Chapter 35: The Knife is Mine [2]
Makbong, unaware of the situation, burst into the room.
“Dolseok, Yeon, stay focused. He’ll start moving soon.”
“Moving?!”
“Yes, and if you let him go, we’re in serious trouble.”
“Ah… Got it.”
Time was running out.
Even with two strong men holding him down, restraining a man overwhelmed by the fear of death wouldn’t be easy.
‘I should have tied him down.’
It was too late for regrets.
‘I’ll make sure to tie the next one.’
Resolute, Kang-hyuk grabbed the suture thread.
“He’s stirring!”
The patient’s fingers twitched, prompting Dolseok to yell in panic. Kang-hyuk remained calm, working steadily.
“Hold him down. I’m almost done.”
“L-let me go! Let me go!”
The patient, unaware of what was happening, shouted at the top of his lungs.
For someone whose skull had just been opened, he was surprisingly energetic.
Even the two men waiting outside started calling out.
“What’s going on?”
“What’s happening in there?”
Heo Jun cracked the door open, speaking softly to the worried men.
“Everything is fine. Don’t worry.”
“But we heard shouting…”
“I said it’s fine.”
With that, Heo Jun closed the door again.
The patient, however, was not fine.
“Help! Someone’s trying to kill me!”
“Quiet! Do you know who’s here?”
Dolseok pressed down hard on the struggling patient. With all the meat he had eaten lately, his strength was overwhelming.
The patient, sensing Dolseok’s dominance, quieted down, though his pain and fear remained.
“Ah, it hurts!”
Kang-hyuk had administered both a vasoconstrictor and local anesthetic, but the effects weren’t enough. The patient screamed with each puncture of the suture needle.
“Hold on, I’ll finish quickly. Then you’ll live.”
“L-live?”
“If I put you back to sleep, it’ll only make things harder,” Kang-hyuk muttered.
Makbong offered a solution.
“Want me to knock him out?”
The seriousness in Makbong’s expression made it clear he wasn’t joking. Kang-hyuk chuckled despite himself.
“You can’t knock out someone who just came back from the dead.”
“One hit on the neck, and he’ll be out cold.”
“If you hit him now, he’ll stay out permanently.”
“Oh, right.”
Though the conversation was absurd, it had the desired effect—the patient stopped struggling. He seemed to realize that fighting back might cost him his life.
“Done.”
Kang-hyuk tied the final suture, securing the scalp over the hole in the skull.
A coin-sized gap in the bone remained, but Kang-hyuk dismissed it.
‘It won’t cause problems unless someone deliberately targets it.’
Relieved, Kang-hyuk set the suture tools aside.
“All finished. You’ll live. Just don’t move, or you’ll die.”
“Y-yes, sir.”
The patient nodded, his face pale and drenched in sweat.
‘Looks like he misunderstood.’
Judging by his terrified expression, the man seemed to think Kang-hyuk would kill him if he moved.
‘Whatever works.’
As long as he stayed still, that was all that mattered.
“Let’s elevate his head. Do they have a pillow here?”
“Here, young master.”
Dolseok handed over a pillow.
“Good. Stay like this. It’ll keep the pressure from building in your head.”
“Yes, sir.”
Now that the situation had stabilized, Heo Jun approached the patient.
“Incredible.”
Heo Jun inspected the stitched wound, marveling at the seamless closure.
To think the gaping wound had been sealed so cleanly—it was astonishing.
The fact that the once-lifeless patient was now wide awake only added to the wonder.
“Where did you learn such a skill?”
Kang-hyuk hesitated.
Telling the truth would make him sound insane.
‘I can’t say I learned it at Chungmu Hospital’s surgery department.’
Even an attempt to downplay it seemed futile.
‘His eyes are way too sharp.’
There was a reason Heo Jun was destined to become the greatest physician of his time. He had an eye for talent and skill.
‘I’ll just say I’m a genius.’
It wasn’t entirely untrue—Kang-hyuk had been hailed as a surgical prodigy.
“I didn’t learn it from anyone.”
“What?”
“I’m self-taught.”
“Self-taught? But… How?”
“Indeed.”
Heo Jun looked genuinely impressed.
“I’ve read many medical texts, but I’ve never encountered techniques like these.”
Heo Jun’s awe made Kang-hyuk feel slightly guilty.
He was taking credit for centuries of accumulated knowledge.
‘It can’t be helped.’
Just then, the door creaked open, and the two men who had brought the patient entered cautiously.
“How’s he doing? Oh, he’s awake!”
They rushed to the patient’s side, visibly relieved.
Kang-hyuk let them approach without objection.
‘There’s a slight risk of infection, but it should be manageable.’
Thanks to modern antibiotics, infection was the least of his concerns.
“W-what happened to me?”
The patient still seemed confused.
One of the men eagerly explained.
“Don’t you remember? You climbed a tree to raid a bird’s nest, then fell.”
“You hit the ground with a thud, and we thought you were done for.”
“I… I don’t remember any of that.”
“Well, if not for the physician, you’d still be unconscious—or worse.”
While the three men conversed, Kang-hyuk prepared some antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medicine.
“Take these.”
The patient, thoroughly cowed, obediently swallowed the pills.
“Good. Wash it down with water.”
The pills were small, making them easy to swallow.
After ensuring the patient had taken his medicine, Kang-hyuk addressed him.
“Rest for now. We’ll be in the next room. Call us if anything happens.”
“Y-yes, sir.”
“Let’s get some rest too, Master Heo.”
“Ah, yes.”
With that, Kang-hyuk led the group to the adjacent room.
The owner, grateful for Heo Jun’s life-saving skills, had no complaints about their stay.
In fact, the owner provided them with a hearty meal—though “hearty” was relative.
“Man, I’m tired.”
Kang-hyuk munched on a cucumber, his tone nonchalant.
The others stared at him in disbelief.
He had just performed brain surgery, and yet he was so casual about it.
Heo Jun, in particular, seemed deeply shaken.
After a long silence, Heo Jun finally spoke.
“Scholar Baek.”
“Yes?”
“Would you teach me the techniques you used?”
Kang-hyuk paused, weighing his options.
‘Teaching Heo Jun… This could be huge.’
It was both an honor and a daunting responsibility.
Their medical knowledge was worlds apart. A poorly handled lesson could hinder Heo Jun’s development rather than help it.
‘But basic anatomy could be beneficial.’
Even knowing the normal structure of the human body would improve treatment outcomes.
Kang-hyuk nodded.
“Alright. Here’s what we’ll do.”
“What’s the plan?”
“I’ll teach you human anatomy, and in return, you’ll teach me about medicinal herbs.”
“Agreed. I’ll teach you everything I know. But… about that surgery…”
It was clear that Heo Jun was eager to learn the life-saving technique.
“You mean the procedure?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“That might be tricky. I don’t have the materials I need to teach it properly.”
At that moment, Yeoju quietly handed Kang-hyuk a notebook.
It contained detailed sketches of the surgery, drawn with remarkable precision.
“I sketched everything I could. The process was too fast to capture it all, though.”
“No, this is excellent.”
The drawings were rough but precise, like anatomical sketches.
Even the angle at which Kang-hyuk held the scalpel and hammer was perfectly captured.
“This is amazing. These could be used as a textbook.”
“Really?”
“Yes, you did a great job bringing her along.”
Heo Jun chimed in eagerly.
“So, you’ll teach me?”
“Yes, with these sketches, I can teach you.”
“Thank you!”
“Shall we start now?”
“Yes, please.”
Kang-hyuk glanced outside. The moon was already high in the sky.
‘Looks like restful nights are out of the question from now on.’
With a resigned sigh, Kang-hyuk opened the notebook.
“Alright, let’s begin. See here—this is why I suspected internal bleeding…”
He explained everything, from the choice of instruments to the precise angles of incision.
His lecture was filled with insights and techniques honed over years of practice.
Everyone, from Heo Jun to Makbong, listened intently.
After some time, Heo Jun raised his hand.
“But do we really have to perform these procedures without any form of anesthesia?”
Kang-hyuk gave a wry smile.
“It’s better if we can put them to sleep, but I haven’t found a suitable anesthetic yet.”
There were narcotics, but they were merely painkillers, not true anesthetics.
Even Yeoju’s patient had woken up during a minor procedure.
“Hmm.”
Heo Jun stroked his chin thoughtfully.
“I think there might be something we can use. Let me investigate further.”
“Really?”
“I have an idea, but I need to look into it.”
“Please do.”
If Heo Jun could find an anesthetic, it would be a game-changer. Not every patient had the tolerance of Yi Sun-Shin.
“Alright, let’s continue.”
Encouraged by the possibility, Kang-hyuk resumed the lesson.
The anatomy lessons stretched over several days, continuing until the patient fully recovered.
Late one night, as they were deep in discussion, a frantic banging echoed from the gate.
“Help! Please help us!”
The desperate cries sounded even more urgent than those of the previous patient.
“What now?”
“I’ll check it out.”
Dolseok and Makbong rushed to the gate, only to return moments later.
“You both need to come out—this one looks bad.”
“What is it?”
“It doesn’t look good.”
Heo Jun was already on his way, with Kang-hyuk following closely behind.
In the faint moonlight, the patient’s face came into view.
The pale complexion and clusters of small pustules were unmistakable.
Simultaneously, Kang-hyuk and Heo Jun uttered the same dreadful word.
“Smallpox…”
“…Ma-ma…”