TOMDB 01

Chapter: 01

In the foothills of Bukhansan, where the early summer morning sunlight filtered through, a narrow alley lined with stone walls stretched ahead.

The early morning air still held a damp silence.

Yet both sides of the alley were packed with luxury cars—black Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, and Maybachs.

“Look at all those cars.”

The elderly residents of the neighborhood stood in the distance with their hands clasped behind their backs, whispering among themselves.

“Why are they all gathered in front of Baekmyodang?”

“Wasn’t it just the local oriental medicine clinic?”

In front of the traditional Korean gate bearing the sign “Baekmyodang Korean Medicine Clinic,” bodyguards dressed in black suits and sunglasses stood on either side like statues, silently watching their surroundings.

The atmosphere around the entrance felt thick with tension.

“…What on earth is going on?”

Meanwhile, inside the examination room on the first floor of the hanok…

A woman with long black hair tied tightly into a ponytail rested her elbows on the desk and pressed both temples with her fingers.

A nameplate on the desk read:

Director, Korean Medicine Doctor Go Yeonhee

“Ugh…”

Lost in thought, Yeonhee absentmindedly rubbed the gemstone hanging from her necklace.

The honey-colored cat’s eye gemstone shimmered softly in the light.

My tiny, precious clinic…!

Just three days ago…

This had been nothing more than a neighborhood clinic where patients came with back pain, colds, indigestion, and other minor ailments.

A cozy place where the locals gathered.

But now…

Inside the waiting room…

“Executive Director Baek, I see you here quite often these days!”

“Ah, Ms. Jeong Rabit. I’ve been enjoying your latest song. Mr. Ma Yoonsang, you’re here again as well?”

“I’m just here for conditioning before my next competition.”

People she had only ever seen on television were calmly waiting their turn.

The heir to a powerful conglomerate.

A top idol singer.

A national athlete.

To Yeonhee’s eyes, golden energy flowed through every one of their bodies.

And even stranger…

Tiger tails.

Rabbit ears.

Horse hooves.

They all possessed features that ordinary humans shouldn’t have.

Have I completely lost my mind?

Yeonhee leaned forward and peeked through the slightly open door into the waiting room.

No matter how many times she rubbed her eyes and looked again, the strange sights refused to disappear.

Turning toward the white cat curled up on her desk, she cried out in a voice that was almost on the verge of tears.

“Alfred! Say something!”

The snow-white cat lazily flicked its tail.

Its mismatched golden and blue eyes stared directly at her.

Then, as though it knew absolutely nothing, it innocently let out a soft…

“Meow.”

That somehow made it even more irritating.

Yeonhee buried her face into the desk.

A few days earlier…

Moonlight quietly bathed the garden of Baekmyodang.

In the cool summer night air, the wind chime hanging beneath the eaves swayed gently, producing a clear, delicate sound.

“Hmm… Nice and dry. Perfect.”

I sat on the wooden porch sorting medicinal herbs for the next day’s patients.

Beside me lay Alfred, the white cat who had been with me ever since I was a baby, purring lazily.

The scent of dried medicinal herbs drifted gently through the warm summer night.

Then it happened.

[Follow the guidance of the Cat’s Eye Stone.]

Flash!

Something appeared before my eyes and vanished.

It looked as though translucent letters had been overlaid across my vision.

“Huh?”

At the same time, the necklace around my neck began to glow and gently pulled toward a certain direction.

Startled, I touched the back of my neck.

It felt as if an invisible hand had grabbed the necklace and was tugging me somewhere.

“Yeonhee, never lose this necklace. It’s no ordinary object.”

“What do you mean?”

“It will protect you, help you, and even guide your path. Literally.”

My mother’s words from ten years ago, when I had turned seventeen, suddenly echoed vividly in my mind.

Back then, I had never imagined those would become her final words.

Since then, nothing like this had ever happened.

Being the practical, MBTI-T realist that Mom was, I’d always assumed it was just one of her rare sentimental jokes…

But it was impossible to ignore.

The cat’s eye stone continued shining as it pulled me somewhere.

Confused, I jumped to my feet.

“I guess I’d better see where this leads. Alfred, watch the clinic while I’m gone.”

“Meow.”

The white cat answered briefly, as if it understood.

Following the winding hanok alleyways unique to the foothills of Bukhansan, I walked wherever the necklace led.

Step.

Step.

After walking for some time…

“…!”

At the end of an alley untouched by the streetlights, someone was leaning weakly against a wall swallowed by darkness.

A middle-aged man in a business suit.

His hair clung to his forehead with sweat.

His breathing was rough and irregular.

What’s going on? Is he drunk?

I cautiously approached him.

His unusually pale skin, sharp facial features, and thick eyebrows gave him the impression of a tiger.

He looks familiar somehow…

The moment I got close enough…

I froze.

His left eyelid drooped halfway shut.

The left side of his forehead showed no wrinkles whatsoever.

One corner of his mouth sagged.

A little saliva dripped onto his chin.

His lips moved as though he wanted to speak, but his tongue couldn’t seem to cooperate.

“This is…!”

My gaze sharpened instantly.

Drooping eyelid.

A forehead showing no movement from paralysis.

Uneven lips.

These were unmistakable warning signs of a stroke.

“Can you hear me? Blink if you can!”

I rushed over and shook his shoulders.

He blinked with great difficulty.

But his arm hung limply at his side, unable even to support himself.

What should I do?

Just as I hesitated, biting my lip…

The message appeared again.

[Quest: First Purification]

[Correct treatment will awaken you as a Purifier.]

[Failure will permanently seal your awakening.]

The same translucent words floated before my eyes.

What is this now?

My breathing quickened in surprise.

Yet strangely, my mind became clearer.

The words correct treatment echoed through my head.

Right. The more critical the emergency, the calmer I have to be.

I steeled myself.

Immediately I called emergency services.

Then I took a disposable acupuncture needle from my pocket.

“I’m a Korean medicine doctor. I’m going to perform acupuncture now, so don’t be alarmed.”

For an ordinary person, getting the patient to the hospital within the golden hour would be the best course of action.

But I was a doctor of Korean medicine.

Calling an ambulance wasn’t the only thing I could do.

I’ll use the Seven Acupuncture Points for Stroke.

These seven major acupuncture points are traditionally used in stroke treatment.

Stimulating them can help relieve paralysis, sensory impairment, and speech disorders caused by stroke.

The moment the first needle entered Baihui, the point at the top of his head…

“…?!”

A tingling sensation shot through my fingertips.

Like a faint electric current, an unfamiliar feeling traveled up my arm and reached my heart.

At the same time…

Something impossible happened.

[The Purifier’s power is awakening.]

[Spirit Sight has opened.]

“Wh…?”

The next instant, my attention was drawn to the back of the man’s neck.

I saw something that had been invisible until now.

Golden energy flowed through his carotid artery.

But black smoke-like energy blocked its path, preventing it from reaching his brain.

Flash!

My cat’s eye gemstone shone once more.

Its light traveled through my arm, into my fingertips, and finally into the acupuncture needle.

The black energy slowly dissolved into nothingness.

The golden energy immediately began flowing freely again.

“…”

The man’s breathing gradually became steady.

The tension left his face.

I exhaled deeply as I watched him.

When I looked again, all those strange phenomena had vanished.

What was that just now?

Purification.

Spirit Sight.

Had I really… purified something?

Frowning deeply, I shook my head.

…No. The acupuncture simply worked well. I must have imagined the rest because I was so startled.

At that moment, the middle-aged man slowly opened his eyes.

Looking confused, he glanced around before fixing his gaze on me.

“You… just now…”

Before he could finish…

Two black SUVs screeched to a stop at the entrance of the alley.

Two men in black suits rushed over and supported him.

“Chairman! Are you alright?”

“Wait a second! I already called an ambulance! You should go with the paramedics—”

Before I could finish speaking, they helped the man into the SUV and disappeared into the darkness.

Chairman…?

As I stood there in confusion, something lying on the ground caught my eye.

I bent down and picked it up.

It was a golden badge engraved with a tiger emblem.

A chill ran down my spine.

Isn’t this the symbol of the Baekho Group?!

Could that man really have been Baek Hojung, chairman of the Baekho Group?

Why would the chairman of one of the country’s largest corporations collapse alone in an alley like this?

And why had his people taken him away without waiting for the ambulance?

After pondering for a moment, I dusted off my knees.

Whatever. They’ll handle it.

An overwhelming wave of exhaustion settled over me.

Dragging my tired feet, I finally returned to Baekmyodang.

But the biggest shock was still waiting for me.

[Yeonhee. So… you have finally awakened.]

I froze.

An old man’s dignified voice came from the porch.

Alfred…

Was staring straight at me.

And speaking.

Human language.

“Hahaha…”

I must have finally gone insane.

Sure, running the clinic alone after losing my parents had been difficult.

But things had only recently become stable.

I had finally reached the point where Alfred and I could make a decent living.

“I must be exhausted. I’d better go upstairs and sleep.”

The clinic occupied the first floor.

The second floor was my home.

Forcing out an awkward laugh, I climbed the stairs.

The cat quietly followed behind me.

[Yeonhee. You can hear me, so why are you pretending you can’t?]

What is this?

What on earth is happening?

Grinding my teeth, I climbed faster.

Behind me, the voice sighed in resignation.

[Very well. It must be difficult to accept. We’ll talk tomorrow.]

…Sleep.

Everything will make sense after I wake up.

I hurried into my room and slammed the door shut.

The next morning.

Under an exceptionally clear sky, the air around Bukhansan was crisp and cool from the early hours.

Dewdrops sparkled on the jujube tree leaves in the courtyard.

Sparrows chirped merrily beyond the stone wall.

While brewing herbal medicine in the kitchen, I muttered to myself,

“Last night really must have been a dream.”

I took a sip of the freshly brewed Ssanghwa-tang.

Warmth spread pleasantly through my body, and a smile naturally appeared.

Choosing and brewing the herbal medicine best suited to my condition each morning was one of my favorite routines.

“Haha… I knew it. It was impossible.”

Cats couldn’t talk.

And all that black smoke and golden energy…

I must have hallucinated because I was exhausted.

Besides, what are the chances that the chairman of a giant corporation would collapse in the alley outside my house?

Repeating that to myself, I carried my mug of Ssanghwa-tang into the living room.

Click.

I relaxed onto the sofa and turned on the television.

[Breaking News] Baekho Group Chairman Collapses on Street… Regains Consciousness Thanks to an “Unidentified Civilian”

The calm voice of the news anchor filled the room.

The screen showed footage of the chairman arriving at the hospital, along with a statement from a Baekho Group representative.

“Pffft—!”

I nearly spat out my Ssanghwa-tang.

“…Ghk!”

After swallowing it with difficulty…

I barely managed to avoid ruining the living room rug.

Wait… so last night really happened?

While trying to calm my pounding heart…

A commotion suddenly erupted outside.

The firm voices of bodyguards.

Car doors slamming.

People whispering.

“…?”

I cautiously peeked out the window.

Then I covered my mouth with both hands.

A line of men in black suits stood outside.

Walking through them was a single young man.

That’s… Baek Eunho, the heir of the Baekho Group?

He looked to be in his late twenties.

Tall.

Sharp jawline.

Straight shoulders.

His narrow eyes somehow resembled those of a tiger.

Without hesitation, he threw open the clinic door and shouted,

“Where is the Korean medicine doctor who helped my father yesterday?”

His unfamiliar voice echoed all the way up to the second floor where I lived.

At that instant, every alarm bell in my brain went off.

If I admit it… my peaceful life is over.

My instincts screamed at me.

I immediately decided to deny everything.

Descending halfway down the stairs, I tilted my head with a cold, puzzled expression.

“What are you talking about? The clinic isn’t open yet. Please leave.”

While calmly pretending ignorance, I desperately screamed inside.

Please… just leave. Please!

Baek Eunho strode up the stairs until he stood directly in front of me.

Close enough to touch with a simple stretch of the arm.

Pale skin.

Dark blue-black hair.

Eyes with a strangely bluish hue.

He truly resembled a white tiger.

If I avoid eye contact, that’ll only make me look suspicious.

Summoning every ounce of composure, I met his gaze head-on.

Then…

Something swished across my vision.

A white rope with black stripes…

“…!”

I instinctively stepped backward.

It wasn’t a rope.

The man in front of me had just…

Swished his tail.

Not metaphorically.

An actual white tiger’s tail, white with black stripes, gently swayed behind his back.

“Ah…?”

My eyes instinctively followed its movement.

Baek Eunho curled one corner of his lips into a faint smile.

Then he leaned closer and whispered softly into my ear.

“You… can see this, can’t you?”