The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim - Chapter 175

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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 175

 

From Sacheon.

 

Even though I knew he meant Sacheon City in Gyeongsangnam-do, I suddenly felt a sense of familiarity.

 

“My son has been mature since he was young and always took care of everything by himself. He was good at studying too. So I thought he would naturally do well with college and finding a place to live, but I never imagined he would do something so ridiculous!”

 

It wasn’t that far from Busan, but it wasn’t close enough to commute daily either.

 

Naturally, he would have ended up living on his own.

 

And since there was no particular reason to check on him, she didn’t know… until this time when she saw the basement room and her son’s pale appearance.

 

“What’s so ridiculous about it? They say young people should even buy hardship when they’re young.”

 

The patient, Jang Minjun, spoke bluntly.

 

It’s quite rare for a young person to say something like that? This is unusual.

 

…Is he a friend like Seo Inae?

 

“Didn’t Mom give you money? What couldn’t I provide for you?”

 

“It’s not that you couldn’t provide anything.”

 

“We’re not wealthy, but we get by well enough. I’ve been sending you exactly 700,000 won every month for rent and the rest as spending money, and good heavens. I’m really going to lose my mind.”

 

The mother looked at me as if asking for my agreement.

 

“Oh my, you must have been shocked.”

 

What? She actually gave him quite a lot more than I expected?

 

As she said, it’s not extremely generous, and if he lived in an officetel, it could all go to housing costs.

 

But if he lived in a decent apartment and ate at the school cafeteria, it would be sufficient.

 

“It’s money you gave me to spend anyway, so I should be able to spend it however I want.”

 

“You should use your spending money within limits that don’t make you sick!”

 

“That’s right. How could you worry your mother like this?”

 

When I took her side, the patient’s mother became more confident and scolded her son.

 

Originally, when guardians brought pediatric patients, they often wanted the doctor to scold them.

 

Things like ‘You need to eat your meals properly’ or ‘You can’t sleep without clothes on when you have a cold.’

 

These are very common sense things to adults, but since children don’t listen, they want to borrow the doctor’s authority.

 

It’s rare to see this with patients in their twenties though.

 

“What on earth did you spend it on! Don’t tell me you gambled like your uncle…”

 

“Absolutely not!”

 

“You really can’t do that. Even if you drive a nail into Mom’s heart, that’s the one thing you can’t…!”

 

“I said no!”

 

I listened to their bickering for a moment and roughly assessed the social history.

 

The guardian’s side worked in agriculture and had suffered a lot mentally and financially because of her brother.

 

But thanks to her smart and mature son, she couldn’t stop bragging for a while.

 

But this time, her son had caused this kind of incident.

 

Just when I thought I should stop them, the two ceased their argument.

 

The mother once again asked me to take good care of the herbal medicine, and her son kept quiet.

 

“Now, now, just looking at Minjun’s complexion, it’s clear he’s suffering from heat exhaustion as Mother said.”

 

“I knew it, right?”

 

“His face is flushed, and he looks drained. His breathing is also somewhat rapid. Has your appetite decreased as well?”

 

“I eat two meals. I skip breakfast because I live alone…”

 

“I saw earlier that he eats very little! When he came home on leave before, he used to eat two bowls, but now he just picks at his food!”

 

“Come on, how can you compare it to when I was in the military?”

 

His appetite has decreased slightly, though not as much as his mother worries.

 

Loss of appetite was one of the main signs of energy depletion.

 

“You went to the military first? Before entering university?”

 

“…I couldn’t meet the minimum score during my senior year, so I did military service first.”

 

“That’s admirable.”

 

“Our child was always in the top 10 at school…”

 

“Ah, that’s just being a big fish in a small pond!”

 

She briefly talked about something else and almost let a brag slip out, but the patient cut her off.

 

Jang Minjun’s face was a little redder than usual.

 

Hmm, I understand since I also graduated from a school in the countryside.

 

“Your digestion is fine, right?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“You can feel that you’re sweating a lot, right Minjun?”

 

“That’s true.”

 

“Do you sleep well?”

 

“…Yeah.”

 

“Be honest! We came all this way!”

 

“I did wake up a few times because of the heat. It’s not really a sleep problem.”

 

“If you woke up because it was hot, you should have turned on the air conditioner and gone back to sleep! Geez!”

 

The mother clenched her fist and shook it in the air.

 

She couldn’t very well hit her son’s back in the examination room.

 

“But won’t it get better after some time?”

 

Taking advantage of the gap, Jang Minjun asked me.

 

“If you had rested in a cool place right when you first felt hot, it would have gotten better. Now your energy is greatly depleted, and you’re chronically heading toward something like exhaustion. You need treatment.”

 

“Expensive treatment is a bit…”

 

“Don’t worry about money, please prepare the best herbal medicine. I saw a poster for premium deer antler outside, please use that.”

 

At the mention of premium deer antler, Jang Minjun was startled and grabbed his mother’s arm.

 

“Ah, Mom! Really, it’s not that serious! When I was in the military, it was much hotter sometimes…”

 

“Is that the same as this?”

 

“Now, now, let me check your pulse first.”

 

“Do whatever the doctor says!”

 

Of course it was a temporary condition, but the pulse of a man in his twenties had become as thin as someone in their fifties or sixties.

 

But fortunately, no specific area was severely damaged.

 

This time I took the son’s side.

 

“It’s not severe enough to need deer antler. A simple summer tonic would be sufficient for recovery. Um, something like Saengmaeksan.”

 

“Saengmaeksan?”

 

The mother seemed to have heard of it, but Jang Minjun looked unfamiliar with it.

 

“It’s originally a simple medicine with just three herbs: ginseng, schisandra, and ophiopogon. The concept is to replenish vital energy, reduce heat, and generate lost body fluids. Since we need to supplement his energy a bit more, I plan to add astragalus and licorice, and one week’s worth should be sufficient.”

 

“Would that work?”

 

“Yes. Try taking it first, and if it’s not enough, I’ll prescribe additional treatment. While taking the medicine, drink plenty of water and maintain appropriate temperature and humidity, and you should be fine. After all, you have the recovery power that youth provides.”

 

My words greatly reassured the mother.

 

“By any chance, the cost…”

 

Since it was only a week’s worth, the cost wasn’t too high either.

 

Jang Minjun also felt relieved.

 

“Saving money is good, but right now your body is your greatest asset. Regardless of profession, everyone needs to be healthy to achieve maximum efficiency. If you ruin your body trusting in your youth, you’ll suffer for life.”

 

“…Yes.”

 

“Eat good food in variety, exercise, and avoid exposure to extreme cold, heat, humidity, or dryness as much as possible. Right now you can recover with one week of treatment, but if your protective qi… your immunity breaks down and you lose homeostasis, even months of medication won’t bring you back to 100%.”

 

“That’s right, listen to the doctor! Surgery costs would be much higher!”

 

The mother scolded sharply.

 

Jang Minjun no longer grumbled and quietly bowed his head.

 

“Mother, do you have any other questions?”

 

“No. If he’s okay, we’ll just leave it, and if he’s still struggling after a week, we can come back, right?”

 

“That’s correct.”

 

Despite everything, they were a mother and son with a good relationship.

 

“Please go to the waiting room first. I’ll have a brief private consultation with the patient.”

 

I had about 3 minutes of short conversation in case there was anything difficult to say in front of his mother.

 

There was nothing useful for the prescription, but Jang Minjun left the treatment room politely, unlike when he first entered.

 

“Thank you, Clinic Director. I’ll take good care of myself.”

 

I finished writing the prescription as it was.

 

The original Saengmaeksan formula, with astragalus and licorice added exactly as per the Donguibogam modification method.

 

Actually, patients like Jeon Yu-ri from earlier are more difficult to prescribe for.

 

She’s a patient who’s made it a habit to come once and not return, but to cure her, I need to make her want to keep coming.

 

I need to somehow show effects quickly with acupuncture, and I need to quickly demonstrate the difference when she takes medicine.

 

But in Jang Minjun’s case, the prescription is easy.

 

His lifestyle correction seems likely to go well too, so I don’t need to worry.

 

* * *

 

Jang Minjun’s symptoms improved quickly.

 

He had been having cold sweats frequently and his clothes felt stuffy, but after just three days of taking medicine, he felt comfortable.

 

Moreover, somehow, breathing became easier too.

 

‘Was my body actually worse than I thought?’

 

The Korean Medicine Doctor had said his breathing was shallow and rapid, and the medication guide he was given also mentioned that ophiopogon was good for the respiratory system.

 

Jang Minjun had thought about it when he saw that.

 

He had no cough or runny nose at all, so why the respiratory system?

 

But after actually taking the medicine, taking deep breaths in and out became much easier.

 

‘Did he figure it out just by checking my pulse?’

 

And after a few more days, he could feel his energy returning.

 

While working part-time, he would feel hungry, and after eating, he definitely felt full and energized.

 

During the consultation, he had said his sleep was fine, but the feeling when he woke up was different too.

 

‘The body really is one’s greatest asset.’

 

Continuing to worry his mother was also inexcusable.

 

Since he’d been caught, Jang Minjun put his room up for rent with a real estate agent.

 

He’d have to spend 200,000 won more per month, and there would be additional brokerage fees to bear…

 

‘No, don’t be stingy about it. I’ll just work part-time jobs to cover the increased rent and electricity bills.’

 

With the priority being academic scholarships, he had consistently worked just one part-time job until now.

 

But rather than even skimping on air conditioning, it would be better to take short-term part-time jobs occasionally when it wasn’t exam period.

 

‘I’ll reach my goal soon anyway.’

 

Jang Minjun hadn’t planned to keep pushing himself indefinitely either.

 

Even if his mother hadn’t caught him, he had planned to move to a regular apartment around next year.

 

He smiled as he checked his bank account balance.

 

The faces of his parents who would be delighted came to mind.

 

Whenever he thought of his parents, his chest would tighten.

 

Should he call it touching? They weren’t even deceased, but somehow he felt sad.

 

He couldn’t bring himself to spend the money his mother sent him.

 

Knowing how hard she worked to earn it made it even more so.

 

When they didn’t even have enough for themselves to spend comfortably.

 

His parents thought he was the most amazing person in the world just because he studied a little well in the countryside.

 

He wanted to live up to their expectations, but when he didn’t succeed in college entrance on the first try, his mental state had collapsed.

 

But Jang Minjun soon pulled himself together and applied for military enlistment.

 

Even after becoming an adult, he didn’t want to just stay home studying, and he never even considered asking to be sent to a prep academy for retaking exams.

 

So he served in the military, and despite the hardships, he studied during his free time whenever he could.

 

And finally made it to the national university he wanted.

 

And the money he saved as much as possible in the military and the money his parents sent him.

 

What he planned to do with the money left over after earning from part-time jobs and using it for living expenses.

 

“If there’s anything difficult to say in front of your mother, please tell me anything. Is there perhaps a reason you need to save money significantly…?”

 

During the consultation, I briefly held him back and asked.

 

If there were any symptoms or lifestyle habits that were hard to talk about, I’d keep it secret so please tell me.

 

Jang Minjun scratched his head sheepishly and opened up.

 

“Actually, my parents couldn’t have a proper wedding ceremony and couldn’t go on a honeymoon.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“This year is their 30th wedding anniversary, so I really want to give them a reminder wedding and a cruise trip. I’ve been planning this for several years.”

 

The Korean Medicine Doctor let out a deflated laugh.

 

“You’re doing this for your mother, but what if you get your priorities backwards!”

 

It was absolutely the right thing to say.

 

“Yes, I need to get better as quickly as possible.”

 

* * *

 

A trip, how wonderful.

 

Moreover, a honeymoon after 30 years given by a proud son – how touching would that be? It would have been even better if he had prepared it without harming his health though.

 

‘Hearing about travel makes me want to go again too.’

 

Thinking about that Europe trip I went on last time, really, really…

 

Hmm, honestly it wasn’t entirely pleasant.

 

But that was a special case.

 

Usually something doesn’t happen every time I go!

 

[Hanyewon, that thing about the doctor coming from Italy last time, he hasn’t come yet, right?]

 

Coincidentally, Hwangseoyeong, who contacted me after a long time, brought up that incident.

 

[Right? He’s entering graduate school next year so he’ll probably come in winter?]

 

[Ah~ Thanks!]

 

[But why do you ask?]

 

[I thought it would be good if Roberto had a friend from the same hometown too hehehe]

 

Roberto? Who’s that?

 

I stared at the screen and frowned.

 

Chairman Rich’s son? That kid’s name was Paolo.

 

Roberto…

 

It wasn’t that long ago, but since I had buried it deep in my memory, it took me a while just to remember.

 

[That Mafia boss’s son??????]

 

Wait, friend from the same hometown? In Seoul, you don’t call Seoul people friends from the same hometown.

 

[Is that person in South Korea?]

—————
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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