A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 245

Chapter 46: The Mogen Tribe (5)

Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

Siho stood before a bed, looking down at the patient.

Siho’s gaze towards the patient was not kind.

His forehead was furrowed.

His brow was narrowed.

The patient, sound asleep, was named Lee Jae-eun.

A six-year-old child.

The child had successfully undergone a direct bypass surgery for Moyamoya disease [a rare, progressive cerebrovascular disorder] that morning.

‘Damn it! Even I would struggle with anything more than this.’

It had been four months since Siho had been suppressing his homicidal urges.

Unable to bear the homicidal urges any longer, Siho finally decided to commit his 20th murder.

However, this long-awaited murder was difficult to plan from the start.

It was hard to hide his movements because new CCTV cameras had been installed in the existing blind spots.

This was all because of Junhoo.

He wanted to kill someone.

But there was no suitable way to kill someone…

In the midst of his insides festering and rotting.

Siho found a very creative way to kill.

A fantastic method that wouldn’t arouse anyone’s suspicion.

At the same time, it would screw over Junhoo.

But what was this?

This morning, the operation was a complete success.

The patient was alive and well, right before his eyes.

From Siho’s perspective, it was an absurdly preposterous outcome.

The person who should have died was alive!!!

Without him even knowing.

Could it be that another patient with the same name, Lee Jae-eun, had been admitted?

He even entertained such doubts.

“Doctor. Could you come over here for a moment?”

Siho called a nurse who was nearby.

“Yes, Doctor. What’s the matter…?”

“This patient, Lee Jae-eun. Is she the patient admitted for Moyamoya disease?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I came straight to the intensive care unit after brain tumor surgery. Do you know anything about Lee Jae-eun’s surgery?”

“Oh, don’t even get me started. Dr. Junhoo pulled off another amazing feat this time, you know?”

“Junhoo… did?”

“Yes. They’re calling him the Mogen Tribe now. Because his eyesight is 10.0. It’s unbelievable, but it’s true!”

The nurse continued with a mix of laughter in her explanation.

The microscope malfunctioned at the last minute of the surgery.

But Junhoo, with his 10.0 eyesight, finished the surgery using 2.5x loupes [magnifying eyewear used in surgery].

“No, how can a person’s eyesight be 10.0?”

Siho was dumbfounded.

It felt like the nurse was making fun of him.

“That’s why they call him the Mogen Tribe. They say the Mogen Tribe has 10.0 eyesight.”

“But that’s strange. Even with such good eyesight, cerebral revascularization surgery would be difficult to handle.”

“Well, I’m just a ward nurse, so I don’t know about that. Anyway, Dr. Junhoo is amazing, right?”

“Amazing. Amazing enough to want to kill him.”

“What did you just say?”

“Never mind. It’s just a soliloquy.”

After the nurse left.

Siho stared down at Jae-eun for a long time.

The homicidal urges that hadn’t been resolved due to the failed murder.

The unleashed homicidal urges were bubbling and boiling.

Siho suddenly felt the urge to take off the oxygen mask that Jae-eun was wearing.

He wanted to see Jae-eun unable to breathe, gasping for air, and dying.

He would be happy if he could see that scene…

Thump!

Siho placed his hand on Jae-eun’s oxygen mask.

One, two, three.

Feeling Jae-eun’s breath, he counted to three and then took his hand off.

No matter how hungry he was for murder, now was not the time.

Unplanned murder.

Murder that wasn’t a perfect crime was for lowly scum.

It wasn’t for the noble Siho.

Siho left the intensive care unit and returned to the neurosurgery ward.

Creak.

He entered the on-call room.

His mortal enemy, Junhoo, was not there.

Instead, Kyungsoo was on duty.

“Did Junhoo go to the emergency room?”

“Yes. You’re back from surgery too, right, senior?”

“Don’t even mention it. I’m so tired I feel like I could lie down on the floor.”

“Why don’t you rest a bit while drinking some coffee?”

“Should I? I’m going to the cafe, what do you want to drink?”

“I’ll have a warm latte.”

“Yeah, when it’s chilly like these days, there’s nothing like a smooth latte.”

While engaging in trivial conversation.

Siho took out a ‘booklet’ from the bookshelf and slipped it into his doctor’s gown pocket.

Kyungsoo, who was entering charts, fortunately didn’t notice Siho’s actions.

“I’m going. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay, senior.”

The place Siho went to was the ward rooftop.

The rooftop was a space for smoking staff.

The entire hospital area was non-smoking.

But the rooftop was an unofficial smoking area.

The rooftop was surprisingly deserted.

Only a pair of male employees who had arrived earlier were puffing out cigarette smoke.

While being mindful of them.

Siho stealthily moved to the corner of the rooftop.

He put the ‘booklet’ he had brought into a large tin can containing cigarette butts.

Click!

Whoosh.

The wind wasn’t blowing, and because the ‘booklet’ was small, it quickly caught fire.

The ‘booklet’ burned well.

The phrase on the cover of the ‘booklet’ read:

「Microscope Guide Handbook」

That’s right.

Siho had used this handbook.

To tamper with the microscope in room 4, where Junhoo had performed the surgery, in advance.

He had damaged the line connecting the magnification of the lens and the main body.

He had secured the handbook three months ago.

While watching a clumsy new employee who had come for maintenance.

He saw the new employee’s bag left unguarded.

He saw the handbook inside the bag.

Oh, I can play some tricks with this?

…he had secretly stolen the handbook with that thought.

And the point of view returns to today.

Siho had attempted a genius murder method, but thanks to Junhoo’s performance, he didn’t even break even.

The evidence must be destroyed quickly.

It would be troublesome if that quick-witted Junhoo dug into it.

For a perfect crime.

Siho watched until the booklet was completely charred black.

Then, he kicked the tin can like a soccer ball.

Clang!

With a clear metallic sound, cigarette butts and charred pieces of the booklet scattered across the rooftop floor.

The unresolved homicidal urges.

The anger and resentment towards Junhoo resurfaced.

Damn it, you Mogen Tribe bastard!

Let’s see if you dare to interfere with me again!

I will definitely repay this humiliation.

* * *

Three weeks later.

10 a.m.

Junhoo, who was on duty in the neurosurgery on-call room, got up from his seat.

“Hey, where are you going again?”

Kyungsoo asked with a disgruntled voice.

“A patient is being discharged, so I’m going to talk to them for a bit.”

“Which patient?”

“You know Jae-eun, who had Moyamoya disease? I have something important to say.”

“Is Jae-eun important and I’m not?”

“I’ll get you a 10-minute massage coupon.”

“Okay. Take your time. Children are the future of Korea, so we have to take care of them.”

Junhoo chuckled at Kyungsoo’s change of attitude.

These days, Kyungsoo was crazy about massages.

Junhoo left the on-call room and moved to the pediatric ward.

Creak.

He entered the room where Jae-eun was.

Jae-eun was leaning against the bed’s backrest, playing with her phone.

The couple was busy packing.

“Hello. Guardian. Hello, Jae-eun.”

“Hello, Doctor.”

“Hello.”

“Hellow.”

The greetings of the three people poured out like a flood.

“Today is Jae-eun’s discharge day. I feel bittersweet.”

Junhoo said with his feelings.

It was definitely a happy thing that Jae-eun was being discharged in good health, but it was a shame that he wouldn’t be able to see the cheerful Jae-eun.

“We also feel like it’s not real. It feels like she was admitted just yesterday, but it’s already time for her to be discharged. And you even took care of the donation, Doctor.”

“Thank you sincerely for everything, Doctor.”

The couple bowed their heads at the same time.

Junhoo also bowed his head, not wanting to lose.

“You can give her the discharge medication and come for outpatient visits once a month.”

“…….”

“And about 6 months later, the professor will schedule the second surgery.”

Unfortunately…

Moyamoya disease surgery did not end in one go.

This was because both sides of the brain’s blood vessels were operated on alternately through the first and second surgeries.

But Junhoo wasn’t too worried.

The second surgery.

In other words, the left brain blood vessels that would be operated on in the future were in better condition than the right brain blood vessels that had already been operated on.

“Yes. I’ll take good care of Jae-eun in the meantime. And Doctor. Please accept this.”

The wife of the guardian suddenly handed Junhoo a plastic bag.

“What is this?”

“It’s dumplings that I made yesterday when I briefly stopped by the house. I’m confident in my dumpling-making skills.”

“Try them now. I’m not just saying this because she’s my wife, but the dumplings are really delicious.”

“Hahaha. Should I?”

Junhoo opened the plastic bag.

The moment he opened the disposable container inside the bag.

Wow!

An exclamation burst out.

The dumplings, made in various shapes, caught his eye.

Half-moon shape, round shape. Triangular shape. Lucky bag shape, etc.

There were almost 6 shapes, and even those shapes weren’t clumsy.

The dumplings were all made beautifully and meticulously.

The skin didn’t burst, and the filling didn’t flow out.

Junhoo put the lucky bag dumpling in his mouth first.

“Mmm… it’s really delicious! It’s the most delicious dumpling I’ve had recently!”

Junhoo exclaimed, covering his mouth with his hand.

The dumpling he just ate was a chives dumpling.

The seasoning was just right.

The chives that were chewed in between emitted a crisp and refreshing fragrance.

It was a taste that you wouldn’t get tired of even if you ate it over and over again.

To exaggerate a little, it felt like he could eat 100 of them.

“Phew, Doctor. I’m glad it suits your taste.”

“Unless you’ve lost your sense of taste or hate chives, there’s no way you could dislike it, right?”

Junhoo tried all the other dumplings one by one.

His appetite had exploded because of the chives dumplings.

Kimchi dumplings.

Shrimp dumplings.

Fried dumplings, etc.

After eating each dumpling, Junhoo couldn’t help but be shocked.

The taste of the dumplings exceeded Junhoo’s expectations several times over.

Jae-eun’s mother’s dumpling-making skills were extraordinary.

“Guardian, did you used to run a dumpling shop?”

“Not me, but my mother did. I learned a lot while helping her.”

“Judging by the taste, it must have been a successful business?”

“It’s a little embarrassing to say this, but it was quite famous in the neighborhood.”

Jae-eun’s mother smiled shyly.

“Then why don’t you open a dumpling shop later? In my opinion, it seems competitive enough.”

“Right? You think so too, Doctor?”

Jae-eun’s father interjected at Junhoo’s words.

“You have a talent for dumplings. Why don’t you believe in your cooking skills so much?”

“Didn’t you see Park Jong-won’s small restaurant? People complimented his food so he opened a restaurant and went bankrupt?”

“Your cooking isn’t just a formality, it’s really delicious. It’s good enough to open a restaurant.”

“How do you know that, Doctor?”

“I know because I just ate it.”

“I appreciate you enjoying it, but I don’t think it’s good enough to open a restaurant.”

Jae-eun’s mother waved her hand.

“I’m just following my late mother’s skills by about half. I still have a long way to go.”

“No. You should seriously consider this opportunity. If you open a restaurant, I want to invest too.”

“Wow… even invest? What do you believe in about me?”

“Of course, I believe in the dumpling-making skills you have.”

Junhoo grinned.

He was confident that if the guardian opened a dumpling shop, it would never fail.

Others may not know, but Junhoo was a dumpling expert.

Junhoo was a dumpling gourmet.

Back when he was active in the Murim world [a fictional world of martial arts and cultivation], there were countless days when he only ate dumplings for three meals because he liked them so much.

Junhoo, a dumpling fanatic, knew.

Even compared to the dumplings of famous restaurants he had eaten in the Murim world, the guardian’s dumplings were by no means inferior.

If the guardian opened a dumpling shop, Junhoo would be killing two birds with one stone.

The Jae-eun family’s livelihood would be guaranteed.

And Junhoo would be able to eat delicious dumplings to his heart’s content.

“Please seriously consider opening a dumpling shop and contact me. I’ll be waiting.”