Chapter 172
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 172
Chapter Title: Chairman Choi's Consultation
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"Mr. Choi Gwirae, time for your consultation~."
I called out to Choi Gwirae from the desk. It was his turn for treatment.
"Ah."
Choi Gwirae, who had been deep in conversation with Grandma Heo Soon-nam, looked visibly disappointed.
The wait hadn't been that long, but it seemed they'd really hit it off during their chat.
'Ah, the chairman doesn't have many friends.'
He'd once complained about not having anyone to run with and had even joined me on a hike.
In contrast, Grandma Heo Soon-nam had brought in double digits of patients to our clinic alone. With her sociable nature, their conversation must have been enjoyable.
"Would you like to come in together, Doctor?"
Park Sun-yoon had noticed Choi Gwirae's rare display of reluctance, just like I had.
"Me too? Is it okay if I join?"
"No problem from my side."
Of course, it was fine with me.
I'd never had patients bring someone they'd befriended in the waiting room into the consultation before, but if the patient didn't mind, what was the harm?
"It's just a tonic consultation—no private matters. If you're okay with it, Doctor..."
Choi Gwirae suggested it, worried that Heo Soon-nam might finish her treatment and leave while he was gone.
"Calling her 'Doctor' to my grandma—what a creepy title!"
Grandma Heo Soon-nam shuddered at the thought, her shoulders twitching.
What was the standard here? She heard "Director" at her gallery without issue, but "Doctor" felt cringey?
In any case, she ended up joining us in the consultation room somewhat reluctantly.
Choi Gwirae, who was getting the prescription, sat in the chair in front of me, while Park Sun-yoon and Heo Soon-nam took the sofa behind.
The group looked like they belonged in different art styles.
"How have you been?"
"Doing well. You told me not to overdo it, so I've been limiting my runs to an hour a day."
Choi Gwirae smiled as he replied.
"Heek!"
But Heo Soon-nam gasped in surprise.
"You can run for a full hour straight? At our age? Or do you look younger than you are?"
"Haha, impressive, right?"
Park Sun-yoon chimed in proudly from the side, for no real reason.
Hmm, I doubted she could run an hour straight herself.
"How old am I again?"
Choi Gwirae asked Park Sun-yoon.
"Uh..."
"Ding! You don't even know this grandma's age?"
Even Park Sun-yoon was stumped.
"The chart says 85."
"Right. By Korean age, I'm already 87. It shocks me every time I hear it. When did time fly by like this?"
"Oh my, you're my noona~? More than ten years older than me?"
Heo Soon-nam jumped in surprise. I hadn't really registered it myself.
'Yeah, Inseong's twenty-one now, so Park Sun-yoon must be over thirty.'
As Heo Soon-nam said, Choi Gwirae looked much younger than other patients in their eighties.
Perhaps because he'd succeeded relatively early, gotten good care, and stayed active with exercise.
Unlike Heo Soon-nam, who'd shouldered the family finances in her youth, farming in the countryside while her husband wandered painting pictures and not earning money.
Heo Soon-nam had also focused on treatments as she aged, though comparing mental stress was tricky.
Physical labor had the overwhelming impact on aging, after all.
"Next time, if you're up for it, how about a run by the beach together!"
"No, no way! With my spinal stenosis, even the 30-minute walks the director prescribes are a struggle!"
Spinal stenosis improves with walking, but walking is tough with spinal stenosis.
When she first came to the clinic, her back was badly hunched, and she'd needed breaks after just 10 minutes.
"You've improved a lot, but a marathon would still be too much."
I backed her up.
"Eii, you think I'd suggest running a marathon together? Even my grandson won't join me!"
"......"
Her grandson averted his eyes.
"I'm not aiming for a marathon! I'll match your pace, so let's just walk."
"Hmm... I'll think about it."
Heo Soon-nam couldn't give a straight answer either.
"Ahem, my grandma's been lacking energy lately too."
Then Park Sun-yoon steered the chat back to the consultation.
"Ah, yes. Sorry, I got too excited. Lately, my limbs feel weaker and weaker. I came quickly because I'm scared I'll fall."
"Good call. Once you get hurt at your age, recovery takes forever. It was tough last time too."
"Phew, thanks to you, director, I recovered quickly last time. But at my age, if I take a tumble, it'll be time to go meet my husband."
Choi Gwirae cracked an elder's typical joke with a bright smile.
"Are you eating well? How's your appetite these days?"
"It was always so-so, but the medicine from last treatment helped a bit. Now the fatigue's making it hard to eat again."
"How about digestion?"
"Not bad."
"On a scale of 100, what would you say?"
"About 70? No bloating or anything; it goes down. Just takes a while."
For someone in their eighties, that wasn't terrible.
It fell under spleen qi deficiency, where the digestive system lacked strength and moved sluggishly.
"Oh, right. I'm sweating a lot too."
"Even when resting?"
"A little at rest, more with exercise. Probably because summer's so hot lately."
The consultation room wasn't that warm, yet Choi Gwirae fanned himself with his hand.
I checked other symptoms like bowel movements, but they were unremarkable.
"Fatigue must be severe too."
"Yes."
The core issues were fatigue and poor appetite.
"It's qi and blood dual deficiency syndrome. Last time was qi deficiency at the core too, and this is the same. Let me check your pulse one last time."
Diagnosis was done, but I took her pulse for confirmation.
"......?"
"Is it bad?"
I lingered on the pulse, so Park Sun-yoon asked worriedly.
"Weaker than before. You're really only exercising an hour a day, right? Any flu or major illness recently?"
"Well, ahem."
Park Sun-yoon started to speak but glanced at Choi Gwirae.
"Sigh, can't hide it from you, director. I tried a cross-country run and caught a bad cold."
"Whoa......"
Heo Soon-nam gaped.
"Aigoo, I told you not to overdo it!"
"Since then, I've strictly limited it to an hour. Ahem, can I just continue the last medicine?"
She'd emphasized the one-hour limit right away.
She'd hidden it fearing a scolding?
I hadn't even told her to stop exercising entirely.
"After a bout of illness, recovery isn't like when you're young. Your pulse suggests Bojungikgi Decoction might be too weak now."
"What then?"
"Standard first-line for qi deficiency is Bojungikgi Decoction; if insufficient, Sipjeon Daubo Decoction. We'll modify slightly to Ginseng Nourishing Decoction. Heard of it?"
She might know Sipjeon Daubo at her age, even if not Ginseng Nourishing.
"Ah, back in Japanese colonial days, pharmacies had it written vertically in hanja."
"Common tonic. We all weaken with age."
I briefly explained Sipjeon Daobo Decoction.
A decoction that greatly tonifies everything.
It combined the qi-tonifying Four Gentlemen Decoction—ginseng, atractylodes, poria, licorice—with
the blood-tonifying Four Substances Decoction—angelica, cnidium, peony, rehmannia—plus
warming cinnamon twig and circulation-boosting, qi-raising astragalus.
Well-known and low-risk, so even non-clinics selling tonics like deer antler or goat meat often referenced it, minus pricey ginseng.
"Qi is qi, blood is nourishment. You take nourishing foods, Chairman, but poor appetite and digestion mean poor absorption."
"Exactly. Even eating doesn't give me energy."
"That's why you gotta take tonics regularly like me!"
Heo Soon-nam boasted proudly.
"Yes, both of you are managing well."
I added to the explanation.
Qi just tonified without movement could stagnate or dry, so I added qi-moving tangerine peel.
Polygala and schisandra to stabilize spirit.
Retired or not, she still wielded influence, so mental activity was considerable.
"Right, plenty to stress over. I'll take good care of it."
Choi Gwirae was very satisfied with the explanation.
"Please take good care of me again."
Park Sun-yoon bowed politely.
"You always pay such close attention, and the clinic changes every visit. That blue hare painting is adorable."
She complimented the painting on the wall.
"I was shocked too. The blue hare's cool, but the chrysanthemums and dragon outside are amazing. Wondered who the artist was."
"Ahem, I recommended them."
As Heo Soon-nam perked up at the painting talk,
"The blue hare's by my son. The dragon's by the future top Eastern painter."
"Really? Who?"
"Chrysanthemums gifted by artist Cheon Won-il, dragon by his disciple Seong Myeong-in."
Heo Soon-nam handed over her gallery business card, inviting them next time.
"Interested in art?"
"Not an expert, but I know Cheon Won-il."
"Seong will be a master soon."
"Must see it."
The new friends rose quickly.
As they left, Choi Gwirae handed over her card too.
Promising to stay in touch.
"~~~~~~~~!"
"Shh, shh!"
Leaving Heo Soon-nam's shock behind, I headed to the treatment room.
Ah... she just realized.
Choi Gwirae and Heo Soon-nam seemed likely to become quite close.
The age gap was there, but at 70s and 80s, it blurred.
But they bonded faster than I expected, and Choi Gwirae's visits increased.
Unlike Heo Soon-nam, who lived nearby and came almost daily for stenosis management, Choi Gwirae's home was far.
She only came with business and a driver, but now visited three times a week faithfully.
I shared a bit of energy each visit, as much as she could handle.
"I feel energized now. Like I'm getting younger."
Choi Gwirae sensed it.
Battery from 80 to 85 feels same, but 5 to 10 is night and day.
Of course, her state wasn't critically low.
"Leg swelling's down, face has more glow too?"
We grew closer chatting casually.
"Oh, no, not that much. Went to the gallery last week. Loved the dragon's sea urchin—bought it right away."
"You bought Seong Myeong-in's piece?"
"Yes. Soon-nam recommended it so much. I liked it too. Even commissioned a custom living room-sized one; she accepted."
She bragged about the painting.
Calling her by name already.
"Right, won't you come to my birthday party, director?"
"When's your birthday?"
A patient's birthday party...
Felt a bit much.
I asked the date anyway.
Wouldn't work if clinic day.
"Tuesday in two weeks, but Sunday beforehand. Casual at home, so come easy."
Home meant that mansion I'd visited.
Hmm, we'd hiked together, done house calls—birthday party was similar.
"Heo Soon-nam coming too?"
"Of course invited. Artists too."
Ah, gathering recent acquaintances.
With Heo Soon-nam and Seong Myeong-in, plenty familiar faces.
"Lucky, Sunday's free. I'll visit and celebrate!"
I accepted gladly.