Dr. Shin Seonhan: The Doctor Who Sees The Future [EN]: Chapter 58

#58 Isn’t Thoracic Surgery a First? (6)

Turns out it was…

Ryu Myung-in.

To start the day by seeing this guy’s face!

And in the shower room, no less.

“I turned on the phone for you since you couldn’t. You’re welcome, right?”

Ryu Myung-in grinned.

Welcome my ass.

Why do I have to see your naked body from the morning?

Just as I was thinking that.

A voice calling me is heard from beyond the speaker of the call phone.

Oh right, I was on the phone.

“Yes, go ahead.”

“Understood. I’ll be there soon.”

I quickly ended the call.

As expected, intern calls don’t care about time or place.

But that doesn’t mean I can run up right away.

At least I need time to rinse my hair.

Shuaa―

I stood side by side with Ryu Myung-in, getting hit by the water coming from the shower hose.

……What’s with this atmosphere?

It’s so awkward, I could die.

I need to finish quickly and get out.

Just as I was thinking that, Ryu Myung-in spoke first.

“Thoracic surgery starts for you today, huh?”

“Yeah, looks like you’re heading to work now too?”

“Yes.”

“You woke up early.”

“You too, hyung [older brother or senior male].”

The way he talks is strangely short.

It subtly grates on my nerves.

Well, he’s not someone I want to have a long conversation with either.

“I’m going first. Good work.”

“Yes, you too, hyung.”

I quickly finished showering.

I don’t want to be with this guy for too long if possible.

Dding―

I take the elevator and go up to the 9th floor of the Cancer Hospital.

It’s still early dawn, but the station is bright.

The night nurses are finishing up their work.

It’s quiet, but everyone is busy with their own tasks.

“Hello!”

I greeted them brightly.

The nurses I’ve encountered during the night are already familiar faces.

Of course, there are also nurses I’m seeing for the first time.

Some of them recognize me and greet me happily.

“Oh my, if it isn’t the intern from the news?”

“It really is.”

“You’re coming to thoracic surgery this month. Please take care of me!”

Everyone has such good memory.

I thought I would have been forgotten since it’s been a month since I was on TV.

I smiled and said in a bright voice.

“No, I’m the one who should be asking you to take care of me.”

One month from now.

I need to maintain a close relationship with the nurses.

Especially in surgical departments, the role of nurses is significant.

Because as much as the doctors’ hands are lacking, nurses often cover.

In other words, conversely…….

If I, as a doctor, can’t do my part, I won’t have any face in front of the nurses.

‘Hold on. I should take care of the urgent call first, right?’

I finished dressing the patient who called me earlier first.

And I returned to the station, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

Eighteen people.

The number of patients assigned to me starting today.

There’s no such thing as being assigned fewer patients on the first day as an attending.

Doctor life is always practical.

‘I don’t know when a patient among these will suffer brain damage due to lack of oxygen.’

I carefully examined the patients’ list.

A patient who underwent surgery to remove a teratoma [a tumor containing various tissues] that grew in the chest.

A patient awaiting lung cancer surgery.

A patient who had surgery for a lung abscess.

A patient awaiting esophageal reconstruction surgery because their esophagus was burned by drinking lye.

And so on…….

Even within the same pulmonary and esophageal department, patients suffering from various ailments are gathered.

‘Let’s print out the patient list first and check vital signs. Meticulously from the first day!’

Jiiing―

The printer spits out paper.

The moment I reach out to grab the papers.

A pale hand approaches from the side.

“Seon-han hyung.”

Oh my god.

It’s you again?

When did you come up here?

Ryu Myung-in has already appeared next to me like a ghost.

“This is what I printed, and this is hyung’s.”

“…….”

“You shouldn’t be confused from the first day. These ordinary mistakes can become big mistakes later on.”

Ryu Myung-in smiles and hands me my paper.

It’s so strange.

He’s clearly smiling.

But I can feel a burning sense of competition within it in everything he does.

I received the patient list, marked a few important patients with a highlighter, and said.

“Hey, let’s ask you one thing before starting work.”

“What is it?”

“Are you going to keep doing this for a month?”

At my question, he gives a naive smile.

“What am I doing?”

“You keep sticking to me and trying to keep me in check.”

“Am I?”

“Don’t beat around the bush.”

Sueuk―

I leaned back in my chair leisurely and looked at him.

Taking the initiative.

From experience, you have to suppress this type from the beginning to take off their mask.

That way, the future becomes easier.

“I heard you were famous since your undergraduate days? That once you target someone for competition, you keep them in check until they’re sick of it.”

Twitch―

His expression hardens.

It seems like the expression under the mask is revealed.

Was that too direct?

I chuckled and said.

“Well, I don’t care what your personality is…… but why did you choose me as a target for keeping in check among so many interns?”

I was genuinely curious.

That’s because I’m from Ilun University.

Of course, I gained some fleeting fame from the Gangnam Station incident.

But basically, my origins don’t change.

Here at Yonkuk University Hospital, I’m just a slightly odd outsider.

On the other hand, Ryu Myung-in is different.

A Yonkuk University pureblood.

A figure who has been on the super-elite course.

He boasts top grades even within the department.

Moreover, since he’s even younger, his future is unfolding on a smooth path.

I don’t understand why such a guy is persistently keeping me in check.

“I’m telling you in advance, I’m aiming for the surgical department. No matter which department you’re aiming for, there’s no reason for us to clash, right?”

Then, Ryu Myung-in, who finally became honest, opened his mouth.

“Intern of the Year.”

“What?”

“They only pick one Intern of the Year, right? I feel like I’ll go crazy if I can’t complete the internship in first place.”

Wow…….

I roughly expected it.

So that was really the reason.

It’s the moment when it’s confirmed that Ryu Myung-in is a hardcore competition addict.

“So, you want to win first place, so you have to beat me?”

“Yes.”

“I like that you’re honest.”

“Because hyung asked me honestly.”

“But if your goal is Intern of the Year, I don’t think you need to overdo it this much?”

is traditionally given to Yonkuk University graduates.

I know that there has never been a case in history where someone from another university has received it.

“Anyway, wouldn’t you, an elite from Yonkuk University, have a much higher chance of being chosen than me, a plain guy from a local university?”

Then Ryu Myung-in smiles meaningfully and says.

“I don’t think hyung is ordinary though?”

“What?”

“I can smell it from hyung.”

What smell?

I sniffed my sleeve.

It hasn’t been long since I did laundry.

As I was thinking that, the following words were ridiculous.

“I’m going to become the best doctor at Yonkuk University. And the person who ascends to the throne instinctively recognizes their rivals.”

Ugh, my hands and feet!

Is he having a case of middle school syndrome [a phase of awkwardness and grandiosity]?

This guy watches too many cartoons.

To think that the face hidden behind the mask was just a middle schooler!

I barely unfolded my endlessly curling hands and scratched the back of my neck.

“I don’t care if you become the king of Yonkuk University or the pirate king, just don’t bother me. Let’s just do our jobs well. Okay?”

“Yes, I will.”

Ryu Myung-in answered unexpectedly readily.

He’s such a strange guy.

I’m embarrassed that he’s the type to say those things seriously.

“Oh right, about Teacher Song Yu-ju.”

Why Teacher Song Yu-ju?

As I made a puzzled expression, Ryu Myung-in gave a sly smile.

“She’s also qualified to ascend to the throne. I guess you could say my instinctive senses are kicking in? Hehehe.”

Stop it, you bastard!

Is he in the terminal stage of middle school syndrome?

I turned my chair completely away.

If I keep listening to that guy, all my hands and feet might wear out and disappear.

Instead of matching his nonsense, let’s focus on my work.

* * *

.

In Korean, it means 활력 징후 [hwal-lyeok jing-hu].

It refers to the four most important things in a person’s life and death.

1. Blood pressure.

Abbreviated as BP (Blood Pressure).

There are dozens of reasons why blood pressure drops after surgery.

Anyway, you have to maintain a certain blood pressure or higher for blood to circulate in the body, so you have to find the cause of the drop in blood pressure and fix it.

It’s dropping too much?

Then that’s a CPR situation. The situation where the hospital broadcasts and goes crazy.

2. Pulse rate.

Abbreviated as HR (Heart Rate).

This is a problem if it’s too fast or too slow.

Also, it’s a problem if something that should beat regularly beats irregularly.

This is called ‘arrhythmia’, and arrhythmia is common after thoracic surgery.

3. Body temperature.

Abbreviated as BT (Body Temperature).

As everyone knows, having a fever is a sign that something is wrong somewhere in our body.

We need to watch carefully because that problem could get worse in the future.

4. Respiratory rate.

Abbreviated as RR (Respiratory Rate).

The normal respiratory rate for a person is up to 20 breaths per minute.

What if it gets faster than that?

That’s a sign that there’s something wrong with that person’s lungs.

The departments that deal with these vitals are called major departments in the hospital.

Among them, this thoracic surgery department can be seen as the ‘final boss’ of vitals.

‘Let’s see…… This patient usually takes high blood pressure medication, but their blood pressure is too low this morning? They shouldn’t have started taking blood pressure lowering medication again. I need to notify about this.’

I meticulously recorded the vitals on the patient list.

Whether there were any low blood pressure events last night, whether there were any arrhythmias, or whether there were any fever events…….

Checking the patients’ vitals like this is the first course of preparation for rounds.

“Hello!”

At that time, Ryu Myung-in bowed his head towards somewhere.

Tuk tuk―

Teacher Song Yu-ju is sweeping her hair up and walking towards the station.

She still has a blunt expression today.

The only part that feels human is that she’s chewing on a lollipop from the morning.

“I’ve been able to learn under a senior I’ve respected for the past month. Please take care of me!”

Ryu Myung-in says smoothly.

That guy, he knows how to act cute.

And it’s quite a skillful tone.

But Teacher Song Yu-ju’s answer was unexpected.

“Do you know me?”

“Yes?”

“What do you know to respect me?”

Ssaaah.

It’s cold.

It feels like there’s ice in her words.

In an instant, the season of the thoracic surgery station changes, and I even get the illusion that a winter wind is blowing.

Ryu Myung-in looks quite embarrassed.

“Well, there’s no junior in Yonkuk University’s medical school who doesn’t know their senior. Because you’re such a legendary figure.”

“Didn’t you hear the most important thing?”

“What……?”

“That I hate useless flattery.”

“…….”

“From now on, don’t say any bullshit that’s not related to work.”

“Yes.”

Ryu Myung-in shuts his mouth with a whimper.

He didn’t even get his money’s worth.

I feel refreshed for some reason.

It feels like I took a digestive medicine that cleared my stomach.

“Shall we start checking the patients?”

Deureureuk―

Song Yu-ju grabs a mobile chair and pulls it over to sit down.