Dr. Shin Seonhan: The Doctor Who Sees The Future [EN]: Chapter 14

#14 There’s a Malignant Among Us (5)

It feels like walking underwater.

Soon, my vision clears, and the future sight begins again.

“Interns, are you all here?”

A sharp voice echoes through the conference room.

I slowly look around.

About ten doctors are gathered in the emergency room conference room with serious expressions.

‘What’s with this atmosphere?’

The air feels heavy.

It feels like even a single drop of water would turn into an icicle in the air.

What on earth is going on…….

I slowly move my feet and look at people’s faces.

‘Ugh. Isn’t that me?’

A somewhat gaunt version of myself is bowing my head with the other interns.

Next to me are Ham So-dam, Jo Jin-gi, Oh Jung-won… in other words, the emergency room interns I’m currently working with.

But why are they all bowing their heads?

As if they’re heinous criminals.

“This is the first time I’ve seen anything like this while working in the emergency department.”

The chief resident looks furious for some reason.

“Without further ado, all of your intern evaluations for this month are C’s. Got it?!”

“Yes.”

The four of us interns, including me, nod with dark expressions.

What? C?!

It feels like a bomb has dropped on my head.

I haven’t even been an intern for two months, and I’m already getting a C?

Does this mean my life at Yeonguk University Hospital ends this year?

“Of course, some of you might feel wronged. You might think, ‘I did well for a month, but because of that guy…’ You might feel resentful.”

The chief continues.

“But don’t feel wronged. It’s a joint responsibility even if one person messes up. You should have taken care of each other’s shortcomings!”

Joint responsibility, huh…….

I try to calmly think.

So, to summarize the situation, one of us four made a mistake.

And whatever it was, it must have been a very big mistake.

What kind of mistake did we make, Chief? I saw the future, so I can prevent the incident if you tell me what happened! Please tell me more…….

As I’m thinking this, the chief’s angry voice continues.

“The patient is still in the intensive care unit, and their family has even reported it to the media, so things have blown up. The professors are in an uproar right now.”

Intensive care unit? Media report?

I’m fidgeting.

Come on, tell me! What is going on?

I can’t make a sound, so I can’t ask, and I’m going crazy with frustration.

Then, Yeo Bong-cheol opens his mouth.

“I’m sorry. I should have taught them better.”

“Is this the kind of mistake that can be prevented by teaching?”

“Still, it’s mostly my fault.”

“Enough. Don’t try to defend them! Even if there were more patients than usual, how could you make such an absurd mistake?”

The chief resident sighs deeply, as if the ground is sinking beneath him.

And adds one more thing.

“I can’t believe it. A medical lawsuit because of an intern’s mistake…….”

What?

Wait, what did he just say? Medical lawsuit?

Damn it, this is the worst.

If that kind of thing happened because of an intern’s mistake, the entire hospital would be turned upside down.

This isn’t a situation that can be resolved with a simple ‘I’m sorry.’ It’s understandable that the chief residents are angry.

‘But…….’

If I can find out what the mistake is, I might be able to prevent it in advance!

I listen intently.

“All four of you, listen carefully. And especially the one who caused the accident this time…….”

The moment his mouth opens again―

Flash!

My vision brightens.

* * *

“What the hell……!”

A curse word comes out involuntarily.

Of all the moments, I’ve returned to reality with only half the information, at the most crucial moment.

What kind of crappy timing is this!

“What’s wrong?”

Looking ahead, Yeon-seo is staring at me with wide eyes, startled.

I must have looked like a madman, suddenly shouting into the air.

I hastily make an excuse.

“No, sorry, it’s nothing.”

“Oppa [older brother/term of endearment for a male]…… sometimes you act strange. Are you a multiple personality or something?”

Yeon-seo says, rolling her eyes.

I can’t do this. Stay calm…….

Getting angry in front of innocent Yeon-seo won’t help.

“Sorry, I suddenly remembered I have to notify a neurology patient.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh no, shouldn’t you go quickly then?”

“Okay, I’ll contact you later, Yeon-seo!”

I make a vague excuse and return to the emergency room, lost in thought.

Four emergency room interns.

Among us, there’s someone hiding who will cause a super-large accident in the near future.

And that might be me.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

If the dream had been just a little longer, I could have gotten more information.

I’m in a difficult situation because it cut off in the middle.

‘I have no choice.’

I have to try to prevent the future with the limited information I have!

* * *

An average of 200 patients visit the emergency room every day.

But there are days with relatively few patients on the weekends.

I empty my task list and wait, and then Jung-won hyung [older brother/term of endearment for a male] approaches.

“Seon-han, I’m going to take a break. Contact me immediately if anything happens. Got it?”

Jung-won hyung winks.

Originally, interns have to be on standby in the emergency room for 24 hours, but they cleverly hide and take breaks one by one.

In particular, the ultrasound room around the corner is a favorite spot for interns to secretly rest, thanks to its surprisingly comfortable patient bed and perfect location.

But…….

Jung-won hyung goes there too often.

Is it a skill that he has perfectly adapted to being an emergency room intern in just one week? I guess you don’t get older for nothing.

I ask carefully.

“Did you do the spinal tapping earlier?”

“Of course, I did it perfectly. Who do you think I am?”

“Kim Tae-jin’s consent forms came up four times, did you get all four without missing any?”

“Hey, Shin Seon-han. You’re like a mother-in-law~? Let’s not be too obse with each other, man!”

Jung-won hyung chuckles.

is a slang term derived from the first letters of Obsessive-compulsive Personality Disorder, referring to excessive perfectionism.

In a good way, it means meticulous, but in a bad way, it means being inflexible and tiring to the people around you.

But from my perspective, I have no choice.

I know that someone among us will cause a medical accident in the future.

‘Of course, it’s unlikely to be Jung-won hyung…….’

I stare at him.

Jung-won hyung has a slippery personality, but at least he makes few mistakes when it comes to things that absolutely need to be done.

At least, he’s not the number one candidate among the people who are likely to cause an accident in the emergency room.

“Hyung, I’ll go with you.”

“Why are you following me?”

“Oh, are you going to hog all the slacking off? Let’s slack off together.”

Jo Jin-gi is seen grinning and following behind Jung-won hyung.

Jo Jin-gi?

He’s a strong candidate, but he’s also unlikely to cause a medical accident.

Because he has a cast on his hand, he can only receive consent forms or perform simple checkups.

‘Then the most likely person is…… Ham So-dam?’

I look at So-dam, who is sitting next to me.

She seems even more subdued, as if her shoulders have shrunk even more since the last failed blood draw.

But let’s not jump to conclusions yet.

Maybe it’s none of the three, and I might be the one who screws up.

‘Damn it, I can’t let my guard down for a second.’

I’ve been on edge all day, and my head is throbbing.

I’m not sure who it is yet, but there’s definitely a malignancy among us.

* * *

After doing a simple dressing for a patient, I return to the station.

Around 3 a.m., I come out of the relatively quiet emergency room to get some air.

I stretch to wake myself up, and So-dam approaches and opens her mouth.

“I’ve been thinking.”

“Huh?”

“You asked me why I became a doctor, right?”

This is the first time she’s opened her mouth in three hours.

I had a feeling she wanted to say something since earlier.

I turn my head and look at So-dam.

So-dam fidgets with her fingers and hesitates for a while before saying.

“I’ve been thinking a lot since I talked to you. I’ve been pushed by my parents to study since I was young, and I was pushed to go to medical school.”

“…….”

“My life has always been like that. I don’t know what I’m good at or what I want, and I’ve only done what others have told me to do.”

“…….”

“Now that I’ve become a doctor, I’m scared of patients…… and the scariest thing is that I’m afraid of failing. I think I’ve made five mistakes today. I think I’ve become a doctor for nothing.”

I look at So-dam’s depressed expression without saying anything.

Honestly, I don’t relate at all.

At least I desperately wanted to become a doctor.

Although it’s a tiring daily life that breaks my mind and body, I’m grateful to be able to work at Yeonguk University Hospital even at this moment.

‘But…….’

I understand what she means.

It can be said that it is a typical case of model students who have suffered from excessive pressure since childhood.

The eldest daughter of a family of doctors for three generations.

After being pushed by her parents and arriving at her destination, she realizes that this isn’t her path.

In So-dam’s case, the side effects are now appearing in the medical field.

‘This is a big problem.’

At this rate, she’s like a ticking time bomb that could make any mistake during her month in the emergency room.

I’m increasingly convinced that Ham So-dam is the culprit in the medical lawsuit.

‘Wait…….’

At that moment, an idea pops into my head.

Maybe I can plant something in So-dam’s mind?

Why, there’s also a movie called .

If I put a trigger in So-dam’s head, I might be able to change the future!

“Don’t worry alone.”

“Huh?”

“Even if you make a mistake, the other interns can cover for you, so actively use me or Jung-won hyung.”

“Ah…….”

“Instead, you can help us too. Let’s be careful not to make mistakes with each other. Among colleagues. How about it?”

This is my strategy.

It’s called the .

If I say this, I might be able to prevent So-dam’s fatal mistake later!

So-dam stares at me and says.

“You’re really nice.”

Huh?

What kind of conclusion is this?

I think she’s misunderstanding something.

I just want to prevent a medical accident, but I’ve become a nice friend by accident.

So-dam’s voice, which seems to be touched, continues.

“Thank you, no colleague has ever said that to me before…… I think you’re really nice. Is it because your name is Seon-han?”

“That’s not what my name means.”

“Isn’t it the Seon (善) character for kindness?”

“It’s the Seon (鮮) character for fresh. I’m the son of a sashimi restaurant.”

“Sashimi restaurant?”

So-dam pricks up her ears.

I roughly summarize my family history.

And, for the first time, I was able to see So-dam’s burst of laughter.

Well, I’ve never seen a friend who doesn’t laugh after hearing the story behind my name.

Should I call it a kind of cheat key?

“Ahahaha…… you’re a really funny guy.”

So-dam laughs with tears in her eyes, and then listens to my story with interest for a while.

Once I started talking, So-dam wasn’t as dark as I thought.

It’s just that her personality is much more timid than others, so she’s having a hard time in the early days of her internship.

I’m sure she’ll be able to do well in the future.

* * *

Tuesday morning commute.

Ham So-dam’s steps were light.

She was replaying the words that Seon-han had said to her a few days ago.

It had been a long time since someone had given her such confidence.

‘He was a good guy.’

A faint smile spread across her face.

There were always guys around her who treated her with prejudice because she was from a wealthy family, but she felt like she had made a close friend for the first time.

‘I should get close to him in the future.’

Thinking that, So-dam changed into her doctor’s gown and headed to the emergency room.

When she arrived at work at 7 a.m., the nurse’s eyes widened.

“Oh? Intern, you’re already here?”

“Hello.”

She arrived an hour early because she was motivated.

Once Ham So-dam starts to get excited, it’s hard for her to calm down.

So-dam looked around and carefully opened her mouth.

“Um…… is there anything I can help you with?”

“Oh my, you’re already helping before the shift change?”

So-dam nodded.

Seon-han had clearly said, ‘Let’s help each other.’

To do that, she wanted to gain a little more experience in dealing with patients with confidence.

That’s the only way it will be ‘mutually’ helpful!

“Well, there’s a bit of work piled up…… if you’re okay with it, would you like to see the patient in Zone B over there?”

“What kind of patient is it?”

“It’s a urethral stricture patient.”

At the nurse’s words, So-dam walked to the screen and checked the task list.

[B―7] 24687883

Ban Jin-ho 20 Male : CIC [Clean Intermittent Catheterization]

[assign] [done]

‘Ban Jin-ho……?’

So-dam tilted her head.

It’s a name she’s heard a lot somewhere. Was it a celebrity’s name?