A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 100

The Martial Surgeon – Episode 100 (100/540)

The Martial Surgeon Episode 100

Chapter 17: The Hunt (5)

After finishing his rounds, Jun-hoo was returning to the on-call room.

Midnight.

The hospital ward hallway was quiet and still.

Only the nightlights dimly illuminated the dark rooms like moonlight.

‘Well, this is just the beginning,’ Jun-hoo thought.

The first attempt to change Dae-jin’s inability to refuse was a failure.

But Jun-hoo was not disappointed or discouraged.

Personalities are not easily changed.

The same was true for Jun-hoo.

In the past, in the Murim world [a world of martial arts and cultivation, often depicted in Korean fantasy novels].

He, who believed in the inherent goodness of people.

He, who firmly believed that even villains could be reformed.

It took him years to change that way of thinking.

Dae-jin’s situation would be similar.

Creak.

“…….”

The moment he opened the door to the on-call room, Jun-hoo’s body froze.

He found Dae-jin collapsed on the floor.

The shock was fleeting.

Jun-hoo immediately took action.

He approached Dae-jin and turned him onto his back.

Jun-hoo had already mastered one of the virtues of a doctor: composure and equanimity.

“Senior. Are you okay?”

He shook Dae-jin’s shoulder, but there was no response.

Dae-jin’s chest wasn’t moving, and Jun-hoo couldn’t feel any breath.

This was bad.

A cardiac arrest.

“Nurse! Get the ambu bag [a manual resuscitator used to provide ventilation] and the defibrillator! Senior Dae-jin has collapsed!”

Jun-hoo relayed the situation to the nurse in the hallway and began chest compressions.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Each time Jun-hoo compressed Dae-jin’s chest, his body bounced.

Dae-jin’s face was pale.

His limbs were limp.

Dae-jin seemed closer to death than life.

While performing chest compressions, Jun-hoo deliberately avoided looking at Dae-jin’s face.

He felt strange.

He had done CPR many times, but this was the first time on someone he knew.

Perhaps the boundary between doctor and patient was only paper-thin.

Anyone who collapses is a patient.

‘This won’t do. Let’s use that method,’ he thought.

After completing one cycle of chest compressions, Jun-hoo began to use his recently upgraded chest compression technique. The pressure of his arms noticeably decreased.

“Doctor, we’re here!”

“Yoon-jung, set up the defibrillator. I’ll squeeze the ambu bag,” Jun-hoo instructed.

Two nurses on night duty arrived as reliable reinforcements.

“Doctor, should we switch? You look tired.”

Sun-young asked, holding the ambu bag to Dae-jin’s nose and mouth.

Sun-young felt that Jun-hoo’s chest compressions were slightly weak.

“No. I’m fine. Just squeeze the ambu bag.”

“You seem tired, and the pressure seems a little weak… Are you really okay?”

“It’s not that I’m tired, it’s just my method. Trust me.”

“Okay.”

Jun-hoo performed chest compressions, Sun-young squeezed the ambu bag, and Yoon-jung took off Dae-jin’s top and began attaching the electrodes.

Within 3 minutes of the cardiac arrest, emergency treatment was underway.

-Analyzing heart rhythm. Defibrillation is not required.

“Doctor, it says defibrillation is not necessary? That’s strange! Is the machine broken?”

Yoon-jung, who was in charge of the defibrillator, asked Jun-hoo with wide, surprised eyes.

Defibrillation is not necessary for a cardiac arrest patient who has just collapsed…

‘What is this?’ Yoon-jung wondered.

Yoon-jung fiddled with the defibrillator.

“Senior Dae-jin seems to have recovered. Remove the ambu bag and clean up the electrodes.”

Jun-hoo gave the order and checked Dae-jin’s condition again.

A clear breath under his nose.

The chest rising and falling again.

The precarious cardiac arrest situation was over.

The tense air in the on-call room dissipated.

“It’s strange to say this, but it feels anticlimactic. We didn’t even use the defibrillator, and the CPR ended in just 3 minutes.”

“I know, right? I was expecting at least 10 minutes,” Sun-young said, and Yoon-jung added her thoughts.

The CPR was unusual.

Normally, it couldn’t have ended this quickly.

However, Jun-hoo, who was solely responsible for the chest compressions, showed no signs of fatigue.

He was calling the cardiology department and wrapping up the situation quickly.

“He’s handsome and good at his job.”

Sun-young whispered to Yoon-jung.

“But even the amazing Dr. Seo couldn’t have me as his girlfriend.”

“Is this the time for silly jokes?”

“I’m sorry. I just wanted to lighten the mood.”

“Thank you both for your hard work. Please leave the rest to me,” Jun-hoo said after helping Dae-jin lie down on the bed.

That’s how the situation ended.

* * *

Cardiology ward.

Jun-hoo was looking down at Dae-jin, who was lying on the bed.

Dae-jin had already changed into a patient gown and had an IV line attached to his left arm.

According to the cardiology resident who was urgently called, and the results of various tests, Dae-jin collapsed due to acute heart failure caused by an acute myocardial infarction [heart attack].

Therefore, he would have to be hospitalized for a day or two to receive medication to open the blocked heart vessels.

The fundamental cause of the collapse was clearly overwork.

The time when the workload was highest in a doctor’s life was the first year of residency.

In that first year, he was also taking on Miho’s work, so Dae-jin’s body couldn’t have been healthy.

‘Still, it’s a relief that he’s recovering quickly. The new CPR was also effective,’ Jun-hoo thought.

Jun-hoo recalled the time when he was doing CPR.

-You seem tired, and the pressure seems a little weak… Are you really okay?

Sun-young had been worried about Jun-hoo’s chest compressions.

That was the key to Jun-hoo’s upgraded CPR.

CPR is originally about using brute force to compress the chest and squeeze the blood pooled in the heart vessels to the whole body.

But Jun-hoo replaced that role with internal energy [qi or vital energy, a concept in traditional Chinese medicine and martial arts].

Should it be called internal energy chest compression?

When the heart is compressed with internal energy instead of brute force, it was possible to avoid rib fractures, a common side effect of CPR.

In other words, the patient’s progress could be further improved.

“Senior, how are you feeling now?”

Jun-hoo asked Dae-jin in a concerned voice.

“…….”

“I know you’re awake, Senior. It’ll be harder if you pretend to be asleep.”

“…You knew. It’s embarrassing,” Dae-jin said, opening his eyes.

“I’m fine now, except for a slight tightness in my chest. Did I cause you trouble?”

Dae-jin scratched the back of his head.

“You’re still worrying about other people? Just worry about yourself now, please.”

“Anyway, Jun-hoo, thank you, and I’m sorry. I was too foolish and ended up like this. I really was a frog in a beaker [a metaphor for being unaware of a gradually worsening situation].”

“It’s not your fault, Senior. I know.”

“I couldn’t manage my body and ended up like this?”

Jun-hoo shook his head instead of answering.

He gently held Dae-jin’s hand.

In fact, the frog was not at fault.

The real fault was with someone who put the frog in a beaker and slowly raised the temperature.

“Now that it’s happened, take a good rest and return. By the time you return, Senior, a lot will have changed.”

“What are you up to?”

“I’m really angry. I have to show the person who made you like this.”

“Maybe… Miho?”

“Yes. I’m going to wage war with Senior Miho from now on. Instead, you have to help me a little, Senior.”

Jun-hoo briefly explained the plan to Dae-jin and left the hospital room so that Dae-jin could rest.

But just then, Miho, the culprit, was coming from the opposite hallway.

She seemed to have heard the news that Dae-jin had collapsed.

“How’s Dae-jin?”

“Senior Dae-jin collapsed, so now you’re worried? Or should I say nervous?”

“…….”

“Because the pushover who would do your work is gone.”

“Are you talking nonsense? You’re just an intern who doesn’t know anything.”

Miho retorted in a shrill voice, glaring at Jun-hoo.

But Jun-hoo had fought against demons at the risk of his life.

He couldn’t be intimidated by Miho’s threats.

“You’re the one who doesn’t know anything, Senior. You have no idea who you’ve messed with.”

“I can’t believe you’re saying all these things! Why is Dae-jin collapsing my fault?”

“…….”

“If he was having a hard time, he should have refused my request. Why are you putting the blame on me?”

“That’s a typical line that scammers use. The line that the person who was scammed is at fault.”

Jun-hoo was disgusted by Miho’s shamelessness.

She should be begging for forgiveness, but instead, she’s getting angry…

Miho was rotten from the start.

“I don’t know what you’re relying on, but I won’t let you get away with this.”

“That’s what I want to say.”

Jun-hoo continued in an icy voice.

“We’ll see who ends up in hell.”

* * *

The next morning, after the gastrointestinal surgery morning conference and rounds, Jun-hoo went to see Sang-hyuk, a 3rd year resident, and told him his intentions.

“Senior, can I take on the work that Senior Dae-jin was doing?”

“Huh? Can you handle the work of a 1st year? You’ll be busy with intern work.”

“Someone has to do it anyway. The 2nd year seniors all seem busy.”

“That’s true, but…”

Sang-hyuk hesitated, stroking his chin.

“Try it first. But if things go wrong, I’ll cut you off without mercy.”

“Of course.”

After getting Sang-hyuk’s permission, Jun-hoo moved to the on-call room and started entering the orders that were dropped during the rounds with Dae-jin’s ID.

Tap tap tap tap.

Jun-hoo’s fingers moved as dazzlingly as a pianist on the keyboard.

The keyboard sound was rhythmic.

The orders that had piled up disappeared in an instant.

Unlike other interns, Jun-hoo was able to handle the work of a 1st year resident.

He had gained experience by helping a 1st year senior in orthopedics.

With the addition of the hand movements he had built up in the Murim world, his work speed was amazing.

In fact, Jun-hoo even showed the feat of treating the orders he had entered himself.

He was doing both the resident and the intern’s work alone.

Since there was still time left, Jun-hoo built up his medical knowledge with the gastrointestinal surgery pocketbook.

Meanwhile, Miho was in the opposite situation.

Miho, who had her off days cut off due to Dae-jin’s collapse, was processing her work with a constipated expression.

Compared to Jun-hoo, Miho’s work processing speed was significantly slower.

While Jun-hoo was entering orders, finishing treatments, and looking at pocketbooks, Miho hadn’t even entered all the orders she had written down during the rounds.

Normally, she would have passed her work on to Dae-jin, but she couldn’t because Dae-jin was gone.

10 a.m.

Creak.

Sang-hyuk, who had finished assisting in the surgery, came into the on-call room. He approached Jun-hoo and put his hand on Jun-hoo’s shoulder.

“What? I told you to trust me, but you’re slacking off?”

Sang-hyuk’s tone was prickly.

Jun-hoo was looking at the pocketbook instead of working.

“I had time left over after doing all the work.”

“Did you finish writing the admission and discharge records, progress records, and discharge summaries? There’s a lot to write today.”

“Would you like to check?”

Jun-hoo displayed the patients’ charts on the monitor.

Sang-hyuk examined the charts carefully, then shook his head as if he was tired of it.

Jun-hoo was right.

Jun-hoo had already finished all the work that he would barely finish by lunchtime.

‘Did he have wings on his fingers? How could this be possible?’ Sang-hyuk wondered.

An impossible thing had happened.

Even if Sang-hyuk, a 3rd year, was doing the work of a 1st year now, he couldn’t finish the work at this speed.

“Miho, did you help Jun-hoo with his work?”

“Of course not. I can’t even handle my own work, so who would help who?”

He asked Miho, but Jun-hoo answered instead.

Sang-hyuk approached Miho and looked at the monitor Miho was working on.

His brow furrowed.

His chest became stuffy.

“Miho, you haven’t done this much yet?”

“That’s because I’m not feeling well…”

“Even if you’re not in good condition, this is too much. Are you just going to enter the rounds orders all day?”

“I’m… I’m sorry.”

“Even the intern Jun-hoo is doing that much, don’t you feel anything?”

Sang-hyuk scolded Miho for the first time in a long time.

It was a scolding that might seem ordinary, but it was the first time in almost two months.

It was a big deal.

-But Senior, is Senior Miho good at her job?

-When I watched her, it seemed like Senior Miho kept passing her work on to Senior Dae-jin.

Sang-hyuk realized what Jun-hoo had said in the break room yesterday.

Until now, he had thought that Miho was the ace of the 1st year residents.

He realized that it might have been a delusion.

Otherwise, Miho’s work ability could not have been so poor after Dae-jin collapsed.

“There was a paracentesis [a procedure to remove fluid from the abdomen] patient. I don’t know if you treated him.”

Jun-hoo added fuel to Sang-hyuk’s suspicion.

“There’s a paracentesis patient and you haven’t treated him yet? Joo Miho, is what Jun-hoo saying true?”

There was anger in Sang-hyuk’s voice.

“I was going to do it after entering this much.”

“You’re talking nonsense. You have to prioritize your work! Do the paracentesis right now. I’ll watch you, so do it in front of me.”

“Yes.”

Sang-hyuk took the lead, and Miho followed him. Now, only Jun-hoo was left in the on-call room.

Jun-hoo smiled as he looked at the door.

Everything was going according to plan.

Jun-hoo’s trick to scold Miho was…