The Feeling Must Be Strange
“The feeling must be strange.”
[Disciple.]
“……”
[Ahem, Disciple.]
“…Yes, Master.”
Hwang Jehyun’s hand, clutching the phone, trembled violently. He had specifically said he wouldn't ignore the call, so he was stuck…
[How far have you climbed, Disciple?]
“Haa… I’m climbing just fine on my own, so don’t worry about that. Seriously, how did you do it?”
[You do not possess the proper attitude for seeking instruction, Disciple.]
“…How did you do it, Master?”
Seung-eup point. It was located right under the lower orbital rim. Given its location, it was an acupuncture point that required extreme caution when needling. Even when used, it was usually just to stimulate the skin, but Gyeong-woo had needled it quite deeply.
“What were you going to do if you punctured the eyeball?”
[Tsk tsk. If you know the exact point and have mastered the technique, there is no need for such worries.]
The words were true, but what if an accident happened! Phew, fine. He must have practiced like crazy, because there was no hesitation in his needling motion. That aside…
“But why Seung-eup instead of Taechung?”
Whether he was trying to make him explode with frustration, Gyeong-woo had just chuckled and refused to answer even when asked several times before leaving Yongdeok-ri. Now that he felt he’d teased him enough, the answer finally came.
[It is true that the root cause is blood deficiency. But is it anything special for an old man to have blood deficiency? As one ages, Qi becomes deficient, blood becomes deficient—there is nothing that isn't deficient.]
“I know that, but—”
[So I just cleared the blocked ditch.]
“Blocked ditch?”
[There are hundreds of ditches, but the water is just trickling at the bottom, so in some places, the water gets blocked even as it tries to enter. Fundamentally, it is correct to replenish sufficient water, but is that easy for an old man?]
Hwang Jehyun’s mind went blank.
[Taechung is good. I also combined it with Taechung in the back. But you said Ilchim therapy uses only one point, right? Then you’re just placing Taechung alone?]
“…Right.”
[Taechung is indeed the point that nourishes blood in the Liver Meridian. If placed well, the water level in the ditch might rise temporarily. But since an old man’s blood deficiency is closer to physiology than pathology, it will go back down anyway.]
“……”
[So I cleared the ditch where the water wasn't reaching, making the newly connected blood moisten the flesh. Does the root have to be grand? Reducing the patient’s discomfort quickly is the most important thing.]
‘In the end, what matters is reducing the patient’s discomfort.’
What is the essence of a disease? Can one say a specific point is the essence for a specific disease? Ultimately, helping the patient return to their daily life as soon as possible—wasn't that the essence of treatment?
For the first time in a long while, hearing a topic he had only debated in his student days, Hwang Jehyun gained a great realization.
‘Have you really been doing closed-door cultivation here, Hyun Gyeong-woo?’
He had always been a friend with high skill, but now it seemed he had gained depth as well. Hwang Jehyun felt a true air of a master from him for a moment, but…
[You have learned a lesson, so bow your head, Disciple.]
‘That bastard, honestly.’
Without even giving him a chance to acknowledge it, he hung up on his teasing friend.
Click.
‘Airplane mode for a week.’
In the meantime, he should study more.
That night.
Swoosh.
‘Wow… this really feels…’
Gyeong-woo looked in the mirror and pushed the needle into his lower orbital rim. He had been used to practicing on his own body like a lab rat since his student days, but his skin still crawled when needling points around sensory organs.
‘When someone else does it, it’s bearable, but when I have to stab myself… Ugh.’
The point was deeper than he thought. Hwang Jehyun had freaked out, asking if he was inserting it too deep, but in reality, Gyeong-woo had stopped right after feeling the Qi to be as safe as possible. However, receiving guidance from the Gamshin-tongmaek-rok, he realized he needed to go a bit deeper.
‘I’m craving anatomy.’
There was an anatomy course in Oriental Medical School. At Gyeong-hyun University, they conducted anatomy practice in the first semester of the first year of the undergraduate program. That had been a lingering regret.
‘Honestly, shouldn’t anatomy practice be done after you know a bit about acupuncture?’
Acupuncture point classes were held in the first and second years of the undergraduate program. As a result, during anatomy practice, they only focused on the distribution of muscles and the appearance of internal organs, with no consideration for acupuncture points. In fact, what was more important for an Oriental medical doctor would be the consideration of what organs were underneath when placing a needle on a point, and how deep one could go before it could be called an acupuncture point…
Zzzzt.
The precise needle sensation arrived. As he flowed stimulation into that spot, the entire left orbital area felt stiff, and a tingling sensation traveled through his skull.
“Ugh.”
The infraorbital nerve, a branch of the trigeminal nerve, passed through here. Feeling as if he had been electrocuted, Gyeong-woo successfully achieved Deukgi and withdrew the needle.
The time he successfully completed all the remaining combination points, such as the Taeyang and Taechung points, was 2:00 AM.
‘It’s getting shorter. I think I could do one more?’
He needled the exact points for the disease one by one, and when he hit an overload, he practiced Heupnap-beop to cultivate his vital energy. The time it took to complete one case had gradually decreased, and now it was down to three hours. At this rate, he thought he could even practice the case of Mr. Kim Yu-hwan…
“Hey, Medical Book?”
Gyeong-woo called out to the Gamshin-tongmaek-rok in a soft tone for the first time in a while because… even though he was suffering like a dog because of Pain Resonance! And even though he had put his goal on hold for now! Seeing the gap in skill that had opened up between him and Hwang Jehyun, he couldn't deny that it was thanks to the Gamshin-tongmaek-rok, so his heart had softened a little.
“One more, call?”
[If you can finish within the Hour of the Tiger (5:00 AM), any number is possible.]
‘Come to think of it, lower back pain is a first.’
The most common disease in the countryside. Yet, the reason he hadn't chosen it until now was that it was such a chronic condition. In other words, it wasn't as urgent as other cases. Gyeong-woo began by practicing the Wijung point.
He succeeded in needling the point located deep in the popliteal fossa behind the knee on his 18th attempt. Then, he faced a problem he had been worried about for a long time.
“The back really doesn't have a good angle for needling, what do I do?”
There were acupuncture points he couldn't reach when he had to needle his own body. He had barely managed to fumble and place the needle on the Wijung point behind his knee. But points essential for lower back pain, such as the Yoyang-gwan and Palyo points, were all on his lower back, making them completely inaccessible.
[The practitioner shall place their hands upon the book.]
At the instruction of the Gamshin-tongmaek-rok, Gyeong-woo placed his hands on the pages. And then…!
Spat!
The light that had spread from the book as before gathered in the air and took the shape of a Dongin (a human model used in Oriental medicine to indicate meridians and acupuncture points). A human-shaped figure with a translucent yellow glow. When he touched it, he could feel it. He could even flip it 360 degrees, front, back, left, and right!
Wow, this was really like a 3D human simulation model…
“No, wait.”
Thinking about it, with this ability, until now…
“Hey. Why did you make me needle my own body until now?”
[One who has not felt the pain themselves cannot truly understand the patient’s pain. Only by feeling the depth and angle of the needle, and the intensity of the needle sensation on one’s own body, can one enter the path of a true master.]
“When I get needled, the pain is dozens of times worse than the patient’s! I get needled until I’m completely tattered!”
[……]
This bastard, ignoring him again?
“Haa… since you’ve brought it out now, I’ll let it slide.”
And Gyeong-woo began the procedure, which was truly a new world.
‘There’s no needling pain, but I can feel the needle sensation!’
Even though he was fumbling with a virtual Dongin, not only were the sensations of the points distinguished, but the reaction when needling felt as if it were synchronized with Gyeong-woo’s own body. But since there was no pain from piercing the skin and tearing through tissue…
‘If something like this actually existed, it would be a hit, right?’
It was truly a fantastic simulation model. He mastered the Yoyang-gwan, Sin-su, Sangryo, and Charyo points, and just as he was flipping the Dongin to needle the corresponding abdominal points…
Pshhh-
The light turned off…?
“Wh-what.”
The virtual Dongin had disappeared. There was no trace of it anywhere. Gyeong-woo was stunned for five seconds before realizing.
“Ah, so the abdomen is reachable? So you want me to stab myself again?”
The book bastard, pretending not to know again. Gyeong-woo, overwhelmed with resentment, kicked the ancient medical book with a bang.
Thwack-
It flew off, hit the wall, and fell, but it didn't seem to take any damage. Gyeong-woo trembled.
“‘Medical Book’ my foot, you damn book bastard…!!”
Another rewarding night was passing by.
6:00 AM.
Gyeong-woo tied his shoelaces.
“Let’s go.”
His body, having practiced all night, was tired. But if not now, there was no time to exercise. Lately, Gyeong-woo had been practicing Heupnap-beop while running along the foothills of Songnisan Mountain after finishing his midnight training and the sun rose.
Hoo--- Inhale!
Hoo--- Inhale!
Nearly a month since obtaining Heupnap-beop. Gyeong-woo had learned a few facts. Unlike general meditative breathing methods, Heupnap-beop did not need to be performed while sitting in a cross-legged position. In other words, he could perform it in his daily life. However, since he had to repeat inhaling in 9 counts and exhaling in 6 counts with focus, it was difficult to do while seeing patients or reading books. But it was possible while jogging.
Hoo---
‘1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9!’
Inhale!
‘1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6!’
And as the body’s oxygen demand increased with running, and the air became clearer and purer, the efficiency increased, so Gyeong-woo had started running along the nearby Songnisan trail every morning.
[<-- Baejae-ri]
A sign he discovered after running along the trail for a while. Along the foothills of Songnisan, next to Yongdeok-ri, there was a village called Baejae-ri. This was a place Gyeong-woo had recently taken an interest in.
As the chapters after Chapter 3 of the Gamshin-tongmaek-rok opened, and as Jia’s treatment got on track, Gyeong-woo’s burnout had improved quite a bit. It wasn't that the pain had become bearable, but it was ultimately a matter of how much his mental strength could handle. However, when his friend Hwang Jehyun visited yesterday and he heard the name “Somyung,” his motivation began to burn again.
‘I think I could see about 5 or 6 people.’
However, there was no need to increase the number of Yongdeok-ri patients.
“Director, 3 seems like a magical number. Considering the effect of your needles and the health status of the Yongdeok-ri residents, it runs perfectly as if 3 is a bit tight!”
Park Miyoung was amazed, but in fact, it was a number Gyeong-woo had considered and set from the beginning. So, the remaining 3 spots could be covered by adding one more village nearby.
‘What kind of village is it, shall I go down and take a look…’
Since it was a place with a direct bus connected to the township office and a public health sub-center, it was a larger village than Yongdeok-ri. Gyeong-woo walked along the single path leading down from the trail to Baejae-ri, catching his breath. But even before reaching the village, Gyeong-woo heard a sound.
Whimper- Whimper-
‘A puppy?’
Turning his head, he saw a brown ball of fur staggering at the edge of his vision.
‘Looks like it’s hurt?’
It tried to stand and fell, tried to stand and fell again. A rural mutt that seemed uncomfortable somewhere, limping on its right leg. Gyeong-woo lowered his body with his hands loosened to avoid stimulating the dog and approached slowly.
Whimper--
Fortunately, the dog was not wary. Rather, it wagged its tail as if asking for help.
“Why did you come up to the mountain? Do you have an owner?”
“Whimper…”
“There are no visible wounds, did you sprain it?”
Gyeong-woo, who had reached out his hand without realizing it, flinched.
‘Come to think of it… can I also resonate with an animal’s pain?’
The number of vertebrae was different, and the sensory organs were different, so if this resonated, the feeling would be strange…
‘Hmm…’
Gyeong-woo frowned and placed his hand on the dog’s leg.
Yang Ok-kyung of Baejae-ri likes hiking. After eating an early breakfast, she put on the hot pink training suit her daughter had sent from Seoul and wore cool sunglasses. Then she went out to the yard and poured feed into a tin bowl.
“Deokgu, Deokgu!”
Deokgu was the idol dog of Baejae-ri. The funny thing about this guy was that he was a free spirit. He wasn't tied to any one house, but wandered around the neighborhood getting fed here and there.
“Deokgu, come and eat.”
Around this time, he usually knew who was taking care of his meals and would appear chicly in Yang Ok-kyung’s yard, but today he was late for some reason.
“Did he go to another house? He’ll come and eat later.”
She left the bowl in a visible place and walked up the incline toward the trail. A path that couldn't be more familiar. However, today she encountered an unfamiliar sight on that path…
‘Huh? Isn’t that Deokgu?’
Deokgu lying down, and a young man kneeling on one knee in front of him. Ok-kyung, who had run over to give him a piece of her mind, thinking he might be a dog dealer, stopped after seeing something.
‘What is that… are those needles?’
Without realizing it, she hid her body behind a tree and peeked at the scene. The young man had started placing needles on Deokgu…!