Dr. Shin Seonhan: The Doctor Who Sees The Future [EN]: Chapter 12

#12 There’s a Malignant Among Us (3)

“Ouch…….”

“Doctor, please take a look here quickly.”

“Stroke patient, call Neurology ASAP!”

“My father came first, shouldn’t he be seen first?!”

“Patient with suspected MI [Myocardial Infarction – heart attack] in bed 6!”

The emergency room is noisy everywhere.

Despite it being early in the morning, many patients are already waiting in the ER beds.

A male patient in his 20s with abdominal pain.

A female patient in her 50s brought in due to severe constipation.

A male office worker in his 30s showing vomiting symptoms due to dizziness.

A 10-year-old elementary school student bitten by the neighbor’s dog.

A foreign worker in his 30s who injured his finger at a construction site.

And so on…….

There are so many different patients.

It’s a completely different scene from the internal medicine ward, where patients with similar symptoms gathered.

Here, the symptoms are all different.

If there are 100 patients, there are 100 symptoms.

That’s the emergency room.

“Okay, shall we start?”

Step, step, step!

Doctor Yeo Bong-cheol began to examine patients as he walked around the emergency room.

We quickly followed behind him.

“Does your stomach hurt a lot?”

“Yes…….”

“Okay, bend your knees, where does it hurt? Here?”

“It doesn’t hurt there…… Ouch…… I think it only hurts above.”

The patient complaining of abdominal pain frowned.

Yeo Bong-cheol, examining the patient’s symptoms, turned to us and said.

“This patient has no abnormalities in the X-ray and sono [sonogram – ultrasound], and the lab [blood test] results are also okay. It doesn’t seem like appendicitis, so it’s probably gastritis [inflammation of the stomach lining].”

“Yes.”

“If you have pain in your lower right abdomen, you should come back. It could be appendicitis.”

He judges the patient’s symptoms and takes the most necessary measures.

“You guys might have to see these simple patients as primary [first point of contact]. Got it?”

“Yes!”

Step, step, step!

He immediately walks to the next patient.

Doctor Yeo Bong-cheol’s diagnosis continues.

“Mother, you need an enema. Let’s empty it out cleanly and go.”

“It seems like there’s a slight problem with your ear, the ENT [Ear, Nose, and Throat] department will take a look.”

“Fortunately, the dog bite isn’t too deep, I’ll disinfect it and give you a tetanus shot.”

“Do you understand Korean? The wound is a bit deep, so the plastic surgery department will come down and stitch it up for you.”

We followed Doctor Yeo Bong-cheol 정신없이 [jeongsin eopsi – frantically] and listened to brief explanations about various parts of the emergency room.

He looks like he’s carrying the wind, so he’s unstoppable.

He also feels more active compared to doctors who only worked in the ward.

‘Cool.’

Is this the force of a 3rd year EM [Emergency Medicine] doctor?

As expected, experts who work skillfully in one field shine.

I looked at Doctor Yeo Bong-cheol with sparkling eyes.

“What are you looking at?”

“Nothing.”

“If we can treat it within our capabilities, we treat it, and if we need to notify another department, we contact them as soon as possible. Got it?”

“Yes!”

We answered loudly.

Yeo Bong-cheol pointed to the monitor installed on the wall.

“Interns basically take on one of the work lists that come up on this monitor.”

We looked at the monitor, following his gaze.

“Cough…….”

Hyung Joong-won already had a suffocating expression.

It hasn’t been long since the shift started, but the list is already full.

I also wondered if there were so many emergency patients in the middle of Seoul.

I think Doctor Yeo Bong-cheol didn’t scare me for nothing when he said ‘Apocalypse’.

“Wow, are you already happy because there’s so much work?”

“Yes…….”

“Later, we won’t be grading based on who did more work, so don’t fight over it.”

“Yes!”

“Well, you won’t have time to fight with each other because you’re busy.”

Scratch, scratch.

Yeo Bong-cheol scratched his hair with a pen and soon gave us instructions.

“First, Seon-han and So-dam will assist when OS [Orthopedic Surgery] and TS [Thoracic Surgery] come down, and the other two will take care of the tasks on the list one by one.”

“Yes, sir!”

We scattered in an orderly manner.

Thump, thump!

I moved busily with Sodam.

We cared for dozens of patients, disinfected wounds, performed various procedures, contacted other departments, drew blood, or performed tests.

The emergency room is a place where you have to work like this for 24 hours without rest.

It’s really a battlefield.

* * *

“Hoo.”

I barely finished my morning work.

There’s still a mountain of work to do, but I have some time to eat in shifts.

Sodam and I headed to the cafeteria.

It’s a bit awkward when we’re alone, but it’s much better than being paired with Jo Jin-gi.

Well, it’s the first day, so I guess we’ll get closer little by little in the future.

“I’m glad we could make it to the cafeteria on time.”

“Yeah.”

Sodam answered briefly and then 깨작거렸다 [kkaejakgeoryeotda – picked at] with her rice.

Slyly—

I looked at Sodam sitting across from me.

……It’s a very strange impression.

She must have grown up receiving a lot of attention from her parents.

Her expression is always depressed, and she lacks confidence somewhere.

Should I just say something?

“Eat a lot.”

“You too.”

“Do you want to eat some of mine too? Shall I share a piece of shrimp tempura?”

“No.”

깨작깨작 [kkaejak kkaejak – picking, picking].

……It’s so awkward.

It seems like I won’t get anything but monosyllabic answers no matter what I say.

To relieve the awkward atmosphere, I started another story.

“Where did you rotate on your first term?”

“Pathology.”

“I see. I was in internal medicine.”

“Yeah.”

“It was fun there too, but it’s more fun to see various patients in the emergency room.”

“……Fun?”

Twitch—

Sodam’s eyebrows twitched.

Emotions are revealed on her face, which had been expressionless all along.

“What’s fun?”

“Huh?”

“You have to be harassed by patients for 24 hours a day without even getting sunlight…… How is that fun?”

The words that come back are 은근히 [eungeunhi – subtly] sharp.

It feels like there are 가득가득 [gadeuk gadeuk – full of] thorns in her small voice?

I looked at Sodam with a slightly surprised look.

It’s like she’s spitting out the words she’s been holding back in her heart.

“Touching patients’ blood, touching their excrement, and getting cursed at even if you make a small mistake…… I don’t have any fun at all.”

“Do you hate being a doctor?”

“I really hate it. I especially 개극혐 [gaegeukgyeom – extremely hate] seeing patients.”

She answers firmly.

This friend has more of a temper than I thought.

Sodam flinched and made excuses.

“Sorry. I didn’t realize my words were getting so harsh.”

“No. Keep going.”

I chuckled.

Even if they are 폐쇄적이고 [pyesoejeogigo – closed-off] timid friends, they often let their guard down in front of me.

I don’t know why. Do I look comfortable?

Sodam’s words continued.

“Actually, I hate the emergency room the most. Like what happened at Seomoon University Hospital yesterday. Did you see the news?”

“What news?”

“It’s coming out over there.”

Slyly—

Sodam pointed to the restaurant TV with her chopsticks.

[In a hospital in Gyeonggi-do, an incident occurred in which a drunken patient inflicted a 3-week injury on an emergency room doctor…….]

A blurry screen taken by CCTV is played.

A scene where a drunken patient causing a disturbance hits the doctor in the back of the head for some reason.

Thwack!

The doctor collapses.

Nurses try to stop him, but the patient’s indiscriminate violence doesn’t stop.

Thwack, thwack!

The doctor falls to the floor.

The video stopped with security guards who belatedly ran over to 뜯어말리는 [tteudeomalrineun – pull apart/restrain] the patient.

……It’s a terrible scene.

It’s an absurd thing, but it also happens often in the emergency room.

The place where conflicts with patients occur most often is the emergency room.

“Isn’t it scary?”

“It’s scary.”

“Honestly, I don’t know why everyone is so eager to become a doctor. Even if you treat patients until your whole body is broken, you get treated like that in return.”

Saying that, Sodam chuckled.

I asked.

“Then why did you become a doctor?”

“My parents told me to.”

“Is that all?”

“Yeah.”

She answers firmly.

I looked at Sodam in front of me with wonder.

It seems like she has lived in a completely different world from me, who was so eager to become a doctor.

“I’m not suited to seeing patients. I’m going to do my internship 적당히 [jeokdanghi – moderately] and then move on to a department where I don’t see patients.”

Sodam says that 자조적으로 [jajocheogeuro – self-deprecatingly].

Of course, not everyone is suited to being a doctor.

Just because their 수능 [suneung – college entrance exam] scores were good—

Or because their parents told them to—

In some ways, there are more cases where they run 정신없이 [jeongsin eopsi – frantically] for 6 years of medical school and graduate and become doctors.

“Well, anyway, I’ll try not to cause any trouble for a month, so don’t worry.”

I had nothing more to say when she said that.

Still, now that she’s opened up, she was easier to talk to than I thought.

I thought she was just a 폐쇄적이고 [pyesoejeogigo – closed-off] timid person, but surprisingly, I was able to have quite a few conversations in just one day.

Sodam stares intently at my rice bowl.

“But can I try that?”

“What?”

“Shrimp tempura. You said you’d give me one earlier.”

“You said you wouldn’t eat it earlier?”

“It looks delicious again when I see it again…… I’ll give you a 돈가스 [donkatsu – pork cutlet] too. Never mind if you don’t want it.”

Sodam 웅얼거렸다 소심하게 [ungeolgeoryeotda sosimhage – mumbled timidly].

I chuckled and took out a piece of shrimp tempura.

She has a unique personality, but she seems to be a 솔직하고 담백한 [soljikago dambaekhan – honest and straightforward] girl in her own way.

* * *

1st week of emergency room.

“Hmm…….”

Yeo Bong-cheol sits at the medical office PC and looks at the monitor.

In the Excel sheet in front of him, the names of the interns are written.

It’s Yeo Bong-cheol’s habit to check the results carefully on a weekly basis, even though he can evaluate them at the end of the month.

Of course, he doesn’t decide alone.

The intern evaluation must 총합 [chonghap – aggregate] even the evaluations of other residents.

But Yeo Bong-cheol is the one who 실질적으로 [siljiljeogeuro – practically] holds the key to public opinion.

It’s not for nothing that he’s jokingly called the real power of the emergency room.

Thump, thump.

Yeo Bong-cheol started typing on the keyboard.

Jo Jin-gi C—

: Unable to perform normal duties due to injury

: Insufficient self-management

: Insincere

Jo Jin-gi is not worth evaluating because he hurt his hand.

I don’t know if he’s working hard, but he doesn’t seem to be doing that, and he’s busy 알랑거리기 [allanggeorigi – sucking up] to his seniors.

I don’t have the slightest desire to give such a guy a good evaluation.

Oh Joong-won B

: Quick-witted

: Decent work ability

: Tendency to be 요령 [yoryeong – slick/shrewd]

Oh Joong-won has a tendency to be 뺀질거리는 [ppaenjilgeorineun – dodging work], but he is the only one who is standing out.

Can’t we ignore the 연륜 [yeonryun – experience] that comes from age?

In the emergency room, where 순발력 [sunballyeok – quick reflexes] is important, Joong-won is 무난히 [munanhi – smoothly] showing a good 모습 [moseup – appearance].

That’s why 깐깐한 [kkankkanhan – picky] Yeo Bong-cheol wrote ‘B’.

‘And Ham Sodam is…….’

She’s the most 골치가 아프다 [golchiga apeuda – headache inducing].

Royal among royals [referring to her privileged background].

But her work ability is somewhat lacking.

She seems to have a good head, but she keeps making mistakes.

Does she lack confidence? Or is she not suited for it?

Maybe it’s both.

“I can’t help it. Even if she’s not the professor’s daughter, but the president’s daughter, the evaluation must be 냉정해야 [naengjeonghaeya – objective].”

Thump, thump.

Yeo Bong-cheol’s hand moves.

Ham Sodam C

: Insufficient patient response

: Insufficient skills

: Looks insecure

The last one is Shin Seon-han.

Scratch, scratch.

“I still can’t figure out this guy.”

He’s definitely doing better than I thought.

I was worried because he was from Ilun University, but he’s better than most 명문대 [myeongmundae – prestigious university] graduates.

And the thing that should be evaluated the highest is his unique 성실성 [seongsilseong – sincerity].

But if he’s an elite that stands out to anyone, it doesn’t seem like that…….

“It’s 애매하다 애매해 [aemaehada aemaehae – ambiguous, ambiguous].”

Shin Seon-han B—

: High sincerity

: Other abilities are on hold for evaluation

For now, that’s it.

I don’t think there’s anyone who deserves an A yet.

Of course, it’s still early, so it depends on what you do in the future.

“Don’t cause an accident.”

Yeo Bong-cheol muttered as he closed the Excel sheet.

In the emergency room, interns can go halfway if they don’t cause an accident.

* * *

2nd week of emergency room.

Busy times are flowing.

I’m working hard, but the work keeps increasing instead of decreasing.

It’s like playing an endless defense game.

I looked at the list of things to do in front of the monitor.

“Hyung [older brother/senior] Joong-won! Is this blood culture 3 pairs done?”

“Ah, I had to do a dressing suddenly on the way to do that? I made a culture set over there, so please do it when you have time!”

“Who is it?”

“It’s the grandmother inside area B over there.”

I looked at the patient that Hyung Joong-won was pointing to from afar.

She’s an elderly patient, and it looks like it won’t be easy to find a blood vessel.

“Then Seon-han, please 부탁 좀 한다잉 [butak jom handaing – please do me a favor].”

Hyung Joong-won winked.

Is it just my imagination that he keeps putting 까다로운 [kkadaroun – difficult] tasks on me?

It must be my imagination, probably.

“By the way, I haven’t seen Sodam since earlier, where did she go?”

“She went to do ABGA [arterial blood gas test], but she’s 감감무소식~ [gamgammusosik – no news]”

Roll, roll—

Jin-gi, with his arm in a cast, answers while pushing the ECG machine.

Jo Jin-gi is in charge of getting consent forms, taking electrocardiograms, and doing simple dressing work.

Of course, the workload of the other three interns has no choice but to increase.

“Hey…… Jin-gi, every time I see that green cast on your arm, my blood pressure goes up!”

“If you feel wronged, hyung, drink alcohol and roll around once.”

“Ugh, I shouldn’t say anything. Anyway, it seems like the speed at which our work list is erased is faster than the speed at which it accumulates, let’s focus!”

Hyung Joong-won encourages us.

At that time, a loud noise suddenly came from area A.

“No, what are you doing now!”

Boom!

Someone was shouting so loudly that the entire emergency room was ringing.

What’s going on?

The atmosphere is fierce.

We all looked at the place where the sound came from.