The Dog Who Patrols the Village
"Whoa!"
The first sensation was a sharp, electric jolt.
"Huuuh...?"
And then, a refreshing wave of relief.
"W-what in the world is this?"
Yang Ok-kyung let out an exclamation of pure surprise.
She received acupuncture at the local health center from time to time, but this was the first time she had ever felt an immediate, tangible improvement right after the needles were placed.
"What’s wrong? Are the needles too painful?"
"They hurt like crazy, sure... but wow, that heavy, dull ache in my lower back is just gone! It feels like I’ve finally taken off a pair of sandbags I’ve been carrying around for years."
"Really?"
Thanks to his recent success with Kim Yu-hwan’s lumbar spinal stenosis case, Kyungwoo’s precision had reached its peak, and his acupuncture was producing dramatic results.
Hearing that, Shin Hye-young, who usually traveled all the way to Myeongho Oriental Clinic in town for her treatments, felt a surge of anticipation.
"Do you think my hip joint could feel that refreshed, too?"
"Come to think of it, doesn't your pain sound a lot like what our Deokgu was suffering from? You also have a bit of an imbalance between your left and right sides, don't you?"
"That's right, that's right. Do you think I could get better just like Deokgu did?"
Kyungwoo asked, "Speaking of Deokgu, how did that dog get hurt in the first place?"
"Oh, goodness... if you want to know what happened to that poor thing..."
As the story of Deokgu unfolded, the mood in the room turned somber. Kyungwoo furrowed his brows, and Miyoung wiped away tears in the back.
"So that’s why his right leg was in such bad shape."
"Exactly. I haven't seen him running around like that in such a long time. You’ve truly done a wonderful thing, Director."
Even as they chatted, Kyungwoo focused intently on Shin Hye-young’s pain.
'Ugh...'
It was quite a heavy burden. Although he had prepared himself, the number of patients had more than doubled—including Deokgu—compared to his self-imposed limit of three. Memories of his past, when he was constantly bombarded by the endless pain of patients every single day, threatened to suffocate him.
Hooooo—aaaah!
'No. It’s still manageable. This is just a bit of trauma.'
His routine of late-night training was proving helpful. After stabilizing his overloaded mind with the Absorption Breathing Method, Kyungwoo once again carefully observed Shin Hye-young’s pain.
'It’s much milder than Deokgu’s.'
Besides, he could use Polarity on humans, so the effect would be even faster. Though, given her age, he would have to plan for a longer overall treatment period.
Zzzzt—
"Oh my goodness!"
Shin Hye-young didn't scream like Yang Ok-kyung had. Instead, she let out a gasp of pure wonder.
"It’s like my left leg has been completely unblocked. I can feel a cool, refreshing sensation flowing all the way down!"
'She has a good sense for Qi, too.'
Following that, even Kim Hee-sun, who usually avoided acupuncture, finished her treatment for her elbow. The three women, lying side by side in the treatment room, excitedly shared their experiences.
"Sister, was acupuncture always like this?"
"No way. In my 57 years of life, I’ve been to all sorts of clinics, but I’ve never felt anything like this."
"And to think only the people of Yongdeok-ri knew about such a great place!"
"Deokgu really played the part of a filial son. If it weren't for him, how would we have ever met such a master doctor?"
They turned to Miyoung, who had just stepped back into the treatment room.
"A place this good deserves to succeed. We’ll go back to the village and spread the word far and wide!"
"Um... about that."
Miyoung, having just been briefed on Kyungwoo’s future plans, hesitated.
"Our clinic only takes a maximum of six reservations per day."
"Six people?"
"Will the clinic even survive with that many? Myeongho Oriental Clinic sees 50 people a day and they’re still constantly texting us to come in for more treatments."
'It was only three before this...'
"Well, three of those spots are reserved for our existing patients. Even this is double what we used to take. Our Director, you see..."
Miyoung lowered her voice and added confidentially, "He only sees as many patients as he can while maintaining the effectiveness of his acupuncture."
Perked up—
The expressions of the three women shifted.
'Wait, does that mean...'
They were quick-witted enough to catch the implication. Why hadn't they heard about this clinic in neighboring Yongdeok-ri until now?
'They were keeping this good place all to themselves!'
Shin Hye-young immediately thought of her elderly mother, who complained of tingling limbs every day, and felt a sense of urgency.
"Um... Nurse. The Director said I should come back in three days, right?"
"Yes. I’ll book your next appointment before you leave."
"Then, since I won't be coming tomorrow or the day after, there must be an open spot, right? Could I book that for my mother?"
"Please let me know her name when you head out."
Kim Hee-sun immediately secured her own spot.
"I... my condition is acute, and he told me to come back tomorrow. I assume there’s still a spot left for that?"
And Yang Ok-kyung asked, "Do you make postpartum herbal medicine here, too?"
She was eager to bring her daughter-in-law, who had recently given birth to her second grandchild. The three women exchanged knowing glances.
'Let's keep this as quiet as possible!'
They knew it would eventually get out to Baejae-ri, but this was a tacit agreement to claim the early vacancies for themselves.
Beep-beep-beep—
After the time was up and the needles were removed, the three women stepped out of the treatment room.
"Sister! Looking at you walk, your legs look so straight! Just like Deokgu’s."
"Hahaha. You’re right. It’s been so long since my legs felt this light. So this is why our Deokgu walked 40 minutes every day to get acupuncture."
"My elbow feels like it’s been healed by magic, too."
"Did you hear what the Director said earlier? He said it’s not fully healed yet. It’s just the effect of the acupuncture suppressing the pain, so don't get careless."
Chatting away, they finished their payment and walked out into the yard, where they witnessed a fascinating sight.
The Director was pulling a needle deeply embedded in Deokgu’s hip!
"It’s true, it’s really true!"
"A dog getting acupuncture? Isn't this Guinness Book material?"
And when Deokgu finished his treatment, he panted for a moment before dropping a peanut caramel he had been hiding under his belly at Kyungwoo’s feet. They were stunned.
"Gasp! So that’s why the jar on the porch kept losing one caramel at a time!"
"Are you out of your mind? What if he had eaten it?"
"Deokgu is so smart that he never touched the things I told him not to eat, so I let my guard down. But he didn't eat it himself—he must have been bringing it here?"
They were even more surprised to see Deokgu rubbing his body against Kyungwoo’s legs.
"Oh my, look at Deokgu."
"He’s acting so affectionate toward someone he hasn't even known for that long. My goodness."
Miyoung asked, tilting her head, "Aren't dogs usually affectionate?"
"They are. Deokgu was especially so, but after he got hurt so badly, he became terrified of people. He’s gotten a bit better with us, but he still avoids the Jeong-ho family who moved into the village a month ago."
'Ah... so that was why.'
There was a reason why Deokgu had always reacted so coolly whenever Kyungwoo offered him treats. He had thought Deokgu didn't like him, especially since the dog would wag his tail like a helicopter whenever he was around Kyungwoo.
"Even a beast knows the grace of the one who saved him."
The three middle-aged women, all entering menopause, teared up in unison.
A moment later, they left the gate with Deokgu.
"Woof! Woof!"
Deokgu took the lead as if telling them to follow, and the three women trailed behind.
"Deokgu, wait for us~~"
The footsteps of the three people following the dog seemed much lighter than when they had arrived.
* * *
"Whew..."
Another week passed. Rumors about Kyungwoo Oriental Clinic spread slowly through Baejae-ri, usually prefaced with, "Shh, I'm only telling you this..."
Village Head Park Chun-sik, upon hearing the news, had rushed over...
-Director! Then what about Yongdeok-ri!
-Yongdeok-ri gets three fixed spots!
-Ah, okay, okay!
He had accepted it coolly and returned home.
And today, Kyungwoo was slumped over the table in the herbal medicine room.
'This is brutal...'
Humans are animals of adaptation! But the true meaning of that phrase was that it was agonizingly difficult before you actually adapted...
'Let’s see, my current schedule is...'
They said six patients a day, but... because new patients were constantly arriving from Baejae-ri, he had to endure unpredictable pain twice a day. In between, he had to handle herbs and brew medicine, take short naps during the day, study papers and ancient texts on the cases he was treating for his evening training, and from the Hour of the Rat (11 PM to 1 AM), he practiced infinite acupuncture on his own body.
And then, a refreshing(?) morning jog!
'Damn it...'
A schedule that rivaled his days as a resident. It was enough to ruin his health, but the fact that he was holding up was likely due to the mystical power of the Gamshin-tongmaek-rok.
'Where did my leisurely rural life go...'
Just three months ago, seeing only three patients a day felt like a dream.
Haaa... hup!
Kyungwoo turned his sigh into a shout and jumped to his feet.
'Still, I have to do what I have to do.'
What Kyungwoo was currently practicing was a method of infusing Polarity only into the Emperor Herb (the primary ingredient) of his prescriptions.
Emperor, Minister, Assistant, Envoy.
The composition of an herbal prescription had a hierarchical structure like a pyramid. The herb that acts as the Emperor, the Minister, the Assistant, and the Envoy. Even with the same ingredients, the direction of the medicine varied wildly depending on which herb was placed in which role.
Among them, the most important was the Emperor Herb. Since there was a limit to the amount of Polarity he could store, he was trying to focus on strengthening the Emperor Herb, which handled the primary therapeutic purpose of the prescription.
'But I can't let the balance of the prescription be disturbed...'
He carefully weighed the medicinal properties of the other herbs and adjusted the dosages. After finishing the series of tasks that required extreme concentration,
Ssssss—
The herbal extract, which had been boiling for two hours, flowed from the extractor into the packaging machine.
Whir— Pop! Whir— Pop!
Warm herbal medicine packs were packaged and dropped one by one. The medicine Kyungwoo had brewed today was a household remedy he had been keeping in mind for a while.
'Since there are many elderly people in the village, I should have this medicine on hand.'
He didn't know if it would be used or not.
'Well, it would be even better if I didn't have to use it and ended up discarding it.'
Kyungwoo tore open a pack and tasted it. The majestic momentum of the Emperor Herb lingered on the tip of his tongue.
* * *
A few days later, early in the morning. Deokgu appeared on Kyungwoo’s jogging course for the first time in a while.
"Woof woof!"
"Deokgu! You’ve been coming to the clinic lately, so why are you out here today?"
"Woof! Woof woof!"
But Deokgu was acting strange. He kept barking at Kyungwoo, and now he was pushing his head against Kyungwoo’s shoes.
"What is it? You want me to come with you?"
"Woof!"
Deokgu turned around and started running. As he chased after him, Kyungwoo recalled what the Baejae-ri patients had told him.
-Deokgu is the Baejae-ri police officer.
-A police officer?
-He might look like he’s just wandering around, but he’s actually patrolling the village. He once found a piece of glass on the road that could have hurt the kids and asked me to clear it, and when Bong-sik’s house had a coal gas leak, Deokgu was the first to find it.
They had boasted that there was a reason Deokgu was loved by everyone in the village. As that memory surfaced, Kyungwoo’s pace quickened.
'Could it be that someone has collapsed?'
He followed the narrow path, turned left, and after a while, made two right turns to reveal a lonely, dilapidated house. It was a place that still retained the authentic feel of an old rural home, as if it hadn't been renovated in decades.
"Woof woof!"
Deokgu entered the gate and barked once more, so Kyungwoo followed him inside.
"Is anyone home?"
The house was silent. No answer. Something felt ominous. Kyungwoo stepped onto the wooden porch and opened one of the two doors connected to the main floor.
Creeeeak—
It was a room filled with all sorts of junk, used like a storage shed.
'Not here.'
He opened the other door.
Creeeeak—
Inside, an elderly woman was lying on the floor!
"Grandmother! Are you okay?"
Kyungwoo rushed over and helped the woman sit up. Her face was pale, and her hands and chin were trembling slightly.
"Oh my... who are you..."
"I’m an oriental doctor from the next village. Deokgu brought me here. I think he was worried about you and went to call for help."
"Ah, I usually fill Deokgu’s water at dawn, but I was feeling so weak today that I couldn't go outside..."
Fortunately, she hadn't fainted. She had tried to get up at dawn, lost her balance, and fallen; unable to get up on her own, she had just fallen back asleep in her struggle...
Kyungwoo observed the woman. Trembling hands. Rigid muscles. The feeling he had sensed when he touched her to help her up—that she couldn't put any proper strength into her body. And one more thing.
'Dogs have a highly developed sense of smell. Could it be that Deokgu smelled "that scent"!'
Kyungwoo asked the woman, "Grandmother, do you happen to have Parkinson’s disease?"