Chapter 96 : The Slacker Starts Trouble (2)

Chapter 96: The Slacker Starts Trouble (2)

Even after the Governor left, the banquet continued for quite some time. As the endless celebration stretched into the night, Jin Soa found himself utterly exhausted—as if even ten bodies wouldn't have been enough.

He received congratulations from all sides, expressed his ambitions for the future, and greeted everyone individually. By the time it was all over, midnight was already near.

“Nngghhh.”

Jin Soa collapsed onto the bed without even washing properly.

“Ugh, I'm dying…”

And just like that, he fell asleep as if dead.

The next morning—

“W-What in the world…”

Jin Soa’s eyes twitched.

“I told you not to push!”

“Form a line! Line up!”

Woken from sleep by Chief Steward Ha Daebung’s early-morning racket, Jin Soa was startled by the line stretching outside the main gate.

“H-How far does this line go?”

The queue in front of the gate had filled the entire street and even extended around the corner.

“Hehehehe.”

Ha Daebung laughed broadly at the sight.

“It’s finally beginning, Manor Lord.”

“What?”

“Let’s go to your office.”

“Ah…”

Still dazed, Jin Soa headed toward the Manor Lord’s office. Seated in the cushioned chair set in the consultation room just outside, he wiped the sweat forming on his forehead.

“Is this a dream?”

He had ambition.

He believed business would be good. But the crowd lined up outside the gate went far beyond anything he had imagined.

“I told you not to push!”

“This is an emergency! It’s urgent!”

“Hey, you there! Did you just cut the line?! What do you think you're doing?!”

The line grew so long and chaotic that it had devolved into utter bedlam.

“Hehehehe.”

Watching the scene, Ha Daebung turned around and shouted loudly.

“Prepare! We’re opening!”

“Yes, sir!”

When the gates opened, the patients surged forward, but they were blocked by the barrier Ha Daebung had set up in advance and couldn’t get inside.

“Initial consultations will be done in order. The first consultation is free!”

“Waaaaaah!”

Normally, even just getting a physician to glance your way would cost a fortune. There was a reason people said a couple of trips to the clinic could ruin a household.

So naturally, everyone was delighted to hear that the initial consultation was free.

Seated behind a desk brought out in front of the gate, the physicians began sorting patients based on their descriptions. These were apprentices Ha Daebung had specially hired, as the task didn’t require high-level medical skills.

He had told them, “I’ll pay you a bit instead of charging you to learn,” and they had fought over the opportunity.

After all, not only did they get to learn medicine at the prestigious Sacred Hand Clinic, but they also got paid—it was a win-win.

“Go to Treatment Room Three.”

“Treatment Room Two for you!”

“…It just looks like indigestion. You can go home.”

The sorted patients were guided to the treatment rooms by the medical women. Inside, physicians specializing in different fields waited to receive them.

Soon, the murmurs of patients and the scent of boiling medicine began to fill the clinic.

Jin Soa, who had stepped outside due to the lack of new arrivals inside, rubbed his eyes repeatedly.

“What in the world…”

All he had done was host a banquet, and now all these patients were showing up. What kind of bizarre turn of events was this?

“Well, it looks like a good start.”

Ha Daebung approached Jin Soa and spoke. Jin Soa, looking bewildered, struggled to find a proper response. But he didn’t need to—someone else answered in his place.

“Well, just as expected.”

“Huh?”

The voice came from above his head. Then came a thud from the roof, and Wi Yeonho dropped down from the eaves.

“Whoa, you were up there?”

“Yeah.”

Looking over the flood of patients, Wi Yeonho smiled contentedly.

“All that’s left now is to rake in the money.”

“That’s right.”

“…Will this really keep up?”

Jin Soa tilted his head in confusion, unable to understand why so many people were gathering.

“Hehehehe, Manor Lord, you just need to sit back and enjoy the ride.”

Ha Daebung's confident words made Jin Soa tilt his head again.

“I really don’t get it…”

Wi Yeonho looked at Jin Soa with a mix of pity and disappointment.

“This is why doctors are hopeless.”

Jin Soa’s face turned red.

“You deal with patients, yet you don’t understand what they think. No wonder it’s hard to make a living.”

“What do you mean?”

“How many clinics are there in Wuhan?”

“…Huh?”

Jin Soa fell into thought. There was the Nameless Clinic he had worked at, and the fake Sacred Hand Clinic.

And then…

“If you exclude the Sacred Hand Clinic on the main street, there’s barely anywhere you could even call a clinic. At most, there are just tiny ones. That’s why everyone crowds to the Sacred Hand Clinic on the main street.”

This was because the old Sacred Hand Clinic had been such a massive medical center. The people of Wuhan never needed to visit any other clinic, so none ever took root. When the Sacred Hand Clinic collapsed and a new one took its place, it left behind a void.

“When you’re sick, you should go to a doctor. But over there, they charge even for initial consultations. So people hesitate, afraid they’ll waste money on something minor, and end up worsening their illness.”

“I don’t understand. Why not come to the Nameless Clinic?”

“Did the Nameless Clinic ever have any patients who could afford to pay?”

“…No, it didn’t.”

“People like things that are cheap, but if something is too cheap, they start to question whether it’s the real deal. Who’s going to trust a crumbling building that offers free treatment, staffed only by a young woman and a little kid, and entrust their life to that place? They’d rather go into debt and head for the Sacred Hand Grounds.”

Jin Soa fell into confusion.

Then what had everything they’d done until now been for?

“The only people who go there are those who can’t pay even if they die. So the debt just piles up, and no matter how much they work, they don’t earn anything.”

Jin Soa’s expression turned blank.

“And now, with free first consultations, anyone who’s even slightly unwell will come running. And if the medicine or acupuncture fees are even a bit cheaper than the others…”

Ha Daebung continued the thought.

“Soon, we’ll take control of all the clinics in Wuhan.”

“The last bit of doubt disappeared the moment the Governor came to visit. Now people will think, ‘This clinic has the government's trust.’ No reason to hesitate anymore.”

“Indeed.”

Jin Soa nodded, then asked,

“But how did you bring the Governor here?”

“We had a good talk.”

Looking at Wi Yeonho’s sly grin, Jin Soa’s chest tightened.

“W-Was it blackmail?”

“Blackmail? What are you saying! I simply showed him the tribute ledger I found in the Black Land Manor.”

“That is blackmail!”

Jin Soa burst out.

That was definitely blackmail!

“Hey now! That’s called negotiation.”

Wi Yeonho pulled the ledger out of his robe and waved it gently.

To be honest, it wasn’t all that rare for someone of the Governor’s rank to accept tributes. Even if evidence was discovered, punishing him would be nearly impossible.

When Wi Yeonho had snuck into the Governor’s residence and presented the ledger, the man had scoffed.

But then, when Wi Yeonho showed the Royal Inspector Sword, the Governor’s face had turned deathly pale.

What was the Royal Inspectorate?

It was the agency that rooted out and punished corrupt officials. Even without the sword, their authority was immense—but now that the Second Prince held the position of Grand Inspector, their power had practically doubled.

And this wasn’t just any inspector. This was a Royal Inspector who held the Royal Inspector Sword?

That was a whole different ballgame.

Thanks to that, the Governor of Hubei Province had no choice but to obediently visit the Sacred Hand Clinic as instructed by Wi Yeonho.

“I even got official permission to freely use the wealth we seized from the Black Land Manor.”

He’s a devil.

This man is a devil!

What kind of lunatic tries to blackmail a Governor?

“But will people come back after visiting just once?”

“Tsk tsk.”

Wi Yeonho looked at Jin Soa with disappointment.

The Sacred Hand Grounds’ centuries-old reputation, low-cost treatments, and now the backing of the Governor.

There wasn’t a single reason people wouldn’t return. On top of that, they had carefully selected skilled physicians with a massive initial investment—there was no way this wouldn’t make money.

“Money will come in. That’s not the issue.”

Wi Yeonho’s eyes lit up with fire.

“The question is whether we can recover the investment!’”

“Sorry?”

“Sure, we’re earning money—but we also poured in a fortune.”

“It really added up.”

Ha Daebung nodded as well.

They had tried to minimize the initial investment, but after going through all the details, the expenses had far exceeded expectations. The only saving grace had been acquiring the estate for free.

“So you must recover that investment.”

“…Me?”

“Yes! You! You have to recover it!”

Wi Yeonho declared.

“No more time for sleep! I’ll make you the best physician in all of Hubei, but in return, you’ll work like a dog! Like a dog!”

In that moment, Jin Soa instinctively realized something had gone terribly wrong.

“…What brings you in?”

“Doctor, my stomach’s been feeling heavy… like there’s a rock in there since yesterday.”

After taking the pulse, Jin Soa began writing a prescription.

“Doesn’t seem like acute indigestion, just poor digestion. I’ll prescribe something to protect your stomach. Take it for a week.”

“Thank you. Will I need acupuncture?”

“It’s not really necessary. But if you insist, there will be an additional charge. Will that be all right?”

“Yes! Of course!”

“…Guide him to the acupuncture room.”

After the female physician led the patient to the acupuncture chamber, Jin Soa followed with the needle case, treated the patient, and returned to the consultation room.

Another patient was already seated.

“…Excuse me.”

“Yes, Doctor?”

“Is the line outside still long?”

“Oh my, Doctor! The line goes all the way past the front gate. I waited two hours just to get in.”

“I see.”

Jin Soa let out a helpless sigh.

‘Is this really how I have to live from now on?’

Ever since patients started flocking to the special consultation room, he hadn’t had a moment’s rest.

The Nameless Clinic had kept him busy too, but it wasn’t this kind of busy. They had lacked manpower, so the problem had been not having enough time to manage and treat inpatients.

But here, he was overwhelmed just trying to get through the flood of incoming patients.

“Nngghhh.”

Groaning, Jin Soa resumed treating the next patient.

Watching from the eaves, Wi Yeonho nodded.

“Looks like we’ll be making some money.”

“Hahaha.”

Ha Daebung let out a hearty laugh.

“This is just the beginning.”

“Indeed.”

Wi Yeonho found himself once again glad that he had hired Ha Daebung.

“But seriously, it’s amazing.”

“Oh, I’m flattered.”

Even if Wi Yeonho had brought the Governor, there was no way business would have gone this well on that alone. Everything had gone exactly as Ha Daebung had planned.

“From a businessman’s point of view, all doctors are fools.”

Ha Daebung grinned with a sly smile.

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