A Surgeon Who Uses Martial Arts [EN]: Chapter 8

Martial Art Surgeon – Episode 8

Chapter 2: A Lucky Day (3)

The auditorium was located on the 3rd floor of City Hall.

A team on stage was giving a passionate performance.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

One person vigorously compressed the dummy’s chest, while another was connecting the defibrillator.

The judges’ seats were directly below the stage.

There were three judges.

They carefully observed the participants’ CPR while also keeping an eye on the recording device.

The recording device displayed the suitability of the pressure and frequency of the chest compressions.

Behind the judges’ seats, approximately 100 participants were seated.

Perhaps because it was a serious competition.

The atmosphere in the auditorium was solemn, and the participants looked visibly nervous.

Except for one person, Jun-hoo.

‘They’re quite good.’

Jun-hoo watched the other participants’ CPR with his arms crossed.

They all seemed to have practiced sufficiently.

There were hardly any mistakes.

The CPR process flowed smoothly.

However, the lack of detail in the scenario setting and the awkward acting seemed to be drawbacks.

In other words, it seemed clear that Jun-hoo’s team would be the complete package with all the necessary elements.

“Team ‘We Must Save Them,’ please come up on stage.”

Just in time, the previous participant’s CPR ended, and it was Jun-hoo’s team’s turn.

Clap!

Jun-hoo exchanged a high-five with Ji-ae and stood on the stage.

He bowed to the judges and kept a reasonable distance from the dummy for the situational performance.

Momentarily, he made eye contact with Ji-ae.

As soon as she stepped onto the stage, Ji-ae’s eyes changed 180 degrees.

She had a serious yet trustworthy look in her eyes.

This was probably thanks to Jun-hoo releasing her blood points in advance [a martial arts technique to improve focus and energy flow].

Thud. Thud.

Jun-hoo sent a signal to Ji-ae to start and began to approach the dummy.

“Excuse me, are you okay?”

Jun-hoo closed the distance to the dummy and knelt down.

He gently shook the dummy’s shoulder, examined the dummy’s chest with his eyes, and also placed his finger under the dummy’s nose.

“Student passing by, please call 119 [the emergency telephone number in South Korea].”

Jun-hoo grabbed Ji-ae, who was passing by.

“119? I don’t know the address here. It’s my first time here today.”

Ji-ae asked back, acting flustered.

An aspiring actress was definitely different.

Unlike the other participants, her voice and actions were not unnatural.

“Ask the security guard. And please bring the defibrillator on your way back. You know, the device that shocks the heart? It’s near the entrance.”

Jun-hoo delivered his lines appropriately for the situation.

The scenario was that the patient had collapsed in a building.

The detail of the location stood out compared to the other participants.

However, Jun-hoo’s attention to detail didn’t stop there.

Before starting the chest compressions in earnest.

Jun-hoo pretended to put his hand inside the dummy’s body.

He pretended to lift something up.

The collapsed patient is a woman.

He incorporated the fact that chest compressions on a woman wearing a bra could cause chest trauma due to the hooks.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

Finally, the curtain rose on the chest compressions.

Twice per second.

With enough force to potentially restart the patient’s heart in a real situation, Jun-hoo compressed the dummy’s chest.

‘This friend was here.’

A smile appeared on Jun-hoo’s face while he was doing chest compressions.

He felt the sensor embedded in the dummy’s chest.

It felt like he could think of the sensor as the heart.

Was it because he had steadily built up his internal energy and trained his body?

Jun-hoo continued the chest compressions without difficulty.

It was much easier now than when he performed CPR on Yong-jin.

“Haa… Haa… I’ve called 119. I brought the defibrillator here.”

Ji-ae returned to the scene.

She placed the defibrillator next to Jun-hoo.

“Just follow the instructions…”

“Wait a minute. I’m still on the phone with 119, you know?”

Ji-ae gave a passionate performance.

She pretended to be talking to a real operator on a phone with a black screen.

This was another detail that the other participants had not shown.

“The dispatcher is saying that if two people are doing the rescue, it’s better to do artificial respiration as well.”

“…”

“And if you’re using a defibrillator, it’s better to remove the woman’s top underwear as well. I’ll do that.”

Ji-ae pretended to take off the dummy’s top underwear.

She immediately secured the airway and performed artificial respiration twice.

Artificial respiration was also an evaluation item in the competition.

Following that, Ji-ae connected the defibrillator with skillful hand movements.

She looked like she would do well playing a doctor if she debuted later.

-Analyzing heart rhythm…

The defibrillator made an announcement.

However, since the electrodes were connected to the dummy, there was no way defibrillation would occur.

So, they continued acting, assuming a defibrillation situation.

‘Shall we put an end to it soon?’

Jun-hoo glanced at the judges and smiled.

* * *

“The young friends are doing very well. It looks like they’ve practiced and researched a lot?”

Seon-joong, one of the judges, said with admiration.

Team ‘We Must Save Them’s’ CPR was still close to perfect.

The male student was specialized in chest compressions.

He was checking the sensor from time to time, and the pressure and speed of the chest compressions were fantastic.

It was as if a machine was doing the chest compressions, with no error at all.

In fact, even doctors and 119 paramedics couldn’t do chest compressions to that extent.

In the case of the female student, her acting skills were outstanding.

Her voice and facial expressions were realistic.

So, it felt like they were facing a real emergency situation rather than judging a competition.

The detailed situation setting was also noteworthy.

They specified the location as a building.

They asked the security guard for the address because they didn’t know it.

The fact that they were assuming the patient was a woman and providing treatment was also highly commendable.

Originally, Seon-joong had marked Team ‘Crisis Imminent’ as the first place.

But after seeing Team ‘We Must Save Them’s’ treatment, he changed his mind.

That’s how overwhelming Team ‘We Must Save Them’s’ performance was.

It seemed like there would be no participating team that could surpass this team in the future.

“I checked the records, and they don’t have any awards from other competitions.”

Myeong-hee, another judge next to Seon-joong, added.

“It looks like these friends will win the gold prize? They’re too good, really.”

Not only Seon-joong but also the other judges seemed to be completely engrossed in Team ‘We Must Save Them’.

While opinions were being gathered.

Seon-joong turned his gaze back to the stage.

It had been a good 4 minutes since they started performing CPR.

It was about time to end the performance.

But Team ‘We Must Save Them’s’ acting didn’t seem to end.

“119 says they’ll arrive in 10 minutes. What should we do?”

The female student said with an urgent expression, looking at the phone she had placed on the floor.

It seemed like they were even setting up the situation to continue communicating with 119 on speakerphone.

Amazing. Amazing.

“…Until they come… we have to keep going.”

“You must be tired, let’s switch. I’ll do chest compressions.”

“No. I’ll do it until the end. You focus on artificial respiration and the defibrillator.”

The male student stammered, showing signs of exhaustion.

Surprisingly, the male student continued to do chest compressions alone for another 10 minutes after that.

All by himself.

Maintaining the same rhythm and pressure as at the beginning.

Everyone in the auditorium, including the judges, knew how impossible that was.

The fatigue from chest compressions was beyond imagination.

That’s why medical staff and paramedics take turns every 2 minutes.

To think he could handle that alone.

“The 119 paramedics have arrived, let’s switch now.”

The female student acted out a conversation with the arriving 119 paramedics.

She explained the situation to the paramedics and guided the treatment, and Team ‘We Must Save Them’s’ competition finally came to an end.

“…”

“…”

Silence enveloped the auditorium.

The first person to break the silence was Seon-joong.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

As Seon-joong applauded, the other judges and participants also started to applaud.

The overwhelming performance had the power to move everyone.

* * *

About a week after the competition ended.

Jun-hoo was leaving City Hall with Ji-ae.

They were just coming out from participating in the competition’s award ceremony and even doing an interview.

Jun-hoo’s team naturally won the gold prize.

It was so obvious that Jun-hoo didn’t even feel moved.

“Are you that happy?”

Jun-hoo asked Ji-ae with a smile.

“Of course, I’m happy. Why wouldn’t I be? We got prize money and fame. Thanks to you, I had a good experience.”

“Yeah. You know it’s all thanks to me, right?”

“Yes. Thank you, oppa [an affectionate term used by younger women to address older brothers or male friends in Korean culture].”

Ji-ae accepted Jun-hoo’s joke.

While looking for a restaurant near Ji-ae, Jun-hoo was lost in thought.

Through this competition experience.

He realized that his emergency treatment skills, learned through martial arts, were overwhelming compared to others.

But that area would not be limited to CPR alone.

Patient care.

Treatment such as stitches and dressings.

Finally, he realized that it would also be connected to surgical operations.

That’s why he was filled with the dream of becoming a great surgeon as soon as possible.

Just like he held a sword in the martial world.

He wanted to hold a scalpel in the hospital.

Since the prize money was deposited directly at the award ceremony.

Jun-hoo immediately transferred half of the prize money to Ji-ae’s phone.

“It tastes better because we won the gold prize.”

“Me too.”

Jun-hoo shared a post-competition celebration with Ji-ae, cutting pork cutlets at the restaurant.

They also talked about birthday gifts for their parents.

The biggest reason Jun-hoo participated in the competition.

It was to give his parents a wonderful gift for their birthday next month.

“I think it’s best to just give them cash.”

Jun-hoo refuted Ji-ae’s opinion.

He wondered if money could be called a gift.

“You might think so, but there’s nothing suitable to give as a gift even if you try.”

“…”

“Do you have anything in mind in advance?”

At Ji-ae’s question, Jun-hoo smiled bitterly and shook his head.

He had thought a lot, but there were no achievements.

If Jun-hoo gave a gift, his parents would unconditionally say it was good or thank him.

“Hey, it’s better to just give them cash.”

“You thought well. It’s better for them to buy what they want with the money.”

After finishing their meal, the two returned to their neighborhood.

They delivered pizza to the fire station that had taught them CPR and parted ways.

“Jun-hoo, if you ignore my calls again in the future, you’re dead?”

Ji-ae waved her cotton swab fist and threatened Jun-hoo, and Jun-hoo trembled in fear (?) and answered that he understood.

Was it because he had achieved his desired goal?

His steps returning home were as light as a feather.

It seemed like he just had to study hard until school started.

Bzzzz.

As he got closer to home, his phone vibrated.

Checking the number, it was his mother calling.

What’s going on at this hour?

“Yes, Mom. What’s wrong?”

-It’s nothing much, but could you buy some headache medicine on your way home? We’re out of headache medicine at home?

His mother asked in a weak voice.

“How does your head hurt?”

-It hurts all over. It’s not severe, so there’s no need to worry.

“Okay. I’ll buy some and go in soon.”

Jun-hoo stopped by the pharmacy and bought headache medicine.

He walked towards home as if running.

He knew it wouldn’t be a big deal, but he became unnecessarily worried.

I need to check her pulse first.