Dr. Shin Seonhan: The Doctor Who Sees The Future [EN]: Chapter 21

#21 Triage (6)

Of course, they quickly figured out who was responsible.

It was obvious to anyone that only one of the four of us was fidgeting.

“Was it you, Jo Jin-gi?”

“Yes…”

“You bastard.”

The chief residents’ faces turned grim.

Among them were senior residents who were usually close to Jo Jin-gi.

But at that moment, no one defended him.

It was because he had made a mistake too absurd to simply laugh off.

“You mixed up the left and right sides of the X-ray? How did you even pass the national exam?”

“Why didn’t you just say the heart was on the right side, too?”

The residents rebuked him.

In our actual bodies, the heart is located on the left, but both X-rays and CT scans are reversed left to right. [This means the right side of the image corresponds to the patient’s left side, and vice versa.]

Of course, it’s common for interns like us, who have just become doctors, to get confused.

However, mistakes can never be tolerated when performing important procedures such as thoracentesis [a procedure to remove fluid or air from around the lungs with a needle].

“Well done, really well done.”

“It’s only natural to feel sorry to the patient, and I can’t even hold my head up in front of the thoracic surgery department. What a shameful thing to do!”

The residents’ anger, huffing and puffing, did not subside easily.

And for good reason.

Each department in a university hospital cooperates with each other, but I heard that they sometimes fight over overlapping areas of treatment or engage in subtle battles of pride.

So, the residents’ resentment was bound to be doubled.

The emergency department’s mistake had turned into a situation where the thoracic surgery department had to clean up the mess.

“Okay, stop it.”

The chief resident, unable to watch any longer, wrapped up the situation.

“Let’s move on for today, since the patient seems to be safe, fortunately. But later, grab that guy and give him a proper dressing down!”

“Understood.”

“Everyone, disperse!”

The interns glanced at each other, bowed their heads, and stepped back.

Then, Yeo Bong-cheol added.

“Jo Jin-gi!”

“Yes… Yes?”

Jo Jin-gi’s body flinched as he relaxed, thinking it was all over.

“Don’t get cocky just because you got your cast off. Just keep getting consent forms for the time being, got it?”

“…Yes.”

Jo Jin-gi lowered his head powerlessly.

He seemed to have been firmly marked by his seniors because of this incident.

“And Seon-han, can I see you for a moment?”

Huh?

Why just me all of a sudden?

* * *

Clang―

The conference room door closes.

Once it was just the two of us, Doctor Yeo Bong-cheol stared at me intently and said.

“Seon-han, let me ask you something.”

“Yes.”

“Answer carefully. Depending on your answer, this month’s evaluation could be turned upside down.”

He set the mood like that.

I suddenly became nervous.

What is he going to ask?

I straightened my posture and waited for Yeo Bong-cheol’s question.

“The needle aspiration you performed on the patient just now, was that your own judgment?”

“Yes, it was.”

“Are you crazy? Who told you to make decisions on your own as an intern?”

Yeo Bong-cheol growled.

But his tone wasn’t as harsh as before.

I calmly replied.

“I apologize for acting unilaterally. But I thought it was an urgent situation…”

“Explain.”

“Yes?”

“Explain in detail what the situation was like.”

This is…?

Yeo Bong-cheol is giving me a chance.

If I answer well here, I might finally be recognized as a doctor.

Conversely, if I falter even a little, I’ll be completely torn apart.

I slowly opened my mouth.

“When I learned about pneumothorax [collapsed lung] in the past, I learned that if aspiration is not performed in time, it can lead to arrest (cardiac arrest) [sudden stop in effective blood circulation due to failure of the heart to contract effectively].”

“So?”

“By the time I recognized the pneumothorax, more than 30 minutes had already passed, and when I arrived, the patient’s oxygen saturation had dropped to 53%, which was a serious situation.”

“……”

“Moreover, the patient was elderly. Since the elderly already have weak lung function, I thought we couldn’t wait even a moment.”

I calmly conveyed my thoughts.

Yeo Bong-cheol had a complicated expression.

He seemed like he wanted to get angry, but also didn’t.

What words will follow?

“Okay, I understand.”

Yeo Bong-cheol sighed deeply.

In that short time, his anger seemed to have subsided slightly.

“You did well. You found someone else’s mistake and even took perfect emergency measures. It’s something that deserves a hundred praises, not scolding.”

Yeo Bong-cheol quietly raised his hand and placed it on my shoulder.

“But what you must not forget is that you are still an intern.”

As if comforting a child out in the water, his words continued gently.

“From now on, never do anything you can’t take responsibility for yourself. Don’t make decisions on your own without fear as an intern, got it?”

“Yes.”

“Get out.”

Yeo Bong-cheol patted my shoulder.

I bowed my head and left the conference room.

And before the door closed, Doctor Yeo Bong-cheol said.

“You have the highest score for this month’s evaluation.”

“……!”

I turned around with wide eyes.

Originally, it is customary not to inform interns of their scores.

Moreover, the highest score?

It’s a hard evaluation to receive.

I know that it’s a score that they don’t give because it’s a hassle to have to add a special comment.

Moreover, Yeo Bong-cheol is a resident known for being strict with evaluations.

That person is giving it to me?

“The scores are ultimately given by the chief and the professor, but if I add a comment, there will be no problem getting an A+.”

“Oh……”

“Why, don’t you like it?”

“It’s not that… Is it okay for you to tell me that?”

I asked with a bewildered expression.

Suddenly, Doctor Yeo Bong-cheol pretends not to know and looks at the distant mountains and says.

“What did I say? I don’t think I said anything?”

What acting skills?

He deserves an Oscar for Best Actor.

I barely suppressed my laughter and matched his rhythm.

“I don’t think I heard anything either.”

“Right?”

“Yes.”

“Get out.”

Bow.

I bowed my head and closed the conference room door.

Click―

“Whew.”

I came out of the conference room.

During my two months as an intern, today was the longest day.

The long night that seemed like it would never end passes, and dawn breaks.

My Adam’s apple trembles. My heart is still pounding because the adrenaline hasn’t subsided.

‘I did it!’

I clenched my fist.

In the end, I changed the future with my own hands.

I prevented the patient from being in great danger, and I even received an A+ grade as if to show off.

And since I have built a strong relationship with Doctor Yeo Bong-cheol, it will be helpful in my future intern life.

‘What on earth…….’

What on earth is this ability that tells me the future?

It’s as if someone is constantly giving me challenges.

Anyway, what is certain is―

Changing the future with my own hands is very thrilling.

* * *

After that.

Yeo Bong-cheol moved busily to clean up the aftermath.

First, he told the professor about the circumstances of the incident, saying that it was his mistake for not taking care of the interns.

And he also asked for understanding from the patient and their guardians.

Of course, the guardians were taken aback.

“What… what did you say?”

“What did you do to my father?”

They were bound to be angry because their family was almost put in danger due to the hospital’s mistake.

The patient’s daughter-in-law even brought up the story of a medical lawsuit and pushed Yeo Bong-cheol.

But then, the patient himself blocked it.

“It’s okay, they said they were out of their minds because of the car accident.”

“Father, even so……”

“Doctors are people too, they can make mistakes. Instead, please treat my illness well.”

“Don’t worry. We will treat you with the utmost care, thinking of you as our own father.”

When Ma Dong-seop said with a reliable smile, Yeo Bong-cheol once again bowed his head to the patient.

He thought that was the proper etiquette for a patient who trusted the doctor.

Of course, the guardians still found it hard to accept, but the subsequent events were smoothly resolved through the hospital’s legal team and the administration department.

* * *

“You’ve worked hard.”

“You’ve suffered.”

“By the way, doesn’t EM (Emergency Medicine) properly educate their interns?”

“Bullshit. Let’s see how well the interns who come from TS (Thoracic Surgery) do, you punk.”

Yeo Bong-cheol growled, and Ma Dong-seop chuckled.

EM Yeo Bong-cheol.

TS Ma Dong-seop.

The two had been friends since way back.

They were called the since their intern days.

Now they work in different departments, but they talk to each other without formality, like old friends.

Gulp, gulp.

Yeo Bong-cheol, sitting on the break room bench, gulped down the coffee in the ice-filled glass.

“Ugh… Anyway, I’m going through all sorts of things this month because of the interns. Like the Sodam’s Nelaton case last time. And today’s case too.”

“Still, isn’t it fortunate that the patient is safe? They almost got into danger. If it had been a little later, it would have been a medical lawsuit.”

“Is that so?”

“If the patient had been like that for a few more minutes, they might have even had an arrest (cardiac arrest) [sudden stop in effective blood circulation due to failure of the heart to contract effectively]. If that happened, the family wouldn’t have stood still. It’s a relatively good defense considering a big mistake happened.”

“I guess……”

Yeo Bong-cheol crunched on the ice, recalling the situation.

Thinking about it, it was a close call.

What if Shin Seon-han had been a little late in discovering the patient?

And, if he hadn’t given the patient emergency treatment with proper aspiration?

It’s terrifying just to imagine.

Intern Shin Seon-han.

At first, I didn’t expect anything, but it turned out he was the most useful guy.

‘He seems like he’d be useful if he came to EM as a resident… Should I slowly try to scout him later?’

As I was thinking that, Ma Dong-seop said.

“By the way, Bong-cheol, your instincts are still alive.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The emergency needle aspiration you did was a very good decision. You’re still the ace of emergency medicine, Yeo Bong-cheol.”

“Ah, that?”

Yeo Bong-cheol chuckled and said.

“I didn’t do it.”

“Huh?”

“Our intern did it.”

Ma Dong-seop’s eyes widened.

What did a rookie doctor, who was only two months in, do?

“Hey. Don’t lie. How could an intern……”

Ma Dong-seop stopped talking and suddenly fell into thought.

Come to think of it, I think something similar happened a while ago.

Could it be…….

“By any chance, is that intern’s name Shin Seon-han?”

“How did you know?”

“Heh.”

Ma Dong-seop stroked his chin.

Who knew I would hear that name again in a month.

It’s amazing to call it a coincidence.

“Shin Seon-han… Like the PCI [Percutaneous Coronary Intervention] patient last month, he’s no ordinary guy.”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s something like that.”

Ma Dong-seop kept his words to himself.

It’s still too early to judge.

You can call it luck up to two times.

But what if this happens again in the future?

Maybe a legendary intern will be born after Song Yu-ju of thoracic surgery.

‘I’m getting more and more curious about how useful that intern is. Should I try to scout him to TS later?’

Ma Dong-seop smiled to himself as he thought alone.

They were sitting in the same place, lost in different thoughts.

“Sigh. That’s that.”

Yeo Bong-cheol sighed.

In any case, he had to clean up the aftermath of what had happened.

Even if he scolds the interns in front of them, he takes responsibility.

That was his personality.

No matter how absurd Jo Jin-gi’s mistake was, he thought it was because he hadn’t taught him properly.

As he was worrying about how to handle all of this.

Someone peeked into the break room.

“Doctor Yeo, were you here?”

“What’s wrong?”

Yeo Bong-cheol’s eyes widened.

It was the head nurse of the emergency room who appeared in the break room.

“It’s not that I’m trying to tattle, but I thought you should know.”

“Yes?”

“It’s about intern Doctor Jo Jin-gi, but a nurse who was passing by earlier happened to hear it……”

The head nurse came closer and whispered briefly to Yeo Bong-cheol.

After a while.

Yeo Bong-cheol’s head flared with anger after hearing the story.

“This bastard……”

Crack!

A vein pops out on his forehead.

The desire to cover up Jo Jin-gi’s mistake disappeared without a trace.

Soon, his head was filled with thoughts of how to screw over Jo Jin-gi.

Clench!

Yeo Bong-cheol crushed the coffee cup and threw it in the trash before standing up.

“Dong-seop. I’ll go first.”

“Why, are you busy?”

“There’s someone I need to screw over.”

Yeo Bong-cheol’s eyes shone fiercely.

To properly wrap up all of this, there was something that needed to be addressed clearly.