Chapter 32
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: The Acne-Plagued Prodigy
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Jeong Inseong, 18 years old. A high school senior.
A tall young man with sharp, striking features.
Thanks to his outstanding leadership, he'd been class president throughout all six years of middle and high school. He was the ultimate perfect son—excelling in studies, soccer, gaming, you name it.
"Oh my, if it isn't my handsome grandson! Come to see your grandma?"
Just a quick Photoshop touch-up on the skin, and...
His facial structure really was handsome.
But he'd never in his life heard anyone besides his grandmother and mother call him handsome.
There was just one problem: the acne scattered across his face.
"Yes, Grandma. Mom sent me with some side dishes she made."
"What, making my hardworking grandson study so hard and then sending him all the way here? I could've gone myself!"
"I wanted to see you too, Grandma."
"You should be out playing with your girlfriend, not wasting time visiting an old lady like me!"
Grandma, a girlfriend?
As if.
...Well, there was a girl he liked.
But she'd never once looked him straight in the face.
Even when she had to talk to him as class president, she'd avert her eyes.
He wanted to get close to her, confess his feelings.
But if he did, she might just burst into tears.
"No girlfriend? Wow, because of that acne?"
She probably knew he wasn't actually handsome.
Grandma had hit the nail on the head.
"Haha, I'm getting treatment, but it just won't improve."
"Didn't you take that herbal medicine? I got it for my back pain, and it worked wonders. Why's your face still the same?"
"Tell me about it."
He'd tried treatments.
The first dermatology clinic had been the best. Laser treatments plus meds had cut his acne by more than half—he'd been thrilled.
But right after finishing the five sessions and stopping the meds, it all came back in less than a month.
- It'll get better after puberty. No good comes from those meds long-term.
As a kid, he'd wanted to keep taking acne meds forever, but Mom wouldn't extend the sessions.
After that, he'd begged her for meds or at least extractions. Every time it flared up, he'd hit the aesthetics shop.
It'd improve a bit, but rollback in under a month. Weekly torture. Once high school senior year hit, he gave up even that.
- Mom, can we just try this one Korean medicine clinic?
Then Jeong Inseong spotted an ad for Haneul Clinic on the subway.
Acne treatment's ultimate boss! Root cause fix to wipe out your worries!
A quick search revealed plausible talk about gut health being the root of skin issues.
Reading columns and cases, he realized his digestion and sleep weren't great either.
'Treatment here might cure everything.'
His grandma, who'd been hunched over for years, had straightened up after acupuncture and herbs there. Maybe his acne could improve too.
- Nail a grade 1 in math on the September mock exam, and we'll go.
Mom had bargained with grades.
Jeong Inseong delivered the score.
And got a prescription.
But his condition...
"Where'd you go that it didn't work? Come to my clinic!"
Was the same.
"Haneul Clinic right by the station. They specialize in skin care, and searches showed tons of success cases."
"What? Our director's the best in the world."
"Ah... Of course she's amazing. She fixed your back like that. But don't clinics have specialties?"
"Specialties, my foot! What can't our director do?"
After hearing Grandma out, Jeong Inseong asked Mom if they could switch clinics, just maybe.
She stared at his forehead, then said she'd get a refund.
But... sadly, no refund came.
"Just finish what's left. We've done enough—focus on studying till the CSAT. Not much time left."
Jeong Inseong thought Mom was right.
So he told Grandma it was unfortunate, but Seongsu Clinic might be tough.
And the next day.
"N-No beating around the bush. Why fear a place that talks like that? Herbal meds ain't that pricey—I'll cover it, let's go!"
Jeong Inseong's dad, the perfect son type, was a struggling painter barely scraping by. Mom was a housewife.
And Grandma... a wealthy art collector.
Grandma convinced Mom easily.
And he finally met Teacher Han Yeowon, whom Grandma praised endlessly.
'Whoa... she's insane.'
The moment an unexpected villain appeared at the clinic, Jeong Inseong flinched.
Being the only guy here, he felt obligated to do something.
But before he could act, a teacher somewhere grabbed the villain's arm.
And whack!
Thought she'd flip him over? ...Sadly, no.
'So cool!'
Instead, she crushed Villain 1's spirit and scared off Villain 2 by phone. He couldn't help but admire her.
Like the lead in a medical drama—no, a courtroom one. He wanted to rush to school and tell his friends.
'Eek, here for my meds, right?'
Mouth agape, Jeong Inseong snapped to when his name was called.
Patient Jeong Inseong sat up front, but as usual with minor patients accompanied by guardians, it was Mom rattling off the symptoms.
As guessed from his face, the main issue was acne.
"Seems like it started in middle school. Wasn't this bad at first, but it's gotten worse over time. We've tried hospitals, skin care, even another Korean clinic recently, but no luck. Steroids long-term feel iffy too."
"Our Inseong's perfect in every way, but this acne stresses him so much! My poor boy was a mess, so here we are again!"
Both the patient's mom and Madam Heo were deeply worried as they spilled it all.
So this was the top-of-the-class grandson she'd mentioned.
"How long did you take meds from Haneul Clinic?"
"A bit over a month."
That was Jeong Inseong's first words since entering.
"Asked what was in it, but they wouldn't say. Wouldn't refund unpicked-up meds either!"
Mom jumped back in.
Seemed okay at a glance before, but the resentment ran deeper than expected.
I skipped the refund bit and focused on the formula.
"Too bad we can't reference it, but that's their policy. Network clinics have strict rules."
"Ah, Inseong. Got any left? Can we use that?"
And surprisingly earnest, she rummaged in her son's bag and shoved a herb pack at me.
'Sudden taste-test guessing game?'
Hah, really. Too much?
Giving me a mission I'm confident in.
Tough for most clinics, but for me—trained under Sichuan Tang family's bizarre rule to know every poison and herb's taste by heart—it was child's play.
Snip.
I cut the pouch and took a sip.
This taste...
Bupleurum, Cnidium, Saposhnikovia, Angelica dahurica, Chrysanthemum, Hoelen, Ginger, Pinellia, Atractylodes, Citrus peel, Magnolia bark, Licorice!
Got it! Modified Ten-Flavor Detox Powder plus Pingwei Powder!
"Well? Anything weird?"
"No, but no bitterness from Coptis—surprised me. It's Ten-Flavor Detox Decoction family."
"Ten-Flavor Detox Decoction?"
Jeong Inseong's mom quickly searched the name on her smartphone.
"Japanese formula, top pick for acne often. Added Pingwei Powder for digestion help."
"Coptis? Missing?"
"Not missing exactly. Their director probably deemed it unnecessary. Ten-Flavor alone suffices for papular acne, but with your pus-heavy inflammation, I'd go stronger with heat-clearing dampness-drying herbs. Inflammation didn't budge, after all."
"Exactly!"
Ten-Flavor Detox cools heat some, but key is clearing blocked follicles from excess sebum.
Pus-heavy means prioritize inflammation first.
'Why this combo?'
Good she brought it—personally dubious prescription.
No questioning yet, but visually obvious pus?
A safer Coptis Detox Decoction, or just add Coptis to this, would've worked somewhat.
'...Did they prescribe without knowing the formula?'
Rumor flashed: some network clinics use HQ presets, docs don't even know compositions.
Highly suspicious, but can't trash the whole industry's trust with a patient here.
"No visible change since inflammation lingered, but ultimately, we healthify the whole body. Some shift must've happened."
"Yes."
"We'll target pus reduction here. Keep theirs—start mine first till inflammation eases, then finish theirs."
"Got it."
Past is past.
Build on prior fails, nail it this time.
I started proper questioning, treating as first prescription.
"Appetite, digestion okay?"
"So-so. Eat on time, no bloating... occasional diarrhea."
"Sleep well?"
"High schooler, so late-night studying often. Hard to sleep early."
Jeong Inseong spilled symptoms like he'd been waiting.
"Not severe. Feel hot anywhere?"
"Just head. Probably studying stress—exams hit hard."
"Tongue, please."
Just checking dryness, but tongue massively swollen, cracked. How bad the heat?
Exams are evil incarnate. Even healthy me ached everywhere senior year.
"Dry mouth too?"
"Yes. Sip water constantly studying."
"Diet? School lunch mostly? Flour, chocolate...?"
"Try avoiding, but coffee, chocolate help focus."
Erm.
Tough case. Knows chocolate bad for acne, can't quit though?
"No choice. Cut fully post-CSAT."
"Can it improve without quitting?"
"As you know, flour, caffeine stimulate oil glands, but if excess drains well, no issue. Target that with meds."
"Yes!"
Face lit up at "chocolate okay." If he could quit, he would've.
Boost basics like appetite, digestion, sleep—curbs sugar cravings with stress.
"What meds? Stronger than Ten-Flavor...? No steroids, right?"
Mom asked.
Patient eager from start, Madam Heo's trust needless to say—so she's this stage's final boss.
Haneul experience made her wary; extra reassurance needed.
"No worries. Even potent, all natural plants. Nothing like hormones."
I wrote out Coptis Decoction on paper.
Coptis, Pinellia, Ginseng, Ginger, Cinnamon twig, Angelica dahurica? Wait, Atractylodes, Licorice.
Swap Cinnamon for Goldthread? No—swap for Akebia makes Pinellia Heart-Draining Decoction I gave Hwang Sanghun before.
Acne's damp-heat symptom; he has mild insomnia, upper heat lower cold-ish. Similar direction.
Similar pathology, varied symptoms per person.
'Severe dry mouth—add Ophiopogon, Lily bulb. ...Coptis alone weak. Need Scutellaria, Gardenia too.'
Added four more, then explained.
Same spiel as Hwang Sanghun wouldn't fit this type.
No basic TCM knowledge—talk phlegm, damp-heat, pattern diff, faces glaze over.
"Coptis's key active is Berberine alkaloid—stellar against bacteria, fungi, parasites. Great for acne, gut microbiome, digestion issues."
Time for secret weapon.
Pharmacology knowledge, fire!
Sure enough, as grandma and Inseong zoned on the unfamiliar terms, Mom's suspicion faded.
"Th-The director'll handle it perfect-like! Do your best, ma'am!"