Dr. Shin Seonhan: The Doctor Who Sees The Future [EN]: Chapter 19

#19 Triage (4)

Ham So-dam.

She was probably second to none when it came to timidity.

For the past month, So-dam had only shown a withdrawn and insecure demeanor.

But now, she was different.

Unlike her usual self, she held her head high, blocking the guardians and glaring at them.

Did So-dam have this side to her?

It was a series of shocking events in many ways.

“Who are you?!”

“It’s not just your child who is precious.”

“What?”

So-dam’s angry voice continued.

“All the injured people here are someone’s precious children. And one of them was bleeding profusely and in critical condition!”

“No……”

“This is all your son’s fault! You should be apologizing to everyone around you, but what are you doing now?!”

“……”

The couple’s faces turned red.

They seemed momentarily speechless, struck by the truth of her words.

So-dam said calmly.

“Of course, your son will also receive treatment. So please wait your turn.”

“How dare you… who do you think you’re talking to!”

The madam’s face flushed red.

Swish!

She finally raised her hand towards So-dam.

Ugh!

Was this a scene from a daytime drama [Korean soap opera]?

People around her were horrified and tried to stop her, but So-dam calmly opened her mouth first.

“Do you know Article 12 of the Emergency Medical Service Act?”

“What… what?”

“Anyone who assaults, threatens, or obstructs emergency medical personnel can be sentenced to imprisonment for up to five years.”

“……”

The guardian slowly lowered her hand.

The word ‘imprisonment’ seemed scary to her.

However, still not appeased, the couple stood side by side, pointing fingers at So-dam.

“What kind of hospital is this? How dare an intern intimidate a guardian?”

“Hey, you rude thing, do you know who we are? I’m going to formally file a complaint with Yonsei University Hospital!”

Then So-dam calmly replied.

“Go ahead and file it.”

“What?”

“I said, file a complaint. My name is Ham So-dam.”

So-dam said that and turned her body away.

“Hey, you rude…!”

The guardians tried to shout, but soon became conscious of the stares of the people around them and had no choice but to return to their seats.

Wow…

Did So-dam have that side to her?

It was so refreshing.

Looking around, everyone seemed to have drunk a cider [Korean term for a refreshing feeling, like a strong soda], though they couldn’t say it out loud.

When So-dam came back, I asked her slyly.

“Are you okay? I think they’re really going to file a complaint.”

“It doesn’t matter, I’m not going to lose out to anyone with my connections.”

“What?”

“I’m a royal [referring to someone with powerful connections].”

I chuckled.

Well, So-dam wasn’t someone who would lose out to others with her connections.

So-dam, who had always been withdrawn, looked different today.

At that moment, Yeo Bong-cheol, like a mountain bandit, strode over.

“Ham So-dam.”

“Ah……”

So-dam flinched.

She was back to her usual timid self.

She must have thought she would be scolded for causing a scene with a guardian in the middle of the emergency room.

“Making a loud noise in the emergency room, what are you doing!”

Yeo Bong-cheol roared as if for others to hear.

But soon, Yeo Bong-cheol put his hand on So-dam’s shoulder and whispered in a small voice.

“Nice.”

Thump.

Saying that, he secretly raised his thumb.

It was the moment when Ham So-dam’s expression brightened noticeably at the first compliment she had ever received.

“But you still have to examine that student carefully. Anyway, she’s a patient who came to the emergency room. Do you understand what I mean?”

“Yes.”

“Now, move quickly! We have a long way to go.”

Thump, thump, Yeo Bong-cheol pushed our backs.

There were still many patients in the emergency room who needed our help.

* * *

Two hours later.

The patients who would be discharged and those who would be hospitalized were barely distinguished.

The emergency room was still crowded, but it seemed to be getting organized little by little.

The high school students who had been driving under the influence were also examined and discharged without any problems.

However, before they left, I could see a police officer processing the students without detention.

“Will those guys be properly punished?”

“I don’t know.”

“Even if they are minors, those kinds of guys should eat some prison food. How many people are injured because of them?”

I smiled bitterly at Joong-won’s words.

The laws of our country are endlessly lenient towards minors, so I think it will probably end with a light punishment.

Besides, I heard that the family of the student who was the main culprit is near-chaebol [a large family-owned conglomerate].

Since he is a so-called ‘child from a wealthy family,’ he is more likely to receive a lenient punishment.

It’s a bitter but unavoidable reality of Korea.

As I was thinking that, someone grabbed my sleeve from behind.

“Excuse me, doctor.”

“Huh?”

“Can I upload this to the internet?”

Suddenly.

A middle school girl who came to the emergency room with her guardian held out her smartphone.

When I played the video, it showed the guardian couple causing a disturbance in the emergency room.

The scene of them shouting.

The scene of them pushing the nurse.

Even the scene of them being embarrassed by So-dam’s logical words was recorded as it was.

I chuckled.

“When did you take this?”

“I took it because I was dumbfounded when these people were shouting earlier. Isn’t it wrong to do this to the doctors in the hospital?”

“Oh… you filmed it well.”

Joong-won admired the high-quality video from the side.

Indeed, these days kids are amazing. They say that if something unfair happens at school, they record it first.

I pondered for a moment and said.

“Please upload it as provocatively as possible.”

“How?”

“A chaebol couple causing trouble in the emergency room and getting a taste of justice, how about that?”

“Ah.”

The student smiled wickedly.

If it becomes an issue, it will probably get a lot of views.

It seemed that everything from the thumbnail image to the clickbait title was drawn in the student’s head at once.

“This is my channel, please like and subscribe!”

Saying that, she even promoted her channel.

This is what kids are like these days.

It was a moment when I realized the generation gap.

“These days kids are scary.”

“I’m scared of you too, you punk.”

“Why?”

“You asked me to upload it as provocatively as possible? When I look at you, you have an innocent face but a sly side.”

Joong-won shook his head at me and left.

I chuckled.

If the video becomes an issue, the probability of them being properly punished will increase even a little.

In this day and age, if you get explosive attention even once, the whole nation will know.

* * *

After a while.

I finished treating the last TA (Traffic Accident) patient with Yeo Bong-cheol.

Fortunately, many patients had only minor injuries, except for a few.

Some patients were groaning and returning home with their guardians.

“Phew, I can finally catch my breath.”

“I didn’t know when I was working in the internal medicine ward, but after working here, I realized that the hospital is very dynamic.”

“Of course. The emergency room is the emergency room for a reason.”

Yeo Bong-cheol said that with a tired face.

The bloodstains still on his tattered clothes were clearly visible.

I guess my appearance isn’t much different now.

“Well, it’s still more fun than the ward. There’s also the fun of saving emergency patients with my own hands. That’s the pride of our EM (Emergency Medicine) [Emergency Medicine].”

“It’s attractive.”

“Wow, are you interested?”

Yeo Bong-cheol asked playfully.

I thought for a moment.

.

It’s definitely an attractive place.

Unlike the internal medicine ward where patients with long-term illnesses gathered, it’s much more active.

And you can also taste the thrill of resuscitating urgent patients with your own hands.

Besides, there are also external advantages.

You can be guaranteed personal time because the schedule is clearly on and off.

‘It’s not bad.’

Honestly, I would be grateful if they accepted me.

In my position, I have to bow down and accept any place in Yonsei University Hospital.

Of course, I’m going to think about it slowly because there’s still time.

“If I can work with Yeo Bong-cheol, I will seriously consider it.”

“You little punk. Forget it. You’re just saying things you don’t mean.”

Yeo Bong-cheol hit my shoulder.

Looking at his smiling face, it didn’t seem like he was asking seriously.

“Now go and see the rest of the patients. There’s still a lot of work left.”

“Yes.”

I passed Yeo Bong-cheol and walked to find the next patient.

But… something is bothering me.

What should I say?

I keep feeling like I’m missing something in the corner of my head.

I turned my head and asked.

“Yeo Bong-cheol.”

“What?”

“Was there anything we could have made a big mistake in when dealing with TA patients? Like a medical accident…”

“Accident?”

Yeo Bong-cheol tilted his head.

He had a look on his face as if he was saying something absurd.

“That’s funny. What do you guys have to be responsible for? At most, you’re just doing hemostasis [stopping bleeding], dressing, and blood tests. What else is there?”

“That’s true.”

“What can a fledgling intern do even if they make a mistake? You don’t have to worry too much.”

“I understand.”

I nodded awkwardly.

Clearly, he was right.

In the first place, the work that an intern can do is limited.

Important procedures that are directly related to the patient’s life are the responsibility of professors, fellows, and residents.

Even if I look back on today’s memories, our interns haven’t done any particularly dangerous procedures.

‘Okay. This is enough.’

I decided to let it go.

I did enough, didn’t I?

In particular, the most critical patient was transferred to the operating room, and what happens after that is not the responsibility of the emergency room.

‘Surely the future has changed too!’

It’s a bit unsettling, but I decided to think that way.

* * *

When I returned to my seat, Joong-won was checking the list of tasks piled up in front of the screen.

“Hyung [Korean term for older brother or senior male], there’s a lot of work piled up now, right?”

“Oh, Sun-han.”

Joong-won was now looking much the same as usual.

He was briefly panicked when he saw the TA patients at first, but now he seemed to have regained his composure.

Of course, just in case, I’m going to keep an eye on Joong-won tonight.

“The TA patients are finished, so let’s divide them up and handle them together.”

“Yeah… but looking at the list that has been piled up for a while, it looks like Jo Jin-ki did a few things?”

“Jin-ki?”

I tilted my head.

Why is his name suddenly coming up?

He definitely can’t do anything because of his injured hand.

“His recovery was faster than expected, so he took off his cast in the evening and came back.”

“Yes?”

I opened my eyes wide.

At that time, Jo Jin-ki appeared triumphantly from the other end.

“Hehe, it’s fun to do some procedures after a long time.”

“Oh, you sly bastard. Do you know how hard I worked to do your share all this time?”

“Ah, hyung, I’m sorry. I was frustrated and tired all this time too.”

Jo Jin-ki’s hands, saying that, are fine.

…His hands are fine?

I feel like my hair is standing on end.

I can’t believe today was the day he took off his cast and started working.

‘Could it be…?’

I have a bad feeling.

Only then could I know the identity of the anxiety I felt.

I was so focused on the urgent traffic accident patients that I hadn’t thought about the existing patients.

‘Let’s check.’

I opened the patient list on the screen and looked through the items that had been completed.

I carefully checked the work that Jo Jin-ki had done again.

There’s nothing particularly difficult to treat that would be a problem…

Then, suddenly, one item catches my eye.

―thoracentesis

Thoracentesis.

Simply put, it is a procedure to puncture the thoracic cavity where the lungs are located to drain water.

The patient is a 60-year-old man who came to the emergency room complaining of dyspnea [shortness of breath] due to pneumonia.

Of course, thoracentesis itself is not a very difficult task, so an intern can do it.

‘But… why do I feel so cold?’

I have an ominous feeling that I can’t explain in words.

Is this what they call intuition?

I pushed through the frantically moving crowds and called out to Jo Jin-ki.

“Jo Jin-ki!”

“……?”

He frowned and looked back.