A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 378

‘Ha… Shit. Something the size of a rat’s testicle is acting up so much.’

Levi glared at Jun-hoo, clenching both fists.

He wanted to punch that face right away, but he couldn’t.

He already had two disciplinary actions stacked up against him.

If he got one more, he might get kicked out of Mayou [Hospital name or medical system].

He made eye contact with Daniel, who shook his head.

The gesture was clear.

Please, don’t fight.

Levi exerted superhuman patience.

He unclenched his fists.

“Are you two dating? What’s with the eye contact, leaving me out?”

Jun-hoo said jokingly.

He still didn’t seem to grasp the situation.

“It’s not like that…”

“And Daniel, I told you to get out. Can’t you hear me?”

“There might be a ward call or an emergency room call… If I leave my post, something big might happen.”

“Don’t make me say it three times.”

“…Understood.”

Daniel glanced back and forth between the two with anxious eyes and left the on-call room.

Now, only Levi and Jun-hoo were in the on-call room.

A tense silence wrapped around them.

The silence swelled like a balloon, ready to burst at any moment.

“I have nothing to say to you, Doctor. Leave while I’m being nice.”

“I have a lot to say to you.”

“What is it?”

“It’s about your terrible work ethic. It reeks.”

“Kheu-eu-eu.”

Levi involuntarily burped and blushed.

“Ahem. Was breakfast a bit much?”

“It must have been. After drinking so much.”

“……!”

Levi’s eyes widened at Jun-hoo’s remark.

How did he know that?

He brushed his teeth and gargled.

He even sprayed a lot of cologne.

Levi was the type who didn’t even turn red when he drank.

But how did Jun-hoo know that he had been drinking until dawn yesterday?

“Wondering how I knew?”

He was curious, but Levi couldn’t bring himself to say ‘yes’.

That would be admitting to drinking.

“No. Don’t accuse me. I didn’t drink.”

“If you’re so confident, let’s draw blood. We can check your blood alcohol level.”

“I don’t want to. Why should I?”

“You’re a funny guy. You have a way to prove your innocence, but you’re avoiding it? That just means you’re guilty.”

Levi felt a chill down his spine at Jun-hoo’s questioning. It felt like the hunter’s net was closing in.

Of course, drinking on the job was also subject to disciplinary action.

“I… I’m afraid of needles.”

“That’s a pretty lame excuse. The needles you’ve used so far will be disappointed.”

“I can stab others with needles, but I don’t want needles in my body.”

“Stop talking nonsense. You’re not leaving this on-call room until you get your blood drawn.”

Jun-hoo shot a fierce look.

It was a kind of declaration of war.

Now, there were only two paths Levi could choose.

Either get his blood drawn and risk getting kicked out of Mayou with three disciplinary actions.

Or kneel before Jun-hoo and beg for forgiveness.

The latter seemed more realistic.

But his pride wouldn’t allow him to choose the latter.

Why should he bow down and plead to that annoying Asian?

‘Okay, I just need to shut that bastard up. Just his mouth.’

A vicious glint appeared in Levi’s eyes, which had been trembling with anxiety.

Levi had received a total of two disciplinary actions since his first year as a resident until now, when he was just starting his second year.

The reason was always assault.

Once for hitting a colleague who pointed out that he was bad at his job.

And once for hitting a patient’s guardian who was dissatisfied with the treatment.

He had only pretended to sincerely repent in front of the victims and the disciplinary committee.

That wasn’t his true intention.

The one who hits has a reason for hitting.

And the one who gets hit has a reason for getting hit.

“I knew you’d come out like this.”

A cold smile appeared on Jun-hoo’s lips.

“I’ve dealt with tons of guys like you. The type who only knows himself, can’t control his anger, and tries to solve problems with force.”

“……”

“But it’s strange.”

“What is?”

“The fact that someone like you can be a surgeon at Mayou. Judging by what you do, you should be a neighborhood thug or a gangster.”

“I understand? Because you’re just like me.”

Levi chuckled and retorted.

“You’re clueless and can’t read the room. If you knew I was going to come out like this, you shouldn’t have sent Daniel out.”

Levi moved his head and shoulders lightly, loosening up his body.

The hangover was still bad, but it wouldn’t be a problem to crush that little Asian.

Without bruising him.

Without breaking anything.

If he beat his stomach or side thoroughly, he wouldn’t be able to crawl back up.

Levi stomped his feet and approached Jun-hoo.

Jun-hoo was expressionless as before.

He was probably desperately holding back his fear.

Or maybe he was relieved, thinking, ‘There’s no way he’d punch me in the on-call room?’

Levi first reached out and grabbed Jun-hoo’s waist with both arms.

He was planning to lift the frail body and slam it to the ground.

But what?

“Eueueueuk!”

No matter how hard he tried, Jun-hoo wouldn’t budge.

It was as if Jun-hoo’s feet were stuck to the ground or had become as hard as steel bars.

This can’t be happening?

This shouldn’t be happening?

The moment he looked at Jun-hoo in embarrassment, Jun-hoo’s head flew towards Levi.

Bang!

The inside of his head went black as if the lights had been turned off in an instant.

* * *

Pediatric Neurosurgery on-call room.

Jun-hoo and Daniel were looking down at Levi, who was lying on the lower bunk.

A bandage was attached to Levi’s right forearm.

They had just finished drawing blood.

“Why did you suddenly tell him to draw blood?”

Daniel stared at Jun-hoo with a puzzled expression.

Daniel was holding the blood collection tube.

“He drank a lot. It’s ridiculous to be on duty after drinking.”

“Really? I didn’t know? I just thought he was a little tired.”

“You might not know. He was trying to hide it.”

Jun-hoo smiled bitterly.

Jun-hoo’s sense of smell was several times sharper and more sensitive than the average person.

So he easily caught the smell of alcohol coming from Levi.

Levi himself seemed to have hidden the smell with brushing, gargling, and cologne, but it was no use in front of Jun-hoo.

Jun-hoo’s sense of smell, amplified by martial arts, far surpassed that of a dog.

“Levi’s work ethic is also terrible, right?”

“You have no idea. He dumped all the chart work and rounds on me today. I thought he didn’t have hands and feet.”

Daniel vented his pent-up frustration.

Whether it was Korea or the United States, there were doctors with terrible personalities everywhere.

“Even if someone says something slightly unpleasant next to him. He glares and threatens them. He’s no different from a gangster.”

“You’ve been through a lot.”

Jun-hoo placed his hand on Daniel’s shoulder.

Now that he had caught the sly loach [idiomatic expression for someone slippery or hard to catch], the water in the department would no longer be muddied.

“But Doctor.”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No. As you can see.”

“How are you okay after facing Levi alone? I was actually very worried. I was afraid you would suffer terribly at his hands.”

“There’s a way. Send the blood collection tube to the lab and go to the on-call room.”

“Yes. Thank you for your hard work.”

Daniel left, leaving only Jun-hoo and Levi in the on-call room.

Instantly, Jun-hoo’s eyes turned sharp.

“Hey, open your eyes. I know you’re awake.”

At Jun-hoo’s warning, Levi slowly opened his eyes.

He couldn’t bring himself to look Jun-hoo in the eye and averted his gaze slightly.

“Doctor. I was really wrong earlier. Can’t you forgive me?”

Levi said in a subdued voice.

Having been subjected to blood collection.

He seemed to realize that there was no other way than to appeal to sympathy.

“It’s too late. You should have asked for forgiveness before attacking.”

“I have a personality that can’t stand it when I get angry. Please give me one more chance. I’ll do really well from now on.”

“Can you really do well?”

“Yes. Doctor.”

“Then do well. At another hospital.”

Jun-hoo answered coldly and left the on-call room.

Levi muttered something behind him, but he closed his ears.

Why should he pollute his eardrums with the excuses and justifications of a criminal?

Even in the world of martial arts.

Even in the modern world.

Jun-hoo had no mercy for evildoers.

Evildoers were humans who did bad things ‘intentionally’, not out of mistake or carelessness.

An evildoer is…

A human who knows that others will be hurt when he punches them and still punches them.

A human who knows that others will be financially impoverished if he steals their money and still commits robbery.

So, they intentionally inflict harm on others, ask for forgiveness, and then live comfortably and well?

It was a truly shameless, less-than-beastly attitude.

If a human knows how to ask for forgiveness.

He doesn’t create the need to ask for forgiveness in the first place.

Jun-hoo also had that way of thinking.

Drrrreuk.

When Jun-hoo returned to the on-call room, Daniel was holding the receiver.

“Yes.”

“……?”

“Yes. I understand.”

“What’s wrong?”

Jun-hoo asked Daniel, who was putting down the receiver. Daniel’s expression had been dark throughout the call.

“One of the inpatients is not doing well.”

“Pull up the chart and notify.”

“Yes. Doctor.”

Jun-hoo stood next to the desk where Daniel was sitting.

The notification continued.

The patient was a 10-year-old child who had undergone Moyamoya disease [a rare progressive cerebrovascular disorder] surgery a week ago by Raymond.

According to the surgical record, there were no problems with the surgery.

However, the patient’s temperature had been unusual since this morning.

Starting at 37.3 degrees, the temperature slowly rose, eventually soaring to 38.7 degrees.

“I was relieved after prescribing antipyretics [fever reducers], but it keeps rising……”

Daniel bit his lip as if he was in trouble and continued to speak.

“Besides, this patient… is the child of the head of a charity that sponsors our hospital. It would be a disaster if something went wrong.”

“Let’s go to the ward first.”

Jun-hoo took Daniel and hurriedly moved to the ward.

The guardian was looking down at the child, restless, and the child could only groan, ‘Ugh’.

The child’s cheeks were as red as persimmons.

Sweat was beading on his forehead.

It didn’t feel good.

“Doctor… why is my child like this?”

“We need to take a medical history, examine him, and run tests. Justin, where do you feel the most uncomfortable?”

“My body… is cold… and hot… It hurts so much……”

Perhaps because it hurt, Justin couldn’t even speak properly.

Jun-hoo lightly touched Justin’s forehead, and it was burning hot.

“Order a blood test and chest X-ray, and let’s do an ice pack, Piroxicam (painkiller) IM (intramuscular injection) 1 amp injection.”

“Yes. Doctor.”

Jun-hoo, who quickly placed the order, looked down at the child.

It wasn’t something that required surgery, and even Jun-hoo couldn’t help with martial arts or internal energy for a patient with a high fever.

That’s why it hurt even more.

After a while, a nurse filled the empty seat of Daniel.

The nurse put ice packs between the child’s armpits and placed them on his head.

She drew blood.

She also gave an intramuscular injection in the buttocks.

When the necessary treatment was completed, the ward caregiver took the child out of the ward.

Jun-hoo returned to the on-call room and waited anxiously for the test results with Daniel.

Just hoping that the ominous premonition would be wrong.