Dr. Shin Seonhan: The Doctor Who Sees The Future [EN]: Chapter 194

#194 A Fresh Thoracic Surgeon (11)

[Moon-shik] Hey, Kyung-shik. How are you doing?

It was a sudden greeting.

Kyung-shik Ahn tilted his head, seeing the name on the screen.

‘Why is this *hyung* [older brother/male friend] calling me all of a sudden?’

Yang Moon-shik, a senior colleague.

He had obtained his plastic surgery specialist license from Yeonguk University Hospital last year and left.

He was the very person who had encouraged him to apply for plastic surgery before.

Not particularly pleased, his eyes were drawn to the profile picture.

‘A Ferrari?’

It was a picture of him with his hand on the steering wheel.

Looks like he changed his car recently…….

This car costs about 400 million won [approximately $300,000 USD], right?

Moreover, the watch on his wrist is an ultra-expensive luxury item that I’ve only heard about.

That’s about 30 million won [approximately $22,000 USD], isn’t it?

I don’t know if it’s genuine or fake, but it’s probably genuine.

He’s someone who has enough money for that.

‘This *hyung* is still the same.’

A super gold spoon [born into extreme wealth].

With parents who are famous plastic surgeons and academy instructors, he himself is steadily following the path of wealth.

Kyung-shik Ahn always felt a sense of distance from this person.

It was as if he lived in a completely different world from himself, who was born as the son of a small business owner.

Come visit my house!

Was it about two years ago?

After taking the medical licensing exam and having a few weeks of break, Kyung-shik Ahn had gone to his house with his classmates.

A luxurious high-rise apartment overlooking the brilliant night view of the Han River.

It was a moment when the gap in wealth was keenly felt.

I wondered what it would feel like to live in a place like this without worrying about money.

*Hyung*, you must be happy. I’m a dirt spoon [born into poverty], so I can’t even dream of living in a house like this…….

At his words, which came out sharper than he intended, Yang Moon-shik chuckled and poured him wine.

Hey, Kyung-shik. What does the color of your spoon matter? You got your medical license, so shouldn’t you live in a Han River view apartment?

Kyung-shik Ahn was tempted.

It was as if his mind had been read.

To be honest, it would be a lie if he hadn’t imagined such a scene at least once.

He didn’t become a doctor for money, but as a human being, he was greedy.

You should apply for plastic surgery this year too. Let’s start a hospital together later and make a killing!

Yang Moon-shik, who was about to become the chief resident of plastic surgery, his words resonated deeply with Kyung-shik Ahn.

If you spend your intern year without any major problems and apply, I’ll talk to the professors and push you!

Kyung-shik Ahn was easily swayed.

He couldn’t easily forget Moon-shik *hyung’s* words.

And about a year later.

Kyung-shik Ahn was contemplating among several departments.

During his intern year, he found enjoyment in manual procedures, and he thought that plastic surgery was perfect for blossoming his talents.

So, he somewhat forced himself to apply for plastic surgery as Moon-shik *hyung* had said.

Of course, Moon-shik *hyung* didn’t take responsibility for the results.

Oh, you failed? LOL Sorry~

It’s not a very good memory even when I think about it again.

I feel resentful for no reason.

Of course, the reason for failing was due to his intern score and interview score.

But if I hadn’t been coaxed by this *hyung*, I would have written a different department as my first choice…….

‘Ugh, there’s no use thinking about it so late!’

He shook his head as if trying to shake off the old memories.

The procedures and surgeries in thoracic surgery are also fun. Not just anyone can be a doctor who saves people!

It was already 1 a.m. as he was comforting himself like this.

It was late, but Kyung-shik Ahn sent a moderate reply because he couldn’t just ignore the message.

[Kyung-shik] *Hyung*, what’s up? I’m on duty, so I just saw it

The number 1 disappeared, and a reply came quickly.

[Moon-shik] Working?

[Kyung-shik] Yes, *hyung*. Aren’t you sleeping?

[Moon-shik] It’s Friday night~ Gotta party hard LOL

Friday night?

When was the last time I spent such a day…….

Kyung-shik Ahn had even forgotten that today was Friday.

[Kyung-shik] But what’s really going on? Did a TS [Thoracic Surgery] patient appear next to you? LOL

[Moon-shik] What TS patient? I suddenly saw someone who looks like you here, so I contacted you

[Kyung-shik] Ah LOL

[Moon-shik] I’m at Blue Moon in Yeoksam, are you coming now? I’ll pay for the taxi

[Kyung-shik] How can I go when I’m on duty

[Moon-shik] Skip it~

[Kyung-shik] LOL

[Moon-shik] The guys I’m with are going crazy because I ordered expensive alcohol

[Kyung-shik] LOL Kyung-shik Ahn’s mouth didn’t move.

Since there was nothing to say, he just typed meaningless ‘LOL’.

Soon, a photo was sent.

The bluish club lights and a luxurious champagne bottle on the table are visible.

‘Wow, I think that bottle costs 1 million won [approximately $750 USD]…….’

Kyung-shik sighed.

What kind of mind do you have to be in to drink that?

I was also curious about what it would feel like to put someone else’s monthly living expenses into your mouth.

[Moon-shik] Still not coming?

[Kyung-shik] I’m on ICU duty today. A CABG [Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting] scheduled patient is also coming to the emergency room, so I don’t think I can make it~

[Moon-shik] LOLOL Hey, are you still living like that?

Kyung-shik felt a surge of anger.

‘Living like that’?

He felt bad because it seemed like his efforts were being belittled.

He was exhausted from saving a life from the brink of death with his insufficient hands.

[Kyung-shik] *Hyung*, if it weren’t for me, someone would have died a little while ago. It was a patient who had a V-fib [Ventricular Fibrillation] arrest due to bleeding.

Then, a reply that seemed to be a chuckle came from beyond the phone screen.

[Moon-shik] Hey, people die anyway~ And wouldn’t there be anyone else to work at the hospital if it weren’t for you?

[Kyung-shik] No, there wouldn’t

[Moon-shik] Ah, well, it was TS LOL It’s understandable there

‘This *hyung* still has the habit of looking down on other departments.’

Kyung-shik was slowly getting annoyed.

Who is he teasing when I’m already tired?

Although not everyone was like this, some of those who entered popular departments subtly looked down on other departments.

Of course, Kyung-shik, who couldn’t express his true feelings, forced a smile.

[Kyung-shik] *Hyung*, I have a call, so I’ll go. Have fun~ ^^ He tries to end the conversation by making an excuse about a call.

[Moon-shik] Anyway, Kyung-shik is diligent~ That’s why I like you

[Kyung-shik] LOL See you next time

[Moon-shik] Okay, let’s have a meal sometime

[Kyung-shik] Okay LOL

[Moon-shik] I’m not just saying it, I seriously have something to tell you, you punk~~ Seriously have something to say?

What could that be?

While Kyung-shik, who was about to turn off his phone screen, hesitated for a moment, Moon-shik’s additional message came up.

[Moon-shik] Tell me when you’re not busy! It’s good news~

Good news.

I want to ask right away.

Kyung-shik resisted the urge to call right away.

As he recalled the words this *hyung* had said to him in the past, his mind became even more disturbed.

“……”

He fiddled with his phone with a complicated expression.

The instant coffee in the paper cup in front of him was getting cold.

Slurp―

He pours it into his mouth.

The taste of the coffee suddenly dropped because he thought of the 1 million won champagne bottle he had seen a little while ago.

* * *

The next day.

Kyung-shik Ahn had to perform a chest tube insertion procedure in the cardiac surgery intensive care unit.

‘Inserting a chest tube is something I’ve been doing endlessly for a year!’

In fact, chest tube insertion is mainly done by first-year thoracic surgery residents.

Kyung-shik Ahn had done this more than dozens of times in the past year.

But.

Today’s patient was a little different.

Because the patient was using ECMO [Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation], a drug that thins the blood was being administered.

In other words, a patient with a high risk of bleeding during the procedure.

In addition, because he was a male patient with a height of 175cm [approximately 5’9″] and a weight close to 100kg [approximately 220 lbs], it was not easy to make a hole in his chest and access the thoracic cavity.

Kyung-shik Ahn carefully proceeds with the procedure.

‘Ugh― my fingertip doesn’t even reach the thoracic cavity (the space where the lungs are located)?’

Originally, the process of inserting a chest tube requires inserting a finger into the hole I made.

This is to check if the path to the thoracic cavity is well made.

Struggling―

Kyung-shik Ahn tries to insert his finger, but his fingertip is still located between the fat and muscle layers.

‘Let’s just insert it!’

Kyung-shik Ahn pushes in a thick 28Fr chest tube.

Even in the X-ray checked after inserting the chest tube, its location is ambiguous.

‘……Is it inserted correctly?’

Because there were many critically ill patients rushing in, Kyung-shik Ahn hurriedly finished and left the spot.

And that afternoon.

The professor’s name appears on Kyung-shik Ahn’s phone.

You little rascal! Where did you put this chest tube?!>

The professor’s voice is extremely harsh.

Kyung-shik Ahn felt chills down his spine.

Did I make some kind of mistake?

Aren’t you a second-year now? I praised you once last time, and you’re already causing accidents like this? Huh?!

The location of the chest tube confirmed on the chest CT was outside the rib.

In other words, he failed to insert it into the thoracic cavity and inserted the chest tube between the fat and muscle layers of the chest.

‘Oh my god, how could I make such a mistake…….’

The blood drained from Kyung-shik Ahn’s face.

Isn’t it okay to remove the incorrectly inserted chest tube and reinsert it?

The patient was thinning his blood due to ECMO.

When Kyung-shik Ahn removed the chest tube he had inserted, bleeding continued in that spot.

As a result, the patient suffered for several days due to bleeding before entering the recovery phase.

It goes without saying that Kyung-shik Ahn was scolded by the professor during those few days.

Teach him how to insert a chest tube again from the beginning, Dong-seop!

After this incident, Kyung-shik Ahn became increasingly intimidated and discouraged.

It seems like everyone is whispering behind his back, not only in the intensive care unit but also in the ward and operating room.

‘A guy who can’t even insert a chest tube.’

Of course, most people who knew that the patient was a difficult case didn’t care at all.

But Kyung-shik Ahn was trapped in an inferiority complex.

‘Can I, who can’t even do chest tube insertion that I should have mastered in my first year… can I perform major surgery later?’

Kyung-shik Ahn.

It’s only been a year since he started, but the biggest crisis of his thoracic surgery life was coming.

#Chasing and Being Chased is Our Life (1)

One day in January.

It was a morning with heavy snowfall.

I was prescribing and preparing to do dressings in the ward as usual.

Seon-ha, I’m going to get consent forms, so please issue urgent additional prescriptions for my patients.

Okay, I’ll be here at the station because Professor Kim Seong-tak is coming for rounds in 30 minutes.

We’re scheduled to admit 6 new patients today, I think I’m really going to run away at this rate~!

Shin Sang-mi, who is half-jokingly considering escaping again today.

The start of a day that is no different from usual.

But something felt different.

I could hear the resident doctors and fellows urgently talking in the station hallway.

Has anyone seen Ahn Kyung-shik?

He wasn’t at the conference this morning either. He’s never been this late, has he?

That’s strange. Why isn’t this guy coming to work?

Did you call him? Isn’t he passed out in the on-call room somewhere?

I tried calling him. I’ve been to all the on-call rooms, but he’s not there…….

The resident doctors were having such conversations with serious expressions.

‘He’s not answering the phone?’

I tilted my head.

Hospital staff must be able to answer the phone at any time.

Especially considering the characteristics of TS, where you never know when something might happen.

‘Besides, it’s Ahn Kyung-shik, not just anyone…….’

Ahn Kyung-shik = Diligence.

No one would doubt this fact, no matter what else.

But he’s not answering the phone?

That means…….

Something serious has happened.

On a winter day when snow was blowing fiercely outside the window, the atmosphere in the thoracic surgery ward was unsettling.

Hey, look at this!

B22

At that time, one of the resident doctors came running in with something in his hand.