A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 464

Chapter 90: Escape (5)

It was like watching a bizarre version of ‘My Sassy Girl’ [a popular South Korean romantic comedy film], but with a male lead right before my eyes.

Of course, the main character was Junhoo.

‘Wow, he’s really something…’

Hyun-jung clicked her tongue inwardly.

With ten years of nursing experience, Hyun-jung had worked in the emergency room until two years ago.

But!

In all her life, she had never seen a doctor perform chest compressions with one hand. It was truly breaking the mold.

However, Junhoo’s mold-breaking wasn’t in a good way. It was just plain foolishness.

There was no way he could generate enough pressure to pump the heart with one hand.

If it were that easy.

If that were possible.

Why would people struggle with chest compressions? Why would they sweat buckets after just 2-3 minutes, as if they had sprinted a full race?

Hyun-jung also frowned at Junhoo removing the defibrillator pads he had painstakingly attached.

Did he really want to save the patient?

What if the on-call resident was Junhoo’s enemy?

She even had the absurd thought that Junhoo might be taking revenge on the on-call resident.

That’s how outrageous Junhoo’s actions seemed to Hyun-jung.

“Chief, I brought the thoracentesis kit [a procedure to remove fluid or air from around the lungs].”

“Set it up for immediate thoracentesis.”

“Yes, Chief.”

While the intern prepared for the thoracentesis.

“Haa… Haa… Haa…”

Hyun-jung gasped for breath.

Although not as strenuous as chest compressions, squeezing the Ambu bag (air reservoir bag) [a manual resuscitator used to provide ventilation to patients who are not breathing adequately] was also heavy labor.

Her wrist throbbed, and her shoulder felt like it was about to pop out.

Her face was damp with sweat.

“Chief… but… why… thoracentesis…?”

Hyun-jung asked Junhoo, panting.

The on-call resident had probably collapsed due to a heart attack from overwork.

But why was Junhoo preparing for a thoracentesis?

It didn’t make sense.

“Of course, the Chief must have a reason.”

The intern said something obvious.

He wasn’t trying to brown-nose the chief; this intern was just a bit dim.

‘This guy is really pouring cold water on the situation.’

‘That’s why I’m asking for the reason.’

‘If you’re a doctor, shouldn’t you be curious about the reason?’

Hyun-jung couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud and just vented internally.

“Mr. Woo-hyun, it’s not a simple heart attack.”

“Then what on earth…?”

“Do you see this?”

Junhoo pointed with his index finger to a spot 3 centimeters away from Woo-hyun’s left nipple.

Even after directly checking the spot.

Hyun-jung tilted her head.

“Is there something wrong there?”

“It’s bruised blue.”

“Yes.”

“This is traumatic pneumothorax [a collapsed lung caused by trauma].”

Junhoo’s voice was full of conviction.

Traumatic pneumothorax.

A condition where the chest cavity or chest wall is damaged by blunt force or sharp objects.

This causes air to fill the chest, compressing the lungs, and if the symptoms are severe, the patient is at risk of death.

“Isn’t it too early to diagnose traumatic pneumothorax based solely on a bruise on the chest?”

Hyun-jung raised her question as politely as possible.

Even if Junhoo was the chief, there were things that needed to be addressed.

Moreover, Junhoo was still performing the bizarre act of maintaining chest compressions with one hand.

Frankly, it was hard to trust him.

“No underlying conditions, and the ward staff are performing CPR, but he’s still unconscious.”

“…”

“And there’s a bruise on his chest. This is more than enough to confirm traumatic pneumothorax.”

Junhoo’s answer was calm.

As if his diagnosis couldn’t be wrong.

At this point, Hyun-jung was resigned to whatever happened.

How could a nurse stop the chief?

He would be responsible anyway.

The only unusual thing was…

Junhoo’s chest compressions were quite strong for being done with one hand.

Whether he used two hands.

Or one hand.

The level at which Woo-hyun’s body was heaving was similar.

Moreover.

Even though he was solely responsible for chest compressions, Junhoo didn’t show even a hint of fatigue.

His breathing remained calm, and there wasn’t a bead of sweat on his face.

This was truly superhuman stamina.

“Chief, the thoracentesis is ready. I’ll do my best.”

The intern said with a determined expression.

“Do what, you say.”

“Yes? Of course, we have to do the thoracentesis.”

“I’ll do it, not the intern. Give me the forceps.”

Junhoo’s audacious statement shocked the on-call room once again.

Hyun-jung and the intern were speechless.

So…

He was saying he would do the thoracentesis while doing chest compressions with one hand?

Is this even possible?

“Hurry, we’re in a hurry!”

The intern, startled by Junhoo’s shout, flinched. After hesitating for a moment, he handed the forceps to Junhoo.

Junhoo disinfected the area for the thoracentesis with a sterile cotton swab while doing chest compressions with his left hand.

Incredibly, both hands were working independently.

“How can you be more flustered than me, who’s doing chest compressions?”

Junhoo scolded the intern in a sharp voice.

The intern had handed the chest tube to Junhoo with the needle facing him.

“I’m sorry.”

The intern, looking dejected, changed the direction and handed the chest tube to Junhoo.

‘Is this really going to be okay?’

Hyun-jung’s heart pounded.

Disinfection aside, would he be able to insert the chest tube?

Especially while doing vigorous chest compressions?

Junhoo’s actions seemed reckless no matter how she looked at it.

“Why is this nurse more nervous when I’m the one performing the procedure?”

Junhoo said as if he had read Hyun-jung’s mind. Hyun-jung just gave an awkward smile instead of answering.

“There will be more of this in the future, so train your heart.”

Junhoo’s gaze lingered on Woo-hyun’s chest.

Thwack!

The chest tube pierced Woo-hyun’s chest.

* * *

“Wh… where is this…?”

Woo-hyun groaned and lifted his eyelids.

Objects that had appeared hazy, as if he had opened his eyes underwater, began to become clear one by one.

Woo-hyun was lying on the first-floor bed in the on-call room.

“Senior, you’re awake?”

Intern Seung-hwan made a fuss as he looked down at Woo-hyun. Seung-hwan was sitting in a chair, watching over Woo-hyun.

“What happened?”

“It was a mess. You collapsed, Senior.”

“So it finally happened?”

Woo-hyun frowned as he replied. His last memory was a stabbing pain in his chest, as if he had been cut by a sword.

After that, he couldn’t remember anything.

“What’s this?”

Woo-hyun’s index finger pointed to his chest.

A chest tube had been inserted.

“The chief who came to work today performed a thoracentesis on you, Senior. The chief was crazy, you know? He did chest compressions with one hand while doing the thoracentesis! Seeing that your condition improved after the thoracentesis, it must have really been traumatic pneumothorax.”

Seung-hwan rattled off the words.

Perhaps because he had just regained consciousness and his head was dull.

The meaning was conveyed belatedly.

New chief, traumatic pneumothorax, thoracentesis.

“I had traumatic pneumothorax… No wonder my chest hurt so much.”

Woo-hyun smiled bitterly.

Thirty minutes before losing consciousness.

Woo-hyun had been about to eat a cup of ramen for a late-night snack.

He was walking to the sink while playing a mobile game when he slammed his chest directly into the sharp corner of the sink.

“Ugh…”

His chest hurt as if he had been stabbed by a sharp awl.

His hand instinctively went to the injured area.

But at first, he thought nothing of it.

He dismissed it as a minor injury.

However, the chest pain became more severe over time. Eventually, he had to take painkillers to endure it.

But even then…

He never once suspected traumatic pneumothorax.

His optimistic judgment that ‘I’ll get better if I rest’ was significant.

He ended up not finishing the ramen.

Woo-hyun slumped on his desk and tried to get some sleep.

And then his consciousness evaporated.

That was the hidden truth behind this incident.

“The new chief saved me.”

“Yes. It almost became a big deal. It was also a big deal that the chief discovered you in time, Senior.”

“…”

“It was also a big deal that he attempted the emergency thoracentesis.”

“He’s a lifesaver.”

Woo-hyun nodded.

What was the chief’s greatest contribution to saving him?

Woo-hyun thought it was his concern.

There was no reason for the chief, who was coming to work for the first time, to stop by the on-call room. He would be busy managing his schedule in his own office.

But the chief was different.

He personally visited the on-call room and discovered that Woo-hyun had collapsed.

If it weren’t for the chief’s concern.

Woo-hyun would have been discovered by his colleagues just before the conference. And he would be walking the path to the afterlife right now.

“He trained at Mayu [likely a prestigious medical institution] for seven years and has a brilliant career, so he must be different.”

“He’s definitely a good person, but I’m still worried.”

“About what?”

“You know how our professors are. They have quite the temper.”

Woo-hyun couldn’t refute Seung-hwan’s point. Could the chief really demonstrate his skills among the strong-willed professors?

He couldn’t readily nod.

“I really want to help if there’s anything I can do.”

* * *

That morning.

Junhoo was unable to attend the morning ward conference and rounds.

He was busy treating Woo-hyun.

And after the treatment, he immediately attended the monthly meeting held in the annex auditorium.

At the monthly meeting, Junhoo officially announced his presence.

He went up to the podium and gave a brief inaugural address.

Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!

After the inaugural address, there was a burst of applause and thousands of eyes on him.

Only then did Junhoo realize that he had become the chief.

‘It’s been a hectic morning.’

Junhoo’s steps were hurried as he left the auditorium.

Strictly speaking, his schedule wasn’t packed.

Outpatient care would begin in a few days.

Since he wasn’t seeing outpatients, there were no consultations, and since there were no patients, there were no surgeries.

But Junhoo had many things he had planned himself.

To handle them all, he would be extremely busy for the time being.

The place Junhoo arrived at with hurried steps was the 3rd floor of the main building.

The hospital director’s office, located at the end of the hallway.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

The secretary appeared after the knock.

“You’re the newly appointed head of the neurosurgery department, right?”

“You know me? Did you attend the monthly meeting?”

“Even if I don’t attend the monthly meeting, I should know that much. The director has been looking for you.”

The secretary smiled.

There was a reception room in the hospital director’s office, and the secretary led Junhoo to the reception room.

The hospital director was sitting on the sofa.

He was leisurely drinking coffee with his legs crossed.

The hospital director’s name was Pyo Seong-deok.

Junhoo already had a deep connection with Pyo Seong-deok.

Because…

When Junhoo was a resident at Shinwon University Hospital.

Pyo Seong-deok was the head of the neurosurgery department.

Pyo Seong-deok had become quite plump in the meantime.

The slender jawline had disappeared.

The lower abdomen was bulging like a tadpole.

Nevertheless, his unique, wicked eyes remained the same.

He had a Tootoo-like vibe from Frog Prince [a reference to a character known for a distinctive look].

Junhoo lightly bowed his head in greeting and sat on the sofa opposite Seong-deok.

Seong-deok scanned Junhoo up and down as if he was examining him.

“Honestly, it was unexpected.”

“What do you mean?”

“I didn’t expect you to come down to Busan. I thought you would be working at Seoul National University Hospital. There are many colleagues and seniors at the main hospital.”

“…”

“Is there a reason why you chose Busan? Did they tell you that they couldn’t make you the chief at the main hospital?”

“No. I had chief offers from the main hospital. I received the same offers from Jewon University and other university hospitals.”

“Really?”

Seong-deok raised his eyebrows.

He seemed to be telling him to say more.

He seemed very curious as to why Junhoo had turned down good positions and moved to Busan.

“The reason I came to Busan…”

Junhoo smiled and continued.