Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: The Apothecary's Accusation
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“Biyu, should I go too?”
I shook my head at my brother’s question and stood up instead.
Raon, who had been in my arms, looked up in surprise.
“No, I want to see for myself.”
The commotion outside had stopped any more patients from coming in.
Still, I had no desire to go out into the bustling crowd.
I chose the second floor. Reaching the window, I looked outside.
‘Wow, quite a crowd.’
I was surprised to see more people had gathered than I expected.
‘Looks like I got famous in record time.’
It was intentional, but… maybe the publicity was a little *too* good.
I quickly spotted my father.
It wasn’t hard to find him, as I could see a group of people shouting in the middle of a circle they had formed near the door.
Wow, what a classic setup.
“I’m telling you, my kid broke out in a rash after taking your medicine! What are you going to do about it?!”
One man was yelling at the top of his lungs, pointing an accusatory finger.
Another man, with the air of a scholar, seemed to be with him but stood off to the side, observing.
Finally, there was a middle-aged man with a beard and a large mole on his cheek.
“Hmm.”
I pretty much understood what was going on. So this is the trick they’re pulling this time.
My father stood before the three men, including the one shouting, with his arms crossed.
“Dada.”
He said he’d attached a breeze to me, so he must know I’m here, right?
Sure enough, my father looked up to the second floor, and our eyes met.
“Tak Minjae! Lift me up.”
“Huh? What? Ah, yes, ma’am!”
Tak Minjae, at a loss, moved to lift me. No, he tried to hold me but was scolded by Gyewon.
“She means use your power. Don’t touch my sister.”
“Ah…! My apologies! I will correct my actions!”
…Gyewon, how on earth did you train this kid? You’ve turned him into a new recruit.
In any case, with Tak Minjae’s help, I floated into the air on a gust of wind and was able to grab the railing.
‘Ugh, my legs are ridiculously short.’
I struggled with my short limbs, grunting as I finally pulled myself up.
Feeling proud, I glanced at Gyewon and Tak Minjae, but what was this? The two boys were looking elsewhere.
Tak Minjae’s cheeks were red as if he were trying to hold back a laugh.
“What is it?”
“N-no, nothing… I definitely wasn’t thinking you were… cute!”
I shook my head and placed my hands on my hips.
Oh, a much better view!
My father’s eyes widened as he saw me.
I shot him a conspicuous grin.
“If you miss, you’re fired.”
Then, I leaped right off the railing.
“Hey, hey! Heuk Biyu!”
“Aaaah! Doctor!”
‘Whoa, it’s higher than I thought.’
The panicked voices of Gyewon and Tak Minjae calling for me from above grew distant.
It seemed I had caused quite a stir.
*Whoosh!*
Of course, thanks to the wind, I landed safely in my father’s arms.
A sharp reprimand followed immediately.
“That was reckless.”
“Heehee, you were going to catch me, right? I trusted ya!”
Undeterred, I tossed that remark out and, from my father’s arms, turned my head toward the gathered crowd.
Some people greeted me upon my sudden appearance, while others began to murmur amongst themselves.
‘Jeok Yunha’s people are here controlling the patients and onlookers, but they still couldn’t get things in order.’
That means someone showed up who they can’t handle.
But what I’m really curious about is why Dad is just standing here listening to this nonsense.
“They were being super loud. Why didn’t you send them flying?”
I tilted my head.
Up close, wasn’t he just another troublemaker? I was curious why my father was letting him be, unlike the others before.
“I was considering it. He’s a patient who came by yesterday.”
“Huuuh?”
Looking closely, the shouting man’s face was indeed familiar. He was a patient from yesterday.
He brought a child with a high fever, right?
“You told me not to strike patients.”
It was true. The fake patients who had come so far hadn't been treated as patients by me and were promptly kicked out by my father every time.
But sometimes, when a real patient was irritable or overly sensitive, my father would step in, so I had made a request.
‘It’s okay. It’s only natural for patients to be on edge.’
I had asked him not to punish patients even if they were being a little unreasonable.
So, from his perspective, he must have been conflicted. Unlike the others, this man was a real patient.
I was briefly touched that my father had kept his promise, but then I focused on the man causing the scene.
Of course, to me, this was no big deal.
‘It was about time for this to happen. A blackmailing patient.’
It wasn't that there had been zero complaints over the past week, but the number was bound to be remarkably low.
This was related to my ability; my medicine generally took effect the moment it was consumed.
Moreover, minor injuries would vanish on the spot.
The atmosphere among the patients waiting inside and outside the building had become one of, ‘I was cured just fine, so what’s your problem?’ and ‘Isn’t it your fault?’
As a result, typical complaints had all but disappeared.
‘Since slander won’t work, they decided to cause a scene using another patient as a hostage.’
Accusations of fake medicine or low-quality herbs were also out of the question.
Jeok Yunha was procuring the medicinal herbs under her own name.
Despite that, my uncle and eldest uncle, who were hiding in the wings, had been divinely picking out the thug-like patients sent by Kanin.
‘Or I’d find their hidden ailments and cure them.’
I still couldn’t forget the look on one thug’s face when I cured his constipation.
So, this wasn’t surprising at all.
If anything, it was just a last-ditch effort.
“There’s no way a diagnosis from a baby who still drinks from a bottle could be right!”
The man from yesterday yelled at the top of his lungs, pointing a finger at me.
The child he had brought with him was nowhere to be seen.
“Are you the baby physician from the rumors?”
The scholarly-looking man, who had been silent until now, finally spoke.
“It seems so.”
He was wearing wooden glasses, which he pushed up with a flourish.
“I am Su Jaeheon, an apothecary who lives in this market.”
“I’m Heuk Biyu.”
“…Your family name is Heuk. Just as I thought.”
The man who introduced himself as an apothecary pointed to the clinic’s sign. In his other hand, he held a familiar medicine.
It was the medicine I had made for the patient yesterday.
“There is a fatal problem with this medicine you made. Does it feel good, child, deceiving all these people?”
His calm voice had a power that drew in the crowd.
Though I was only mildly impressed.
‘They brought a real pro this time, huh?’
By now, Kanin must be out of his mind after his business went down in flames.
Could it be the ones who hired him before?
I heard my father’s quiet voice in my ear.
“It seems there would have been no problem in striking them down. I’ll start now. How far should I send them flying?”
“No, Dada. Let’s hear them out.”
On second thought, this could turn into a rather amusing spectacle.
I cleared my throat with a little cough and buried my face in my father’s chest.
“Dada…”
Then I deliberately clutched his clothes, pretending to be scared.
*Sniffle…*
Putting on an anxious expression was a piece of cake.
“I’m scawed…”
My father’s eyebrows shot up as he looked down at me.
Excuse me? Your daughter says she’s scared, and you give me a ‘What are you scheming?’ look?
Is that the best you can do, Father?
*Tsk!* I clicked my tongue inwardly while observing the men’s reactions.
‘Look at this.’
I clearly stated my first and last name. And Dad’s jet-black hair is practically a symbol of the Heuk family.
‘They’re moving forward even though they must have guessed Dad’s identity?’