Physician's Odyssey

Chapter 302 - Treating Hwang Ji-yeon

Translator: Thyaeria

Seeing that Hwang Ji-yeon seemed to have made a resolution to stay the night, Su Tao sighed and pointed to the bed. “Lie on the bed!”

Huang Ji-yeon was briefly stunned. Did Su Tao change his mind? Hence, she obediently laid on the bed. Su Tao walked over and gently pressed on Hwang Ji-yeon’s knee and foot. Through the sense of touch, her injury was just as he analysed.

Thus, he started his treatment for her.

His actions made Hwang Ji-yeon misunderstand that Su Tao wanted to do the deed with her. Hence, her body was straightened up from Su Tao’s soft hands. When they were placed on her thigh, she couldn’t help groaning out. That wasn’t on purpose, but it was an innate reaction from being touched by a man.

She was pondering what Su Tao was trying to do. Did he change his mind and have any intentions with my body?

“Your injury is more serious than I imagined, especially your ankle. The history of it is at least a decade, and it hasn’t been treated. If it’s not treated, then you will be reduced to a cripple.” Su Tao did not know what Hwang Ji-yon was thinking in her heart when he retracted his hand and sighed. At this moment, he felt pity for her.

The celebrity that stood with so much glory on the stage actually suffered so much secretly. To maintain her fame, she even resorted to sacrificing her body. Just thinking about it alone was touching.

Upon hearing Su Tao’s words, Hwang Ji-yeon was surprised. She initially thought that Su Tao was lusting for her body. She did not expect that he was treating her. Hence, she lowered her head and weakly replied, “I can’t become a cripple! I still want to sing, and I can’t let my parents down. I still have so many fans supporting me!”

Letting out a sigh, Su Tao patiently explained, “Your mindset is wrong! Right now, your predicament is caused by yourself.”

“What gives you the right? You’re not qualified to say those words to me!” Hwang Ji-yeon sat up from the bed. Since she debuted, she has been doing her best. But fate wasn’t fair, since it played a joke on her just when she became an A-rated celebrity.

She felt depressed. Who could understand all the hard work she put in for her career? How was this man in front of her qualified to speak those words?! In order to become successful, she woke up every morning at 5 a.m. and started practicing her dance choreography. To increase her publicity, she practically ran on the road for all kinds of advertisements. To satisfy the requests that her company gave her, she even suppressed her own desires and even had minimum contact with her family. Not to mention that she couldn’t fall in love like an ordinary person.

“That’s where you’re wrong. I’m qualified because I’m a doctor!” Su Tao sighed as he continued, “If your injury was treated immediately back then, it wouldn’t worsen to this state. If you don’t see your fault, then it will happen again, even if Kim Jung-ho treats you.”

His words made Hwang Ji-yeon’s eyes dim, before she replied, “I can’t control that. The entertainment industry is too competitive, and you will be eliminated if you don’t dance!”

“Your reasons are of no concern to me! You have to promise me right now that you must obey my words if I treat you. You are to stop all activities for half a year to all you to recover!” Su Tao’s tone turned stern as he looked at Hwang Ji-yeon.

“You’re saying that you can treat me?” Hwang Ji-yeon recovered after a brief moment with disbelief in her eyes.

“Yes, I can. Your injury might be old, but it’s not terminal. As long as treatment is performed with sufficient rest, there is hope of you recovering completely. But if you’re not able to rest, then won’t all my efforts in treating you go down the drain if it relapses?”

Standing before Su Tao, Hwang Ji-yeon hesitated for a long time before she finally nodded her head with expectations in her eyes. “Alright, I’ll listen to you. If you manage to treat my injury, I will rest.”

Su Tao let out a sigh. He wasn’t a good man, but Hwang Ji-yeon was just too innocent without much experience. He could tell that Hwang Ji-yeon wasn’t experienced with a man, so he subconsciously felt responsible for her.

But part of the reason was Hwang Ji-yeon being a persevering woman with her own dreams.

If he had expected it correctly, he had already fallen for a trap. It was no longer possible for him to recover despite what Kim Jung-ho thought. Hence, he could only calm down and resolve Hwang Ji-yeon’s injury, since she was only a chess piece being exploited.

Letting Hwang Ji-yeon lie down on the bed again, Su Tao walked towards the wall and switched on the lights to brighten the room. After that, he started a massage treatment to relieve the old injury. Massage can improve blood circulation, and Hwang Ji-yeon was still young. Thus, she could rely on her own ability to recover. But as one gets on their age, their metabolism would decrease, and their recovering ability would weaken. If she waited at that time, her injury would erupt. Being crippled would just be the initial symptom, and if her condition was severe enough, her bone might rot, and she could only resort to amputation.

Closing her eyes, Hwang Ji-yeon became a little nervous while being in a secluded room with a man. But a brief moment later, she felt a burning sensation coming from her injury that made her heart calm down. At this moment, she knew that Su Tao was sincere about treating her.

This wasn’t the first time she accepted a massage, but it felt different from all those that she experienced. Because Su Tao’s massage had a rhythm in it, her body started to relax. It was like basking in the warmth of the sun. Compared to other massages, Su Tao’s skills were on another level.

At this moment, she even held some expectations. If her injury was really treated by Su Tao, then the initiative she’d taken earlier... would have all been worth it.

Despite the meal she ate, Hwang Ji-yeon could still feel the mouthwash lingering in her mouth. However, it wasn’t as disgusting as before. Her thoughts suddenly started to wander, but she immediately calmed her mind. Suddenly, she felt a light sensation in her leg and heard Su Tao say, “Try walking!”

When she tried walking, she did not feel the pain from before and a smile hung on her lips before gave Su Tao a deep bow. “Thank you!”

Turning around, Su Tao took a cup of water for Hwang Ji-yeon before saying, “I can only relieve your pain for the time being. I will give you some medicine later for you to brew and take.”

When Hwang Ji-yeon placed the cup on the desk, her eyes flickered with a complicated expression. “May I ask if there’s an alternative that can allow me to stand on the stage quickly?”

“Nope!” Su Tao took out a bottle from his medical box. It was something that he had concocted himself, an ointment for injuries. “Heed my instructions if you do not wish to become crippled.”

“How much is it?”Hwang Ji-yeon took the bottle from Su Tao. There was an evident improvement to her injury in this treatment, so her trust in Su Tao was at the pinnacle at this moment

“Forget the fees... I’ll offset it... with the service!” Su Tao coughed.

Hearing his words, Hwang Ji-yeon’s face blushed. Was that a service earlier? Perhaps Su Tao might have been forced by her, but he enjoyed it in the end. Looking at Su Tao again, there was a complicated splendor in her eyes. This man was more charming than Kim Jung-ho. At least he knew how to respect her.

“Su... Physician Su, I can stay if you need me for the night.” Hwang Ji-yeon lowered her voice.

“I don’t!” Su Tao firmly shook his head and continued, “Leave quickly, I don’t want to keep you here.”

His attitude made Hwang Ji-yeon disappointed. She was the hottest celebrity at this moment, and she had countless fans chasing after her. However, her brows locked together and she sighed, “I’m surprised that I do not attract you.”

Su Tao was bothered, so he chuckled, “You’re pretty and hardworking. You’re a good lady, but we’ve just got to know each other today. So we’re not familiar yet.”

After a brief stun, Hwang Ji-yeon smiled with self-ridicule and looked at Su Tao. “I gave you a chance. Don’t regret it if you don’t hold onto it!”

“Regret?” Su Tao shook his head. “I’ve never regretted my decision!”

Looking at the radiance in Su Tao’s eyes, Hwang Ji-yeon’s heart jolted as if she had lost her soul. She only recovered from the daze a long time later, “But I can’t leave now. There’s bound to be paparazzi outside.”

“When will the paparazzi leave?” Su Tao felt a little troubled as he knitted his brows.

“I don’t know, but they’re generally patient. They won’t leave without achieving their objective!” Hwang Ji-yeon’s mood sank, since even she had no idea what her management company would do to her tomorrow when the news hits the public. However, she was mentally prepared for the worst situation. As long as her leg was treated, she would be able to dance again. Worse comes to worst, she could transform her image into a mature and sexy celebrity. It was natural for celebrities to change their image in the industry, and there were also many successful examples.

“But you can’t stay in my room forever, right?” Su Tao replied helplessly.

“Let me stay a little more. I’ll leave when it’s about 3 or 4 in the morning!” Hwang Ji-yeon tried to negotiate.

After a brief pondering, Su Tao pointed at the bed. “Your leg is injured, and it’s inconvenient for you to move around. Lie on the bed.”

“What about you?” Hwang Ji-yeon blushed.

“I’ll spend the night on the chair.” Su Tao smiled.

Gritting her teeth, Hwang Ji-yeon replied, “Then, I’ll take a shower!”

Su Tao was instantly speechless. He felt that this South Korean woman was troublesome. Waving his hand, he joined two chairs together and shut his eyes.

When Hwang Ji-yeon saw how uninterested Su Tao was, she sighed and entered the bathroom. A brief moment later, sounds of water splashing along with Hwang Ji-yeon’s voice singing a song with a powerful rhythm echoed.

Su Tao immediately changed his posture. People say that women were generally trying to hide something by singing in the shower. Hence, Su Tao wondered if it was the same for Hwang Ji-yeon.

Roughly ten minutes later, Hwang Ji-yeon walked out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel. The towel wasn’t long and she was carrying her clothes with one of her hands and tossed them onto the bed. Crawling into the bed, she muttered some words before she switched off the lights and tightly wrapped herself in the blanket, feeling both nervous and hopeful.

In the car park outside the hotel, the paparazzi took a few pictures of the window. Although there was a curtain, switching off the light meant something important. It would tell a message to the public that Hwang Ji-yeon never stepped out of the room, even after the lights were turned off.