A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 155

Chapter 28: A New Wind (5)

Thud.

Dong-hoon slumped onto the break room sofa.

The aftermath of the long and arduous surgery washed over him belatedly.

His joints ached in his waist, arms, and hands. His eyes, which had been staring at the microscope, were as dry as a desert.

Perhaps that was why.

The desire to sprawl out was overwhelming.

Dong-hoon was sure he could fall asleep within a minute if he closed his eyes and lay down right now.

After completing the resection [surgical removal] of the astrocytoma [a type of brain tumor].

Dong-hoon left the operating room alone.

The residents were more than capable of closing the skull.

And Dong-hoon had another surgery scheduled.

Sitting on the sofa, catching his breath, Dong-hoon got up, pulled out a canned coffee, and drank it.

The bittersweet taste gradually cleared his hazy mind.

Half of a doctor’s blood was made up of caffeine.

This joke exchanged among doctors was half true and half self-deprecating.

Without coffee or energy drinks, how could they endure that murderous schedule?

Dong-hoon finished his coffee in one go and called Jae-hyun.

Against expectations, Jae-hyun answered the phone quickly.

-Professor. What brings you here at this hour? Is something wrong?

Jae-hyun asked, puzzled.

“What about you? What are you doing answering the phone so promptly at this hour? I guess you’re resting after surgery too?”

-You’re spot on. It must be our lucky day.

“Seems so.”

-I believe it’s your surgery debut in Seoul… Did everything go alright?

“Something happened… but it’s resolved now.”

Dong-hoon briefly summarized the eventful surgery he had just finished.

Chatting made him feel more at ease.

“By the way, what’s up with Jun-hoo?”

-Was there a problem with Jun-hoo?

“His assisting skills were no joke. He used both hands freely, and he knew every step of the surgery inside and out.”

-…

“And that’s not all, you know? Jun-hoo was the one who secured the field of vision for the bleeding in the basilar artery [a major artery at the base of the brain]. He was the one who cauterized [sealed with heat] it too.”

Dong-hoon’s voice gradually rose as he talked about Jun-hoo.

The excitement and emotion of that moment were coming back to him.

It was the first time he felt like a first-year resident was a relief pitcher.

-That was Jun-hoo who did that, not you, Professor?

“That’s right! Holding the endoscope [a small camera] in one hand and the Bovie [electrocautery tool] in the other. He was doing everything himself.”

-I’m surprised too. To think he not only remembered my surgical style but also executed it himself…

Jae-hyun also seemed quite surprised.

Even if Jun-hoo was Jae-hyun’s student, Jae-hyun couldn’t supervise Jun-hoo and check his skills, since they worked at different hospitals from the beginning.

“In a way, I survived by the skin of my teeth thanks to you. You taught Jun-hoo, and Jun-hoo perfectly digested it and overcame the crisis. Thank you.”

-You’re welcome… Anyway, I’m glad to hear that Jun-hoo has grown.

“You need to pull yourself together too, if you don’t want to be caught up by your student.”

Dong-hoon said sincerely.

The potential of Jun-hoo that Dong-hoon witnessed today was enormous.

If he had more practical experience, he was enough to threaten Jae-hyun’s throne.

Hand movements as precise and unwavering as a robot arm (even with both hands), the ability to manage crises that shone even brighter in emergencies, and even his calm and composed attitude.

Thinking back to Jun-hoo assisting, Dong-hoon even felt a sense of awe, to put it exaggeratedly.

That’s how overwhelming Jun-hoo’s presence was in the operating room.

-He’s definitely a talented guy, but he’s still far from me because he has a critical flaw.

“Jun-hoo has a critical flaw?”

-Yes.

“What is it?”

-Hahaha. I can’t tell you for free. Anyway, thank you for calling. I’ll contact you next time.

“Okay. You take care too.”

After finishing the call with Jae-hyun, Dong-hoon got up from his seat.

He left the break room and moved back to the operating room.

Jun-hoo has a critical flaw, huh…

What did Jae-hyun see in Jun-hoo?

Would it hurt to tell me?

What a sly friend.

* * *

4th floor break room.

Jun-hoo, who had finished the long 7-hour surgery, visited the break room with Hee-joon.

Sitting on the sofa, he drank a canned coffee that was like the water of life.

“Ugh, I’m dying. There’s not a single part of my body that’s okay,” Hee-joon groaned, touching his wrists and waist.

“Jun-hoo, you look fine as always?”

“I’m tired too. I’m just trying not to show it.”

“Does that mean I’m showing that I’m tired?”

“Well… does it sound like that? Then I’ll pretend not to be tired.”

Hee-joon chuckled at Jun-hoo’s joke.

Because Hee-joon looked tired, Jun-hoo applied pressure points to Hee-joon’s arms, legs, waist, neck, and shoulders in turn.

“Oh… uh… ah…” Hee-joon made strange moaning sounds at the martial arts-style special massage.

After the massage, he moved his body around and smiled contentedly.

“Kya. It’s amazing as always. Amazing. Your massage skills are the best in the world.”

“Maybe so.”

A moment of silence.

Jun-hoo looked up at the ceiling and reviewed the surgery he had just finished, memorizing Dong-hoon’s surgical techniques as martial arts moves, finding breakthroughs in crisis situations through his teacher Jae-hyun’s secret techniques, and overcoming those crises with his own hands.

Today’s surgery was much more varied than usual, and therefore more satisfying.

Originally, growth requires crisis. The moment of overcoming a crisis is the moment of growth.

“By the way, you were Professor Park Jae-hyun’s student?” Hee-joon changed the subject.

“Ah, yes. I went to him in person during my off-time and asked him.”

“You’re so bold. How can you go to a professor from another university and ask him to teach you? I don’t think I could do that even if I died and came back to life.”

“Because I was so anxious.”

“In what way?”

“I’m always anxious. I’m afraid of facing a patient that I can’t handle with my own hands.”

“…”

“I’m afraid of not being able to do anything for that patient and having to watch them helplessly.”

“Isn’t that just worrying too much?”

“I think so too. I’m a fool in some ways.”

Jun-hoo smiled bitterly.

Even though Jun-hoo seemed to others to be just studying diligently and steadily, that wasn’t the case inside.

Anxiety was always lurking in Jun-hoo’s heart.

Especially after Sung-ho passed away, he became obsessed with growing.

“Oh, right, senior. Please keep the fact that I’m Professor Park’s student a secret.”

“Why? It’s something to be proud of.”

“I’m afraid that if I make a mistake, Professor Park will be criticized along with me.”

“I’ll keep it a secret, as long as you give me massages from time to time.”

“That’s no problem.”

“I have another surgery to assist with, so I’ll get up first. You rest a little longer and come up.”

“Yes, senior.”

As Hee-joon left, the break room became even emptier, with a quiet, even lonely atmosphere.

Shall I slowly recover my lost stamina and concentration?

Jun-hoo took his vitamins, closed his eyes, and began circulating his energy.

It only took 20 minutes to relieve the fatigue from the 7-hour surgery.

* * *

“Senior! Long time no see!”

The moment Jun-hoo finished circulating his energy and was about to get up from the sofa, bang! Eun-ha appeared, opening the break room door.

Eun-ha took the seat next to Jun-hoo like lightning.

Eun-ha was an intern who had her first rotation in neurosurgery when Jun-hoo first started his residency there.

“It’s been a long time, nice to see you. Where are you training now?”

“Plastic surgery.”

“If it’s plastic surgery… isn’t there Yoo Seung-beom in his first year?”

“Yes, that’s right. Is he your senior?”

“It’s a bit ambiguous to call him my senior.”

Jun-hoo’s brow furrowed.

Yoo Seung-beom, who had been sharply opposed to Jun-hoo since medical school, was the infamous jerk who posted cadaver photos on social media and was criticized, and tried to cover it up with the help of his father, who was the vice president of medical affairs.

Last year, Seung-beom also tried to use cheap tricks on Jun-hoo at the intern suture competition and got a taste of his own medicine.

“Senior Seung-beom is annoying. He’s very arrogant and always does whatever he wants. I guess it’s because his father is the vice president of medical affairs.”

“He still hasn’t fixed that terrible habit. You must be having a hard time.”

“My body is a little more comfortable in plastic surgery, but my heart was more comfortable when I was in neurosurgery. But senior…”

“Yeah? Why?”

“Don’t you think I’ve gained weight?” Eun-ha asked, looking over her body.

“Well, I don’t know?”

“I’ve been eating a lot of chocolate while working in plastic surgery, so I think I’ve gained weight because of that. I feel like I’ve gained some flab and my body has become dull.”

“You look good now too.”

“Really?” Eun-ha giggled.

Like a human vitamin, Eun-ha had a knack for making people around her feel comfortable and happy.

Sung-ho was similar to Eun-ha in personality…

As the thought reached that point, the wound he had temporarily forgotten throbbed.

Bang!

Just in time, the break room door opened and this time A-young appeared.

A-young frowned as she looked at the two people talking amicably.

“A-young, come on in. Did something hard happen? You don’t look good?”

“Something hard… happened.”

A-young sat next to Jun-hoo and crossed her arms.

The moment A-young and Eun-ha’s eyes crossed, Jun-hoo felt a sense of tension from their gazes, as if they had met a rival.

A-young kept her mouth shut even after joining. The person who spoke was mainly Eun-ha, and Jun-hoo tended to agree with her.

“I’ll get up first. Good luck to both of you,” Eun-ha winked and left the break room.

Only then did A-young open her mouth.

“Eun-ha is so cute and pretty, right? Even if I were a man, I think I’d like that style.”

“Suddenly?”

“Just saying.”

A-young had a sulky expression for some reason.

“Eun-ha is definitely a popular style. She’s carefree, bright, and sociable.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

“But I like you more, A-young. Eun-ha might be sad if she heard that.”

A-young’s cheeks turned red at Jun-hoo’s sudden confession(?).

No, is he coming in like this here?

A-young’s heart began to pound.

“It’s not like a hot romantic feeling… but to get through the hard doctor’s life, I like someone as deep and calm as you, A-young.”

A-young thought after hearing Jun-hoo’s story: He was doing well, but he went off the track.

Still, A-young felt good that Jun-hoo liked her more than Eun-ha.

Maybe that’s why, the jealousy she had felt towards Eun-ha and the resentment she had felt towards Jun-hoo disappeared like snow melting.

A-young unknowingly uncrossed her arms.

“Jun-hoo, you’ve grown a lot? You can even say embarrassing things now?”

“I read in a book that sincerity should be conveyed directly.”

“…”

“You said you had a hard time earlier? Is Senior Jun-shik bothering you again?”

Jun-hoo made a worried expression and brought his face closer to A-young.

Jun-hoo’s face suddenly zoomed in.

A-young was embarrassed and slightly turned her gaze to the side.

In fact, it was a lie that she was having a hard time. It was because she couldn’t manage her expression after seeing Eun-ha and Jun-hoo talking so sweetly.

“Ah… no. There’s nothing like that. I’ve been holding Senior Jun-shik tight since that incident. Senior Jun-shik is in my hands now.”

“Wow, cool. A-young.”

Jun-hoo raised his thumb and praised A-young.

That figure somehow looked as bright as the sunlight to A-young.

Is our relationship really okay like this?

Should I be brave and take one step closer?

A-young’s heart wavered just a little.