The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim - Chapter 22

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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 22

“Father!”

Jin Yunho ran all the way home. He wanted to quickly tell his parents about what had happened at the Traditional Korean Medicine Clinic today.

The grandmother in the next bed also had her back straightened! If he gets acupuncture from the doctor, wouldn’t Father’s stiff shoulders get better too?

“You’re at home and you didn’t even start the laundry, what exactly have you been doing?”

But as soon as he entered the house, Jin Yunho’s mood plummeted. Mother’s sharp scolding made him shrink back.

“If I had known you’d come home early, I would have started it. Last time when I started it in advance, you got annoyed saying it needed to be rinsed again.”

“Then at least do some cleaning or cooking! What is this mess of a house, really.”

“…I was about to start cleaning now. If I could cook, would I be stuck at home like this?!”

They were so busy fighting that neither parent even noticed that Jin Yunho had come home.

“Where did Yunho go? If he’s not doing anything, sit him down and make him study!”

“Mother, I just got home.”

“Go to your room and study right now!”

…I guess now isn’t the right time.

When Mother and Father fight, getting involved only makes things worse. Jin Yunho nodded and went into his room.

“Sigh.”

He closed the door and slumped down on the floor. Just moments ago, it felt like he had entered the martial arts world, but hearing his parents fight made him feel so dejected.

In the past, there had never been any shouting in the house. It was more harmonious than any other household, and he thought it would always be that way. He couldn’t understand how the term “marital quarrel” could even exist.

That’s how it was until two years ago.

Now he just felt miserable.

“If only Father’s shoulder gets better, everything will be fine.”

He leaned against the door and muttered while staring into space. Seeing Father’s pitiful state made his heart feel tight.

Once upon a time, Father was cooler than anyone else in the world, cooler than any protagonist in books.

– The jajangmyeon Father makes is the most delicious in the world!

– Hahaha, right? With this level of skill, even if I fell into the martial arts world, I could feed our son, right?

– Yes! Even the Martial Arts Alliance Leader would want to make Father his exclusive chef if he tasted what you made!

– Hahahaha!

Father was the best chef. He made the most delicious food among everything Jin Yunho had ever eaten since birth. All the regular customers said so too.

Father’s restaurant was always bustling with customers, and Mother and Father were always working non-stop.

– Son, shall we go bamboo cutting together this week?

– Wow, really?

– Isn’t it dangerous to give a real sword to such a young child?

– I’ll be going with him, so what’s the problem? I’ll make sure he doesn’t get hurt.

Father was a closer friend than anyone else. Every weekend, he took Jin Yunho to fun places like amusement parks, water parks, and cultural heritage sites. His greatest joy was lying in bed with Father after work, reading comic books together.

– How can you bring home a 60 on your English test?

– Hehe, that can happen.

– Wahhh! Father! Mother is being mean to me!

– You always say everything’s fine! How is Yunho going to get a job when he grows up?

– 60 points is excellent. I only got 200 points on the college entrance exam, but I got a pretty wife and a cute son and I’m living well, aren’t I?

– You are…!

– Father will work hard and leave you an inheritance, so Yunho has nothing to worry about!

– Oh my, I really can’t live like this! Fine, just stay healthy. Mother and Father will work hard!

Father was his son’s idol. With Father around, there wasn’t a single thing in the world to be afraid of.

Whether fighting with friends, getting nagged by Mother, or being threatened by strange old men on the street. Standing next to Father felt like having a thousand troops and ten thousand horses by his side.

But that Father no longer exists.

“Ugh, really! This month is in the red too. When is that damn store lease finally going to be transferred?”

“I’m frustrated too, so stop getting angry.”

“Did you list it with several real estate agencies? Try posting it online too!”

“I already listed it with three agencies. I obviously posted it on the self-employed cafe too.”

All that remained was a powerless man who always hung his head dejectedly with a shadowed face.

All of this happened when Father’s arm stopped going up one day. Was it called frozen shoulder? They should have realized when he tossed and turned in pain while sleeping and when he used a massage stick.

At first, the whole family didn’t think much of it. They said anyone in their fifties could get it, and that it would heal in a few months.

But as time passed, instead of getting better, his arm gradually stopped going up at all.

– Honey, how about trying surgery instead?

– …What if I completely lose the use of my arm after that? They say it naturally recovers in 1-3 years, so let’s wait a bit longer.

– Thirty years ago when your mother had surgery is different from now. Your arm won’t go up, so what about the store?

– I’ll try to hire a separate head chef. If it goes well, we might even be able to expand the store. Trust me.

In the end, Father became completely unable to cook. He didn’t know exactly how things went, but Yongho Chinese Restaurant closed last month.

From then on, debt accumulated, and Mother and Father started fighting every single day, saying the rent kept going out.

Today was another ordinary day, or rather, a day that had become ordinary.

“…”

Jin Yunho waited an hour until the two of them quieted down. The stories they told were always the same anyway, but they repeated the same stories over and over, tormenting each other.

Mother left the house as if she couldn’t stand it anymore, and Father went into the master bedroom.

“Father.”

“…Yunho.”

Jin Yunho quietly approached Father and massaged his shoulders.

He knew this wouldn’t solve anything, but he hoped it would make him feel even a little better.

“Father, you know what? I saw on YouTube…”

“Let’s talk about it later.”

“Just listen for a moment. I met an incredibly amazing doctor.”

“Doctor? Ah… a traditional Korean medicine doctor.”

Father shook his head with a shadowed expression, but Jin Yunho boldly thrust his phone forward.

“I went here and asked him to show me how to throw properly, and he taught me.”

“What? You went to a Traditional Korean Medicine Clinic?”

He planned to show the video first and tell him about what happened today.

But as soon as he opened his mouth, Father’s face contorted.

“Yeah! I got treatment because my stomach hurt. I even got to touch the acupuncture needles. When I get better, let’s ask him to teach you too! He said he could treat shoulders too.”

“You even got treatment? What money do you have for that!”

“Hehe, it wasn’t that expensive. It was only a thousand won! So let’s go together tomorrow.”

Was he worried about money? It didn’t cost much though…

Even when adults say they don’t have money, don’t they have at least a million won? That’s enough for a thousand treatments at a thousand won each.

“What if you went to the hospital and left without paying! Ugh, I’m already frustrated because of Mother, why are you doing this too?”

He said he had properly paid with his allowance, but Father jumped up and beat his chest.

He grabbed his wallet and started to go outside but stopped.

“Oh right, the clinic must be closed now. Let’s go together tomorrow.”

Father let out a deep sigh.

I paid properly, so why is he acting like that? Anyway, it was fortunate that he said he’d go together. Once we get there, the doctor will explain things well.

* * *

“I’m sorry! My son left your clinic without paying!”

The day after I enjoyed what was basically fan talk rather than treatment with Jin Yunho, his father came to the clinic.

“Oh, it’s fine. The child was sick, so I could just treat him.”

“That’s not right. I’ll pay properly. How much is it?”

“Uh…”

Jin Yunho, who had been so confident the day before, held his father’s hand and rolled his eyes, not knowing what to do.

I kept saying it was fine, but the child’s father insisted on paying, saying he couldn’t cause trouble.

“Clinic Director, modify the bill. We need to process this as a formal registration, so please write your name and resident registration number.”

Eventually Seo Inae arbitrarily took the card and the meaningless concessions ended.

“Yes, yes.”

“Will you be getting treatment today too?”

Seo Inae asked whether Jin Yunho would get treatment today. Since she and I both knew it was malingering. Hmm, it would be nice if he just played around since he doesn’t need treatment.

“Father, since we’re here, you should get treatment too. Please?”

But Jin Yunho unexpectedly grabbed his father’s arm and pleaded.

Ah, so the patient with shoulder pain he asked about yesterday was his father?

“Forget it. It won’t get better even if Father tries. Yunho, if your stomach still hurts, get one more acupuncture treatment. Father will wait in the waiting room.”

But his father closed his eyes and shook his head.

“The doctor here is really skilled. The grandmother next to me getting acupuncture said her back was completely healed.”

“Your stomachache and Father’s shoulder are different.”

“Still…”

“Hey, try believing once. My back was so bent when I walked, but look how straight it is now!”

Just then, Grandmother Heo Sunnam finished her treatment and came out to the waiting room, adding her comment.

Yesterday too, and now this – the timing is too perfect, isn’t it?

“…”

“Father!”

“You don’t have to get treatment, would you like to have a consultation for a moment?”

When I joined in too, he finally nodded reluctantly.

I wonder what the problem is. Rotator cuff? Disc? Whatever it is, he won’t regret crossing the threshold of my examination room.

I’ll treat him faster and more accurately than anywhere else he could go.

I opened the door wide and welcomed the Jin father and son.

“Please come in. I’ll take good care of you.”

* * *

Jin Yongho, 42 years old with a 9-year-old son, touched his right shoulder as soon as he sat in the chair.

He showed me how he moved his arm up, down, left, and right while explaining his condition. Like someone who had been to hospitals many times.

“It’s frozen shoulder. Though I got it about 10 years early. I’ve been getting acupuncture for 2 years, but there’s been almost no change. I tried injections and manual therapy too, but they were useless. They just told me to do stretching. I did it diligently for about the first year, but honestly, I’ve given up now.”

Whether he raised it forward or to the side, he couldn’t even reach 90 degrees.

Even when I got up from my chair and moved his arm directly myself, it was the same. His rigidly stiffened shoulder wouldn’t budge at all.

“I see. Didn’t they recommend surgery?”

There was no room for disagreement with the frozen shoulder diagnosis.

“Three out of five doctors said to have surgery, and two talked about the treatment and stretching I just mentioned.”

“I see.”

“My late mother had shoulder surgery and was in pain until the day she passed away… I’m trying to avoid surgery if possible. Even though my arm doesn’t go up, the pain is better than at first, and there’s no inconvenience in just living day to day.”

He has quite a cautious personality.

“That’s a lie! I saw Father cutting with his left hand at night!”

“…I was just experimenting to see if it might work.”

Jin Yongho said he was fine, but his son’s worry was beyond words.

While talking, I felt his joints a bit, and they weren’t in a condition that could be healed with stretching or general treatment.

The joint capsule had inflammation and contracture so severe that the tendons had thickened to the point where I could feel it with my hands.

“Do you cook?”

“Yes. I was a Chinese cuisine chef.”

Ah, his main profession was cooking? That’s his livelihood, so this must be serious.

That’s probably why he was excessively worried about shoulder surgery.

Speaking of Chinese cuisine, it reminded me of the demonic sect leader Ma Du who had disguised himself as a dumpling shop cook. I used to go there often before I discovered his identity! …I haven’t tasted that flavor even once since Master dealt with him.

Since this person also likes martial arts novels, I wonder if he knows how to make authentic Chinese dishes?

“You must have used it a lot. Adhesive capsulitis, frozen shoulder doesn’t have a clear cause, but it occurs more frequently in people who overuse their shoulders.”

“Yes… I’ve heard that often. I’ve closed the restaurant and am resting now.”

“That’s why he fights with mom all the time and won’t even spar with me, mmph!”

“Yunho. Dad and the doctor are talking.”

Jin Yongho covered Jin Yunho’s mouth. When a father and son come for treatment together, usually only the adult talks, but like yesterday, this child was quite lively.

Anyway, thanks to both of them explaining in detail, I had sufficiently grasped the symptoms.

I returned to my chair and brought up a shoulder structure model on the computer screen.

“Here, here, and here are severely adhered. You’ve seen this on ultrasound and MRI too, right?”

“Yes.”

“When it’s stiffened to this extent, regular acupuncture barely works. It’s just about controlling pain while slightly improving blood flow and waiting for it to loosen naturally.”

“So even the Clinic Director can’t cure it?”

At my words, Jin Yunho’s face completely fell. Jin Yongho also seemed disappointed despite trying not to show it.

“I suspected as much. There’s no real solution, is there?”

No. I didn’t say I couldn’t cure it. You should listen to Korean until the end, shouldn’t you?

“No! I was only saying it would be difficult with regular acupuncture.”

“Then…?”

I picked up a certain object from my desk and showed it to both of them.

It was much thicker than the thread-like fine needles, with a flat blade at the tip.

“If I use a knife needle, that’s a different story.”

Hmm, my secret weapon, you could say?

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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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