A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 400

Chapter 77: What Remains (5)

“Yes. Yes, I understand, Professor.”

Jun-hoo’s face hardened as he replied.

After ending the call, Jun-hoo put his phone in his gown and stood up.

“Hey, where are you going in the middle of dinner?”

“They said an emergency patient came in and they need my help.”

“What kind of patient?”

“You’re better off not knowing. You’ll lose your appetite.”

“I don’t know what it is, but don’t go.”

Oliver shook his head and continued.

“Maxwell is right. We’ve been running like crazy for seven years. We should rest for at least a few days now that our training is over.”

“Does that mean we should ignore a critical patient?”

Jun-hoo retorted in a firm voice.

If the surgery was something other staff members could handle, Jun-hoo wouldn’t have bothered stepping in.

But the staff couldn’t handle the patient on their own, so they asked Jun-hoo for help.

And Jun-hoo had the power to help them.

If you have the power, shouldn’t you use it?

Especially if it’s to save someone’s life?

Treating patients was rewarding and a training that strengthened Jun-hoo.

As a surgeon, he didn’t want to avoid surgery.

He couldn’t avoid surgery either.

“Sorry, but please clear my tray.”

After speaking, Jun-hoo left the cafeteria like a bolt of lightning.

“I can’t stop him anyway.”

Oliver clicked his tongue, watching Jun-hoo’s disappearing back.

“Is this the first day you’ve seen him like that? Just let it be.”

“I know, but sometimes I think Jun-hoo goes too far. It’s like he’s a ghost who died because he couldn’t get surgery in his past life.”

“He must have a story we don’t know about.”

“A story…”

Oliver repeated the word ‘story’ that Maxwell had said.

Indeed, there is no action without a story.

Oliver himself chose Mayhew and pediatric neurosurgery because of the story of wanting to be recognized by his father.

So, what is the story that makes Jun-hoo so desperate for patients?

Although the story is unknown.

Judging by his actions, it didn’t seem like an ordinary story.

Oliver guessed.

The most likely story is that someone precious to him died because they couldn’t get surgery.

“But what kind of surgery is it that Jun-hoo has to step in personally?”

Maxwell tilted his head and continued.

“Even for emergency patients, the department usually handles it on its own, right? Our clinic is Mayhew, after all?”

“That’s right. Now that you mention it, it is a bit strange.”

Oliver agreed with Maxwell’s opinion.

It’s not like Mayhew Clinic wouldn’t function without Jun-hoo.

Mayhew was the best medical hospital in the United States.

So, he was curious.

Which department was looking for Jun-hoo and for what reason?

“Could it be a gunshot wound? Jun-hoo is really good at operating on gunshot wounds. Didn’t he remove a bullet from someone’s brain last month?”

“I think it’s a multiple traffic accident patient? Injured head and abdominal organs.”

The two began to speculate about the patient Jun-hoo would be treating.

* * *

Meanwhile, at that moment.

Jun-hoo was running towards the emergency room building, using the Cheongpung Steps. [Likely a set of stairs named Cheongpung]

The strong headwind pushed his hair back, and his doctor’s gown fluttered like a flag.

Jun-hoo’s legs crossed so quickly they were almost invisible. Jun-hoo was like a cheetah.

On the way to the emergency room.

A group of doctors was walking in front of him, blocking his path.

‘Damn it, of all times.’

He was going so fast that he didn’t have time to change direction.

At this rate, he would end up creating a patient before even seeing one.

He was about to become a bowling ball and knock down the doctors like bowling pins.

Thump!

Jun-hoo quickly calculated and kicked off the ground.

Hovering in the air, Jun-hoo flew over the heads of the oncoming doctors. The height reached 10 meters.

But the doctors had their backs to Jun-hoo, so they didn’t see his amazing leap.

Fortunately.

It would have been much more difficult to explain if they had been facing each other.

Whack!

Jun-hoo bent his waist and knees slightly, using the Man Geun Chu technique. [Likely a martial arts technique]

He focused his internal energy and center of gravity on the soles of his feet.

Shock absorption and balance.

Jun-hoo, who had caught two birds with one stone, continued to run.

As he got closer to the emergency room, he gradually reduced his running speed.

Whoosh.

The automatic door opened.

Finally arrived at the emergency room.

In the waiting area, about 20 patients were waiting for treatment with bored expressions.

The pungent smell of disinfectant brushed past his nose.

Jun-hoo asked the nearest nurse.

“Where is the hand surgery patient who was just brought in?”

“End of the A sector hallway. The patient’s condition is really serious… I couldn’t even look at it properly because it was so gruesome.”

The nurse shuddered and replied.

Jun-hoo nodded in acknowledgment and headed to the bed.

When he arrived at the bed, a woman who appeared to be the guardian was staring blankly at the ceiling.

The woman didn’t even know Jun-hoo was there.

The patient was lying on the bed.

The patient’s face was as pale as if he had seen a ghost. All the blood had drained from his face.

The patient’s head, body, and arms were fine.

But the problem was the leg.

There was a diagonal wound below the knee.

Bones, fascia [connective tissue], muscles, and blood vessels were exposed through the wound.

It was a horrific sight that would have made an ordinary person scream in horror.

‘Ah…’

Jun-hoo also sighed inwardly.

Because about two-thirds of the patient’s leg had been severed.

It looked like the dangling leg would fall off if touched even slightly.

* * *

“Yes. Professor. Yes, I understand.”

Devin ended the call with Director Eaton and hurried his steps towards the emergency room.

Five minutes ago.

A patient arrived at the emergency room.

The patient said he had accidentally cut off his leg while doing woodworking with a chainsaw.

It wasn’t a frequent case.

But it was a case that happened once or twice every quarter.

The problem was that the patient’s condition was more serious than other patients.

According to the emergency room notification, the patient’s leg was already almost two-thirds gone.

They administered IV fluids.

Barely managed to stop the bleeding.

And then took a CT scan of the leg.

They didn’t do any additional treatment because it might interfere with the reattachment surgery.

‘Don’t you trust me? Why did you tell me to follow that guy’s instructions?’

Devin frowned, recalling the conversation with the director.

On the way down to the emergency room.

He received a call from Director Eaton, and the content was shocking.

He had called Jun-hoo, the top of the Boost Up program. So, he was told to help Jun-hoo and successfully complete the reattachment surgery.

Honestly, it was a blow to his pride.

Who is Devin?

He was a new faculty member, but he was also a professor of hand surgery.

But why should he, a professor, help a trainee? Shouldn’t it be the other way around?

Devin didn’t know who Jun-hoo was, but he had no intention of giving Jun-hoo the lead.

He arrived at the emergency room in a hurry.

Devin arrived at the bed where the patient was lying.

Surprisingly, Jun-hoo had arrived first.

He was sure he was in the dorm, but he was surprised that Jun-hoo had arrived earlier than him.

Jun-hoo was a tall, kind-looking Asian man. There were seven badges on the chest of his doctor’s gown.

It was the legendary badge that only one person could receive, recognized by the directors who taught neurosurgery subspecialties.

Well, it’s just a sign that he’s a bit better than other trainees.

Actually, it doesn’t make sense, does it?

To complete the hand surgery fellowship in just one year.

He must have just skimmed the surface with cramming.

“Are you Dr. Jun-hoo?”

Devin greeted Jun-hoo first.

“Yes. Are you Dr. Devin?”

“That’s right. What’s the patient’s condition?”

Devin stuck close to the bed and examined the patient’s leg first.

As soon as he checked the leg, his face crumpled like paper.

He majored in hand surgery, but this was the first time he had seen a leg so messed up.

The bones, muscles, ligaments, and blood vessels were jaggedly cut due to the sharp chainsaw blades.

The remaining part was precariously supporting the leg.

Fortunately, the bleeding had almost stopped.

It seemed that he had received proper first aid on the way and the emergency medicine doctor had paid a lot of attention.

“D-Doctor. What’s going to happen to me?”

The patient asked in a terrified voice.

He hadn’t been able to look at his own horrific leg since earlier.

“I think it would be better to amputate.”

“Amputate?”

The patient and guardian shouted in unison.

“Are you saying that I should live with only one leg from now on?”

“I’m sorry to tell you this, but that would be much safer for the patient.”

Devin said, biting his lip.

Why would he want to say such cruel things?

But there was no other way.

First of all, the amputation range was too wide.

If only half of the leg had been cut off, he would have desperately performed surgery.

But the patient had lost almost two-thirds of it.

Not the wrist or arm, but the leg.

There was another problem.

It would have been better if it had been cut by a sharp object, but the wound caused by the chainsaw blade was uneven.

Even if he performed reattachment surgery, there was a high probability that the wound would reopen, tear, or separate.

Infection was also a serious concern.

Of course, Director Eaton told him to perform reattachment surgery on the patient, but Devin’s opinion, after seeing the patient on site, was different.

This patient should not have surgery.

If the director had been on site, he would have come to the same conclusion.

“Doctor. I don’t want to live on one leg. Please reattach my leg. This is Mayhew Clinic. Isn’t there any way?”

“Doctor. Please…”

The patient and guardian pleaded at the same time.

His heart softened, but Devin shook his head in response.

What can’t be done can’t be done.

It was also deception to say that what can’t be done can be done.

Okay.

Let’s say he performed the surgery.

But what if the surgery results are bad? The patient could file a medical lawsuit and make things difficult for Devin.

“Mayhew Clinic can’t cure every disease.”

Devin continued calmly.

“I think it would be better to amputate the leg and attach a prosthetic leg later.”

“A prosthetic leg?”

“Yes. Prosthetic legs are so well-made these days that they don’t cause much trouble walking. Of course, it’s a heartbreaking story… but this is the best I can do.”

After speaking, Devin stared at Jun-hoo standing next to him.

It was a look that asked what he thought.

Jun-hoo had been standing still in his place like a telephone pole since earlier.

He was just stroking his chin without saying anything.

Then.

“Let’s get consent and proceed with the reattachment surgery.”

Jun-hoo gave a surprising answer, and Devin doubted his ears.

“Ha… Didn’t you hear what I just said? This patient will be in more danger if we do reattachment surgery.”

“…”

“If you mess with the bones, muscles, ligaments, and nerve blood vessels, you might not even be able to attach a prosthetic leg.”

Devin said irritably.

But Jun-hoo didn’t even twitch an eyebrow.