Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 11

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 11
‘Should I learn martial arts too? Come to think of it, in those novels where people get reincarnated, they all learn either martial arts or magic.’
Jin Cheon-hee thought this and chuckled to himself.
‘The greatest martial artist under heaven, Jin Cheon-hee! Kya… that does sound pretty cool.’
Still smiling at that thought, I slowly pushed myself up into a sitting position. My body was regaining some strength now.
“Phew… I think I’ll live.”
I rotated my arms and then got out of bed. I pushed the previous events to the back of my mind and thought things through.
‘In the original story, no clear evidence was ever found about who attacked the Yunlong Courier Bureau’s branch headquarters. The Demon Sect was suspected, but it remained mere suspicion. Even Haomu and Gaebang ultimately failed to uncover the truth, and the matter was left unresolved… that’s what was written.’
Where they came from and who they were targeting would ultimately never be revealed.
A month later, those prisoners would be executed as an example for their assault on the Yunlong Courier Bureau, and that would be the end of it.
People would come to suspect that Gongseon Hyeon from the main family had orchestrated a sinister plot to kill her cousin Gongseon Yeong.
They would say that one attack wasn’t enough, so she launched a second one.
‘Well, Gongseon Hyeon won’t deny it to the end. Given her character, she’s probably planning to hand over the position of family head to Gongseon Yeong anyway.’
She intends to be satisfied with supporting from the shadows.
Rather than defending herself, she would begin searching for the culprit who dared attempt to kill her beloved younger brother.
Even if she were to hand over the family head position, she would do so while paving the way forward—that’s simply her nature.
Just as I finished that line of thought, the door burst open.
“Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you, and here you are.”
‘Why is this guy looking for me again? Yeo Ha-ryun the Heavenly Demon. Well, he’s not the Heavenly Demon yet. Little Heavenly Demon. Little Demon. Tiny Demon.’
With that thought, I innocently chewed on a glutinous rice cake.
“I was exhausted from treating people, so I’ve just been sleeping until now. What’s the matter?”
“Didn’t we make a deal?”
“When?”
As I pretended not to know, the corners of Tiny Demon’s eyes trembled.
‘Look at him getting angry. If I play my cards right, he might kill me. That’s the problem with the Heavenly Demon’s bloodline.’
Even now, this guy could kill a person with a wooden chopstick.
The only saving grace was that while he’d injured people to the point of death before, he’d never actually killed anyone outright.
“Ow, my neck! Oh, my neck!”
I suddenly grabbed at my neck where Tiny Demon had squeezed it and exaggerated my suffering.
“Nooooo….”
“I save your life and you try to kill me. This is why you shouldn’t raise dark-haired beasts. Ow, ow, ow….”
Even as I teased him relentlessly, Yeo Ha-ryun kept his lips firmly pressed together and endured it.
He clearly understood that he owed me his life.
‘So he does have that trait of repaying what he receives.’
Despite carrying the blood of the Heavenly Demon’s assassin, he still tries hard to distinguish clearly between debt and favor, like a proper protagonist.
That’s truly ridiculous.
“…Thank you.”
“What?”
“…Thank you for saving me.”
“There should be something else you’re forgetting to say?”
“…I’m fine.”
“Ugh, my throat hurts so I can’t hear you.”
“I’m really sorry!”
‘Hmm, if I’ve crushed his pride this much, it should be enough.’
That proud bastard had actually declared it out loud.
‘No, no. I should drive the nail in a bit more firmly.’
The moment I was about to bring up something, the door suddenly swung open.
“Oh, so you two were here?”
From what she was carrying, it looked like she’d come to clean.
Seeing the unusual atmosphere between me and Yeo Ha-ryun, Gasol spoke up.
“You’re not fighting, are you? Don’t you dare bully our Cheon-hee!”
Not Jin Cheon-hee, not Cheon-hee, but “our Cheon-hee.” I immediately changed my expression and smiled brightly.
“Bully? Never. Sister.”
“You’re really okay?”
“Yes.”
‘I’m bullying him right now, actually.’
I ignored the voice of my conscience and said this instead.
“Ha-ryun, let’s go play outside.”
“….”
Yeo Ha-ryun looked at me with an expression like he’d eaten shit.
His eyes were speaking volumes.
‘You con artist bastard.’
Regardless, I smiled gently and cheerfully headed outside.
* * *
We headed to the Rear Garden, a place with few people around.
After confirming there was no one nearby, we both plopped down on rocks. Soon after, Little Heavenly Demon, Yeo Ha-ryun, spoke first.
“What do you want from me?”
“That’s the problem—I don’t want anything.”
“What?”
“Think about it. I saved you from death’s door, exposed the mountain poison so people could predict the attacks, and even nursed you through all that chaos. So what did I get in return? This?”
I showed him the marks on my neck.
Thanks to Baek Rin-ui-seon’s excellent treatment, the outline was barely visible now.
‘But what does he know? I’m still in pain.’
I mercilessly poked at Little Heavenly Demon’s conscience.
Conveniently leaving out the part about receiving a reward or the Daewunryong Pyoguk’s Pyoguk chief burning with determination to repay his debt.
“But you….”
As expected, Yeo Ha-ryun tried to speak first.
That’s when I coughed.
“Cough, cough. Ow, ow, ow.”
At my groans, Yeo Ha-ryun’s eyes wavered noticeably.
He swallowed the words he’d been about to speak and said something else instead.
“A transaction, you say…?”
“I’ve changed my mind. I can’t trust you.”
I pulled a glutinous rice cake from my sleeve and took a bite.
The sweet aroma of red bean paste filled my mouth completely.
‘This really is delicious.’
Was it because I’d returned to childhood?
My sense of taste had become far more acute. Not only that, but my vision and hearing were also considerably sharper.
Back then, I couldn’t see an inch ahead without glasses, but now I could even make out the veins in the leaves above my head.
That’s what it means to become an adult.
To gain wealth and status, one must burn away youth in equal measure.
And even that’s only possible with luck—without it, one loses youth while gaining neither wealth nor status.
By the time one fully grasps this truth, it’s already too late.
I was pleased with this body.
It was healthier and more handsome than my younger self had been.
My thoughts were also clearer and faster than before.
It was a body suited for learning anything.
….
Yeo Ha-ryun pressed his lips into a firm line and stared intently at me.
It was a habit that emerged when lost in deep thought—a description I’d often read in books, but seeing it in person was quite striking.
He looked appropriately solemn for a protagonist.
Yet there was still something endearing about his youth.
Since he was described as a beautiful youth, he could only be a beautiful boy in childhood.
After a moment, Yeo Ha-ryun spoke.
“Is an apology alone not sufficient?”
“I’ve accepted your apology. But this is a matter of trust.”
The two of us, in children’s bodies, continued a conversation far too mature for our years.
I watched Yeo Ha-ryun for a moment, then sighed and scratched my head vigorously.
“Fine. Fine. Let’s do this.”
Pretending to be worn down, I broached the main point.
“From now on, call me older brother
instead
.”
“Are you suggesting we become sworn siblings?”
“I don’t know about something so grand. But I’m older than you, so I can’t very well be your younger brother, can I?”
At his words, a light kindled in Yeo Ha-ryun’s eyes.
“You are my savior, so I would gladly propose sworn brotherhood myself. But it’s strange for you to be the older brother.”
“What’s strange about it?”
In that moment, Yeo Ha-ryun rose to his feet.
Thump.
He spread both arms wide and took his stance. It was precisely the posture of a tiger just before seizing its prey.
“Defeat me in a fight.”
‘Hmm. In typical martial arts novels, the winner becomes the elder brother and the loser becomes the younger brother. But…’
Did I really need to follow that convention? I spoke up.
“You’re going to hit a commoner like me who can’t even practice martial arts?”
I furrowed my brow.
“I won’t use my inner energy.”
“Listen. Even without using your inner energy, I’m going to lose. You know why? Because I’m an honest commoner.”
“You’re a spy for the Demon Sect…”
“What? Can’t hear you. Anyway, I’m a commoner, right? You’d know that better than anyone since you tried to strangle my neck. If I’d known how to fight even a little, I would’ve dodged your hands.”
Instead, I’d thrown a burning blanket, but it had already been erased from Yeo Ha-ryun’s mind.
I was a weak commoner, a victim.
“You’re going to oppress a helpless commoner? And your benefactor who even treated your wounds?”
“…”
There’s one thing all martial arts protagonists have in common.
Whether they have an evil nature or a weak one, they never lay hands on helpless commoners.
Since this bastard was a protagonist, I knew he couldn’t break through the invincible commoner shield.
Though I would receive the Baekrin Uiseon training and learn martial arts soon enough! But I decided not to mention that story.
“Call me elder brother.”
“…What do you…”
“Then should I become your younger brother after taking a punch from you? Fine. Go on. Hit me. Hit me!”
Yeo Ha-ryun was left speechless by my irrefutable logic.
It was clearly nonsense, yet somehow it kept convincing him.
“What are you doing? I said call me elder brother? Alright. I’ll take the hit. Again.”
Saying so, I thrust my head toward his fist.
Yeo Ha-ryun startled and withdrew his fist.
“Come on, say it!”
“…Elder brother…”
“Louder!”
“…Elder brother!”
“More clearly!”
“Jin Cheon-hee, Elder Brother–!”
“Yes. My younger brother.”
Thus I became the elder brother to the young Heavenly Demon without throwing a single punch, using only three inches of my tongue.
It’s said that when the Heavenly Demon grew into an adult, he shed tears of blood lamenting his gullibility back then, but Jin Cheon-hee never returned the position of elder brother.
* * *
I had many conversations with Yeo Ha-ryun. Through these talks, I learned that he was aware I had accompanied him on the trip to the Pyoguk, but we had never actually spoken before.
And I myself had been very quiet until I got hit on the head and nearly died.
An unremarkable child
was
It was.
I hadn’t spoken with any of the adults.
Only that my eyes changed when they warned about the Demonic Sect.
It was then that I vaguely sensed our final destinations were the same.
“Honestly, whether it’s from getting hit in the head or not, I don’t remember much.”
Jin Cheon-hee continued speaking to Yeo Ha-ryun naturally.
“But I think I can help you.”
“…What do you mean by a deal?”
“To be frank, what could I possibly gain from you? I was just trying to smooth things over back then. I was scared.”
Ah, so that’s it. Scared enough to lock the bolt while offering a deal or death as choices.
Little Heavenly Demon Yeo Ha-ryun watched Jin Cheon-hee’s expression remain unchanged and began to wonder if he’d misjudged the situation or if this bastard was simply a skilled deceiver.
Jin Cheon-hee spoke.
“In exchange, do me a favor later. Got it? I’ll ask for something small.”
“…Something small… you say?”
“Yeah. It won’t be much.”
Yeo Ha-ryun nodded at Jin Cheon-hee’s words.
It seemed he’d been bracing himself for something worse, for his expression noticeably lightened.
‘Small, sure. But even diamonds are small yet expensive, kid.’
I’d worry about that later.
Then Yeo Ha-ryun covered Jin Cheon-hee’s mouth.
“Someone is approaching from afar.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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