The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim

“Hey, send it to me too. I want to post it on TikTok.”

TikTok? Is this really worth that…?

It’s just lighting a torch, not the Three Mysteries True Fire.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Sizzle!

Unlike her earlier sulky attitude about not wanting treatment, Oh Ji-young watched the procedure with great interest.

“Oh, it’s getting hot now. Should I bear with it a little longer?”

Oh Ji-young pointed to the needle where I had first applied heat.

I immediately removed that needle using forceps.

“No, you did well to tell me.”

With this treatment, we don’t leave the needles in for long. We remove them when they start to melt and bend, or when the patient complains of heat.

“Can I have that?”

“No, you’ll burn your hand.”

“Aww.”

“It’s still hot. I’ll give it to you when it cools down.”

Jin Min-jung stopped her son from touching the bent needle.

I continued to apply heat to the remaining needles and remove them in turn.

“It feels… refreshing.”

After I removed all the needles, Oh Ji-young rotated her ankle.

“Hehe, try walking a bit.”

She nodded, lowered her feet from the bed, and took a step.

“Huh?”

“Can you feel the difference?”

“It doesn’t hurt at all!”

See? Heated fire needles are quite effective.

Oh Ji-young, amazed, stomped her feet on the floor.

“Ji-young!”

Despite Jin Min-jung’s warning, she ignored it and tried to hop and do a dance step.

“Doctor, is it all better? It feels completely fine!”

“No, it’s not. Let’s stick to our promise and rest for just 5 days, focusing on treatment.”

“…Okay.”

Oh Ji-young pouted again, but she seemed quite pleased with her much-improved ankle condition.

“Thank you, Director. I had no idea she was in pain while acting like this. I thought I was paying attention, but…”

“Haha, she’s not a little child anymore. It’s naturally difficult to tell when a twelve-year-old is determined to hide something. You don’t need to feel guilty.”

“Thank you for saying that.”

Oh Ji-young rushed to the waiting room with her brother. She seemed eager to try dancing right away, but perhaps aware of her mother’s and my gaze, she sat on the sofa instead.

I turned off the clinic lights, and Jin Min-jung returned to the waiting room to restore the clinic TV that her daughter had connected to her phone.

Meanwhile, Oh Ji-hoon wandered around the clinic and…

“Oh, what’s this?”

He discovered the autographs of Park Se-sun and Hyun Ju-mi posted next to the water purifier.

I had put them up as small decorations, feeling it would be a waste not to after they’d gone to the trouble.

“Hyun Ju-mi was here?”

“Oh, you didn’t know? It was quite a commotion for a while.”

“I know about the incident in Daegu, but…”

“I treated Ju-mi-nim. The showdown with that noisy Haneul Korean Medicine Clinic was with our Daegu branch director.”

“Wow.”

Oh Ji-young, who had been expressionless and discontented until the treatment, brightened up a bit once her ankle improved.

Upon discovering Hyun Ju-mi’s autograph, her face flushed red with excitement.

Suddenly, a look of admiration appeared on her face.

“Does she still come for treatment these days?”

“No, they’ve both recovered, so they don’t come anymore.”

“Ah, I see.”

She seemed a bit disappointed but still couldn’t take her eyes off the autograph.

“Will Ji-young give us an autograph next to these when she becomes famous later?”

“…I’m just good at dancing. My singing is just okay…”

“You can become famous for dancing. Let’s treat this well and practice happily. Promise?”

“Yes, promise!”

Oh Ji-young left the clinic with a bright smile, along with her brother.

“Ji-hoon, remember to take your medicine! See you next month!”

“Yes! Take care!”

Back in the old days when Director Choi Eunhee treated my ankle, I must have been just like that child, marveling and shaking my ankle.

For ankle treatments, I’d do at least 10 sessions a week… Somehow, it brings back memories.

◆◇◆◇◆

Despite saying they wouldn’t come anymore since their treatment was over…

Park Se-sun visited the clinic just a few days later.

“Director, do you have a moment?”

She came looking for me without making an appointment.

“It’s been a while! What brings you here? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

“No~ Thanks to you, I’m healthy and slim! I’m maintaining it well. I’m in Busan for a shoot and dropped by to say hello.”

Park Se-sun grinned and handed me several paper bags.

“What’s this? I should be the one giving you gifts!”

“Just some chocolates. I happened to come across them. Were Ju-mi and I of any help?”

“Of course. Enormously. Thanks to you, both the Daegu branch and here are booming!”

“I felt a bit left out~ You should have contacted me first for something like that! Calling Ju-mi instead?”

“Haha, thank you for your concern. I’ll be sure to contact you first next time.”

I exchanged greetings with her and opened the paper bags.

There were six bags in total, all with the same contents.

“Chocolates? The same ones Seon-yun gave us before?”

“Yes, the same brand. Seon-yun said you’d increased your staff, so I bought enough for everyone! Please share them.”

Are they in the chocolate business or something? Testing the market in Korea?

Anyway, they were delicious, and probably not too expensive for her, so I gladly accepted the gift.

“I’ve taken up too much of your busy time. Fighting for today too!”

Park Se-sun left the clinic after just making her presence known.

“Park Se-sun-nim, just a moment please!”

Jin Min-jung, who had been hesitating, chased after her and got an autograph.

[Ji-young, fighting~ See you at the broadcasting station! -Park Se-sun-]

She seemed very pleased with the gift for her daughter, unable to wipe the smile off her face.

A few hours later…

“Good work, everyone. These are chocolates from Park Se-sun-nim. Take them home and share with your families.”

At the end of the workday, I distributed a paper bag to each staff member.

“Wow, thank you, Director!”

“Oh my, you’re giving us this much? I wanted to eat more because they were so delicious, but they were too expensive to buy.”

“…Are they expensive?”

“Yes. A small box was about 200,000 won, and this is a 48-piece set, so it must be even more expensive.”

The staff members’ smiles widened at Seol Yu-hee’s words.

“Ooh.”

“Oh my, was it that nice? The kids will be so happy when I take these home.”

While Hwang Sang-hoon and Jin Min-jung expressed pure amazement, Seo In-ae’s eyes gleamed suspiciously.

…Is she planning to resell them?

Well, that’s her business.

I opened the package right there and popped a chocolate in my mouth.

Whether it was worth the high price or not, the sweetness melting in my mouth washed away the day’s fatigue.

◆◇◆◇◆

But a few days later…

“Huh? Who didn’t take this?”

Just before leaving work, I was about to get some water when I found a box of chocolates in the clinic’s pantry refrigerator.

At first, I thought Seo In-ae might be planning to trade during lunch break, but upon closer inspection, two pieces were already eaten.

Then I thought of Hwang Sang-hoon. He wouldn’t have anyone to share them with at home anyway.

It happened to be a day Hwang Sang-hoon wasn’t in. Should I ask him tomorrow?

As I was preparing to leave, all four staff members came into the pantry to see what I was talking about.

“Ah, those are mine!”

And an unexpected person raised her hand.

It was Gong Na-ri.

“Oh? Did you forget them? Or did you leave them here on purpose?”

“Why don’t you eat them with your family? My parents loved them!”

In terms of age, Seo In-ae is now 25, Seol Yu-hee is 23, and Gong Na-ri is 21.

As far as I remember, only Seo In-ae lived independently, while Seol Yu-hee and Gong Na-ri lived with their parents. Moreover, I think Gong Na-ri mentioned having a younger sibling?

“Oh, I’m sorry. Is it taking up too much space in the fridge?”

“No~ It’s not a problem, I just wondered if you’d forgotten them.”

I wasn’t particularly looking for an answer, but Gong Na-ri scratched her head and then spoke up.

“When I took home the small amount you gave us last time, my mom took them all. You wouldn’t believe how much fuss she made about me eating good things alone… I thought it would be better if they weren’t visible.”

She seemed to be referring to the chocolates Park Seon-yun had brought before. We mostly shared them at the clinic, and she probably only took one or two pieces home? And her mother had taken even those.

“If she liked them that much, why didn’t you buy her some more?”

“That’s right. I understand not being able to afford buying them, but hiding something you already have seems a bit off.”

Seol Yu-hee and Jin Min-jung tilted their heads after hearing Gong Na-ri’s story.

“Well…”

Gong Na-ri smiled awkwardly, but at the same time, Seo In-ae’s face contorted.

‘…I guess they didn’t notice because their families are harmonious.’

Seo In-ae and I surmised that Gong Na-ri’s family situation was not ordinary.

If it were simply a case of her mother begging for just one piece, or accidentally eating something she had saved, she wouldn’t go to such lengths to hide it.

“There are some family circumstances, haha. If my mother were like Jin Min-jung-nim, I would have bought her ten boxes.”

“Ah… I’m sorry. Everyone has their own situation, and I spoke too carelessly.”

“I’m sorry too!”

Realizing their mistake at Gong Na-ri’s words, Jin Min-jung and Seol Yu-hee immediately apologized.

Meanwhile, Gong Na-ri’s face had returned to its usual cheerful expression.

“Does your mother give you a hard time?”

But in contrast, Seo In-ae, with an even more serious face, asked while placing a hand on Gong Na-ri’s shoulder.

“Oh, it’s not like that. My mom’s never had nice things, so I understand~!”

Actually, it’s not something to understand. If a family member wants to try a snack you brought home, they should ask permission first.

Sure enough, Seo In-ae grasped the implication in Gong Na-ri’s words.

“I’m sure it wasn’t just about the chocolates. My parents are a bit… like that too.”

As Gong Na-ri hesitated to answer, Seo In-ae offered direct advice.

“I won’t ask for details. I don’t usually like meddling in these things. …But if you can, just move out. It’s better not to see them than to go crazy fighting all the time.”

True to her words, if it had been her usual self, she would have left work immediately after confirming the chocolates weren’t hers, without even joining the conversation.

But perhaps because she could relate, she seemed quite concerned.

“I’d like to, but I don’t have the money.”

After hesitating, Gong Na-ri finally spoke up.

“My income is being used for my family’s living expenses. I know I shouldn’t be doing this, but… Ah, did I bring up something too heavy?”

“I’m the one who brought it up. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

“No, it’s not like that. I actually wanted to open up about it at some point. You’re all such good people, and the more we became close, the more I felt uneasy about hiding this.”

I, who was hiding an even bigger secret, quietly waited for her to continue.

I don’t think close relationships necessarily require sharing all secrets, but if Gong Na-ri wanted to open up about her family situation, no one here would hurt her for it.

Indeed, Jin Min-jung and Seol Yu-hee were looking at Gong Na-ri with very serious expressions.

“Speak comfortably. …Are you perhaps giving your entire salary to your parents? You must have received quite a large incentive last month.”

“Ugh, that’s traumatizing. Surely both your parents aren’t unemployed, right?”

Gong Na-ri smiled faintly at my and Seo In-ae’s words.

“They both work. I’m not giving them everything… But all the money my father earns goes into cryptocurrency, and my mother gives it to a religious organization. If I don’t pay the rent and buy groceries, our family of four would be starving on the streets.”

And then she dropped an even more shocking statement.