A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 27

Martial Arts Surgeon – Episode 27

Chapter 6: True Education (2)

“Senior, it looks like you’re coming from the hospital?”

Jun-hoo naturally steered the conversation toward the hospital.

He was extremely curious.

Why was Kyung-tae holding a Taejeong Hospital document envelope, especially given the recent controversy surrounding the hospital?

“I had some business to take care of.”

“Ah, were you sick? Did you catch a cold or something? The weather is still chilly.”

Jun-hoo’s way of speaking was as smooth as flowing water.

He didn’t let go of the topic of the hospital, subtly guiding Kyung-tae to reveal information.

This was a conversational technique he had learned from Zhuge Chun-myung, the young master of the Zhuge family [a fictional or historical family known for their strategic brilliance].

“I’m not sick; I just had some business to take care of.”

Kyung-tae smiled bitterly.

It was a fleeting expression, but Jun-hoo didn’t miss it.

In the world of martial arts, where life-or-death battles unfold,

a single wrong blink could send an invitation straight to the afterlife.

Thanks to that, Jun-hoo’s observational skills were several times sharper than others.

Perhaps that’s why.

Jun-hoo quickly noticed that Kyung-tae was hiding something.

And that what he was hiding wasn’t exactly good news.

It’s a shame, but…

Since it’s our first meeting, it’s best to back off at this point, right?

“Senior, you said you were looking for a tutor. Jun-hoo is also looking for a tutoring job, so I was going to introduce you,” Sung-ho, who was next to him, brought up the main point.

“If it’s Jun-hoo, I’d welcome him. He’s the talk of the freshman class. If you’re okay with it, would you like to start today?”

“I’m fine with it.”

“I’ll send you the home address and the necessary documents via text. I’ll let my mother know in advance, too.”

Perhaps it was because of Jun-hoo’s reputation.

The tutoring job was secured in the blink of an eye.

Jun-hoo and Kyung-tae exchanged contact information as well.

After the business was concluded, an awkward silence hung between the three of them.

They had only connected him for the tutoring job.

It didn’t seem like Sung-ho was that close to Kyung-tae either. If they were, they would have already dropped the honorifics and talked comfortably.

“Then we’ll be going now. I’ll come back later.”

“Okay. See you.”

Jun-hoo left the clubroom, leaving behind his brief encounter with Kyung-tae.

But why was it?

The documents with the name and logo of Taejeong Hospital had been lingering in his mind since earlier.

He was curious as to why Kyung-tae had visited Taejeong Hospital.

“Hyung [older brother or male friend], you don’t know Kyung-tae sunbae [senior] very well, do you?”

“Your way of speaking is strange? You don’t know him well, do you?”

“It seems like you really don’t know him.”

“Yeah, kid. I don’t know him well. I haven’t been in the club for very long.”

Jun-hoo tried to pry information about Kyung-tae from Sung-ho, but he failed.

It wasn’t like there was no way to find out, though.

Jun-hoo hoped that the thought that had just popped into his head was just a groundless fear.

He knew all too well how painful and difficult it was to fight against injustice.

While chatting with Sung-ho on the way back to the cafe,

a message arrived on his phone.

It was from Kyung-tae.

The message contained the home address and the documents needed for tutoring.

The suspicion that had arisen in his heart seemed like it would be resolved somehow this evening.

* * *

That evening.

Jun-hoo was looking up at an apartment complex located in Seocho-gu [a district in Seoul known for its affluence].

The apartment complex was sophisticated, magnificent, and luxurious.

He had looked it up before coming, and the price of this apartment with a Han River view was a whopping 4 billion won [approximately $3 million USD] for the deposit alone.

How can you earn 4 billion won in a lifetime?

Looking at the apartment complex, he felt a strange sense of alienation.

Let’s get a grip.

That’s not the important thing right now.

Jun-hoo lightly tapped his cheeks and entered the complex.

He stood in front of the unit number he had received via messenger.

Ding-dong~

The door opened as if they had been waiting for him.

A middle-aged woman in casual clothes was standing in front of the door.

It was Kyung-tae’s mother, Mi-ho.

“You must be student Jun-hoo? Welcome.”

“Yes, Mother. Hello.”

Jun-hoo greeted her politely and took a seat on the living room sofa, following Mi-ho.

He had guessed it before coming, but Kyung-tae’s family was well-off.

The interior of the living room was different from the start.

A wall-mounted TV, antique-looking furniture, and a sophisticated kitchen.

It was just like a wealthy family’s house in a drama.

A place that was a setting in a drama for someone was a reality for someone else.

Jun-hoo had a brief chat with Mi-ho.

It was about the student who would be receiving tutoring.

The student was Kang Soo-jung, who had become a senior in high school this year.

Her grades were in the top percentile, but she was particularly weak in math, so she wanted to take math lessons from Jun-hoo.

“Here are the documents I prepared.”

Jun-hoo took out the documents from his bag and handed them to Mi-ho.

A copy of his resident registration card.

A copy of his bankbook.

His senior year college entrance exam report card.

A certificate of enrollment from Shinwon University’s medical school.

“Oh my. Last year’s college entrance exam was notorious for being difficult. You got a perfect score?”

Mi-ho’s eyes widened.

“It’s all thanks to studying hard.”

“You have outstanding looks and you’re good at studying. You must have been the envy of everyone around you?”

“Hahaha. I didn’t really notice. You’re the beautiful one, Mother. I was wondering why it was so dazzling since earlier; it’s all because of you.”

“Oh, student Jun-hoo.”

Mi-ho giggled at Jun-hoo’s flattery.

Jun-hoo, who had experienced the world of martial arts, also knew how to gain the favor of superiors.

The secret wasn’t anything grand; it was just a way of praising trivial things as if they were big deals.

The conversation continued.

Jun-hoo would teach Soo-jung twice a week for two hours each day.

The tutoring fee was 1.6 million won per month [approximately $1200 USD].

Calculating the income compared to the working hours, it was an unbelievably high-paying part-time job.

“I’m sorry, but could you call Soo-jung? I want to see her with you.”

“Look at my forgetfulness. I was forgetting the most important thing. Soo-jung! Come here and say hello to your tutor.”

At Mi-ho’s call, Soo-jung came out to the living room.

Even though she was only one year younger than Jun-hoo, Soo-jung looked quite young.

It seemed to be because she was petite and had a cute appearance.

In front of Mi-ho, Jun-hoo informed Soo-jung of the math class curriculum.

There was also an introduction from a senior in his department.

If he was going to receive 1.6 million won, he would need to provide an education that was worth it.

“We’ll be going in now.”

“Yes. Please take care of her.”

“I’m the one who should be saying that.”

Jun-hoo moved to Soo-jung’s room with Soo-jung.

“Since today is the first day, there won’t be any class. Instead, let’s do something else?”

“Something else…?”

“Soo-jung, you need to correct your posture first.”

Jun-hoo said firmly.

Soo-jung was already showing signs of having a turtle neck [a posture where the head juts forward].

Her neck was bent forward, and her shoulders were also slightly rolled forward.

If her condition worsened, she would likely develop symptoms such as a herniated disc and numbness in her arms.

“Will you sit at your desk?”

“Yes, Teacher.”

After checking Soo-jung’s sitting posture, Jun-hoo frowned.

Soo-jung’s studying posture was a collection of all the bad things.

So he made Soo-jung lift her head and rest her neck on the headrest.

He also made her straighten her back and make sure her buttocks touched the back of the chair.

“Teacher. This posture is too uncomfortable. I don’t think I can study like this.”

Soo-jung frowned.

“You know how fatty foods are delicious, right? It’s the same principle. It’s easy to maintain a bad posture, but it’s hard to maintain a good posture.”

“……”

“And would you like to go to the hospital sometime?”

“Hospital? I don’t have any pain?”

Soo-jung asked with a bewildered expression.

“Don’t you feel strangely tired even if you sleep a lot? You don’t feel refreshed even after waking up.”

“How did you know that?”

“Teacher can tell just by looking at you. Make sure to go to an otolaryngologist [ear, nose, and throat doctor] this week. If you say you’re here for a sleep apnea consultation, they’ll take care of it.”

Jun-hoo was expecting Soo-jung to have sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea.

This was a disease in which breathing is reduced or unable to breathe during sleep, causing sleep disturbances.

Due to breathing problems, patients can suffer from sequelae such as myocardial infarction [heart attack] and stroke.

In severe cases, there was also the possibility of sudden death.

However, sleep apnea could also be diagnosed to some extent by looking at a person’s face.

People with a long philtrum [the vertical groove between the nose and upper lip] and a receding chin.

People with a short and thick neck.

People with a deviated nasal septum, etc.

This was because people with these body structures were more likely to have narrow airways.

“Then I’ll go.”

Soo-jung answered and stared at Jun-hoo with a curious expression.

What should I say?

Even though they were both medical students, Jun-hoo exuded a completely different atmosphere from her own brother.

It was as if he was already a doctor.

He not only corrected her posture.

He even diagnosed her with a disease she had never heard of, sleep apnea, just by looking at her face…

Someone who got a perfect score on the college entrance exam was different for a reason.

“Stand up. Teacher will loosen your body. Take a deep breath and relax.”

Soo-jung did as Jun-hoo told her.

Soon, Jun-hoo twisted Soo-jung’s neck 90 degrees to the left and 90 degrees to the right.

Just like the main character in a movie assassinating a villain.

Crack, crack.

The sound of bones spreading from her neck was terrifying.

She felt like she was going to die, but after receiving the stretching, her neck felt refreshed instead.

Like applying a highly effective pain reliever.

When she moved her neck slightly, the angle at which her neck moved also widened, and it was easier to move.

“Teacher. Where did you learn massage? It’s so refreshing?”

Soo-jung asked with surprised owl eyes.

“I learned from a very great person. Now, will you lie down?”

Jun-hoo also took care of Soo-jung’s back.

He loosened the muscles on both sides of Soo-jung’s spine with his finger containing internal energy.

“Ugh.”

The groan of a middle-aged man who had just finished a bowl of rice soup flowed from Soo-jung’s mouth.

Jun-hoo couldn’t help but laugh this time.

After loosening Soo-jung’s body, Jun-hoo continued the conversation with Soo-jung.

He asked what university and department Soo-jung was aiming for.

He asked what was the most uncomfortable thing about school life.

He approached Soo-jung as a person before teaching her math.

Jun-hoo learned in the world of martial arts how much rapport with a teacher helps in learning.

“Is your brother sick? It looked like he went to the hospital?”

Near the end of the first class, Jun-hoo asked.

He asked Soo-jung what he couldn’t ask Kyung-tae directly.

He had built up enough intimacy with Soo-jung.

“Ah… that?”

Suddenly, a dark cloud hung over Soo-jung’s face.

“My father passed away a month ago. He probably went to get insurance documents.”

“I’m sorry. I asked something unnecessary.”

“No. How would the teacher know about our family situation.”

In a somber atmosphere, Jun-hoo was lost in thought.

Kyung-tae getting insurance documents from Taejeong Hospital meant…

Didn’t it mean that Kyung-tae’s father had lost his life at Taejeong Hospital?

Maybe it was because of Kim Tae-hoon’s medical malpractice case, but Jun-hoo felt sick every time he heard the name Taejeong Hospital.

He couldn’t shake off the unsettling feeling either.

Perhaps Kyung-tae’s father was also a victim of Taejeong Hospital?

After finishing the class, Jun-hoo left Soo-jung’s room.

Mi-ho was sitting on the living room sofa.

The document envelope that Kyung-tae was holding was placed next to Mi-ho.

Coincidentally, Mi-ho was looking through the charts one by one.

And Jun-hoo had practically already obtained his medical license.

If so.

If he could see that chart, he could find out if Kyung-tae’s father had really passed away unfairly

or if he had passed away unavoidably.

The truth must be revealed.

For the sake of the patient who passed away.

For the sake of the remaining family.

Jun-hoo, who had hardened his resolve, carefully approached Mi-ho.

“Mother, I finished the class a little early today since it’s the first day. I was worried I might be resented if I started class on the first day.”

“Oh, is that so? Thank you for your hard work, student Jun-hoo.”

“The hard work was done by Soo-jung, not me.”

Jun-hoo looked down at the chart Mi-ho was holding and continued speaking.

The main point was from now on.

“But… I’m really sorry to ask this… but could I take a look at the chart you’re looking at right now?”