A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 329

Jeong-hye carefully placed a crisp, white sheet of paper on the table.

It was her husband’s medical certificate, issued just a few days prior.

The hospital’s name was Seongjong Hospital.

Hyun-woo had passed by it on his way to Jeong-hye’s house; it was a hospital specializing in treating traffic accident patients.

The diagnosis stated that her husband was in a vegetative state due to a traumatic brain injury.

Next to it was the disease code ‘780.03.’

“Why are you showing me this…”

“I just… wanted to show you.”

Jeong-hye said, her head bowed, her voice laced with sorrow.

Was she grieving for her husband’s bleak future, which seemed unlikely to improve?

Jun-hoo’s nose tingled with sympathy.

He couldn’t ignore her obvious despair.

Jun-hoo himself had desperately tried to heal Seong-ho with his internal energy, unable to accept his brain death, even to the point of collapsing from exhaustion.

Whenever he thought of that time…

His heart felt like it was being torn apart.

“Are you alright? If it’s too difficult to talk about, you can rest for a while.”

“No. Let’s continue. I have to keep enduring it anyway.”

Jeong-hye replied, her expression desolate.

Jun-hoo deliberately avoided getting straight to the point, listening to Jeong-hye’s story for about 30 minutes.

He wanted to ease the burden on her heart first.

Fortunately, Jeong-hye’s expression gradually relaxed.

“Actually, I didn’t come here just to offer comfort,” Jun-hoo said, placing his clasped hands on the table.

“Then why…”

“You’re in a very difficult financial situation, aren’t you? Treating and caring for your husband costs a fortune.”

“Of course.”

Jeong-hye bit her lip as she replied, as if she didn’t want to admit it but had no choice.

“I want to help you financially… would that be alright?”

“No. I’m already so grateful that you came to our house and gave us such great support. What more could I ask for? That would be greedy.”

Jeong-hye adamantly refused, but Jun-hoo wanted to help her even more because of her humility.

“Receiving help isn’t something to be ashamed of. If your financial situation is secure, your mind will be at ease. And wouldn’t that potentially lead to your husband’s improvement?”

“If I had known this would happen, I shouldn’t have sent you that email.”

“Hey, don’t say that.”

Jun-hoo shook his head and continued. “How about thinking of it as being compensated for the care you’ve poured into your husband? Would that make you feel more comfortable?”

“Doctor…”

“Then I’ll take that as a yes.”

Jun-hoo smiled, and Jeong-hye avoided his gaze, looking apologetic.

A moment of awkward silence enveloped the table.

The ticking of the wall clock sounded particularly loud.

Jun-hoo felt a sense of satisfaction that he could materially help a guardian facing financial hardship.

He also felt a sense of reward for starting NewTube [a fictional video-sharing platform, similar to YouTube].

He had recently read an article titled ‘Poverty accrues interest.’

If you don’t have the money to treat a single cavity, you’ll have to pay more later for an implant.

If you don’t have the money to eat healthy food, you’ll pay the price later with various adult diseases.

Trauma may affect the poor and the rich equally.

But disease tended to be particularly cruel to the poor.

How desperate must it be to know you’re sick but not be able to afford treatment?

“The financial assistance will be provided this afternoon, and I’d like to add one more suggestion.”

“A suggestion? What kind of suggestion?”

Jeong-hye tilted her head, surprised by the unexpected proposal.

“If you allow it, I’d like to receive donations from my channel’s subscribers.”

Jun-hoo explained his proposal.

He would start a live stream on NewTube right away.

He would introduce Jeong-hye’s story to the viewers.

If viewers donated, he would give that amount to Jeong-hye in addition to his own contribution.

It was something Jun-hoo had planned in advance to maximize the financial support for Jeong-hye.

A few days ago, he had subtly hinted at a donation broadcast on social media.

“That might be good too.”

Jeong-hye surprisingly agreed without hesitation.

This time, it was Jun-hoo who was surprised.

Jun-hoo’s eyes widened.

“Your face and home will be revealed. You might feel uncomfortable or it might be unpleasant.”

“I have to endure that much. I’ve decided to be strong for my husband.”

Jun-hoo nodded and stood up.

“Then shall we start the live broadcast?”

* * *

As announced on social media, Jun-hoo started a live broadcast on NewTube.

He took out the phone he had purchased specifically for filming, fixed it to a stand, and held the stand in his hand.

“Hello, everyone. It’s been a while since I’ve done a live broadcast, right?”

Jun-hoo said, filming his face in selfie mode.

Chat poured down like a monsoon in May and June.

[Is today the day we shower Teacher with money? My bullets are fully loaded. LOL]

[Please do live broadcasts more often. I miss you. ㅠㅠ]

[Wow! A close-up shot! This is precious.]

Jun-hoo read the chat and interacted with the viewers before bringing up the main topic.

He introduced Jeong-hye and her husband’s story.

Then, he switched the phone to filming mode and filmed Jeong-hye.

Even though the live NewTube broadcast must have been a burden, Jeong-hye surprisingly told her story calmly.

The viewers praised her for being resilient.

“Can I go into the main room now?”

“Yes, of course.”

Jun-hoo held the stand with the phone fixed to it and entered the cramped main room.

The main room reflected the cramped nature of the house.

The wallpaper was yellowed.

Black mold had formed in one corner of the ceiling, and the few pieces of furniture were old and peeling.

Jeong-hye’s husband, Young-shik, was lying in the center of the room on a blanket.

A nasogastric tube [a tube inserted through the nose into the stomach] was inserted into his nose for nutritional intake, and an IV drip was connected to his left arm.

He hadn’t been able to shave recently, so his philtrum [the vertical groove between the base of the nose and the upper lip] and chin area were covered with dark stubble.

Jun-hoo sat down next to the patient.

Perhaps because of the guardian’s care, the patient looked quite normal on the outside.

Jun-hoo slightly lifted the patient’s top and turned his body to the side, but there were no signs of bedsores.

The same was true for his legs and arms.

“Do you manage bowel movements with diapers?”

“Yes. Since he can’t eat solid food, there isn’t that much to clean up.”

“Still, cleaning up bowel movements is no easy task.”

Jun-hoo said, biting his lip.

Even for family members, cleaning up poop and pee was not easy. Doing such things often made you lose your appetite.

“What are the caregiver’s hours?”

“They usually take care of him from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. It’s also difficult to find someone who fits the time slot…”

Jeong-hye sighed deeply and continued. “It’s also hard to find someone who does the job properly. There are many good people, but there are also many who I don’t know if they came to work or to slack off.”

“I’ve heard that complaint a lot too.”

Jun-hoo nodded.

Suddenly, he checked the chat window and saw that everyone was spamming ‘ㅠㅠ’ or posting comments denouncing bad caregivers.

As expected of Jun-hoo’s channel subscribers.

Everyone showed a sensitive and righteous disposition.

‘So, is the real game starting now?’

Jun-hoo tilted his head left and right and looked down at the patient.

The reason he bothered to visit the house was not just to help Jeong-hye financially.

There was something he wanted to check as a doctor.

Vegetative state patients can be broadly classified into two types.

One is an unconscious vegetative state.

The other is a conscious vegetative state.

The latter is a very special case where the patient can understand what the people around them are saying.

In other words, the consciousness is awake, but only the body and mouth cannot move.

Most cases of vegetative state patients miraculously recovering fall into this category.

-Can you hear my voice, patient? If you can hear me, can you move your body even a little?-

Jun-hoo immediately sent a telepathic message to Young-shik.

Transmitting sound secretly.

It was a type of martial art similar to telepathy that used internal energy to speak into the other person’s head.

Shivers.

As soon as the telepathic message ended, Young-shik’s body trembled faintly, as if responding to Jun-hoo’s telepathic message.

Jun-hoo felt like he had seen a ray of sunlight shining in the darkness.

-Patient, you’re conscious, right? You may be very disoriented by the current situation, but this is real. I’m talking to you in your head.-

The patient reacted again to the second telepathic message.

But it was a slightly different reaction than Jun-hoo had expected.

Goosebumps appeared on the patient’s forearm.

Suddenly, his breathing quickened, and when he palpated [examined by touch] the radial artery [an artery in the wrist], his pulse was racing.

The patient seemed to be afraid of Jun-hoo.

Was he surprised by the telepathic message?

Well, it might be disconcerting if someone you’ve never met spoke to you in your head.

At that moment, when he was about to casually dismiss the patient’s reaction, Jun-hoo saw something he shouldn’t have seen.

It was a very subtle and delicate change that occurred near the patient’s mouth.

The moment he recognized that ‘change,’ Jun-hoo’s face twisted fiercely.

The hand holding the stand was clenched tightly, and his arm was trembling.

Jun-hoo barely controlled his strength, fearing he would break the stand.

“Guardian.”

“Yes, Doctor.”

“It seems I’ll be able to show you a miracle of waking up your husband today.”

“Yes? What do you mean?”

Jeong-hye’s eyes widened like an owl’s. At the same time, the chat window began to explode.

[Teacher. I think you’ve crossed the line this time. What do you mean you’re going to wake up a vegetative state patient? I think you’re hurting the wife ㅠㅠ]

[Hey. Come on, this isn’t it. Why are you suddenly going off track when you were doing so well…]

[Apologize to the wife right now. That was a very bad joke.]

The viewers who had been on Jun-hoo’s side immediately turned against him.

Twenty percent of the total viewers left in an instant.

But Jun-hoo never took back his words.

“I have never spoken lightly in my life. If I say it’s possible, it’s possible.”

Jun-hoo said firmly, looking at the chat window, and soon turned his gaze to Jeong-hye.

Jeong-hye’s expression was unreadable.

She couldn’t tell if Jun-hoo was joking or mocking her.

She had been nervously scratching her pants with her manicured nails.

“As a surgeon, you obviously know more than I do… is it possible for a vegetative state patient to wake up overnight?”

“……”

“Isn’t that kind of miracle only possible for Jesus?”

“I feel like I can do it too, just for today.”

“That’s too much… I thought you came to comfort me, but now you’re making fun of me.”

Jeong-hye’s voice was full of resentment.

The viewers also began to get angry at Jun-hoo’s seemingly insensitive way of speaking.

Jun-hoo suddenly became a public enemy.

“It will soon be determined who was making fun of whom. Everyone, see for yourselves. The magic of a vegetative state patient waking up in 30 seconds.”