TOMDB 06

Chapter: 06

“Then I guess it’s time to settle this once and for all.”

Smiling faintly, I leaned slightly toward Jeong Rabit.

“You were diagnosed with chondromalacia patellae, weren’t you? Am I right?”

Chondromalacia patellae.

It is a condition in which the cartilage beneath the kneecap becomes damaged, causing pain in the front of the knee.

It can also produce grinding or crackling sounds in the knee.

The pain is especially noticeable when climbing stairs or standing up after sitting for a long time.

“My goodness…! Director, how on earth did you know? I’ve been suffering from that for years.”

Jeong Rabit’s eyes widened in surprise, her rabbit ears standing even straighter.

I uncrossed my arms and explained confidently.

“I saw it in one of your vlogs. When you attended that movie premiere, all the other members stood up immediately after the film ended, but you were the last one to get up.”

“Huh? Was I? But… what does that have to do with anything?”

“That’s called the Moviegoer’s Sign. The name comes from the knee pain people experience when standing up after sitting through a movie.”

I lightly tapped the front of my own knee with my palm as I continued.

“When your knees stay bent for a long time, the kneecap presses firmly against the groove in your thigh bone. If the cartilage has weakened, that pressure and friction cause pain.”

Rabit’s eyes grew even wider.

“You figured it out just from that…? That’s amazing. You’re right. I really do have that condition. I’ve taken anti-inflammatory painkillers, cartilage supplements, and even had joint injections, but the pain always came back.”

She lowered her head for a moment before quietly adding,

“And I even went to Ohhwi Oriental Medicine Hospital… but I couldn’t really tell if it helped.”

“…Ah.”

I pressed my lips together.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing. I just happen to have a classmate working there. More importantly… I think I know why none of your previous treatments worked.”

The manager sighed and waved his hand dismissively.

“Oh, come on, Director. If you’re going to tell her to dance less or take a break, I’m sorry, but that’s completely unrealistic. She’s an idol. How is she supposed to stop dancing and rest?”

I shook my head.

“No. Before anything else, the first thing I’d tell her is to eat properly.”

“…What? Eat? Eat what?”

The manager stared at me as though I had lost my mind.

I met his gaze without hesitation.

“Manager, do you know what kind of people usually develop this condition?”

“…No.”

“Women in their teens to thirties. It’s especially common among young women who undergo strict weight control.”

“…!”

“When the quadriceps muscles become weak because of excessive dieting, they can no longer stabilize the kneecap properly. That increases the pressure on the joint.”

Leaving the speechless manager behind, I turned back to Rabit and spoke gently.

“Even if you’re dieting, getting enough protein is absolutely essential. Your condition isn’t simply an ‘idol’s occupational disease.’ Malnutrition has caused both chondromalacia patellae and muscle atrophy.”

“…Ah!”

“Starving yourself is what made you sick. You have to eat if you want to recover.”

The moment those words left my mouth, Rabit’s eyes trembled.

Then—

“Hic… sniff…”

She suddenly burst into tears.

A rosy blush spread across her pale cheeks as large teardrops rolled down from her eyes.

I blinked in confusion.

Wait… Did I say something wrong?

It had been a long time since Jeong Rabit first started feeling pain in her knees.

Walking hurt.

Climbing stairs hurt even more.

Jumping or kneeling during performances was downright agonizing.

But…

She could never let the fans notice.

If I mess up again, they might decide I’m useless and throw me away.

That fear constantly weighed on her heart.

She had already come dangerously close to being eliminated once during the trainee evaluations before debut.

She still remembered that day vividly.

“Jeong Rabit! You ruined the whole performance! That stage was incredibly important for deciding the debut lineup!”

“I-I’m sorry… I’m so, so sorry…”

Like most rabbit beastfolk, she was naturally timid and easily shaken by even the smallest mistakes.

That was the moment those traits had shown themselves most clearly.

She had frozen from nervousness during an important evaluation performance, missed part of the choreography, and ended up dragging down the rest of her team.

Since we’re born as divine beastfolk, each of us has been given talents to make the world shine brighter.

In the past, rabbit beastfolk had used their agility as messengers and scouts on the battlefield.

In modern times, many of them shone through dance and the performing arts instead.

I can’t make mistakes. I have to be better than everyone else. I have to show only my best.

Little by little, Rabit drove herself to increasingly unhealthy extremes.

Strict weight control was one of them.

“Rabit, haven’t you been snacking a little too much lately?”

“I’m sorry…”

“The camera makes you look heavier than you really are, so you need to lose more weight. Besides, if you weigh too much, your body gets heavier when you dance, and it’s bad for your knees too. While you’re an idol, you need to pretend things like that don’t even exist.”

Every week she stepped onto the scale only to be scolded.

Even the birthday cake she had received as a gift had been thrown straight into the trash in front of her.

After that, she gave up sweet treats.

She gave up relaxing weekends.

Every day was spent inside the practice room.

Thanks to that, I became Lunar’s main dancer… but my knees only kept getting worse.

And then today…

The oriental medicine doctor named Go Yeonhee had said to her,

“This illness happened because you haven’t been eating enough. Eat well and get some rest. Stop pushing yourself so hard.”

Those simple words caused something deep inside Rabit’s heart to collapse all at once.

The treatment room at Baekmyodang Korean Medicine Clinic.

Yeonhee drew the curtains around the treatment bed before calmly explaining.

“All right. I’m going to insert acupuncture needles into the acupoints around your kneecap—points like Dubi, Yanggu, Hyeolhae, and Zusanli. The goal is to strengthen the muscles and improve circulation in your knee. I’ll also give you pharmacopuncture with anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving medicine.”

Making sure the manager couldn’t overhear, Yeonhee lowered her voice and winked at Rabit.

“And while I’m doing the acupuncture, I’ll pour lots of spiritual energy into you! You’ll definitely feel much better for a while. But promise me one thing—eat properly and do strength training.”

Still holding back tears, Rabit let out a small laugh.

Then, as the first needle entered…

The Myoan Stone hanging around Yeonhee’s neck emitted a warm glow.

Shhh—

Golden ripples spread around Rabit’s knee.

As more needles were inserted one after another, rings of golden light gradually formed around the joint.

At the same time, the constant pain that had tormented her for so long slowly melted away.

Like thin ice dissolving beneath warm sunlight.

Ah…

The fatigue that had always weighed down her leg muscles seemed to disappear, replaced by a comforting warmth.

For the first time in ages, she let out a relaxed breath.

I can’t believe something like this is actually possible.

Smiling with her soft, rabbit-like cheeks puffed slightly,

Rabit experienced genuine peace of mind for the first time in a very long while.

After finishing the acupuncture treatment, I examined my patient’s spiritual energy.

Around Jeong Rabit’s knees, the faint golden aura that had been flowing weakly had begun circulating vigorously once again.

And this time, I’m not even that exhausted after finishing all the needles?

Just as Baek Eunho had said, the more treatment experience I accumulated, the more naturally I seemed to be able to control spiritual energy.

That was a huge relief.

Passing out after treating a single patient would be a serious problem.

As I quietly savored the thought—

“My knee feels so comfortable.”

Rabit opened her eyes and smiled softly.

“Thank you, Director. And… you’re the first person who’s ever said something like that to me. That I should eat well… because that’s how I’ll get better.”

Her large eyes, still damp with tears, sparkled as she smiled.

“Maybe… I’ve been more exhausted than I realized.”

Seeing that smile made my chest tighten with emotion.

Watching a patient smile because they genuinely felt better was always one of the greatest rewards.

At the same time, I found myself thinking of my mother out of habit.

Ah… Mom always used to say the same thing. The best doctor treats not only the patient’s body, but also their heart.

But…

Having such an adorable and beautiful idol smiling at me like this…

I suddenly felt like my heart was under attack.

Wait… did my heart just skip a beat?

Is this what people call falling into a fandom?

As I was seriously wondering that, Rabit suddenly tilted her head.

“Director… have we met before?”

“Huh?”

“You just seem strangely familiar.”

I couldn’t help laughing.

“Hehe… Is this your way of flirting? Getting that line from someone as pretty as you is surprisingly flattering.”

“E-Eh?! No! I mean it…”

Her face turned bright red as she frantically waved her hands.

Then—

“…!!”

Suddenly my heart lurched.

Darkness swallowed my vision, and an eerie sensation washed over me, as if the entire treatment room had been turned upside down.

In an instant, the bright, warm atmosphere of Baekmyodang disappeared.

A cold wind greeted me instead.

Along with an unfamiliar landscape.

Whooooosh—

The sound of rain filled my ears.

A dark sky.

A narrow path soaked with water.

I held my breath.

What is this? An illusion?

As I looked around, I spotted Jeong Rabit.

Her wet hair clung to her cheeks as she stood unsteadily near the foot of a mountain.

With frightened eyes, she stared toward the trees in the distance.

“…”

There…

A woman dressed in ragged clothes sat collapsed on the ground.

Her garments hung heavily, drenched with mud and rain.

Her eyes were dim.

Yet somehow…

They still carried a remarkably gentle and warm light.

Squirm…

A sticky black aura swirled around her.

A mass of foul energy that writhed as though it were alive.

Even so, the woman appeared to be using every last ounce of strength she had to endure something.

Then, in that vision—

Cat ears appeared atop the woman’s head.

A faint cat tail extended behind her waist.

“…Gasp!”

I sucked in a sharp breath and opened my eyes wide.

The vision scattered like mist, and the familiar treatment room of Baekmyodang returned before me.

Cold sweat streamed down my back.

Jeong Rabit stared at me with alarm.

“Director Go…! Are you all right?”

With trembling hands, I tightly gripped the Myoan Stone hanging around my neck.

There was no doubt.

What I had just witnessed was not a simple hallucination.

It was one of Jeong Rabit’s memories.

And the woman inside that memory…

Mom.

The woman who had given me this necklace before quietly disappearing without a trace.

The woman who had later been found as a cold, lifeless corpse.