A competent doctor can cure everything

How… did it come to this?

“Here, here~! Drink up! It’s good for your health!”

I downed the ginseng wine poured by a village elder, feeling deeply conflicted.

Tomorrow is Saturday morning, and other practitioners are scheduled to arrive.

The plan was for them to take over so we could head back to Seoul early in the morning.

“What’s this? Leaving without even having a drink?”

“We’re planning to head out at dawn.”

“Why, got a hot date? Is Seoul covered in honey or something?”

“Not exactly, but…”

“Well then, sober up tomorrow and take your time heading back!”

The village elders, armed with their home-brewed ginseng wine, weren’t taking no for an answer.

And if that wasn’t enough, familiar faces I hadn’t seen in ages made an appearance.

“Hey, Seon-Joon! How’s your internship going?”

Even the internal medicine doctor I worked with during public service showed up.

At this point, refusing to drink wasn’t an option.

Ye Wonil, true to his sociable nature, had already blended seamlessly into the crowd.

But these people…

“…So, about Joon…”

“Haha!”

The entire conversation revolved around ‘me’.

The doctor took a swig of ginseng wine and wiped his lips with the back of his hand.

“Do you have any idea how much the village elders missed you after you left? I actually felt bad for the next public health doctor who came after you.”

“Oh? Why didn’t they come along tonight?”

“They said they had plans and took some leave, but honestly, I think they just avoided coming because they knew you’d be here.”

“What? Why?”

“Well, how do you think they felt being constantly compared to you? The elders kept saying things like, ‘His acupuncture doesn’t feel the same,’ or ‘I’d recover faster when Seon-Joon treated me.’”

The doctor clicked his tongue and continued.

“But I get it, though. Sometimes when my neck or back hurts, I get acupuncture too, and your treatment really is different. When you treated me, it felt like, ‘Ah, so that’s where this muscle is,’ or ‘Wow, this muscle was really tight.’ It made me so aware of my body.”

“As expected! This hyung is no joke. Even at Hanbit University Hospital, he’s a legend. The ace intern, certified by everyone.”

“…When did I ever certify that?”

I looked at them, baffled, which made everyone burst into laughter.

After sharing silly stories like that, I stepped outside for a bit to clear my head.

Sitting on the wooden porch, I gazed blankly at the sky when Ye Wonil quietly joined me.

“Wow, hyung. How do these elders drink so much? And their bodies? They’re in better shape than me. Biceps, triceps, even abs—oh, this must be the legendary ‘practical muscle from hard labor.’”

“Right? These elders are no joke. I bet they’d win against most young guys in arm wrestling.”

“Ha, I’d probably lose too.”

We chuckled lightly and then fell silent.

That’s when I noticed how full the seemingly empty yard actually was—with the sounds of crickets and frogs, and the soft glow of moonlight illuminating the space.

The cool night breeze gently tickled my cheeks, making me feel refreshed.

After a brief silence, Wonil murmured absentmindedly.

“Man, looking at a view this amazing….”

“…?”

“I wish I could see it with Haet-nim. Why am I wasting this rare vacation hanging out with you instead?”

This guy…

I shot him a light glare, but he ignored it and kept talking.

“Hyung! What do you think about me and Haet-nim? Does it look promising? Should I just go ahead and confess?”

“Wonil.”

“Yes!”

I spoke seriously.

“Do you want me to sugarcoat it, or tell you exactly what I think?”

“!!”

Wonil looked at me with a betrayed expression, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

“This hyung… finds new ways to hit people right in the bones.”

Hey, at least I’m giving you a choice.

I shrugged nonchalantly.

“Haet-nim’s a good person. But if you confess now, you’ll still have to see her for at least three more years after this. Think carefully about it.”

“That’s exactly why I’ve been holding back. Sigh….”

He let out a deep sigh and then tilted his head playfully.

“By the way, hyung, why don’t you date anyone?”

“I don’t have the time for it.”

“What kind of time? Because you’re busy as an intern?”

“Well, that too.”

I felt the breeze ruffle my hair and let out a small laugh.

“I have something so unfair and infuriating that I can’t die peacefully without resolving it. Until I deal with that, I don’t have the mental space for anything else.”

“…Sometimes I can’t tell if you’re joking or being serious, hyung.”

We both fell silent, gazing up at the night sky.

“There are so many stars.”

“Among them, there must be planets with alien lifeforms, right?”

“Aliens, huh….”

Fueled by the alcohol, an old memory surfaced—an ancient story from long ago.

Alcohol is fascinating. It makes you talk about things you’d never mention otherwise.

“Wonil, what would you do if one day you met an alien?”

“What? An alien?”

“Yeah. Imagine you’re walking down a dark road, and suddenly an alien approaches you.”

“Whoa, hyung, you must be drunk. You’re saying all kinds of weird things now.”

He chuckled but then seemed to seriously consider it.

“Uh… I’d probably run away? What if I get captured and end up in some kind of experiment?”

“Right? That’s exactly what I said. But apparently, that’s not the right answer.”

“??”

“A species advanced enough for space travel would have to be good. If they weren’t kind and just, their society would have destroyed itself long ago. So if you meet an alien, it’s fine to befriend them.”

“Who said that?”

I let out a deep, alcohol-laden sigh.

“My dad.”

“Oh….”

Wonil paused and then added, “He must have been a good person.”

“He was. Too good, actually—that was his problem.”

Without realizing it, I let out a bitter laugh.

“He helped all the struggling relatives and friends around him, took them in, and ended up getting betrayed. Like a fool.”

“…….”

“I think my dad might have been wrong. Running away is the right move if you meet an alien. Life is inherently selfish. Living virtuously and being rewarded, or living wickedly and eventually failing? That’s just a fantasy someone made up.”

“For someone who says that, you seem to be living a pretty virtuous life yourself, hyung.”

“Me?”

I scoffed at Wonil’s muttered comment.

But he didn’t laugh.

“Do you even know how your eyes look when you’re treating patients? Or the way you talk to them?”

“That’s because they’re patients. People in pain… they’re pitiful.”

“So, you dislike people but like patients?”

“That’s not how it works.”

“What if someone you dislike comes to you as a patient?”

“It’s not like I’m the only doctor in the world. Why would someone like that bother coming to me?”

I stood up first.

“Enough useless talk. Let’s head in.”

“Hyung, earlier, when you mentioned getting betrayed—does it have to do with your father’s clinic?”

“……!”

The sudden direct hit left me speechless.

“I thought so. You never mentioned what happened to the clinic your dad ran. I always found that odd.”

“…….”

“Hyung, if you ever need help, let me know. There are plenty of people who would jump in to help you.”

Wonil, usually so playful, now had an uncharacteristically serious look in his eyes.

It surprised me a bit and moved me as well, so I simply smiled faintly.

* * *

After the medical volunteer work, I spent the rest of my vacation resting at my grandmother’s house.

After spending my first summer vacation as an intern, what awaited me upon returning to work was a backlog of night duties.

And…

“Breaking news! Tonight on SBC’s ‘Suki’s Café’, the hottest Korean traditional doctor in the country will appear!”

Wonil, buzzing with excitement, went around the entire ward spreading the news like a sparrow chirping nonstop.

Of all times, the show airs during my night shift today.

“Hey, should we all watch it together on the hospital lounge TV?”

“Deal.”

The agony of having to watch my peers scheme in plain sight.

Since I was stuck in the hospital, there was no escaping the ordeal. If only I weren’t on duty today….

“Dr. Seon-Joon?”

“Oh my! We ‘have’ to watch the live broadcast!”

To make things worse, the nurses joined in on the plan as soon as they caught wind of it.

By evening, the hospital lounge TV became a magnet for patients, nurses, and interns alike, all gathering like a swarm of clouds.

“…….”

I considered hiding in the duty room or the intern training room, pretending nothing was happening.

But the thought of them watching, laughing, and chattering without me being there made me restless.

Resolving to face it head-on, I quietly slipped into the lounge.

[♫♪]

The show’s background music started, signaling the beginning of the broadcast.

People alternated between gaping at the screen and then at me.

“It’s real! Dr. Seon-Joon really is on TV!”

“Wow. Seeing Song Suki and Dr. Seon together feels so surreal.”

Early on, the scene aired where Song Suki tried to roleplay with me.

“Bwahaha!”

“I thought you’d freeze up, hyung, but you handled it like a pro!”

I shrugged nonchalantly at their amazement.

The segment on specialist Korean medical doctors aired shortly afterward, drawing a particularly enthusiastic response from the interns.

Even the challenges of being a team doctor were shown without any editing.

“Wow, that’s right. People need to know that traditional doctors can specialize too!”

“We should make him the president of the Korean Association of Traditional Medicine Residents!”

“No way. More like the next president of the Korean Society of Sports Medicine!”

Amid the jokes flying around, someone dropped a comment with a bit of weight to it.

“Dr. Seon is working hard as a team doctor. You’re definitely applying to rehabilitation medicine, right?”

September was approaching—a time to start deciding specialties and probing each other’s intentions.

At the moment when everyone’s eyes were focused on me:

“What’s the point of talking about that among ourselves? The professors are the ones who decide on residents anyway.”

The curt remark came from a boy with short hair and thick black-rimmed glasses—Kang Woo-shin, the “royal intern.”

The lenses were so thick that the parts of his face behind the glasses appeared sunken.

“Y-yeah, that’s true.”

The atmosphere turned chilly in an instant.

I even noticed Ye Wonil shaking his head in exasperation.

Snippets of whispers reached my ears: “He’s interested in rehabilitation medicine too, huh?” and “Why is he acting so touchy?”

Just as the tension was about to make the air unbearable:

“Wow! It’s Mika!”

“So that’s Mika?!”

Laughter filled the room as Mika appeared on the screen, walking into the café.

The small twist delighted everyone, and the awkwardness dissolved as quickly as it had formed.

“Hyung, don’t mind him. That guy’s always been an uptight know-it-all. Back in school, whenever something happened, he’d run straight to his parents to tattle. People gave him the cold shoulder for it, totally passive-aggressive. What’s the big deal if his parents are professors? No one among the interns has skills to match yours anyway.”

On our way out after the broadcast ended and everyone dispersed, Wonil whispered this to me.

“And besides, you’re literally the most famous traditional doctor in Korea ri—ow!”

I flicked his forehead lightly.

At this moment, you’re more annoying than Kang Woo-shin.

—

Blue Whales Women’s Pro Volleyball Team Gymnasium.

After a triumphant victory at the KOVO Cup and a short break, the team had resumed training.

In preparation for the regular league in October, the Blue Whales resumed training.

“Did everyone see it?”

Today was the day a new team doctor, hired by the club, was scheduled to join.

In the past, the team would have been thrilled at the news of officially having a team doctor.

But right now, everyone’s focus was elsewhere.

“Did you see Dr. Seon-Joon on ‘Suk’s Café’? After the broadcast, he even trended on the search rankings!”

“Yeah, of course. Our doctor looked great on screen.”

“He’s not ‘our’ doctor anymore….”

Someone murmured despondently, prompting Emma to ask in her clumsy Korean:

“Doctor Seon, no come now?”

“Yeah, Emma. A new doctor is coming instead.”

“No like. Doctor Seon, bring back.”

“We’d like that too, but…”

Someone else pulled up a YouTube screen on their phone.

“Have you seen this video?”

“What is it?”

The players immediately clustered around the phone.

One of them clicked their tongue at the sight of the video thumbnail.

“Wow, Dr. Seon-Joon is even appearing in stuff like this now?”