The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim

The points where needles or moxibustion are applied are called acupoints.

Among these, the acupoints on the 14 meridians—including the 12 regular meridians, the Conception Vessel that runs through the front of the body, and the Governing Vessel that passes through the back—are known as the regular channel acupoints.

They were precisely set at 365 points to correspond with the number of days in a year, so it’s not really that many.

[You’re going to memorize all of them?]

Hwang Seoyoung, who had been typing a message, suddenly raised her head and looked at me.

[We learned all of this in meridians and acupoints class during our second year, didn’t we?]

[Yeah, but I forgot it all right after the exam.]

Was that so? Come to think of it, I did force myself to memorize mnemonics. In an environment where you can’t apply it practically, that’s bound to happen.

[I remember most of it. I just need to review once.]

In my case, I had applied acupuncture countless times and communicated with Murim physicians.

[Wow, you’re so annoying.]

In truth… if I concentrated a little, I could feel where the energy gathered.

While academics debate whether acupoints or meridians came first, and modern times don’t particularly assign meaning to them.

Given that I could directly manipulate qi through qigong, sensing it was possible even when I had just started training.

[If you’ve forgotten, better memorize it quickly. You need to know this before the national exam.]

[I’m planning to memorize it a week before the exam?]

Well, suit yourself.

I put down my phone and took out a book.

It seemed better to confirm all the acupoints now rather than putting it off unnecessarily.

There were slight discrepancies between where I could feel the strongest flow of qi on the inner forearm and the modern medical definition of the Neiguan point as “between the tendons of palmaris longus and flexor carpi radialis, 2 cun above the palmar wrist crease.”

As I buried my head in the book, Hwang Seoyoung, who had been about to type more messages, stopped disturbing me.

Instead, she rummaged through the stacks and pulled out a fantasy novel from somewhere.

“Hey, want to go get coffee?”

Barely an hour had passed when she tapped my shoulder and asked in a low voice.

I shook my head, as I hadn’t even memorized half of it yet.

“What should we eat for dinner?”

“I don’t know. I’ll think about it at six. If you have something you want to eat, go ahead.”

“Argh!”

“Shh.”

I couldn’t break my concentration here. I returned to the book.

Four hours passed like that.

Judging that I had done enough for the first round of memorization, I lifted my head.

‘My body’s getting stiff, I should drink something and start again.’

But then I noticed Hwang Seoyoung putting away the fantasy novel she had been reading and about to open a wuxia novel.

“That one’s not interesting, you should read Romance of the Three Kingdoms instead.”

“What? Were you watching me?”

She asked, startled.

“I just saw now. We’re in a library, so shh. I was about to get up anyway.”

“How can you sit still for four hours without moving? Are you even human?”

“It’s the power of the core. If you do the horse stance for an hour, three sets a day for 100 days, you can sit all day.”

Hwang Seoyoung’s face contorted strangely.

“Does it say that in this book? Have you read this?”

“I’ve read most of the wuxia novels that came out around high school. I don’t remember which one it was, but I actually practiced it.”

Her eyes were puzzled, unsure whether to believe if it was true or false.

“Let’s go. I’m done preparing for the acupuncture exam.”

I got up from my seat with a smirk. I might be fine studying without eating, but I couldn’t let my friend who had waited all this time go hungry.

◆◇◆◇◆

Three days later, on Friday.

The class I had been confidently waiting for finally arrived.

“Hello. I’m Lee Minseok, in charge of the acupuncture and moxibustion class for the second semester’s clinical special lecture.”

But there was an unexpected turn of events.

A professor I had never seen before introduced himself with a different name from what was written on the schedule.

“Oh, hyung!”

To top it off, Jo Haneul stood up abruptly and waved at him.

“It’s been a while, Haneul.”

“Wow, did you become a professor at our school? You should have let me know!”

“Professor Kim Seongcheol suddenly took parental leave, so a position opened up.”

Professor Lee Minseok spoke calmly, but it was news that was bound to cause a stir among the students.

“What? Professor Kim?”

“I heard his wife gave birth to their youngest daughter.”

The unusual news of a middle-aged male professor taking parental leave. Everyone expressed their surprise to the student next to them.

“Professor Kim Seongcheol on parental leave? Wasn’t he in his 60s? Is that… possible?”

“What’s wrong with taking leave?”

“That’s not it… never mind, sorry.”

“Ack, he just looks older because of his severe hair loss! He’s in his late 40s!”

“No way!”

I quickly grasped the situation. Professor Kim Seongcheol, who gave the same type of exam every year and even used the same acupoints, had taken leave, and a completely new part-time lecturer had been put in charge of the subject.

– Graduated from Umyeong University, Department of Korean Medicine

– Specialist in Acupuncture and Moxibustion Medicine

Moreover, looking at Professor Lee Minseok’s profile on the PPT, he was a graduate of Umyeong University, where Jo Haneul’s father was a professor. It was clear that he had quite a close relationship with Jo Haneul as well.

“That’s my introduction. Now, I’ll explain the course plan.”

The professor moved to the next slide. The chattering students immediately fell silent.

“You’ll be entering clinical practice in just six months. However, not many of you are likely to be prepared. So, rather than following Professor Kim’s lecture notes, I’m planning to give lectures that will be more practically helpful.”

“Wow, that’s great!”

Jo Haneul answered loudly.

Students who respond well are rare, making it an excellent condition for becoming a professor’s favorite student.

“Haneul, come out here for a moment.”

Of course, most don’t particularly want to become a favorite student.

“Yes, sir.”

Jo Haneul stood up at the professor’s call and went to the front of the classroom. Professor Lee Minseok called him up to the platform. Then he made him face the direction of the students.

Crunch.

The professor pressed hard on Jo Haneul’s shoulder.

“Ouch!”

He cried out.

“You’re quite stiff. Did you drink too much yesterday?”

“Huh, how did you know?”

The lecture continued as the two exchanged friendly banter.

“Let’s tilt your neck back. All the way. Now, bend it forward.”

The professor instructed Jo Haneul to extend and flex his cervical spine, followed by left and right rotation and lateral flexion.

“When does it hurt?”

“When I bend down and when I turn to the right.”

Jo Haneul answered, touching the right side of his neck.

“In this case, where would we treat?”

And then he threw a surprise question. It was a trademark of professors.

“Um…”

Dozens of students simultaneously lowered their gaze, worried they might be questioned next. It was a common characteristic of students who excelled in rote learning.

“It shouldn’t be a difficult question.”

But Jo Haneul couldn’t escape. He had to answer something.

“Uh, here? Where it hurts.”

He pointed to the spot where he felt pain when turning his head. In fact, it wasn’t a wrong answer.

“You should answer with an acupoint or muscle name.”

“Trapezius?”

But that probably wasn’t the answer the professor was looking for.

Professor Lee Minseok frowned deeply.

“While we generally insert needles into the trapezius for any neck or shoulder pain, it’s not the core muscle that’s stiff right now.”

After declaring it incorrect, he waited for a moment. But Jo Haneul seemed to have nothing more to say and just blinked.

“This is the most common type we see in patients who come to Korean medicine clinics complaining of a stiff neck or inability to turn their head. It’s a muscle that connects from the transverse processes of cervical vertebrae 1-4 to the medial scapula, often twisted.”

The professor sighed and gave a hint. It was practically giving away the answer. Even the students who had initially lowered their eyes in tension seemed to have figured out the answer, trying hard to mouth it to Jo Haneul.

“Um… ah.”

Among them, Hwang Sanghun tried the hardest, but surprisingly, Jo Haneul didn’t catch on. The more he sent pleading looks towards Professor Lee Minseok, the stiffer the professor’s face became.

“It’s the levator scapulae.”

Unable to bear it any longer, I answered. I didn’t particularly intend to embarrass him.

It’s better for someone to say it than to keep going on like this, right?

“Correct.”

Professor Lee Minseok nodded.

“I’ve heard endless praise about Professor Jo’s brilliant son, but how can you not know this?”

“Ha, haha. I couldn’t think of it.”

Jo Haneul scratched his head, not knowing what to do. He didn’t even have the composure to glare at me.

What’s this? I thought he’d be favored because he’s the son of a mentor. Is this a case of harboring resentment against his advisor instead?

I tilted my head and observed the situation.

“Go back to your seat. What’s the name of the student who answered?”

“Han Yeowon.”

“Ah, Yeowon. If Haneul came as a patient, how would you treat him?”

The professor’s attention shifted to me. I had expected some follow-up questions, so I recited the treatment method without hesitation.

“I would insert needles into Fengchi and Quyuan, which are located near the origin and insertion points of the levator scapulae you mentioned earlier, as well as Jianjing and Jianzhen to loosen the levator scapulae. After checking for tenderness, I would also treat the trapezius, sternocleidomastoid, supraspinatus, and infraspinatus muscles.”

I don’t really focus on acupoints when treating muscles, but thanks to reviewing all the acupoint locations yesterday, it wasn’t too difficult.

“Good. What about patient education?”

“It might resolve in one session, but I’d advise them to come back for 2-3 visits just in case. Ah, I could also teach them a stretching exercise where they turn their head 45 degrees and pull it forward.”

I demonstrated by pressing on Hwang Seoyoung’s neck, who was sitting next to me.

Is this the answer you’re looking for? Should I mention more diagnostic tests?

“Excellent. It seems we have a student who has studied properly.”

Fortunately, Professor Lee Minseok was satisfied with my answer.

“Everyone should be able to do this much. Graduation is just around the corner, how can you not identify the muscles of a patient with a stiff neck? Are you only going to use ashi points? If that’s the case, why did you study anatomy and acupoint theory for six years?”

A relentless lecture from the first day.

The students once again lowered their heads and averted their eyes at this unexpectedly old-fashioned behavior from a young professor.

“I’ll assume that most of you knew the answer like Han Yeowon, but were too shy to speak up.”

Well, most of them probably figured it out after the hint. Probably… right?

“From now on, we’ll conduct lectures focusing on the most common patients seen in Korean medicine clinics. I’ll present a case, and you’ll answer with treatment methods. While there’s no single correct answer for acupuncture prescriptions, I’ll thoroughly explain my approach as well.”

Wow.

A class full of impromptu questions from a newly appointed young professor with no answer key or anything.

It seemed like it would be quite thrilling.

“Here’s your assignment. Briefly outline how you would treat a young male patient with a partial rotator cuff tear from repeatedly lifting heavy objects. Include patient education like Han Yeowon mentioned.”

Oh, I’ve seen plenty of patients like that.

There were countless martial artists who mindlessly lifted rocks as part of their training.

“We have class tomorrow. Please submit it by midnight tonight.”

As soon as the professor left, my classmates let out painful groans.

And I enthusiastically started on the assignment.