IMFOBO | CH 63 | Bonghwang (Phoenix)

Eun-cho was swamped.

The clinic was packed with elderly patients trying to treat their ailments before the farming season began.

All eight beds were full, and calls for Eun-cho came from every direction.

Needles to insert, cupping to do, bloodletting sessions—she was nearly losing her mind.

When things were slow, Su-ji and the two other nurses could manage just fine. But today, even Jeong-seok and Eun-cho had to scramble to keep up.

Swapping out heat packs, operating the physical therapy machines, removing acupuncture needles…

Even moving like a machine, there was no sign of it letting up.

Bzzz.

A short vibration buzzed from the phone in her pocket.

[Have you eaten?]

Eun-cho checked her phone.

He told her not to ignore his messages, and now he was the one reaching out first?

She couldn’t figure out what had gotten into him all of a sudden.

After everything, it really did seem like getting physically involved had stirred up something emotional in him, but who knows how long that kind of possessiveness, born from physical attachment, would last?

Still, there was something oddly comforting, albeit unnerving, about Ryu Tae-san acting like a real husband.

Like… she almost wanted to lean on him.

[A roll of kimbap…]

“Director Lee!”

Eun-cho was tapping away at the screen when a nurse called out, and she hurriedly shoved the phone back into her pocket.

She didn’t even realize she had unintentionally ignored the message.

“Ma’am, your lower back hurts a lot? Let me check.”

She wasn’t the type to constantly check her phone anyway, so the fact that a message had come slipped her mind completely.

Especially when it came to caring for patients, once she was focused, everything else disappeared.

“Welcome—huh? What are you doing here?”

That’s when Su-ji’s voice came out shaky and stunned.

Eun-cho pulled back a curtain to see what was going on in the commotion outside.

Su-ji’s neck had turned red in embarrassment as she shoved a man’s back hard.

“Go away! This is my workplace!”

“Hey, brother-in-law!”

Jeong-seok, who had just returned from receiving some snacks from a patient, rushed over to them in alarm.

He jumped into the middle of the scuffle, trying to calm the sibling quarrel.

Whatever conclusion the two had come to between themselves, it didn’t matter—because to the Bong family, no matter how upright and kind Ryu Jeong-seok was, he was nothing more than a cattle thief.

And not just any thief, one who had stolen a calf raised like a precious gem.

“What? You screening patients now?”

Bonghwang spotted Eun-cho standing between the curtains and gave her a chin nod.

His voice was threatening, growling with irritation—he clearly wasn’t in a good mood.

Even if Su-ji had finally worn him down enough to get his approval for their relationship, the fact that Jeong-seok was from the Baekwoon family clearly still didn’t sit well with him.

When the rough-looking man shouted loudly, the patients started to murmur anxiously, sensing something was off.

From behind the curtains came a chorus of “What’s going on?”, “Someone here?”, and “Is it those loan shark guys again?”

Eun-cho clenched her fist tightly.

“Director Lee, I was debating whether to go to the police or come here, so here I am. Should I leave?”

“Just wait a moment. Nurse Ahn, please guide the patient to the consultation room.”

The nerve of him—after hitting her, now he had the gall to bring up going to the police? As if it were her problem?

Eun-cho didn’t so much as flinch at Bonghwang’s snide words.

If she had to label him, he was basically a petty enforcer from Ilshim Capital.

Where Tae-san gave the impression of a high-ranking, polished gangster, this guy was more like…

“A lackey?”

Or maybe just your average neighborhood thug.

As Bonghwang followed the nurse out, he flashed a sly grin with his narrow, slitted eyes—like he was intrigued by Eun-cho’s unwavering attitude, doing things her own way and refusing to be shaken.

After finishing her acupuncture round, Eun-cho headed toward the consultation room.

Outside, Jeong-seok was pacing nervously like a puppy that needed to pee, while Su-ji looked like she was trying hard to calm her rising anger.

Even though their reactions to Bonghwang’s appearance were wildly different, one thing was clear:

They really do love each other.

Jeong-seok, who’d lived a straight-arrow life, was now being treated like a thief, yet still desperately tried to get on Bonghwang’s good side.

And Su-ji, who usually wouldn’t hesitate to flip the whole table if someone rubbed her the wrong way, was holding herself back.

Because both of them were afraid.

Afraid that forces outside their control might shake something they’d built so carefully.

What does it feel like to be so certain that someone will always be in your future?

Eun-cho suddenly found herself wondering.

“I came to see you. Don’t mind me—just do your work.”

Eun-cho brushed past the two and said flatly, not even sparing them a second glance.

The clinic was still bustling.

There was no need for three people to be babysitting one Bonghwang.

“Eun-cho, it’s embarrassing to say this, but… when my brother gets mad, he hits women too.”

Su-ji mumbled awkwardly.

But instead of looking scared, Eun-cho just smiled sweetly.

She never exactly lived a peaceful life to begin with, but lately, she’d been through hell and back—land, sea, and air. What was there left to be afraid of?

“I’m good. If he hits me once, I’ll hit him ten times.”

Without a hint of hesitation, Eun-cho opened the clinic door and stepped inside.

There was Bonghwang, sitting not in the patient’s chair but in her own. As soon as their eyes met, he grinned.

The way he was acting made it clear—he was here to pick a fight.

“This chair’s actually kind of comfortable. Hope you don’t mind?”

“You’d probably find the treatment bed even more comfortable. Want to lie down over there instead?”

“Oh?”

Bonghwang puckered his lips into an O-shape and let out a mocking chuckle.

He stretched out fully on the narrow exam bed, watching Eun-cho closely as if trying to read every flicker of emotion on her face.

Eun-cho looked down at him with an impassive expression before speaking.

“You said your back hurt, right? You’ll need to lie on your side.”

“Ah.”

The stubborn man surprisingly complied, turning over onto his side.

Eun-cho pressed into his back, checking for the pain points, and let out a quiet sigh.

It had been months since this guy injured his back. So why was he suddenly barging into her clinic, tossing around talk of the police?

“I heard you’re a married woman now. Kinda stings, you know?”

Eun-cho tried to make sense of his sudden remark. What the hell was this cheap joke for, coming all the way out here?

There was no way this man had a genuine interest in her.

Just like he said, she was married.

…Or wait. Was it because of Ryu Tae-san?

Thinking about it, maybe her married status actually piqued his interest. If he just wanted to mess with “Ryu Tae-san’s woman,” that would make a lot more sense.

She fought off the urge to laugh, ignoring his words completely.

She deliberately pressed hard on the most likely spot for back pain.

She didn’t bother hiding her intent either.

“Ugh—ow! Damn, that’s brutal. Is this your way of telling me to shut up?”

“Is the pain here? Or here?”

Suddenly, Bonghwang flipped onto his side again, resting his temple on one hand and looking up at Eun-cho with a smirk.

“My back’s fine now, but I think my chest hurts a bit. Wanna take a look? Could be my heart. You know, from the pain of loss?”

“Then you should head to a thoracic surgeon.”

“Guess I’ll stop by the police station while I’m at it. I’ve still got that medical report from back then, remember?”

Eun-cho stared at him coldly.

That damn police station and medical report—he just wouldn’t shut up about it.

Did he seriously think she was just some naïve, clueless doctor?

You’ve got the wrong girl, buddy.

“Tae-san came in the other day with a split lip, didn’t he? Doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who gets beat up easily.”

That was you, wasn’t it?

Bonghwang eyed her with interest.

She didn’t want to respond to his baiting, but it was common sense—if you let someone think you’re weak, they’ll step all over you.

“So what?”

“We’ve got a medical report, too. Want to go scream at each other in the police station and file mutual assault charges?”

“Huh. So you can talk tough, huh, Doc?”

Talk tough? That’s the least of it.

She could even dust off some old-school, grandma-level curses that this guy probably wouldn’t even understand.

But let’s not waste time with that.

“You upset that Ryu Tae-san got hit?”

Yep. The world’s big, and it’s full of lunatics.

Living in a quiet rural town had made her forget that little truth, but thanks to this clown, she remembered now.

Eun-cho almost snapped back with, “And what the hell does that have to do with you?” but decided against it.

Bonghwang would only feed off that kind of reaction.

“His face is his best asset, so don’t mess it up. I married him for that face.”

“…That so? I mean, I’m no slouch in the looks department either, you know.”

Who would’ve thought she’d have to put on a fake show of being madly in love with Ryu Tae-san, and not just in front of his family?

Still, the look on Bonghwang’s face made it feel oddly satisfying.

Even if he went right back to that cocky tone of his.

“If nothing actually hurts, I’m gonna have to ask you to leave. It’s a busy day, and I don’t want you interfering with actual treatment.”

“Come on, I told you I really am hurt! You think Ryu Tae-san only hit me once? I’ve got bruises all over, okay?”

Whatever kind of game this guy was playing, he doubled down with dramatic flair, showing her random spots on his body.

“But hey, don’t I have better muscles than Ryu Tae-san?”

This man, whose brain was probably 80% protein powder, grinned shamelessly.

And that’s when it started.

Bonghwang’s strangely regular visits to the oriental medical clinic.