A competent doctor can cure everything

“He’s on the ‘Hot People’ YouTube channel too?”

There’s a YouTube channel that introduces trending figures using an AI voice.
Now, there was a video about Seon-Joon.

“Let’s Learn About Seon-Joon, the Acclaimed Korean Medicine Doctor Featured on ‘Suk’s Café’”

When the video played, a somewhat unnatural AI voice smoothly provided commentary:

– “Today’s star rose to trending status after appearing on SBC’s entertainment show. Meet the handsome Korean medicine doctor, Seon-Joon.”

– “His first public appearance was in a video by gaming YouTuber ‘Zerojin’. The two reportedly met as doctor and patient. Later, he gained mild popularity after appearing on a promotional YouTube video for Hanbit University Hospital.”

– “Then came the real turning point: professional gamer ‘Rocky’, who’s also Zerojin’s cousin. After treating Rocky’s wrist, Rocky mentioned him after a championship win.”

“That’s right, that happened,” chimed in rookie setter So Min, reminiscing about the event.

– “The moment his face truly went nationwide was during the women’s volleyball broadcast. When a player collapsed on the court, he rushed in to help without hesitation, which became a huge talking point.”

– “Later, idols like Mika and Bri of ‘Purple Angel’ mentioned receiving treatment from him as well. It’s no wonder ‘Suk’s Café’ invited him as a guest.”

– “Doctors who actively appear on television are usually middle-aged. Seon-Joon stands out as the youngest among them, making him even more noteworthy. Could this be the rise of a star doctor?”

“Wow….”

“Feels like our doctor is completely out of reach now, doesn’t it?”

After the video ended, the players’ expressions darkened. They realized that mere affection wasn’t enough to keep him with them anymore.

At that moment, Coach Han Mi-young entered the court.

“What are you all doing? Warm up and start practice already.”

“Coach! Is the new team doctor coming today?”

“That’s right.”

Captain Jeong Ho-jeong hesitantly asked, “Then, about Dr. Seon-Joon….”

“He seemed to have found a team he wanted to join. A team with great prospects and a promising future. He left, all excited.”

“Ah… I guess compared to soccer or baseball, women’s volleyball is minor. For his career, it’s best to let him go.”

Though her words were understanding, Ho-jeong’s expression was dejected. Even senior member Ji Young-sook lowered her gaze, glancing toward the gymnasium doors.

“It still feels like he might walk in and sit at the treatment desk any moment….”

Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed inside the gym.

A man in a blue uniform strode in with light steps.

“Yeah, wearing the Blue Whales uniform with that black crossbody bag on his shoulder.”

But then…

“Huh…? Wait, what?”

As the man approached, everyone froze as if they had seen a ghost.

“……? Hello.”

Seon-Joon set down his medical bag and greeted them casually.

“W-what is this?”

“Dr. Seon?!”

“Weren’t you supposed to join another team?”

Joon adjusted his glasses, looking confused.

“Another team? What are you talking about?”

The players, initially stumbling over their words, soon realized what had happened.

“Ah, Coach~!”

Hearing their mixed feelings of relief and exasperation, Coach Han Mi-young grinned mischievously.

“I just wanted to surprise you with a little joke. And for the record, those were Seon-Joon’s exact words earlier.”

“Whaaat?!”

The players gasped, covering their mouths in astonishment.

“This is so moving.”

“Just wait. We’ll win the V-League championship and mention your name during the victory speech!”

“…Excuse me?”

Amid the noisy, excited players, Joon blinked in confusion, completely lost.

—

“Tomorrow’s already September.”

“Yeah, it is.”

The monthly event was approaching once again—the handover briefing before the team rotations.

The intern training room was filled with me, the intern director, and the interns who were in the middle of their handover.

The intern director smiled as she opened the chart.

“Shall we begin the handover for the Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine department?”

There weren’t many hospitalized patients in the department at the moment.

As a result, the handover for the patients was completed quickly.

“This department is mainly outpatient-focused, so we don’t have many hospitalized patients. But conversely, if they are admitted, it means their symptoms are quite severe, so it’s not exactly easy.”

“What kind of patients usually come in?”

“For the digestive system, we have complaints like abdominal pain, vomiting, and loss of appetite. For the nervous system, there are conditions like night terrors, febrile seizures, and occasionally Bell’s palsy. In the mental health field, we see tics and ADHD. For the respiratory system, there’s coughing, sore throat, rhinitis, and asthma. Skin conditions include atopic dermatitis and rashes. And there are also issues like urinary disorders, enuresis, and growth delays.”

The intern director listed off the conditions on her fingers.

I was slightly taken aback.

“That’s almost everything.”

“Exactly. It’s not just about knowing specific fields, so it’s not easy. Kids are cute, though. You know, there’s a saying that it’s easier to treat ten men than one wife…”

“It’s easier to treat ten wives than one child.”

I finished the intern director’s sentence.

It’s the first sentence in the pediatric section of the ‘Donguibogam’ (a traditional Korean medical text).

It means that pediatric care is difficult.

“Children have a hard time expressing their symptoms, and pulse diagnosis is quite different from adults. Also, their organs are immature, and their immune system isn’t fully developed, so they get sick easily.”

This department will probably not be easy either, but I am hopeful, thinking it will be useful to learn.

“You’re working with Professor So Cheong-yeon and first-year senior Heo Son-hwi, right?”

“I don’t need an explanation about Heo Son-hwi.”

I waved my hand in annoyance, and the intern director chuckled.

“Apparently, Heo Son-hwi is really looking forward to working with you.”

“Really?”

“He says it would be so much easier if an ace intern like you came in. He wants to clone you and distribute you to all the departments.”

“…What nonsense.”

“And Professor So Cheong-yeon…”

“He’s unique, too.”

With his round, plump face and warm physique, Professor So resembled a cute, middle-aged man who looked like a teddy bear at first glance.

‘The reason Professor So is rumored to be an oddball at the hospital…’

It’s because he’s often seen singing the latest children’s songs and dancing with kids during outpatient hours.

And he does it wearing animal ear headbands.

‘That’s why he’s so popular with the kids and their parents.’

However, he’s not always lenient with residents.

If a mistake is made with a patient, he can become terrifying and shoot lasers from his eyes.

Apparently, being scolded by Professor So while he’s wearing an animal headband is an incredibly miserable experience…

“Still, Professor So is generally pretty cool and fun.”

“Thanks for the handover this time.”

“It’s nothing. Oh, by the way, I have something to ask you.”

As I was about to stand up, the intern director unexpectedly brought something up.

“To become a team doctor, do you just need to join the Korean Sports Medicine Association and complete the team doctor program?”

“You’re interested too?”

“Yeah. My experience in Suncheon last time was really moving. I felt so proud seeing the players I treated perform well.”

“Right? But usually, the program starts in April, so it’s probably too late this year.”

“I guess I’ll have to join next year. It would’ve been hard to take the course while doing my internship anyway.”

That’s surprising. Even she is showing interest in becoming a team doctor.

It seems that the experience that day opened her eyes to a new field.

‘Well, that’s good.’

Now there’s one more person who recognizes the appeal of being a team doctor.

I nodded to myself, feeling secretly pleased.

***
“A-yo! Ace intern, Dr. Seon! So nice to meet you, so nice!”

This is bad.

It’s the first day of September, and I already feel drained.

I immediately regretted calling Heo Son-hwi during lunch.

‘Should I just drop the paper with him?’
But according to Shim Ji-seop, it’s a research topic that could potentially get published in a Sci-level journal.

I decided to change my mind and explained my thoughts.

“Professor, what do you think about writing a paper on Sambochob (summer moxibustion treatment)?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Every year, more than 100 people receive Sambochob treatments. We could investigate the results and publish a paper on it—whether conditions like asthma, rhinitis, and colds really decrease.”

“Hmm?! The results of Sambochob treatments…”
Heo Son-hwi was taken aback and rubbed his chin.

“I’ve heard patients say they’re less affected by respiratory diseases after the treatment, but I’ve never really investigated it thoroughly.”

“Right. Hearing about it and collecting statistics are two different things.”

“Jesus! That’s an absolutely brilliant idea! Why didn’t I think of that before? Dr. Seon, you really have a different perspective.”

Heo Son-hwi, who had been excited, suddenly became absent-minded again.

“But how do we investigate the results…?”

“Well, first we need to establish treatment indicators. We could investigate how many days people suffered from respiratory diseases in winter before and after receiving Sambochob.”

“For example?”

“For instance, if someone had a cold for 7 days the previous winter, but after receiving the treatment, they only had it for 3 days that winter.”

“Oh~! But how would we know that?”

…You should think about it, too.

I patiently explained.

“We’ll conduct a survey before and after the Sambochob treatment.”

That’s right. The PR team sends a survey link to patients who received Sambochob on the first day of treatment and again in March of the following year.

The survey asks how many days they suffered from diseases like colds, flu, rhinitis, tonsillitis, and bronchitis during the previous winter.

This is to create material to promote the effectiveness of Sambochob.

“Hmm! First, we need to get research approval from the hospital’s IRB, and then we can request the raw data from the PR team!”

Finally, Heo Son-hwi came up with a useful conclusion.

“This year is already too late, but starting next year, we should add something like WURSS-21 to the survey for even better results.”

“Next year too?”

“Well, it would be meaningful to write a paper on the same topic every year.”

(WURSS-21: Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey, which can evaluate the severity of upper respiratory diseases.)

Suddenly, Heo Son-hwi straightened his face and lowered his voice.

“Seon-Joon intern.”

“Yes?”

“Aren’t you really a genius?!”

“…”

I gave a forced smile as Heo Son-hwi made a double thumbs-up and added.

“However, there’s some grunt work we’ll have to do.”

“What is it?”

“Medical papers also require safety indicators. We’ll need to personally call the patients after they receive Sambochob to ask if they experienced any side effects, like redness, warmth, itching, pain, or blisters.”

“Hmmm… Well, we can’t avoid it. We’ll need to add that to the survey starting next year.”

He scratched his head and then, with a serious tone, spoke again.

“Joon, you’re really smart. This idea is yours, so you’ll be the first author. But… why are you taking the lead on this? Are you interested in pediatrics?”

“Well, it’d be good to have it written as a paper. It could get recognized in the academic world.”

“Ah. I see, you’re also pissed off by what Yang Gi-tae said about placebo, right?”

I guess the name of that Western medicine pediatrics resident is Yang Gi-tae.

“Is that the Western medicine resident who’s the band guitarist?”

“Yes. He’s not a bad guy, but he sometimes rubs people the wrong way. We should take this opportunity to submit to a Sci journal and make him eat his words.”

“How did you meet him?”

“I met him during my freshman year at HANROCK. We’ve been in the same band ever since.”

HANROCK.

It’s a joint band club between the College of Oriental Medicine and the College of Medicine at Hanbit University.

“Nice! Let’s give it our best shot!”

Heo Son-hwi clenched his fist and turned toward me.

“We have a band practice today. Want to come watch? We can talk about the paper after.”

“Are all the members residents?”

“Nope! There are also professors and fellows. They’re all from HANROCK. We’re like family, bound together by rock music.”

A band practice, huh? I’m a bit curious.

The fact that it includes professors and residents makes it even more intriguing.

“Okay, I’ll come by for a bit to watch.”