"Yoo-ho was still clear-headed even after seeing blood. Surgery is tough even when you're sober, but he assisted quite well for a long time."
Moreover, whenever Jin Chun-hee needed something, Yoo-ho would make it by the next day.
The more he thought about it, the stranger this guy seemed.
Just then, he heard Yoo-ho calling him.
Jin Chun-hee finished his meditation and stood up.
"Yes, I heard the story. I heard your mastery of the Five Elements Heart Method has improved?"
He thought the master would first talk about the ghostly figure, but as expected, he asked about Jin Chun-hee's progress first.
Jin Chun-hee replied, "Master, I am ashamed to say, but I have reached the third level of the Five Elements Heart Method."
"Oh!" The master's eyes widened.
Then, perhaps conscious of the ghostly figure's gaze, he cleared his throat and said, "It's a joyous occasion, but you must not become arrogant, trusting in your genius. Ahem."
'Master, maybe you should stop patting my head...'
Being a fool for his disciple was not something that could be hidden.
The master dismissed the ghostly figure.
The ghostly figure bowed deeply to the master and left, seemingly having decided to officially join the medical hall.
'Well, if a master of that level wants to work here, they'd run to welcome him with open arms.'
After the ghostly figure left, the master's expression returned to his usual foolishly affectionate one.
Just looking at him warmed one's heart.
"My precious disciple."
"Hehe!"
"Was there anything difficult?"
Jin Chun-hee explained in detail what had happened to the master.
The master listened without interrupting even once.
Occasionally, he let out small exclamations, and when the ghostly figure gained enlightenment and entered the state of deep meditation, his eyes shone as he listened intently.
'Yes, it's a story that would stir the heart of any martial artist.'
After hearing everything, the master nodded.
But somehow, his expression seemed more regretful than joyful.
"As expected of my disciple. If there had been even one child like you in the family, we wouldn't have suffered such misfortune..."
The master sighed softly after saying that.
"Hee-ya. I guess I'm not completely unlucky, meeting you now."
"No, it's my great fortune to have met you, Master."
The number one and number two of the Three Great Medical Halls, Baekrin Medical Hall, were praising each other.
The master said, "But, you left out Yoo-ho's story."
"Pardon?"
The master asked gently, "I know Yoo-ho came to you. What did you two talk about?"
At that moment, Jin Chun-hee noticed.
Yoo-ho's hand, which was pouring tea for the master, paused for a very brief moment.
A little later, Jin Chun-hee and Yoo-ho came outside.
Jin Chun-hee had a satisfied smile on his face, while Yoo-ho's expression was stiff and hard.
The two men with contrasting expressions walked on without speaking to each other.
Jin Chun-hee asked, "Why are you following me?"
"You must have something to say to me?"
"I don't have anything like that."
Jin Chun-hee retorted teasingly and continued walking.
Eventually, Jin Chun-hee arrived at the pigeon coop where the carrier pigeons were gathered.
Fortunately, there were no other medical hall members around, and the only ones who could overhear their conversation were the birds pecking at their feed.
Jin Chun-hee stopped there.
After expanding his senses to confirm no one was around, he changed his tone.
"How annoying. Not long ago, you were saying you'd kill me, and now you want to chat?"
"Do you really have a death wish...?"
At that moment, a murderous aura emanated from Yoo-ho.
Simultaneously, the carrier pigeons stopped eating and began flapping their wings.
Their wild instincts reacted to the predator before them.
Only then did Yoo-ho realize he had walked into a trap.
"You brought me here on purpose."
"I didn't call you. You 'followed' me."
Naturally, pigeons are more sensitive than humans.
The thicker the murderous aura, the more intense the pigeons' reaction would be, and some might even die.
Each carrier pigeon was expensive.
If they died, there would be an investigation into why, and the blame would surely fall on Yoo-ho, who was present at the scene.
'Did he think that far in such a short time?'
A newcomer had taken the position of second-in-command at the medical hall.
Despite that, he wasn't hated by the medical hall members; he was even starting to be loved and respected.
It was strange to dismiss it as mere charm.
Yoo-ho withdrew his murderous aura.
Jin Chun-hee grinned.
"Now you finally seem willing to talk."
"I'm impressed by your cunning, young master."
"Sarcasm, is it?"
Jin Chun-hee crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.
Yoo-ho spoke, "You don't wear the mask you showed to the master in front of me."
"To a royal dog, I give royal treatment; to a royal servant, I give servant treatment."
It meant he would treat others as they treated him.
If they treated him like a dog, he would treat them like a dog too.
Jin Chun-hee scratched his ear with his pinky.
Yoo-ho asked, "Why did you say that to the master?"
-Master, Yoo-ho said he wants to learn medicine from me! He wants to perform better surgeries and save more patients!
The young disciple's eyes sparkled as he spoke, and Jegal-in was overjoyed.
-Really! Yoo-ho! I thought you disliked Jin Chun-hee all this time! I didn't expect you to have such enthusiasm for medicine...!
At that moment, Yoo-ho thought.
Maybe it would be better to confess the truth himself and let Jegal-in physically take his head.
It seemed better than learning medicine from that guy.
But because of Jin Chun-hee's next words, Yoo-ho was rendered speechless.
-I told him we should work together to heal the master.
The expression Jegal-in made then was something Yoo-ho had never seen in his life.
And it was an expression he had never shown, no matter how hard Yoo-ho tried.
Jin Chun-hee had drawn it out with just one sentence.
Yoo-ho asked, "Do you have a death wish?"
"If you kill me, who will treat the master?"
Switching between formal and informal speech, Jin Chun-hee retorted.
With a flick of his finger, he could kill the child.
Yet, here he was, being threatened by such a child, and Yoo-ho couldn't help but laugh in disbelief.
Suddenly, he looked at Jin Chun-hee's hand.
He didn't miss the slight tremor.
This boy hadn't lost his fear.
Rather, he had accurately assessed Yoo-ho's capabilities.
Despite trembling, despite being afraid, he still pushed forward.
Why? Yoo-ho asked, "So you didn't act that way just to mock me?"
Yoo-ho had speculated that it might be to reduce his influence in the medical hall.
Such power struggles were common wherever there was an organization.
But it seemed that wasn't the case.
Despite his fear, there must be another reason for doing this.
Yoo-ho became curious about what it was.
"That's right."
"What do you want?"
"Become a warrior in white, Yoo-ho."
With an expression like a cute white creature offering a contract, Jin Chun-hee said.
"A warrior in white?"
Jin Chun-hee cleared his throat.
"I need a nurse to assist me."
A nurse.
Something that doesn't exist in this world.
The ones who assist doctors are actually doctors themselves.
To be precise, the doctor's disciples assist the doctor.
In essence, novice doctors perform the role of a nurse.
The medical hall is no different.
Junior doctors assist senior doctors.
Of course, there are servants who assist doctors, but they only do chores like delivering items or bringing boiled water.
That's why Jin Chun-hee thought of the necessity of nurses.
There was a need for someone to assist so that the doctor could focus entirely on the surgery.
It was essential for expanding medical personnel and for better patient care.
However, becoming a nurse wasn't something just anyone could do, just like becoming a doctor.
First, physical strength.
Nursing requires a lot of physical work.
You have to move all day and exert strength all day.
You do all sorts of dirty work, and the working hours are long.
Jin Chun-hee wasn't confident he could win even once in an arm-wrestling match against a veteran head nurse.
Considering the muscle mass from their workload, it was only natural.
Second, composure.
The work is blue-collar, but it's also white-collar.
Paperwork? Of course, there's paperwork.
You have to constantly monitor patients' conditions and sometimes need quick judgment and decision-making.
That's not all.
From assisting in various surgeries to patient care, wound dressing, pre- and post-operative patient management, specimen collection, inventory management, and even hospital phone consultations are done by nurses.
Lastly, knowledge.
In other words, study. 'This is such a basic issue that it doesn't even need to be mentioned.' So, in Jin Chun-hee's view, nurses weren't 'angels in white' but 'warriors in white.' They were the frontline fighters against disease.
In the U.
S., one nurse is assigned to about five patients, whereas in Korea, one nurse has to care for as few as ten or as many as forty to fifty patients, depending on the hospital.
The conditions are extremely poor.
Contrary to people's prejudices, nurses are just as important as doctors and inseparable from treatment.
In this martial world, the situation is even worse.
In a martial world where surgery is called 'breaking,' how could one possibly find a nurse? Jin Chun-hee thought. 'What would be the workload of the only nurse in the martial world?' There was a perfect candidate for a nurse right in front of him.
He was useful as an assistant, quick-witted, and his martial arts, demonic arts, or whatever it was, was convenient.
Moreover, his position was chief officer.
He was already managing admissions, discharges, and various payment tasks.
It was also a perfect position for training successors.
He seemed to have good physical strength.
After explaining this, Yoo-ho replied, "I am your enemy, young master. Why would you bring an enemy close to you?"
At those words, Jin Chun-hee couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Yoo-ho slightly furrowed his brow.
"Do you find my words amusing?"
"No, I just heard something similar before."
-Why are you like this? Jin Chun-hee, is this faction a joke to you? Do you think skill is everything?
His senior eventually couldn't endure and left the hospital.
Jin Chun-hee survived in that environment.
The first advice he received then was, 'Learn golf in advance.' Jin Chun-hee disliked golf.
He just liked reading martial arts novels.
Instead, he lived like water.
So as not to clash with anyone.
Instead, even if someone had animosity towards him, he kept them close if they were useful.