Chapter 241
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 241
Chapter Title: Uncovering the Ringleader
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Seo Ina initially planned to blend in seamlessly among the staff.
She couldn't afford to lose her authority, but there was no need to stir up unnecessary conflicts, right?
Her goal was to get along harmoniously, identify the problems, and gradually correct them.
The first day was all about observation.
She needed to see how the front desk and treatment rooms operated.
Whether they were following the manual, what was lacking, and what needed fixing.
"Hello~ First time here?"
"I was here yesterday too."
"What's your name?"
"Kim Gwanbok. Don't you remember now?"
"Sorry~ I'm just terrible with faces~."
Today was Heo Youngsun's day at the front desk.
She handled patients smoothly and deftly glossed over comments that could have been annoying.
"It's better to phrase it as 'Even if I know, I still need to confirm.'"
"Got it, Director~."
Even when Seo Ina offered a suggestion, she just nodded without complaint.
"……."
In stark contrast, the younger staff were a complete mess.
Just during the afternoon treatment room observations, there were three foot acupuncture needle misses.
"You missed the foot needle. Lift the clothes and check thoroughly all the way up."
"Oh, right."
Seo Ina caught some and intervened.
"Make sure to mention checking the head, hands, and feet for needles too. That way, if a missed needle is found later, the patient will think we checked less thoroughly, covering you."
"Ah, I forgot. Sorry."
She even pulled them aside for a talk, but it was questionable if they really understood.
Still, with Seo Ina watching closely from behind, they inspected the needles more carefully than before.
'This won't be easy.'
After clinic hours ended.
Seo Ina told Director Chu Miyoung to give it a bit more time and see.
It would be ideal if education fixed things whenever needed, but if there was strong backlash, other measures might be necessary.
She called Director Han Yeowon right at the main branch's closing time.
- Director Seo~ How'd it go?
"Their attitudes aren't great. They were slacking off peacefully until the director showed up, and now they seem seriously annoyed."
- Hmm, sounds like they're not planning to learn properly and work hard.
"I didn't expect that anyway."
- Any standout problem staff?
"I have a suspect, but I'm still watching for now."
- Got it. Fighting!
After the brief update, she reviewed the manual back at her lodging.
It might be good to include minor details like greetings when entering and leaving.
And the next day.
"Ina teacher~ Still adjusting since it's your first time? Let's do lunch~."
"Sure. Call me Director Seo."
"Oh, my bad. Right, Director! Where you from? If you're dispatched from the main branch, you're from Busan?"
"Yes."
"Must be tough away from home~ I'm about your mom's age, right? Think of me like a mom and relax~."
Heo Youngsun started getting overly chummy with Seo Ina.
She let the title slip slide.
But the "think of me like a mom" line brought her real mother's face to mind, stirring deep disgust from her chest.
"……Yes. Thank you."
"Our kids are a bit clumsy, so go easy on them~. They're hardworking folks."
Seo Ina forced a mechanical smile, keeping her feelings hidden.
She was here to fix the rough spots, so she needed to avoid any colored glasses.
But as the days passed—one day, two days.
The more time went by, the more unacceptable incidents piled up.
"Excuse me."
"……."
"Excuse me!"
A patient was calling, but Im Miri at the desk had earbuds in, staring at her phone, ignoring it.
Seo Ina reluctantly tapped her shoulder, and only then did she jolt in surprise and pull out her wireless earbuds.
"Teacher Im Miri."
"Ah, yes!"
- Everyone~ I'm in Okinawa today~~
From the earbuds, it sounded like she was watching someone's vlog on Newtube.
"What if you miss a patient because you're on your phone?"
"Sorry. But the director said it's okay to check my phone when there are no patients."
"You need to keep monitoring for patients and how the treatment rooms are running, handling it flexibly. How can you do that with earbuds in?"
Did she really need to put this in the manual?
Like "Videos banned, messages under 1 minute OK"?
Things were fine when busy, but forbidding all phone use during downtime was basically torture.
That's why most companies tacitly allowed brief checks.
But acting without any sense of being on the clock meant the manual had to strictly ban it.
When Seo Ina pointed it out, Im Miri pouted her lips.
'Sigh.'
But Im Miri was just the beginning.
"How much is Kyungokgo?"
"Uh…… I don't know."
"One month, 30 packs, 134,000 won! Shall I schedule a consult with the director?"
"Ah, can it be now?"
"Please wait 10 minutes, or you can book next time."
"I'll wait."
Kim Juwon had botched a non-covered service consult.
"Teacher, check hemostasis carefully. If it's still bleeding, put a bandage on."
Choi Semi removed the bloodletting cupping without properly stopping the bleed.
Wet cupping involved drawing blood then suctioning to promote circulation, but when removing the cup, you had to press firmly on the bleeding site.
Otherwise, infection risk or clothes stained.
"Ah~ Sorry!"
"There's infection risk, and patients could demand reimbursement for clothes."
Every correction met with poor attitudes too.
"……Injections in the general trash?"
Even trash management was a disaster.
Why toss an uncapped syringe—a medical waste—into regular trash?
It was in the manual, basic nursing assistant exam knowledge.
Forget all that, a little thought would tell you.
"Oops, my mistake."
"Teacher, the clinic gets fined for this. Hole in the bag, everything spills."
After Im Miri's confession, another word from Seo Ina.
"Just cover it with other trash, no one knows……."
"Teacher!"
Even absurd comebacks.
Seo Ina finally raised her voice.
"Aigoo, a young kid might not know. I still get confused about where to toss fruit peels~."
Heo Youngsun mediated, but it was hard to accept.
If you don't know, ask or look it up online.
Was this really a mistake?
Or no intention to fix?
"I'll teach her properly~ Don't get mad! Let's do better~ Our clinic's great, right? Let's make it even better."
Heo Youngsun smiled brightly, soothing both Seo Ina and Im Miri.
"Things were fine until the director got so strict."
Of course, it did little good.
About two weeks after Seo Ina started at the Daegu branch.
The same pattern repeated several times a day.
Seo Ina made a comment, the three staff sulkily nodded.
Heo Youngsun's mediation only made Seo Ina angrier.
"Complaints are down to 1/10. Thank you."
Even so, Director Chu Miyoung was pleased.
With Seo Ina glaring from behind, they at least tried to cut mistakes.
No more outrageous needle misses or desk distractions, and visible patient issues vanished.
"I was lost on what the problems even were, but as expected, the director fixes it right away!"
"Still lacking. They're just watching their step because I'm nagging from the side."
"Ah, really? Still amazing. I'd fear nothing with a staff like you beside me."
"Thanks to Director Han. Under the previous director, I was just a below-average taciturn employee."
"Ah."
Did it all depend on how the boss acted?
Director Chu Miyoung murmured softly.
"You're right, Teacher. I'll work hard to be like Director Seo and Director Han."
While the staff's fundamentals hadn't changed at all, only Director Chu Miyoung nodded as if enlightened.
"Go ahead and rest. I'll wrap up settlements."
"Huh? Didn't the staff already do them? I saw them drop them on your desk before I could check."
"They mess up often, so I recheck."
"……Let me look."
Sure enough.
Seo Ina spotted the errors immediately.
Amounts that weren't initial or follow-up fees jumped out.
"Do they always just dump this on you?"
"I catch them quick anyway."
Seo Ina steeled her resolve.
No more assessing needed.
Time to act, and not just error correction—full new training from the start.
"Need to confirm something. Can we discuss tonight with Director Han too? Got time?"
"Of course!"
Director Chu Miyoung agreed readily.
"Oh, faster than I thought."
Word from Seo Ina.
Situation fully grasped, could we do a group meeting?
The other branch owners wanted to help too, so I set up a new video conference room.
Even with directors she only vaguely knew by face, Seo Ina was willing to brief.
Said she needed to learn this stuff gradually.
'If she does great. Want to hand off PK quick!'
Seo Ina presented a very simple PPT on incidents so far.
Needle misses, neglected responses, sloppy settlements, excessive snacking on duty, etc.
Every kind of mishap that could slip past the director's eyes.
- Ugh, must be my shortcomings!
As soon as the presentation ended, Director Chu Miyoung covered her face with both hands.
This wasn't the Three Kingdoms era—what virtue shortage?
The other directors comforted her, saying it wasn't.
"But Director Seo got mistakes down over 90%? In two weeks?"
- Yes. I don't think it's a lack of ability on their part.
- No sense of urgency...
Not low intelligence or attention deficit—just lack of sincerity.
- Educating folks like this is tough. How about Director Chu doing one-on-ones to instill a sense of purpose?
- They need a crisis overall. Start by firing the unsettled staff.
Kim Chunsik, ex-educator, offered idealistic advice.
Lim Suchul, ex-manager, suggested practical ideas.
But Seo Ina, with on-site experience, shook her head.
"What's Director Seo's take?"
When I asked, she spoke right up, as if waiting.
- I think we need to fire Teacher Heo Youngsun.
- Teacher Youngsun?
Director Chu Miyoung was shocked.
She'd worked longest, made fewest mistakes.
Relayed staff needs, played middleman keeping the clinic running.
- She's the manipulator. Acts perfect in front of Director Chu, earns trust, then reshapes the clinic her way. The break room snacks too.
- Ah...
- With her tenure, if she wanted, she could've fixed the others like I did. But she covers for them, so she's popular with the young ones. The worse they are, the more praise she gets. No interest in the clinic's future or patient convenience—just making her job easy.
I nodded.
Sure enough, Seo Ina had pinpointed it just as I hoped.
There was clearly someone who'd made slacking not just okay, but advantageous for survival.
The rest followed suit.
"I agree."
- You too, Director?
"She's the longest-tenured, right? Act normally instead of her way, and you can't endure and leave."
- Ah...
Director Chu Miyoung grimaced, clutching her chest.
Hard to accept her most trusted was the cause.
- Tough.
Sun Nayeon sighed in empathy.
- The middle manager failed at her role.
- Trying to play unassigned middle manager was the root problem.
Lim Suchul and Yoo Kyung-hun nodded too.
- Yeah, Directors. Hearing it from Director Seo, it all fits perfectly.
Director Chu Miyoung finally nodded.
Pathetic for not realizing and giving trust, she tapped her forehead.
- Recommended resignation, I guess? ...I've hardly ever fired anyone. If she won't go, severance and termination notice.
Even broaching it was hard; she fidgeted her lips.
"No. Hold on."
I paused her fretting.
- Does Director Han have another view?
- At this stage, salvaging seems impossible.
The directors asked, but no one disagreed on firing Heo Youngsun.
I wasn't some sage.
Why keep carrying someone who'd only harmed Director Chu Miyoung this whole time?
Instead, I went a step further.
"While we're at it, fire all four."
Even cutting the ringleader, the other three were steeped in politics, accustomed to hating proper work.
Cut Heo and hire one new—they'd just pine for the good old days.
Seo Ina leaves, and a new Heo emerges from the three.
'The old Yongbong Assembly was exactly like that. Even solid later-generation disciples turned thugs, punish a couple and a new thug boss pops up.'
When the water's this black, draining isn't enough.
Flush it clean in one go.