The Prelude
The ill-fated connection between Hyun Kyungwoo and Lee Taeyoung dates back to their admission to Gyeong-hyun University. Originally dead-set on medical school, Lee Taeyoung had eventually chosen the College of Korean Medicine at Gyeong-hyun University when his grades fell short of the top-three medical schools.
He was what people called a "silver spoon." His father was an orthopedic surgeon running a successful surgery-specialized clinic in Seongnam. However, unlike his older brother, who had made it into S-University Medical School on his first try, Taeyoung had failed to secure a spot at a major medical school even after a year of retaking his entrance exams.
Should I try for a third year? Or should I just settle for a medical school with a lower reputation?
Tormented by his complex regarding his brother, he ultimately made a "different choice." If his brother was going to inherit their father’s clinic anyway, he decided he’d rather go to the best school in the field of Korean medicine than be constantly compared to a guy who couldn't even get into S-University.
At least here, I’ll be the top dog.
But even before he could matriculate, he heard a strange rumor.
A guy who kicked away the very thing he couldn't have. Furthermore, when Taeyoung witnessed that same guy reading the entrance oath as the representative at the ceremony, his expression twisted even further. The way the guy acted—as if he considered such a position his due while simultaneously seeming slightly annoyed by it—strangely reminded him of his brother.
From that moment on, Lee Taeyoung began to keep a wary eye on Hyun Kyungwoo. And once he found out that Kyungwoo had neither money nor connections, that wariness turned into hostility.
A dirt spoon, daring to act like that...!
Hyun Kyungwoo lived in the dormitory. According to his roommate, he didn't even go home for the holidays; he clearly wasn't raised in a normal household. Seeing him head off to tutoring jobs while everyone else was struggling with rapid-fire exams and oral tests, it seemed he was earning his own living expenses.
In the end, he wasn't a real rival. In a capitalist society, having no capital meant your starting line was pushed that much further back.
And yet... Hyun Kyungwoo bothered Taeyoung at every turn.
Second place...?
To secure first place, even in a minor league, Taeyoung studied like a madman during his pre-med years when everyone else was out having fun. But Hyun Kyungwoo, who hadn't even been seen in the library the day before the exam because he was working, ended up taking the top spot in every subject.
That reaction, as if it were a matter of course, was strangely infuriating. Taeyoung told himself he’d just been careless. But for the next exam, he gritted his teeth, and for the one after that, he even took stimulants like he had in his senior year of high school—yet the result was the same. He eventually gave up on graduating as the valedictorian and gradually let his studies slide.
Korean medicine is all about hand skills. It’ll be different once we start clinical subjects!
But when subjects involving practical training like Acupuncture and Moxibustion began, Hyun Kyungwoo soared even higher. Taeyoung’s complex grew, and he began to badmouth Kyungwoo to his wealthy friends.
"He’s trying so hard, honestly. I guess if you aren't born with anything, you have to live life bleeding out your ass like that."
"Don't pay him any mind. Even if he struggles like that now, once he gets into clinical practice, he won't have enough capital to open anything but a tiny, hole-in-the-wall clinic."
"It’s not that I’m paying him mind, it’s just... he’s a classmate, so I feel bad for him. With that personality, do you think he’ll be able to cater to patients and run a local business?"
Whether he knew it or not, Hyun Kyungwoo remained indifferent... until the practical exam for Acupuncture and Moxibustion in their second year of the main course. In Professor In Gyeonghak’s class, exam partners were assigned randomly, and as luck would have it, Taeyoung was paired with Kyungwoo.
On the day of the exam, Taeyoung finished his needling first, and then it was Kyungwoo’s turn.
"Look at the patient’s medical history provided, determine the acupoints, and begin needling."
The exam question was set. It was a case of a 40-year-old male patient with facial paralysis... and for some reason, Kyungwoo pulled out a 0.40*90mm needle?
"Oh, are you going for a Jichang-Hyeoggeo piercing technique?"
"You can't leave that out for facial paralysis."
Wait, hold on!
While Taeyoung, acting as the test subject, couldn't even protest under the professor’s expectant gaze—
Thwack—
The thick needle pierced through the corner of his mouth.
"Ugh...!"
It slid through his cheek, a sickening sensation, and poked at the skin on the other side.
"Ugh... ugh!"
"Please bear with it, patient. This is an essential point for facial paralysis."
Reciting the "patient explanation" required for the grade in a dry tone, Kyungwoo’s needle finally pierced through from the inside of Taeyoung’s jaw to the outside. And then, an intense rotation!
"Ughhh...!"
"Rough, but the technique of the rotation is alive. Hmm, that’s acupuncture skill rarely seen at a student level."
"Thank you."
With his cheek skewered, the two of them carried on a conversation as if nothing were wrong. Teary-eyed and trembling, Taeyoung had to endure the rest of Kyungwoo’s needles. After the exam, once they were far enough away that the professor couldn't hear, Taeyoung roared at Kyungwoo.
"Hey! You do a piercing technique without even telling me beforehand? Ha, this bastard is so obsessed with grades he’s lost his mind."
But in the empty hallway, the tall Hyun Kyungwoo strode toward him threateningly and thrust his face right in front of Taeyoung’s.
"You know what? In the real world, there are no warnings."
"What...?"
"Life is the real world. So if you don't want to get stabbed in the back, watch your mouth from now on, okay?"
Taeyoung couldn't argue any further as Kyungwoo flashed a murderous smile and walked away. That version of Kyungwoo overlapped with the one standing before him now. Taeyoung, who had been slightly intimidated without realizing it, quickly pulled himself together.
What the hell, this bastard!
In truth, he wasn't afraid of Hyun Kyungwoo. He had just been tense because he didn't know what kind of mess this guy would make on his turf.
But wait, is there any reason for me to be scared?
Rumors? He hadn't posted anything online; he’d only said a few words. He’d only expressed suspicion—"Could it be a medical accident?"—he’d never definitively stated, "He caused a medical accident!"
With no money, no connections, and a ruined career path, what could a guy who’d crawled off to some rural village actually do? Throw a punch at him? He could just take it and call the police. Make a scene in the waiting room and drive patients away? He could call the police again, and since that was a behavior Korean medicine doctors despised, he could spread the word and get him buried in the industry.
Thinking that way, his heart settled, and a pleasant sense of superiority began to swell.
He must have seen how huge and successful my clinic is on his way in, right? I wonder what he was thinking...
No matter how he looked at it, coming to Somyung had been an excellent choice. Even his father and brother, who had always looked down on him for being a Korean medicine doctor, acknowledged him once they saw his clinic thriving: "Well, you’re working to make money anyway, so if it’s going well, that’s enough."
He spoke to Kyungwoo with a relaxed attitude.
"As for me, my clinic is doing so well I sleep soundly these days. You say your feet are numb? That must be uncomfortable. Let me check your pulse."
Taeyoung decided to treat Kyungwoo like a regular patient. Well, if he’d come all this way to get treated at a successful clinic, he should take good care of him. He’d make sure to charge the full amount for the initial consultation fee, too.
Just contribute to my clinic’s management, pal.
With that mindset, he grabbed Kyungwoo’s wrist to check his pulse, but before he could say a word—
A diagnosis popped out of Kyungwoo’s mouth first.
"You’re suffering quite a bit from athlete’s foot, Director."
"What? Wh... what are you talking about!"
"But if you have athlete’s foot, have some human decency and wear your own slippers. What are you going to do if you pass it on to patients by sharing the same slippers? Tsk, tsk."
Taeyoung’s face turned pale.
This bastard... how did he know I have athlete’s foot?
He glanced at the neighboring bed without realizing it, wondering if the other patients had heard.
* * *
So this actually works.
Kyungwoo marveled. A moment ago, when Taeyoung grabbed his wrist, Kyungwoo had conversely sensed Taeyoung’s physical condition. It hadn't been easy. If he sensed the condition of everyone he touched in his daily life, he’d be too uncomfortable to live. Pain resonance only activated when he "looked at a patient with the heart of a healer."
But in a situation where the roles of doctor and patient were reversed, facing that smug face, it had been incredibly difficult to summon the heart of a healer who pities the patient... but Kyungwoo had done it.
"And there’s a cold-heat complex in your colon. Do you have irritable bowel syndrome?"
"Hup!"
"Tsk, tsk. It’s the hardest condition for a clinic owner. Get it treated quickly. Don't go running out the door while you’re seeing patients."
I don't run! There’s a bathroom attached to the director’s office!
Taeyoung almost shouted those words out loud. Having suffered from a chronic illness for a long time, he had installed a small bathroom behind the director’s office when he did the interior design. It was a part of the clinic he still prided himself on as an excellent choice... but he hadn't wanted to reveal it like this.
Taeyoung breathed heavily.
How on earth did he know?
He never imagined that the moment he grabbed the pulse, his own body condition would be read in return. Therefore, all he could do now was blindly deny it.
"What kind of bullshit is that!"
"Bullshit? I’m just giving you advice because I’m worried about a classmate’s health. Take some herbal medicine. If you diagnose the pattern correctly, herbal medicine is surprisingly effective for irritable bowel syndrome. You haven't tried treating it properly, have you?"
"Hey! Get out! You came here just to pick a fight, didn't you?!"
Kyungwoo jumped up from the bed and replied.
"Yeah."
He stepped off the bed, pointedly avoiding Taeyoung’s feet, and stood on the bare floor instead of putting his slippers back on.
"Oops, don't want to catch athlete’s foot."
"Hyun Kyungwoo!"
"I really did come to get treated, but since the Director is telling me to leave, I have no choice. And don't pull cheap tricks to avoid missing initial consultations; you should see patients in your office whenever possible. If you’d done that, you wouldn't have shown this side of yourself to your staff or patients."
Something snapped in Taeyoung’s head, and he looked for something to throw, but Hyun Kyungwoo slipped out of the treatment room. And from the strangely quiet neighboring bed, a patient walked out barefoot, holding their slippers at the tips of their fingers like they were contaminated, and slunk toward the waiting room.
Ah, because of that bastard!
A vein throbbed on Taeyoung’s forehead. He couldn't call the patient back to make excuses that he didn't have athlete’s foot...
However, Taeyoung didn't know. This was merely the prelude.
* * *
Yeonju University Hospital. Kyungwoo walked out of the outdoor parking lot with a shopping bag in his hand. Pulling his collar tight against the chilly February wind, he headed toward the neurosurgery ward. He arrived at the second-floor visitation room and made a call.
"I’m here, Professor."
[I’m coming down now.]
Four days ago. Professor In Gyeonghak had finally undergone surgery. And Kyungwoo, who had come to visit his mentor, was suffering from a strange sense of unease.
It was because the professor’s reaction during their phone call hadn't been very bright. A moment later, Professor In Gyeonghak came down wearing a hospital gown. The sight of his mentor, now gaunt, tugged at his heart. The man who had always been so dignified and upright...
"Here you go."
"I told you it wasn't necessary."
"I’m coming up every week anyway."
"How are the preparations for the clinic?"
"They’re going well. The contractors are paying close attention, so I think it’ll be finished by early to mid-March."
"That’s good. What’s the name of the clinic?"
The name. He had agonized over that part. He didn't want to go with a name similar to Somyung, and using "Kyungwoo Korean Medicine Clinic" would be a stretch considering his future expansion plans. In the end, the name Kyungwoo decided on was...
"I’ve decided on 'Hyenin Korean Medicine Clinic'."
"...I see you took it from Director Hyun In-hoo’s name."
"Yes. And the word 'Hyenin' has many good meanings in various ways."
Hyun for wise, Hyun for virtuous, Hyun for appearing, Hyun for shining. And perhaps, one day... the day would come when he could reveal the true meaning hidden in Hyenin.
"More importantly, how are you, Professor? How was the surgery result?"
"I told you it went well."
"They said it was closely related to the optic chiasm and required caution during surgery—was that part okay?"
"......"
Professor In didn't answer. Kyungwoo pressed him again.
"Professor?"
As if trying to buy time, Professor In reached for the drink can Kyungwoo had placed on the table, but he knocked it over instead.
Clatter!
The drink can rolled under the table, and the professor’s hand trembled. Sensing this, Kyungwoo grabbed his wrist in surprise. At that moment, his vision flashed.
Parts of both fields of vision are blacked out...?
Could it be... bitemporal hemianopia?
Kyungwoo realized the cruel truth hidden within his mentor’s silence.