The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim

The restaurant was more luxurious than I had expected. How long had it been since I’d eaten in a place with private rooms? It might be the first time since returning to the modern world.

Jung In-sung and his mother, who were already seated, waved as they spotted me entering.

“Thank you for sparing your valuable time. We should start with expressing our gratitude. Thanks to you, my son’s skin has cleared up beautifully, and the medicine you carefully prepared helped him do very well on his college entrance exam.”

“In-sung worked hard himself.”

While I could take credit for his skin, In-sung’s exam success was entirely due to his own efforts.

His mother had asked me to prescribe something to help with his studies right before the exam, but a slight increase in concentration doesn’t automatically improve one’s grades.

Even when I was in school and concocted my own intelligence-boosting decoctions or similar modified formulas… ultimately, if one doesn’t sit down to study, it only helps concentrate better on games.

“Actually, his college entrance exam scores are much higher than his mock test results. So much so that he’s not even attending all the interviews for the early admissions he applied to, which he had categorized as reach, match, and safety schools.”

“Oh… congratulations.”

The legendary unexpected exam success? I thought it was just an urban myth, but it actually exists. In my circle, we were thankful if our scores were just close to our mock test results.

“So now we need to apply for regular admissions, but my son suddenly says he wants to go to Korean medicine school. And his scores are actually good enough to get in.”

“Ah, I see.”

“But since it’s a career path he had never considered before, it feels sudden to me… So I took the liberty of asking for your advice.”

It was the topic I had anticipated.

Unless he was dead set on becoming a Korean medicine doctor, why else would they seek me out instead of college admissions experts?

“You had no interest before, but became curious after receiving treatment here, right?”

I carefully asked In-sung.

This consultation required extreme caution, as it could potentially determine a young man’s future.

Though I had never given career advice in the modern world, I had occasionally listened to branch family children at the Sacheon Tang Family who wanted to quit martial arts training and dedicate themselves to the medical pavilion.

Back then, being 100% satisfied with my profession, I had strongly recommended it without hesitation, but many children changed their minds within a few months.

‘I’m not sure if it was the medical pavilion or the master’s strictness that was the problem.’

Within the family, they could humbly return to their original training place, but wouldn’t it be quite troublesome to realize after university admission that it doesn’t suit one’s aptitude?

“Yes. Originally, I thought getting into Seosung University would be a huge success. But suddenly, I got scores high enough for Korea University…”

And out of the blue, Korean medicine school popped up, right?

In-sung interrupted his mother’s words to assert his own opinion.

“It was Mom’s goal, and I didn’t have any particular thoughts. I didn’t especially want to study engineering, but I didn’t dislike it either, so I just filled out the early admission applications as I was told.”

That’s how most high school seniors are. Probably more than half of my classmates were the same.

“It’s good that you’ve found something you want to do.”

“In-sung’s father and grandmother said the same thing. They congratulated him on finding something he likes and hope he succeeds. But honestly, what does he know? He’s only had a few consultations with you, Doctor.”

“That’s why we arranged this meeting, Mom.”

“Yes. I might not be able to give sufficient advice about other professions, but I’ll tell you anything you want to know. Use it as a reference, and also listen to someone working in the engineering field.”

“Yes, yes. Of course! Thank you so much.”

As soon as I said I’d answer any questions they had, both of them launched into a barrage of inquiries.

“What do you study in university?”

“What are the challenging aspects of being a Korean medicine doctor? Have you ever regretted it, Doctor?”

These were the student’s questions.

“How much do you earn in your first job?”

“By any chance, what proportion of your classmates had parents who were Korean medicine doctors?”

“What’s the median income for private practitioners? May I ask about the investment costs for opening a clinic?”

The parent was, as expected, very interested in money.

I told them all the facts as they were.

“You mean you graduated less than a year ago, Doctor?!”

In the midst of our conversation, when my career was mentioned, In-sung’s mother’s jaw dropped.

If she had heard this before deciding on treatment, she might have been quite skeptical. Now that her son was cured, it didn’t matter.

“Can one provide such excellent treatment just by studying diligently at school? Did you perhaps learn secret formulas somewhere else?”

She asked me while gulping down the wine she had ordered.

Judging by how she covered her mouth in surprise a moment later, she must have been so shocked that she mistook the wine for water.

‘Secret formula.’

It was a term I’d been hearing quite frequently lately. Just a few days ago, Park Seon-yun had also mentioned something about not trying to uncover secret formulas.

‘I suppose ordinary people think Korean medicine has secret formulas.’

My prescriptions were nothing of the sort. I simply combined over 300 types of medicinal herbs as needed, and the composition changed slightly each time to suit the patient and their symptoms. There was no secret formula that could unconditionally cure a specific disease.

Even martial arts secret techniques need to be applied with the right moves in the right situation, so what could a single herb combination do?

While the Sacheon Tang Family might have the Formless Poison for killing, there’s no herb of immortality for saving lives.

Instead, thousands of years of effort to provide the best treatment are documented in various medical texts. Prescriptions for treating acne can be found in both Donguibogam and modern Korean dermatology textbooks, which is rather fortunate.

“I studied very hard. I graduated at the top of my class. And I also observed at various Korean medicine clinics while I was in school.”

“Did you have many acquaintances?”

“No. I just approached them without any introduction and asked them to teach me. There were quite a few kind-hearted people who accepted.”

In fact, even before I was dropped into Murim, I used to visit various Korean medicine clinics. In that world, I had to put in even more effort since I couldn’t simply click online to order medicinal herbs without opening meridians.

“Ah… That’s a problem. Our son is shy, so he probably won’t be able to do that.”

“He doesn’t necessarily need to go to unfamiliar places. There are many excellent professors. I was just a bit excessive. It would be nice to inherit 50 years of parental experience, but there’s no need to idolize it too much. After all, if you graduate by passing the exams, you’ll acquire the basic skills.”

“I see.”

She nodded, but In-sung’s mother didn’t seem to fully agree.

If she had come to me from the start, she might have accepted it, but it was probably because Chu Mi-young had just failed in her treatment.

“Don’t worry too much. I impulsively opened my own clinic, but usually people go through training or work as associate directors. If worse comes to worst, he could work with me for a while after graduation? By then, I’ll have expanded the clinic quite a bit.”

“Oh my! Could we really ask for such a favor?”

In-sung’s mother clasped her hands together, beaming.

It seemed this was what she had been hoping to hear.

“Ah, Mom. I haven’t even been admitted yet…”

It was a bit, or rather, quite an early job request.

In-sung tried to stop his mother, embarrassed, but if he grew up diligently like this, it wouldn’t be bad for me either.

It was hard enough to hire one nursing assistant, so how much more difficult would it be to find an associate director who’s a Korean medicine doctor? As long as his character was somewhat verified, he would be more than welcome.

‘Another potential associate director, potential branch manager has been added.’

I grinned and patted In-sung’s shoulder.

I hope he learns well at school and comes back.

“Think carefully about whether it suits your aptitude before deciding on your major, but don’t worry about job prospects or studies. If you just bring your license, I can ensure you’ll survive anywhere in the country.”

“…!”

Was he trying to be considerate, worrying that I might feel burdened, rather than disliking his mother’s fuss?

In-sung was deeply moved by my bold statement.

Good. Although there was still a long time – six years – ahead, it seemed he would join me as long as he wasn’t enslaved by the school.

“We asked for this consultation hoping to get even a little advice, but you’ve given us so much more. Thank you very much. Thanks to you, I think we’ll be able to make a good decision.”

In-sung’s mother, looking very satisfied, took a sip of wine.

This time it wasn’t a mistake. She downed all the remaining wine in one shot before picking up the bill.

‘How much was it?’

I flinched at the glimpse of the amount, but she was already taking out her card.

“Of course we should treat you.”

Well, Grandma Heo Soon-nam was quite wealthy too, right? Since I had taken the time to give them advice, it should be fine to accept this much hospitality.

“Ahaha, I enjoyed the meal.”

◆◇◆◇◆

After finishing the luxurious dinner, I returned home.

It felt good to dine out in a nice atmosphere after cooking for myself in my studio apartment every day.

It seems like we ate something too expensive, is that okay?

‘No, wait. Can I spend that much too?’

I hadn’t spent any unnecessary money while living with loans for several months, but I had a feeling that by now, the minus sign in front of my overdraft account might have disappeared.

I opened my banking app for the first time in a very long while.

“Ugh…!”

Before opening the clinic, I checked my balance daily to monitor the decreasing funds as I repeated in-app purchases and food deliveries. But after opening the clinic, I hardly opened the app because seeing the minus sign only made me feel worse.

I had already quit most games anyway, and I tried to cook my own meals as much as possible.

Does that mean money doesn’t go out? Of course, it goes out much more.

Just when I think some fees have accumulated, something breaks down and clinic expenses go out frequently.

However, since I was spending on necessary things and not spending on unnecessary ones, checking or not checking made no difference.

“Wow!”

I had expected that I might have paid off all my debts, but there was an eight-digit number displayed.

“Hehe.”

It’s just a number, but it warms my heart.

From the start, I didn’t invest large sums like Chu Mi-young did for key money or interior design. But seeing my balance turn positive after being in the red from paying the deposit and facility rights made me feel incredibly proud.

‘Should I move to an apartment like Director Chu? And now that I have my license, maybe a car too…’

There are endless ways to spend money. My thoughts naturally drifted to the two biggest ones.

But I quickly came to my senses.

Not a chance.

The number of patients and sales are continuously increasing, so this is precisely the time to reinvest and expand.

If I hire an associate director and start paying a salary, wouldn’t the net profit actually decrease until things settle down?

I didn’t want to create debt for a house or car in an uncertain situation.

‘It’s not too late even after Director Chu reopens and the second branch stabilizes!’

As the tutoring fees I’ve been earning every weekend accumulate, my balance should increase to nine digits, then ten digits, right?

I hope Chu Mi-young’s skills and sales improve as much as my clinic is doing well.

One person decided to relocate their clinic trusting me, and another chose their career path entirely.

While excited about the promising future, I also felt a slight sense of responsibility.

“Ah~ I hope everyone does well!”

One has a long way to go, and I need to quickly nurture Chu Mi-young to send her on an expedition.

And the very next day.

When I went to Chu Mi-young’s house for weekend tutoring, I heard some very good news.

“Doctor! Things are working out. I think I can transfer the clinic right away!”

Transferring the clinic? That’s moving too fast.

Wasn’t she just talking about leaving the Haneul Korean Medicine Clinic network with a lawyer a few days ago?