Dr. Shin Seonhan: The Doctor Who Sees The Future [EN]: Chapter 102

#102 A Stroke of Luck at the Summer Sea (5)

“Who’s causing a ruckus in the sacred emergency room? Huh?!”

Boom!

It was an incredibly deep voice.

It resonated heavily, like the foghorn of a seaside ship.

The people in the emergency room all stared at the newly appeared man.

A middle-aged man.

Perhaps in his late 40s?

Skin tanned a bronze color.

A rather meticulously grown, rugged beard.

Unkempt, curly long hair.

If he weren’t wearing a doctor’s coat, you could easily mistake him for a rock singer or a professional wrestler.

The name embroidered on his gown caught my eye.

His name is Jang Poong….

His appearance alone exuded an overwhelming presence, and even his name was extraordinary.

‘Wait a minute. Come to think of it… the name written in the handover notes wasn’t a nickname, but his real name?’

I searched my memory.

I clearly remembered it being written like this in the handover notes shared among the interns.

: Legend of Gokdam Emergency Room

: Beast Tamer

: One of the few real men left in this era

: Further explanation is omitted

Just what kind of person is he?

Suddenly, I became curious.

We stared at him with curious eyes.

“Who are you?”

The taxi driver glared.

Then, Teacher Poong patted his chest, where he was wearing a white coat, with his palm and said.

“Can’t you tell I’m a doctor by looking at me? Who do you think you are, making such a big fuss in the hospital! You’re not some neighborhood thug.”

“What… what? A thug?”

The taxi driver flared up in anger.

Then, he threateningly rolled up his sleeves.

At that moment, a terrifying tiger tattoo hidden beneath his shirt was revealed.

“Gasp….”

“Oh my goodness.”

“Oh, how scary.”

The people around the emergency room held their breath.

Some of the older patients took a few steps back and avoided him.

Then, the taxi driver’s expression became triumphant.

“What, a thug? Should I show you what kind of person I am? Should I cause a bloodbath in the hospital?”

The taxi driver said with a fierce expression.

A ghostly aura was even felt in his gleaming eyes.

But Teacher Poong didn’t flinch; instead, he smirked.

“No, why are you suddenly rolling up your skinny arms and making a fuss? Did you come to the hospital to show off your tattoo?”

Whack—

Teacher Poong suddenly reached out.

Then, he grabbed the patient’s wrist and looked at the tattoo.

Because his actions were so bold, the taxi driver could only blink without even resisting.

“Oh~ a tiger tattoo? You must have spent some money. It’s worth showing off.”

“No… what is this….”

“By the way, were you in the White Tiger Clan [a Korean organized crime syndicate] back in the day? I wonder if Young-chun is doing well in jail these days?”

Then, the flustered taxi driver shouted back.

“Hey, you… how dare you mention the boss’s name so carelessly. Are you friends with Young-chun hyung [older brother or respected male figure]?”

“What if we are?”

“What?”

“Kim Young-chun, the second boss of the White Tiger Clan. Jung Chang-dong, the double-knife of Joomoon Market. Lee Pal-seok, the toothpick of Pyeonghwa-dong. They’re all like brothers to me.”

Teacher Poong mentioned a few names.

Then, the taxi driver’s face turned pale.

Even if I didn’t know well, they seemed to be quite famous names in the dark world.

Teacher Poong continued.

“I’m the one who stitched them up, stitch by stitch, when they were brought in bleeding from knife wounds to their stomachs, you know.”

“……”

“They still contact me every holiday, calling me their benefactor. Calling me ‘hyungnim [a respectful term for older brother],’ ‘hyungnim [a respectful term for older brother].’”

Teacher Poong neatly arranged his sleeve.

The taxi driver was speechless and couldn’t make a sound.

Before he knew it, he seemed to be overwhelmed and intimidated by the confident aura that Teacher Poong was emitting.

“Do you think those guys caused a commotion in the hospital even while they were bleeding? Not at all. Instead, they said, ‘Please take good care of me, doctor’~ But these days, the gang members’ training must be really messed up because they have no manners?”

“No, that’s….”

“It seems like the discipline of the White Tiger Clan isn’t what it used to be?”

“……”

“Oh dear, this won’t do. Should I make a call to the higher-ups and tell them to manage their subordinates properly?”

“Ah… no!”

The taxi driver was already standing at attention.

It was hard to believe that he was the one who had been causing a ruckus just a moment ago.

We couldn’t close our mouths as we watched the scene.

‘Wow….’

What are we even watching right now?

Is this the dignity of the legend of Gokdam Emergency Room?

It was like watching a skilled beast tamer.

Jang Poong.

He was a person with a strong energy, just like his name.

He was different from the typical elite image we had seen so far.

He smirked and patted the taxi driver’s shoulder.

“Mister. So, let’s just say it nicely and get treatment quietly. Shouldn’t we uphold our manners as cultured citizens?”

“Yes… yes!”

Bow—

The taxi driver bowed his head 90 degrees.

He seemed to have become a docile sheep instead of a tiger.

Shortly after, Teacher Poong examined the patient and ordered a brain CT scan, and the taxi driver quietly headed to the CT room.

“Tsk… he seems perfectly fine from the way he’s walking. Why did he make such a fuss? Who brought this patient?”

Teacher Poong said that and then looked in our direction.

“What are you guys?”

“Hello! We’re the interns for this month!”

“Interns?”

“Yes!”

Geun-wook must have been nervous too, as he froze up and answered.

“Who told you interns to bring patients to the emergency room as you please? Is this place for cleaning up after people who get into petty fights in the neighborhood? Huh?”

Teacher Poong said in an intimidating voice.

The other interns were overwhelmed by his energy and just looked at each other.

I carefully opened my mouth.

“He seems alert now, but he lost consciousness for about 2 minutes after the head trauma.”

At my words, Teacher Poong stared straight into my eyes and asked.

“So?”

“In the case of EDH (epidural hemorrhage) due to trauma, neurological signs may occasionally appear only after several hours, I learned.”

Then, Teacher Poong smirked as if he found it interesting.

“Oh. So you’ve heard of lucid intervals?”

Lucid interval.

In Korean, <의식 청명기> [euishik cheongmyeonggi – period of clear consciousness].

It refers to the phenomenon where, after the initial loss of consciousness, the patient seems normal for a while before suddenly deteriorating again.

It is a phenomenon in which bleeding slowly progresses inside the brain, leading to another loss of consciousness.

Teacher Jang Poong approached me with an interested expression and looked into my face.

“You’re quite sharp for an intern. What’s your name?”

Ugh….

His gaze is intense.

Staring so intently from right in front of me, it feels like he’s going to make a hole in my face.

I slightly pulled my face back and said.

“Shin Seon-han.”

“What?”

“Shin Seon-han….”

“Don’t joke around, kid. Not a fish, not a vegetable. How can a person’s name be Shin Seon-han?”

What is this.

His own name is Jang Poong, though?

I felt like asking who was making fun of whose name, but I barely held back.

“Wait a minute. Shin Seon-han… come to think of it, I think I’ve heard a similar name before. When was it?”

Teacher Poong seemed to be thinking hard about something, then clapped his palm with his fist and said.

“Hey, I remember! Aren’t you the guy who was on the news? The one who… in the middle of Gangnam Station….”

It seemed that the rumors about me had spread far and wide, even to Gokdam.

“……Stripped a patient naked on the sidewalk and pierced his heart with a needle. Is that right?”

No, wait a minute.

That’s too extreme of a way to put it!

And to be exact, it wasn’t the heart, but the pericardium [the membrane enclosing the heart] surrounding the heart!

But since it was an undeniable fact, I had no choice but to answer honestly.

“Yes, that’s right.”

Then, an unexpected reaction followed.

Slap.

Suddenly, Teacher Poong put his hand on my shoulder and gave a grin.

“I like you!”

“Yes?”

“A doctor should be bold and tough. It’s been a while since I’ve had an intern I liked. Good, good!”

Bold, tough?

Is that what he thinks a good doctor should be?

He definitely felt different from the teachers I had seen at Yeon-guk University so far.

I thought he was a person with a very unique personality in many ways.

Beep—

At that moment, the emergency room door opened, and the piercing voice of a middle-aged female nurse was heard.

“Teacher, what are you doing there right now? There’s a truckload of patients waiting for you to see!”

“Hey, tell them to wait a bit.”

“Please come quickly. We’re the ones who get cursed at by the patients if the treatment is delayed!”

“Ah, my ears are going to burst!”

“My throat hurts!”

They raised their voices at each other like that.

This was also an unfamiliar sight.

Yeon-guk University Hospital usually has a more formal atmosphere among the medical staff.

But here, it’s like….

It’s like the wild.

To put it nicely, it feels like a family atmosphere.

“Hoo, my ears are bleeding. I’ll be right there. I’m going!”

Teacher Poong frowned and scratched his ear, then said to us.

“Hey. You guys are on duty from tomorrow morning, right? Go get some sleep. You won’t be able to rest all night anyway, and you’ll be working your butts off.”

I bowed to him on behalf of the four of us.

“Yes, Director. Then we’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Hey, I’m off tomorrow, so why would I see you again tomorrow? I don’t know when I’ll see you, but good luck in the meantime.”

Teacher Poong said that and then walked inside the emergency room, talking to himself.

“Let’s see. There are 7 patients who need to be seen right away…? I can take care of them in 10 minutes and then eat!”

I was once again taken aback by his words.

He’s going to see 7 patients in 10 minutes?

Are the patients in Gokdam all faking it? Or is this just his unique bluffing….

Anyway, I thought he was a unique teacher.

“Hey, chicks!”

Whack—

Before disappearing into the emergency room, he threw something at us in a parabola.

Thud.

Geun-wook accepted it in a daze.

“It’s a gift to keep you on your toes for the next month. Welcome to Gokdam!”

At Teacher Poong’s words, we checked the item.

It was a bag of candy.

And it was ginseng candy that seemed to suit the tastes of the elderly.

The words ‘Gokdam Specialty’ were written on the outside of the bag.

“Is there ginseng in Gokdam?”

“I don’t know either.”

Geun-wook and So-dam looked at each other and whispered in low voices, and Yeon-seo giggled.

“Wow, he’s a really unique teacher. It seems like life in Gokdam will be fun!”

I don’t know.

Will it really only be fun?

In any case, it seems certain that every day in Gokdam will be dynamic.

* * *

Shortly after.

We were guided by a staff member to the accommodation on the first floor.

Creak—

We opened the wooden door of the accommodation.

Then, the hinges made a sound like a horror movie sound effect.

“Wow, what is this place?”

We looked around and our eyes widened.