Chapter 222
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 222
Chapter Title: The Saudi Prince's Visit
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Pa…… What did you say? I couldn't even remember the full name.
But I could tell he was roughly a Saudi Arabian prince.
The "Al Saud" at the end was a giveaway, and the embassy had visited before.
'Even so, why would a prince come here?'
I'd never had any official dealings with royalty, even in the martial world.
And now that I'd returned to Korea, they wanted me to treat a foreign prince?
"Just a moment, sorry. Let me check on the clinic's situation."
There was no time for leisurely surprise.
Though there were still 20 minutes until the clinic opened, the staff were contracted to arrive 30 minutes early.
Sometimes…… Of course, no one as noisy as a prince showed up like this, but they had to open the doors early for patients who arrived ahead of time, and handle the AC, cleaning, and such.
'How are they handling it?'
No call had come in yet, so they must have just arrived, but I needed to sort this out as quickly as possible.
"Excuse me."
From the building entrance all the way to the elevator, black-suited men were lined up.
There were foreigners mixed with some locals, probably hired on-site.
"Are you a patient here at Seongsu Clinic?"
"I'm the director."
"My apologies!"
The black suits parted to either side, making me feel like some mob boss.
The man standing right by the elevator even pressed the button for me.
'What are they doing in someone else's building!'
I asked the guy standing in front of the elevator button again.
"Where's His Highness the Prince?"
"Waiting on the fourth floor!"
"Let's head there."
We soon reached the fourth floor, and the doors opened.
"■■■■! ■■■■■■■■■!! ■■■■! ■■■■■■!"
I spotted the prince right away.
Unlike everyone else in suits, he was the only one dressed like "I'm the Saudi Arabian prince," giving an interview.
He was chattering away in a language I couldn't understand at all, with wildly exaggerated gestures.
What the hell is he saying?
The bodyguards probably didn't know either, but there might be someone to ask……
"Mr. Ahmed?"
I noticed a familiar face in one corner of the waiting room.
Ambassador Ahmed to Korea.
"Ms. Jeon Yuli, you're here too? ……Not here for treatment by coincidence, I assume. What's going on?"
And next to him was Jeon Yuli.
Had these two brought the prince?
I asked Jeon Yuli first, since she felt a bit closer emotionally.
"The moment His Highness arrived in Busan, he insisted on seeing you right away."
Jeon Yuli glanced at Ahmed.
"I'm sorry. I did brag about you, but I didn't expect him to move up his visit schedule."
Ahmed bowed his head briefly and explained.
"But he already knew about you before I even mentioned it."
Jeon Yuli had brought me up at a gathering of Saudi corporate execs, and the ambassador had heard then and come looking for me.
One of those execs must have told the prince about me.
And when the ambassador bragged too, he showed up in person like this.
'How does word spread this fast?'
This wasn't the same prince I'd vaguely heard got skin treatment from some Korean doctor.
That one was around Ahmed's age, but this prince was quite young.
'So he's just here on vacation, then.'
He could've come quietly like Ahmed, so why bring this whole entourage?
Maybe he was the type who loved attention.
My head throbbed, and I let out a sigh.
But what could I do about it now?
"Anyway, it's too chaotic. Other patients won't be able to get in. Have your security pull back so we can do normal consultations on the fourth floor. We'll head to the third. My exam room's downstairs."
"■■■! ■■!"
"What'd he say?"
"He came early to avoid bothering anyone and says he's sorry."
The prince was so engrossed in his interview that I'd spoken to the guy next to him, but he answered directly.
Of course, the camera swung toward me too.
"Ah, hello. I'm Han Yeowon."
We introduced ourselves with the interpreter in between.
His name was Faisal bin Amir Al Saud. He'd come because he suffered from frequent headaches and rhinitis.
He immediately pulled back his entire entourage at my request to move and clear the fourth floor.
"He says the painting is incredibly cool and wants to know which artist did it."
"It's by artist Seong Myeongin, an up-and-coming Eastern ink painter."
Even then, he kept talking to me nonstop.
"His Highness loves art too. He says next time you're in Saudi Arabia, he'll introduce you to artists from his country."
……Totally uninteresting info.
Now that art had come up, I noticed how flashy the prince's outfit was.
Way more than that crown prince you see in the news sometimes.
That one looked refined, while this prince seemed decked out to the nines.
The three secretaries trailing him each carried luxury bags, and the cloth on his head was probably designer too, though I wasn't sure.
"Thank you, Director…… I was really shocked."
With the entourage gone, the huddled staff patted their chests in relief.
They hadn't even known about the ambassador's visit, so a prince barging in must've freaked them out.
"Working here's full of wild experiences!"
"Ah, but one of you needs to come down with us."
But one person had to tag along.
Since the prince needed to be registered, and we'd have to ask the third-floor desk to see another doctor on the fourth floor today.
"Gasp!"
"……!"
"I'll go down."
Thankfully, the most seasoned Seo Ina volunteered.
I was truly grateful. Maybe give her a bonus.
What is this, a natural disaster?
"Please make sure other patients don't feel out of place as much as possible."
Move the limo to the underground lot too!
We couldn't do much about the outdoor security, but…… the reporters and cameramen could all come up to the third floor!
"Yes. We'll finish the consultation quickly to minimize disruption."
And the secretary handed over a box.
"We've prepared more than a day's sales. A gift from His Highness."
It wasn't about money—he meant so his patients could get treated—but I don't turn down gifts.
I took it anyway.
The box wasn't big, and it had a Louis Vuitton logo on the outside.
This size? Probably a wallet.
It'd be funny if it was stuffed with 50,000-won bills.
Opening it right away would be rude, though.
"Please write your name and birthdate here."
Seo Ina handled it smoothly, expression unchanged.
She transferred the prince's info to the chart and printed out a notice explaining the situation.
"Director, about that interview……!"
"Ah, yes. I had no idea His Highness was coming, so I was shocked too."
Only after the reporters came up and did their interviews could I finally start the consultation.
"Will you two come in as well?"
Way more than two had accompanied him.
The prince sat right next to me, with the interpreter and secretary beside him.
Ahmed and Jeon Yuli on the wall sofa. Bodyguards inside and out the door.
"Faisal, or should I say Your Highness, do you have chronic headaches like Mr. Ahmed?"
"I'll add the formalities in translation, so speak comfortably. He says it hurts on both sides whenever he's stressed."
The prince clutched his head with both hands upon hearing the translation.
"Like a band tightening around your head?"
"■■■■■■!"
"Yes."
"How long……"
"■■! ■■■? ■■■■!"
Our words got jumbled, so I let the prince speak first.
"Translate first, please."
"He asks if it's because his head feels heavy. Traditional attire's hard to remove at official events. It's been four or five years since the headaches started."
"Ah, it probably contributes, but some things can't be helped."
"■■■?"
"Will acupuncture fix it right away?"
"I can improve it today, but…… for chronic pain of four or five years, it might recur. If stress continues, you'll need ongoing management."
I stuck to standard explanations and gave a brief rundown on headaches.
"Ms. Jeon Yuli had mostly migraine auras, and Ambassador Ahmed had bile headaches from greasy food. For you, Faisal, it's tension-type headaches in Western terms, or Zheng Tou Tong—proper headache—or Qi stagnation in Eastern medicine."
"He's been diagnosed with tension headaches before."
"Yes. Stress causes qi to rise, and the scalp and muscles outside the skull contract continuously, causing pain."
The prince nodded at the translation.
Acute relief wasn't hard. Just calm the contracted, spasming muscles with needles.
But for lasting results, loosen the chronic trunk tension and use meds to avoid overreacting to stress.
"May I press your shoulders a bit?"
I asked permission to check upper trapezius tension first.
I always ask before touching, but his traditional garb made me extra cautious.
"I get it, but Prince Faisal studied in the US for years, so he won't mind."
Oh, so he speaks English well? Though an interpreter was more comfortable than English anyway.
At Ahmed's words, I palpated his head, neck, and shoulders without worry.
"Your nape's really stiff."
"Ohhhhh!"
He groaned in relief at a few spots.
"Let me check your pulse quick."
"■■■!"
"You must be under a lot of subtle stress. Your liver qi is all knotted up."
I took his pulse for reference and was surprised.
It wasn't just a constitution prone to muscle tightness; his qi flow was seriously tangled.
The prince shook his head, saying he was stressed out of his mind.
"He's incredibly busy. He squeezed this in during official duties today."
Official duties?
……Not here for fun?
"I was going to prescribe Galgeun Tang for nape tension, but Xiaoyao San might be better. Acupuncture today, plus cervical manipulation. Physical therapy first?"
I explained the meds and plan, then quickly sent Faisal to the treatment room.
The entourage and guards followed en masse.
"Director, mind if we film the treatment?"
Hmm. Publishing photos of needles in his head?
"If the patient doesn't mind, I don't."
"Ah, it's His Highness's request! Thank you!"
What? The prince's request?
Not bad for me, but what did he gain?
I could only imagine elders who love national pride leaving comments like, "Even the Middle East recognizes Korean medicine's greatness."
He really did love the spotlight?
"Um, Mr. Ahmed."
After sending everyone out, I kept Ahmed and Jeon Yuli in the exam room.
Too many ears before; I'd jumped to conclusions. I wanted the real story.
"Who exactly is Prince Faisal?"
Official duties suggested some title.
Ahmed, ever the diplomat, read my cue and answered.
"He's an aide to the Crown Prince."
"……."
The crown prince had a diplomatic visit next year, and he was here to prep MOUs and contracts.
"So you two are……"
"We came along to formally request importing those meds we couldn't buy in bulk last time."
"……Ah."
"Haha, we're personal friends too."
That made sense. Busy people like them wouldn't escort a tourist prince.
"Discuss it slowly after treatment. Oh, since you're here, mind getting treated too?"
"Of course."
Ahmed and Jeon Yuli left the exam room.
Suddenly curious, I opened the box I'd gotten earlier.
It was indeed a wallet.
Expensive brand, but not enough to cover a day's sales.
'Maybe.'
I opened the wallet, and there was a check inside.
Zeros…… one, two, three, four……
I counted the numbers over and over.