A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 191

Chapter 36: I Can Do It (1)

Jun-hoo could hardly believe what he was hearing.

Code Purple was announced when a patient or their guardian posed a threat to hospital staff in outpatient, emergency, or inpatient settings.

However, in practice, Code Purple was rarely activated.

With so many people visiting the hospital,

problematic patients or guardians were inevitable.

Verbal abuse, threats, and even violence were common occurrences.

If every dispute warranted an announcement, Code Purple would be going off constantly.

“This is the first time I’ve ever seen a Code Purple during my residency,” someone said.

“Me too. I once saw some gangsters causing trouble in the ER, but even then, they didn’t make an announcement.”

“What on earth happened? Should I call my friend in the ER to find out?”

Min-kyung reached for the phone on her desk.

Jun-hoo watched her, a sudden thought striking him.

It was Kyung-soo.

Kyung-soo was late returning from his emergency room visit. Could he be the reason for the Code Purple?

The thought sent goosebumps down his arms.

Anxiety and worry began to creep in.

“Senior, I’m going to the emergency room for a bit.”

“I know watching a fight is tempting, but isn’t this a bit much? We’re already short-handed because of the seminar.”

“It’s not that. I’m going to check if Kyung-soo is involved.”

“Come on, no way. What are the odds? Maybe he’s just resting after his appointment or went to the ICU.”

“I have a bad feeling.”

Jun-hoo tried paging Kyung-soo, but there was no answer.

Only the monotonous ringing repeated.

At the same time, Min-kyung was on the phone with the emergency room, trying to get information.

Click!

Min-kyung’s face paled as she hung up.

“It’s true. Kyung-soo is being held hostage by a patient with schizophrenia.”

“I should go to the emergency room.”

“I understand how you feel, but just stay here. You going won’t change anything, Jun-hoo.”

“Maybe it will.”

Without arguing further, Jun-hoo immediately left the on-call room.

* * *

He headed for the emergency exit and hurried down the stairs.

He might have been aloof and unsociable,

but Kyung-soo was his only real colleague. He couldn’t abandon a colleague in danger.

Hadn’t he seen enough colleagues die in the Murim world [martial arts world]?

He didn’t want the same tragedy to repeat itself in the modern world.

The emergency room was in chaos, completely overwhelmed by the Code Purple.

The staff, patients, and guardians stood by, wringing their hands as they watched the hostage situation unfold.

‘Is it over there?’

Following their gazes, Jun-hoo arrived at Zone E, where minor patients were treated.

A crowd had gathered on the west side of Zone E.

Several emergency room staff and armed guards were forming a fan-shaped barrier.

“Please stay back. It’s dangerous.”

A burly guard blocked Jun-hoo’s path with his arms.

“My colleague is being held hostage. I need to know what’s going on.”

“We’ll take care of it, so please step back.”

“All you’re doing is standing around. What else can you do?”

“It’s best not to provoke the patient right now. So please, just stay put.”

Deliberately arguing with the guard,

Jun-hoo peered through a gap in the crowd to assess the situation.

The patient, or rather, the hostage-taker, was pressed against the wall. He had Kyung-soo pinned around the waist with one hand and held a pair of dressing scissors to Kyung-soo’s neck with the other.

What if he cut Kyung-soo’s carotid artery with those scissors?

The thought made his hair stand on end.

“What’s the situation?”

“About 15 minutes ago, a patient who was being treated grabbed a pair of scissors from the cart and took the doctor hostage.”

“…….”

“The standoff has been ongoing ever since.”

“What about follow-up measures?”

“The police are on their way, and a psychiatrist is also coming to the emergency room.”

Jun-hoo frowned at the guard’s explanation.

Would the police really change anything?

They would probably just stand guard like the security guards.

The moment the police approached, the hostage-taker would sacrifice Kyung-soo.

Then, would the psychiatrist make a difference?

Jun-hoo doubted it.

The hostage-taker was too emotionally charged to listen to reason. It was unlikely he would willingly accept counseling.

In the midst of this prolonged standoff,

the frustrated and agitated hostage-taker would eventually snap and harm Kyung-soo.

Jun-hoo couldn’t imagine any other outcome.

There were studies showing that the crime rate among schizophrenic patients was lower than that of the general population.

However, there were also studies suggesting that when they did commit a crime, it was more likely to be a serious one.

This looks too dangerous.

The longer this goes on, the worse it will get…….

Jun-hoo bit his lip, unable to tear his eyes away from the scene.

The scissors in the hostage-taker’s hand narrowly missed Kyung-soo’s carotid artery several times.

Moreover,

the hostage-taker’s mental state seemed extremely unstable.

“You sons of bitches! You’re all in cahoots with this doctor, aren’t you? Right? You’ve all come to get me.”

“…….”

“I know everything. I know you’ve been watching me for days. Answer me!”

“That’s not true.”

A guard reluctantly answered the hostage-taker’s angry outburst.

“You’re terrible! Of course, you’d deny it. That’s what you guys are like. But what if this doctor dies?”

“…….”

“Then you won’t be able to study or monitor me anymore. Right?”

A cruel smile appeared on the hostage-taker’s face.

Not all schizophrenic patients were as violent and dangerous as this person.

But this person seemed particularly troubled.

His paranoia was severe.

Perhaps some of the demons he had faced in the Murim world weren’t inherently evil but were suffering from schizophrenia.

Jun-hoo suddenly had that thought.

Was it because he had returned to the modern world that his experiences in the Murim world were becoming clearer?

In any case, now was the time for Jun-hoo to act.

He was the only one who could resolve this situation.

“Hey, I told you not to come close. What haven’t you been listening to? I told you to wait for the police and the psychiatrist.”

Without a word.

Thwack!

Jun-hoo struck the guard’s nape with a swift chop.

Hugging the collapsing guard, Jun-hoo gently laid him on the nearest bed.

Everyone was focused on the hostage situation, so no one noticed Jun-hoo’s actions.

Even if they had,

Jun-hoo’s movements were so fast that they wouldn’t have understood what had happened. It would have just looked like the guard suddenly collapsed and Jun-hoo was helping him.

Returning to the scene, Jun-hoo slipped past the other guards and stood at the front line.

“Who… who is that doctor? Why is he there? Didn’t anyone stop him?”

“What was Jin-tae doing?”

“Quick, grab him. He’s just going to provoke the patient.”

“Doctor, get out of there. You’ll get hurt.”

The guards who had let him through were belatedly trying to grab Jun-hoo, but none of them could get close.

Instead, they were backing away with frightened expressions.

Jun-hoo had manifested his internal energy into fighting spirit and was emitting it from his body.

“Who are you?”

The hostage-taker tilted his head and stared at Jun-hoo.

“You’re wearing a gown, so you must be a researcher who came to study me. Did you come to save your colleague?”

“Calm down and put down the scissors. This won’t help you at all.”

“That’s what you think. Don’t come any closer!”

Crash!

The dressing cart next to the hostage-taker fell over from his kick. The treatment tools scattered across the floor.

Still not satisfied,

the hostage-taker waved the scissors wildly in the air.

Each time, Kyung-soo’s face turned pale.

How should he save Kyung-soo?

The first thing that came to mind was Jeong-an [a martial art], but it didn’t seem like it would work.

First of all, he wasn’t close enough to make eye contact with the patient.

Even if he could make eye contact,

it didn’t seem like Jeong-an would work on a patient with schizophrenia.

Jeong-an was a martial art that emitted righteous thoughts amplified by internal energy to guide the other person’s mind in the right direction.

He couldn’t expect the hostage-taker, who was suffering from paranoia, to react to righteous thoughts.

The best thing to do was to approach with footwork and subdue the hostage-taker in one fell swoop, but the hostage-taker had kicked the dressing cart, scattering obstacles on the floor.

If he stepped on an obstacle and fell, it could worsen the situation.

But if he avoided the obstacles, his speed would be reduced.

“There’s no need to think so hard. You’re both going to die anyway.”

“Have you thought about the consequences?”

“Consequences? I don’t need that. I just need to avoid your surveillance. Surely you can’t monitor me even in prison, can you?”

Swish.

The hostage-taker finally made a move.

He lightly grazed the underside of Kyung-soo’s chin with the scissors.

Blood droplets began to drip from the open wound.

“Ahhh!”

“Someone’s really going to die! Shouldn’t we do something?”

“How… how far away are the police?”

The hostage-taker’s sudden action threw the scene into chaos.

The faces of the guards and staff who had been watching the situation were filled with dismay.

While they were waiting for the patient to stabilize,

waiting for the police to arrive,

and waiting for the psychiatrist to arrive,

the situation was only getting worse.

Meanwhile, in this dilemma,

Jun-hoo barely found a breakthrough.

There was only one way to safely rescue Kyung-soo from the hostage-taker’s grasp.

Once again, the answer was martial arts.

* * *

Tock. Tock. Tock. Tock.

Kyung-soo was unknowingly clenching his teeth.

The moment the scissors grazed his lower jaw, a burning pain shot through him.

But fear was even more intense than the pain.

A sense of despair washed over him, knowing that the hostage-taker could harm him at any moment.

Even with so many people around, he felt helpless.

No one could save him.

Should he at least try to struggle?

Kyung-soo shuddered as he considered resisting. The hostage-taker’s scissors were dangerously close to his carotid artery.

If he resisted in this state, his blood vessels could be cut.

The thought of blood spurting from his neck made his legs weak.

It became difficult to even stand properly.

Kyung-soo’s gaze suddenly landed on Jun-hoo as he trembled in fear.

While the guards and staff were terrified, Jun-hoo’s expression was calm.

But what the hell is that guy doing?

Does he have nerves of steel?

Or does he have a death wish?

If the hostage-taker harmed Kyung-soo, the next target would undoubtedly be Jun-hoo.

Yet, Jun-hoo was facing the hostage-taker at the front line.

It was a foolish act to anyone.

It was an act of disregarding the value of his own life.

“G-go. Get out of here. Get lost. Do you want to die too?”

Kyung-soo said in as small a voice as possible so as not to provoke the hostage-taker.

However, Jun-hoo shook his head instead of answering.

That idiot.

Doesn’t he know when to interfere and when to stay out of it?

What can he possibly do in this situation?

“You shut up. What have you ever done right to be talking?”

The hostage-taker continued in an increasingly agitated voice.

“I’m sick of it all. I’m going to end it with my own hands. I’m going to a world without surveillance.”

Finally, the inevitable was happening.

Kyung-soo closed his eyes tightly in resignation.

But at that moment.

-Stay still. Don’t move.

For a moment, it felt like he heard Jun-hoo’s voice in his ear, though it might have been his imagination.

At the same time, an amazing miracle occurred.

“Ahhhhh!”

Clang!

The hostage-taker suddenly screamed and dropped the scissors.