"How did that happen, you ask?"
Well, the truth was that last night I'd somehow ended up in a world straight out of a martial arts novel and become the disciple of a master known as the Supreme Poison and Medicine Sovereign.
But there was no way I could tell anyone that.
"I gained experience treating all kinds of patients there—"
Yeah, no. That wasn't exactly something I could explain.
"You could've done it too. I just used the basic digestive-system acupuncture points we learned in school."
The only option I had was to play dumb.
"But the pulse!"
Of course, they weren't going to let it go that easily.
The truth was that by the time most students graduated from Korean medicine school, very few could make diagnoses based solely on pulse reading. Even in actual practice, most doctors relied far more on interviews and symptoms; pulse diagnosis was usually just a reference.
Originally, I hadn't been particularly skilled at pulse diagnosis either.
"My roommate gets indigestion all the time. After checking her pulse a few times, I kind of learned what indigestion feels like."
"So you didn't study it separately?"
"When would I have had the time? We were together all day."
I exaggerated a shrug.
She looked half-convinced, half-suspicious.
"And her complexion was exactly like my roommate's whenever she got indigestion. I've treated it a few times before too."
Whether she believed me or not didn't really matter.
"Ah, over there."
Fortunately, someone was approaching, giving me the perfect excuse to change the subject.
Seo-young followed my gaze.
It was the young flight attendant who had been running around earlier.
"That was truly amazing. Thank you for helping us."
Unlike before, she now wore a perfectly professional smile and bowed politely.
The same woman who had looked genuinely worried about Kim Young-ho moments ago was now carrying a bottle of wine.
"This is just a small token of our appreciation. Please enjoy it before we arrive in Incheon."
"Uh... from the doctor?"
She laughed softly as though I'd told a joke.
"The first officer wanted to send it. We almost turned the plane around over something that ended up being relatively minor. You have no idea how relieved we all are."
"Ah."
That made sense.
"Wow! Thank you!"
Seo-young, sitting by the aisle, immediately accepted the wine.
"We gratefully accept."
I didn't bother refusing either.
Compared to the enormous losses a return flight would have caused, a bottle of wine was hardly excessive.
Clink.
Seo-young and I tapped our glasses together.
Maybe it was because I was drinking wine aboard a modern airplane after twenty years away from civilization.
Or maybe it was because it had been given as thanks for helping someone.
Either way, it tasted exceptionally sweet.
Several hours later, the plane landed safely at Incheon Airport.
After a brief incident where Kim Young-ho bowed repeatedly while we were collecting luggage, I immediately grabbed a taxi.
"Yes! Home!"
South Korea.
The country I'd dreamed about.
The moment I arrived at my dormitory, I ordered fried chicken.
I'll check my bank account tomorrow!
For now, I stuffed myself with every food I'd missed.
Then I turned on my computer.
The internet was still as vast and wonderful as I remembered.
My room, with proper heating and insulation, felt like heaven.
I ate.
I slept.
I played games.
Then one day I came to my senses and realized...
A whole week had passed.
Wait.
Why am I sitting in a classroom?
Fourth year, second semester.
The opening lecture of the new semester had begun.
"Did everyone study hard for the national licensing exam during vacation?"
The professor asked the moment he entered.
Vacation had just ended, and he was already talking about exams.
Typical professor behavior.
National exam preparation?
Of course I had—
"I've prepared a small test to assess your current level and remind you all to stay alert."
"BOOOOO!"
...forgotten everything.
Twenty years.
A full twenty years.
Wouldn't it be stranger if I remembered all that material?
The fact that I could still read and write Korean perfectly was already proof of how incredibly smart I was!
"Before that, though. Han Yeo-won, please stand."
While I was busy booing along with everyone else, the professor suddenly called my name.
"...Yes?"
Please don't let this be a surprise question.
I'd experienced all sorts of life-threatening situations recently, yet being called on in class still made my heart pound.
"As many of you know, Han Yeo-won and Hwang Seo-young completed their clinical training at a Traditional Chinese Medicine university this summer. During their return flight, however, there was a medical emergency."
"Huh? It wasn't really an emergency..."
"I heard she used remarkable judgment to diagnose and treat a passenger suffering from acute indigestion. We can't possibly start the semester without hearing about that."
"YEAHHHH!"
The students who desperately wanted to delay the exam cheered enthusiastically.
I whipped my head toward Seo-young.
She was the only witness.
How had the professor heard about it?
I shot her a resentful look.
She merely winked.
And so I was dragged to the front of the classroom and forced to explain the diagnosis and treatment process.
"Hmm. What would you have done if the pulse hadn't been so clear? Rectus abdominis tension can appear in myocardial infarction as well."
"Even then, I thought it was worth attempting treatment."
The professor and a handful of students listened with genuine interest.
Most of the class, meanwhile, flipped through textbooks while pretending to pay attention.
Given the impending exam, that was hardly surprising.
Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap.
The moment I finished, someone started applauding.
It was a male classmate I'd never gotten along with.
Soon the rest of the class joined in with half-hearted claps.
"...Thank you."
An overwhelming wave of embarrassment crashed over me.
I rubbed my forehead and bowed.
"We'll take a short break and then begin the test."
The professor left the room.
Instantly dozens of textbooks opened at once.
Everyone started frantically reviewing last semester's notes.
Since I couldn't even remember which subject this professor taught, I abandoned all hope and headed outside.
"Ugh. A test on the first day?"
"Still, thanks to you we got an extra hour. Word is Herbal Medicine is supposed to be brutal."
Seo-young walked over.
Ah.
So it was Herbal Medicine and Formula Science.
The subject dealing with medicinal herbs, their properties, and prescription formulation.
You had time to spread stories about the airplane incident, but not enough time to tell me that?
If I'd known there was a test, I would've studied instead of gaming for an entire week.
"Does this count toward our grade?"
I gulped down cold water.
My face still burned from humiliation.
"Of course it does."
Apparently someone else wanted to answer.
"Interesting. Even the ever-relaxed Han Yeo-won cares about grades."
It was the guy who'd started clapping.
"Why are you picking a fight the moment you see us, Oppa?"
Seo-young asked.
The moment she called him Oppa, another memory surfaced.
Jo Ha-neul. Age 31.
An older classmate.
He'd graduated from another university, completed military service, then retaken the entrance exam to enter Korean medicine school.
"Picking a fight? Not at all. I was deeply moved by your story. Honestly, you should graduate immediately."
He folded his arms.
Jo Ha-neul was always like this.
Constantly nitpicking.
I never understood why he disliked me so much.
Since he clearly hated me, I'd simply hated him back.
"Right. Sure."
"What if it had really been a heart attack? You're not even licensed. Were you trying to disgrace Korean medicine and the school?"
To be fair...
He wasn't entirely wrong.
I had sensed the stagnation in Kim Young-ho's digestive qi before taking his pulse.
Without that, I wouldn't have been nearly so confident.
"Oh, but I became a source of pride for the school."
Regardless, I answered with a grin.
"That's right," Seo-young added.
"Didn't you hear the professor praising her?"
Ha-neul glared at me with unmistakable jealousy.
Did he have feelings for Seo-young or something?
"...Treat one indigestion patient and suddenly you're a famous doctor?"
"Please refer to me as a divine physician."
I shrugged.
To my surprise, I found the whole thing amusing.
Now that I think about it, he's incredibly childish.
Honestly, it wasn't surprising we'd never gotten along.
Aside from competing for top grades and residency positions, we were complete opposites.
I'd entered university straight out of high school at twenty.
Jo Ha-neul was six years older than me and the oldest student in our class.
My hobby was staying in my room and playing games.
He was constantly socializing, organizing drinking parties, and even inviting professors out for expensive alcohol.
Oh, and while we'd always competed within the top three students academically, I'd worked myself to death for every grade.
This jerk, meanwhile, was naturally brilliant and maintained top scores while barely trying.
And most importantly—
Unlike me, who had neither money nor connections, Jo Ha-neul's father was a professor at another Korean medicine university.
His mother?
The head of the Sky Korean Medicine Clinic Network, named after her beloved eldest son.
The more I think about it, the more irritating he becomes.
"Finished talking? Then go study."
I tried ending the conversation.
But Ha-neul suddenly stepped closer.
Making sure Seo-young couldn't hear, he whispered:
"I'm worried some rootless nobody is going to drag the school's reputation through the mud."
Hmm.
Had comments like that really gotten under my skin before?
Probably.
Back then I wasn't good at trading barbs.
And deep down, I envied him.
He knew that perfectly well.
"Rootless?"
I deliberately raised my voice.
The old me might've clenched my fists and suffered in silence.
The current me wasn't interested in that.
"W-Well..."
He faltered.
Obviously he was referring to my parents.
But now?
It didn't affect me in the slightest.
Seeing me react differently actually threw him off.
"I mean... your social circle is narrow. Medicine is about understanding people, right? People are the foundation. That's what I meant."
The excuse was pathetic.
I narrowed my eyes.
"No one worries about my social life as much as you do, Oppa."
I nodded thoughtfully.
"After seeing the wider world overseas, I've come to realize people are more important than spending a few extra minutes studying."
Seo-young looked at us as though we'd both lost our minds.
"So does that mean you've given up on being valedictorian?"
Even while asking, Ha-neul draped an arm around my shoulder.
The provocation never stopped.
"Who knows?"
"At least you've finally learned your place."
Valedictorian.
Always valedictorian.
Before being dragged into the martial world, grades had been my greatest weakness.
Back then, tuition felt like an impossible burden.
The truth was simple.
My parents were effectively gone.
I graduated high school while living with relatives.
They hadn't mistreated me exactly...
But after twenty years, I had no desire to see them again.
Naturally, there was nobody to pay my tuition.
Pride. What a ridiculous thing.
Whenever people asked why I studied so hard, I hated admitting that I desperately needed scholarships.
So instead I claimed I wanted a residency at our university hospital after graduation.
It sounded convincing.
The affiliated Korean Medicine Hospital was the most competitive residency program in the country, and grades mattered immensely.
In truth, I had wanted that path.
At least back then.
There were three of us competing for the position.
Jo Ha-neul.
Myself.
And one other student.
And until now, he'd always been number one.
The frustration of those years returned vividly.
After bombing my fourth-year first-semester finals, I'd fallen to third place.
Tuition can be repaid eventually. And after everything I've experienced, does residency even matter anymore?
That was one thing.
But losing to him?
Absolutely not.
If I claimed I no longer cared, it would just sound like surrender.
"No chance."
I smiled.
"The grade gap is tiny. You think I can't make that up?"
If he wanted a challenge, I'd gladly accept.
The difference wasn't huge.
I just had to outperform him this semester.
I'd forgotten most of my coursework, sure.
But it was only September.
Graduation exams weren't until November.
Over two months remained.
This wasn't some martial arts tournament where I needed to become the strongest under heaven.
It was a written exam.
And stamina?
I could outlast anyone.
If necessary, I'd simply study sixteen hours a day.
"Oh? A declaration of war?"
Ha-neul's eyes widened.
He looked delighted.
As if he had been waiting for this.
"Confident, are we?"
"Of course."
The moment I answered, Jo Ha-neul sprinted back into the classroom.
"Hey! Everyone! Han Yeo-won and I—"
The students preparing for the test looked up in annoyance.
All attention shifted toward him.
Curiosity.
Irritation.
Interest.
Every gaze in the room landed on Jo Ha-neul.
Ting—
I flicked a coin into the classroom.
Ah. He's still unbelievably annoying.
What was that?
"Rootless"?
"Disgracing the school"?
Maybe it was time he experienced a little humiliation himself.
I might not be a peerless martial master.
But my teacher had taught me a thing or two about Tang Clan Coin Techniques.
And I happened to be very good at throwing coins.
