A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 475

Chapter 93: Seizing Control (1)

The morning conference began, led by the chief resident.

First, Jun-hoo was introduced.

Although he had an inauguration ceremony in the auditorium, this was the first formal introduction within the department.

Jun-hoo stepped onto the platform.

He scanned the staff with a sharp gaze.

First, the meager number of residents saddened Jun-hoo. He would definitely call ‘that person’ as soon as the rounds were over.

‘Are you going to come at me like this from the start?’

The corner of Jun-hoo’s mouth twisted upward.

Initially, he hadn’t paid much attention to where the professors were sitting.

But as he stood on the platform, he could see the ‘map of power’ at a glance.

There were no professors around Jun-hoo’s seat. Most of them were gathered around one man.

A man with the air of a boss.

His name was Kim Han-sang.

As far as Jun-hoo knew, he was the longest-serving assistant professor in Busan.

Kim Han-sang had a round face and a round belly.

But his eyes and mouth looked venomous.

Jun-hoo couldn’t tell if Kim Han-sang had given the instructions or if the other professors were trying to please him on their own.

But one thing was certain…….

Jun-hoo was being ostracized at this conference.

No professor sat next to him or around him.

“Director, would you like to say a few words?”

The chief resident spoke up when Jun-hoo’s silence grew long.

“Ahem. I’m Seo Jun-hoo, the newly appointed director of neurosurgery. It’s an honor to be with such capable and wonderful staff… but I won’t waste your time with meaningless pleasantries.”

Jun-hoo’s expression changed drastically.

His tone and demeanor shifted as well.

The staff sensed the change and straightened their postures.

Some trembled, feeling a sense of intimidation.

“I want the Department of Neurosurgery at Shinwon University in Busan to become the best in the country.”

“……”

“No, I want it to be one of the top neurosurgery departments in the *nation*.”

“……”

“If anyone interferes with that goal, if anyone holds us back, I will not forgive them.”

“……”

“Rewards for those who trust and follow me. Consequences for those who disobey and resist. That’s the direction I’m aiming for. I expect everyone to conduct themselves accordingly.”

Having said his piece, Jun-hoo stepped down from the platform and returned to his seat.

It was as if cold water had been poured over the room.

The atmosphere in the conference room turned frigid.

Jun-hoo’s introduction was more like a declaration of war than an introduction.

Perhaps it was because of the nuance in his words.

Kim Han-sang’s reaction, in particular, was not good.

Kim Han-sang crossed his arms and frowned, wrinkling his nose.

‘How dare a mere pup bark in the tiger’s den?’

Kim Han-sang clearly felt it.

Jun-hoo had been staring straight at him while he spoke.

What did that mean?

Wasn’t it a challenge to fight him?

It was truly an absurd provocation.

He acknowledged that Jun-hoo had graduated from the Mayo Boost Up program and that his skills as a surgeon were outstanding, but it wasn’t time for Jun-hoo to be cocky yet.

Busan was Kim Han-sang’s kingdom, and Kim Han-sang was the king.

Jun-hoo was just a pretender to the throne with no real power.

How dare a parachute appointment [someone appointed to a position without earning it] with no power bare his teeth at him?

“Well, it’s good to be young. Our ‘new’ director is full of spirit, isn’t he?”

Choi Jin-gu was the first to break the silence.

He said it loud enough for everyone to hear.

Some of the professors burst into laughter at the mix of jest and seriousness.

Choi Jin-gu was Kim Han-sang’s right-hand man.

As the atmosphere relaxed for a moment, resident Woo-hyun, who was sitting about two seats away from Jun-hoo, cautiously spoke.

“Director, are you going to be okay? It seems like you’ve made enemies of the other professors right from the start.”

Perhaps because Jun-hoo had treated his traumatic pneumothorax [collapsed lung], Woo-hyun was worried about Jun-hoo. He was genuinely concerned.

“You don’t know anything, do you?”

“What don’t I know?”

“It means you’re only seeing one side of the story.”

Even after disrupting the conference atmosphere, Jun-hoo’s expression remained calm.

Woo-hyun looked bewildered.

“Either way, the other professors have no intention of acknowledging me. The seating arrangement in the conference room, and the subtle criticisms they just made.”

“Isn’t it because your remarks were too strong, Director?”

“Not at all!”

Jun-hoo snorted as if he had been waiting for this.

“The other professors probably just think of me as a rabbit thrown into a tiger’s den. They’re just waiting for a chance to devour me.”

“……”

“But is that really the case?”

As Jun-hoo set the mood, Woo-hyun swallowed hard.

“You’ll soon find out who’s going to be devoured.”

A chilling smile appeared on Jun-hoo’s lips.

* * *

Jun-hoo’s introduction, which caused a huge stir, was over.

The conference returned to its normal agenda.

Jun-hoo listened to the proceedings perfunctorily, carefully examining the printed materials on the desk.

The current occupancy rate of the ward was about 60 percent.

This was a very low number.

The Seoul department maintained almost 90 percent.

Was it because Busan had a smaller population?

Was it because the professors’ skills were lacking?

Was it because of a lack of promotion [marketing] for the department?

It could be one of these problems, or all three.

The important thing was that Jun-hoo, as the director, had to roll up his sleeves and solve this problem.

While engaging in a bloody battle of nerves with Kim Han-sang, the de facto [in reality] head of the department…….

‘This is perfect. I need to make an example of someone.’

Jun-hoo’s index finger tapped one of the inpatients’ files.

Amidst vowing revenge.

The surgery schedule arrangement and patient case presentations were completed in order.

But an unexpected preemptive strike came from Kim Han-sang’s faction.

The champion who came out was Choi Jin-gu, who had made a pointed joke earlier.

‘Is this guy Kim Han-sang’s right-hand man?

He looks like a skeleton.’

“Director, can I ask you something?”

“Yes. Ask me any~thing.”

“About the patient Shin Ye-na in the intensive care unit. She hasn’t regained consciousness yet, and I’m wondering if the surgery was done properly.”

Jun-hoo’s eyebrows twitched at Choi Jin-gu’s remark.

‘Oh ho!

Are you going to openly target me too?’

“As you can see from the patient’s diagnosis, her condition was very poor when she was transferred. She probably won’t regain consciousness for another three days.”

“Oh, really? I didn’t expect you to tell me the exact date.”

Choi Jin-gu continued to speak sarcastically.

“Of course, I trust you, Director, but there are still some things that don’t quite add up.”

“What exactly are you dissatisfied with?”

“First of all, the surgery time is too short. It only took 4 hours. Considering the serious ‘diagnoses’ written here, it’s hard to believe.”

Choi Jin-gu attacked, throwing Jun-hoo’s own words back at him.

“That’s not all.”

“……”

“You even did brain surgery and spinal fusion within that time?”

“……”

“I didn’t want to put it this way, but… I was worried that you rushed the surgery, like gobbling down noodles. Is that why the patient hasn’t regained consciousness yet?”

“I also think it doesn’t make sense.”

“Director, weren’t you too hasty?”

As Choi Jin-gu opened the floodgates, other professors began to complain one by one.

The conference had turned into an atmosphere of denouncing Jun-hoo.

At that moment, Jun-hoo did not miss the sneer on Choi Jin-gu’s lips.

The intention was obvious.

“Professor Choi.”

“Yes, Director.”

“You’re missing the most important information.”

“Am I?”

“This patient initially underwent bloodless surgery. It was changed to a blood transfusion surgery at the very end.”

As Jun-hoo revealed new information, the professors began to stir.

He performed bloodless surgery on a super-emergency patient who could have died during the surgery?

“Huh… that’s ridiculous… But what are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying that if we had proceeded with a blood transfusion surgery from the beginning, it would have been over in 3 hours.”

Jun-hoo scanned the professors and continued.

“Surgery? It’s not about taking a long time to do it well. If you have the skills, you should finish quickly and operate on the next patient.”

“……”

“I also have a question. Are you all not confident in operating on this patient in 4 hours?”

“……”

“……”

No professor could answer Jun-hoo’s question.

Not even their lips twitched.

It was realistically impossible.

Depending on the type of surgery, even regular surgery schedules that had been planned in advance usually took about 4-6 hours. That was for neurosurgery.

But to operate on a patient like Yena in 4 hours?

It was impossible unless they had a motor in their hand.

“Professor Choi.”

Jun-hoo stared straight at Choi Jin-gu and continued.

“Do you perhaps feel jealous of my skills?”

“No. How can you say such a thing! Jealousy, you say.”

Choi Jin-gu’s face, which had been calmly sarcastic, turned red and blue.

He even slammed the table roughly with his fist.

It was according to Jun-hoo’s plan.

격장지계 (gyeokjangjigye) [inciting general tactics] learned from the Murim Alliance!

Sometimes, stimulating the opponent’s emotions was more helpful than suppressing them with logic.

People didn’t know yet.

Even Ah-young didn’t know.

That Jun-hoo’s tongue was as sharp as his surgical skills.

That he hadn’t been able to use his tongue because he had been in a low position.

“Isn’t it outrageous to nitpick about the patient’s slow recovery of consciousness? And completely leave out that the patient’s vitals are stable?”

“Th… that’s…”

“Take this opportunity to listen carefully, other professors.”

“……”

“If you want to pick a fight, do it properly. If you do it clumsily like Professor Choi, you might get crushed.”

Jun-hoo’s remarks were quite strong.

It was tantamount to turning all the professors except himself into enemies.

“Director. I’m too scared to listen.”

“I think you crossed the line just now? Ah, I shouldn’t be like this.”

Yena and Woo-hyun, who were the only ones on Jun-hoo’s side in the department, each offered a word of caution.

In fact, Choi Jin-gu and the other professors did not hide their unpleasant and uncomfortable feelings.

They looked at Jun-hoo disapprovingly, and some were whispering among themselves.

But Jun-hoo did not regret his decision.

He had no intention of backing down.

Were there any professors in the department on Jun-hoo’s side?

There wasn’t a single one.

Jun-hoo was a loner from the start.

Then there were two options: to bend over and join the existing professors’ forces.

Or to make them kneel and submit.

And Jun-hoo chose the latter without hesitation.

To reform the department, there was no other way but to defeat the existing professors who were like entrenched incumbents [those who already hold the position].

“Director.”

Choi Jin-gu called Jun-hoo amidst the icy atmosphere.

“Do you have anything else to say?”

“I feel a tremendous sense of humiliation right now. To use the expression ‘crushed’ in front of other professors, fellows, and residents.”

“……”

“I can’t help but feel like you’re trying to humiliate me…….”

“You’ve figured it out correctly. I’m just returning the favor because Professor Choi was trying to humiliate me.”

Choi Jin-gu’s body trembled at Jun-hoo’s hateful answer.

He had been an associate professor for 15 years.

He had never seen such a bold guy like Jun-hoo.

What an arrogant bastard.

How dare he touch the sleeping lion’s whiskers?

Choi Jin-gu gritted his teeth and burned with revenge towards Jun-hoo.

Although he had been caught off guard today, he would soon show him the taste of hellfire.

But Choi Jin-gu’s resolve did not last long.

In the subsequent morning rounds, Choi Jin-gu was thoroughly humiliated by Jun-hoo once again, to the point where everyone watching felt sorry for him.

The process was as follows.