Dr. Shin Seonhan: The Doctor Who Sees The Future [EN]: Chapter 92

#92 Breath (23)

“You’re curious about everything.”

Song Yoo-joo answered indifferently.

Intern evaluations?

They’re meaningless.

After all, they’re just interns passing through for a month.

“Who knows? Maybe one of those two will come to Cardiothoracic Surgery.”

Tap―

Just then, their food arrived at the table.

Mul-naengmyeon [water cold noodles] was placed in front of Ma Dong-seop, and bibim-naengmyeon [spicy mixed cold noodles] in front of Song Yoo-joo.

“Right. They were guys with their own charms, like these mul-naengmyeon and bibim-naengmyeon.”

Intern Shin Sun-han.

Intern Ryu Myung-in.

Objectively, it wasn’t easy to pick a superior, she thought.

It wasn’t for nothing that they were jokingly called the intern ‘top two.’

“Honestly, both of them performed too well for interns, right? And they were so diligent.”

First, Ryu Myung-in.

As the top of his class, he had a brilliant mind and quick work processing skills.

He sometimes showed a quirky, four-dimensional personality, but he possessed outstanding abilities in all aspects.

And Shin Sun-han.

Perhaps because he was three years older, his mentality seemed stronger than Ryu Myung-in’s.

And, most importantly…

“Isn’t Sun-han a bit unique? I can’t exactly put it into words, but he seems to have something special about him.”

Song Yoo-joo didn’t answer.

But she was agreeing with a silent response.

“Given your personality, I doubt you would easily give the highest score… Did you perhaps lower the score on purpose because you liked someone?”

Ma Dong-seop said with a smirk.

Sometimes that happens.

Giving a failing grade to an intern you like on purpose.

Should it be called a strategy to bring them to the low-competition Cardiothoracic Surgery?

‘Don’t even think about going to another department!’

‘Come to Cardiothoracic Surgery!’

‘Let’s die together!’

…It’s kind of like that message.

You could say it’s a funny yet sad reality.

“You’re not the type to do that, Yoo-joo.”

“You don’t think I would?”

“Huh?”

Ma Dong-seop’s eyes widened at Song Yoo-joo’s words.

“You deliberately lowered the intern score? To make them come to Cardiothoracic Surgery?”

“Secret.”

“What?”

“I won’t tell you.”

Song Yoo-joo said playfully and focused on her cold noodles again.

Ma Dong-seop chuckled.

As a colleague who had been close for many years, he found Song Yoo-joo’s personality to be both familiar and mysterious.

“Well, we’ll find out by the end of the year. They’re both good enough to aim for Intern of the Year, so I’m already curious to see who it will be.”

Ma Dong-seop slurped the cold noodle broth.

Slurp―

Kkeueu.

The sweet and savory broth enveloped his mouth with a refreshing coolness.

“Now that the cold noodles taste good, it feels like summer is really here.”

As Ma Dong-seop said.

July, when it gets really hot, was approaching.

#Reversal of Fortune (1)

What comes to mind when you think of summer?

Sweat.

Yes, sweat.

I am sweating right now.

Sunday, the first day of July.

My Neurosurgery schedule started with an off duty.

After receiving the handover again in the morning, I took some time to come to the hospital’s underground gym with Geun-wook.

Taptaptap―

The treadmill is running.

I moved my feet mindlessly.

A song full of summer vibes is playing in the gym.

“One more kilometer!”

Geun-wook, who was running next to me, shouted.

It’s hard to keep up with Geun-wook Mon’s pace.

But I gritted my teeth and ran to the end.

Then I was out of breath.

“How is it? Feels good to work out after a long time, right?”

“It tastes like death.”

Huff huff.

I lay sprawled out on the gym floor, panting.

Then Geun-wook smirked and said.

“I’ve been lenient because of TS [Cardiothoracic Surgery] all this time, but I won’t be anymore. We’re starting hard-core workouts again.”

“Cut me some slack. This month’s NS [Neurosurgery] won’t be easy either.”

“Uh-uh, if you start making excuses, when are you going to work out? While you’re in your coffin?”

He’s right.

If I make excuses like this and that, I won’t be able to exercise for the rest of my life.

Rather, I need to build up my stamina when I’m busy.

Even more so if I want to endure the tough life of a surgeon in the future.

“Okay, how long are you going to lie there? Warm-up’s over, now it’s time for weights!”

Geun-wook urged me.

You monster!

I gritted my teeth and got up.

Then I felt someone at the entrance of the gym.

“Oh? Everyone was here?”

It was Yeon-seo.

Her long, sleek hair was tied up in a ponytail, accentuating her fair and slender neckline.

…It’s been several months already, but it’s still a bit hard to get used to every time I see her.

Should I say she has a face that doesn’t seem like she should be in a hospital?

She’s wearing the basic, drab workout clothes in the gym, but she’s pulling them off perfectly.

“Uh-huh. Sacrilege! Coming to the sacred gym with makeup on!”

As soon as Geun-wook saw Yeon-seo, he started nagging in an old man’s tone.

Then Yeon-seo matched his tone and replied.

“Goodness, what makeup is this girl wearing? This is my bare face.”

“If that’s a bare face, how come your lip color is so bling-bling?”

“Lipstick isn’t makeup.”

Yeon-seo said with a playful attitude and then set up something.

It’s the vlog camera she’s been carrying around since last month.

And changing the atmosphere, she started recording in a broadcasting voice.

“Yes! Today, I’m going to show you our hospital gym!”

Yeon-seo is filming a vlog again today.

She said that the number of subscribers has recently started to increase explosively.

Well, with Yeon-seo’s looks, it would have been only a matter of time before she got attention.

At that time, someone with a small stature appeared at the gym entrance, following Yeon-seo.

“Haaam.”

It’s So-dam with sleepy eyes.

The workout clothes with the Yonsei University Hospital logo on them look baggy.

Yawning, she saw me and gave me a happy expression, trotting over to me and saying.

“Ah, it’s Sun-han. Hello.”

“What brings So-dam here to exercise?”

“Yeon-seo dragged me here.”

“Geun-wook dragged me here.”

Saying that, we chuckled.

Then Geun-wook butted in and said.

“Tsk, look at those hamster arms, so skinny. I feel bad for you. Should I give you a hard-core workout?”

“No way. Get away from me, muscle idiot.”

So-dam glared at him.

The two were subtly bickering and friendly.

Or rather, should I say that Geun-wook has good social skills?

He approaches even So-dam, who has a timid and withdrawn personality, without hesitation.

Thanks to that, the atmosphere is good when the four of us get together like this.

“Ah, everyone! It just so happens that the Gangnam Station intern duo is here at the gym! You all know who they are, right?”

At that time, Yeon-seo, who was filming a vlog, approached us with the camera.

“Could you promote my channel just once?”

She whispered, looking at me with sparkling eyes.

It’s hard to refuse when she looks at me with such earnest eyes.

“Please subscribe and like Yeon-seo’s channel.”

I said to the camera lens in a businesslike tone.

Then Geun-wook gave me a jab from the side.

“Hey, you dry guy! How is that going to promote it? Even a village chief promoting local agricultural products would be better than that.”

“Then you do it.”

“Watch and learn.”

Geun-wook suddenly picked up two large dumbbells in both hands and said, lifting them alternately.

“Haaap~ Subscribe with your left hand! Like with your right hand! Please!”

“Puhahaha!”

Yeon-seo burst into laughter at the sudden display of strength.

Oh my, what a mess.

Anyway, when those two meet, their tension goes up endlessly.

* * *

Monday, July 2nd.

It’s the day a new schedule officially begins.

At 6:30 in the morning, the underground cafeteria of the Cancer Hospital was deserted.

In fact, interns don’t get to eat breakfast often.

That’s because they have to wake up too early.

But the four of us gathered at the cafeteria for our own reasons.

[Yeon-seo]: I like the quiet hospital atmosphere early in the morning.

[So-dam]: The cafeteria food is delicious.

[Me]: I need to eat breakfast to get my brain working.

[Geun-wook]: You have to eat three meals a day to prevent muscle loss!

…So, for our own reasons, we ended up eating breakfast regularly, and the four of us had become fixed morning members.

And the commonality of these members was not only that.

“Come to think of it, we’re all dispatched in August, right? Is everyone ready to go on vacation?”

This was something I had only learned recently.

Our dispatch overlaps.

In other words, in a month, in August, So-dam and Yeon-seo will also be dispatched to the countryside with us.

“Uh-uh. We’re not going to play, we’re going to work!”

“Still, it’s better than being stuck in one hospital.”

“Well, yeah. I’m already looking forward to it. Hehehe.”

“I’ve already found all the local restaurants? I’ve made a map, and I’ll share it with you later!”

What tremendous passion.

Yeon-seo and Geun-wook were sharing information with overflowing energy like two beagles.

I chuckled and said.

“Don’t get too excited yet. We have to get through this July safely first to be able to welcome August with peace of mind.”

“That’s right.”

As another new month began, stories about each other’s departments were exchanged.

“Geun-wook oppa, did you say you’re in Obstetrics and Gynecology this month?”

“Yeah, I’m in OBGY [Obstetrics and Gynecology] this month. Yeon-seo, you were in the pediatric hematology-oncology ward this time, right? How is it there?”

“Pediatric hematology-oncology is―”

Information about each other’s departments was exchanged for a long time.

“Where did Sun-han oppa say he was?”

“NS.”

Neurosurgery.

Just as Cardiothoracic Surgery is called TS, Neurosurgery is shortened to NS.

The organs mainly dealt with are the brain and the spine.

It can be easily confused with Neurology, which has a similar name, but…

Just as internal medicine and surgery are completely different fields, Neurology and Neurosurgery are completely different.

For example, even when dealing with the same stroke, Neurology uses medication, while Neurosurgery opens the head and goes inside to perform surgical treatment directly.

“Oh, are you finally rotating in the operating room?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Don’t be too happy. Remember when Joong-won oppa went bald while rotating in NS in March?”

I chuckled at Yeon-seo’s words.

And I asked So-dam, who was munching on rice and listening quietly from the side.

“Where were you this month, So-dam?”

“I’m in Radiology.”

“Ah.”

“Don’t you remember? You switched schedules for me, Sun-han.”

So-dam said with a bright smile.

Come to think of it, time flies so fast.

I remembered when the Stove League was held and I exchanged my schedule with her.

“Wow~ that’s great. I heard Radiology is so easy? You can leave work on time and take care of your QOL [Quality of life]?”

Geun-wook said enviously.

Then Yeon-seo wagged her chopsticks from side to side and said.

“Hey, what are you talking about? It’s not like that this year.”

“Why?”

“What’s the point of the work being easy? The problem is the people. There’s a weird fellow there…”

“Ah, that person?”

That person?

Yeon-seo looked around and nodded.

“That person is said to be the worst personality disaster ever among the interns. I heard he even committed sexual harassment.”

What, sexual harassment?

The eyes of the three of us who were listening to the story widened.