A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 277

Chapter 53: Master and Disciple (2)

“Haa… Haa… Haa…”

White breaths puffed from his open mouth, one after another.

The pounding of his heart echoed through his entire body.

His legs burned as if engulfed in flames.

At the end of Yeongdong Bridge, Jun-hoo bent over, struggling to catch his breath.

His physical condition was a far cry from what it had been in the Murim world [a world of martial arts and cultivation].

If he were still in Murim, he wouldn’t be gasping for air after using light footwork for such a short distance…

Well, there was no use dwelling on it.

He no longer lived by the sword.

Accepting his current reality, Jun-hoo stared at Jewon University Hospital in the distance.

The hospital building, reflecting the midday sun, shimmered like a beacon.

But this was more than just a trick of the light.

Jun-hoo was carrying Yuri, who had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage due to an arteriovenous malformation [an abnormal tangle of blood vessels in the brain], in his arms.

Yuri’s recovery, her very life, depended on Jewon University Hospital.

Therefore, Jewon University Hospital was his lighthouse.

‘Damn it! This is going to be tough…’

Narrowing his eyes at the path ahead, Jun-hoo frowned, biting down on the corner of the IV fluid bag he held in his mouth.

It was a weekend morning.

The sidewalk and streets teemed with people attending a local festival.

He couldn’t sprint as he had when crossing Yeongdong Bridge.

He could use the Butterfly Steps, a light footwork technique mimicking a butterfly’s movements, to weave through the crowd, but that didn’t seem like the best approach.

“Ugh…”

A groan escaped Yuri’s lips.

Yuri seemed to be slipping from a semi-comatose state into a full coma.

Jun-hoo felt a desperate urgency, as if the deadliest assassins from Murim were on his heels.

He had to make a choice, and fast.

Whether he was from Murim or not, none of that mattered now.

He was going to save a life.

He was going to bring joy to a leukemia patient.

He was going to save the kind-hearted nurse who had bravely reached out to him, offering hope to that patient.

Nothing else mattered.

With renewed resolve, he moved.

Thwack, thwack, thwack.

Jun-hoo’s footsteps led him away from the sidewalk.

Instead, he headed towards the residential area.

It was the fastest route to the hospital.

Thump!

Planting his feet firmly on the ground, he unleashed explosive power.

Jun-hoo used the Reverse Meridian Control Technique [a technique to manipulate the flow of internal energy] to leap.

As if stepping on a powerful spring, Jun-hoo’s body shot into the air.

He soared in an arc, landing on the rooftop of an old villa in a single bound.

As he gained altitude, the densely packed residential landscape spread out before him: haphazardly parked cars, people strolling about.

And something else caught his eye.

The aerial path that would lead him to Jewon University Hospital the fastest.

That’s right.

The path Jun-hoo was aiming for was…

The sky path, traversing the rooftops instead of the crowded sidewalk.

If he was seen running across rooftops, he risked being labeled a lunatic.

He could be captured by a research institute and subjected to experiments.

But Jun-hoo’s fear of losing Yuri outweighed that fear.

A life of constant worry, fearing the exposure of his martial arts abilities, versus a life dedicated to saving critically ill patients.

The choice was clear.

Thud, thud, thud!

Jun-hoo ran.

Using the rooftop fence as a springboard, he became a bird again, landing on the building across the street.

Thump!

The moment he landed, he channeled his internal energy into the soles of his feet, using the Thousand-Pound Drop technique [a technique to minimize impact] to cushion the landing and maintain his balance.

His ankles throbbed, but it was bearable.

Jun-hoo repeated this several times, running through the sky.

He skipped over three- and four-story buildings, even leaping onto a ten-story building.

It was a feat that would be considered a miracle by modern people, but it was just another unremarkable act for Jun-hoo, who had experienced the extraordinary of Murim.

As he jumped across the rooftops, several people noticed him and exclaimed in amazement.

They even tried to film him with their cell phones.

“Wow! He’s amazing at parkour! So cool!”

The young man’s words were a stroke of luck for Jun-hoo.

He realized that if his identity was exposed, he could always claim he was practicing parkour.

Swoosh!

Jun-hoo landed on the ground from a house closest to Jewon University Hospital.

He stopped a youthful-looking student passing by.

“Excuse me. Do you know what time it is?”

“12:30.”

“Thank you.”

With light footwork, Jun-hoo ran towards Jewon University Hospital.

He covered the distance that would have taken fifteen minutes by car in just seven.

An overwhelmingly faster speed.

* * *

The emergency room of Jewon University Hospital was now directly ahead.

Had the red ‘EMERGENCY’ sign ever seemed so welcoming?

His heart filled with emotion, Jun-hoo slowed his pace.

The front of the emergency room was a parking lot, where an ambulance was already parked.

The paramedics were organizing the stretcher, indicating the patient transfer was complete.

Whirr.

The emergency room doors opened, and a familiar face appeared.

The face Jun-hoo had been longing to see.

Park Jae-hyun.

The undisputed best neurosurgeon in Korea.

A neurosurgeon whose skills were admired even by overseas doctors, who eagerly sought opportunities to observe him.

And Jun-hoo’s mentor.

Jae-hyun, seemingly untouched by time, still looked like a man in his late twenties.

“Professor!”

Jun-hoo called out urgently.

Seeing Jun-hoo, Jae-hyun approached him.

“It seems we have some kind of telepathy. I had a feeling you’d arrive around this time, so I came down to check.”

“I think we’re a match made in heaven, Professor.”

“You rascal. The first thing you say after seeing me after so long is something so cheesy… Is this the patient you called about?”

“Yes!”

Jun-hoo nodded.

Just before taking the ambulance at Seoul Woosung Hospital, Jun-hoo had sent an SOS to Jae-hyun.

He was certain that Jae-hyun could save Yuri.

Just seeing his teacher was enough to melt away the tension and suffering he had been experiencing.

He had felt this way before.

While on a secret mission for the Murim Alliance, Jun-hoo had fallen into a trap set by the Blood Cult and was surrounded by Blood Zombies.

Just when he thought he was going to die, the Murim Alliance Leader appeared and rescued him, and he felt that same sense of relief now.

The Murim Alliance Leader was a master of the Profound Realm [the highest level of martial arts mastery], one of only two in the orthodox faction, and Jae-hyun was the best neurosurgeon in Korea.

Jun-hoo felt incredibly fortunate to have someone to rely on, someone who could save him.

“Let’s get her into the emergency room.”

“Yes, Professor.”

Jun-hoo entered the emergency room and carefully placed Yuri on a bed.

Whether it was the cold or the semi-comatose state caused by the cerebral hemorrhage, Yuri’s complexion was pale.

She looked like a bloodless wax doll.

Click!

Jae-hyun switched on a penlight and examined Yuri’s pupils.

His gaze was calm and sharp as he checked her pupillary response.

“The edges of the pupils are irregular, and there’s almost no light response. Judging by the fact that the right pupil is larger than the left, there’s a problem with the middle cerebral artery, specifically the right middle cerebral artery.”

Without a CT scan, Jae-hyun could diagnose Yuri’s condition simply by examining her pupils.

Jun-hoo was amazed by Jae-hyun’s diagnostic skill.

“Still, it would be good to get a brain CT before surgery. The surgical approach will depend on the presence of the arteriovenous malformation and the extent of the bleeding.”

“…”

“Jun-hoo.”

“Yes, Professor.”

“Go register the patient.”

“Understood.”

Jun-hoo went to the emergency room reception desk.

He took Yuri’s resident registration card from her wallet, which he had prepared, and registered her.

When he returned to the emergency room, Yuri and the bed were gone.

She had been moved to the CT scan room.

“You came in an ambulance, but you’re drenched in sweat.”

Jae-hyun, noticing Jun-hoo’s condition, tilted his head.

“Did something happen?”

“The traffic was heavy, so I ran.”

“I see. It must have been congested with the weekend and the local festival. It must have been tough. You worked hard.”

“Ah. Yes.”

Jun-hoo smiled awkwardly.

Jae-hyun didn’t seem to know about the traffic accident on Yeongdong Bridge.

He was spared from having to explain how he arrived at the hospital faster than a car.

“It breaks my heart every time something like this happens. A nurse working at a Big 5 hospital can’t get surgery at her own hospital. She has to be transferred…”

“…”

“Could there be anything more absurd?”

Jae-hyun looked up at the ceiling and smiled bitterly.

Jun-hoo agreed.

Yuri’s situation highlighted the weaknesses and vulnerabilities of the surgical field in Korea’s medical system.

If a patient couldn’t receive emergency surgery at a Big 5 hospital, where could they go?

“I think I understand a little better now.”

“Understand what?”

“Your ambition to retire as soon as possible and reform the medical system.”

“Yes. It will be a difficult path, but I can’t give up. One tragedy is enough.”

Jae-hyun gritted his teeth.

“In that sense, Jun-hoo, you need to be prepared.”

“Why me…?”

“Because you have to take over my position. Someone has to uphold the duty of a doctor, which is to treat patients.”

“…”

“And in my opinion, you’re the right person.”

“Can I dare to replace you, Professor?”

“You can. No, you must. Because that’s your and my mission.”

Jun-hoo felt a deep resonance with his teacher’s words.

His sincerity was evident in every syllable.

That’s right.

It might be impossible alone, but maybe I can do it with my teacher.

Hope began to bloom within him.

About five minutes passed.

The patient’s CT results arrived.

Despite Jun-hoo’s efforts to get her to the hospital quickly, Yuri’s condition was critical.

She needed immediate surgery.

A 120CC hematoma [a collection of blood outside blood vessels] had formed in the right middle cerebral artery, and the arteriovenous malformation was severe.

The blood vessels were swollen like balloons.

Just then, Yuri’s mother, whom Jun-hoo had contacted from the ambulance, arrived.

“Doctor, please save my Yuri! She’s always been a good girl, never said a bad word. She can’t die like this!”

The mother sobbed and pleaded.

Jun-hoo felt a lump in his throat.

The pain of watching a loved one die resurfaced.

But with Jae-hyun in charge, such a tragedy wouldn’t happen.

“Ma’am, your daughter will recover. Trust me.”

Jae-hyun made eye contact with the mother, offering a warm smile.

He patted her shoulder and had her sign the surgical consent form.

“Jun-hoo, follow me.”

“Yes, Professor.”

Jun-hoo followed Jae-hyun to the operating room.

He wondered if he would be allowed to observe the surgery…

But then came an unexpected request.

“I didn’t want to ask this… but I need you to assist me with the surgery.”

“Me?”

“Woosung Hospital didn’t have a surgeon available, and Jewon University Hospital doesn’t have a decent assistant.”

“…”

“Arteriovenous malformation surgery is difficult, so I can’t let just anyone assist.”

“…”

“The third- and fourth-year residents are all doing internships and assisting with regular schedules.”

Jun-hoo was stunned.

The situation at Jewon University Hospital was just as dire.

“I’d be honored to assist you, Professor. But is it okay for me, from another hospital, to assist in surgery at Jewon University Hospital without permission?”

Jae-hyun smiled.

“Of course not. In principle.”