Chapter 130
Chapter 130
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: Doctor No Name
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Yulmyeong Bio President Kwon Dong-jin had rented out an unassuming little bar on the outskirts of Seoul in its entirety.
Lee Jeong-ho was no longer desperate. Even if something went wrong, his daughter Lee Yeon-ji, who had already been brought back to life, wouldn't die.
The one who was truly desperate now was Kwon Dong-jin.
He could have chosen any other venue, but he'd deliberately picked a bar. When people drank enough alcohol, they became more susceptible to emotional appeals and a bit more lenient with their approvals.
Since the meeting spot was a bar, Lee Jeong-ho had taken a taxi. Surprisingly, Kwon Dong-jin had done the same. He hadn't brought his secretary or called a designated driver.
The bar owner had prepared drinks and snacks before stepping outside.
Now only two men remained in the bar. Kwon Dong-jin downed a shot of strong liquor and slammed the glass down with a sharp clink.
"Dr. Lee Jeong-ho. Let's talk now. You succeeded with your daughter's surgery, right?"
A faint smile crept onto Lee Jeong-ho's face unbidden. He quickly composed himself and replied.
"Yes. It was a success. But my daughter was a special case, which made it possible..."
Kwon Dong-jin slapped the table with his palm and spoke urgently.
"Then please operate on my Soo-yeon too!"
Lee Jeong-ho cut him off firmly.
"No."
"Why not! If you succeeded with your daughter, doesn't that mean there's a chance for mine too?"
"It's... My daughter was carrying a time bomb that could go off at any moment. President Kwon, your daughter has a much lower chance of that, so there's still time, isn't there?"
Kwon Dong-jin exploded in anger.
"How much time are we talking! Less than a hundred days!"
"If she's lucky, it could be a bit longer..."
"And your daughter could at least live normally in the meantime, but mine is wasting away day by day! She can't even sleep without painkillers!"
Lee Jeong-ho hesitated, then sighed and spoke.
"If your daughter undergoes this surgery, there could be legal... issues."
Kwon Dong-jin bellowed.
"Legal issues? Is it a banned drug? Or something still in testing? Hasn't gotten approval yet? I don't care what it is. I'll handle it all!"
Lee Jeong-ho pondered.
'Na Gang-in is already famous in the entertainment world. Legal problems would be a fatal blow to his image, no matter how they're resolved.'
It wouldn't just be a blow to Na Gang-in. The same applied to Kwon Dong-jin.
"If President Kwon faces backlash from medical associations, it could be hard to withstand."
"Pardon?"
"If hospitals refuse Yulmyeong Bio's drugs, the company could go under, right? And it's not like your drugs are irreplaceable."
Yulmyeong Bio was a fairly well-known pharmaceutical company, but they didn't produce any unique, irreplaceable treatments.
Kwon Dong-jin refused to believe the warning.
"You think medical associations would go that far? Don't make excuses."
"You might regret it after hearing me out."
"I won't."
"If we operate on your daughter, you and I could end up in prison together. Or maybe just me in prison while your company collapses."
Kwon Dong-jin declared confidently.
"I don't know what you're getting at, but I'll take full responsibility. My daughter's life is on the line."
Lee Jeong-ho finally spoke. But he couldn't reveal Na Gang-in's name. A pseudonym was needed.
Lee Jeong-ho gave the name he'd prepared in advance.
"Doctor No Name."
"Pardon?"
"I can't tell you his real name."
"That's fine. What does a name matter?"
"Doctor No Name and I operated together to save Yeon-ji."
Kwon Dong-jin planted both hands on the table and leaned forward.
"Then my daughter too!"
"Doctor No Name doesn't have a license to perform surgery."
"Right. No license... Wait, what?"
Lee Jeong-ho quickly added.
"I can't explain why, so don't ask. Anyway, now you see why this surgery is so risky?"
"No, this is ridiculous..."
"On top of that, we'd have to divert drugs and blood, falsify documents—every illegal act imaginable. If we're caught, we'll be arrested."
Only now did Kwon Dong-jin understand why Lee Jeong-ho kept his daughter's surgery a secret.
"Ah..."
He began speculating why Doctor No Name lacked a license.
'License revoked? Hiding his identity for some reason? Maybe a fugitive?'
He was curious.
But one thing he never hesitated over, not for a second.
"None of that matters. As long as we don't get caught, right?"
"The more people who know..."
"I won't tell my wife or son. Even my daughter won't know. Just me."
Kwon Dong-jin's eyes gleamed as he asked.
"So, we can operate on Soo-yeon now?"
"Your daughter's condition is normally inoperable..."
"I know. I know better than anyone. So, is it possible?"
Even collaborating with Na Gang-in using the method Lee Jeong-ho had prepared beforehand, finishing Kwon Soo-yeon's surgery in an hour would be tough.
But he'd seen Na Gang-in's copy ability during Yeon-ji's surgery.
'A genius talent for perfectly mimicking the surgical movements I demonstrated first. If we leverage that fully, we can shorten the surgery time even more. Theoretically possible...'
Theory didn't always work in practice, but there were no other options anyway.
Kwon Dong-jin grabbed Lee Jeong-ho's hand as he wavered.
"Manager Lee. Please save Soo-yeon."
Lee Jeong-ho was troubled.
"I'd love to, but it's not my decision."
"Then who decides? Doctor No Name?"
A few days later, five agents showed up at the neighborhood gym to learn Total Fist Tao.
Na Gang-in said to them.
"You know those kids we trained with last time? They'll be here soon to work out together."
The agents beamed.
"We welcome that with open arms!"
Training with idols meant less direct time sparring Na Gang-in. That meant lower intensity. Everyone was thrilled.
Police agent Park Soon-gi raised his hand.
"By the way, Master Na. About those guys who kidnapped that celebrity—they say you caught them?"
"I heard it was handled discreetly, but you know already?"
"I'm in a department that hears that kind of news. Not always solid info, though. Plenty of wild rumors too."
Park Soon-gi gave an awkward laugh.
"This time, I heard you swatted an incoming bullet with a steel pipe..."
"Uh..."
"Hahaha. Obviously nonsense, right? Ahahaha."
Shin Eun-ha, there to watch the self-defense shoot, chimed in.
"It's true, though? I clearly saw Oppa Na Gang-in batting away bullets. I thought he was some peerless swordsman."
"Pardon?"
The five agents stared at Na Gang-in.
Na Gang-in brushed it off.
"I happened to have a bulletproof vest on, so I gave it a shot. Got lucky, that's all."
Park Soon-gi marveled.
"Wow... So it actually works."
Last time, he'd begged to learn dual-wield swordsmanship, but Na Gang-in had threatened to train him extra hard alone, so he'd backed off.
But hearing the bullet-batting story was real reignited his greed.
"Hey, about that dual-wield swordsmanship last time. Dual might be too much, but basic swordsmanship..."
Bodyguard Choi Nam-su cut in.
"I heard Master Na used a steel pipe to swat bullets. Pipe for the wild boar too. Three-section staff would be perfect for that."
The other agents chimed in.
"Right. Spot on."
Na Gang-in suggested.
"How about we learn that lightly next time? No staff here now, though..."
The five agents pulled out three-section staffs almost in unison.
"Got 'em right here."
"Even brought one for you, Master Na."
"Oh. Me too."
Na Gang-in asked.
"Wait, why do you all have those?"
"We heard the rumors... Ha, haha."
Na Gang-in grumbled.
"You all bragged about keeping the case confidential, and now everyone knows."
An intelligence agent said.
"It is confidential. We just happen to know. We're good at gathering intel."
That's why they were here—they'd learned about Total Fist Tao. Most people didn't even know what it was, and those who knew the name didn't know where to learn it. Some found out late, but spots were already full with five students.
"Well, let's do that."
Na Gang-in took a staff, extended it fully, and said.
"We'll start with a few basic moves."
With AI Jeon Ji-in's help, Na Gang-in taught the five agents single staff techniques.
The techniques weren't complex and didn't differ much from existing ones. They all picked up the basics easily.
"You're doing great."
Park Soon-gi boasted.
"We're naturally good with physical stuff. Hahaha."
"Alright, now the real deal begins. Come at me."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing beats live combat for training."
Sparring at full intensity started immediately. The five took turns rushing Na Gang-in. He beat them mercilessly, no holding back.
"Argh! Not like this!"
"As expected from pros—different level."
"Getting beat nonstop—what's different... Gah!"
"Dodge and block harder."
"Ow! I wanna learn bullet-slicing swordsmansh... Ow!"
"Told you, it was luck."
"Kyaa! Master Na! You hit girls?!"
"Heard Yeon-hee beats everyone equally regardless of gender—why play weak now?"
The agents had to rotate one-on-one in real combat against Na Gang-in.
Going all-out like this normally risked injury. To avoid that, power control was key. But Na Gang-in precisely gauged the line where they'd bruise but not get hurt, even as they attacked with full force.
Thanks to him, they got plenty of experience wielding staffs in combat-like scenarios. In exchange, their stamina drained and bruises piled up.
Just as the agents thought they'd get beaten to death, the eight idols arrived.
Na Gang-in collapsed his staff and said.
"Ah. The chicks are here. That's it for today."
Ppf Girls and Angel Warrior Unit's eight members entered the gym and greeted.
"Hello!"
The five agents, beaten for an hour straight, welcomed them effusively.
"Come on in!"
"We waited forever!"
"Could've come earlier!"
The PC Bang trio arrived too.
Yoon A-reum had brought the filming gear.
SAH Entertainment offered their own crew, but Na Gang-in refused.
The video would go up on Yoon A-reum's Nutube channel for free.
SAH didn't plan to monetize it either. Raising the idols' fame was enough. They agreed to the terms.
Cha Eun-seo and college hacker An Seong-hwan came as regular guests on Yoon A-reum's streams.
Yoon A-reum donned a robot mask, stood before the camera, extended her right arm dramatically, and said.
"Alright! Introducing today's guests. Ppf Girls!"
The four Ppf Girls moved to her right and greeted.
"Hello! We're Ppf Girls!"
"Do women only need self-defense? No way. Angel Warrior Unit!"
"Hello! Your Angel Warrior Unit!"
The four Angel Warrior Unit members appeared on the left.
The PC Bang trio and Na Gang-in all wore masks. Only the eight guest idols showed their faces.
Filming lasted two hours.
Na Gang-in taught the idols self-defense over those two hours. Not multiple complex moves—just one simple technique, drilled intensely.
The agents watched from the side and commented.
"Technique over strength for that."
"I'm good at stuff like that. Learn from me."
"Can't show our faces on air."
"Masks?"
"Get caught, and it's a written apology at best?"
"Gonna just watch."
Bodyguard Choi Nam-su said.
"Give the kids tips during breaks."
The self-defense video shoot took two hours. Just one basic move, but the eight idols acted out various scenarios for applied variations.
After filming ended, Na Gang-in said.
"Since you're here, let's start Natural Gymnastics Level 2."
The idols panicked. The self-defense shoot had been grueling; they had little stamina left.
The exhausted maknae Choi Ji-hye glanced around slyly, then flopped onto the floor, flailing her limbs.
"Tricked! Thought it was just self-defense today! I'll die. Wait, I'm already dead!"
"It's theory today. Was gonna cook something after, but if you're dead already..."
Choi Ji-hye sprang up.
"I'm not dead yet! I can do more!"
"Can't do pure theory, obviously. Easier to get with visuals. Sly Ji-hye can be the teaching aid—or assistant."
"Y-Yes?"