A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 288

Chapter 55: Suppression (3)

Hyeokjae held a baseball bat in his right hand, rotating his wrist in a menacing warm-up.

*Whoosh, whoosh.*

The heavy, threatening sound filled the small on-call room.

Daehwi’s face paled, while Junhoo yawned, feigning boredom.

*This bastard doesn’t know what I’m capable of yet. Heh heh heh.*

Hyeokjae assumed Junhoo wasn’t truly afraid of the bat.

Perhaps Junhoo was thinking:

*Tsk, he probably just brought the bat to intimidate us. There’s no way he’d actually swing it at someone, right?*

But Junhoo’s assessment was far too naive.

Hyeokjae despised empty threats.

He firmly believed in the principle that if you draw a sword, you should at least slice a radish [meaning, if you make a threat, you should be prepared to follow through].

At this moment, Hyeokjae was the batter, and a batter had to swing, even if he missed.

“Seo Junhoo, I’m giving you one last chance. Kneel and beg for forgiveness now, and I’ll let it slide. If you don’t want to get hurt, don’t mess with me.”

“S-Senior, let’s just listen to Senior Hyeokjae. He’s a man of his word,” Daehwi pleaded, standing beside Junhoo. Hyeokjae felt a surge of satisfaction.

*It seems like the department is finally falling in line.*

“It’s okay, just stay back. You’ll get hurt if you’re not careful,” Junhoo said to Daehwi.

“Senior Junhoo, please…”

Junhoo silenced Daehwi with a sharp glare.

He slowly retreated towards the window.

“Ugh. This is like a third-rate drama. It’s sickening. Okay, after I beat up Seo Junhoo, you’re next, Kim Daehwi, so look forward to it.”

Hyeokjae advanced on Junhoo.

He swung the baseball bat horizontally with both hands.

The bat was meant to connect with Junhoo’s arm and waist…

But it didn’t.

Junhoo stepped back, dodging the blow.

*This bastard? He dares to dodge?*

Enraged, Hyeokjae swung the bat wildly.

He didn’t care about his stance or aim.

He flailed his arms haphazardly, as if trying to give Junhoo’s entire body a percussive massage.

*Whoosh, whoosh.*

But the bat only met air, failing to connect with Junhoo.

Huh, huh.

After a minute, Hyeokjae gasped for breath.

Sweat plastered his surgical gown to his skin.

*No way. This can’t be happening.*

Hyeokjae sensed something going terribly wrong.

Anger began to morph into doubt.

His reason, which had briefly abandoned him, was staging a comeback.

In the on-call room, which was only about 10 square meters [approximately 108 square feet], not very large (and even smaller considering the space taken up by desks and bookshelves).

Was it possible to dodge *all* of his swings?

And was it just a coincidence?

Why was Junhoo’s expression so relaxed?

As these thoughts coalesced, doubt turned into anxiety.

He also recalled Junhoo’s incredible reflexes when he’d caught his fist in the emergency room.

“Are you done playing? Was it fun?”

Junhoo smirked.

It was a sneer that conveyed utter contempt, as if Hyeokjae were a mere puppy.

“Judging by your eyes, you seem to have sensed something unusual. But it’s too late. I’ve been keeping count.”

“Counting? What?”

“You’ve swung the bat a total of 24 times so far, right? I’m not a loan shark, so… I’ll only charge ten percent interest.”

“……”

“In other words, I’m going to return the pain of being hit by the bat 26 times to you.”

Junhoo’s words were chilling.

He sounded like a predator growling at its prey.

Hyeokjae was now genuinely afraid of Junhoo.

Consequently, the bat’s purpose shifted dramatically.

If it had been a hunting tool, it was now a tool for self-defense.

Step. Step.

Junhoo closed the distance.

Hyeokjae retreated, helpless.

He was bigger and armed, but he couldn’t stand up to Junhoo’s presence.

“Kim Daehwi! You crazy bastard, are you just going to stand there?”

Hyeokjae squeezed out the last of his courage and shouted.

“Yes?”

“Quickly, attack Junhoo from behind! Then I’ll forgive everything you did today.”

“……”

“Think carefully. Who are you going to spend more time with, me or that Junhoo bastard?”

“……”

“Junhoo will leave when his assignment is over. And from that day on, you’re screwed.”

Hyeokjae’s words caused a visible internal struggle in Daehwi.

Junhoo stopped, turning his head slightly to look at Daehwi.

Daehwi was trembling.

He chewed on his fingernails.

“Kim Daehwi, I’ll count to three. One, two…”

“I… I don’t want to!”

“What?”

Hyeokjae glared at Daehwi’s unexpected refusal.

*Did that bastard eat something wrong? How dare he reject a senior’s offer?*

The embers of anger reignited in his chest.

“I don’t want to listen to Senior Hyeokjae anymore. Although I only met him today, I like Senior Junhoo better. He recognized my hard work and comforted me.”

“……”

“He did something that Senior Hyeokjae has never done. If I’m going to be unhappy anyway, I’d rather be happy during the time that Senior Junhoo is here on assignment.”

“What… what is that crazy bastard saying?”

Simultaneously, Hyeokjae felt a surge of betrayal.

Hyeokjae’s eyes narrowed, focusing like a hawk on its prey.

Junhoo was still turned halfway around.

In other words, he was vulnerable.

The opportunity was now!

*Whoosh.*

The aluminum bat descended vertically, aimed at Junhoo’s left shoulder.

* * *

*Thwack!*

Without looking, Junhoo reached out and caught the bat in his palm.

The impact was significant, but he remained unfazed.

He was protecting his arm and hand with internal energy [a concept in martial arts referring to the cultivation and use of inner strength].

“Is that 25 swings? Adding ten percent interest, that’s 28?”

“You crazy bastard, do you have eyes in the back of your head?”

“Maybe?”

Junhoo swung his free hand.

It struck Hyeokjae’s wrist, the one holding the bat.

“Ugh!”

Hyeokjae groaned and dropped the bat.

*What a moron.*

*He picked a fight with the wrong person.*

Scoffing, Junhoo approached Hyeokjae.

He placed his palm on Hyeokjae’s face.

*Thwack!*

Carefully controlling his strength, Junhoo slammed Hyeokjae’s head into the on-call room floor.

It was a technique called Cheongnaksu [likely a fictional or obscure martial arts technique].

It was similar to a move used by Iori from King of Fighters [a popular fighting game character] and a certain congressman.

*Bang!*

The floor echoed.

When Junhoo removed his palm, only the whites of Hyeokjae’s eyes were visible. Froth bubbled from his lips.

But Junhoo felt no pity for Hyeokjae.

He had no mercy for evildoers.

An eye for an eye was Junhoo’s basic sense of justice.

“Daehwi.”

“……”

“Daehwi?”

“Ah. Yes, Senior.”

Only after Junhoo called him twice did Daehwi snap out of his daze.

“You did very well just now. You were kind of cool.”

“More than that, is your hand okay? It looked like you got hit by the bat pretty hard.”

“I’m fine. I blocked it before it could really gain momentum.”

Junhoo rotated his wrist to demonstrate.

“You don’t have to worry too much about Hyeokjae. I’m going to give him a good education so he can’t bother you even after my assignment is over.”

“Is… is that possible?”

“It’s impossible to turn a dog into a person. But it’s certainly possible to fix a dog’s bad habits.”

“……”

“Sorry, but can you watch the on-call room for about two hours?”

“Yes, Senior.”

Junhoo picked up the unconscious Hyeokjae and carried him to the empty on-call room, laying him on the first-floor bed.

*Slap! Slap!*

Junhoo slapped Hyeokjae’s cheeks a few times.

Hyeokjae trembled, as if having a seizure, and finally regained consciousness.

“What… what is it?”

“What do you think it is? It’s time for settlement and atonement. Are you mentally prepared?”

“No way. This must be a dream. There’s no way this absurd situation could be happening.”

Hyeokjae shook his head.

“Whether you’re in a dream or reality, that’s none of my business.”

Junhoo glared at Hyeokjae.

Hyeokjae was a cancer in the Daejeon Neurosurgery Department.

Cancerous tissue only knows itself and only has a negative impact on its surroundings.

So, it was necessary to completely excise it at this opportunity.

*Thwack, thwack, thwack.*

Junhoo’s fingers moved at the speed of light.

He quickly suppressed the speech-related Ahyeol [likely a pressure point] and the movement-related Cheonsanhyeol [likely a pressure point].

He had turned Hyeokjae into a living doll.

Perhaps flustered by the sudden inability to speak or move, Hyeokjae’s eyes were filled with terror.

“From now on, your department life depends on you, Hyeokjae. You better behave yourself.”

“……”

“Don’t let your guard down even after my assignment is over. If I hear rumors that you’re acting like a thug, I’ll come and harass you on my days off.”

*Crack, crack, crack.*

Junhoo lightly loosened his neck in preparation.

He was going to use the torture techniques he had learned from the heretics.

It seemed like he would be hearing a lot of silent screams today, using the Bunggeun Chakgok technique [likely a fictional torture technique] for the first time in several months.

* * *

The next day, morning.

As conference time approached, the empty seats in the conference room gradually filled.

“Good morning,” Chief Dongwon greeted Hyeokjae, who had arrived earlier. But Hyeokjae flinched.

“Hieeek!”

“What’s wrong with you? Am I a ghost or something?”

“Ah… no. It’s nothing.”

“It’s not nothing. Why are you so listless today? You weren’t even on duty?”

From Dongwon’s perspective, Hyeokjae’s demeanor was unusual.

Normally, Hyeokjae would have been the first to greet him loudly.

He would have been drinking canned coffee and nagging the juniors and interns.

But what was this?

Today’s Hyeokjae was cowering.

He was like a puppy who had been scolded by its owner and was feeling dejected.

“I… I don’t really know.”

“How bland. Did Daehwi get home okay yesterday? Did you see his face?”

“Yes.”

“What did he say?”

“He told me to do better in the future.”

“That’s it?”

“Yes.”

“Wow! He got away with just a word? The Kim Hyeokjae I know has really mellowed out? I thought he would have at least made him do the head-butting exercise [a form of hazing or punishment].”

“I’m not going to do… things like that anymore.”

He had a lot to say, but Hyeokjae kept his mouth shut.

It was impossible to convey the shocking events of yesterday.

It was also embarrassing.

And scary.

It felt like a dream.

“You’re too unfamiliar today. Are you really the Kim Hyeokjae I know?”

“I probably am. Maybe.”

*Creak.*

Just then, the conference room door opened, and Junhoo entered.

The moment he saw Junhoo, Hyeokjae felt a cold dread spreading from deep within his chest.

He quickly turned his head away.

His eyes were glued to the floor.

Smallpox, plague, war.

No, Junhoo was more terrifying than illicit videos to Hyeokjae.