One End, Another Beginning (1)
Tread. Trudging.
Choi Ki-seok ran down the hallway at a fast pace.
At the end of the interview, my face got hot when I remembered myself drawing a heart.
I did this out of courage, thinking that Jeong Seol-hwa would like the interview, but I couldn’t stop my face from getting hot.
‘are you okay. Everyone will understand. Maybe they think I’m a romanticist.’
I consoled myself and returned to the Department of Thoracic Surgery.
“What should I say to someone who just came in… You should go out and check it out right away.”
Charles said with a grin.
“Is there a patient in the emergency room?”
“It wasn’t a patient, but a strange guardian came and went. “I heard you’ll understand if I tell you that I’m Gerard’s guardian at the neurosurgery department?”
“Ah…”
Choi Ki-seok thought of Malcolm and Sharon and nodded slightly.
“What on earth are you doing? “Why are guardians from other departments looking for you?”
“I’ll explain later.”
“Anyway, you have a lot of secrets. “If anyone sees me, they will think I’m not a doctor but a member of a secret organization.”
After parting ways with Charles, who shrugged his shoulders, I visited the neurosurgery ward.
Drurr.
When I opened the door and entered the hospital room, Malcolm and Sharon looked at Ki-Seok Choi with calm expressions.
As if she had been waiting for him to come.
“hello. “This is Ki-Seok Choi, a thoracic surgeon who I greeted you last time.”
Choi Ki-seok said hello and stood at an appropriate distance and looked at the couple.
My chest felt tight, as if I was sitting on a thorn cushion.
Didn’t you find these two people a while ago and say something mean to them?
Didn’t you hit a nail in the chest?
As the memories of that time overlapped, I couldn’t easily find anything to say.
My mind went blank and my tongue hovered in empty space.
“What did Doctor Choi say the last time you came to see us?”
“…I asked you to transplant Gerard’s heart to another patient.”
“Is that really what you want to say to us?”
“I will forever be sorry about that. Even if there were ten mouths, there would be nothing to say.”
After one conversation, a blood-curing silence followed.
Choi Ki-seok was unable to say anything in front of the couple, and the couple appeared to be struggling to swallow what they wanted to say.
The silence in the hospital room seemed like it would last forever.
But Malcolm broke the silence first.
“Actually, yesterday. “I found the hospital room of the child waiting for the heart transplant that Dr. Choi mentioned.”
“….”
“It was a patient from India. “It looks like it has some kind of device attached to it. What is it?”
“It is a ventricular assist device that helps the function of a failing heart. “If Rahul doesn’t use it, his life is in danger.”
Malcolm stroked his chin in response to Choi Ki-seok’s answer.
“Perhaps because we are raising children together, my heart breaks when I see that couple. Moreover, Rahul looks much younger than our Gerard.”
“…honey.”
Sharon held Malcolm’s hand tightly and looked into his eyes.
“Do we really have to do this?”
“You already agreed to this.”
“i know. But… when the situation actually comes, I can’t stop talking.”
Malcolm hugged Sharon and patted her back as if he understood. Afterwards, I sighed and looked down at Gerard.
There was deep sadness in his eyes as he stared at his brain-dead son.
“There is no need to hesitate. “I will start with the conclusion.”
Gerard bit his lip and continued.
“My wife and I have decided to let Gerard go.”
“….”
“I heard it from Leon. The chances of my child recovering are close to a miracle. Then, in the current situation, we have no choice but to look at a slightly different miracle. “I want to share my child’s life with other children.”
“Of course… there is no other way, right?”
Malcolm did not respond to Sharon’s words, but instead kissed her forehead.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Are you sure you don’t know that?”
“….”
“Please do your best to save Rahul. I am asking you to ensure that the child can live a healthy life in the future. “Isn’t that why you came to visit my wife and I?”
“That’s true, but…”
Choi Ki-seok trailed off.
I was able to clearly recall the pain and sadness the couple must have experienced before making this decision. That’s why I couldn’t just be happy that Rahul had the opportunity to have surgery.
The situation is clearly different from usual.
Because he stood at the point where someone’s pain turned into someone’s hope.
“Dr. Choi. Please.”
Sharon continued, crying.
“I also hated sending Gerard away, but… I can’t help it. “There is no other way now.”
“….”
“Instead, promise me one thing. He said he would make Rahul’s surgery successful. So that my child’s heart can live and breathe, even if only in Rahul’s body. “If the surgery fails, Gerard will die twice.”
She couldn’t hold back her overwhelming emotions and shed tears.
Choi Ki-seok’s heart was saddened by the sadness she vomited.
“I will definitely keep that promise. Even if I risk everything.”
“Let’s talk in detail later. “I guess this is enough for today, right?”
“yes. “Okay then.”
Choi Ki-seok left the hospital room.
The bridge of my nose felt sore, but I persevered and returned to the thoracic surgery department.
The die is cast.
All that remains is to sweat and sweat to achieve the best results.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
When I knocked on Kwon Il-soo’s office door, I heard a voice telling me to come in.
Kwon Il-soo and Song Myeong-jin were having tea time sitting on the sofa in the office.
“What’s going on? “Mr. Choi came to visit me at this time.”
“Mr. Choi, your eyes are red. Did you cry?”
Song Myeong-jin read his expression and closed the distance with one step.
“What happened? Did Benson do any harm to you? “Tell me now.”
“it’s okay. “That’s not the case.”
Choi Ki-seok reassured Song Myeong-jin and sat across from Kwon Il-soo. He then explained in detail what had just happened at the neurosurgery clinic.
Gerard, who was declared brain dead, and his parents agreed to an organ transplant.
“Hmm… something like that happened.”
“The couple made a big decision.”
The two people said a word with heavy expressions.
Isn’t it the heart of parents who don’t want to give up even a glimmer of hope even if their child is brain dead?
Their decision was truly great.
“Did you tell Rahul and his wife what happened just now?”
“I haven’t done it yet. “I decided it would be better to do it after the surgery plan was detailed.”
“okay. good job.”
Kwon Il-soo nodded slightly.
“By the way… I think we should schedule the surgery as soon as possible. First, transfer Gerard to the thoracic surgery department and order blood tests and heart function tests. Just in case, check other organs thoroughly as well.”
“….”
“I don’t know if Mr. Choi has experienced it. “There are frequent cases where the surgery is postponed because the donor is in poor health right before the surgery.”
“yes. “I will take responsibility for Gerard’s health until the surgery.”
“haha. It’s good to be full of motivation, but don’t stare at me like that. “Because I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“I’m kidding. I’m kidding. “You don’t have to worry about it.”
While the conversation was interrupted for a moment, Song Myeong-jin, who had been quiet, placed a hand on his shoulder.
“You said earlier that you personally went to the guardian and asked for an organ transplant, right?”
“…yes. I did something terrible to that couple. That’s why I don’t want this surgery to fail even more.”
“I completely understand how you feel, but now is the time to calm down.”
Choi Ki-seok felt strangely calmed by Song Myeong-jin’s gentle gaze. The heat, which was as hot as an active volcano, gradually began to subside.
“Even if your chest is too hot, it can cause problems. Take a slow, deep breath and think about your future direction. “The current feelings are melted away through treatment.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Afterwards, Choi Ki-seok talked with Kwon Il-soo about the upcoming heart surgery.
“Oh, and I also have something to say to Professor Song.”
“To me?”
Song Myeong-jin tilted his head.
“You asked me to complete new surgery for dilated cardiomyopathy and heart failure. “I finally found a clue about surgery.”
“Already? “I thought it would take at least a year for the outline to become clear.”
Song Myeong-jin could not help but be impressed.
Choi Ki-seok was currently carrying out a busy schedule at MHC.
From basic patient management to outpatient treatment, cruise dispatch, and project team activities.
In the meantime, I couldn’t believe that I had found the clue to the new surgery so quickly.
“I hope you prepare a new Fresh Cadaver. “I can’t wait to show off my performance this weekend.”
“ha ha ha. “I’m already looking forward to it.”
A happy smile appeared on Song Myeong-jin’s lips.
“And once I complete the surgery, there is one thing I would like to ask you, Professor.”
“Please… can I at least give you a kiss?”
“That’s fine, but my request is on the other side.”
Choi Ki-seok grinned and accepted Song Myeong-jin’s joke.
“Will you do me a favor?”
“Aren’t you going to explain what your request is?”
“yes. “Before that, I would like to hear the professor’s confirmation first.”
“Well, as long as you don’t imitate Rambo, everything is okay.”
“of course. “Professor Benson’s imitation of Rambo is sufficient.”
After receiving his teacher’s confirmation, Choi Ki-seok finished the conversation and moved to the psychiatric ward.
Now it’s time to decorate the finale of the day.
* * *
Department of Neuropsychiatry.
Ride, ride, ride.
Lucy was transcribing the contents of her consultation with the patient onto the chart.
There were more things to write down than usual after conversations with patients suffering from delusions.
“Oh my, it’s refreshing.”
After finishing typing, Lucy stretched out comfortably and stared at the wall clock.
The current time is 4:50 PM.
The time has come for the promised person to arrive.
Before that, I looked at Victor’s medical records to prepare for the consultation.
Victor and his family were taken to the emergency room after inhaling smoke from barbecue briquettes. Unfortunately, his father and older brother who came with him lost their lives and he was the only survivor.
The unfortunate thing is that the culprit of all these incidents is his father.
It is said that his father suffered from depression and even sent a text message to his grandfather saying he wanted to commit suicide.
In such a situation, he ended up committing extreme acts such as giving his children sleeping pills and lighting a gas fire in their room.
widely. widely. widely.
Lucy tapped the table with her fingertips.
Due to this incident, Victor experienced suicidal thoughts due to the guilt and shock of not being able to stop his father. To make matters worse, I suffered from severe panic disorder and depression.
“It’s a little annoying.”
Lucy’s eyebrows furrowed.
Given the circumstances, it is natural that Victor develops mental illness.
However, I couldn’t shake the feeling that his symptoms were too textbook-like.
Should I say that I am showing symptoms by studying psychiatric books?
That feeling played a part in the reason why I accepted Choi Ki-seok’s proposal.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
When I heard a knock telling me to come in, Choi Ki-seok appeared.
“Lucy are you ready?”
