The Feeling, It's Here!

The first place Gyeong-woo took Gong Chayoung was the home of Bae Eun-dong, the village head of Baejae-ri.

"Aigoo, our Director-nim has arrived!"

It was a two-story Western-style house, the cleanest and most impressive in the village. Bae Eun-dong welcomed the two, and as if to show off his wealth, he reached for a large glass jar filled with medicinal liquor.

"This is mountain ginseng liquor made with wild ginseng dug up from Sobaeksan Mountain. It’s a precious drink I bought at a high price, the kind they don't just sell to anyone. Eh?"

Gyeong-woo cast his gaze at the ginseng submerged in the alcohol.

'That’s not wild ginseng...'

As he handled and grasped more medicinal herbs, his eye for them was becoming increasingly sharp. He didn't even need to touch it to know. It wasn't real wild ginseng; it looked more like cultivated jangnoe-sam. The village head had likely been swindled.

'If I tell him, he’ll probably get sick from the frustration. Let’s pretend I don't know.'

"I'm fine. I have to drive later."

"Aigoo, what a shame."

"Village Head, you shouldn't be drinking while you're undergoing treatment either. You aren't drinking behind our backs, are you?"

At Gyeong-woo’s interrogation, Bae Eun-dong waved his hands frantically.

"No, no. I was only going to give it to you doctors; I wasn't going to drink any."

"Then why are there three glasses?"

"Ah, I did that without even realizing!"

After a brief back-and-forth, the three of them sat facing each other with a can of Sol-ui Nun (Pine Bud Drink) in front of each.

"So, why did you come?"

Gyeong-woo pointed to Chayoung, who was sitting next to him, looking at her Sol-ui Nun with fascination.

"How is it getting acupuncture from Dr. Gong?"

Chayoung was startled and set her can down on the table.

"The public health doctor's acupuncture? It’s not as good as the Director’s, no matter how you look at it. When I get acupuncture from the Director, I get this tingling feeling and a strong sense that I’m going to get better. The little doctor isn't quite at that level."

Chayoung’s shoulders slumped. However, Gyeong-woo spoke firmly.

"Don't compare her to me."

"Hmm..."

"Dr. Gong is just out of school and serving her military duty, while I’ve been in clinical practice for years after finishing my residency. You shouldn't compare us like that."

"Is that so?"

"Let me ask you this instead. If I weren't here, where would you go for acupuncture?"

Village Head Bae was taken aback.

"What! Are you planning to move the clinic somewhere else?"

"Hypothetically, just hypothetically. If I weren't here, would you go all the way back to town?"

"There'd be no need for that. The public health doctor is much better than Myeongho Oriental Clinic. That place keeps closing its doors lately, too."

At those words, Gong Chayoung, who had been bowing her head, lifted it slightly.

"What about places other than Myeongho Oriental Clinic?"

"The health center doesn't have much in the way of physical therapy equipment, so some people might go to town... but in the first place, haven't we people of Baejae-ri mostly switched to the health center since Dr. Gong arrived? Her skills have improved more than before, too."

"My skills... have improved?"

Gong Chayoung blinked her eyes.

"Well, ahem. She’s not as good as the Director here, but it feels refreshing when she does it."

Gyeong-woo raised his voice.

"I told you not to keep comparing us. Why are you discouraging someone who is trying so hard?"

Gyeong-woo had experienced this plenty of times. Patients who came to the clinic, especially the elderly, rarely wanted to admit they were feeling better. Perhaps they thought that if they said they were better, the director would lose his edge and stop treating them as diligently?

- "That place is a little better, but here it hurts even more!"

- "I don't know if I'm better at all."

- "The old director used to fix it in one shot..."

But if he asked them to rate their pain in numbers, the figures had clearly gone down, and they never missed their appointments. Though, because Gyeong-woo’s acupuncture was so powerful and he limited his appointments, they couldn't do that to him...

"Well... even if you look at all the doctors who have come to the health center so far, there hasn't been anyone like this current doctor."

"Did you hear that?"

"Would I know if you didn't tell me? I go to the health center regularly just like the Director told me to. Would I listen if she were an incompetent doctor?"

"...I wouldn't know if you didn't tell me. Am I a psychic?"

Gyeong-woo chuckled at Gong Chayoung, who was subtly speaking her mind, and spoke to the village head again.

"Please tell the villagers, too. You have to say when something is good so that she’ll work even harder."

"...Alright, tsk."

After leaving the village head’s house, Gyeong-woo proposed a longer journey this time.

"Dr. Gong, if you don't have anything else to do, come with me somewhere."

"Where?"

"Daejeon."

"Do you have records of the patients you've seen before?"

"Yes. They’re at the residence..."

"We're on the way, right? Let’s stop by and grab them."

The residence was a studio apartment located at the Cheongcheon-myeon office. When he pulled the car over in front of it and waited with the blinkers on, Chayoung ran up and came back down with a thick notebook.

"It’s a bit early, but it’s better to eat before we head out."

The two entered a local restaurant. While they waited for their meals, Gyeong-woo flipped through the notebook Chayoung had brought, page by page.

'Seriously... she’s incredibly diligent.'

Handwritten records of cases she had seen during her internship and her time as a public health doctor. Since it contained personal patient information, she couldn't photocopy the charts. So, enthusiastic young doctors often kept records like this for study. The basic information, excluding personal details, and the treatment progress were described in detail in the SOAP format.

The records showed her meticulous personality. Each page recorded one case, and at the bottom, there were traces of her worries, like scribbles.

[This patient really needs decoctions, not insurance medicine...]

[Why aren't they coming lately?]

[Should I switch from Gallbladder Sedation to Liver Sedation? The treatment response isn't as expected.]

Gyeong-woo scanned the records for a long time. And after the meal, the car they boarded again hit the highway. Vroom—

'Where on earth are we going?'

She knew he was taking her to get the answers to her worries. Chayoung, who had been curious for a moment, quickly let the thought go and buried herself in the passenger seat.

'Well, I'll know when we get there.'

She was a laid-back person, except when it came to work. But that laid-back nature couldn't last long, as Gyeong-woo, who had been driving while looking only ahead, suddenly threw out a question.

"60-year-old male. Occupation: construction site worker. Obese build, yellow complexion, thick white tongue coating, presented with pain that started 1 year and 6 months ago."

A case study. Chayoung tensed up, straightening her back and ears at the same time.

"Low back pain that feels better when bending. Numbness and pain radiating to the buttocks and lower extremities when walking. Straight leg raise test negative, bilateral dorsalis pedis artery pulse normal."

The medical history was recited fluently. Chayoung suddenly wanted to find a notebook and pen, but she couldn't move, afraid she might miss a few signs, so she just listened quietly.

"NRS 7. The patient complains that he cannot work in his current state. What is the diagnosis for this patient?"

Whirrr— Logic began to operate in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her head.

"When is the pain worst during the day?"

"Pain that is stiff in the morning but resolves within 30 minutes."

Then it wasn't inflammatory, but mechanical stiffness caused by muscles and joints hardening while sleeping in an uncomfortable position.

"How far down does the numbness in the legs go? Is it one-sided or bilateral?"

"Bilateral. It goes down to the tip of the big toe."

"How is it when you urinate? Are there cases where it's hard to hold it in?"

"Sometimes it's hard to hold it. It feels like the urine stream has become thinner than before."

"Have you recently lost weight or had night sweats?"

"None."

Chayoung’s questions were like she was taking a history from the patient, and Gyeong-woo’s answers provided only the judgment information. Chayoung reached a conclusion.

"It appears to be L4-5 ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠spinal canal central stenosis, and although there are urinary symptoms, I suspect it’s accompanied by prostate or other issues rather than nerves being pressed by stenosis. However, there ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is a possibility of cauda equina syndrome, so I think I would watch it carefully."

"If Dr. Gong were to set up a treatment plan for this patient?"

"Since it appears to be mechanical stenosis, I would use herbal medicine centered on strengthening the bones and removing blood stasis, but since he has a yellow complexion and thick white tongue coating, I would ask about alcohol consumption and add phlegm-resolving agents. I would have to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠check the pulse, but based on the information given, Dokhwal-gisaeng-tang (Angelica Pubescens and Taxillus Decoction) comes to mind. For acupuncture, I would release the back muscles with MPS, combine it with bee venom acupuncture, and add points like Zusanli, Weizhong, Yanglingquan, Linqi, and Huantiao."

"Expected treatment duration?"

"I expect 90% improvement in 3 months."

Gyeong-woo, who chuckled at that, pulled out Chayoung’s notebook, which had been tucked into the side of the driver’s seat, and handed it to her.

"Open page 45."

Chayoung, who opened the page looking bewildered, saw her pupils tremble.

'Huh? This patient is...'

A 58-year-old male patient she had seen at her first workplace during her first year as a public health doctor. His occupation was a freight truck driver. The information Gyeong-woo presented was slightly different, but it was a similar case in the grand scheme of things. An NRS 7 central spinal stenosis patient.

'He twisted this case to give me a problem!'

Then Gyeong-woo asked.

"What does it say for the treatment plan there?"

"It says 6 months."

"How long did it actually take?"

"It took 7 months."

"How many months did you estimate for the treatment duration just a moment ago?"

"...3 months."

Gyeong-woo drove the point home to Chayoung, who had become dazed as if she had realized it while speaking.

"Your eyes have just gotten higher."

The place he arrived with Chayoung was Yak-yak Oriental Clinic.

"Who is this friend?"

"A junior from Gyeong-hyun University. She’s working as a public health doctor at a nearby health center."

"Did you drag her here as labor to make Gongjin-dan?"

"That’s not it, but there’s an excellent teaching material here."

Leaving Kim Dong-hyeok, who didn't understand, alone, Gyeong-woo tore open a pack of needles. And he said to Gong Chayoung, who was looking around someone else’s clinic with fascination.

"You said the frequency of getting that 'acupuncture sensation' has decreased compared to before, right?"

"Yes. I’m practicing on my own body as you taught me, but the feeling of 'Oh, I got it!' comes very rarely."

"I’m going to place a needle here now."

The spot Gyeong-woo pointed to was located between the 2nd and 3rd metacarpal bones on the back of the hand. In extra-meridian points, it’s called Waonogung, and in Master Tung’s acupuncture, it’s called Shangbai. It was the acupuncture point he had used on Kkachi on the first day he came to make Gongjin-dan.

Gyeong-woo took out a needle and placed it in Chayoung’s Waonogung point.

Ting—

The sensation felt as the needle entered the exact point was now familiar. But it meant that Chayoung still rarely felt this sensation properly.

"Try grabbing it yourself."

While Chayoung grabbed and touched the needle placed on the back of her hand, Gyeong-woo placed a needle in his own Waonogung point.

"Try grabbing this, too. The feeling is minutely different when you place it on your own body versus a patient’s body."

After letting her hold and roll the two needles in her hand for a long time, Gyeong-woo pulled them both out and said.

"Now, try it. When you get the feeling that you’ve definitely got it, come to me. Don't just keep putting needles in and taking them out; concentrate as much as you can and try to feel the flow of the meridian."

"Yes, Senior!"

Leaving Chayoung in the waiting room, Gyeong-woo began manufacturing Gongjin-dan with Kim Dong-hyeok.

"What are you doing?"

"Training a junior."

"Anyway, Gyeong-hyun University, these lunatics obsessed with needles..."

Kkachi shook his head with an expression of being overwhelmed. Without realizing that he was a 'medicine lunatic' himself.

The two of them made Gongjin-dan, and Gong Chayoung practiced acupuncture for about an hour. Chayoung tried to summon her maximum concentration just as Gyeong-woo had said.

'That feeling from earlier. A feeling similar to that...!'

She tried moving while the needle was in, and she tried placing a new needle after taking a deep breath for a long time. Her unique concentration gradually erased the sounds around her...

At some point, Chayoung felt as if the needle was guiding her hand along the right path.

'Here!'

A clear sensation felt with a ding. It was the very sensation she had felt when she first touched the needle Gyeong-woo had placed, and the one that had come to her very rarely since then.

'It’s here!'

Chayoung ran to the director’s office, stood in front of the two people who had been grinding ingredients with a loud roar, and shouted.

"The feeling, it's here!"

Gyeong-woo stopped the grinder and pointed to Dong-hyeok.

"Then, let’s try loosening up his shoulders."

"...Me?"

Kkachi was flustered. On his shoulders, the massive trapezius muscles had bulged up once again in the meantime.