A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 524

Chapter 102: New Face (5)

Hyun Jong returned to the temple with So-myeong.

He spent the entire trip back in torment.

Watching So-myeong enjoy a rare outing, being unable to share in So-myeong’s joy, and above all, being unable to tell So-myeong about the brain tumor…

To overcome his anguish.

Hyun Jong mobilized all the Buddhist teachings he had learned while living as a monk.

The words that seemed as vast and inclusive as the sea when his heart was calm were of no use when he was in pain.

The contradiction was absurd.

It was as if painkillers were ineffective when you were actually in pain.

-You didn’t come to the temple to attain enlightenment. You simply ran away from the secular world.

The head monk had thundered at him a few months ago.

At the time, he couldn’t understand it at all, but now he vaguely understood why he had said that.

Hyun Jong’s capacity was too shallow.

Hyegeumsa, returning with only worries.

Hyun Jong gave So-myeong free time and requested a private meeting with the head monk.

The head monk was sweeping around the outhouse with a broom.

It was the season when autumn foliage was invading the temple.

“Your expression is unusual.”

The head monk took the initiative.

As always, the head monk seemed to see through everything.

“I’ll get straight to the point. So-myeong has a brain tumor.”

“A brain tumor?”

The head monk’s eyebrows twitched.

“Yes. It’s malignant and has already grown quite large. We need to schedule surgery as soon as possible.”

“Aren’t brain tumors something that adults get?”

“Surprisingly, children are more susceptible. Brain tumors are the second most frequent after leukemia.”

“Hmm…”

Even the head monk was at a loss for words.

Whoosh.

A strong wind blew from the west.

The fallen leaves that the head monk had painstakingly gathered to one side scattered with disheartening ease.

“I’ll take care of the treatment costs, so don’t worry about that.”

“But, Head Monk… I haven’t told So-myeong about the brain tumor yet. I don’t know how to tell him. I’m too foolish to even grasp it.”

Hyun Jong bit his lip.

His dry lips cracked, and he tasted a bitter taste of blood.

“Bring So-myeong here. I’ll tell him myself.”

“Yes, Head Monk.”

Hyun Jong found So-myeong as the head monk instructed.

So-myeong was drawing on the dirt floor in the backyard behind the servants’ quarters. He was drawing the hospital he had just visited.

“So-myeong, the head monk is calling for you. Let’s go together.”

So-myeong nodded and followed Hyun Jong.

Finally, the three of them met.

The head monk knelt on one knee and made eye contact with So-myeong.

“So-myeong, you went to the hospital today, didn’t you? How was it?”

“It was fun and amazing. I want to go again next time.”

“Really? It seems like Buddha has granted our So-myeong’s wish. It looks like we’ll be going to the hospital again soon.”

“Really?”

So-myeong jumped up and down, delighted.

Unable to bear watching the scene any longer, Hyun Jong turned his head.

His eyes were hot, and his nose tingled. Why did that innocent and pure child have to suffer from a brain tumor?

The world was too cruel.

“But why?”

“Hyun Jong forgot to tell you. So-myeong, do you know who the ‘혹부리 영감’ [hokbu-ri yeonggam, Goblin with a Lump] is?”

“Yes. He has a lump here.”

So-myeong pointed to his chin with his index finger.

“So-myeong also has a lump in his head. We need to remove it. It won’t hurt. You’ll fall asleep, and everything will be over.”

“I have a lump in my head? I can’t see it or touch it.”

So-myeong tilted his head and kept touching his head.

“It’s hidden inside your head. The doctors will take good care of you, so don’t worry.”

“Yes.”

“You’ve had a long day at the hospital, so I’ll give you some delicious meat today.”

“Okay.”

So-myeong smiled innocently.

The conversation ended like that.

So-myeong scurried away like a sparrow.

Perhaps it was because the head monk spoke gently with a smiling face, but So-myeong didn’t know the seriousness of the brain tumor at all.

Even if Hyun Jong died and came back to life, he couldn’t do what the head monk did.

“Hyun Jong.”

“Yes, Head Monk.”

“How would you feel if So-myeong died from a brain tumor?”

“Why are you asking such a cruel question?”

Hyun Jong’s fists clenched.

Veins and blood vessels bulged.

“Cruel? All things in the world are bound to perish. You will die, and I will die. It is painful because you mistakenly believe you will live forever.”

The head monk stared straight at Hyun Jong and said.

“Answer the question quickly.”

“I… I think I would feel like I lost the whole world.”

“No, you are wrong. You have nothing to lose. You never had anything in the first place, and you never possessed anything.”

“…”

“While taking care of So-myeong, take possession as your ‘화두’ [hwadu, Koan – a paradoxical anecdote or riddle used in Zen Buddhism to demonstrate the inadequacy of logical reasoning]. Strive diligently. You will realize that what you mistakenly believe you possess is what torments you.”

The head monk said only what he had to say and left.

Hyun Jong blankly stared at the head monk’s receding figure.

* * *

Ten days had passed since So-myeong was diagnosed with a ‘신경 교종’ [sin-gyeong gyo-jong, Glioma].

A lot had happened during that time.

First, So-myeong was admitted to the pediatric ward.

The buzz-cut ‘동자승’ [dong-ja-seung, Child Monk] received a lot of love from other patients, guardians, and staff.

He also preached ‘불법’ [bul-beop, Buddhist Dharma – the teachings of Buddha] to the people around him from time to time.

The problem was that no one listened to the ‘불법’ [bul-beop, Buddhist Dharma] because he was so cute.

Hyun Jong stayed at the hospital as So-myeong’s guardian.

People also showed interest in Hyun Jong.

Because So-myeong was wearing a patient gown, while Hyun Jong was wearing ‘승복’ [seung-bok, Monk’s Robes], he was more noticeable.

After So-myeong was diagnosed with a brain tumor, Hyun Jong’s words decreased rapidly.

He would answer if someone asked him a question, but he rarely spoke first.

“That monk…”

“The young monk? The middle-aged monk?”

“The middle-aged monk. I think he’s a little strange.”

“Why? He seemed very gentle?”

“I was making rounds early in the morning. He wasn’t sleeping and was waving his hands in the air?”

“Really?”

“Yes. Why would I lie? At first, I thought he was mumbling in his sleep, but it didn’t seem like that.”

“What did it look like he was doing?”

“It’s hard to explain, but it looked like he was doing some kind of elaborate work. He seemed to be sweating too.”

“That’s strange.”

Strange rumors about Hyun Jong began to circulate among the nurses. It was that Hyun Jong woke up early in the morning and made strange gestures.

But it wasn’t a false rumor.

The same thing kept happening.

One day, a nurse asked Hyun Jong outright.

“Monk, what are you doing early in the morning?”

Hyun Jong didn’t answer and smiled.

In the meantime, ‘감마 나이프’ [gamma knife] surgery was also performed to treat the brain tumor.

The intention was to reduce the size of the tumor that needed to be surgically removed as much as possible.

The surgery was successful.

The size of the tumor, which was 5x5cm, was reduced to 3.5×3.5cm.

It didn’t reach the expected goal, but it was a meaningful achievement.

Jun-hoo and Hwang Jeong-hoon also spent busy days.

After their regular schedule, the two went to the operating room to practice surgery.

They practiced real-life surgery with a 3D model made from So-myeong’s CT images.

Jun-hoo generously released the know-how he had gained from Mayo, and Hwang Jeong-hoon followed it well.

There were some ‘불안 요소’ [bul-an yo-so, Anxious Factors].

In Jun-hoo’s view, Hwang Jeong-hoon was a good enough surgeon, but he was weak in improvisation.

If something unexpected happened.

He was very flustered and couldn’t perform to his full potential.

So, throughout the practice.

Jun-hoo drove Hwang Jeong-hoon hard.

He deliberately assumed bleeding situations and ordered him to deal with them, or he pushed him by asking what he would do if a blood vessel ruptured while resecting the tumor.

In extreme situations.

Hwang Jeong-hoon’s mental state gradually became stronger.

Although he was not the chief surgeon, Jun-hoo also practiced surgery alone.

-Stimulate the occipital lobe, where visual cells and nerves are concentrated, with ‘점혈법’ [jeom-hyeol-beop, Pressure Point Technique]. This allows you to perform realistic virtual surgery.

He was doing image training that he had often done before.

In his imagination, Jun-hoo’s surgery success rate was 80 percent. The 20 percent failure rate mainly occurred when resecting ‘신경 교종’ [sin-gyeong gyo-jong, Glioma].

Can’t I cut the ‘교종’ [gyo-jong, Glioma] more cleanly?

Can’t I increase the surgery success rate to 100 percent?

While contemplating, Jun-hoo came up with a clever idea.

‘무공’ [mu-gong, Martial Arts] and ‘내공’ [nae-gong, Internal Energy] were already ripe.

Then that means.

Isn’t it something other than Jun-hoo that needs to be changed?

Jun-hoo contacted a domestic medical engineering company himself.

He requested a special item.

* * *

One day after outpatient treatment, Jun-hoo remained in the outpatient clinic.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

A knock suddenly came.

Jun-hoo was not surprised and told him to come in.

A man in a suit smiled and entered the clinic.

“Hello, Director. I’m Cha Hyun-seok, an agent from M&C.”

“Hello. Please sit here.”

Cha Hyun-seok sat on the sofa that Jun-hoo offered. Jun-hoo also took a seat opposite him.

Small talk about the medical community in general was laid out like side dishes.

“Was the item completed well?”

Jun-hoo brought up the main point first.

“It took some time because it was customized and the material was special. I’m sorry.”

“No. I’m sorry. I insisted on having a private item made.”

“Let’s take a look at the item first.”

Cha Hyun-seok took a rectangular box out of his bag. When he opened the box, something sparkled in dark ink.

Jun-hoo held ‘it’ in his hand and looked around.

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

“Do you like it?”

“It’s better than I expected. It’s very sharp and keen.”

“But are you really going to use this?”

Cha Hyun-seok asked worriedly.

Other surgeons did not use ‘this item’. Because the disadvantages outweighed the advantages.

Perhaps that’s why.

When Cha Hyun-seok first received Jun-hoo’s call, he doubted his ears.

“You must have asked for it as a gift or for decoration, right?”

“No. I’m going to use it for surgery.”

Jun-hoo answered without blinking an eye.

‘This item’ was the last piece that would complete Jun-hoo. With ‘제천공’ [Jecheon Gong, possibly a specific martial arts technique or internal energy cultivation method] and ‘this’, Jun-hoo as a surgeon was as good as reaching the peak.

All that was needed after that was…

To develop problem-solving skills by experiencing many patients.

“I think you’re going to kill someone if you use this. You know that the durability is terrible, Director.”

“I have a solution. I promise that M&C will not be harmed.”

“Well, if you say so…”

Cha Hyun-seok scratched the back of his head.

That evening.

Jun-hoo once again performed So-myeong’s brain tumor resection in his head.

When he used ‘that item’ as an image, the surgery success rate became 100 percent.

Jun-hoo’s judgment was correct.

Sometimes it was necessary to change not me but my surroundings.

* * *

Time flowed and flowed like that.

Finally, the long-awaited morning of So-myeong’s brain tumor resection surgery dawned.

So-myeong’s surgery was scheduled for 2 p.m.

In the meantime, Jun-hoo had two epilepsy robotic surgeries and one arteriovenous malformation surgery.

The schedule was still tight.

That’s why Jun-hoo couldn’t do So-myeong’s surgery himself.

“Today’s surgery will be faster than usual. Be prepared.”

Jun-hoo put his hand on Woo-hyun’s shoulder as they walked side by side. The two were on their way to the operating room after the conference.

“Is there a reason? It doesn’t seem like you need to rush the surgery.”

“You’ll see.”

Jun-hoo just smiled.