking about that stuff?”

“Since I hurt my arm, I’m thinking about what else I could do.”

“What? You got hurt that badly?”

“Not really, I’m just thinking about it.”

“You doing anything else would be a national loss!”

“Thanks, but it’s not that serious.”

5th period, math class.

“Don’t you find it enjoyable to fall into a trance while solving math problems?”

“Ehhhhh.”

“When I was in high school, I would lose track of time just solving math problems~.”

Kang Joyun frowned deeply as he glared at his math workbook.

As the Math Teacher said, falling into a trance naturally never happened.

He just got a headache from not knowing which formula to use and having to flip through the pages.

If we’re talking about a trance, it would be.

Drawing the bowstring…

Twang.

A target appeared in his mind.

Anytime, anywhere, when he closed his eyes, a target would be drawn.

In fact, even when he tried to listen to class, the circle the Math Teacher drew only looked like a target to him.

Kang Joyun looked down at the table he had drawn in the previous period.

In the end, is archery what he likes most too?

* * *

As I had instructed, Kang Joyun came for treatment every day as soon as school ended.

Today I worked hard on math problems, today I went to karaoke.

Every time he came, he would tell me about a new experience he had.

“Doctor, I’ve been thinking.”

After thinking hard for about a week like that, Kang Joyun spoke seriously.

I brought him into the examination room again this time.

“For now, it seems like archery is both what I’m best at and what I like most.”

I thought so.

How could he find something he’s better at and likes more in just a week?

“I don’t know where else to look, so what should I do? Doctor, did you worry a lot when you decided to become a Korean Medicine Doctor? Won’t I regret it if I find something I’m better at or like more later?”

It seemed he had thought about it quite a bit, as Kang Joyun brought up a rather philosophical question.

“It’s natural that it doesn’t come right away. I probably decided much more thoughtlessly than you, Joyun.”

I actually didn’t worry much about my future dreams.

I only had thoughts like I’d need to leave my aunt’s house when I became an adult and find a job to make a living.

Somehow I came to admire Choi Eunhee and wanted to become a Korean Medicine Doctor, and since it was a profession that wouldn’t have difficulties making a living, my thoughts didn’t go further than that.

“If I find something I’m better at later…”

And I actually did find something I was better at, or similarly good at.

Martial arts.

Master used to praise me, saying it was an excellent achievement that was hard to believe for someone who started so late.

Though he probably added a bit of exaggeration out of love for his student.

“It would be fine to change careers or do both, or even not do it at all, right? I’m a bit embarrassed to say this in front of an archery athlete, but I’m good at shooting.”

I couldn’t mention throwing knives, so I brought up a different sport.

Ah, I actually am good at shooting too. I first discovered this talent when I went to a shooting cafe with my college friends. Maybe I have a talent for concentrating and hitting targets?

“I often thought I might have done better if I had played sports when I was young. I went to schools from elementary through high school that didn’t have any girls’ sports teams, so I never even considered that path.”

“Ah, that’s how it is unless you specifically seek it out.”

I felt a bit regretful about starting late.

I had occasionally thought about wanting to see how far I could go as a martial artist.

But even in the martial arts world, I chose to live as a physician rather than a warrior.

I decided to live as an ordinary Korean medicine doctor in modern South Korea, not as the Divine Physician of that world.

“I could have become a shooting athlete or an athlete in other sports… Ah, this might seem ridiculous to you, Joyun, who’s working so hard as an athlete, but it’s just an example, so please bear with me. I could have chosen a different major based on my college entrance exam scores.”

“It’s not ridiculous at all! I think I was the one who took studying and other things too lightly.”

“Thank you. Well, anyway. I have no regrets at all.”

I have almost no regrets about my career choice or returning to the modern world.

“It’s not because I made the best choice. I think it’s just because I’m satisfied with the present. Honestly, I think regret is simply a result.”

When I had no patients in the early days of opening my clinic, I regretted opening it too hastily, but now that the clinic is doing well, I’m grateful for that chance opportunity back then.

“If you become a gold medalist, you probably won’t regret working hard at archery, right?”

“Yes.”

“If you get injured as you worried about last time, or lack skill, or fail for some reason, you might regret it. You might think, ‘I should have found a different path as quickly as possible!'”

“Yes.”

“Conversely, if you did something else… let’s say you went to a prestigious university and got into a big company, you might think you did well to switch directions quickly, or if things don’t go well, you might regret not continuing with sports.”

“…You’re right. I think I understand what you mean by regret being a result.”

Kang Joyun nodded as if he had gained some great insight.

Hmm, this is a bit embarrassing.

“Life doesn’t end just because you regret something for a moment, and new paths can unfold even then. Since you create your path while wandering and searching, I hope you won’t worry about regret in advance.”

“Those are wonderful words.”

Kang Joyun pondered my words for a long time.

Then he said with a pout.

“Ah, this is annoying. In the end, what my mother made me do is what I like and do best.”

It was cute how his expression kept changing as he complained.

I looked at him and smiled.

“Success will ultimately be entirely your success. Your mother will probably be satisfied that she raised an excellent son, but…”

What should I say?

I hoped Kang Joyun wouldn’t think he was fulfilling his mother’s dreams.

Should I tell him to use his mother? That parents can only get vicarious satisfaction anyway?

I told Hwang Sanghun to ignore his parents’ expectations and do what he wanted, but that would be too radical advice for a middle school boy, wouldn’t it?

“My mother probably doesn’t find shooting arrows at targets as enjoyable as I do, right?”

Surprisingly, he figured out exactly what I wanted to say.

“She said she liked it so much and worked so hard in high school, but I’ve never seen my mother shoot arrows. She probably doesn’t enjoy it as much as she did back then, right? Maybe the person who needs to find other things she’s good at is my mother.”

No, he went even further than that.

He was an incredibly smart child with deep insight.

“Thank you so much for listening to me, Teacher! I won’t be afraid of things like regret, I’ll look at paths I haven’t taken later, and I’ll work hard. …I don’t think I’ll resent my mother anymore either.”

All I had given him was just a few words of advice.

To have such insight at that age – understanding his mother and even feeling compassion for her.

‘He could probably succeed at anything, couldn’t he?’

For a kid like that to be good at archery too – isn’t that too unfair?

* * *

When the two weeks the Korean medicine doctor had predicted passed, the aching disappeared like magic.

“I can lift my arm up now and it’s fine!”

Kang Joyun said cheerfully.

How anxious had he been every time his arm hurt intermittently?

The shoulder that used to make him scream when lifted just 90 degrees had become surprisingly smooth.

“The inflammation has subsided considerably. As I mentioned last time, ligament recovery will take more time, so you need to continue treatment.”

“Then practice is…”

“Then I can do archery, right?”

Mother and Kang Joyun asked simultaneously.

“Yes, it’s fine. But you should only do it to the extent that it doesn’t hurt.”

At those words, Kang Joyun’s face brightened completely.

“Thank you!”

He had rested for a full two weeks.

How frustrating had it been during that time?

It felt like it had been ten years since he hadn’t drawn a bowstring for this long.

Though he hadn’t drawn with his arm, he had shot arrows hundreds, no, thousands of times in his head.

I had tried studying and looking into what kinds of jobs were available.

But more than that, I found it fun to close my eyes and visualize simulations.

Even when I followed friends to PC cafes or karaoke rooms, my mind was filled only with targets.

“I’m glad you recovered well. Now that you’ve played enough, let’s go back to practice starting tomorrow.”

As soon as I returned home, Mother said this.

While cutting fruit for me.

Mother hadn’t mentioned archery at all for two weeks. She told me to go to the Traditional Korean Medicine Clinic by myself, and even when I came home late from hanging out with friends, there was no nagging at all.

So it had been peaceful during that time.

‘Did I play because I wanted to play?’

Was this something to make me angry about as soon as I recovered?

In the past, I would have burst out yelling.

“Mother, just apologize.”

But after hearing Teacher’s story and contemplating my future, he had changed.

Would it be fair to say he had grown?

…Now he seemed to understand a little that Mother was talking nonsense because she felt sorry.

“What, where did this kid learn to…!”

Mother reflexively shouted, but Kang Joyun looked straight into her eyes.

And picked up one of the cut fruits to eat.

“You’re sorry.”

It didn’t matter if she said no.

Kang Joyun knew now.

“…I’m sorry for accusing you of faking illness. You must have been very hurt.”

Fortunately, Mother didn’t insist on her pride that much.

Instead, she couldn’t find a place to look and started tearing up.

“It’s okay now. My arm is fine too.”

Even if not completely, receiving an apology made the hurt feelings much better.

“I’ve organized my thoughts too.”

Mother’s eyes widened.

She had been secretly anxious watching Kang Joyun flip through textbooks every night.

Had Mother also been inwardly anxious about making him only shoot arrows?

“I thought about various things while resting, and I’m going to try archery without regrets until I can’t do it anymore. You don’t have to worry about me faking illness or anything.”

“I see…”

“I’m also sorry for blaming you for not making the national team, Mother. When you asked me what else I could do besides archery, I said that out of anger, but I didn’t really mean it.”

It had been weighing on his mind. That he had said something too harsh to Mother.

But since wanting to receive an apology was more important, he had demanded it, and now he could bow his head with peace of mind.

“I’m sorry, I’m really sorry.”

When Kang Joyun lifted his head, Mother’s tears looked more pitiful than ever.

“You don’t have to feel sorry anymore. I’m not trying to fulfill Mother’s wish. I want to see it through to the end because I want to do better myself. I’m really going to work hard…”

To Kang Joyun, Mother was a bigger person than anyone else in the world.

She had decided his path, pressured him, forced him, and gotten angry at him.

He had hated her. He had resented her.

But now she just looked like one person with many shortcomings.

“I hope Mother can find something like archery, something you loved so passionately in high school that you devoted your soul to it.”

Mother didn’t answer.

“When did you become like this…”

She only muttered something irrelevant like a non sequitur.

“Or it would be good if we did archery together again.”

Kang Joyun also felt embarrassed and bowed his head again.

“Thank you for the fruit.”

And he chewed and swallowed the fruit Mother had cut for him.

* * *

“…So, for patient Kang Joyun, just treat his shoulder focusing on the biceps. He’s improved over 70%, so it’s enough to take good care of him whenever he comes for maintenance visits.”

“Ah, I see. He was referred by Son Chunja, right?”

“Yes.”

After Hwang Sanghun returned, I briefly handed over to him what had happened over the past few days.

Those among Hwang Sanghun’s patients who had changes, and Kang Joyun who came after being referred to him by an acquaintance.

“But why do you look so tired?”

While handing things over, I kept glancing at Hwang Sanghun’s complexion.

With a bit of exaggeration, his condition was as poor as when I first met him at the wedding hall.

“You went to rest, so what happened? Did you go skydiving or something?”

Even the staff were startled and made a fuss.

“Oppa, didn’t you say you were going to the mountain for some fresh air? Did you walk all the way up or something?”

Then Hwang Sanghun opened his mouth with a weary face as if he had lived through everything in the world.

“So many things really happened….”

Many things?

Did he meet some mysterious old man on the mountain?

Something like falling into the Martial Arts World and living there for about 100 years.

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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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