A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 532

104. Parental Heart (3)

Jun-hoo picked up his pace, though he stopped short of actually dashing to the VIP ward.

The call had come from the hospital director, not a ward nurse.

‘What trouble is he trying to dump on me this time…?’

Jun-hoo frowned as he headed for the director’s office. Sudden calls from the director never brought good news.

A prime example was the time a member of the National Assembly jumped from his apartment.

Back then, the director had told Jun-hoo to stop the surgery he was performing and dispatch a helicopter to the scene.

In the end, Jun-hoo had gained a valuable connection, but strictly speaking, the incident was no different from the director meddling in his work.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

He arrived at the office and knocked.

A voice told him to come in.

Inside, an unexpected figure awaited him.

A blonde man with fair hair and broad shoulders.

The man’s eyes, fixed on Jun-hoo, were as blue as a lake.

‘What’s this about?’

Jun-hoo tilted his head, surprised.

“Welcome, Dr. Seo. This is Ben, the head of neurosurgery at Scheite Hospital in Germany.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Jun-hoo Seo.”

“Ben.”

Ben replied in fluent English.

Communication wouldn’t be a problem, it seemed.

Jun-hoo shook hands with Ben, who had risen from his seat.

Ben’s hand was as big as a pot lid, and his grip was quite firm. However, he didn’t seem to be trying to assert dominance.

Jun-hoo sat on the sofa opposite Ben.

Ben scanned Jun-hoo with an intrigued expression.

“What brings a German doctor to our hospital?”

“Scheite Hospital has a clinical partnership with us. The previous director trained at Scheite.”

“Clinical partnership… isn’t it practically nominal?”

“I won’t deny it. But isn’t it beneficial if we can get even a single article out of it?”

The director smiled slyly.

His ability to crunch numbers was unmatched.

Even Choi Jin-gu, the master of petty schemes, couldn’t compete with the director’s financial acumen.

“What’s the level of medical care like in Germany?”

“It’s among the best in Europe. Medical system, medical engineering, public health services, autonomy of health insurance, and so on.”

“……”

“It’s world-class in many ways.”

“I see.”

Jun-hoo nodded.

Germany was a developed country, so he had vaguely expected the medical environment to be good.

But after hearing the director’s explanation, Germany’s medical services seemed several levels higher than expected.

It felt like they were on par with the United States in terms of medical technology while also prioritizing national welfare.

Of course, the reality would need closer examination.

At least, according to the director, they seemed to have an ideal medical system.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, Jun-hoo. I hear you’re the best neurosurgeon in Korea?”

Ben, who had been silent, spoke up.

“Yes. Others think so too, and so do I.”

“That’s a bold answer.”

“It’s past the time for modesty.”

Jun-hoo replied, mixing a half-joke with sincerity.

“What brings you to Korea?”

“It’s been five years since Scheite Hospital and Busan Shinwon University Hospital established a business partnership.”

“……”

“It’s also to strengthen the relationship, and I wanted to see Jun-hoo. I’d like to take this opportunity to observe Jun-hoo’s surgery.”

Ben said with a smile.

‘So that’s the real reason,’ he thought.

Jun-hoo’s reputation was soaring not only domestically but also overseas.

He had been uploading reports of his successful surgery cases to international academic journal sites.

Since he couldn’t fly overseas to perform surgeries, he wanted to indirectly help overseas patients through his publications.

“Ben, wouldn’t it be better to just enjoy the sights? Why come all the way to Korea to observe…”

The director looked displeased.

It was a bit unexpected.

Normally, the director would be eager to use Jun-hoo as a promotional tool.

“Jun-hoo is the first and last master title holder of the Mayou Boost-Up Program. Am I correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Jun-hoo nodded.

The Mayou Boost-Up Program, was already in its third year.

However, no one had yet completed the program with such outstanding results as Jun-hoo.

The conversation with Ben ended in about 10 minutes.

No sooner had Ben left than the director crossed his arms and glared at Jun-hoo.

“Dr. Seo, do you have anything to say to me?”

His voice was sharp as he pressed the question.

“I don’t know. There aren’t any particular problems in the department.”

“You should report VIP admissions immediately. I heard Kim Nam-joon and actress Seo Bo-young were admitted.”

“I’m not interested in celebrities.”

Jun-hoo replied calmly, but inside he was troubled.

‘Was there a hospital director’s mole hiding in the neurosurgery department?’

If there was a spy, it would be troublesome.

The director would extend his reach at every important moment.

Jun-hoo mentally reviewed and dismissed a few faces.

It was too early to judge rashly.

The problem might not be in the department but in the VIP ward.

“I looked at the chart, and I’m stopping this procedure.”

The director said, as if issuing a warning.

“Why?”

“You know the reason better than anyone. To perform brain surgery on a fetus, not even a child. Are you out of your mind?”

“If there’s a disease, anyone should be treated.”

“Treatment should be done while considering the patient and the disease.”

The director continued to speak in a heated voice.

“To perform a procedure that no one has ever succeeded in, or even attempted, on a celebrity patient?”

“……”

“If it fails, the media will seize the opportunity to tear you apart. The hospital’s reputation will plummet in an instant.”

“……”

“Don’t be reckless and listen to me.”

“I can’t do that.”

Jun-hoo shook his head firmly.

He met the director’s sharp gaze head-on.

Sparks flew from the eyes of the two men facing each other.

Neither backed down.

“Just because you’ve had some success with the epilepsy clinic, you don’t see the director as a director anymore?”

“……”

“It feels like just yesterday you were a resident, but you’ve grown a lot, Dr. Seo?”

“Don’t stray from the point.”

Jun-hoo felt disgusted by the director’s attitude.

He could never get used to that selfish attitude of only thinking of himself and calculating everything in terms of profit.

“If there’s a patient, I treat them. That’s my principle. It’s very simple.”

“The director’s orders are obeyed by the department head. It’s a very simple command system.”

“You have no right to interfere with treating or not treating a patient, let alone managing the department. Not even if you’re the director.”

“Are you saying everything you want to say?”

The director’s face turned red at Jun-hoo’s aggressive remarks.

His jowls trembled.

“I have nothing more to say. Then I’ll be going.”

“Where are you going? Can’t you sit back down?”

Jun-hoo ignored the director’s attempts to stop him and left the office.

Bang!

The director finally couldn’t contain his anger and slammed his fist on the table.

The fire that Jun-hoo ignited in the director was not easily extinguished.

It was enough to call 911 [American emergency services number, equivalent to 119 in Korea].

“You son of a bitch… you’ve become very arrogant. Is he starting to show his true colors?”

The director was already uneasy because Jun-hoo’s reputation was growing too rapidly.

The higher Jun-hoo’s profile, the harder it would be to control him.

And finally, today, things had blown up.

Jun-hoo had finally chosen to confront the director.

If it had happened only once, he might have pretended not to notice and given in, but Jun-hoo would never do that.

Jun-hoo was a man who didn’t know how to compromise.

“It’s a shame, but there’s no choice. I’ll just have to consider that I’ve extracted all the value from him… I’ll make him pay dearly for ignoring me.”

The director smiled grimly and made a call.

* * *

The fateful day arrived sooner than expected.

It was noon on the third day after Kim Nam-joon and Seo Bo-young were admitted.

Buzzz. Buzzz.

The phone vibrated in his gown pocket.

Jun-hoo, who was about to have lunch in the outpatient clinic, checked the number and hurried up to the VIP ward.

The couple looked very nervous.

The third-year resident of obstetrics and gynecology greeted Jun-hoo with an awkward expression.

“Director. Here…”

The resident pointed to the mother’s abdominal ultrasound monitor.

Jun-hoo checked the monitor and nodded.

Now was the perfect opportunity.

The fetus was in a good position to insert the catheter. It was positioned correctly and had its legs stretched out.

Since the scheduled surgery was in two hours, there was no need to disrupt the existing schedule.

“We’ll go into surgery right away. I’ll see you in the operating room.”

After leaving the room, Jun-hoo called Shin Hyun-jung. Since the patient was a fetus, it was too much for him to operate alone.

He needed a reliable assistant.

“Hey, it’s me. You know why I called, right?”

-Can’t you leave me out of this?

Shin Hyun-jung pleaded.

“You’re the only one who’s willing to get involved. Since you’re already committed, let’s go all in. It sounds like you have time.”

-Ha… I feel like I’m going to get criticized too…

Shin Hyun-jung hesitated.

He fully understood her position.

Even if Jun-hoo was the lead surgeon, helping Jun-hoo meant agreeing with his approach.

So, if the surgery failed, she would inevitably be linked to Jun-hoo and face criticism.

“Why do you only think about failure? If we succeed, we’ll make history.”

-…Okay. I’ll get ready and go.

“Thanks. I won’t forget this favor.”

After securing an assistant, Jun-hoo headed straight to the operating room.

Scrub. Scrub. Scrub. Scrub.

He vigorously scrubbed his fingers, wrists, backs of his hands, and forearms with a brush soaked in disinfectant.

Bubbles formed.

Fetal cerebrovascular procedure using a catheter.

It was an unprecedented procedure, but he was overflowing with confidence.

Because this surgery wasn’t Jun-hoo’s first time.

He had been repeatedly performing image training identical to reality using the occipital puncture method [a method of accessing the brain through the back of the skull].

He had also prepared countermeasures to protect the fetus’s narrow and fragile blood vessels.

Although the training time was short.

He hadn’t been able to raise the success rate to 100 percent, but he had succeeded more often than he had failed.

After putting on a surgical cap, gown, mask, and gloves, Jun-hoo went to operating room number 6.

The staff had already finished preparing for the surgery.

The mother and Shin Hyun-jung had also arrived earlier and were waiting for Jun-hoo.

“It’s even nicer to see you in the operating room.”

“I’m not happy at all.”

“Don’t be like that. Should we proceed with local anesthesia?”

“No. General anesthesia would be better.”

“Why?”

Jun-hoo blinked and asked.

Catheter procedures are usually performed with local anesthesia because they don’t involve incisions like surgical operations.

He was also worried that giving the mother general anesthesia might harm the fetus, even slightly.

“General anesthesia doesn’t cause significant harm to the mother or the fetus.”

Shin Hyun-jung continued, as if reading Jun-hoo’s mind.

“Rather, if the mother gets agitated with local anesthesia and that agitation is transmitted to the fetus, the fetus’s position may change. In that case, it’s better to go with general anesthesia for safety.”

“I’ll follow your lead.”

Jun-hoo pretended to salute like a soldier. Shin Hyun-jung’s stiff expression finally relaxed a little.

“Doctor. Will I and my baby be safe?”

Before undergoing general anesthesia, Seo Bo-young asked in an anxious voice.

“Yes. That’s why I’m here. I will do my best to protect both of you.”

“Yes. Please take good care of us.”

The conversation ended briefly.

While the anesthesiologist was administering general anesthesia.

Jun-hoo looked up at the observation operating room on the second floor.

There were two uninvited guests.

The director and Ben.

Jun-hoo had a good idea of the director’s dark intentions.