Want to Try One?
Beep-beep-beep—
"Ugh, this bastard. He hasn't changed a bit, still only saying what he wants to say."
Director Kim Dong-hyeok of Yak-Yak Oriental Clinic stared at the receiver, feeling a surge of irritation. This was the guy who had used him like an AI long before the current trend of artificial intelligence even existed.
He would call out of the blue to ask where to get the best value for certain herbs, or which routes to take to source ingredients that had been discontinued from import... and so on.
"How long has it been since that bet... And even if there was a debt from that bet, I’ve already paid it off ten times over by serving as his personal search engine!"
He recalled his long, bitter history with Kyungwoo.
[2014 National Korean Medicine Student Thesis Competition]
Students from all twelve Korean medicine universities across the country had gathered in one place. Each university had its own specialty. Some were famous for focusing on MPS acupuncture, others for their prowess in Sasang Constitutional Medicine, and some, like Gyeong-hyun University, were known for being generally excellent in every field.
Then there was U-myeong University, located in Chungnam. Perhaps because it was near Geumsan, the premier production site for ginseng, they were notoriously strict about teaching herbal medicine. Among them, the U-myeong University Herbal Research Association, a group of die-hard fanatics, held their heads high with the pride of having swept the national thesis competition for ten years straight.
"The grand prize is ours anyway! Let’s crush them easily again this year."
"Are you sure about that?"
The year Kim Dong-hyeok participated as the president of his association, he had been encouraging his juniors and peers while eating at the dormitory cafeteria. Perhaps his voice had been a bit too loud, because a rebuttal came from the table next to them. It was a tall, clean-cut guy with a slightly unhinged look in his eyes.
"Why are you picking a fight?"
"Aren't you the ones picking a fight with every school here? Why is the grand prize automatically U-myeong's?"
"Because our U-myeong University has taken the grand prize for ten years running."
"That’s just because you keep analyzing herbs whose effects have been verified for thousands of years and writing papers on them~"
"It’s an essential process for modernizing herbal medicine!"
"Sure, I get it. But do you really have to present such unoriginal topics at a university academic conference? Isn't this year's paper going to be the same?"
The lanky guy struck right at the heart of the matter without mercy. But Kim Dong-hyeok wasn't one to back down.
"Isn't that better than having creativity but no practical efficacy? Why don't you focus on designing your research properly first? There’s a reason U-myeong has monopolized the grand prize for a decade."
U-myeong’s papers were overwhelmingly superior in terms of sample size and quality of analysis.
"Getting tired of the grand prize, are you? Then we, Gyeong-hyun University, will kindly take it for you this year."
"Ooh—"
Cheers erupted around them at his provocation. It was partly because of the name 'Gyeong-hyun University.' It was the school with the highest entrance exam cutoff among all Korean medicine programs. There was even a joke that some people changed their names to 'Gyeong-hyun' just to include it in their clinic's name—the true elite of the industry. That was why Dong-hyeok was even more offended.
"Don't make me laugh. Take it if you can."
"Yeah, thanks! I’ll take it gladly~"
"If you guys win the grand prize, I’ll burn my hand on a hot iron."
"What good would that do me? If you're going to bet, do it properly. The loser grants the winner a wish, deal?"
He hadn't known back then. That it was all part of Hyun Kyungwoo's scheme.
"The grand prize this year goes to Gyeong-hyun University’s acupuncture academic conference paper, !"
"This research analyzed the effects of various manipulation techniques like 'Yeomjeon' and 'Jesap' on local microcirculation and blood flow velocity using real-time laser Doppler flowmetry. It exceeded the student level in research design and utilized various quantitative and qualitative analytical techniques to shed new light on the clinical significance of acupuncture..."
They had lost completely. It was a masterpiece in every aspect: the novelty of the topic, the research design, and the thorough Q&A session that followed.
'That monster.'
After that, the scolding he received from his seniors for breaking the ten-year record was bad enough, but what really pissed him off was Hyun Kyungwoo’s habit of calling him only when he needed something, using him as a human search engine!
"Did you bet against me just for this?"
"Only just realized?"
"You son of a..."
"Honestly, U-myeong is better than Gyeong-hyun when it comes to herbs. Isn't someone better than me supposed to be used?"
That remark made him furious, but at the same time, it felt like a strange form of recognition, so he kept sharing his information, over and over. He hadn't heard from him in the last year, so he thought he’d finally been used up, but...
'He's coming to visit all of a sudden?'
Even while grumbling, he couldn't help but be curious about what was going on.
* * *
"Look at that clinic name... Tsk tsk."
"What! What's wrong with our clinic name!"
"Don't people usually tell you that you have no sense for naming things?"
[Brain-Sexy Decoction], [Energizer Decoction], [Stand-Up Pill]...
Kyungwoo shook his head as he looked at the names of the herbal medicines posted in front of the clinic desk.
"Are there really people who buy these after seeing these names?"
"Intuitive names! Outstanding effects! Patients line up to get their medicine prescribed, don't they?"
In reality, Kim Dong-hyeok's clinic was a medicine-specialized clinic where non-insurance revenue (mainly herbal medicine) accounted for a higher percentage of total sales than insurance revenue. He was truly a product of the U-myeong University Herbal Research Association.
"Why did you come all the way here?"
Kim Dong-hyeok's clinic was located on the outskirts of Daejeon. It was an hour and a half drive from Kyungwoo's clinic. The reason he had driven that distance on a precious Saturday was obvious...
"Kkachi, you have some good Cornelian cherry and Angelica, right?"
"Do you think I'm holding them for you?"
The reason Kyungwoo called him 'Kkachi' (Magpie) was because of the hoarding habits of the herb-obsessed Kim Dong-hyeok. It just so happened that when Kyungwoo called, he was in China farming herbs! And just when Kyungwoo called, he was tearing his hair out because a precious herb he had been storing had gone bad! Because of that bizarre timing, Kim Dong-hyeok had been caught with his obsession and had even confessed his dream of building the perfect temperature and humidity-controlled storage room for his herbs after opening his clinic...!
"Give me the key."
"N-no way. I... I'll bring them out myself."
"Hand it over, quickly. I'm only taking the Cornelian cherry, Angelica, Goji berry, Rehmannia, and Sweet flag."
"Why does the list of herbs keep growing?"
Hyun Kyungwoo approached with a half-threatening face, while Kim Dong-hyeok backed away, hiding the storage room key behind his back. Then, a lure was cast.
"What is this... Oh!"
As Kyungwoo held out a root of wild ginseng he had received from Park Hee-dong, Kim Dong-hyeok's eyes glazed over.
"Isn't this wild ginseng?"
The scent pierced his nose, and the root structure was far more irregular than that of cultivated ginseng.
"I'm not giving it to you. Just look."
"Where did you get this?"
"They say it was discovered all at once in Mt. Baekun."
"Ah, that one they said was found last year? I heard the news and wanted to go to the auction!"
Even just getting to look at it made the herb-obsessed man drool. Kyungwoo intercepted the storage room key while the zombie was distracted by his prey.
"I'll be right back."
Click-
Clack!
'Wow... this guy is a born magpie.'
The herb storage room was three times larger than average. True to Kim Dong-hyeok's dream, the interior, equipped with a high-end temperature and humidity management system, was incredibly pleasant. The shelves built on three sides had compartments for each herb, allowing for neat storage, though it was common for multiple types of herbs to be kept in a single compartment.
'It's legendary that he didn't even write the names down.'
The crazy bastard hadn't labeled a single thing. He claimed he could distinguish them all by smell or appearance. In the past, he would have asked for help, but...
Swoosh-
Kyungwoo found the Cornelian cherry compartment and reached out to touch the six different types of Cornelian cherry stored there. He pulled out the one with the most robust energy; it was an oval shape without any rough edges, possessing a smooth, oily luster, and the flesh was as plump as a jujube.
'So this is Sichuan Cornelian cherry.'
Kyungwoo was certain, and he touched the other herbs as well. The domestic Cornelian cherry, which appeared to be from Uiseong, was also of good quality, but it couldn't compare to the Sichuan Cornelian cherry that Kim Dong-hyeok had clearly sourced himself.
Thump-
At that moment, he felt the medicinal properties in his left hand seem to wriggle. Energy spread up his forearm.
'This is...'
Just like when he touched the wild ginseng, the range in which he could feel the medicinal properties of the Cornelian cherry had widened. From then on, Kyungwoo was hooked.
'This is Ningxia Goji berry from the Ningxia region of China!'
Top-grade Goji berries. Top-grade Angelica. Top-grade Astragalus. Kyungwoo upgraded his experience with a significant number of herbs from his collection. Kim Dong-hyeok, who had entered the storage room at some point, was gasping as he checked the herbs Kyungwoo had pulled out.
'How did he pick out only my absolute favorites!'
Hyun Kyungwoo. When did his eye for herbs get this sharp!
* * *
"You nasty bastard... when did you even study herbs?"
"Give me these."
"Like hell I will! Get lost!"
Kim Dong-hyeok felt wronged. He was clearly an acupuncture specialist. Since he had been the president of the acupuncture club, he must have dug into acupuncture rather than herbs during his school days. Gyeong-hyun University students were excellent in many fields, so he must have studied herbal medicine to some extent, but surely not as much as himself. He knew that, which was why he had used him as a search engine. So, while he pretended to resist not handing over the key, it was actually just a gesture mixed with feigned pain. Letting the key be taken was closer to arrogance, daring him to try and take what he wanted.
Even his colleagues from the Herbal Research Association had come to visit and left, cursing, "You crazy bastard. Are you a dog? You don't label anything and expect people to distinguish herbs by smell?"
'Why is that guy walking around perfectly fine and scraping up only the top-grade herbs!'
"Then give me this one, this one, and this one."
"Ah, get lost!"
In truth, he had intended to give them to him. He just hated how overly talented that bastard was, but he knew how genuinely sincere he was about his patients. If he had come all this way and was making such a fuss, it must be because he had a patient who truly needed them. He had thought from the moment he picked up the phone that he would have no choice but to help him, but...
'Ugh, I'm so annoyed I don't want to give them to him!'
How on earth did he study to become such an herb master in just one year!
However, Hyun Kyungwoo just grinned and picked up his bag.
"Oh, are you leaving now? Good thinking!"
"Shut up. And you, help me make this."
What he pulled out of his bag was...
Deer antler and Musk?
"You want to make Gongjin-dan?"
"Yeah. We'll use the deer antler and musk I brought, and put the best Angelica and Cornelian cherry from here."
Gongjin-dan. It was a representative prescription for replenishing vital energy when Yin, Yang, Qi, blood, or organs were damaged due to the seven emotions, dietary or alcohol-related damage, or poor post-illness recovery. The composition of this famous prescription, often called the Emperor's Tonic and known for being the most expensive and worth every penny, was surprisingly simple. Deer antler, musk, Angelica, and Cornelian cherry. When Kyungwoo tempted him by holding out the two most expensive ingredients, Kim Dong-hyeok was swayed.
"Ahem. I have some good deer antler and musk too, maybe you should just pay me instead... eh?"
He looked at the herbs Kyungwoo had brought and suddenly started gasping again.
"What is this, you. This deer antler and musk! Where did you get these?"
The deer antler was the 'oil-rich tip,' the most expensive and precious part of Russian deer antler. The musk was genuine, with a CITES certification seal attached. Kim Dong-hyeok used these all the time, but... the quality seemed different from anything he had seen before...?
'As expected of a fanatic.'
Kyungwoo felt a bit guilty. Kim Dong-hyeok was someone who could instantly recognize herbs whose medicinal properties had been enhanced by his 'Polarity' energy.
"Anyway, to bring such manual labor on a Saturday night..."
"What's so special about Saturday night when you don't even have a girlfriend."
"Ugh..."
Cruel bastard. It seemed he hadn't broken the habit of striking with facts yet. But he had only refused once for the sake of it; the herb-obsessed man, whose eyes had already glazed over at the sight of the herbs Kyungwoo brought, happily brought out the Cornelian cherry and Angelica.
However...
"Huh?"
"What."
"The Cornelian cherry and Angelica look in better condition than when I first got them... I haven't opened this in a few months, did they age?"
To remember the previous state of all those countless herbs—he really was a terrifying guy.
And so, the manual labor began. They brushed the deer antler with milk and roasted them one by one. They turned on the high-output grinder and ground the roasted deer antler. They sifted it. They ground the remaining pieces again. They sifted it. After repeating this infinitely, they finally put the powder, now as fine as flour, into a bowl, and ground the Cornelian cherry and Angelica into powder as well. Finally, they added the musk, which was more expensive than its weight in gold, making sure not to lose a single grain, and began kneading.
'Wow... the scent!'
Goosebumps rose on Kim Dong-hyeok's arms. How many times had he made Gongjin-dan from his school days until now, when he ran his own medicine-specialized clinic? And yet... this was his first time feeling something like this. The four powders seemed to contain the essence of the herbs, and the medicinal properties they formed together were so magnificent that they threatened to collapse that very refinement.
Round and round-
As he pinched off the dough and rolled it into spheres, he was tormented by an unbearable temptation.
'What on earth... is this Gongjin-dan?'
It was nearly midnight by the time they finished the two hundred or so round pills and coated them in fine gold leaf. Come to think of it, they hadn't even eaten dinner. Kyungwoo spoke to Kim Dong-hyeok, who was swallowing hard.
"Want to try one?"
Kim Dong-hyeok picked up a pill with trembling hands, closed his eyes, and popped it into his mouth.