A competent doctor can cure everything

The local residents rented a house for the students to use as accommodations.

“It looks like the preparations for tomorrow’s consultation are done, so let’s all head to the accommodations.”

The evening in the countryside grew dark quickly.

The pre-med students were in charge of preparing dinner.

“Taeryong hyung… we’ll take care of this.”

“No! The more hands we have, the faster it’ll go. Let’s get ready quickly and eat together.”

Among the fourth-year students, only Sa Taeryong helped the pre-med students.

The group from the president’s team passed by the kitchen where Taeryong was working.

“Oh~. It seems like Taeryong is used to this, probably because he’s from the countryside. You help the kids out, thanks.”

Geum Sujong patted Taeryong’s shoulder and smiled.

The other fourth-year students laughed and walked past the kitchen.

“……”

Sa Taeryong wasn’t a fool.

He felt that President Geum Sujong was subtly disregarding and isolating him.

But Geum Sujong was skilled in gaslighting and had a way with words.

Sometimes he was kind, and other times, he made Taeryong feel guilty.

‘I’m probably just being overly sensitive. I shouldn’t think badly of people!’

So Taeryong tried hard to convince himself that the discomfort he was feeling was just his imagination.

It had already been six years since they had been in the same club.

‘Anyway, I’m looking forward to the senior acupuncturists who will be coming tonight.’

He wanted to hear about life as an intern at the university hospital.

It was well known that Senior Ye Wonil had a good personality.

Especially Senior Seon-Joon, who appeared on TV as a team doctor.

“Is Seon-Joon here?”

At that moment, a murmur was heard from outside.

When Taeryong heard the name he had been thinking of, he was startled.

When he went outside, he saw several elderly people from the village.

“?”

But everyone was holding dishes in their hands.

Steam was rising from a pot of chicken soup.

President Geum Sujong stepped forward.

“That senior will be arriving soon, but… who are you looking for, exactly?”

“We were all~ his patients! Patients!”

“We heard that Seon-Joon was coming, so we even caught a hen. You haven’t eaten yet, have you? Here’s some food.”

Eggs, chicken soup, pancakes, kimchi, and more…

The students were confused and looked at each other, not understanding what was going on.

Then, the sound of a car was heard in the distance, and soon the yard was lit up by headlights.

“Oh my! They’re here, they’re here!”

Two people got out of the car.

The elderly people rushed over and surrounded the tall man.

“How have you been?”

“No! We haven’t been doing well without you! The new acupuncturist doesn’t even know what they’re doing!”

“Is the consultation starting tomorrow? It’s been a while since we’ve had acupuncture from our dear teacher.”

“I won’t be doing the acupuncture myself; I’ll just be overseeing, but if anyone wants, I’ll treat you separately this evening.”

The acupuncture students stared blankly at this scene.

“Wow…”

“Senior, you’re almost like an idol with how popular you are!”

Anyway, after the commotion passed, the modest table became overflowing with food, thanks to Seon-Joon.

“Let’s eat well!”

Taeryong glanced sideways at the acupuncture seniors.

Senior Ye Wonil was chatting with the 4th-year student council, while Senior Seon-Joon was quietly eating.

He had a certain level of familiarity with Senior Ye Wonil, since there was only one year between them.

But with Senior Seon-Joon, there was quite an age gap, so they hadn’t had many chances to talk.

“After all, you end up talking more with people in similar years.”

Additionally, while Senior Ye Wonil was friendly and outgoing, Senior Seon-Joon was a bit harder to approach.

Still, Taeryong remembered that when he was a pre-med student, Senior Seon-Joon had taught him well during study sessions.

He had also heard that Senior Seon-Joon was always at the top of his class and graduated as the valedictorian.

In short, he was a senior who was both difficult to approach and really cool.

“Plus, he’s tall and handsome.”

He remembered there were quite a few girls in the club who had a crush on Senior Seon-Joon.

Of course, since he gave no indication of interest, none of them dared to approach him.

As Taeryong was thinking this, putting a spoonful of food in his mouth, suddenly Senior Ye Wonil raised his voice.

“Hey! Wait a minute! Isn’t there a remote here?”

At that, Senior Seon-Joon’s normally composed expression suddenly wavered.

“What are you doing right now?”

“Hyung~ why are you like this? I just want to watch my favorite show. Can someone play SBC’s ‘The King of Singers’?”

“….”

Senior Seon-Joon seemed like he was about to say something but closed his mouth, shaking his head in a way that was barely noticeable.

“What’s going on with him?”

As soon as ‘The King of Singers’ started, Purple Angel appeared on stage.

The first song was a remake of an old Korean song.

The second song was a new release from their recent comeback.

“Oh~ Purple Angel made a comeback, and their song is really good.”

“How does Mika keep getting prettier?”

Even though everyone was admiring and chatting, Senior Seon-Joon remained quiet and focused on his meal.

After the performance ended, the middle-aged male host handed the microphone to Bri.

– “Bri, could you share your thoughts?”

– “Yes~ I’m so happy to greet our fans, Bless You, after such a long time. We’ve prepared hard for this, so you can look forward to it. It’s a song that fits well for the summer…”

Bri smiled warmly as she introduced their new album.

Taeryong, who had been absentmindedly using his chopsticks, suddenly perked up when he heard a word that caught his attention.

– “And we have a doctor who takes care of us, and I really can’t forget to thank them.”

– “A doctor?”

– “When Mika had facial paralysis… I wouldn’t have been able to perform on stage today if it weren’t for them. They delayed their vacation just to treat us, and thanks to them, we were able to finish today’s performance successfully.”

– “Excuse me? Bri, were you sick?”

– “Well, that’s…”

Bri hesitated for a moment before smiling and saying this.

– “I have severe menstrual cramps.”

“!!!”

“Did, did Bri just say she has menstrual cramps?”

The word, which is difficult to hear from a female idol, was said live on television, causing everyone watching to be shocked.

The host on the screen was also flustered and sweating.

– “Ah, ah, I see… Bri has… menstrual cramps…”

– “Yes, menstrual cramps.”

– “I see.”

– “I used to think that enduring pain was a virtue, but my thoughts have changed a little. Especially menstrual cramps, which many people are too embarrassed to talk about. Just like any other illness, I hope everyone gets a proper diagnosis and treatment. Thanks to a great acupuncturist, I didn’t experience much pain this time.”

– “Wow, Bri must have seen a great doctor.”

– “Yes, they’re a really considerate doctor who cares for the patients’ hearts as well. For me, painkillers upset my stomach, and hormone treatments made my body swell with side effects, so they were hard to take. People with similar issues should consider visiting a traditional medicine hospital. Thank you, Dr. Seon-Joon from Hanbit University Hospital.”

“Ha!”

As soon as a familiar name was mentioned, everyone turned their gaze toward its owner.

Seon-Joon, the person in question, had been drinking water and suddenly choked.

While Joon was coughing, Ye Wonil patted his back and chuckled.

“Wow, senior.”

“To think you’re the doctor for Purple Angel.”

“Could I get your autograph?”

Due to the difficult atmosphere, the juniors who had been quietly watching Joon started to speak up all at once.

Tap.

At that moment, someone slammed a water cup down on the table and stood up.

It was the club president, Geum Sujong.

“Is everyone not eating? We should hurry and get to the study session.”

“…Yes.”

“Sorry about that.”

The lively atmosphere suddenly cooled down as if cold water had been poured on it.

Watching this scene, Seon-Joon’s eyes narrowed in interest.

* * *

“Third-year acupuncture students, gather up.”

After dinner, President Geum Sujong called together the third-year students of the medical school.

The position of performing acupuncture and moxibustion treatments is referred to as “chimdori” (acupuncture students) or “chimsuni” (acupuncture girls).

He was going over things once more in preparation for tomorrow’s needling procedures.

“If you’re too timid with the acupuncture, the needle won’t penetrate the skin in one go, and it will actually hurt the patient more.”

Sujong walked around the group of third-year students as they practiced acupuncture on each other, offering advice.

One student raised their hand and asked Sujong a question.

“President, even when I apply force, the needle still doesn’t go in easily.”

“That’s because you haven’t practiced enough. You need to work hard and get the right feel for it.”

“Ah… I see.”

The student, feeling embarrassed, lowered their hand.

At that moment, Joon, who had been watching another student, approached.

“Want to try acupuncture again?”

“Ah, yes!”

As the student carefully performed the acupuncture procedure, Joon noticed something.

“When you’re needling, you’re using the fleshy part of your fingertip, but you should be using the finger joint. The fleshy tip doesn’t transmit force well. If you use the joint, the needle will go in more easily without needing to apply so much force.”

“Ah! I see. Thank you.”

“……”

Sujong, watching the scene with displeasure, suddenly turned and walked off in another direction.

Before long, students gathered around Joon, listening to his explanation.

“When you’re performing acupuncture, if you focus on the sensation in your fingertips, you’ll know how far the needle has gone in. You’ll feel like the needle passes through a thin layer at this depth. That’s the fascia. You can also guess by the patient’s reaction. When the needle pierces the skin, they’ll feel a sharp sensation, and when it reaches the muscles, they’ll describe it as a stiff feeling.”

“Oh! So this is the feeling of piercing the fascia.”

“Now I get it after hearing the explanation.”

Meanwhile, Sujong started demonstrating acupuncture on another student, away from Joon.

“Hey, take off your shirt and lie down.”

“Huh? Me?”

The student who suddenly became the target for acupuncture looked distressed.

“President, I’m really nervous.”

“How can you be scared of acupuncture if you’re going to be a doctor? Stop being dramatic and endure it.”

The student lay down, squeezing his eyes shut and frowning.

Just as Sujong was about to insert the needle, a long, white hand appeared and stopped him.

“President, hold on. Can’t you see that this student is so tense, his whole body is stiff?”

“Huh?”

“Don’t you know that when the muscles are tense like this, the needle won’t go in smoothly and will hurt more? In severe cases, it could cause muscle soreness.”

Sujong bit his lip at Joon’s sharp remark.

This time, Joon softened his tone and spoke to the student.

“Take a deep breath and exhale.”

“Whooo…”

“Now you’ve relaxed a bit. If you have a patient who’s very tense, get them to do deep breathing. When they exhale, the needle will go in with less pain.”

The students watching around them were impressed.

“Wow, the real acupuncturist’s skills are on another level.”

“Such practical tips, this is gold.”

At that moment, a male student awkwardly approached. It was Taeryong, a fourth-year student.

“Se… Senior! My friends are saying my acupuncture hurts, so could you check mine as well?”

“Haha, you should have mastered acupuncture last year, Taeryong.”

When a fourth-year student asked about acupuncture, President Geum Sujong openly laughed.

However, Joon didn’t laugh and seriously observed Taeryong’s acupuncture posture.

“Well, your posture isn’t bad. Want to try it on me directly?”

“Eh? On you, Senior?”

“It’s fine, just go ahead.”

Taeryong, extremely nervous, inserted the needle into Joon’s outstretched arm.

After receiving the needle, Joon nodded.

“I see. Right now, the tip of the needle is ever so slightly protruding more than the needle tube. So when you place the needle, it causes a sharp and uncomfortable sensation.”

“Ah~ I didn’t know that!”

“When you’re a beginner, it’s especially good to use the needle tube properly. If you press the needle tube onto the acupuncture point first, it’s easier to find the point, and the patient feels less pain.”

“I see.”

“For patients with sensitive sensations, it’s also a good idea to talk to them while you insert the needle or lightly pinch another part of their body to distract the sensation, like you did just now.”

“Huh?”

Before Taeryong realized it, Joon had naturally inserted a needle into Taeryong’s Heukgok point (between the thumb and index finger) and was smiling.

“Wow. Senior! I didn’t even know you were inserting the needle!”

“Your acupuncture isn’t bad either. You just need a little more practice.”

“……! Thank you!”

Before they knew it, it was late at night, and time to end the practice session.

As the students were cleaning up, Joon gave them a final piece of advice.

“It’s good to be skilled at acupuncture, but you’re still students, so don’t be greedy and pay attention to safety. Be especially careful with the lower back around the kidneys and the shoulder around the lungs.”

“Yes~!”

“Good job.”

As Joon helped with the cleanup, several students approached him to thank him.

“Today’s study session was really beneficial.”

“Senior Seon-Joon, thank you so much.”

Geum Sujong cast a dissatisfied glance at them before quickly turning his head.