A Single Chance

'A single needle...!'

Kyungwoo stared intensely at the words. Ilchim therapy. It was a technique that had been trendy in the Korean medicine community about twenty years ago. Its lineage had been passed down to the present day, and Hwang Jehyun, who had always been the runner-up behind Kyungwoo among their peers at Kyung-hyun University, was one of those who had been obsessed with it.

—I’ve decided to join Director Jeon Wanghyuk’s clinic as a vice-director after graduation.

—Jeon Wanghyuk? You mean Ilchim therapy? Isn’t that outdated now?

—What do you mean by outdated in treatment? I’m going to become an authority on Ilchim and beat you in clinical practice!

Ilchim therapy posits that there is only one fundamental treatment point for any given pathology, and that if you pierce that point accurately, the disease will show an immediate response.

—If 80% can be solved with one needle, isn’t it better to use two or three to get to 95%?

—Then it wouldn’t be mysterious! Honestly, you, Hyun Kyungwoo, have no romance in you.

—What kind of romance is there in treatment, you idiot.

He had retorted with those exact words, but he understood the intent. Even if you combine ten acupoints, the importance of each point in the treatment isn't a flat 10% each. Usually, one or two of the most important points are the core, while the others are merely supplementary. Therefore, Ilchim therapy suggests focusing all stimulation on that single most important point.

The Gamshin-tongmaek-rok was testing whether he could identify that core point and needle it correctly. The problem was that the passing criteria were extremely strict.

"Do I just need to needle the exact point accurately?"

In other words, the treatment method Kyungwoo chose had to be at least 90% identical to the "perfect treatment method of the Gamshin-tongmaek-rok" in three aspects: point selection, needling accuracy, and the intensity of the pain stimulation injected.

The medical text added maliciously:

Kyungwoo’s hands trembled. 'Should I just burn this thing to ashes...'

The medical text’s dissuasion was interpreted differently in Kyungwoo’s eyes.

-Scared? Triggered?

Kyungwoo gritted his teeth and laughed, "Ha-ha."

"No, I’m doing it. I’ll pass no matter what."

It was a battle of pride now!

"Miyoung-ssi, about today’s reservations."

"Is four people not going to work out after all? Should I adjust them?"

"No, are there any new patients waiting?"

"Do you mean a first-time visit or a new-complaint visit?"

A first-time visit meant a patient coming to the clinic for the very first time, while a new-complaint visit meant a patient coming in for a different ailment than before.

"There are plenty of new-complaint visits, but no first-time ones. Aside from children and those who are naturally healthy, I think Mansu-haraboji who came yesterday was the last first-time patient in Yongdeok-ri."

"I’d like to see one first-time patient today."

"Pardon? Today?"

Miyoung blinked. It was already surprising that he was seeing one more patient than usual, but he was volunteering to see a new one?

'Could it be... part of his training?!'

Miyoung’s eyes narrowed. She had been pretending not to notice, but lately, every morning, she found the director passed out in his office next to torn-open needle packages. Her intuition flared. Seeing the director’s skills becoming more profound by the day, perhaps the director was...

'He wasn't being lazy; he was intentionally seeing only three patients so he could pour his soul into every single one!'

He might be the last great doctor left in this era! The sense of righteousness and loyalty that had been dormant in Miyoung, a former Romance of the Three Kingdoms fanatic, surged within her.

"Director!"

"Yes?"

"I will take responsibility and discuss it with Village Head Park. I will make sure to bring you a first-time patient who is discreet!"

"Oh? Uh... thanks."

Kyungwoo, startled by Park Miyoung’s intensity, retreated into his office. That afternoon, a stranger arrived in Yongdeok-ri.

"He’s someone you know, too, Doctor."

Introducing 58-year-old Park Baedong, the village head began like this:

"He’s the one who introduced our nurse to us."

It turned out that Park Baedong, the village head’s fifth-degree nephew, had introduced his own fifth-degree niece, Park Miyoung, to the clinic. The dizzying kinship network of the countryside!

"I was meaning to introduce him to you sometime anyway. This man is very discreet, and he runs a medicinal herb shop at the foot of Mt. Songni."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Various medicinal plants grow on Mt. Songni as well. Please come and take a look sometime."

The middle-aged man with a beard laughed heartily.

"What brings you discomfort today?"

"I’ve had severe headaches for about a year now. I’ve tried taking herbal medicine and visited various hospitals, but there hasn't been much improvement."

'Headaches...'

Kyungwoo examined Park Baedong’s appearance. If his face were flushed, he might suspect a headache caused by liver-yang rising, but Park Baedong actually looked slightly pale. If it were a headache caused by kidney-yin deficiency, the area under his eyes would be dark and his complexion dull, but other than a slight sagging under his eyes, there were no special symptoms. If it were a headache caused by phlegm-dampness stagnation, he would usually have a tendency toward obesity, but that wasn't the case either.

'What’s left is...'

"Could you give me your hand for a moment?"

Kyungwoo checked Park Baedong’s pulse. He felt the patient's pain. 'It’s amazing that he’s speaking so normally.' The headache, which heavily crossed his temples, rang like a bell around his head with every beat of his pulse. It seemed Park Baedong’s patience was extraordinary, as he maintained a calm face without showing any signs of it.

"It’s not just the headaches; is your dry eye syndrome severe as well?"

"That is correct."

"Are your lips and skin dry, and do your hands and feet feel cold and numb when you wake up? And do they return to normal once you get up and move?"

"That is correct."

'Is it a chronic headache caused by liver blood deficiency?'

The body is weak. It’s a common phrase, but in reality, deficiency syndromes come in many varieties; broadly, they are divided into qi deficiency, blood deficiency, yin deficiency, and yang deficiency. Among them, Park Baedong’s symptoms overlapped with blood deficiency, and in particular, they were occurring frequently along the liver meridian's pathway.

If so, the fundamental acupoint for treatment is...

'It would be one of Taichong, Sanyinjiao, or Xuehai.'

Taichong, the core point for nourishing blood and regulating the liver as the source point of the liver meridian. Sanyinjiao, where the liver, spleen, and kidney meridians intersect, which nourishes and generates blood. Xuehai, which cannot be left out when it comes to blood-related problems.

Kyungwoo agonized over the three candidates. 'Let me feel it one more time.' Since the third chapter opened and the midnight tutoring began, Kyungwoo had started to feel not only the patient’s pain but also the deficiency and excess of the meridians. Although it wasn't as clear as during his midnight training, he could faintly feel the flow of the pulse.

'The place ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠where the flow of the liver meridian is most stagnant is... Sanyinjiao.'

Kyungwoo picked up a needle. Three chon posterior to the medial border of the tibia, in the depression behind the bone. Kyungwoo’s back became damp with sweat as he focused. Even if the point was correct, if the needling and stimulation dosage were wrong, he wouldn't pass the test. So, he gave it his full attention.

Supporting the area near the affected part with his left hand, Kyungwoo aimed the needle in his right hand at the spot. And just before he needled...

'Wait!'

The tip of the needle stopped at a strange sense of incongruity. 'Is it really blood deficiency?' The patient’s pulse he had checked briefly to resonate with the pain. The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pulse he had felt at that moment flickered in Kyungwoo’s mind.

Pulse thin and weak (Mai Xi Wu Li). That was indeed the pulse of blood deficiency. But wasn't the pulse... a bit fast?

"Why are you stopping, Director?"

Miyoung asked, puzzled by Kyungwoo, who had stopped just before starting the treatment. Kyungwoo put down the needle and checked the pulse again. It was indeed a somewhat rapid pulse. Moreover, when he pressed deeply on the pulse that had seemed weak, it gained strength like a recoil.

'If blood deficiency progresses to yin deficiency, a rapid pulse can appear. But I don't see any other signs of yin deficiency.'

Since everyone is different, symptoms aren't always typical. Ordinarily, he wouldn't hesitate in his diagnosis just because one or two symptoms didn't fit, but...

'You have only one chance.'

Kyungwoo desperately reviewed everything once more. 'Could it be... something I missed...'

"Are there any herbal medicines you take regularly?"

"Sipjeondaebotang works well for me, so I boil it and drink it from time to time."

"That’s a prescription that supplements qi and nourishes blood."

"Yes. I’m intentionally doubling the amount of Dang-gui, Baek-jak-yak, and Cheon-gung when I boil it."

Since he runs a medicinal herb shop, it seemed he guessed his symptoms fell into the category of blood deficiency. Dang-gui, Baek-jak-yak, and Cheon-gung are the three ingredients of Samul-tang, representative herbs that nourish liver blood. Sipjeondaebotang is a prescription that also supplements qi, so if he increased the blood-nourishing herbs, there shouldn't be a major problem, but...

'Wait!'

Kyungwoo came up with a hypothesis. A very specific hypothesis that could arise due to his profession as a medicinal herb merchant.

"Did you use wild ginseng instead of regular ginseng in your Sipjeondaebotang?"

Park Baedong flinched.

"That... is true, but how did you know?"

Bingo!

He almost blew his one and only chance. Kyungwoo began to explain to Park Baedong, who had his eyes widened.

"Sipjeondaebotang is a prescription that supplements qi and nourishes blood. It combines Sagunja-tang, the representative prescription for supplementing qi, and Samul-tang, the representative prescription for nourishing blood, with Hwang-gi and Yuk-gye added."

Park Baedong replied as if he had seen a ghost.

"I know that. That’s why it includes ginseng, the core of Sagunja-tang. But how did you know I changed it to wild ginseng?"

"Overall, you showed signs of blood deficiency, but the pulse didn't match. It was thin but rapid, and when pressed, it was forceful. Do you know what this means? It means that while you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠were blood deficient, you supplemented qi excessively."

Park Baedong’s eyes widened further.

"You were naturally weak, weren't you? Probably since you were young."

"Yes. That was the case. I started working at the herb shop because I calculated that if I did this work, I could eat herbal medicine at cost."

"So Sipjeondaebotang suited you well."

It wasn't for nothing that Sipjeondaebotang was famous. It was a prescription that made the elderly or weak feel their energy rising after drinking just one packet.

"Yes. So I boiled and drank it often."

"But because you are a medicinal herb merchant, you were ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠able to easily obtain very high-quality herbs. In particular, ginseng and wild ginseng have such a difference in their qi-supplementing power that it’s difficult to consider them the same medicine."

"Ah..."

"Since both your qi and blood were deficient, but you only supplemented qi excessively, the balance of qi and blood collapsed, making the blood deficiency relatively more prominent. So, it’s only natural that you feel dizzy and have headaches."

Park Baedong asked, "Then how should I be treated..."

"Even good medicine is poison if taken in excess. It would be best to use a detoxifying prescription first. And after your symptoms stabilize, it would be good to take a prescription based on Samul-tang for a long time. And as for the acupuncture..."

Kyungwoo touched his body again. The body’s plea, which hadn't been prominent when he was focusing on the liver meridian. The place where that grand flow was leading was...

'Right here, where it has heat-clearing and detoxifying effects, and can moisten the body to resolve the overheating of qi.'

Kyungwoo rolled up the sleeve of the wrist where he had been checking the pulse. Quchi, the He-Sea point of the Large Intestine Meridian of Hand-Yangming. He gently placed his hand on the outer crease of the patient’s elbow and focused. Park Baedong watched him as if possessed.

'Such a great doctor in Goesan...'

"I will begin the procedure."

Kyungwoo picked up the needle again. Having almost made a mistake once, his mind was actually clearer. With a mind like a clear mirror and still water, he brought the needle to the pond of a single point that would irrigate the human body.

Swoosh—

It descended into the deep, deep well. Relying solely on his senses. Feeling the patient’s body as if it were his own.

Splash—

Kyungwoo, who had stopped at a sensation that sounded like a clear chime, slowly began to inject stimulation.