Chapter 95
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: Alopecia Consultation
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Jeong Inseong really showed up the next day.
Did Grandma Heo Sun-nam give him an earful all night?
His face looked awfully tired for someone on break.
"Director, hello. Sorry for coming so late."
"No, what do you have to be sorry for? I'm the one sorry for keeping you waiting. Come sit."
He was as polite as ever.
Jeong Inseong had come just to see me, with no particular treatment needed. But since I was tied up seeing patients all morning, I ended up buying him lunch.
"How's it going with your girlfriend?"
"Good. Thanks to you."
When I brought up Min Juyeon, Jeong Inseong blushed a little.
His skin stayed clear, no acne relapse.
I'd heard from Ijin that he was dating that girl I'd glimpsed briefly, but a year of long-distance at twenty? Pretty amazing.
"How's school?"
"Good. Fun."
Another unexpected answer when I asked about his studies.
Fun?
"Still starting with the Neijing? 'The Yellow Emperor said,' 'Qibo said'..."
"Hanja's just rote memorization, but anatomy's harder for me."
"Isn't anatomy even more rote?"
Fortunately, Jeong Inseong didn't seem averse to Hanja, the classics, or basic Korean medicine theory.
Even I, who'd desperately wanted to attend Korean med school, got dizzy starting on vital essence, qi, spirit, and blood.
Well, looking back, those concepts were necessary. Still, I can't wrap my head around why we have to read Hanja in the 21st century. Isn't it like med schools teaching Latin?
...Of course, I put all that college Hanja to good use.
"Director, mind if I ask one thing?"
"Go ahead! Ask me anything you don't know."
"Ah, not about school."
"Sure."
"By any chance, do you treat hair loss?"
I was startled by what Jeong Inseong brought up.
Hair loss?
"You already have hair loss? At your age? Oh no! Is it genetic?"
"No, no! Not me! It's my academy teacher."
"Ah."
At least it wasn't Jeong Inseong's issue. Hair loss at twenty-one going on twenty-two? Way too tragic.
"Androgenic alopecia is a shame, but there's no real fix. I've tried a few times, but the results were dismal. If it's early-stage, get on Propecia fast. If it's already gone, I'd recommend a transplant."
I'd seen quite a few hair loss patients against my will, but the success rate was under 20%.
In the murim world, I never discouraged those who insisted on trying meds. But with transplants available here, I didn't want to push herbal treatments.
Back then, I experimented plenty.
I figured if I nailed the pattern differentiation, it'd work—so I hunted rare prescriptions. I even threw every hair-growth herb I could find into the mix.
Wealthy merchants desperate to try everything came bearing cash, so I tested every promising formula. But it was... really, really tough.
Some were hardy murim folk lamenting, "Why's my hair falling out when I'm so healthy?" Others were high officials sneaking in.
"What can you do about how you're born? If it won't work, it won't. Just introduce a wig maker and send them packing."
That was Master's advice, but I couldn't ignore their desperation.
And it wasn't a 100% failure rate, right? One or two out of ten got better.
Then those successes dragged in ten more patients each, leaving me tearing my own hair out.
"Even you lack confidence in this, Director... So hair loss is humanity's unconquered frontier?"
I nodded.
In the modern world, I'd calmly tell consulting patients the success odds were under 20% from experience.
No one ever pushed to try after that.
They probably went to a more confident practitioner or got a transplant.
"Yeah. Aside from clear-cut alopecia areata, it almost never works."
"Ah, alopecia areata..."
But Jeong Inseong tilted his head.
"You mean the androgenic M-shaped baldness? No, it's alopecia areata. Like a patch on the crown."
Ah, alopecia areata?
That one had decent odds.
"Not the O-shaped androgenic type—it's definitely areata?"
He was still a student and unclear on the types.
I pulled up images of alopecia areata on my phone and showed him.
"Yeah, that looks right."
"Think of it as a skin condition. I've treated it a few times."
Androgenic alopecia and alopecia areata have very different mechanisms.
Androgenic alopecia stems from genetic predisposition, with male hormones gradually thinning the hair until it falls out. It's classified as M-shaped or O-shaped depending on the pattern. Eventually, the crown and hairline recede into full baldness.
By contrast, so-called stress-induced alopecia areata is a skin disease where immune cells trigger inflammation at the hair roots in localized spots.
"Really? How do you treat it?"
"Meds tailored to the pattern differentiation, plus injections at the balding spots. Some clinics use Danshen injections. Personally, I prefer Hwangryeon Haedok injections. For acupuncture, just dense needling."
"Pretty good success rate?"
"Mmm, around 60% from experience. Considering skin conditions are stubborn anyway, worth a shot."
"Oh!"
Jeong Inseong clapped happily.
"I'll tell him to come! Check if it's doable."
"Good. If he comes, I'll do my absolute best."
Woo Jongsu used to have a full head of hair.
No one in his family was bald, and the salon always complimented his thick mane.
So even in his thirties, when friends started popping preventive hair loss pills, he had zero worries.
"Hair loss meds? Don't those cause erectile dysfunction?"
"Bald anyway, no need to get it up, punk."
"Puhahaha!"
He couldn't relate to his friends' hair anxieties at all.
His crown might've thinned a bit, but to his casual eye, it looked the same.
"Gotta find a woman who sees my true inner self."
He wasn't big on dating either.
Why try so hard? Some hair loss comes with age.
But becoming academy director changed everything.
"I want to consult directly with the director about my child's scores."
"Ah, yes, yes."
"My kid's math score dropped ten points from last time. What's going on?"
"The test was tough this time..."
Stress he'd never known as a mere instructor.
"Teacher, can my child make it to Yeonryeo University?"
"At current scores, it'll take tremendous—really tremendous—effort. You may need to brace for second or third rounds."
Your son can barely scrape into a Seoul uni as is.
"I'm not asking for Korea University! Did you tell my kid that too? You should be encouraging him!"
"To be frank, zero chance on internal grades."
"There's regular admission!"
"Yes. Not zero odds for regular admission, but unlike before, quotas have shrunk a lot. For best shot now, focus on early admission as a first-year."
No way to Seoul on regular!
I saw the mock scores plain as day.
Two tiers below early—he's talking nonsense!
Heat surged to his head.
Why were there so many unreasonable people?
Of course, normal parents were the majority.
They got handled fine by the consulting managers.
Those insisting on the director? All unhinged without exception.
Plus, promotions brought paperwork piles.
Pressure from HQ on enrollment and results.
"Uwaaaah! All fuck off!"
Woo Jongsu wailed.
Then one day.
"Jongsu, what's up with your hair?"
Woo Jongsu realized he was a hair loss patient.
"N-no way..."
From then on, everyone he met commented on his hair.
"Puhahahaha, you punk! Teased Kyungcheol rotten, and you're first to go!"
He got karma payback.
"Hang in there. Work that rough?"
Sympathy and comfort too.
"Um, er... Sorry. Doesn't feel like a match."
And blind dates all bombed.
He'd had little interest in romance or marriage before. But with stable income now, he wanted a family like everyone else. Half his friends were wed already.
A woman who looks past hair loss to the inner man?
Bullshit.
The moment he doffed his hat, his date's pupils quivered.
In an hour of talk, her eyes flicked to the bald spot countless times. As if that's all she saw.
Afterward, he begged matchmakers to disclose his baldness upfront. Matches dried up entirely.
Woo Jongsu despaired.
What was all this hard living for?
"So, we lower the heat rising to your head."
Woo Jongsu scribbled notes furiously.
Hair loss came in types: androgenic male/female, areata, telogen, etc. His areata had solid treatment odds, unlike his friends'.
He explained endocrine issues, immunity, inflammation. But "head heat" felt more intuitive.
Last year had enough rage to scorch every strand.
"Yes, in Korean medicine, 'heat' aligns closely with inflammation. We'll clear the surging heat and apply meds to treat the inflammation directly on the scalp."
Somewhat convinced, Woo Jongsu nodded.
Truth be told, he'd come reluctant.
Hair loss forums raged that herbal meds never worked.
(Success cases probably quit posting, but still, too many bad stories.)
He only came for the consult because he couldn't ignore his prized student's rec.
But the explanation made him want to try.
"Can we start with one month?"
"Yes, that's what I'd recommend. If it'll work, you'll see some improvement by then."
He'd walked in full of doubt; blind meds would've triggered rejection.
Full explanation and options built trust.
No—beyond trust, it was grasping at straws.
"Please, take good care of me."
Woo Jongsu bowed, eyes reddening.
He'd made up his mind.
Start with Korean medicine—try everything. Meds, injections, acupuncture.
If no dice, steroid shots.
Still nothing? Transplant time.
"Let's begin today. Photos for progress tracking."
"Ah, yes."
Click. Click.
"Lesion about 3 cm wide, 5.5 cm long."
"......"
Woo Jongsu squeezed his eyes shut.
Facing it in photos hit different from the mirror.
Please, please let it work.