The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim - Chapter 76

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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 76

Ah, I wonder if he has any thoughts about opening a branch?

Well, that’s true. Unlike Chu Miyoung who still often calls for help, Hwang Sanghun would do well even if he opened his own practice alone.

In that case, there would be no need to pay network franchise fees.

It was somewhat disappointing. When the network topic first came up, he seemed happy about it, so I thought he was interested!

“I’m not telling you to do it~ I was just curious about your intentions! It’s perfectly fine if you don’t join the network and just open comfortably on your own!”

To ensure Hwang Sanghun wouldn’t feel uncomfortable while working as deputy director, I emphasized that I had absolutely no intention of forcing him into a branch.

But the more I said this, the worse his expression became.

“…Are you telling me to leave after just one year?”

“Huh? You want to stay another year? That would be great for me!”

Traditional Korean Medicine clinic deputy director contracts are basically one year.

I wrote the period in the contract meaning he should complete at least one year, but even with non-fixed regular contracts, deputy directors usually hope to resign after one year when severance pay kicks in.

From the head director’s perspective, it’s good when deputy directors work long-term, but usually deputy directors aim to learn techniques and systems from various clinics before opening their own.

Of course, there are also deputy directors who don’t aim for quick practice opening and work long-term at reasonably good workplaces.

‘Isn’t it a waste? If he opens his own practice, he’d earn at least three times what he makes now.’

I didn’t expect Hwang Sanghun to want that.

Rather, I was worried he might want to quit as soon as he objectified his abilities.

He moved his lips slightly before opening his mouth.

“If it’s okay with you, I’d like to stay longer.”

“Longer?”

“Yes. If I don’t meet expectations, it can’t be helped, but…”

“That won’t happen! You’re doing so well! Of course it would be best if you stayed!”

He wants to stay longer?

Of course, people’s minds can change even after saying such things, and by next year it might be different, but there was absolutely no need to make him change his mind right now.

It’s been several months since he started treating patients, but is he still unable to do metacognition?

No, unless he’s an idiot, Hwang Sanghun must know he could earn much more money by opening his own practice.

Despite that, wanting to stay long means he doesn’t want to run his own business.

Thinking about it, it wasn’t strange. If money was important, it would have been better to somehow stick to his family and receive their benefits rather than opening a practice.

“Right, while we’re at it, should we write a new contract? Converting to regular employment?”

Anyway, the longer an S-grade deputy director stayed, the more beneficial it was for me.

I immediately dropped the branch topic and held onto Hwang Sanghun.

‘Seoul practice opening? When the time comes, a suitable person will appear!’

Hwang Sanghun was very happy about the talk of staying for 10 or 20 years.

* * *

A few days later.

I received contact from two friends in Seoul.

[Yewonnnnn you haven’t taken continuing education yet, right?]

Unfortunately, it wasn’t about asking to run a network branch, but about taking continuing education together in Seoul.

Continuing education refers to periodic and continuous education provided to offer updated content and information related to technical qualifications after obtaining them.

For Korean medicine doctor continuing education, the first year after graduation is exempt, but from then on, 8 points must be completed annually, with 4 points mandatory offline.

Of course, there’s no need to go to Seoul specifically to complete that.

There are educational opportunities available in Busan once every 1-2 months.

‘Should I go once though?’

It’s been a long time since I last saw my friends, so going wouldn’t be bad.

[Sounds good~ Let’s take it together~]

The date happens to be Sunday, so it would be perfect to go after Saturday’s treatment and come back.

I registered for the course through the link Senior Student sent me.

* * *

Sunday.

Arriving at the continuing education venue a little earlier than the lecture start time, I met a familiar face.

It wasn’t Hwangseoyeong and Senior Student whom I had originally planned to meet.

“Student Hanyewon? It’s been a while. Or should I call you Director Han now?”

“…It’s been a while, Professor.”

It was none other than Professor Lee Minseok.

What? This was this professor’s lecture?

Continuing education is sometimes organized by academic directors of academic societies, and professors are often invited.

Since I thought of it as just filling a seat, I didn’t look at the lecture title or instructor.

“Oh? Yewon was here first? Professor~ Hello~!”

Seeing that Senior Student brought a bouquet when she came in shortly after, they seemed to have known.

“Is there a seat here?”

“Oh, no! Please sit!”

Soon after, dozens of Korean medicine doctors filled the seats right on time for the lecture.

Since the education started immediately, there was no time for long conversations with friends or the professor.

The lecture topic was musculoskeletal ultrasound – upper extremity edition.

Hwang Sanghun, who trained at Korean University Affiliated Korean Medicine Hospital, must have learned from this professor too. The parts he emphasized were quite similar.

“…If you go in while watching with ultrasound like this, you can insert herbal injections even in dangerous locations. What do you think that nerve shown on the screen is?”

“Uh, it looks like the subscapular nerve?”

But Professor Lee Minseok kept asking me questions as he lectured, since I was sitting in the front row.

Unlike school classes, this was a venue with many Korean medicine doctors in their 50s and 60s, so I, being someone he knew, was probably the easiest target.

“Can you tell what this picture shows? It’s easy to get confused.”

“A cyst?”

“Correct.”

“Ooh!”

I answered well to every question he asked.

I wasn’t a great expert having only handled it for a few months, but having experience versus not having any was completely different.

And so the 4-hour lecture ended.

“Young people these days are amazing. We need to work hard too so we don’t fall behind.”

“Ahaha, I’m using it in my practice, so.”

“Should I buy one too? It doesn’t seem easy to master though….”

Seeing the professor and me exchange questions and answers, the seniors in their 50s and 60s showed interest.

I strongly recommended it to those who approached me. After all, you need to purchase one to be able to practice.

And as I was about to go to my friends.

“It’s not like a training environment where you can learn one-on-one, but you’re amazing. Shouldn’t someone like you come to the forefront of research for the Korean medicine field?”

“I’ll just gratefully accept the compliment.”

“If you’re interested in even a part-time doctoral program for degree purposes, please definitely come to my lab.”

“Yes, I’ll let you know if I become interested.”

I was caught by Professor Lee Minseok.

The graduate school talk was already over! I quickly escaped and hid behind Hwangseoyeong.

“It was nice meeting you. We have an appointment, so we’ll be going now….”

“Since you came all this way, why don’t you join the after-party before leaving?”

But when I came to my senses, I found myself at the after-party.

Why is there an after-party for continuing education?

The unwritten rule is to disappear quickly as soon as you’ve fulfilled the attendance hours, but since there were many people who knew the professor personally, a separate dinner gathering was arranged.

“Quite a lot of our classmates and juniors came? Wasn’t that professor unpopular because he’s scary?”

“Still, it’s nice to meet outside of school~.”

I naturally sat together with my classmates and juniors.

The after-party had barely over ten participants, half of whom were Korean University alumni who were Professor Lee Minseok’s students, and the other half were connections from his alma mater, Umyeong University.

Since it wasn’t really a gathering to promote friendship between generations, the tables were divided, and the professor went back and forth between both sides drinking.

“Ah, you said you opened a practice in Busan. Did Dr. Hwang Sanghun go there too? You must have enough patients to have an associate director already.”

At our table, I was naturally the main conversation partner.

Fortunately, he didn’t try to persuade me about graduate school anymore.

“Yewon is really amazing, right? She even opened a branch in Daegu!”

“Oh? Are you planning to do franchise business?”

“Yes. It somehow turned out that way. It’s still just the second location though.”

“Do you have any specialized conditions you focus on?”

“No~ Nothing like that in particular, I just see everything!”

Instead, Professor Lee Minseok showed great interest in my current situation.

Well, I’d be curious too. At the age of late twenties, right after graduation, when I should be working as an associate director, I’m building a network.

“Are you looking for a third location too?”

“I’m not rushing to expand. If I meet good people and the connection works out, I’d welcome it.”

“Do you have established treatment protocols? Like Haneul Clinic?”

“I don’t do things like ‘take medicine this many times.’ The director of the second location requested it, so we studied together for a few months before opening. If someone has the skills, they probably don’t need to do that, right? Oh, but academic exchange through cases would be good.”

I had treatment manuals that I provided to Chu Miyoung and Hwang Sanghun, but they were insufficient to be called network operation policies.

Things were just rolling along haphazardly among people who knew each other.

I answered appropriately, thinking up responses to whatever Professor Lee Minseok asked.

“How do you handle marketing?”

“I don’t do it separately. The director of the second location does blogs and Instagram. If the number of locations increases, there might be centralized marketing…?”

“Geez, even without doing that stuff, Yewon’s place is packed. They see over 100 patients every day!”

“Ho. You must have many patients who come through referrals.”

“That’s right, haha. But why do you ask? Do you perhaps have a junior you’d like to introduce?”

Professor Lee Minseok, who had decades left until retirement, wouldn’t be asking because he wanted to join the network.

If it were a classmate, they would have contacted me directly, so it must be a junior?

“It’s not a junior.”

Professor Lee Minseok shook his head.

“Please come over here for a moment.”

Then he led me to the table where the Umyeong University graduates were gathered.

The person Professor Lee Minseok introduced me to was the eldest-looking gentleman at that table.

“This is Director Han Yewon. She graduated summa cum laude from Korean University last year and operates the Seongsuhaneui Clinic network.”

“Hello…?”

Not knowing what was going on, I greeted him first.

“This is Professor Kim Chunsik, who retired from Umyeong University last year. After retirement, he opened a practice in Songpa where his family lives, and he’s currently looking into joining a network, so I’m introducing you.”

“Oh, nice to meet you.”

The middle-aged man offered me a handshake.

What’s the retirement age for university professors? 65? Then he should still be in his mid to late 60s, but his name and apparent age were about 20 years ahead of that.

Ah, of course not 80s by civilian standards though.

‘A Wudang Sect elder…?’

He was someone who exuded the kind and benevolent atmosphere of an elder from a Taoist sect.

‘They want this person to be the director of the 3rd branch? He’s older than even my Master?’

When I was at the Sichuan Dang Family’s Medical Institute, I had taken in disciples older than myself. But at that time, I was already being called the Divine Physician, and even the oldest disciple was only in their 30s or 40s.

Even setting myself aside, wouldn’t he find such a young representative burdensome?

“Hehe, I’m embarrassed to say, but I have no talent for management and am struggling with it. Your capabilities at such a young age are truly remarkable. If it’s alright with you, would you help me?”

However, Kim Chunsik spoke gladly, welcoming Lee Minseok’s introduction.

A man in his 60s, and moreover a former professor with authority.

With such a background, readily admitting one’s shortcomings and asking for help is not an easy thing to do.

Normally, seeing someone as young as me, he would have frowned from the start.

At Kim Chunsik’s attitude, I too set aside my preconceptions and shook his hand.

I should hear what he has to say, but perhaps this could become a good relationship.

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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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