The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim - Chapter 200

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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 200

The first semester subjects at the College of Korean Medicine are only offered in the first semester, and second semester subjects are only offered in the second semester.

Since it’s structured so that all classmates take classes together, if someone fails a second semester subject, they have to take a break for the first semester and return the following year’s second semester.

So even though Cho Haneul failed in his last semester, it was already a given that he would lose a year.

But still… couldn’t he have returned to school the year before last and graduated early last year?

“Ah, you didn’t know. He received a prison sentence.”

“What?”

Professor Lee Minseok answered nonchalantly.

“I thought Professor Cho would secretly help him even if his wife didn’t know, but he really didn’t give him a single penny.”

“You’re saying he went to prison? Because the Porsche issue wasn’t resolved back then?”

Now everyone except me, Professor Lee Minseok, and Sandro had left, but I still lowered my voice when asking.

We moved to Professor Lee Minseok’s office to continue our conversation.

“It turned out that was his second time being caught for drunk driving. His blood alcohol level was above a certain limit, and there was an accident too. All the conditions that courts view unfavorably were included. The Porsche repair costs probably still aren’t 100% resolved. Drunk driving accidents aren’t covered by insurance.”

“Then.”

“Since his family wouldn’t give him money, he couldn’t even hire a lawyer and just submitted a single letter of reflection by himself.”

“What about his student minus account?”

Medical students can open minus accounts starting from their third year of main curriculum even without income.

I only became bold enough to take out large loans after experiencing the martial arts world, but when I was actually a student, I was too scared to even take out living expense loans from scholarship foundations.

I remember quite a few classmates who opened accounts as soon as possible and spent freely.

…Though given Cho Haneul’s personality, he probably wasn’t afraid of debt like I used to be.

Professor Lee Minseok let out a deep sigh.

“He had already spent it all.”

“What? His parents gave him plenty of allowance…”

“Subjectively, it wasn’t enough for him. Even before the accident, he had secretly opened a minus account and spent up to the limit, saying he’d graduate soon. After the accident, he even asked me to lend him money. I refused, though.”

“Wow…”

Could that be why he cut ties with Hwang Sanghun too?

He seemed completely unaware of the trial results or the series of events.

“But still, just a single letter of reflection.”

“For his first offense, there was no accident so it was somehow settled with a fine. But this time, with all this happening, the prosecutor demanded 2 years and 6 months. They tried to deal with it hastily later, but ultimately he received a 1.5-year prison sentence.”

He really didn’t seem to show any signs of remorse.

I had vaguely thought drunk driving punishments were lenient, so I didn’t know he’d actually go to prison.

“While going on about appeals and such, he returned to school the year before last, then was suddenly taken away one day. After serving his sentence, he barely managed to return this semester.”

Wow, what a mess.

In hindsight, it would have been better to go and come back quickly.

It seems he kept holding out thinking something would work out, but it ended up like this.

“But what do you mean he still hasn’t come to his senses?”

“First of all, his grades have dropped significantly.”

That was a completely natural result.

That guy was smart but never studied properly to begin with.

Professor Lee Minseok might not know, but he’s probably studying much more than he did three years ago.

No matter how much that rumor has spread, there’s no one like Hwang Sanghun to help him in his current year.

“But weren’t his grades through the first semester of fourth year quite excellent? He should be able to get in as an intern. So if he were to come, I was thinking of looking after him for old times’ sake, but whenever he sees me, his resentment burns bright. He says forget everything else, he’ll open his own practice right after graduation. He still hasn’t learned his lesson.”

But the drop in grades wasn’t everything.

Could he be harboring resentment because Professor Lee Minseok wouldn’t lend him money?

Moreover, he originally planned to become a specialist and take the professor route, but suddenly opening a practice?

‘Did it look easy because I was doing it?’

He used to rant that he would never be like his mother.

But seeing me succeed might have made it look ridiculous to him.

“Hmm, well. I hope it goes well for him.”

The result was as clear as day.

Looking at Kim Chunsik from before, even with skill and sincerity, he struggled with just one scolding.

I also had a hard time at first because I chose the wrong location.

Lee Minseok chuckled, and Sandro, who had been listening quietly, nodded.

“Ah, sorry. We talked too much about things only we would know. I was just surprised to hear that my classmate went to prison for a drunk driving accident.”

“Haha, yes. That’s what it sounded like. He shouldn’t commit another offense – that would be serious.”

“Fortunately, his driver’s license was… revoked, right?”

“It was cancelled.”

We had tea and chatted in the research lab.

About whether the flight was comfortable, how the lecture went, and so on.

“The school is very beautiful.”

The three of us toured various parts of the school, and although it was already decided, we also stopped by the department office for documents that needed to be submitted.

“Thank you so much for making time like this.”

“Not at all.”

Professor Lee Minseok treated the graduate student very gently.

When he heard that he had come by taxi, he even offered to drive him to the hotel.

“I might change completely once you actually enroll. Enjoy it while you can.”

After formal enrollment, he planned to stay in the dormitory.

But until then, he was scheduled to stay at the hotel that Chairman Rich had reserved for him.

Our Director Kim Chunsik and Professor Lee Minseok have agreed to teach you various things.

“You’re not too tired, are you?”

“I slept well on the airplane, so I’m fine.”

After Professor Lee Minseok left, I took Sandro to the hotel buffet.

It was to treat him to dinner… and to introduce him to a friend from the same hometown.

“This is my friend Seoyoung I mentioned before, and her boyfriend came from Rome. Roberto.”

I had told him we could meet another time if it was difficult, but he was also happy to meet a friend from his hometown.

Of course, they were complete strangers, but wouldn’t even that be welcome in a foreign land far from home?

Watching the three of them converse, I quietly got up from my seat.

That mafia member from before, no, the lawyer uncle wasn’t there. Was it Mario Moretti?

He had said he would deploy soldiers instead of returning to Italy himself, and indeed I could feel the gazes of a man and woman who looked somewhat less competent than him.

When I pretended to go get food and glanced in their direction, the two people blinked their eyes happily in greeting.

It seemed they had received instructions from Mario.

“There haven’t been any dangerous people around, have there?”

When I approached them directly and asked, they replied that there had been none at all.

Fortunately, the hostile organization seemed to have no interest in Roberto whatsoever.

“You don’t need to worry. The situation back home has been somewhat resolved, and they won’t have the luxury to worry about things here.”

Right, everyone should live peacefully!

Since I couldn’t be away from the table too long, I gave the two people a light nod and returned to the table.

While I was gone, the three of them had switched to more comfortable English and were chatting excitedly.

The two seemed to get along quite well.

“Well, get some good rest today, and come down to Busan once before the semester starts.”

“Yes, thank you so much!”

And so the delicious dinner ended.

Having finished my day trip business schedule, I boarded the airplane back to Busan.

* * *

The next day.

As I was going to work at the clinic, I noticed a suspicious man in the alley between my building and the adjacent building.

‘…There’s no way there would be mafia here.’

No, thinking about it, there wasn’t really anything particularly suspicious.

Maybe I had developed some kind of neurosis from being on edge the day before.

From a distance, I couldn’t tell because of the padding, but what he was wearing underneath was a Jungun High School uniform.

Since the high school was right in front, he was a junior of Kim Ijin and Jeong Inseong.

Though it was the same uniform, unlike those two from before, he was wearing it somewhat like a delinquent.

Several buttons were undone, no tie, and the pants were altered.

‘A delinquent student?’

Was he hiding and smoking cigarettes?

I’m not normally the type who can’t stand this kind of thing and has to lecture everyone individually, but since it was next to my building, it bothered me.

“Student?”

So I approached from behind to say something and called out to him.

“Huh, aaah!”

The male student was extremely startled.

Since he almost fell over, I grabbed his arm and supported him.

“Sorry. Were you very surprised?”

Looking closely, he didn’t seem to be smoking cigarettes.

He was just fidgeting with his hands while wandering around the alley.

“What are you doing here? Aren’t you going to school?”

“…I was trying to go to the Traditional Korean Medicine Clinic before school.”

Ah, was he our patient?

“Treatment will start soon, so come up. From next time, it’s fine to come in early and wait.”

Was he doing that because it wasn’t opening time yet…?

“…Yes.”

The male student got on the elevator following behind me, acting hesitant.

It was a strange attitude where hesitancy and ingrained swagger existed simultaneously.

‘He’s kind of cute, isn’t he?’

It reminded me of the junior disciples from the Sichuan Dang Family, which was a bit amusing.

When children who should be training in martial arts would hang around the Medical Institute wanting to watch someone, Master would chase them away.

“Director, hello~! Oh, is this your first time here?”

Seol Yuhui, who had been working full-time since the college entrance exam ended, greeted me.

The reception was quickly completed, and the male student entered the examination room as today’s first patient.

“Ah…! So you were the director.”

“Yes, that’s right. Hyeonsu, what’s bothering you?”

Name, Han Hyeonsu. First year high school student.

Unlike when I was in school, these days they don’t seem to mind absences as long as you submit a medical certificate, so patients like this came by quite often.

“My back hurts a little.”

“Could you point to the location for me?”

“Yes, around here.”

Han Hyeonsu reached his right arm behind him and awkwardly pointed to the inner side of his left shoulder blade.

It was an area that was hard to reach.

“Take off your padding jacket for a moment and stay like that. I’ll find the location.”

I moved behind Han Hyeonsu and palpated his back muscles one by one.

When I first touched the erector spinae and rhomboid muscles near where Han Hyeonsu had pointed, areas where muscle cramps commonly occur.

“Agh, that hurts.”

He squeezed his eyes shut.

“Oh, there too.”

The latissimus dorsi and trapezius muscles weren’t in very good condition either.

The pattern seemed a bit strange for an ordinary muscle cramp.

“When did this start? Did you get injured?”

When I asked, Han Hyeonsu hesitated a little.

“It just happened somehow.”

…This seems fishy.

“Let me check your thoracic spine as well.”

“Ah, ow ow ow!”

Sure enough, even when I directly palpated the thoracic spine, Han Hyeonsu complained of pain.

“It looks like thoracic sprain. Can I lift your shirt for a moment?”

“…Yes.”

“I don’t see any visible bruising. Let’s also check your ribs. Did you happen to hit something with your chest?”

I asked directly.

“Ah.”

Han Hyeonsu averted his eyes for a moment.

Then soon gave up and lifted his shirt.

“…”

It was as I expected.

On his chest, slightly to the left of the sternum, a dark bruise was visible.

Of course, back muscles can hurt for no particular reason.

But it was strange that he complained of tenderness even in the thoracic spine.

While the lumbar spine can get strained just from lifting heavy objects, the thoracic spine has a much more stable structure than the cervical and lumbar spine.

Unlike the neck or lower back, the chest area has limited movement.

Therefore, thoracic sprain patients were usually cases where they received strong impact from traffic accidents or directly hitting something.

Of course, if it had been a traffic accident, he would have said so right away.

The bruise pattern was clearly from blunt trauma too.

“What did you get hit by?”

“…”

Han Hyeonsu seemed to have some circumstances he couldn’t share.

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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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