A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 335

‘Tsk, tsk, tsk. Too bad, but what can you do? You’re destined to fail the exam no matter what.’

Park Seon-woong, the examiner sitting in the middle of the table, was staring at Jun-hoo with a venomous look.

It was no coincidence that Jun-hoo was assigned the most difficult and complicated case in this oral exam.

It was thanks to Seon-woong manipulating the cases with an invisible hand.

He had cleverly arranged the case to match Jun-hoo’s exam order.

Of course, Seon-woong had no personal grudge against Jun-hoo.

To him, Jun-hoo was just a resident from another hospital he was meeting for the first time today. There was nothing to particularly dislike or hate about him.

However, Seon-woong’s friend, Hoon-shik, was a different story.

Hong Hoon-shik.

A medical school classmate who used to be an associate professor of neurosurgery at Shinwon University Hospital in Daejeon two years ago.

A foolish guy currently imprisoned for assaulting a resident, and due to be released next year.

Recently, Seon-woong went to visit Hoon-shik.

While they were talking about their recent activities, Seon-woong told him that he had become a specialist exam supervisor, and Hoon-shik’s eyes sparkled like jewels.

-Then, make sure to fail that bastard Seo Jun-hoo. Please, I beg you.

-Isn’t Seo Jun-hoo the resident you assaulted? But you’re asking me to fail him? Haven’t you come to your senses yet?

-I can’t forgive that bastard, no matter what. That bastard set me up.

-Ha… Your temper is the problem, why are you blaming an innocent kid? I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.

-Seon-woong, they say you grant the wishes of the dead, can’t you grant the wish of the living? Do you want to see me die of frustration?

After saying that, Hoon-shik suddenly knelt on the floor.

He continued to plead with tears, so Seon-woong, with a softened heart, nodded in agreement.

Since then, Seon-woong included a highly difficult case in the exam to disqualify Jun-hoo, and the situation has reached this point.

“Applicant Seo Jun-hoo, why are you silent? Have you forgotten that you are in an exam? Such an absent-minded attitude during an exam…….”

“…….”

“With that kind of mindset, will you be able to perform surgery properly later on?”

Seon-woong deliberately grilled Jun-hoo.

To make the other examiners recognize Jun-hoo as an incompetent person.

It was a kind of gaslighting [a form of psychological manipulation that causes a person to question their sanity].

Whether the tactic worked or not, the examiners on both sides began to look at Jun-hoo with disapproving eyes.

“I would start with a Brain Post-contrast CT scan first.”

Jun-hoo opened his mouth after a long time.

“Any other tests?”

“I will not do it. I think that is enough for a diagnosis.”

“Shouldn’t we add a brain MRI or MRA [Magnetic Resonance Angiography]? It seems too early to judge the patient with just a CT scan.”

Seon-woong once again threw a sharp question.

However, Jun-hoo immediately raised a shield of answer as if he was not bothered at all.

“I think it is more beneficial to go into the operating room quickly than to take an MRI or MRA.”

“What is the specific reason?”

Seong-bok, who had been silent, stroked his chin and asked.

“The GCS [Glasgow Coma Scale] score is only 7 points. CRP [C-reactive protein] and glucose levels are also too low.”

“…….”

“There must have already been a brain hemorrhage. The hematoma [a collection of blood outside of blood vessels] must be hardening as well. The patient’s condition will worsen as much as the time consumed by MRI or MRA.”

‘This guy is quite something?’

Seon-woong’s brow furrowed at Jun-hoo’s answer.

It was the correct answer.

This case was taken from a case that Seon-woong had personally experienced.

At that time, Seon-woong scheduled the surgery immediately without taking an MRI or MRA.

In the case of neurosurgical emergency patients.

Sometimes treatment should be prioritized over diagnosis.

Just like this time.

But surprisingly, Jun-hoo saw through that point.

Even…….

He threw the bait, saying that it would be good to take an MRI or MRA, but he didn’t bite.

“Applicant Seo Jun-hoo. You’re quite interesting? You’re more headstrong than I thought.”

“That’s right. He didn’t fall for Professor Park’s leading questions.”

Seong-bok and Yeon-soo exchanged opinions in a whisper.

Somehow, a flow was created that was the opposite of what Seon-woong intended.

This was a problem.

Seon-woong had made a firm promise to Hoon-shik.

That he would definitely take Jun-hoo down in the specialist exam.

Click!

Seon-woong displayed the next screen on the screen.

It was the patient’s CT scan.

“Interpret the CT image.”

“Spontaneously SAH [Subarachnoid Hemorrhage], Aneurysm Rupture.”

Jun-hoo’s interpretation was unhindered.

The diagnosis came out immediately in less than a second after the image was displayed.

Even though Seon-woong didn’t zoom in on the image to show the structure of the brain in detail.

What’s even more infuriating is…….

Jun-hoo’s interpretation matched the correct answer without a single word out of place.

As things didn’t go as he wanted, Seon-woong faintly trembled his legs.

“Applicant Seo Jun-hoo. It looks like you’ve been practicing interpretation a lot?”

“Yes. I tried to classify the interpretation videos by case and memorize the classified videos as a whole.”

“You have the right attitude. These days, young people are too dependent on the interpretation of the radiology department.”

Another examiner, Myung-jae, nodded with a pleased smile.

Jun-hoo had captured the hearts of Seong-bok and Myung-jae in one fell swoop.

If he does so well in the oral exam, Seon-woong’s justification for playing politics with Jun-hoo will disappear…….

“Both of you, calm down. The exam is not over yet. We must evaluate the applicant’s ability as calmly and objectively as possible.”

“Isn’t Professor Park the one who is not calm? You’ve been shaking your legs since a while ago?”

Seon-woong’s cheeks flushed red at Myung-jae’s comment.

“T… This is just my habit, so don’t worry about it. Applicant Seo Jun-hoo.”

“Yes. Examiner.”

“It’s true that you’ve done well so far, but the most important thing is the surgical plan. Tell me about the surgical plan.”

He had slipped away like a loach until now, but could he do that this time too?

Seon-woong was sure he wouldn’t.

Brain aneurysm surgery is the most diverse and complex surgery among cerebrovascular surgeries.

Coil embolization [a procedure to block blood flow into an aneurysm].

Stent procedure [a procedure to support weakened blood vessels].

The treatment methods are largely divided into two, and within them, countless treatment methods branch out like branches depending on the size and location of the aneurysm and the patient’s condition.

Just thinking about the treatment method would make Jun-hoo’s head explode.

And finally, one more thing.

There was a landmine that Seon-woong had secretly hidden in this case.

He wouldn’t be able to resist stepping on that landmine.

“It’s too difficult, so should I give you some time? That would be good, right?”

Seon-woong pretended to care about Jun-hoo.

However, Jun-hoo shook his head from side to side, saying it was okay.

“No. I’ll tell you right away.”

“It would be better to think carefully when I give you time? If you fail this year’s exam, you’ll have to take it again next year.”

“That won’t happen.”

Jun-hoo’s answer after a moment of silence was shocking.

“I… I won’t operate on this patient.”

Jun-hoo’s answer shook the exam hall.

* * *

“How was the oral exam?”

As Jun-hoo came out of the exam hall, Kyung-soo, who was waiting, asked Jun-hoo.

Kyung-soo, who had not yet taken the exam, was compulsively fiddling with the textbook.

“My question was a little difficult, but that was probably the most difficult question.”

“…….”

“At this level, you’ll definitely pass, right?”

“Are you already full of yourself because you did well on the exam alone?”

“I’m giving you good words, but you’re listening to them crookedly. That’s why people should have a righteous heart.”

“I refuse to listen to useless lectures…….”

Kyung-soo couldn’t finish his sentence.

The supervisor had called Kyung-soo’s name.

Jun-hoo patted Kyung-soo on the shoulder for encouragement and left the waiting room to go outside.

The schoolyard was still a white snowfield.

Since there was a separate passageway, there were no footprints left in the schoolyard.

Whirr.

The winter wind that suddenly blew teased Jun-hoo’s bangs and left.

With this, I’m confirmed as a specialist.

All that’s left is to choose a sub-specialty…….

Jun-hoo stretched coolly and recalled the specialist oral exam that had just ended.

Surprisingly, Jun-hoo answered that he would not perform the surgery.

There was a reason for that.

Usually, coil embolization is done by neurosurgery, and stent procedures are performed by the radiology department.

In this case.

He judged that the latter was more suitable for the patient’s treatment.

First of all, the bleeding and hematoma found on the CT scan were not large.

It could be treated sufficiently with medication.

Considering the patient’s age.

The patient’s neurological condition.

The location of the brain aneurysm, etc., the benefits of stent placement were much greater than coil embolization.

‘I feel like they set a trap, but is it just my imagination?’

Although he got the right answer, Jun-hoo couldn’t hide his uneasiness.

If another applicant took the exam with Jun-hoo’s case, what would they have answered?

They would probably have answered without a moment’s hesitation that coil embolization was necessary.

Why?

Because it’s a neurosurgery specialist exam.

Because it’s a neurosurgery specialist exam, they would have thought it was natural to treat the patient in the neurosurgery way.

But Jun-hoo didn’t fall for the trick.

Jun-hoo was too experienced to take the bait.

He had perfectly conquered his teacher Park Jae-hyun’s data collection, and these days he was also looking at other overseas papers.

About 10 minutes passed.

Kyung-soo joined Jun-hoo.

He looked refreshed as if he had done well on the exam.

Soon, the two moved to a nearby middle school. There, they joined Ah-young.

The thoracic surgery specialist exam was nearby.

5 p.m.

It was a bit early, but the three found a pub near the station.

They shared drinks and conversations, using the specialist exam as an appetizer.

“Ah-young, you’ve decided on your sub-specialty, right?”

Jun-hoo asked, emptying his beer glass.

Since he could evaporate alcohol with his internal energy in an instant, unlike other surgeons, Jun-hoo was not particularly restricted from drinking.

“Well, yeah… It’s been decided since I applied for thoracic surgery.”

“What are you going to major in?”

Kyung-soo, who didn’t know the situation, asked with shining eyes.

“I’m going to major in heart, not lungs. My younger sibling passed away from a heart disease when they were young.”

“Ah… I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“What’s there to be sorry about? Anyway, I’m glad the exam went well. If I major in heart, I’ll be able to do heart transplants later, right? I want to do a heart transplant as soon as possible.”

Ah-young said cheerfully instead.

Ah-young’s younger sibling was a severe heart failure patient whose heart was not functioning properly.

They waited for the transplant order but unfortunately passed away.

Jun-hoo gently wrapped his hand over Ah-young’s hand sitting next to him.

A faint smile appeared on Ah-young’s lips as if she was grateful.

Beep, beep.

At that moment, Jun-hoo’s cell phone on the table vibrated. Kyung-soo shook his head as if he was fed up.

“I wouldn’t give that meddling temperament to a dog. See? I made an ominous prediction that there would be many patients when I left the hospital, and that’s exactly what happened. Words become seeds.”

“Kyung-soo, calm down. It’s not the department phone, you know?”

Jun-hoo said, checking the phone number.

But in fact…….

He was even more embarrassed because it wasn’t the department phone. The caller was his teacher, Park Jae-hyun.

“I’ll go make a call for a moment.”

Jun-hoo left his seat and connected the call.

Why would my teacher contact me at this hour?

To congratulate me on the specialist exam?

Or is there another business?

Either way, speculation was meaningless. The person holding the key was Jae-hyun, not Jun-hoo.

“Yes. Professor.”

-…….

“Yes? You’re asking me to come to Jewon University Hospital right now?”