The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim - Chapter 235

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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 235

During Sunday morning, I wandered around various parts of downtown, briefly lost in memories.

New restaurants appeared between familiar shopping districts, and quite a few buildings that weren’t there before had been added.

‘This feels strange.’

It was quite different from when I encountered Seoul where everything remained the same even after returning from the martial arts world.

I finished my short trip to Yeoju and moved to the pop-up store.

“Ugh, this is Seoul alright.”

After wandering around for a while looking for a parking spot and entering the store, many people were already there.

I pushed through the suffocatingly dense crowd to find people I knew.

“Divine Physician! Over here!”

“Wow, nice to meet you for the first time.”

“Heo Gongdapbo and Yasu Uisimjang11 are seeing Divine Physician for the first time, right? Our first guild leader.”

“I wasn’t the first guild leader either. I just happened to inherit the position.”

Young Master Chungpung, who took office as the 3rd guild leader as my game login rate decreased.

He introduced the newcomers ‘Heo Gongdapbo’ and ‘Yasu Uisimjang11’.

“Guild leader! It’s been a while!”

Even though I had stepped down from the position, perhaps out of habit, Kkyu Kkyu kept calling me guild leader.

I wondered if she’d be able to come, but she really did. Her father must be very caring, huh?

Anyway, all the regular members who play the game most diligently in our guild had gathered.

With this combination gathered, the conversation topic was naturally Jungyeon Online.

These were members who could talk for three days and nights just cursing the game company over balance patches.

“Oh, the Namgung keyring is pretty. Should I buy this?”

“You don’t even have keys, so wouldn’t a poster with the same illustration be better?”

“I need to spend 50,000 won anyway, so both…”

Young Master Chungpung had been to the store before, but everyone else was here for the first time.

“Ah! The effect!”

“Huh. Kkyu Kkyu, are you short on money?”

“Father only gave me 30,000 won.”

“I’ll pay for it. Give me gold later.”

“Gasp! Is that really okay!”

Heo Gongdapbo frantically grabbed merchandise.

The in-game poor me, Yasu Uisimjang11, and Kkyu Kkyu filled exactly the amount needed to get the effect.

“Ow, my back.”

“Young Master Chungpung, what did you do to already have back pain?”

After shopping like that and standing in line at the checkout.

Young Master Chungpung, who had been choosing a pen and pacing around, thumped his back.

“Ah, I came from far away. I must have slept wrong on the bus this morning.”

“There’s someone here from Busan too~. Kkyu Kkyu and Divine Physician are perfectly fine.”

“I can’t help it since I’m older.”

“I’m still in my 30s!”

Heo Gongdapbo and Yasu Uisimjang11 teased him and giggled.

They already seemed quite close, so it appeared those living in the metropolitan area met fairly often.

“Young Master Chungpung? Young Master Chungpung?”

But hearing our group call each other by nicknames, the person standing right in front of us in line turned around.

He was probably a high school freshman or sophomore? A young boy with a quite youthful face.

“Is he an acquaintance?”

Since Young Master Chungpung wasn’t particularly someone who caused trouble on the server, I naturally thought he was an acquaintance.

“Huh? Who are you?”

Young Master Chungpung tilted his head while still holding his back.

“Are you people from Sacheon Danggabupdaejeonbeo Guild? We’re from Geumgwisangdan Guild!”

“Ah, the 4th place guild.”

Ha, the nickname is one thing, but.

Hearing that guild name in real life gave me goosebumps.

“We were 3rd place until the week before last!”

The 4th place guild member who approached us, from Geumgwisangdan Guild, got fired up.

I didn’t know his face but I knew the guild name.

While 1st and 2nd place were practically another level, people for whom the game was more important than life, our guild had the highest rank among places with lenient rules.

Of course, we sometimes went back and forth with 4th place, and lately our biggest rival was almost always those Geumgwisangdan guys.

“I see. So Geumgwisangdan is having a meetup here too. I’m Divine Physician.”

“Ah, Divine Physician! I know you! It’s not a meetup, I’m meeting a close guild older brother. I’m Jungwon Yeobo!”

It was a familiar nickname I often clashed with in duels at similar combat power levels.

It would have been a very strange introduction in any other location… but inside the pop-up store, it wasn’t particularly unusual.

There were people from other servers too, and people who knew each other from SNS were also calling each other by nicknames.

“If you’re done shopping, let’s go outside and sit down. My back hurts too much, ugh!”

Even during this time, Young Master Chungpung kept patting his lower back, saying his back really wasn’t good.

“Your back hurts? You should try acupuncture.”

Words spoken by Jungwon Yeobo, not me.

“Uh… if it still hurts tomorrow, then yes.”

Young Master Chungpung nodded quite nonchalantly.

“I also keep getting shoulder tension from gaming, but I got treated by the Korean medicine doctor in our party and it all healed.”

Jungwon Yeobo shrugged his shoulders somewhat boastfully, no, showing off.

“Really? He must be good at treatment.”

“Totally skilled! He earns good money too, so he often gives gifts to the whole party. Last time he got us matching decorative alcohol and hairpins. Even a 9-enhanced Ganjangmakya set…”

“I see. Our guild also has a Han, mmph mmph.”

I covered Young Master Chungpung’s mouth.

It seems that guild has a Korean medicine clinic director who spends big on the game.

But isn’t it too embarrassing for a young guy to react the same way to someone bragging about having ranker connections?

“…Will you treat me if I stay quiet?”

“How can I treat you here? Go see Director Kim tomorrow!”

Even while we whispered quietly, Jungwon Yeobo continued his bragging.

When he said his shoulder hurt, the doctor readily invited him to the clinic, his skills were amazing, and if Young Master Chungpung came too, he would cure him well.

“Ah, there he comes. Our Director Jang! Older brother Jungjae!”

Jungwon Yeobo spread both arms to welcome a man.

“Ah, Yeobo. Hello. But who are those people…?”

He was a middle-aged man with slightly sleepy eyes and a plump build.

He seemed like someone who would look warm and pleasant with a gentle smile in a doctor’s coat, but today his eyes were half-dead.

Rather than truly lacking energy, it was more like fatigue from gaming all night.

“I happened to meet people from the Sacheon Danggabupdaejeonbeo guild and we were talking. Cheongpung here said his back hurts, so I was recommending he go see Director Jang.”

Sigh, can’t something be done about our guild name? Please sell some name change tickets.

I let out a sigh.

“Uh… Um…”

But the man called Director Jang kept glancing at me.

His lips twitched and his pupils trembled as if anxious about something.

“What’s wrong?”

“By any chance… aren’t you Director Han Yewon from Seongsoo Oriental Medicine Clinic?”

Huh? Was he someone who knew me?

I tried hard to think but it was impossible.

A senior maybe? When even my close classmates were confusing, the faces of seniors who graduated before I went to the martial arts world had long disappeared from my memory.

“Sorry, I’m not good at remembering faces. Are you a senior from our school?”

“Huh?”

Jungwon Yeobo looked back and forth between me and Director Jang, tilting his head.

“Ah, that’s not it. I saw Director Han’s photo in an article.”

“Ah… Saudi Arabia…”

“Actually I knew before that! I’ve been subscribed to Seongsoo Oriental Medicine Clinic’s YouTube since before you appeared on Melon Soda’s YouTube!”

Director Jang broke out in cold sweat as he explained how he knew me.

Our clinic’s YouTube…

“…Seongsumoorim Traditional Medicine Clinic?”

I had appeared on that one before.

“Yes, yes. I’ve thought about trying something like that myself, so I was curious if it would work out.”

As expected, it was that one.

Since this person also played martial arts games, he must have been interested in the success or failure of Seongsumoorim Traditional Medicine Clinic.

“Um, Director Jang. Do you know this person?”

“She’s the director of Seongsoo Oriental Medicine Clinic, a famous network Korean medicine clinic.”

“Whoa.”

Jungwon Yeobo’s mouth fell wide open.

“So the talk about being good at treatment and such… ahem.”

Director Jang scratched his head, extremely embarrassed.

* * *

One way or another, since we had started talking, we moved to sit together.

Meeting a rival guild from the same server was also fate, wasn’t it?

“Yeobo was bragging about you so much earlier, you must be quite skilled.”

“No, not at all. I’m really ordinary.”

Director Jang, no, Jang Jungjae was so embarrassed he nearly banged his head on the table.

“But Director Jang, you earn good money and spend a lot on the game.”

Seeing Jang Jungjae looking overly deflated, Jungwon Yeobo perked up and praised him.

“No, not really. My spending is just… modest, around 200 per month. Don’t all rankers spend this much? Director Han must spend much more than me.”

“Uh, I don’t even spend 100,000 won these days.”

“Huuuuuck!”

He covered his mouth and changed his words.

“Uh, uh, uh, of course, if you have the physical skills! You can do well without doing that!”

It wasn’t even a statement that needed explaining.

He broke out in a sweat and waved his hands dismissively.

“Wait, that PvP ranking is pure physical skill?”

Instead, Jungwon Yeobo looked curious and wondered about my play record.

Even though Jang Jungjae spent much more money than me and played longer, having higher internal energy and combat power, our PvP rankings were similar.

“Our Divine Physician is pretty good at it.”

“When you see him using his Tang Family alt character during raids… Wow.”

“You succeeded in enhancement on the first try too.”

True to the name Beast’s Heart, Yasu Uisimjang11 who failed at enhancement, along with Kkyu Kkyu and Young Master Chungpung who enjoyed raiding together, praised me.

No, I’m not that good.

“Haha, well, what does it matter? I spend and play within my means.”

“That’s right. Director Jang’s clinic is cool and nice.”

“Ah, Yeobo. Please… It’s like showing off in front of a chrysalis. Compared to Seongsoo Oriental Medicine Clinic, our clinic is just a convenience store.”

Jang Jungjae felt embarrassed again and let out deep sighs.

“Actually, I don’t think I can spend money on the game anymore. A 365 clinic opened next door and it’s a complete disaster. I’m the type of person who considers games more important than life, so I’d cut back on food before cutting back on game spending.”

“365?”

“No, they’re really crazy bastards. From their grand opening, two directors have been doing 365 days of 9 to 9 night treatments, and they brought in five physical therapy machines!”

Jang Jungjae beat his chest and complained as if he felt very wronged.

“Oh, I do night treatments too.”

We even open early too, hmm.

How embarrassing.

“Gasp!”

Jang Jungjae, who said he had watched our clinic’s YouTube, belatedly remembered that fact and his jaw dropped.

“Ah, no no no no, night treatments are! Convenient for patients! It’s working hard. Yes, that makes sense. Even if I were a patient, I’d look for a place that does night treatments. Haha, hahaha.”

After his comment about spending 200 a month being basic, Jang Jungjae once again worked hard to smooth over his slip of the tongue.

No, there’s really nothing that needs explaining.

Though it can’t be helped under a free market economy, wouldn’t it be natural to feel frustrated if you want to only do 9 to 6 treatments on weekdays but a competitor doing night treatments moves in nearby?

“365 night treatments aside! The real problem is something else.”

“The real problem?”

Everyone’s attention focused on Jang Jungjae.

Jang Jungjae let out a deep sigh and solemnly opened his mouth.

“Mulchippangppang.”

“Mulchippangppang?”

Kkyu Kkyu and Young Master Chungpung, who didn’t know the slang used among Korean medicine doctors, asked curiously.

Somehow, Jungwon Yeobo looked at Jang Jungjae as if even that was cool.

“Water beds, that little thing that goes tap tap, low frequency, machine chuna body massage… They do all of that and charge less than 20,000 won! Are they trying to kill us all together!”

Jang Jungjae slammed the table and cried out in anguish.

It seemed that what’s called a ‘Mulchippangppang Korean Medicine Clinic’ – the type of clinic that neighborhood clinic directors hate – had opened nearby.

Rather than skill or caring for patients, their selling point was doing lots of physical therapy to make patients feel like they’re getting more for the same price.

It was an aggressive business model that invested heavily upfront to aggressively absorb surrounding patients.

For a small neighborhood solo practice clinic, it would be very burdensome to compete.

“Sigh… Starting next month, I might have to cut back on game spending to buy machines too. Ah, gasp!”

Jang Jungjae glanced at me again.

He seemed conscious that he might have made another slip of the tongue, wondering if I might be using lots of physical therapy machines too.

“We only have ICT for physical therapy. We compete with skill.”

At my words, Jang Jungjae let out a sigh of relief.

And then.

“Uh… you don’t have anything else at all?”

He was startled belatedly.

“Right. We bought an ultrasound examination machine, but not much for physical therapy.”

“Then you’re generating enough revenue to employ two vice directors with just acupuncture and chuna?”

“We dispense quite a bit of medicine.”

When I roughly told him the numbers of medicine patients and acupuncture patients, Jang Jungjae was very impressed and his jaw dropped.

And soon he returned to gloomy mode.

“Sob sob, but I can’t do night treatments. I just want to work hard seeing patients 9 to 6 without great ambition, then enjoy hobbies after work… The world is too harsh.”

The medical field is definitely overly competitive.

But does having a 365 clinic next door really have that much impact?

“Since it opened recently, won’t people try it once and come back? Even with lots of machines, what matters in the end is whether treatment works.”

“I thought so too, but it’s been quiet for over three months. These days I wonder if there’s something wrong with me. Is this what always happens when a 365 moves in…?”

Hmm, three months would be around when the initial opening special effects end.

It definitely seemed like a time when some countermeasures were needed.

“Should I take a look for you?”

Half out of sympathy as a fellow gamer.

Half out of curiosity about whether the neighboring clinic’s influence alone had really caused such a serious drop in sales.

I made a suggestion to Jang Jungjae.

—————
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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