A competent doctor can cure everything

“First, I’ll make your wrist more comfortable… Here, does it hurt when I press?”

“Ouch!”

When I pressed a spot with my thumb, Mr. Seok-jin yelped.

The area I pressed wasn’t the wrist but the thickest part of the forearm, just below the elbow, known as the “flexor forearm muscles”.

This patient had developed carpal tunnel syndrome from repeated long-term computer use.

Even low-intensity actions, when repeated, lead to fatigue in the wrist and forearm.

“So, even just releasing the tension in the forearm often alleviates wrist pain.”

“I’ll treat this area with acupuncture. Most people focus only on the wrist when it hurts, but the real solution is to relieve this area. You can think of it as pressing around the ‘Samsam-ri’acupuncture point.”

While explaining, I used my fingertips to find the most knotted point in the muscle.

Tap, tap—.

After disinfecting, I lightly inserted acupuncture needles at the knotted points.

And then, I used acupuncture, electronic moxibustion* (a machine that controls temperature and time), cupping, and an infrared heating device with red light.

(Moxibustion refers to a method of applying heat to acupuncture points.)

The patient, who had been watching the process with interest, began to look relaxed as the warmth was added.

“I’ll close the curtain for you, so please rest comfortably for 15 minutes.”

As I set the timer, the head of the PR team approached and said softly.

“Doctor, you did an amazing job today. It was incredibly impressive. It felt like watching a medical drama!”

I smiled slightly at the PR team’s exaggerated praise.

“The real treatment hasn’t even started yet. The next treatment will be even more interesting.”

“More than this? I never imagined that today’s shoot would be so dynamic. Your great performance has ignited my dormant artistic spirit!”

“Artistic spirit?”

“Yes! The editing possibilities are already shaping up. Up until now, our hospital’s official YouTube channel has been a bit stiff. But this time, we’re going to create a masterpiece that hasn’t been seen on Hanbit University’s YouTube channel before!”

“……”

Well, if that’s the case, maybe it would be better to keep that artistic spirit in check.

However, unaware of my thoughts, the head of the PR team continued to lay out their vision.

“If the response is good, we’ll start filming a series for each department based on this! It will become a whole new genre! Ah, thank you so much for today’s fantastic video and brilliant ideas, Doctor.”

“I didn’t really do much.”

“Oh, come on! You’re being too modest! I see great potential in you. You could even venture into broadcasting.”

“Are you serious?”

I looked at the head of the PR team, bewildered.

He scratched his head and added a condition but did not retract his stance.

“Yes! Well, honestly, you do seem a bit unfamiliar in front of the camera, but that’s something experience can quickly fix. You have the more important qualities.”

“Qualities?”

“Yes. You know what viewers want, and you can read the atmosphere and adjust it favorably. You explain things clearly, too. And more importantly…”

His solemn tone made me hold my breath in anticipation.

“You’re tall and handsome.”

“……”

As I looked at the head of the PR team with a skeptical gaze, he jumped up, looking rather aggrieved.

“Are you not joking? Do you think it’s easy to find someone who is young, handsome, and knowledgeable? You have plenty of potential.”

“Oh, yes… Thank you.”

My somewhat curt response seemed to make the PR head think I considered their praise merely as formalities, so they started speaking passionately.

“Even though I may not look it, I have a degree in film. My eye for talent is quite accurate. Every celebrity I’ve said would make it has succeeded. For example, Purple Angel.”

“……! I see.”

Hearing that unexpected name made me remember I hadn’t responded to the message apologizing for missing the performance that day. I wondered if they were still upset.

At that moment, the timer for the treatment session rang, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I pushed aside the curtain and saw the patient blinking awake.

“I must have fallen asleep. But I had a really good nap. Oh, I feel refreshed.”

After removing all the needles, the patient carefully rotated his right wrist.

Everyone in the treatment room watched intently as the patient moved and reacted.

The patient looked at me with an amazed expression after checking his wrist.

“Oh, I used to feel stiffness and pain when I rotated my wrist like this. But now that feeling is gone!”

The cameraman captured the patient’s beaming face, and the rest of the staff responded with applause and cheers.

Professor Yeon also gave me a thumbs-up with a pleased expression.

“You should do stretches like these occasionally while using the computer in the future.”

After showing the patient some home exercises, we wrapped up the filming.

“I had so much fun filming today!”

“We’ll edit it nicely and post it on the hospital’s YouTube channel!”

The enthusiasm of the PR team, as they packed up, bordered on mania.

“Thank you, doctor! See you next week.”

The patient, Mr. Seok-jin, scheduled his follow-up appointment for a week later and left.

Soon, only Professor Yeon and I remained in the treatment room.

“This was supposed to be a simple shoot, but it turned into quite an event. It looks like Dr. Seon Joon will have to work a bit harder.”

“It’s fine, Professor.”

“Still, it was an excellent treatment! I was really impressed with how you said you’d even treat the neuritis.”

The professor glanced at the wall clock and put his hand in his pants pocket.

He then took out his wallet and handed me a credit card.

“Lunch hour is almost over. Use this card to grab a quick bite.”

“Oh, it’s okay, Professor.”

“I’d like to invite you to lunch, but I suppose it might be uncomfortable for you? I do have some sense of that.”

The professor let out a meaningful, hearty laugh.

“We might have a lot of meals together over the next three years, so I’ll hold back today.”

“……! In that case, I’ll enjoy the meal.”

“Oh, right. You can give the card to Dr. Sim Ji-seop on the ward.”

With that, the professor waved casually and left.

‘Meals together for the next three years.’

It seems I’ve made a solid impression on Professor Yeon.

But there’s something else I gained from today’s effort.

A very significant gain.

‘I didn’t come down to the treatment room early for no reason.’

I fiddled with the items I had carefully wrapped in paper towels in my lab coat pocket.

* * *

In the afternoon, I ran into Sim Ji-seop from Rehabilitation, who was in his second year, and handed him the professor’s card.

Seemingly aware of what it was about, he accepted it without asking further questions and then asked me,

“How was the filming?”

“It went pretty well, I suppose.”

There will be more filming in a week, but with the items I brought from today’s treatment room, the session should go smoothly.

Sim Ji-seop nodded and, in his usual relaxed manner, said,

“Doctor, there’s good news and bad news. I’m sorry for talking about work right away. But the professor asked me to let you know after the filming. Which would you like to hear first?”

I slightly furrowed my brow and replied,

“…I’d like to hear the bad news first.”

“You might already know, but there’s a task that Professor Yeon Jae-wook’s intern needs to handle. It’s an external business trip.”

“If it’s about the women’s volleyball team, I’m aware. The intern from Hanbit University’s Oriental Medicine Hospital regularly goes on these business trips.”

“Oh, I see. The thing is, since it’s a personal task for Professor Yeon and not a hospital duty, the intern assigned to him will go. So don’t feel too unfair if other interns from the Rehabilitation department don’t go.”

Though I didn’t quite understand why the intern was going on a personal task, I actually looked forward to the business trip itself.

More patients. More varied experiences. Growth through that.

That’s why I joined this hospital.

“I don’t feel unfair at all. I’m also interested in sports medicine, so I’ve even earned a sports acupuncture team doctor certificate during my public service.”

“Really? That’s impressive…”

I asked Sim Ji-seop, who raised his eyebrows.

“So, what’s the good news?”

“The patients you’re assisting now are not having too much trouble, right?”

The patients I was assisting, with Sim Ji-seop as the primary doctor, were recovering smoothly.

“Yes, they’re doing fine.”

“Now, we’re going to assign you some primary doctor duties as well. The professor said not to give you difficult patients because there are many other tasks.”

“…….”

“So, we’re planning to assign you patients who require less attention. There will be a suitable patient for our department to admit soon.”

Is assigning a ‘simple patient’ considered good news?

It might be Sim Ji-seop’s way of being considerate, but I didn’t find the idea very appealing.

To put it the other way around, doesn’t it mean that patients who are difficult to manage are ‘bad’?

Honestly, I was disappointed.

‘I expected to learn a lot from someone famous for being exceptionally talented, but why is the mindset like this?’

“What’s the chief complaint (CC) for that patient?”

The response to my offhand question was startling, and I couldn’t hide my emotions as I glared at Sim Ji-seop.

If it was a joke, it was clearly a bad one.

But the other person wasn’t smiling.

“Tetraplegia due to a traffic accident.”

“……! How is that a simple patient?”

“Why do you ask?”

Sim Ji-seop tilted his head as if he genuinely didn’t understand.

“Since the patient won’t recover anyway, there’s no need to exert extra effort.”

* * *

“Wow, that’s crazy! Did he really say that?”

I was leaving work with Wonil for the first time in a while.

Hearing Sim Ji-seop’s remarks, Wonil was equally infuriated.

♫♪-.

At that moment, my phone rang, interrupting the conversation.

The caller was my grandmother.

“Yes, Grandma. Yes? What did you say? Yes….”

As my voice darkened, Wonil’s expression also grew serious.

“Hyung, is something wrong at home?”

I sighed and rubbed the back of my neck.

“Now even Grandma’s giving me a mission.”

“What is it?”

“She wants me to get tickets for the Na Hoon-ah concert….”

“…….”

Wonil was momentarily at a loss for words before he let out a hollow laugh.

“Wow, Hyung. That’s going to be really hard to get tickets for.”

“Dealing with work, business trips, and now Na Hoon-ah ticketing….”

“Do you know why?”

“?”

“It’s because you’re doing such a good job. They say you shouldn’t look too good at work, or you’ll just get more work. If you do well, they’ll just pile on more.”

“…….”

Is that so? I mulled over this bitter irony for a moment.

Meanwhile, Wonil awkwardly scratched the back of his neck.

“Hyung, I had something to ask you too, but what should I do?”

“…What is it now?”

“Remember Mika was coming to eat tteokbokki at the Haet-nim’s place? I think the date’s been set.”

“Why does she keep coming here instead of working?”

Wonil shrugged his shoulders.

“I don’t know either. But that’s not the important part. I want to join too, but can’t you come with me?”

“You can go alone.”

“Oh, that’s a bit… I don’t really have a good reason to go. I’m not close with Mika, and I don’t know Haet-nim very well either…”

Oh, it seems like he’s not doing well in the romance department.

Wonil sighed at the guy’s pleading look and asked,

“When is it?”

Let’s at least find out the date.