A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 276

Chapter 53: Master and Disciple (1)

Wee-ooo-wee-ooo.

The ambulance siren blared, its piercing sound tearing through the road as it sped along.

“Yes.”

-…….

“Yes. I understand you’re very shocked and worried, but please come to the hospital. We’ll do our best to ensure your daughter’s safety.”

Jun-hoo was speaking to Yu-ri’s mother on the phone he had taken from Yu-ri’s pocket.

It wasn’t locked, so he could easily find her guardian, and Yu-ri’s mother answered right away, making it easy to explain the situation.

After finishing the call with the guardian, Jun-hoo put Yu-ri’s phone in his own pocket.

He stared anxiously out the window.

The other cars running alongside them were quickly falling behind the ambulance.

The ambulance was driving that fast.

Ten minutes ago.

Jun-hoo had persuaded the neurosurgeon Yu-ri worked with to transfer her to another hospital capable of performing brain surgery.

The ambulance they were in was Seoul Woosung Hospital’s own ambulance.

Jun-hoo’s gaze returned to Yu-ri.

The IV bag hanging from the ambulance’s upper steel bar was shaking roughly and precariously with the ambulance’s movements.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

The falling drops of the IV fluid were like an hourglass marking Yu-ri’s remaining life.

Yu-ri, who had been in a stupor, had deteriorated into a semi-coma.

She was unable to speak, and her voluntary movements had ceased.

When the ambulance stopped at a traffic light.

Jun-hoo placed his hand on Yu-ri’s forehead and performed ‘Internal Energy Cerebral Angiography’ [a technique using internal energy to visualize blood vessels in the brain].

He had painstakingly cleared the hematoma [a solid swelling of clotted blood within the tissues], but a new hematoma had taken its place.

A new hematoma had formed because the bleeding hadn’t stopped.

If Jun-hoo hadn’t removed the hematoma earlier, the existing hematoma would have grown to 200cc in size.

The intracranial pressure [pressure inside the skull] would have soared.

And with the increased intracranial pressure, the brain would have been pushed against the skull.

‘I can’t do it again…’

Jun-hoo bit his lip.

The ‘Celestial Wind Attack’ [a martial arts technique] to remove the hematoma was not a suitable martial art to use inside a shaking ambulance.

Jun-hoo could end up with internal injuries.

Unable to do anything, Jun-hoo felt a sense of extreme helplessness for the first time in a while.

The same tormenting feeling that had constantly plagued Jun-hoo from the Murim world [a world of martial arts and chivalry] to the modern world.

Perhaps that was why.

Even though his eyes were wide open, everything looked dark. It felt like he was slowly being dragged into a sticky swamp of depression from his ankles.

I don’t like this.

I really don’t like this.

This isn’t why I became a neurosurgeon.

At least in front of patients who are dying and suffering in front of me, I wanted to be someone who could treat them confidently and skillfully.

The helplessness, which had been like gentle waves, turned into a giant tsunami.

It swept through Jun-hoo’s body and mind, leaving him unable to move.

But it was at that moment.

Words that Ah-young had once said to him flashed brightly in Jun-hoo’s mind like a lighthouse.

-Jun-hoo, I hope you can distinguish between what you can do and what you can’t. And I hope you don’t suffer over what you can’t do.

-It’s going to be hard to admit that you can’t do something… but there’s nothing you can do about it.

-Let’s focus on what we can do and get rid of the self-blame and guilt.

Looking back, Jun-hoo had done everything he could for Yu-ri.

From diagnosis and treatment using internal energy to arranging an ambulance for emergency surgery.

There was nothing more that Jun-hoo, who was not a god, could do for Yu-ri in the current situation.

That’s right.

Don’t suffer over what you can’t do.

Focus on what I can do.

As he regained his composure, Jun-hoo’s eyes cleared. The tension and fear of losing Yu-ri gradually subsided.

“Driver.”

“Yes, Doctor.”

“How long will it take to get to Jewon University Hospital from here?”

“About 20 minutes, I think.”

Of course, it would be better to arrive sooner, but 20 minutes seemed enough to make the golden time [critical time window for treatment].

“Still, it’s quite something. Seoul Woosung Hospital, one of the Big 5 [top 5 hospitals in Seoul], can’t perform the surgery and is sending the patient to another hospital.”

The driver clicked his tongue, seemingly dumbfounded by the situation.

“By the way, will they be able to perform the surgery at Jewon University Hospital? Our hospital can’t do it, so what if they can’t either?”

“They said they can. I already called.”

Just before boarding the ambulance.

Jun-hoo had contacted ‘that person’ to ask if surgery was possible.

‘That person’ said it was possible.

And if ‘that person’ said it was possible, then it was 100 percent possible.

Soon, the ambulance entered Yeongdong Bridge.

The real hell began then. The six-lane road was as blocked as interlocking Tetris pieces.

Honk! Honk! Honk!

Car horns blared from all directions.

In the distance, white smoke was ominously dancing.

“Ah…”

“Ah…”

Jun-hoo and the driver sighed simultaneously as if they had made a promise.

There seemed to have been a traffic accident ahead. Judging by the chaotic road conditions, it looked like a pile-up.

The worst possible misfortune had occurred during an emergency transport.

“Ugh! I need to change the navigation system. Why does it always guide me this way?”

The driver nervously tapped the navigation system.

Complaints and dissatisfaction about things not going as planned.

Worries about Yu-ri.

And the rising sense of helplessness, as if it had been waiting for this moment.

Jun-hoo simply watched all the negative emotions rising.

He felt the emotions but didn’t let them sway him.

He focused on what he could do now.

Jun-hoo no longer wanted to be dragged around by helplessness. He didn’t want to live as a slave to helplessness.

It was time to end the tiresome, wretched relationship.

“It seems like there’s no solution in this situation. I’ll get out and carry the patient.”

“What? What are you talking about? That’s absolutely impossible!”

The driver raised his voice in opposition to Jun-hoo’s sudden statement.

“It’s a 10-minute drive by car, but it’ll take at least an hour to carry or piggyback the patient.”

“…….”

“Wouldn’t it be better to wait for the accident to be cleared up?”

“Do you see the road conditions right now?”

“Of course, I do.”

“It’ll take more than an hour to clear up this mess, don’t you think?”

Jun-hoo said coldly.

It would have been different if there were fewer cars on the road, but the bridge was currently packed with cars.

There was an event nearby.

Jun-hoo guessed that it would take at least two hours for the bridge to return to normal.

“You never know. The accident ahead might not be that serious.”

“…….”

“More than anything, your stamina won’t hold up if you try to transport her. If your stamina drops, the speed will drop even further.”

“…….”

“I understand your concern for the patient, but transporting her directly is… a foolish decision.”

The driver’s argument was consistent.

Waiting in the car was the best option. It seemed like the driver wouldn’t change his mind even if a knife was held to his throat.

But the driver only knew one thing and not the other two.

Jun-hoo was no ordinary surgeon.

He possessed a power that others didn’t know, a miracle that ordinary people couldn’t achieve.

“Sometimes, human foolishness saves humans.”

“Doctor! I’m telling you, it’s not going to work! Don’t do anything reckless. You could be held legally responsible later.”

The driver wasn’t threatening Jun-hoo.

He was worried that Jun-hoo might get caught up in something bad even after working hard.

In any case, the two people’s opinions were polar opposites.

There was no gray area.

Therefore, Jun-hoo replaced his answer by opening the ambulance door.

Whoosh.

The chilly winter wind slapped his face as if it had been waiting.

Jun-hoo took off his coat and wrapped it around Yu-ri’s body.

He put the IV pack connected to Yu-ri’s arm in his mouth, and finally, he held Yu-ri in his arms.

Thud!

Holding Yu-ri in his arms, Jun-hoo stood on the road surface. Because the cars couldn’t move, he was able to safely move to the sidewalk.

The Han River was shimmering like fish scales as the midday sun shone down on it.

As if it had no interest in human affairs.

It was flowing serenely.

Perhaps because it was winter, the sidewalk was deserted. It was hard to find people jogging or riding bicycles.

This was good for Jun-hoo, who had to use 경공 [Gyeonggong; a martial art that allows one to move with incredible speed and lightness] now.

Jun-hoo lightly stretched his legs.

At the same time, he continuously channeled the internal energy condensed in his dantian [energy center in the body] into his legs.

For the first time in the modern world, Jun-hoo decided to unleash the maximum speed of 경공 he could muster.

If he could properly unleash 경공…….

It would be a piece of cake to reach Jewon University Hospital within 10 minutes.

‘I’ve often had the audacious thought that I can run faster than most cars.’

The 서씨세가’s [Seo Clan’s] strongest 경공.

천광신보 [Cheon Gwang Shin Bo; Celestial Light Footwork], one of the top 10 경공 in the Murim world.

While preparing for this, Jun-hoo also infused his eyes with internal energy. As a result, his vision cleared up, just like when he had earned the nickname ‘Mogen족’ [Mogenjok; people with exceptionally good eyesight, like the Mogen tribe].

The scenery 50 meters away became so clear that it felt like he could reach out and touch it.

This was to prepare for any possible collisions.

Now, all preparations were complete.

Whoosh!

Jun-hoo’s figure became a streak of bullets, crossing the sidewalk.

His feet moved so quickly that they were invisible.

A faint afterimage remained where Jun-hoo had passed.

Whoosh.

Even the fierce wind seemed to be overtaken by Jun-hoo.

Even more surprising!

Even though Jun-hoo was running at a miraculous speed, his hair and clothes weren’t shaking much.

Jun-hoo was using internal energy to envelop his body and deflect the resistance of the headwind.

This was the secret that elevated 천광신보 to the ranks of the top 10 경공 in the Murim world.

Perhaps that was why.

He had only blinked a few times.

Jun-hoo had already reached the end of the bridge.

* * *

At the same time, Yeongdong Bridge.

Two men were rubbing their hands together, staring at the heavily congested road.

The men were traffic enforcement officers.

They had installed a speed measuring device on the sidewalk and were checking for speeding cars.

“Ha… it’s impossible to do speed enforcement in the winter.”

Sun-pyo, who was wearing glasses, shook his head.

“It’s hard to say this, but isn’t it a little better today? At least we’re not getting hit by the car wind because of the accident.”

Tae-yong, Sun-pyo’s assistant and a recent hire at the Road Traffic Authority, said.

White breath puffed out from Tae-yong’s mouth as he spoke.

“You’re unnecessarily positive, aren’t you? We’re the ones who got stuck with this job. Aren’t you annoyed?”

“What’s the point of getting annoyed? It’s only a loss for me anyway.”

“Are you going to engage in mental 승리 [Seungri; mental victory, a way of rationalizing a loss]? I’m not interested in mental 승리.”

“Isn’t the essence of living originally about engaging in mental 승리? If you can’t beat the world, you should at least win mentally.”

“Just say it once, 새꺄 [saekkya; a mild curse word, like ‘jerk’]. You’re diligent and all, but you talk too much.”

Wrinkles formed on Sun-pyo’s forehead.

He had finally touched his assistant Tae-yong’s Achilles heel.

Tae-yong’s nickname at the Traffic Authority was ‘Chatterbox’. Even 민원인 [Minwonin; a citizen making a complaint or request] got tired of Tae-yong and hung up first.

“You used to say you liked being with me because I wasn’t boring. Have you changed your mind already?”

“That was just…”

Sun-pyo stopped talking and widened his eyes.

Beep!

The speeding device was signaling a speeding violation.

But it was a difficult situation to understand.

The road was paralyzed due to a pile-up accident. Who could possibly be speeding on a congested road?

“Sunbae [senior colleague]. The speed gun registered 130 kilometers per hour?”

“Huh? 130 kilometers per hour? Is that even possible? Is the speed gun broken?”

Sun-pyo tilted his head and operated the speeding device with the speed gun attached.

Strangely enough, the device wasn’t broken.

Then why……?

“Check the camera footage.”

“Yes!”

When they checked the snapshot video, it showed a man running while holding a woman.

The man’s outline was only faintly visible because of the distance.

“Surely this person didn’t run at 130 kilometers per hour, did he?”

“Usain Bolt runs at 40 kilometers per hour, so 130 kilometers per hour is absolutely impossible. Besides, 130 kilometers per hour is the speed of a car, isn’t it?”

“I know that too… but looking at this screen, it looks like the man ran at 130 kilometers per hour.”

“Maybe it was filmed with a bird gliding near the bridge? Hawks can reach speeds of up to 390 kilometers per hour in an instant.”

“I don’t know what kind of hawk would be in Seoul… but that’s the most likely possibility.”

Sun-pyo scratched his cheek but couldn’t take his eyes off the still image.

He had been out on countless speeding enforcements, but this was the first time he had encountered such an absurd case.