A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 86

The Doppelganger (1)

Ji-ae’s two-room officetel [a type of studio apartment] living room.

Jun-hoo was sitting on the sofa next to Ji-ae.

Ji-ae had a blanket over her shoulders and seemed much calmer than before.

As always in crisis situations.

This time, too, the pressure point technique to calm the mind did its part.

‘I almost had a big problem.’

Recalling the situation a few minutes ago, Jun-hoo sighed in relief.

It was fortunate that Jun-hoo, who had learned martial arts, was there.

If someone else had been there, Ji-ae would not have escaped tragedy.

In the critical moment when Ji-ae was falling.

Jun-hoo stepped on the Azure Wind Steps with utmost urgency.

Whoosh!

Becoming a gust of wind, he approached the railing and reached out to grab Ji-ae’s wrist with the Golden Capture Hand.

It was truly a precarious situation.

Jun-hoo succeeded in pulling Ji-ae up to the rooftop with his inner force-filled arm.

Military arts are not only for medical skills but also.

It showed excellent power in direct life-saving.

“…….”

“…….”

There were many things to say, but Jun-hoo remained silent.

Inappropriate advice, nagging, or comfort were not needed now.

He felt that the best thing to do now was just to be by Ji-ae’s side.

“Shall I make you a warm coffee? You like instant coffee.”

Looking at the kitchen, Jun-hoo opened his mouth for the first time.

“Yeah. I’d appreciate it if you did.”

“Wait a minute.”

Jun-hoo filled the coffee pot with water, boiled it, and put two packets of instant coffee in a cup.

Because they had known each other for a long time.

He knew Ji-ae’s coffee preferences well.

“Here. Take it. It’s hot, so hold it by the handle.”

Jun-hoo stared intently at Ji-ae drinking coffee.

Since high school, Ji-ae had been the outwardly strong but inwardly soft type.

On the surface, she seemed cheerful and assertive, but when you looked inside, that wasn’t always the case.

Moreover, her job was an actress.

And after encountering various articles, media, and malicious comments, the emotional wounds had grown to an unbearable level.

Jun-hoo recalled the malicious comments he had seen before meeting Ji-ae and shook his head.

How hard must Ji-ae have worked to endure the malice spewed out by hundreds of people?

Do the commenters even know?

That the words they casually type tear apart the hearts of others.

“I’m sorry for worrying you. I’m sorry that you were almost in danger because of me.”

Ji-ae opened her mouth in a heavy, subdued voice.

“It’s okay. You must have had a reason to do that. And look, I’m fine, right?”

“Jun-hoo.”

At Jun-hoo’s warm answer, Ji-ae finally burst into tears. Her shoulders trembled slightly as she sobbed.

“Cry it out. Cry as if you’re crying all the tears you’ll cry in your life. Then you’ll feel relieved.”

Jun-hoo put his hand on Ji-ae’s shoulder and pulled her towards him.

The coziness and warmth conveyed from another person’s body.

This had more power than words.

In the Murim [martial arts world] world, Jun-hoo had also been held in someone else’s arms and cried bitterly.

It was probably when half of his colleagues had lost their lives in the first mission of the Murim Alliance.

* * *

Jun-hoo did not leave Ji-ae’s side all night.

No, it would be more accurate to say that he couldn’t leave Ji-ae’s side.

In the middle of the night, Jun-hoo called home.

He told his worried parents that he was out running errands and would go straight to the hospital.

Meanwhile, Ji-ae, who had cried her eyes out, finally opened up.

She told Jun-hoo about the pain she had been unable to express while working as an actress.

The jealousy and envy of fellow actors.

The bullying of seniors.

Dissatisfaction with the current agency, which was obsessed with money.

Mental distress caused by stalking.

Various malicious comments filled with hatred and contempt, etc.

Behind the glamorous facade of the entertainment industry, there was a shadow as dark as the glamour.

When you think about it, doctors were similar to celebrities in some ways.

Usually, when people think of doctors, they think, ‘Wow, that’s great, a prestigious and high-paying job.’

However, doctors also had hardships no less than those of other professions.

The seriousness of dealing with human lives.

The constant studying required to keep up with the changing times.

Dealing with difficult patients and guardians.

Promotion issues when working at a university hospital.

And the problem of having to please professors and chiefs, etc.

-Where there is light, there is darkness. Where there is power, there is responsibility.

-In the future, you must be able to see not only what is visible but also what is invisible. If you recognize the abyss too late, you will be devoured by it.

These were the words the Murim Alliance Leader had said to Jun-hoo on the day he went to get rid of Jeok Il-do, and they left a lingering feeling in his heart today.

Consumed by the determination to kill Jeok Il-do, Jun-hoo had lost his life.

If he hadn’t lost his composure, the damage could have been minimized.

“Your eyes are swollen. Anyone would think you’re a frog.”

Jun-hoo shook off his 잡념 [japnyum -雜念, idle thoughts] and joked with Ji-ae.

Perhaps because she was feeling more stable.

Ji-ae smiled for the first time since the rooftop incident.

“Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? You’ve been teasing me about my big eyes since before.”

“I guess so. What do you want to do in the future?”

Jun-hoo asked for Ji-ae’s opinion.

“The easiest thing would be to quit acting, but… I don’t want to do that.”

“…….”

“I’m going to contact my agency tomorrow and tell them I want to rest. My recent drama didn’t get good reviews, so I don’t think I’ll be getting any casting offers for a while.”

“You’ve thought it through. Rest is good. People are like batteries. You have to rest when you need to.”

Jun-hoo welcomed Ji-ae’s decision.

People tend to overlook or underestimate the importance of rest, but that was a big mistake.

Rest was healing.

“Oh, right, that’s right. There’s something I’m curious about.”

“What is it?”

“How did you break down the door and come in? The rooftop iron door is very strong.”

Ji-ae asked, tilting her head.

“Ah… well… the hinges must have been loose. I kicked it and it fell backward.”

“That can’t be? I just replaced the door a while ago.”

“Then… there must have been some mistake when they installed the new door. How else would the door have fallen over?”

Jun-hoo made excuses in a hurry.

He couldn’t talk about martial arts and inner strength.

Fortunately, Ji-ae seemed to believe Jun-hoo’s explanation.

‘But now is the problem.’

Jun-hoo stroked his chin.

It was certainly fortunate that Ji-ae had regained her stability, but it was too early to rest easy.

It was necessary to suture Ji-ae’s wounds.

And treatment to suture future wounds was needed.

Let’s see.

Come to think of it, there was a martial art that heals the mind, right?

“Ji-ae. I’m sorry, but can you do me a favor?”

“Of course. I owe you so much today that I’ll never be able to repay you in my lifetime.”

“I want to teach you something that I think will help you. You’ll never regret following it.”

Jun-hoo taught Ji-ae martial arts.

* * *

The next day at dawn.

Ji-ae drove Jun-hoo back to his old neighborhood.

Jun-hoo said.

He thought it would be better for her to stay with her parents at home for the time being instead of living alone in the officetel.

Ji-ae agreed.

It had been a long time since she had seen her parents, and she thought it would be reassuring to have someone to lean on for a while.

“I can come alone… Aren’t I just making you suffer twice for nothing?”

“It’s okay. I can just take a taxi.”

“I won’t say anything else. Thank you so much for today.”

Ji-ae shared a hug of gratitude with Jun-hoo.

If she were to say thank you, grateful, and sorry, she wouldn’t have enough time even if she stayed up all night.

Jun-hoo appeared at the crucial moment and saved Ji-ae’s life.

He also stayed by her side all night and comforted her.

Thanks to him, she felt like the darkness in her heart had disappeared.

That doesn’t mean that her future acting career will be easy, but she was confident that she could overcome it.

Because Jun-hoo, who believed in and supported Ji-ae, was by her side.

“Wow, I’m honored to receive an actress’s hug.”

“Yeah. You should be honored. Study hard at the hospital and I hope you become a great doctor.”

“That’s not going to happen.”

“Why?”

“I’m already a great doctor.”

Ji-ae burst out laughing at Jun-hoo’s joke.

Come to think of it, Jun-hoo had been reliable and relaxed since high school.

Perhaps that’s why she chose Jun-hoo as the last person to meet after deciding to give up her life.

It was because she expected that Jun-hoo would recognize and save her from her painful inner feelings.

“Goodbye. I’ll contact you again next time.”

“Okay.”

Ji-ae parted ways with Jun-hoo and went home to her parents, whom she hadn’t seen in a while.

“Our daughter, what brings you here at this hour? You could have at least called.”

“Did something happen?”

Ji-ae’s parents were greatly surprised by her sudden visit.

They even abandoned their usual early meal and approached Ji-ae.

‘It’s nothing.

I just missed you two.

…’

She could have said that, but Ji-ae didn’t.

“I’m sorry to interrupt your meal, but I have something to tell you.”

“Oh, what’s there to be sorry about? Come and sit down.”

“It seems like you’ve been holding a lot in.”

Ji-ae sat on the living room sofa and told her parents her inner thoughts.

She honestly revealed the emotions she had been hiding.

Except for the fact that she had gone up to the rooftop yesterday.

Ji-ae’s mother burst into tears first at her confession. Her father patted Ji-ae’s shoulder instead of comforting her.

Her parents had always been Ji-ae’s strong allies.

“I knew you were having a hard time because of your recent drama, but I was even more frustrated because you didn’t say anything. Sniffle.”

“Calm down. How do you think Ji-ae feels when you cry?”

“But I can’t help but feel sad.”

Because her mother cried so sadly.

A strange scene unfolded where Ji-ae comforted her mother instead.

In any case, Ji-ae felt much lighter after telling her parents her inner thoughts.

It was only natural that she was faltering because she had been carrying these heavy emotions alone…

The conversation, which lasted for a full hour, came to an end.

Ji-ae filled her stomach with her mother’s homemade breakfast and returned to her room.

She was planning to contact her agency around noon.

Until then, she was full of leisure.

-I want to teach you something that I think will help you. You’ll never regret following it.

While resting in bed, Jun-hoo’s words came to mind.

She couldn’t ignore the favor of her benefactor.

Ji-ae got up and sat cross-legged on the floor.

As Jun-hoo had taught her, she closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. Her head quickly became dizzy with various malicious comments and thoughts.

But that was only for a moment.

The old emotions and dregs of thought quickly melted into the darkness.

Inhale and exhale.

Because her breath supported Ji-ae as firmly as a pillar, Ji-ae was able to remain unshaken by any 잡념 [japnyum -雜念, idle thoughts].

Ji-ae knew that Jun-hoo had simply taught her meditation.

In fact, what Ji-ae was practicing was the 청명심법 [Cheongmyeong Simbeop], one of the mind techniques of the Seo family’s martial arts.

Although she couldn’t build up inner strength.

It had an excellent effect on clearing the mind.

The principle of the mind technique was simple, so it was a mind technique that anyone, regardless of gender or age, could learn.

‘Wow, this is amazing.

Is meditation this good?

Is this why Jun-hoo said that meditating three times a day would relieve the poison in my heart?’

Ji-ae suddenly had that thought, but even that thought disappeared as if an eraser had erased the letters.

At least while meditating.

Ji-ae’s mind was peace itself.