Chapter 231
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 231
Chapter Title: Volunteer Reunion
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"Going back to your hometown?"
"No, not quite the hometown. Just the old place I used to live in."
I'd boldly declared I'd join them, only to realize the event was on a Saturday—my work day.
I could call out sick, but by then I actually wanted to go a little.
So I asked Hwang Sanghun if we could swap weekend shifts just this once.
"What's the difference? I don't mind at all, so go ahead and have fun. I can cover both Sat and Sun if needed."
Was it really my hometown? Not where I was born, and all my relatives had moved away by now.
Still, thinking about it stirred a bit of nostalgia. I wondered if the paths I used to walk were still the same.
I hadn't been back since heading to the murim world, or even after getting into university and moving to the dorms.
"You sure that's okay? It'll be tough on you."
"I've been taking breaks here and there. You went to Europe and haven't taken a single vacation since."
"Oh, right."
"I'll cover Monday too! Take it easy, Director!"
The goal was volunteer work, so lounging around the whole time might be tough...
Anyway, since they were both offering, I accepted without refusing.
Whenever Lee Areum or Hwang Sanghun took leave, I'd covered for them, but after my trip, I hadn't taken any time off myself.
So we arranged for Hwang Sanghun to handle Saturday and Lee Areum Monday—a solid four-day break.
Of course, with generous compensation promised.
'Saturday for volunteering, Sunday to wander the neighborhood?'
Four days with nothing to do? I might end up meeting friends in Seoul or heading to Busan early.
'Not missing home, but those anchovy noodles... Wonder if it's still there? It used to be closed Sundays...?'
Recalling the anchovy noodle shop I'd frequented as a kid, I headed north.
I considered flying to Seoul and taking the chartered bus from school, but decided to drive myself.
I quite enjoy driving, as long as there's no traffic.
A modern marvel that let me race faster than lightness skill without any martial arts—truly, the modern world is the best.
"Ah, everyone's already here."
Unlike last time when I arrived too early, I timed it perfectly this time, but the hall was already bustling.
I looked for Park Jun first, the one who'd invited me.
As club vice president, he'd be busy...
Ah.
"Sunbae! I'm here!"
"Whoa, Director! I didn't think you'd really come!"
He was helping students move stuff and greeted me with pure delight.
As if he hadn't thrown a fit about coming to other schools but skipping ours!
"Teacher Han Yeowon, good to see you."
Lee Minseok showing up wasn't surprising.
Professors often get roped into these events, and he was one of the more student-focused ones.
Even without that, as a young acupuncture professor, he'd likely get drafted anyway.
"How have you been, Professor? You look better every time I see you."
"You're the one who keeps getting more impressive, Teacher Han. Heading to the Middle East now, I hear."
"That's not just luck... well, it kind of happened that way."
I almost reflexively said it was good luck, but pivoted.
There were too many caveats to call it purely good.
"I always knew you'd go far even back in school, but not this far."
"You're too kind."
I exchanged greetings with other familiar professors too.
Even some seniors and juniors I didn't know recognized me, so we swapped numbers.
"Fancy running into Yeowon here."
"...Director Choi Eunhui."
But this did surprise me.
No, actually, it threw me off quite a bit.
Come to think of it, Choi Eunhui was a Korea University senior too.
'We first met here.'
Right here at the Happiness Hall, in fact.
...Over ten years ago.
"Didn't expect you'd still be doing volunteer work."
"Still?"
"We've met before."
Choi Eunhui smiled brightly and brushed back her hair.
"I see. I try to make it once or twice a year."
The Choi Eunhui from over a decade ago, treating intractable diseases and throwing herself into service.
Versus the money-focused one now.
I'd assumed a huge change in mindset in between.
"Impressive, with how busy you must be."
"Well, my deputy directors handle the clinic."
I was in a similar boat, leaving my clinic to the deputies for this break.
But recalling the Daegu branch deputies made it feel... strangely off.
Plus, I'd instructed the main branch deputy to make dieters sign pledges.
"Got it. Let's do our best today."
People aren't one-dimensional, but my feelings were complicated.
"You know Director Choi?"
After greetings, Park Jun came back over.
"Yeah, didn't expect to see her here—caught me off guard."
"Director Choi's amazing, right? She came to almost everything last year... Even tags along to events with her husband sometimes? Oh, and she sponsored the meds too."
Park Jun pointed to a box of herbal preparations.
Other supplies were probably school-owned, consumables like powders and needles—but that all cost money.
I'd had no idea, so I nodded in genuine admiration.
More surprising than her volunteering was that I'd never heard about it.
Skipping a day's work was one thing.
But no mention on her clinic site about service events or donations?
Doing this quietly all these years...
"Alright, everyone to your stations!"
The juniors had set everything up beforehand, and since we came every year, there were plenty of beds.
Not as rundown as that Gyeongnam spot last time.
'Still, more patients than I thought.'
City areas have plenty of clinics, so these events target underserved rural spots.
Yet somehow the grannies and grandpas had heard and gathered in droves.
With equal numbers of Korean docs and senior students, it wouldn't be as hectic as last time.
Treatments started soon, patients filing in steadily.
Mostly musculoskeletal issues, occasional internal medicine consults.
"Cough! This cold just won't quit. Getting old, I guess..."
"How long?"
"Over ten days."
"Symptoms? Sore throat? Runny nose? Body aches? Cough?"
"Cough sometimes, but throat hurts constantly."
"Here's Yin-Qiao Powder for five days, Xiao-Qing-Long Decoction for three. Switch to Xiao-Qing-Long when throat eases and nose runs."
"Thanks."
Seasonal change meant some colds popped up.
Formulas are handy for these.
"Shoulder hurts, radiates to back of head. Right here."
"Occipital neuralgia spot. Needles now, plus Geogen-Tang."
Needles for some, meds for others.
"My back always hurts..."
I gave my all to the usual lumbar/cervical disc patients.
Can't cure in one or two goes, but aimed to ease pain and improve condition.
"Lee Gwanhaeng-ssi has knee issues."
Next was knee pain.
Pre-exam by intake student: chronically bad, recently worse. Age 84—likely degenerative arthritis.
"Yeah, I've got some degenerative knee arthritis."
The grandpa limped to the chair.
Skinny as a rail, no fat on him.
"Roll up your pant leg sitting, so I can check site and movement."
Checking pain points, he did.
"Let me peel the patch."
"Hold on! Gotta go slow or it hurts."
He peeled it agonizingly from the outer edge.
I waited patiently.
"Hm?"
Under the patch? Another bandage.
And stains peeking around the edges.
"Isn't this a burn?"
Peeling a patch over a burn? I yelped; he flinched.
"Is it?"
My voice rose unintentionally. The president and VP, checking on progress, approached.
"Sorry, no big deal. Can someone grab moist dressing for burns?"
Explaining to them, I asked the assistant student—but "burn" drew even Choi Eunhui's glance from next door.
Surface was just stains.
Bandage off: epidermis gone, dermis exposed.
"Aigoo."
Student and I sighed together.
"Sir, no bandages alone on burns. Especially not chemical patches. Should've gone to a health center at least."
Cold water rinse and Medifoam would've been ideal.
Adhesive edges had pulled skin too.
Chemicals same issue.
Not catastrophic, but no help for barrier-compromised healing.
"How long?"
"Mm... five days?"
"What from?"
"..."
He clammed up.
Scolded for bad dressing?
But gotta correct it.
"Won't say a word. Tell me."
Coaxing gently, he finally grumbled.
"Did some moxibustion."
"Moxa? Where?"
Unlike acupuncture seen as medical, moxa straddles folk remedy line.
Non-clinics offer it for pay, clashing with associations.
Anyone can buy easily.
Finding proper clinic moxa tough too.
Clinic moxa is insured, but reimbursement too low vs. labor/risk for direct/incense moxa—most use machines.
I did too, unless direct essential.
So moxa burns often mean...
"Ah, this guy Jang does it well, felt good, so I got some and tried."
Patient self-moxa gone wrong—common with knee-pain gramps.
Unfamiliar Lee Gwanhaeng messed up.
"Burn's too wide. Won't infect easily, but moxa doesn't usually scorch this broad..."
"Khm."
Still odd, so I asked—his reaction weirder.
"Said just this much, but I bundled extra mugwort."
...Insane.
Direct moxa basics: fingernail-sized cone ignited.
Max 1cm even big.
But he made king-moxa sized fluff ball like indirect.
Practically intentional burn.
"Sir, this—"
"Never again. Lucky no infection—could've been disaster."
As I started in...
Choi Eunhui, peeking, couldn't hold back and jumped in.
Come to think of it, she used to handle burns and frostbite a lot back then.