A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 439

Chapter 85: Truth (5)

First floor cafe of Hankook Physiotherapy Hospital.

“I wouldn’t know.”

Jun-hoo shrugged as he replied.

“Come on, don’t be like that. Tell me, there must be a secret. Everyone knows Doctor Seo visited the intensive care unit with unwavering dedication every day.”

“…….”

“Didn’t you secretly treat him back then?”

Min-seok asked persistently.

“I’m not exaggerating. I just held the patient’s hand and prayed. Ask the nurses.”

“Hmm… something’s strange, isn’t it?”

Min-seok’s eyes narrowed, a suspicious aura in his voice.

According to Min-seok’s observations, Jun-hoo was a neurosurgery specialist with unbelievable skills.

When the patient was brought to the emergency room, no one, including the emergency room staff and Min-seok, believed the patient would survive.

Yet, Jun-hoo succeeded in that difficult, high-level gunshot wound surgery.

And Jun-hoo even came to see the patient every day after leaving the medical unit?

Could this be a simple coincidence?

Min-seok absolutely didn’t think so. Jun-hoo had clearly given the patient some kind of treatment, and as a result, the patient was recovering.

Even the timing was unbelievably perfect. The time when the patient’s EEG [electroencephalogram, a test that measures brain activity] improved exactly coincided with Jun-hoo’s visits.

“Strange things happen a lot in the world. This is just one of them.”

“Hmm…”

“Can’t you stop saying ‘hmm’?”

“Hmm…”

Jun-hoo chuckled as Min-seok continued to scrutinize his face.

Usually, after this much explanation, one would just move on, but Min-seok was incredibly persistent.

‘Even so, I can’t tell him the truth.’

Jun-hoo took a sip of his coffee.

7 PM. Even though outpatient hours were over, there were quite a few people in the hospital. The cafe was also more than half full. Inpatients and visitors were chatting.

The method of applying ‘Brain Blood Point Technique,’ which he only used on himself, to the patient was a great success.

After treating him for about a week, he was able to optimize the Brain Blood Point Technique, figuring out which points to target and how much internal energy to release when targeting them.

Perhaps thanks to the optimization, the patient’s electroencephalogram was returning to normal at an amazing rate.

At the current rate, it wouldn’t be surprising if he regained consciousness within a day or two.

Having gained confidence, Jun-hoo was also preparing for a new challenge: using the ‘Brain Blood Point Technique’ on vegetative state patients.

What if stimulating the brain plasticity [the brain’s ability to change and adapt] of vegetative state patients with the Brain Blood Point Technique could create new neural networks and the patient regain consciousness?

It was a dreamlike story. Even if internal energy was a cheat-like ability, expecting it to exert influence to that extent was greedy.

But still, Jun-hoo wanted to do everything he could for the patients.

Moreover, the treatment of brain death and vegetative state patients was a goal that Jun-hoo absolutely wanted to achieve as a neurosurgeon.

It was also a promise to Sung-ho, the owner of the health bracelet he was currently wearing.

‘By the way, the truth will be revealed soon.’

Jun-hoo was as thirsty for the truth as he was for the patient’s recovery.

The culprit who pulled the trigger on the lieutenant’s head would soon be caught and would pay the price for his sins.

“The talk about declaring the lieutenant in a vegetative state has completely disappeared, right?”

Jun-hoo changed the subject.

“Of course. His electroencephalogram has improved so much.”

“Are we the only ones who know that the patient’s condition is improving?”

“Well, that’s about right. Besides the staff, there’s probably just the guardian.”

“Doesn’t the truth investigation committee know either?”

“No. They don’t know. They came to find out about the patient’s progress a while ago, but I deliberately didn’t tell them.”

“Why?”

Jun-hoo asked, blinking. It was a bit unexpected. Min-seok was someone who was far from lying.

“To give them a taste of their own medicine. They played the media game saying the patient committed suicide.”

“Don’t you think the patient committed suicide, Doctor?”

“At first, I thought that might be the case. But after talking to the guardian a few times, I became convinced that it wasn’t.”

Min-seok continued firmly. “The patient is a devout religious person. People with religion believe in the afterlife.”

“Ah… that’s true too.”

Jun-hoo nodded awkwardly. Jun-hoo suspected suicide because no gunpowder residue was found on the patient.

On the other hand, Min-seok was using religion as a basis. The processes were very different, but anyway, the conclusion reached was the same: the patient did not take his own life.

“Doctor, by any chance, in the neurosurgery ward…”

“Yes.”

“Are there any vegetative state patients or brain-dead patients?”

“No. Why do you ask?”

“I was just curious.”

Jun-hoo vaguely brushed off the answer. He wanted to try the ‘Brain Blood Point Technique’ if there were any vegetative state or brain-dead patients, but unfortunately, there was no opportunity.

In fact, even in university hospitals, it was rare to see vegetative state or brain-dead patients. If a patient was injured to that extent, they usually died before being transported to the hospital or died during surgery.

Even if they received treatment, the period was not long. There were quite a few cases where vegetative state patients were cared for at home due to treatment costs.

Brain-dead patients usually discontinued life-sustaining treatment or passed away after donating organs.

“Shall we get going?”

“Alright.”

Min-seok, who was on duty, headed to the neurosurgery ward, and Jun-hoo moved to the intensive care unit once more. It was good to perform the Brain Blood Point Technique frequently.

‘Who is that person?’

In the hallway in front of the intensive care unit, a familiar face was seen among the benches where the guardians were waiting.

The main character was not Lieutenant Yoo Kyung-wook’s guardian and was wearing a noticeable military uniform alone.

-Doctor, please save our squad leader!

That person was the vice squad leader. He was the person who came on the helicopter with the patient on the day of the surgery with the feeling of a guardian and begged Jun-hoo to treat the lieutenant.

The vice squad leader’s name was Moon Sang-beom.

“Hello, Doctor.”

Sang-beom also recognized Jun-hoo and got up from his seat.

“What brings you here?”

“I was curious to know if the squad leader is recovering well. The squad members wrote a rolling paper [a collection of messages] wishing for the squad leader’s recovery, and I brought that too.”

Sang-beom took out a piece of paper from the cracker pocket in his combat uniform pants and showed it.

What should I do? Should I tell him honestly about Lieutenant Yoo Kyung-wook’s condition?

Reason coldly answered no. As Min-seok said earlier, to give the truth investigation committee a cool blow, it was better to hide the information. There was no guarantee that Sang-beom would not spread the news of the lieutenant’s recovery all over the place.

“Doctor, why aren’t you saying anything…”

“Excuse me. I just remembered something about work.”

Jun-hoo hesitated before continuing. “The patient is recovering healthily. In my estimation, he will regain consciousness within three or four days at the latest.”

Jun-hoo answered surprisingly honestly. He didn’t think Sang-beom was a spy for the truth investigation committee.

Most of all, the biggest reason was… his heart softened after seeing the rolling paper.

“Really… really?”

Sang-beom’s eyes widened, but somehow, his expression was strange. It was a feeling of being happy, surprised, and embarrassed at the same time.

“It seems like heaven has helped. There’s no other way to explain it.”

“Ah… I see.”

Sang-beom nodded and answered briefly. It was somehow a lukewarm answer.

“Aren’t you happy?”

“Of course, I’m very happy. They say that when you’re too happy, you don’t feel a sense of reality.”

“That could be the case. The rolling paper…”

“I’ll go to the bathroom for a moment. Suddenly, tears…”

Sang-beom quickly left the seat, and Jun-hoo watched his back and narrowed his eyes.

* * *

The bathroom at the end of the 3rd floor hallway.

Sang-beom was staring blankly at the mirror. Perhaps because he had just washed his face, there were water droplets on his face.

Sang-beom frowned and bit his lip tightly. The pitiful expression he had in front of Jun-hoo was nowhere to be found.

Sang-beom had a restless dream last night. Yoo Kyung-wook, with a hole in his head, appeared and cursed Sang-beom.

Sang-beom usually believed in superstitions and fortune-telling, so he couldn’t shake off the ominous feeling.

So he visited the hospital himself. He couldn’t hear the lieutenant’s story because the lieutenant’s guardian was away, but a doctor happened to appear.

As a result of asking the doctor about the lieutenant’s progress, the thing he was worried about happened in reality.

Yoo Kyung-wook was about to regain consciousness soon.

Yoo Kyung-wook should never wake up. Because… Sang-beom was the one who pulled the trigger on Yoo Kyung-wook’s gun.

The moment Yoo Kyung-wook regained consciousness, Sang-beom would be referred to a military court and receive tremendous punishment.

He would also miss the golden opportunity to be promoted to sergeant. Sang-beom’s life was confirmed to be heading straight to hell.

‘I have to do something… I can’t let this happen.’

Sang-beom’s eyes flashed with murderous intent and venom. He washed his face once again and wiped his face with a hand towel. He headed to the intensive care unit with a determined expression.

A well-built guard was guarding the entrance to the intensive care unit.

“What brings you here?”

The guard asked in a stiff voice.

“Could I possibly enter the intensive care unit?”

“Entry to the intensive care unit is strictly prohibited. Civilians cannot enter without the hospital director’s approval.”

Sang-beom was greatly frustrated by the guard’s words. He knew that entry to the intensive care unit had become stricter than before, but he didn’t know it would be to this extent.

But he couldn’t give up here. The moment he gave up, Sang-beom’s life would plummet to a bottomless cliff.

“Then could I possibly talk to a nurse? That much would be okay, right?”

“Who are you anyway?”

“Did you see the news? There’s a soldier patient who was shot. I’m the vice squad leader in the same squad as that patient.”

“Ah…”

The guard let out a short sigh. He seemed to be slightly relieved that the incident and patient he knew were mentioned.

Sang-beom put on the most pitiful expression he could and continued. “Please, just let me talk to them.”

“What’s the matter?”

The guard’s voice softened slightly.

“I wrote a rolling paper with the squad members wishing for the patient’s recovery. I want to deliver it.”

Sang-beom took out the cheat key, the rolling paper, again. It was accidentally carried out at the suggestion of the first squad leader, but it turned out to be useful in many places.

“I’ll do that for you if that’s the case.”

Ah! You clueless bastard!

Sang-beom barely swallowed the curse inwardly.

“It seems like it would be meaningful if I delivered it myself.”

“Hmm. I’ll contact them first.”

The guard tried to communicate with the inside of the intensive care unit with an intercom.

That short moment felt like years to Sang-beom.

After a while, the intensive care unit door opened halfway with a creak. A nurse with deer-like eyes peeked out. She was wearing a cross around her neck.

“You’re in the same unit as the patient?”

The nurse asked.

“Yes, Doctor. I’m here to deliver this.”

Sang-beom slipped his foot into the crack of the intensive care unit door.

“What are you doing now?”

“While delivering the rolling paper, could I see the squad leader for just 1 minute? I want to pray for him…”

“No.”

“I’m not asking for more or less, just 1 minute. Would someone who came to deliver a rolling paper cause a ruckus?”

“Still…”

“Everyone is working so hard to prevent strange people from entering, right?”

“…….”

“Am I a strange person? I’m just here to represent the squad members’ wishes.”

Sang-beom even knelt down on the spot. The nurse and guard were startled by the sudden action.

“What are you doing? Get up quickly.”

“Please. Please.”

Whether his earnest appeal worked, the nurse told him to see the patient for only 1 minute.

Sang-beom felt like he had a lifeline from heaven in his hand. After all, there’s no way people are meant to die.

Hehehe.

“Thank you. Thank you.”

“Even if you’re just going to see the patient for a moment, you have to disinfect.”

“Of course.”

“I’m sorry, but please pretend you don’t know about this, Guard.”

“I understand.”

Finally, Sang-beom, who entered the intensive care unit, was guided by the nurse, disinfected, put on a mask, and put on a gown.

Thump. Thump.

Sang-beom confidently crossed the left aisle.