A competent doctor can cure everything

Among the ordinary comments, one stood out:

“A traditional Korean medicine doctor? Trust and you’ll be disappointed lol”

Seeing this comment, Park Young-jin felt an unpleasant emotion, unlike the day before.

‘What’s this guy’s problem all of a sudden?’

Receiving such a comment on a post he had made praising the treatment made him feel as if he was being contradicted, not just as a patient but personally as well.

Even though he had been dissatisfied with the intern doctor the day before, the trust and rapport he developed through the treatment had mitigated that dissatisfaction.

‘It seems like the intern doctor even stayed late because of me.’

So, it was only natural for him to respond sharply, even though he usually ignored or responded moderately.

“I said it was good, so why start an argument?”

The other party seemed to be online as well, and responses started coming in quickly, making the conversation heat up in real time.

“Do you really believe in Qi and blood in the 21st century? Your intelligence is pathetic.”

“You got a spinal misalignment and received chuna treatment, so why are you making a fuss alone?”

“Yeah, if you’re sick, go to a hospital instead of an Oriental medicine clinic. Try going to a hospital.”

“Wow… look at this guy.”

Getting increasingly heated, Park Young-jin started typing furiously on the keyboard but then stopped his fingers.

‘It seems like there’s no point in continuing to reply to comments.’

Is there a way to definitely put this guy in his place?

Park Young-jin, deep in thought, muttered to himself.

“Maybe I should use my main account after all.”

* * *

Seon Joon had a quick dinner at the staff cafeteria and headed home.

The apartment complex, with its well-maintained flower beds and sculptures, felt like a park.

‘With a residents-only bathhouse and even a gym. It’s like a small town.’

It had been over two weeks since he moved here, and it still felt awkward.

He had lived in a nice house when he was young, but since his parents passed away…

‘Since I lived with my grandmother, I was far from living a wealthy life.’

With those thoughts in mind, he entered the password on the door lock of his front door.

At the sound of the door opening, Minh-wa, dressed comfortably, came out and greeted him.

“Joon-hyung! You’re late! Did something happen?”

“Nothing special. Just talking with a patient I’m responsible for.”

“Wow… Consulting with a patient! Hyung, that’s really impressive.”

To an intern who only handles trivial tasks at the hospital, consulting with a patient must seem very impressive.

“It wasn’t a big deal. I think you’re the impressive one.”

He glanced at the object in Min-hwa’s hand as he spoke.

In Min-hwa’s hand was a large needle like a giant chopstick and a bundle of pink yarn.

That’s right.

This guy was so excited about seeing Mika at the upcoming charity performance that he was in a constant state of excitement.

He said he wanted to knit a bunny doll for Purple Angel.

Living with Min-hwa, I discovered that he surprisingly liked cute things.

He even uses a small pink phone.

Despite his natural physique suited for martial arts, his hobby was knitting.

As I marveled at the yarn bundle, Min-hwa shyly chuckled.

“If I hadn’t lived with you, I would never have imagined your hobby.”

At that comment, Min-hwa seemed to recall something.

“Oh, by the way, hyung… how about living together? Is there anything that’s making you uncomfortable…?”

“No, not at all.”

Far from being uncomfortable, my days were quite luxurious thanks to Min-hwa.

As he said, there was someone who came regularly to clean the house.

The home appliances were all the latest models with features I didn’t even know existed.

Even the small supplies were top-notch brands you’d only find in hotels.

“Well, if you’re okay with it, how about continuing to live together…?”

“Min-hwa.”

Min-hwa, who had been hesitantly broaching the subject, hurriedly waved his hands when I spoke seriously.

“Yeah? Oh, did I rush things? I’m sorry…!”

“No, let’s continue to get along well.”

It’s not just okay; I’m worried about being kicked out.

“I should be the one asking you to take care of me, hyung…!”

“But living here is really uncomfortable. Are you really okay with it?”

“Well… if that’s the case, could I perhaps learn things like acupuncture from you at home? O-of course, when you have time…!”

“Anytime.”

It’s all very heartwarming.

Min-hwa’s face brightened, and I felt more at ease.

To wrap up the conversation, I gently brought it to a close.

“Um, Min-hwa. I have some work to do.”

“Oh, yes, Hyung! You must be tired, so you should go rest quickly…!”

After washing up, I carefully closed the door to my room.

Then, I took out something wrapped in tissue paper from my bag pocket.

It was something I had picked up earlier in the day from the acupuncture department’s treatment room.

It was a used needle.

Since needles are single-use, they are supposed to be collected in a medical waste bin and picked up by a waste disposal service.

So, I had gone into the acupuncture treatment room earlier and retrieved one from the medical waste bin.

‘I felt a bit uneasy rummaging through the waste bin, but it’s necessary for the experiment.’

The incident in the acupuncture room today opened up another possibility.

Perhaps what can be seen is not limited to the future.

“So, I decided to rethink everything from the very beginning.”

Reflecting on when I saw the vision, I realized there was another element beyond the usual rules of the vision.

It was about acting with a specific purpose in mind.

For example, consider this:

Imagine you’re looking at a field of grass.

When you look without any particular thought, you might only notice the things that stand out, like a red flower.

But what if you knew there was a snake in that field and you started to scrutinize every inch carefully?

“You would look more closely, trying to find it.”

Your observational skills and concentration would naturally increase.

The amount of information you notice would be on a different level.

In other words, the difference between “see” and “look.”

The former is just passively perceiving what comes into view, while the latter involves examining it carefully.

As evidence, when talking to a patient and making physical contact, you don’t see visions every time.

You only see the vision when you are properly focused on making a diagnosis.

And to put it simply, the act of making a diagnosis is about:

“What will happen to this person in the future?”

… which is an effort to predict.

Similarly, think back to when I first possessed Professor Kim.

What was I thinking when I picked up the chart?

“What prescription would Professor Kim use?”

This was a future-oriented curiosity.

And what was I thinking when I touched the Chuna bed this afternoon?

“I want to see how Professor Kim would perform Chuna here.”

In other words, it was a thought directed at the past, and I saw a past vision that had occurred on that bed.

Therefore, it’s important how I look at things with intention in a given situation.

That was my conclusion.

I unwrapped the tightly wrapped tissue.

Inside, a stainless steel needle, showing signs of use, was revealed.

Since it was a needle brought during Professor Kim’s treatment time, it was clear that he had used it.

Just as only the patient charts I directly saw showed the future, I deliberately chose this needle, thinking only things of someone I knew would work.

“It seems like madness.”

But then again, crazy situations have already occurred up until now.

I focused on what kind of treatment the professor might have performed with this needle and reached out with the needle.

****

The next morning, as usual, Professor Ko’s rounds concluded with Ms. Kang Eun-jeong’s room being the last stop.

“Intern.”

As I was about to leave the ward at the end of the rounds, Ms. Eun-jeong called me over.

“Have this and rest for a while.”

As the patient gestured to the caregiver, the caregiver handed me a red bean bread.

“Ah… thank you.”

“I had apples for the first time in a long time yesterday. Today, I’m trying red bean bread.”

Seeing the enthusiastic patient, I gave a faint smile.

“Don’t overdo it.”

“Don’t worry. I’m only going to eat a little. I didn’t realize how joyful eating could be until now, when I’m healthy.”

Her expression was as bright as the June morning sunlight coming through the window.

Since changing to a different herbal medicine, Eunjung has improved her digestion and is now trying a variety of foods every day.

She no longer needs IV drips and now supplements her nutrition with porridge and simple snacks.

I can understand how parents feel full just seeing their children eat.

As the patient’s condition visibly improves every day, I also enjoy writing up the hospitalization progress charts.

‘Not long ago, when her weight finally entered the 40 kg range, all the medical staff in the ward applauded together.’

Recalling that happy memory, I gladly accepted the bread she offered and took a bite.

The patient bit into a corner of the red bean bread, chewed, and then flashed a bright smile.

“Oh, it’s so delicious.”

We all enjoyed a pleasant snack time together for a moment.

It seemed my expression was quite good too.

“Doctor, is something good happening?”

In response to Eunjung’s question, I smiled leisurely and replied, “Just seeing you eat makes me happy.”

“Oh my… Intern doctor, you speak quite pleasantly.”

The patient playfully rolled her eyes and smiled.

Of course, that statement was sincere, but I was actually buoyed by the success of yesterday’s experiment.

So, until now, I could only see visions when directly treating people.

But now, I can also see visions through objects that are not people.

‘And depending on the direction of my thoughts, those visions could be from the future or the past.’

Even if objects are used as intermediaries, the person associated with the object must be someone I have met directly.

Just as I could only see the future in the charts of patients I cared for.

While I briefly recalled the results of last night’s experiment, the patient finished eating the bread and smiled brightly.

“I thought I’d have to leave the room by the end of June, but it seems like I can stay a bit longer, doesn’t it?”

… I never know whether to laugh or cry when she makes jokes about her own lifespan.

I shifted topics by rolling my eyes and changing the subject.

“Miss, there’s a small concert for cancer patients in the hospital’s small auditorium in a few days. Come and enjoy it as a change of pace.”

“Oh, I was just about to go after seeing the poster. In the past, I wouldn’t have had the energy to go to a concert or anything. But these days, I feel like I could go out.”

“That’s how it will be.”

“Hehe, honestly, even if I can’t go out, just not having an IV needle stuck in my arm would make me feel much better.”

The patient gently touched her arm where the needle had always been and looked up.

“Doctor, thank you for helping me rediscover the joy of eating.”

“……”

The sincerity in the patient’s gratitude made my eyes well up.

I felt proud realizing that the patients I’ve connected with at the hospital are gradually increasing.

Hmm, speaking of which, I wonder if Na Ye-jin from the hematology department will come to the concert, as she is a cancer patient too.

The volunteer club is supposed to come for the healing concert rehearsal during lunch today.

‘I told the interns who are volunteering to eat quickly and come over.’

Even though hospital life is always tiring and busy, I feel it was a good decision to participate in the volunteer work for my patients.

At that time, I could only think that I had no idea what kind of upheaval the concert might bring.