A competent doctor can cure everything

“Hmmm.”

During lunch break, inside the intern training room.

I was lost in thought while enjoying a refreshing iced Americano.

After experiencing the strange event of seeing the future from Professor Ko’s perspective yesterday—shortened to “possession”—I had tried all sorts of things while on duty, but I couldn’t replicate the “possession.”

“Yesterday, it happened the moment I touched the chart.”

So I wondered if my ability had developed to the point where I could see the future by touching objects instead of people.

In other words, perhaps my ability had expanded from applying to people to objects as well.

“But even when I touch Mr. Park Young-jin’s chart again, nothing happens.”

It wasn’t just Mr. Young-jin’s chart.

I had tried touching any noticeable object, but the possession phenomenon did not occur.

Clearly, there must be some condition that simple touch alone cannot satisfy.

“Wangwenmunjeol”… Look, listen, ask, and palpate. It’s unlikely that this method is applied directly to objects.”

Even so, I hadn’t performed Wangwenmunjeol-style diagnosis on Professor Ko.

The professor had merely revised the chart.

“I really don’t get it.”

As I mindlessly drank the Americano, it had already dwindled to half.

Seeing this, the intern, Ye Wonil, subtly teased me.

“Are you drinking the Americano like it’s free or something?”

“I’m purposely limiting myself to no more than two cups a day.”

What could I do if they didn’t accept payment?

So I’m drinking less than when I pay for it.

“Really? How many cups did you usually drink a day?”

“Up to five cups.”

“Wow~. Doesn’t that make your stomach hurt?”

“Well, not yet.”

Other interns who were listening joined in on Ye Wonil’s teasing.

“This world is so unfair. Even Joon is good at drinking coffee.”

“Ah, Americano Master Seon Joon!”

I just forced a smile and pretended not to hear the teasing from the younger interns as I sipped my coffee.

It’s been less than two months since I joined the hospital, and already I’m accumulating strange nicknames.

“They keep teasing the old guy.”

Come to think of it, it seems that the rumor about Na Ye-jin being an insider at the hospital wasn’t a lie.

I’ve heard that quite a few patients are coming to the internal medicine department these days because of Na Ye-jin’s recommendation.

And since most of these internal medicine patients come for herbal prescriptions, the outpatient revenue must have increased significantly.

“Thanks to that, it seems like Professor Ko’s gaze towards me has become warmer recently, right?”

Since the comment about the gaze was made by Kim Pyeong-hwa, it probably isn’t just my own illusion.

Anyway, while I was enjoying this warm time, a call came from the ward.

“Park Young-jin? Yes, I’ll head over now.”

Hearing the brief notification from the nurse, I stood up from my seat, and Min-hwa looked at me with a curious expression.

“Hyung… Is that patient the one you’re in charge of this time? How’s it going with being the primary physician?”

How’s it going? My first patient is openly ignoring me now that they know I’m an intern.

“Hmm. It’s interesting.”

I smiled.

I’m serious. It was fascinating to see their reaction when I relieved their headache last night.

I was curious to see how things would be when they were discharged in a week.

* * *

Park Young-jin was waiting for me in the hospital room.

“Sir, is there anything uncomfortable?”

“Oh, yes… My head is hurting again.”

“Just a moment. Even though it’s only been a day since your admission, how’s your stomach? How many times have you gone to the bathroom today?”

I asked to check if the future I saw on the chart had changed.

“Ah, I’ve only been to the bathroom once today. Usually, I would have gone two or three times.”

“I see.”

The patient’s response was as expected. It seems that the prescription direction for ‘So-geon-jung-tang’ is correct.

By adjusting the dosage of the herbal medicines by 1 or 2 grams at a time, I should be able to achieve the goal of hospitalization without any issues.

‘If there are no major variables…’

As I rested my chin on my hand, the patient reminded me of the issue with a grumble.

“But since being admitted, I’ve been eating healthy food, so it might be affecting things. We’ll need to keep an eye on it. Anyway, the reason I called you is that my head is hurting again.”

The headaches seem to be occurring more frequently than I had seen in the chart.

Originally, there wasn’t supposed to be a call for headaches today.

“Do you often have headaches even outside of this?”

“Yes, it’s quite frequent.”

I glanced at the gaming laptop on the shelf next to the patient’s bed.

The laptop was half-open and glowing with light from the screen.

“Do you use the computer a lot?”

“Yes. I work on the computer all day at work, and my hobby is gaming, so I also use the computer at home.”

“How many hours a day do you spend using a computer or phone?”

“Hmm… I’d say at least ten hours. But why do you keep asking about this? My head hurts.”

The patient began to show signs of irritation.

I looked directly at the patient.

“Mr. Park, what do you think is the reason for your frequent headaches?”

“Huh? What’s the reason for headaches? They just happen. I looked it up online, and it said there’s no precise cause.”

The patient responded in a disinterested manner, as if dismissing the question as irrelevant.

“That’s probably because you were looking up the causes of migraines. Migraines still only have several hypotheses and no clear cause has been identified.”

I took a pause and continued.

“But the cause of your headaches is quite clear.”

“Huh? What’s it due to?”

“You’ve probably heard of the term ‘text neck syndrome,’ right? It looks like you have some signs of that.”

Text neck syndrome, or forward head posture syndrome, is very common in modern people. It refers to the loss of the normal C-shaped curve in the cervical spine as the neck extends forward, resulting in a straight shape.

“Can you see that just by looking? Isn’t it something that needs to be confirmed with an X-ray or something?”

The patient mumbled skeptically, doubting the diagnosis.

“Mr. Park.”

I raised my glasses with a solemn expression, causing the patient to flinch slightly.

“Your ears are positioned well ahead of the shoulder seam of your clothes.”

“…….”

“You can see that, right? There’s no need to take a photo. Normally, your ears should be aligned with the seam.”

The patient awkwardly shrank his neck.

“When you have a straight neck, your head tilts forward, causing the muscles around your neck to become tense and develop trigger points, or areas of muscle tightness. And as I mentioned yesterday, your headache is a tension-type headache, right?”

The patient thought about this for a moment, then furrowed his brows.

“Wait, so if the straight neck isn’t corrected, the muscles will keep getting tight despite the acupuncture, leading to ongoing headaches, right?”

“Exactly. You were using your computer just now, right? It seems like the headaches are becoming more frequent because you’ve been using your laptop even more since being admitted.”

Hearing this, the patient looked distressed.

“So what should I do? Is there any way to fix it if my neck bones are already straight?”

“There is a way to treat it.”

“How?”

“It’s a crucial and challenging method. You need to reduce your computer usage time. Additionally, you’ll need to loosen the shortened muscles caused by the straight neck and strengthen the weakened muscles with exercises.”

“Ah….”

The emotion that appeared in the patient’s eyes was disappointment.

It seemed that the most important and fundamental aspect appeared trivial to him.

“Next, have you heard of Chuna therapy?”

“Uh, Chuna? I think I have heard of it.”

The patient showed renewed interest.

“It is a treatment where a Korean medicine doctor uses their hands or correctional tools to realign the muscles and skeletal structures to their normal state.”

“Will that make the neck bones return to their proper position?”

“Not with just one or two sessions. The body tends to return to its original state, so even if it is corrected, poor posture will quickly undo the results. You will need to undergo enough treatment to overcome that tendency and also consistently do the muscle exercises I mentioned earlier.”

The patient seemed interested in my explanation.

“Well… Can I try that during my hospital stay? I’d like to give it a go.”

On the third floor of the hospital, where the Korean medicine outpatient department is located, there is a “Chuna Room.”

It is a space equipped with a Chuna bed, a special medical device for Chuna therapy.

The Chuna Room is primarily used by the two departments that deal with musculoskeletal patients: the Acupuncture and Pain Medicine Department and the Korean Rehabilitation Medicine Department.

‘To use it, I’ll need permission from the professors of those departments.’

So… it was clear which professor I would need to ask.

* * *

When I visited the Acupuncture and Pain Medicine outpatient clinic on the third floor after a long time, Professor Kim greeted me warmly.

“Ah, Dr. Seon. Of course, you can use the Chuna Room. But are you skilled in Chuna therapy as well?”

“I obtained a certification from the Chuna Therapy Association during my time as a public health physician.”

Professor Kim nodded in approval.

“The certification process is quite rigorous. You must have good skills.”

“Compared to you, Professor, I still have a long way to go.”

This wasn’t false modesty; it was the truth.

This professor is one of the pioneers who introduced Chuna therapy to our country’s Korean medicine field.

“I’ve heard that you’re still doing well in internal medicine. Just don’t be too good.”

Professor Kim winked and gave a hearty laugh.

“From next year, I hope to see you continue with our department. Heh heh!”

… Is this professor flirting?

I responded to the professor’s (possible) flirtation with a polite smile.

In any case, I received permission to use the Chuna Room whenever there were no appointments in the Acupuncture or Rehabilitation departments.

Since I was already on the fifth floor and had come down to the third, I decided to take a look at the Chuna Room.

I walked lightly towards the Chuna Room.

Inside the room, several Chuna therapy beds were set up, each separated by curtains that could be drawn for privacy.

“Ah, indeed, Hanbit University Hospital.”

I whistled lightly as I examined the Chuna beds.

They were all top-of-the-line models.

Cheaper models require the physician to manually adjust the bed after a drop technique, but these beds automatically adjust, making them much more convenient.

“I’d love to see Professor Kim perform Chuna therapy.”

Professor Kim must have treated many patients on these Chuna beds.

If I could learn Chuna from the professor, it would be an immense honor.

But even if the professor was favorable towards me—

“It’s a bit awkward to ask such a favor, especially since I’m not even a resident in Acupuncture.”

With that thought, I absentmindedly placed my hand on a Chuna bed.

“……!!”

At that moment, the phenomenon that had been elusive to replicate occurred again.

My consciousness sank back into the dark screen.