Chapter 158
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 158
Chapter Title: The Miracle Hiccup Cure
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After wrapping up the consultation, I led Park Haru and Kang Jaekyung into the treatment room.
I instructed Kang Jaekyung to start with a hot compress on his wrist, while for Park Haru, I decided to do acupuncture right away to stop the hiccups as quickly as possible, even if just for a little while.
Squeeze.
I first stimulated several knotted points where pathogenic qi had gathered using my fingers, and Park Haru squeezed his eyes shut tight.
"Starting from the infraspinatus like I mentioned earlier, we'll also release the back-shu points like Lung Shu and Stomach Shu."
"Hic, yes!"
The back-shu points are acupoints where the qi of the organs is transported and infused, aligned along the left and right sides of the spine on the Foot Taiyang Bladder Meridian, each named after its corresponding organ.
The Stomach Shu, for example, is roughly at the level of the stomach, and if there's an issue with the stomach, that area becomes sensitive or painful when pressed.
Of course, needling it there can treat it too.
In Korean medicine, hiccups are seen as the stomach qi rising in reverse, so for the rare chronic hiccup patient who came in, I'd often needle the back.
It was never martial artists—usually frail elderly folks, right?
"Is this your first time getting acupuncture?"
"Yes."
"It only hurts for a second when it goes in. Let me treat you~ Sting."
Fortunately, Park Haru took the needles pretty well.
Normally, people get scared and just squeeze their eyes shut like that.
Maybe because I'd dealt with an unusual patient like Lee Joongseop recently, but he felt like an absolute angel.
If he's handling it this well, no harm in adding a few more.
I needled not just his shoulder and back, but also the spot on his side where stress had caused pathogenic qi to accumulate, plus a few points on his limbs to calm his mind.
"Any discomfort from the needles?"
"No! It feels like breathing's gotten easier somehow! Thank you!"
"Just stay like this for a bit. The muscles will gradually relax, and the diaphragm tension will release in sequence. The paper said improvement by evening on the treatment day, and from my experience, it's immediate for some, or at most 2-3 days for others."
"Thank you!"
Being young, his recovery was strong—maybe it'd stop before he even left the clinic?
Confirming Park Haru was comfortably lying prone, I drew the curtain.
"Who's next?"
"Beds 10, 9, 8, 4 in order~."
I needled the waiting repeat patients in sequence, then headed to Kang Jaekyung.
"How've you been holding up?"
"Good, thanks to you. Just a bit stiff on days I used it a lot."
I pressed the area where his ligament had been inflamed before, but there was no reaction at all.
Thanks to Kim Taeyoon managing it like a hawk, his wrist ligament was perfectly fine.
Even fed him meals and bought paraffin wax—recurrence would be a problem.
I pressed a bit harder on the knots in his forearm muscles, and only then did he say it hurt a little.
"Muscles are just a tad tight. Should feel better after today. Come right away next time if it bothers you even a little."
"Yes, sir."
Unlike a ligament, slightly tight muscles weren't a big deal.
I finished the light treatment and returned to the consultation room.
I'd seen five patients in that short time, so now it was time to organize the charts.
After 6 PM, patients flooded in, so better to finish billing before then too.
Tap tap tap tap.
I typed quickly and wrapped up the charting.
Then leaned back in my chair.
No patients waiting now—maybe a quick break?
"The hiccups stopped!"
But just as I stretched, a voice rang out from the treatment room.
Park Haru had quite the strong voice.
Oh, it stopped already?
"Whoa, really?"
"Yes yes yes! Thinking about it, they stopped a while ago. From the first needle to physical therapy now, it's been 30 minutes with not a single hiccup. Wow, insane! I had no idea acupuncture worked this fast! Should've come sooner after hearing from the hyungs!"
Park Haru exclaimed loudly.
"Wow...! You said they'd been going on a while, right? I'm amazed too. I knew our director was great, but...!"
"It's crazy! For real! Wow, no more nagging now! No more crying from drinking water in my sleep!"
Great that he's better, but there were three other patients besides Kang Jaekyung.
What to do when even Gong Nari, who should know to keep quiet, was cheering along?
"Haru-ssi~."
Planning to congratulate him too, I got up and headed to Park Haru's bed.
"Director, thank you so much! I thought I'd have to live with these hiccups forever!"
Then he shot up and dropped to his knees.
Bowing his head like a martial artist performing a fist salute.
"Haha, glad it worked so fast."
But I wasn't too surprised.
I responded calmly, as I usually do with grateful patients.
"Hold on!"
But Park Haru's next move was anything but ordinary.
"Yes?"
"Mi-do-re... si... Cm...."
"Huh?"
"Keyboard—no, guitar!"
"Haru-ssi?"
"Inspiration hit! Just a sec, really just a sec?"
He fingered the air like playing piano, then bolted out to the waiting room.
"Haru-ssi, put some clothes on!"
The cupping had just finished.
I'd instructed full cupping along the back-shu points from neck to waist, so he'd stripped off his top entirely.
Gong Nari grabbed his belongings basket and chased after, but he dashed into the waiting room barefoot and shirtless.
"Gotta record this... Taeyoon-hyung, gimme the guitar quick!"
Kim Taeyoon was alone in the waiting room.
Guitar propped beside him, earphones in, legs crossed, scrolling his phone.
"Huh?"
Spotting Park Haru only now, he didn't even have time to react before the guitar was snatched.
"What the—? You can't play guitar here!"
The waiting room had only Kim Taeyoon, but how soundproof could a clinic be?
It was obviously disturbing the patients in treatment.
"But this super cool riff just came to me."
"Go outside, sing something rough, and record it."
Kim Taeyoon pointed to the clinic's front door.
The clinic took up the whole floor, but you entered through auto-doors from the elevator and stairs area.
Recording softly outside like he said probably wouldn't carry inside.
'He's the one talking sense?'
I'd been convinced Kim Taeyoon was the most unhinged in that Melon Soda Horizon band.
Kang Jaekyung was normal, and Park Haru was high-energy but that's common for artists.
"Argh, I can't express it with my voice. I'll play outside and come back!"
But in this mess where Park Haru was stubbornly unzipping the guitar case and taking it, Kim Taeyoon was the sensible one.
'Come to think of it, Taeyoon-ssi brought multiple sketchbooks fitting the situation...'
Maybe his way of being considerate so treatment wouldn't be delayed?
"Director, really sorry. That guy's impossible when he gets like this."
Kim Taeyoon frowned and apologized to me.
He must've thought I was just watching amused without stopping it.
"No worries. If genius inspiration struck, can't be helped."
I cheerfully permitted guitar playing in the stairwell.
"Sorry, we're a band, and that guy's our composer..."
As he went to apologize to the treatment room patients, Kang Jaekyung rushed out dressed, bowing to everyone.
"It's fine."
"Doesn't bother me."
"Ah~ If a genius composer's hit by inspiration, what can ya do! Hey, kid, what's your name?"
Like the last grandpa said, inspiration doesn't strike every day.
I'm no artist, but even martial artists have those epiphany moments—sword qi blooming, shattering walls.
You don't disturb someone in that trance.
Park Haru's eyes were exactly like that.
"Was he the guitarist?"
Wasn't he?
I'd only seen their TV performance at lunch once, so I was fuzzy.
"Nah, keyboardist. But he plays every instrument. Music major."
After getting okay from every occupied bed, Kang Jaekyung came to the door, glaring at Park Haru.
"...No vocals."
Kim Taeyoon somehow looked proud.
"Yeah, no vocals. Tone-deaf as hell, that weirdo."
Kang Jaekyung agreed as Park Haru's playing overlapped.
He'd finished composing and started the improv song.
Approaching warm hands
Hellish hiccups now ceased
Now sings freely
But the lyrics were weird.
Really, really weird.
"Uh? What the...?"
The melody itself seemed pretty.
Cracking on some notes while singing? Sure.
He might compose songs with high notes his clear-voiced vocalist Kim Taeyoon could hit.
...But the lyrics?
Weird didn't cover it...
"Ah, Haru's our composer, but we all do lyrics together. He brings prototypes with dummy lyrics, we rework 'em, and Taeyoon does like 80%. Ignore his version."
Kang Jaekyung rapped it out fast.
Face beet red with shame.
"Got it."
He writhed insisting their real songs weren't like this.
Kim Taeyoon trembled too.
"Whoa...! Instant improv like that...!"
Gong Nari gushed, but Kim Taeyoon and Kang Jaekyung ground their teeth and looked away.
"No need to force praise. We're cringing hard too. Ha, the final version turns out decent."
Those shining moments
Your healing is a miracle
The lyrics were awkward, but the melody peaked.
Half wanted to plug ears and hide in the treatment room, half wanted more.
- Third floor.
Right then, the elevator chime cut through Park Haru's performance.
Those shining moments
Your healing is a miracle
Chorus? Park Haru repeated the cringiest part.
The weirdest bit of that already weird song.
And the elevator faced the stairs directly.
The five stepping out faced Park Haru head-on.
"Huh?"
Fortunate? Unfortunate?
The front one was familiar.
"Uh... this is the place."
Lee Joongseop saw Park Haru strumming.
Saw our clinic sign.
Back to Park Haru.
Spotted me behind the door.
"Hello, Director?"
"...Hello."
We greeted awkwardly.
His group: three men, one woman.
The three men, like Lee Joongseop, dazedly glanced between Park Haru and the clinic.
"Cha, a hymn?"
The woman clapped hands over her mouth in shock.