Chapter 39
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Miraculous Jaw Adjustment
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Han Yeowon brimmed with far too much confidence.
She was going to realign a dislocated joint?
If it were possible, what could be so hard about it? Get rid of skin troubles, slim down the fat, straighten a crooked back—easy enough.
Declaring with overflowing charisma that she could cure everything as if it were nothing, of course people would be mesmerized at first!
But what about the accountability if it failed? To fend off demands for refunds or lawsuits, doctors had no choice but to diagnose defensively.
'Ha! Does this model student who only reads books think she can fix everything?'
She'd just opened her clinic, and with patients flocking in, expressing gratitude left and right, she must think she's made it.
Chu Miyoung had been the same at first. Just cycling through the routine prescriptions set up at Haneul Clinic had cured more than half her cases, shooting her confidence sky-high. That is, until she hit patients who wouldn't improve no matter what she tried, dragging her into the mire.
'Tch...'
Watching that innocent level of bravado made her uneasy about handing over her jaw for a chuna adjustment.
How many times had this girl even performed cervical corrections since graduating? Did she even know how?
Crack.
But the moment Han Yeowon precisely aligned her jaw and neck...
"Huh? Wh-what?"
The clicking noise in her speech was completely gone.
It had clacked, rattled, stuck stiffly, even made a weird gnawing sound like rats chewing.
Over a year of suffering from TMJ disorder had brought some change, but the discomfort and noises never fully vanished.
The sensation of a normal jaw felt like a distant memory; she'd resigned herself to living with it forever.
"How is there no sound? What did you do?!"
Chu Miyoung's mouth gaped open in disbelief.
Did this even make sense?
It didn't even seem like some advanced technique.
She'd just reached into her mouth, pushed firmly, and given her neck a slight twist. That was it.
The latter was a practical skill Chu Miyoung had learned in school herself, though she'd never dared try it on a patient due to lack of confidence.
The former... could only be described as a simple push.
True to the word chuna (massage)—literally "push and grasp."
She'd really just grasped and pushed.
She couldn't have known exactly what she was doing, but surely she'd tried pushing that spot before.
Chu Miyoung had needled all over, massaged every facial muscle to loosen them, even tried bee venom acupuncture hoping to reduce inflammation. She'd even gotten a splint fitted, though she'd ditched it after a short, uncomfortable time.
'Even Director Kwon said there's nothing to be done if stress is this bad—just manage it so it doesn't worsen.'
Kwon Woojin, the director of Haneul Clinic's Cheonan branch whom Chu Miyoung admired endlessly, had told her as much.
Structural deformities were hard to reverse; the best was to manage it so her mouth didn't lock up completely.
Break the habits of clenching teeth or tensing facial muscles under stress, and get acupuncture right away whenever inflammation flared.
But around the time she was prepping to open her own clinic, some unpleasant incident cropped up.
And after opening, sales stress left no peaceful days. When would she have had time to focus on her TMJ?
Chu Miyoung had essentially given up on treating herself.
"Heh."
Han Yeowon just smiled without a word.
Of course she wouldn't reveal her secrets so easily.
'There really is something to her.'
It wasn't baseless confidence.
Unlike Chu Miyoung in her early days, throwing out empty promises to treat without knowing if it was possible.
Han Yeowon had spoken with certainty that she could fix it—and she had.
And treating Jeong In-seong's skin in just a month wasn't luck either.
"Good thing you responded right away. Since you've had this a while, you know the lifestyle habits to watch, right? No gum chewing, no teeth grinding."
"Y-yes..."
"Do acupuncture three or four times until the inflammation settles. Mind your habits, and do a self-massage with deep breaths before bed. Let's head to the treatment room."
She wasn't even upselling.
Chu Miyoung would have pushed meds for stronger joints or stress relief.
Hell, if she knew chuna, she'd have insisted on a twenty-session package.
But Han Yeowon prescribed just three or four sessions, and no more chuna beyond today's essential one.
"Ah..."
She shuffled blankly to the treatment room.
Even as the nurse handed her clothes to change into and hooked up physical therapy machines to her neck and back, she felt dazed.
'What, these machines are twenty years old...'
Had Seongsu Clinic's former director bought them at opening and just passed them on?
They hadn't even replaced the sign or machines—clearly no money spent on interiors.
'Five people waiting besides me this morning. Five an hour means over fifty a day? And with barely any investment.'
Lucky her. After seeing Han Yeowon's skills, pure envy washed over Chu Miyoung.
Her own patients dwindling lately... probably no coincidence. Even as a patient, she'd come here now.
Flash.
Her phone light caught her eye, reminding her the recorder was on.
If Han Yeowon badmouthed other clinics, she'd spread it to local directors. The neighborhood wasn't small enough for outright bullying, but still...
But there wasn't a single flaw in the treatment.
Releasing it would just advertise for her.
Something even Chu Miyoung couldn't pull off if she tried filming an ad on purpose.
"Haa."
She fumed to herself—how did this make any sense?—then blamed herself for neglecting studies while chasing ad gimmicks.
Only after physical and acupuncture therapy did she calm her excitement.
With chuna added, it neared 50,000 won, but she didn't regret a penny.
Thoroughly demoralized, she paid up and gulped water from the dispenser.
"Feeling any discomfort? Want to pop into the consult room quick?"
Han Yeowon approached her glum, water-drinking figure.
It only deepened Chu Miyoung's sense of defeat.
She'd never once asked a same-day patient if they felt okay.
Terrified of hearing it hadn't helped.
"No, I'm great thanks to you. Thank you."
Chu Miyoung bowed deeply and fled Seongsu Clinic.
"Hmm."
Honestly, the recorder had bugged her a bit. What was some random clinic doing recording anyway?
Unsure of bad intent, she'd been on guard and given a little scare, but seeing Chu Miyoung leave so dejected tugged at her heart.
'Feels like the world's greatest swordsman going all-out against a junior.'
Like an elder who should oversee a sparring match stepping in and crushing the kids' spirits.
'No, actually, seeing the elder's skills might spark study motivation. Though peers as walls could hit harder.'
Thanks to deep inner power amassed once, she looked young but had treated countless patients over far longer, at intense volume—successes, failures, disease variety.
I wasn't a fitting rival for Chu Miyoung; no need to feel so down.
'Meant to lightly startle her, then call her in to ask why she used Sipmi Paedok-tang.'
That prescription choice baffled her endlessly.
Also, why visit our clinic, and the recording.
But grilling a fleeing Chu Miyoung felt wrong, so I let her go, hoping for another chance.
"Better than someone like Jo Haneul who denies it to the end and fumes. Could be a growth opportunity."
With patients flooding in today, no time to dwell on her.
Rumors spreading somewhere—more moms with kids lately.
Soon forty might become fifty a day.
I'd handled over a hundred solo before, but... was Seo Ina really okay alone?
"Uwaaa! Off work!"
"Good work. I'll hire new staff soon."
Unlike last time's protests that she was fine, Seo Ina just nodded quietly.
Even her cheers for every extra patient—incentive chasing—had worn her out.
"Director, heading to the mart this week by any chance?"
Shutting down the computer and tidying, Seo Ina asked.
"Mart? Why, need something?"
"Coffee mix and paper cups are running low. L Mart by the station's on sale—if you're going, could you grab some?"
"Ahh~."
"If you are, pick 'em up; if not, I'll order online for a bit more."
"I'll go today. Need groceries anyway."
Come to think, skipped the mart watching games over the weekend.
I happily took her list and headed down the hill.
"Hmm. Hotpot tonight?"
No desire to return to the martial world, but its food tempted occasionally. Should've asked the maids for more recipes.
Musing, I bought a week's provisions.
"Wow~ the moon's so pretty."
Shopping done, sun fully set.
Stars hard to see in the city sky, but the moon shone everywhere the same.
Reflecting on turbulent past, I walked sentimentally.
"Oh."
Passing the station, crossing the road by Haneul Clinic post-evening clinic, there was Chu Miyoung heading home.
Shoulders slumped, trudging—oddly pitiable.
'Woke early to see me, working till now—must be exhausted.'
Maybe offer a word of comfort? I approached.
"Director Chu."
I called from a short distance.
No parking at Haneul Clinic? She headed to the next building's underground via the road.
'Didn't hear?'
I'd have sensed pursuit with any qi sensitivity.
She noticed nothing, marching ahead—even speeding up.
"Director?"
Closing the gap, called again.
"Kyaaah!"
Chu Miyoung screamed in terror, hugging herself.
Shoulders shaking, tears welling.
"Whoa, calm down."
Her reaction was off.
Worried she'd collapse from shock, I steadied her back.
"S-stalker...!"
"Director Chu."
"...A woman?"
"It's me, Han Yeowon. From Seongsu Clinic."
"Ah...?"
About to scream again, she blinked at my face.
What, dealing with a stalker?
'Ah, not that she didn't hear—she pretended not to and hurried off.'
I released her back and apologized politely.
"Sorry for startling you."
Truly terrified, tears streamed down her makeup-smeared face.