The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim - Chapter 238

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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 238

“Clinic Director, you startled me!”

“Haha, sorry about that.”

Seo Inae patted her chest in relief.

I must have concealed my presence too well, making her think I had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

While it was my mistake to startle her this much,

it was also clear that Seo Inae’s energy was weakly fluctuating.

“First, please sit down. It must be hard to stand, right?”

“I’m fine…”

“Sit down!”

Seo Inae, who must have been struggling internally, sat down in the chair without complaint.

Her voice wasn’t good either, and she was shivering from chills, so just standing was consuming all her energy.

“If you’re feeling this unwell, you should have said something and asked for a replacement. How could you work in this condition?”

So I scolded her a bit.

“Oh my, the Clinic Director went on vacation, so I had to maintain the center and oversee the overall operations.”

An absurdly ownership-minded statement popped out.

Is she joking? Or being serious?

“And if I were to ask for a replacement now, it would have to be Teacher Seol Yuhui, but she must be busy with her school studies too.”

This is driving me crazy.

No wonder I felt like dropping by the clinic.

It’s really thoughtful consideration, but why think about all that when you’re this sick?

*Sniff*… Now that I’m here, please rest a bit. Yu Hee isn’t in exam period yet, so it should be fine. If she says she’s busy, I’ll handle it.”

“What? If the Clinic Director is at the front desk, patients will definitely make a fuss asking you to treat them, won’t they?”

That’s not what’s important right now!

“Whoa, Teacher Inae! Was it that bad?”

As Seo Inae and I were having this argument, Gong Nari burst out from the treatment room.

“Teacher Nari. Please help us. Let’s get her lying down right away. Bed number 1 is empty, right?”

I quickly pulled Gong Nari in, and the two of us grabbed Seo Inae’s arms.

“Clinic Director?”

“I’ll put up the heating pad! Should I bring a hot compress too?”

Fortunately, the clinic wasn’t extremely busy.

We immediately overpowered Seo Inae and dragged her away from the front desk.

“No, if you do this! What if a lot of patients suddenly come!”

Gong Nari immediately set up the bed and volunteered to alternate between watching the front desk and the treatment room.

– I’ll come right now!

Fortunately, Seol Yuhui said she was at home and would come immediately.

“The replacement is sorted out, so don’t worry now. I’ll bring some medicine, so lie down for a moment.”

Only then did Seo Inae reluctantly pull the blanket toward her.

“Oh, Clinic Director… this is… no, never mind. I’m sorry.”

Even while doing so, she kept muttering.

“What are you sorry for?”

“I’m causing trouble for the clinic because I couldn’t manage my health properly.”

“Don’t say such nonsense, and drink this.”

“I did ask Dr. Hwang earlier and took some Galgeun-tang.”

I brought all the cold medicine supplies and checked Seo Inae’s symptoms again.

Even if other medicines are made to order, cold medicine needs to be prepared in advance.

If I told a cold patient who came to the clinic this evening that I’d make the medicine at the herbal pharmacy tomorrow and send it the day after, who would accept that?

They take medicine to immediately alleviate their current pain.

“Ah, Galgeun-tang is good.”

Since body aches were most prominent, Hwang Sanghun must have recommended Galgeun-tang.

The word “cold” itself is an abbreviation of external pathogenic qi.

When germs from outside haven’t yet penetrated to the interior but remain on the surface,

Gyeji and Mahuang mainly resolve the surface, while Galgeun and Jakyak act like muscle relaxants for body ache pain, and Mahuang provides fever reduction and pain relief – that’s Galgeun-tang.

Of course, it wasn’t a 100% perfect prescription for Seo Inae’s symptoms.

But it can’t be helped since it’s a standard medicine.

Still, it would be good to have Gilgyeong, Yeongyo, and Bakha.

“Then please also take some Eungyo-san. Your throat isn’t good either.”

I handed her another packet to take.

“Thank you…”

There’s a huge variety of herbal medicines used for colds.

As standard medicines, we keep Gyeji-tang, Gyema-gakban-tang, Galgeun-tang, Samso-eum, Eungyo-san, Hyangso-san, Hyeonggae-yeongyo-tang, Socheongryong-tang, and Gumi-ganghwal-tang, but if you decide to customize them, even a whole book wouldn’t be enough.

In fact, the Treatise on Cold Damage, which is still emphasized in Korean medicine university education and established the foundation of pattern identification and treatment – the diagnostic system of Korean medicine – was about treating colds, flu, and other infectious diseases.

Korean medicine developed from treating infectious diseases with these medicinal materials and later came to handle internal damage diseases as well.

“I feel much better. I’ll get up and work again now.”

Seo Inae, who had barely managed to swallow the medicine, tried to get back to work.

Of course, that was nonsense.

Even with a steroid injection, there wouldn’t be immediate effects within 30 seconds.

“Teacher Seo Inae! Are you feeling unwell?!”

Fortunately, Seol Yuhui arrived at just the right time.

Even though she lived nearby, it seemed she had rushed over as soon as she received the phone call.

“She has a severe body ache and cold.”

“She must be feeling really bad. The Clinic Director made her lie down right away.”

Gong Nari and Jin Minjeong answered for her.

“Whaaaat? Oh, what should we do? Where does it hurt? Body ache and cold? Your whole body is shivering and trembling?”

Seol Yuhui was shocked and grabbed Seo Inae’s hand.

“Yes. I have some chills and body aches. It was a bit difficult to stand, so I did lie down, but it’s not that serious.”

“Oh my, Teacher! You’re breaking out in cold sweats too? Your voice is hoarse, and your face is pale… What should we do? You’re not getting as sick as I used to be, are you? Clinic Director, is Teacher Inae going to be okay?”

Seol Yuhui’s observational skills were truly praiseworthy.

To perform the four diagnostic methods of traditional medicine so naturally like this.

“It’s just a cold, so you don’t need to worry that much. Still, please rest today and tomorrow.”

I reassured Seol Yuhui while simultaneously warning Seo Inae.

“Can she get better?”

Even though I had made her lie down, Seol Yuhui’s face was really covered with worry.

“We were together and didn’t even notice. Oh dear.”

“Teacher Inae! You should have left early. No! Even now, please go home quickly!”

“Don’t overreact. I’m perfectly normal. I can endure this sufficiently.”

Gong Nari and Jin Minjeong joined forces with Seol Yuhui.

“Oh no, I should have noticed.”

“I’m sorry, Teacher…! How difficult it must have been for you!”

Hearing the staff making a fuss, even Hwang Sanghun and Lee Ahreum, who had been in their respective examination rooms, came out and made a big deal about it.

This atmosphere was almost like Seo Inae was on her deathbed and everyone was gathering to hear her last words.

This was awkward.

I needed to make Seo Inae recognize that her illness wasn’t mild.

But the people around were worrying too much, so I also had to reassure them.

The cold is severe! But of course she’ll recover! Because it’s a cold! And Seo Inae is still young and healthy!

How could accepting this simple fact be so difficult?

“Everyone, please return to your positions. There are still two patients in the treatment room.”

Seo Inae spoke sternly first.

As she said, although it wasn’t particularly busy, there were still patients receiving acupuncture treatment. When the staff made such a commotion, it was bound to be distracting.

“That’s right. I’ll take care of Teacher Inae, so don’t worry. The body ache and cold are severe, so today will be difficult, but she’ll recover in three days to a week.”

Come to think of it, it seemed like there had rarely been… no, never been a case of someone at our Oriental Medicine Clinic taking sick leave for substitution.

There had been times when Seol Yuhui had exam schedules or Jin Minjeong’s child was sick and needed substitution, but never for their own illnesses.

“You two are so healthy that you don’t get sick. Normally, regular people get like this once in a while.”

“Really?”

“To the point where it’s hard to even stand…?”

Gong Nari and Jin Minjeong, whom I had selected based on their warrior-like qualities.

It seemed these two had hardly ever been sick since they were very young.

“She’s not going to end up like I used to be, right?”

On the contrary, Seol Yuhui had been sick too often in the past.

After taking the elixir and becoming much healthier than average—actually within the top 1%—she was mistaking her current state for that of an ordinary person.

As the saying goes, “three people make a tiger”—with the three of them making such a fuss, even Hwang Sanghun and Lee Ahreum, who had relatively normal physiques, were startled.

“I am very healthy. Normally, regular people catch colds or body aches and fall ill once every 3 or 4 years!”

Seo Inae spoke the truth with exasperation.

“That’s right. It can happen. She’ll recover without problems. …If Teacher Inae rests sufficiently until tomorrow.”

I also spoke firmly.

“First, take three days’ worth of medicine. When you come in the day after tomorrow or the day after that, I’ll prepare fresh medicine for you.”

Seo Inae no longer insisted and listened to the doctor’s words.

After sending the other staff members away, I instructed Seo Inae to change her clothes immediately.

Although sleeping soundly at the Oriental Medicine Clinic would be fine, wouldn’t it be better to go home?

“I’m sorry. I’ll rest well and come back.”

Her legs were trembling so much.

I supported Seo Inae and went down to the first floor together.

“At this rate, you’ll fall and get hurt. Take a taxi home.”

“That’s a waste of money…”

“I’ll pay for it. Get in.”

“But that creates fairness issues…”

“It’s fine. I’ll just give you a ride.”

Even after that, Seo Inae stubbornly insisted otherwise.

So I didn’t listen to her protests and got her into the car.

“You’re really struggling. I’ve seen so many patients with body aches – I can tell just by looking at your complexion.”

In modern times, Traditional Korean Medicine Clinics don’t often see infectious respiratory patients, but in the Martial Arts World, they were too numerous to count.

With a complexion like this in the acute phase, not only standing but even lying still would be agonizing.

“…Thank you.”

I was really glad I stopped by the clinic today.

If I hadn’t dragged her out, she would have pushed through with sheer willpower and finished all her work.

That would have meant 2-3 more days of suffering like this.

* * *

I put Seo Inae in the passenger seat and headed to the address she gave me.

I told her she could rest comfortably, but perhaps feeling too embarrassed to do so, she kept making pointless jokes.

“Oh my, I’m so sorry. I’ve been stressed for days pulling my hair out over bad inventory, and this is what happened. Haha, I’m really embarrassed.”

Why does she keep apologizing?

Seo Inae clicked her tongue and blamed herself.

“What’s wrong with that? Like Teacher Inae said earlier, getting sick once in a while is natural. That’s what sick leave is for.”

“Yes. There aren’t many workplaces that tolerate side jobs, so I’ll recover quickly and return to work diligently.”

I really can’t tell if she’s joking or being serious.

I’ve told Seo Inae directly before – as long as she does her clinic work well, I respect whether she has a second job or runs her own business.

And Seo Inae has been doing her work better than anyone else so far.

“I should cut back on personal work though. Now that I’ve bought a house. Ugh. The smart store requires more attention than I thought.”

“How many are left now? You quit the convenience store, and you still have one vending machine?”

“Yes, just the smart store and vending machine are left, and I’ve half-given up on YouTube.”

I had helped her reach the point of generating revenue before, but it seems it was difficult to activate the channel enough to produce meaningful income.

“I don’t have star quality… YouTube should be done by someone like the Clinic Director, sob sob.”

…That kind of thing isn’t really necessary.

It might be better to live quietly and moderately rather than having excessive nicknames attached and all sorts of dangerous people coming to find you.

Of course, people might pursue different directions in life.

“Are you very anxious?”

I casually threw the question at Seo Inae.

“Huh?”

“I thought you really wanted to succeed big with your own business and investments, but it seems like something else is more important.”

“Huh…?”

Seo Inae tilted her head, not understanding what I was talking about.

“I really like money though?”

Of course she does.

Basically, she likes earning and saving more than spending, so she maintains this lifestyle.

But there was definitely an excessive aspect to it.

Like trying YouTube for so long even though it didn’t really suit Seo Inae.

There were also quite inefficient jobs like the convenience store.

How many things has Seo Inae learned or tried so far?

Convenience store part-time job, vending machine sales, share house, real estate auction study, smart store, YouTube. Were there more? There might be others I don’t know about.

Honestly, rather than doing work because she wants to, it feels like she’s being chased by something and rushing to do anything that might make money.

I’ve never criticized Seo Inae’s efforts to reach capitalistic desires and goals.

But I felt like I needed to give her some direction at least once.

“Do you just want to become really rich?”

“Um, yes?”

“Do you have a goal? 5 billion? 10 billion? A Gangnam house? 30 million won per month?”

“No? Not at all!”

Seo Inae immediately denied it.

While people who make no effort toward such goals easily talk about their dreams, Seo Inae shook her head saying she wouldn’t dare dream of such grand things.

“I just… I just… want a house where I can rest comfortably and a stable salary…”

But doesn’t she already have that now?

I think I heard she bought an apartment near an elementary school last time.

“I see. Am I really anxious? Do I seem that way?”

I gently nodded.

It was a very delicate matter, but I had to address it while I had the chance.

“I’m not saying you should change your life path because of one cold, but it would be good to think about it.”

“…Hmm, I have been thinking lately that maybe I don’t need to do this much. Ever since I bought the house.”

“The fact that there’s no ‘need’ is crystal clear without even thinking about it. What’s important is Teacher Inae’s desire.”

Seo Inae opened her mouth and looked back at me.

“Desire…”

It was a face that had never considered this before.

I understood. I had been there too.

When I first fell into the Martial Arts World, I also focused only on surviving.

Why did this happen to me? Do I really need to live by pushing myself this hard? When such thoughts entered my head, I couldn’t run.

“Once your cold gets better, think about it more deeply. You’ve been running hard for years, so it’s time to look back at yourself at least once.”

She kept moving her lips restlessly.

Was that really the case, was I anxious? Did I not want to become that wealthy? She even muttered to herself.

This wasn’t a problem that could be resolved by pondering for 5 or 10 minutes in her current dazed state.

“Think about it slowly~”

Just then, caught at a traffic light, I glanced at Seo Inae’s face.

Though her energy was still subdued, her eyes wavered with great confusion.

“And if you ever feel like reducing your other work, let me know.”

“Ah, yes.”

What I said might be the right answer, or it might not be.

I couldn’t yet tell whether Seo Inae’s true desire was to become wealthy or to be freed from anxiety.

I might have hit the mark, but it could also be complete nonsense, couldn’t it?

However, I felt that Seo Inae had run enough to be able to manage her own anxiety.

And if what she truly wanted was housing stability and stable income.

“If you want to focus on your current work rather than your own business, I’d like to utilize you on a larger scale, Teacher.”

I wanted to present Seo Inae with another path she could choose.

Something that would help me even more than it would help her.

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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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