A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 263

Chapter 50: Crossing the Line (3)

Despite the remarkable achievements of the past year, venous anastomosis [surgically connecting veins] remained a significant challenge.

Jun-hoo was well aware.

This wasn’t just practice; this was the real deal.

He had to suture blood vessels, not just thicker ligaments or tendons.

And these were veins as thin as silk threads.

But what could he do?

Gyu-sik’s condition wouldn’t allow him to continue the surgery.

He couldn’t ask another professor for help.

It was a precarious situation, a tight spot.

Jun-hoo was the only one who could bring the surgery to a close.

“No way! No matter how outstanding your skills are, venous anastomosis is too much to ask,” Gyu-sik said, raising his voice.

His eyes were sharp as frost.

“Unlike other areas, the consequences of a failed venous anastomosis are too difficult to manage.”

“…….”

“Just rest a bit more, and I’ll finish it…….”

Gyu-sik’s words trailed off.

Had the headache and dizziness returned? Like a tree branch swaying in the wind, Gyu-sik staggered.

“Isn’t your condition more precarious than mine, Professor?”

“Even so, it’s a hundred times better than leaving it to you.”

“That might not be the case. Please, give me a chance. Time is passing even as we speak.”

Jun-hoo pleaded.

Since his time in the Murim [martial arts world], Jun-hoo had hated situations like this.

The worst possible scenario had unfolded.

And he was powerless, unable to do anything.

His self-esteem plummeted.

Despair seeped into his bones, making it a living hell.

And the incidents where Jun-hoo was helpless hadn’t turned out well.

Most of those incidents had bad endings.

That’s why Jun-hoo found it hard to shake off the anxiety and unease. He worried that the patient would lose his finger.

I don’t want the tragedy to repeat itself.

I will save myself and, along with it, save the patient.

That’s the only way to live.

Even if a knife was held to his throat, Jun-hoo was determined not to give up on the venous anastomosis.

After an intense clash of opinions,

A heavy, cold air filled the operating room.

The Filipino patient watched the staff’s conflict with a nervous expression.

Even though he didn’t understand Korean.

He could tell that an unusual atmosphere was brewing.

To quell his anxiety, the patient stared intently at his finger, which wasn’t fully attached yet.

He just hoped the finger would reattach well.

He hoped that with the well-attached finger, he could gently stroke the face of the child he would meet later.

“Then, how about we do this?” the scrub nurse, who had been silent, spoke up.

Gyu-sik and Jun-hoo, who had been fiercely opposed, turned their gazes toward her.

“Why don’t we get an artificial blood vessel and have Jun-hoo suture it? It’s like testing his skills in advance.”

“That’s a great idea! The professor will think differently if he sees my skills,” Jun-hoo’s face brightened.

Why hadn’t he thought of such a simple idea?

He had been so focused on ‘fighting’ with Gyu-sik that he had forgotten to ‘prove’ himself to Gyu-sik.

“It’s pointless to even try. A second-year resident doing venous anastomosis is impossible. It’s not just regular suturing; you have to do a locking suture……,”

Gyu-sik’s mind was still closed.

No one was allowed to enter right now.

“Okay. Let’s say, for argument’s sake, that Jun-hoo does the suturing. Then who will assist?”

“I will!” Scrub nurse Hye-sun stepped forward actively.

“Why are you doing this again?”

“Even so, I’m a third-year in replantation surgery. I can do most of the assisting.”

“Hoo. I have no choice. Jun-hoo, go get the artificial blood vessel quickly.”

“Yes, Professor.”

Finally, he had a chance!

Jun-hoo stepped off the operating table with a light step.

He moved to the refrigerator in the operating room, took the artificial blood vessel stored in the packaging, and returned.

He tore open the transparent plastic packaging.

The artificial blood vessel, about 0.5mm thicker than the patient’s vein, was revealed.

“I brought the thinnest one among the stored blood vessels.”

“Artificial blood vessels have better elasticity than natural blood vessels. In other words, they don’t rupture easily. I’ll be watching your skills, taking that into account.”

“Of course.”

Answering, Jun-hoo held the needle holder in his right hand.

He held the forceps in his left hand.

There was no tension or anxiety.

No fear or dread.

The battlefield where life and death could be turned over as easily as the palm of his hand was where Jun-hoo had lived.

Because his emotions were as solid as a rock.

His eyes didn’t waver, and his hands didn’t tremble.

Jun-hoo was calmer and more composed than ever.

Before the full-scale skill test,

Jun-hoo closed his eyes quietly.

He recalled the suturing technique he had just stored as a skill.

That suturing technique was none other than….

The locking suture that Gyu-sik had performed an hour ago.

Jun-hoo had analyzed and memorized Gyu-sik’s locking suture, just like memorizing the martial arts of another warrior.

In front of Gyu-sik.

Gyusik’s locking suture.

Perfectly copying and showcasing it as well as Gyu-sik?

Jun-hoo confidently believed that there was no more effective skill to open the professor’s heart.

“Jun-hoo, you seem quite anxious too. Closing your eyes before the test,” Gyu-sik said in a sarcastic tone.

The anesthesiologist had already left the anesthesia room.

He was watching Jun-hoo with hawk eyes next to Gyu-sik.

He seemed inwardly displeased with Jun-hoo’s antics so far.

Only Hye-sun was on Jun-hoo’s side.

When Jun-hoo’s eyes met hers, Hye-sun clenched her fist to show her support.

As if responding to this, Jun-hoo’s eyes smiled into crescent shapes.

I’ll prove it.

That I’m not powerless.

That I have the ability to treat patients.

“I will now begin the locking suture on the artificial blood vessel.”

* * *

A major shift occurred in the staff positions.

Jun-hoo took Gyu-sik’s place as the chief surgeon. Hye-sun was positioned opposite Jun-hoo.

Five minutes ago.

By perfectly executing the locking suture, Jun-hoo had earned the opportunity to suture the patient’s venous blood vessel.

Confidently!

Seriously, I can’t believe it.

How many times are you going to surprise me?

Gyu-sik’s admiring gaze lingered on the artificial blood vessel.

Jun-hoo had sewn a total of seven stitches with the locking suture, and the quality was beyond imagination.

Perfect left-right symmetry of the suture.

The golden ratio of tension that neither pulled the wound too loosely nor too tightly.

The firmness of the knots.

The even spacing between the knots, like a machine, and so on.

Jun-hoo’s locking suture was truly flawless.

Considering the difficulty of the locking suture, which requires continuous suturing of the wound in a ‘ㄴ’ shape [resembling the Korean letter ‘ㄴ’].

Considering that the sutured area was a blood vessel.

The result was close to a miracle.

“Isn’t the locking suture a suturing method that even fellows [doctors who have completed residency and are receiving advanced training] struggle with? But can a second-year resident handle this?” the anesthesiologist clicked his tongue and asked.

“Professor?”

“Ah. I’m sorry. I was momentarily distracted,” Gyu-sik belatedly returned to reality.

What had just happened was so surreal that he had lost his mind.

“What did you just say?”

“I asked if it’s normal for a second-year resident to perform a locking suture.”

“Of course… it’s abnormal. I’m just as bewildered as if I’ve been ambushed.”

“I thought he would just imitate it clumsily, but he succeeded cleanly.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

Gyu-sik’s gaze lingered on Jun-hoo, who was preparing for the suture.

Maybe it was his imagination.

Gyu-sik was vaguely feeling it.

Could it be that Jun-hoo had copied his locking suture exactly?

Because….

When performing the locking suture,

Gyu-sik used a different hand placement and knot-tying method than general surgeons.

Jun-hoo had followed his technique like a decalcomania [a mirror image].

Looking only at the technique, not the hand.

It was impossible to tell whether he or Jun-hoo had sutured the artificial blood vessel.

“I’m sorry to say this presumptuously, as it’s not my field,” the anesthesiologist said, watching Gyu-sik’s expression.

“No matter how talented that guy is, wouldn’t it be better for the professor to do the suturing himself?”

“…….”

“I can’t stop feeling uneasy.”

“I feel the same way. But I have to admit what I have to admit. I’m not in a condition to perform venous anastomosis……,”

Gyu-sik frowned.

The dizziness he had forgotten surged like a rough wave.

He barely managed to avoid collapsing by putting strength into his feet.

As expected, it was impossible to continue the surgery in this condition.

“Pro… Professor. Are you okay?”

“I can… manage. I’m getting old, and my body can’t handle not resting all day and just doing surgeries.”

A bitter smile appeared on Gyu-sik’s lips.

His stamina, mental strength, and concentration were not what they used to be.

Gyu-sik was becoming duller.

He was rusting with a yellowish-brown color.

Age and time could never be deceived.

“To ask the professor to do the suturing in this condition… I shouldn’t have said unnecessary things.”

“…….”

“Anyway, we have to trust that guy now, right?”

“Yes. That’s the only hope. Please continue to manage the vitals until the end.”

“Yes, Professor. Please tell me anytime if your condition worsens. I will help.”

The anesthesiologist returned to the anesthesia room behind the curtain.

Gyu-sik, who was a little away from the operating table, also returned to the operating table.

He took the place where Hye-sun had been standing.

Gyu-sik’s role was to hand Jun-hoo the necessary surgical tools.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes. I was just waiting for the professor to come.”

“You have a good amount of guts. Well, a surgeon should be like that. But……,”

Gyu-sik trailed off and changed the subject.

There was a question he wanted to resolve.

“Jun-hoo, did you perhaps copy my locking suture?”

“Yes. It’s the first time I’ve seen a locking suture in practice, and it was so impressive that I remembered it.”

“Huh… your eye for detail is extraordinary. You must have been busy assisting, but you memorized my suturing technique…….”

“You flatter me.”

“There was a lot of unnecessary time wasted. Let’s continue the surgery.”

The clock hanging on the surgical wall was passing ‘6:20:30’.

It meant that the finger replantation surgery had been going on for 6 hours and 20 minutes.

Looking only at the time,

The speed was quite fast.

Because Jun-hoo’s assistance was good.

But looking only at the time the venous anastomosis was delayed, the surgery time was tight.

The later the suture, the slower the recovery.

“Here.”

“Yes, Professor.”

Gyu-sik handed Jun-hoo the suture with the packaging torn open.

It was 8-0 nylon.

The 0.04-millimeter-thin suture looked terribly fragile.

As if it would fly away in the wind.

As if it would break if force was applied.

Creak.

Click!

Jun-hoo gripped the suture needle with the needle holder.

He made the first stitch of the long-awaited moment.

Stab!

The suture needle pierced the surface of the blood vessel. Dewdrop-like blood formed on the surface of the blood vessel.

Gulp!

Gyu-sik swallowed hard and watched Jun-hoo’s suture.

Jun-hoo was doing the suturing.

But it felt like he was walking a tightrope on the edge of a cliff.

But as time passed, the tension and fear melted away like cotton candy.

He felt like the person suturing now was not Jun-hoo but Gyu-sik himself.

Because Jun-hoo was miraculously copying his locking suture….

Ah….

Gyu-sik felt dizzy again.

But that dizziness was not caused by accumulated fatigue.

It was a dizziness caused by Jun-hoo’s dazzling performance.

Jun-hoo had just sewn one stitch on the vein, but Gyu-sik could already tell.

The venous anastomosis was as good as successfully completed.

The premonition was spot on.

Five minutes later.

The patient’s torn vein had been perfectly restored.

As if Gyu-sik had sutured it himself.