A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 43

The Martial Surgeon – 43

Chapter 8: Emergency Medicine (5)

The fleeting moments inside the elevator felt like hours to Jun-hoo.

The patient was in such critical condition.

If he became a surgeon, he would surely be even more pressed for time than now.

Jun-hoo’s gaze, which had been checking the floor numbers, lingered on the face of the gang boss.

The unconscious mobster’s face was pale.

Even with the blood packs and IV fluids dripping steadily.

Is it right to save someone with such significant moral flaws?

A question arose from within.

It was a question he hadn’t had time to consider earlier due to the urgency.

In fact, Jun-hoo believed that there were people in the world who deserved to die.

The villains he had encountered in the Murim [martial arts world] were often insane.

Turning normal people into living corpses.

Deliberately cutting off people’s limbs to cripple them.

Massacring entire families or villages without mercy, and so on.

Compared to the criminals of the Murim,

the criminals of modern society might be considered relatively tame, but the fact that they were not human remained unchanged.

Is it right to save someone with such significant moral flaws?

The question echoed in his heart once more.

It was an unavoidable question as a doctor.

Because it was a question that had to be answered, Jun-hoo found his own solution.

Even the wicked need treatment.

That was Jun-hoo’s conclusion.

Even the wicked are patients when injured, and patients have the right to receive treatment.

……It wasn’t based on a humanitarian stance like that.

Rather, Jun-hoo was the opposite.

His position was that the wicked should receive treatment and pay for their sins.

One might call it rehabilitation treatment.

In that sense, death should not be easily granted to the wicked, just as it should not be to ordinary people.

Because they need to be healthy to pay for their sins.

Ding-dong!

The elevator alarm rang just in time.

Jun-hoo quickly regained his senses and pushed the gurney through the opening doors.

He ran towards the operating room.

It might look ignorant to others, but he was incredibly skilled at controlling the speed and direction of the gurney.

So, there was no chance of colliding with anyone.

Mumgum [his special ability/sense] was providing Jun-hoo with tremendous help in both big and small ways.

“Wow, you’re already here?”

An intern appeared as he arrived in front of the operating room.

Judging by the gown, it was Lee Young-min, a resident in the gastroenterology department.

He seemed to have come out to help Jun-hoo’s group after finishing the surgery preparations.

“It’s a grade 3 splenic rupture patient.”

“I checked the chart. I heard he caused a ruckus in the emergency room… He looks quite menacing.”

Young-min scanned the patient and was surprised once more.

“It’s a grade 3 patient, but the bleeding is remarkably well-controlled. Usually, the sheets are covered in blood.”

“It seems the treatment was quick.”

Jun-hoo answered vaguely.

He couldn’t say that he had slowed the bleeding from the ruptured splenic vessels with pressure points.

“Okay. Good job, you can go back in. Leave the rest to our department.”

“Thank you, Doctor.”

Jun-hoo bowed his head.

He watched the gurney and Young-min enter the operating room.

Even though he had done his part, a deep sense of regret remained.

Was it because Jun-hoo’s goal was to become a surgeon?

He wanted to enter the operating room with Young-min and assist with the surgery.

He wanted to save people by wielding a scalpel instead of a sword.

‘It’s a shame, but I have no choice but to wait for the surgery rotation…….’

As he turned around, Jun-hoo ran into the chief resident who had accompanied him. This was because Jun-hoo had pulled the gurney and reached the operating room faster than the chief.

“Haa…… Haa……. Are you the Hulk or something? How are you faster than me while pushing the gurney?”

“I’m just a man of great strength.”

“Seriously, you’re the first guy I’ve ever seen like you.”

The chief took a moment to catch his breath while bending over, then suggested that Jun-hoo take a break in the lounge.

While resting in the lounge,

the chief bombarded Jun-hoo with questions.

How did he think of dealing with the gangsters alone?

How did he know that the boss needed a trauma ultrasound, and so on.

From the chief’s perspective, Jun-hoo was simply amazing.

It was logically impossible for an intern, especially on their first day, to perform so well.

Underlying that was his experience in the Murim.

And the medical knowledge he had accumulated over a long period, but Jun-hoo couldn’t reveal these facts.

So, he made up a plausible fake answer.

Fortunately, the chief didn’t pry any further.

“Are there usually this many problematic patients when working in the emergency room?”

Jun-hoo changed the subject.

“The emergency department has the most problematic patients out of all the departments in the hospital. First of all, they see a lot of patients. There are also many alcohol patients (drunk patients).”

“…….”

“We also deal with a lot of rude homeless people, so…”

“…….”

“But I’ve never seen gangsters before. My heart was pounding when those guys came at you with scissors.”

The chief said with a shudder.

He still seemed terrified just thinking about it.

Unlike the surrounding worries, Jun-hoo found the gangsters cute from the first time he encountered them.

Working in the emergency room in the future,

he would encounter many problematic people, but Jun-hoo was not afraid of them.

Jun-hoo was only afraid of two things.

His misdiagnosis causing an emergency patient to be classified as a non-emergency patient.

And incorrectly connecting a patient to the wrong department.

Those were the only two things.

‘It’s still going smoothly so far.’

Let’s learn basic treatments and improve our skills in examining and diagnosing patients at this rate.

Because the emergency department is the only department where you can learn to examine and diagnose independently.

During a brief pause in the conversation,

Jun-hoo gulped down the coffee the chief had bought him.

Coffee was the only drug allowed for doctors.

Especially interns and residents, who drank coffee instead of water.

Come to think of it, coffee was a drug used not only by doctors but by all workers in South Korea.

It was proof of how difficult it was to survive in society.

“The work is so hard, why did the chief choose the emergency department?”

“Honestly, it’s not out of a sense of duty, but because I want to have a lot of my own time. You get a day off for every day you work, right?”

“…….”

“If you combine your vacation days well, you can even get three days off.”

“What do you do when you rest?”

“Games. I like games.”

Is this what they call work-life balance these days?

Anyway, Jun-hoo liked the chief’s honest answer.

How many people actually work with a sense of calling?

Work was originally done to earn money and make a living.

It was no different for doctors.

Jun-hoo’s case was quite unique.

“By the way, Jun-hoo.”

“Yes, Chief.”

“Are you thinking of staying in the emergency department later? I’ll treat you well.”

The chief put his hand on Jun-hoo’s shoulder and spoke in a friendly manner.

“Well, I’m planning to major in surgery…….”

“Surgery? Why go through all that trouble with your skills?”

The chief asked as if scolding him.

It was the reaction that invariably followed whenever Jun-hoo said he would become a surgeon.

“It’s rewarding as much as it’s hard.”

“Hmm…… Have you thought about which surgery to go to specifically?”

“No, not yet. I’m going to think about it while doing my internship.”

“As you know, if you’re going to do surgery, go to orthopedics. It’s easy to set up a clinic and it’s profitable.”

“…….”

“With your physique, you’ll be loved by the residents.”

“I’ll think about it.”

Bzzzz.

Just as he was about to get up from his seat, the cell phone in his gown vibrated.

Checking the number, it was a call from the emergency room.

Jun-hoo connected the call.

-Doctor, the police are here in the emergency room right now, okay? You need to come down here quickly.

The nurse’s voice was urgent.

* * *

Jun-hoo had to face the police when he went down to the emergency room.

The gangsters, who had regained consciousness, were clinging to the police like rice cakes [a Korean expression for sticking very closely].

“That… that’s the guy. That guy beat us up, I’m telling you.”

“Oh my, the doctor is killing people.”

The gangsters brazenly distorted the facts, completely ignoring the fact that they had rushed at Jun-hoo with weapons.

But the police weren’t fools either.

They listened to the emergency room staff, patients, and guardians, and no one sided with the gangsters.

Everyone was busy cursing the gangsters.

“Those guys are very bad people. They ganged up on the doctor.”

“That tall guy even had scissors.”

The police officer, who had finished listening to the people around him, approached Jun-hoo.

“Doctor, I’m sorry. I know you’re being wronged, but if those guys claim mutual assault, we need to investigate.”

The police officer with glasses pointed to the gangsters behind him with his thumb.

“It’s okay. Shall we go check the CCTV together then?”

Jun-hoo boldly suggested that they go see the CCTV first.

Then the gangsters welcomed it with both hands, foolishly unaware that they had fallen into a trap.

Jun-hoo, the gangsters, and the police.

The group went down to the security office and began to examine the CCTV footage.

The video clearly showed the scene of the gangsters causing a disturbance.

The scenes of kicking the dressing cart.

And rushing at Jun-hoo with scissors.

“Are you guys crazy? Are you trying to pin the blame on an innocent doctor?”

The police officer who checked the video shouted.

“No! We were the ones who got hit. Look at that doctor. The doctor is fine.”

“You guys are just as fine. And you said the doctor assaulted you, but there’s no scene of that.”

“…….”

“And do you think it makes sense that the doctor single-handedly subdued all of you?”

Watching the situation, Jun-hoo laughed inwardly.

Everything was according to Jun-hoo’s plan.

He deliberately chose the blind spot of the CCTV when dealing with the gangsters.

He beat the gangsters just enough to avoid leaving any external injuries.

Jun-hoo surpassed the gangsters by far not only in strength but also in intelligence.

“Now you believe that I’m innocent, right?”

“Yes. Thank you for the confirmation. These guys are completely vicious.”

The police officer frowned as he glared at the gangsters.

On the other hand, the gangsters looked like they were about to go crazy with frustration.

From the gangsters’ point of view, it was frustrating because they were the ones who caused the disturbance first, but as a result, they were the ones who got beaten up.

“Let’s go to the police station.”

“Ha… I’m going crazy, really.”

“Did you just realize you’re crazy? Causing a disturbance in a hospital where people are being treated.”

Jun-hoo even watched the gangsters get into the police car.

And asked the police officer with glasses.

There was still something he was curious about.

“Officer. Can I ask you something?”

“Yes. Of course.”

“What will happen to those people?”

The police officer smiled awkwardly at Jun-hoo’s question.

“Well… the punishment won’t be as strong as you expect. First of all, it falls under obstruction of business…….”

“…….”

“I guess they’ll get a suspended sentence and a fine.”

“Is that all?”

Jun-hoo clicked his tongue without realizing it.

It was fortunate that Jun-hoo was the one who dealt with the gangsters, but if another staff member had dealt with them, a major accident could have occurred.

They caused a disturbance as a group and brandished scissors, but they only get a fine…….

Jun-hoo felt the unfairness of the lenient punishment.

“I’m sorry. There’s nothing we can do about it.”

“Didn’t a law to strengthen the punishment for assaulting medical personnel in the emergency room pass a few years ago?”

As far as Jun-hoo knew, if a patient caused a disturbance in the emergency room,

they would be sentenced to a maximum of 10 years in prison or fined more than 100 million won.

But the level of punishment the police officer mentioned was too low.

“That’s true… but no one was injured.”

“So, should I have been beaten up and stabbed with scissors by those guys?”

“No. That’s definitely not what I meant. But that’s how the law is enacted, so there’s nothing we can do.”

Jun-hoo calmed his anger at the police officer’s defense.

When you think about it, it wasn’t the police officer’s fault. After all, the punishment is up to the judiciary.

“I’m sorry. I vented my anger on you for no reason.”

“I understand completely. It must be frustrating from the medical staff’s point of view.”

The police officer apologized and continued.

“Come to think of it, I couldn’t tell you something important.”

“What is it?”

“The gang boss who is currently undergoing surgery. When we checked his identity, he was a wanted man.”

Jun-hoo wasn’t surprised by the police officer’s explanation.

It was a fact he had noticed from the moment they tried to receive treatment without registration.

“There’s a reward for reporting, so we can give you the reward for reporting. The amount is 20 million won.”

“…….”

“I’ll contact you again later about the reward issue, so please keep that in mind. Anyway, thank you for your hard work.”

The police officer politely greeted him and drove away from the hospital in the police car.

Jun-hoo watched the receding police car and suddenly felt the cold night air.