Variable (4)
[How do you know that? that’s right. I can’t see a piece of gauze.]
“Would you like to take a look at the side of the spleen that was cut out? It looks like a piece of gauze came off while the bleeding was being stopped.”
[I understand.]
After the call ended, Choi Ki-seok and Leon looked at the monitor again.
Staff moving around busily.
Eventually, the first assistant raised the forceps and gauze soaked in blood and saline solution appeared.
It’s just as Leon said.
“How did this happen?”
Choi Ki-seok looked at Leon with surprised rabbit eyes.
“Did I tell you earlier? I have special abilities. I don’t know if this is a blessing or a curse. I suffer from hypermemory syndrome.”
Leon continued with a wry smile.
Hypermemory syndrome.
This is the ability to remember everything that happened to you.
People with this ability vividly remember things that happened years or even decades ago.
“It’s amazing. I never thought I would actually see someone with hypermemory syndrome. That too at the Mayjo Clinic.”
“Everyone says that.”
“If you don’t mind, may I ask one more question?”
“sure.”
“Isn’t Leon’s ability closer to savant syndrome than hypermemory syndrome? His memory is comparable to that of a psychic.”
“That’s a sharp point. If I were to compare it, hypermemory syndrome is an autobiography and savant syndrome is a copy machine. But I developed this ability and am using it like savant syndrome.”
“….”
“When I decide to remember something, I put my emotions into it. Let’s take the surgery I just had as an example…” ”
You think you are undergoing surgery yourself. Then you can create an autobiographical memory. Because I can.”
“bingo!”
Leon snapped his fingers.
“Mr. Choi understands things quickly. Usually, people don’t understand things even when you explain things to them.”
The two remained silent for a while, looking at each other.
“Mr. Choi, are you jealous of me?”
Leon changed the topic.
“I don’t think this is a question that can be answered hastily.”
“Why? If you use this ability, you can achieve outstanding things. I don’t know about Mr. Choi, but I was the top resident recruiter last year.”
“But Leon said it earlier. Hypermemory syndrome is both a blessing and a curse.”
Choi Ki-seok had a vague feeling.
Leon doesn’t like his abilities very much.
In fact, as the topic turned to hypermemory syndrome, a self-mocking smile appeared on his lips.
“As expected, Mr. Choi is not an ordinary person either. If you ask me this question, a hundred people will envy me.”
“….”
“Yes. Maybe that’s why I’m attracted to Mr. Choi.”
Leon said something unexpected and stood up.
“Have you decided on a major?”
“I’m thinking of going to a thoracic surgeon.”
“Hmm… Well, I’ll be doing my surgical rotation so I can see you sometime. Then, I look forward to seeing you again.”
Leon left the observation operating room first and Ki-Seok Choi watched him blankly.
Leon’s strong impression was still vivid in my mind.
How will my relationship with him unfold again?
Jiyiing.
The vibration of the call phone woke me up.
Ki-Seok Choi checked the number and connected the call.
“Yes, Professor.”
[Is Dr. Choi busy right now?]
“No. I just finished observing the surgery and was about to have lunch.”
[That’s good news. Then call?]
Choi Ki-seok chuckled at Song Myeong-jin’s playful tone.
He was only this cute when he made a secret proposal.
“Okay. I’ll meet you in the dorm kitchen.”
Choi Ki-seok hung up the phone and went to the dormitory. And I opened the box hidden in a corner of the room.
The box was full of spicy ramen and instant rice.
Since I recently received an airlift, I was able to spend a good month if I ate sparingly.
I packed ramen and rice and started cooking in the kitchen.
When I put the soup into boiling water, its unique scent tickled my nose.
gulp.
Choi Ki-seok swallowed dry saliva.
In Korea, I had no idea that ramen was such a rare and delicious food.
“Is it already boiling?”
Just then, Song Myeong-jin came into the kitchen.
“Professor. Are you here?”
“Mr. Choi, take care of your work. I will prepare rice and kimchi.”
Song Myeong-jin microwaved instant rice and took out bachelor kimchi from the refrigerator.
After a while, the two went to eat, even forgetting about their conversation.
Whoop. Crunchy.
The sound of noodles being turned and Cheonggak kimchi being chewed spread through the kitchen.
Beads of sweat formed on the foreheads of the two people.
“Ahhh. It was a good meal.”
Song Myeong-jin smiled and looked down at the pot.
I dipped the rice into the ramen broth and ate it up.
The pot was so clean that there was no need to wash it.
“Thanks to Teacher Choi, my taste buds have improved. I never thought I would be able to eat ramen at Meijo Clinic.”
“I was lucky.”
Choi Ki-seok put down his spoon and licked his lips.
I finished the meal, but somehow I felt like it was lacking. How should I fill this emptiness?
“Professor. Would you like some snacks?”
“snack?”
“please wait for a moment.”
When Choi Ki-seok returned, there was another bag of ramen in his hand.
“Isn’t that too extravagant? I think it would be better to buy something else at the convenience store.”
Song Myeong-jin read his intentions and expressed concern.
“I think sometimes you have to have days like this.”
“…I will do whatever Mr. Choi wants.”
Song Myeong-jin turned his head.
It’s like pretending not to see a terrible scene in a horror movie.
puck! puck! puck! puck!
Choi Ki-seok put the ramen bag on the table and took a picture with his elbow.
I could vividly feel the feeling of ramen falling into pieces at the tip of my elbow.
The moment my daily bread turned into a snack, I felt guilty, but I boldly resisted it.
After crushing the ramen, I opened the bag and sprinkled the soup on it.
“Professor. Please eat.”
Song Myeong-jin nodded at Choi Ki-seok’s words.
Wow. Wow.
The sound of ramen crumbling stimulated my appetite.
Choi Ki-seok followed Song Myeong-jin and put a piece of ramen in his mouth.
The salty and spicy soup taste and crunchy texture are excellent.
“….”
“….”
Choi Ki-seok and Song Myeong-jin looked at each other with a gentle smile.
I agreed that it was good to eat ramen snacks.
“Hehe. I was so caught up in eating that I couldn’t even talk about something important.”
“Do you have anything special to say?”
“Cancer. Yes.”
Song Myeong-jin nodded and continued speaking.
“It’s been a while since I wanted to compliment you. I recently heard that you saved a patient from a suicide attempt. And I heard from Smith at the head chief meeting that he even performed a laparoscopic appendectomy?”
“Ah yes.”
“The more I see of Mr. Choi, the more amazing he becomes. Both being at the center of various cases and resolving them safely.”
The two incidents that Ki-Seok Choi recently experienced are difficult for a first-year resident to overcome.
How easy is it to save a patient attempting suicide?
The police, paramedics, and hospital staff have to be exhausted to persuade the patient to survive. However, Choi Ki-seok used handcuffs to safely bring the patient back to life in a short period of time.
That’s not all.
He even successfully performed a laparoscopic surgery, something he had never learned from anyone else.
Following his time at Uijin University, he is continuing his unusual steps at Meijo University.
“That’s too much praise.”
“It’s not an over-praise, it’s that Teacher Choi is over-performing. If you compare Teacher Choi with his classmates, you will quickly get the answer.”
Song Myeong-jin chuckled.
“But in times like this, I have to keep my head straight. Because evaluations can be overturned in an instant.”
“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”
“Are you doing well with your girlfriend?”
Song Myung-jin changed the topic.
“Yes. We keep in touch often. We talked on the phone this morning as well.”
“Hmm… Don’t think I’m interfering in a love story without your knowledge, but listen carefully. Was your girlfriend’s name Seolhwa?”
“That’s right. It’s Jeong Seol-hwa.”
“Teacher Choi cannot afford to miss Mr. Seolhwa. I wanted to help Professor Choi, so I chose circulatory medicine as my major, and even after coming abroad, I am waiting for Professor Choi.”
“….”
“There will never be another person like this again. That’s why I think this is the person I will spend the rest of my life with.”
“I’m still thinking about getting married.”
“Then I’m glad.”
After a moment of silence, Song Myeong-jin opened his mouth.
“I’ve said everything I wanted to say, so why don’t we do something different for the first time in a while?”
“I’m good.”
Choi Ki-seok’s voice became brighter.
After entering Meijo, Song Myeong-jin’s care was significantly reduced.
It is no exaggeration to say that there is no teaching other than sending papers in the early morning.
This is because Choi Ki-seok was not yet a member of the Department of Thoracic Surgery.
“Okay, here’s my homework.”
Song Myeong-jin took something out of his gown and held it out.
“Professor. What about this?”
“Why? You don’t like your homework?”
“That’s not true, because it was so unexpected…”
Choi Ki-seok trailed off and looked at the object in his hand.
What Song Myung-jin gave me was a baseball ticket.
It’s also a hot game tonight between the Minnesota Lions and the Chicago Black Sox.
“You know the saying that if you only work and don’t play, you’ll become a fool? So, have fun and have fun today.”
“….”
“I couldn’t rest in Korea because I didn’t have time to rest, but Meijo is different, right?”
“Thank you professor.”
“Then let’s quickly clean up after ourselves.”
After finishing washing the dishes and clearing the table, I parted ways with Song Myeong-jin.
Choi Ki-seok entered the room and looked down at the two baseball tickets in his hands.
“Hmm… It’s a shame.”
* * *
That afternoon.
Targeting Field, home stadium of the Minnesota Lions.
A vehicle entered there.
“Get off first. I’ll park and follow you.”
“Okay. See you in front of the plaza.”
Jennifer got out of the car with a bright smile, and Choi Ki-seok parked the car and walked towards the plaza.
His expression was as dark as the dark sky.
In fact, he didn’t like baseball.
No, I wasn’t interested in other sports, including baseball.
If Song Myung-jin hadn’t given me a ticket, I wouldn’t have come to the baseball stadium while training.
‘Is it just me?’
Choi Ki-seok looked around as he walked.
The area around the stadium was crowded with people wearing team uniforms and armed with various cheering tools. Some people gathered together and had a heated conversation about today’s match.
To them, baseball seemed like a festival, not just a game.
Suddenly, it occurred to me that the enthusiasm for America’s four major sports (baseball, basketball, American football, and ice hockey) was amazing.
“Mr. Choi!”
When we arrived at the plaza, Jennifer waved her hand vigorously.
“Have you already bought snacks?”
“I got you a valuable ticket, but I have to buy the snacks.”
Jennifer grinned.
The two looked around the stadium and moved to the stands on time.
“Mr. Choi, were we in VIP seats? I’ll tell you sooner!”
Jennifer looked around the seats and looked excited like a child.
VIP seats were comfortable because the seats were far apart and had the advantage of being able to see the players up close.
“I guess that’s just it.”
“Aha! Now I understand. Mr. Choi doesn’t really like baseball.”
“I don’t particularly like it.”
“That’s it.”
Jennifer forced Choi Ki-seok, who was standing blankly, to sit down.
“Then I’ll tell you. “How to have fun watching baseball.”
“How to have fun watching baseball? Is there such a thing?”
“Of course.”
A smile appeared on Jennifer’s lips.
