The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim

“Ha, haah…”

Chu Miyoung caught her breath after confirming my face. It seemed she had been quite frightened by someone following her from behind.

“I’m sorry. For suddenly screaming.”

She pulled tissues from her bag to wipe her tears. Though the tears stopped quickly, her hands continued to tremble, seemingly unable to calm down.

“No, I should apologize. It’s a secluded area, I should have been more careful. I was thoughtless.”

It had been so long since I felt threatened that I had overlooked the fear Chu Miyoung might feel.

“Um, could you escort me to my car?”

“Of course.”

Chu Miyoung walked almost leaning on me as we moved. Apparently finding it difficult to stand, she slumped into her car seat as soon as we arrived.

“Hah… I’m really sorry. This wasn’t something to be so startled about. I guess I’ve become overly sensitive because of the stalker.”

“A stalker?”

“Yes. There’s been someone lurking around the area for almost a year now.”

“Oh my. Dr. Chu, that must have been so difficult for you.”

I sat in the passenger seat, held Chu Miyoung’s hand, and infused her with energy.

I thought she was stressed about the consultation when I saw her come to spy, but she had a stalker?

It’s only natural to be constantly tense when your basic safety is threatened.

“I feel even more apologetic now. I thought you might have ill intentions because you were recording, but it was because of the stalker.”

Ah, I should reflect on this. How could I have judged someone negatively without knowing the situation?

Moreover, hadn’t I inwardly criticized her for not being able to manage her own illness as a clinic director?

My cultivation was severely lacking.

“Pardon?”

But Chu Miyoung, who had been clutching her chest, suddenly raised her head.

With a frozen expression, she asked back, doubting her ears.

“Just now, recording. No, did you say Dr. Chu…?”

“Ah, yes. You’re Dr. Chu Miyoung from Haneul Korean Medicine Clinic, right?”

“Th-that, no. Did you, perhaps, know from the beginning?”

“Ah, I should have mentioned that part first. My apologies.”

Chu Miyoung covered her face with both hands, at a loss for words.

“There’s no need for that. I’ve been to your clinic as a patient before, you know.”

“…What?”

I took out the mask from my pocket and put it on, then made glasses shapes with my hands and placed them over my eyes.

“Eek…”

“I came complaining of ankle pain, don’t you remember?”

At first, she thought I was mocking her disguise from this morning and felt even more ashamed, but soon she remembered me visiting her clinic in the same appearance a few weeks ago.

“Ah! That person with impossibly clear skin!”

“Yep. That was me.”

“Haaah. I see.”

Revealing that I had committed the same faux pas seemed to lessen her embarrassment. Chu Miyoung closed her eyes and leaned her head against the steering wheel, appearing relieved.

“I see… So that’s how you recognized me.”

“Yes. I was curious about how network Korean medicine clinics operate. Let’s call it even since we both spied on each other.”

“Haha. Alright. Let’s do that.”

Chu Miyoung nodded and lifted the corners of her mouth. Though she tried to be polite with a gentle smile, it didn’t seem to come easily.

“You still don’t seem to have calmed down. Do you think you can drive?”

“Ah… Honestly, I’m not confident.”

“If it’s alright with you, I can drive you home.”

“Oh my.”

“If you’re uncomfortable revealing your address, feel free to refuse. I can call a designated driver for you.”

“No, no. I’d be very grateful if you could drive me.”

Since Chu Miyoung accepted my offer, I moved to the driver’s seat, and she switched to the passenger seat.

Chu Miyoung operated the car’s navigation system to set her home as the destination, and I started the engine after confirming the general location.

Her home was an apartment not too far away.

“It’ll be tough for you to return, thank you.”

“It’s nothing. I was rude earlier, so I should at least do this much. More importantly, are you alright? A stalker, my goodness. The stress must be enormous.”

For me, this distance would be nothing if I used qinggong to conceal my presence and avoid people’s eyes. I was more concerned about letting someone in a fragile state of mind drive.

“It’s okay. Actually, they haven’t directly approached me yet.”

“Then how… do they lurk around?”

“Well…”

Chu Miyoung accessed Instagram and opened someone’s account, then handed me her phone when we briefly stopped at a red light.

“Like this, they’ve been taking pictures of restaurants near where I go, since I was in Cheonan. Ah, it hasn’t been long since I came down here after being a deputy director in Cheonan.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Back then, I was also actively using Instagram, so I didn’t pay much attention. They would visit restaurants I had posted about on Instagram and leave lots of comments. Since I had quite a few followers, there were occasionally people like that.”

“Don’t tell me they followed you all the way to Busan?”

“…Yes.”

Looking closely at the account she showed me, I recognized some restaurants from recent posts.

Seeing a Chinese restaurant near the station and a franchise café that were definitely not Instagram hotspots, it was clear they intended to show they were here.

“After I opened my practice and became busy, my Instagram activity decreased a bit. Then DMs started coming in saying things like ‘I miss you,’ ‘What are you up to?’ When I ignored them, they began asking personal questions like ‘Do you have a boyfriend?’ ‘You’re not married, are you?'”

“Did you keep ignoring them?”

Chu Miyoung shook her head. She sighed deeply, seeming to regret it immensely.

“I replied. I told them I was moving far away and would be too busy to pay attention to Instagram. In the early days of opening the clinic, there were a lot of miscellaneous tasks, and I had quite a few patients.”

“Ah… So those photos started appearing after that?”

“Yes. Since I had revealed that I was a Korean medicine doctor on Instagram from long ago, it probably wasn’t too difficult to find the Haneul Korean Medicine Clinic website.”

That’s true. Since Chu Miyoung advertised with her face and name revealed, anyone determined enough could easily pinpoint the clinic’s location.

“Have there been any DMs since then?”

“Once. It said, ‘So it’s true. I’ll always be watching you.'”

Chu Miyoung gritted her teeth as she relayed the stalker’s message. Whether from anger or fear, tears welled up in her eyes again.

“Is there no family or acquaintance who can accompany you during your commute?”

“No one. I have no connections in Busan at all. I came down here alone because the head office told me to open a practice in Busan.”

This is truly a troublesome situation. Even if she reported it to the police, they couldn’t provide 24-hour protection, and since the stalker wasn’t approaching directly while using fake accounts, it wouldn’t be easy to catch and punish them.

“Hmm…”

“We’re here. That apartment over there. Thank you for driving me this far.”

Though no suitable solution had come to mind, Chu Miyoung expressed her gratitude, saying that just talking about it had made her feel better.

She blushed, mentioning that she couldn’t bring herself to tell her family, not wanting to add to their worries about their daughter living in a different city.

“It’s nothing. This isn’t difficult at all. If the timing works out, I could drive you home on nights when you have evening consultations. I’m glad I got my license.”

I smoothly finished parking and got out of the car.

Did she have evening consultations on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays? It’s completely dark by 9 PM, and while it might be fine in the car, something could happen in the short distance to the parking lot of the next building, just like today.

“Oh, did you get it recently? You must not be used to driving yet. I’ve asked you to do something difficult.”

Chu Miyoung was startled and apologized again. She apologizes for everything. I’ve lost count of how many times we’ve exchanged apologies in the short time since meeting today.

“Yes. It’s been two weeks, but it feels completely natural, so it’s fine.”

Chu Miyoung’s mouth gaped open again.

Drrrr.

And her head turned mechanically.

Having sat in the passenger seat without knowing I was a novice driver, she seemed belatedly worried about her own safety and that of the luxury foreign car.

“I-I-I see.”

“Ahaha. Don’t worry. I’m good at all physical things, so I’m confident I could shake off a stalker’s car in a cool movie-like chase if one followed us.”

Chu Miyoung shook her head with wide eyes. Her strong desire to never ride in a car involved in such a chase was palpable.

“I see… You’re very, um, confident, and good at driving, and all that.”

Oh, come on. I don’t normally drive like that, of course!

I always do my best for the safety of all drivers and pedestrians on the road!

◆◇◆◇◆

After driving Chu Miyoung home that day, I frequented the stalker’s Instagram whenever I had time.

Somehow, I had ended up sharing a secret that none of her acquaintances knew, hadn’t I?

She declined my offer to drive her home for the time being, but I accompanied her a few times on the way to the parking lot after evening consultations.

During those times, I didn’t sense any presence of the stalker, but photos were uploaded to Instagram every two or three days.

‘Oh, this place?’

The moment I pressed F5, a new post appeared. This time, it was a Chinese restaurant near our clinic.

None other than Yongho Banjeom, run by Jin Yongho, whom I had treated for frozen shoulder recently.

“Hello? I’m sorry for the sudden call. This is Han Yeowon, the director of Seongsu Korean Medicine Clinic.”

I immediately found the contact information online and made a call. Fortunately, Jin Yongho answered, so I briefly explained the situation and asked if anyone had dined alone there just now.

– I’m not sure. There are quite a few office workers who eat alone during weekday lunches.

Jin Yongho seemed eager to help me somehow, but there was nothing he could do about something he couldn’t remember.

“No, thank you for your time.”

I hung up without lingering and checked the stalker’s account again.

‘Hmm. Looking at how their movements are like this… Are they living in the one-room apartment area near our clinic?’

If they made a clear threat, we could request help from investigative agencies. The level of threat was frustratingly ambiguous.

But staring at the screen like this wouldn’t yield any new clues.

Chu Miyoung had already tried everything an individual could do, like IP tracking, and she was reluctant to get involved with private investigators.

“Agh, what am I doing playing detective at a time like this!”

If this were the murim world, I could have asked my master to look into it, and they would have brought the culprit right away!

I have to see patients, and I don’t have anyone to assign to this, so it’s utterly frustrating.

We can’t just keep waiting for them to appear during the times she’s with me…

“Ah, that’s right.”

If they won’t appear, we should draw them out!

Suddenly, a good idea came to mind.

I immediately shared that idea through Chu Miyoung’s personal messenger, which I had recently learned about and occasionally exchanged messages on.

[Dr. Chu, I’ve been thinking…]

[Yes?]

[Instead of continuing to be anxious like this, let’s throw out some bait and draw them out.]

Why didn’t I think of this before?

The stalker was hovering around Chu Miyoung, conscious of “something.” And Chu Miyoung was certain that they would reveal themselves directly “someday,” even though they hadn’t approached directly yet.

[Bait? What? They won’t come if I call them. They’ll probably think it’s the police.]

[Of course, calling them directly won’t work. That could even be disadvantageous in court.]

[Then what?]

[What if we pretend you have a boyfriend? Wouldn’t that provoke some kind of reaction?]

[Oh?]

They’ve been asking if she has a boyfriend or if she’s married, and followed her all the way to Busan to keep watch.

Until now, Chu Miyoung had always been alone, so there was no change to observe, but if we create a situation that looks like she’s dating, they would respond in some way.

[Hmm. I don’t really have anyone suitable to ask for such a thing. It might be dangerous for no reason.]

[Ah, of course, the person playing that role should be someone who can handle it safely even if the stalker suddenly appears and makes threats.]

And there was a very appropriate person for that role.