Someone Has to Do It
Physician Yang bowed his head toward Baek Wontae.
"First, let me thank you. Whatever the case, you saved this old doctor from that gang of ruffians. They won’t dare go around bullying people so casually now."
"No, really. I just did what had to be done."
With a faint smile, he shook his head.
"I’m not usually this kind of person either. But, well, I’ve seen enough of the world to know that I’ve dealt with this sort before, more than once. You can’t really shake people like that with anything short of a serious blow, so even if it left a bad taste in my mouth, I had to be ruthless. I’m not a bad person, so I’d appreciate it if you’d understand with a generous heart, Physician."
"Hmm, of course I understand."
Yang nodded.
"But what brings you here to see this old doctor? If you’re a patient, I can take your pulse for you right now."
Baek Wontae clasped his hands and offered a respectful bow.
"I’m sorry for the late introduction. This junior goes by Hai-seon. I’m preparing a business dealing in medicinal materials. Please, feel free to speak informally."
...Hai-seon?
The siblings glanced at him.
He was lying as smoothly as water flowing downhill.
Baek Wontae gestured toward them.
"And these friends behind me are hired help. I was looking for capable people to work in Sichuan, and I brought them because they listen well, know a lot, and most of all, they’re strong. By the way, Physician, do you know these two?"
Yang turned to the siblings.
"The Hahoe siblings often helped out at the pharmacy. They were excellent at carrying things, and despite their young age, they had a remarkable understanding of medicine, which made them a great help. They’re good children, so treat them well."
"Haha, of course. Still... they’re a real headache, what with how much attention they need."
...a headache?
Need attention?
The siblings narrowed their eyes.
They looked miserable, but they couldn’t exactly protest.
Yang gave a low chuckle.
"Hoho. Still... you said you were in the medicinal materials business? And in Sichuan of all places?"
"Is there a problem?"
"If you’re trying to do business in medicinal materials in Sichuan, you’d do well to give up any thoughts of doing it on a large scale. This place is already in the Dang Clan’s hands. You’d be better off going somewhere else."
Dang Clan.
The siblings flinched at the name.
Baek Wontae’s reaction was the exact opposite.
The Dang Clan controls Sichuan’s medicinal materials industry...? Then if I just take over the Dang Clan, I won’t have to worry about supply anymore.
He thought of the Dang family’s alchemy hall and the siblings’ skills.
If it’s the main house of the Dang Clan, the infrastructure should be much bigger.
He was already laying plans for the next foothold.
"But there are places beyond the Dang Clan’s reach, aren’t there?"
"There are, yes. Places like Hamwon. But if you call Sichuan a ten, the Dang Clan holds eight, and everyone else is fighting over the remaining two. And even that two is just a market too small for the Dang Clan to bother with. On top of that, the people who already control that little bit have been at it for ages. In the end, Sichuan’s medicinal materials business is already saturated."
His eyes swept over Baek Wontae.
"From the look of you, you don’t seem like some greenhorn who knows nothing. So why come to Sichuan at all?"
"I heard Sichuan is the best in the Central Plains when it comes to medicinal materials. I only came to gather information."
"Information gathering, eh... Still, if you’re planning to start a business, I wouldn’t recommend Sichuan."
Baek Wontae’s lips curved faintly.
"On the contrary... after hearing your words, I’ve found even more reason to start in Sichuan."
"What do you mean by that?"
"What I intend to do isn’t some ordinary little trade where you buy local herbs and sell them back only within the same region."
"Then what is it?"
Baek Wontae asked in return.
"Do all medicinal herbs grow evenly in every region?"
"No, they don’t."
"Then... have you ever heard of someone dying because they got sick, went looking for a physician, and the medicine they needed simply wasn’t available?"
"I have. It’s a pity that happens often in remote places."
Baek Wontae lowered his eyes.
"...That’s how my parents died."
"Ah, dear me..."
He covered his face with one hand and deliberately sniffled.
"Out in that tiny village... because they didn’t have even one medicinal ingredient that happened to grow elsewhere, they couldn’t even get the prescription they needed, and so they..."
He cut himself off with a shudder.
Yang looked at him with genuine sympathy.
"That is regrettable. I don’t know what to say."
Baek Wontae lifted his head.
After a moment’s pause, he continued in a calm voice.
"After that, I drifted for a while. I even lived like those gangsters you saw. I’ve cut all that off now, though. Fortunately, I came to my senses and started studying. I was lucky enough to save up a fair bit of money, too."
His fist clenched hard over his chest.
"And then I made up my mind to achieve one dream in this life. My dream is to make it so that, in this Central Plains, people never again die helplessly just because the medicine isn’t there."
Yang was struck speechless.
The ambition was so enormous that he had to catch his breath before he could respond.
"Y-you mean across the entire Central Plains? But if you do that... your expenses will outweigh your profits."
"Someone has to do it, don’t they? If it’s for human life... even a thousand gold pieces would be cheap."
Someone has to do it.
At those words, Yang was deeply shaken.
He, too, had once studied medicine with the conviction that he would heal every sick person in the Central Plains.
Even when people mocked him for dreaming foolishly, he had pressed forward, thinking, If not me, then who?
But he had come to feel the limits of his ability and the wall of reality.
In the end, he had returned to his hometown and shut himself away in a small pharmacy.
The reason he never charged the poor was the residue of that dream he had never managed to abandon.
And now, the young man before him had reminded him of the dream he had forgotten.
I should be supporting someone with such a splendid outlook, not fretting over money like this...
He felt ashamed of himself for having entertained such petty thoughts, even for a moment.
He broke into laughter.
"Hoho! Young friend, you have a remarkably broad vision. For me, a man who’s made his life in healing, to be talking about money... I’m embarrassed."
"Not at all. Of course we have to consider the cost. But the fact that a person gets to live, in itself, is far more valuable than money."
Yang nodded in admiration.
"You’ve got the heart of an immortal physician. I thought your schemes were far too sharp earlier, but... I apologize."
"It’s nothing. Earlier, I was just borrowing a little from my gangland experience. When dealing with punks like that, you have to act with complete sincerity if you want them to fall for it."
In Yang’s mind, Baek Wontae was already no different from a beloved disciple of many years.
He had completely fallen for the act.
Baek Wontae nodded and continued in a serious tone.
"In any case... after hearing your words, I’ve actually gained a clear reason to start in Sichuan. If you’re trying to do something great, what’s the point of only walking the paved road and avoiding the mud? Isn’t the most beautiful flower the one that blooms out of the muck? You said this path was difficult, so I’ll bloom precisely on that path."
Yang nodded, apparently moved.
"If that is the will of a true man, how could this old doctor stop you? But tell me, why did you come to see me?"
"I wanted to ask for your advice, senior."
"Advice... I don’t mind, but there are plenty of physicians in Hamwon. Why come all the way to me? If you want information, wouldn’t it be better to go to Seongdo, where the Dang Clan has its power, rather than this out-of-the-way city?"
Baek Wontae smiled as if it were nothing.
"I’ve only just arrived in Sichuan, so I don’t know much about the local situation. Hamwon was also simply the closest city. And most of all—"
He turned and nodded toward the siblings.
"If I asked these two who the most trustworthy physician in Hamwon was, wouldn’t they point to you immediately, Physician Yang?"
The siblings, now quick to read the room, nodded at once.
"Yes, that’s right."
"Absolutely."
Yang felt secretly pleased and smiled.
If even these trustworthy children say so...
"Hoho, you flatter me too much. This old man is nothing more than an ordinary neighborhood physician, one of countless others. Still, if it’s for such a commendable junior, I’ll help however I can. What would you like to know?"
Baek Wontae’s eyes lit up as if he had been waiting for those words.
"Actually, I’ve been focusing on the potential of Hyeonrihwa."
"Hyeonrihwa?"
"Yes. There’s no medicinal material better than Hyeonrihwa for pain relief, fever reduction, and even anesthesia, is there? Along with distributing the local medicinal specialties, I’d like to study Hyeonrihwa and bring out its medical value even further."
"Hyeonrihwa... yes, it is certainly a medicinal herb with excellent effects."
"That’s why I’d like to know Hamwon’s distribution network for medicinal materials."
The moment the word distribution network came up, Yang’s expression stiffened.
He hesitated for a moment, then spoke with caution.
"It’s awkward for me, as a physician, to bring this up, but... that’s more of a business matter, and a sensitive one to talk about openly. There are all sorts of interests tangled up between the various merchant groups and pharmacies."
Baek Wontae nodded as though stepping back.
"Of course."
But then a kindly smile spread across his face.
"Still, I do owe you a debt, and if a man has set his sights on something great, what use are petty market rules? I’d be happy to tell you!"
Baek Wontae bowed in thanks.
"Thank you, Physician Yang!"
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