The Physician of Traditional Medicine Returns from Murim - Chapter 269
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 269
Working at an oriental medicine clinic, you end up seeing an incredible number of patients with neck or shoulder pain.
Of course, I hadn’t seen them in the examination room, but only during preliminary examinations while taking appointments at the front desk.
That’s also experience though – doesn’t the saying go that even a dog at a village school can recite poetry after three years?
Now I could roughly tell where patients were hurting just by looking at their posture when they walked in.
If they came in openly holding the back of their neck or slightly raising one shoulder, it was neck and shoulder pain.
If they held their pelvis or walked with an awkward gait, it was back pain – things like that.
‘So that’s how I was caught right away too.’
I hadn’t intended to reveal that my arm hurt from excessive practice.
But Seol Yuhui herself had noticed it immediately upon seeing Jin Doyul’s performance.
“It hasn’t been that long…”
“Let me take a look.”
Seol Yuhui approached Jin Doyul and palpated his left trapezius muscle, which was still slightly raised.
“Ack!”
She hadn’t even pressed hard, but the muscle tension was extremely severe.
“Does it hurt that much?”
“Ugh, ugh, ugh…”
Kwon Nayoung was startled, but according to what the Clinic Director had told her, it was actually better when there was clear tenderness when pressing the muscle.
When it becomes chronic and atrophies, becoming tattered, it doesn’t heal well, but tense muscles like this just need to be loosened.
“Try turning your head once.”
“Ugh. It hurts a lot.”
Even while turning his head as Seol Yuhui instructed, Jin Doyul made whimpering sounds.
“How about lifting your shoulders and turning?”
But when she had him turn his head with both shoulders raised up, like the incorrect posture when playing,
“Oh, that’s fine?”
“Hmm.”
“Oh, if it turns like this, what does that mean is wrong?”
Kwon Nayoung asked curiously.
“Infraspinatus… hmm.”
But actually, Seol Yuhui wasn’t certain either, so
“Ahhh! Ack!”
“Infraspinatus, that’s right.”
She confirmed through palpation.
“The infraspinatus is the worst, and the trapezius, rhomboids, and scalenes are also stiff.”
“Wow, the neck and back were on last exam’s syllabus, but you remember it all?”
“Haha, just the major muscles.”
Anyway, it was mainly a muscle problem, and fortunately he didn’t scream when she checked the joint ligament areas.
It was probably symptoms from short-term muscle overwork, just like what Seol Yuhui had experienced.
“Older Sister, can you do acupuncture?”
At Kwon Nayoung’s question, Jin Doyul’s eyes also lit up.
It would be nice if she could treat him right away at times like this, but Seol Yuhui was still a pre-med student, same as the other two.
‘Actually, the Clinic Director did teach me a little…’
She had taught her just a tiny bit, telling her to try needling herself and breathing,
But she had never tried it on another person, and she was scared about the neck and shoulder area in case she might puncture a lung.
“I can’t. Let’s go to an oriental medicine clinic for treatment. Is there anywhere nearby? Want to come to our oriental medicine clinic after practice today?”
Of course, if they went to the Professor, he would treat him, but they were mutually agreed on not wanting to do that.
“Ah, Seongsoo Oriental Medicine Clinic… I’d like to visit again, but I have a lot to practice. I’ll go home and get treatment later.”
“Home?”
“My father is a Korean medicine doctor.”
“Ah.”
Come to think of it, she seemed to remember hearing something like that during introductions before.
It was good that he wouldn’t need to set aside separate time for it.
“For now, since we need to do the ensemble again, let me loosen it up a bit with my hands.”
But she couldn’t let him continue playing with his shoulders raised like that.
They’d need to practice for at least another hour or two – how much worse would it get?
“Wh-why is your grip strength so strong?”
Is it?
I used to be weak and frail… Right, when we measured grip strength during high school PE class, I was the weakest in the class.
After receiving treatment and going to the gym, I guess I’ve gotten a bit stronger now.
Seol Yuhui just smiled contentedly as she loosened Jin Doyul’s muscles.
“Thank… you, Yu Hee noona…”
Fortunately, in about 5 minutes, Jin Doyul was able to move his arm quite comfortably.
This should be enough.
Seol Yuhui actively suggested they do the ensemble again.
“You can play it, right?”
“Of course! I made time today, so let’s somehow make it work!”
With that, the three of them went to their respective positions and began playing.
“….”
“Hmm, shall we try it one more time?”
Third attempt.
“Why isn’t this working out….”
Fourth attempt.
“I was half-joking earlier, but this is really a crisis. We should have practiced together much earlier.”
Kwon Nayoung said anxiously.
Jin Doyul’s shoulder crisis had been overcome, but the lack of harmony wouldn’t change just by playing a few more times.
“I should have practiced more.”
“No, oppa. We got our strategy completely wrong. Except for me, Doyul oppa and Yu Hee unni don’t make mistakes, but we’re all not good enough to sync up just from individual practice… Ugh! From now on, let’s focus on playing together rather than individual practice.”
Kwon Nayoung diagnosed the situation and.
“How about practicing together every day for the next two weeks? We could come at 8 o’clock and practice together for 40 or 50 minutes before the 9 o’clock class. Everyone’s busy studying in the afternoon anyway.”
She presented a solution.
It seemed like a good idea, so Seol Yuhui nodded.
‘I thought if I just got better since I was the worst, that would be enough, but that wasn’t the case.’
To think it could be this strange even when everyone worked hard.
Seol Yuhui, who was trying an instrument for the first time, learned this for the first time.
“One hour won’t do. Let’s meet at 5 o’clock.”
However, Jin Doyul made a serious face and moved it up by three hours.
“5 o’clock…?
Kwon Nayoung’s pupils shook like an earthquake.
“You want to go that far?”
She looked at Seol Yuhui in surprise.
“I’m fine with it, but Nayoung, you take the subway, right? Is there a first train at 4 o’clock?”
“You want me to take the first train? …Unni worked really hard too, didn’t you?”
“We’re in charge of the opening stage, so we have to work hard. My family and the clinic staff are coming too.”
I practiced until my arms hurt, so I didn’t want to show a poor performance.
I also wanted to show my parents, who gladly bought me the haegeum, a wonderful performance.
Since Doctor Han and my workplace junior Gong Nari were also coming, I felt even more ambitious.
“Ah, I’m just saying that’s what I want. Doyul and Nayoung, do what’s comfortable for you. I’m probably the most lacking in fundamentals anyway. Is 5 o’clock too much?”
That said, I didn’t intend to burden Kwon Nayoung.
Actually, although she makes one or two mistakes, she has the fundamentals so her sound itself is the smoothest.
“No. We worked incredibly hard, so we need to show a perfect stage.”
However, Jin Doyul showed even more tremendous determination than Seol Yuhui.
“Is your father coming too, Doyul?”
“Father is coming, but that’s not what’s important.”
It’s not?
I waited for his next words, but Jin Doyul hesitated for a long time.
‘Is he embarrassed that his dad is coming when he’s over twenty? Mine is coming too….’
And with his face turning red, he finally opened his mouth.
“Actually… I was going to tell you anyway. I want to perform perfectly and confess on stage. Could you possibly help me?
“Eh?”
“Huh?”
Seol Yuhui blinked her eyes.
Confess? A love confession?
Kwon Nayoung was standing there dumbfounded with her mouth wide open.
Seol Yuhui’s reaction wasn’t much different.
What were we just talking about until now.
Uh, we were talking about increasing group practice because it was lacking, and that Jin Doyul also practiced individually too much….
Oh. So.
Not his father, but to show his confession target? Who?
Seol Yuhui was creaking like she was almost broken.
“It’s not… Yu Hee unni, is it?”
In the midst of this, Kwon Nayoung barely came to her senses and asked.
When Kwon Nayoung asked seriously, Jin Doyul jumped as if he had never thought of such a thing.
“I would never dare have such thoughts! I’ve never even thought about it once!”
Kwon Nayoung and Seol Yuhui simultaneously let out sighs of relief.
Right, he just asked for help, so it couldn’t be Seol Yuhui.
“Phew, that’s a relief. Older Sister is so popular that I was worried. It’s someone we don’t know, right? Have you ever told your brother that you have a romantic fantasy about public confessions?”
And Kwon Nayoung asked again.
Seol Yuhui also moved her lips, hoping that would be the case.
Perhaps there was a friend who had a romantic fantasy about being confessed to on stage, or after the performance ended.
If that were the case, it would be fine. Didn’t some student rap and then shout his love to his girlfriend at last year’s festival?
Jin Doyul’s face turned red again.
“Actually, I’m going to confess to Jimin.”
But very unfortunately, Jin Doyul’s unrequited love interest was someone both Kwon Nayoung and Seol Yuhui knew.
‘Is there something… between Jimin and Doyul? I thought I was closest to Jimin though?’
Seol Yuhui was particularly weak when it came to this kind of thing.
Perhaps there was something she didn’t know about.
“No way!!!!!”
But before Seol Yuhui could finish her thoughts.
Kwon Nayoung grabbed her hair.
“Absolutely not!!!!”
It was like seeing a déjà vu of a few days ago, when Doctor Han desperately tried to dissuade Seol Yuhui from learning Taekkyeon.
“Hey, you crazy! If you do that to the class president, who’s going to make announcements now!”
…They were already pressed for time trying to improve their skills through practice.
To even try to stop Jin Doyul would require plenty of time.
“Let’s meet at 5 o’clock. …I won’t stop the confession, but we need another method.”
Seol Yuhui spoke very solemnly.
Kwon Nayoung also nodded vigorously.
“Oh, are you going to help me?”
“Aaaah! What should we do with this guy?”
And so they ended up having instrument practice and meetings almost like a training camp every day.
For Yang Jimin’s sake and for Jin Doyul’s future, they had to prevent the public confession at all costs.
* * *
Seeing Seol Yuhui enjoying school so much made me feel very proud.
“A performance club, that’s totally youth!”
It was strange hearing this from Gong Nari, who was younger than Seol Yuhui, but I felt the same way.
“Right, right.”
Shouldn’t a truly enjoyable college life have events like this?
Pouring passion into club activities during your youth.
Confronting rivals and then realizing each other’s true feelings and building friendship.
Getting rid of bad professors who bully and discriminate against students.
Student councils with royal-level power… ah, except for the last one.
“Traditional Korean music~ That’s really cool! Yu Hee holding a haegeum with her saint-like atmosphere, wow… the gap is so appealing!”
Yang Jimin said she wasn’t very interested since she had done so many club activities in high school, but she praised Seol Yuhui’s traditional Korean music club as particularly cool.
Was she admiring traditional Korean music, or admiring Seol Yuhui?
“Clinic Director, I’m going to sit with my classmates, so I’ll go now!”
“Oh, of course. See you at the clinic tomorrow.”
Anyway, music and sports are definitely youth events.
Gong Nari and I saw Yang Jimin off and found suitable seats.
“Yu Hee will do really well, right?”
“I’m sure she will? She’s secretly good at everything.”
Since it was a performance Seol Yuhui had poured so much passion into, I was looking forward to seeing how magnificently she would perform.
Ensemble practice every morning, and individual practice again at night. Wasn’t it just like when she practiced martial arts?
Even if it wasn’t an extreme yin martial art, sound techniques would suit her well. They share the same character for “sound” too.
“Oh, Doctor Han came too?”
“It’s been a while, we’re all meeting here.”
I occasionally saw familiar faces, as students from the volunteer club we had done volunteer work with last time had also come.
Unlike my alma mater, the school itself was small so there wasn’t much of a crowd, so I went to greet them.
And soon.
The event finally began.
“Let’s meet Sohyang, the traditional Korean music club of the College of Korean Medicine.”
As I had heard from Seol Yuhui, Sohyang’s first stage was opened by three second-year pre-med students including Seol Yuhui.
“Wow!”
Gong Nari unconsciously let out an exclamation.
Even though it was what I had expected, I was quite surprised too.
“If this gets uploaded to YouTube, it would be a total hit, wouldn’t it?”
Seol Yuhui, dressed in hanbok, entered the stage holding a haegeum.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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