A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 436

Chapter 85: Truth (2)

Sublieutenant Yoo Kyung-wook had been unconscious for over 20 days.

The incident was now famous enough that even elementary school students knew about it.

News, articles, and reports poured in. NewTubers [YouTube channels focusing on news] covering mystery cases amplified the situation.

This was because they began to doubt whether Sublieutenant Yoo Kyung-wook was the kind of person who would take his own life, and whether the circumstances even allowed for it.

The method by which these NewTubers obtained specific information about Sublieutenant Yoo Kyung-wook’s gunshot wound remained a mystery.

However…

Rumors circulated that some members of the squad, while withdrawing from the GP [Guard Post, a military outpost], had leaked detailed information to the NewTubers.

Despite various allegations and criticisms, the Truth Commission remained steadfastly silent.

They only gave the standard answer that they were still investigating the case.

There was a reason why they weren’t acting rashly.

Sublieutenant Yoo Kyung-wook was only unconscious.

He had not yet passed away.

Therefore, they feared that if they made any explanations and Sublieutenant Yoo Kyung-wook regained consciousness and gave contradictory testimony, their reputation would be tarnished.

However, there was a limit to their stalling tactics.

As Sublieutenant Yoo Kyung-wook’s unconscious state prolonged, and as the incident snowballed, members of the National Assembly summoned the chairman of the Truth Commission to a hearing.

“You stated that you are investigating the shooting incident of Sublieutenant Yoo Kyung-wook, correct?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“If you are investigating, shouldn’t you at least announce the findings so far?”

The opposition party member rebuked the chairman of the Military Truth Commission.

Bang!

He even slammed the table with his palm, raising his voice. The atmosphere at the hearing instantly turned icy.

Perhaps he didn’t expect them to come on so strong.

The chairman, sweating profusely, wore a helpless expression.

“Do you even know how much interest the public has in this case?”

“Ah… I am aware.”

“If you are aware, why is your response so lukewarm? Reports, you see, are not just final reports. There are also interim reports.”

The opposition party member gestured roughly in the air.

“Important information is always kept among yourselves, and you remain tight-lipped, which is why public distrust is growing. Whenever something happens, you manipulate information.”

“It’s such an important matter…”

“Nonsense! The more important it is, the more it should be made public.”

The chairman bit his lip at the opposition party member’s continuous reprimands.

Just then, an aide behind him approached and whispered something in his ear.

The chairman nodded.

“Since you are pressing us so hard, I will tell you our tentative conclusion.”

“Speak.”

“We are judging Sublieutenant Yoo Kyung-wook’s gunshot wound as a suicide. As of now.”

The hearing room buzzed with the chairman’s declaration. Both the ruling and opposition parties seemed agitated.

As if the brakes had been released, the chairman began a lengthy explanation, citing ballistics and various pieces of evidence, as to why Sublieutenant Yoo Kyung-wook took his own life.

As professional knowledge poured out, the opposition party member, who had been launching attacks, became meek.

Just as the Truth Commission seemed to be gaining credibility, the situation reversed the very next day.

Why were no traces of gunpowder found on the sublieutenant’s hand? Why were there no fingerprints? Various military experts tenaciously questioned the inconsistencies in the chairman’s explanation.

[Is this an explanation? Or an excuse?]

[The public wants the truth, not a cover-up.]

[Truth Commission: Controversy over forced investigation.]

Various media outlets lambasted the Truth Commission.

However, the Truth Commission repeated, like a parrot, that all investigations were conducted scientifically.

Perhaps they were tired of hitting a wall.

The sublieutenant’s gunshot wound case gradually faded from people’s minds.

People began to look for new news.

War news from a distant country.

An earthquake that claimed the lives of hundreds.

Global economic slowdown and bank failures, and so on.

The world was full of sensational events.

It was a case of one tragedy covering up another.

While interest in the sublieutenant was slowly fading, Jun-hoo visited the Hankook Physical Therapy Hospital every day.

Three hours a day.

He guarded the intensive care unit, injecting internal energy [qi or vital energy] into Sublieutenant Yoo Kyung-wook.

He believed that the sublieutenant would soon regain consciousness thanks to the unique recovery power of internal energy, but despite Jun-hoo’s utmost devotion, the sublieutenant did not open his eyes.

Brain CT and MRI scans, and various blood tests showed no abnormalities.

At that point, one day, Min-seok cautiously broached the subject with Jun-hoo.

“Dr. Jun-hoo, about Sublieutenant Yoo Kyung-wook…”

“Yes? What about him?”

“There’s been talk from above. It seems like he may not recover, and there’s talk about declaring him brain-dead.”

“Is that the hospital director’s order?”

“Ah, yes. That’s right.”

Min-seok smiled awkwardly, and Jun-hoo remained silent.

Was it really the hospital director’s order?

Was there pressure from the Truth Commission?

He wanted to ask, but he held back.

What fault did Min-seok have, and what power did he have?

He was just following orders from above.

“I’ll go to the hospital director today and talk to him. I’ll ask him to postpone the brain-dead declaration.”

“Actually, declaring him brain-dead won’t change anything. Is there really a need for you to go to the hospital director?”

Min-seok kindly dissuaded Jun-hoo.

“Even if he’s in a vegetative state, he’ll just be moved to a general ward. His current condition will remain the same.”

“Still, the intensive care unit is better equipped to handle emergencies. I’d rather keep him in the intensive care unit for a bit longer.”

“Okay. I’m always on your side, Doctor.”

Min-seok smiled brightly.

“But, Doctor.”

“Yes.”

“The surgery went well, and the test results are good, so why isn’t the patient regaining consciousness?”

“I have some ideas.”

Jun-hoo’s explanation followed.

Sublieutenant Yoo Kyung-wook’s injuries were among the most severe of gunshot wound patients.

So much so that they even performed a lobotomy.

Even if the surgery was successful, Jun-hoo explained that if the brain suffered significant damage during transport, recovery would be slow.

Min-seok nodded as if he understood.

Even after Min-seok left, Jun-hoo stayed close to the patient’s bedside.

He looked down at the patient with a pitiful gaze.

A young man as fresh as a sprout had been shot and hadn’t opened his eyes for nearly three weeks.

Even worse, the people who should be revealing the truth were unjustly accusing the sublieutenant of trying to take his own life.

If they treated the incident as an individual’s deviation, the responsibility they had to bear would be infinitely lighter.

But Jun-hoo wanted to take the sublieutenant’s side.

He wanted to clear him of the unjust accusation.

He wanted to fulfill the wishes of the guardian who longed for the sublieutenant’s health.

That was why he had chosen to become a surgeon in the first place.

Looking at the sublieutenant, the face of his medical school classmate, Seong-ho, overlapped with his.

Seong-ho had been declared brain-dead after a traffic accident.

He had donated his organs and became a star in the sky [passed away and is remembered fondly].

In the sublieutenant’s case, even if he was declared brain-dead, organ donation was impossible.

Since vegetative state patients can breathe on their own, they are recognized as living people.

No.

I can’t accept a vegetative state either. The lives of the guardians and families will be ruined while they wait endlessly for the patient.

I have to recover the patient no matter what.

Jun-hoo bit his lip.

The problem was how…

Jun-hoo stroked his chin with one hand and pondered.

He had operated on over 100 gunshot wound patients in the head in the United States.

Among them, only about five patients were as critical as the sublieutenant.

Of those five, only one had become vegetative.

Compared to that one, the sublieutenant’s gunshot wound was somewhat better. The surgery was also much better than back then.

Am I being too impatient?

Will he recover on his own if I wait?

If not…

Am I missing something important?

As he thought over and over again, Jun-hoo decided to add a new treatment.

He decided to continue injecting internal energy as he had been doing, but also add acupressure.

It was called brain acupressure.

This was a technique that Jun-hoo had been using effectively since his medical school days until recently.

The brain had unique functions depending on each part.

The frontal lobe was in charge of thinking, speaking, motor skills, and so on.

The temporal lobe was in charge of touch, smell, and hearing, and so on.

When studying, Jun-hoo mainly used acupressure on the frontal lobe and hippocampus. He activated those areas with internal energy to maximize study efficiency.

When doing mental training, that is, image training, he used acupressure on the occipital lobe.

This was to stimulate the optic nerve in the occipital lobe to create a training environment that was identical to the real one.

But what if…

What if he used brain acupressure, which he had only used to amplify his abilities, for treatment?

Depending on the interpretation, the sublieutenant’s brain could be seen as currently asleep.

Let’s assume that interpretation is correct.

Then, when he stimulated the brain with brain acupressure, wouldn’t the sublieutenant be able to wake up?

In reality, when a person is asleep, they wake up when someone shakes them.

‘I’m thinking of something a bit absurd…’ Jun-hoo chuckled, then suddenly changed his expression to a serious one.

‘I have to do it right away!’

Before starting the brain acupressure in earnest, Jun-hoo left the intensive care unit for a while.

After 10 minutes, Jun-hoo returned to the ward, dragging something.

It was a Portable EEG [Electroencephalogram].

It was a portable electroencephalogram machine.

Just as an electrocardiogram is taken to examine the heart, neurologists and neurosurgeons use electroencephalograms to examine the brain.

The examination cart contained an electroencephalogram monitor, a main device connecting ports and terminals, and various wires.

Jun-hoo immediately connected the electrodes to the patient’s head.

When he turned on the power, brainwave rhythms appeared on the monitor.

The damage to the brain from the gunshot wound was definitely significant.

The brainwave rhythm was more irregular and had a slow-wave pattern compared to a normal person.

The pattern was also more general than localized.

Among them, the rhythm response in the frontal lobe and parietal lobe areas, where the lobotomy had been performed, was weak.

Jun-hoo carefully memorized the patient’s electroencephalogram.

The waveform.

The frequency and amplitude.

The distribution and rhythmicity.

The phase relationship and occurrence time.

Finally, the persistence and reactivity.

There was only one reason why Jun-hoo brought the electroencephalogram machine.

It was to check the effectiveness of brain acupressure.

If brain acupressure was really effective, there would definitely be a change in the brainwaves before and after performing brain acupressure.

Let’s check the effect first.

Which area to stimulate and with what intensity, I’ll gradually adjust while practicing.

Before starting the treatment in earnest, Jun-hoo took a deep breath.

It would be a lie to say that he had no fear or anxiety.

Since the patient’s brain was not normal, there was a possibility that brain acupressure could worsen the patient’s condition.

But he couldn’t just stand by and watch the patient.

Change is triggered by action.

Usually, nothing changes if you do nothing.

Jun-hoo’s eyes, having hardened his resolve, shone sharply.

Hesitation and reluctance were long gone.

Pa-ba-ba-bat!

Jun-hoo’s index finger, filled with internal energy, repeatedly pierced the patient’s head.