A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 303

Golf (3)

“Professor Hong, is that an urgent call? Your putting turn is coming up soon.”

“It’s all settled. An acquaintance was begging me to sign up for insurance. Surely, nothing could be more important to me than golfing with the Deputy Director of Medical Affairs?”

Hunsik flattered as he slipped his phone into his pocket.

He approached Deputy Director of Medical Affairs, Koh Sanghyun, who was at the tee.

The golf course was wide open with greenery. A chilly early spring breeze blew diagonally from the front.

Whoosh!

Thwack!

Sanghyun’s golf club drew a clean arc. But unlike the crisp sound of the swing, the golf ball didn’t travel far.

It faltered in the air and barely landed in front of the sand bunker.

The ball’s trajectory was too high, making it susceptible to the wind.

“Nice shot! Truly befitting of the Deputy Director of Medical Affairs.”

“Are you trying to butter me up right now?”

“How could you say that? With this wind, that putting is a work of art.”

After Sanghyun teed off, Hunsik stepped up to the tee.

Hunsik swung the golf club casually.

The ball flew off just as casually.

The ball landed about two-thirds of the distance Sanghyun had achieved.

Of course, it was all intentional on Hunsik’s part.

“Oops. Looks like I hit the ball too low. This hole is a bust because of the wind.”

“Even monkeys fall from trees sometimes. That’s not like you.”

“Can’t always play well, can I?”

Hunsik chuckled awkwardly.

Soon, Sanghyun and Yunho led the way, followed by Hunsik and Youngtae.

“Professor Hong, was that call earlier not from the hospital?”

Youngtae cautiously broached the subject, watching Hunsik’s reaction.

“It was from the hospital.”

“I thought so. Sounded like they were notifying you about an emergency patient. Shouldn’t you go back?”

“When is an opportunity to golf with the Deputy Director of Medical Affairs ever common? Where would I go?”

Hunsik frowned as he spoke.

While this occasion might be a simple pastime for others, it wasn’t for Hunsik.

Hunsik was staking everything on this opportunity.

It was the perfect chance to regain his lost department head position by impressing the Deputy Director of Medical Affairs.

How long was he supposed to endure being ordered around by a young junior sitting above him?

“Still, won’t there be problems later? If Sidaeck hears about today, he won’t let it slide.”

Youngtae brought up Sidaeck, the current department head and Hunsik’s junior.

Just hearing Sidaeck’s name made Hunsik’s irritation surge.

“What’s he going to do if he doesn’t let it slide? Is he going to fire me or something?”

“…….”

“You should think about it too. Is it faster for me to return to the hospital, or for the patient to go to another hospital?”

“…….”

“But I guess you, an internist with no surgeries, wouldn’t understand my feelings.”

“Whoa. That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?”

“Did I say something wrong?”

Hunsik’s bluntness made Youngtae click his tongue.

He kept his distance from Hunsik and walked on, keeping his mouth shut.

What a petty man…

While crossing the hole, Hunsik’s hands were constantly fidgeting with the phone in his pocket.

He felt a bit guilty for being at the golf course during his on-call duty, but…

There shouldn’t be any problems.

As long as that Junhoo keeps his mouth shut.

* * *

“Wow. Seriously, how can someone be like this? Is he a beast in human skin?”

After finishing the call with Hunsik, Junhoo blurted out what was on his mind.

He stared at his phone with a dumbfounded expression.

Not only did Hunsik go to the golf course during his on-call duty, but he also gave ridiculous instructions.

1) Transfer the patient to another hospital immediately.

2) Don’t tell anyone about today’s events, and only Junhoo should know.

In other words, he was only thinking about burying the incident altogether.

He was trash, absolute trash.

Among the professors Junhoo had experienced so far, Hunsik was definitely number one.

In a bad way, of course.

Should he follow Hunsik’s instructions?

Should he refuse Hunsik’s instructions?

Junhoo’s mind began to get complicated.

He had to make a choice quickly, either way.

The patient was running out of time.

The latter was the obvious choice, but it wasn’t easy to decide.

Since Hunsik was at the golf course, there was no one to perform the surgery.

However, Junhoo wasn’t capable of performing a spinal arteriovenous malformation surgery alone.

He had only just started studying the cervical and lumbar spine parts.

That wasn’t all.

The moment he chose the latter, Junhoo would forever be out of Hunsik’s good graces.

A resident being targeted by a professor?

It was no different than pouring sewage on his future.

Even if he was on a dispatched assignment.

But the latter was the true path for the patient.

If he chose the former, the patient would surely miss the golden time for treatment.

“Senior, I’m back from the CT scan. It’s really amazing, you know?”

Just in time, Daehwi, who had returned to the emergency room with the patient’s bed, spoke to Junhoo.

“It turns out the problem is really in the back, not the head. The diagnostic radiology doctor said our patient needs surgery right away.”

Daehwi’s voice rose with excitement.

“As expected, if you listen to Senior Junhoo, good things come even while you’re sleeping, right?”

“What? You couldn’t trust me at all before the scan, but suddenly your attitude has changed 180 degrees?”

“How could a chickadee know the aspirations of a sparrow? Haha.”

Daehwi smiled awkwardly and looked up to Junhoo.

The boldness to find the cause of the headache in the back.

The determination to push ahead with the examination despite the guardian’s opposition.

Junhoo was like a model surgeon.

Daehwi was convinced that even a 3rd or 4th year resident wouldn’t be able to pinpoint the patient’s condition as clearly as Junhoo.

That’s why he wanted to be more like Junhoo.

“But the real problem starts now.”

“Yes? What problem? We just need to go into surgery.”

“Professor Hong is on duty, but he’s at the golf course right now.”

“Yes? The golf course?”

While listening to Junhoo’s explanation, Daehwi’s eyes widened as if they were about to pop out.

“He even wants to transfer the patient? He’s crazy. Professor Hong.”

“That’s what I’m saying. It’s giving me a headache.”

“But… what power do we have? We have to do what the professor tells us to do.”

Daehwi said with slumped shoulders.

“Do you really think so?”

“There’s no other way. There’s no one to perform the surgery in the first place.”

“What if there was someone to perform the surgery?”

“You’re not thinking of doing it yourself, are you, Senior?”

“I wish I could, but I’m not at that level yet.”

“Then isn’t the story over before it even begins?”

Junhoo shook his head at Daehwi’s point.

It wasn’t that there was no way at all.

However, the only downside was that if he chose that method, he would become Hunsik’s enemy forever.

“But I don’t think I can do something that goes against my conscience.”

“Senior, what are you thinking?”

“First, I’m going to contact the department head and also contact the orthopedic department. The cervical and lumbar spine part is connected to the orthopedic department.”

“Wow! I didn’t think of that. If we send an SOS to the orthopedic department…”

Daehwi clapped his hands and rejoiced, but then trailed off as if he had remembered something.

“But then… wouldn’t it be revealed to the whole world that Professor Hong went to the golf course?”

“Of course, it would.”

“Senior, are you sure you’ll be okay if Professor Hong targets you? He’s known for holding grudges.”

Junhoo nodded instead of answering.

Why did he become a surgeon?

Junhoo had asked himself a little while ago.

The answer came from within that he became a doctor because he couldn’t bear to just watch people suffering and in pain.

If he transferred the patient in the current situation, Junhoo would be betraying the noble meaning of choosing to be a surgeon.

And Junhoo didn’t have the courage to do such a shameful thing.

“Think again, Senior. I know Professor Hong is a terrible person, but you should also protect yourself to some extent.”

Daehwi continued to speak rapidly, unlike his usual self.

“Are you just going to come back from your dispatch assignment suffering only misfortune? That’s not right.”

“Daehwi.”

“Yes, Senior.”

“I appreciate you thinking of me… but you see, I didn’t become a surgeon to avoid being targeted by a professor. I became a surgeon to take care of sick patients.”

Junhoo believed that even if his body was broken, his beliefs could not be broken.

Junhoo took out his phone and gave Daehwi his last order.

“Print out the surgical consent form and have the guardian sign it. I’ve already secured the operating room, so you don’t need to secure it.”

* * *

With Junhoo’s firm decision, the development took a rapid turn.

First, Junhoo called the department head to inform him of the situation, and the department head, who recognized the facts, directly arranged for an orthopedic surgeon to perform the surgery.

Meanwhile, Hunsik called Junhoo several times, perhaps because he was anxious, but Junhoo deliberately didn’t answer.

It wasn’t that he was particularly avoiding Hunsik.

It was because he thought he wouldn’t be able to concentrate on assisting with the surgery if he got angry while talking to Hunsik.

Thud. Thud.

On the way to the operating room.

Junhoo unleashed the Brain Nerve Stimulation Acupressure Technique [a technique using pressure points and internal energy to enhance brain function].

Zap!

The left index finger stimulated the frontal lobe where Broca’s area is located [responsible for speech production] and the occipital lobe where Wernicke’s area is located [responsible for language comprehension].

As the brain area resonated with internal energy, his mind brightened as if dozens of light bulbs had been turned on.

In that state…

Junhoo speed-read the cervical and lumbar spine secret notes of his master Jaehyun, which he had saved on his phone.

The brain absorbed knowledge like a sponge.

Each word was clearly imprinted on his mind like a stamp.

It didn’t end there.

This time, Junhoo’s index finger touched the back of his head.

He stimulated the visual center with the internal energy acupressure technique.

Then, the image of Jaehyun performing cervical arteriovenous malformation surgery was vividly reproduced before his eyes.

In that short moment of moving to the operating room, Junhoo absorbed all the knowledge of the surgery he was assisting with and even finished visualizing it.

The combination of internal energy stimulation techniques and modern brain science knowledge in the Murim world [a fictional world of martial arts and cultivation] exploded with amazing synergy.

‘This is enough.’

A smile appeared on Junhoo’s lips after completing the preliminary learning.

He was confident that he would not hinder the orthopedic surgeon in charge of the surgery, even though it was his first time entering the surgery.

A little later, the operating room arrived.

Junhoo scrubbed at the sink (disinfection before surgery) and wore a gown, gloves, and loupes [magnifying glasses] with the help of the scrub nurse.

Although he had become enemies with Hunsik, his mind was at ease.

Even if he could turn back time.

Junhoo thought he would probably repeat today’s choice forever.

“Doctor. You really stepped in it today, didn’t you?”

The nurse who was helping Junhoo asked in a pitiful voice.

It seemed that the rumor had already spread to the operating room.

“There are good things and bad things in life. I don’t really care.”

“Still. But doctor…”

The nurse hesitated before continuing.

“Yes. Please speak.”

“Professor Hong from the neurosurgery department is also a problem, but Dr. Namgoong Hyuk, who is doing the surgery with you today, is also not easy to deal with.”

“…….”

“His nickname is ‘Resident Killer’. He scolds you right away if you make even one mistake. He has been suppressing the resident doctors so much that the head of the orthopedic department has also pointed it out.”

“Then wouldn’t it be enough if I didn’t make a single mistake?”

“Hey, how can a person do that? And the surgery is not an ordinary difficult surgery.”

“You’ll see when you see it yourself.”

Junhoo smiled confidently.

Was it because he was close to the Namgoong family in Murim [again, a fictional world of martial arts]?

He also liked the fact that the professor’s last name was Namgoong for no reason.

Zhiiiiing.

The door to operating room number 3 opened.

Junhoo, fully prepared, went inside.

His steps were vigorous.