Liberation (4)
“I don’t have anything in particular?”
Now that my trip with Jeong Seol-hwa has been cancelled, there is nothing I want to do.
There are just a few things to do.
“If it’s okay, should we see each other briefly in the evening? We haven’t seen each other outside since we started dating.”
“Do you have time? The conference ends in the evening.”
“I want to see you, even just for a moment.”
“Okay. Call me when you’re done.”
Jeong Seol-hwa nodded at his words.
The two turned on the radio and leaned against each other.
Life in a hospital where you are at war with patients, colleagues, and staff from other departments.
The only moment of rest in this tough life is right now.
Choi Ki-seok thought as he stroked Jeong Seol-hwa’s hair.
I wish time would stop like this.
After a while, I finished my sweet rest and went up to the thoracic surgery ward.
When I entered the conference room, Youngho Lee was diligently sewing a teddy bear.
“Are you on duty today?”
“Ah, senior. I’m not on duty, I’m just practicing.”
“Don’t push yourself too hard. Then you’ll get sick.”
“This much is okay.”
Youngho Lee gave a thumbs up as if to say don’t worry.
The way he splits his time to practice was reminiscent of his past self.
“Then let’s see.”
Choi Ki-seok sat next to Lee Young-ho and looked at the doll.
The tension that the sutures gave to the doll was appropriate, and the spacing between sutures was uniform.
Compared to a while ago, my skills have improved again.
The expression ‘Ilchwiwoljang’ was not a waste.
“The simple interrupted sutures and continuous sutures are now flawless. I just need to pay a little more attention to other things.”
“really?”
“That’s right. Cheer up. You’ll become a great warrior in no time. And then you can’t just pretend not to know?”
“Of course. If my senior makes a team like Professor Jang, I will definitely join.”
“I just want to say thank you.”
The two people looked at each other and smiled.
Ki-Seok Choi had a conversation with Young-Ho Lee, gave him some encouragement, and returned to the duty room.
Ride, ride, ride.
I filled out the surgery record using Jang Hyuk-pil’s ID.
Afterwards, I learned about the USMLE (United States Medical Examination).
To practice as a doctor in the United States, you must pass this exam.
In Korea, you can take the USMLE Step 1 and USMLE Step 2 courses. If you pass this exam, you will be eligible to receive treatment at a U.S. medical institution.
Actually, the test itself was not difficult.
Nevertheless, this is why Korean doctors do not visit the United States.
This is because it is not easy to get into an American hospital even after passing the USMLE.
In other words, language barriers and complicated application procedures are bigger problems than exams.
However, Choi Ki-seok’s case was different.
Because there is a strong guardian named Song Myeong-jin at Meijo….
“From now on, it’s a war between USMLE and TOEFL.”
His eyes were fixed on the monitor.
* * *
The next morning.
Ki-seok Choi finished reading the paper and practicing surgery and returned to the thoracic surgery ward.
“Teacher. You came out early?”
“You know that.”
Kim Tae-sik, whom I met in the elevator, smiled awkwardly.
“How are you feeling now that your duty is over?”
“I feel both relieved and uncomfortable.”
Choi Ki-seok paused before continuing.
“By the way, sir, I have something to tell you about patient Hwang Ki-jeong, who is hospitalized.”
“Patient waiting for Saber? Why?”
“Why don’t we try an endoscopy on that patient? After examining him, I heard he has dysphagia (difficulty swallowing food).”
“I’m still planning on placing an order today. I heard he’s been losing a lot of weight lately.”
“As expected, you are Teacher Kim.”
A smile appeared on Choi Ki-seok’s lips.
If you schedule an endoscopy, there is no need to elaborate that you suspect esophageal cancer.
What is important is the stage of cancer that will be determined after the test.
“If you don’t have anything to hand over, go in first. Joo-hyuk, who has the routine, will do it.”
“No, I have a place to stop by after work anyway.”
“I’m going to rest at home. Where should I go?”
“That’s… a secret.”
While we were talking, we arrived at the thoracic surgery ward.
Choi Ki-seok handled basic tasks such as scheduling surgeries and preparing inpatient briefings, and also attended morning meetings and rounds that followed.
“Rest well for two days and eat delicious food.”
“It’s been a hard time.”
“thank you.”
I left the ward after being greeted by the staff.
When I arrived at the dormitory and changed into casual clothes, I realized that I was off.
“Was the morning sun this bright?”
He covered his face with his hands and laughed.
Everything around was shining.
People walking on the street, cars on the road, and other scenes were so new.
I feel like Alice in Wonderland.
After a while, I took the subway and arrived at Jinseong University Hospital.
As I recalled old memories of the memorable place where I lived as a resident in the past, I became emotional without realizing it.
Choi Ki-seok found the medical record copy room and took a waiting ticket.
Even though it was quite early, it was crowded with people looking for medical records.
While looking around the inside of the copy room, my eyes fell on the man sitting next to me.
The man appeared to be in his mid-20s and wore a suit.
In his hand was a thick medical record.
But as I was looking at the man, a notification caught my ear.
‘Ah… I’m going crazy.’
Go Se-yoon looked down at the medical record and frowned.
After being discharged from the military, I graduated from college and got a job at a loss adjusting company.
It had nothing to do with my major, but it was because I had to work as soon as possible due to my family’s circumstances.
Now, I’m used to meeting insured people and doing paperwork, but medical terminology is becoming a problem.
This is because it took a year to interpret the term.
‘What is it?’
Go Se-yoon chewed his fingernails.
We need to analyze the medical records of the insured person in hand and hand over the report to the payment review staff within today.
Since it was a long-term pending matter, it was clear that if it was postponed any longer, the team leader would be upset.
“Why are you doing that? Is there some problem?”
The man next to him frowned at Go Se-yoon.
“I just stepped on my toe.”
“Ah… I’m sorry.”
Go Se-yoon bowed his head and apologized to the man sitting next to him.
It looks like he was shaking his legs because he was nervous and stepped on the foot of the person next to him.
“Are you an insurance company employee?”
“Ah, yes. I am working on accident investigation at Jongbu Fire & Marine Insurance.”
“It looks like you’re having a hard time with your charts… can I help you?”
“As you can see, this is not something that just anyone can interpret. General English and medical terminology are also different.”
Go Se-yoon pointed to a word on the chart with his index finger.
“Do you know what this means?”
“It’s a stomach ulcer.”
“How do you do that….”
“Gastic means stomach and ulcer means ulcer. For your information, I am a doctor.”
“Sir… Doctor. Are you really a doctor? I’m sorry, but if you don’t mind, could you give me some time?”
“Of course. Well, I have plenty of time until the treatment time anyway.”
“thank you.”
Go Se-yoon had a conversation with the man.
The man’s name was Choi Ki-seok, and he was a resident at Uijin University’s Department of Thoracic Surgery.
I never thought I would receive help from a doctor in a moment of desperate need.
“Wait a minute. We’ll talk about it after we take off the chart.”
Choi Ki-seok took the waiting ticket and headed to the counter. Then, I received the documents from the staff, made a list of necessary records, and waited again.
Afterwards, I paid the fee and received a printed record sheet.
“Let’s go to the cafe on the first floor.”
“yes.”
Ki-seok Choi sat down at a cafe with Se-yoon Ko.
To be honest, I had no intention of getting involved in other people’s business, but an unexpected mission arose. There is a reward upon completion, so you can’t just pass it up.
“I guess I have a connection with Mr. Choi. Seeing as how we met at just the right time.”
Go Se-yoon smiled and continued.
“Actually, there is one thing I would like to ask of you, teacher. That is… I would really appreciate it if you could interpret the chart. If you can help me, I will never forget this favor.”
“please.”
“Oh my. Thank you so much.”
Go Se-yoon took out a bundle of documents from his bag, and Choi Ki-seok read them carefully.
There are two types of documents in total.
These are initial medical records copied from two local clinics and various test and surgery records obtained from a university hospital.
“It’s worth the trouble.”
Choi Ki-seok’s brows narrowed as he scanned the documents.
“Is that so? Especially the first visit record that I took out from the doctor’s office… ugh!”
Go Se-yoon waved his hand as if to stop talking.
The letters on the records copied from the clinic were difficult to read.
Because electronic medical records were not used, the writing was crooked and abbreviations abounded.
That wasn’t all.
Even nursing assistants and nurses did not understand the meaning.
Out of frustration, I went to the doctor and complained, saying, “Why are you asking me that when an insurance company employee should know?”
“I understand roughly what the situation is.”
Choi Ki-seok called Ko Se-yoon to the seat next to him and analyzed the record sheet step by step. There was no problem with even the doctor’s records, let alone the records of the university hospital.
“Ah… that’s how it happened.”
Go Se-yoon slapped his knee.
“Thank you, sir. Thanks to you, I can handle the matter easily. The truth has been clear since I met this insured person, and as expected…” “
I’m glad it was helpful.”
“Thank you very much, sir. If you have any trouble with insurance in the future, I will do my best to help you.”
Go Se-yoon took out a business card and held it out.
It’s that moment.
Tiring!
[The sudden mission ‘Friendly Mr. Kiseok’ has been completed. As a reward, you will receive 200 P.P.
and a rare gem.
NEW [Rare: Patient intimacy increased by 1.5 times]
[A special relationship with Go Se-yoon has been established.]
[Retirement repayment: Go Se-yoon will not forget today’s favor and repay you in some way.]
Choi Ki-seok checked the notification window and smiled. .
The compensation was generous compared to the investment.
After breaking up with Go Se-yoon, I visited a thoracic surgery outpatient clinic.
After waiting for about twenty minutes, it was my turn.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
I knocked and went in and said hello to Lee Min-sik.
“I thought it couldn’t be possible, but it really was Mr. Ki-seok.”
Lee Min-sik smiled at Choi Ki-seok.
He is an associate professor of thoracic surgery at Jinseong University and was the first assistant in Choi Ki-seok’s heart transplant surgery.
“How are you, Professor?”
“I’m doing well without any problems. I heard a rumor that Mr. Ki-seok is doing great at Uijin University?”
“It’s thanks to the staff taking good care of me.”
“Thank goodness. Heaven helped me.”
Lee Min-sik shared his honest feelings.
Post-operative care is as important as heart transplant surgery. You should always take immunosuppressants and avoid anything that will put too much strain on your heart as much as possible.
Otherwise, you never know when heart disease may strike.
However, Choi Ki-seok looked healthy despite his difficult life as a doctor.
“Thank you for your concern. In fact, my 100 days on duty ended today. So I don’t think there will be any problems in the future.”
“Hehe. I can’t believe you completed 100 days of duty… It’s really amazing.”
Lee Min-sik paused before continuing.
“But what’s going on in our thoracic surgery department? If you’re going to see a doctor, there’s no need to come…”
“I came to get a medical certificate.”
“It’s a medical certificate… It’s not difficult. Have you submitted it to the insurance company?”
“No. “I’m going to use it for other things.”
“Hmm… Okay. And since I’m already here, I get a simple medical treatment.”
After issuing the medical certificate, Lee Min-sik had Choi Ki-seok raise his shirt. He then listened to Choi Ki-seok’s heart sounds with a stethoscope.
Thump, thump, thump.
I was relieved to hear the healthy sound.
“Star . There is nothing wrong. But I always pay attention to management.”
“I understand.”
Choi Ki-seok left the outpatient clinic and took the subway. He then started looking at his medical records in his bag.
That day came as if it were fate.
Will he be able to avoid the storm tomorrow?
