A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 269

Chapter 51: Charge (4)

On the way back to the thoracic surgery ward, a contented smile played on Ah-young’s lips.

She hadn’t been able to enjoy proper dates with Jun-hoo for the past few weeks, as she had to spend a lot of time teaching her junior resident, who was in their first year.

But today, meeting Jun-hoo even briefly filled her with happiness.

It revitalized her empty heart and exhausted body.

For Ah-young, Jun-hoo was the best way to relieve both physical and mental fatigue.

‘But he wasn’t his usual self… Why would he ask for such a favor?’

Replaying their conversation in the lounge, Ah-young tilted her head, puzzled.

Jun-hoo’s request was simple yet difficult.

And Jun-hoo said he would explain in detail why he was making such a request as soon as his work was done.

While making the request,

Jun-hoo’s eyes showed a sense of determination that went beyond mere seriousness.

It was a look Ah-young had never seen before.

So, she agreed to grant his request without hesitation.

Although she felt uneasy not knowing Jun-hoo’s intentions, Ah-young decided to trust him.

Following her wandering thoughts, she arrived at the on-call room.

It was empty.

The chair by the window was pushed far back from the desk.

It was evident that the first-year junior resident had left in a hurry.

In principle, the on-call room should never be left unattended, not even for a second, because they need to be available to receive urgent calls from the emergency room or the ward.

But what could she do?

In the thoracic surgery department, where the number of staff was critically low, it was impossible to adhere to that principle.

Ah-young pulled the chair back to the desk and sat down.

She could feel the warmth in the chair.

On the front monitor, a discharge summary of a hospitalized patient was displayed.

Typing sounds.

Typing sounds.

After completing the discharge summary in place of her junior resident, Ah-young began her training.

It was the two-handed rock-paper-scissors game that she had learned from Jun-hoo.

“Ugh…”

While playing rock-paper-scissors, frustrated sighs never ceased.

Her hand didn’t feel like her own,

Her head didn’t feel like her own.

It felt like her head and hands were all tangled up.

If she focused on her left hand, her right hand would falter, and if she focused on her right hand, her left hand would falter.

She had to slow down her usual rock-paper-scissors speed by tenfold to barely win against her right hand with her left hand.

Ah-young was frustrated but endured it.

She wanted to be a sister who wouldn’t be ashamed of her younger sibling, who had become a star in the sky due to congenital heart disease.

While practicing rock-paper-scissors for a while,

Ah-young scanned her surroundings with a strange feeling.

“……!”

Her first-year junior resident, Hyun-soo, had already entered the on-call room. He was staring intently at Ah-young playing rock-paper-scissors.

“If you came in, you should have said something.”

Ah-young’s face flushed red.

The two-handed rock-paper-scissors was a training method she didn’t particularly want to show to others.

Because…

It would make her look like a fool!

“I swear I just came in. But what are you doing right now?”

“I’m right-handed, you know? They say if I practice like this, I can use both hands well.”

“Come on, how can you become ambidextrous with that method?”

Hyun-soo shook his head.

“Isn’t someone just trying to tease you, *sunbae* [senior colleague]?”

“I heard it from Jun-hoo?”

“Then Jun-hoo *sunbae* must be trying to tease Ah-young *sunbae*.”

Ah-young felt a surge of defiance at Hyun-soo’s lukewarm reaction.

Even though the two-handed rock-paper-scissors training wasn’t cool, she wanted to prove that it had a definite effect.

Jun-hoo had clearly said that he had been reborn as an ambidextrous person through this training method.

“Can you take responsibility for what you just said? What will you do if I use both hands well around next year?”

“Then… I’ll work in drag for a week.”

“Make sure you keep that promise.”

Ah-young’s competitive spirit ignited.

* * *

Taking a short break, Jun-hoo came down to the first-floor lobby.

The lobby, which should have been bustling with people like a weekend department store, was deserted and quiet.

It was thanks to the outpatient clinic ending 30 minutes ago.

Whether they were patients, guardians, or staff,

At this time, only those who needed to remain stayed, and the rest all left.

Jun-hoo started walking.

Perhaps because there were few people, the sound of the shoes of a man in a suit walking towards him sounded like thunder.

The man was probably an insurance company employee.

He must have visited the hospital to meet an insured person or to obtain the insured person’s chart.

Jun-hoo had not yet been involved with insurance company employees.

But the situation would change drastically once he became an attending physician.

After performing surgery on a patient’s neck or back and determining the extent of their disability,

He might have to engage in tedious disputes with insurance company people.

Well, these days, there are quite a few cases where patients commit fraud as well as insurance companies…

After walking for about five minutes, Jun-hoo arrived at the outpatient clinic that treated cerebrovascular diseases.

Since outpatient treatment was over, there were no outpatient nurses at the station.

The electronic display that showed the patient’s order of treatment and the lights above the station were turned off.

The atmosphere was eerie.

「Professor Shin Dong-hoon, Department of Neurosurgery」

Jun-hoo stood in front of the First Treatment Room and took a deep breath.

The task he was about to undertake was the third step in defeating Si-hoo.

The first step was to ask his colleague Kyung-soo for cooperation.

The second step was to let Ah-young rest.

The third step was to win over Professor Shin Dong-hoon.

Because if he pushed this matter forward solely based on the resident’s opinion,

There could be repercussions later.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

He knocked, and a voice told him to come in.

Jun-hoo entered the treatment room.

The treatment room was white.

From the floor to the walls to the ceiling, everything was covered in white as if covered in snow.

A bookshelf was placed in one corner of the room, and the bookshelf was filled with specialized books.

A human anatomy chart was attached to the wall, and a potted plant placed by the window boasted a fresh green color.

“Oh? You’re here? Have a seat over there.”

Dong-hoon, who was working at his desk, pointed to a chair with a nod.

His attitude and eyes were as soft as silk.

Dong-hoon trusted Jun-hoo,

And Jun-hoo also trusted Dong-hoon.

The two had a fairly strong bond.

“It seems you’re busy even in the evening. Everyone else has gone home.”

“I have a paper I’m working on. By the way, what brings you here at this hour?”

Dong-hoon took his hands off the keyboard and stared at Jun-hoo.

“I came to notify you of something very important.”

“Something very important… Is it something I should be nervous about? Or something I should look forward to?”

“I’m sorry, but I think it’s the former.”

“Hmm… Is that so? Tell me about it.”

“I’m telling you in advance because I think you’ll be very shocked. It’s best to prepare yourself mentally.”

“Oh, you. Don’t worry and just tell me quickly.”

“It’s about our department’s chief resident, Lee Si-hoo…”

Jun-hoo paused for a moment before rushing out.

Like a short-distance runner bursting out at the signal.

“Lee Si-hoo. He’s a psychopath. He’s killed many patients so far and is planning to kill another patient soon.”

“What… what did you say?”

Dong-hoon was shocked.

He blinked his wide eyes for a long time, and his mouth was gaping open like an idiot.

It was the reaction Jun-hoo had expected.

“That’s why Lee Si-hoo is an even more terrifying person. Because he has deceived everyone so perfectly.”

Dong-hoon defended Si-hoo with a displeased expression.

This was also the reaction Jun-hoo had anticipated!

“So that’s why Lee Si-hoo is an even more terrifying person. Because he has deceived everyone so perfectly.”

Jun-hoo took out a printout from his gown pocket and placed it on the desk.

It was a copy of Si-hoo’s notebook.

“……!”

Dong-hoon’s eyes, reading the printout, shook like an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.0.

Belatedly, his hands also trembled.

“You might find this helpful as well.”

Jun-hoo also handed Dong-hoon his cell phone.

On the cell phone screen…

The double drawer and the propofol, fentanyl, syringes, etc., contained within were clearly captured.

Dong-hoon scanned all the evidence and then dropped his head powerlessly.

He seemed to be struggling to accept the shocking reality.

“You believe now that I didn’t come to you simply to speak ill of him, right?”

“Huh… I feel like I’m dreaming right now. How could that kind Si-hoo do such terrible things…”

“You can know the depth of ten fathoms of water, but you can’t know a foot of a person’s heart [you can’t judge a book by its cover].”

“When… when did you find out about this?”

Dong-hoon changed the subject.

“I’ve had suspicions for six months, and I found the evidence today.”

“Why did you specifically come to me?”

“Originally, I was going to report to the head of the department first… But it’s obvious that he would try to cover up the incident if I told him.”

“He would, with his personality. He acts like the department’s reputation is the most important thing in the world.”

A bitter smile hung on Dong-hoon’s lips.

“So, what’s your plan, Jun-hoo?”

“I plan to set a trap and completely bury Lee Si-hoo.”

“A trap? With the data you’ve secured now, you could pass it on to the police, right?”

Dong-hoon tilted his head.

The notebook contained detailed dates and methods of murder.

It was questionable whether a trap investigation was even necessary.

“I want to make sure Lee Si-hoo never gets out of prison.”

“You’ve really gritted your teeth [are serious about this].”

“Yes. If I had gritted my teeth any harder, I might have had to get all my teeth implanted.”

Jun-hoo explained in detail the operation to trick Si-hoo, and Dong-hoon listened attentively, nodding his head.

A consensus was quickly formed between the two.

“Professor. Thank you and I’m sorry.”

After finishing the explanation, Jun-hoo bowed his head to Dong-hoon.

“If you’re thankful, be thankful, and if you’re sorry, be sorry. Why be both thankful and sorry?”

“That’s…”

Jun-hoo’s lips parted with difficulty.

The reason he felt grateful to Dong-hoon was that Dong-hoon didn’t dismiss Jun-hoo’s words and believed him.

It was because Dong-hoon had joined Jun-hoo’s plan.

The reason he felt sorry was…

Because Dong-hoon was likely to be targeted by the head of the department because of this.

The moment Si-hoo’s crime was revealed,

The prestige of the Department of Neurosurgery at Seoul Shinwon University Hospital was sure to plummet to the ground for the time being.

But after listening to Jun-hoo’s explanation, Dong-hoon simply smiled.

“No matter how difficult it may be, people must uphold their duty as human beings. If you can’t uphold your duty as a human being, then you’re not a person, but a beast.”

“……Professor.”

“I’ll help as much as I can, so you be faithful to my plan.”

“Thank you!”

Jun-hoo bowed his head once again.

Even in the world of martial arts.

And even in modern times, justice was still alive.

* * *

That Saturday.

Whirr.

Whirr.

Jun-hoo was pulling his carrier and walking through the neurosurgery ward.

He had to work in Daejeon starting next week, so he was packing his belongings from the on-call room.

He had told Ah-young about his dispatch to Daejeon yesterday. Surprisingly, Ah-young also said that she would be dispatched to Daejeon around next month.

The two were a match made in heaven.

Arriving in front of the on-call room, the staff who had been waiting greeted Jun-hoo.

“Work hard and have a good trip.”

It was Min-kyung who said that.

“Ugh, I feel so relieved that Hwan-ta is leaving.”

It was Kyung-soo who said that.

“Working in Daejeon will be several times harder than in Seoul. Please take care of your health.”

It was the psychopath Si-hoo who said that.

You’re spouting nonsense.

Not even knowing that today is your memorial day.

Jun-hoo sneered at Si-hoo inwardly.

After waving goodbye to everyone, Jun-hoo left the neurosurgery ward.