Dr. Shin Seonhan: The Doctor Who Sees The Future [EN]: Chapter 107

#107 Serendipity by the Summer Sea (10)

‘……Why is he so good at this?’

Swish― Swack―

Doctor Pung’s hands moved with practiced ease.

The needle holder and forceps worked in perfect harmony, meticulously closing the patient’s wound.

Precise intervals.

Appropriate depth.

The perfect angle of entry for the needle.

You could sense the skill in every movement, a testament to years of experience.

Like the deft movements of a seasoned artisan, there wasn’t a hint of hesitation.

‘Wow…… At least his suturing skills aren’t just hot air.’

I was genuinely impressed.

And he was fast, too!

I carefully observed his hands from the side, eager to learn.

I wanted to memorize every one of Doctor Pung’s movements.

Meanwhile, Doctor Pung’s mouth was as talkative as ever.

“Our patient is incredibly lucky. No plastic surgeon in the country could stitch this well.”

“Yes…….”

“If Korea were a country that charged medical fees based on a doctor’s skill, this would easily be a ten million won [approximately $7,500 USD] procedure, you know?”

He was boasting again, but with a hint of truth.

But, even if it was a bit exaggerated, it wasn’t entirely wrong.

Even to my inexperienced intern eyes, his skill was definitely top-notch.

“Cut!”

“Yes.”

Snap―

I cut the suture thread with scissors.

I focused on cutting it to a length of 0.3cm above the knot, carefully considering the type of thread and the depth of the suture.

Soon after, Doctor Pung’s suturing was complete.

It looked more perfect than any plastic surgeon’s work I had seen in the Yeon Guk University emergency room.

“Okay, all done.”

“Thank you…….”

“Didn’t hurt at all, right? Well, it couldn’t have hurt with such perfect anesthesia and suturing.”

Doctor Pung said with a confident expression.

He asks and answers himself…….

The patient wore a gloomy expression instead of answering.

He must be anxious because he couldn’t see how his facial wound was sutured.

“You’ll need to get the stitches removed in 4-5 days, so be sure to visit a local plastic surgery clinic. Or you can come back to our emergency room, and we can do it for you.”

“Yes…….”

“If you go to a local plastic surgery clinic tomorrow, they’ll probably be surprised. They’ll ask who the amazing doctor was who stitched it up. Heh heh heh.”

Doctor Pung said that, laughed heartily, took off his gloves, and looked at me.

“Hey, Smarty. Disinfect it again and finish the dressing!”

“Yes.”

I nodded.

Now the finishing touches are my responsibility.

Because there are still many other patients waiting for Doctor Pung in the emergency room.

As soon as he left the treatment room, the patient grabbed me and asked.

“Doctor. Is this really stitched up well? I’m more anxious because he just keeps saying it’s so well done…….”

Well, it’s understandable that he’s doubtful.

Because Doctor Pung exaggerated his skills too much.

Rather, it seems that the patient didn’t trust him because of it.

I examined the patient’s forehead in detail and said.

“The sutures are very well done. You’re lucky that a skilled doctor stitched it up for you.”

.

It goes without saying, but not all sutures are the same just because they’re stitched with thread.

Of course, there are many different ways to suture.

For example…….

Simple interrupted suture.

Mattress suture.

Continuous subcuticular suture.

And so on.

A doctor who sutures a wound must use the appropriate suturing method for each situation.

For example, there is a method called mattress suture that I saw a lot during my internship.

Because the thread passes through the wound twice, there are no gaps between the tissues.

However, it is an inappropriate method for a patient’s face where aesthetics need to be considered, like now.

That’s why Doctor Pung meticulously sutured it with a simple interrupted method to minimize scarring.

Moreover, since he used a very thin thread, the suture marks would also be minimized.

“At this rate, there probably won’t be much of a scar left.”

“Really?”

“Yes. You’ll need to remove the stitches in about 5 days and apply skin adhesive for about 10 more days. After that, tape it, be careful of UV rays, and apply ointment regularly…… then you can minimize the scar.”

I explained the wound care schedule to the patient so that he wouldn’t worry.

Then the patient’s face finally brightened.

“Thank you. But Doctor, by any chance, were you the famous star from Gangnam Station on the internet…….”

“No, I wasn’t.”

“That’s strange. Did I see wrong?”

“Yes.”

I should pretend I don’t know.

I finished the dressing, and the patient was able to finish the sutures safely and return home.

After seeing a few more patients, a brief lull came to the emergency room.

“Hey, Smarty.”

Doctor Pung called me from the station.

I wonder what kind of tall tale he’s going to tell this time…….

Is he going to brag about how well he stitched?

“Good work. Want a candy?”

He said, handing me a bag of candy.

Ginseng candy.

No, where does this tasteless candy keep coming from?

Is there a candy tree in the hospital or something?

I said, reluctantly accepting it.

“I’ll enjoy it.”

“How can you enjoy something that’s not tasty? I’m just giving it to you guys because I need to get rid of it quickly.”

He said, pointing to a corner of the station.

A large cardboard box was placed in the corner.

At first, I thought it contained medical supplies, but it turned out that the huge box was full of candy.

A nurse next to me opened a bag of candy and added.

“Sometimes patients who have been treated by Doctor Pung bring so much stuff as a thank you. Especially after getting sutures, they always bring gifts like that.”

“They recognize a master.”

“Oh, you started bragging again just because we praised you a little.”

The nurses giggled.

‘Doctor Jang Pung is really an oddball.’

The more I see him, the stranger he is.

Who would have thought that an emergency medicine doctor would be so good at suturing!

He looks macho, but his hands are surprisingly delicate.

I had assisted with sutures from several doctors at Yeon Guk University Hospital, but I had never been so impressed.

‘I want to learn.’

Thump, thump.

My heart was pounding.

I suddenly remembered the martial arts novels I read when I was young.

The story of a protagonist who accidentally meets a hidden master, learns martial arts, and becomes incredibly strong!

Maybe this is a fateful encounter.

“Doctor.”

“What.”

“What do I need to do to become good at suturing? I would like to learn suturing from you if you’re willing to teach me.”

At my words, his voice suddenly becomes serious.

“It’s been a long time since a young man wanted to learn suturing from me. Are you prepared?”

Prepared?

What does that mean?

I listened to him with a nervous expression.

Doctor Pung began to reminisce in a low voice.

“Back in the day, 20 years ago…… I traveled to Tibet to train my mind. Because I felt frustrated that my skills as a doctor were stagnating.”

What is it?

The story suddenly goes off the rails.

What’s with the sudden Tibet and the monks?

Doctor Pung’s serious voice continued.

“At that time, a old monk who happened to meet me in the snowy mountains secretly passed on this hand technique to me. He said that great power comes with great responsibility…….”

I asked with a suspicious expression.

“Is that true?”

“Would it be true? I’m kidding, you idiot. It’s not a movie or anything.”

Damn it!

As expected.

It’s another tall tale.

I have no idea how much of what this person says I should believe.

I drooped my shoulders, and Doctor Pung laughed heartily.

“Hey, you idiot. Do you think suturing is a game skill? It’s not like your skills suddenly increase just because you learn it once!”

Doctor Pung continued.

Skills naturally increase as you gain experience.

In particular, suturing is the most basic of surgical skills.

Therefore, surgeons among doctors will refine and use suturing techniques throughout their lives.

“Do you think I was good at it from the beginning? I got cursed at, slapped, kicked in the shins…… If you do that, you’ll just get good at it someday, you idiot.”

Then, his expression suddenly contorted as if he was recalling bad memories.

“There was someone who was especially harsh to me. I learned a lot from that person…….”

Then he shook his head and continued.

“Hey, I was talking nonsense for a moment. Anyway! Hands are honest. You’ll get better if you just use them a lot.”

Doctor Pung is right.

.

Skills don’t improve overnight.

Still, I feel stubborn for some reason.

I asked again.

“Is there any way to improve my skills faster? I’m confident I can learn hard.”

“You?”

“Yes.”

“Well, it’s not like there’s no way…… Oh, I don’t know. It’s a hassle.”

“Yes?”

“Why would I bother teaching you something like that? You practice on your own, you idiot!”

With that, Doctor Pung headed to the on-call room.

‘I guess he’s not going to teach me easily.’

I feel motivated.

I have a goal for this month.

I’m going to learn at least a little suturing from Doctor Pung before I go back to Seoul!

As I was thinking that, Geun-wook came running up and said.

“Did that person leave?”

“Huh?”

“The female patient who hurt her forehead.”

“Yeah, she left the emergency room a little while ago.”

“Oh, man. She was totally my type…… I was going to get her number…….”

I chuckled.

“You wouldn’t have been able to say anything because you were frozen stiff anyway. What number are you talking about?”

“No. I was really going to be brave and talk to her.”

“Then go run out and ask her now.”

“Should I…… should I do that?”

He ran out of the emergency room.

And after a while.

Geun-wook returned with a gloomy gait.

“Did you ask?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“When I thought about it, she must have been out of her mind because she just got her forehead stitched up, so I thought she would be scared if a big doctor suddenly asked for her number.”

Geun-wook’s voice is gloomy as he says that.

I laugh at his strangely sad tone.

I felt it during the last blind date incident, but Geun-wook is secretly a pushover in front of women.

In a way, you could say he’s that pure.

“But I won’t give up. I’ll be staying in Gokdam for a month, so I’m sure I’ll have a chance someday!”

Okay.

So you have a goal too.

Me: .

Geun-wook: .

That’s how we were burning with fighting spirit with different goals.

‘Wait a minute…… What should I do to learn suturing from Doctor Pung?’

Should I give him a gift?

I thought I should think about it slowly since there are about 20 days left.

But, the opportunity came sooner than I thought.

The opportunity for Doctor Pung to pay attention to me.

* * *

A few days later, 7 p.m.

Ring, ring―

The phone in the emergency room rings.

Soon, the emergency medical technician answered the phone.

“Yes. Chest pain? You’re coming now? Yes…… I understand.”

“Oh, man.”
The chief complained.

He had been waiting for the end of his shift in the emergency room since earlier.

“They always get sick and get carried in right when it’s time to leave work. Nothing happened during the day earlier.”

5 minutes later.

The patient that 119 [Korean emergency services number, similar to 911] had told us about arrived.

But, the patient’s condition didn’t look good.