The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim

“What’s wrong with your son?”

“Oh, it’s nothing serious. He just seems to catch colds too often. I don’t know why he’s so weak, but he falls ill without fail five or six times a year.”

“How old is your child?”

“My second one is in second grade of elementary school.”

I was startled by the serious atmosphere, but it turned out not to be a major illness.

However, five or six times a year for a second-grader is quite frequent. It would be normal for a child just entering kindergarten when their immune system is developing, but not at this age.

“Bring him in for a check-up. I’ll take his history, check his pulse, and prescribe if necessary.”

“Ah, thank you. Would the weekend be alright?”

“Of course. During office hours is fine, or even after if it’s too busy!”

“Okay, I’ll bring him next weekend. Sorry for taking up your time!”

“Not at all~ Everyone’s dismissed! Buy a gift for your families with your bonus!”

“Thank you for your hard work!”

The four staff members dispersed with more cheerful voices than ever before.

“Yeowon, you worked the hardest, going back and forth. What are you going to do today?”

“Me? I’m planning to log into the game after a long time. Those people helped a lot too.”

“Ah… I see. Have fun.”

“You get home safe too, oppa~”

Is Hwang Sang-hoon going to the gym? I really don’t know what he does on his days off since he doesn’t even play games.

Anyway, I logged into the game after a long time and generously distributed gifts.

[Wow~ Thank you, Guild Leader~!]

[Long live the Divine Physician!]

[Lol don’t just give out stuff, come back and play!!!]

[ㅠㅠ I didn’t even have time for daily quests]

Yoon Han-byeol still called me Guild Leader, but he had passed on the guild leader position to Blue Wind Young Master, and since my login frequency had significantly decreased, there was no need to save up game currency.

After roughly wrapping up the rewards and punishments…

I met Oh Ji-hoon, Jin Min-jung’s son.

“Ji-hoon, come in here! No! Don’t touch that! Didn’t Mom tell you to behave at the clinic!”

As soon as the child entered the clinic, he started fiddling with the brochures Seo In-ae had displayed.

He seemed to have a curious and mischievous personality, but he was small and thin with very slender limbs.

In contrast, the girl accompanying him had a sturdy build, like a miniature copy of Jin Min-jung.

“Ji-young, you sit here for a moment.”

“Can I watch NewTube?”

“Sure. Stay quiet and watch. Ji-hoon, come in here! You need to consult with the doctor!”

I could see why she brought the children after business hours.

The older sister, being in the upper grades of elementary school, was fine, but it would have been quite difficult for Jin Min-jung to control the younger brother while working.

“Hello, Ji-hoon~!”

I greeted Oh Ji-hoon, whom Jin Min-jung had barely managed to seat.

“Hello!”

“You should say, ‘Hello, Doctor,’ okay?”

“Hello, Doctor!”

For me, this was much easier to consult with than a child too scared to say a word in the hospital.

“Ji-hoon often catches colds, so the doctor is going to help make you stronger. I’ll ask a few questions, can you answer them well?”

“Yes!”

The child nodded vigorously.

“Ji-hoon, do you eat well? Do you look forward to lunchtime at school?”

“Ji-hoon…”

I waved my hand at Jin Min-jung. I wanted to hear directly from the child.

“I like lunchtime! But I don’t like it when teachers tell me to eat everything!”

“How much do you eat when you get your meal, Ji-hoon? Can’t you finish one bowl?”

“Even when I ask for half, the lunch lady keeps giving me too much!”

So his appetite and food intake aren’t that high.

“Do you digest well? No stomach aches?”

“Yes. Only a little diarrhea when I catch a cold?”

The child answered, tilting his head.

“Does your nose get very stuffy when you have a cold? What color is your mucus?”

“Sometimes it’s blocked, sometimes not. Clear mucus just keeps coming out.”

“How about headaches or fever?”

“It varies each time, but not often!”

Since we had plenty of time, I continued checking general symptoms like sleep, bowel movements, sweating, cold and heat sensitivity, and cold patterns in this manner.

“Let me see your hand.”

Only after finishing the verbal examination did I check Oh Ji-hoon’s pulse, then gave Jin Min-jung a chance to speak.

“His sister is healthy and tall, but I’m worried because he’s so thin and small. He’s very sensitive to cold, and catches a cold easily if he overexerts himself even a little.”

“So his immune system is weak?”

“That’s right. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve caught a cold in my life. My daughter hasn’t been sick once since entering elementary school. But he unfortunately takes after his weak father, always complaining about something.”

Jin Min-jung sighed deeply.

While there wasn’t any specific illness, it was understandable for a parent to be worried in various ways.

“Ji-hoon, the doctor is going to give you medicine to make you healthy. Can you take it well?”

“I don’t like bitter things!”

“Hey!”

“It’s okay. What I’ll give you won’t be very bitter.”

Having finished the pulse diagnosis, I stopped Jin Min-jung from scolding her son.

Wouldn’t it be too exhausting to struggle every day to force him to take medicine?

“Min-jung-ssi, could you bring me one stick-type Gyeongokgo?”

“Oh, are you prescribing Gyeongokgo?”

“Yes. I think that would be best for Ji-hoon.”

Jin Min-jung brought a stick-type Gyeongokgo from the refrigerator. I opened it and handed it to Oh Ji-hoon.

“Do I squeeze it out? Like jelly?”

“Yes. It has a lot of honey, so it should taste good.”

I smiled gently.

People think Korean medicine is bitter, but unless it contains really bitter herbs like Scutellaria or Coptis, it’s generally quite palatable.

And Gyeongokgo doesn’t contain any unpleasant-tasting ingredients. In fact, if it weren’t for the cost, some people would want to keep eating it just for the taste.

“How is it? Not bad, right?”

“Eww, it’s bitter!”

Oh Ji-hoon frowned but squeezed out and ate the entire stick.

“Can I have one more?”

“No, you can’t. It’s medicine, you know.”

Even ginseng can taste bitter to young children, but the boy’s eyes sparkled as if he found it appealing.

This should be enough to prevent him from running away saying he can’t take it!

“Let’s take just one every morning when you wake up. Then your food will taste much better, and you’ll run well when playing soccer at school. You won’t catch colds easily either. Can you do that?”

“Yes!”

“Promise the doctor!”

“Promise~”

After getting a promise from Oh Ji-hoon, I had Jin Min-jung switch places with the child.

Although she had basic education, I wanted to briefly explain about the Gyeongokgo her son would be taking.

“We could give him direct cold medicine for a longer period. Something like Galgeun-tang or Socheongryong-tang.”

Jin Min-jung was familiar with Galgeun-tang and Socheongryong-tang. We kept insurance-covered herbal medicines in stock for occasional cold patients.

If he had been constantly sniffling due to allergic rhinitis or such, it would have been better to take those for 2-3 months.

“But rather than treatment aimed at reducing fever and drying up mucus, Ji-hoon needs to build up his ability to resist external stimuli. Essentially, it’s a tonic.”

“Yes, yes.”

“Gyeongokgo is both a tonic and a treatment specialized for the lungs, or the respiratory system, among the five organs of liver, heart, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. Unlike the cold medicines mentioned earlier, it improves respiratory conditions by moistening chronically dry lungs. In common terms, it strengthens the immune system.”

Moreover, it aids digestion to improve appetite, relieves physical and mental fatigue, reinforces basic physical strength, helps children’s growth and development… basically, it does all sorts of good things.

The Donguibogam even states that it ‘replenishes vital energy, rejuvenates the elderly, and cures all diseases.’

That’s why Gyeongokgo is always included whenever you list the top three famous Korean medicines. For reference, the first is Gongjindan, and the third is usually Cheongsimhwan, though sometimes Guiryong-tang or other medicines are included.

“I see. Since our child is constitutionally weak and especially vulnerable to colds, it seems like a good fit.”

Jin Min-jung nodded, indicating she understood the explanation.

“I’ll make it with extra honey so Ji-hoon can take it easily. But in return, you have to eat your meals well, okay?”

“Yes!”

“Ah, Director. The direct family discount applies to Gyeongokgo too, right?”

“Of course. I’ll prepare it well, so make sure he takes one packet every morning.”

“Yes, thank you.”

We wrapped up the consultation and left the examination room.

Since all other staff had gone home, Jin Min-jung had to process the payment herself at the front desk, using her own card.

“What on earth are you doing in the clinic!”

But as soon as we entered the waiting room, Jin Min-jung grabbed the back of her neck in shock.

Her eldest daughter had connected NewTube to the desk TV and was dancing.

“You said I could watch NewTube?”

“I meant on your phone! How could you touch the TV!”

“It’s just Bluetooth.”

“Ah, it’s fine. No one’s here anyway. We can turn it off when we leave.”

I had already heard the sound from the examination room and didn’t mind much, but Jin Min-jung was constantly fidgeting.

She was always the one quietly taking on the tough jobs. Not only did she work the hardest in the treatment room where physical loading was high, but as the senior, she would also act as a shield when Seol Yu-hee or Gong Na-ri struggled with difficult patients at the front desk.

Even such a Jin Min-jung seems to have a hard time with her lively children? It felt oddly refreshing.

“Oh my, I’m so sorry, Director. I shouldn’t have brought her…”

“It’s fine. She dances so well! Take your time with the payment.”

“I’ll finish quickly. Whew, this is driving me crazy. I sent her to dance academy because she insisted she wanted to become an idol, and now she’s all worked up about performing at some local event.”

Jin Min-jung sat at the desk, looking very embarrassed. It would take about 5 minutes to process the payment and update the daily settlement sheet.

“Ah, feel free to practice until the song ends~ What kind of event is it? A competition?”

“It’s just a festival at the park, but our dance team is doing the opening performance.”

“I see, that’s impressive! What’s your name, big sister? What grade are you in?”

“Oh Ji-young! Fifth grade in elementary school!”

“…Ji-young.”

Oh Ji-hoon and Oh Ji-young answered simultaneously.

Oh Ji-hoon was also mimicking his sister’s dance moves, and Oh Ji-young didn’t stop her steps for a moment even while conversing with Jin Min-jung or me.

As someone whose first MBTI letter is I, I found these children truly fascinating.

While I might understand martial arts forms, I had neither talent nor interest in dance. It’s an old memory, but I recall how terrible it was when forced to dance at freshman welcome parties and such.

“By the way, when did you hurt your ankle? Want to get it treated while you’re here?”

I casually asked after noticing Oh Ji-young’s right ankle moving oddly as I watched her dance.

“……”

But as soon as I mentioned her ankle, Oh Ji-young suddenly stopped the steps she had been following.

And Jin Min-jung, who was processing the payment at the desk, jerked her head up.

“Ji-young, did you twist your ankle again?”

Ah… She was hiding it?

“No. It’s fine. It’s perfectly okay.”

“What do you mean it’s fine! How can you be dancing if you’re injured again? Stop right now!”

“What are you talking about! I’m telling you it’s really nothing!”

“I told you I’d cancel your academy if you lie one more time!”

Hmm, did I touch on a sensitive issue?

Oh Ji-young glared at me with a very resentful look.

I’m sorry, friend. But if you’re injured, you need to get it treated, don’t you?