A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 149

Martial Surgeon – Episode 149

Chapter 27: Master (4)

“That’s an interesting task. I’ve never done such a novel training exercise before. Did you develop it yourself, Professor?”

Jun-hoo asked with an innocent expression, like a child.

If you can’t sew up an egg, you can’t become Jae-hyun’s disciple.

Anxious, nervous, on edge, hands trembling, and so on.

As if he didn’t feel any of that pressure.

Jae-hyun clicked his tongue inwardly at the nonchalant appearance.

“Is that what you’re curious about right now? You don’t think I’m joking around, do you? This is definitely a test.”

“I’ve never been mistaken. Not even once.”

Jun-hoo shook his head and continued.

“If used well, pressure isn’t a poison, but a medicine.”

“In what way?”

“The more you want to do something well, the more pressure you feel, right?”

“Of course.”

Jae-hyun nodded in agreement.

Even Jae-hyun sometimes felt burdened by surgeries, and even felt fear.

“Finding a way to maximize your abilities while feeling the right amount of pressure. That’s one of my mottos.”

“For example?”

“For example… when you feel a moderate amount of tension or pressure, you start meticulously considering potential risks, right?”

“…….”

“Then you can prepare for future misfortunes in advance.”

“Huh…….”

A sigh escaped from his lips without him realizing it.

This time, Jae-hyun was taken aback by Jun-hoo.

Using pressure as a booster…

Even Jae-hyun had never thought of such a shift in perspective.

Maybe that’s why, for a moment.

Jun-hoo seemed like an experienced, cunning surgeon, not a young man in his late 20s or a first-year resident.

“Well, you’re a unique person who came to me directly, so I guess you could think that way.”

Jae-hyun regained his composure and continued.

“To answer your question just now…….”

“…….”

“I didn’t develop this training method myself. I learned it from a hepatobiliary-pancreatic [liver, bile ducts, and pancreas] surgery professor.”

“…….”

“Do you know about the Whipple procedure?”

“Yes. I know about it.”

The Whipple procedure.

This is a surgery performed on pancreatic cancer patients.

Pancreas, bile duct, duodenum [first part of the small intestine], small intestine, etc.

It was the flower of digestive surgery, involving the resection [surgical removal] and anastomosis [surgical connection] of various organs in the digestive system.

A comprehensive gift set.

“A leading authority on the Whipple procedure said he was constantly training using this method. After hearing that story, I’ve been doing it steadily too.”

“I see. Can I take the test now?”

“As much as you want.”

Jun-hoo stood in front of the operating table.

He began to gather the surgical tools needed to suture the egg.

The suture was absorbable vicryl 4-0 [a type of synthetic absorbable suture].

The forceps were Steven’s eye forceps [small, delicate forceps used in eye surgery and microsurgery].

The needle holder was a Mayo needle holder [a heavy needle holder used for general suturing].

The scissors were dressing scissors [scissors used for cutting dressings and sutures].

In Jae-hyun’s opinion, Jun-hoo’s choice of surgical tools was excellent.

That’s because Jae-hyun usually sutures eggs with that setup.

For a surgeon, as important as their hand skills.

Having an eye for selecting surgical tools is important, and Jun-hoo seemed to already have that eye.

What a strange feeling.

I’ve never felt like this before…….

Jun-hoo seems to have some kind of special magic.

He was conducting the test to avoid taking Jun-hoo as his disciple, but.

From some point on, Jae-hyun was hoping that Jun-hoo would pass the test.

He was curious about Jun-hoo’s skills.

He was very curious about how Jun-hoo would grow in the future.

“Are you ready now?”

“Yes. I’ll start right away.”

Jun-hoo’s answer was, once again, unwavering.

* * *

Jun-hoo was staring at the egg sitting alone on the operating table.

The egg was fixed upright in an egg tray.

Whether he could become Jae-hyun’s disciple depended on this one egg, and Jun-hoo chuckled.

Isn’t this a golden opportunity?

Jun-hoo covered the top of the broken egg with the egg white membrane that he had kept separately on a gauze.

He then unwrapped the suture and gripped the suture needle with the needle holder.

Click.

With this, the preparation for the surgery was complete.

Since he only gathered the necessary surgical tools, the aftermath depended solely on Jun-hoo’s hands.

“I’ll start suturing the egg membrane.”

The curtain rose on the full-scale suturing of the egg membrane.

Jun-hoo followed the picture he had drawn in his head exactly.

The suture area was a total of 10 places.

The idea was to sew the edges of the egg, which had been broken in a circular shape, into a circular shape.

The suturing method was a simple interrupted suture, which is the basis of surgery.

A method of making a knot immediately after sewing one stitch.

Throughout the suturing.

Jun-hoo’s hands did not tremble.

It was like the robotic arm of a robotic surgery.

It was a natural principle.

If your hand shakes when wielding swordsmanship, doesn’t the trajectory of the sword change slightly in the middle?

To prevent this.

From the martial world, Jun-hoo used the Pyeong (平) character knot [likely a reference to a specific martial arts technique or stance emphasizing balance and stability] when using a sword with his hand.

A technique of using the hand.

A palm technique using the palm.

A finger technique using the fingers, etc.

Jun-hoo was proficient in various martial arts that used his hands besides swordsmanship.

This helped Jun-hoo’s hands move more precisely, faster, and more flamboyantly.

Creak, creak. Click.

Creak, creak. Click.

The sound of tightening the suture needle with the needle holder.

The sound of cutting the remaining suture above the knot with scissors.

The two sounds echoed alternately in the makeshift operating room.

Jun-hoo sutured the egg membrane without hesitation.

There were two key points.

First, suture the egg membrane tightly so that the yolk does not spill out even if the egg is turned upside down.

Second, control the force so that the suture needle does not tear the egg membrane when inserting the suture needle into the egg membrane.

Keep the key points in mind.

Deal with the rest of the treatment on the spur of the moment.

This was Jun-hoo’s attitude toward suturing the egg membrane.

While suturing, Jun-hoo fell into a state of ecstasy.

It was as if his hands were not his own. It was as if someone was moving Jun-hoo’s hands for him.

He didn’t feel even a speck of weight in the hand using the surgical tools.

Jun-hoo even forgot that Park Jae-hyun was next to him.

-You have to suture the egg membrane.

At this moment, Jun-hoo was only one idea, that itself.

It was a state of unity he had felt for the first time in a long time.

When he came to his senses, the suturing was already over.

The white egg membrane that Jun-hoo had sutured was wrapped around the egg, the top of which had been broken in a circular shape.

Jun-hoo held the egg in his hand and shook it from side to side.

He calculated how the egg membrane moved.

And how much pressure was inside the egg.

The answer was already there.

“Professor.”

“…….”

“Professor?”

Only after Jun-hoo called out several times.

Jae-hyun, with a dazed expression, came to his senses.

“Oh. Yes. You finished the suturing well.”

“Did you watch properly? You weren’t thinking about something else, were you?”

“To be honest, I couldn’t concentrate from the middle.”

Jae-hyun smiled awkwardly and continued.

“No, it would be right to say I didn’t.”

“May I ask why?”

“Because it didn’t seem like you were going to fail. I guess you were practicing suturing separately. I didn’t expect you to be this good.”

Jae-hyun said in admiration.

Jae-hyun didn’t tell Jun-hoo the tricks of the egg membrane suturing method, nor did he give him any hints.

To put it in perspective, he threw Jun-hoo into the wild as it was.

Nevertheless, Jun-hoo made the best judgment necessary for egg membrane suturing.

The shape of the suture that Jun-hoo has completed now.

It was the same shape as Jae-hyun had sutured himself.

The skillful hand movements were also comparable to Jae-hyun’s.

Even the time it took to complete the suturing was similar to Jae-hyun’s.

It took about 3 minutes.

It was a miracle that he couldn’t believe even after seeing it with his own eyes.

He’s a first-year resident…….

Jun-hoo already showed the appearance of a complete surgeon.

“I’m embarrassed that you praised me.”

“I’m holding back from wanting to praise you to the skies. Because I’m afraid you’ll become arrogant.”

“Since we have to finish the test first, I’ll turn the egg upside down.”

Jun-hoo held the sutured egg in his hand and turned it upside down.

The egg white membrane rippled, but the yolk did not spill out.

The suturing was perfect.

The white membrane, which had become taut, was withstanding the gravity of the egg contents with amazing force.

“I’ll push it a little harder.”

Jun-hoo, who had gained confidence, began to shake the egg up and down.

But that was the moment.

It withstood several shocks, but in the end, the white membrane tore and the yolk fell.

The yolk that fell on the operating table lost its round shape and spread out flat.

“…….”

“…….”

A moment of awkward silence filled the makeshift operating room.

Jun-hoo’s cheeks were already as red as persimmons.

“Professor. But I still succeeded, right?”

* * *

After successfully completing two tests.

Jun-hoo returned to Jae-hyun’s lab with Jae-hyun.

They sat on the sofa and faced each other.

“Now I have no reason to turn you away. It’s embarrassing to say this, but Jun-hoo, I’ll accept you as my disciple.”

“Thank you, Professor. I will never disappoint you.”

Jun-hoo bowed politely.

He wanted to bow three times like in the martial world, but he held back.

The etiquette of the martial world did not suit the modern era.

In any case, Jun-hoo felt proud to have the best neurosurgeon in Korea as his teacher.

What a great blessing to have someone who has experienced the path you will experience first.

“Professor. I have a few questions I’d like to ask.”

“As much as you want.”

“How did you choose to major in neurosurgery, Professor?”

“My father, who was working in a rural area, was in a car accident. He lost his life after being transferred from hospital to hospital due to a brain hemorrhage.”

“Ah…… I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to be sorry. It’s not your fault.”

Jun-hoo’s heart ached at Jae-hyun’s answer.

This was because Seong-ho was also a similar case to Jae-hyun’s father.

-The world is always destined to repeat the same tragedy.

Jun-hoo suddenly remembered what the military advisor of the Murim Alliance [a fictional martial arts alliance] had said.

The reasons why the same tragedy is repeated.

First, it is not easy to change the environment in which the tragedy is repeated.

Second, people who have not experienced the tragedy cannot empathize with those who have experienced it.

In that sense.

Seong-ho and Jae-hyun’s father.

Jun-hoo and Jae-hyun were the same side of the coin.

And in the future, the second and third Seong-ho and Jae-hyun’s father.

The second and third Jun-hoo and Jae-hyun will continue to appear.

I wish I could uproot this chain of tragedies…….

“Do you have any other questions?”

“Yes. I do.”

“I’m curious about your future goals, Professor.”

“Hmm…… This story will be hard for you to accept.”

“Why is that?”

“I’m planning to quit being a surgeon as soon as possible.”

Even though he was preparing himself.

Jun-hoo couldn’t help but be shocked.

The best neurosurgeon in Korea is thinking of quitting his medical career as soon as possible…….

Even though Jae-hyun is still in his prime.

“You look quite surprised.”

“I think you’re joking too much.”

“I’m not joking. At best, a surgeon saves one or two people a day. Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s not valuable, so don’t misunderstand.”

“Yes, Professor.”

“But you see. If you change the medical system, you can save countless people at once. So I’m going to rise to the top of the medical power.”

“…….”

“The primary goal is the Minister of Health and Welfare, and then the President.”

Jun-hoo couldn’t close his mouth at Jae-hyun’s ambition.

Jun-hoo and Jae-hyun’s starting lines were the same, but their destinations were completely different.

“In that sense, I’m very glad to have you as my disciple. You’ll fill my void.”

“Still, I think your skills are too good to waste.”

“It can’t be helped even if it’s a waste. There are things you have to give up in life.”

Jae-hyun’s answer was without hesitation.

He seemed to have already made up his mind.

“Well, it’s still a long way off, so you don’t have to take it so seriously.”

“I understand.”

“Shall we start talking about teaching?”

Jae-hyun changed the subject.

“Jun-hoo, tell me what field you’re interested in. Then I’ll focus on teaching you that field.”

“…….”

“That would be more effective than a forced approach.”

A field that you are interested in…….

Jun-hoo’s 고민 [Korean word meaning “worry” or “concern”] was not long.

He had something in mind.

“Then I’ll tell you the field I want to conquer first. That field is…….”