Knot (2)
“Haaaaam.”
Choi Ki-seok stood up and stretched.
The dark night was fading away and dawn was breaking.
After completing surgery on a stab wound patient, he kept the patient overnight. Since it was not possible to attach a monitoring device to the patient, he used the Eye of Hippocrates to monitor the patient.
Contrary to his worries, the patient remained stable and is now in normal condition.
‘It would have been nice to have ECMO.’
Choi Ki-seok looked down at the patient and smiled bitterly.
It was inevitable that the latest medical equipment would catch my eye every time something big happened.
“Mr. Choi. “Did you stay up all night?”
Evian came into the hospital room and asked with surprised eyes.
“I thought you said there was an important surgery today. “Can you do the surgery all night long?”
“It’s not a question of whether you can do it or not. “You have to do it no matter what.”
“Huh. “If it’s okay, let’s have a cup of coffee.”
“great.”
The two moved to the second floor lounge.
Obeid Hospital’s lounge was simple compared to other hospital lounges, with only two sofas and a small table with a coffee machine, giving off a desolate atmosphere.
“I’m sitting down. “I will prepare the coffee.”
“thank you.”
“It is I who should be thankful. “If it weren’t for Mr. Choi, the patient would have died.”
After a while, Evian sat across from him and placed a mug filled with coffee on the table.
“How is the patient’s condition?”
“I was a little nervous because I thought I had an infection, but there are no problems now. Still, it seems impossible to evacuate him, so it would be better to keep him admitted to our hospital.”
Ki-Seok Choi finished speaking and took a sip of coffee.
My consciousness, which had been clouded by the bitter taste of coffee, gradually became clearer.
Although I received help from patient Baragi and pet Hathi, my physical strength was still at level 4.
When I was in the United States, my physical strength never fell below level 7, but in South Sudan, it was difficult to maintain sufficient physical strength.
“Actually, the reason I summoned Mr. Choi separately was to apologize for what happened yesterday.”
“An apple?”
“yes. I came here with the patient to help with the surgery, but it wasn’t much help. “I dropped the surgical tool for no reason and there was no nuisance.”
“Don’t say that.”
Choi Ki-seok paused before continuing.
“If it had been a familiar surgical environment, Evian would have assisted well. “I had no choice but to perform the surgery in a cramped ambulance, so I couldn’t show off my skills.”
“Isn’t this the first time Mr. Choi has had surgery in an ambulance?”
“you’re right.”
“But why is there a difference in skill between the two of us?”
Choi Ki-seok could not easily open his mouth at Evian’s point, and Evian watched and laughed.
“I can’t bear to tell you the reason. Then I will do it for you. The reason is simply because Mr. Choi is a better surgeon than me. “It also proves that the workmanship is solid enough to be unaffected by the surrounding environment.”
“….”
“What. Anyway, I learned a lot from watching Mr. Choi. I also figured out how to do medical volunteer work in the future. “I will no longer be a doctor who sits on the sidelines.”
Evian’s eyes sparkled with bright light.
[I’m not saying you should carelessly treat patients, but here you can develop your medical skills without fear of lawsuits. Depending on how you decide, this can be a training ground where you can improve your skills as a surgeon, or your home can become a hell with a poor environment. The choice is all up to Evian.]
The advice Choi Ki-seok gave last night stuck in my heart.
Those words that will not disappear while doing medical volunteer work will definitely become a lighthouse.
“I’m glad Evian got something.”
“ha ha ha. “I have morning medical treatment at the Red Cross, so I’ll just go.”
“Please understand that I can’t go far.”
The moment I shook hands with Evian, I heard a ringing sound.
[New active skill ZZUL has been formed.]
[ZZUL Lv.1]
– You can improve the opponent’s abilities through interaction with fellow staff. Abilities that can be improved include all stats and attitude that can be viewed in the status window.
– ZZUL is not possible against opponents whose stats are higher than yours.
– Leaves a growth mark on up to 5 staff members, and the stat increase of staff with this mark is tripled.
– As the level increases, the ability level increase increases.
“Mr. Choi. “What’s wrong with you all of a sudden?”
“Ah… no. “Please go in carefully.”
Choi Ki-seok, who sent Evian away, looked at the status window and rubbed his chin.
The active skill I had for a long time was quite useful.
Medicine has never been an area where everything goes well if you do it alone.
In that sense, the existence of a skill that could help colleagues grow was something to be welcomed with open arms.
After examining his skills, he soon left his position and moved to the hospital room where Minister of Health Abudi was.
“Minister. “How are you feeling?”
“what. It’s not bad. I slept well. How is Dr. Choi?”
“I’m not bad either.”
The two people exchanged a few words and smiled at each other.
“I received a call from Capital Hospital yesterday. “They said they would send thoracic surgeons within noon today.”
“It just worked out. I will go straight to OPCAB in the afternoon. “I was also undergoing pre-surgery procedures such as fasting, so there shouldn’t be any problem.”
“This is truly an honor. “I can’t believe I can have heart surgery from Dr. Choi, a triple board thoracic surgeon.”
As silence continued for a moment, Choi Ki-seok began to cry.
“Minister. “Do you remember what I said last time?”
“Was it about a cure for sleeping sickness?”
“you’re right. Not long ago, a pharmaceutical company contacted me after seeing my new tube. “They said that if there were sufficient discussions with the Sudanese government, a treatment for sleeping sickness could be reproduced.”
“My answer is the same as then. “As long as the surgery is completed safely, I will step forward.”
“Actually, I wanted to hear that again.”
“It means you are confident in the surgery.”
“no. Actually, I have no confidence.”
Embarrassment appeared on Abudi’s face at the unexpected answer.
“Dr. Choi. What do you mean now? I followed Dr. Choi’s instructions and brought all the surgical tools with me and came all the way here. “If you sound so weak, I…”
“So what I meant was… I wasn’t confident that the surgery would fail.”
“…This looks like a good blow.”
Abudi burst out laughing.
“Anyway, thank you.”
“Sure. “I will show you that visiting Obeid Hospital was not in vain.”
Ki-seok Choi finished talking with Abudi and went to the clinic.
Not long after I was killing time by reading books from other departments, patients started pouring in like a tide.
Although there are fewer patients than before, obstetric patients still account for the majority.
A patient suffering from severe diarrhea and skin disease.
Patients suffering from PTSD due to the nightmare of civil war, etc.
Time passed quickly as I treated patients that I had never experienced before in the United States and Korea.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The moment I put my mouth to the water bucket to take a breather, I immediately heard a knocking sound.
Choi Ki-seok accepted the patient without even being able to pass the water comfortably.
“You’re here.”
“hello. teacher.”
The young patient sitting in the treatment chair smiled brightly and waved his hand.
Unusually, the patient had a large luggage bag on his shoulder.
“I guess your parents gave you permission?”
“yes. “He told me to go and take care of my younger brother and study hard because it was a good opportunity for me to grow.”
“It was a difficult decision for your parents. “You know you have to do that much better, right?”
“Sure!”
Badu answered bravely.
“The teacher contacted Meijo in advance, right? They said the staff at the rare disease center will arrive around tomorrow morning. “Until then, I’m resting well at the hospital.”
“Can I go see my brother?”
“of course.”
“lol. “I’ll go to the hospital room.”
Ki-Seok Choi smiled faintly as he watched Badu leaving the treatment room.
* * *
That afternoon.
Choi Ki-seok finished his treatment early and was talking with thoracic surgeons from Capital Hospital.
A total of five thoracic surgeons visited Obeid Hospital, which was more than expected.
“I thought only one or two people would come… but surprisingly, a lot of people came.”
“I had the opportunity to see Mr. Choi’s work done with my own eyes, and I couldn’t pass it up. “If the time had been right, the manager would have come too.”
Cardiothoracic surgery fellow Bomani said excitedly.
“I don’t mind observing, but our hospital doesn’t have an operating room for observation. Even if you were to observe it in the operating room, it would be difficult to see it up close.”
“I was just about to say that. Sir, if it is okay with you, I would like to have the auxiliary staff today consist only of our hospital staff. Is that okay? “If you help with the surgery, you don’t have to be far away.”
“great. “Let’s do that.”
Choi Ki-seok readily answered.
Although I asked Jeong Seol-hwa to be my first assistant, I was concerned about taking her out of the treatment.
The thoracic surgeons at the Capital Hospital were trustworthy enough.
Still, just in case, I used the Eye of Hippocrates on them, and most of them were skilled at level 6 or 7 surgical procedures.
“Mr. Choi. “It’s a bit weird to ask for something like this on your first meeting, but… can you give me your autograph?”
“I’m neither a celebrity nor a sports star?”
“Instead, he is a star in the medical field. Actually, when I was an intern, I saw Mr. Choi perform a live demonstration of HOPE surgery. When the surgery was successful, I cried as if I had performed it. Mr. Choi is my role model.”
“what. “If you really want…”
Choi Ki-seok signed the paper with an embarrassed expression and handed it to Bomani. In response, Bomani carefully placed the autograph into the doctor’s gown, as if he had found a treasure.
Choi Ki-seok felt a sense of change in times coming from that sight.
The days when he was on duty for 100 days at Medical College are vivid enough to be grasped, and before he knew it, he had become a triple board thoracic surgeon that everyone looked up to.
“We’re moving slowly.”
As Choi Ki-seok left the lounge, the rest of the cardiothoracic surgeons followed suit.
Soon, Minister of Health Abudi lay down on the operating table.
Processes such as connecting the patient monitoring device, checking vitals, preparing surgical tools, and providing general anesthesia were completed in an instant.
This was the power of the ultra-luxurious surgical team comprised only of thoracic surgeons.
Tdu-duk-duk.
Choi Ki-seok broke his neck and activated the Soul Tear Super Awakening effect.
[Soul Tears special effect super awakening: Temporarily increases all kill stats by 2 levels. The duration is half a day, and when the hyper-awakening effect ends, you will temporarily fall into exhaustion.]
When I used the hyper-awakening effect, a refreshing energy filled my entire body.
My mind became sharp like a well-honed blade.
Is there a way to perform surgery without putting as much burden on the patient as possible?
It may be a difficult question to think about, but Choi Ki-seok thought it was best to shorten the surgery time as much as possible.
Normally, surgical speed and accuracy are inversely proportional, but he was confident that he could satisfy both.
“We will now begin OPCAB surgery for coronary artery stenosis.”
Following his words, the staff began preoperative treatment.
Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
Once the chest and abdomen were disinfected, a blanket was placed on the patient’s body.
“Meth.”
Choi Ki-seok held the scalpel given to him by the staff.
His eyes shined brighter than the scalpel, which reflected the surgical light and gave off a dazzling light.
