Episode 18: The Battle Between Jin Cheonhui the Human and Jin Cheonhui the Doctor
"If you're going to kill, do it on the spot. Leave no room for a doctor to intervene. You wouldn't understand the heart that tries to save even when knowing it's impossible."
Wasn't this what he had said to Yeoharyun not long ago?
"Is it really impossible to cure?"
Jin Cheonhui fell into deep thought.
He tried to piece together all the clues he had read in novels.
"......"
Jin Cheonhui's clenched fist turned white.
"But even Baekrin's Immortal, known as the genius among geniuses, couldn't cure his own condition. Can I do it? The Nine Yin Severed Meridians isn't just any condition; it's a martial arts constitution. Can modern medicine even step in? This isn't a simple trauma or a disease like syphilis."
Baekrin's Immortal quietly watched Jin Cheonhui.
Eventually, Jin Cheonhui spoke.
"Please promise me one thing."
"What do you want me to do?"
A faint smile appeared on Baekrin's Immortal's lips.
Jin Cheonhui's worried appearance seemed endearing to him, like a son.
However, he couldn't smile at the next words.
Jin Cheonhui said, "Please don't give up on living."
"What do you mean...?"
"I know you have a condition. No, to be precise, it's a constitution. If my thoughts are correct, it's not impossible to cure. So..."
A chill ran down his spine.
It was a sensation he had felt before.
It was like when Yeoharyun, the future Heavenly Demon, opened his eyes.
It felt like standing before a tiger.
Is this what they call killing intent?
Jin Cheonhui's gaze instinctively turned to one side.
There stood Yooho.
An uncontrollable killing intent emanated from him.
His expression was blank.
Yet, the face devoid of any emotion was terrifying.
'Gosh, isn't he incredibly scary! Wasn't he just an extra mentioned a few times in the first volume of the novel?'
"Yooho. Stop."
Baekrin's Immortal raised his hand to restrain him.
'Phew...'
Jin Cheonhui sighed in relief.
The oppressive killing intent that had been weighing on him disappeared.
Yooho spoke with a blank expression.
"Isn't that brat insulting the master right now?"
Jin Cheonhui didn't open his mouth at Yooho's words.
He knew.
How torturous it was to tell a terminal cancer patient who had accepted death that a new treatment might be possible.
Jin Cheonhui knew this better than anyone.
Yet, he had to fight.
If there was truly no hope, he should give up and focus on hospice care, but if there was hope, he had to let them know.
That was his job.
However, he also knew there was nothing more cruel than that.
Hope can sometimes be more brutal than despair.
Hope makes people desperate.
And it makes them cry out.
It doesn't allow for a beautiful death, a clean and organized ending.
'But what does that matter?'
Jin Cheonhui thought.
Even if the treatment is difficult and painful, and the chances of survival aren't one hundred percent.
Isn't it a doctor's duty not to hide even that fact?
Even if the end is ugly, painful, and filled with cries like a dog, if there's a chance to heal.
Life was about possibilities.
It had to continue.
That was his calling.
Jin Cheonhui said, "I won't just let you receive, nor will I let you give up. I won't let you die peacefully."
"You're crazy."
Yooho slightly opened his narrow eyes.
His eyes were filled with murderous intent.
Jin Cheonhui realized how dirty the impression was when a character with narrow eyes opened them.
Step.
Yooho took a step forward from behind Baekrin's Immortal and spoke.
"Say it again."
Rumble—
Once again, killing intent flowed out.
It was stickier and more suffocating than before, wrapping around Jin Cheonhui.
It was different from the Heavenly Demon's, but just as deadly.
'Ugh.
This isn't a joke...
But seeing that even Jegalrin isn't stopping it this time, he must be really angry...'
Using all his strength, Jin Cheonhui opened his mouth.
With a face full of determination, though cold sweat dripped down, he spoke clearly.
"I said there's a way to live."
"Interesting. Do you want to die?"
Creak—
It sounded like a giant invisible beast was scraping the floor with its claws.
He could see the floor cracking where Yooho stood.
"Stop."
However, with Baekrin's Immortal's words, the momentum disappeared instantly.
It was a strange sight.
The floor where Yooho stood cracked, but it stopped next to Baekrin's Immortal.
Jegalrin, known as Baekrin's Immortal.
It seemed he had blocked Yooho's momentum.
'...
Did Baekrin's Immortal learn martial arts?'
He had never seen him fight.
'Even Sister Gongsonyeon couldn't do this.'
To do this, one had to be at a level higher than a master.
Jin Cheonhui confirmed a part not mentioned in the novel.
The smile disappeared from Baekrin's Immortal's lips.
With a cold expression, he looked at Jin Cheonhui.
"For a joke, it's quite grand."
"It's not a joke."
In response to Jin Cheonhui's answer, Yooho replied.
"A joke? If not, then he must be planning a big scam."
"I've already been offered the position of disciple, what more could I want here?"
Jin Cheonhui.
He was a child who didn't lose a word.
In front of adults, he always smiled warmly and acted charmingly.
He showed cleverness here and there, making him a beloved child.
He seemed to know how to captivate people's hearts.
But his current appearance was the complete opposite.
Baekrin's Immortal fell into thought and then opened his lips.
"Let's hear it first."
"Master."
Baekrin's Immortal ignored Yooho's words.
"But if it's a conclusion that mocks me, I'll take back the offer to make you my disciple. Do you understand? I won't see you again."
The weight of the words felt overwhelming.
But if he backed down here, everything would be in vain.
"Yes."
Jin Cheonhui nodded.
Then he took a deep breath.
'It's okay.
It's a familiar task.'
Though he didn't want to experience it twice, it was a task he couldn't escape as a doctor.
"In my opinion..."
Yooho intended to kill Jin Cheonhui.
He wasn't unaware of how much of a burden it was for the master to take in a disciple.
Yet, that child was trying to insult the master.
There was enough reason to kill.
Until Jin Cheonhui finished his story, Yooho couldn't kill him.
Every word from the boy was painful, yet it felt like he was being drawn in.
After finishing his story, the boy said instead:
- I think I need some time to think, so I'll step outside.
Strangely, those words felt quite natural.
Swords and words are similar.
Just as a cherished weapon ripens with use, words that are frequently used have a natural intonation.
The boy's intonation was like one that had been used tens, hundreds, thousands of times.
"I thought he'd spout nonsense about yin-yang unity."
"Hahaha. There was someone like that before."
- Isn't the Nine Yin Body caused by a lack of yin energy? Just seduce Lady Gongsonyeon, who has the Sun Body! The Immortal is beautiful and healthy, isn't she? If you supplement yang energy through yin-yang unity, it should be fine, but since you can't, Baekrin's Immortal must be either crippled or impotent.
It was an incredible rumor.
As soon as Yooho heard it, he ran without rest and found the source in a day.
It was a doctor.
A doctor quite renowned in the neighborhood.
Yooho buried that doctor with only his head sticking out on the back mountain.
"Yin-yang unity isn't some ultimate elixir that cures everything, or why would doctors exist? It's just something the immortals created to maintain health through a healthy sex life. Simply put, it's a form of exercise."
Later, it turned out there were quite a few patients who had suffered from that doctor.
He demanded exorbitant prices for medicine, and when patients sold their homes to pay, he would often flee, leaving them to fate.
A so-called quack.
And quite a malicious one at that.
Yooho punished him in various ways, just enough not to kill him, and handed him over to the local authorities.
"You're still thinking about that incident, Yooho."
"If the master hadn't stopped me, that guy would already be dead."
"You made him worse than dead, so that's enough."
He trampled his limbs and handed him over to the authorities.
He also informed the families of the victims about this.
The authorities imposed the highest penalty and returned all of his assets to the victims' families, along with compensation.
"......"
After that, Yooho had to spend a lot of time accepting Baekrin's Immortal's death.
Just when he thought he was truly prepared, 'that child' appeared before him.
"What will you do?"
"I'll accept it."
"What if it fails?"
"Didn't he say he wouldn't let me die peacefully? As he said, I won't experience a peaceful death. I'll fight against the illness until the end."
"So what if it fails?"
"A doctor grows not only when saving lives but also when taking them. Sometimes, they grow more when taking lives than saving them. At that time, he'll become a divine doctor surpassing me."
Baekrin's Immortal, or rather Jegalrin, spoke of his death as if it were someone else's story.
"You're willing to become fertilizer?"
"As a teacher, what greater reward is there?"
"What part of that child do you like so much? I understand he's intelligent and charming. I've seen it with my own eyes. Yes, I understand he knows unique medical techniques. But there's no need for the master to go this far. What exactly do you like so much?"
"That child said this..."
- Who goes to a doctor to die? Patients come to fight, to win, even if the treatment is painful and the process is arduous.
- Yes, of course, everyone dies someday.
Human strength isn't stronger than the power of death.
I can assure you, we are beings fighting a losing battle.
The boy declared so.
Our battle will eventually be lost.
Death takes everyone.
But what moved Baekrin's Immortal's heart was the next words.
- We will lose someday, but isn't it about challenging to win this one time? So Baekrin's Immortal, I won't let you die peacefully.
- Accepting me as a disciple is far from a peaceful conclusion.
Let me ask you.
Time is relentless.
Everyone dies someday.
- Baekrin's Immortal, are you prepared to fight?
Though all humans die someday, still.
Wouldn't you want to win just this once?
The boy boldly asked.
At that gaze, Baekrin's Immortal couldn't help but laugh.