Chapter 43: Strange Power (5)
Why did Jae-eun suddenly burst into tears?
That was the first question that popped into Jun-hoo’s head.
From Jun-hoo’s perspective, there wasn’t really a reason for Jae-eun to cry.
She was in a low mood, unlike usual, and she had been gently scolded by her guardian, but he didn’t think these two things were enough to make her cry so bitterly.
Just as Jun-hoo was pondering the reason for Jae-eun’s tears, he immediately reframed the question: How can I make Jae-eun stop crying?
Depending on the situation, resolving the problem was more useful than understanding the cause.
Suppose a robber broke into the house.
Thinking about the reason for the intrusion or the robber’s entry route would come later.
The priority would be to report it or secure the door.
Right now, the priority was to take measures to prevent Jae-eun’s crying from escalating and potentially worsening her Moyamoya disease [a rare, progressive cerebrovascular disorder].
“Jae-eun, stop crying! You know it hurts more when you cry.”
“Hic… hic…”
Tears streamed down Jae-eun’s face as she sobbed. The situation was quickly deteriorating.
No, this won’t do.
At this rate, her intracranial pressure might rise, and she might faint.
“I’ll show you something fun, Jae-eun. Watch carefully.”
Jun-hoo deliberately spoke in a cheerful voice, taking out a coin from his gown pocket.
Jae-eun reacted to the word ‘fun’ and looked up at Jun-hoo.
“Look closely. I have a coin in my hand. Watch what happens to this coin.”
“…Yes.”
“Ta-da!”
Following the trick from the video he had uploaded yesterday, Jun-hoo easily bent the 100-won coin [Korean currency, roughly equivalent to 10 US cents].
Even with tears pouring out, wouldn’t this be surprising enough?
It’s a trick that has been viewed by millions, after all.
Jun-hoo was confident, but Jae-eun’s reaction wasn’t what he expected.
So what? What do you want me to do about it?
Jae-eun’s eyes were filled with disappointment.
It wasn’t Jae-eun who was surprised, but her guardian.
“Wow! Doctor, you have amazing hand strength! Bending a coin with your bare hands! My husband is so weak he can’t even open a bottle cap.”
I need to calm Jae-eun down.
This isn’t the time for the guardian to be amazed!
As Jun-hoo was internally panicking, Jae-eun was preparing to cry again.
She hung her head low and rubbed her red eyes with both hands.
The time given to Jun-hoo was ticking away.
Jun-hoo thought there were two main ways to stop a child from crying.
One was to make the child laugh or have fun, as he had tried so far (though he had failed).
The other was to threaten them.
The latter was overwhelmingly easier.
Projecting inner energy out of the body and shaping it, then directing it at Jae-eun.
Jae-eun, feeling the pressure and intimidation, would stop crying.
This was also the easiest way for martial arts masters to end a confrontation with thugs or bullies on the street.
But using this method on Jae-eun didn’t seem right.
Even if it was effective in the short term, there was a high probability that Jae-eun would be afraid of Jun-hoo in the future.
Let’s use martial arts more positively.
There must be a way.
After desperately racking his brain, Jun-hoo came up with a pretty good method.
Necessity is the mother of invention!
“Jae-eun, will you look at me one last time?”
“……”
“Please? Huh?”
Instead of answering, Jae-eun nodded.
Perhaps this was his last chance.
Jun-hoo took out another coin from his gown pocket.
He always had plenty of coins because he enjoyed vending machine coffee during breaks.
Jun-hoo guided Jae-eun to spread her palm and placed the coin on it.
“Jae-eun, have you ever seen a magic trick where a coin floats in the air?”
Jae-eun shook her head.
“Wouldn’t it be amazing if the coin floated?”
“…Yes.”
“Alright, the exciting coin magic begins. You can’t miss it if you cry, okay?”
Jun-hoo said playfully and prepared for the coin floating magic trick.
“One, two, three!”
As soon as the countdown ended, the coin floated up. The coin floated about three centimeters.
Indeed, the magic was immediately effective.
Jae-eun’s narrow eyes widened, her mouth dropped open, and she stopped crying.
Amazement and wonder replaced the tears.
“How is it? Amazing, right?”
“Wow! Doctor, you can do magic too? Awesome! How did you make the coin float?”
Was it just his imagination, or did the guardian seem more excited than Jae-eun?
Jun-hoo chuckled at the thought.
In any case, Jae-eun had stopped crying, and the emergency situation was peacefully resolved.
* * *
As the situation calmed down, the conversation continued about the coin floating magic trick.
To Jae-eun, who was curious about the secret of the magic, Jun-hoo said:
“If you firmly believe that you can make the coin float, it will float someday.”
“Really? Is that all it takes?”
“Of course.”
“Eeeeyah! It doesn’t work.”
Jae-eun stared at the coin on her palm and let out a cute shout.
Of course, the coin didn’t float.
The reason why the coin floated earlier was because Jun-hoo had incorporated martial arts, the principle of levitating objects, using his inner energy.
During the magic trick, Jun-hoo placed his palm far above Jae-eun’s palm and used the ‘suction’ seal on his palm.
He used profound inner energy to pull the coin towards his palm.
Strictly speaking… it wasn’t magic but sorcery.
So, it was impossible for Jae-eun to replicate.
“Floating a coin isn’t easy. It will take effort.”
Jun-hoo said with a smile.
“Jae-eun.”
“Yes, Doctor.”
“I’ll give you that coin as a gift, so you can have it.”
“The magic coin is mine now?”
“Of course, it’s yours.”
“Wow! That’s great.”
Jae-eun raised her arms high into the air and rejoiced.
Jun-hoo’s heart warmed at Jae-eun’s innocent appearance.
Indeed, children look better smiling than crying.
“If you have a hard time, or if something is difficult or sad, look at the coin and cheer up. Just like the coin floats, something miraculous might happen to you too.”
“Yes, Doctor!”
“Doctor, you’ve worked so hard. You’ve really done everything you can to keep Jae-eun from crying.”
The guardian expressed her gratitude to Jun-hoo.
“It’s nothing. You know Jae-eun shouldn’t cry, right?”
“Of course. I know she shouldn’t blow on hot food like ramen, play instruments, sing, or exercise too much.”
The guardian replied rapidly, a response filled with affection for Jae-eun.
Children with Moyamoya disease have many restrictions on their activities, most of which induce hyperventilation.
Vasoconstriction due to hyperventilation, and insufficient blood circulation to the brain due to vasoconstriction, can cause ischemic brain seizures [strokes caused by insufficient blood flow].
Especially in severe cases of Moyamoya disease like Jae-eun’s, the aftereffects can be more serious.
“By the way, it’s really strange. Jae-eun isn’t usually a crybaby.”
“……”
“So I wasn’t worried about her crying, but I don’t know why she suddenly cried.”
The guardian bit her lip and stared at Jae-eun. It was hard to believe that she had been crying so bitterly just a moment ago. Jae-eun was engrossed in playing with the magic coin.
“Jae-eun.”
“Yes, Mom.”
“Why were you crying earlier? Were you sad because Mom scolded you?”
“It wasn’t that.”
“Then why were you crying?”
“I just wanted to cry.”
Since Jae-eun answered so casually, the guardian couldn’t figure out why Jae-eun had cried.
“I think I know why Jae-eun was crying.”
Jun-hoo, who had been silent, spoke up.
“Doctor? How? Jae-eun didn’t say anything.”
“Could you wait about 30 minutes?”
Jun-hoo left the room. Judging by his confident attitude, he seemed to really know why Jae-eun was crying.
How did he figure it out when even her own mother didn’t know?
The guardian was simply amazed. Amidst doubt and anticipation, Jun-hoo reappeared a short while later, holding a bag in his hand that emitted a savory smell.
“Doctor, that… that’s…”
“It’s chicken. Look at this, Jae-eun.”
Jun-hoo shook the bag, and Jae-eun’s eyes widened.
“Wow! It’s chicken!”
“Lunchtime is over, so don’t eat too much, okay?”
“Yes, Doctor. Hehe.”
Jun-hoo raised the dining table attached to the bed and spread out the chicken from the bag so that Jae-eun could eat it easily.
“But Doctor, what does chicken have to do with Jae-eun crying?”
“Just this way for a moment.”
The guardian followed Jun-hoo towards the hospital room entrance, a distance where their conversation wouldn’t reach Jae-eun’s ears.
“You’re wondering why I bought chicken, right?”
“Yes. I’m sorry to say, Doctor, but it feels a bit out of the blue.”
Even while talking to Jun-hoo, the guardian’s gaze never left Jae-eun.
“It’s simple. Jae-eun cried because of the chicken.”
“She cried just because of chicken?”
“Children’s minds are subtle. When I came into the room earlier, I faintly smelled chicken.”
“That’s right. The patient by the window was eating chicken instead of hospital food. They said they got permission from their doctor.”
The guardian nodded.
“But why that…”
“The hospital food is already not very tasty, so wouldn’t Jae-eun want to eat chicken too if someone was eating it next to her?”
“She probably would want to eat it.”
“She wanted to eat chicken but couldn’t bring herself to tell you. And since she was scolded in the meantime, what she had been holding back burst out.”
“That could be the case.”
The guardian agreed with Jun-hoo’s opinion.
From Jae-eun’s perspective, from a child’s perspective, such a trivial reason could be a reason for crying.
Children cry when they can’t have what they want or eat what they want.
In Jae-eun’s case, she is such a considerate patient that it seemed more like she had been holding back and then burst, rather than demanding chicken.
“Doctor, you’re amazing. You do coin magic and see through children’s minds. What can’t you do?”
“There are surprisingly many things I can’t do. And I have regrets in my heart too.”
For the first time, a bitter smile crossed Jun-hoo’s face, who always showed a bright appearance.
It seemed that Jun-hoo had his own story.
Perhaps that was why Jun-hoo was more affectionate than other doctors.
Because those who are sick know the hearts of those who are sick best.
“The story has gone off on a tangent for a moment. Please watch Jae-eun so she doesn’t overeat. I’ll see you again next time.”
“Yes, Doctor. Thank you so much for your hard work. I can’t tell you how relieved Jae-eun and I are to have you as our doctor.”
“The pleasure is all mine. Then, goodbye.”
After Jun-hoo left, the guardian returned to Jae-eun’s side.
Jae-eun was absorbed in the chicken.
Her whole mind was focused on the chicken.
She neatly picked the chicken meat and even picked up the pickled radish with her tiny hands.
Just looking at Jae-eun made the guardian feel full.
“Jae-eun, did you want to eat chicken that much?”
“……Yes.”
“Then you should have told Mom. Mom would have bought it for you.”
“You spend a lot of money on me. I don’t like that.”
The guardian was overwhelmed by Jae-eun’s answer. Something hot surged up and wrapped around her whole body.
“Jae-eun, Mom is sorry. I’m sorry.”
The guardian hugged Jae-eun and shed tears endlessly.
Jae-eun wasn’t just enduring the chicken.
What Jae-eun was enduring… what Jae-eun was carrying… was none other than poverty.