The County Governor Shouldn't Do That
Goesan County, the County Governor’s Office.
"What? You said they told you the next available appointment is in six weeks?"
"Yes. Doesn't this seem a bit strange? It feels like they're just making up excuses to keep the Governor from visiting."
Yoon Gwan-woo was a competent man.
After his phone call with Hyenin Oriental Hospital, he had sensed something fishy and conducted a bit of background research. There was nothing significant in the public health center's management records, and when he asked acquaintances in the nearby townships, no one even knew the clinic existed. If that were the case, it certainly couldn't be a famous or thriving establishment...
"What exactly are you suspecting?"
"There are many possibilities. Operating a shell business, omitting non-insured revenue, an illegal procedure clinic hiding behind a legitimate name, or perhaps someone is practicing without a license using a borrowed one."
County Governor Song Ji-heon flinched.
Now that he thought about it, there were indeed many variables. He really ought to verify it...
"It would be troublesome if we pressured a perfectly fine clinic into closing down just because we were investigating."
"I hadn't thought that far ahead. But leaving it as is carries a certain level of risk."
"I'll just stop by under the guise of a regional inspection. Even if they don't take appointments, they'll have to see me if I show up and wait, right?"
They wouldn't.
"There's no way they'd make the Governor wait. It's just an excuse; there's bound to be something shady going on."
"Fine. Secretary Yoon, you figure out the situation while I pretend to get treated."
"Understood."
They decided to leave that very afternoon. As it happened, an event had been postponed due to rain, making it a rare, free day.
"We can't give them time to prepare."
Since it was an undercover visit, they didn't notify the township chief or the village head. The villagers might be involved, after all.
Leaving the official vehicle behind, they boarded Yoon Gwan-woo's personal car.
After driving for 40 minutes, they finally arrived in Yongdeok-ri. The village looked peaceful at first glance, but...
'Crimes always begin in places that wear the mask of peace.'
On the village road, an elderly woman could be seen walking with a hunched back, pushing a cart piled high with potatoes. Yoon Gwan-woo rolled down the window.
"Ma'am, is there a place called Hyenin Oriental Hospital around here?"
"Hmm? An oriental clinic...?"
It was Grandma Shim Soon-ja.
"Well... Is there a clinic here? I've never heard of one..."
When a strange young man brought up the name of the clinic, Grandma Soon-ja went into defensive mode! What is this? Has our Director's skill finally been exposed to the outside world? No, my appointment! Even though it seemed too late to hide it now that they had come all this way, Grandma Soon-ja did her best until the end.
"Oh my, I really don't know. My grandson is crying for food, so I must be going..."
Using a non-existent grandson as an excuse, she scurried away.
The Governor and his secretary's suspicions deepened further.
'A clinic that even the locals don't know about? Their attitude is highly suspicious... Could that old woman be part of the gang?'
In the end, without finding a single clue, they arrived at the address marked on the GPS.
A small house with a yard. Looking closely, the words Hyenin Oriental Hospital were written on a tiny wooden board.
'What on earth is going on inside...!'
With grim expressions, they stood before the front gate.
Kyungwoo sat on the edge of an empty treatment bed. After seeing the three scheduled patients who had rushed in right after lunch, he realized one fact.
'I feel a bit less exhausted, don't I?'
Was it the effect of the Absorption Method? That didn't seem to be it. As he had complained to the medical text that morning, the amount of vital energy gathered through the Absorption Method was so small that it was still practically dust. Rather, it was something else. Perhaps his capacity for sensation had expanded, or his threshold had risen after experiencing extreme pain for two hours yesterday.
It wasn't that the pain he felt had decreased, but he felt as though he were observing the pain more rationally.
'I'll have to check again when Jia comes on Friday.'
Kyungwoo flopped down onto the bed.
Whoosh—
Along with the sweltering wind, noisy sounds flew into the treatment room through the window he had left open for ventilation.
"Hey, take my Super Ultra Power Beam!"
"That kind of attack! I blocked it with my Ultimate Multi-Firepower Cosmos Spiral Lightning Dragon Explosion Bomb!!"
Looking outside, all the neighborhood children had gathered in the vacant lot next to the clinic, running wild on a plastic slide that had been abandoned for a long time.
Kyungwoo asked Miyoung, his tone sharp.
"Why are they making a fuss here instead of at the playground?"
"There is no playground in the village."
"But there was one at the branch school, wasn't there?"
"You must not have gone near it. It's so old that it's all rusted and broken. It's fenced off because it's dangerous."
"They could just repair it."
"Who would repair a branch school playground that could disappear at any moment?"
Miyoung answered Kyungwoo's questions while busily tidying up the treatment room. "Should I tell them to go play somewhere else if it's too noisy?"
"Forget it, it's not my land. Just close the window when you're done ventilating."
Kyungwoo returned to the director's office, but a moment later—
"Director!! A child fell off the slide!"
Miyoung shouted and ran out. Kyungwoo also rushed out of the clinic in a hurry. Returning to the vacant lot, he saw the children surrounding a child lying on the ground.
"Waaaaaah—"
"It's Jinwoo. Where are you hurt?"
Jinwoo pointed to his right elbow. Kyungwoo carefully examined the child's arm. There were some abrasions and swelling on the elbow. Kyungwoo lightly placed his hand on the child to diagnose him.
Zap—
Fortunately, there was no problem with the elbow joint itself; it was just a bruise on the skin and shallow tissue. "It's okay, you aren't seriously hurt. Miyoung, bring some disinfectant, Jaungo ointment, and bandages."
Kyungwoo carefully disinfected the wound, applied a generous amount of Jaungo, and attached a bandage.
"There, you're fine now. Don't move your arm too much today, and you'll be much better by tomorrow."
Now, Kyungwoo examined the slide. The plastic parts were broken and weathered by wind and rain. The child had fallen because of the loose slide railing. When Kyungwoo lifted the slide to move it, the children's eyes widened in surprise.
"Director, why are you taking that?"
"It's dangerous. I'll have to put a sticker on it and put it out as waste."
"Hing... No. It's our slide...!"
The children's eyes welled up with tears. Even the friend who had fallen and gotten hurt seemed to care more about the slide than his own elbow, as he was clutching Kyungwoo's arm.
"It's our base!"
"It's still dangerous, so no. You kids are going to get heatstroke. Go home and play now."
The children, their faces flushed red, couldn't take their eyes off the departing slide.
"It's gotten quiet."
The vacant lot where the children had disappeared. The clinic was finally quiet enough for a good nap, but Kyungwoo felt uncomfortable, the image of the children's eyes lingering in his mind.
"You cleared it away because it was dangerous for the kids. Don't worry about it."
"Who's worrying? I like that it's quiet."
Miyoung shook her head at Kyungwoo, who was being prickly for no reason, and began cleaning again.
Cling—
A bell rang.
"Huh? All the appointments for today are finished, though?"
Miyoung ran to the waiting room and saw two strange men. One was a young man in a neat suit, and the other was an older man with a dignified air.
'Wait? The Goesan County Governor?'
As a Goesan native, there was no way Miyoung wouldn't recognize the two-term Governor.
"Governor... what brings you here?"
"Haha, I heard the Director here is very good at treating patients, so I came to get a check-up."
County Governor Song Ji-heon spoke without formality, mixing in a hearty laugh. Of course, it was just lip service. How good could an oriental doctor who opened a clinic in such a rural area possibly be? He even had a clinic he visited in Seoul... It was just an excuse to buy time while Yoon Gwan-woo explored the place.
But Park Miyoung looked stern.
"Ah, the Governor shouldn't do that."
"...Excuse me?"
"If you know he's good, you have to follow the order. How can you try to cut in line just because you're the Governor? Come to think of it, I already informed you this morning that appointments are only available in six weeks!"
County Governor Song Ji-heon was scolded by a mere nursing assistant at an oriental clinic. Yoon Gwan-woo watched the scene, his face turning pale.
"Uh, ahem. Then I'll make an appointment for next time, but I'd like to meet the Director before I go."
"Why the Director?"
"Well... I wanted to see if there was anything uncomfortable about opening a clinic here in Goesan, or if there was anything I could help with."
Park Miyoung looked at him with suspicious eyes. 'Aren't you just making excuses to meet the Director and stick out your wrist first?'
In her mind, the Governor was already a flagrant offender of cutting in line. There was no guarantee that someone who had chosen the wrong path once wouldn't try again. 'Appointment management is my most important duty!' Miyoung was currently struggling to distribute appointments fairly among the people of Yongdeok-ri without conflict. She was weak against patients who were in great pain or those who begged, but she did not compromise with those who tried to gain benefits through status and power.
'But... he is the Governor. Maybe he really did come to talk about administrative matters.'
In this countryside, even the township chief walked around with his chest puffed out, so the dignity of the Governor went without saying. 'I've said this much, surely he understood well enough.' Park Miyoung decided to take a step back.
"Director, the Governor is here."
"...Governor?"
"Yes. The Goesan County Governor. He said he came to see if there was anything uncomfortable since you opened."
'Does a Governor come to check on such things personally?' If it were Seoul, it would be the Mayor, and it was unimaginable for the Mayor of Seoul to visit an oriental clinic to ask if there were any inconveniences... Well, this was the countryside, so maybe that was possible.
"Show him to the director's office. And bring a cup of tea."
"Yes, Director."
A moment later, a dignified gentleman with a good physique entered the director's office.
"Nice to meet you. I am the Goesan County Governor."
"Yes. I am the Director, Hyun Kyungwoo. What brings you all the way here?"
"There were 9 oriental clinics in Goesan County, but I heard it became 10 recently. I've made regional healthcare a main priority, so I'm checking on all of them, haha."
Are there only that many in a whole county? In Seoul, there were thousands, so it was understandable that the Governor would take an interest.
"It seems it wouldn't be easy to manage a business after opening in such a remote place."
"It's fine."
"There is a healthcare development fund in Goesan County. There is also a regional healthcare subsidy in the county budget. How about upgrading the clinic's equipment?"
Song Ji-heon was a bit puzzled. It was because the doctor in front of him didn't look like a fraud. He was confident in his ability to judge people. 'His hair is messy and his face is weary...' But his eyes were clear, his speech was plain, and his resolve was firm. He was also quite handsome.
'Did he open a clinic in Seoul and fail, then come down to the countryside?' He didn't know the inside story of why he had refused him using the appointment excuse, but this was clearly a failing clinic. It wasn't just that the waiting room was empty; there was no energy of people frequently visiting the clinic. So, his calculation was to take photos, provide funds, and help the clinic flourish to contribute to regional healthcare...
Of course, it didn't work on Kyungwoo at all.
"I appreciate your concern, but the clinic's equipment is sufficient as it is."
'Adding more physical therapy machines won't increase the number of patients.'
However, when Kyungwoo heard the word "subsidy," something suddenly flashed in his mind. 'Wait, if he's the Governor, isn't he the most powerful person in this region?' Jinwoo, who fell off the slide and got hurt. The broken and weathered slide. The eyes of the children who watched with tears as such junk disappeared. 'And my nap time...!'
Kyungwoo gauged his fatigue. Clearly, it was less exhausting than before. He had seen three people in a row, so it wasn't that he wasn't tired, but he could see at least one more.
"Since you've come all this way, shall we have a consultation before you go?"
The Governor flinched. "Ah, earlier, the staff said it was fully booked—"
"That's true, but since you came all the way here worrying about our clinic."
Of course, Kyungwoo wouldn't have taken on the pain of one more person for such a polite reason. But for the sake of a peaceful nap environment in the future...!
"Uh, then, could you check my pulse once?"
The Governor held out his wrist. Kyungwoo placed his hand on it.
Zing—
The curious thing about this ability was that the pain only resonated when Kyungwoo saw a patient as a doctor. Even if he wasn't working at the clinic, or even if he wasn't wearing a gown, this ability was always activated when he saw a patient with the heart of a healer. And the Governor's physical condition, which was transmitted to Kyungwoo, was...
"Governor, are you suffering from severe constipation? Chronic constipation for over 10 years... You must have many difficulties while looking after the county administration."
The Governor was startled and jumped to his feet!