Shall We Try a Sip?

'How on earth...!'

Bae Shin-hyeong frantically rummaged through the medicinal herbs Kyungwoo had stacked up. He should have just flatly denied it, claiming it was nonsense... but Kyungwoo had been so certain, as if he had seen it with his own eyes, that he couldn't help but check.

'This is impossible. How could he know without even opening the packages! Is there some kind of mark on the labels that were swapped?'

He was the one who had done the work, yet he was clueless!

However, one fact was undeniable: only the herbs with the swapped labels were stacked on the right. It was a classification so accurate it was chilling.

Sensing he was doomed, his behavior unconsciously followed the five stages of grief as defined by Kübler-Ross.

"What are you talking about! You didn't even open the herbs, yet you're framing an innocent man!"

First came denial and anger.

"W-well, Director. I think I must have been out of my mind for a moment. From now on, I'll only supply premium-grade herbs to Kyungwoo Oriental Clinic, so..."

Next came begging and bargaining.

"Then, I'll be going now. I'm truly sorry for today!"

Finally, he tried to destroy the evidence and flee while pretending to accept the criticism, but...

"Where are you going? I haven't said I'm returning the herbs yet."

"You said you wouldn't trade, so I have to take them back."

"They stay right there. I've already called the public health center official."

"What? You haven't even suffered any damages, so what kind of grudge are you holding!"

"If I had brewed medicine with this trash, my patients who took it would have been the ones suffering damages, wouldn't they?"

"Move! It's my stuff, so what does it matter if I take it back!"

Cornered, the sales representative tried to push past him by force to retrieve the herbs. That was when Miyoung appeared with a trump card.

"Director, it's all been recorded."

Just the day before, she had installed a CCTV in the herb storage room.

Bae Shin-hyeong slumped to the floor.

A short while later,

After handing over the scene to the public health center official, Kyungwoo opened Hani-Agora.

Kyungwoo dusted off his hands and muttered.

"People who commit fraud with things meant to heal the sick deserve to go bankrupt. Anyway, this ability is quite something."

He would have discovered the problem with the herbs even without it, but then he would have had to deal with the headaches of returns and whatnot.

The next day,

Kyungwoo immediately called the second recommended supplier. The person who arrived this time was an elderly president wearing thick-rimmed glasses.

He explained that he was a sort of middle wholesaler who selected only high-quality herbs from various pharmaceutical companies to supply. Because of that, he was a bit more expensive than others, but he calmly asserted that he was confident in the quality of his herbs.

"I recommend putting in small amounts rather than all the herbs at once. If you put them all in at once and can't use them up quickly, the efficacy of the herbs will keep dropping."

Most suppliers only thought about immediate sales and tried to push as much as possible, but he recommended the opposite.

"The folks in the countryside mainly prefer tonics, and herbs for pain relief and removing blood stasis are used often, so how about we stock up on those first and gradually increase the variety?"

President Han Yuseong presented the herbs he had brought. Upon inspection, the condition of the herbs was remarkably good. They were of higher quality than the samples Yeongheung Pharmaceutical had brought the day before.

'This level of quality... I can trust them for business.'

"What do you think? Shall I set you up with about 30 types of frequently used herbs?"

"No, please include these as well."

"All... of these?"

Kyungwoo handed him a paper. Seeing the list of herbs lined up on the A4 sheet, President Han Yuseong's pupils shook.

Kyungwoo added a word with ease.

"Don't worry about cost-effectiveness, and please make sure the quality of the herbs is absolutely the best."

'What is this? Is he a silver-spoon herb nerd who runs an oriental clinic as a hobby??'

That day, President Han Yuseong hit his highest sales in the last two years.

The reason he decided to stock up on herbs all at once?

Kyungwoo's oriental medicine 'specialty' perfectionism played a part, but in truth, the meddling of the medical text was the main reason.

"I'm not even surprised. You grunt-work-obsessed bastard."

The very first ability it gave him was the grunt-work of all ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠grunt-work. Thinking back to the early days after he first gained the ability, before he had adapted, his eyes still grew hot.

When a patient came in with a sprained back who couldn't move, he couldn't move either, so he had to hold onto the wall to place the acupuncture needles. When he saw a patient who came in with diarrhea, he almost ran to the bathroom while checking their pulse. And women's health issues... he didn't even want to talk about it.

'How on earth did I see 40 patients a day back then?'

Even while marveling at the abilities the ancient text gave him, there was a reason Kyungwoo had no choice but to grind his teeth at it—it was all because of that tear-stained history.

A vicious(?) thing like that wouldn't just hand over anything easily.

But he couldn't just stop, either...

Zzzing-

While other herbs were still felt only in his left hand, when he touched ginseng or wild ginseng, the medicinal properties and power were felt all the way up to his elbow.

'It must be because I've handled three roots of heaven-sent wild ginseng.'

It seemed that the more he encountered herbs, and the higher the quality of the herbs he encountered, the more his body's sensory area and sensitivity increased. Also, when he channeled his Polarity into the herbs, the range and efficiency changed...

'In the end, I have to pay for it with my body.'

Because...

It took a lot of Polarity to increase the medicinal power, more than he had thought.

When he prescribed for Park Hee-dong, he only used Polarity to supplement the power of a few herbs that were lacking in potency. However, for the prescription for Im Jia, who was suffering from a violent and critical disease like CRPS,

He used Astragalus, Cistanche, and Goji berries for nourishing the body, replenishing energy, and nourishing blood.

He used Achyranthes, Acanthopanax, Pubescent Angelica, and Dipsacus to restore the flow in the lower limbs, strengthen the muscles and bones, and remove pain.

And on top of that, he added these.

'Deer antler and wild ginseng.'

Considering the balance, he infused Polarity into each and every herb. Especially with the deer antler and wild ginseng, the power he had gathered was sucked away in chunks.

'I used up everything I gathered over two weeks in a single dose.'

This was why he couldn't help but increase his proficiency. He either had to gather more Polarity or use less, but gathering more meant Kyungwoo had to see more patients.

'I really do need to increase the number of reserved patients.'

However, even if he increased them, there was a limit, so in the end, the answer was to handle many herbs.

Bee-

Setting the herbal medicine brewer to two hours, Kyungwoo returned to the director's office. He was confident in the composition and effect of the prescription, but even so, Jia's condition wouldn't be cured with just one or two doses, so another problem remained.

-I told you, I'll send Jia's medicine.

-You've done it once, that's enough. We feel burdened, so we can't go to the clinic anymore, Director. When our circumstances improve, we'll definitely have her take the herbal medicine too.

It was a tug-of-war they had already had in the past. In households with patients suffering from intractable diseases, money leaked out like pouring water into a broken jar. Moreover, Jia's prescription required expensive medicinal herbs like deer antler and ginseng, so they couldn't possibly afford the medicine cost, which reached 1 million won per month.

'Actually, if you count the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠price of the wild ginseng, it's several times that.'

Of course, if they had the certainty that taking just this would cure her, they would sell their house and take out loans to fix the child's illness, but...

'Where is there a hundred-percent certainty in illness?'

Even he, who had gained a strange ability, couldn't guarantee how much of this herbal medicine she would have to take to be completely cured. That was because the human body was that unpredictable.

'But I have ninety-percent certainty.'

He had to make her take the medicine somehow. Given the personality of Jia's parents, they wouldn't accept it even if he just gave it to them, but there was a way.

Kyungwoo opened his chat app and sent a message to someone.

/Secretary. Could you please ask the County Governor to give me a call when he has time?/

The call came immediately.

'Is the County Governor not busy...'

"Ah, that's not it."

The disappointment was palpable through the receiver.

"...There is a patient like this, is there any way to support them?"

However, after hearing Kyungwoo's explanation, the County Governor trembled.

'It's a deliberation, a deliberation! How can such a doctor be in Goesan.'

"Thank you."

Of course, he could make it for him, but there was the problem of having to gather enough Polarity. Well, he could make regular herbal medicine without infusing Polarity right away, but since the County Governor was doing this much, he should brew it properly.

However, thinking of Jia, Grandpa Mansu, and some of the residents of Yongdeok-ri who needed herbal medicine right away...

"I think you'll have to wait about three months."

Following the 6-week attack, the 3-month attack left the County Governor's expression blank.

And two days later,

Jia visited the oriental clinic.

Jia's mother looked unusually bright. It was all thanks to Jia having improved a lot lately.

"It's all thanks to you, Director. These days, she almost never has seizures."

Something had changed since the day Kyungwoo rushed over because Jia was in so much pain. From the next visit, the Director started treating her from her back and waist, not her legs like before—perhaps ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that was what suited Jia?

On the days she received acupuncture, Jia felt noticeably more comfortable, and even on the days she didn't go, she was able to manage daily life quite well.

"She even ate two bowls of rice yesterday."

"Mom, why are you talking about that."

Jia whispered, her face turning red. In fact, it was important information. He looked at the child's thin arms and legs, who couldn't have had an appetite because she suffered from pain every day.

'The fact that her appetite has returned a bit means...'

The aftermath of stimulating the Shen-zhu and Ming-men to boost her Yang energy had reached even her Qi energy. In other words, it was proof that Jia's body was faithfully responding to the treatment.

'Now is the right time to use the medicine. I must persuade her today.'

"Mother, herbal medicine is absolutely necessary for Jia."

"...Yes, Director. But our family's situation... I know Jia has improved a lot thanks to you. We will definitely, when our circumstances allow later—"

Kyungwoo handed her a sheet of paper. It was a fax that had arrived at the clinic yesterday, right after he had spoken about it!

'The County Governor's work speed is truly incredible.'

Jia's mother took the paper, looking puzzled, and read it.

"Does... Jia qualify for this?"

"It's a case that fits perfectly, as if it were made for her. It will definitely be approved."

'Because it's a condition I specifically tailored for Jia!'

"Then I will apply, and if it's approved, I will receive the prescription."

"This is a case that will definitely be approved. We will take care of it, so you just need to fill out the documents when you leave. The medicine will go out first."

"If it's not approved..."

He was about to explode at the reaction of Jia's mother, who was nothing if not rigid, but at the same time, he understood. Despite her young age of 40, there were deep wrinkles etched between her eyebrows. She herself was wearing an old floral skirt that must have been over ten years old, but she had dressed Jia in a white dress.

A child who was more precious than herself. The uprightness of wanting to do anything and everything for the child who had been screaming in pain for years, but not wanting to cause any trouble, was clearly visible on her weary face.

"Mother, actually, I've already brewed the medicine."

"...Director."

"Now is the right time when the medicine must go into Jia. I know your situation and your heart, Mother. But isn't it most important that Jia suffers less, even for one day?"

Tears fell from Jia's mother's eyes. The child sitting next to her, who had grown up too early, lowered her eyebrows and wiped her mother's tears.

"I've seen this support fund, and I'm sure it will be approved, but if it's not, please pay back the medicine cost. It's okay if it takes a few years. I will definitely collect all that medicine cost, so for now, trust me and let's start taking it, okay?"

"...Yes. Yes, Director."

After obtaining her difficult consent, as if waiting, Park Miyoung entered with warm herbal medicine in a bowl. Kyungwoo took Jia's pulse.

'Even if pain is relative...'

The pain of the child, who said she had improved a lot, was still difficult to bear. Her legs were tingling, and all the sensory organs in her body were sharply on edge. She was clearly pretending to be better than she actually was so her mother wouldn't be upset.

Kyungwoo held out the bowl of medicine to Jia.

"Shall we try a sip?"

Gulp-

Jia took a sip ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and tilted her head.

"Huh?"

And then, she drank the rest of the herbal medicine in one go.