A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 71

The Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts-71

Chapter 12: Regret (4)

“Gun-woo, go outside quickly.”

Perhaps sensing the unusual tone in Jun-hoo’s voice.

Gun-woo looked at Jun-hoo with a frightened expression, then at Ji-sook again.

“It’s okay. Your mom needs to talk to the teacher, so Gun-woo, go to the nurse for a bit.”

Only after Ji-sook gave her permission did Gun-woo hurriedly leave.

“…….”

“…….”

Jun-hoo and Ji-sook’s eyes met.

The tension between them was palpable, as if they were enemies meeting on a narrow bridge.

Ji-sook spoke first.

“Teacher, I didn’t think you’d be so foul-mouthed. What makes you think you can say such things?”

Ji-sook snapped, her voice sharp.

She still seemed to believe the abuse she inflicted on Gun-woo was a perfect crime.

*How can she be such a detestable human being?*

“What makes you think you can abuse Gun-woo? Aren’t you afraid of divine retribution?”

“Ha… abuse! How can you say such a terrible thing… Apologize immediately!”

“Apologies are for perpetrators to give to victims. This is beyond shameless.”

There was no need for a lengthy discussion, so Jun-hoo held out his phone to Ji-sook.

The screen displayed the photos he had taken of the abuse marks on Gun-woo.

“……!”

Ji-sook’s face paled, completely unaware that evidence photos existed.

*Now, let’s see how far you can twist that wicked tongue.*

Jun-hoo glared at Ji-sook coldly.

“Explain these photos. Why? Are you speechless?”

“Th… that’s….”

“Speak clearly instead of stuttering!”

Ji-sook bit her lip at Jun-hoo’s raised voice.

Then, she barely managed to speak.

“Gun-woo has a bad habit of pinching himself when he’s stressed. So, those wounds have nothing to do with me.”

“You lie every time you open your mouth.”

“It may sound like an excuse, but it’s true! What do you know about Gun-woo?”

“Then how do you explain the bite marks on Gun-woo’s right arm?”

“What bite marks?”

“Marks from being bitten by teeth.”

“Hmph! Of course, he bit himself with his own teeth.”

Ji-sook answered confidently.

She was thinking of getting away with the same trick, but no way!

Jun-hoo scoffed at Ji-sook and continued speaking.

“Adult bite marks and children’s bite marks are clearly different. Does the bite mark on this flesh look like a child’s bite mark to you?”

“…….”

“Looking at the area and depth, it’s clearly an adult’s bite mark.”

Jun-hoo cornered Ji-sook with a forensic approach.

This was knowledge Jun-hoo had learned from his anatomy professor in medical school.

Surprisingly, there was a case where a murderer was caught by analyzing teeth marks.

“Ugh….”

Ji-sook seemed flustered, blinking her eyes as Jun-hoo attacked with professional knowledge.

She also bit her fingernails.

She seemed to sense that she was cornered.

“You said Gun-woo pinched himself, but you know that’s also nonsense, right?”

“Why is that?”

“Some of the bruises are on parts of Gun-woo’s arm that he can’t reach…….”

“…….”

“How can he pinch places his own arm can’t reach?”

Jun-hoo delivered the final blow.

Then Ji-sook glared at Jun-hoo with a resentful expression.

*She should be apologizing.*

*Instead, she’s fueling her animosity…….*

*This guardian was not normal after all. A beast in human skin, no, trash.*

“You’re a doctor, so you’re good at talking. But I don’t know anything about it.”

“You’re going to deny it to the end?”

“I really don’t know. Maybe someone was bothering Gun-woo while I was away?”

“Listen, guardian.”

Jun-hoo clicked his tongue and said.

“Ignoring it won’t solve anything. You must pay for your crimes.”

“Who are you? Are you going to report me to the police or something?”

“Oops! You guessed it right away.”

Jun-hoo sneered and glanced behind him.

He had sensed someone approaching through his enhanced hearing with internal energy.

*Drrr.* The one who opened the door and came in was none other than the police.

One of the three places Jun-hoo had called earlier was the police station.

“You only knew one thing and not the other: that doctors have a duty to report child abuse.”

Jun-hoo provoked Ji-sook with his arms crossed.

“Let’s see if you can deceive the police with that clever tongue of yours.”

* * *

“Seo Jun-hoo, was the report resolved well?”

Hyun-jin, a first-year resident, asked as Jun-hoo entered the orthopedic resident room.

“It was a bit of a hassle, but it seems to be resolved to some extent.”

Jun-hoo answered, sitting in the chair next to Hyun-jin.

“If it’s resolved, it’s resolved, and if it’s not, it’s not. What’s ‘resolved to some extent’?”

“Because there are still things left to do.”

Jun-hoo scratched his head.

Looking at the fact that he revealed Gun-woo was being abused, everything was perfect.

When Jun-hoo added the evidence photos and testimony, the police trusted Jun-hoo’s words 100 percent.

The police even called Gun-woo separately to talk.

Gun-woo initially denied the abuse, but eventually cried and confessed the truth.

The guardian was taken to the police station for investigation.

Gun-woo’s father, who was working, heard the news and was rushing to the hospital.

But the things to be resolved next were not easy.

The level of punishment for Gun-woo’s mother.

Recovering Gun-woo’s emotional wounds.

Gun-woo’s father’s job issues, and so on.

The Gun-woo family had a mountain of things to resolve.

Perhaps that’s why.

Jun-hoo felt sorry for the father and son who had to go through such a difficult path.

“Hey, honestly, you did as much as you could.”

Hyun-jin looked at Jun-hoo and continued speaking.

“Did any of the residents or nurses, including me, ever suspect that guardian even once?”

“…….”

“You were the one who noticed the abuse and reported it. The child’s father will definitely be grateful to you, too.”

“I guess so? I understand it in my head, but my heart still feels uncomfortable.”

A bitter smile touched Jun-hoo’s lips.

This was the first time he felt heavy-hearted even after doing a good deed.

Reality was definitely different from fairy tales.

Just because a bad guy gets punished doesn’t mean a happy ending unfolds.

“Anyway, you’re amazing. You’re busy with your intern work, but you even noticed the abuse.”

“I have a good eye for things.”

“You have such a good eye, but why did you snap at Senior Dong-seok?”

Hyun-jin clicked his tongue and changed the subject.

“I talked to him briefly earlier, and he’s determined to punish you.”

“Does ‘determined’ mean he’s going to hit me?”

“Maybe… probably?”

“If that’s the case, there’s no need to worry. The one who will get hurt is Senior Dong-seok, not me.”

Unlike other residents or interns, Jun-hoo was not afraid of Dong-seok.

Dong-seok was bullying the surrounding staff by flaunting his size and strength.

Dong-seok’s size and strength had no effect on Jun-hoo.

The moment Dong-seok tried to use physical force.

Jun-hoo was planning to retaliate even more.

So that Dong-seok would never touch him or the other staff again.

In fact, Jun-hoo was looking for an opportunity to deal with Dong-seok.

“Sigh. I don’t know. You take care of it.”

“Yes. But what is Woo-hyun doing?”

Jun-hoo mentioned Woo-hyun, who was his partner intern.

He hadn’t seen Woo-hyun on the way.

He knew the scrub [surgical procedure] was over.

“Did he come up about 20 minutes after the surgery? I guess he hasn’t finished the ward work yet?”

“How is Woo-hyun doing with his work?”

“Not bad, but he can’t be compared to you.”

Hyun-jin shook his head, looking at the monitor.

“Ugh. Look at the overdue orders while you were gone. The ward needs you.”

“You know I have a scrub in 30 minutes, right?”

“I know. I know everything, so please take care of the overdue orders before that?”

“I’ll take care of it quickly and go down.”

Jun-hoo immediately left the resident room.

* * *

*I wondered why I couldn’t see his face.*

Jun-hoo found the hospital room where Woo-hyun was staying while passing through the ward hallway.

Woo-hyun was sweating profusely in front of a patient.

Looking at the way he was holding the syringe, it seemed like he was having trouble with ABGA (arterial blood gas analysis) [a test to measure the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood].

ABGA was one of the procedures that made rookie interns feel self-conscious.

It takes time to get used to it.

And the more failures, the more conscious you become of the patient and guardian.

*Drrr.*

Jun-hoo immediately entered the hospital room.

“Senior, is the blood collection not going well?”

Jun-hoo used polite language since it was in front of the patient and guardian.

Woo-hyun smiled awkwardly at Jun-hoo’s appearance.

“Ah. Yes. The patient’s blood vessels are so thin…….”

Listening to Woo-hyun’s words, the patient’s blood vessels were indeed thin and narrow.

It was very easy to damage the blood vessels if the blood was not collected precisely.

There were already three bruise marks on the patient’s forearm, and perhaps because of that, the patient and guardian’s gazes towards Woo-hyun were not kind.

“Give me the syringe.”

“You’re going to do it, Lee?”

Woo-hyun asked with surprised, wide eyes.

He was flustered that Jun-hoo, who had only been an enemy during medical school, was offering to help him.

“If Senior can’t do it, I have to do it.”

“…….”

“Patient, let me check your arm condition for a moment.”

*Pat! Pat! Pat!*

Jun-hoo tapped the Laogong, Daling, and Neiguan acupoints [specific points on the body used in acupuncture and acupressure] located on the patient’s left forearm in order with his index finger.

He temporarily blocked the nerves near the blood vessels with internal energy.

He was attempting a so-called ‘pain-relieving acupressure’ to reduce the pain from being pricked by the needle.

During medical school, Jun-hoo had been subjected to ABGA by a classmate.

Strictly speaking, it was a time for practicing procedures with each other, and he realized something when his arm became a honeycomb [full of holes from multiple needle pricks].

Being subjected to ABGA was so painful that his arm throbbed.

But the degree of pain was very subtle.

It was hard to tell anyone.

And it was a subtle pain that he couldn’t just ignore.

So Jun-hoo started with ‘pain-relieving acupressure’ to ease the patient’s pain.

Because the only people who can truly understand the pain of a sick person are those who have experienced it.

“Huh? Suddenly my arm doesn’t hurt? That’s strange?”

The patient who received the acupressure tilted his head.

“I have a minor talent. I’ll finish the blood collection quickly and painlessly.”

“…….”

“Senior, what are you doing? Why aren’t you giving me the syringe?”

“Ah. Yes.”

“Take this opportunity to watch how I do it. First, don’t lay the needle angle too flat, keep it at 45 degrees…….”

Jun-hoo carefully taught Woo-hyun the tips for ABGA and attempted blood collection.

*Pooh-ook.*

The needle piercing the skin and reaching the blood vessel.

Of course, the result was a success in one try.

As he pulled the syringe plunger, red blood flowed into the syringe body.

ABGA was as easy as pie for Jun-hoo, who had *eaten knife rice* [a Korean idiom meaning to have extensive experience or expertise] in the Murim world [a world of martial arts and warriors, often used in fantasy novels].

“Thank you for your hard work, patient. We are still interns and are learning. Please understand generously.”

“It’s okay. It doesn’t hurt at all now, and that teacher worked hard too.”

Thanks to Jun-hoo’s performance, the blood collection ended in a friendly atmosphere.

“Seo Jun-hoo.”

Woo-hyun called out to Jun-hoo, who was walking ahead after leaving the hospital room.

“Why?”

“Why did you help me just now? You could have just ignored me.”

Woo-hyun couldn’t understand the situation at all.

Jun-hoo didn’t like Woo-hyun.

Therefore, it was more beneficial for Jun-hoo not to help with the ABGA just now.

If Jun-hoo had ignored Woo-hyun, Woo-hyun would have been cursed at by the patient and guardian.

Eventually, he would have called first-year Hyun-jin.

After requesting him to do the ABGA instead, he would have been scolded by Hyun-jin for that.

If the situation was reversed, Woo-hyun would never have helped Jun-hoo.

Thinking of Jun-hoo’s situation as a misfortune.

But why!

Why on earth!

Why did Jun-hoo help him?

Woo-hyun was curious about that point.

“Why do you think I did that? Think about it again with your head.”

Jun-hoo asked back, and Woo-hyun couldn’t answer.