A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 440

Chapter 86: Bitter Cold (1)

Sangbeom stood before the bed, looking down at a man.

The man appeared to be fast asleep.

That man was none other than Yoo Kyung-wook.

It had been a full three weeks since they last met.

He was much thinner than Sangbeom remembered, but Kyung-wook was definitely alive.

It was an unexpected variable.

To look so well, even after a bullet had pierced his head.

And to regain consciousness in just a few days.

Sangbeom stared at Kyung-wook for a long time before lifting his head to look at the ceiling.

He had come here to do ‘that thing,’ but facing Kyung-wook made his heart waver.

If he went through with it, he would become a beast, not a human.

He would become a demon.

And once he changed, he would never be able to return to his original self.

Then…….

Wouldn’t it be better to stop now?

He still had a chance to undo his wrong.

Sangbeom pondered for a long time before staring at Kyung-wook again.

His eyes gleamed with murderous intent.

No, Kyung-wook had to die after all.

Only when Kyung-wook died could Sangbeom live.

Sangbeom placed the roll of paper on the table and took out a pair of black leather gloves from the inside pocket of his field jacket, putting them on.

Sangbeom’s steps quickened as he approached Kyung-wook.

His gaze fixed on the white, slender neck.

If he had been wearing a respirator [a device to monitor vital signs].

His guilt would have been lessened.

The chances of his crime being discovered would have been higher.

The thought flashed through his mind.

But it was a useless thought now.

The black hand reached for Kyung-wook’s neck, inch by inch.

The white neck and black gloves created a bizarre contrast.

Beeeeeep. Beeeeeep.

The mechanical sound of the patient monitoring device was as chilling as the background music of a horror movie.

If he strangled Kyung-wook to death.

The police would surely find out that Sangbeom had sneaked into the intensive care unit.

And they would suspect Sangbeom.

But Sangbeom couldn’t stop the crime.

Because if Kyung-wook woke up, he would be pointed out as the culprit of the shooting, not just suspected.

‘Farewell, Yoo Kyung-wook.’

But it was at that moment.

Shwaaaaaak!

“What are you doing right now?”

The left curtain among those drawn around the bed was pulled back.

A handsome, well-built young man in a doctor’s gown suddenly appeared.

It was the doctor he had run into earlier.

His name was Seo Jun-hoo, wasn’t it?

Jun-hoo was glaring at Kyung-wook with his arms crossed.

Sangbeom felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end at that look.

The back of his head throbbed.

And the back of his knees trembled.

Was this what it felt like to meet a lion at a dead end?

What?

Why is a doctor popping out here?

And as if he had been waiting for me?

“Don’t make me ask three times. What are you doing right now?”

Jun-hoo spoke informally as a matter of course.

“Ah… no. It’s nothing, I just wanted to touch the patient’s face.”

“Why are you wearing gloves, then?”

“Well… I thought touching him with bare hands might cause contamination or infection.”

It wasn’t a bad excuse for an impromptu one.

Sangbeom quickly withdrew his hand that had been reaching for Kyung-wook. He couldn’t bring himself to look Jun-hoo in the eye and lowered his gaze.

Damn it!

I was almost there.

If I had just one more minute, I could have completely silenced Kyung-wook.

At the most crucial moment.

The heavens had abandoned Sangbeom.

“Don’t bullshit me. You were trying to strangle the patient to death.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Do you have any evidence?”

Sangbeom squeezed out his courage and retorted.

“I’m telling you, I was just trying to touch the patient’s face with gloves on!”

“You brazen bastard.”

Jun-hoo gritted his teeth.

He wanted to crush Sangbeom so that he couldn’t function as a human being.

If this were murim [a martial arts world] instead of the modern world.

He would have definitely done so.

The fact that he couldn’t summarily judge evildoers made the modern world more inconvenient than murim.

“Can you provide evidence that I was trying to strangle the patient?”

Sangbeom came out brazenly again.

“You must have stainless steel instead of skin on your face. Well, you’d have to be able to do something like this without hesitation.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about?”

“Even if this matter is glossed over, ‘that matter’ won’t be.”

Jun-hoo’s voice was filled with burning anger.

“The moment the patient wakes up, the truth will be revealed. You’re the one who shot the patient, aren’t you?”

“……”

Sangbeom couldn’t bring himself to answer.

He rolled his eyes and trembled, unable to settle down.

He hadn’t heard a definite answer, but it was now as certain as ‘1+1=2’ that Sangbeom was the culprit.

Jun-hoo had sensed something during their meeting earlier.

When he told him that the patient would wake up soon.

Sangbeom had a complicated expression.

It wasn’t a happy expression, nor a surprised one, but an ambiguous one.

Wasn’t that strange?

That someone who had come to visit out of concern for the patient showed almost no emotional change even when hearing good news.

Jun-hoo, with his keen sense, immediately realized that Sangbeom was the culprit.

So he returned to the intensive care unit and hid secretly next to the patient’s bed.

To prevent Sangbeom from harming Kyung-wook, just in case.

To confirm once and for all whether Kyung-wook was the real culprit.

Everything went according to Jun-hoo’s plan, but it was a shame that he couldn’t pin the attempted murder on Kyung-wook.

But what could he do?

He couldn’t just stand there and watch the patient being strangled.

Tadatadak!

Sangbeom turned his back and ran away as fast as his legs could carry him.

Jun-hoo didn’t stop him.

In the first place, he had no justification to catch him.

“Nurse Shin, can I see you for a moment?”

Jun-hoo moved to the station and called Nurse Shin Ah-reum separately. She was the nurse who had allowed Sangbeom to enter.

* * *

Three days later.

Jun-hoo, who was out on external duty, visited the Korean Manual Therapy Hospital in the morning for the first time in a while.

While the medics were managing the soldiers, Jun-hoo’s steps led straight to the neurosurgery ward.

Click!

The door to the private room opened.

A gaunt patient and a middle-aged woman sitting beside him came into view.

“Hello.”

Jun-hoo greeted them cheerfully and approached the bed.

“Hello, Doctor.”

“You’ve come.”

Kyung-wook and his guardian lightly bowed their heads.

Both of them were acquainted with Jun-hoo.

Of course, they didn’t know that Jun-hoo was the chief surgeon, they only knew that he had assisted in the surgery.

“How are you feeling?”

“My head is a bit foggy and I don’t have much energy, but I’m doing okay.”

Kyung-wook smiled.

He didn’t know because he had only seen him when he was unconscious, but Kyung-wook’s smile was natural.

He seemed to have a bright personality.

Kyung-wook had regained consciousness two days ago.

But he wasn’t able to speak at that time.

It was only yesterday evening that he became somewhat conscious and able to speak.

For about 10 minutes.

Jun-hoo had some small talk with Kyung-wook. Stories about the weather these days and hospital life, etc.

When he felt he had warmed up enough, Jun-hoo brought up the main topic.

“Lieutenant, if you’re feeling stable, can I hear the truth about that day?”

Kyung-wook didn’t answer immediately.

He avoided Jun-hoo’s gaze and looked out the window before letting out a deep sigh.

The guardian also felt the awkwardness and was busy fidgeting with her hands.

“I thought I should tell you the story someday.”

Kyung-wook looked straight at Jun-hoo’s face as if he had made up his mind.

Of course, Jun-hoo knew that the culprit was Sangbeom.

But there were still mysteries that remained unsolved.

Why on earth did Sangbeom shoot Kyung-wook?

The motive for the crime had not been revealed.

“Mother, can you get me some water for a moment?”

“Okay.”

Kyung-wook quenched his thirst with the bottle of water his guardian handed him and continued.

“The evening of the incident, I called the deputy squad leader to the warehouse.”

“The warehouse, you mean the scene of the incident?”

“Yes.”

Kyung-wook nodded.

“It was about a week before the incident. I happened to steal a look at a squad member’s diary, and the squad member wrote that he wanted to die.”

“……”

“So I called him out separately and grilled him. I asked him what was so difficult.”

“……”

“Do you know what the squad member said?”

“No. I don’t know.”

“The deputy squad leader was harassing him.”

Kyung-wook’s explanation continued.

According to the squad member, the deputy squad leader would call him to secluded places without the other squad members knowing and sexually harass him.

Not just for a day or two, but for several months.

The other party was an officer, and he threatened that if he revealed the truth, his military life would be hell, so the soldier who was sexually harassed had no choice but to keep his mouth shut.

“Oh, dear……”

Jun-hoo clicked his tongue in dismay.

There were many absurdities in military life, but assault, verbal abuse, and sexual harassment were some of the inevitable tragedies.

“So you heard about the sexual harassment and called the deputy squad leader to the warehouse.”

“Yes. I wanted to handle it quietly and alone if possible.”

Kyung-wook quenched his thirst with water again.

“When I questioned the deputy squad leader about the sexual harassment, he begged me with both hands and said this.”

“……”

“He said he was really wrong and wouldn’t do it again.”

“A familiar development.”

“That’s right. But I couldn’t turn a blind eye to the squad member who had been harmed. I said I would report it to the company commander right away.”

When Kyung-wook came on strong, Sangbeom begged him once more.

He asked him to delay the report until the promotion screening this year.

Of course, Kyung-wook refused.

He judged that it was even more impossible for a non-commissioned officer who committed sexual harassment to be promoted.

“I said I had nothing to say and was leaving the warehouse when the deputy squad leader attacked me. He hit me in the back of the head with his fist.”

“……”

“While we were fighting, the deputy squad leader fired a gun at my head.”

Kyung-wook frowned as if the painful memories of that time had been revived.

“Are you okay?”

Jun-hoo asked with concern.

“Even if I’m not okay, I have to be okay. I’ll have to tell the same story dozens of times in the future.”

Kyung-wook’s voice was firm.

Judging from his actions and tone so far, Kyung-wook was a man of strong character.

He didn’t seem like someone who would break down easily.

“This is the truth of that day. It seems that people are misunderstanding me properly.”

“The misunderstanding will be cleared up soon.”

Because the truth investigation committee was driving the case towards Kyung-wook taking his own life.

Kyung-wook was suddenly known to have committed suicide.

Of course, not all the people believed that.

In any case, Kyung-wook’s honor had fallen to the ground because of it.

“Doctor. Thank you so much. I owe my life to you.”

“No. You should thank the chief surgeon.”

“The professor in charge said that you performed the surgery?”

Jun-hoo’s eyes widened at Kyung-wook’s words.

But he soon regained his composure.

It seemed that Min-seok had told Kyung-wook the truth.

That Jun-hoo was the real chief surgeon.

If he had to pick a reason…….

Perhaps he was reluctant to have the credit for the difficult surgery go to him.

He didn’t have to, but still.

“You’re welcome.”

Jun-hoo awkwardly scratched his cheek with one hand.

As silence continued, the eyes of the three people turned to the TV in front of them.

Just in time, shocking breaking news was being reported.

It was the news that Sangbeom had taken his own life in the BOQ (Bachelor Officer Quarters) [living quarters for unmarried officers].