Chapter 75
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Daedon, Sochung, Eumgok, Sohae!
I inserted needles into the regular pattern of the Hand Shaoyin Heart Meridian.
These were crucial acupoints for treating illnesses caused by the seven emotions: joy, anger, sorrow, pleasure, love, hatred, and desire. They could stabilize emotions and nourish the heart weakened by these feelings.
Swoosh.
I gently primed the flow of energy along the heart meridian.
“Oh, ooh!”
Hyun Ju-mi flinched and marveled at each needle’s stimulation.
“Wow, it’s amazing. It feels like something’s connecting inside!”
“Some sensitive people can feel it.”
“The tightness in my chest feels better!”
After the heart pattern came the liver pattern.
Gyeongeo, Jungbong, Sobu, Haenggan.
These points released stagnant liver energy accumulated from excess heat in the body.
Here, ‘heart’ isn’t the anatomical heart, and ‘liver’ isn’t synonymous with the visible organ. It’s an expression of the pathological state where energy is blocked due to stress, called liver qi stagnation.
I stimulated all the meridians related to Hyun Ju-mi’s panic disorder symptoms, circulating the energy.
Once again, I stimulated Tanzhong, which I had pierced initially, opening the blocked pathway.
“…!”
I released tension in the digestive system along the Ren meridian and inserted a needle into Baihui to clear the head.
“Hic. Wow, just like Se-sun-unni said, my digestion feels better right away?”
Hyun Ju-mi marveled, touching her stomach.
While her mind and breathing, the core of her illness, needed more treatment, the secondary digestive issues resolved first.
“All done. No uncomfortable needles, right?”
“Ah, no, none.”
Hyun Ju-mi answered, gently flicking the needles.
“When are you going back to Seoul? Are you leaving right away today?”
“Haha, no. Since I don’t have any schedules anyway… I planned a three-night, four-day trip to see Haeundae Beach!”
“That’s perfect. Then come for treatment all four days. I’ll release as much stagnation as possible with acupuncture. When you’re back in Seoul, continue treatment at a nearby Korean medicine clinic when you can.”
“Oh, great!”
Perhaps because she felt the effects immediately, Hyun Ju-mi enthusiastically gave a thumbs up. The needle in her fingertip wobbled, but she didn’t mind at all.
I lowered her arm and said,
“You’ve been through a lot today, talking during the consultation and receiving treatment. You’ve taken a step forward, so things will gradually improve.”
With four treatments, there should be quite significant changes in her core symptoms.
I can definitely restore her to a better state than before the ephedra worsened her condition.
That should be enough for normal daily life, and then we’ll treat with medicine.
‘Bupleurum, Citrus peel, Cyperus, Cnidium, Peony, Citrus aurantium, Licorice…’
After consultation hours, I prepared Sihosogan-san for her.
TN: Sihosogan-san (시호소간산 / 柴胡疏肝散) is a traditional herbal formula used in Korean and Chinese medicine to relieve liver qi stagnation and improve emotional well-being. The formula is commonly prescribed for symptoms such as stress, irritability, depression, and digestive issues related to liver imbalance. Sihosogan-san is often used for conditions where emotional distress or liver imbalance leads to symptoms like mood swings, indigestion, or menstrual irregularities.
It’s an excellent prescription for patients like Hyun Ju-mi whose stress manifests as physical tension. It’s commonly used for mental illnesses like panic disorder or depression.
This medicine should be sufficient to calm her current symptoms.
Of course, psychological therapy will be necessary to prevent stress from manifesting physically again.
◆◇◆◇◆
As soon as Hyun Ju-mi returned from her Busan trip, Park Se-sun contacted me.
“Did you have a good trip to Busan?”
Hyun Ju-mi welcomed her greeting and invited her home.
“Ju-mi, are you okay?”
Her manager rushed over too. Hyun Ju-mi had contacted the manager from Busan in advance.
When she asked to make an appointment at the counseling center the agency CEO had recommended, the manager worried something might be wrong.
Anyway, Park Se-sun was Hyun Ju-mi’s senior from the same agency, so she was also acquainted with the manager.
Hyun Ju-mi served them both tea and said,
“Yes. I had a great time in Busan! Thanks to Se-sun-unni introducing me to a good doctor, I’m feeling better!”
“Right? I’m glad you went! I told you you wouldn’t regret it, even if it’s a bit far.”
“Yes~ Thanks to you, I realized my problem!”
As Hyun Ju-mi expressed gratitude to Park Se-sun, the manager, not understanding the situation, widened her eyes.
“Se-sun-unni introduced me to a Korean medicine clinic in Busan. During the consultation, they told me that my panic disorder, insomnia, and indigestion… all these symptoms were stress manifesting physically!”
“A Korean medicine clinic? Does that help?”
The manager tilted her head.
“Of course! As soon as I got acupuncture, everything cleared up, my head felt clearer, and my chest opened up! After taking the medicine too, I feel like I can live now! I realized I wasn’t really living before when I took the medicine!”
“I-I see.”
“Hehe, you’ve become a fan too, Ju-mi?”
“Yes! It’s absolutely the best!”
Park Se-sun smiled gently.
“Anyway, I’m glad you’re feeling better. Let’s keep up this momentum and continue treatment. I’ve already made an appointment at the counseling center.”
The manager nodded, bewildered by Hyun Ju-mi’s rapid-fire speech, something she’d never done before.
After all, both the manager and the CEO had wanted this all along. The agency had thought she was in a precarious state for quite some time.
They just couldn’t strongly recommend it out of consideration for Hyun Ju-mi’s pride.
“Thank you, manager unni. Please tell the CEO I’m grateful too. Everyone was worried about me, but I was too stubborn, wasn’t I?”
“No, it’s just what we should do.”
The manager felt sorry for not properly caring for Hyun Ju-mi until it came to this.
When she said that, Hyun Ju-mi shook her head.
“Manager unni always looked after me carefully. This is all because I didn’t understand myself… Sniff, now that I’m feeling better, sob, I understand. Actually, I was really…”
And she tried to say something, but her voice choked with tears.
The manager was startled and hugged Hyun Ju-mi.
Although she had been her dedicated manager for years, Hyun Ju-mi had never shown a weak side.
Unlike other celebrities who expressed mood swings at the drop of a hat or sometimes acted entitled, she was always bright, kind, and cheerful.
“I think I was having a really hard time. I shouldn’t have just denied it, sob. By always saying I was fine, I couldn’t do my work properly, and instead became a burden, a burden…”
“What are you saying! Ju-mi, you’ve done so well! Even this break, you took it only after fulfilling all your contracted obligations. Don’t feel any burden about work, and rest plenty!”
That’s why everyone thought she was fine.
“Waaahh!”
Hyun Ju-mi was just an ordinary, fragile person after all.
She clung to her manager and burst into tears. The manager patted her back gently.
She felt terribly sorry for not properly recognizing Hyun Ju-mi’s struggle until she went all the way to Busan to meet a Korean medicine doctor and gained the courage to speak up like this.
“No matter what I do, people hate me, sob! I, I always did my best for the group, and for our work…”
“I know. I know so well. Everyone at the company knows.”
The manager comforted Hyun Ju-mi, shedding a few tears herself. Park Se-sun, sitting nearby, added a word.
“That’s right. The actors you’ve worked with all know, and your fans are always supporting you. As for those who criticize, just ignore…”
Park Se-sun stopped herself as she was about to say to ignore the malicious commenters.
“No, take this opportunity to sue them. Once you catch them, they’ll turn out to be nothing!”
here was a more fundamental solution than ignoring them.
“…”
Hyun Ju-mi hesitated.
The agency CEO had often suggested suing as well.
She had always refused, saying why bother with such troublesome things when it wouldn’t make any impact.
“…Actually, I was afraid of being criticized again for suing.”
Hyun Ju-mi confessed her honest feelings.
“We should drag all those jerks to court!”
The manager said.
Hyun Ju-mi thought of the people pointing fingers at her.
She had always just put up walls pretending they didn’t exist, but for the first time, she thought about it concretely.
…Would they ask for leniency?
Somehow, it made her want to laugh.
“Should I?”
It might be a bit satisfying.
“You’ve made a good decision!”
A few days later.
Hyun Ju-mi’s agency released a notice of legal action.
The manager, company staff, fellow actors, everyone told her she did well.
Fans willingly sent PDF files they had collected, supporting Hyun Ju-mi’s decision.
‘I guess this was the right choice.’
Separately, counseling also progressed.
Every time she returned from psychological counseling, she cried.
It was hard.
But she was also happy.
That was what it meant to face emotions as they were.
Hyun Ju-mi’s head was clearer than ever before.
She didn’t have a single panic attack for a month.
◆◇◆◇◆
“Doctor~ Hello!”
It had been a month since Hyun Ju-mi’s first visit.
Having finished her first round of medicine, she came down to Busan once more for a follow-up prescription.
“You must have had a tough journey.”
“Yes~ It was really tough! The flight was delayed!”
To my perfunctory words, Hyun Ju-mi whined cutely about how difficult it was.
“Really, why are you so far away? You shouldn’t be here. Come to Seoul!”
Hmm, quite a Seoul-centric statement.
Of course, I knew it was meant as a compliment, and it’s true that the current location’s accessibility is poor, so I just smiled.
“Haha, thank you. How are you feeling?”
“So much better! Everything was just as you said! The counselor also said I was completely avoiding negative emotions. Now that I’m starting to understand, sometimes I get choked up because it’s hard… but my physical condition is incomparably better!”
“You’re doing well. Cry as much as you want, curse as much as you want.”
“That’s the plan. Hehe, I even filed lawsuits! I did well, right?”
“Oh? You really did well.”
I hadn’t mentioned it further, thinking there must be a reason she wasn’t doing it, but in modern South Korea where it’s impossible to challenge someone to a duel, lawsuits were indeed the best form of attack.
I praised Hyun Ju-mi profusely.
Her symptoms had really improved a lot, so barring any unexpected changes, it seemed okay to conclude treatment after just one more month of medication.
I prescribed the same medicine to continue, and performed acupuncture treatment as well.
“Thank you, Doctor! Please let me know if you come to Seoul!”
Hyun Ju-mi returned to Seoul.
‘Seoul, huh.’
But her casually dropped words lingered in my mind.
It’s not like I came here out of some dedication to rural healthcare.
If that were the case, I should have gone to an even more rural area like where Yoon Han-byeol used to live.
Ending up in Busan was purely coincidental.
The moment I decided to open a practice, I spotted a post about transferring this Korean medicine clinic on a transfer board.
The name “Seongsu Korean Medicine Clinic,” given by the previous director, evoked nostalgia for Murim.
TN: The name “Seongsu Korean Medicine Clinic” (성수한의원) evokes nostalgia for Murim because “Seongsu” (성수 / 聖手) carries the meaning of “skilled hand” or “divine hand,” often associated with a master or expert in traditional medicine or martial arts. In Murim (무림), a fictional world of martial artists in Korean literature, such names are commonly used to signify revered figures or legendary masters.
Plus, the rent was cheap, there was no key money, and when I came to see it in person, the flow of energy was excellent… that was all.
‘But I like everything about it.’
Being a metropolitan city, it naturally has everything it should.
I’ve met good employees and formed many connections with patients. Unless I expand nearby, I don’t feel any desire to move to another region.
What would I do in Seoul?
I have no family, and while I have two friends there, they’re so busy we’d hardly meet even if I were in Seoul.
As for relatives, I wouldn’t see them regardless of where I live.
“…Still, I do feel a bit wistful.”
The wistful feeling was purely out of competitiveness.
Isn’t Seoul the most accessible and fiercely competitive battleground in South Korea?
Even the Tang family, the hegemon of Sichuan, wanted to extend their reach to the Central Plains given the chance. Of course, I’m not the hegemon of Busan.
“Ah.”
So I asked Hwang Sang-hoon.
“Oppa, when your one-year contract is up, don’t you want to open a branch in Seoul?”
I wasn’t expecting much, just asking about his intentions.
I thought Hwang Sang-hoon might want to go up since his family, relatives, and friends were all in Seoul.
“What?”
At my words, Hwang Sang-hoon’s face looked as if he’d just received a notice of termination.