Chapter 152
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 152
Chapter Title: Mafia Gratitude
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Let's calm down and assess the situation first.
The words "Mafia" or "Boss" might have some other meaning...
"...!"
Yeah, probably not.
Hwang Seoyeong's mouth was hanging open too, so it looked like I hadn't misheard.
I'd never imagined ending up in a situation like this in the modern world, and for a moment, I nearly tried to escape reality.
But I pulled myself together after just a few seconds.
At least this was better than when the Heavenly Demon dragged me to her divine palace, begging me to treat her husband.
Before meeting my master, there was that time a villainous fiend from the unorthodox sects brought his daughter to the clinic and pleaded with me, right?
I took a deep breath, confirming once more that these were 21st-century buildings, to steady myself.
Anyway, this was modern Italy, not quite South Korea, but still. Treating this one guy wouldn't drag me into mafia business.
"The pickpocket you two caught the day before yesterday seems to have been a lackey from a rival family. That's why he was hanging around the store."
Robert was biting his lip hard.
I was curious, but at the same time, I didn't want to know.
It felt like something I shouldn't hear.
"I've never committed a crime with my own hands, and I've lived a life unrelated to that world. But I know I can't completely escape it."
"Ah..."
"They sent him to lurk around me to threaten my father, but when they got handed over to the police, it pissed them off."
She'd reported it through another store clerk to keep distance, but somehow they'd figured it out.
"So, you're saying don't report it to the police?"
"We didn't just stand by—we turned the pickpocket over because that's what you do! But now they're retaliating by stabbing you?"
"They probably didn't intend to actually stab me. It seemed like they just wanted to threaten..."
When Hwang Seoyeong exploded in anger, Robert shook his head and swallowed his words.
I could roughly picture the situation.
They'd probably tussled, thinking it wouldn't go that far, and then the knife slipped.
"Well, if they'd meant to kill you, they'd have shot you."
"Eek!"
But it still didn't sit right with me.
Getting stabbed over turning a pickpocket in? Was he worried about more retaliation from the rival group if reported? Or were the police in bed with them?
"Anyway, you don't want to escalate things."
"If my father finds out I was attacked, it'll start a war."
Robert said it with grim determination.
Ah, so it wasn't the rival group he feared—it was his father starting a revenge war?
My martial artist's pride screamed that this mindset was unacceptable.
How could someone survive in the jianghu with such a soft attitude?
A true warrior of the Sichuan Tang family would fight to the last man...!
No, Robert wasn't from the Tang family.
And he didn't want to get tangled with the mafia either.
I shouldn't judge by my own standards.
"So you're just going to suffer the stab wound alone?"
Hwang Seoyeong grabbed his hand, looking at him with deep pity.
There were probably plenty of stories in Italy's underworld—and Robert's past—that we didn't know.
Neither she nor I could resolve all that anyway.
"At least the bleeding's stopped while we've been talking."
If he insisted on not going to the hospital, the best I could do was treat him as far as possible.
Fortunately, the bleeding had been controlled well.
It wasn't a life-or-death emergency.
If Robert were a martial artist, wrapping it in bandages would help enough.
"Still, wounds penetrating beyond the dermis need suturing as a principle. I can't gauge the exact depth, but it went through the epidermis and dermis into the muscle layer. The knife seemed clean, but disinfection is safer."
But since Robert couldn't circulate qi to heal, I was uneasy sending him off like this.
"We're staying right there—come up with us for a bit."
I pointed at the hotel.
"I have suturing tools, so I'll disinfect and stitch it. With dressing on, they won't pry too much—just say you nicked yourself with a kitchen knife and get a tetanus shot and antibiotics prescribed."
"Ah!"
Robert's eyes widened.
It was the look of someone wondering if that would really work.
But what came out of his mouth was something else.
"Wouldn't it be rude to enter a hotel room with just two ladies...?"
Rude, my foot.
Was that the issue right now? After bleeding like a faucet earlier?
"What kind of talk is that from someone who'll collapse if I tap the wound?"
I signaled Hwang Seoyeong for permission with my eyes.
Covered the bloody part with my cardigan.
And scooped Robert up in my arms.
I'd packed some standard remedies and acupuncture needles in case Mr. Ricci asked me to treat someone.
Good thing I'd thrown in suture thread and needles too.
Never thought I'd use them like this, though.
"You're doing the suturing?"
"Yeah. I'll stitch—you just do the dressing later."
With someone needing urgent care lying there, she didn't pry about my experience.
"How did you even bring this... You have lidocaine too?"
Lidocaine is the local anesthetic typically used for suturing.
Of course, I didn't have any.
"We'll just do it quick."
I cleaned the wound with saline solution and confirmed the bleeding had fully stopped.
More thoroughly than before, checking for any debris.
"It's distracting with you watching—wait outside for a bit."
I shooed Hwang Seoyeong out.
Thank goodness Mr. Ricci had given us a suite with a separate living room and bedroom.
No lidocaine, but I could achieve a similar anesthetic effect.
I had potent sleep incense strong enough to keep someone out even if pricked with a needle.
"I'll place a few needles to help you sleep comfortably."
I started to light it but switched to acupuncture instead.
Better not risk him freaking out thinking it was drugs.
When he woke, he'd chalk it up to acupuncture anesthesia, right?
Dubious as he was about falling asleep from needles, Robert closed his eyes obediently.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
I needled the sleep acupoints first, then slowly lit the incense.
It might be disorienting, but better than watching me sew his flesh with eyes wide open.
Once he was asleep, I aligned from inside out: muscle, fat, dermis, epidermis—mindful he had no internal energy.
Absorbable sutures for the deep layers first, then skin on top to finish.
Compared to the struggle getting him here, the suturing itself was over in a flash.
I swiftly wrapped up, then needled the wound area and infused qi.
Boosting his natural recovery with my energy—it shouldn't cause issues.
"Whew."
Treatment done, I opened the window to disperse the sleep incense.
"All set."
"That was fast?"
I called Hwang Seoyeong back in.
"Wow, I do dressings all the time, but haven't sutured since graduation... Gotta practice when we get back."
She was impressed, dressing while eyeing my stitches.
Well, hopefully no need in the future.
But practice never hurts.
"Must've been a shock. I'll handle the bloody clothes—lie down and rest."
Hwang Seoyeong grumbled about how I wasn't fazed and climbed into bed.
Truly a blessing Mr. Ricci gave us a huge room with two king beds.
The next morning, Hwang Seoyeong and I came face-to-face with Robert right away.
"I had no idea I'd fall asleep like that. My apologies for the rudeness."
He repeatedly apologized and thanked us, at a loss.
He'd woken first, felt bad waking us, but couldn't just leave.
"How's the wound?"
The dressing was clean—no seepage.
"Yes, it's improved so much I can hardly believe how bad it hurt yesterday. Thank you truly. You saved my life."
Of course—my qi infusion sped it up.
"Good. You got lucky this time, but it could've been fatal from blood loss or sepsis. Don't ever do this again."
I warned him not to take stab wounds lightly.
"Right! Be careful!"
Hwang Seoyeong chimed in worriedly.
"We'll be in Rome till today, so you can rest more and head out this afternoon."
"I can't impose that much. A friend can pick me up, so I'll rest at home."
The wound wasn't as deep as the blood loss suggested... Even at a hospital, no long stay probably.
I wanted to monitor longer, but pushing further would be overstepping.
We reiterated tetanus and antibiotics, then left the hotel.
"What the heck was that? How do we run into mafia our first time in Italy?"
We gossiped about the shock we hadn't aired yesterday.
"It wasn't mafia."
"Whatever it was!"
At least leaving Italy tomorrow was a relief.
Best not get involved in others' grudges.
Treat quick at the clinic and bounce to avoid trouble.
Maybe because of the incident, our last day in Rome passed peacefully.
No way something else would happen here.
Back at the hotel, Robert was gone. We turned in early for the train to Paris next morning.
And the day after.
"Checking out."
Handing over the keycard at the desk to leave.
"Ah, someone left a package for you last night."
The clerk stopped us.
A package?
"Anyone we know who'd do that?"
Mr. Ricci? He'd have given it at dinner if prepared.
Robert? No way he was in gift-giving shape.
Not the rivals, surely...
"No one for me."
The clerk handed over a luxury brand paper bag with logo.
No bomb in here, right?
Dismissing the absurd thought, I opened it.
"Clothes?"
"Huh?"
Four sets of identical color clothes inside.
"Card too?"
A black card alongside.
[Thank you for the kindness to my son. We never forget favors or grudges.]
Couldn't tell the family name or contact below, but...
...circumstantially, Robert's father.
"No way... the ones we tossed for bleeding?"
Hwang Seoyeong's jaw dropped.
Exact same color as the new clothes she'd ripped open for hemostasis.
"What? How'd they know?"
"Did his dad find out?"
Definitely no one around when we found him and stopped the bleed.
How'd they know?
CCTV on the street? Or the "friend" he called this morning secretly tipped the boss?
...Mafia war incoming?
Impressive resolve to hide it that hard.
"No idea. Forget it! I don't want favors or grudges!"
I shook my head furiously.
Enough of that drama from the martial world.
Leaving Italy today—no need for their help.
"Kinda creepy. Wonder how scared Robert is."
"Ugh, yeah."
We stuffed the card and clothes in our bag and hurried to the station.
Soon crossing from scary Italy to France.
Paris was blissfully peaceful.
Sticking to museums and galleries, no dark alleys.
Night views? Just the Eiffel Tower from our hotel window—no greedier.
That was plenty.
The Eiffel Tower never got old.
Unlike the outbound flight, the return was far from boring.
Drained mentally and physically, I slept the whole way—arrived in Korea in a blink.
"Take care!"
"Yeah, see you soon."
I transferred there to Busan.
Tight schedule—back to work next day.
"Director! Good trip?"
"Ha... So much happened..."
I sighed, handing out souvenirs hastily bought at Paris airport.
Just like Hwang Sanghun after his grandma's memorial.
Trips like this always feel short, yet 8 nights 9 days dragged.
"Clinic okay without me?"
Back to routine—bliss.
Asking Lee Areum and Hwang Sanghun, they said they'd handled patients smoothly.
"Lemme see how it went~."
I booted the computer, checking last week's charts.
Some must've come for me specifically—hope they managed.
Maybe quieter without my patients?
"Huh? Ten million...?"
Daily settlement in the chart program—non-insured billing was off.
"Daily sales like this? For real?"