The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim - Chapter 172

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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 172

 

“Choi Gwi-jae, please come in for consultation~.”

 

The front desk called for Choi Gwi-jae. It was his turn for examination.

 

“Ah.”

 

Choi Gwi-jae, who had been talking with Heo Sunnam for a while, showed obvious disappointment.

 

The waiting time wasn’t particularly long, but they seemed to have hit it off well during their brief conversation.

 

‘Ah, the chairman doesn’t have many friends.’

 

He had even accompanied me on mountain hikes, saying he had no friends to run with.

 

In contrast, Grandmother Heo Sunnam had brought patients to our Oriental Medicine Clinic in the double digits. Being quite sociable, perhaps she enjoyed the conversation.

 

“Would you like to come in together, ma’am?”

 

Park Seon-yun, like me, noticed Choi Gwi-jae’s rare display of disappointment.

 

“Me too? Is it okay for me to go in together?”

 

“I don’t mind at all.”

 

Of course, I had no problem with it whatsoever.

 

I had never seen someone who became friends in the waiting room join an examination like this, but if the patient didn’t mind, what could be wrong with it?

 

“It’s just a consultation for herbal medicine, so there’s nothing private. If you’re okay with it…”

 

Choi Gwi-jae also suggested the accompaniment, worried that Heo Sunnam might receive treatment and leave in the meantime.

 

“What do you mean ‘ma’am’ to this old lady!”

 

Grandmother Heo Sunnam shuddered, saying the formal address gave her goosebumps.

 

What’s her standard? She gets called CEO at the gallery but finds ‘ma’am’ cringeworthy?

 

Anyway, she ended up entering the examination room together somewhat unexpectedly.

 

Choi Gwi-jae, who had decided to get herbal medicine, sat in the chair in front of me, while Park Seon-yun and Heo Sunnam took seats on the sofa behind.

 

Something about this picture seems off.

 

“How have you been doing?”

 

“I’ve been well. Since you told me not to overdo it, I’ve been running only one hour a day.”

 

Choi Gwi-jae answered with a smile.

 

“Whaaaat!”

 

But Heo Sunnam was startled.

 

“You can keep running for a whole hour? At our age? Or are you younger than you look?”

 

“Haha, she’s amazing, isn’t she.”

 

Park Seon-yun felt proud for no reason.

 

Hmm, that guy probably couldn’t run continuously for an hour himself.

 

“How old was I again?”

 

Choi Gwi-jae asked Park Seon-yun.

 

“Uh…”

 

“Tsk, you don’t even know this old lady’s age?”

 

Park Seon-yun was also confused.

 

“The chart shows 85 years old.”

 

“That’s right. I’m already 87 in Korean age. I’m surprised every time I hear it myself. When did time pass like this?”

 

“Oh my, you’re quite a bit older than me? You’re more than 10 years older than me?”

 

Heo Sunnam was shocked. It was something I hadn’t really noticed either.

 

‘Come to think of it, Inseong is only twenty-one now, but Park Seon-yun must be over thirty.’

 

As Heo Sunnam said, Choi Gwi-jae looked much younger than other patients in their 80s.

 

Perhaps it was because she succeeded relatively early, received good care, and exercised diligently.

 

After all, she was bound to be different from Heo Sunnam, who had farmed in the countryside in her youth and supported the family instead of her husband who wandered around painting without earning money.

 

Heo Sunnam has also been working hard on treatment as she aged, and while mental stress is hard to compare.

 

The impact of physical labor on aging is overwhelmingly significant.

 

“Next time, if it’s okay, let’s go for a beach run together!”

 

“Oh, that’s too much for me! Because of my spinal stenosis, I can barely manage 30 minutes of walking exercise a day, and only because the clinic director makes me do it!”

 

With spinal stenosis, you need to walk to get better, but having stenosis makes walking difficult.

 

When Heo Sunnam first came to the Oriental Medicine Clinic, her back was quite hunched and she had to rest after walking for just 10 minutes.

 

“She has improved a lot, but a marathon would be too much.”

 

I also supported Grandmother Heo Sunnam.

 

“Come on, you think I’d suggest running a marathon together? Even my grandson won’t go with me!”

 

“…”

 

The grandson quietly averted his eyes.

 

“I’m not hoping for a marathon! I’ll match your pace, so let’s try walking.”

 

“Hmm… I’ll think about it.”

 

Grandmother Heo Sunnam couldn’t readily answer.

 

“Ahem, our grandmother seems to lack energy these days too.”

 

And Park Seon-yun brought the conversation that had drifted to the side back to the medical examination.

 

“Ah, yes. That’s right. I got too excited. Lately, the strength in my arms and legs keeps draining away, and I was worried I might fall, so I came quickly.”

 

“You did well to come. Once you get injured, it takes a long time to heal. You had a hard time last time too.”

 

“Phew, last time I recovered quickly thanks to you, Clinic Director, but at my age, if I collapse, I’ll be going to meet my husband.”

 

Choi Gwi-jae smiled brightly while making a joke typical of elderly people.

 

“Are you eating well? How’s your appetite these days?”

 

“It was just so-so originally, but it got a bit better after taking the medicine you gave me during that treatment last time. But as my energy drains, I can’t get food down again.”

 

“How about digestion?”

 

“Not bad.”

 

“If it were out of 100 points, how many would you give it?”

 

“About 70? There’s no indigestion or anything, it does go down. It just feels like it takes a long time.”

 

For someone in their 80s, this level couldn’t be considered very bad.

 

It was within the category of spleen qi deficiency, where the digestive system also lacked strength and didn’t move well.

 

“Ah, right. I’m sweating a lot.”

 

“Do you sweat even when you’re still?”

 

“I sweat a little even when still, and more when I exercise. I think it might be because summer is so hot these days though.”

 

Even though the examination room wasn’t that hot, Choi Gwi-jae was fanning himself with his hand.

 

I checked various other symptoms including bowel movements, but they were ordinary.

 

“The fatigue is severe too, right?”

 

“Yes.”

 

In the end, fatigue and loss of appetite were the core issues.

 

“It’s qi and blood dual deficiency syndrome. The symptoms you had last time were also centered on qi deficiency, and it’s the same this time. Shall I check your pulse one last time?”

 

I had already completed the pattern identification, but I took his pulse for confirmation.

 

“…?”

 

“Is it very bad?”

 

Since I was taking his pulse for quite a while, Park Seon-yun asked worriedly.

 

“It seems weaker than before. You really only exercised for an hour at a time, right? Have you caught the flu recently or been seriously ill?”

 

“Well, ahem.”

 

Park Seon-yun was about to say something but glanced at Choi Gwi-jae.

 

“Oh my, I can’t fool you, Clinic Director. Actually, I tried to do a cross-country march and got severely sick from it.”

 

“Wow….”

 

Grandmother Heo Sunnam’s mouth fell wide open.

 

“Oh dear, I told you not to overdo it!”

 

“Since then, I’ve been really thoroughly exercising for only one hour at a time. Ahem, would it be okay to continue with the same medicine I took last time?”

 

He emphasized one hour a day as soon as he came in.

 

Was he hiding it because he was afraid I’d scold him?

 

But I didn’t tell him not to exercise at all, did I?

 

“Once you get sick, your ability to recover isn’t the same as when you were young. Looking at your pulse, Bojungikgi-tang seems a bit weak for this.”

 

“Then what should we do?”

 

“The standard first prescription for qi deficiency is Bojungikgi-tang, and if that’s insufficient, we use Sipjeon-daebo-tang. I’ll modify that slightly and go with Insam-yeongyang-tang – have you perhaps heard of it?”

 

Even if he didn’t know Insam-yeongyang-tang, someone Choi Gwi-jae’s age would likely have heard of Sipjeon-daebo-tang.

 

“Ah, during the Japanese colonial period, if you went to a pharmacy, Sipjeon-daebo-tang was written vertically in Chinese characters.”

 

“It’s a commonly used tonic medicine. As you age, you inevitably become weak.”

 

I briefly explained Sipjeon-daebo-tang (Ten Complete Tonic Decoction).

 

A decoction that greatly tonifies everything.

 

This combines Sagunjja-tang (Four Gentlemen Decoction), the representative famous medicine for tonifying qi – ginseng, white atractylodes, poria, and licorice – with

 

Samul-tang (Four Substances Decoction) for tonifying blood – angelica, cnidium, peony, and prepared rehmannia – and adds

 

Cinnamon bark to warm the body and astragalus to aid circulation while further boosting energy.

 

Since it’s a very well-known prescription with few problematic medicinal ingredients, when places other than oriental medicine clinics sell tonics like deer antler or goat meat, they often refer to this prescription.

 

Of course, excluding the expensive ginseng.

 

“Qi is literally energy, and blood can be thought of as nutrition. In your case, Chairman, you probably eat nutritious food, but as appetite and digestive power decline, even what you eat isn’t absorbed well.”

 

“That’s right. Even when I eat, I don’t feel like I’m gaining strength.”

 

“That’s why you need to take tonic medicine regularly like me!”

 

Grandmother Heo Sunnam said triumphantly.

 

“Yes. You’re both managing well.”

 

I added a bit more explanation.

 

If qi is only tonified without being moved, there’s a risk of stagnation and dryness, so I added citrus peel to move qi.

 

I also added polygala and schisandra to stabilize the spirit.

 

Although he says he’s retired and stepped away from work, he still exercises considerable influence, so his mental activity must be significant.

 

“That’s right. There are quite a lot of troublesome things to deal with. I’ll take it diligently.”

 

After hearing the explanation, Choi Gwi-jae was very satisfied.

 

“Please take good care of me this time too.”

 

Park Seon-yun also bowed politely.

 

“You always take such good care of us, and the clinic seems to change every time we come. The chipmunk painting is incredibly cute too.”

 

She pointed to the painting hanging in the examination room and gave a compliment.

 

“I was surprised too. The chipmunk is wonderful, but the chrysanthemum and dragon paintings outside were amazing, weren’t they? I was curious enough to wonder who the artist is.”

 

“Ahem, I was the one who recommended it.”

 

When even Choi Gwi-jae started talking about paintings, Grandmother Heo Sunnam’s shoulders rose with pride.

 

“The chipmunk was drawn by my son, but the dragon was painted by an artist who will become this country’s greatest Oriental painting master.”

 

“Really? May I know who it is?”

 

“The chrysanthemum was a gift from Artist Cheonwon-il, and the dragon is a work by Artist Seong Myeongin, his student.”

 

Grandmother Heo Sunnam handed over her business card, telling him to visit the gallery sometime.

 

“Are you interested in paintings?”

 

“I’m not well-versed in art, but I do know Artist Cheonwon-il.”

 

“Artist Seong will soon become a master too.”

 

“I’d really like to see his work.”

 

The two people who had become friends in just a short while stood up from their seats.

 

As soon as they left the examination room, Choi Gwi-jae also handed over his business card.

 

Saying he would definitely keep in touch.

 

“~~~~~~~~!”

 

“Shh, shh!”

 

And leaving behind Grandmother Heo Sunnam’s shock, I headed to the treatment room.

 

Ah… now she realizes.

 

* * *

 

It seemed like Choi Gwi-jae and Heo Sunnam would become quite close.

 

Though there’s a bit of an age difference, in their 70s and 80s, such things tend to blur.

 

But the two became closer than I expected, and Choi Gwi-jae’s visit frequency increased as well.

 

Unlike Heo Sunnam who lives nearby and manages her spinal stenosis almost daily, Choi Gwi-jae’s home was quite far away.

 

Since he needed someone to accompany him and drive when he came, he only visited when he had business, but now he started coming three times a week religiously, even bringing a driver.

 

Every time Choi Gwi-jae came, I gave him a little energy, as much as he could accept.

 

“I feel more energetic now. I even feel like I’m getting younger.”

 

Choi Gwi-jae could feel the difference.

 

You might not notice a battery going from 80 to 85, but going from 5 to 10 makes a huge difference.

 

Of course, Choi Gwi-jae’s condition wasn’t bad enough to compare to being on the verge of dying.

 

“The swelling in my legs has gone down, and my complexion looks different too, doesn’t it?”

 

Thanks to this, I also grew closer to Choi Gwi-jae through various conversations.

 

“Oh, it’s not that much. More importantly, I went to the gallery last week. I thought the dragon was good, but the haetae was really magnificent. I bought it right away.”

 

“Did you buy a work by Artist Seong Myeongin?”

 

“Yes. Sunnam recommended it so enthusiastically. Of course, I liked it too. I even placed a custom order to fit my living room size, and fortunately he accepted.”

 

He even bragged about the painting.

 

When did they become close enough to call each other by name?

 

“Oh right. Clinic Director, would you like to come to my birthday party?”

 

“When is your birthday?”

 

A patient’s birthday party…

 

This seems a bit excessive.

 

I asked about the schedule for now.

 

If it’s on a day when I have appointments, it wouldn’t work either way.

 

“It’s Tuesday of the week after next, but I’m having it early on Sunday. It’s just a small gathering at home, so please come without any burden.”

 

Home would be that mansion I visited before.

 

Hmm, we’ve gone mountain climbing together and I’ve done house calls, so a birthday party is about the same level.

 

“Heo Sunnam is going too, right?”

 

“Of course I invited her. I invited the artists too.”

 

Ah, so he’s gathering the acquaintances he’s become close with recently.

 

If Grandmother Heo Sunnam is coming and Artist Seong Myeongin too, there will be quite a few familiar faces.

 

“Fortunately, I don’t have any schedule on Sunday. I’ll visit and congratulate you!”

 

I readily accepted the proposal.

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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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