The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim - Chapter 82

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 82

[Evidence of Haneul Clinic’s slander against Seongsoo Oriental Medicine Clinic.jpg]

The post uploaded there cleanly listed only the facts, but people easily deduced the entire situation.

└ [Wow… How could they do such lowly things to a business in the same industry?]

└ [This is too much! I knew there were a lot of viral posts in our cafe, but badmouthing the clinic next door like this was going too far!]

└ [Oh my, they’re the ones who force people to get chuna treatment unconditionally, but they’re pinning this on Seongsoo Oriental Medicine Clinic? I went there for a back strain and it got worse!]

└ [That’s right. Come to think of it, I also received treatment there for a week with no effect, so I switched to Seongsoo Oriental Medicine Clinic and got better in just two sessions!]

└ [Wasn’t that because the previous treatment had accumulated effects?]

└ [Yeah right, Lee Hansol]

└ [Director Lee Hansol, what are you doing here? Even if you don’t have patients, you shouldn’t be doing this on a mom cafe~.]

The reaction was extremely intense.

In that post, bad experiences at Haneul Clinic appeared by the minute, and whenever someone tried to defend them, they were immediately labeled as Lee Hansol.

Not only that, but people started creating new posts to badmouth Haneul Clinic.

No, if posts praising Seongsoo Oriental Medicine Clinic were 1, then posts badmouthing Haneul Clinic were 10.

– We agreed not to do negative campaigns!

Less than three hours after the post went up, Lee Hansol called Chu Miyoung, but.

“What? What are you talking about? I have absolutely no idea about this!”

Chu Miyoung firmly denied having anything to do with it.

What kind of negative campaign is this? It’s just preserving what actually happened.

And a few days later.

I received a screenshot from another gaming acquaintance, Young Master Chungpung.

“…It spread this far?”

The names of Seongsoo Oriental Medicine Clinic and Haneul Clinic had been mentioned even in gaming communities.

The speed at which incidents spread was beyond my imagination, but that post had much more detail than what Yun Hanbyeol had posted on the local cafe a few days ago.

Having investigated the four people’s names and twelve IDs more thoroughly, they had dug up all the posts the couple had written on various local cafes, communities, YouTube, etc.

When you think about it, it makes sense – Seongsoo Oriental Medicine Clinic wasn’t the first place that couple had caused trouble.

I mean, how could they suddenly come up with something like the solomon’s seal tea villain?!

It turned out that until two years ago, there was another oriental medicine clinic in the opposite alley, but it closed down after experiencing similar territorial behavior. Moreover, there were captured screenshots of them speaking negatively about four other nearby oriental medicine clinics.

But still, the most impressive thing was… Hyeon Jumi writing hateful comments on YouTube about her the very day after she tagged Seongsoo Oriental Medicine Clinic on Instagram.

[Actions of a certain oriental medicine clinic director in Daegu.jpg(photo)(photo)(photo)]

└ [hahahahahahahaha]

└ [Ah, they must be really pissed off lmaooooo]

└ [Even so, how could a doctor write hate comments to someone who said they got panic disorder from hate comments? It’s truly shocking.]

└└ [For real lol]

└ [Fucking hell, that Haneul Oriental Medicine Clinic just keeps chanting about dieting the moment you walk in there lololololol]

└ [Holy shit, I’m getting PTSD. It’s like the chicken restaurant across from us]

└└ [Do chicken restaurants even go that far?]

└└└ [Don’t even fucking start, they put that shit on receipt reviews, map apps, and delivery apps everywhere, it’s driving me crazy]

The word choice in gaming communities was much more intense than in local mom cafes.

[My goodness, do they really engage in territorial behavior to that extent? I never could have imagined]

[Can’t the association impose some sanctions on things like this?]

[They’re bringing shame to all oriental medicine doctors. Which school and what class year are they?]

[Isn’t Haneul Clinic going to respond at all? They should at least post a statement.]

[Hahahaha that person used to be the model student who would gather everyone for group projects then secretly hide in the bathroom to study for exams^^ I see they’re still working just as hard these days]

In the oriental medicine practitioner community, even school-day anecdotes were circulating.

Just how far had these posts spread?

With the issue focused due to Hyeon Jumi’s mention, their excessive territorial behavior was exposed in detail, and small business owners who had suffered various damages empathized, even drawing national outrage.

Being cursed at even in completely unrelated places, the image of the Haneul Korean Medicine Clinic Network plummeted to rock bottom in an instant.

* * *

Haneul Clinic Daegu branch.

While the eye of the storm should be quiet by convention, this place was filled with someone’s desperate voice throughout the clinic.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a patient yearning for treatment.

There wasn’t a single patient in the treatment rooms, and at the desk, a reporter demanding an interview was confronting a staff member who wanted him to leave.

“Isn’t Director Lee Hansol here? Really, just for a moment, could you spare 5 minutes for an interview? I absolutely won’t write it in a bad way!”

“I’m sorry. He’s busy with treatments.”

“It would really just take a moment…”

“I’m sorry. Please leave!”

Lee Hansol, sitting in the examination room and forced to listen to that noise, felt his mental strength being drained moment by moment.

How on earth did things get this bad?

What he had done wrong wasn’t even that much.

Wasn’t it Seongsoo Oriental Medicine Clinic that first rudely opened a clinic right in the next block?

Seeing how all the chuna patients flowed over there, that side must have been engaging in disparagement too.

So he gave them a warning once and did the same thing online in return.

‘Getting cursed at this much? What did I do so wrong!’

As soon as netizens caught wind of it, they tore into him like crazy.

He felt terribly wronged.

He was being cursed at even in the oriental medicine practitioner community he used to frequent regularly for writing hate comments to Hyeon Jumi as a medical professional, but all he had said was that he found her disgusting. It wasn’t even at a level to be sued for.

Local cafe promotion? He was a bit more excessive than others, but was that enough to have his personal information exposed to this extent?

After just a few mistakes, the number of patients dropped to less than 1/10 of what it was.

Patients in the age group that frequently used the internet must have all read that post, and even elderly people who weren’t familiar with it seemed to have heard rumors from somewhere.

‘I’m ruined. Completely ruined!’

On top of that, I had already placed excessive orders for Gyeongokgo, patches, frying pans, and other items for the event.

I had planned to make up for it with the revenue after driving out Seongsoo Oriental Medicine Clinic… but at this rate, there was no chance of winning at all.

No, even without the bet, the current number of patients made it impossible to maintain the clinic.

‘How, how can I find a way to recover…!’

No matter how much I thought about it, no solution came to mind, and I was pulling at my hair in frustration.

– Director Lee Hansol, are you at the clinic right now?

A call came from the PR manager of Haneul Clinic.

“Ah, yes! I’m here!”

Upon hearing the stiff man’s voice, Lee Hansol’s eyes lit up.

That’s right, this wasn’t just his problem alone but had become an issue for all of Haneul Clinic.

Come to think of it, naturally the PR department would make some gesture too.

“Are you perhaps proceeding with a lawsuit? I’ll cooperate actively!”

– A lawsuit, hmm…

But the manager’s reaction was ambiguous.

Without saying yes or no, he hesitated for a moment, then brought up an unexpected topic.

– First, let’s have you talk with the representative. Director Choi Eunhee will arrive in Daegu soon.

As soon as he finished speaking, someone entered the clinic.

Since it was outside the examination room, I had no idea who it was, but even without seeing them, I instinctively felt chills.

“Director Choi Eunhee is coming in person?”

Lee Hansol jumped up and opened the examination room door.

* * *

After treating patients like crazy, the promised month passed in an instant.

As soon as lunch time came on the 1st, I barged into Haneul Clinic with Chu Miyoung. There was no other suitable time to meet Lee Hansol.

“Oh my, you’re Dr. Hanyewon and Dr. Chu Miyoung, right? Would it be possible to get an interview? Are you planning to sue Lee Hansol for writing malicious defamatory posts…”

When we entered Haneul Clinic, some reporter was loitering around.

Chu Miyoung’s face was widely exposed on Instagram, and this time Park Seseun had posted photos taken with me, so they seemed to recognize both of us.

“I’m sorry. We can’t discuss the details.”

I sent the reporter away.

Actually, two hospitals betting on revenue wasn’t exactly dignified behavior to go around talking about either.

“Yes… I understand.”

The reporter, perhaps intimidated by my presence, quietly withdrew.

And when I went inside the clinic, Lee Hansol and the two vice directors under him were standing in front of each examination room door.

‘Why does that guy look so deflated?’

His behavior before and after the bet was unmanly, but initially he had come to find Chu Miyoung directly and acted defiantly. He shouldn’t be lacking in spirit, right?

Step.

He flinched every time I took a step closer.

“Director Lee Hansol.”

“…Who?”

“I’m Hanyewon, the head director of Seongsoo Oriental Medicine Clinic Busan branch.”

“…Ah.”

When I introduced myself, only then did he snap to attention.

While putting on an expression that said ‘I’m mocking you.’

“Well, well. Working right next door and we couldn’t even greet each other.”

He was suggesting a handshake. I casually took his hand.

But then, as if trying to engage in some power struggle, didn’t he squeeze my hand tiiiiight?

Cornered and resorting to a mere show of strength.

For someone like me who could break hand bones if I wanted to, it was just pathetic.

Of course, I had many other ways besides strength to beat him, and I had already done so.

I simply gripped his hand with the same intensity for a moment, then let go.

“I came after a month passed. We need to check last month’s revenue to see who won, right?”

I handed over the monthly settlement details I had printed in advance.

“Or shall I show you by accessing the chart? Let’s check Director Lee’s side first.”

Even considering that Haneul Clinic’s revenue had completely crashed recently, we must have achieved at least a triple score.

We really, really, really had so many patients.

It was a figure that made you wonder if this was even possible for a clinic-level facility.

“Ha…”

Sure enough, Lee Hansol couldn’t reveal his revenue cleanly.

“Can you really call winning through such underhanded methods a victory based on skill? I refuse to acknowledge it!”

Underhanded methods. Who used such things? Surely not the exposé? That was just reaping what you sow.

The celebrity was definitely a deus ex machina… but so what?

Blame your own lack of preparation for not having a trump card hidden away.

“Is this even skill? Really, instead of wasting time writing strange posts and randomly giving away medicine like some joke, you should have built better connections.”

I chuckled while fiddling with the giant roulette wheel placed in one corner of the clinic.

I could also see frying pans stacked behind the desk.

Tsk tsk, looks like they’ll be stuck with all that inventory.

“Where is it acceptable for a network’s general director to personally see patients while stealing patients from other branches! Besides, Director Chu Miyoung was originally from Haneul Clinic, wasn’t she? How can you be so brazen after doing something that goes against business ethics by poaching this person and setting up shop right next to our clinic!”

What is he even saying right now.

“Director Lee Hansol, that’s rich. When you thought you’d win, you readily accepted the bet—no, you even made a counter-proposal—and now that the results are out, you’re tucking your tail between your legs?”

Chu Miyoung, who had been standing behind me, stepped forward.

“How dare you talk about business ethics? Just follow the law properly! Do you really want to take this all the way with business interference charges? And if you’re so envious of our director, why don’t you summon Director Choi Eunhee too!”

With me behind her, she was completely confident.

She was absolutely right.

Talking about business ethics after summoning the Solomon’s seal tea villain is too much.

My coming here was like, if you’re upset about it, call your boss too. It might have been somewhat of a match if Director Choi Eunhee had been here…

“Did someone call for me?”

But just then, the clinic door opened.

It wasn’t a patient. It wasn’t the reporter from earlier either.

“Hiccup.”

It was really Choi Eunhee.

…They say even tigers come when you speak of them, so I guess that person isn’t much of a gentleman either?

Lee Hansol was so startled by her appearance that he snapped to attention.

The two vice directors, who had come out for no reason and hadn’t said a word while Lee Hansol and I were arguing, also awkwardly clasped their hands together and bowed.

Those poor guys, should I say they’re unfortunate to have the wrong head director? Still, they must be in their mid-twenties at least, but seeing them badmouth other clinics makes me wonder if they lack proper judgment.

“Ah… Hello.”

Perhaps overwhelmed by her considerable presence, Chu Miyoung also reflexively bowed as soon as she saw Choi Eunhee.

She had also run a Haneul Clinic branch and seemed to know her by sight. Though she had successfully terminated her contract without meeting face-to-face, seeing her again like this must have been awkward.

“Hello, Director. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

I greeted Choi Eunhee with a bright smile.

Unlike Lee Hansol who had caused trouble, or Chu Miyoung who had the awkward contract termination issue, I had absolutely nothing to feel uncomfortable about.

“Oh my, it’s Miss Hanyewon. Haneul’s colleague.”

Choi Eunhee, whose facial muscles hadn’t moved a bit until just now, smiled brightly at me.

My stomach felt slightly queasy.

‘I never thought I’d meet this person under these circumstances.’

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————