A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 32

Martial Surgeon – Episode 32 (32/540)

Chapter 7: Clinical Years (2)

Jun-hoo centered his palm over the ureter where the kidney stone was lodged.

There’s no need to be nervous.

The principle is the same as using Palm Strike [a martial arts technique].

You just need to narrow the range compared to Palm Strike and delay the timing of materializing internal energy [qi or vital energy] a bit.

Jun-hoo took a deep breath and channeled internal energy into the center of his palm.

First, he released an extremely small amount of internal energy through the skin.

The moment the internal energy passed through the skin and fascial layer—

That was the crucial point.

Jun-hoo instantaneously doubled the amount of internal energy he was pouring in.

Woooong.

A strange resonance.

Internal energy rippled out like waves on a calm lake.

As the internal energy materialized, his father’s abdomen undulated once.

“Oh my! What is this?”

His father asked, startled.

He seemed unfamiliar with the sensation of internal energy being converted into a shockwave.

“You know I’m good at massages, right? This is a new abdominal massage technique.”

Jun-hoo calmly made an excuse.

“Is that… so? Still, it feels very strange.”

“Just trust me. I’m your son, after all.”

After reassuring his father,

Jun-hoo evaluated the extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy [a non-invasive procedure to break up kidney stones] he had just performed.

It had been a while since he had used advanced martial arts, but his skills hadn’t deteriorated. He could control his internal energy sufficiently as if it were part of his own body.

The shockwave-shaped internal energy accurately struck only the ureter.

There was no room for doubt.

Let’s keep going like this.

Jun-hoo emitted the internal energy, converted into shockwaves, about five more times.

He was drained from exerting a high level of concentration.

His lower abdomen throbbed as his internal energy was rapidly consumed, but he endured it.

If only his father could be healthy.

He could withstand this much hardship thousands of times.

Did it succeed?

I hope it wasn’t a wasted effort.

To check the results of the treatment,

Jun-hoo converted the internal energy back into ultrasound waves instead of shockwaves and emitted it.

The surprising fact that was soon revealed.

The internal energy extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy was a great success.

No abnormalities were felt in the internal energy reflection.

The ureteral stone that had been tormenting his father seemed to have been shattered into small pieces by the impact of the shockwaves.

Wow! Anatomy knowledge combined with internal energy makes things like this possible.

To directly perform a procedure usually done at a urology clinic.

Or in a university hospital emergency room…

Jun-hoo was amazed by the treatment he had performed himself.

At this level, the expression ‘hand of God’ was not an exaggeration.

“Is it over now?”

His father asked.

“Yes. But because it hurts, you’re forbidden from drinking soju [Korean distilled rice liquor]. Instead, drink plenty of water. You’ll probably be fine by tomorrow. If not, go to the hospital with me.”

“I will. Thanks for your hard work, son.”

“This isn’t even worth mentioning as hard work.”

After finishing the treatment, Jun-hoo returned to his room and fell into thought.

It was necessary to seriously consider this.

How many more treatments could be performed with internal energy.

They would surely give wings to Jun-hoo, who would become a surgeon in the distant future.

* * *

The next day morning.

Hyung-seok went to the bathroom as soon as he woke up.

As his son had said, he only drank water instead of alcohol, so his lower abdomen was bloated.

He even dreamed of urinating against a wall.

“Keu-eu-eung.”

Hyung-seok strained his lower abdomen.

Perhaps it was thanks to his son’s massage.

The stabbing pain he had felt yesterday was gone.

The intensity of the pain had definitely weakened.

Swaaaaa!

“Hoo. I’m alive.”

While urinating, Hyung-seok noticed something popping out.

That seemed to be the kidney stone his son had mentioned.

The kidney stone looked just like a bone fragment from gamjatang [Korean pork bone stew], and it must have been very painful since something like that was blocking the urinary tract.

After emptying even the residual urine, Hyung-seok felt much lighter.

The abdominal pain that had been tormenting Hyung-seok for the past few days also no longer existed.

As if it were a mirage.

Hyung-seok muttered to himself as he returned to the main room.

“As expected, my son’s hands are magic hands.”

* * *

Two cycles of seasons passed, and Jun-hoo’s pre-med life came to an end.

For two years, Jun-hoo lived like a high school senior preparing for the college entrance exam.

His top priority was studying medical knowledge.

His second priority was studying English speaking, listening, reading, and writing.

In the remaining time, he read medical essays or watched medical dramas whenever he had the chance.

His grades were, of course, all A+.

Soo-jung’s tutoring ended in his first year of pre-med, but he steadily continued other tutoring jobs through introductions.

He always invested half of his tutoring fees in Z coins.

Even after two years, Z coins were still treated as junk coins, but Jun-hoo didn’t waver.

Because he had decided to trust Mi-ho’s judgment.

In the meantime, the verdict for Taejeong Hospital, which had caused the medical malpractice, was also handed down.

The director who performed the surgery received a revocation of his medical license and a fine of 300 million won.

He was also ordered to compensate the bereaved family with 100 million won.

The director appealed, but it didn’t seem like the verdict would be overturned.

The director had left too much evidence to cover up the crime.

And Jun-hoo had perfectly found that evidence.

Furthermore, Taejeong Hospital was as good as ruined.

The medical malpractice of actor Kim Tae-hoon.

The medical malpractice of Kyung-tae’s father.

These two incidents served as catalysts, and numerous bereaved families filed medical lawsuits against Taejeong Hospital one after another.

No patients would visit Taejeong Hospital, whose reputation had plummeted to rock bottom.

Time flowed and flowed.

The curtain rose on the four-year clinical years program.

His classmates were all suffering, tearing their hair out.

The class schedule was packed without any breaks.

The medical knowledge that had to be learned poured out like a mountain, and pop quizzes had to be taken every other day.

A truly murderous schedule.

But it was no problem for Jun-hoo.

He had already finished his clinical years studies before entering medical school.

For Jun-hoo, clinical years classes were just a process of reviewing the knowledge he had already learned.

Time flowed again like that.

The summer vacation passed, and the second semester of the first year of clinical years began.

The first class was the anatomy lab, which Jun-hoo had been eagerly waiting for.

* * *

“Ugh… the time has finally come.”

Sung-ho shuddered as he looked at the wall clock in the classroom.

The current time was 9:40 AM.

The anatomy lab was from 10:10 AM.

“I don’t even plan on going into surgery, so why do I have to do dissection?”

“Hyung [older brother or male friend], you said it perfectly. I’m saying the same thing!”

Jung-han chimed in with Sung-ho’s words.

It wasn’t just the two of them who were terrified.

Most of the students feared, disliked, and found the anatomy lab difficult.

The atmosphere in the classroom had been like a funeral home since a while ago.

It was only natural.

Corpses remind people of death, and everyone is afraid of death.

But unlike his classmates, Jun-hoo didn’t tremble or feel nervous.

For Jun-hoo, who had experienced the Murim world [a world of martial arts and cultivation], death was familiar and intimate.

In the Murim world, he had watched the Murim Father [a respected figure in the martial arts world] pass away with his own two eyes.

And that wasn’t all.

He had witnessed countless corpses with their heads cut off, limbs sliced, and internal organs spilling out.

Jun-hoo had even died once in the Murim world.

He had tasted the physical pain that assails you when you die.

He had also tasted the mental pain of looking back on his life and blaming himself for the things he hadn’t accomplished.

So Jun-hoo knew.

How precious the life given to humans is.

That’s why Jun-hoo chose to become a surgeon.

With the hope that patients would overcome illnesses or accidents and enjoy their precious lives for even one more day.

“Jun-hoo, are you scared too? You haven’t said a word today?”

Sung-ho asked with a smirk.

He seemed to be mistaken that Jun-hoo was silent because he was afraid.

“No? Not really?”

“Eh, it doesn’t seem like it’s not?”

“Hyung, think whatever you want. Ah-young, are you okay?”

Jun-hoo was more worried about Ah-young.

Ah-young had a history of suffering from hyperventilation syndrome on the day of the college entrance exam in her senior year of high school.

He was worried about whether Ah-young, who was prone to nervousness, would be able to overcome the anatomy lab well.

“I’m okay too. I have to overcome it anyway.”

Ah-young replied in a determined voice.

She seemed to have prepared her mind firmly.

Come to think of it, Ah-young had been dreaming of becoming a cardiothoracic surgeon after losing her father to heart disease.

If her goal was to become a surgeon, she would have to overcome the anatomy lab even more.

So Jun-hoo decided not to deliberately provoke Ah-young.

Because there are trials in the world that you have to overcome alone.

“I’ll go to the bathroom for a bit.”

Jun-hoo, who had left the classroom, frowned as soon as he entered the bathroom.

Three male students were smoking.

The three were Seung-beom’s gang, who were the worst in the class.

Seung-beom, the leader, had entered medical school after retaking the entrance exam, and his behavior was rough.

He was like the street thugs he had often seen in the Murim world.

His attitude in class was terrible, and he didn’t hesitate to have someone else attend for him.

It was basic for him to flirt with female students, including Ah-young.

He was always rude to his classmates because they were a year younger than him.

It was questionable how he even got into medical school.

“What are you all doing here?”

Jun-hoo asked in a prickly voice.

They weren’t high school bullies.

He was displeased because they were old enough to know better.

“As you can see, we’re smoking. Why, do you want to have a puff too?”

Seung-beom said, laughing.

“Since when was the bathroom a smoking area?”

“Put yourself in a smoker’s shoes. You have to walk for more than 10 minutes to smoke. Just let it go for today.”

“Stop making ridiculous excuses and put out the cigarette right now.”

“Seo Jun-hoo, you’re being a bit harsh to your hyung [older brother or male friend]?”

Seung-beom glared at Jun-hoo as he approached him.

“We’re just trying to have a smoke before the anatomy lab because we’re nervous. Huh? Can’t you even understand that?”

“You’re the ones who need to understand what social etiquette is.”

“Ha… this bastard is showing off because he studies a bit. Everyone fawns over you, so you think you’re really great? You son of a bitch.”

Jun-hoo scoffed as he watched Seung-beom act up.

Did Seung-beom know?

That he was currently touching the sleeping lion’s whiskers?

“Why are you laughing? Do you think I’m a joke?”

Seung-beom, his face contorted, dropped his cigarette and suddenly threw a punch.

A punch so slow that it made him yawn.

Jun-hoo caught Seung-beom’s fist with his palm and tightened his grip.

“Aaaargh!”

As Seung-beom writhed in agony, Jun-hoo kicked Seung-beom’s abdomen.

Seung-beom tumbled onto the bathroom floor.

“Why? Did you think I’d be intimidated and run away if you acted tough? You son of a bitch?”

Jun-hoo gave Seung-beom back the words he had said.

Jun-hoo was disgusted by the fact that this kind of trash would later obtain a medical license and work as a doctor like him.

Because he would do the same gangster짓 [짓 can be translated as behavior or action, implying gangster-like behavior] to patients or guardians.

Just like the director of Taejeong Hospital.

Perhaps that’s why.

Jun-hoo thought that the doctor’s exam should include a personality assessment.

“You son of a bitch, did you hit me?”

“You can’t even remember who threw the first punch. Typical of you. If you’re so upset, why don’t you three gang up on me.”

Jun-hoo turned his gaze away from Seung-beom and looked at the other two students.

The two students were already intimidated.

They put out their cigarettes on their own and were just looking at Jun-hoo.

The other two seemed to have more sense than Seung-beom, at least.

“You’re so annoying. Fuck, I’m not going to let today’s events pass.”

Seung-beom got up and glared at Jun-hoo as if he would devour him.

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t let it pass, but pick up the cigarette butt you dropped.”

“…”

“Do you want to get hit and pick it up? Or just pick it up?”

Seung-beom, unable to withstand Jun-hoo’s fierce gaze, stomped out the cigarette, picked it up, and left the bathroom.

The bathroom finally regained peace.

Be glad this isn’t the Murim world.

If it were the Murim world, you wouldn’t have been able to gather your bones in my hands.

Jun-hoo took care of his business and returned to the classroom.

It was the timing to move to the anatomy lab, so he moved to the lab with his colleagues.

He put on a gown over his clothes and entered the lab.

As soon as he entered, the pungent smell of formalin stung his nose.

The students all frowned.

Jun-hoo was the only one whose expression didn’t change.

Because Jun-hoo had smelled the stench of rotting corpses a lot, if not the smell of formalin.

There were a total of 8 tables in the lab.

On top of the tables lay cadavers covered with white sheets.

Through the cadaver lab, Jun-hoo expected his anatomical knowledge to improve further.

After all, it would be more effective to experience the body vividly with all five senses than to understand it as an image in a textbook.

“The people I’m about to call out will be in one group. Move to the table as I call out your names.”

The assistant who accompanied them began to announce the members of the cadaver lab groups.

Enemies meet on a narrow bridge [an idiom meaning an unavoidable confrontation].

Jun-hoo ended up in the same group as Seung-beom’s gang.