A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 226

Chapter 43: Herculean Strength (1)

Zzzzzzz.

The door to operating room number 3 opened, and the staff streamed out.

Jun-hoo, bringing up the rear, stretched languidly.

A refreshing shiver ran through his entire body.

[Cerebral Aneurysm Clipping in a Pregnant Woman]

The surgery was a success.

Although the surgery time was 40 minutes longer than expected, the results were remarkable.

At no point was the mother or fetus in danger due to cerebral hemorrhage, increased intracranial pressure, or soaring blood pressure.

From the moment Jun-hoo reshaped the clip with his bare hands, the surgery progressed smoothly and relentlessly to its conclusion.

Jun-hoo was reminded that even when the sky falls, there is always a way out, as demonstrated by today’s surgery.

In fact, Jun-hoo had been greatly taken aback when he couldn’t find a clip to ligate [tie off] the cerebral aneurysm.

There was no such case in his teacher’s secret manual.

The location, size, and shape of the patient’s cerebral aneurysm were that rare.

However, Jun-hoo once again found a breakthrough using his unique skills: martial arts and internal energy [qi or vital energy].

Dragon Claw Hand.

That was the martial art Jun-hoo used while bending the clip.

Dragon Claw Hand was a finger strike (指攻) that infused internal energy into the fingers, turning them as hard as steel bars, and allowing them to pierce the enemy’s flesh.

Jun-hoo applied the Dragon Claw Hand to easily bend the clip.

The fact that the clip was made of surgical steel, a special stainless steel material, was irrelevant.

Internal energy was like a cheat code.

It boasted excellent performance not only in treatment but also in physical enhancement.

“Seo Jun-hoo, when did you learn to use superhuman strength?”

Si-hoo asked at the medical waste disposal area in front of the operating room.

Si-hoo was taking off his surgical gown, cap, and gloves.

The other staff members were doing the same.

Jun-hoo also removed his attire and replied.

“My parents said I’ve been unusually strong since I was young. I’ve often heard that I have a thick bone structure.”

“Even if you have a thick bone structure, can you bend surgical steel with your bare hands?”

“That’s right. I couldn’t believe my eyes!”

“I couldn’t believe it either.”

The staff members all looked at Jun-hoo, expressing their surprise and doubt.

“Well, I have nothing more to say. It just works.”

Jun-hoo acted brazenly.

There was no way to explain martial arts and internal energy anyway.

And there was a high probability that similar cases would occur frequently in the future.

So, it seemed useful to adopt the ‘I’m just this kind of guy’ strategy.

Then there would be no need to make up clumsy reasons or excuses.

“Could it be that you exerted superhuman strength because it was an emergency situation?”

Seong-eun, who had been silent, chimed in.

“There’s a story about a mother in a foreign country who lifted a car by herself to save her child who was trapped under it.”

“Well, that could be the case. But I had a different thought. Jun-hoo, do you know Choi Bae-dal?”

Min-seok changed the subject to Choi Bae-dal.

“I don’t know him well.”

“Well, you might not know him in your generation. Choi Bae-dal is a famous martial artist who founded Kyokushin Karate [a full-contact style of karate].”

According to Min-seok’s explanation, Choi Bae-dal was a legendary martial artist (武人) who was the subject of many legends.

There were rumors that he beat bulls to death with his bare hands and broke their horns.

And there was a case similar to Jun-hoo’s today.

It was the coin episode.

Choi Bae-dal bent coins with his bare hands.

“Wow. There was someone really similar to me. That’s amazing.”

Jun-hoo replied, pretending to be surprised.

Everyone was interpreting his performance on their own, so he couldn’t be more grateful.

In a brain science book Jun-hoo had read in the past, the brain has the ability to create stories on its own.

Everyone seemed to be making full use of that ability.

The staff members left the operating room, discussing Jun-hoo’s performance.

Numerous guardians were sitting on benches on both sides of the hallway.

Everyone looked anxious and on edge.

Jun-hoo also knew that terrible feeling.

He had waited when his mother had surgery for a subarachnoid hemorrhage when he was in high school.

How could he forget the emotional rollercoaster, where one second felt like ten minutes and hope and despair went up and down like a roller coaster?

“Guardian.”

Min-seok approached the husband, who was the guardian of the pregnant patient.

The guardian, recognizing Min-seok, jumped up from his seat.

“Doctor, how is Mi-rae?”

“Don’t worry. Your wife and child are safe. The surgery went well.”

“Ah… Thank you. Thank you, doctor.”

The guardian bowed to Min-seok repeatedly.

His voice trembled faintly, as if he was deeply moved by the news that his wife was safe.

At that moment, Jun-hoo empathized with the guardian.

He recalled distant memories.

In the past, Jun-hoo had burst into tears when he heard that his mother was safe.

At the same time, he had made a firm resolution to become a neurosurgeon.

Am I doing well?

Am I on the right path?

Jun-hoo nodded silently to the questions he asked himself.

The road ahead was long and arduous.

Brain tumor part, cerebrovascular part, stereotactic neurosurgery part, hand surgery part, trauma surgery part, pediatric neurosurgery part, etc.

There were still many areas to master, but he believed that he could overcome them all with internal energy, martial arts, and sincerity towards patients and guardians.

Jun-hoo put Seong-ho’s bracelet, which he had temporarily taken off due to the surgery, back on his wrist.

Hyung [older brother], do you believe it too?

That I can do it?

* * *

Basement 1st floor, restaurant area.

Min-seok was facing Si-hoo in a crowded cafe.

Seong-eun couldn’t join them because of her delivery schedule.

Jun-hoo had just gone to get his coffee when the vibration bell rang.

“What is Jun-hoo’s personality like usually?”

Min-seok asked.

Now that Jun-hoo was not there, it was the perfect time to talk about him.

“He has a kind and caring personality towards the staff, patients, and guardians. His work is, of course, beyond question.”

“Haha. That’s high praise.”

“It’s not just empty words. Other staff members would have similar opinions.”

“Really? Is he that good?”

Min-seok stroked his chin silently.

Who is the best resident?

If someone asked, Min-seok was always ready to answer that it was Si-hoo in front of him.

Si-hoo had a gentle personality but was as sharp as a knife when it came to work.

In particular, his assisting skills were amazing.

Securing the field of vision, managing bleeding, delicate procedures, etc.

So, even when he heard about Jun-hoo’s achievements, he listened with one ear and let it out with the other.

No matter how good Jun-hoo was, he judged that he could not surpass Si-hoo.

However, recently, while working with Jun-hoo, his mind was gradually leaning towards Jun-hoo.

Jun-hoo had a strange charm that captivated people.

In particular, when he recalled the image of Jun-hoo bending the clip during surgery, his hair stood on end and goosebumps appeared on his arms.

“Professor, I have something to tell you.”

“Tell me.”

“Is the clip that Jun-hoo bent really okay? I’m worried that there might be other side effects even though we avoided damage to the trigeminal nerve.”

“Side effects? What kind of side effects are you talking about?”

“For example, I’m wondering if the clip that Jun-hoo crumpled and thickened might be compressing the posterior communicating artery…”

Min-seok was quite impressed by Si-hoo’s point.

It was a pretty sharp point.

Min-seok had also paid special attention to that part during the surgery.

“It’s probably okay. Even if the clip is somewhat thicker thanks to the crumpling, the posterior communicating artery and the body of the clip don’t overlap.”

“……”

“Shall we check if you want?”

Min-seok took out his cell phone from his gown pocket.

He accessed PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System) with his cell phone and displayed the patient’s MRI image on the screen.

These days, you could handle most hospital work with your cell phone.

“The gray line here is the clip, and it’s misaligned with the posterior communicating artery, right? You don’t have to worry about blood vessel compression.”

“I see. I was worried for nothing.”

“No, you did well. It’s a true surgeon who worries about the patient even after surgery.”

Min-seok praised Si-hoo instead.

But Min-seok only knew one thing and didn’t know two.

Si-hoo’s true intention was that the clip that Jun-hoo bent would cause problems for the patient, causing Jun-hoo to fall into guilt and despair.

So, Si-hoo didn’t ask the question because he was worried about the patient, but rather because he wanted something to happen to the patient.

“Anyway, we should buy plenty of clips dedicated to cerebral aneurysms in the future.”

Min-seok continued to speak to himself.

“I mainly bought coils with high utilization rates, so when a unique case like today happened, I couldn’t cope.”

“Is this the first time for you too, Professor?”

“It’s the first time in my life. Well, that’s why a surgeon’s life isn’t boring.”

“I brought coffee.”

Just in time, Jun-hoo returned to his seat.

After handing coffee to Min-seok and Si-hoo, he sat down in his chair.

Min-seok thought Jun-hoo looked more reliable than usual, perhaps because he was the number one contributor to today’s surgery success.

If Jun-hoo hadn’t been the assistant, if Jun-hoo hadn’t bent the clip, the surgery would have taken more than an hour.

And that’s not all.

Thanks to Jun-hoo, Min-seok was able to avoid the dangerous procedure of reducing the size of the cerebral aneurysm by cauterizing it with a bipolar coagulator [a surgical instrument that uses electrical current to stop bleeding].

He was able to walk a flowery path instead of a dangerous one.

“Were you talking about me? My ears have been itchy since earlier.”

Min-seok chuckled at Jun-hoo’s joke.

“You’re sharp. It may be a little early, but do you both have specialties in mind?”

“I want to specialize in cerebrovascular part.”

Si-hoo answered first.

“Reason?”

“I think there is a special charm to cerebrovascular surgery. It also has the most emergency situations.”

“Of course. That’s why I specialized in cerebrovascular part too. Jun-hoo, what about you?”

“It may sound absurd and arrogant, but I want to conquer all specialties.”

“All specialties?”

Min-seok’s voice cracked in surprise.

There were six main specialties in neurosurgery:

Brain tumor part.

Cerebrovascular part.

Stereotactic neurosurgery part.

Hand surgery part.

Trauma surgery part.

Pediatric neurosurgery part.

Even if you only delve into one field, there is no end to it, but Jun-hoo was greedy for all fields.

His dream was too grand.

“Jun-hoo, do you know Professor Park Jae-hyun?”

“Yes. I know him.”

Jae-hyun was Jun-hoo’s teacher, but Jun-hoo did not mention this, because Jae-hyun had repeatedly asked him to keep it a secret.

“Professor Park Jae-hyun, the best neurosurgeon in Korea, has a triple specialty. Professor Daniel, the best neurosurgery professor in the United States, also has a triple specialty.”

“……”

“But you’re going to get a hexa [six] specialty?”

“Yes. I can do it.”

“Huh… There are many cases where you end up with nothing if you try to do too much. You should think about it again.”

Min-seok was sincerely worried about Jun-hoo.

Too high ideals tend to overwhelm people.

And Min-seok had watched a lot of surgeons who became crippled by their ideals.

That’s why Min-seok chose the path of becoming a snob instead.

“Thank you for the advice, but I have already made up my mind and have no intention of changing it.”

“I’m curious why you’re pushing yourself so hard.”

“It’s like an idealistic story, but I don’t want the patients I manage to pass away in front of my eyes, at least.”

“……”

“I’m so sick and tired of watching people die helplessly.”

Min-seok read a deep-seated resentment (恨) in Jun-hoo’s voice and eyes.

Perhaps that resentment was the driving force behind Jun-hoo’s growth.

I envy you. That upright mind.

I used to be on fire with a sense of justice and sacrifice like Jun-hoo.

Now those things have all turned to ashes.

Now I’ve become a slave tied to performance and promotion.

Seeing his past self through Jun-hoo, Min-seok felt like cheering for Jun-hoo.

“Okay. It might be okay to pursue a goal that seems like your neck will break from looking up at it. For at least one person.”

Min-seok paused and then continued.

“If it’s okay, I’ll introduce you to Professor Daniel later.”