The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim - Chapter 156

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

Chapter 156

Lee Jungsub was exercising.

A simple exercise known as side lateral raises, repeatedly opening the shoulders and lifting dumbbells to the side and lowering them.

Of course, Lee Jungsub used water bottles instead of dumbbells.

He didn’t have the strength to lift 1kg dumbbells.

Even the water-filled bottles were too heavy, so he poured out half the water.

“Whew-.”

The location wasn’t a gym or his home either.

It was the company.

An office where, despite having partitions between teams, you could see what all employees were doing when you stood up.

Someone might have picked a fight asking why he was exercising during work hours, but no one did.

Lee Jungsub boldly stood up from his seat only when the director went out to smoke, repeated 3 sets of 3 exercises, then sat back down.

“Team leader, have you been exercising lately?”

Lee Jungsub felt like he was going crazy every time he heard that word ‘team leader.’

He desperately hoped the CEO would hire another team leader and demote him.

But apparently the CEO had no intention of posting job openings matching senior developer salaries, and he had to accept the reality of his promotion.

“Yes. I’m getting treatment for turtle neck.”

Lee Jungsub tried to project team leader-like dignity as he answered.

If the director had been there, he would have given unwanted advice like don’t get separate treatment, just maintain good posture normally, or what good would half a bottle of water do, but fortunately he had gone out to smoke.

“Oh? Where?”

So the new employee could show interest in his treatment with bright, curious eyes.

The entire development team turned their heads to look at Lee Jungsub.

No, more precisely, they looked at his cervical curve.

‘Can that be fixed?’

Lee Jungsub hadn’t learned mind reading or psychology, but somehow he could read his team members’ thoughts.

Of course, being timid, he answered the question instead of scolding his team members.

“It’s called Seongsoo Oriental Medicine Clinic, if you go up the hill a bit from the station.”

“Ah… a Korean medicine clinic?”

The new employee grabbing his neck sounded slightly disappointed.

He had been thinking he should get treatment too, but didn’t want to go to a Korean medicine clinic.

“Why? Korean medicine clinics are really good. When I had a stiff neck, two weeks of physical therapy didn’t help, but one acupuncture session cured it completely!”

Another staff member spoke up as if scolding the new employee.

“No… um… It seems like it would work if you get poked, but you have to get poked, you know.”

The new employee hung his head dejectedly.

“It doesn’t hurt as much as you think!”

Lee Jungsub encouraged the new employee.

He too had refused to visit due to such worries, but once he crossed the threshold thanks to his girlfriend, he saw a blissful light.

“It’s just like clicking a ballpoint pen. Haha, nothing to be scared of.”

If Kim Hye-yeong, Hanyewon, or Heo Sunnam, who had heard his screams from beside him, heard this, they would have been so dumbfounded their jaws would drop.

“Really…?”

“I was really scared of needles too. But here, if you close your eyes for a moment, they spray all the needles in 1 second.”

“…Spray them?”

“Yes. About ten needles go ta-da-da-da-da-dak all at once, and it’s over quickly.”

“What?”

At those words, Shin Yejin, who had been quiet until now, looked up.

She had been waiting for the right moment for the small talk to end so she could ask Lee Jungsub a work question, but this statement was impossible to let slide.

“My uncle is a Korean medicine doctor so I’ve had acupuncture many times, but I don’t think they can insert needles like that?”

“The director of Seongsoo Oriental Medicine Clinic does it!”

“I see.”

Everyone except Shin Yejin nodded.

She usually liked these simple team members. When you said A, they just thought it was A and didn’t think anything else, making communication very comfortable.

Moreover, Team Leader Lee Jungsub handled half the work in the 5-person development team while also looking after his team members’ tasks, so maybe it was right to just nod even if he was a bit strange.

“After getting treatment there, all my weekly fatigue just melted away. Food went down well, I slept well, the foggy feeling in my head all day disappeared, and I even felt motivated to start exercising.”

But this should be suspicious!

Anyone can see this is strange!

“Did you perhaps go to a religious group instead of a Korean medicine clinic…?”

People who had never been to a Korean medicine clinic tended to view such places as somewhat mystical, but it was just a hospital, just needles.

After her uncle moved to another region, she had visited other Korean medicine clinics several times, but inserting ten needles at once was impossible.

‘Seongsoo Oriental Medicine Clinic?’

Even the name was suspicious.

Is it really a Korean medicine clinic? Why Seongsoo (Holy Water) of all things?

She suddenly imagined a scene of a cult leader sprinkling holy water.

“Manager Shin, really, such jokes.”

“Did they only tell you to exercise after acupuncture treatment?”

“I also got cupping and chuna therapy. For exercise, they said it was still too early to go to a gym and recommended water bottles, but I think I’ll be able to register soon.”

Cupping marks were visible on Lee Jungsub’s neck.

But cupping can be easily obtained even outside of oriental medicine clinics….

“Should I go try it too? Ever since I started working here, I feel like I’m developing turtle neck… Oh, of course I don’t work as much as you do, Team Leader….”

“It’ll gradually increase, so it’s good to manage it preventively. It’s great because there are three directors, so they open early in the morning and even on weekends.”

No, how can you think of going after hearing that story?

“Which director did you receive treatment from?”

All the team members except her showed interest.

Lee Jungsub casually shared that he had received treatment from Director Han Yewon, the head director, and even conveyed that his girlfriend said the male director was also skilled.

“Should we all go together after work? I think I can leave on time today too.”

Since Shin Yejin joined, the development team had never once had a team dinner.

Both the former team leader who had quit and Lee Jungsub were extremely individualistic, so they didn’t want to share time after work.

But suddenly acting like this, wasn’t it like proselytizing or something?

“That place is really good….”

So Shin Yejin was carefully trying to speak up.

“The director is here. Let’s stop chatting and get back to work.”

Lee Jungsub cut off the conversation sharply.

Originally, there was often communication during work breaks, asking Lee Jungsub various things, but it would be troublesome to chatter too much.

“Let’s talk during lunch break!”

Shin Yejin gripped her mouse tightly, filled with a sense of mission.

Right after work today? To save her innocent coworkers from the clutches of a religious organization, she had no choice but to go with them.

* * *

Lunch time at Seongsoo Oriental Medicine Clinic.

Unlike usual when the directors ate in their respective examination rooms and the nursing assistants used the break room table, today all staff members were out in the waiting room.

It was to eat while watching TV.

“Oh, it’s coming through well.”

I turned on the TV as soon as all the morning patients left.

It was something I had received along with the transfer, but was practically using as a monitor advertisement board.

“They’re up soon, so just wait a moment and Kim Taeyun and Kang Jaekyung will appear!”

I had tuned this advertisement board, whose broadcasting fee payment status was questionable, to public television because Gong Nari had brought interesting news.

“I was just going to try watching this indie band audition survival variety show that came out, but our patients are appearing on it, right? I was really shocked!”

As the show’s opening appeared on screen, Gong Nari made a fuss once again.

“That’s right. Jaegyeong said it was a small band, but I guess that’s not really the case.”

“They were famous people.”

“Wow, Director, you even treated famous band members…!”

Seo Inae and Seol Yuhui were normally amazed, but Lee Ahreum strangely praised me.

“It was just that his wrist hurt a bit.”

“Jaegyeong was like that, but Taeyun was, um….”

“Of course our director is amazing, but for variety programs themselves, you can appear just by applying and passing the preliminaries!”

Gong Nari explained the format for people who had never watched survival audition programs.

Seo Inae was one thing, but Seol Yuhui didn’t watch TV either? Maybe she’s too busy studying these days?

Even before falling into the martial arts world, I didn’t have much connection with this electronic device.

When I was staying at my aunt’s house, I didn’t want to sit uncomfortably in the living room, and it wasn’t equipped in the dormitory or the apartment I lived in before.

I might consider a gaming computer, but there was no reason to purchase a TV.

“…So appearing itself isn’t incredibly amazing, but Taeyun sings so well. All the judges were shocked too, you know?”

We had all gathered to watch the rerun because of Gong Nari’s excitement.

It would probably be on YouTube tonight or tomorrow, but sometimes eating lunch like this is fun too.

– Hello, we’re Melon Soda Horizon~.

As Gong Nari said, the band we were waiting for was quite early in the lineup.

Leader Kim Taeyun smiled brightly and waved at the camera.

“Oh, at least he didn’t bring his sketchbook onto the broadcast.”

As soon as I finished speaking, the camera zoomed out from Kim Taeyun to the entire band.

Kang Jaekyung could be glimpsed hiding a sketchbook behind his back.

“…He brought it but they must have taken it away.”

A typical description came out about how upbeat rhythm, refreshing tone, and hopeful lyrics harmonized.

A celebrity panel member added one comment that the drummer was handsome.

“Jaegyeong is handsome, yes.”

Gong Nari nodded in agreement.

Since it was the first episode, many bands had to appear, so the performance started right away.

I wander through cloudy streets –

Not knowing where I should go

I stared at the screen as if slightly mesmerized.

“Wow…. He really sings well.”

Seol Yuhui exclaimed in admiration. I felt the same way.

When he appeared with that sketchbook, I never would have thought he was someone who could sing like that.

He had an incredibly wide vocal range with great volume, and his tone was refreshingly clear.

‘If he learned vocal music, he’d probably be really good at it.’

Come to think of it, I keep thinking I should go, but I still haven’t gone yet?

“Do they still perform every week at that live club you mentioned before?”

Hearing their performance on the broadcast like this suddenly made me want to go see a live performance too.

“I think so?”

“Last time they said they signed with some major entertainment agency…”

“We can ask when they come?”

“They haven’t been coming much lately. Jaegyeong’s wrist is all healed, and Taeyun bought a large quantity of medicine.”

“They might have gone to Seoul entirely for filming that show.”

“The filming time wouldn’t be that long though.”

I asked the staff, but no one really knew.

I do have their phone number, but I couldn’t use personal information for private purposes like asking about performance schedules.

It would be different if I had a personal relationship like with Kim Ijin or Park Seseun, where patients even know my number.

“I’ll look up their Instagram to see if there’s any announcement.”

“If there isn’t, well, we can just go and listen to other bands perform.”

“They’re still doing it. Every Friday! These days they have many performances at other clubs and events too, so please check Melon Soda Horizon’s official Instagram.”

“Huh?”

Just then, someone I didn’t know opened the clinic door and explained about Melon Soda Horizon’s performance schedule.

A patient?

“Is it lunch time?”

Behind him were Kang Jaekyung and Kim Taeyun together.

“We came because of our youngest, should we come back in a bit?”

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