A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 508

The Martial Surgeon – Episode 508

Chapter 99: Challenge (4)

“I think I’ve seen it before.”

Jung Hyun-jung nodded, recalling when she had met Jun-hoo.

“But why are you curious about that? It doesn’t seem very important.”

“It is important. It’s related to his initial commitment.”

“What does a health bracelet have to do with his initial commitment?”

Jung Hyun-jung tilted her head and asked.

The question from her father, which had made her so nervous, was completely unexpected.

It was whether Jun-hoo was wearing a health bracelet on his wrist.

Her father chuckled at Jung Hyun-jung’s question. He picked up the book he had placed on his lap and showed her page 30.

“One of Seo’s medical school classmates passed away due to brain death from a traffic accident.”

“…….”

“He said that he started wearing the health bracelet to commemorate him and to commit to treating even brain-dead patients in the distant future. The health bracelet was his keepsake.”

“I see.”

Jung Hyun-jung pretended to listen seriously.

Even after hearing the explanation, she found it hard to understand why her father thought the bracelet was important.

So, what was he trying to say?

Was he going to praise him for keeping his initial commitment?

In the first place…….

What if the health bracelet itself was a performance?

“Still, my decision remains unchanged. I will not support the epilepsy project.”

“Do as you please, daughter. But I want to ask you one more question.”

“What is it?”

“Do you really think you can do anything with money?”

“That’s such an obvious question. Yes. Money is everything. In capitalism, money is God.”

Jung Hyun-jung answered without hesitation.

Why are there no applicants for surgery?

It’s tough and doesn’t pay well.

If medical fees were raised, or if the annual salary was increased, the number of applicants would explode.

Realistically, that’s impossible.

That’s why no one is applying.

“If money is everything, why are people in surgery working their butts off for meager pay?”

“Because they’re fools.”

“But it’s thanks to those fools that patients get surgery and prolong their lives.”

“Are you subtly pressuring me to support the epilepsy clinic project right now?”

Jung Hyun-jung’s lips protruded sharply.

Her father neither affirmed nor denied.

He was just wearing his signature ambiguous smile.

“I need to show my management skills and generate revenue for the hospital to get ahead in the succession structure.”

“…….”

“I can’t risk a threat for the sake of profits that may not even be 100 percent guaranteed in a few years.”

Jung Hyun-jung’s voice rose.

The blue veins in her neck stood out.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. You still only know one thing and not the other…….”

Her father shook his head with a pitiful expression.

“To get money out of someone else’s pocket, you have to impress them first. If you start by thinking about how to rip them off, you won’t make any money.”

“I can do it. Because I’m different from other people.”

“Well, if that’s what my wonderful daughter says, then that’s what it is…….”

In the middle of his sentence, her father frowned.

He closed his eyes tightly and gripped his head with both palms.

“Father, what’s wrong?”

Jung Hyun-jung, startled, approached her father.

“I’ve been having more headaches lately. My eyes are also blurry.”

“There were no abnormalities in last year’s health checkup, right?”

“There weren’t.”

“What about the heart valve surgery you had?”

“I’m taking my medication well. There’s no problem.”

“Still, go get another checkup. I’ll make an appointment for you.”

“I will.”

“Should I support you?”

“It’s not that bad. Get some rest, you must be tired.”

Even in pain, her father took his book and went into his bedroom.

Jung Hyun-jung stared blankly at her father’s figure.

Even her father, the tiger CEO of Shinwon Foods, was no match for the passage of time.

* * *

The next day, morning.

Weeeeng. Weeeeng.

The cell phone placed on the bedside table vibrated.

“Haaah.”

Ah-young turned off the alarm and got out of bed.

She stretched out coolly.

Jun-hoo was not beside her.

He was probably in his study, doing his breathing exercises. He would stay with Ah-young in bed, but only for the first 30 minutes or so.

Jun-hoo always left the bedroom and secluded himself.

He said that as his inner energy increased, he no longer needed to sleep.

Ah-young chuckled.

She felt strange having a husband from the martial arts world.

Ah-young came out of the room and filled the coffee pot with water to boil.

She put the croissant dough she had stored in the freezer into the air fryer. The savory smell of baking bread filled the living room.

“Are you up?”

Jun-hoo came out of his study.

He approached Ah-young, hugged her tightly around the waist, and kissed her forehead.

“Are you really okay not sleeping?”

“I’m fine with just about 30 minutes of breathing exercises.”

“Then what do you do all night?”

“Thinking about you, Ah-young?”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

Ah-young pushed Jun-hoo away and crossed her arms.

“I do high-level surgeries in my head, and I learn new martial arts. I have a mountain of things to do.”

“Is there still more to get stronger?”

“I think there’s only one last thing left.”

“What is it?”

“I’ll show you in a bit.”

Jun-hoo smiled.

A little later, the two sat facing each other at the table. Today’s breakfast was coffee and croissants.

“From now on, I will show you a very amazing magic show.”

Jun-hoo said playfully.

“Can I look forward to it?”

“Prepare to be amazed.”

Jun-hoo held a croissant in his hand.

While Ah-young was wondering if the martial art he was about to show was related to bread, she was shocked.

The croissant that Jun-hoo was holding in his hand disappeared as if by magic.

“Ta-da. A magic trick where bread appears and disappears.”

“Wait. I remember now. I know how to do this, you know?”

Ah-young wore a scornful expression. Then she got up from her seat and looked behind the chair where Jun-hoo was sitting.

She had seen a similar magic trick before.

After distracting the other person.

Was it a trick where you threw the ball behind your back?

But what?

The croissant, which she thought he had thrown behind the chair, was nowhere to be seen.

“Surely you wouldn’t do such a rude thing as to throw bread on the floor in front of a bread lover?”

“Then look at my legs.”

“As much as you want.”

She wondered if he had hidden the bread under the table, but that wasn’t it either. The bread had ‘evaporated’ in an instant.

It was a ghostly sight.

Ah-young returned to her seat and just blinked.

“What happened?”

“I ate it.”

“Huh?”

“I ate the bread.”

“I didn’t see you eat it?”

“Ah-young, your timeline was different from mine.”

Jun-hoo’s explanation that followed was shocking.

The name of the martial art he was newly learning was Jecheon Gong [a martial art that manipulates time].

It was said to be a martial art that controlled time. He could create a gravitational field of time with his inner energy and make his own time go slower.

So, Jun-hoo.

In a different timeline from Ah-young, he had already finished eating the bread.

“Wow! Is that even possible with martial arts?”

“Theoretically, nothing is impossible. You know that, Ah-young.”

Jun-hoo winked.

Immediately, a knife floated in the air.

The knife moved on its own and cut Ah-young’s croissant into thirds.

In the martial arts novels she had read to understand Jun-hoo in the past, this was called ‘Igieo Geomsul’ [controlling objects with internal energy].

“Doesn’t this mean you can do surgery alone?”

“I could if there were no eyes watching. But it’s realistically impossible, right? The consumption of inner energy is too severe.”

Ah-young, who had been constantly surprised by Jun-hoo, soon looked at Jun-hoo with pitiful eyes.

It was an undeniable fact that Jun-hoo was amazing.

But still.

Wouldn’t the wounds, venom, and tenacity that Jun-hoo had suffered to reach this point be extraordinary?

There was no such thing as a free lunch in the world.

The rewards that Jun-hoo had obtained were all things that had been paid for with sacrifices that Ah-young did not know.

“Are you going to go all the way? You’re not thinking of stopping, are you?”

Ah-young spoke vaguely, but Jun-hoo understood exactly and nodded.

“I can never stop. Someone has to break this chain. My teacher has to exert his power in politics, and I have to exert my power in the field.”

“…….”

“I don’t want to see my juniors suffer too.”

“But Jun-hoo.”

“Why?”

“Can’t you help the thoracic surgery department as well?”

Jun-hoo laughed heartily at Ah-young’s half-serious, half-joking words.

“There’s a famous person named Dr. Lee Mi-deum in the thoracic surgery department, right? And Dr. Choi Gi-seok too.”

“It’s hard to get help because it’s not our university.”

Ah-young pouted for no reason and put a croissant in her mouth.

The layers of dough crumbled crisply, and the savory flavor of butter filled her mouth.

“I’ll try to make a connection with them if possible.”

“Jun-hoo, you’re so cool.”

Ah-young gave him a thumbs up.

While eating, Ah-young continued to talk to Jun-hoo.

The topic was Jecheon Gong.

She thought that Jecheon Gong was a perfect martial art that could control time, but that wasn’t always the case.

First, the inner energy efficiency was extremely poor.

Second, the duration was shortened if he dragged patients and staff into the gravitational field of inner energy.

“There’s nothing easy in the world. You’re going to suffer a lot this time too.”

“I still have to do it. I’ll get something for the suffering. What’s your schedule like today, Ah-young?”

“I have one surgery in the morning and a seminar in the afternoon.”

“Be careful on your way.”

“Okay.”

After the meal, the two showered, changed clothes, and went to the hospital.

As they drove out of the parking lot, the sky was ink-colored. For some reason, she had a bad feeling today.

* * *

That day, at noon.

Jun-hoo was standing by the window on the 4th floor hallway where the operating room was located.

Swaaaaa!

The sky was pouring down rain.

The sound of the rain was not refreshing, but rather violent.

The scenery outside the window was not visible even an inch ahead.

Thunderrrrr!

Just in time, thunder roared.

A streak of lightning belatedly tore through the sky.

The weather forecast was wrong again this year. The rainy season, which was supposed to start this weekend, had been moved up three days.

Since there was about an hour to spare until the next surgery.

Jun-hoo enjoyed the rare moment of leisure.

‘I have a bad feeling.’

Jun-hoo, reflected in the mirror, frowned.

The meeting with the vice president yesterday.

The hospital director was gleeful, saying that the project would go well.

The vice president was originally a person who only knew ‘yes’ or ‘no’, but this time he had exceptionally reserved his judgment.

-He didn’t want to admit on the spot that he had been swayed by your smooth talking. That’s why he deliberately bought time. He’s never honest, is he?

That’s what the hospital director said.

However, Jun-hoo’s interpretation was different.

The vice president’s eyes were cold until he left the restaurant. The meaning of that look was probably a rejection.

The eyes of a persuaded person could not be so cold.

Should I find a way to skip the vice president?

Should I have a showdown directly with the chairman?

As his thoughts became complicated, a headache came over him.

Even though he had become a professor, there were still many steep mountains to climb.

Surely, even if he became the hospital director, he would suffer from the hospital director’s own difficulties.

Beeeeeep.

The cell phone in his gown vibrated.

It was a call from Woo-hyun, a second-year resident. His voice was urgent. His notification was flustered.

He could tell how embarrassed Woo-hyun was without seeing him in person.

“Okay. I’ll go down right away.”

Jun-hoo flapped his gown and ran to the emergency exit.

The word ‘disaster’ was clearly etched on his face.

Damn it!

I didn’t want to see the chairman like this.