The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim - Chapter 202

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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 202

Yun Jeongmin’s year was a nightmare.

No, it was a reality more terrible than any nightmare.

No matter what dreams he had every morning when he woke up, nothing was more agonizing than the fact that he had to go to school.

The beginning was light.

It would be fair to say it was nothing at all.

“Hey, change your clothes when you go around.”

“Yun Jeongmin! Do you only have one shirt?”

“Uh, does it smell…?”

Was wearing the same school shirt for three consecutive days really such a big mistake?

When someone pointed out that the pen stain on his shirt was still there, the classroom erupted in laughter.

“Hahahaha!”

“Hey, who said it smells?”

“Uh, yeah. That was surprising.”

From the very next day, Yun Jeongmin washed and changed his clothes every day.

He didn’t want to give them any excuse to pick on him.

“Jeongmin, you’re wearing new clothes today?”

“Ooh”

But the gazes of his friends who pointed at Yun Jeongmin and snickered didn’t change.

“Uh…”

“What do your parents do?”

“They’re just office workers…”

“Really? That’s nice. You must live well?”

“Since you bought new clothes, buy us some bread too~”

It actually got worse.

If he wore the same clothes, they mocked him for wearing the same clothes.

If he wore new clothes, they giggled again.

Soon he realized it. There was no reason for the bullying. Whatever Yun Jeongmin did, his classmates treated him like a toy.

“Hey, Jeongmin is studying! Everyone be quiet!”

If he studied, they teased him for studying.

“Jeongmin, what are you trying to become when you grow up? You’re just doodling at school~”

When he quietly scribbled alone in the corner of the classroom, they hit his head as they passed by.

Tears welled up, but if he cried, would he become a laughingstock again?

“Let’s go play games together.”

“Just for today, you pay for the PC Bang. Okay?”

“Wait, Seonjun, I have plans today…”

“Hey! Anyone want to hang out with Jeongmin! Jeongmin’s treating!”

The intensity gradually worsened, sometimes the bullying continued even after school.

“Hey, can’t you hear what I’m saying? Are you deaf?”

Thud, thud.

“Why are you so stupid!”

What started as pranks that only hurt his pride escalated to physical violence.

‘…’

Taking turns among themselves, writing harsh words on Yun Jeongmin’s desk became a trend.

“Ah, my mistake~”

They even spilled trash can contents or mop water.

“Ha, haha… It’s okay.”

A group chat excluding only Yun Jeongmin was created.

Then at some point, he was invited.

And photos he didn’t even know were taken were uploaded constantly, followed by mockery.

“Ugh, ah, uuugh…!”

Impulsively, Yun Jeongmin left the chat room.

Everything was scary and difficult.

So he blocked everyone and skipped school for a day.

“Hey, do you think we’re a joke because we play with you?”

Violence of a completely different intensity from before came back.

He was dragged to the restroom and beaten by four people.

“Sorry, I was wrong. Sorry.”

Yun Jeongmin curled up his body and just endured it.

He apologized endlessly to Kim Seonjun and just waited for this moment to end.

After that, he never resisted even once.

He did everything they told him to do and went to school with a foolish smile.

When they hit him, he took it, and when they asked for money, he gave it.

He realized that when it became boring for them, they would stop a little sooner.

‘I just need to endure for 3 years. Just 3 years, just 3 years…’

The only way to wake up from the nightmare was that.

Just close your eyes tight, endure for just 3 years and you’ll graduate high school. It will all pass.

Believing that, he spent each hellish day.

“Yun Jeongmin? It’s been a while?”

“Ah, Hyeonsu!”

“Jeongmin’s friends? Huh? Why are you standing alone?”

“Uh, yeah. Just… I was fooling around with my friends.”

One day, Yun Jeongmin met a friend he had been close with in middle school after a long time.

It was a bit embarrassing.

His role was to run various errands from behind while Kim Seonjun and his friends played games at the PC Bang.

“I’ll contact you. Let’s meet separately next time.”

Han Hyeonsu frowned. Had he noticed something was off?

“What bastard was it?”

A few days later, the two met again, and Han Hyeonsu was genuinely angry when he saw Yun Jeongmin’s arm.

“Uh…”

“Don’t tell me it was those guys I saw at the PC Bang?”

“Haha.”

“I thought something seemed strange.”

He tried to laugh it off like a fool as he had done until now.

But it didn’t work on Han Hyeonsu.

He persistently questioned what kind of situation Yun Jeongmin was going through.

‘Why is Hyeonsu acting like this.’

Until now, there had been no friend who showed this much interest in Yun Jeongmin.

Those who had briefly become close at the beginning of the semester distanced themselves as soon as Yun Jeongmin became Kim Seonjun’s target.

They all insisted with their whole bodies that they weren’t close to Yun Jeongmin at all.

“Hey, so when your friend is in this state, aren’t you angry?”

Friend.

Right, he had a friend. This was what a friend was.

From a very young age, Han Hyeonsu and Yun Jeongmin had been friends.

The guy who was always at the playground when you went out, and was incredibly good at swinging.

He pestered his parents to let him enter the kindergarten Hyeonsu attended, and naturally entered elementary school.

He was happy when they were in the same class, and even in years when they were separated, they often met after school to hang out.

In middle school, they were in the same class for all three years.

When Yun Jeongmin was reading alone, Han Hyeonsu would drag him along to play together.

When Han Hyeonsu didn’t do his homework, Yun Jeongmin would urge him to quickly copy it.

Remembering the times when they lived normally, something surged up from his chest.

“Kim Seonjun, right?”

But he really didn’t expect Han Hyeonsu to come looking for him at school.

“Huh? Who are you?”

“Yun Jeongmin’s friend.”

“Yun Jeongmin’s friend? Puhaha! He has friends other than us?”

“Why are you looking for me?”

“So there are four of you.”

What unfolded after that.

He could hardly believe it was reality.

“Return the money you took from Yun Jeongmin, and don’t touch him anymore.”

“Who do you think you are?”

He believed the only way to end this situation was to complete three years and graduate.

One-against-many fights, or high school students who couldn’t stand injustice.

He thought such things only appeared in delinquent webtoons.

Thwack! Thud! Thwaat!

Flashy kicks and punches were exchanged.

…No, to be precise, Han Hyeonsu was fighting alone.

The four who had been bullying Yun Jeongmin until now just flailed their arms and legs around before getting knocked down.

In fact, even though there were four of them, they weren’t used to group fights.

Worried their arms might get tangled with each other, only one or two would attack and get beaten up.

“Damn it!”

Kim Seonjun, who was somewhat the leader, swung his fists wildly, but couldn’t reach Han Hyeonsu.

Just when he thought, ‘Is he really going to knock them all down?’

“Uh, uaaaah!”

One guy came running with a metal pipe in his grip.

Why is something like that lying around at school!

“Kuk!”

It was a rusty piece of metal about two spans long, but Han Hyeonsu clutched his chest and was sent flying.

What to do. What to do.

Because of me.

“Cra, crazy bastard…”

Thud.

But that wasn’t the end.

Han Hyeonsu then grabbed the leg of the guy who had swung the blunt weapon, knocked him down, and snatched away the pipe.

Whoosh!

As Han Hyeonsu swung it.

“Don’t ever touch Jeongmin again.”

“Hey, shit! You crazy bastard. Just get lost!”

The four guys hurriedly ran away with their tails between their legs, not wanting to be left behind.

So pathetically that it was hard to believe these were the same guys Yun Jeongmin had been afraid of until now.

“Hyeonsu, ugh! Are you okay? Shouldn’t you go to the hospital right now?”

Yun Jeongmin, who had been staring blankly at their retreating figures, was startled and tried to check where Han Hyeonsu was hurt.

“It’s fine, there’s not even any blood. I just got bumped, so it’ll be better after I sleep it off.”

But he waved his hand dismissively.

And he even walked Yun Jeongmin home as if nothing had happened.

‘Wow…’

After that, the direct bullying completely disappeared.

They would glare when Yun Jeongmin passed by and mutter things among themselves.

But just stopping the forceful arm-grabbing, endless mockery, and dirtying his desk and clothes made life seem much more bearable.

[Thanks, Hyeonsu]

[But are you really okay?]

More than that, he was extremely worried about Han Hyeonsu.

He contacted him and asked several times, but Han Hyeonsu only said he was fine.

While absolutely refusing to show where he had been hit.

Then one day.

On a weekend, Han Hyeonsu suddenly called him out.

[Want to play basketball? We’re one person short]

When he hesitantly entered Jungwun High School, Han Hyeonsu and his friends were waiting.

They’re really going to play basketball…

“What? Hyeonsu’s friend is good!”

“Come out often! Be on our team!”

His friends also seemed somehow cool, unlike himself.

…No, originally this was what normal weekends were like. What Han Hyeonsu had now restored for him.

“Oh, but your arm.”

But before he could even become close with them, his bruises were discovered.

What should he do, would they laugh at him?

“Are those bastards still doing that?”

Before the other friend could say anything, Han Hyeonsu burst into anger.

“No, no. They haven’t been doing it since you fought them. It’s just not healing well…”

“How is it still not healed? You need to go get treatment right now!”

And when he came to his senses.

He was at the oriental medicine clinic.

* * *

“Yes, yes. There was no retaliation or anything. Now that I think about it, they weren’t the type to do that either… They probably just bullied me because I was pathetic, no, because I was an easy target.”

Yun Jeongmin said with a dejected expression.

At least it was fortunate that what I was worried about hadn’t happened.

Were they like third-rate ruffians who extorted money from easy targets, but tucked their tails and ran when someone slightly tougher appeared?

Having been around warriors who would chase to the ends of the Central Plains for revenge, perhaps my nerves had become too sensitive.

“Did you tell your parents and teacher?”

“Uh…”

Yun Jeongmin just blinked quietly.

It seemed he hadn’t told them.

“Even if I told them, it’s… kind of ambiguous…”

It wasn’t ambiguous-level violence. There would definitely be disciplinary action.

“You don’t want to make a big deal out of it?”

Yun Jeongmin nodded.

“Well, this year is almost over anyway. And our homeroom teacher seems like… they’d find this kind of thing bothersome…”

“Still, you should tell them. At the very least, they’ll separate you from those kids into different classes next year.”

“Oh, really?”

Yun Jeongmin’s eyes lit up, hoping that would be enough.

“Oh, I thought about reporting it, but Hyeonsu hit them first. I was worried it might become mutual assault…”

“Hyeonsu and you are separate matters, Jeongmin. First tell your teacher, and if anything happens, definitely let me know. If it’s urgent, call 112. You must have suffered so much mentally all this time.”

Yun Jeongmin choked up for a moment and finally shed tears.

I slowly comforted him.

“The elbow sprain needs treatment. The bruising is healing but it’s definitely slow. I’ll prescribe Danggwi-susan, which removes blood stasis, along with a topical ointment.”

“Yes, thank you.”

After finishing the diagnosis and prescription, Yun Jeongmin moved to the Treatment Room.

“Clinic Director.”

While I was consulting with Yun Jeongmin, Han Hyeonsu had been receiving physical therapy first.

Though he had left the Examination Room acting cool, he seemed inwardly curious about what we had discussed.

Excluding the parts that Yun Jeongmin would want to keep hidden,

I only conveyed information about the diagnosis.

“He wasn’t beaten more recently, right? These are old bruises?”

“Looking at the condition, it’s been at least 3 weeks. He also said there’s been no bullying recently.”

“Ah, that’s a relief. I was thinking I’d have to go back and beat them up.”

…You shouldn’t try to solve problems with violence like that. You’re not even a martial arts master! You could get seriously hurt if you’re not careful!

I was about to say something.

“But why isn’t he healing properly? His body seems too weak… Shouldn’t we make him some herbal tonic or something?”

Han Hyeonsu’s face, which had just shown relief moments ago, became serious again.

What is this guy saying now? He’s talking nonsense about herbal tonics!

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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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