The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim - Chapter 282

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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 282

The first day of opening the Daejeon branch.

I came up to Daejeon myself to help with the opening preparations and to watch over things for at least a day to see if everything was running smoothly.

Although there had been several branch expansions so far, except for Chu Miyoung, they were all cases where we changed the signboard and modified the system after the clinics were already open.

Even Chu Miyoung had previously opened a clinic in Busan.

But for Ryu Jinseong and Yu Minseong, this was their very first time opening a clinic, and I had pushed for this partnership.

So I couldn’t help but be more concerned.

The oriental medicine clinic, which had been a complete mess with various boxes when I came a week ago, was now neatly organized, and the waiting room was decorated with congratulatory flower arrangements sent by acquaintances.

“Good morning! It’s your first day today, you must be nervous.”

“I’m so excited!”

“Phew, to think we’ve actually opened a clinic – it’s deeply moving.”

The two of them standing side by side in their doctor’s coats looked quite impressive.

After sending the two to their respective examination rooms, I sat at the front desk.

“Hello, Director!”

“Sorry for being a burden, teacher. I’ll only trouble you for today.”

“Not at all. It’s reassuring to have you here beside us!”

The starting members that Seo Inae helped with from hiring to training.

The nursing assistants were also bright people we selected well, right?

The staff member in charge of the front desk today seemed a bit nervous, randomly pressing various buttons on the reception chart and taking deep breaths.

‘Today, if many come, it’ll probably be around three or four people.’

When I first opened my clinic, I really had no patients at all.

But this place is located much closer to the main road, so one or two people might drop by while passing.

They’ll come one by one sporadically, so I can help them slowly, right?

“Oh, there’s a Seongsoo Oriental Medicine Clinic in Daejeon now?”

“Ju-yeong’s Mother, you said you wanted to go there. This worked out well~.”

The first patient appeared earlier than expected.

Two women in their 40s. It was only 15 minutes after we opened.

“Hello, this is our first time here~”

“I came because my back hurts.”

“Yes! Please fill out the registration form and show me your ID.”

Contrary to my worries, the staff member responded well according to protocol.

So I was just pretending to be another staff member, smiling contentedly.

“Aren’t you Director Hanyewon?”

“Huh…?”

The moment I made eye contact with the patient who turned her head toward me.

A complete stranger, a Daejeon citizen, recognized me.

“That’s right, isn’t it? I saw you when you were on the news!”

“I wanted to visit once if I went to Busan, but I’m meeting you here.”

“Are you treating patients here, Director? Are you only here today?”

“Well, I came because of my back, but if the Director is here, I’d like to consult about symptoms of sweating from my head…”

They even seemed to know quite a lot about me, having seen some news coverage.

The two were very pleased and tried to ask various questions.

“Haha, I just came to see if things are running smoothly since this is a new opening in Daejeon today. Please register and speak with the directors.”

“Ah, I see. So you just came in today?”

“Sorry. I got overexcited like I met a celebrity~.”

“I’m curious what kind of people the directors here are. Since it’s Seongsoo Oriental Medicine Clinic, they’ll treat us well, right?”

“I’ll come often!”

Even after barely declining the consultation, the two chatted away without giving me a chance to interrupt.

It’s fortunate that their reaction wasn’t negative, but they’re more friendly than I expected.

Meanwhile, the staff member finished the registration and assigned the two patients to Director Ryu Jinseong and Director Yu Minseong respectively.

Fortunately, both conducted their examinations smoothly.

And they were seamlessly guided to the treatment room.

“Director, I’ll be in the warehouse here.”

But it wasn’t really appropriate for me to be at the front desk.

I thought no one would know if I pretended to be an ordinary staff member, but how did the very first patient happen to recognize me?

“Won’t you be uncomfortable? Please stay in an examination room.”

“No, it’s fine. Since there’s a warehouse in the middle, I’ll observe both examination rooms from inside.”

The space used as a warehouse was connected to both examination rooms and could also lead to the corridor.

If I stayed in one examination room while one side was conducting examinations smoothly, I might need to go to the other side, so it seemed better to stay in the middle.

Ding-a-ling~.

“Welcome!”

Whether this location was much better than I thought.

Or whether the reputation of Seongsoo Oriental Medicine Clinic had grown considerably.

New patients kept coming in one after another.

Moreover, thanks to Ryu Jinseong’s grandfather, whom I greeted when I first visited Daejeon, bringing his friends, it seemed like we might reach ten patients on the first day.

“What? The acupuncture at this oriental medicine clinic costs 5,900 won? My regular clinic next door charges 1,900 won – does it make sense to be 4,000 won more expensive?”

Of course, proportionally, some difficult patients came as well.

“Today it’s 5,900 won because it’s the initial consultation~. From next time, it’s 2,400 won for patients over 65~. The director also prescribed helpful medicine for treatment~.”

“Ah, just give me a 500 won discount!”

“I’m sorry! Legally, insurance copayments cannot be discounted~.”

An elderly patient trying to bargain like at a market floor.

You’ll meet one eventually, but it could be flustering to handle on the first day of work.

Thanks to Seo Inae helping with the training, the desk staff handled it smoothly.

“The director looks too young… How many years of experience do you have?”

“Hehe, I get told a lot that I look ten years younger than my age.”

“What? You’re saying you’re in your 40s with that face?”

“Huh? I just had my ID checked yesterday!”

“Oh my, what are you saying~ You’re clearly in your early 30s!”

Yu Minseong handled the not-quite-provocation about looking inexperienced with wit.

“I’m scared of needles… Ah! Ahhh! It hurts!”

“The first needle is always the hardest. It’ll be much better from now on. Let’s breathe slowly and relax. We can stop in the middle if it’s too difficult.”

“Oh, yes. Yes.”

“All done.”

“Huh?”

There was a patient who was quite dramatic, but Ryu Jinseong calmed them down with a serious expression and quickly inserted the needles.

Well, they probably experienced this to some extent while doing public health service and residency.

‘Nothing much to worry about!’

It was only a lot for the first day, and there was plenty of time to give individual treatment feedback.

After Ryu Jinseong saw a patient, Yu Minseong and I would give feedback, and after Yu Minseong saw one, Ryu Jinseong and I would share our opinions – that’s how we spent the first day.

“It’s really great that we can help each other!”

Should we wrap up for today?

Exactly 10 patients – having double-digit patients on opening day was already positive.

As closing time approached and both the desk and examination rooms were starting to relax.

“There was a car accident yesterday.”

“Waaaahhh!”

“Are you filing for auto insurance?”

“Yes yes, personal injury claim was filed. Just a moment. Hey hey, don’t cry. No shots. Nothing painful.”

“Could you give me the claim number?”

Four people who seemed to be a family involved in an accident registered simultaneously.

“Since there are two directors here. Mother and daughter will see Director Yu Minseong, and father and son will see Director Ryu Jinseong.”

“Ah, yes yes.”

The staff member processed the registration somewhat shakily and hurriedly.

I should tell them to ask for opinions on whether it’s better to see family patients like this all at once next time.

It’s nothing major, but I noted the feedback point and went to the warehouse to listen to both sides.

“How did the accident happen?”

The patients assigned to Yu Minseong were the mother and a 4-year-old girl.

Both patients could communicate well, so there were no particular problems.

“Waaaahhhhh!”

But in Ryu Jinseong’s examination room, a not-quite-problem occurred.

“Wah… I’m sorry. The child is crying too much.”

“It’s fine. Let’s take the examination slowly. Where are you uncomfortable?”

Of course, there was no problem with the father’s examination.

Ryu Jinseong asked about the accident details, carefully checked the painful areas, and explained the treatment plan.

“But what should we do about the child? I asked them to file insurance claims for all four of us, but what could be wrong? My shoulder hurts this much, so the child might be hurt somewhere too, but maybe they can’t speak yet…”

“Wahhh!”

“Hmm, has he been crying like this continuously since the accident?”

“Oh dear, you’ll see mommy soon. Don’t cry… I’m not sure either. I was at the company all day.”

But the child who had just passed their first birthday kept crying.

“Vroom vroom~ Peek-a-boo!”

“Waaaahhhhh!”

When Ryu Jinseong tried to help the father stop the crying, the child burst into even louder tears.

He couldn’t handle the crying infant situation.

And examining someone who couldn’t communicate seemed quite flustering too.

‘He seems a bit weak with little kids.’

Ryu Jinseong did public health service on an island, so most of his patients would have been elderly.

If Director Seon Nayeon from the Gwangju branch had been here, she would have handled it better than anyone.

Knock knock.

I knocked and entered right away.

“Director, let me try soothing the child for a moment.”

Still, I’d be better than these two.

I held the child in my arms and gently soothed them while flowing gentle energy.

“Whew.”

The child stopped crying quickly, and Ryu Jinseong, who had been quite flustered, visibly relaxed.

I took advantage of the father being distracted and slipped a note into Ryu Jinseong’s wrist.

“Oh my… thank you. I should be the one soothing him, but whether he’s scared because it’s a hospital or hurt somewhere, he’s crying so much today.”

Fortunately, the child didn’t start crying again even when held by his father.

After confirming that Ryu Jinseong had read the note, I left the examination room and hid in the warehouse again.

The content of the note wasn’t anything particularly impressive.

[You don’t need to solve everything at the clinic. Simple test explanation! The director already knows everything!]

But even with this small help, Ryu Jinseong quickly regained his composure.

“I’m the one who should apologize for startling you! Haven’t you had any tests done yet?”

“No. The accident was last night, and we came to the hospital for the first time today because of work.”

“It would be good to visit pediatrics separately and get an X-ray taken. With adults, we can somewhat predict based on the symptoms they complain about, but children sometimes have internal problems even when they show no external symptoms.”

Saying this, Ryu Jinseong simply checked muscle tension, reflex responses, and eye movements.

“Ah, yes.”

“There were no symptoms like hitting the head, vomiting, convulsions, or drooping, right?”

“No, nothing like that.”

“If there are symptoms, pediatrics might suggest brain scans or abdominal ultrasounds, but currently they’ll probably only recommend an X-ray. If the test results show no particular abnormalities, you don’t need to worry too much for now. Even with the same impact, children tend to complain less about musculoskeletal pain.”

Instead of making a definitive diagnosis, he calmly informed them about possible situations and warning signs.

“Ah… yes. My wife and I are sore all over, but our daughter says she’s fine.”

“If there’s no particular problem, you don’t need to treat it. If the X-ray shows no bone abnormalities but she keeps crying, bring her back. I’ll prescribe medicine to gently relax the muscles and calm her shock.”

“Thank you!”

He even guided them through the treatment plan.

Phew, somehow it was handled well.

After kindly sending the patients to the treatment room.

He opened the warehouse door and let out a sigh of relief.

“Whew, I was really flustered. Thank you for helping me.”

“You must have been surprised. Just do what you know and the treatments you can handle, so there’s no need to panic.”

Although I helped him out this time, actually it’s not a big problem if a child cries a little in the examination room.

It’s the same even when doctors like Seon Nayeon who are good with children examine them.

There are children who cry from the moment they enter the hospital until they leave.

“You handled it smoothly and well. Both of you worked hard today. If you keep doing it like this, there won’t be any problems in the future.”

I praised both of them and encouraged them to work even harder in the future.

“Even though it’s the first day, there were quite a lot of patients. It was good to open as Seongsoo Oriental Medicine Clinic.”

“I was also happy to meet so many people!”

Today was still chaotic, but next time I come, the waiting room will be packed and bustling, right?

I exchanged greetings with the two directors with a good feeling.

* * *

About an hour after boarding the train going down to Busan.

A file was uploaded to the group message room where all the branch directors were gathered.

The sender was Ryu Jinseong.

[Director Hanyewon’s Feedback.hwp]

When I opened it to see what he had sent.

Hadn’t he recorded absolutely everything we talked about today, down to the most trivial details?

‘No way, even things like this…’

Ryu Jinseong left a note saying he thought it would be good for other directors to read it together.

It’s not even academic content from our usual studies, just really simple clinical tips, so it’s embarrassing.

[Wow, you looked at it in such detail.]

[That sounds wonderful! It would be great if you could visit our oriental medicine clinic again, but Jeju is so far away, isn’t it? ㅠㅠ]

[Sob sob, I want to invite you too, but it would be hard to go around the whole country. Should I go to Busan once?!]

But absurdly, the directors from other branches were subtly envious of Ryu Jinseong and Yu Minseong.

…These were things I checked when each of them first opened their clinics, so why the fuss now.

I thought it would be more bothersome to give advice after they had established their routines to some extent.

[I want attention too!]

Several directors agreed with Chu Miyoung’s joke.

[Would you like to have an offline study session? Mock consultations aren’t really necessary given your experience levels… How about practicing chuna techniques?]

Is this serious or a joke?

I couldn’t tell, so I threw out a suggestion.

If they really want it, it wouldn’t be difficult.

[That sounds great! I’m doing chuna reasonably well, but I keep modifying it my own way. I want to learn the proper method again.]

At least Chu Miyoung seemed to be serious.

[I definitely want to go too!]

[On Sunday? Then I’ll attend too.]

[Where should we do it? Busan? Seoul?]

[Let’s meet in the middle. Daejeon would be best, wouldn’t it?]

[Wouldn’t it be a bit much to go to a place that just opened?]

But before I could even respond, messages from other directors kept pouring in.

Even Jeon Minji and Im Suchul, who don’t usually chat much, were actively trying to set up a schedule.

[We greatly welcome it!!]

[Ah, Director Yu feels the same way, right?]

[Of course. I’ve been wanting to meet the directors I respect so much. I’ll gladly provide the space.]

Whoa, do we really have to do this?

Ryu Jinseong and Yu Minseong immediately approved the location.

The directors began coordinating the date.

[Come anytime. I’ll treat you to bread.]

[I can buy the bread too!]

[If we leave it to Director Ryu, he’ll probably buy 100 cream puffs, right? I’m definitely buying it myself.]

Wait, is this going to be the first time all members gather together like this?

—————
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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