Come Here and Explain Yourself
"You two are acting like a couple of teenagers. You're at an age where you should be past this, yet you're still doing things you did back in undergrad?"
Kim Dong-hyeok teased them.
"What does undergrad or graduation have to do with training? You’re one to talk—you’re still going on those Chinese herb-farming trips you used to take back in school."
"Th-that... that’s because high-quality medicinal herbs have an immediate impact on treatment rates—"
"What about acupuncture? Stop with the useless talk and just get into position."
Kim Dong-hyeok watched with curious eyes as Gong Chayoung took a deep, shaky breath.
'She looks a bit airheaded.'
Still, since Hyun Kyungwoo had brought her all the way here, she couldn't be just anyone. Even as he thought this, he didn't have high expectations. She certainly wouldn't be able to produce the absurd results Kyungwoo did, and... he expected that even if she were good, she was just another public health doctor—nothing that would surprise someone with years of clinical experience like himself.
But then...
Tap-
Swoosh...
With a smooth piercing of the skin, the needle slid in. It felt a bit different from Kyungwoo’s needles, which always moved forward with unwavering, ruthless conviction. This needle entered softly, as if exploring, slowly making its way toward the heart of the acupoint.
Chayoung suppressed her pounding heart and focused until the very end.
'My intuition is still sharp.'
She reached it!
At the point of certainty, she twisted the needle firmly.
"Ughhh—"
Kim Dong-hyeok’s shoulder twitched.
"I’ll leave the needles in for ten minutes."
After returning the needle to the exact spot she had moved during the rotation, Gong Chayoung pulled her hands away.
"Hyun Kyungwoo usually pulls them out right away, doesn't he?"
"I can't produce the immediate effects the senior can, so leaving them in ensures the results are more certain."
Yujim (Retention of needles). It is the act of leaving needles in place for 10–30 minutes rather than removing them immediately. While there are effects gained the moment the needle is inserted, waiting for the needle to fully regulate the flow of the meridians yields even greater results.
'Huh...?'
However, while waiting with the needles retained, Kim Dong-hyeok felt something strange. His body loosened, and the tension in his shoulders slowly drained away. Without realizing it, he tilted his head back. His neck moved backward without any resistance. When he turned his head left and right, the resistance that his trapezius muscles had been gripping so tightly had clearly diminished.
'This is like... 0.5x speed release?'
If Kyungwoo’s acupuncture brought an immediate 2x speed effect the moment it hit, Gong Chayoung’s acupuncture was catching up to that effect slowly, but surely.
"I’m removing the needles!"
When she finally pulled them out, even to the naked eye, his shoulder height had dropped! It was another case of the trapezius Botox effect!
"Wow. You really are a body that’s perfect for use as a textbook."
The annoyance he felt at the backhanded compliment lasted only a moment.
"...Is this some kind of secret technique? Teach me, too."
In the end, unable to overcome his greed, Kim Dong-hyeok demanded with hungry eyes.
"It is said that one should not teach those who lack the character."
"Hey, what kind of talk is that! You come to our clinic all the time to make Gongjin-dan, too."
"If you don't like it, don't come anymore."
"Ah, no, that’s not what I meant, sir..."
Kyungwoo patted Kim Dong-hyeok’s lowered shoulder and said,
"It’s not that I don’t want to teach you, but you need some preparation for this to work, you know?"
"What kind of preparation?"
"First, try sticking needles into your own body about a hundred times. Let's start once you get even a faint sense of it."
Kim Dong-hyeok was so dumbfounded he almost shouted.
'Hey, how am I supposed to do it a hundred times! Are you mocking me?'
But before those words could burst out, Gong Chayoung tilted her head and said,
"A hundred times? Will that be enough?"
"Since this guy has clinical experience, I’m expecting it to take less time for him to get the hang of it than it did for you, Teacher Gong."
"Ah, I see!"
Listening to the casual conversation between the Kyung-hyun University seniors and juniors, Kim Dong-hyeok was horrified.
'Those crazy people!'
Meanwhile, Kyungwoo was engraving a newly discovered fact into his mind.
'As expected, when a Korean medicine doctor designated as a disciple succeeds in 'properly' performing acupuncture, the amount of polarity transferred increases.'
The polarity that had been transferring to Kyungwoo little by little every time Gong Chayoung saw patients at the public health center. The amount varied depending on the patient's pain level, but it seemed there was another variable...
'Is it a sort of differential reward system?'
It was worth bringing her here.
Kyungwoo wore a satisfied smile.
Whirrr—
The grinder turned again, and now the three of them sat side by side and began to roll the Gongjin-dan.
"So this is where the Gongjin-dan that Village Head Bae praises so much is made."
"Teacher Gong, have you ever made Gongjin-dan yourself?"
"Yes. A few times with friends back in undergrad. But the pros are definitely different. Ours wouldn't even form into perfect spheres, and the gold leaf would always peel off in patches."
As Gong Chayoung looked at the finished Gongjin-dan with an impressed expression, Kyungwoo said,
"Try one."
"Oh? Is that okay?"
"I’ll give you three as part of your part-time pay."
Oh!
Since one pill of Gongjin-dan costs 70,000 won, it was essentially a 200,000 won part-time job for four hours. Of course, if you only counted the cost of materials, it wouldn't be that much, but Chayoung, curious about the efficacy of this Gongjin-dan, readily popped one into her mouth...
"...Wow, what is this?"
Her fatigue vanished, and vitality surged in. It felt as if the internal injuries caused by recent overwork and worries about her own skills were being healed in an instant!
Seeing that, Kyungwoo smiled to himself.
'Graduate student (slave) motivation charging complete.'
* * *
The beginning of winter.
"Woof! Woof!"
Deokgu’s visits had recently decreased to about twice a week. Since Kyungwoo only gave him snacks and didn't perform acupuncture even when he came two out of three days, the smart dog seemed to realize that the time for daily treatments had passed, and now he visited every few days.
But today...
"Two caramels?"
For some reason, he had brought two.
Park Miyoung’s eyes sparkled as if she were touched, and she reached out to stroke Deokgu’s back.
"Oh my, one for me too? Has he finally opened his heart?"
Swoosh- Deokgu dodged her hand and dropped both of them at Kyungwoo’s feet.
"......"
Park Miyoung looked dejected. Kyungwoo, intending to treat Deokgu’s leg as usual, felt that Deokgu’s body was a little warm.
He turned Deokgu’s face toward him to observe other parts. Eyes more bloodshot than usual, a runny nose hanging from the tip of his nose. He was also coughing.
"He’s caught a cold."
"Do dogs catch colds too?"
"Humans and dogs are both animals, so they catch them just the same. Go heat up a packet of Samso-eum and bring it here."
"Are you going to feed that to Deokgu? Do you use herbal medicine for dog colds too?"
"If he’ll eat it."
Humans and dogs have different types of viruses. In the case of Western medicine, you should never use medicine meant for humans on animals. Tylenol (acetaminophen), which humans commonly take for cold symptoms, can cause fatal poisoning in dogs and cats. However, because herbal medicine is made of natural substances, there is little concern about toxicity except for a few specific herbs, and since prescriptions are determined based on 'symptoms' regardless of the type of virus,
Lick-
If he would just lick it up, it would certainly help. And perhaps because Deokgu was a very special dog who had taken well to acupuncture from the start, he ate the herbal medicine well, too.
"Wow... so that’s why he brought two caramels!"
In human terms, that’s two disease names. Since the cost of the medicine was added on top of that, the treatment fee went up.
Kyungwoo, who had finished the procedure more lightly than usual because he was worried about his condition, put Deokgu in the car.
"I’ll go drop him off."
"Yes! You have three appointments this afternoon."
"I’ll be back before lunch ends."
Like this, these days, Kyungwoo Oriental Clinic was running smoothly. Jia’s CRPS, Yang Jinwon’s ankylosing spondylitis, and Village Head Bae Eundong’s hearing loss were all showing smooth signs of improvement, and the second patient for the intractable disease support project had also begun treatment.
Gong Chayoung, perhaps addicted to the feeling of the acupuncture sensation, was showing up at the clinic almost every day, asking to be taught the precise sensation of new acupoints. The paper on the clinical trial of CRPS was also progressing steadily.
Kyungwoo was also taking one Gongjin-dan every day and had become very healthy(?) in the mornings, and he was continuing his nighttime training and morning jogging every day. Perhaps because of that, even though intractable patients had been added, it was more manageable than he thought.
"Are you okay, Deokgu?"
Deokgu, sitting in the passenger seat, was sniffing his runny nose and keeping his eyes closed.
On the way back to the clinic after dropping Deokgu off, Kyungwoo’s phone rang. He initially tried not to answer, but because of the persistent ringing, he eventually answered via hands-free.
"Hello."
[Hyun Kyungwoo, what kind of person are you!]
A sharp voice rang through the car. Oh no, it was his mentor. Professor In Gyeonghak, who had been his advisor during his residency in the acupuncture department and could still be called the face of the Kyung-hyun University Korean Medicine Hospital.
[Where are you and what are you doing!]
"I’m running a clinic in the countryside."
[Did I ask because I was genuinely curious? What are you doing when you ran out saying you’d take down So-myeong! If you’re going to do that, come back to the hospital!]
'My eardrums are going to burst.'
Kyungwoo turned the speaker volume way down.
"No, that’s not it—"
[It’s noisy, so if you have something to say, come here and explain it yourself. If you don’t come by the weekend, I’m coming down there.]
Click-
The call ended. Kyungwoo shook his head.
"If he keeps that up, he’s going to grab the back of his neck and collapse. Honestly, the professor’s temper..."
* * *
That Saturday. Kyungwoo, who had seen his scheduled patients in the morning, stepped on the accelerator toward Seoul.
Vroom-
And around 3 PM, he arrived in front of a large hospital building.
<Kyung-hyun University Korean Medicine Hospital>
The pinnacle of the Korean medical community. The Korean medicine hospital, standing side-by-side like a twin with the Western medicine hospital, was quiet compared to the bustling Western hospital, but that wasn't just because Saturday clinic hours ended early.
"I have an appointment with Professor In Gyeonghak."
He received a visitor’s card from the security guard on the first floor and went up to the 6th floor. He stood in front of the door to his mentor’s office, which he had frequented during his residency.
Knock knock-
"Come in."
Inside the door, a familiar person was sitting in front of the desk with his back straight. Silver-rimmed glasses and a suit. His clean appearance gave the impression of an academic professor, but his style of being tough and unhesitating when treating patients was that of a typical surgical clinician. He looked up and met Kyungwoo’s gaze.
"Come in."
How many seniors and juniors had trembled in front of that gaze that gave no room for excuses? In the hospital, the relationship between a professor and a resident is a thorough apprenticeship. Add to that his indisputable skill and reputation, and it was hard to find a student who didn't fear Professor In Gyeonghak.
However, Kyungwoo walked in calmly and sat on the sofa in the center of the office. Professor In read Kyungwoo’s facial expression keenly, then approached and sat across from him.
"Where are you now?"
"I’m in Goesan, Chungbuk."
"Are you just leisurely recharging there?"
Professor In asked sharply. He couldn't help it. The expectations he had for the guy in front of him were just that high. Everyone said so.
-Hyun Kyungwoo, that friend looks exactly like Professor In when he was young.
-I wasn't that reckless.
-Haha. They say people erase their old memories once they pass that stage.
He denied it to his fellow professors, asking what they were talking about, but honestly, he was admitting it to himself. That guy was a lot like him. His unhesitating temperament, his flashy manual dexterity, and even the academic aptitude that such guys usually lacked...
'He’s exactly professor material.'
He had thought he would raise him well, bring him in as an associate professor, retire a little early later on, and pass his position on to him, but...
That guy said he was going to go out to the local area because he had to take down So-myeong. It was a near-impossible task. But after hearing the inside story, he couldn't stop him. So, even though it killed him to let go of someone he had raised so well, he let him go... but to think he was just leisurely running a clinic in the countryside!
At Professor In Gyeonghak’s stern gaze, Kyungwoo slowly gave his answer.
"I’m working hard. I have my own plans, too."
"How many people do you see a day?"
"Six..."
"Are you joking? And you think your skills won't get rusty doing that?"
Unaware of his burning frustration, Kyungwoo smiled.
"Well. My skills have probably improved even more...?"
He couldn't explain that he had restrictions on seeing patients because of a strange ancient medical book, but thanks to that, his skills had improved. 'Still, he is my mentor...' Thinking he shouldn't worry him too much, Kyungwoo held out his hand.
"It’s been a while, let me check your pulse, Professor."
Professor In, who had his wrist grabbed with a somewhat disgruntled expression. Kyungwoo matched his breathing to the professor’s.
Inhale... Exhale.
The office soon fell into silence. In front of the mentor he hadn't seen in a long time, in a space he was familiar with, Kyungwoo focused completely and fell into a state of selflessness. Gradually, the flow of the pulse, which was slowly becoming clearer. Kyungwoo’s expression, which had been sensing it leisurely, suddenly stiffened.
Flash-
Kyungwoo, who had opened his closed eyes wide, asked urgently.
"Professor, when did you start feeling sick!"
In Gyeonghak’s eyes widened.