The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim

“Do you know what Mom regrets the most after all that happened?”

“…What is it?”

“I made the wrong wish!”

Gong Na-ri imitated her mother with an exaggerated tone.

“That was her biggest regret. So now she’s praying for the cryptocurrency to succeed.”

“……”

“They say even cutting off your hands won’t stop a gambling addiction. Dad behaved for a few months, but as soon as a member of the chat room where he bought that biotech stock said he doubled his money with crypto, he immediately opened an account.”

“And now he’s pouring his salary into it?”

“That’s right. Thankfully, he can’t do much because he doesn’t have money. We’ve already sold the house, and he can’t get any more loans from legitimate banks. Fortunately, he seems to be afraid of loan sharks.”

She continued, chuckling.

“Dad says people who are good at crypto futures can turn 100,000 won into 100 million or even a billion won.”

“I suppose such people exist somewhere.”

Is he using high leverage with futures? Or just some random altcoin?

“Right, we both know it won’t be my dad. But he believes it will work, so it’s better that he uses a bit of his salary allowance than borrowing from loan sharks and losing it all.”

“I see.”

“When I say this, Mom gets angry, saying it’s because I don’t truly believe that we keep having bad luck. But then when money runs out, she acts like she was never angry and says with a sweet smile, ‘Na-ri~ We’re out of water~ Why didn’t you buy some~?'”

Gong Na-ri took a long swig of her canned beer.

Despite the air getting quite chilly, her face was flushed red.

Was it anger? Or the low-alcohol beer?

“My parents are really hopeless, aren’t they?”

“They are.”

I nodded without hesitation.

“I’m frustrated too, you know? Like In-ae-ssaem said, I should just leave! Tell them to figure it out themselves!”

“In-ae-ssaem is the impressive one. It’s easy to give advice as a third party, but when it’s your own situation, emotions take over. I understand.”

I empathized with Gong Na-ri for now.

Her face twitched. It looked like she was holding back tears.

“I want to live just for myself too. But what if they can’t pay next month’s rent? I’m scared Dad might default on his loans and become credit delinquent, or even turn to loan sharks. And I have to pay my brother’s college tuition too!”

She poured out her words like releasing pent-up emotions.

“Is your brother starting college this year?”

“Yes. Despite our family situation being such a mess, he studied hard and got into a national university. I’m so proud of him.”

Gong Na-ri finally smiled when talking about her brother.

“I’m proud of you too, Na-ri-ssaem.”

“Hehe…”

“And.”

Squeeze.

I placed both hands on Gong Na-ri’s shoulders and gripped her trapezius muscles firmly.

“Ow!”

Gong Na-ri screamed at the sudden assault.

“Your shoulders are too heavy.”

“Is, is that so?”

“How many people’s worth are you carrying on these shoulders? Four, including your brother?”

“Ugh, I guess it is like that.”

As I walked through the park, I pondered what to say to her.

Then by chance, I met Gong Na-ri’s mother. Perhaps it was fortunate? I could see with my own eyes what kind of person she was.

‘I don’t know what religion it is… but she doesn’t believe in it at all.’

Gong Na-ri’s mother told both me and Gong Na-ri to believe.

That if we just believe sincerely, it will surely come true.

But so far, her wish for her husband to succeed in cryptocurrency hasn’t been fulfilled.

Yet she continues her religious activities, changing gods. To believe sincerely.

She actually knows.

That nothing will change by doing this.

That the money for food and shelter comes not from faith, but from her daughter’s wallet.

Having seen true fanatics willing to sacrifice their lives for the Heavenly Demon, I could be certain.

Both Gong Na-ri’s mother and her father, who hadn’t resorted to loan sharks yet, still had a shred of reason left.

They just still had some room to stretch their legs.

“You know, in recent martial arts novels, there’s a popular theme of reviving fallen sects or families.”

“Huh?”

She was surprised by my sudden talk of novels, but soon realized I was making some kind of analogy with the mention of “fallen families.”

“It’s a cliché where the world’s greatest expert who failed to save the world once returns to the past, or a master who saved the world but couldn’t protect his family goes to the future to raise his descendants. Sounds interesting, right?”

“Yes.”

She looked at me like I was some kind of otaku, but I continued without minding.

“Why do you think they use this setup, when an ordinary disciple or successor could revive the family?”

“Um… because they can’t do it?”

“That’s right. It doesn’t seem like something that could be done easily. It’s too heavy a burden for an ordinary person to shoulder, and it seems like it would take someone on the level of the world’s greatest expert.”

Gong Na-ri brushed her hair back and smirked.

She was implying she didn’t have the ability to save her family, but the absurdity of the analogy probably amused her more.

“Moreover, even those protagonists’ friends first build up their own strength before seriously developing their sects. They somehow find miraculous medicines and sometimes go into seclusion to train. They need to become strong enough to protect their sect from the world’s turbulence that tries to check their power.”

“Ah.”

“But… there are also much more realistic novels like this. The protagonist isn’t a returnee or reincarnator. Their talent is only slightly above average, a second-rate martial artist who hasn’t mastered qi or opened their conception and governing vessels yet. What do you think would happen if someone like this tried to shoulder a family buried in debt?”

“Um… they couldn’t do it, right?”

The last part was actually a case I had seen in real life.

The destruction of sects happens as easily as in those many sect-building martial arts novels. The Central Plains are vast, and conflicts between orthodox and unorthodox sects are countless.

But it’s extremely rare for someone to successfully revive a family that has greatly declined. It truly takes the talent of the world’s greatest expert to accomplish such a feat.

“If they absolutely had to do it, what should they do first?”

“In a martial arts novel… they’d have to get stronger, right?”

But I had seen someone succeed despite all odds.

“That’s right. They need to learn secret martial arts manuals, go on training journeys to gain experience and become stronger.”

“Yes…”

“If they don’t leave, no opportunities will appear. If the protagonist stays at home trying to support their family instead of training, nothing will happen.”

That guy left everything behind and went on a training journey.

He didn’t find a secret manual in a cave, but he returned as a supreme expert with an impressive title.

“Then, what happens to the family members left behind while the protagonist is gone?”

“They sell off family assets to clear debts, open a small martial arts school to teach children and make a living. They let go of titles like elder or hall master and each find their own way to survive.”

His skills and fame alone were enough to revive a small sect.

The children who had been attending the school for fun became disciples of a supreme expert, and one of them even rose to become the Deputy Leader of the Martial Alliance.

“Haha, that’s right. That would work.”

“You understand what I’m trying to say, right?”

“Really, I barely understood because I’ve been reading one martial arts webtoon.”

As long as she got it, that’s fine.

It seemed the message I wanted to convey had been well-received.

“Let it go. Even without Na-ri-ssaem’s efforts, your family will be okay. They’ll probably set aside just enough to eat, as In-ae-ssaem said… and even if they cross the line, our country’s welfare system is better than you might think. They won’t let people freeze to death on the streets.”

“You think so?”

I nodded quietly.

“If it were truly an unavoidable situation, like needing continuous money for cancer treatment, I might have considered helping. But this won’t be solved by giving a few hundred thousand or even millions of won more.”

“…That’s true.”

“Either your parents will come to their senses and start pulling their own weight, or they’ll hit rock bottom and end up on the streets, and then the country will do something. Continuing to give money and maintaining the current situation will only delay the resolution.”

Gong Na-ri nodded vigorously.

It seemed she had understood at least this much – that maintaining the current situation wasn’t the answer.

What remained was a concrete plan.

“Na-ri-ssaem. You didn’t spend all of last month’s incentive, did you? You saved it for your brother’s tuition, right?”

Gong Na-ri’s eyes widened at my words.

“How did you know?”

“I thought if you really had nothing, you would have mentioned something unavoidable like getting dental implants last month. You know how to hide chocolates, but can’t hide money?”

She had said she wasn’t handing over her entire salary like Seo In-ae’s sister used to.

She was trying to manage in her own way and had priorities.

And since she spoke proudly of her brother, the inference wasn’t difficult.

“Don’t give that to your brother. Find a place to live, like In-ae-ssaem said. He can take out student loans and work part-time, can’t he? Like you did when you were twenty.”

“……”

“Did your brother ask for help?”

“No! Absolutely not. My brother said I don’t need to give him anything, that he’ll apply for student aid himself.”

Gong Na-ri waved her hands, insisting it wasn’t the case.

She said her brother was different from their parents, and that it was just her own desire to let at least her brother live comfortably.

“I said earlier, didn’t I? Desires…”

“Should be indulged only after you have the ability. Sigh, everything you’re saying is right, Director. I’ll talk to my brother too.”

I had deliberately avoided direct expressions, but Gong Na-ri saw through to the essence.

I added one more thing out of concern.

“I’m not saying to cut ties forever, not with your brother or your parents. Even if you want to cut family ties, it’s not something that can be easily broken. But don’t give them your new address, and if you want to see them, meet outside.”

“Okay!”

“Absolutely don’t give them money. Not until Na-ri-ssaem can handle four people’s worth.”

“Ha! Four people’s worth? I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do that.”

“If you have the desire, keep looking for ways like In-ae-ssaem did. If not, just taking care of yourself is enough.”

“That’s true!”

Gong Na-ri shook the empty beer can.

Although she had finished one can, the flush that had risen when she first started drinking had completely disappeared.

The forced smile that had been hiding her sadness and anger also vanished.

She stood up abruptly from the bench.

“I need to prepare right away. Thank you so much for telling me all this, Director!”

Then, with a much more refreshed face, she bowed deeply.

“Fighting. I’m always on your side, Na-ri-ssaem.”

“Hehe.”

“And if you really have nowhere to go, you can sleep at the clinic.”

“Oh, Director, you’re joking!”

Was it such an outrageous suggestion?

I was serious this time, and there’s even someone who actually lived there for a month.

Come to think of it, including Hwang Sang-hoon and Seo In-ae, more than half of the employees have left home.

Unintentionally, we’ve become a company that encourages leaving home.

◆◇◆◇◆

Gong Na-ri arrived home in no time and knocked on the door.

Although they lived in a two-room villa and shared a room with her brother, they always remembered to knock out of consideration for each other.

“Maru, are you in the room?”

“Yeah, come in.”

The room contained only a bunk bed, a desk, and a wardrobe.

Her brother got up from the desk where he had been sitting to greet Gong Na-ri.

“The entrance exam is over, what were you doing?”

“Ah… I wanted to apply for a dormitory, but it seems almost impossible for people living in Busan.”

Dormitory? It’s only about an hour commute one way?

Gong Na-ri, who hadn’t thought her brother would leave home, paused for a moment.

Then soon, a better idea came to mind.

“Then do you want to move out and live together with your Nuna?”