A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 83

The Martial Surgeon – Chapter 83

Chapter 14: Salvation (3)

It’s spring.

Those were the first words Jun-hoo spoke to himself as he walked out of the hospital.

He had known it was spring for a while, but this was the first time he truly felt it.

A refreshing and cozy breeze gently brushed against his skin.

The sunlight hanging in the blue sky was warm.

In the flower beds, which were being cultivated as part of an environmental improvement project, yellow forsythias and purple azaleas were peeking out.

It feels like only yesterday that I was determined to become a doctor as soon as possible, wishing to skip ahead in time.

Jun-hoo was already in his second month of internship.

It was too early to evaluate his internship, but Jun-hoo found it interesting and enjoyable.

Each department had its own unique charm.

The emergency department had its own appeal.

The orthopedic department had its own appeal.

The department he would train in next would surely captivate Jun-hoo with its own unique charm.

And the moment the internship ends, the long wandering will also end.

He would choose a major.

Whoosh.

A gust of wind blew.

A dandelion seed carried by the wind clung to Jun-hoo’s collar.

This is going to be tough on asthma and allergy patients.

Thinking that, Jun-hoo chuckled. He really had become a doctor.

To think of patients instead of romance when seeing a dandelion seed…

Jun-hoo took the subway home.

It was an extremely ordinary activity for others, but that everyday life was extraordinary for Jun-hoo.

The world outside the hospital was, at least in appearance, so peaceful.

No patients collapsing or bleeding.

No urgent broadcasts announcing Code Blue [an emergency code signaling a patient requiring immediate resuscitation].

No guardians anxiously watching over patients.

In that sense, it seemed like all the pain in the world was concentrated only in the hospital.

While having such random thoughts.

Jun-hoo entered the apartment complex he had purchased with Jet Coin.

-Thanks to the real estate boom, our apartment price has risen by about 200 million [Korean Won, approximately $150,000 USD].

That’s what his mother had said during a phone call a while ago.

Real estate stabilization is one of Korea’s major challenges, but Jun-hoo couldn’t interfere with that.

He couldn’t cut real estate with a scalpel.

Ding-dong!

He arrived in front of his house and rang the doorbell. The door opened, and his mother appeared.

“My son, it’s been so long! Let me give you a hug.”

“I came before you forgot my face.”

Jun-hoo joked and shared a hug with his mother in the entryway.

His mother looked healthy and probably was.

She only worked half a day at the restaurant. (Besides, today was Jun-hoo’s day off, so she didn’t go to the restaurant.)

Jun-hoo was giving two-thirds of his intern salary to his mother.

These days, his mother said she was enjoying saving money without worry.

“Is he Ddol-ddol-i?”

Jun-hoo broke away from his mother’s embrace and looked down at his feet.

“Yes. I named him well, didn’t I? Doesn’t he look really smart?”

“His eyes are sparkling.”

The new family member, Ddol-ddol-i, wagged his tail and greeted Jun-hoo.

Since Jun-hoo started his internship.

His parents had adopted a companion dog to soothe their loneliness.

His name was Ddol-ddol-i.

The breed was a Welsh Corgi.

He was a charming dog with bright eyes and a bean-like nose.

He seemed to like people, as he showed no signs of wariness even when seeing the unfamiliar Jun-hoo.

“Cute little guy.”

Jun-hoo stroked Ddol-ddol-i’s head and went into his room.

He changed into comfortable training clothes and sat on the living room sofa.

It was definitely more comfortable at home than at the hospital.

His body relaxed with a languor and peace he had never felt at the hospital.

“It’s awkward to have lunch, so have some fruit.”

His mother handed Jun-hoo a tray of fruit.

Why do mothers try to feed their children so much?

It must be a mother’s heart to want to give something to her child.

While eating fruit, Jun-hoo chatted with his mother.

He talked to his mother at least once every four days, so he knew everything about family matters.

However, there was a big difference between talking on the phone and talking in person.

-So, teacher. What nutritional supplement will you introduce today?

-It’s the magic powder, Cissus. Cissus is a medicinal herb considered a mystical medicine in India. It is known to be particularly effective for dieting. In addition to that…

The health channel his mother was watching was promoting Cissus.

The person in charge of the promotion was none other than a doctor.

He was a family medicine specialist from some hospital, but Jun-hoo didn’t know him.

“The doctor says it’s effective, so should I buy Cissus? Mom, I think I need to lose weight these days.”

His mother showed a reaction that Cissus was tempting.

“You shouldn’t blindly trust what doctors say. That’s advertising.”

“Still, wouldn’t it be more reliable than someone who doesn’t know anything advertising it?”

“That’s exactly what the company is aiming for. You shouldn’t be fooled.”

Jun-hoo said firmly.

The nutritional supplement distribution companies constantly create nutritional supplement trends to empty consumers’ pockets.

Cissus.

Tart cherry.

Noni.

Enzymes, etc.

Of course, some people have seen the effects of taking these nutritional supplements.

Most consumers bought nutritional supplements after seeing advertisements but didn’t see much effect.

They often ate them for a few days and then threw them away.

This is because they bought nutritional supplements by being deceived by advertisements, rather than buying nutritional supplements that suit their body condition.

However, the person who puts a false wind in such a nutritional supplement craze was a doctor.

Commonly known as a show doctor [a doctor who appears on TV to promote products or give medical advice, often with questionable credibility].

The show doctor appeared on TV shows and played the role of making various tricks medically sound(?).

Just like his mother was tempted by Cissus now.

Jun-hoo hated and resented the show doctor in the screen.

Not all doctors on TV are show doctors, but doctors who appear on these health programs are likely to be show doctors.

Don’t promote things like nutritional supplements.

See one more patient at that time.

“Shall I show you something interesting?”

“Something interesting? Suddenly?”

“If you change the channel, there will definitely be a shopping channel selling Cissus. If not, I’ll cut off my hand.”

Jun-hoo held the remote control in his hand and changed the channels one by one.

Was it after moving about five channels?

Coincidentally, a shopping mall was selling Cissus.

His mother, surprised by Jun-hoo’s prediction, blinked her eyes.

“Now, is this a coincidence? Or is it a trick?”

* * *

That afternoon.

Jun-hoo was returning to his room with a relieved heart.

He was on his way back after secretly(?) organizing the nutritional supplements his mother had purchased.

Was it because she often watched home shopping while reducing her work?

His mother was buying and eating many other nutritional supplements besides the ones Jun-hoo had been providing her with.

Most of them were nutritional supplements that show doctors promoted, like Cissus.

Noni.

Postbiotics.

Krill oil.

Collagen, etc.

Jun-hoo told his mother to give the nutritional supplements to acquaintances or throw them away altogether.

Don’t watch advertisements in the future.

If you don’t feel well, consult with me and then buy nutritional supplements.

You should eat nutritional supplements in moderation.

Too much can put a strain and burden on the liver.

Jun-hoo lay on the bed and looked up at the ceiling.

He had a dinner appointment with Ji-ae, so he still had plenty of time.

Lying still, Jun-hoo practiced the Ambidextrous Gambling skill.

He played rock-paper-scissors with both hands.

These days, his hands moved on their own when he had nothing to do.

The fact that it was not restricted by place and time was a great advantage of the Ambidextrous Gambling.

“Does it look strange to you too?”

Jun-hoo chuckled as he looked at Ddol-ddol-i sitting under the bed.

Ddol-ddol-i was tilting his head while looking at Jun-hoo’s hands.

Jun-hoo, who was practicing the Ambidextrous Gambling skill, suddenly got up.

He left the room and moved to the entrance.

Ddol-ddol-i followed him.

“Did the delivery come?”

“No. I think my father is here?”

“You were in the room, how did you know?”

“My ears are very bright.”

Jun-hoo recognized that his father had come home with his sense of touch.

He sensed it in advance by the sound of his footsteps and stride.

In his prime, in the Murim world [a fictional world of martial arts and cultivation], he could grasp the distance of 100 chapters (approximately 300 meters) with his sense of touch, but he was not at that level now.

Ding-dong~

Following the sound of the bell, his father entered the entrance.

“Father. You’re home. You came early today?”

“There aren’t many deliveries on Mondays. My son, it’s even better to see you at home?”

“Me too.”

Jun-hoo and his father exchanged smiles.

His father soon washed up and took a seat in the living room. Jun-hoo stayed by his father’s side.

Today’s main event was about to begin.

“How’s your back these days?”

Jun-hoo was worried about his father’s back first.

“It’s okay. I’m fine if I put on a patch.”

His father said it casually, but in fact, his father was in the early stages of a herniated disc.

A while ago, his back hurt, so he went to the hospital, took an X-ray and CT scan, and was diagnosed with an early-stage disc.

Since it was early, surgery was not necessary.

The doctor said that he could get better if he consistently received manual therapy and medication.

However, it was not easy for his father, who worked as a delivery man, to take the time to receive manual therapy.

The best thing would be for his father to do something other than delivery work.

Realistically, it was impossible.

It was impossible at present.

“A patch won’t do. Make sure to take time on Saturday or Monday to get manual therapy and physical therapy.”

“I know that… but after work, I want to rest. I don’t want to go to the hospital and wait to receive treatment.”

Jun-hoo knew his father’s heart, so he couldn’t say anything more.

“Then lie down for now. I’ll give you a simple treatment.”

“Of course, my son’s magic hands are better than the hospital.”

“Relax and stay comfortable.”

Jun-hoo performed manual therapy on his father, who was lying face down on the living room floor.

Crack.

Crack.

He moderately bent and relaxed his father’s back joints.

And he loosened the muscles in his back with fingers containing internal energy.

Enriched anatomical knowledge.

The skillful hand movements learned in the Murim world shined.

“Oh, that’s refreshing. I feel like I can live now. You’re the best, son.”

“Lie down a little longer.”

“Huh? Isn’t it over?”

“There’s still one left.”

Jun-hoo put his hand on his father’s back with a determined expression.

There was something he thought about while scrubbing in for disc surgery a while ago.

If he could push out the herniated disc through the bone gap with internal energy.

Wouldn’t it be possible to treat the disc without surgery?

He couldn’t do it at the hospital because he was afraid of being called a quack doctor, but it was different in everyday life.

Let’s do it.

You know it because you helped with the delivery work.

You have to bend and stretch your back all day long.

You have to carry all the heavy things on your back.

My father doesn’t have time to receive treatment at the hospital, so I have to do something.

Jun-hoo, who had strengthened his resolve, poured internal energy into his father’s back.

Like going upstream.

Internal energy rose from the 5th lumbar vertebra to the 1st.

In the meantime, a gentle curve was felt in the area of the 2nd lumbar vertebra.

It was a curvature caused by the disc coming out.

If the pressure applied with internal energy is excessive, the disc will rupture.

If the direction of applying internal energy is wrong, the nerve will be damaged.

For perfect treatment.

Precise internal energy control was required.

Sigh.

Whew.

Only one deep breath was needed to calm the mind.

The optimal timing without impatience.

At that timing, Jun-hoo drew up even more internal energy from his dantian [an energy center in the body, according to traditional Chinese medicine].

He pushed out the bulging disc by flowing internal energy from his palm into his father’s back.