Chapter 31
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: The Blister Incident
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Just like any other day, I arrived at the clinic early in the morning.
Madam Heo Sun-nam visited twice a week as the first patient of the day, so seeing her seated there was nothing unusual.
But today, she was accompanied by a middle-aged woman and a young man who looked barely out of his teens.
'Huh, isn't that...?'
I recognized the middle-aged woman; she was someone only I would remember.
She was the one who had demanded a refund at Haneul Clinic.
"Doctor, I'm here~! Missed me?"
"Of course I did. How was your back while you couldn't make it in?"
"There was some exhibition at a place called Hwarang in Seoul, and they begged me to come~. That's why I couldn't. Luckily, it didn't hurt too bad riding the train!"
"That's a relief. We start treatments at seven, so please wait just a moment."
I nodded to the new patients in greeting and headed into the treatment room. I needed to change clothes, boot up the computer, and prepare for the day.
Was she a friend of Grandma's? It seemed she really hadn't taken to Haneul Clinic's methods.
Since she couldn't get a refund, you'd think she'd at least give it two months.
But at 6:58, a loud commotion erupted from outside.
"I got blisters after the acupuncture!"
It was a man's voice. What on earth?
"Please have a seat and wait. The doctor will see everyone starting at seven, in order."
"I came early on purpose because I have to get to work!"
"There's someone who arrived first, so it'll be about ten or fifteen minutes..."
It was Kim Jin-sang, the last patient from three days ago. He was slamming the reception desk, demanding to see me. Last time he'd shown up right before closing asking for treatment... and now this, early morning?
Did he have no sense of common courtesy?
"Eek!"
"Hey, you punk! Get the doctor out here!"
"Calm down."
I threw on my clothes haphazardly and rushed out, grabbing Kim Jin-sang's arm. I couldn't leave my staff to handle this alone.
"Doctor, should I call the police?"
Seo In-ae had stayed reasonably calm, but I could see the fear in her eyes.
"It's fine."
I declined the police call for now.
"Calm down and tell me what happened."
I pulled Kim Jin-sang away from the desk by force. I suggested Seo In-ae sit and rest, then apologized to the earlier patients.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, but may I handle this gentleman first? It won't take long."
"Th-this...!"
"Go ahead."
The middle-aged woman, presumably Madam Heo Sun-nam's daughter-in-law, answered. She was holding back Grandma Heo Sun-nam, who looked ready to jump up and point accusingly at Kim Jin-sang.
It was complete chaos.
"Blisters, you say? When did they start? What do they look like?"
I questioned him right there outside the treatment room, without letting him in. If no one had been watching, I might have handled it quietly, but since the new patients had already witnessed his outburst, it was better to demonstrate unequivocally that there was no issue.
I stared at Kim Jin-sang calmly.
Unlike when he was yelling for the doctor, he flinched as I posed my question.
"Look here. I got the acupuncture on Monday, and blisters started Tuesday. You know how much I suffered because nothing was open at night?"
Kim Jin-sang rolled up his sleeve to show me.
His skin was red and inflamed, with blisters scattered here and there.
An erythematous maculopapular rash mixed with vesicles.
As I examined the blisters, my earlier subsided anger flared up again, and he continued in an agitated tone.
"You said it wasn't a herniated disc! I went to neurosurgery yesterday, got an X-ray, and they said it was a disc! The doctor chewed me out for getting acupuncture!"
"For starters, I never said it wasn't a disc. I said it wasn't frozen shoulder or a rotator cuff tear. I explicitly left the disc possibility open."
I answered calmly.
Forgetting the disc discussion wasn't a big deal.
But.
"Regardless of whether there's a disc or not, the pain you're feeling now, Mr. Kim Jin-sang, isn't from a cervical disc. And these blisters obviously aren't from the acupuncture. I needled mainly around the shoulder—why would blisters appear all the way down your inner forearm?"
"W-well, an allergic reaction or something? The doctor said it was from the acupuncture! What are you gonna do about it! It's more painful than before, and the itching is driving me crazy!"
This was a bit more serious.
"Did the doctor explicitly say the blisters were caused by the acupuncture? After seeing them?"
"Yeah!"
"Which neurosurgery clinic?"
"The one across from the station—Korea Neurosurgery."
Not expecting that, Kim Jin-sang hesitated slightly but gave the name.
Korea Il? Was that the doctor's name? A Korea University alum?
"Korea? That quack said I'd need nine screws in my back for surgery! Good thing I didn't go! He said skip surgery, just do physical therapy and acupuncture, then flipped out when I did—haven't gone back since!"
Finally, Madam Heo Sun-nam chimed in.
Her words visibly deflated Kim Jin-sang's confidence a bit more.
But I wasn't mad at Kim Jin-sang anyway. If a doctor says so, an uninformed patient could easily believe it.
"Receptionist, look up their number for me."
"Yes, it's 051-203..."
"Are they open now?"
"Yes, same as us—opens at seven."
I turned on my phone, dialed the number, and put it on speaker.
- Hello, Korea Neurosurgery.
"Hello, this is Han Yeowon, owner of Seongsu Clinic. Mr. Kim Jin-sang, whom you saw yesterday, claims you told him his blisters were caused by acupuncture at our clinic. I'd like to confirm. May I speak to the doctor?"
- Oh? Sure, let me check. Please hold.
The neurosurgery staff sounded thoroughly flustered.
Someone spouting nonsense like blisters from acupuncture must have badmouthed herbal medicine and acupuncture routinely. I was probably the first acupuncturist to call them out.
- ...This is Korea Il.
The call connected quickly. So it was the doctor's name, not Korea University.
At least he didn't dodge the call.
"Mr. Kim Jin-sang came in today saying you told him his blisters were from acupuncture at our clinic. Is that your diagnosis?"
- No, well... I said it was possible. Not a 100% diagnosis—just a clinical assumption.
"So you saw these blisters and listed acupuncture allergy or infection as the top possibility."
- He said he'd just had acupuncture! Isn't that a reasonable assumption? There's no proof it wasn't a side effect...
"Big talk to the patient, but lawsuits make you nervous, huh."
I chuckled. After berating the patient with a bogus diagnosis, now he was fumbling under protest.
"I'd understand missing it from a unrelated department, but a neurosurgeon who doesn't recognize shingles blisters?"
- Shingles? Oh...!
I could sense the flinch over the phone.
Dr. Korea Il had finally realized his misdiagnosis.
"No proof? A viral test would confirm it. How dare an ignoramus so brazenly blame an acupuncture clinic?"
- Uh, th-that... ...I'm sorry.
After much hemming and hawing, Dr. Korea Il finally apologized.
"It's shingles?"
Kim Jin-sang, who had been listening on speaker, asked.
"Yes, the pain was shingles neuralgia from the start. It often begins with pain before blisters appear, which makes early differentiation tough."
"Ah... I see. Looks just like it."
In the meantime, Kim Jin-sang had searched shingles on his phone, compared it to his arm, and seemed convinced.
His speech was rough. Borderline violent, even.
But he wasn't impossible to reason with.
"Of course, the doctor here who blamed acupuncture despite these telltale blisters is another story..."
"Quack!"
"I'd question his skills, so think twice next visit."
Madam Heo Sun-nam jumped in again.
No, saying that could land her in defamation trouble. They were probably both recording.
"Go to internal medicine or dermatology right away for antivirals. You can continue acupuncture too. You caught it early, and it's not an allergy, so no worries."
"Ah... Got it."
That was enough explanation for Kim Jin-sang.
I addressed Dr. Korea Il again over speaker.
"Properly apologize for the misdiagnosis, the nonsense to the patient, and badmouthing acupuncture without basis."
- Urk...
"If you refuse, then we'll have to..."
- I'm sorry.
"Be specific."
- ...I apologize to the patient for failing to diagnose shingles sooner and delaying antivirals. And for assuming it was acupuncture without knowing better. Please come in, and I'll prescribe meds and fully refund yesterday's visit and tests.
Dr. Korea Il groveled in apology to me and the patient. Clear surrender.
"Whew..."
I was still angry, but there wasn't much more to do.
I sighed and ended the call with Dr. Korea Il.
"We get patients your clinic couldn't fix sometimes. If I hear you've badmouthed acupuncture again... prepare yourself. Study harder before treating."
- Yes, yes. Sorry.
"Take care."
As the call ended, Madam Heo Sun-nam, bursting with things to say, shook off her daughter-in-law and approached the desk.
"Get your refund and never go back! I thought that quack punk was half-assing it just with us old folks, but he's out there barking like a dog everywhere!"
"Y-yes..."
"And you! Yelling like that—scaring the young lad. Hospitals need quiet!"
She scolded Kim Jin-sang louder than anyone. Her daughter-in-law gestured helplessly, forehead in hand, while the grandson smirked, amused.
"Sorry."
Overpowered by her momentum, Kim Jin-sang bowed repeatedly to her, me, and Seo In-ae.
Hmm. Might've resolved itself without intervention.
"Don't worry, Doctor. I'll spread the word at the senior center that doc's a quack!"
"Haha, thank you."
I patted Grandma's shoulder to calm her, then sorted things out once more.
"Mr. Kim Jin-sang, if you're in a rush for work, hit up internal medicine or neurosurgery for meds now, and come back tomorrow morning. You need those antivirals."
"Got it."
"I'll see Grandma and your group. Sorry to startle everyone."
"We know it's not your fault, Doctor!"
Grandma waved it off, and smiles bloomed on her daughter-in-law and grandson's faces.
The grandson's eyes sparkled—he'd found the whole fiasco entertaining.
"Patient Jung In-seong and guardians, this way to the treatment room."
Seo In-ae, fully composed, called the grandson.
So he was the patient of the two.
Alright, time to focus on the patients!
With Madam Heo Sun-nam trusting me like this again, I had to give them the best care possible.