A competent doctor can cure everything

“Dong-soo, where am I touching right now?”

“…Sniff, the toe.”

“Which toe on which foot?”

Dong-soo looked puzzled as if questioning why such an obvious thing was being asked. He briefly stopped crying and mumbled his response.

“Right foot, little toe.”

“Correct, that’s right. Now, can you try moving that toe?”

Dong-soo wriggled his toe in response.

“Good job. Can you push my hand with your foot?”

I gently cupped Dong-soo’s foot with my palm. Dong-soo extended his foot and pushed my hand away with force.

I turned to Dong-soo’s parents and said,

“As you can see, the child’s sensation and muscle strength are normal. From the way he listens and understands what I’m saying, his cognitive abilities are intact as well.”

“If that’s the case…”

Dong-soo’s mother cautiously, yet happily, began to speak.

“Yes, it doesn’t seem like there is any damage to the spine or brain. If that were the case, he wouldn’t be able to feel anything below his neck or exert any strength. And…”

This time, I moved my hands toward Dong-soo’s neck and shoulders and pressed the muscles involved in the cervical rotation.

The upper trapezius, sternocleidomastoid, levator scapulae, and splenius capitis.

“Ouch!”

Dong-soo flinched and moaned in pain every time I touched him.

“The muscles responsible for neck rotation are severely tense.”

“So what does that mean?”

Dong-soo’s father asked, stunned.

“It means the muscles are so tight that he can’t move. In other words, he has a stiff neck.”

“Stiff neck? Can a stiff neck cause such severe pain and immobility in a child?”

Dong-soo’s father asked incredulously as I summarized.

“Adults might not think much of a stiff neck, but for a child experiencing it for the first time, it can be quite alarming. So I’ll try acupuncture.”

“Hmm…”

“If I’m right, acupuncture should resolve the issue. If not, we can go to the emergency room. I’ll complete the treatment as quickly as possible—within 5 minutes.”

While Dong-su’s parents discussed amongst themselves, the doctor cautiously whispered to me.

“Joon, are you sure about this? If you make a mistake…”

I fully understood his concern.

If I performed acupuncture and it proved ineffective, and we ended up needing to go to the emergency room only to find it was a critical condition, I would bear the full blame from Dong-soo’s parents.

“It could lead to them blaming me for delaying their son’s condition because of a misdiagnosis…”

In such a case, the title of ‘doctor’ could quickly change to something far worse.

“Can I take responsibility?”

If I start treatment here, avoiding that question becomes difficult.

Knowing this, the doctor had initially suggested a quick transfer to another facility.

“I think it will be fine.”

I nodded to him.

Strangely, I had a strong premonition that the vision I had seen would come true.

“Doctor, please proceed with the treatment.”

“Yes, please have Dong-soo sit on the treatment bed over there.”

Dong-soo’s parents had made their decision, and I led them to the treatment room.

Then Dong-soo, who was clinging to his father’s arm, began to cause a fuss.

“I don’t want acupuncture!”

Dong-soo had never had acupuncture before.

Given that, it’s understandable why needles would be terrifying to a child.

Dong-soo’s father looked stern, ready to discipline him at any moment.

“That won’t do. Scolding the child here would be counterproductive.”

Not only would it be difficult to administer acupuncture to a child who is kicking and crying, but being mentally tense during the procedure could lead to further muscle tension and worsening of symptoms.

I acted before Dong-soo’s father could.

“Alright, Dong-soo, look at me.”

I bent down to make eye contact with Dong-soo.

“I think you’re the smartest kid in this neighborhood. The other kids just talk nonsense about ghosts.”

Dong-soo stopped his tantrum and started to listen to me.

“Let’s see if you’re also the bravest kid.”

Dong-soo hesitated and asked.

“…Hyung, does acupuncture hurt?”

Perfect, he took the bait.

I seized the moment, widening my eyes and smiling as harmlessly as possible.

“No, it doesn’t hurt at all! And I’ll only use a little bit of acupuncture.”

“…How many?”

“How many can Dong-soo handle?”

Dong-soo held up three fingers with his tiny hands.

“Alright, I understand. I’ll do exactly three needles and then we’re done.”

With that, I managed to calm him down and had him sit on the treatment bed.

“Three needles, huh? That kid’s making the treatment more complicated.”

I carefully selected the acupoints while palpating the muscles.

I chose the sternocleidomastoid, upper trapezius, and rhomboid muscles.

The most painful spot on the muscle is called a “tender point.”

“In traditional Korean medicine, this is known as an ‘Ah-shi point.’”

Using an Ah-shi point means relieving the most tense part of a muscle based on muscle anatomy.

I inserted the needle into the Ah-shi points on the chosen muscles, gave a slight stimulation, and then immediately removed the needle.

“Ah!”

Even though I chose the shortest and thinnest needles, Dong-soo still grimaced. Nevertheless, I was impressed with how he was holding on as promised.

Usually, you would wait about 15 minutes with the needles in place, but for relieving muscle tension, immediate removal can also be effective.

As I removed the needles, sweat formed on my palms.

‘If this doesn’t work…’

It was nerve-wracking with Dong-soo’s parents and the medical intern watching.

“How are you feeling, Dong-soo?”

I finished removing the needles and, concealing my own tension, asked calmly.

“Hmm?”

Dong-soo looked surprised and then began turning his head in all directions!

He then smiled brightly and looked at his mother.

“Mom, it doesn’t hurt anymore!”

“Oh, you troublemaker! Just wait until you get into trouble again!”

“Hehe…”

Dong-soo’s mother hugged him tightly, smiling brightly, unlike her scolding words.

“Thank you, doctor… Thank you so much.”

Dong-soo’s father also seemed to relax as he slumped into the nearby chair, repeatedly murmuring his thanks.

“It looks like it was just a simple muscle tension. However, just to be sure, take him to a city hospital for basic tests when morning comes.”

I too breathed a sigh of relief inwardly and explained to Dong-soo’s parents with a lighter heart.

“Joon, you did well.”

The medical intern also nodded and patted my back.

What a long night it was.

Until the day I left, no similar occurrences to ‘that night’ happened again.

“It was such a strange experience.”

Sometimes I wondered if I really saw the future, but I would soon chuckle and shake my head.

“Future? No way. It must have been some kind of instinct or intuition as a doctor in a critical situation.”

Thus, the last day of my service arrived without any unusual events.

“Oh, our Seon Joon, it’s such a pity to see you go.”

The neighborhood grandmother, who looked at me with sadness, seemed like she might burst into tears any moment.

She was a petite woman with curly silver hair from the upper part of the neighborhood, known as Grandmother Jeom-sun.

I could also hear the gruff voice of Grandfather Gil-young, the neighborhood’s top hipster.

“I’m really sorry to see you go. At first, I thought you’d have trouble adjusting to this rural place with your pale skin, like a city boy who never saw the sun.”

He had arrived today as usual, driving his rugged four-wheel motorcycle, dressed in his red bandana and black cargo pants.

“But now you seem more like a grandchild than a grandchild.”

When I playfully responded, Grandfather laughed heartily.

“Yes! It’s such a loss to see you go! We’ve grown quite fond of you over time.”

Several other faces were visible as well. It seemed that all the elders of the neighborhood had come to the front yard of the health center.

Moreover, there were homegrown produce, roots picked from the mountains, and various snacks for the trip to Seoul…

“Will all this fit in my car?”

Everyone seemed so affectionate, bringing all sorts of gifts and goodies.

“Don’t be too sad. Another good acupuncturist will come.”

I said with a smile to the elders. Grandfather Gil-young, who was standing beside me, responded sharply.

“No way! Even though I’ve lived in this village my whole life, there was never a doctor who took care of the elderly so diligently!”

“Yes, yes… Old, wrinkled folks like us must be really happy to be treated with such care and kindness…”

For me, who had been raised by my maternal grandmother after my parents passed away when I was young, treating the elders with warmth was never difficult.

“Oh, not just diligent? The doctor used just three needles to cure our child right away. Truly a great physician.”

“Thank you, brother.”

Dong-soo’s mother added a word of thanks as well.

Dong-soo bowed deeply, not just with his head but with his whole waist.

I crouched down to match Dong-soo’s eye level.

“Dong-soo, you need to stay well and not be sick, okay?”

“Yes! Brother, I’ll become an acupuncturist like you when I grow up!”

I patted his head with a smile.

“Sure. Let’s meet again when you become an acupuncturist.”

After saying goodbye to the village people, the medical public health officer who had been waiting in the next consultation room came over and shook my hand.

“Seon Joon, thanks for all your hard work. Let’s meet often and have a drink.”

“Yes, you too, enjoy the rest of your public health service.”

“You’re starting an internship at a university hospital in Seoul, right?”

After completing my public health service, I would start as an acupuncturist intern at my alma mater’s university hospital.

Hanbit University Hospital.

Hanbit University is my alma mater and has both a College of Oriental Medicine and a College of Medicine.

“And both the Oriental Medicine and Western Medicine colleges at Hanbit University are considered prestigious.”

Thanks to this, Hanbit University Hospital is always listed among the top three hospitals in the country, known as the “Famous 3 hospitals.”

In particular, the Oriental Medicine Hospital within Hanbit University Hospital is ranked number one among Oriental medicine hospitals in the country and is notable for its active integration of Korean and Western medicine.

“Yes, I want to become a specialist too.”

The medical public health officer seemed to recall his tough intern days, frowning and shaking his head.

“Oh, being an intern. You’ll have a hard time ahead. Keep your spirits up. You’ll do well, though.”

Just as it seemed our conversation was wrapping up, the village elders started their farewells again, expressing their reluctance to see me go.

“I’m going to head out soon.”

After saying my goodbyes about ten times, I finally managed to escape from the elders and get into the car.

After several hours of long-distance driving, I arrived at my grandmother’s house in Seoul.

“It’s both my grandmother’s house and my own home.”

As I entered the familiar apartment complex, I finally felt that I had completed my three years of public health service.

At home, my grandmother was waiting for me eagerly.

“Oh, Joon. You’ve worked hard all this time.”

As my grandmother opened the door with a bright smile, her face suddenly became rigid.