Dr. Shin Seonhan: The Doctor Who Sees The Future [EN]: Chapter 25

#25 Gangnam Station (4)

Excessive bleeding.

Cardiac tamponade.

Death.

Those words were still swirling in my head.

But I tried to act as if nothing was wrong and answered,

“…I’m okay.”

“You don’t look so good.”

“I haven’t had a drink in a while, so the alcohol is hitting me a bit.”

I made up an excuse for now.

Then, Yeonwoo and Mina chimed in with jokes.

“Sunghan is weaker than he looks.”

“Or is he feeling guilty because he was really badmouthing us?”

Then, Joongwon and Geunwook answered for me.

“Oh, he wouldn’t badmouth you.”

“We were actually talking about who we liked among ourselves!”

“Hey, idiot, why are you being so honest!”

The women burst into laughter at the two men’s banter.

It seemed they found Geunwook’s honesty amusing.

“So, who likes whom?”

“It’s a bit much to say here. Shall we go for round two?”

“Wow, you’re just making us curious.”

“We have to go now!”

Enjoyable conversations continued.

Meanwhile, I subtly took out my phone to check the time.

8:30 PM—

Clearly, the news reported that the accident occurred around 9 PM.

That meant the accident would happen 30 minutes from now.

Damn it, so little time!

“Shall we get up then?”

“Let’s go!”

“Ah, I…”

I was about to say something but suddenly stopped.

…Wait.

Even if I were to go, I don’t even know where the accident site is.

Besides, I’m just a two-month intern.

What could I do if I went to the accident site alone?

Emergency treatment I did on model mannequins back in school? CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation)?

Excessive bleeding or cardiac tamponade are not things an intern like me can handle alone.

Moreover, there’s nothing I can do in the middle of Gangnam Station without any medical facilities.

‘…Okay, let’s think calmly. This is a future I can’t change even if I intervene.’

I tried to calm my churning heart.

If I try to intervene in every future, my body won’t last.

* * *

We went out into the street.

Thump, thump—

The streets were filled with music flowing from the stores and red and yellow neon lights.

“Would it be okay if we went to a wine bar we know? It’s only a 5-minute taxi ride away.”

For some reason, the women suggested a place first.

Soon, we split up and got into taxis.

Joongwon/Geunwook/Mina/Yeonwoo naturally got into a taxi first.

Soon, the four of them left first, and only Sujin and I were left.

“Where did you say the wine bar was located?”

I raised my hand towards the road to catch a taxi.

I wanted to get out of Gangnam Station as quickly as possible, even if it was just to shake off the uneasy feeling.

But then.

The hem of my clothes was slightly tugged.

When I turned my head, Sujin was subtly grabbing my sleeve.

“Shall we slip away separately?”

“Yes?”

I widened my eyes.

Sujin was giving me a strange smile.

Could this be… the situation I’m thinking of?

I blinked for a moment and asked.

“Did you guys plan this with your friends and intentionally leave us two alone?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I like Sunghan.”

She smiled brightly as she said that.

Wow….

I didn’t expect this.

No wonder the four of them seemed to be subtly exchanging glances when they left first.

What should I do?

I decided to be honest.

“Sujin, I’m sorry, but I actually came out to fill the numbers. I appreciate your feelings, but I’m not interested in dating….”

“Do you have a lover?”

“Not really.”

“Are you gay?”

“No!”

“Then it’s fine, what’s the problem.”

As she said that, Sujin took a step closer.

“You said you came out to have fun today, right? I came out to have fun too.”

Swoosh—

Our faces are close.

Our clothes are almost touching, and I can feel her breath.

The thrilling scent tickles the tip of my nose.

“Shall we go somewhere else for a drink?”

“….”

“I’ll go wherever Sunghan wants to go.”

Thump, thump.

My heart is beating.

I was almost swept away by the temptation for a moment.

“Sunghan, why are you thinking so complicatedly? Don’t you think you’ll regret it if you just go home today?”

Sujin said in a whisper.

But the moment I heard the word ‘regret.’

I woke up as if I had been splashed with cold water.

30 minutes later—

An accident will happen nearby, and someone will die.

And only I know this fact.

‘If I know this and pretend not to know… will I really not regret it?’

I am standing on two paths.

One is the world of comfort.

The other is the world of hardship.

‘Damn it!’

I bit my lip.

The path where I won’t regret it?

The answer was clear.

I am a doctor.

And there is a patient nearby that only I in the world can help.

“Sujin. I’m sorry.”

“Yes?”

“Something really urgent came up.”

Tap!

I turned my back and headed towards the streets of Gangnam Station.

What kind of expression is Sujin making?

I’m sorry, but I can’t help it.

‘Let’s find a place where an accident is likely to happen!’

Although it’s late, the downtown area is still crowded with people.

No, should I say that the night is just beginning?

People are still pouring out of the station to enjoy Saturday night.

I was frantically pushing through the crowd alone.

Let’s think.

There must be a clue.

There are plenty of bars in Gangnam Station, but there must be at least one hint in the dream….

“…!”

At that moment, a scene from the video flashed through my mind.

Across from the accident site, there was definitely a familiar silhouette!

Although the news screen was blurred, the green sign was clearly a certain brand.

‘Star Coffee!’

In other words, the accident happens near Star Coffee!

I took out my smartphone and searched the map app, then cursed while tearing at my hair.

“Damn it!”

On the screen, more than a dozen markers were mocking me.

Of course, there are too many Star Coffees in Gangnam Station.

The search results showed more than 15.

Why do Koreans like coffee so much!

I swallowed a scream that no one could hear, gritted my teeth, and started running aimlessly to the nearest store.

A Star Coffee nearby, a bar with a 3rd-floor terrace.

I must find it!

* * *

At the same time.

An unusual conversation is taking place in a bar not far away.

“Manager, hasn’t this been fixed yet?”

“What?”

“I’ve been saying for days that the terrace is shaking.”

“Ehey… I forgot to tell the store manager again. For now, close the windows so people can’t go out.”

“Ugh, I’m so nervous every time I clean.”

The part-timer grumbled and closed the folding door-type windows.

Creak—

Soon, the door to the 3rd-floor open terrace closes.

“Shouldn’t we put something up to prevent customers from going out? A lot of people go out here to smoke sometimes.”

“Nah, it’s okay. Just block it with chairs. Table 15 is throwing up and making a fuss right now!”

“Ugh, it’s starting already today.”

The part-timer’s face contorted.

But soon, to fill the workload of 10,000 won per hour, he picked up a rag and started moving busily.

Pouring customers.

The floating population in the Gangnam Station area exceeds 1 million per day, and even more people gather on Saturdays like today.

Creak—

In the meantime, the terrace railing was making uneasy noises, but no one was paying attention.

* * *

Tap tap!

Huff, huff!

My steps are getting more and more urgent.

But running through the crowded downtown area of Gangnam Station is not easy.

Even though I’ve only been to three places, I’m already starting to run out of energy.

‘Damn it. Not here either….’

I wiped the sweat flowing under my chin.

Remaining time: 12 minutes.

Already more than half of the golden time has flown away.

I can’t keep doing this.

If I just keep running aimlessly, I’ll be exhausted before I can even find the accident site.

Suddenly, a sweet temptation flashes through my mind.

‘…Should I give up?’

It seems like it would be easier to give up.

It is realistically impossible to go around everywhere in the remaining time.

At that time, a scene from a documentary I watched when I was young came to mind.

—One of the important virtues of a surgeon is not to panic.

My idol, the God of White Coats.

Remembering what he said in an interview, my mind calmed down in an instant.

—Everyone’s anatomy is not the same, and unexpected situations can happen at any time. Responding calmly, no matter how urgent the situation is. That is the basic virtue of a surgeon.

“Hoo.”

I stopped walking and slowly caught my breath.

Let’s think.

If it were the God of White Coats, what would he do in this situation?

He wouldn’t be as flustered as I am.

It’s not enough to just run aimlessly, you have to make a plan when you’re in a hurry.

‘They said it was difficult for the ambulance to enter, so the rescue was delayed.’

Then, exclude the main road for now.

If it were on a main street, there would have been no difficulty in the ambulance entering.

‘If it was difficult for the car to enter, it must have been inside a narrow alley.’

I carefully looked at the map app and organized my thoughts.

Then the destination is narrowed down to about three places.

A situation where I have to pick one out of three!

I’ve never had a talent for guessing since before.

Even when solving test questions, if I picked one, I would always get it wrong.

If I get it wrong this time too, the possibility of saving the dead will disappear forever….

‘Ah, wait.’

Come to think of it, the map app has a ‘street view’ function.

You stupid idiot!

Why didn’t I think of it sooner?

I quickly looked up the street view in the photo.

‘It’s here!’

Soon I was able to find a place similar to the scene I saw on the news.

I can get here in 10 minutes!

I finally started running with confidence.

—Ring ring ring!

As I was running frantically, I answered the phone and heard a bewildered voice.

It’s Geunwook.

He says accusingly.