A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 115

The Great War (5)

Heavy snow was falling thick and fast.

The world was quickly being painted white.

Streets, trees, people, cars, buildings.

Snow fell impartially on everything existing on the ground.

The sudden snowfall caused chaos only for the management department staff.

The staff were busy clearing away the troublesome snow with brooms and snow shovels.

Time really flies.

Plastic Surgery Department on-call room.

Jun-hoo murmured quietly, watching the scenery outside the window.

A faint nostalgia washed over him.

He had experienced a similar scene a year ago.

It was the day he left medical school after taking private anatomy lessons from Professor Bo-sung.

It was the day he had used his Keumna technique [a technique using acupuncture points to quickly heal injuries] to fix a college student’s dislocated arm after a basketball game.

But the Jun-hoo who eagerly waited to work at the hospital and become an intern was no longer here.

The current Jun-hoo was at the tail end of his internship.

He was on the verge of becoming a resident.

“What’s this? Playing the winter guy?”

Soo-cheol, who was working, spoke jokingly.

“Did I look pathetic?”

“Well, not pathetic exactly. By the way, have you decided on your major?”

“No. Not yet.”

“There are only two weeks left. You don’t have time to hesitate.”

Jun-hoo smiled awkwardly at Soo-cheol’s urging.

He knew time was running out, but he still couldn’t get a grasp on it.

Which department should he major in?

“Jun-hoo, let’s think about it together. First of all, you’re definitely going into surgery, right?”

“Yes.”

Jun-hoo answered without a second of hesitation.

“If you stay at a university hospital, you can do high-level surgeries. Which department do you think can make money if you open your own practice?”

“Orthopedics and plastic surgery, right?”

“Okay. So the choices have narrowed down to two?”

Soo-cheol smiled and continued.

“But if it’s a department where you can make the most of your delicate touch, wouldn’t it be plastic surgery?”

Soo-cheol was trying to guide Jun-hoo toward plastic surgery.

But even though Jun-hoo knew that plastic surgery was attractive.

He couldn’t make a decision easily.

“Thanks for the advice, but I’ll think about it some more.”

“You finish your work perfectly, but you’re surprisingly indecisive when it comes to this kind of thing?”

“I don’t know. No department really grabs me. Sigh. I’m frustrated to death too.”

Ring, ring, ring~

The phone rang at that moment.

Soo-cheol answered the phone and responded casually before hanging up.

“A seven-year-old laceration patient [a patient with a torn wound] came to the emergency room. The area above the eyebrow was torn by the corner of a desk.”

For general wounds, the emergency room would handle the sutures themselves.

However, if the patient had a wound on their face.

The plastic surgery department would get a call.

Because the suture area was that important.

“Our Jun-hoo, available for dispatch?”

Jun-hoo nodded and lightly loosened his wrist.

“Of course.”

* * *

New emergency room nurse Jung Seo-yeon was paying attention to one doctor.

The doctor who had just arrived at the emergency room was tall and handsome.

He looked like a male actor in a medical drama rather than a doctor.

Was it because of his aura?

The eyes of all the female staff in the emergency room were on him as soon as he appeared.

Everyone has the same taste.

A smile leaked from Seo-yeon’s lips.

“I’m from the plastic surgery department. I heard there’s a pediatric laceration patient.”

The doctor approached Seo-yeon and spoke.

Checking his gown, the doctor’s name was Seo Jun-hoo.

“Ah, yes. Zone D, bed number 3. I’ll get the treatment tools and go there.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

Seo-yeon followed Jun-hoo, carrying a suture kit on the dressing cart.

Jun-hoo was lowering himself to meet the child’s eyes.

He was examining the wound above the child’s eyebrow.

The laceration was located about halfway between the eyebrow and forehead, and it was torn long, about two thumb widths.

The suture definitely didn’t look easy.

“Doctor. You have to stitch it up without a scar. It’s a problem if a scar remains on the face.”

The accompanying guardian subtly pressured Jun-hoo.

Perhaps that’s why.

Seo-yeon felt like the guardian was being a difficult customer.

How can you stitch such a long and deep wound without leaving a scar?

Doctors can’t perform miracles.

“I don’t want Hae-yeon to have a scar on her face either.”

“Then you’ll do a good job, right? I’ll come back to complain if a scar remains?”

“Yes. Please do.”

Jun-hoo answered confidently and scanned the dressing cart that Seo-yeon had brought.

“Nurse Jung. Could you change the nylon 5-0 to 6-0?”

“Wouldn’t that be too difficult?”

Seo-yeon asked back with a worried voice.

The higher the number, the thinner the suture.

The thinner it is, the less scarring and the more precise the suture is possible.

Conversely, if you don’t control your strength properly, the suture can easily break.

If Jun-hoo used 6-0 sutures on the patient.

He seemed like he would have a hard time.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s hard for me. What’s important is that the child isn’t in pain. A scar on a young child’s face can be a wound to the heart.”

Jun-hoo’s words were warm.

Enough to melt the snow falling heavily outside.

He’s handsome and has a kind heart.

This is a scam, isn’t it?

“Yes. Doctor. I’ll do as you say.”

By the time Seo-yeon brought the sutures, the local anesthesia was complete.

She thought the child would throw a tantrum because he hated shots.

Surprisingly, the bed was peaceful.

“Hae-yeon, how are you doing now? Does anything hurt?”

“No, doctor.”

“The doctor will finish quickly without a scar.”

Jun-hoo, wearing surgical gloves, began the suture.

Wow. This is amazing!

Seo-yeon was busy admiring Jun-hoo’s suture.

Jun-hoo’s hand movements were skillful.

There was no trembling and no hesitation.

He didn’t seem to feel any pressure even though the guardian was watching with fierce eyes.

The suture method was also unique.

Jun-hoo was not using the suture method that Seo-yeon knew.

He was trying a suture method she had never seen before.

What should I say?

It might be an exaggeration, but should I say the suture method is pretty?

“Doctor. What are you doing? You have to cut the knot.”

“Ah. Yes. I’m sorry.”

Snap!

Seo-yeon cut the first knot.

Then she cut the second knot as well.

As if gaining momentum, Jun-hoo’s suture became faster and faster.

A total of 7 stitches were sewn in 3 minutes.

The suture never broke or tangled even once.

The stitched area was so clean that it really didn’t seem like a scar would remain.

“Hae-yeon, it’s over. Can you open your eyes?”

“Really? Is it already over?”

“Of course.”

“Thank you, doctor.”

The child smiled brightly, and Jun-hoo smiled brightly too.

The expression of the guardian, who had been watching the suture with great tension, also relaxed.

Even in the eyes of the guardian, who didn’t know much about medicine, Jun-hoo’s suture was extraordinary.

“Thank you and I’m sorry. Doctor. I shouldn’t have been so harsh…….”

“…….”

“I had the bad thought that the doctor would do a better job if I came on strong.”

“Where is there a parent who wouldn’t be sensitive if their child’s face was scarred? I understand.”

“…….”

“You can get it disinfected at a local clinic every day and then have the sutures removed. It’s usually 5 days, so keep that in mind.”

“Yes. Doctor. Thank you.”

The guardian bowed again.

As the patient and guardian left.

The bed was empty, and only Jun-hoo and Seo-yeon remained in their places.

“Doctor. You’re really the best. I didn’t know you could suture with 6-0.”

Seo-yeon gave a thumbs up.

5-0 suture and 6-0 suture.

It’s just a slight difference in numbers, but the difference is actually huge.

If 5-0 suture is the thickness of a hair.

6-0 suture was twice as thin as the thickness of a hair.

That requires precise and delicate skill.

“I have to. If the patient and guardian want it.”

“But what if you had failed?”

“I didn’t even think about that?”

“What? Then you just recklessly…….”

“It would be difficult if you misunderstood it that way.”

Jun-hoo continued with a smile.

“I mean, I wouldn’t have even tried if I thought I would fail.”

“…….”

“I want to improve my skills and do more for my patients. There were too many people I couldn’t help and lost.”

A look of pity flashed across Jun-hoo’s eyes.

He seemed to have a deep story.

He’s handsome.

He’s good at treatment.

He has a warm heart.

He’s even a doctor with unspeakable wounds.

Isn’t this completely the male lead in a medical drama?

Seo-yeon’s heart suddenly started pounding.

“But doctor. Can I ask you just one more thing?”

“Of course.”

“What suture method did you use earlier? I’ve never seen it before.”

“It’s a continuous buried suture method. It’s often used in plastic surgery. It’s a suture method that minimizes scars and wounds.”

“Ah. I see.”

“Thank you for your hard work. Then I’ll be going.”

“You worked hard too, doctor.”

Seo-yeon watched Jun-hoo’s receding figure before returning to the station.

The meeting with Jun-hoo left a deep impression.

“Guys. Plastic surgery doctor Seo Jun-hoo. He’s no joke, is he?”

“He’s famous in the emergency room. You’re new, so you don’t know.”

Mina, a 3-year nurse who was working next to her, said.

“Want me to tell you something more interesting?”

“What is it?”

Seo-yeon perked up her ears.

“Doctor Jun-hoo. He’s not a resident. He’s an intern.”

“What? An intern doctor comes down to the emergency room and sutures a patient’s face? Is that even allowed?”

“It’s allowed.”

Mina chuckled.

* * *

After finishing his treatment, Jun-hoo didn’t go straight to the plastic surgery ward.

He passed through the lobby and stood in front of the hospital entrance.

The snow was still heavy.

The wind was blowing mercilessly.

Patients, guardians, and staff were busy going in and out of the hospital despite the bad weather.

Even though he was a “mal-turn” [Korean slang for an end-of-year intern], Jun-hoo was still not used to it.

The fact that so many people in the world are sick.

The fact that someone is dying even at this moment.

As long as you are born as a human being.

Birth, aging, sickness, and death seemed like an unavoidable fate.

Jun-hoo was no different.

He had already died once in the Murim world [a world of martial arts and cultivation, often featured in Korean fantasy novels].

And he would eventually face death in the modern world as well.

What mattered was what kind of life he lived before he died.

If he lived a life without regrets.

He would be able to face a death without regrets.

To live a life without regrets, Jun-hoo now had to make a choice.

He had to concretize his vague dream of becoming the world’s best surgeon.

He had to decide on a major.

He wanted to conquer all surgical fields, but (triple board doctors sometimes exist).

He had to choose a major.

A triple board surgeon was also just a process of expanding the scope of their major.

If so.

What would be the first subject to major in?

Orthopedics.

Plastic surgery.

Neurosurgery.

Thoracic surgery.

Pediatric surgery.

Gastrointestinal surgery, etc.

Many departments repeatedly came to Jun-hoo’s mind and disappeared.

But the choice was not easy.

No department ignited a fierce flame in Jun-hoo’s heart.

Which subject do I want?

Which subject will lead me?

In which subject can I feel great reward?

There were many questions, but there were no answers.

In the meantime, countless patients, guardians, and staff passed Jun-hoo and went in and out of the main building.

They knew exactly where they had to go.

Only Jun-hoo.

Was wandering around, unable to find a place to go.