A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 282

Knock. Knock. Knock.

A voice called out, telling him to come in, after he knocked.

Jun-hoo entered the chief’s office.

The first thing that caught his eye was the nameplate on the desk, which read “Lee Si-deok, Head of Neurosurgery.”

The nameplate gleamed.

“If someone’s coming at this hour… it must be Doctor Seo…”

Si-deok, who had been working, stood up from his seat.

He walked towards Jun-hoo.

A neat 5-to-5 hairstyle [a very formal and traditional Korean hairstyle, parted precisely in the middle].

A sharp chin and a sleek physique.

Glasses that gave off an intellectual vibe.

Si-deok looked young for someone holding the title of chief.

He vaguely resembled his mentor, Jae-hyun.

“Welcome. I’m Lee Si-deok. We’ve met before, haven’t we?”

“Yes, Chief. It’s an honor to meet you.”

Si-deok offered a handshake, and Jun-hoo took his hand. The firm, brief handshake seemed to represent Si-deok’s outgoing personality.

“Have a seat over there. Would you like some coffee?”

“If you’re offering, I’ll gladly accept.”

Jun-hoo sat on the sofa and looked around the chief’s office.

Si-deok’s office wasn’t as extravagant as the main hospital’s chief’s office, nor was it as simple as Jae-hyun’s.

It felt moderately stylish.

In particular, the orchid with yellow flowers was impressive.

“It must have been difficult to manage the orchid, but you’ve taken good care of it until it bloomed.”

“Do you know about horticulture?”

“I know a little.”

“Anything valuable is difficult to handle. Do you know why?”

“I… I’m not sure.”

“The answer is in the question. Paradoxically, it’s difficult to handle, so it becomes valuable.”

“…”

“If it grows well even when left alone, there’s no need to pay attention or give affection.”

Si-deok gave a pedantic answer and placed coffee in front of Jun-hoo’s table. Then, he took a seat across from Jun-hoo.

The rising coffee steam danced between them.

Small talk followed.

How was the trip, have you ever been to Daejeon, what’s the atmosphere like in the Seoul medical team, and so on.

Si-deok asked formal questions.

Jun-hoo answered formally.

In the middle of speaking, Si-deok dropped honorifics with Jun-hoo.

“Chief, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”

“Go ahead.”

Si-deok nodded, crossing his legs.

“Why did you specifically pick me to bring to Daejeon?”

“It’s a similar feeling to raising orchids.”

“That’s abstract, making it difficult to understand.”

“It means I felt a desire to recognize and cultivate your value first.”

Si-deok recited Jun-hoo’s achievements.

Assisting with the awakening surgery.

Assisting with the surgery that earned him the nickname ‘Morgen Tribe’.

Assisting with hand replantation surgery in the hand surgery department, and so on.

Si-deok knew almost everything about Jun-hoo. It was as if he was stanning [being an enthusiastic fan of] Jun-hoo.

Jun-hoo was grateful for the attention, but also felt burdened.

Because…

Jun-hoo didn’t know what kind of person the chief was.

Jun-hoo had learned painfully in the Murim [a fictional martial arts world].

That even among the righteous, there are treacherous and cunning people like the Demonic Sect. [In martial arts stories, the Demonic Sect is often portrayed as evil and ruthless].

And even among the Demonic Sect, there are people with loyalty and humanity like the Righteous Sect.

The distinction between right and wrong was never easy.

Therefore, he needed to know clearly whether the chief brought him in to use him.

Or to nurture him, so he could respond accordingly.

“Is there something you want from me?”

Jun-hoo asked head-on.

Si-deok laughed heartily at the resident’s uncharacteristic toughness.

“You’ve got quite the personality. How did you manage to endure under Chief Pyo, who’s such a penny-pincher, with that personality?”

“I only asked you honestly because you seem like an honest person, Chief. I apologize if I offended you.”

“No, you’ve got a good eye. I can’t stand beating around the bush either.”

Si-deok took a sip of coffee.

“I don’t know if you’ve heard the rumors, but our department is a mess right now. It doesn’t feel good to say it myself, like I’m spitting on my own face.”

“…”

“A second-year resident ran away a while ago. The state of the ward is a complete disaster. The surgery schedule is all messed up.”

“…”

“I’d like you to become a middle manager and normalize the department. It’s unsightly for a chief to interfere with the residents and ward work.”

“I know Daejeon was fine until last year. Why did the situation suddenly worsen?”

Jun-hoo tilted his head and asked.

He had heard it from around him.

That the state of the neurosurgery department in Daejeon had been terrible recently.

But he didn’t know the reason.

“It hurts my mouth to say it twice, so why don’t you check it out yourself, Jun-hoo.”

Si-deok smiled bitterly and changed the subject.

Si-deok promised Jun-hoo a ‘surgery ticket’.

If the patient is in an emergency and there are no professors, fellows, or senior residents available.

He would take measures to allow Jun-hoo to become the surgeon in charge, according to Jun-hoo’s judgment.

It was an unprecedented condition.

“Since you like surgery, I’m telling you to do as much surgery as you want.”

“I’m grateful, but are you sure it’s okay? I’m afraid it will be difficult to handle the aftermath if the surgery goes wrong.”

“Then I just misjudged the person. Who else can I blame?”

Si-deok shrugged as if it were nothing.

A cool personality.

Bold and uninhibited judgment.

Jun-hoo was reminded of Do Yeon-woon, the Azure Dragon Unit Leader of the Murim Alliance [a powerful group in the martial arts world], from Si-deok.

If Si-deok was really like Do Yeon-woon, Jun-hoo thought he could become a good partner with Si-deok.

“I will repay you with results that are equal to, no, unconditionally greater than the trust you’ve given me.”

Jun-hoo replied with a determined voice.

* * *

After finishing the conversation with the chief, Jun-hoo came out into the hallway.

He was curious about how busy and arduous the work was.

He was curious about why the department was a mess.

He was also curious about the condition of the patients in the ward.

As it was his first time in Daejeon, everything about the Daejeon department was a mystery to Jun-hoo.

After unpacking his luggage in the on-call room and putting on his doctor’s gown, Jun-hoo went straight to the on-duty room.

He needed to greet the department staff and talk about work.

Creak.

Jun-hoo stood in front of the on-duty room, and a young man was just opening the door.

Perhaps because Jun-hoo was blocking his way as soon as he opened the door.

The young man widened his eyes when he saw Jun-hoo.

He flinched and stepped back.

“I’m Seo Jun-hoo, a second-year resident who will be working in Daejeon starting today.”

“Ah… Yes, Senior. Hello. I’m Kim Dae-hwi, a first-year. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Dae-hwi replied with an anxious expression.

“Did you get a call from the emergency room?”

“No. It’s not that…”

Sensing something suspicious, Jun-hoo quickly scanned Dae-hwi’s body.

Dae-hwi wasn’t wearing a doctor’s gown.

The gown was hanging on a hanger visible through the door.

On the desk, there was also a pager and a name tag necklace that seemed to belong to Dae-hwi.

“Hahaha. Actually, I’m in a hurry to go to the bathroom. Then, excuse me.”

“Wait a minute.”

Jun-hoo grabbed Dae-hwi’s wrist as he tried to pass by.

“I’m in a hurry to go to the bathroom.”

“Don’t lie and come with me.”

Jun-hoo powerfully dragged Dae-hwi into the on-duty room. He offered Dae-hwi a chair and took a seat across from him.

Dae-hwi’s face turned ashen in an instant.

He dropped his head and trembled his legs.

“We’ll be seeing each other a lot, so it’s okay to speak comfortably, right?”

“Yes, Senior.”

“Dae-hwi, you’ve been having a hard time lately, haven’t you?”

“Who isn’t having a hard time? Professors, seniors, everyone is having a hard time.”

“No, if you’re having a hard time, that’s what matters. It doesn’t matter if someone else is about to die from exhaustion. That doesn’t mean your suffering isn’t suffering.”

“…”

“You were even thinking of running away. Isn’t that right?”

Dae-hwi was startled by the word ‘running away’.

Did he learn mind reading?

Dae-hwi was just about to run away as Jun-hoo pointed out.

He was planning not to return after escaping from the ward.

But how did Jun-hoo, whom he was meeting for the first time today, know that fact… It was amazing, surprising, and awe-inspiring.

“H… How did you know that?”

“Because I observed you.”

“What did you observe?”

Jun-hoo used his fingers instead of answering. He pointed to the doctor’s gown and the pager on the table in turn.

First, the gown was suspicious.

A doctor on duty never took off their doctor’s gown.

Second, it was also suspicious that the name tag and pager, which were essential items for residents, were on the desk.

These two things were items that residents should always have with them.

“If you’ve thrown away the things you should have… what else could it mean but that you’re leaving the hospital?”

“…”

“It’s okay. I’m not trying to blame you. Rather, I want to comfort you. You must have been having such a hard time, right?”

Jun-hoo’s voice was filled with pity.

Being a first-year resident was harder than being an intern.

And the major is neurosurgery?

The hospital was designated as a regional trauma center?

Moreover, the second-year resident had recently run away first, leaving a vacancy?

The workload and stress that Dae-hwi would have received as a result would have been enormous.

Dae-hwi’s heart must have been a pile of ashes right now.

“Sniffle.”

Dae-hwi sobbed. His shoulders trembled slightly, and his eyes turned red.

Jun-hoo’s heart ached even more at the sight.

Was choosing neurosurgery a sin?

Why do we always have to suffer like this?

On the one hand, he also resented the heavens.

“I’m sorry. Senior.”

“You don’t have to be sorry.”

“No. I think my heart just became too weak for a moment.”

Dae-hwi replied, wiping away tears with his sleeve.

“Actually, no one has ever said anything like you, Senior. Everyone just said that it’s natural for first-years to have a hard time…”

“There’s nothing natural. There are only things that we think are natural.”

“I’ll prepare for work again.”

“No. There’s no need to do that. Since you’ve already taken off your gown, take a good rest today.”

“What? No way! How much work is piled up?”

Dae-hwi shook his head from side to side in horror.

There was a mountain of chart work that needed to be processed right away.

It would take at least half a day.

In addition, he had to receive calls from the emergency room and see emergency patients.

He had to take calls from the ward and put in orders.

If he even did rounds in the ward and intensive care unit, time would be even more insufficient.

It was arithmetically impossible for Jun-hoo to handle all that work alone.

“That’s what you think. First, write down a list of things you need to do.”

“Yes.”

Dae-hwi wrote down the contents in a notebook and handed it to Jun-hoo.

Jun-hoo scanned the notebook.

Indeed, there was a reason why Dae-hwi was making such a fuss.

Tiny letters filled a page of the notebook.

The workload was murderous.

Because there was a shortage of resident T.O [Table of Organization, referring to available positions], the work had been piling up for days.

“Okay. I got it, so go. Go out and buy something delicious to eat, and scrub off some dirt at the bathhouse.”

“No way. How can I dump all the work on a senior who just came? I can never do that.”

Dae-hwi resisted with an expression that he wouldn’t leave.

Jun-hoo thought that if a friend like this was planning to run away, the Daejeon department was in even more of a mess than he had expected.

“Dae-hwi.”

“Yes, Senior.”

“About the work you wrote down here.”

Jun-hoo shook the notebook and continued.

“I can finish it all in 2 hours by myself.”

“All this in just 2 hours? No way!”

Dae-hwi strongly denied it, but Jun-hoo went even further.

“Okay. To be honest, 2 hours is difficult… it’ll be over in 1 hour and 30 minutes.”