A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 208

At the same time, in the neurosurgery resident room.

Kyung-soo, who was entering orders at his desk, stretched and yawned, trying to shake off the drowsiness.

The throbbing in his head helped a little.

Today was a surprisingly relaxed day.

The surgery schedule was light, there were hardly any emergency room calls, and the ward was quiet.

If every day were like today, being a neurosurgery resident would be manageable.

‘So, Jun-hoo was the culprit after all,’ Kyung-soo thought, chuckling to himself.

Whenever Jun-hoo had a day off, his shift became miraculously easier.

It could only mean one thing: Jun-hoo was the real jinx, not him.

Drrr-

The door to the resident room opened, and Min-kyung walked in. She sat down next to Kyung-soo, sipping from a carton.

“What’s that you’re drinking? It looks good.”

“Morning Sunshine.”

“Senior… you drink that stuff?”

“What’s wrong with Morning Sunshine? It’s sweet and savory, and tastes great.”

Min-kyung tilted her head, clearly not understanding. Morning Sunshine was a rice-based drink, and Kyung-soo considered it little more than sugary rice water.

“I respect your taste.”

“What kind of drink do you like, then?”

“Col-Max.”

Col-Max was Kyung-soo’s favorite barley drink.

“Ew. That weird barley-flavored stuff? How can you like Col-Max and hate Morning Sunshine? You’re hopeless, Kyung-soo.”

“Col-Max is a hundred times better than Morning Sunshine. It’s unique.”

“How can you say that? A million Morning Sunshine lovers would disagree.”

Kyung-soo chuckled at Min-kyung’s joke.

He hadn’t always liked Min-kyung. She often talked about trivial and pointless things during work.

He’d tried to keep his distance, but recently his feelings had been changing.

After opening up to Jun-hoo, he found himself opening up to other colleagues as well.

He realized that the personality traits he disliked in Min-kyung were actually her strengths.

He also realized that her frequent conversations were a sign of affection for her junior colleague.

And that wasn’t all. Min-kyung was undoubtedly the mood-maker of the neurosurgery department.

“Our Kyung-soo can smile! Why haven’t you smiled like that before?”

“I don’t know.”

“Anyway, I’m jealous of Jun-hoo. A date with his girlfriend on his day off! I wonder when I’ll ever go on a date…”

Min-kyung envied Jun-hoo as she spoke.

“Aren’t you jealous of Jun-hoo?”

“Not really. I don’t like emotional exhaustion.”

“She’s making scary remarks again. Why is dating emotionally exhausting? It’s about sharing emotions.”

“I don’t like worrying about other people,” Kyung-soo said bluntly.

The closer you get to someone, the more your boundaries blur.

And when those boundaries blur, the other person crosses them frequently, which Kyung-soo didn’t like.

It shook his composure.

“That’s the fun of dating. You probably don’t have much dating experience?”

“No, not much. It’s more accurate to say I don’t do it rather than I can’t. What about you, Senior? Have you dated a lot?”

“You’re poking at my sore spots.”

“You poked first.”

“Hmm… I poke around here and there, but I don’t get much out of it,” Min-kyung said, frowning.

“If you count it all, maybe 5 wins, 1 draw, and 3 losses?”

“What’s the 1 draw?”

“I haven’t confessed yet.”

Min-kyung was open about her past and emotions, the opposite of Kyung-soo’s personality. He was sometimes envious of her.

As they were chatting about dating, Si-hoo, a third-year resident, entered the room. He was whistling cheerfully, as if something good had happened.

“Senior, is something good going on?” Min-kyung asked.

“The weather is nice, the surgery went well. Everything is good.”

“I’m feeling down.”

“Why?”

“Jun-hoo dared to enjoy a date on his day off, surpassing me, his senior. Isn’t that insubordination?”

Min-kyung complained, and Si-hoo listened. Kyung-soo was staring intently at Si-hoo.

Si-hoo, known as the angel of the ward and a former ace, didn’t appeal to Kyung-soo.

Kyung-soo, who liked to analyze things, sensed something dangerous about him, a sinister and eerie feeling that was hard to describe.

If I know about it, Jun-hoo must know about it too, right? I should talk to him about Si-hoo later.

Bbrrr-

The ward phone rang, breaking his train of thought. Kyung-soo, who was closest, answered it.

“Yes, this is neurosurgery.”

–

“Just a moment. I’ll check and go down.”

Kyung-soo entered the patient’s number from the emergency medicine doctor into the computer and scanned the chart and test results.

An emergency room call after a long time.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jun-hoo was on his way to a live-fire shooting range in Mok-dong.

“Why are we here?” Ah-young asked, puzzled as she saw the building.

“This is also a date.”

“Shooting guns seems a little scary…”

“It’s nothing. All the safety devices are in place, and you’ll get used to it.”

“Okay. I’ll give it a try.”

The two entered the building and prepared for live-fire shooting. They chose their guns and paid the fees.

They received safety training from the staff and put on goggles, bulletproof vests, and earmuffs.

Jun-hoo, in the first lane, fiddled with the gun secured with a safety strap.

He’d chosen a .357 revolver magnum.

It was a handgun he would never have had the chance to touch if it weren’t for the shooting range.

He came purely out of curiosity. There was something he wanted to confirm: the result of Gun VS Martial Arts.

Could he, who had reached the Harmonious Realm [a high level of mastery] in the world of martial arts, withstand a gun, the pinnacle of modern personal firearms?

Before shooting, Jun-hoo circulated his internal energy throughout his body, focusing it around his eyes.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

“Then take a deep breath and fire at the target. It’s safe, so don’t worry.”

Jun-hoo nodded. He took a shooting stance and stared at the target.

Bang!

The bullet fired as he pulled the trigger. The recoil was strong, but Jun-hoo’s body didn’t tremble, thanks to absorbing it by balancing his center of gravity with the Thousand Weights Drop technique [a martial arts technique for stability].

I can see the bullet using my Eye Technique [a martial arts skill that enhances vision].

I can avoid it easily at this rate?

The moment he fired, Jun-hoo realized that, at least to him, a gun wasn’t a threatening weapon.

Once he could see the bullet, avoiding it wasn’t a problem. He could simply evade it with his quick footwork.

If he were to go to a conflict zone for medical service, it seemed unlikely he would die from gunfire from guerrillas or government forces.

However, he couldn’t confirm the power of the bullet. He couldn’t ask someone to shoot him.

Let’s see.

The Body Protection Qi [internal energy used for defense] might be penetrated… but a sword containing Sword Qi [internal energy imbued in a sword] might be able to cut through the bullet.

Still, at this rate, I won’t get hurt or die from being caught in an accident.

Is this a sign from heaven to focus on treatment and healing?

After making his judgment, Jun-hoo focused on shooting, firing a total of 10 rounds without hesitation.

The barrel became hot. Jun-hoo put down the gun and talked to the safety officer because Ah-young’s shooting wasn’t over yet.

“You’re done. Your posture is amazing. You completely absorbed the recoil.”

The safety officer praised Jun-hoo.

“Are you perhaps from the Special Forces?”

“No. I haven’t even gone to the military yet.”

“Ah… I see.”

The safety officer looked at Jun-hoo with sympathetic eyes. It was a moment when the difference between those who had served and those who had to serve was clear.

“I’ll check the target. Your posture is good, so of course…”

The safety officer, checking the target, couldn’t finish his words and just blinked.

“W-What is this?”

“I shot it nicely to give my girlfriend a gift.”

“So… you intended this composition?”

“Yes, of course.”

Jun-hoo smiled and accepted the target. A heart was drawn near the center, precise and neat.

* * *

The date continued. After live-fire shooting, they went to a nearby glasses store.

Ah-young had been advised to wear glasses after an eye test during her morning checkup.

After another eye test, she chose her glasses. She hadn’t realized there were so many types, each changing her appearance. She hesitated for a long time.

“Which one do you think is better?”

She was weighing between square horn-rimmed glasses and round rimless glasses.

“I think the round rimless ones are better.”

“That’s unexpected. I thought you’d say anything would look good on me.”

“Of course, anything looks good on you, Ah-young. But I can still tell you my preference.”

“That’s a perfect answer.”

Ah-young smiled and chose the round rimless glasses. Since the prescription wasn’t strong, the glasses were quickly ready.

She put them on and walked the streets with Jun-hoo. She realized how many people wore glasses, especially young people.

She wondered if it was because of cell phones and computers, or if it was fashion.

“Are you feeling dizzy or lightheaded?”

“No, I’m okay.”

“The glasses suit you. You should have worn them sooner.”

Ah-young smiled shyly at his compliment, feeling a tingle in her chest. Every moment with Jun-hoo was sweet.

He probably didn’t know how much she had dreamed of these days.

“Jun-hoo, you have good eyesight, right?”

“Of course. I’m probably the person with the best eyesight in Korea, no, in the whole world?”

“What, are you showing off?”

“It’s true. Do you want me to prove it?”

“No need. And what’s the point of having good eyesight? You only need to look at me anyway.”

“The better your eyesight, the better. Because I have to see you in detail, Ah-young.”

Ah-young giggled at his teasing.

They arrived at the Namsan Cable Car boarding station. Despite it being a weekday afternoon, the line was long.

There were many students on vacation and foreign tourists.

The cable car was packed. But Ah-young liked it even more.

She stood by the window, and Jun-hoo stood closely behind her, as if to protect her. He felt reliable.

His hands lightly hugged her waist, and his breath tickled her neck.

They were looking at the same beautiful scenery.

Suddenly, Ah-young thought: I wish this sweet time would stop right here.