A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 346

Chapter 67. Mayou Clinic (1)

“Why do you have to act like you can’t stand seeing Asians? Huh? Do you have some kind of accelerator pedal that goes off whenever you see an Asian?”

Supervisor Kevin spoke, pounding his chest as if frustrated.

His voice was full of thorns.

-I just don’t like their yellow skin.

Raymond typed on his phone’s notepad and showed it to Kevin.

“You call that a reason? Is pale skin okay then? There’s no superiority in skin color.”

Despite Kevin’s sharp rebuke, Raymond showed no signs of remorse.

Raymond didn’t even look him in the eye or listen to his words.

Instead, he sat there sulking with a dissatisfied look, as if wondering why he was being lectured.

“And stop playing around if you don’t want to see me lose it. How can you suddenly lose your voice?”

-…….

“Did you suddenly become the Little Mermaid or something?”

-I’m the one who’s really frustrated. It’s not a joke, I really can’t speak. But I can’t go to the hospital when the interview is just around the corner.

“You can’t speak, but you can take the interview?”

Kevin asked sarcastically.

Kevin was a doctor who had obtained his otolaryngology residency at Mayou Medical University.

He had completely left the field a few years ago and was focusing on clinical research.

As far as Kevin knew…….

No, as far as every otolaryngologist [ear, nose, and throat specialist] on Earth knew.

There was no such thing as a disease that suddenly made you lose your voice.

The closest thing would be aphasia [loss of ability to understand or express speech]…….

But to get aphasia, there had to be a preceding condition such as trauma or a stroke.

-I have to see it somehow. I can’t waste a whole year.

“You shit the bed and expect me to clean it up?” (You made a mess and expect me to fix it?)

-Why do you have to be so harsh? Isn’t this what school seniors and juniors are for?

Raymond showed him the words with pleading eyes, as if asking for a favor.

No matter how much he thought about it…….

No, the more he thought about it, the more absurd the situation was.

How could someone suddenly lose their voice?

But at this point, it didn’t seem like Raymond was trying to downplay things with the excuse that he couldn’t speak.

“You only bring up the senior-junior thing when it’s convenient for you.”

-It’s because I’m petty. Please understand me, senior, with a heart as wide as the ocean.

“Tsk. I’ll talk to the professors about it. The interview is 30 percent, and the practical skills are 70 percent, so there might be a way out even if you can’t speak.”

-…….

“But I can’t guarantee that you’ll pass. You know that, right?”

-Why can’t you guarantee it? As long as I can take the exam, passing is guaranteed.

A confident smile appeared on Raymond’s lips.

It sounded like a somewhat arrogant statement, but it was an undeniable fact.

Raymond was the top student at Mayou Medical University, both in entrance and graduation.

Not only that, but he was also selected as the best resident at the end of his residency.

He was the most watched and most anticipated talent in this boost-up program.

If it weren’t for his bad habit of freaking out whenever he saw an Asian, he would have been a straightforward person, as expected of a surgeon.

-By the way, how are you going to resolve the issue with that Asian?

“Looks like you’ve cooled down a bit now, huh?”

-It just got so big in front of everyone…….

“You idiot! That’s not the important thing. You have to reflect on what you did wrong first!”

-I know. So what do I do? I saw someone filming with their phone earlier.

Raymond bit his lip as if troubled.

If the video spread, it would be irreversible.

Raymond would be instantly labeled as a racist doctor.

His reputation would plummet.

And there would be an indelible stain on his future career.

He wanted to prevent that at all costs.

“I knew something like this would happen someday.”

-Don’t just say obvious things, help me. I’m going crazy because I can’t even speak, and now even my senior is doing this?

Kevin crossed his arms after reading Raymond’s words.

The air in the office became heavy.

Raymond felt like he was suffocating in the silence.

“The best thing would be to turn back time, but that’s not realistic.”

-…….

“Then there’s only one option left.”

Kevin raised his index finger.

* * *

“Wow. You were pretty cool earlier. I felt so relieved watching you.”

It was when Jun-ho had just pulled out a canned coffee from the vending machine.

A Korean man came up to Jun-ho and spoke to him.

Jun-ho turned his head and stared at the young man. The young man’s wide forehead was impressive.

Looking at the applicant name tag, the young man’s name was Takeda.

But Jun-ho noticed that the young man was Japanese even before looking at the name tag.

It was because of the Japanese man’s unique English pronunciation.

“Although racial discrimination has decreased a lot, it’s only when compared to the past. Instead of discriminating against blacks, there’s more discrimination against Asians.”

“I guess so. Nice to meet you. I’m Seo Jun-ho.”

“I’m Takeda. It’s Takeda even when you say it backwards.”

Takeda said in a cheerful voice.

He had a strong impression that Japanese people were introverted, but seeing Takeda, it seemed like that was also a prejudice.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“The one who’s hurt is that Raymond guy. He suddenly couldn’t speak, right?”

Jun-ho said, playing dumb.

“It seems like they’re using dirty tricks to cover up this incident, but no way.”

Takeda finished speaking and took out his phone from his pocket.

He pointed to his phone with his index finger.

“All of that guy’s misdeeds are recorded here.”

“From beginning to end?”

“From beginning to end. Actually, he picked a fight with me before picking a fight with you. I was already grinding my teeth, so I thought it was a good thing.”

“…….”

“If I upload this video, that guy will have a hard time, right?”

Takeda smiled brightly, as if he was happy just thinking about it.

“Then can you share the video you took with me?”

“Is there really a need to do that? You can just share what I uploaded on SNS [Social Networking Service], right?”

“Just in case I forget.”

“Well, there’s no reason not to.”

Jun-ho received the video from Takeda via email.

He felt like it would be useful ‘definitely’ later.

Clank!

Jun-ho opened the lid and took a sip of the canned coffee.

He suddenly got into a fight because of racial discrimination, but the unpleasantness wasn’t that serious.

He had been prepared to be racially discriminated against since he came to the United States.

And not only Raymond, but many others would try to judge Jun-ho by his skin color in the future.

He couldn’t be shaken by this kind of incident.

Racial discrimination?

If you want to do it, do it with all your heart.

I’ll crush you all.

The me you guys are ignoring will climb to the top of Mayou and stand above your heads.

Jun-ho also had such thoughts in his mind.

Everything eventually comes down to skill.

If he becomes an irreplaceable surgeon.

Instead of ‘discrimination,’ Jun-ho will receive ‘special’ treatment.

“…….”

“…….”

Even though the conversation with Takeda was briefly interrupted, the surroundings were too quiet.

It was as if a vortex of silence had formed in the interview room.

And Raymond was at the center of the vortex.

Raymond, who had come out of the office, was parting the applicants like the Red Sea and coming this way.

“His expression is fierce. Isn’t he trying to get revenge on you?”

“Surely he wouldn’t do that if he was in his right mind? Well, if he does try to get revenge, I’d be even more grateful.”

While they were talking.

Raymond approached Jun-ho closely.

Jun-ho was the person involved, but somehow the people around him looked more nervous.

Someone was shaking their legs.

Someone swallowed hard.

Someone was pointing their phone at him, just like Takeda had done earlier.

A tense standoff like an inflated balloon.

Raymond suddenly reached out his arm towards Jun-ho.

Takeda, who was standing next to Jun-ho, got scared and took a step back.

But there was no need to do that at all.

It wasn’t a distance where a fist could reach.

And Raymond was only holding a phone in his hand.

-I’m sorry about earlier. I was too nervous before the exam, and it seems like it was you who got caught in the crossfire. I had no intention of ignoring you at all. I sincerely apologize again.

Raymond bowed politely and respectfully.

There was nothing to criticize in terms of his apology manner.

Jun-ho didn’t accept the apology and scanned the surroundings first.

Among them was a supervisor.

The supervisor was also filming the apology scene with his phone.

From there, Jun-ho guessed a few things.

1) The supervisor and Raymond are acquaintances.

2) The supervisor personally stepped up to save Raymond.

The unpleasant connection between the two came to mind.

Jun-ho thought that Raymond had a cunning acquaintance by his side.

You can’t make something that happened disappear.

Then the most effective way to deal with it was an official apology.

Apologizing 1 on 1 could diminish the meaning, but apologizing in front of so many people like now amplifies the meaning.

From Jun-ho’s point of view, the justification for refusing the apology was reduced.

Even recording the video?

There was no need to say more.

This was a typical Murim [martial arts world] orthodox sect-style political play.

Should he be happy about this?

Jun-ho had an ambiguous expression that he couldn’t laugh or cry.

Meanwhile, Raymond still hadn’t straightened his back after bowing once.

As if he had decided not to straighten his back until Jun-ho accepted his apology.

“Let’s leave this kind of guy alone and prepare for the exam. You can’t cover up all your sins with an apology.”

Takeda pulled Jun-ho’s arm as if to avoid the situation.

But Jun-ho stood his ground.

“What are you doing? I said let’s go?”

Jun-ho reached out his hand and gestured that he was okay.

“Get up. I said get up.”

Only then did Raymond straighten his back.

Raymond’s face was stiff.

Considering when he picked a fight, his expression probably wasn’t bad because of guilt.

It was more likely that he was unhappy with the situation of having to apologize against his will.

Jun-ho had encountered countless people like Raymond in Murim.

“I don’t think your apology is sincere. You’re a repeat offender. I heard you picked a fight with Takeda here too?”

Raymond’s eyes widened like an owl’s at Jun-ho’s accusation.

He had an expression that he had been hit hard.

-Th…… That’s…… I was nervous because of the exam at that time too…….

“At this point, isn’t it more like a mathematical formula than a coincidence? Every time you get nervous, you pick a fight, and they’re all Asians.”

-That’s a misunderstanding. It doesn’t make sense for a doctor who has to treat people of various races to be racist.

Raymond, who had become desperate, showed sentences on his phone in rapid fire.

“I’ll let it go this time, but don’t do this again in the future. Because then an unimaginable disaster will happen.”

Just as Raymond made a fake apology, Jun-ho also gave a fake forgiveness.

Why?

Because this is how Jun-ho looks like a magnanimous person.

Because there were many eyes watching around him.

If Jun-ho was from a Demonic Sect, he would have punched Raymond in the face without hesitation.

But Jun-ho was from an Orthodox Sect.

He knew how to kill his opponent by drying him up while raising his own prestige.

Step. Step.

Jun-ho brushed past Raymond and lightly touched Raymond’s shoulder.

“Then good luck on the exam. I’ll pray that your voice comes out properly by then.”

The one word he spat out as he passed by was a clear mockery.