You Must Be Honest So I Can Fix It
The conclusion presented by the Gamshin-tongmaek-rok was as follows:
Disciple, you have spread three types of medical texts to the world, conveying the essence of the medical path.
Each text has been read by over ten thousand practitioners, exerting an influence that has shaken the heavens; thus, you have fully attained the qualifications of a physician.
I grant you the authority to take on three disciples and pass down the Medical Lineage, but because your current level is not yet profound, your ability to nurture disciples is not fully matured.
First, accept one disciple, and when their achievements become significant, you shall be able to take on the remaining two.
Kyungwoo read it carefully, then raised the corners of his mouth in a way that was barely noticeable.
"Hmm, this feels a bit like I got a free pass."
Publishing a paper in an SCI-level journal wasn't exactly easy, but since hundreds of thousands of papers are uploaded to PubMed every year, it was a bit of a stretch to say it "shook the heavens."
But well...
"Let's just let them keep the misunderstanding!"
Thanks to that, he’d bypassed the long road, and it tasted as sweet as honey. Plus, it was satisfying to get one over on that book-bug, who was always pushing him to the brink.
"Anyway, if it's recognized just by ten thousand people reading it..."
It didn't necessarily have to be an SCI-level paper, right? Couldn't a single case study be recognized if it was read enough?
For example, Jia’s CRPS over at the apricot tree house. If he wrote a paper on treating CRPS with Korean medicine, he could easily pass ten thousand downloads, even if it wasn't SCI-level.
"If things like that count, increasing my number of disciples when I need to won't be a problem at all."
But since he had to raise one disciple well first...
Kyungwoo thought of the eccentric junior who had stormed into his clinic earlier that day. She said she was a "born graduate student," right?
"Come to think of it, this 'disciple' system is exactly like a professor and a graduate student."
In the sense that the graduate student does all the grunt work while the professor reaps the experience points.
That friend seemed to have turned down the temptations of countless professors at Gyeong-hyun University to finally choose clinical practice. How could he smoothly make her his disciple (slave)...?
Kyungwoo asked.
"How do I designate a disciple?"
> When the other party expresses the will to learn from you, it is designated if you strongly desire to transmit the mysteries of the Gam-tong in your heart.
"Can I give this ability and then take it back?"
> It is said that one should not transmit to the unworthy. It is best not to transmit at all, but if you have already transmitted it and realize the qualifications are insufficient, you may withdraw it. However, that spot cannot be filled by another person.
Okay. Since his self-esteem as a doctor would plummet if he thought his treatment skills had improved only to find out they’d gotten worse, he probably wouldn't do it unless necessary...
"Just because someone has a high entrance exam score doesn't mean they aren't human trash."
There are all sorts of people in this field. Even Kang Seok-won, the representative director of Somyeong, one of the biggest names in Korean medicine, was actually trash.
Since it said he could take it back if someone abused the ability for their own gain after he’d unknowingly shared it, he could just do it with a light heart...
"Shall I start the operation to recruit a graduate student?"
He’d been told he had to make the other person ask to be taught first. A method that would work on a type like Gong Chayoung? It was simple: show off his skills.
The next day, at the public health center.
"Grandma, I'm going to place one needle in your head."
Gong Chayoung was thinking about Kyungwoo’s acupuncture from yesterday, trying to place needles in the Seven Points for Stroke and other overlapping points for every patient who came in. But she just wasn't satisfied.
"Sigh, that wasn't the feeling."
Chayoung regretted it. Even if she had to act like a total nuisance, she should have asked if she could touch the needle the senior had placed. If she had, she might have understood the sensation!
After struggling with acupuncture points in the treatment room all morning, Chayoung opened the lunchbox Ms. Moon had packed for her during the lunch break...
"Whoa, sausages! Thanks for the meal!"
It was a sausage side dish that rewarded her for her morning of hard work. Watching Chayoung eat, Ms. Moon asked.
"Dr. Gong, you're on vacation tomorrow, right? Are you going to Seoul?"
"Ah, I was planning to, but I can't go anymore."
"Why?"
"It's Friday. I have to take Grandma Geum-rye to the clinic."
Yesterday was Wednesday. Since she’d been told to bring her back in two days, it was Friday. Even though she knew about yesterday's events, Ms. Moon was horrified.
"Even so, you're spending your vacation at your workplace just to take a patient to the clinic?"
"I promised."
"You should have said you'd go starting next week since it's your vacation."
"Aigoo, how could I do that? It's fine. Besides, there's something I'm researching right now."
Chayoung finished her meal quickly and returned to her desk. Because rural areas start their mornings early, the Baejae-ri Public Health Center finished its public medical services by the morning in exchange for starting early. She was writing a report during her free time in the afternoon, adding additional research to the papers on Dansam (Salvia miltiorrhiza) that the senior had sent her.
The next day. Chayoung packed the report she’d finished by cutting into her sleep, and with hollow eyes, went to pick up Grandma Geum-rye.
"Grandma, I'll take you to the clinic."
"Aigoo... you didn't have to do that..."
She said that with her mouth, but she was already sitting in the backseat! As she started the engine to leave, the passenger door suddenly opened and someone climbed in. It was Bae Eun-dong, the village head of Baejae-ri.
"Ahem."
"Village Head? Why are you in my car..."
"This car is going to the clinic in the next village, right? Let me ride along."
"Are you going to pay for the taxi fare?"
"What taxi fare! You've brought shame to our whole village. I heard you caused a scene at the Yongdeok-ri clinic yesterday?"
The Baejae-ri village head was famous for being spiteful. Since he’d already acted like a nuisance several times when he came to the health center for treatment, Gong Chayoung didn't have kind words for him either. But Bae Eun-dong went a step further, scolding Chayoung in a booming voice.
"I went around telling everyone that there was no need to go to the next village, that our Baejae-ri health center doctor was better, but you went and got beaten so badly—what does that make me?"
"Did I ask you to promote me? I'm not a private practitioner, I'm a public health doctor."
"Anyway, young people these days..."
He sat with his arms crossed, grumbling. In truth, he was only this angry because of his jealousy toward his best friend, Park Chunsik, the village head of Yongdeok-ri. Having lived his whole life conscious of Park Chunsik, he took pride in at least being a better village head, but lately, it felt like Yongdeok-ri was doing strangely well.
The reason he managed to stay village head despite his nasty personality was that he had his own way of getting things done. A new village hall that other villages didn't have! A health center that other villages didn't have! Last year, he even hosted a large event called the in Baejae-ri.
But lately...
"A modern playground in a village much smaller than Baejae-ri?"
On top of that...
"Why go to a clinic in Yongdeok-ri when Baejae-ri is right next door...!"
His anger flared up again. He let out a groan, and Grandma Geum-rye asked from the back.
"Why is the village head going to the Kyungwoo Clinic?"
"They say that side is better, so I have to go get my Hwabyung (anger syndrome) treated, which this little doctor couldn't fix."
"You can't see him there without a reservation, you know? Even if you reserve now, you'll have to wait a month."
"I made the reservation a month ago."
Chayoung glanced at him with an incredulous look. He’d gone around telling people not to go to Kyungwoo Clinic, yet he’d made a reservation himself a month ago?
"I was going to cancel it, but I'm just going to see. Since they say he's so miraculous, I have to at least go see for myself."
If it was good, great, and if it wasn't, he planned to go around loudly telling everyone that the Yongdeok-ri clinic was nothing special. As Village Head Bae Eun-dong continued to grumble, Gong Chayoung turned on some music and cranked up the volume.
"Ah, it's too loud!!"
"The village head is the one who's loud."
Chayoung muttered to herself and stepped on the accelerator.
A short while later, they arrived at Kyungwoo Clinic.
"Hello, Doctor. I've brought Grandma Kim Geum-rye!"
Chayoung bowed at a 90-degree angle to Kyungwoo, who had been playing with Deokgu in the yard.
"You've worked hard."
"Um, Doctor. I’ve organized the data based on the materials you gave me..."
Chayoung handed over a file. When he opened it, it contained everything from a cross-analysis of Korean and Chinese papers on Dansam to an analysis of the medicinal ingredients and case studies of prescriptions using Dansam.
Flip- flip-
Kyungwoo flipped through it and thought.
"Not bad."
It wasn't enough to make him gasp in awe. However, Kyungwoo was a person who had made a name for himself during his school and residency days with reports that automatically made his peers look inferior. Since he had excellent metacognition, unlike Chayoung...
"She said she was a born graduate student..."
He quickly caught onto her other usefulness. Every evening, he’d been losing several hours to preliminary research for his daily case studies...
Kyungwoo flipped to the last page and dropped a single comment.
"But the content regarding the original texts (*the medical classics that form the foundation of Korean medicine, including the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon) is missing."
Chayoung flinched and replied.
"I couldn't bring all the original texts to my current post. I’ve already told my family to send them by courier."
"I see. Add those and let's look at it again."
"Yes, sir!"
She’d naturally been given homework, but Chayoung, not yet realizing the oddity of it, reflected on her own shortcomings.
"Whew, was I too impatient to improve my image? I should have finished it perfectly before showing him..."
As Kyungwoo entered the clinic, Chayoung, Grandma Geum-rye, and Village Head Bae followed. Park Miyoung began the registration.
"Grandma Geum-rye, please come this way. And are you Mr. Bae Eun-dong, who has an appointment this afternoon?"
"What do you mean 'Grandpa'!"
"Then what should I..."
"Just call me Village Head. I'm the village head of Baejae-ri."
"I understand. While Grandma Geum-rye gets her physical therapy, Village Head Bae, you'll go in for your consultation first."
But Village Head Bae turned sharply and tugged on Chayoung's sleeve.
"Doctor, you come in too."
"Yes? Me?"
"You have to go in and tell him everything about my symptoms and what I've been treated for so far. Since there's no referral letter or whatever that is, you have to at least tell him in my stead."
What a pain. Chayoung was a little annoyed, but she suddenly remembered something and her eyes sparkled.
"Ah, then I can watch the senior treat a patient!"
"Ah, yes! Since I was your previous primary physician, I should convey your medical history."
"Right! You can't even do that properly on your own, I have to tell you—honestly..."
Village Head Bae shouted again. Chayoung pretended not to hear him and pushed him from behind. They entered the director's office together.
"Please, have a seat. What seems to be the problem?"
"I get angry often, and I just can't stand it. Honestly, there isn't a single person around who can communicate!"
Kyungwoo asked a few diagnostic questions and carefully observed Village Head Bae's condition. From the moment Village Head Bae’s unusually loud voice echoed in the waiting room, Kyungwoo had suspected something. And his posture while talking after coming in—seeing him get angry at others and act frustrated only deepened his suspicion.
Kyungwoo checked Village Head Bae's pulse.
"As expected..."
The moment the flow of his meridians was detected, that suspicion turned into certainty.
"What did you diagnose him with?"
The question was suddenly dropped toward Chayoung. Chayoung stood at attention without realizing it and answered.
"There is severe tenderness in the Jong-jung point, and he has dry mouth, a flushed face, and pain in his sides, and he gets angry often. Since his pulse is also Hyeon-sak (wiry and rapid), I diagnosed it as Hwabyung caused by liver fire and treated him accordingly."
But suddenly, Kyungwoo stood up from his chair and walked around to the front of the desk. Kyungwoo, who had come close to Chayoung, who was standing to the right of Village Head Bae, suddenly lowered his voice.
"He does have symptoms of Hwabyung, but Hwabyung is a secondary symptom. The cause is separate."
"What is it, why is he whispering all of a sudden?"
However, Village Head Bae didn't react to Kyungwoo's words and started talking about something else.
"Why are you suddenly getting up and making a fuss? Are you trying to press on my stomach or something? Should I lie down?"
At that moment, Gong Chayoung realized something! After pressing down on his shoulder to quiet him, Kyungwoo returned to his seat.
"Mr. Bae Eun-dong, any other discomfort besides Hwabyung?"
"None. If there weren't so many frustrating people around, I'd be perfectly fine."
"You must be honest so I can fix it."
"This director is frustrating too, huh? I told you I'm perfectly fine?"
Then, Kyungwoo struck at the core at once.
"Mr. Bae Eun-dong, you can't hear well out of your right ear, can you?"
"No, I can hear just fine. What are you talking about!"
He jumped up.
"There's no one else listening here. You can just tell me."
"I told you my ears are perfectly fine, why do you keep saying strange things!"
"Have you had major surgery within the last year? And did your hearing get significantly worse from that time?"
At the pinpoint accuracy of his words, Village Head Bae finally flinched.
"How... how did you know that?!"