A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 9

Martial Arts Surgeon – Episode 9

Chapter 2: Lucky Day (4)

“Ugh…”

While cleaning the room, Geum-hee placed a hand on her forehead.

It didn’t even take a second for the earthquake that started in her forehead to spread to her temples and the back of her head.

Her brow furrowed, and wrinkles deepened from the stabbing pain.

Geum-hee occasionally felt headaches even on normal days.

When she had indigestion, when she was stressed, when she was sensitive, and so on.

However, Geum-hee’s headaches were the kind that anyone would experience a few times in their life.

The problem was that today’s headache was particularly severe.

There was no particular reason to feel the headache.

There were no issues with customers while working at the restaurant.

There were no family problems causing her grief.

So why did her head hurt so much?

After the headache subsided, Geum-hee started cleaning again.

She didn’t take the headache seriously.

It hurt, but it was bearable.

It wasn’t constant, but sporadic.

She thought that if she took the headache medicine her son bought and took a nap, there would be no problem.

After finishing cleaning, Geum-hee headed to the kitchen.

A milky white bone broth was boiling vigorously. Tonight’s dinner was bone broth with various side dishes.

For her husband who was working hard with deliveries.

For her son who had recently become noticeably more reliable.

She was planning to prepare a hearty, nourishing meal for the two men in her family.

Was it because the family was harmonious?

Geum-hee was spending each day hoping that the family atmosphere would always be like this.

* * *

Bang!

Jun-hoo returned home and immediately looked for his mother.

His mother was sitting on the living room sofa, watching a drama.

He was worried because she said she was sick, but surprisingly, she looked fine on the outside.

“Jun-hoo, you’re home?”

“Yes, Mom. How’s your headache?”

“It’s bearable. I’ll be fine if I take medicine and sleep.”

His mother replied with a smile.

Perhaps because his mother’s answer was so relaxed, Jun-hoo thought he might have been too sensitive.

Still, he should check her pulse.

“Mom, let me give you a head massage.”

“There’s no need for that. Take the medicine and rest comfortably.”

“I’m more comfortable giving you a massage.”

Jun-hoo insisted on taking a seat behind his mother.

Then, he sequentially pressed on Baihui [Du-20, located on the midline of the head, midway between the ears, and slightly posterior to the midpoint of the line connecting the apexes of both ears], Yamen [Du-15, located in the depression directly below the spinous process of the second cervical vertebra], Fengchi [GB-20, located in the hollow between the origins of the sternocleidomastoid and trapezius muscles], and Taiyang [EX-HN5, located in the tender depression approximately one inch posterior to the midpoint between the lateral extremity of the eyebrow and the outer canthus of the eye] acupoints, and sent his inner energy.

The inner energy that returned after circulating through his mother’s acupoints.

Analyzing the vibrations of that inner energy, Jun-hoo narrowed his brow.

The vibrations were unstable and rough.

Such vibrations could not be felt unless there was something wrong in her head.

To make matters worse, the circulation of Qi [vital energy] was also tangled.

Why was it that his ominous premonitions were never wrong?

“Mom.”

“Yes, son?”

“Did you happen to bump your head while working?”

“No, nothing like that?”

“Think carefully. Are you sure?”

“Is there anyone who knows Mom’s head better than Mom? I didn’t bump it, and I wasn’t stressed by anyone.”

Even his mother seemed unaware of the cause of the headache.

That’s why Jun-hoo was even more frustrated.

‘Let’s reduce the pain first.’

Jun-hoo used his inner energy to press on his mother’s acupoints again.

Relaxing the acupoints through which nerves pass could be expected to have an analgesic effect.

“As expected, our son’s massage is fantastic. If I take the medicine, I won’t hurt at all, right?”

The mother, whose acupoints had been targeted, smiled brightly.

But Jun-hoo couldn’t smile.

More important than relieving the pain was finding the cause of the pain.

That was what he had to do now.

After handing his mother a glass of water, Jun-hoo returned to his room.

He diligently searched for diseases related to headaches.

The causes of headaches were various and diverse, but Jun-hoo was able to narrow down the range as much as he wanted.

Because he had already narrowed down the suspected diseases through pulse diagnosis.

30 minutes into his search.

Jun-hoo stood up from his seat with a determined expression.

He had finally discovered the cause of the headache that was making his mother suffer.

Unfortunately, the situation was serious, and time was of the essence.

Why did this have to happen on the day he received a reward from the competition?

Why is life so cruel?

“Mom. How’s your head?”

Jun-hoo came out to the living room and asked his mother.

“I’m fine because of my son’s massage and the medicine, right?”

“Don’t say that, and let’s go to the hospital.”

At Jun-hoo’s suggestion, his mother shook her head.

She was reacting as if there was no reason to go to the hospital since she didn’t hurt anymore.

Shouldn’t he have used acupressure?

Putting aside his brief regret, Jun-hoo persuaded his mother.

“Neglecting a small illness can lead to a big illness,” he said.

He wanted to go out with his mother alone, and so on.

He gave all sorts of reasons to induce his mother to go to the hospital, and his mother surrendered to Jun-hoo’s sincerity.

“Jun-hoo, you’re acting strange today?”

His mother asked as she left the house.

‘Because my mother’s condition is strange, I can’t help but be strange.’

……Jun-hoo held back what he wanted to say.

He couldn’t tell his mother what disease he suspected.

Even if he told her, it would either increase his mother’s anxiety.

There was a high probability that his mother would not believe his diagnosis.

A commercial district that they arrived at after walking for about 10 minutes.

As befits an ordinary neighborhood, mobile phone stores, restaurants, PC cafes, and convenience stores were lined up side by side along the road.

“Son, did we just pass the clinic?”

His mother asked, tilting her head.

[Han Cheol Clinic. Medical Subjects: Internal Medicine, Dermatology, Orthopedics, Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.]

It was a clinic that his mother often visited, and Jun-hoo was also a regular at that clinic.

But Han Cheol Clinic couldn’t do anything to treat his mother’s headache.

Jun-hoo stood in front of the crosswalk and spotted a taxi approaching.

He waved his hand at the taxi.

And belatedly answered his mother’s question.

“The clinic won’t do. We have to go to the hospital. A university hospital, at that.”

* * *

The hospital that arrived at by taxi was Jewon University Hospital, 40 minutes away from home.

Jewon University Hospital was one of Korea’s leading Big 4 hospitals.

Getting out of the taxi, huge and magnificent buildings with modern designs showed off their dignity.

“Son, isn’t this a bit far?”

His mother clicked her tongue, looking up at the building.

She had been dragged to a university hospital by her son because of a headache…

From his mother’s point of view, it must have felt like a bolt from the blue.

But Jun-hoo knew.

The only place that could fundamentally treat his mother’s headache was here.

“It’s my wish this year for my mother to receive treatment here. Will you grant my wish?”

“Sigh. If you say that much, I can’t help it. Anyway, son, you’re really strange today.”

His mother sighed as if resigned.

Jun-hoo started walking towards the emergency room as he was told.

Registering and waiting at the reception desk was extremely boring.

Despite the weekend, the university hospital emergency room was overflowing with patients.

According to what he heard when he registered, he had to wait approximately 1 hour for treatment.

‘That’s almost two hours spent. Time is of the essence.’

Jun-hoo looked at his mother, who was nodding off with her head bowed.

Since the headache medicine and acupressure worked together, his mother had not complained of a headache even once.

But that didn’t mean he could rest assured.

Because he had only relieved the pain.

Jun-hoo checked his mother’s head again while she was dozing off.

The vibrations of the inner energy that circulated through the meridians and blood vessels and returned were much more unstable than before.

Now his mother’s head was like a time bomb.

Cerebral hemorrhage.

Jun-hoo had already identified his mother’s diagnosis as cerebral hemorrhage [bleeding in the brain].

According to the results of the pulse diagnosis.

Because he felt the vibrations and waves of inner energy that only occur when there is bleeding in the head.

Of course, he did not know the exact bleeding site of his mother due to lack of anatomical knowledge.

But he would know after the examination.

‘It’s a good thing I experienced the Murim [martial arts world].’

Jun-hoo stroked his startled chest.

Inner energy was of great help not only in surgical procedures and procedures but also in medical treatment.

If it were the old Jun-hoo, he would have clearly dismissed his mother’s headache lightly.

‘Additional measures are needed.’

For his mother who was dozing off due to cerebral hemorrhage, Jun-hoo pressed on his mother’s blood vessels.

He sent inner energy to the blood vessels where the bleeding occurred.

He materialized the inner energy into a bead shape to prevent the bleeding from spreading.

It was a technique called Nabong Acupressure, which he had learned from Baek Euwon of the Seo Clan.

But this was also only a temporary fix.

Surgery had to follow to stop the cerebral hemorrhage.

“I’m strangely sleepy. It seems like Mom was very tired.”

His mother regained consciousness after Nabong Acupressure was over.

It was a positive reaction caused by slowing down the bleeding rate.

It was a blessing in disguise.

At this rate, it seemed like his mother could endure it long enough to receive treatment and surgery.

The tedious, long, and anxious waiting time finally came to an end.

“Lee Geum-hee, please come inside.”

Jun-hoo, who was called by the nurse, entered the emergency room with his mother.

The attending physician was a man who appeared to be in his early 30s.

[Emergency Medicine Doctor Kang Min-ho]

The doctor’s name was written on the chest of the doctor’s gown.

Judging from the atmosphere and energy he exuded, he didn’t seem to be a low-level resident.

“What’s bothering you?”

“I came because I had a severe headache. It was okay until just now, but it’s much better now.”

His mother replied, feeling embarrassed.

From his mother’s point of view, she had been dragged to the emergency room by Jun-hoo.

Min-ho tilted his head after listening to his mother’s story and bombarded her with questions.

“Since when have you had a headache? How exactly does your head hurt, and which part hurts the most? Have you ever injured your head? Do you have any underlying brain diseases, or does anyone in your family have a brain disease, etc.”

His mother shook her head every time.

Min-ho wrote the chart with a displeased expression.

Min-ho’s face was openly saying this: ‘Why did you come to the university hospital emergency room with a headache that wasn’t even a big deal?’

The only person in this place who knew that his mother was in critical condition was Jun-hoo.

That’s why he was even more frustrated.

“Since you said your headache has gotten better, I’ll skip the examination. If it gets worse, come back to the emergency room.”

“…….”

“I’ll prescribe you a day’s worth of headache medicine for now.”

“Yes. Yes. I’m sorry for taking up your time when you’re busy.”

As Jun-hoo expected, his mother’s headache was dismissed as nothing serious.

But what would happen if he went home like this?

Within a few hours, the cerebral hemorrhage would grow uncontrollably.

His mother’s brain would be severely damaged.

At that time, his mother would be looking for the emergency room lying down, not walking.

Jun-hoo couldn’t stand to see that happen even if a knife came into his eyes.

‘It’s time for me to step up.’

Jun-hoo opened his mouth after a long time, determined.

“Doctor. I have something to say.”

“Why? Student?”

“Please let my mother get an examination. A brain CT or cerebral angiography.”

Jun-hoo boldly demanded an examination.

That was the only way for his mother to live.