A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 152

Martial Surgeon – Episode 152

Chapter 28: A New Wind (2)

Neurosurgery on-call room.

It was a rare, leisurely dawn without any emergency room calls or station calls, and Jun-hoo was awake.

Even though it wasn’t Jun-hoo’s on-call duty.

Min-kyung was watching Jun-hoo, who was staring at the monitor.

Jun-hoo’s eyes were sharp and serious. There wasn’t a hint of sleepiness in his expression.

‘I can’t help him, no matter what.’

Min-kyung chuckled to herself.

Jun-hoo’s eccentric behavior wasn’t new.

Like studying all night in the on-call room even when he wasn’t on duty.

Or finishing order entries that would take others over an hour in just 10 minutes.

Or succeeding in various treatments with unbelievable dexterity, and so on.

But perhaps it was because they had been working together for about two months.

Min-kyung had completely adapted to Jun-hoo’s eccentricities and achievements.

Now, no matter what Jun-hoo did, she just accepted it.

No, maybe.

Min-kyung thought that perhaps she hadn’t adapted to Jun-hoo, but rather had been tamed by him.

Min-kyung rested her chin on her hand and continued to gaze at Jun-hoo.

A face that could rival an actor.

Eyes and expression filled with passionate study.

If other female staff members were in this position, they would surely be green with envy.

For example.

It was like having a seat in the front row at a concert, being able to see your favorite idol with your own eyes.

However, Min-kyung didn’t fall into such sweet emotions as she gazed at Jun-hoo.

Instead, Min-kyung felt sorry for Jun-hoo.

Jun-hoo was intense every day.

Jun-hoo was desperate every day.

He was handling his work perfectly, but he was always whipping himself onward, heading somewhere.

His appearance was just like Sisyphus from Greek and Roman mythology.

Cursed by the gods, unable to rest, pushing a huge rock up a hill for eternity.

Surely, he must be afraid?

Of losing another precious person?

Min-kyung’s gaze moved to the bracelet Jun-hoo was wearing.

Min-kyung knew the heartbreaking story behind the bracelet.

“Senior, is there something interesting on my face?”

Perhaps he felt Min-kyung’s gaze.

Jun-hoo asked jokingly with a smile.

“You yourself are a great spectacle. Do you know what the nurses call you?”

“I know, so please don’t.”

“I don’t want to? I’m going to?”

“Ugh… please. I’m begging you.”

“Mr. Healing Camp. Please let me heal.”

At Min-kyung’s words, Jun-hoo grimaced and shuddered.

Healing Camp.

It was Jun-hoo’s nickname among the nurses.

Just looking at Jun-hoo’s face is healing. Jun-hoo handles difficult patients and guardians, so it’s healing.

Mixed with these two meanings, Jun-hoo’s nickname recently solidified as Healing Camp.

“Please let me live and die according to my lifespan. I don’t want to die of shame.”

“Then don’t mess with me.”

“I didn’t mess with you.”

“You’re messing with me now. But Jun-hoo.”

“Yes, Senior.”

“…No, never mind.”

Min-kyung shook her head and held back her words. There was something she wanted to advise, but she didn’t.

Even if Min-kyung advised him, Jun-hoo wouldn’t listen.

Sisyphus would not stop pushing the huge rock up the steep hill.

That was Jun-hoo’s essence.

“They say there’s nothing more cruel than stopping in the middle of a sentence.”

“See? You’re messing with me again. Healing Camp…”

“I’m sorry.”

The short, joking conversation ended.

Jun-hoo returned to his studies, looking at the monitor again, and Min-kyung also looked at the monitor for work.

I guess all I can do is support you.

Don’t kneel.

Don’t fall.

Go as far as you can.

Min-kyung inwardly blessed Jun-hoo’s future.

* * *

The next day.

The medical staff gathered in the conference room for the morning conference.

Led by the chief resident.

The briefing on hospitalized patients was in full swing.

Meanwhile, Jun-hoo was looking at the middle-aged professor sitting across from him.

Shin Dong-hoon.

A man with a wide forehead, angular face, and stubborn-looking eyes.

Shin Dong-hoon was an associate professor who had newly joined the neurosurgery department four days ago.

His specialty was brain tumors.

He had been working at the Busan branch and was called to Seoul by the head of the department.

The reason Jun-hoo was paying attention to Dong-hoon was different…

Today was Dong-hoon’s debut stage.

In other words, Jun-hoo was going in as an assistant for Dong-hoon’s first surgery in Seoul.

Jun-hoo was curious about Dong-hoon’s veiled skills.

“Professor Shin.”

As the surgical schedule was being finalized, the head of the department called Dong-hoon’s name.

“Yes, Doctor.”

“You have your first surgery today. Are you well prepared?”

“Rather than needing special preparation, I think I just need to do what I’ve been doing.”

“Professor Shin is so full of confidence, I like that. That’s why I specially scouted and brought Professor Shin here.”

The head of the department threw a meaningful remark with a broad smile.

“I hope I won’t be disappointed in Professor Shin.”

“Of course.”

While the side remarks were being made, the meeting proceeded as normal.

During that time, Jun-hoo was looking down at the surgical schedule.

He was selectively examining only those related to brain tumor surgery.

Perhaps it was thanks to memorizing all of Master Jae-hyun’s brain tumor secrets over two months.

Just by looking at the name of the surgery, the surgical process was visible at a glance.

Where the most caution should be taken during the surgery.

How to deal with problems if they arise.

What treatments are helpful for recovery, and so on.

However, the only unfortunate thing was that he was still a resident and couldn’t perform the surgery himself.

Rustle.

After the morning conference ended.

The medical staff began to line up in the hallway.

Min-kyung was standing next to Jun-hoo.

“Senior, you have the meningioma assist today, right?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“When resecting the tumor, nerves related to alexia [loss of reading ability] can be damaged. Be careful when assisting.”

“…”

“ACA [anterior cerebral artery] and microvascular bleeding also occur frequently, so don’t panic.”

“…”

“It’s more effective to use bleeding gauze than cauterization at that time.”

“How do you know that?”

Min-kyung widened her eyes and asked back.

Jun-hoo’s advice was very specific and included content not found in textbooks.

“Um… well… I’ve been in as an assistant for meningioma surgery before. If you follow my advice, you’ll be loved by the professor.”

“Okay, thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Min-kyung winked.

Jun-hoo shared the secrets Jae-hyun had taught him with Min-kyung.

This way, he could increase the completeness of other surgeries without breaking his promise with Jae-hyun.

Above all, it would ultimately help treat patients.

“Let’s start rounds.”

At the shout of the head of the department standing in the front row, the staff began to walk down the hospital ward hallway.

Although he was at the very back.

This sight seemed like a spectacle to Jun-hoo in its own way.

Come to think of it, in some ways, today is my first surgical assist too.

Doing a brain tumor assist after fully mastering my teacher’s secrets.

I have to show my skills properly.

Jun-hoo was overflowing with motivation just thinking about the surgery that was right around the corner.

Jun-hoo was a natural-born surgeon.

* * *

Scrub. Scrub. Scrub.

Jun-hoo was scrubbing (pre-operative disinfection) at the sink in the operating room.

He was diligently rubbing his fingers, nails, and wrists with a brush soaked in disinfectant.

Swish.

The disinfectant was washed away with running water.

Then, the white, cracked skin and red spots on the back of his hand became clearly visible.

It was eczema.

An occupational disease and a proud badge of honor for surgeons caused by scrubbing.

“We both need to be a little nervous today. We’re operating with a professor we’ve never seen before, and the surgery itself isn’t easy, geez…”

Hee-joon, who was scrubbing next to him, said a word.

Hee-joon was the first assist for today’s surgery.

Jun-hoo was the second.

“Yeah, I know. The professor doesn’t seem easy to deal with.”

“Right? I was thinking the same thing. I feel like he’s a tiger-style person. Anyway, please take care of me today.”

“I should be the one saying that.”

After chatting with Hee-joon, Jun-hoo moved to operating room number 2.

With the help of the scrub nurse, he put on a surgical gown, surgical cap, gloves, and mask.

Whirr.

White disinfectant in the form of smoke pouring from the ceiling.

The operating room, which he entered after an air shower, was already prepared for surgery.

The intern who had arrived earlier had done the basic setup.

Thud. Thud.

The two stood in front of the operating table.

The patient lying on the operating table after undergoing general anesthesia was a 60-year-old man suffering from an anaplastic astrocytoma.

In terms of brain tumor grade, it was stage 3.

The tumor was located in the occipital lobe and was quite large, measuring 3cm x 3cm.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Sung-tae must have been out of it.”

“Yeah, I know. The position is a mess and there aren’t enough surgical tools. I’ll tell him off after the surgery.”

Jun-hoo carefully changed the patient’s position from supine (lying straight on his back, looking at the ceiling) to prone (lying face down).

Because the occipital region had to be incised.

The patient had to be in a prone position.

The intern, Sung-tae, had forgotten that point.

After changing the position.

The two busily prepared the rest of the surgery.

They gathered the missing surgical tools and supplies, set up the navigation system, and connected the electroencephalogram.

They also adjusted the magnification of the micro microscope hanging from the ceiling.

About 10 minutes passed like that.

The operating room door opened and the surgeon, Dong-hoon, appeared.

“Have you arrived, Professor?”

“Have you arrived, Professor?”

In response to Jun-hoo and Hee-joon’s greetings, Dong-hoon silently nodded.

He stood in the surgeon’s position and meticulously checked the surgical setup that the two had prepared.

Hee-joon was very nervous, afraid of being caught doing something wrong.

Jun-hoo, on the other hand, was full of composure.

“You two.”

Dong-hoon looked at the two and slowly began to speak.

“Fortunately, you’ve got the basics down.”

* * *

The curtain rose on the astrocytoma removal surgery.

Dong-hoon guarded the surgeon’s position, and the scrub nurse stood next to him.

Hee-joon was opposite Dong-hoon, and Jun-hoo was next to Hee-joon.

Swish.

Swish.

Jun-hoo used forceps to grab a cotton ball soaked in povidone solution and disinfected the back of the patient’s head.

He covered it with a surgical drape.

As soon as Jun-hoo’s treatment was finished, Hee-joon stepped up as if he had been waiting.

Using a magic marker and ruler, he drew a square on the back of the patient’s head.

He adjusted the size and scope of the incision.

The two had worked together frequently, so they were in perfect sync.

But just as the scalp incision was about to begin.

“Dr. Lee. Are you kidding me right now?!”

Dong-hoon’s shout echoed loudly throughout the operating room.

Dong-hoon didn’t even receive the scalpel that the scrub nurse handed him.

The operating room instantly turned cold.

However, the scrub nurse only tilted her head, not knowing why.

Hee-joon also seemed flustered by Dong-hoon’s sudden scolding.

The only ones who knew the reason for the scolding in this place were Dong-hoon and Jun-hoo.

“Doctor. You just touched the operating table with your hand. I think you did it unconsciously…”

“Ah… I’m sorry. I did it without realizing it… I’ll go change my gloves.”

The scrub nurse blushed at Jun-hoo’s remark.

She hurriedly left her position.

Touching the operating table was a forbidden act because of the risk of infection and contamination.

“Jun-hoo, was it?”

Dong-hoon’s gaze rested on Jun-hoo.

“Yes, Professor.”

“You have a good eye. You can notice even the minor actions of other staff members.”

“I think it’s become a habit.”

Jun-hoo smiled awkwardly.

Jun-hoo had been eating sword rice [surviving by the sword] for 20 years in the Murim world [martial arts world].

He was skilled at observing and capturing the actions and habits of his opponents.

If he didn’t, he would lose his life during battles with the Demonic Sect.

“I’m sorry. I’ll be careful in the future.”

With the scrub nurse returning after changing her gloves, the surgery resumed.

Scalp incision.

Securing the primary surgical field with a retractor.

Drilling holes in the skull.

Cutting the skull with a craniotome, and so on.

The surgical process continued smoothly.

He had a feeling from the moment he caught the scrub nurse touching the operating table.

Dong-hoon was indeed an excellent surgeon.

The head of the department was right to scout and bring him in.

His hand movements were clean and precise.

He used the scalpel and drill as easily as chopsticks.

He had as little hand tremor as Jun-hoo and finished most treatments in one go.

And he didn’t look back on the treatments he had finished.

That meant he trusted his skills that much.

However, the disadvantage was that there was no communication with the staff.

Dong-hoon didn’t give separate instructions to Hee-joon or Jun-hoo.

It seemed like he wanted the assistants to do well on their own.

It seemed like he was annoyed by communication.

Hee-joon seemed to be intimidated and nervous by Dong-hoon, but Jun-hoo was the opposite.

Jun-hoo liked Dong-hoon’s style even more.

He realized that as long as he did his job well, Dong-hoon would never touch him.

About 30 minutes after the start of the surgery.

As the dura mater, arachnoid membrane, and pia mater were sequentially incised, the wrinkled brain.

The brain, like a giant walnut, revealed its appearance.

In response, Jun-hoo grabbed the brain retractor.

“Jun-hoo, stay still. Don’t you know that professors are most sensitive when retracting the brain? They’ll scold you if you damage the nerves.”

“…”

“The amount of brain retraction also varies from professor to professor.”

Hee-joon stopped Jun-hoo with a whisper.

“It’s okay. I know the optimal retraction width.”

Jun-hoo also whispered and smiled brightly.

Jun-hoo had Master Jae-hyun’s secrets.

He already knew the optimal width for retracting the brain of an astrocytoma that had occurred in the occipital lobe.

And he also had the ability to digest it [fully understand and apply it].

Jun-hoo held the retractors in both hands and carefully spread the brain left and right.

While securing a sufficient field of vision.

The retraction width that did not cause brain damage was 4 centimeters.

After completing the retraction, Jun-hoo fixed the brain retractor to the patient’s head.

There was no need to measure the retraction width with a ruler.

Jun-hoo’s hand was the ruler itself.

Jun-hoo’s sense of distance, which had been wielding, stabbing, and cutting swords countless times in life-or-death battles, transcended the sense of distance of ordinary people.

As expected, when the retractor was fixed, the tumor hidden inside the brain folds peeked out.

“Huh… Dr. Park took you as his disciple, and it’s living up to its reputation.”

Dong-hoon said in admiration for once.

However, Jun-hoo was more concerned about another fact than Dong-hoon’s blunt praise.

How does Professor Dong-hoon know that I’m Professor Jae-hyun’s disciple?