I Will Ruin It With My Own Hands
Somyung Network.
It was a massive chain with over 50 branches nationwide, centered around the main hospital, Jongno Somyung Oriental Hospital. It had evolved from the Somyung Oriental Clinic, which had long been the top dog in Jongno.
It was also the very network that Lee Taeyoung, who had been badmouthing Kyungwoo at their alumni gathering, was bragging about having received a branch from.
Since it was one of the top three most successful networks in the Korean medicine industry, Hwang Jehyun had heard its name plenty of times since his student days.
At first, he had even felt favorable toward it, as Kang Seokwon, the representative director of Somyung, frequently appeared on TV with the title of "Master Doctor."
That was, until he started working at an oriental hospital as a specialist.
An oriental clinic that only pushed expensive prescriptions.
An oriental clinic that treated patients differently based on how much they paid.
An oriental clinic that refused to acknowledge that herbal medicine might not agree with a patient's body.
Patients who had been treated unfairly came to the higher-level oriental hospital to vent their frustrations.
Those patients were actually the lucky ones.
Most others probably assumed Somyung’s problems were representative of the entire Korean medicine industry and turned their backs on it entirely.
'This place sees patients as nothing but walking wallets.'
Hwang Jehyun had decided that even after he earned his specialist certification, he would never set foot in this place.
Then, one day.
Hwang Jehyun was on emergency room duty with Hyun Kyungwoo.
[Gyeong-hyun University Oriental Hospital Emergency Room]
Compared to the warzone of a Western medicine emergency room, the oriental medicine ER was relatively relaxed.
In fact, many patients came in at night just because they felt a bit uncomfortable, even if it wasn't a true emergency.
But then, a patient who was clearly in critical condition walked in.
Hwang Jehyun and Hyun Kyungwoo rushed over simultaneously.
The middle-aged woman, who had entered leaning heavily on her husband, vomited the moment she stepped into the ER. Her right hand was clutching her upper abdomen, while her other hand was scratching at her skin.
As she lifted her head, her eyes were a pale, sickly yellow.
'Acute hepatitis!'
"I told you we should have just gone to the Western medicine ER," her husband muttered.
"I respond better to oriental medicine. They do collaborative treatment here, too," she insisted.
The middle-aged woman was a rare, die-hard fan of oriental medicine.
Because of that... once they learned the cause through the intake interview, they couldn't even lift their heads.
Her liver enzymes were skyrocketing.
The cause was the diet pills she had been prescribed at Somyung Oriental Clinic.
She had felt dizzy and nauseous after taking the medicine for a few days, so she asked if it might not agree with her. They told her the prescription was perfect and that it was just her body adapting to the medicine, so she would feel better soon.
The patient had trusted those words implicitly and kept taking them.
"I told you not to take herbal medicine," the husband said.
"...I know," she replied.
A rebuttal surged up to Hwang Jehyun's throat. It wasn't "herbal medicine" that was the problem, but the "wrong prescription." It was the fault of that clinic for forcing her to keep taking it without properly monitoring her reaction.
But he couldn't say that in front of a patient whose body had been ruined by herbal medicine.
He simply bowed his head, taking on the guilt of his irresponsible colleague.
After transferring the patient, who had begged to be sent to a Western medicine ER, Hwang Jehyun cursed under his breath.
"Damn it, Somyung is a disaster. Is their 'calling' to treat patients or to make money? Places like that need to be completely ruined."
That was when Hyun Kyungwoo spoke up.
"Somyung Oriental Clinic... it used to be my grandfather's."
"What...?"
"So, Somyung. I will definitely ruin it with my own hands."
Even back then, he hadn't told him the full details. Perhaps, aside from their mentor professor, he was the only one who knew about Hyun Kyungwoo's massive, seemingly impossible goal.
"You said you weren't doing a fellowship and were going to get a job instead."
"Did the professor say okay? He cherishes you so much. He always said the Korean medicine industry would only develop if someone like you stayed at the school."
"The professor knows, too."
He didn't need to explain what the professor knew.
That was why he supported him even more. He had assumed that getting a job at Daeo Oriental Hospital was just a stepping stone for his goal.
But when he heard he had quit that job and come down to this countryside, he had thought he’d finally realized the wall was too high and had given up.
'Was he coming down here to sharpen his blade before starting the war!'
Hwang Jehyun quietly stepped back and left the clinic.
The next morning.
Hyun Kyungwoo looked exhausted again today.
'Was he lying in the director's office yesterday because he stayed up all night training?'
"The village head brought over some dried pollack soup this morning. He heard a guest came by and bought some alcohol," Kyungwoo said.
The countryside's rumor radar was truly incredible. The soup, boiled deep and refreshing with Mrs. Yoon Jeomrye's touch, washed away Hwang Jehyun's hangover.
He made a request.
"I'm going to observe your treatments today."
"Do whatever you want."
A moment later, the first patient arrived.
The first patient was Grandpa Jinwoo.
"Director. I was supposed to get treatment for my neck and shoulders again today, but I got some serious indigestion from what I ate yesterday."
"What did you eat?"
"Well... some tripe, spicy fish stew, and just one shot of soju."
"Haa."
Kyungwoo frowned. "I told you that your neck and shoulder pain comes from your stomach, so don't drink alcohol until the treatment is finished, didn't I? And you even poured spicy food on top of that?"
"Well... it was a friend's funeral."
Kyungwoo flinched. The reason was too heavy.
"He really loved tripe and spicy fish stew. He must be lonely on his way, so I had to have a drink with him."
"You are definitely not in a state where you only had 'one drink'."
"Haha, you caught me."
Without further nagging, he took his pulse. Hwang Jehyun observed Kyungwoo's treatment closely.
'He seems prickly, but he was always like that.'
Even when he was a specialist, he wasn't just a kind doctor to his patients. He would scold patients who made their conditions worse by not following instructions, and he would bark at paralyzed patients who dodged exercise prescriptions, telling them not to waste their hospital fees if they weren't going to get treated.
Yet, perhaps because they felt his sincerity, or perhaps because he had some kind of charm, patients liked Kyungwoo quite a lot.
'He’s still serious when he’s treating patients.'
He looked annoyed, but his gaze was entirely focused on the patient, and his hands delicately explored the painful areas. He seemed to have forgotten that Hwang Jehyun was even there.
Hwang Jehyun also visualized the patient's symptoms in his mind and devised his own treatment method.
'If it were me, I’d use a single needle in Hegu.'
Hegu. It was the source point of the Large Intestine Meridian, an important acupuncture point that regulated the body's overall energy and blood. Since it was a point that was never left out for digestive disorders, one could say it was an obvious choice, but that was precisely why it wasn't easy to choose Hegu when you could only pick one point.
It was a standard, reliable point with good needle sensation, so it could easily feel a bit boring.
However, Kyungwoo, holding the needle in his right hand, felt around the area between the thumb and index finger.
'Are you starting with Hegu, too?'
The needle was sucked in. The needle, which had entered without resistance to a single point, swayed at just the right depth. It was a needle insertion so beautiful it was like flowing water.
'How did he get like that...'
Hyun Kyungwoo had always been good at acupuncture. He used a bold, exhilarating style that seemed rough at first glance but precisely hit the core. But now... it was a natural insertion, like that of a seasoned veteran oriental doctor.
Then, he began the reinforcement and reduction technique.
"Aaah, ouch, ouch!!"
There would be needle sensation, but it shouldn't be enough to cause that kind of reaction. Was the old man just being a baby about it? He was thinking that when—
Burrrp—
A refreshing belch came out, and the old man's complexion brightened instantly. "Oh, that's refreshing. As expected, the director's needles are the best."
But it wasn't just his digestive system that had cleared up. Due to the nature of the single-needle therapy, which aimed for immediate results, Hwang Jehyun had a habit of observing the reaction after insertion. The old man's hunched shoulders and his turtle-like neck, which had been pushed forward, were now softly relaxed!
'He achieved that much effect with just one needle? That’s almost... at the level of a master.'
Hwang Jehyun's eyes wavered. Whenever Director Jeon Wanghyuk did his rounds, the associate directors would follow him around, applauding as patients improved right before their eyes... He almost instinctively raised both hands to clap.
'Don't tell me, is Hyun Kyungwoo training in single-needle therapy?'
But he wasn't just using a single needle. Although Kyungwoo had focused most on Hegu, he inserted the remaining supplementary points one by one. Each time he did, the patient's shoulders dropped and his neck gradually returned to its proper place.
While Hwang Jehyun was feeling anxious, the second patient arrived. This time, it was Mr. Kim Yuhwan, a patient with back pain.
"How have you been?"
"After I get your needles, I'm good for two weeks."
"You're getting better and better. Let's try extending the interval to three weeks now."
"Ah, no! Two weeks is good..."
"There's no need for over-treatment. You probably won't feel uncomfortable for three weeks now."
"...Understood."
Hwang Jehyun sensed something strange. 'A situation where he refuses a patient who is begging to come back...?'
Come to think of it, there was an old lady arguing with the staff this morning. She was asking to move up her turn or something...
Was the clinic empty because he wouldn't take reservations?
Pfft—
A laugh burst out. It was a truly bizarre situation, but it was also so Hyun Kyungwoo.
Hwang Jehyun had expectations while watching this patient, too.
'For that patient's single-needle point, I'd choose Weizhong.'
Kyungwoo chose Weizhong as the first point again!
'Seriously... did he study single-needle therapy?'
In the "Great Law of Single-Needle Penetration of Heaven," written by Director Jeon Wanghyuk, the single-needle points for each disease were listed. Although he gave much more detailed teachings to his disciples, one could grasp the basics just by reading the book.
Of course, the level of Hyun Kyungwoo, who was using single-needle therapy right now, looked too precise to believe he had taught himself...
After Mr. Kim Yuhwan's treatment was finished, Hwang Jehyun asked Kyungwoo.
"Are you, by any chance, studying single-needle therapy?"
If coming down to this countryside was to master single-needle therapy by seeing few patients and training all night...
"No?"
"No? You haven't read the Great Law of Single-Needle Penetration of Heaven?"
"What is that grandiose name? It's so cringey."
...Even he thought it was cringey.
"I haven't studied single-needle therapy, but I do acknowledge its significance. That there is a fundamental treatment point for every disease or person."
"Right! That's exactly it."
"I do pour more energy into that point, but I don't treat only that point. I personally believe that composing customized supplementary points maximizes the treatment effect."
Wait, then...
"So, choosing Hegu for the first patient and Weizhong for the second patient—you chose those yourself without the help of any other theory?"
"Yeah."
Although the Gamshin-tongmaek-rok gave him the "correct answer" at night, lately, his accuracy rate was over 80%.
'...If Director Jeon Wanghyuk knew this, he'd go crazy.'
The problem occurred with the third patient.
"Grandma Soonja. You said you wanted treatment for something other than your neck disc today?"
"Under my eye, it's twitching."
Looking closely, the area under her left eye was indeed visibly twitching.
'It's a classic case of blood-deficiency eyelid spasm. Since she's an elderly person. Then the single-needle point is Taichong.'
Director Jeon Wanghyuk's explanation came to mind. Since deficiency means filling an empty bowl, even with single-needle therapy, the spasm might not stop immediately. However, if you stimulate the Taichong point properly, the spasm should stop within 3 to 5 sessions.
'This is a bit difficult, it'll be hard to get it right, won't it?'
As expected, Kyungwoo felt around her left eye socket.
'Is he looking for an Ashi point (a point around the uncomfortable area)? That won't solve it.'
He pulled Kyungwoo back slightly.
"Why?"
"I'm saying this because you're interested in single-needle therapy, but the single-needle point for eyelid spasm is Taichong. With an insertion as precise as yours, it should be effective within three sessions."
He felt a little proud. Come to think of it, this might be the first time he knew more and was teaching Hyun Kyungwoo something.
He looked at Kyungwoo with a satisfied expression, as if to say he didn't need to be too grateful...
"I think it's the Chengqi point."
"What? That's just symptomatic treatment for the surrounding area—"
"It'll get better if you hit it just once. Want to bet?"
"...Once?"
His rival smiled. Back in their acupuncture department days, they often made bets. Who had the stronger "acupuncture power," who could cure a patient in one shot.
It was childish, but they were guys who risked their pride to win those bets.
"It's not that point. I've been doing single-needle therapy for three years."
"Are you scared of losing?"
"What are you talking about! I was just trying to help you out because it's pathetic to see you struggling in the countryside."
Before he knew it, Hwang Jehyun had become just as childish as he used to be.
"The loser calls the winner 'Master' for a week."
"Fine. No ignoring each other's messages."
After the bet was finally made—
"What are you doing? Insert the needle!"
"Yes, yes, I'm starting."
Kyungwoo picked up the needle. The concave area of the lower eye socket, right below the pupil. After locating the point, tap—
The needle went in.
Much deeper than he thought...?
'That crazy bastard!'
The needle stopped after going a bit deeper along the lower eye socket. And a moment later, the result was determined.