Dr. Shin Seonhan: The Doctor Who Sees The Future [EN]: Chapter 3

Dr. Fresh Future Seeing Doctor – Episode 3 (3/241)

#3 Intern Fresh (2)

“Why? Does the term ‘shitty school’ offend you?”

“No, it doesn’t.”

I replied to Kim Viper’s question with a bitter smile.

Because even though the expression is harsh, it’s not wrong.

.

The worst failing university.

A school whose reputation plummeted due to repeated management deterioration, wage arrears, and foundation corruption.

I remember spending a gloomy campus life in a building that was almost in ruins by the time I graduated.

How bad was it that freshmen couldn’t even take major classes because there were no professors?

In the end, Ilwoon University was closed and disappeared, and about 300 medical students became stray ducks on the Nakdong River [a major river in South Korea] and had no choice but to scatter.

I am among the last graduating class.

It was fortunate that I was accepted as an intern at Yeon Guk University, like barely grabbing a raft from a broken shipwreck.

“Don’t take it too hard, I’m just stating the facts. It won’t be easy to adapt in our hospital coming from that kind of school.”

“I came prepared.”

“That’s a relief then.”

He raised the corners of his mouth and continued as if doing me a favor.

“Well, it doesn’t matter which university you come from as long as you do your job well. Learn a lot here.”

Learn a lot and leave?

I felt a sting at his underlying message.

It sounds like there’s no chance for me to gain a foothold at Yeon Guk University with my background.

In fact, this Yeon Guk University Hospital is famous for its conservative academic elitism as much as its reputation.

Out of 140 interns, only 15, including me, are from other universities, which says it all.

“Ah, who knows? If you happen to be chosen as the intern of the year, there might be a possibility.”

He added with a smirk.

‘Intern of the Year’ is a title given to the most outstanding intern of the year at Yeon Guk University Hospital.

As such, it is an honor that any intern dreams of.

Of course, the possibility of such an opportunity being given to me, who is from another school, is close to zero.

Kim Viper is also aware of this, and he brought up this story to mock me.

I clenched my fist under the sleeve of my gown.

‘Just you wait.’

I will somehow survive and become a resident and fellow here.

And someday, I will become a professor here and see the Yeon Guk University graduates bowing down to me!

Of course, instead of answering that way, I smiled and said.

“Yes, please take good care of me!”

Damn it, social life is tough.

I’m already worried about whether I can suppress my temper and live here for the next year.

* * *

After the dawn rounds, it’s now the start of the full day’s work.

Morning conference.

I have to be on my toes from here on out.

Because professors, residents, interns, ward nurses, etc., all gather in one place.

If you’re not careful, you’ll be known as a clueless idiot.

Especially in my case, if I show even a little bit of lacking, I can be branded as ‘just from a local university.’

Kim Viper yawned and said.

“Go ahead and prepare the conference with your colleagues.”

“Yes. Should I bring the sandwiches like last time?”

“Of course. Be careful, Professor Park is allergic to eggs.”

“I understand.”

“If you buy pollack roe [fish eggs] sandwiches like last time, I’ll kill you. That was so bad.”

While we were having that conversation, someone interrupted and spoke.

“Senior, you were here!”

It’s one of the intern colleagues who works in the next ward.

Jo Jin-gi.

A person with an unpleasant impression.

If my father, who believes in physiognomy [the art of judging character from facial features], saw him, he would have said that he was the type to stab someone in the back.

In fact, he is one of the guys who was grumbling about me in the cafeteria this morning.

He sneered at me.

“Oh, Sun-han. Are you going to buy sandwiches? Buy something fresh like your name [Sun-han can mean ‘fresh’ or ‘pure’ in Korean]. I’ll take ham and cheese.”

“Why are you making your colleague run errands?”

Kim Viper snapped sharply, and Jo Jin-gi said smoothly.

“Oh, Senior. Errands? I’m asking my colleague with a friendly heart. By the way, I have something important to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“Among our school’s juniors… Ah, this is something that other school kids shouldn’t hear. Shall we go over there and talk?”

With those words, Jo Jin-gi stuck to Kim Viper like glue and disappeared somewhere.

Left alone, I blew on my bangs to cool down.

Damn it. I feel so dirty.

Is this what academic elitism at Yeon Guk University is like?

The urge to turn everything upside down according to my temper is slowly rising.

At that time, the head nurse approached and said.

“It’s dirty and unfair, right?”

“Yes?”

“This field is originally very territorial. Especially when I see Yeon Guk University doctors looking down on people from other schools, I feel disgusted.”

The nurse shakes her head as if she’s fed up.

She must have seen this kind of thing a lot while working in the ward.

I chuckled. I feel a little better because someone is taking my side.

“Well, I can’t just leave the temple because I don’t like it.”

“That’s right, you have to adapt to the temple since you came to the temple. That’s the answer in our country.”

“Then I’ll go do chores.”

“Okay. Fighting!” [A Korean expression of encouragement]

The head nurse clenched her fist, and I smiled and nodded.

Shortly after, I packed sandwiches according to the number of people and headed to the conference room.

Click―

When I turned on the light, the empty, spacious conference room revealed its appearance.

“Hoo.”

Looking around the empty conference room, I inhaled the cold air.

.

A time to share issues about patients every morning.

When I see them discussing the prognosis and treatment methods of patients, I feel that the job of a doctor is newly cool.

Why did I want to become a doctor in the first place?

There are reasons such as money and fame, but above all, it was ‘because it was cool.’

Of course, I am just a humble intern who delivers sandwiches now…

‘Someday, I will be able to become the surgeon I dream of.’

I briefly imagined becoming a Yeon Guk University professor who can gain the best honor as a doctor.

My dream is to become a cool surgeon who saves many patients, like Professor Baek-ui Shin that I saw on TV when I was young.

While I was spreading my imagination to my heart’s content, a soft touch reached my back.

“Sun-han oppa [older brother – term of endearment used by females in Korean].”

“You scared me.”

When I turned my head, a woman’s face like a cute puppy was staring up at me.

I let out a sigh of relief.

“Turn on the blinker before you come in, Yeon-seo. I thought you were a ghost.”

“Eat this.”

“What is it?”

Intern colleague, Lee Yeon-seo, hands me a small throat lozenge.

“Geun-wook oppa [older brother – term of endearment used by younger males in Korean] said that you dozed off while eating rice earlier? You should never doze off during the conference! The professors are watching.”

“Thanks. I’m already wide awake because you surprised me.”

“There’s only a colleague, right?”

“There’s only a colleague.”

As I put the throat lozenge she handed me into my mouth, Yeon-seo looks at me and smiles kindly.

Yeon-seo is from Yeon Guk University, and I heard that she was famous for her bright personality and outstanding appearance even when she was a college student.

Long eyelashes.

Flawless white skin.

Even a bright personality and a bright smile.

She seems to have been born with all the elements to attract people’s attention.

Even at this moment, there are rumors that male residents who are eyeing Yeon-seo are fiercely fighting a war of nerves.

‘Of course, it’s nothing to do with me.’

I chuckled to myself.

What’s important to me now is to survive at this Yeon Guk University.

I’m too busy adapting to my intern life, so I don’t have time to pay attention to other people’s love affairs.

However, the fact that there are kind colleagues like Yeon-seo among the Yeon Guk University graduates is a relief.

“What are you thinking about?”

“It’s nothing. By the way, is there anything going on in your ward?”

“Hoo, why not? Every day is a war. Should I tell you a story? Yesterday in the ward…”

“What are you talking about so fun?”

Our conversation stopped in the middle due to the appearance of other people.

“Hello!”

“Hello!”

We greeted each other energetically as if we had agreed to it.

Soon the conference room was filled with people.

* * *

The conference proceeded.

First, the attending physician briefs on the patient, and then several professors talk about the future treatment direction.

When a patient progresses in an unexpected course the night before, or when discussing difficult cases, the doctors’ nerves become sharp.

What is the role of interns at this time?

It’s literally ‘air.’

Sitting still and listening is all that interns have to do.

This is not a conversation that newly graduated chicks can dare to join.

[Professor = King]

[Fellow = Cronies]

[Resident = Commoners]

[Intern = Outcast]

If you draw the hierarchy of the medical department, it’s roughly like this.

How bad is it that there is even a saying in university hospitals that ‘there is only a tile floor below the intern’?

Interns should be like interns, with their mouths closed and their ears open.

As the meeting was coming to an end, the professor of internal medicine rubbed his eyelids and said.

“There are quite a few schedules today. Have all the sick people in Korea gathered here?”

“Haha, that’s right.”

“Professor looked so smart on EBS [Educational Broadcasting System – a South Korean TV channel] last time, so many patients have been flocking to us since then.”

As soon as the professor finished speaking, the fellows next to him threw flattering comments as if they had been waiting.

Wow… How can they say such things without being ashamed? That’s what social life is all about.

While I was sticking out my tongue alone, thinking that, the professor’s slow voice continued.

“Wait a minute, there was a patient who was going to receive PCI (Percutaneous Coronary Intervention) [a non-surgical procedure used to treat narrowing of the coronary arteries] with EF (ejection fraction) [a measurement of how well the heart pumps with each beat] of 35% this afternoon, right?”

“Yes, it’s patient Kim Jeong-soo. We plan to get consent and proceed with the procedure today.”

“Then do that…”

Other stories followed after that, but I couldn’t concentrate on the content.

Wait a minute. What did you just say?

Patient Kim Jeong-soo?

I frowned while listening intently in the corner.

‘I’m sure I’ve heard that name somewhere…’

At that time, a scene from a dream I had at dawn flashed through my head like lightning.

―Stop CPR and declare death. Patient Kim Jeong-soo died at 03:22… died.

“Ah!”

I slapped my knee.

I remembered. The patient I saw in my dream!

That patient’s name was Kim Jeong-soo.

Even though it was a dream, I could remember it exactly because it was so vivid.

But… that was the name of a real patient?

What’s going on?