TFSG 48

Chapter 48

Both the Black Clinic and the female lead, Heuk Ah-yan, were bound by guilt by association.

In the original story, the heroine had to endure all kinds of injustice simply because her father had been exiled to the eastern region.

In contrast, heirs like Heuk Daewi—those born directly into the pampered central branch—received elite education from childhood.

Once they reached a certain level, the Black Family would assign them carefully selected patients to examine and diagnose.

Through this, they gained experience by easily accessing the prescription methods shared by senior doctors and pharmacists.

Obviously, that wasn’t an option for me.

“Oh well. Guess I just have to survive on my own.”

Not that I needed formal learning anyway.

“I’m building experience.”

“…It doesn’t really look like you’re gaining experience, though?”

Jeok Yun-ha pointed to herself.

“Believe it or not, I’ve met a lot of talented people in the underground medical world and even imperial pharmacists. But I’ve never seen anyone make medicine as fast as you do, baby doctor.”

She stepped closer but was immediately pushed back by the wind.

“Maintain your distance.”

“…Hah, seriously? Sir, I’m not trying to hurt anyone, okay?”

“Then speak from over there.”

“Hey, Biyu—your dad looks like he wants to kill me. What if he uses his old skills on me?”

“It’s okay. He doesn’t bite.”

“…What?”

I shrugged.

Everyone’s shocked when he gets close like that, sis. It’d be even worse if fire was involved.

‘I get the feeling Dad doesn’t like Jeok Yun-ha because of her divine beast…’

I’ll explain that to her later.

But what exactly did Dad do in the past?

He couldn’t have been a regular warrior.

I have a rough guess… but the truth is elusive.

I’ll have to poke Uncle about it later.

“The Black Family probably won’t give me any opportunities either.”

I turned my head calmly. The diagnosis was almost complete, yet the water spirit continued to swirl around restlessly.

I thought back on everything it had taken to reach this point…

Getting punched by a patient just for begging to treat them.

Almost being stabbed because they thought my medicine was wrong…

“When you’re an outsider, you have to make your own chances.”

“…”

After handing over the medicine to the patient, I turned back to her.

“You’ll help make me famous, right?”

“…Me?”

“Yeah, you can do that.”

I hadn’t picked a pharmacy right next to Jeok Yun-ha’s building by coincidence. I gave her a bright, clear smile.

“Let’s call that your first repayment of kindness.”

Five hours.

Since morning, this baby doctor-slash-pharmacist had seen over twenty patients.

Five patients per hour. One every twelve minutes.

And that’s not even counting the time spent on greetings and farewells. From diagnosis to prescription, everything was unbelievably fast.

But that wasn’t all—the effectiveness of the medicine was immediate.

Some patients with bleeding or minor injuries were healed on the spot, without needing to leave their seats.

Naturally, word spread fast.

A genius, a genius has appeared!

A rare and gifted doctor!

And at the same time, everyone shared a common question in their minds:

Why… is she so young?

Not just that.

Why is she working in a shabby place like this?

Biyu had been right. If a child was to become famous, there was no better way than this.

In less than half a day, rumors had already spread through the entire market.

Jeok Yun-ha had arrived at the marketplace three hours earlier and heard about the strange events unfolding.

‘I thought I misheard. What kind of mad genius doctor does something like that?’

She’d come at the appointed time, but ended up wasting two hours just standing around in disbelief, watching.

And now, five hours had flown by.

Thus ended the baby doctor’s special treatment session.

She’d already proven it by curing Tak Min-jae—a patient every healer and doctor had given up on.

Let’s call that your first repayment of kindness.

Jeok Yun-ha held her breath. A chill ran down her spine. For the first time in a long while, she felt tense.

How do I get this giant into my hands?

She was like fire.

A fire that wanted to devour everything with greedy desire. She wanted her. She was amazing. How could someone be this fascinating?

She had to claim her while she was still young. Protect her, raise her, and then—make her a part of the merchant guild…

A sharp gust of wind blew, dangerously forceful.

“Maintain your distance.”

Though the voice was soft, the warning was clear. A thin cut opened on Jeok Yun-ha’s cheek.

It snapped her out of it.

Tsk. Lost myself again, huh?

Damn those uncontrollable fire-wielders.

Jeok Yun-ha was also, regrettably, an unstable fire-type. Once again, she’d nearly lost control.

But this one was worth obsessing over.

Where else could you find someone so dazzling, so extraordinary?

Well… there is that terrifying man beside her.

That man might not remember, but Jeok Yun-ha and Heuk Bihu had once worked in the same circles.

Back when dirty money wasn’t an issue and she was just another problem-solver for hire.

She’d been assigned to bodyguard duty once—but her client had died before she could do anything.

She’d been standing in a blood-soaked apothecary’s room that day.

…Mister, I surrender. Just don’t kill me, okay?

…

She still remembered those crimson eyes she had met back then.

His aura’s completely different now. His gaze is so dull and unfocused.

He seemed like a completely different person. What had happened?

Few people knew the story. At one point, the infamous Heuk Bihu who shook the entire city disappeared, having run away with a commoner woman.

Later, it was said he returned to the city alone… only to vanish completely.

And now, out of nowhere, a daughter who looks nothing like him shows up—and she’s a genius, no less?

They were certainly an unusual father and daughter.

She wanted to swallow them both whole!

Jeok Yun-ha smoothed her expression into something more friendly and warm.

“Haha, if that was your first repayment, does that mean there’ll be a second? A third?”

“You didn’t seriously think I’d let you off the hook with just spreading some rumors, did you?”

Biyu’s big, surprised eyes made Jeok Yun-ha chuckle awkwardly.

“Of course not.”

Truthfully, Biyu curing Tak Min-jae was worth more than Jeok Yun-ha’s entire fortune.

She had saved her family.

“Second, third… let’s not count them. How about this? I’ll give you a blank check.”

Because Jeok Yun-ha knew how to hunt. If you wanted to reel in a big catch, you needed both patience and generosity.

“Is there anything else you want?”

The baby doctor folded her eyes into a cute crescent shape and smiled sweetly.

With a face like that, she looked like she belonged in a children’s clothing ad or a painted portrait.

Maybe I should try to recruit her for a new business?

I admit it. I got distracted by her beauty for a moment.

“You won’t regret those words, right?”

Which is why I didn’t realize—what kind of… little penny-pinching monster lay behind that adorable smile?

“Thank you, thank you so much…!”

After returning the borrowed pharmacy, we headed to the originally promised location.

Soon, Uncle Undeok and Tak Min-jae arrived. Uncle Undeok immediately fell to his knees and sobbed as he bowed deeply.

…I expected this, but still.

I scratched my cheek. I wasn’t used to this.

Even in my third life, where I became the empire’s top doctor and pharmacist…

The fame piled on my back had always been infamy.

A woman who seduces and kills warriors. A woman who ruined her noble house… stuff like that.

So I hadn’t seen many people this genuinely grateful.

Unless they were the kind to flee in fear after remembering my reputation.

Reputation and public image really are terrifying things.

I’d failed before—but this time would be different.

“Thank… you.”

Unlike three days ago, Tak Min-jae now walked in on healthy legs, kneeling beside his father as large tears fell from his eyes.

But unlike Uncle Undeok, he quickly wiped them away and looked me in the eye with composure.

Wow… now that I see him clearly, he’s really a stunning boy, isn’t he?

When he was sick, the hollows under his eyes and his pale complexion had made him less noticeable.

Just then, Gye-won oppa gently tapped my shoulder.

“Biyu, what are you staring at so intently?”

“Hm? Oh… him. He’s really handsome.”

I answered without thinking.

“Ugh! What are you doing? I can’t unsee that!”

“Don’t look.”

“Wha—?”

“It’s too early. You can’t. You’re too young to be acting like this!”

“Ehh?!”

What are you even talking about?

“Do you even know how many years apart we are? And that’s not what this is, okay?!”

I’m three years old, you annoying big brother!