A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 401

Chapter 78: Return to Korea (1)

“Professor, it’s Devin.”

Devin called Eaton from a spot 20 meters away from the operating table.

Eaton answered the phone surprisingly quickly.

-Just get to the point and hang up. The seminar is about to start.

“Professor, about the leg amputation patient. No matter how I look at it, surgery seems impossible.”

-…….

“I think we should amputate and fit a prosthetic, but Junhoo insists on surgery. Could you please take a look at the patient?”

-How serious is the patient that you’re calling me about this?

“It would be faster to check the EMR [Electronic Medical Record] than to give you a verbal report.”

Devin’s gaze turned to Junhoo.

Junhoo was talking to the patient and their guardian.

He was too far away to hear clearly, but he could guess what he was saying.

He was probably spreading false hope.

The surgery can succeed.

You can get your leg back.

The important thing is faith and determination in the surgery, and so on.

‘No way.’

A contemptuous smile appeared on Devin’s lips.

It’s not like Devin wanted to amputate the patient’s leg.

Why would he recommend an uncomfortable prosthetic?

It was because saving the leg was realistically impossible.

Of course, legs are precious.

But is a leg more precious than life?

Probably no one would say yes.

Unlike ‘arm’ reattachment surgery, ‘leg’ reattachment surgery is more difficult and arduous.

Many major arteries pass through and intersect, increasing the risk of bleeding.

Tock. Tock. Tock.

While waiting for Eaton’s decision, Devin anxiously tapped his leg.

There wasn’t much time.

Whether to amputate.

Or perform reattachment surgery.

The patient had to be sent to the operating room as soon as possible.

‘He’s taking a long time… Has the seminar started?’

Devin took the phone away from his ear and looked down at it.

Eaton was probably looking at the patient’s chart and various test results on his phone while still connected.

These days, you can view patient records and videos on your phone, not just on a computer.

Because there are apps dedicated to hospitals and doctors.

-Haa… This isn’t easy, is it?

Eaton said with a sigh.

“I wouldn’t have called you for nothing. Junhoo’s choice is reckless in everyone’s eyes, so I contacted you.”

Devin’s voice was confident.

“Then I’ll tell Junhoo that the director agrees with me.”

-Wait a minute.

“Is this something to 고민 [gomin – Korean word for ‘deliberate’] about?”

-Hmm… It’s a high-risk surgery, but it doesn’t seem impossible to reattach.

Devin frowned because Eaton seemed to be taking Junhoo’s side.

Wrinkles formed on the bridge of his nose, and his lips curled inward.

What is this absurd development?

“If there’s a risk, we should avoid it. The patient’s life is at stake.”

-…….

“If you were performing the surgery yourself, I would understand a hundred times over, but what should we trust in Junhoo?”

Devin retorted sharply.

-You’re new here, so you probably don’t know, but Junhoo’s skills are better than mine.

“What? That can’t be true? Junhoo only trained in hand surgery for a year, right?”

Devin asked back in disbelief.

He even suspected that Eaton was teasing him.

The director was a master of reattachment surgery who had trained in hand surgery for 20 years.

So much so that he was praised for being able to reattach even chopsticks to a person’s body.

Junhoo is better than such a director?

-In my opinion… Junhoo seems capable enough to perform the reattachment surgery. Proceed as planned.

“No. Professor. Please listen to me…”

Before he could add anything, Eaton hung up.

Devin looked down at his phone with a dumbfounded expression.

Something had gone terribly wrong.

* * *

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Junhoo was heading to the operating room with Devin.

Junhoo was walking two steps ahead of Devin, and the back of his head felt prickly.

It was because of the distrustful gaze Devin was sending.

But it wasn’t like Junhoo didn’t know how Devin felt.

Outside of Mayo, and even within Mayo, there were quite a few people who doubted the Boost Up program.

How can you complete a fellowship that takes 2-3 years in just one year? Aren’t they teaching it haphazardly?

That was one opinion.

Another opinion was that if you learn multiple subjects in a scattered manner, you won’t be able to focus on any one of them.

There was some truth to it, but it wasn’t entirely correct.

That’s because they didn’t properly understand the Boost Up program.

‘Well, I guess I have to accept it.’

Junhoo nonchalantly brushed off the cold treatment.

He would have countless similar experiences even after returning to Korea.

It was easier to think of it as getting vaccinated in advance.

And in fact, what was most important was skill.

If Junhoo proved his skills in the operating room, the suspicious glances and gossip would inevitably disappear.

I’ll show you.

The master badge on my chest wasn’t won by gambling.

While heading to the operating room, Junhoo lightly rotated his wrist.

He also drew up a brief blueprint for how to lead this reattachment surgery.

“Devin, you don’t like me, do you?”

When entering the operating room and scrubbing at the sink, Junhoo made the first move.

Devin looked at Junhoo with a dumbfounded expression.

“No. It’s not just that I don’t like you, I hate you. This is crazy.”

“Have you ever thought about it from the patient’s perspective?”

Junhoo changed the subject.

“What do you mean by the patient’s perspective?”

“Have you thought about the life of a patient who has to live with a prosthetic for the rest of their life?”

“Well… it would be painful… but isn’t it unavoidable? Life comes first…”

“Can you say that even if Devin is the patient?”

Junhoo’s eyes became serious.

As someone from the Murim [martial arts world], Junhoo had watched many warriors lose their limbs.

Depending on a person’s disposition, there were many warriors who lived lives worse than death after losing their limbs.

To permanently lose a part of one’s body.

This was nothing short of a terrible curse. Sometimes it could be more painful than death.

Is life more important than limbs?

Of course, it could be, but in some cases, it might not be.

There is no amputation surgery in my dictionary.

I only do reattachment surgery.

Junhoo set such a major principle in hand surgery.

He didn’t want to repeat the helplessness and tragedy he experienced in the Murim in modern times.

“…….”

Devin couldn’t say anything in response to Junhoo’s fierce gaze and voice.

He just focused on the scrubbing he was doing.

“I know it may seem reckless, but please assist me to the best of your ability.”

“Okay.”

Devin reluctantly replied.

* * *

After finishing scrubbing, Junhoo put on his surgical cap, gown, and mask in order.

He moved to operating room number 3.

Zhiiiing.

The automatic door opened and disinfectant gas was sprayed from the ceiling.

Junhoo headed straight for the operating table. The pungent smell of disinfectant brushed past his nose.

The surgical preparations were already complete.

Dressing carts full of surgical tools were lined up on either side of the operating table, which was brightly lit by surgical lights like a stage.

The patient was lying on the operating table.

Patient monitoring devices, central venous catheters, and IV fluids were connected to the patient like ornaments.

Beeeep. Beeeep.

A cold, mechanical sound was heard regularly from the patient monitoring device.

The electrocardiogram graph was shaking greatly up and down, probably because the patient was nervous.

A resident and a scrub nurse were waiting by the patient.

“Doctor.”

Junhoo said, looking at the blue curtain slightly away from the operating table.

“Yes. What is it?”

A voice was heard from behind the blue curtain.

It was the anesthesiologist’s voice.

“Let’s go with general anesthesia for this surgery.”

“General anesthesia? Not local anesthesia?”

“Yes. The surgery is expected to be long. There’s a high probability that pain management won’t work with local anesthesia.”

“…….”

“Please also use a stronger muscle relaxant than usual.”

Unlike usual, Junhoo actively intervened in the anesthesia.

Anesthesia was entirely the anesthesiologist’s domain, but in some cases, you could state your requirements like Junhoo.

Chwararararak!

The curtain was drawn.

The anesthesiologist strode towards Junhoo.

‘I knew it. He doesn’t even know his place.’

Devin enjoyed the schadenfreude inwardly.

Junhoo recklessly stepped into the anesthesiologist’s domain even though it wasn’t his specialty.

It was natural for the anesthesiologist to feel bad.

How would you feel if someone who grows apples gave advice to someone who grows rice?

Beside Junhoo, the anesthesiologist looked down at the patient and then looked back at Junhoo.

“The director used local anesthesia when operating on similar patients.”

The anesthesiologist’s voice was deep.

“Wouldn’t it be better to go the 정석 [jeongseok – standard/orthodox] way? To check the patient’s response as well.”

“The case you experienced is a bit different from this case. Nerves and blood vessels were torn to shreds by the electric saw blade. The range of damage is also wide.”

“…….”

“Please use general anesthesia.”

Request my ass?

It’s not like the anesthesiologist can say no.

However, Devin, who was ridiculing Junhoo, couldn’t help but be surprised.

The anesthesiologist nodded as if agreeing.

What kind of picture is this?

“What was the patient’s age, height, and weight?”

“40 years old, 180 centimeters, and 110 kilograms.”

“Severe obesity. We need to pay a little more attention to the anesthesia than usual.”

“Dr. Monty will take care of it.”

The anesthesiologist, called Monty, nodded again.

It seemed that the two knew each other.

But even if they knew each other, it was surprising that the anesthesiologist followed the surgeon’s words so obediently.

Does that mean he trusts Junhoo that much?

Come to think of it, the director also rated Junhoo higher than himself.

Junhoo seemed to have some special ability.

Something that only Devin didn’t know.

Soon after, general anesthesia was administered to the patient as Junhoo intended.

The patient’s body limped powerlessly like a doll.

“The surgery is expected to take about 6 hours. First, we’ll fix the patient’s bones, then proceed with tendon sutures, artery and vein sutures, and nerve sutures in that order.”

“…….”

“There will be parts that are different from general reattachment surgery in the middle, and I’ll tell you about those parts at the right timing.”

Junhoo made eye contact with each of the staff members and briefed them.

In the Murim battlefield, one master could easily face tens of thousands of people.

In modern times, that same principle did not apply, especially in the operating room.

Teamwork was the most important thing in surgery, no matter what anyone said.

What was the reason for this?

Because saving a person’s life is several times more difficult than killing them.

Before the full-scale surgery, Junhoo stared intently at the unconscious patient.

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

Back then in the emergency room.

The words the patient shouted desperately echoed in Junhoo’s ears.

-My life is over… I’m not 후기지수 [hugijisu – successor], 화산십일검 [Hwasan sibilgeom – Hwasan’s 11 Swords], or anything anymore. I’m just a cripple who lost his leg…

Over the patient’s voice, the voice of Hwang Yoon-myung, Junhoo’s Murim Alliance colleague and direct disciple of the Hwasan sect, overlapped.

Hwang Yoon-myung lost his left leg while performing a mission to attack the 녹림 [Nokrim – Green Forest Bandits]’s 별채 [byeolchae – detached building/villa].

And he took his own life a year later.

Can we really say that life is more important than a leg even in this case?

Just saving a life and reattaching limbs is not what a hand surgeon does.

A real hand surgeon also reattaches the patient’s will to live.

“Saline irrigation.”

Unlike his burning resolve, Junhoo’s voice was as cold as ice.