A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 210

“Ugh…”

Ah-yeong reluctantly moved her feet.

She took off her shoes and entered the room.

The sight of the motel room was unfamiliar and a little awkward.

A bed was directly in front of the entrance, with two gowns hanging above it.

Opposite the bed was a wall-mounted TV.

Next to it was a small table, presumably for snacks.

A vanity with skincare products, lotion, and a hairdryer stood in a neat row.

The room was small, but the interior was surprisingly stylish.

As Jun-hoo instructed, Ah-yeong lay down on the bed.

A mix of anxiety, tension, and excitement made her heart race, and it wouldn’t slow down.

Her mouth went dry almost immediately.

Her limbs felt as stiff as logs.

“Why are you so nervous? Just relax.”

“I’m not nervous! I’m super relaxed.”

“Hey, maybe wet your lips before you tell a lie?”

Jun-hoo smiled and approached the bed.

Jun-hoo’s shadow fell over Ah-yeong first.

Perhaps because of what she anticipated, Jun-hoo seemed almost beast-like.

Ah-yeong thought she was about to see a new side of him.

Maybe Jun-hoo was the ‘weak in the day, strong at night’ type.

“Instead of lying straight, why don’t you lie on your stomach?”

“S-Sure, I guess.”

Ah-yeong answered as casually as she could manage and lay face down on the bed.

Jun-hoo must have gotten onto the bed because she could feel it sinking slightly.

Turning around, Jun-hoo was kneeling at Ah-yeong’s waist. She couldn’t even guess what he was planning.

“Okay, let’s start.”

Jun-hoo said cheerfully to himself and moved his hands.

With his thumb, as hard as iron, he massaged the knotted muscles on Ah-yeong’s shoulders in a circular motion.

“Ugh…”

Before she could stop herself, Ah-yeong let out a groan.

Her waist tingled.

Her brow furrowed involuntarily.

“Just bear with it a little. It’ll feel better soon.”

Jun-hoo’s fingers gradually moved down.

From her back to her waist, then from her waist to her hip bone.

Indeed, as Jun-hoo had said, the initial pain melted away quickly.

Her waist became warm and cozy, as if she had a hot pack on it.

She was so comfortable that Ah-yeong almost drifted off to sleep.

Only then did she realize that the current situation was very different from what she had expected.

Jun-hoo’s touch was far from caressing.

“Jun-hoo.”

“Yeah?”

“Why did you want to come to a motel?”

“Your back isn’t good. I wanted to completely loosen it up this time. If you get a massage from me today, you’ll feel refreshed for years.”

Jun-hoo said triumphantly and chuckled.

“What? Were you thinking something lewd?”

“W-Wouldn’t it be weird if I wasn’t?!”

Ah-yeong blushed and protested.

Jun-hoo’s actions and words were perfectly designed to cause misunderstandings.

But why?

Now that she knew Jun-hoo’s intentions, she felt somewhat disappointed and deflated…

“It doesn’t seem like the right time today. My top priority is to loosen up your back, Ah-yeong.”

“I know. So do a good job.”

“I will serve you with all my heart, ma’am.”

Jun-hoo’s massage lasted for nearly an hour.

Ah-yeong had known for a long time that Jun-hoo was good at massages.

She had often been grateful for his help.

But today’s massage was on a different level than usual.

Her waist felt hot throughout the massage, like it was melting away.

Like she was becoming an invertebrate.

“I’m going to finish up. Relax.”

Jun-hoo gently placed his hands on Ah-yeong’s shoulders. Then, he bent Ah-yeong’s back like a shrimp.

Crack. Crack.

The sound effects from an action movie echoed in the motel room.

Ah-yeong was terrified that her back would break in two.

But after Jun-hoo bent her back, she felt relieved instead.

Her waist felt as cool as if she had an ice pack on it.

“Why don’t you get up and move your back?”

“Okay.”

Ah-yeong got out of bed and moved her back.

She bent forward, backward, and twisted left and right.

The movement of her waist was unusual. First of all, the pain was gone, and her flexibility had greatly increased.

She suddenly felt like a gymnast.

Originally, Ah-yeong’s fingers didn’t touch the floor when she bent over.

But now?

After the massage, her fingers touched the floor and still had plenty of room to spare.

“Wow. How can this be? It’s like I got a new back.”

Ah-yeong said in amazement.

The change in her back was incredible.

“I put in a lot of effort, so this kind of result should naturally come out. Do you like it?”

“Totally! Now my back won’t hurt even when I’m assisting. Thank you and good job, Jun-hoo.”

“Considering how much you’ve been through, Ah-yeong, this is nothing.”

Jun-hoo said shyly and continued.

“If we leave now, we’ll barely make it in time for curfew. Let’s go quickly.”

Jun-hoo turned towards the entrance.

For some reason, the sight seemed to Ah-yeong to be in slow motion.

At the same time, she felt a strong desire to be with Jun-hoo a little longer.

Ah-yeong strode up to Jun-hoo and hugged his waist from behind.

With a flushed face and a voice barely louder than a mosquito, she said, “We don’t have a curfew at my house. My parents don’t even know if I’m off today.”

* * *

The next day, in the morning.

Jun-hoo came out of the motel with Ah-yeong.

He headed to the subway station for work.

The sky was clear blue with a bright sun.

It was a sunny autumn day with a cool breeze and falling leaves.

Jun-hoo looked at Ah-yeong’s face, as she rubbed her sleepy eyes, and then lowered his gaze to her waist.

Compared to yesterday, when Ah-yeong’s waist was leaning forward, today it was maintaining a normal angle.

‘I feel so relieved.’

Jun-hoo wore a proud smile.

The technique Jun-hoo used on Ah-yeong yesterday was Bone Marrow Cleansing [a Taoist technique to purify the body].

Jun-hoo only performed Bone Marrow Cleansing on Ah-yeong’s waist.

He still lacked the internal energy [qi or vital energy] to perform it on her entire body.

He needed to accumulate more internal energy.

His small goal was to achieve complete Bone Marrow Cleansing himself first, then give Ah-yeong the same.

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

Ah-yeong, who felt Jun-hoo’s gaze, looked at him and asked.

“I just wish I could put you in my pocket and carry you around.”

“Oh, you’re embarrassing me. You’ve become such a sly fox since we started dating.”

Despite her playful tone, Ah-yeong was smiling brightly.

“But my back is really comfortable. Is there some trick to the massage?”

“Would I give away a trade secret so easily?”

“Tell me. Then I’ll do it for you, Jun-hoo.”

“No, thanks. It’s enough for me to take care of my own back.”

After chatting, they arrived at the subway station.

Jun-hoo had a quick meal with Ah-yeong at a toast shop in the station and boarded the subway.

“Fighting today too!” [a Korean expression of encouragement]

“You too, Ah-yeong.”

After arriving at the hospital, Jun-hoo parted ways with Ah-yeong and moved to the neurosurgery ward.

It had only been one day off.

But it felt like he was returning to the ward after a week.

That meant yesterday’s date was fulfilling.

Step. Step.

While walking down the hallway, Jun-hoo reviewed his training plan.

Take Cheonsanhwan [likely a medicinal pill] to gather internal energy.

Study cerebrovascular diseases in more depth.

Assist in surgeries and memorize the professors’ surgical secrets as techniques.

Finally, Jun-hoo planned to learn a new martial art.

Yangsoo Gourd Technique.

Jeongan (Right Eye).

The martial art that would follow these two was Howol Twelve Hands.

It was one of the supreme hand-based martial arts, and one of the top 10 techniques in the martial world.

The founder was Cheongjingung, an eccentric Taoist of the Wudang Sect [a famous Taoist sect in China].

Cheongjingung was a close friend of Jun-hoo’s master, the reclusive hermit Kang Baek-tong, and he pitied Jun-hoo’s situation, blinded by revenge, and passed on the secrets.

However, at the time, Jun-hoo used a sword as a weapon.

So he only knew the secrets and didn’t train properly.

“Hello, Doctor.”

“Yes. Hello. Good morning.”

After greeting the nurses while passing through the station.

Jun-hoo walked while scanning the wards spread out to the left and right.

But at that moment.

A subtle sense of unease flashed through his mind.

Something was wrong.

Something was strange.

He couldn’t figure out what it was, so he felt uneasy.

Suppressing his unease, he arrived at the on-call room.

Jun-hoo changed his clothes and went straight to the conference room.

It was 10 minutes before the morning meeting started.

The residents and interns were already seated, and the professors were also appearing one by one.

“Did you have a good date? You weren’t clumsy, were you?”

Kyung-soo asked about his well-being as he sat next to him.

“We’ve known each other for over 7 years, what’s there to be clumsy about? I had a fun and restful time.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Is there something you want to say? You seem to be watching me.”

“…No, never mind. I’ll tell you later. You’ll find out anyway.”

“Is something really wrong? Tell me if there is.”

“I said I’ll tell you later. A little later.”

Because Kyung-soo avoided answering like a slippery eel, Jun-hoo’s suspicions only grew.

It seemed like an accident had happened on his day off yesterday.

The conference began when the head professor arrived on time.

But before the full-scale conference began.

The head professor mentioned Jun-hoo first.

“Yesterday, Doctor Seo saved a person with CPR in the endoscopy recovery room while getting a checkup at our hospital’s checkup center.”

“…”

“How devoted he is to being a doctor! Everyone, applause!”

At the head professor’s prompting, applause rang out.

Jun-hoo lowered his head, feeling embarrassed for no reason.

It seemed that the professor of hand surgery, whom he had spoken to yesterday, had told the head professor about Jun-hoo’s news.

“Doctor Seo, you’re always thinking about patients, even when you’re awake or asleep, and you’ve done it again this time?”

“Ah. Yes. It’s nothing to mention…”

“Everyone, follow Doctor Seo’s example, and Doctor Seo, stay in the conference room after the conference. A reporter is coming for an interview.”

“I don’t know if this is something that needs an interview. I just did what was natural.”

“Oh, come on. Don’t say such foolish things. Good things should be spread far and wide. Don’t you think so?”

The head professor laughed heartily.

At first glance, it was a kind smile, but Jun-hoo knew the head professor’s dark intentions well.

So he felt nauseous.

The head professor simply wanted to make this incident bigger and create his own achievements.

While emphasizing that such an excellent and righteous doctor was under him.

And using the media in the process was the head professor’s specialty.

It was the same with pianist Myunghan’s awakening surgery.

Managing hospitalized patients, organizing surgery schedules, presenting cases, etc.

The conference ended smoothly, and the other staff went on rounds.

Meanwhile, Jun-hoo had an interview with a reporter who visited the hospital early in the morning for about 30 minutes.

The interview ended without incident.

Jun-hoo, who returned to the on-call room, first looked at the charts of the patients he was in charge of.

He checked to see if anything had happened to the patients while he was off.

But patient Min Tae-woong.

The moment he brought up the chart of the vegetative patient.

His body temperature turned cold and his body stiffened. His vision shook as if there was an earthquake.

Was this the reason for the unease he had felt since earlier?

Was this the reason why Kyung-soo was hesitating?

Shockingly, the phrase ‘death certificate required’ was floating on the patient’s chart.

So patient Min Tae-woong had died yesterday.

“Kyung-soo, what is this…”

Jun-hoo, who was in a state of confusion, couldn’t finish his sentence.