A competent doctor can cure everything

The day after Dong-soo was admitted.

I sat in the intern education room, tightly pursing my lips as I reviewed Dong-soo’s chart.

What exactly is the problem?

Even after staying up late last night researching related materials, I couldn’t think of a better solution than ‘Dojeok-san’ for ‘Simhwa Wangseong’.

‘Sigh.’

Without realizing it, I let out a deep sigh as I buried my head into the chart.

The outlook for the next week still didn’t seem promising.

Was the treatment plan correct, but the medicine simply needed more time to take effect?

Still, something didn’t sit right with me.

“In the professor’s case studies, improvement typically showed within a week.”

Whether the child began sleeping longer, woke up startled less frequently, or even if they woke up, they quickly fell back asleep—all were signs of improvement usually evident within a week.

Though it didn’t mean a complete cure within that time, there were at least signs of progress.

Honestly, I might have underestimated the difficulty of treating night terrors.

“Why’s he like that?”

“Yeah, it’s rare to see him so stressed out.”

With my head still on the desk, I could hear Wonil and Min-hwa whispering nearby.

Perfect timing.

I called them over and had them sit across from me.

“What would you do in this situation?”

After briefly explaining the situation to the puzzled pair, I waited for their input.

“…So, out of all the possible diagnoses, you ruled everything else out, leaving only one—but even that doesn’t seem effective, right?”

“In short, yes.”

As I nodded, Wonil seemed to grasp the situation and gave a knowing nod.

“Well, the answer is obvious.”

I expected him to look clueless or worried, but “obvious”?

Curious and a bit surprised, I leaned in to hear what he would say next.

“You must have made a mistake while ruling things out.”

With that, Wonil confidently raised his index finger, looking triumphant.

“Why? There’s that saying, ‘The truth is always one!’”

“….”

He was doing so well, but why suddenly quote an anime catchphrase?

I stared at him in disbelief, feeling deflated after having taken him so seriously.

‘But he’s not wrong.’

If you’re stuck on a path that seemed right, the solution is to go back and retrace your steps.

It’s a simple and straightforward approach, much like Wonil’s personality.

Just then, Min-hwa tapped my arm and offered his suggestion.

“Why don’t you stop stressing over it alone and ask the professor for advice, hyung?”

Hmm. Such an obvious suggestion, yet one I hadn’t considered.

Since I’d already gotten the professor’s approval, I didn’t think of consulting him again.

“You’re right. The professor is there.”

Adjusting my glasses, I muttered to myself.

After all, the professor’s assessment was based on the information I provided.

If the information was inaccurate, the professor’s judgment might also have been flawed.

“It’s almost lunchtime.”

Checking the clock, I stood up.

Maybe today I’ll have lunch with Professor So.

—

A little later, I found myself wandering through the hospital staff cafeteria.

In my hands was a warm tray of food I’d just received.

It didn’t take long to spot the person I was looking for.

“Professor, good afternoon.”

“Oh? Dr. Seon! What brings you here?”

Professor So was sitting alone in a corner of the cafeteria.

It looked like he had just sat down and was about to take his first bite.

But when I addressed him, he froze mid-motion, his mouth slightly open in surprise.

“May I join you?”

“Of course. Have a seat. What’s on your mind?”

Though curious, he quickly gestured to the seat across from him.

I pulled out the chair, sat down, and began to explain.

“What if Hwang Dong-soo doesn’t respond to ‘Dojeoksan’?”

“Why? Feeling unsure?”

“It’s not that the symptoms strongly pointed to ‘excess heart fire’… It’s just that I ruled out the other diagnoses and concluded it was ‘excess heart fire’, which keeps bothering me.”

As I confessed my concerns, Professor So crossed his arms and nodded thoughtfully.

“I get what you mean. Prescribing herbal medicine is tough. Even for me, it’s still challenging. There’s a reason they say herbal medicine is the crown jewel of Korean traditional medicine.”

Some practitioners even consider those skilled in prescribing herbal medicine to be superior to those specializing in acupuncture.

Personally, I find the debate about which is better a bit pointless.

“And on top of that, herbal medicine isn’t covered by insurance, so it’s expensive. If I prescribe incorrectly and it doesn’t work—or worse, causes side effects—it’s embarrassing to face the patient. That’s something every practitioner deals with.”

“That’s true.”

“So let’s assume it’s not ‘excess heart fire’. What’s the second most likely diagnosis in your opinion?”

“Hmm…”

Dong-soo didn’t have respiratory or gastrointestinal issues.

If that’s the case, the next likely diagnosis was ‘Guest fright’.

“I considered ‘guest fright’, but Dong-soo didn’t seem to have experienced any shocking events. Though, they did mention he had a severe case of the flu back in August.”

“A severe case of the flu in August?”

“Yes. They said he had a high fever for several days before recovering.”

At that, the professor offered an unexpected perspective.

“‘Shocking events’ don’t always have to be something typical like a car accident or transferring schools. Clinical cases often stray from textbook definitions. That’s why hands-on experience is essential.”

“…!”

He was right. Something that seems trivial to an adult might be deeply impactful for a child.

Realizing this gave me a sudden sense of clarity, along with a slight jolt of surprise.

“I’ll investigate the situation around when he had the flu in more detail.”

“That sounds like a good idea. Do a thorough re-interview and let me know what you find. You’re doing great, Dr. Seon.”

“?”

The professor smiled at me with a look of satisfaction, his expression filled with approval.

“When something seems wrong, quickly correcting it is a skill in itself. There are plenty of cases where people get so absorbed in their own ideas that they twist various pieces of evidence to rationalize their conclusions. Considering that you don’t have any prior experience in pediatrics, I find this even more impressive.”

“Ah…”

“In my opinion, it’s more remarkable to acknowledge the possibility of being wrong and adjust course quickly than to aim for a perfect diagnosis right off the bat. The latter shows greater potential for growth.”

Professor So’s words made me reflect deeply.

‘True… I did wonder if the only issue was not giving the medicine enough time to work.’

Admitting one’s mistakes is never easy.

Just then, a broad-shouldered silhouette caught my eye.

“Oh~, isn’t this Dr. Seon-Joon! Dining with Professor So, I see? Mind if I join you?”

Approaching us with a hearty laugh was Professor Yeon Jae-wook from Rehabilitation Medicine.

Was it Professor Yeon’s booming voice that drew attention?

Soon, other professors began gathering around.

“What’s this gathering about? Looks interesting, hoho.”

“Hmm. It’s you.”

“Well, well, who do we have here? It’s been a while, Dr. Seon.”

Professor Kim Jeong-ho from Acupuncture and Pain Management, Professor Go Yo-han from Gastroenterology, and Professor Bu Yeo-jung from Obstetrics and Gynecology joined as well.

“…!!”

Before I knew it, I was surrounded by a circle of professors.

The residents nearby looked at me with pity in their eyes.

“I keep hearing good things about you.”

“So, have you decided on a specialty?”

“How about Obstetrics? Or perhaps… my daughter?”

The barrage of questions from the professors left me dazed.

I half-expected subtitles to appear below them, reading, ‘Vote for Your Favorite Professor!’

‘Never sitting next to a professor in the cafeteria again.’

That’s how I ended up spending the meal without even knowing if I was eating through my mouth or nose.

* * *

After lunch, I headed to Dong-soo’s hospital room.

After finishing their meal, Dong-soo’s family was drawing pictures on a piece of paper with crayons.

They were always such a close-knit family.

“Ah, the sun is so nice today. If this weather continues, the harvest will be plentiful.”

Dong-soo’s father stood up quickly to greet me as the warm yellow sunlight streamed through the hospital window.

“It seems like you’re enjoying your farming life.”

“Yes, when I first decided to move to the countryside, everyone around me thought I was crazy, but now I love it.”

“Isn’t farming hard work?”

“It’s fun, but it’s difficult. Especially balancing everything. It’s a problem if you don’t water enough, but if you water too much, the crops’ roots start to rot.”

Dong-soo’s father, who had been speaking excitedly as if explaining an interesting game, suddenly came to his senses.

“Ah! But what brings you here?”

“There’s something I’d like to ask.”

I asked him in detail about the time when Dong-soo was sick in August.

“Oh, that time? It wasn’t anything major, just a simple flu…”

“Now that you mention it, Dong-soo hardly ever had such a high fever. He must have been really shocked.”

At that moment, Dong-soo, who had been coloring by himself, suddenly approached and rubbed his face against his mother’s arm.

Then he pointed to the beautifully sliced apples on the plate.

“Mom! Feed me this.”

“What? Dong-soo is already in elementary school.”

Even though she said that, Dong-soo’s mother picked up a fork and fed him the apple.

Seeing this, Dong-soo’s father awkwardly added,

“Since then, I think he’s become a bit more clingy.”

“The elderly in the neighborhood spoil him so much, so he’s always been affectionate.”

“He’s an only child, so we tend to spoil him.”

‘……!’

I could feel my mind starting to work.

I looked at Dong-soo, who was happily munching on the apple.

“Does Dong-soo have any time when he’s alone during the day?”

“Almost never. There aren’t any academies in the countryside. Since the houses of his friends are quite far away, he’s always with us except when he’s at school.”

“Hmm… Dong-soo’s parents, I suspect that the cause of Dong-soo’s night terrors could be something.”

“Pardon? What is it?”

I explained to the surprised parents.

“The cause of his night terrors could be ‘separation anxiety.’”

“Separation anxiety? But Dong-soo isn’t a baby anymore.”

“Separation anxiety tends to occur around the time of entering elementary school, at the age of 7 or 8.”

“Still… doesn’t ‘separation anxiety disorder’ mean that the child refuses to be separated from their mother and throws tantrums? Dong-soo goes to school without any problem.”

“It’s not severe enough to be considered a ‘disorder’ yet, but the anxiety may be causing his night terrors.”

Some degree of separation anxiety is a normal phenomenon often seen in children.

However, when the level of anxiety becomes so severe that it threatens daily life, it is termed as ‘separation anxiety disorder.’

“Do you know what the family atmosphere is like in children with separation anxiety disorder?”

“Hmm…?”

“In general, family members are overly close-knit, and there’s a tendency to overprotect the child. As a result, the child becomes dependent and tends to excessively crave their parents’ love.”

Dong-soo’s parents looked as if they had been struck on the head with a hammer.

“Goodness. We’ve been overprotecting him. We just thought he was affectionate.”

“We didn’t know because we don’t have any other families to compare to…”

“It’s all about balance. If you give too much water, the roots rot.”

As I repeated his own words, Dong-soo’s father’s eyes widened in realization.

Dong-soo’s mom rested her chin on her hand and frowned.

“But why did his night terrors suddenly appear? We’ve been treating him the same way all along.”

“In Dong-soo’s case, I believe that the high fever he suffered from could have triggered the onset of the symptoms.”

Separation anxiety usually develops gradually, but external events can also act as triggers for its onset, such as the death of someone close, the birth of a sibling, a severe argument between parents, transferring schools, or hospitalization.

“That event likely triggered a condition known as ‘sim-dam-heo-geup’ in traditional Korean medicine. ‘Sim-dam-heo-geup’ refers to symptoms such as a racing heart, anxiety, and being easily startled. After a significant event, a child becomes more fearful and develops anxiety.”

“So what should we do?”

“I plan to adjust the herbal prescription to address this condition.”

The prescription that immediately came to mind was ‘In-sook-san’.

Traditional Korean medical texts state that ‘In-sook-san’ is used to treat symptoms where a person is too scared to lie alone.

“It’s used not only for children who are afraid to sleep alone, but also for adults suffering from depression or insomnia.”

The main ingredient in ‘In-sook-san’ is ‘baek-ja-in’, a mild herbal remedy that calms the mind and relieves the symptoms of ‘sim-dam-heo-geup’.

“And I have an assignment for both Dong-soo and his parents.”

Dong-soo’s parents simultaneously exclaimed,

“Excuse me? An assignment?”