A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 219

Chapter 41: Crossroads of Choice (4)

Leaving the conference room, Jun-hoo strode down the hospital corridor.

Being acknowledged by Min-seok.

Being included as staff in a high-risk cerebrovascular surgery was definitely something to be proud of.

However, a nagging feeling remained.

The motive behind this surgery was impure.

To insist on a 100 percent direct anastomosis [a surgical connection between two blood vessels] for a child….

This is surgery to show off skills and gain fame.

If the only way to save the patient was through a dangerous surgery, it couldn’t be helped.

But Jae-eun’s case was different.

A hybrid surgery combining direct and indirect anastomosis could ensure a safe and good recovery.

Yet, Min-seok insisted only on direct anastomosis, which frustrated Jun-hoo.

Vowing not to become such a greedy doctor, Jun-hoo entered the on-call room.

Only Kyung-soo was in the on-call room.

He was busy entering orders.

“Anything happen?”

“It’s nice that you’re gone, no ER calls.”

“That whole ‘patient-riding doctor’ thing….”

“It’s *because* you’re a patient-riding doctor that it’s science. Why don’t you just accept it?”

Exchanging jokes with Kyung-soo, Jun-hoo sat next to him.

After the incident in the ER where a code gray [a security emergency] was declared, and a dangerous person took Kyung-soo hostage,

Jun-hoo became much closer to Kyung-soo.

They showed a chemistry like real colleagues.

Now, Si-ho was the only resident who was at odds with Jun-hoo.

In fact, Si-ho was the final boss.

“What are you staring at?”

Kyung-soo asked, noticing Jun-hoo’s gaze.

“Just thinking the scar on your chin seems to be healing well.”

“Oh, that? You can’t even see it unless you look closely.”

“Of course. Who do you think did the sutures?”

“Impressive, Dr. Seo. By the way, they were doing something weird in the conference room?”

Kyung-soo changed the subject.

He must have briefly entered the conference room and sensed the strange atmosphere before leaving.

Jun-hoo told him that he had been selected as the second assistant for the chicken wing graft procedure and moyamoya disease [a rare, progressive cerebrovascular disorder] surgery.

“It’s starting already.”

“What is?”

“The Seo Jun-hoo competition.”

Kyung-soo turned his chair towards Jun-hoo and stared at him intently.

“You need to handle yourself well from now on. As you continue to excel, professors are starting to take notice.”

“……”

“Professor Dong-hoon and Professor Min-seok, too.”

“So?”

“The more it is, the better you have to keep your balance. You could get caught up in dividing sides, or simply be used up like a disposable item.”

Kyung-soo’s insight was excellent.

He accurately saw the reality Jun-hoo was in and would face.

Kyung-soo’s sense of reality was second to none, even compared to Jun-hoo.

“Are you worried about me right now?”

“Of course, I’m worried. If you fall apart, it’s me who gets tired.”

“So, there was a practical reason.”

“Yeah, you got a problem with that?”

“No? Not at all?”

Jun-hoo chuckled.

Kyung-soo, who hid his emotions, suddenly seemed cute.

Although he was grateful for Kyung-soo’s concern, Jun-hoo wasn’t worried about the future at all.

Having experienced the Murim world [a fictional world of martial arts and cultivation], Jun-hoo knew.

The truth that the Orthodox Sect [a righteous martial arts faction] was far more vicious than the Demonic Sect [an evil martial arts faction].

The Demonic Sect’s law was martial prowess.

But the Orthodox Sect’s law was justification.

So, it was full of scheming, tactics, politics, and trickery.

Jun-hoo had survived for over five years in the Murim Alliance, where talented individuals who were top-notch even in the Orthodox Murim gathered.

He was also skilled in political maneuvering.

He was just a first-year resident now, so he was keeping quiet.

But even as a chief resident, Jun-hoo was confident he could stir up the department and the professors.

“Kyung-soo, you don’t need to worry about anyone else.”

“Why?”

“Just hold on tight to my line. Because I’m going to devour the department.”

* * *

That afternoon.

Sitting alone in the on-call room, Jun-hoo was practicing the Howling Moon Twelve Hand Forms.

Extending both palms into the air.

Drawing circles with one hand.

Grasping the air with his grip, and so on.

He was cultivating the strength and flexibility of his arms and wrists while practicing various stances.

The Howling Moon Twelve Hand Forms were essential for mastering high-level micro-suturing.

The foundation of micro-suturing depended on how delicately one could use their fingers, wrists, and arms.

That principle was all contained within the Howling Moon Twelve Hand Forms.

To others, it might seem like Jun-hoo was doing useless things, but in reality, Jun-hoo was taking a shortcut.

Unlike practicing with models, the Howling Moon Twelve Hand Forms could be practiced anytime, anywhere.

It indirectly fostered the ability to handle various suturing cases.

‘Is this the limit?’

After finishing his training, Jun-hoo looked down at his palms.

He had mastered the Howling Moon Twelve Hand Forms up to the 3-star level in just one month of training, but since then, his skill had not improved easily.

But there was no need to be impatient.

Mastering a martial art was similar to studying.

At first, you absorb knowledge at an incredible rate because you know nothing, but after that, progress slows down.

Everything would be solved with perseverance and time.

Drrr-

Just then, the on-call room door opened.

Intern Yun-sung hesitated before approaching Jun-hoo.

“Senior.”

“Yeah, what is it?”

“Could you see a patient for me? It’s Kyung-soo’s patient, but Kyung-soo is in surgery.”

“Give me the patient number.”

“10478965.”

Tada-dak-

Jun-hoo entered the patient number into the EMR (Electronic Medical Record).

The patient’s name was Oh Tae-sung.

He was 55 years old and had been transferred to a general ward this morning after recovering from a stroke surgery in the intensive care unit.

“What’s the problem with this patient?”

“His temperature has been slowly rising for the past two hours, and now it’s at 38.5 degrees.”

“Did you examine him?”

“Yes. He says he has chills and a headache. His side hurts a little too.”

Jun-hoo stroked his chin, examining the patient’s nursing records.

A rising temperature was evidence of an infectious disease….

After reading the nursing records and listening to Yun-sung’s notification, something came to mind.

“Yun-sung, what do you think?”

“I suspect meningitis. I already took a chest X-ray, but there were no signs of pneumonia.”

“……”

“If it’s not pneumonia, isn’t meningitis the only infectious disease it could be?”

Yun-sung carefully shared his opinion.

Yun-sung’s approach itself was commendable, but the details were lacking.

So, Jun-hoo decided to have a little more Q&A before giving the answer.

Teaching someone to fish was a much more fundamental education than giving them a fish.

“Then why did the patient complain of side pain?”

“That’s……”

Was it an unexpected question?

Yun-sung scratched his cheek and gave an answer after a long time.

“Could it be that his side hurts from lying down for too long?”

“Would a patient complain of discomfort from just being stiff from lying down for a long time? Have you ever seen such a patient?”

“Uh……”

Yun-sung’s mind went blank with Jun-hoo’s additional question.

He was flustered because his clumsy answer had been seen through.

This was a completely unexpected development.

Yun-sung thought that Jun-hoo would give him the answer as soon as he notified him, but Jun-hoo wanted Yun-sung to find the answer himself.

“I don’t know.”

“If you don’t know, you need to find out properly, right? Look at the nursing records more carefully.”

Jun-hoo gave him space.

Yun-sung took the seat Jun-hoo had been sitting in.

He checked the patient’s nursing records, scrolling down with the mouse wheel.

Looking once, looking twice…….

He strained his eyes to look, but it was all in vain.

Yun-sung couldn’t see what Jun-hoo was seeing at all.

Was this the difference in class?

“Senior, I’m sorry, but I still don’t know.”

“Want a hint?”

“Yes!”

“Urological system.”

“Ah…… It’s a urinary tract infection. Right?”

Yun-sung answered with a bright smile.

Looking at the nursing records again after hearing the hint, he noticed an item where the patient complained of difficulty urinating.

Difficulty urinating itself was a common problem in elderly patients.

But combined with the two symptoms of a high fever of 38.5 degrees and side pain.

It was possible to suspect a urinary tract infection.

“Yun-sung, you must have suspected meningitis because he’s a neurosurgery patient. You shouldn’t roughly guess the patient’s diagnosis.”

“……”

“If you’ve determined a disease, you need to provide proper evidence. Exclude what needs to be excluded.”

“Yes, Senior.”

“And you should get a checkup. You have bad breath.”

Yun-sung’s face turned red at the unexpected remark.

He wanted to hide in a rat hole.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t brush my teeth earlier……”

“It’s not a problem with brushing your teeth. I think you have a gastrointestinal problem, so get a proper diagnosis.”

“What does bad breath have to do with gastrointestinal problems?”

Yun-sung tilted his head and asked back. Jun-hoo’s remark was ambiguous, as if he knew it but didn’t.

“If someone who didn’t have bad breath suddenly has bad breath, you can suspect a gastrointestinal problem.”

“……”

“Doesn’t your stomach feel sour these days?”

“Yes, that’s right…… I’ll get a checkup.”

“Yeah, definitely. I’ll order a urine culture and urine catheter replacement for the Oh Tae-sung patient, so take care of it.”

“Yes. Thank you for your hard work, Senior.”

Yun-sung bowed to Jun-hoo to express his gratitude and left the on-call room.

Just then, fellow intern Se-ho was passing by in the hallway.

“Se-ho.”

“Yeah, what is it?”

“Do I have bad breath?”

“Out of the blue?”

“I’m sorry, but can you check for me?”

Because Yun-sung and Se-ho were very close.

Yun-sung, feeling embarrassed, blew his breath towards Se-ho, saying, “Haa.”

“You don’t have bad breath?”

“Really? Senior Jun-hoo said I did?”

“Blow your breath one more time.”

“Hooo.”

“No. Isn’t Senior Jun-hoo too sensitive?”

“Is your nose not working properly?”

“I have a pretty good nose, you know?”

“Okay. Thanks.”

How could Jun-hoo smell a smell that Se-ho, who claimed to have a dog-like nose, couldn’t smell?

Could he have mistaken his bad breath for another smell?

Yun-sung put aside his doubts and prepared for Oh Tae-sung’s treatment first.

It was a week later.

Jun-hoo’s words all turned out to be true.

Oh Tae-sung was confirmed to have a urinary tract infection and received antibiotic treatment.

Yun-sung was diagnosed with reflux esophagitis [a condition where stomach acid flows back into the esophagus] at a local clinic on his day off.

Everything happened as Jun-hoo said.

* * *

Having a good sense of smell is useful too.

Jun-hoo chuckled, watching Yun-sung’s retreating figure as he left the on-call room.

Although rare, there were cases where patients could be diagnosed by smell.

If you smell sewage from your mouth, it’s tonsil stones.

If you smell rotten eggs, it’s liver disease.

If you smell ammonia, it’s kidney disease, and so on.

Jun-hoo smelled a faint bad breath from Yun-sung, who usually didn’t have bad breath.

And that bad breath was a little different from the bad breath caused by not brushing your teeth.

How should I say it, there was a sour energy felt from the acid reflux?

So, it was reasonable to suspect Yun-sung’s reflux esophagitis.

The reason why Jun-hoo’s sense of smell was exceptionally good was, of course, largely due to the influence of the Murim world.

It was thanks to separately learning olfactory tracking techniques to track down wanted criminals or members of the Demonic Sect.

When amplifying the sense of smell with internal energy.

Jun-hoo could distinguish all smells within a radius of 165 ja (尺) [a traditional Korean unit of measurement], approximately 50 meters.

Tring-tring-

Just as he was about to take a breather, the phone rang loudly.

Annoying and.

With no one watching.

Jun-hoo used the principle of telekinesis.

Extending his hand towards the receiver.

He drew back the internal energy emitted from his palm with the Gyul [a martial arts technique] of drawing (吸).

Then, the amazing miracle unfolded.

Like using telekinesis, the receiver floated up and flew into Jun-hoo’s grasp.

Thud!

“Yes, this is the neurosurgery department.”

-…….

“You’re from the obstetrics and gynecology ward? Why neurosurgery……”

Jun-hoo adjusted his posture and asked.

It was extremely rare for the obstetrics and gynecology ward to call neurosurgery.

He couldn’t help but be nervous.