The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim - Chapter 151

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

Chapter 151

“It’s not really a secret technique or anything, it’s all stuff you learn in school.”

I waved my hand dismissively.

There’s no mysterious Eastern secret technique! My treatment methods don’t deviate much from standard Korean medicine practice.

…Well, it’s not like there’s nothing at all, but I can’t exactly teach someone how to manipulate qi.

“Of course, I’ll provide simplified manuals and know-how to all branch clinic directors. We aim to provide uniform quality medical care anywhere in the country… no, anywhere in the world. If that doctor really wants to open a Rome branch, I’ll do my best to make it possible for them to practice effectively.”

Chairman Rich smiled brightly.

“He’s delighted that both he and his son would be able to receive Korean medicine treatment anytime in Rome.”

That would be quite meaningful work indeed.

Of course, there have been predecessors who made efforts to conduct acupuncture research in Italy, but creating my own network overseas is a different realm entirely.

“But is this not just the chairman’s idea? Does that person really have plans for a branch? Is there enough demand for a doctor to open a Korean medicine clinic?”

“Well, he says it would probably be like a combined Western-Korean medicine clinic in Korean terms.”

According to Chairman Rich, unlike the United States where there are separate acupuncturist certifications, in Italy only doctors are legally allowed to perform acupuncture.

So he wants to provide Western medical diagnosis and treatment alongside acupuncture and herbal medicine treatment.

“Ah, I see.”

“And he says the chairman will handle all the promotion, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“That’s quite reassuring.”

For him to say that much, it didn’t seem like empty words.

It seemed like he had done some research and made plans, and since he owns hundreds of hotels, he must be quite confident.

The details would need to be worked out later, but this was an opportunity to expand business into Europe.

“As you know, graduate programs teach research, not Korean medical diagnosis and treatment. Since he didn’t complete the educational process in Korea and obtain a Korean medicine license, it will require much more time and effort from both sides than training a vice director.”

I explained the educational process of Korean traditional medicine universities in Korea.

Of course, Chairman Rich didn’t expect graduate school to teach clinical practice either.

Medical doctoral programs also aim to train medical researchers, not doctors.

“I’m in Busan, but our Seoul branch director happens to be a former professor. I haven’t discussed it with her yet, but I think she’d be happy to help if someone came from overseas to study Korean medicine. He could pursue his degree while studying separately there, and I’ll help as much as needed too.”

I could teach him various things when I have time to come down to Busan.

“If it’s already decided, don’t worry about it, but if not, I can recommend research labs at Korean University too.”

Apart from separately teaching clinical practice, I wasn’t opposed to graduate school enrollment.

Having or not having a degree is very important anywhere in the world.

And if someone participated in research papers since their student days, unlike me, they must really be passionate about research.

Of course, Chairman Rich was very pleased.

He said he wanted to get information about where to make contact anyway.

“If you give me his email address, I’ll talk to him directly.”

I wonder what kind of person he is. Is he someone who loves Eastern medicine as much as Chairman Rich?

If the three of us ever meet, it might get quite noisy.

Anyway, Chairman Rich firmly expressed his intention to proceed with opening the Rome branch and its promotion.

I agreed to provide not only a recommendation letter but all necessary help to that doctor and Chairman Rich.

The other clinic directors will be quite surprised when I go back to Korea and tell them.

Having finished this discussion, we moved on to other topics.

“He says you must see an opera when you come to Italy.”

We had already toured famous tourist spots, but I also got recommendations from him for must-visit places.

“Korean opera? Hmm… I’m not knowledgeable about performances. I’ve heard of friends going to see traditional Korean musical theater, so I’ll ask them and let you know next time you visit.”

We also talked about Korean tourist attractions and entertainment.

“Wow, I never thought I’d be doing this kind of interpreting.”

Min Jeong-eun said as we came out after finishing our meal.

As she said, it was amazing how a connection that should have ended with interpreting for one treatment had continued like this.

She even said she’d like to work at that hospital if the doctor Chairman Rich mentioned opens a practice later.

“Did you have a good meal?”

“Yeah. Did you have a good time seeing Roberto?”

We took Min Jeong-eun’s car and met up with Hwangseoyeong too.

“No… He wasn’t there today. Must have been his day off.”

“That must have been disappointing.”

“But I did have gelato!”

She said that, but Hwangseoyeong’s face clearly showed disappointment.

Our next schedule was shopping.

“They say it’s cheaper than in Korea. I’ve never bought any myself, but my friends always ask me to buy some whenever I come back to Korea.”

Famous luxury brand stores lined up one after another.

In novels, this is when people show off by buying lots of luxury goods, but I backed away as soon as I saw the price tags.

Just because it was cheaper than in Korea didn’t mean it wasn’t expensive.

Hwangseoyeong bought several outfits and a bag.

I followed Hwangseoyeong around and just bought one wallet as a souvenir.

“Thank you for interpreting and even being our guide.”

“No, I got paid by the chairman for the interpreting!”

“But you brought your car and spent several days with us.”

“That was just hanging out together! I had fun too…!”

“I’m giving gifts because I want to! Because I want to give them to you!”

And I also gave a gift to Min Jeong-eun, who had worked hard for several days.

Min Jeong-eun declined several times saying it was fine, but eventually chose a card wallet.

“I got a recommendation for this opera…”

“Oh, let’s go, let’s go!”

After shopping, we talked about the recommended opera, and fortunately there were seats available.

Do they perform almost every day? Wondering about this, I chose the frontmost seats among those remaining.

“…”

Since they were singing in Italian, I couldn’t understand it.

There were English subtitles on the side, but reading them was also bothersome, so I just felt it with my heart.

I didn’t know much about it, but anyway, it was grand and magnificent.

“Thank you for your hard work today! Enjoy your meal~!”

After the opera ended, Min Jeong-eun went home saying she would eat dinner at home.

We headed to the hotel.

“Should we eat ramen? I want some refreshing soup.”

“Oh, sounds good.”

It would be fine to eat dinner outside, but after eating greasy food for several days, hearing the word ramen really appealed to me.

It was finally time to break out the cup ramen I had packed in my trunk just in case.

“I need cola when I eat ramen… Was there a convenience store in the hotel?”

Hwangseoyeong said.

Cola should be easy to get in Italy too, but there didn’t seem to be any at the hotel.

“I think I saw a mart in the alley when we went out yesterday. I don’t know if it’s still open though.”

“Let’s check on our way in.”

Unlike South Korea, most stores closed early.

We had only entered one alley from the main street, but the path was very dark.

Hwangseoyeong wrapped her arms around herself, saying she felt chilly for no reason.

Maybe I should have told her to go into the hotel first and come alone.

“Where was it again…”

Hwangseoyeong looked around, and I was searching for a map app.

“Uh…”

Along with the sound of movement, I heard a small groan.

“Hm?”

“What’s wrong?”

“I think there’s someone over there?”

“People can pass by, you know.”

As I approached, Hwangseoyeong grumbled but followed me.

It wasn’t a path people couldn’t walk through, but something felt strange.

“Oh my!”

And when we got close enough to see the person clearly, Hwangseoyeong was startled and covered her mouth with both hands.

A man was clutching his side where blood was flowing profusely.

“…”

For a moment, I looked behind me.

In the fantasy novel I was reading on the airplane, there was exactly this kind of scene.

A scene where you encounter a bleeding, fleeing gladiator in an alley.

But behind me, I could see perfectly normal 21st-century architecture.

The person in front of me was neither a dream nor a hallucination.

Clear and obvious reality.

“Are you okay?!”

I quickly came to my senses.

Hwangseoyeong checked the patient’s breathing and pulse.

Judging by how his energy wasn’t wavering, his life wasn’t in immediate danger, but he had lost too much blood.

“Ugh, uugh…”

“Wait, Roberto?!”

“Who are you…?”

It was even someone whose face and name I knew.

How on earth did this happen?

“You were stabbed in the side? We need to stop the bleeding right away!”

“Ugh, …yes.”

“Don’t just stand there, lie down quickly!”

I placed shopping bags under his waist and elevated the wound area above his heart.

“Something to stop the bleeding with…”

There was no gauze.

Clean cloth.

“Use this!”

Hwangseoyeong tore clothes from one of the shopping bags and handed them to me.

“You can’t do it like that. I’ll apply the pressure.”

I removed Roberto’s hand that was half-heartedly clutching his side and began applying pressure to stop the bleeding.

He seemed to know he needed to press on it, but was scared because it hurt.

“Th-thank you.”

“Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to have hit any internal organs. What on earth happened? You called an ambulance, right?”

I asked Roberto while pressing firmly to stop the bleeding.

Is Italian public safety this bad? A random person walking down the street suddenly gets stabbed?

Of course, I’d seen this kind of scene countless times in the martial arts world.

In back alleys, even in the mountains, people who’d been stabbed would appear whenever you least expected it.

Back then, I would have applied pressure like this along with wound medicine, burned anesthetic incense while disinfecting, and even done the suturing myself.

If it had been in Sichuan, I might have left it to another physician.

While mainstream traditional medicine hadn’t developed surgical procedures, the Sichuan Dang Family was more skilled at treating trauma than anywhere else in the Central Plains.

Even if not brain surgery like Hua Tuo had publicly declared he could perform on Cao Cao, we could at least remove poisoned arrows like the one that hit Guan Yu and detoxify them.

We even saved martial artists who’d been stabbed in the stomach.

– Where did you learn these suturing techniques?

– It’s a family secret passed down from long ago.

With just those words, there was nothing impossible in the martial arts world.

The Tang Family members naturally had no doubt about where the techniques came from, but I was curious.

I wondered if a surgeon had crossed over before me, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

When I happened to meet people from the Potala Palace in Tibet, I resolved my questions to some extent.

Tibetan medicine had quite developed surgical procedures, including suturing knife wounds and connecting severed bones.

Since Sichuan was in the west of the Central Plains and close to Tibet, I speculated that the Tang Family ancestors might have had exchanges with them at some point.

Anyway, that was in the martial arts world.

Considering the possibility of infection, it would naturally be right to go to the emergency room for suturing.

“No!”

Roberto, who had been quietly receiving the bleeding control, screamed as if having a fit as soon as the ambulance was mentioned.

“Is he in shock?”

Hwangseoyeong was startled, but Roberto, who understood the word “shock,” denied that was the case.

“So you haven’t called one? Seoyeong, could you call for us?”

Since I was applying pressure with both hands to stop the bleeding, I asked Hwangseoyeong.

“Absolutely no police!”

With his face pale from blood loss, Roberto repeatedly said absolutely not.

“We won’t call the police. Just an ambulance…”

“No ambulance either. If I go to the hospital, they’ll eventually ask why I got hurt and the doctor will report it.”

He even reached out trying to snatch Hwangseoyeong’s phone.

“…? Are you a criminal?”

What’s this? What could there be that he’d go to such lengths to prevent?

Is he a wanted person?

Hwangseoyeong was startled by my words and stepped back.

And she grabbed my arm as if telling me to get away from him.

No, I still need to stop the bleeding though.

“…!”

Whether he was shocked by the question about being a criminal.

Whether he was hurt.

Or maybe it was just because the stab wound hurt too much.

Roberto contorted his face in tremendous pain.

“I’m not a criminal…”

“Then what is it? Explain it convincingly! As a medical professional, I need to provide appropriate treatment!”

When Hwangseoyeong pressed him again, he bit his lip hard.

If he’s not a criminal, what reason could there be? Are medical costs extremely expensive in Italy too?

“I’m… not a criminal, but…”

Roberto’s following words were extremely shocking.

“My father is a mafia boss.”

…What?

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