DR Chapter 257

What is this…

On the surface, it seemed done incredibly easily.

However, everyone in the operating room knew that wasn’t really the case.

Jin Cheonhee calmly spoke to the astonished physicians.

“What are you doing? Get ready for sutures, quick.”

“Ah, uh…”

“Want to skip lunch?”

“No, sir!”

Only at the Surgery Hall Master Jin Cheonhee’s sharp words did everyone in the operating room snap back to attention.

Jin Cheonhee said cheerfully.

“They’re serving fried chicken today.”

Chicken.

And modern capitalist Kentucky-style fried at that!

One day when desperately craving chicken and beer, Jin Cheonhee couldn’t stand it and fried some himself in the kitchen, and the chef fell in love after tasting it.

Jin Cheonhee immediately passed on the recipe, and now the chef occasionally serves it as a special dish.

“And today we get sauce too.”

Jin Cheonhee said while moving his hands quickly.

***

Surgery was complete.

It finished faster than initially expected and was much safer.

But the senior physicians had to feel deflated.

This… we can’t keep up.

A physician isn’t a martial artist.

Though martial world physicians hold energy in their lower abdomen, they can’t attain martial enlightenment through life-and-death battles or raise sword energy to cut only desired parts.

Though the Surgery Hall’s medical texts are quite easy to understand and detailed, studying and executing are different matters.

Jin Cheonhee spoke while tearing into a chicken leg.

“Well, normally you need cerebellar retraction. I just forced it through with martial insight. Usually you start with cerebellar retraction to secure visibility.”

“Isn’t avoiding blood vessel damage during that process difficult?”

“Just have to do it without damage.”

No, but HOW do we do that?

A senior physician clutched his head.

“Hey now, before the sacred Lord Chicken.”

“Our energy pulse diagnosis doesn’t even reach Surgery Hall Master’s toes to begin with. You know that…”

Even Zhuge Rin would struggle to detect not just tumor location and size but blood vessels and nerves between them.

That requires internal energy, martial insight, and anatomical knowledge.

All three must be present, and currently only Jin Cheonhee could do it.

Jin Cheonhee dismissed the senior physicians’ wails.

“If you can’t do it, practice until you can. Or should patients just die?”

“Aaaah… we’ve already ground ourselves as much as possible. We can’t grind anymore.”

Yoo Ho gave the senior physician a cold look.

Eyes of contempt from one already ground unfathomably deep toward a fledgling.

Jin Cheonhee smirked.

“That’s why physicians have so much to study and such long training periods.”

“I’m… scared.”

“You should be scared. We’re handling human lives, of course you should be.”

Did I ever have times like that?

Jin Cheonhee tried recalling his time on Earth.

Perhaps because too much had happened since coming to the martial world. The memories felt distantly far.

Memories no one would believe.

Hmm… I did have thoughts like that too.

He remembered his senior.

Back then, his senior… warmly comforted the rookie Jin Cheonhee... yeah right.

Mercilessly ground him down.

The senior had no energy to comfort others while being ground down himself.

“Though it’s embarrassing for the Surgery Hall to have Surgery Hall physicians like this yet. What can we do? Humans are learning beings…”

Jin Cheonhee continued speaking while waving freshly fried chicken.

“So ask when you don’t know something, practice hard too. Like that… after a few more years… of grinding, you’ll do well.”

“Ah… aah…”

Jin Cheonhee asked the dazed senior physicians.

“If you’re not eating that wing, can I have it?”

“…Please… do, Hall Master.”

Jin Cheonhee grinned broadly and tore into the wing.

Crunch!

Yes. Fried food must be crispy. And the meat juice must be moist.

Watching such a disciple fondly, Master gave his chicken leg to Jin Cheonhee.

“Eat more. You need to eat more to grow more.”

His growth plates are already closed so growing more is impossible.

But growing sideways still counts as growing, right?

Master worried greatly about his disciple whose weight kept decreasing.

And the Korean felt love from the chicken leg.

Master really cherishes me incredibly. To give up his chicken leg.

Jin Cheonhee ate with joy.

Crunch-

***

How nice it would be if everything healed and everyone became happy after surgery.

Post-surgery patients need to lie in intensive care for about two days.

Whether consciousness properly returns.

It’s good to continuously observe for cerebrospinal fluid leakage or signs of meningitis.

Jin Cheonhee and other senior physicians replenished their strength with chicken and continued monitoring the patient.

During this period, the patient repeatedly slept, woke, and received pulse diagnosis with hazy consciousness.

So naturally, she saw Jin Cheonhee’s haggard face every time she opened her eyes.

“Sorry to wake you but need to check your pulse before you sleep again.”

“Ugh…”

“Hurts, right? I know. I know but we need to keep checking your condition. If it’s too hard I can give more painkillers… no. Can’t increase it anymore. I’ll just insert needles until you fall asleep.”

It’s quite a talent to make such a handsome face look so annoying.

Tears rolled from Han Yi-jeong’s eyes.

Jin Cheonhee took her pulse again like that.

“Hmm, surgery went really well. As expected of me, me indeed.”

Such self-praise couldn’t be more annoying. Was it because of post-surgery? Or because of the situation?

“You should be able to talk soon. Want to try saying something?”

Han Yi-jeong groaned softly.

Though the Acupuncture Hall Master’s needle technique greatly helped the surgery.

Because long needles were deeply inserted below the vocal cords, some recovery time is needed to produce voice.

Jin Cheonhee infuses internal true energy to aid recovery and make speaking easier.

Finally.

Han Yi-jeong ended up saying what was inside.

“You… know something? Physician, among people I’ve seen you’re the most… handsome… but most annoying.”

Jin Cheonhee grinned at those words.

“Wow, I’m the most handsome? The Chief Eunuch Admiral’s granddaughter must have handsome men falling at her feet?”

“All I do everyday is wake up and read books and study, what men falling at my feet?”

“The Chief Eunuch Admiral must be quite strict.”

“…Can’t be helped. I’m the eldest daughter. And… everyone says I resemble Grandfather most. Even though we’re not blood-related.”

“Hahaha.”

Jin Cheonhee laughed bitterly.

Before, he would have taken it as a touching story of grandfather and granddaughter, but he’d already seen the other side.

Han Yi-jeong had chosen.

The world would move in another direction again.

Even this patient’s childish whining would be one of the few remaining chances in her life now.

From now on, she’ll hold more blood than ink.

Power and politics are so cold.

Even calling them vicious feels inadequate.

“I don’t know much about that side, but I can tell you grew up with many expectations from young.”

“I just wish my sister could take my place…”

Han Yi-jeong took a deep breath.

“…Thinking about it, she probably shouldn’t. She’s the type to cry over killing even a single mouse.”

“…”

“What can I do? I’m the elder sister. I have to do well.”

There was a time she believed death would end it.

There was a time she thought becoming a Six Ministries Minister would be busy but still good since it was a shining position.

So she probably thought if she disappeared, that blinging necklace of Six Ministries Minister would hang around her sister’s neck.

But reality was truly cold.

“I wish Grandfather had been just an ordinary low-ranking official…”

“Then you two wouldn’t be in this position now.”

“Well… guess so. Hahaha.”

Her mouth laughed but tears wouldn’t stop.

“I was so naive.”

“That’s not a crime.”

Han Yi-jeong thought for a while before opening her mouth.

“I wonder what part of me resembles Grandfather. I’m just clumsy.”

“…”

Somehow it felt like an important question.

This could be called the intuition that only someone who lived two lives, lived twice, would have.

Han Yi-jeong was unstable, yet she made her choice.

At this crossroads intersection, he felt her future answers would determine something about Han Yi-jeong.

His mouth wouldn’t open easily.

Finally Jin Cheonhee decided.

“The Chief Eunuch Admiral offered his arm for His Majesty, and his granddaughter offered her life for her sister.”

Han Yi-jeong’s eyes widened. Jin Cheonhee continued speaking calmly.

“That could be seen as sacrifice, but I don’t think so. It’s decisiveness to discard the rest because you know what’s truly precious.”

Though this era’s loyal heart is a concept difficult for modern people to understand.

If thought of as part of family love developed while caring for two children who shared joys and sorrows, it was quite understandable.

“Hahaha… when you put it that way… somehow it does seem similar…”

“It probably doesn’t mean you resemble the Chief Eunuch Admiral’s cold side. Though sometimes you’ll need to be that way too. That too would be to protect what’s important.”

“…”

Han Yi-jeong stared at the ceiling for a long while.

Finally she answered.

“Physician. You know what?”

“Yes?”

“You’re eerily good at seeing people’s good sides. Listening to you, even my monster-like grandfather seems decent.”

An old monster who sacrifices hundreds and thousands to protect imperial power while serving His Majesty.

“You’re the first to describe that old monster called His Majesty’s trusted confidant that way.”

“Calling him an old monster seems inappropriate to say about your grandfather…”

“He deserves some curses for planning to make his precious granddaughter like that.”

She laughed softly.

“I didn’t know. Why Grandfather only gave me big fish. Never knew he was actually catching them to offer to His Majesty.”

“…”

Her eyes sank deeply.

“Today’s matter is a secret, Physician.”

“Yes.”

“Can I come visit when things are hard?”

“If you have time.”

Han Yi-jeong closed her eyes without wiping her tears.

Her breathing becoming regular suggested she was falling asleep again.

Thought she couldn’t sleep again from pain.

Perhaps some tension in her heart had loosened?

The brief conversation with Jin Cheonhee. It seemed to contain words she wanted to hear.

When Han Yi-jeong fell completely asleep, Jin Cheonhee softly said “Sleep well” and extinguished the oil lamp.

But in the darkness.

Jin Cheonhee sat unmoving beside her, reading a book.

He intended to keep watch until the next shift came.