-Thunk
Kim Cheolsu closed the door.
Park Junghyun, who was subjected to insubordination for the first time in his life, looked at Hong Sewoong with a stunned expression and said,
“Is this… is this guy seriously crazy? Wow, I can’t believe this.”
He was so angry that he spoke informally instead of politely.
Hong Sewoong sighed and said,
“I told you, he’s not someone easy to deal with. If you escalate things like this, it’ll only be harder to persuade him. I’m disappointed. I didn’t think Deputy Director Park Junghyun’s skills were only this much. The General will be very disappointed when he finds out.”
“Major Hong, just give me a few days, and I’ll handle it. Please. Give me a little more time. I’ll teach that arrogant bastard a lesson and get the General operated on.”
“It’s already too late. This matter needs to be handled directly from higher up. I didn’t want it to come to this, but in the end, that person will have to step in personally.”
Hong Sewoong made a phone call somewhere and cautiously spoke while connected.
“Yes… he refuses. What? You want to speak directly? … Understood. I’ll transfer the call. Sir.”
Tension flickered across Hong Sewoong’s face. It was a call from someone even he found hard to approach.
He spoke seriously on the phone before knocking on the consultation room door.
Knock knock
“Military Doctor Kim Cheolsu, this is Hong Sewoong. Please open the door for a moment. Someone from above wants to speak with you directly.”
“You people are really a pain. How many times have I said no?”
Kim Cheolsu grumbled, opened the door, and answered the call.
On the other end came the voice of an elderly man.
Though injured and greatly weakened, his commanding presence remained unmistakable.
“Get up. Major Kim Cheolsu… Haha! When I was young, I didn’t know, but power and all that are useless. Before you die, a doctor is a god and a Buddha.”
“… Who is this?”
“As you might have guessed, this is Military Police Chief Brigadier General Yong Daegil. You said you won’t do the surgery? You’d better change your mind if you want to have the rest of your military service in one piece.”
“I’m a general surgery military doctor. What you’re asking is unreasonable.”
“Cut the nonsense about not having a neurosurgery specialist license. You can do everything, right? The military intelligence already recognizes your surgical skill. A once-in-a-century genius doctor, they say? I’ve heard from reliable sources too. Ahem! So remove the brain tumor in my head cleanly. What was the name again…?”
“……”
“Right. The neurosurgery chief at the Capital Hospital said it’s a brain meningioma. A tumor growing in the groove of the brain, right? He made excuses that it’s too difficult a surgery for him. Worthless fools. Listen, Kim Cheolsu. Come up to Capital Hospital quickly and perform the surgery. I won’t skimp on compensation. What do you want? Money? Or status?”
“Sorry, I want nothing. I like it here in Hampyeong.”
“Hmph! Don’t lie. Nobody wants nothing. With my influence, I could make you head of general surgery at Capital Hospital right now. Yet you want to fight me? Stupid! Change your mind while you still can. If you agree, I’ll assign you there immediately. Then you can comfortably treat only the important people in a nice place! What’s the point of wasting your time in some backwater treating mere soldiers?”
Hong Sewoong had said something similar earlier.
But the threat this time felt on an entirely different level.
This was a general with the authority to contact the military police nearby and have Kim Cheolsu arrested on the spot, making a direct threat.
Kim Cheolsu’s body trembled in fear without him even realizing it.
“Hoo…”
He exhaled deeply in tension, sweat trickling down his forehead, pupils dilating.
If he refused here, real trouble might come. The other party already held his weak spot.
Strictly speaking, operating on Hong Jino was illegal.
If he clashed with the general this time, he could be sent straight to the Army Detention Center.
But… even so, he couldn’t betray his principles.
Kim Cheolsu did not want to bend his will here.
On the scale of life, the weight of a simple soldier and a general were equal.
If he was dragged to Capital Hospital, he would only be forced to operate on VIPs while neglecting the ailing soldiers.
The powerful would tame Kim Cheolsu like a dog, forcing him to perform VIP surgeries and consultations year-round.
It was their way to extend their precious lives. Naturally, there would be no time or chance to treat soldiers.
“Heheh. How about it? Tempting, isn’t it? Ride in the general’s armored car and come up quickly. I’m in a hurry! Let’s get along as colleagues. A genius doctor like you will be very useful. Hurry up to Capital Hospital and treat many sick generals. Your new position: chief of general surgery, Kim Cheolsu.”
Having thoroughly seen through the dirty intentions of the powers-that-be, Kim Cheolsu could not surrender here.
He bit his lip and shouted into the phone.
“Get lost, you bastard. Try to arrest me if you want. I’m not doing the surgery.”
At that moment, the mad dog of S University became known as the mad dog of Hampyeong to the world.
Hong Sewoong, shocked, covered his mouth, while Deputy Director Park Junghyun glared at Kim Cheolsu as if he were a lunatic.
“What the… This is outrageous. This is insubordination!”
“Crazy bastard! Isn’t he completely insane?”
Kim Cheolsu cursed the general on the other end who remained silent, then hung up.
“People like you, full of entitlement, shouldn’t live long. The longer you live, the more harm you cause to the rank-and-file soldiers. Since I’m not doing this surgery, if you want to live, go to Johns Hopkins in the US, you piece of trash.”
-Click
*****
Since there were no patients in general surgery in the afternoon anyway, Kim Cheolsu left early, leaving the shocked Park Junghyun behind.
Though he had spoken harshly, his heart was uneasy.
He refused the surgery fearing he would be manipulated by VIPs and unable to treat soldiers, but a patient was a patient.
If the brain tumor surgery wasn’t done immediately, the general would soon die.
Kim Cheolsu muttered grumpily,
“Why did they have to find my weak spot and threaten me? They would have gotten the surgery if I was reasonable.”
He never liked high-ranking officers to begin with, but being threatened made him furious.
Also, bringing Park Junghyun along had been a mistake.
Hong Sewoong probably didn’t know that Kim Cheolsu and Park Junghyun were mortal enemies.
Anyway, regardless of others, the general was now going to die.
That fact weighed heavily on Kim Cheolsu’s heart.
Honestly, he hadn’t yet firmly decided if he should truly refuse the surgery.
It was his first neurosurgery, but he was confident.
A life was at stake—could he just leave it be?
In South Korea, very few clinicians have the skill to open the skull and operate.
Because a wrong move could cause post-surgery coma, hemiplegia, or aphasia—a ‘very difficult’ surgery.
It was common sense that opening someone’s head to operate was never easy.
The scarcity of doctors who can perform this surgery plunged Kim Cheolsu into deep contemplation.
“I’ll postpone the decision for now… I need to divert my attention to other things. Anyway, I can’t let VIPs control me. Treating ordinary soldiers comes first.”
Kim Cheolsu knew the military’s nature well.
High-ranking officers cared only about their own interests and lives, seeing soldiers as mere cattle or dogs.
That made succeeding in difficult surgeries risky.
The more capable one was, the more the higher-ups tapped into you—an ironic reality.
Exhausted, Kim Cheolsu headed toward the village chief’s house.
His grandmother greeted him warmly.
“You’re here? Why so early? I’ll hurry and prepare food for you.”
“No, Grandma. Like I said before, today I’ll cook for you. You’re always the one feeding me.”
“Oh dear—last time you enjoyed the eggs, didn’t you?”
“You mean the rolled omelet? Today, I’m making something proper. Are the kids still outside playing?”
“Yes. Grandpa is working in the field—”
“Perfect timing. It’s my turn to step up.”
When feeling troubled, spicy food is the best remedy.
Kim Cheolsu planned to make a special Chinese dish today.
-Dadadadada!
“Wow, your knife skills are fast. Were you a chef?”
“Haha, no. I’m a surgeon. I’m naturally good with knives. I’ll make it delicious today, so look forward to it.”
Kim Cheolsu peeled the onions and chopped them finely with the knife.
Then he diced some green onions as well.
“Grandma, do you have tofu?”
“Yes, but why do you ask?”
“I’m tired of always eating Korean food. Today, I’ll make something tasty.”
Kim Cheolsu cut the tofu into small cubes.
The artistic movements of the kitchen knife, shining under the sunlight, reflected in his grandmother’s eyes.
She exclaimed in surprise,
“Your hands are so quick! I didn’t know a doctor had such talent.”
“Haha. When I lived alone, I got tired of eating out, so I started cooking for myself. Honestly, compared to surgery with a scalpel, handling a kitchen knife is easy.”
-Sizzle crackle…!
He heated a pan on the stove, added oil, and fried the green onions to make scallion oil.
Then he added red chili powder, turning it into fragrant chili oil.
Next, he stir-fried the onions in the same pan.
As the spicy aroma rose, he added thick-cut pork pieces perfect for chewing.
A wonderful aroma wafted up.
The smell of meat.
“Wow, it smells delicious already! What dish is this? Amazing!”
His grandmother, intoxicated by the scent, danced around joyfully.
Kim Cheolsu smiled and seasoned the dish.
He added two big spoonfuls and then three more of Doubanjiang (fermented chili bean paste), followed by oyster sauce and sugar for flavor.
Tasting with a small spoon, it was pure Chinese flavor.
“Now it’s roughly Mapo Tofu, but here comes my secret ingredient. Koreans love gochujang.”
He added two big spoonfuls of gochujang to the Chinese-style Mapo Tofu.
Tasting again, it became a completely Korean-style Mapo Tofu.
“Grandma, try this. It’ll be delicious. Chinese Mapo Tofu is okay, but the flavor is a bit strong for Korean tastes. So I added gochujang to give it a Korean twist.”
Kim Cheolsu scooped some appetizing Mapo Tofu with a spoon and blew on it until it cooled, then respectfully fed it to his grandmother with both hands.
His grandmother raised her tongue, still feeling the heat, and said,
“Hot…! Mmm, this is delicious! How did you make such a thing? Doctor, you’re amazing.”
Pleased by his grandmother’s praise, Kim Cheolsu smiled and said,
“Now we just wait for everyone else to come. The cooking’s done.”
A moment later, the village chief and the children arrived, their eyes widening.
The steaming white rice topped with bright red Mapo Tofu whetted their appetites.
The boy, Cheongsan, grabbed a spoonful and cheered,
“Uncle, this is so delicious! It’s even better than the Chinese restaurants in Gwangju! Better than sweet and sour pork too!”
The girl, Cheonga, munched happily and exclaimed,
“Uncle, you’re the best! You really cook well!”
A bright smile appeared on Kim Cheolsu’s face.
He once again thought it was good he came down to Hampyeong. This place was truly peaceful, filled with wonderful people.
Ribbit… ribbit…
That sound was nice to hear too. This was why he liked the countryside.
Listening to the distant croaking of frogs by the stream, his mind gently calmed.
He smiled brightly and said,
“Haha, there’s still plenty left, so eat a lot. Want me to serve you some more?”
Ring ring… ring ring…!
Just then, the village chief’s phone rang, and the old man rushed to answer it.
“Hello? This is the village chief. Who is this? What? The Army Chief of Staff? Hey, Kim Cheolsu. Come here. Someone’s asking for you—they want to talk to you on the phone.”