A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 351

The Kung Fu Surgeon 351

Chapter 68: Newbie (1)

The first-floor cafeteria was deserted.

Even though it was dinner time, when the cafeteria should have been bustling, there were plenty of empty tables.

The food service was buffet-style, self-serve.

You simply took a tray and filled it with whatever food you wanted, as much as you wanted.

Jun-hoo grabbed some utensils, took a tray, and moved to where the food was displayed.

At the beginning of the line, there was a sign that read, “You are what you eat.”

It was like a roundabout way of expressing his parents’ nagging about eating healthy food, which made him chuckle.

The menu was full of healthy options, as if catering to the doctors’ nutritional needs.

There were vibrant green salads, various fruits, nuts, whole-grain pasta, mashed potatoes, steamed chicken breast, and so on.

Among them, there was a welcome sight.

Bright red kimchi [Korean fermented cabbage].

Jun-hoo filled his plate with a reasonable amount of food and sat down by the window.

Soon after, a young man with curly blond hair and innocent eyes sat across from Jun-hoo.

It was Oliver, who he had played basketball with.

Just ten minutes earlier.

Oliver was the one who had knocked on Jun-hoo’s door.

“Do you want to have dinner together if you’re free?”

Oliver pointed behind him with his index finger.

Jun-hoo said yes and joined Oliver.

“I don’t see the others?”

Jun-hoo said, scanning the cafeteria.

“They all went to the hospital cafeteria. They said they’re having Chinese food. They say the food here isn’t good.”

Oliver shrugged and started eating his corn soup.

“Raymond seems to be the leader?”

“You could say that. Among the accepted candidates, most are from the Mayo Clinic. For your information, Raymond was number one in neurosurgery at the Mayo Clinic.”

“Did he discriminate even during his residency?”

A bitter smile appeared on Oliver’s lips.

That was answer enough.

Like the saying goes, old habits die hard.

That was exactly the case.

Of course, even if Raymond tried to mess with Jun-hoo in the future, he would only get what he deserved.

“Are you sure you don’t want to join Raymond’s group? It doesn’t seem like there would be much benefit from being with me?”

Jun-hoo subtly tested Oliver.

He didn’t want to assume this, but.

Oliver could have been a spy sent by Raymond.

Or he could have genuinely liked Jun-hoo.

He had to distinguish between the two.

“What’s so great about Raymond that I have to wag my tail and suck up to him?”

“Why? The others are doing a good job of it?”

“That’s because they’re stupid.”

Oliver shook his head and continued.

“I need to improve my skills and take good care of my patients. Chasing after Raymond won’t make my skills like Raymond’s.”

“Passed.”

“Huh? Passed what?”

“It’s nothing important.”

Jun-hoo smiled for the first time in a while.

He felt like he could communicate with Oliver.

Whether it was in modern times.

Or in the Murim world [martial arts world setting].

There were always people who tried to latch onto successful people and beg for scraps.

Jun-hoo, with his rebellious streak, hated those types of people.

“Anyway, you were amazing at basketball earlier. You completely made Raymond look like a fool, you know?”

Oliver’s voice was excited as he changed the subject to basketball.

“Your dribbling was flashy, and you didn’t even lose in the strength battle against Raymond. Honestly, Raymond is the type to push with his physical strength, so it was uncomfortable, but you crushed him, which was really satisfying.”

“There’s a Korean saying that small peppers are spicier.”

After speaking, Jun-hoo put a piece of kimchi in his mouth.

The kimchi wasn’t spicy, and it barely tasted like fermented seafood. It was fake kimchi that only ruined his appetite.

“Oh, you’re from Korea.”

“Do you know about Korea?”

“To some extent. I heard that Korea is also a powerhouse in neurosurgery, so that’s why you took the top spot.”

Oliver already knew about Jun-hoo’s top ranking.

He must have overheard the conversation with Raymond.

“Being first in the test is in the past; the future is what matters. By the way, do you know anything about the Boost Up Program?”

“Huh? Didn’t you get the orientation email?”

“Orientation email?”

Jun-hoo asked, looking puzzled.

Then Oliver looked even more bewildered.

He didn’t even bother wiping the soup from his mouth as he spoke.

“The medical office sent out an email this morning. It summarized the training process.”

“I didn’t get it. I wouldn’t be asking you if I had.”

“Everyone else seems to have received it, so that’s strange…?”

“Yeah, it is.”

Jun-hoo frowned and stroked his chin.

Could it be that he was the only one who was left out by chance?

Or was it a deliberate scheme by Raymond or someone else?

He shouldn’t jump to conclusions, but he couldn’t shake off the unpleasant feeling.

“Give me your email address. I’ll forward the email I received to you.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

Jun-hoo exchanged email addresses and phone numbers with Oliver.

It was the first time an American colleague’s name was saved on Jun-hoo’s phone.

* * *

After finishing their meal, Jun-hoo and Oliver walked around the park near the dormitory.

It was spring, but close to winter, so the wind felt particularly chilly after the sun went down.

The garden was full of grass, and the trees were still bare.

The two were naturally talking about the Boost Up Program.

“I think there’s something wrong with the curriculum. This doesn’t make sense.”

“What do you mean?”

“The first training course is in pediatric neurosurgery. Pediatric neurosurgery should be put way back, shouldn’t it?”

Oliver looked at Jun-hoo with eyes seeking agreement.

Pediatric neurosurgery.

As the name suggests, it was a subspecialty that treated brain and spinal disorders in children, not adults.

“It’s hard to manage the vitals of children, and if the surgery goes wrong, they have to live with the aftereffects for the rest of their lives. I don’t know why they’re putting so much pressure on us from the beginning.”

“That’s a naive thought. Or are you just full of confidence because you’re the top student?”

Oliver tilted his head as if he couldn’t understand Jun-hoo.

“It’s better to get hit sooner rather than later.”

Jun-hoo’s eyes turned to the dark sky.

Just thinking about pediatric neurosurgery made his chest ache.

He didn’t know about the United States.

The situation of pediatric neurosurgery in Korea was the worst of the worst.

The number of pediatric neurosurgeons currently active was only 50.

Thousands of pediatric neurosurgery patients occurred every year, and those 50 people were dividing them up.

It was a tragedy like no other.

Perhaps that’s why.

Jun-hoo was actually glad that pediatric neurosurgery was the first training.

Through the Boost Up Program.

He could lay the foundation for pediatric neurosurgery treatment.

And he could steadily build up experience and skills in the remaining time.

“Do you know that there’s a failing grade in the Boost Up Program?”

“A failing grade?”

Jun-hoo asked with a surprised look.

He hadn’t read the orientation email yet.

“There’s a midterm evaluation and a final evaluation, and if you don’t pass them, your training time will be extended by another year.”

“…….”

“It’s called Boost Up, but if you’re unlucky, your training could be longer than doing a regular subspecialty.”

“You just have to do well on the evaluations, right?”

“Sigh~ Never mind. Let’s not talk about it.”

Oliver shook his head as if he was fed up.

“Who is the supervising professor for pediatric neurosurgery?”

“Professor Austin. He’s a legend in pediatric neurosurgery. He’ll be a nightmare for us.”

He couldn’t miss information about the supervising professor.

Jun-hoo quickly searched for Austin on his phone.

According to the articles, Austin was called the Godfather of neurosurgery.

His surgery success rate was as high as 80 percent.

And it wasn’t like he only chose easy surgeries.

He handled major surgeries that were featured in the news, such as ‘Siamese Twins Head Separation Surgery’.

Austin seemed like a ‘real’ one, just like Teacher Jae-hyun.

Well, if he was a ‘fake’, he wouldn’t be able to make a name for himself at the Mayo Clinic.

After chatting with Oliver and walking for 30 minutes.

Jun-hoo returned to his dormitory on the 5th floor.

Coincidentally, Oliver also used the dormitory, and his room was across from Jun-hoo’s.

“Then get some rest and see you tomorrow.”

“You too.”

After saying goodbye, Jun-hoo went straight back to his room.

The dormitory had everything, but there was no computer.

So he connected the internet cable to the laptop he had brought and checked the orientation email.

Jun-hoo’s brow furrowed as he scanned the schedule.

The training program was definitely not easy.

There were group activities.

There were also clinical activities.

Most of all, there was a surgical practice scheduled right away in the first week.

Even if they had obtained their specialist licenses, everyone would be doing pediatric neurosurgery for the first time, but they were immediately scheduling surgeries.

Jun-hoo couldn’t figure out if the Boost Up Program was originally tough.

Or if Austin was a tiger-like professor.

‘My life as a doctor in America starts now.’

Jun-hoo stretched his arms out towards the ceiling.

His whole body tingled.

He had chosen a thorny path, but he had no regrets.

Because that choice came from his own needs, not from coercion.

Because you can’t become a ‘master’ without ‘suffering’.

The Jun-hoo of seven years from now will definitely be a completely different surgeon from the Jun-hoo of today.

Before practicing his inner energy, Jun-hoo decided to film a NewTube video.

[Teacher. Do you know that you haven’t sent us a single video in the past week? I’m going to break my neck waiting for the video. Even if it’s short, please make sure to send us two videos a week!!!!]

While walking with Oliver.

He received a text message from the MCM manager.

The channel was growing rapidly, so he couldn’t neglect filming.

Jun-hoo held his phone in his hand and switched to selfie mode.

He recorded a video introducing the Mayo Clinic dormitory room.

On a roll, Jun-hoo went out to the dormitory hallway.

He decided to film the exterior and interior of the dormitory.

In addition, he decided to film the surrounding scenery of the Mayo Clinic.

It was to boast loudly to the manager after a long time.

The phone camera in Jun-hoo’s hand captured the scenery of the hallway.

It also captured the night view from the window at the end of the hallway.

Step. Step.

Jun-hoo headed towards the elevator without hesitation.

But when he was about halfway down the hallway.

A familiar voice was heard from the end of the hallway.

Whether it was a coincidence or not.

It was a voice they both knew.

It was also a voice that, according to Jun-hoo’s common sense, should not be meeting.

Curiosity piqued, Jun-hoo stopped filming for a moment.

Then, keeping quiet, he stealthily crossed the hallway.

When he reached the end of the hallway.

Jun-hoo peeked his face slightly over the corner of the hallway.

Two familiar faces were talking by the window.

The moment he confirmed the two people.

Jun-hoo’s forehead furrowed.

Raymond, who unilaterally considered Jun-hoo his rival.

And Oliver, who had just become his friend today, was the main character.

What kind of conversation could two dark men be having in the middle of the night?

Jun-hoo’s ears naturally tilted towards the two people’s conversation.

“How was it talking to that oriental guy?”

Raymond asked Oliver with his arms crossed.