A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 205

Chapter 38: First Date (5)

Nurse Seo Yu-jin was captivated by Jun-hoo’s charisma.

Every glance, every action, every word he uttered seemed extraordinary.

Initially, Yu-jin had considered Jun-hoo to be simply eccentric.

He had performed chest compressions on a patient fresh from an endoscopy, insisting they were in cardiac arrest, and even identified himself as a doctor from Shinwon University.

But then…

The moment Yu-jin decided to summon security to escort Jun-hoo out, the patient, who had appeared perfectly fine, began exhibiting signs of cardiac arrest. His carotid artery ceased pulsing, and there was no indication of breathing.

A critical situation had unfolded.

What would have transpired if Jun-hoo hadn’t detected the patient’s cardiac arrest?

The mere thought sent shivers down Yu-jin’s spine.

The patient would have died, and the examination center staff would have faced severe repercussions.

“Hey! Are you still daydreaming?! Get the ambu bag [a bag valve mask used for artificial respiration] and defibrillator!”

Jun-hoo’s voice boomed, cutting through her thoughts.

“Yes! Doctor!”

Thump! Thump! Thump!

With Jun-hoo performing chest compressions behind her, Yu-jin sprinted to the station.

“Senior, who is that man? Shouldn’t we stop him?”

Junior nurse So-hyun glanced at Jun-hoo, her expression mirroring Yu-jin’s initial apprehension. It was the same reaction Yu-jin had earlier.

“The patient suffered a cardiac arrest. It’s a CPR situation.”

“Really?”

“Would I joke about this? He claims to be a doctor, so I’m letting him take charge for now. You run to the examination center lobby and get the defibrillator. Hurry!”

“…”

“Tell Min-sun to alert the emergency room.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Yu-jin grabbed only the ambu bag (airbag) and hurried back to the bedside.

The sudden CPR created a chaotic atmosphere in the recovery room.

The anxious gazes of patients awakening from anesthesia and the uneasy glances of the assistants were all fixed on Jun-hoo.

Yu-jin, too, placed all her hopes on Jun-hoo.

Despite it being their first encounter, she trusted that the person who had recognized the patient’s condition would take appropriate action.

“My junior has gone to fetch the defibrillator. I’ll use the ambu bag in the meantime.”

Yu-jin positioned herself at the patient’s head.

She tilted the patient’s chin to ensure an open airway and completely sealed the ambu bag over the patient’s nose and mouth.

Whoosh- whoosh-

As she squeezed the bag, air flowed into the patient’s lungs.

After several cycles of artificial respiration, Yu-jin observed Jun-hoo performing chest compressions.

Jun-hoo appeared remarkably calm.

He seemed to be maintaining his composure.

He had been administering chest compressions for approximately two minutes, yet he showed no signs of fatigue.

His stamina seemed extraordinary.

‘Is he an emergency room doctor…? He’s so calm and proficient at CPR?’

Jun-hoo’s clasped hands were precisely positioned on the patient’s sternum, his shoulders and arms forming an inverted triangle.

The pressure applied to the patient’s heart was both appropriate and consistent.

“Doctor, the ambu bag mask isn’t sealed properly. Make sure it’s airtight.”

“I thought I was doing it right?”

“The bag isn’t fogging up. That means air is escaping somewhere.”

Yu-jin realized her error upon hearing Jun-hoo’s correction.

The lower right portion of the air bag was slightly loose.

Air must have been leaking through that gap.

Wow….

He’s monitoring my technique even while performing chest compressions. Is he that composed and observant?

Yu-jin was impressed by Jun-hoo.

She firmly secured the air bag to the patient’s face and resumed squeezing.

But soon, a second critique followed.

“Squeeze the ambu bag only once every five seconds. Otherwise, it will cause hyperventilation. Are you nervous because it’s been a while since you’ve dealt with an emergency?”

“Ah. Yes. I’ve been in administrative roles for the past few years… I’ll be more careful from now on.”

“Don’t worry, the patient will recover. I can’t bear to see a patient die in front of me.”

Jun-hoo’s voice resonated with confidence.

Only then did Yu-jin understand.

The reason she had placed complete trust in Jun-hoo from the beginning.

Jun-hoo had been in control of the entire situation from the outset.

He assessed the patient’s condition, administered CPR effectively, and…

He dispelled the nurses’ doubts and transformed them into CPR partners.

In essence, he had consistently demonstrated that they could save the patient by simply following his lead.

“Doctor, do you need a break from chest compressions? Aren’t you tired?”

“I’m fine on my own.”

“Then I’ll follow your lead.”

Even though CPR had surpassed the three-minute mark, Jun-hoo insisted on continuing chest compressions.

Since thirty compressions per minute is the standard, Jun-hoo had already performed ninety compressions single-handedly.

Surprisingly, he showed no signs of exhaustion.

Come to think of it, there’s something unique about his CPR. The patient’s skin is rippling like waves.

Like a shiver, similar to when using a defibrillator.

Jun-hoo is using Internal Qi Emission [the projection of internal energy].

Yu-jin had no way of knowing that he was using internal energy to stimulate the patient’s heart, effectively acting as a defibrillator.

“Okay, that’s enough.”

Jun-hoo abruptly ceased CPR and straightened up.

“Wh- what do you mean? Don’t tell me…”

“Don’t misunderstand. It means the heart rhythm has returned.”

Jun-hoo smiled and gently placed the patient in the recovery position.

The recovery position is a posture in which a patient who has regained breathing and heartbeat but remains unconscious is placed for comfort.

Simply put, it involves turning the patient onto their side.

The purpose is to prevent the tongue from obstructing the airway.

“You’re perfect, even with the aftercare. Doctor.”

Yu-jin admired Jun-hoo’s expertise.

“Do you believe I’m a doctor now?”

“At this point, even a child would believe you, wouldn’t they?”

“You certainly didn’t act like a child at first.”

“I apologize. I initially mistook you for a strange person…”

“It’s alright. It was an understandable reaction. I was also a bit overzealous in my response because I was in a hurry.”

“Thank you, Doctor. I owe you a great debt.”

Yu-jin bowed respectfully.

Jun-hoo was the one who recognized the patient’s cardiac arrest and spearheaded the CPR efforts.

If Jun-hoo hadn’t been present… the patient would have certainly died.

As she relaxed and conversed with Jun-hoo, he suddenly focused his gaze on the recovery room entrance.

The reason soon became apparent.

Tada-da-dak-

Junior So-hyun, finally arriving with the defibrillator, and the emergency room doctor were rushing towards them, their gowns billowing.

“Haa… haa… Senior, what’s happening?”

So-hyun approached the bed, gasping for air.

“The situation is resolved. The patient has recovered.”

“Really? Already?”

“Seo’s chest compressions were incredible. It ended sooner than expected. You worked hard, so catch your breath.”

“Yes.”

Yu-jin patted So-hyun and listened in on the conversation between Jun-hoo and the emergency medicine doctor.

“What? Seo Jun-hoo, it was you again?”

“It’s been a while, Senior Jae-wook.”

“How can you come for a check-up and create a patient? That penchant for the fantastical is still going strong. The neurosurgery staff must be miserable.”

“And I’m not miserable? I encountered an emergency patient even on my day off.”

“That’s just your karma.”

After the casual exchange, Jun-hoo briefed the emergency medicine doctor on the situation.

The emergency medicine doctor nodded and moved to the patient’s head.

“I’ll transfer this patient to the emergency room. There are a few things I need to examine.”

“Okay. Thanks for your hard work.”

“Doctor, I’m sorry, but could I ask you for a favor?”

Jun-hoo approached Yu-jin and requested a small favor. Yu-jin nodded, agreeing to it.

Drrr-

The emergency medicine doctor wheeled the bed with the patient out of the recovery room.

Jun-hoo followed behind.

As the urgent commotion subsided, the recovery room returned to silence.

“Senior, I have a question.”

So-hyun, having caught her breath, turned to Yu-jin.

“What is it?”

“Why did that examinee have a cardiac arrest? It’s the first time I’ve seen someone experience cardiac arrest after a sleep endoscopy.”

“I have no idea. If I knew, I’d be a doctor.”

Yu-jin shrugged and stared at the recovery room entrance.

The answer must be known by the two people who just left.

* * *

Emergency Medicine Station.

Jun-hoo, already changed into casual clothes, was seated in a chair.

The last part of the check-up was an upper endoscopy. So, after changing and paying, he went straight to the emergency room.

It was out of a sense of responsibility to oversee the patient’s care, as he had directly treated the patient in cardiac arrest.

He didn’t need to worry too much about Ah-young.

Before leaving the endoscopy recovery room, he had asked Yu-jin to explain the situation to Ah-young when she woke up and to tell her to call him.

Jun-hoo stared intently at Jae-wook, who was sitting next to him, entering orders.

Back when Jun-hoo was training as an intern in the emergency department, Jae-wook was the chief resident.

And now, he was the real power in the emergency room, taking the fellowship course.

“By the way, I didn’t expect you to come to the examination center in person, Senior. There are plenty of residents below you.”

“The patient isn’t an ordinary patient.”

“Is he a VIP or something?”

“Something like that. He’s Professor Sung Gyu-sik’s younger brother from the Department of Hand Surgery. If something had happened to the patient, the examination center would have been in serious trouble.”

Jae-wook, having finished entering the orders, stared at Jun-hoo.

“How did you know the patient was in cardiac arrest? Usually, they would have assumed he was simply recovering from anesthesia.”

“I was lucky.”

Jun-hoo replied with an indifferent expression.

He said it modestly, but it was definitely not luck that he noticed the patient’s cardiac arrest.

It was thanks to the keen eyesight he had honed in the Murim [martial arts world].

Jun-hoo had a habit of paying close attention to the surrounding situation and analyzing every action of the people around him.

The Murim was a more dangerous place than the jungle.

Because you never knew who would throw a hidden weapon, poison the food, or launch a surprise attack from a hidden assassin.

Thanks to that habit, Jun-hoo was able to quickly detect and respond to the patient’s cardiac arrest.

“You were really lucky. For the patient and the examination center. You saved several people.”

“You were scolding me for being a fantasist earlier… are you suddenly praising me?”

“Isn’t it the doctor’s job to administer medicine after diagnosing the disease?”

Jae-wook laughed heartily.

Perhaps because the patient was safe, his expression had softened considerably.

The patient was currently undergoing various tests while conscious.

“How are the test results?”

“They should be back any minute. Let’s take a look. The electrocardiogram is normal, and the blood and urine tests are normal.”

“…”

“The chest X-ray is also normal? I thought there would be at least a rib fracture.”

“My chest compressions are not ordinary chest compressions.”

Jun-hoo showed off his easygoing side for once.

It was because he was in front of his close friend Jae-wook.

In fact, Jun-hoo’s chest compressions were the best in the world.

Chest compressions usually break the patient’s ribs.

To compress the heart and circulate the blood that had stagnated in the stopped heart throughout the body, it was necessary to compress the patient’s chest that much harder.

But Jun-hoo used his strength appropriately.

Instead, he used internal energy.

If the internal energy that passed through the skin and ribs made the patient’s heart squeeze, there was no reason for the ribs to break.

Not only that.

Jun-hoo operated the Explosion (爆) self-destruction technique on the internal energy remaining after squeezing the patient’s heart.

When the condensed internal energy spread in all directions, it had the same effect as using a defibrillator.

So, Jun-hoo’s chest compressions did not break the patient’s ribs and also served as a defibrillator.

It was truly a cheat.

“Well done. Well done. But… the homework is still left.”

Jae-wook frowned and stroked his chin with one hand.

“I don’t know why the cardiac arrest occurred out of the blue… what should I say when the patient comes back from the examination room?”