The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim

Director of PK Biologics?

I couldn’t help but be surprised when I saw the business card.

Although biotech wasn’t their main focus, the PK Group was a conglomerate known to everyone in our country.

I had expected him to be from a wealthy family, given that he had a personal driver, but this was beyond my imagination.

For a young man barely in his early 30s to hold a director position, he must be the chairman’s son. Quite a big shot.

‘He’s recovered at the hospital, so why is he asking to have a meal?’

Naturally, it’s rare for a professional relationship at a hospital to evolve into a personal one.

Hmm, in modern South Korea, the wealthy people I know are mostly classmates whose parents own dozens of hospitals, but in Murim, I had been involved with quite a few influential merchant leaders.

If they tried to maintain a connection after treatment with excessive praise?

In my experience, most of them aimed to recruit me as their personal physician, and occasionally there were proposals to mass-produce and sell the miraculous medicine that had cured them.

Ah, there was one special exception. A peculiar old man who wanted to bequeath his entire fortune to me, not wanting to give even a penny to his children who had started fighting over the inheritance while waiting for him to die.

‘But surely he’s not going to make a business proposal just for fixing a minor back injury.’

Then again, it could just be a casual remark.

There were often people who sent New Year’s gifts every year, just in case, even without any immediate purpose.

Perhaps this guy was trying to add me to his network list, just in case? In such cases, the dinner usually doesn’t materialize.

Having made my assessment, I casually brushed off Park Seon-yun’s dinner invitation.

“Please refer to my consultation hours and contact me when you need to.”

I handed him a business card from the desk.

It was a card that only listed my name, consultation hours, and the clinic’s phone number.

The implication was that I was generally free outside of consultation hours, so anytime was fine.

“When I need to… I see.”

However, Park Seon-yun seemed a bit flustered upon receiving it. He awkwardly smiled and tucked the card into his wallet.

“Take your medicine diligently, and come back for treatment tomorrow. You work a desk job, right? Sitting for long periods can be strenuous, so make sure to get up and stretch occasionally.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

“Thank you, Doctor!”

Park Seon-yun quickly composed himself and bowed politely.

Beside him, Kim Jin-sang bent at a full 90 degrees.

“Who did he say was the young master?”

Right after the two left, Seo In-ae, who had been listening from the treatment room, scurried over to look at the business card.

Seol Yu-hee’s eyes also sparkled with curiosity.

“PK.”

I briefly answered, flipping the card to show them.

“Gasp.”

“Wow! That’s insane! His name was Park Seon-yun, right?”

Seol Yu-hee immediately searched for the name online. For a group like PK, it shouldn’t be difficult to find their family tree.

“I’m shocked.”

“But Doctor, you didn’t seem surprised at all.”

Was that so? Actually, I was more surprised that Kim Jin-sang was a chauffeur for a chaebol family than by the fact that a chaebol had come to the clinic.

“Wow… Do celebrities and chaebols often come to Korean medicine clinics?”

“No. This is the first time.”

“Wow, wow.”

After Seol Yu-hee’s thorough internet search, it turned out that Park Seon-yun was the youngest of three sons and one daughter of the chairman of PK Construction, the core of the group.

So he was indeed a direct descendant. Even in the Sacheon Tang Family, only direct descendants were given important positions, unless they showed exceptional ability.

For me, meeting the Heavenly Demon in person was far more fascinating than any merchant leader’s son, but I didn’t dampen their excitement.

Beep beep beep beep beep.

Oh no.

I had intended to wait a bit longer, but the alarm signaling the end of needle retention time went off in the treatment room.

“Well~ Let’s get back to work.”

As long as there were still patients, we had to postpone the chitchat.

Seo In-ae, Seol Yu-hee, and I dispersed to our respective duties.

◆◇◆◇◆

Despite my unintentional cold shoulder, Park Seon-yun consistently showed up at the clinic.

Although I had told him to come every day, it was an attendance rate I hadn’t really expected.

Unlike the common folk in Murim who generally followed a physician’s instructions (except for Murim practitioners), modern people often postponed treatment, using busy work as an excuse.

Unless it was a fatal illness, the average office worker would typically put off treatment for a minor back injury, thinking it would heal on its own, only to show up at the clinic when the pain worsened.

However, the director of PK Biologics, who should be busier than most office workers, religiously received treatment at the clinic at 7 AM sharp every day.

Moreover, he brought unnecessary small gifts, even though I insisted it wasn’t necessary. Although it was probably prepared by his secretary or driver, it was an unnecessary gesture.

Why was he giving gifts for the break room instead of buying the meal he had offered?

If he wanted to build a personal relationship, he could have contacted me outside of consultation hours using the card I gave him…

‘Wait, my cell phone number wasn’t on that card, was it?’

I belatedly realized why Park Seon-yun had been flustered that first day.

Had I missed an opportunity for a free meal at a high-end restaurant?

Either way, I would have declined whatever unclear proposal he might have had, so I didn’t feel too regretful.

“Um, Doctor. If you have time, would it be possible for me to treat you to dinner one evening?”

The one who unexpectedly asked me out to dinner was a completely different person.

It was Jung In-sung.

He had barely come for treatment since his skin improved dramatically, busy dating his girlfriend every day. What was this about?

“What’s the occasion?”

“I’d like to express my gratitude and also get some advice.”

“If it’s about health consultation, wouldn’t it be better to do it at the clinic?”

What could it be? He didn’t seem to be in any pain. He had just popped in without even making an appointment.

“It’s not about health…”

Then what? Don’t tell me he needs relationship advice?

He seems to be doing much better than me, who’s been single for nearly half a century.

“It’s about my career path.”

“Ah?”

This was another unexpected topic.

And not exactly my area of expertise. Even when I used to tutor, I avoided taking on high school seniors, so I’ve never given career advice.

“Well, if I can be of help…”

“Thank you for agreeing to my troublesome request. When would be convenient for you? My mother would like to join us too, if that’s alright?”

Well, there’s no reason to refuse the request either.

I’m probably the only Korean medicine doctor he knows.

Jung In-sung coordinated with me and made a reservation at a restaurant for Friday evening.

◆◇◆◇◆

Jung In-sung was a good student.

He had slightly better comprehension and memory than others, and he didn’t particularly dislike sitting and studying for long hours. He didn’t rebel during puberty either, as his relationship with his mother wasn’t particularly bad.

He didn’t understand why his mother would be pleased with his good grades, but he was an exemplary student who simply studied hard because he was told to do so.

“In-sung was aiming for the College of Engineering, right? Looking at last year’s admission results, Mechanical and Electrical Information Engineering, and Liberal Arts are borderline, while the rest are within reach or safe.”

In other words, he didn’t have a specific target university or department.

If pressed, he might say the highest-ranking university he could enter with a department that had good job prospects.

“I’m not necessarily set on engineering.”

“Oh? Your actual test scores were much better than your mock exam results. You could even consider medical school, so think about it.”

So, he only started to seriously consider his career path after finishing the college entrance exam.

‘I could go into medical school? Medicine, dentistry, Korean medicine, or nursing?’

After finishing his consultation with the homeroom teacher, he fell into deep thought.

It had seemed like a far-off tale. He had felt his mind working exceptionally well during the final sprint of the month leading up to the college entrance exam, but to think it was to this extent.

‘If I become a Korean medicine doctor, could I live like the clinic Doctor?’

He imagined himself sitting in a consultation room, wearing a white coat.

This is your condition. I’ll cure you! Skillfully inserting needles, preparing herbal medicines… It sounds good!

He felt it would suit his aptitude, as he was confident in dealing with people, had the physical stamina, and was prepared to study hard.

It would be a truly rewarding job to be able to treat people suffering like himself or his grandmother.

“Ju-yeon, what do you think about me going to Korean medicine school?”

“That would be great! When you learn to read pulses, you can tell me if anything’s wrong with me!”

His girlfriend nodded enthusiastically.

It was his grandmother’s birthday, and his father had come down to Busan.

In-sung decided to casually bring up the topic when the whole family was gathered.

“Dad, actually, I’ve found a university I want to go to.”

“What? All of a sudden?”

His mother, who had been telling everyone she knew that her son would likely go to Korea University, was startled and asked.

“Which one is it?”

“Korean medicine school. From what I’ve looked into, besides Korea University, there are a few others I could try for. If I apply to Korean medicine schools for all three admission periods, I think I could get into at least one of them.”

“You want to become a Korean medicine doctor? You, In-sung?”

“Yes, Grandma. What do you think?”

“I’d love that! Then this old lady will get free tonics for life!”

“Haha, of course, I’ll take care of you.”

“Son, I’ll support you in whatever you want to do.”

As expected, his grandmother and father didn’t try to dissuade him. His father, who had spent his life enjoying a job that didn’t pay well, was in no position to comment on his son’s career choice.

“You…!”

When his mother glared at his father, he averted his eyes and turned his head. From the start, his mother was the only family member who might potentially object.

“Mom, would you prefer if I went to Korea University?”

She fell silent, lost in thought.

If he had said he wanted to pursue pure art like his father, she might have flipped the table, but this wasn’t a career path she could outright oppose.

“If you really want to do it, I won’t stop you… But you’ve never mentioned this before.”

“Yes. This is the first time I’ve seriously considered it.”

“If it weren’t for your acne treatment, you probably wouldn’t have thought of this at all. Isn’t this decision too sudden?”

“Maybe it’s fate? That I developed this interest just when I needed to decide on my career path.”

“I thought the same when I first met your father. I thought I’d be the wife of an artist who would go down in history!”

His father, at a loss for words, hung his head low, while his grandmother cackled.

Is that so? Is this thought too impulsive? In truth, all he knew about Korean medicine doctors came from what he had seen at just two clinics.

“If you could be like that doctor who treated you, what would there be to worry about? She seemed to know everything and earn a ton of money. But these days, even hospitals face fierce competition.”

“It’s the same for companies, isn’t it? I just need to study hard.”

His father, who had been listening, suddenly asked.

“Is studying hard at school enough? Don’t you need to inherit some secret technique passed down for three generations since the Joseon Dynasty?”

Hearing this, In-sung thought of the other Korean medicine clinic he had visited before.

The medicine from Haneul Korean Medicine Clinic hadn’t been effective… and they didn’t have many patients either, right? So not all of them are successful.

“I don’t think that’s the case. When In-sung was getting his consultation, the doctor was talking about berberine alkaloids and such.”

“Ah… When I went in for treatment separately, she did mention something about ‘qi’.”

“Hmm…”

The three of them fell into contemplation. Until this recent treatment, they had associated Korean medicine clinics with something mystical. Trying to make a sudden career decision, they found many points to consider.

“Why are you all worrying so much? I’ll ask the doctor if she thinks you’d do well! If you can’t learn everything at school, ask her to take you as an apprentice! We can make the request!”

At that moment, his grandmother came up with a seemingly plausible suggestion.

“Ah, Grandma. Being an apprentice is a bit…”

“Right. That’s a good idea. Let’s ask the doctor how much you can earn after opening a clinic. Honey, you ask your friend Chan-jin how much engineers at big companies earn.”

“No, Mom. That would be too rude.”

“What’s the big deal? We can ask that much before filling out the application!”

But this wouldn’t do. The thought of his grandmother or mother barging into the consultation room to ask such questions was horrifying.

He’d probably never be able to receive treatment at Seongsu Korean Medicine Clinic again.

“I’ll go and talk to her myself. I should bring it up while treating her to a meal.”