A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 281

Chapter 54: Dispatch (1)

“…….”

A-yeong’s face froze upon seeing Jun-hoo.

A-yeong abruptly turned her head, focusing her gaze on the monitor she was working on.

From her profile, Jun-hoo felt an icy chill.

Having known A-yeong for so long, Jun-hoo realized this was the first time he had ever seen her make such an expression.

“A-yeong, let’s talk for a moment.”

Jun-hoo approached A-yeong.

A-yeong remained silent, only tapping away at the keyboard nervously.

A-yeong’s heart was completely closed off.

“I understand why you’re angry with me. I would feel the same if I were in your shoes, A-yeong.”

“…….”

“Leaping into a scene where a murderer is wielding a knife must have seemed reckless, worrying, and foolish.”

“But… knowing all that… you still committed such a ridiculous act? Do you even think?”

A-yeong turned her chair to face Jun-hoo.

She glared at Jun-hoo with fierce eyes.

“You did it your way because you thought I wouldn’t allow it if you told me the truth, right? Am I right?”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“Unbelievable. Really. Jun-hoo, you hid something that concerned your life from me. What am I to you, then?”

A-yeong questioned him, and Jun-hoo lowered his head.

Similar episodes from his time in the Murim [a world of martial arts and cultivation] surfaced in his mind.

Miss Cheon, whom he was engaged to in the Murim.

He had a similar argument with her once.

There were some remnants of Green Forest bandits harassing the Cheon Clan, and Jun-hoo had single-handedly stormed their stronghold and wiped them out.

-Why do you always try to handle difficult, challenging, and dangerous tasks alone? Do you think that looks cool?

-…….

-Don’t be mistaken. Young Master Seo simply doesn’t trust the people around him. He tries to handle things alone because he doesn’t believe in those around him.

At the time, Jun-hoo didn’t understand Miss Cheon’s words.

He thought she was overreacting.

But now, he felt differently.

If the same pattern was repeating itself in modern times, the problem must lie with Jun-hoo.

And Jun-hoo’s problem was…

Clearly, he wasn’t being honest with those around him.

“I have nothing to say to you, Jun-hoo. So, please leave. And I think we need some time apart to cool down.”

“A-yeong, please listen to me.”

“It’s too late. If you had something to say, you should have said it before that incident.”

“It’ll only take a moment. A-yeong, you’re misunderstanding me, and I can clear up that misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding? So, you’re saying this situation is all my fault?”

A-yeong’s voice was sharp.

Her hurt feelings showed no signs of improving.

But Jun-hoo still had a secret weapon.

A secret he had never revealed to anyone.

A secret story hidden deep within his heart.

“A-yeong, I’m not an ordinary person. To put it simply… you could see me as someone like an alien.”

A-yeong frowned at Jun-hoo’s sudden confession.

“I’m not in the mood for jokes right now.”

“This is no time for jokes.”

Jun-hoo reached out towards the bookshelf by the window.

He gathered internal energy from his dantian [energy center in the body] and channeled it into his palm.

Telekinesis (虛空攝物) [moving objects with the mind].

A book instantly flew into Jun-hoo’s palm.

Thud!

The book was in Jun-hoo’s hand.

A-yeong’s eyes widened at the magical martial art. Surprised, A-yeong rubbed her eyes.

“W-What is this?”

“I told you I’m not an ordinary person.”

Jun-hoo used the Reverse Cross Hands Seal to put the book back on the bookshelf.

“Didn’t you think I was strange all this time?”

“…….”

“I didn’t feel tired even when I was on duty, I bent a 500-won coin, I memorized difficult choreography after seeing it once… I even fought off gangsters alone before.”

“…….”

“I have special abilities that others don’t have. The reason I stood up to Senior Si-ho, who was wielding a knife, is the same. I faced him because there was no way I could ever be defeated by that man.”

Jun-hoo calmly confessed his abilities.

He confessed the abilities he had wanted to hide until the end.

This was the only way to quell A-yeong’s disappointment and anger.

Frankly, he was scared.

He was afraid A-yeong would treat him like a monster when he confessed the truth.

But Jun-hoo hated the thought of A-yeong misunderstanding him even more.

“So, what happened back then wasn’t because I was ignoring you.”

“…….”

“I hid it because I didn’t have the confidence to confess my special abilities. The context of hiding an important truth might be similar, but…”

“…….”

“The content was completely different. I just wanted you to know that.”

As Jun-hoo finished speaking, the atmosphere in the on-call room grew heavy.

A-yeong, shocked, remained silent for a long time.

How would A-yeong accept his confession?

Jun-hoo had shot an arrow, but he couldn’t be sure if that arrow would hit the target properly.

In the midst of the tense atmosphere, A-yeong rose from her chair.

She stared intently at Jun-hoo.

He couldn’t read the emotions on A-yeong’s face.

“Thank you. For having the courage to confess.”

A-yeong approached Jun-hoo and hugged him tightly. She patted Jun-hoo’s back with her palm.

In that moment, Jun-hoo’s eyes welled up with tears, and his nose tingled.

Jun-hoo, as a Murim warrior, had never revealed that other identity in modern times.

That other identity was being acknowledged by A-yeong.

* * *

A-yeong was dumbfounded by Jun-hoo’s confession.

She was already furious, and Jun-hoo’s excuses were absurd.

He claimed to have special abilities.

But after seeing him manipulate a book without touching it, as if a psychic was using telekinesis, she had no choice but to believe Jun-hoo’s words.

‘Come to think of it, he was a bit strange.’

Looking back, Jun-hoo had performed unbelievably extraordinary feats with unbelievably extraordinary abilities.

If the basis for that was something like superpowers, then things would roughly add up.

So, A-yeong believed Jun-hoo’s confession to be true.

Hugging Jun-hoo, who had made a difficult decision, she expressed her gratitude.

She wondered how much mental anguish he must have suffered while hiding his secret.

After the misunderstanding was resolved.

A-yeong simply listened to Jun-hoo’s words.

Unlike usual, Jun-hoo was talkative.

He shared the things he had experienced in the Murim, the unbelievable experience of suddenly returning to modern times, and more, in an excited voice.

“I believe 100 percent of what you’re saying, Jun-hoo… but I’m still bewildered. It feels like I’ve heard a novel.”

“Of course, it would. That’s why I’ve kept my mouth shut all along.”

“Your face looks relieved now?”

“Because I cleared up the misunderstanding.”

Jun-hoo smiled innocently like a child.

After hearing Jun-hoo’s confession, A-yeong realized that she had grown closer to Jun-hoo.

Even after they started dating, she felt that a single barrier was blocking her and Jun-hoo, but it felt like that barrier had been torn down.

“I’m curious about something. Was the massage you used to give me related to martial arts?”

“Of course. It’s a technique called Chugung Gwahyeol [a meridian massage technique], which loosens the meridians, blood points, muscles, and nerves.”

“Wow, martial arts are omnipotent?”

“You could say that. The reason I was able to perform surgery using only a loupe [magnifying lens] when the micro microscope broke down last year is similar.”

“Didn’t you think about living more comfortably with that ability?”

A-yeong changed the subject.

Now that she knew the true nature of martial arts, she wondered why Jun-hoo had chosen to become a surgeon.

“What do you mean?”

“If you had hidden your strength appropriately and become an athlete, you would have become a world-class athlete in any sport.”

“I saw a lot of people dying in the Murim… and that remained as a trauma. I didn’t want to run away from that trauma. Thanks to that, I also met you. I definitely don’t regret choosing to become a surgeon.”

Jun-hoo paused before continuing.

“A-yeong, don’t I seem pathetic?”

“Huh? Why suddenly?”

“I feel like I was showing off with my superpowers…”

Jun-hoo’s expression darkened for a moment.

A-yeong shook her head.

“Your eagerness and will to save patients are always admirable. And… that superpower-like strength is something you worked hard to achieve in a place called the Murim, right?”

“…….”

“Then is there a problem?”

“You’re truly Solomon [wise and fair].”

Jun-hoo’s expression became much more relaxed.

A-yeong knew.

Jun-hoo tried to be a haven for everyone, but Jun-hoo himself had no place to call his haven.

That’s why he was always lonely and in pain.

This knife attack incident could be seen as a reflection of Jun-hoo’s tendencies.

“I don’t know what the Murim is like. I’ll try to read martial arts novels diligently from now on.”

A-yeong said in a determined voice, and Jun-hoo simply smiled.

“What? Is that how it ends?”

* * *

The next day.

Jun-hoo got off the KTX [Korean high-speed rail] train, pulling his carrier.

When he arrived at the station lobby, the station was bustling with people heading to work. He could feel the vitality and energy from the people moving busily.

[Daejeon Station]

Jun-hoo stared blankly at the sign hanging in the station.

From today, Jun-hoo’s workplace was Daejeon Shinwon University Hospital, which was designated as a regional trauma center.

Daejeon was a place with painful memories for Jun-hoo.

The protagonist of the bracelet Jun-hoo was wearing.

Seong-ho was declared brain dead at Daejeon Shinwon University Hospital, and after sharing his organs with new lives, he became a star in the sky.

Jun-hoo took the escalator down to the exit.

The savory smell of bread wafted from somewhere. He turned his head and saw Seongsimdang, a famous bakery in Daejeon.

A-yeong had also been assigned to Daejeon like Jun-hoo, so Seongsimdang would be heaven for A-yeong, who loved bread.

Beeeeep.

Just then, the cell phone he had put in his pocket vibrated.

He checked and saw that A-yeong had sent him a message.

[Lord. I offer my morning greetings today as well. Have a peaceful day today. ㅁ/.]

Jun-hoo chuckled at A-yeong’s message.

After Jun-hoo confessed that he was from the Murim, A-yeong diligently read martial arts novels and eventually sent him such a text.

The symbol ‘ㅁ/’ here was a representation of the fist-palm salute [a traditional greeting in martial arts culture].

Murim warriors often greeted each other by placing their palm on their fist.

[Good morning, Miss Yi. Miss, do not neglect your training, and I shall see you soon in Daejeon.]

Jun-hoo accepted A-yeong’s joke and got into a taxi.

While heading to the hospital, he searched for articles about Si-ho on his cell phone.

Si-ho was still receiving a lot of attention from the media.

No important issues in politics, economy, or society could withstand Si-ho alone and were pushed back.

A doctor who should be saving patients was secretly murdering patients and even threatening fellow doctors with a scalpel?

What other news could be so sensational and attract so much attention?

Conversely, this meant that this incident would not be glossed over.

You psychopath killer.

Pay the price for your sins.

With the threat of Si-ho gone, Jun-hoo was able to come to Daejeon with a light heart.

Wiiiing.

Wiiiing.

After finishing his search, he stared blankly out the window.

The sound of a siren coming from behind him overtook the taxi and moved forward.

The ambulance’s destination was probably Shinwon University Hospital, just like Jun-hoo.

Could it be a neurosurgery patient?

His momentarily relaxed consciousness sharpened.