Dr. Shin Seonhan: The Doctor Who Sees The Future [EN]: Chapter 232

Dr. A Doctor Seeing a Fresh Future – Episode 232 (232/241)

Extra Story 14. A Report on the Correlation Between Heart and Love (6)

Operating Room 17.

Professor Kim Seong-tak’s aortic valve replacement surgery is underway.

Across from him, Ahn Kyung-shik is assisting as the first assistant.

Beep— Beep—

The final stage of the surgery.

The heart, which had been stopped for the valve replacement, began to beat again, and only the sound of the electrocardiogram [a test that records the electrical activity of the heart] filled the quiet operating room.

Professor Kim Seong-tak’s eyebrows are furrowed.

He seems dissatisfied with today’s surgery overall.

“Ahn Kyung-shik, do it properly.”

“Yes, Professor.”

Soon, Professor Kim Seong-tak pulls out the catheter [a thin tube inserted into a body cavity or vessel] that was inserted into the inferior vena cava [a large vein carrying blood to the heart].

Swish—

The next step is to tie the thread at the spot where the catheter was removed.

This tie is done by the first assistant across from him.

The amount of bleeding can be reduced only when the tie is made at the same time as the surgeon removes the catheter, in sync with the surgeon.

“Kyung-shik, tie!”

“Yes.”

Swoosh— Swoosh—

The tie is made as soon as the catheter is removed.

However, Ahn Kyung-shik’s hands seem clumsy today.

It’s as if his skills have reverted to what they were a year ago.

His right and left hands do not coordinate, and the tie ends up getting twisted in the middle.

“Hey!”

Kim Seong-tak shouts at Ahn Kyung-shik, and blood quickly fills the surgical field.

Professor Kim Seong-tak glares with fiery eyes, and Ahn Kyung-shik lowers his head, staring only at the surgical field.

In the chilling atmosphere, the second assistant and the nurse also quietly watch the surgical field, suctioning the rising blood.

“……I’m sorry.”

“Tsk…….”

Kim Seong-tak cuts off the twisted knot and uses a needle holder to suture again.

“Hey, Ahn Kyung-shik. What’s wrong with you today? It’s like your mind has been somewhere else throughout the surgery?”

“I’m sorry.”

Ahn Kyung-shik only repeats that he is sorry.

Professor Kim Seong-tak controls the minor bleeding in the pericardium [the sac surrounding the heart] with a bovie [an electrosurgical tool] and opens his mouth.

“You rascal, I heard you’re distracted because you’re dating.”

“…….”

“Even if you’re distracted by dating, you have to do your job properly. If you’re this clumsy, your girlfriend will break up with you right away, you idiot?”

Kim Seong-tak scolded, mixing in a joke.

He could have seriously scolded him, but he was able to joke because he usually cherished and was close to Ahn Kyung-shik.

However, that joke was one he shouldn’t have made to him today.

“…….”

Ahn Kyung-shik’s eyes began to redden.

Kim Seong-tak held the sutured thread, and he tried to tie it again, but…….

Tears were already welling up in his eyes.

The surgical field and suture were not clearly visible.

Still, because it was a tie he had repeated countless times, he struggled to finish it somehow, even with his blurred vision.

Snip—

Kim Seong-tak cuts the tied thread.

Noticing something different in the atmosphere than usual, Kim Seong-tak glances at him.

And then.

Professor Kim Seong-tak also noticed that Ahn Kyung-shik’s eyes were red.

At the same time, the second assistant next to him, who had been watching, subtly grabs Ahn Kyung-shik’s arm.

“Doctor, what’s wrong…….”

“Kyung-shik.”

Kim Seong-tak called his name and didn’t add anything else.

However, this call finally caused Ahn Kyung-shik’s tear ducts, which seemed about to burst, to explode.

The professor asked, half in disbelief.

“You idiot, did you…… break up or something?”

Plop—

Tears fall from Ahn Kyung-shik’s eyes.

Even at the place where he was ultimately notified of the breakup yesterday, even after returning to his room, he had pretended to be calm and tried to sleep, but…….

Of all places, his tears burst in the operating room.

Since all surgeries are based on the principle of sterile surgery, his falling tears were a source of contamination.

Fortunately, they didn’t fall into the patient’s open chest cavity, but tears fell on the drape spread out right in front of Ahn Kyung-shik.

“Oh, oh!”

“Hey, you!”

“I, I’m sorry.”

Ahn Kyung-shik quickly raised his head.

Swoosh—

The nurse covers the area contaminated by the fallen tears with a sterile drape.

Plop—

She covers the spot where another tear fell with another sterile drape.

Still, tears continue to fall.

Kim Seong-tak and the nurse look at each other, wondering what to do about this situation.

“T, this idiot…….”

Professor Kim Seong-tak had a bewildered look on his face.

He was about to contaminate the surgical field, so it was understandable that the surgeon would be angry.

But…….

Wasn’t he the one who had driven him into a corner and caused him to run away just last year?

In this situation, pushing Ahn Kyung-shik, who has a glass-like mentality, was not a good choice.

Kim Seong-tak took a deep breath, calmed his anger, and said.

“Kyung-shik, go out and come back. Please call another resident doctor outside!”

The second assistant grabs Ahn Kyung-shik’s body and moves him away from the surgical field.

As people around him reacted like this, more tears fell from Ahn Kyung-shik’s eyes.

In that way, Ahn Kyung-shik made everyone feel subdued, then left the operating room and headed to the restroom in the lounge.

“Hoo…….”

Ahn Kyung-shik, who had washed his face in the restroom, looks at his face in the mirror.

Behind his thick glasses, his face was red and blotchy, covered with tear stains.

‘You pathetic guy.’

You idiot.

Crying in the operating room?

What if tears had gotten into the patient’s chest cavity?

A guy who can’t distinguish between public and private matters…….

The more he blamed himself, the more tears poured out.

It was not easy to work while carrying the sadness of a breakup.

[Correction] Oppa, are you okay?

[Kyung-shik] ……Yeah.

[Correction] Can you understand me?

[Kyung-shik] Yeah.

[Correction] Let’s be good co-workers, oppa. Thank you so much for making good memories during that time. You’re a good person.

……That was the last message.

Her profile picture is empty.

She, who was my pretty girlfriend, has now become a stranger.

For a while, Ahn Kyung-shik wrote and deleted the sentence several times in the message window, but eventually decided to quietly accept the breakup.

That day, Ma Dong-seop patted him on the shoulder in the on-call room.

“Cheer up, you idiot.”

“What should I do, senior?”

“Time is the best medicine.”

“Is there any medicine other than time?”

“What?”

“When the heart beats weakly, epinephrine [adrenaline] (cardiac stimulant) is administered, and when the heart beats strongly, diltiazem [a calcium channel blocker] (a drug that suppresses myocardial contraction) is administered…… but love…….”

Ugh!

Ma Dong-seop was shocked.

Ahn Kyung-shik’s unique sensibility, which had been sealed for a while, was exploding.

He wanted to cover his ears right away, but Ma Dong-seop barely unfolded his shriveled palms and patted his back.

Ahn Kyung-shik’s bitter monologue, filled with tears, continued.

“This damn love seems to have no answer…… What medicine should I use to fill the empty space in the heart where love has left…… Hmph…….”

At that time, Shin Seon-han, who was writing a prescription next to him, quietly handed Ahn Kyung-shik a red paper case.

“What is this? Tylenol?”

“Yes.”

“This is a pain reliever.”

“It’s said to help with the pain of a broken heart.”

“…….”

“According to a study, social pain is similar to physical pain. A study by Ohio State University in the United States has revealed that acetaminophen [the active ingredient in Tylenol] is effective for loneliness…….”

Shin Seon-han speaks in a dry tone, as if reading a book.

“I won’t eat it!”

Ahn Kyung-shik shouts.

* * *

That night.

Ahn Kyung-shik drank until he was wasted.

Of course, he didn’t take the pain reliever that Shin Seon-han had given him.

Acetaminophen, including Tylenol, can have a fatal effect on the liver when taken with alcohol.

Today, it seems that alcohol will be the medicine.

“Dong-seop senior, Seon-han hyung…… Thank you for comforting me, hic.”

“Don’t talk nonsense and just drink, you idiot.”

“Thank you…… Thank you so much. Loyalty!”

Dong-seop pats his back, and Seon-han fills his soju [a Korean distilled beverage] glass.

It’s the trio again.

These two people were always there for him when Ahn Kyung-shik wanted to cry.

While living as a thoracic surgeon, these two are the only people he can rely on.

Ahn Kyung-shik slurred out his inner thoughts.

“If you date and break up…… in the hospital…… Do you know what’s the saddest thing? No matter where you go in the hospital, it’s a space you were with your ex-girlfriend…… I have to keep working there for years…… Hic!”

The hallway.

The operating room.

The outpatient clinic with the lights off.

The bench in front of the convenience store.

Looking back, I think I walked around diligently.

Dating at work also means that you have to endure the aftereffects several times over after breaking up.

I didn’t know when I was young—

Ahn Kyung-shik was finally realizing why people say not to date at work.

“Hey, you idiot, stop being pathetic and let’s go to a karaoke. You like karaoke.”

“Karaoke…… Hehe…… Soo-jung liked coin karaoke…… Hehe.”

“This guy’s gone crazy.”

Ma Dong-seop slung the staggering Ahn Kyung-shik over his thick arm and strode towards the karaoke.

Always loving alone, always breaking up alone

Always reminiscing alone, always collapsing alone

In front of that guy called love

I’m always broke

“Ugh, he’s singing the same song as always. So pathetic.”

Regardless of Ma Dong-seop’s taunts, Ahn Kyung-shik grabbed the microphone and sang passionately.

It was an old song, but it was a masterpiece that talked about the bitter aftertaste of love.

As he sang passionately, memories of this spring suddenly came to mind.

The road leading to the elevator in a cafe full of cherry blossom decorations.

―Do you like old songs?

Looking back, it was a love that started with that question.

―I like old songs, so I’ve gone to a coin karaoke alone and sang only old songs for an hour.

That’s right.

I found out that we had similar tastes…….

So I started to like her…….

We used to go to karaoke often when we went on dates.

Ahn Kyung-shik held back tears and sang to the end the song that he and his girlfriend used to sing together in karaoke while holding hands.

As he reached the last line of the song, his voice became moist with tears.

Yes, my heart still believes

Love

Love will come again

Yes, love will come again. Maybe it will come back soon, like the seasons do.

Because I fall in love easily.

But…….

Never again, absolutely!

NEVER!

Ahn Kyung-shik was determined not to date within the same hospital again.

-Part 1 Extra Story: A Report on the Correlation Between Heart and Love (End)