23 – Unintended Enlargement of the Clinic
In the continent of Arcadia, there were many Urugu hospitals.
From small clinics to enormous hospitals known as the “Hospital Empire”!
Regardless of their size, hospitals tended to listen to the news of the Urugu main church, which was the quarterly reports from the hospital evaluation teams.
**《Urugu Main Church Hospital Evaluation Results》**
Saint Casidia Main Church Hospital (Pass)
Eleronia Main Church Hospital (Pass)
…(omission)…
Aureus Western Hospital (Conditional Pass)
Matthew Clinic (Fail)
Kim Chul-soo Free Clinic (Pass)
At the end of the third-quarter hospital evaluation, there was the news of Kim Chul-soo Free Clinic’s pass, adorned with only a small portion!
The large hospitals didn’t pay much attention.
The hospitals near Viscount Roland were tense.
Kim Chul-soo was a rising star, shaking the capital of Lasa.
If he made a mistake, all the patients would flock to Kim Chul-soo’s Free Clinic!
Hospitals are not places to dig for money.
They need many patients to supplement the hospital fees and keep the hospital running.
If there are no patients, the hospital will close its doors just swatting flies!
Matthew Clinic in the neighboring territory of Viscount Roland.
Director Matthew was trembling, tearing his hair out.
“If this continues, we’ll have to close the doors!!”
Matthew Clinic has been in deficit for the past three months.
It was so poor that Director Matthew had to consider whether to eat one meal a day or not!
It wasn’t this bad originally.
All the patients from Matthew Clinic had flocked to Kim Chul-soo’s Clinic, causing Matthew Clinic to struggle.
[Mr. Kim’s Clinic is not only free, but also better than Mr. Matthew’s.]
[There’s no reason to go to Mr. Matthew’s Clinic. Let’s go to Mr. Kim’s Clinic!]
This was the main opinion of the patients.
“Ugh…”
Matthew felt a stab in his heart.
At this rate, he would have to close the clinic.
The operating expenses were too low.
Jessica, a unique employee of Matthew Clinic and Matthew’s assistant, found Matthew pitiful.
“Director, why don’t we just close the clinic and go back to the Viscount’s castle? We won’t starve with the subsidies from the castle.”
That was true.
In fact, running the clinic cost a lot of money.
Matthew can live alone.
Hospitals and clinics receive support from the estate.
Lord Viscount John consistently provides financial support to Matthew’s clinic.
He could shut down the clinic and live in the manor, but Matthew despised the idea.
“Then the clinic must close!”
Matthew’s clinic was where he had devoted his entire life!
It was synonymous with his life.
Jolting, Jessica raised her head, holding a bundle of belongings she had at the clinic.
“J-Jessica…? Where are you going?”
“I haven’t received my salary for 3 months now. Since I might never get paid again, I’ll resign effective immediately.”
“Wait! Jessica, I’ll pay your salary. Don’t leave!”
“Do you even have any money?”
Jessica subtly hoped that the director had hidden some money somewhere.
“We just have to beat Kim Cheol-soo’s clinic in competition!”
…”
Jessica’s expression turned cold.
‘It was my mistake to have relied on the director.’
Kim Cheol-soo’s free clinic was highly skilled.
With a 100% patient recovery rate and accreditation from the medical community.
In contrast, Matthew’s clinic failed to meet the community’s standards.
With such a comparison, how could they possibly beat Kim Cheol-soo’s clinic?
Moreover, setting aside all that, Matthew’s clinic charges high fees for treatment.
Kim Cheol-soo’s clinic is free.
It’s already a lost game from the start.
Jessica turned away without looking back.
“I’m going.”
“Wait, wait. Jessica! Where are you going!?”
“To Kim Cheol-soo’s clinic.”
“Why there…?”
“I want to inquire about any job openings.”
Even if it’s a free clinic, they must pay salaries to their staff.
Jessica is contemplating job hunting.
Matthew’s face turned pale.
“No!”
If you go, our clinic will truly be ruined! With that sentiment, Matthew grabbed Jessica’s wrist tightly.
Jessica ran away with all her might.
***
Jessica and Matthew, who chased after her, arrived at the Marquis Roland’s estate.
They were on their way to Kim Cheol-soo’s clinic when they suddenly hesitated.
Patients were forming long lines towards Kim Cheol-soo’s free clinic, weren’t they?
People from the north, people from the south, people from the capital, and so on.
The patients came from diverse backgrounds.
“Come on, please line up. If you cut in line, we won’t provide medical treatment!”
Catherine skillfully controlled the waiting patients.
It was like a huge crowd, just like a large hospital!
Matthew was amazed.
One should fight or talk only when the ranks are somewhat similar.
Whatever Matthew did, he would lose.
“Are you okay…?”
Despite having worked together for several years, Jessica asked about Matthew’s complexion.
Matthew’s complexion was not good at all.
But Matthew pretended to be nonchalant.
If it were revealed that he was amazed here, his only subordinate, Jessica, would leave altogether!
“I will somehow persuade Jessica and rebuild Matthew’s clinic…!”
Matthew couldn’t do it alone.
There were many noble patients who came to see Jessica’s beauty!
“I will use Jessica’s beauty or whatever it takes to rebuild Matthew’s clinic.”
Matthew was deeply passionate about his clinic.
He would do anything to protect the clinic!
“I, I will defeat Kim Cheol-soo’s clinic…!”
“Oh, okay.”
The director was worried for no reason. Jessica replied briefly and turned away from Matthew.
She hoped the director wouldn’t interfere with her job search.
“You are coming with me, Jessica!”
“I don’t want to.”
“Why on earth!”
“…You haven’t paid the salary for the past three months. It doesn’t seem like I can get it, and if you want me to come back, at least bring a month’s worth of salary as severance pay.”
“If, if things go well for me…”
“Rejected.”
From Noble mtl dot com
Jessica had gone without food for the past two days.
Because she had no money.
She didn’t want to starve anymore.
Ignoring Matthew, Jessica approached Catherine.
She looked like a clinic staff, so she thought about asking if there was a job opening.
“Darn it! If I can somehow, somehow prove that I’m better than Kim Cheol-soo…! If I prove it, will Jessica come back!?”
He had to appeal the merits of Matthew’s clinic to Jessica!
First, it was about retaining the leaving staff!
Matthew hurriedly ran to catch Jessica, but he collided with a white-haired woman!
“!?”
Matthew was shocked.
As someone who could feel the sacred power as a healer himself, the sacred power of the woman he collided with was as immense as the sun.
“This…this unbelievable sacred power…could it be Hero Lala!?”
“Ah, someone who recognizes me…nice to meet you.”
Just as Matthew had guessed, the woman he collided with was Hero Lala.
To the extent that Matthew couldn’t even meet her eyes, Lala, who held a high position within the Urge.
Matthew quickly bowed.
“It was my mistake! I’m truly sorry for colliding with you!”
“Oh no, I also made a mistake…haha.”
“But, why is Hero Lala here…?”
“Ah, do you see that magnificent statue of our Lord Urge over there? I am currently praying in front of that majestic statue.”
Matthew looked at the statue that Lala was pointing at.
Indeed, there was a huge statue standing a little away from the clinic, so imposing that it was almost intimidating.
Lala spoke kindly.
“Did you also come to pray in front of the statue, brother?”
“Oh, no. I just came to observe a man named Kim Cheolsu…”
“Ah, is it to receive treatment from Kim Cheolsu? He is truly an excellent healer.”
Hero Lala praised the healer Kim Cheolsu!
Matthew was surprised once again.
Not only was it surprising that Lala was in Roland Viscount, but also that she was praising Kim Cheolsu!
“Kim Cheolsu…you say he is an excellent healer?”
“Yes. He fixed the leg of my colleague Daisy. It was a completely unusable leg, you know. Oh, please forget about this fact, as it is a secret.”
“!?”
Lala placed a finger on her forehead as if acknowledging her mistake.
Matthew was engulfed in shock.
Daisy, the youngest hero and a genius!
Kim Cheolsu fixed the leg of Hero Daisy, which couldn’t be used.
“Fixing…an unusable leg? I can’t even do something like that…”
An unusable leg is like an incurable disease in this era.
Just how skilled must this Kim Cheolsu be to be able to cure an incurable disease?
In Matthew’s imagination, Kim Cheolsu’s status as a doctor became even more elevated, as if a god of medicine had descended.
“Ah…”
Matthew let go of the thread of hope he had been holding onto.
His dream of defeating Kim Cheolsu and rebuilding the clinic.
Matthew’s shoulders slumped.
“Should I give up on the clinic?”
How can I overcome this?
* * * *
Matthew knelt before Catherine and pressed his forehead against the ground.
A sign of obedience!
Matthew admitted defeat and decided to join Kim Cheol-soo’s side!
“…I have lost. I will join under Kim Cheol-soo, so please, keep my clinic alive.”
Even if he had to give up everything else, Matthew couldn’t bear to give up his clinic.
Catherine beamed with satisfaction as she looked at the kneeling Matthew.
It was sudden for Matthew to appear and declare his defeat!
It may have been sudden, but Catherine, a noblewoman, knew Matthew’s face.
This man is Matthew, the director of Lord John’s clinic.
The fact that this man admitted defeat meant that the power of Kim Cheol-soo’s free clinic had become very strong!
Perhaps Matthew had lost all his patients to Kim Cheol-soo’s free clinic and had come here.
It’s as good as falling into a trap.
Catherine nodded her head.
“Hmph, there’s no reason for Matthew to refuse to join our clinic. Alright, shall we discuss business after the treatment?”
“Catherine, my lady?”
Kim Cheol-soo, who had to lean his head out due to the noise outside, was shocked.
If he could just soften his words, it would be the moment of merging the clinics.
Honestly, to anyone’s eyes, it looked like a conqueror queen making a defeated lord surrender.
The patients murmured restlessly.
Jessica desperately pretended not to know Matthew and the unfamiliar people.