A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 384

Chapter 74: Spring (4)

Austin’s office door burst open without a knock.

A man stormed straight toward Austin, who was working at his desk.

Bang!

The man slammed his hands on the desk with force.

“Department Head! Is what I’m hearing true?!”

The man glared at Austin with fiery eyes.

The man’s name was Hector.

He was the second professor in the Boost Up Program.

Despite Hector’s successive rude actions, there was no sign of discomfort on Austin’s face.

Rather, he seemed to be enjoying the situation.

There was even a faint smile on his lips.

“The rumors travel fast. I haven’t even breathed a word to you yet.”

“That’s not the point. This doesn’t make sense. It just doesn’t.”

Hector’s voice rose.

Thirty minutes ago.

Hector, having finished a surgery for premature fusion of the skull [craniosynostosis], heard shocking news.

Conjoined twins with fused skulls had been admitted, and Jun-ho had been chosen as the first assistant for the surgery.

“What doesn’t make sense?”

“I’m coming from reviewing the patients’ CT and MRI scans. I haven’t done many separation surgeries, but the difficulty is absurd.”

“In what way?”

“The children are even sharing arterial blood vessels. How can you put a trainee as the first assistant in such a surgery?”

Hector thought Austin’s decision was reckless.

Jun-ho had, over the past nine months,

Grown rapidly and showed skills comparable to a professor, it was true.

But still.

The understanding of the surgery.

The experience and know-how that the professors had accumulated over decades could not be matched.

Then who would be the right person for the separation surgery?

Naturally, it was Hector.

Hector was Austin’s top student.

In other words, the position Jun-ho had taken should have originally been Hector’s.

“Are you perhaps jealous of Jun-ho?”

Austin asked teasingly.

No, he was definitely teasing. Now Austin was smiling not only with his mouth but also with his eyes.

“Am I in a position to be jealous of a trainee? Consider the patients, the guardians, and Mayhew’s reputation. I should be the first assistant.”

“Honestly, I admit it too.”

“What are you saying?”

“When considering overall skills, you are superior to Jun-ho in many ways.”

“Then why is Jun-ho the first assistant?”

“Jun-ho has something you don’t.”

Austin’s answer was ambiguous.

What did Jun-ho have that he didn’t?

Was Austin joking?

Was he telling the truth?

Was he offering a truth that sounded like a joke?

Was he making a joke that sounded like the truth?

Hector couldn’t get a grasp on it.

“So, your answer is fundamentally wrong. What I mean is… this surgery is precisely why Jun-ho, not you, should be the first assistant.”

“Haa…”

A deep sigh escaped from Hector’s lips.

Frustrated, Hector looked up at the ceiling once and then looked back at Austin.

“Please explain in a way that I can understand. Everything you’ve said so far has been abstract and vague.”

“You still don’t know what you’re lacking?”

“That’s why I’m asking.”

“Find out on this occasion. With your own strength. Of course, I could spoon-feed you the answer, but that wouldn’t mean much.”

Austin said his piece and closed his mouth.

Austin was a person whose stubbornness was as tough as an ox tendon [extremely stubborn].

Once he believed he was right.

He wouldn’t yield even a speck of dust.

In other words, no matter how much Hector argued, he wouldn’t be able to reclaim the first assistant position for the separation surgery.

Then what should he do?

As the silence deepened and his worries grew,

Hector finally spoke.

“Professor, have you decided on the method for the separation surgery?”

“Not decided, but I have something in mind.”

“Then how about this?”

“Tell me.”

“Jun-ho and I will each find a method for the separation surgery and receive an evaluation from you. The one who receives the better evaluation will be the first assistant.”

“You’re going to compete with a trainee?”

Austin raised his eyebrows as if surprised.

He probably didn’t expect him to go this far.

Indeed, it had been years since Hector, the second-in-command of pediatric neurosurgery, had been this proactive.

“Isn’t the difference in class too great to call it a competition?”

A cold smile appeared on Hector’s lips.

“Fine. Do it that way. You tell that story to Jun-ho yourself.”

“You’re accepting it surprisingly easily.”

“As I’ve repeatedly said, at least regarding this surgery, you can’t beat Jun-ho.”

“You’re always singing Jun-ho’s praises.”

Hector said in a sarcastic tone.

Frankly, he couldn’t help but feel bad.

Even though Jun-ho was a super rookie, he wasn’t at a level to be compared to Hector.

Yet Austin was stubbornly taking Jun-ho’s side.

So Hector wanted to prove it.

The truth that his skills were far superior to Jun-ho’s.

The fact that Austin’s blind faith in Jun-ho was wrong.

Having said all he wanted to say.

Hector left Austin’s office without any regrets.

* * *

“Which one is Emma and which one is Sophia?”

At Jun-ho’s question, Jordan and Scarlett tilted their heads.

They couldn’t have imagined he would ask how to distinguish the children.

“Why are you curious about that?”

“Identifying the patient is a doctor’s basic duty. Medically, it’s in case of medication errors.”

“Ah. Yes. Emma’s face is a bit more elongated, and Sophia’s face is rounder.”

“I kind of thought so.”

Jun-ho frowned and said.

According to Scarlett’s explanation.

The hospital bracelets on the children’s wrists were incorrectly worn.

Emma had Sophia’s bracelet, and Sophia had Emma’s bracelet.

Jun-ho exchanged the children’s bracelets.

“They were wearing the wrong bracelets?”

Jordan, who had been silent, joined the conversation. He was defensively crossing his arms.

“The staff must have made a mistake because the twins’ faces are similar. I apologize on their behalf.”

“Mayhew makes mistakes like this too. Is my trust suddenly misplaced?”

“Honey, don’t say that. The doctor came himself and corrected it.”

“I’m not saying anything to the doctor. I’m saying something to the nurse.”

The two bickered nervously, but Jun-ho didn’t think they were simply having a marital spat.

Raising a sick child can sicken the parents’ hearts as well.

While working in pediatric neurosurgery, Jun-ho deeply felt that fact.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t just happiness that was contagious.

Unhappiness, frustration, depression, and pain also tended to be contagious to each other.

“Did you both decide on the separation surgery together?”

“Yes. Although we had slightly different opinions.”

“How did your opinions differ?”

“My husband wanted to save at least one child for sure, and I wanted to save both children.”

Scarlett answered.

Jordan nodded instead of answering.

His expression still showed dissatisfaction, even though he had ultimately followed Scarlett’s choice.

Before making the current choice.

Jun-ho could clearly see how much the couple had cried, screamed, and argued.

Whether to choose the best option with a low probability.

Or the second-best option with a high probability.

It was already a difficult problem, and if it involved their children’s lives, the hardship would have been indescribable.

“You see,”

Jordan looked at Jun-ho and continued.

“I thought that if I succeeded and made a fortune, happiness would come naturally. I lived solely on that belief.”

“……”

“But I realized when the children were born. That money is really important, but it’s not everything.”

Jordan lowered his head with a bitter expression.

Jordan’s face, revealing his inner thoughts, suddenly looked decades older.

He had felt a similar feeling in the Murim world before….

Jun-ho was frustrated because he couldn’t remember when that was or who that person was.

“I also have a question.”

Jordan asked.

“Yes, please ask.”

“Other large hospitals all refused the separation surgery to save both children. But Mayhew was the only exception. Is there a reason?”

“It’s because of Professor Austin, who is in charge of the surgery. He always challenges himself and pursues the best results.”

“So it’s not that he took on the surgery because he was confident?”

A hint of disappointment flashed in Jordan’s eyes.

“Unfortunately, there probably isn’t a surgeon on Earth who can confidently perform this surgery.”

Jun-ho said weakly.

If possible, he wanted to give the guardians a lot of courage, but it wasn’t a situation where he could do that at all.

If about 10 years passed from now.

Would he be able to become the best surgeon who could easily perform such difficult separation surgeries?

Jun-ho suddenly felt an urge to peek at his future.

“Doctor, has the surgery plan been set?”

This time, Scarlett asked.

“Not yet. You’ll have to wait at least two weeks. We need to finalize the surgical method and staff, and we also need to do preliminary practice.”

“Please take good care of us.”

“I don’t know how you’ll interpret my words, but…”

Jordan paused before continuing.

“If this surgery is successful, we will share some of our company’s stock with the staff. We will also make a large donation to the hospital.”

“……”

“This is the only incentive I can offer.”

“That’s enough. Let’s pretend I didn’t hear what you just said.”

Jun-ho waved his hand in the air.

Jun-ho could easily guess that Jordan had been solving problems with money all along.

Maybe that’s why this situation is even more frustrating and uncomfortable for him.

Because his greatest weapon, money, had become as useless as a piece of paper.

On the other hand, Jun-ho was purely curious about Jordan’s wealth.

If he was getting surgery at Mayhew, he was definitely wealthy….

If he was giving away stock, he seemed to be an executive at a large company.

“Then I’ll be on my way. I’ll visit the hospital room often, and I’ll explain the surgery plan and schedule in detail as soon as they are set.”

After finishing the conversation with the guardians, Jun-ho left the hospital room.

He moved towards the window located at the end of the hospital ward corridor.

It was almost 8 PM.

The sky was dark, and tall and short buildings were lighting up like lighthouses.

The wind was quite strong.

The branches of the roadside trees planted along the road were swaying as if drunk.

As the pediatric neurosurgery training was coming to an end.

He faced an unexpected hardship.

Separation surgery for conjoined twins with fused skulls….

He would be in charge of the surgery that he only occasionally encountered in the news.

Jun-ho instinctively sensed it.

Whether this surgery succeeded or failed, it would be a major milestone in his surgical career.

If Jordan’s greatest weapon was money.

Jun-ho’s greatest weapons were inner strength and martial arts.

So he seriously considered which martial arts and inner strength he could apply to this surgery.

The deeper he thought, the more wrinkles appeared on his forehead.

The martial arts he thought of were quickly eliminated.

Because there were limits to the martial arts and inner strength that could be used in the operating room.

In front of the staff.

Whenever this happened, Jun-ho felt frustrated and lonely because he couldn’t fully reveal his abilities.

To clear his head for a moment.

Jun-ho held his cell phone in his hand.

Just as he was about to search for Jordan’s name in the search bar, he heard footsteps behind him.

Narrow and fast steps.

Steps that moved in a straight line.

It seemed clear that the person had business with Jun-ho.