Knot (3)
“Everyone worked hard.”
Choi Ki-seok let go of the scalpel and looked down at Abudi.
As a result of using the Eye of Hippocrates on him, his results turned out to be good.
It was proof that the surgery was successful.
An unfortunate incident occurred in the middle of the house where CPR was performed, but after getting over it, the process proceeded smoothly.
The auxiliary staff from Capital Hospital also played a solid role.
Jiyiing.
The operating room door opened and staff poured out.
‘Is this a dream or reality?’
Bomani pinched his cheek as he watched Choi Ki-seok go ahead.
What kind of surgery is OPCAB?
A heart that beats roughly because the heart-lung machine is not working.
Isn’t this surgery to create a new bypass?
Although the surgical process was not complicated, all procedures required precision. Therefore, the prevailing opinion was that OPCAB was a surgery that tested the pure physical skills of a thoracic surgeon.
However, Choi Ki-seok finished OPCAB in 90 minutes.
Even the head of the thoracic surgery department at the Capital Hospital shortened the surgery time, which took nearly four to five hours, by nearly three times.
What was even more surprising was that even though the surgery time was shortened, the accuracy was flawless.
“….”
“….”
Suddenly, I made eye contact with my junior, and he was also making a bewildered expression.
It seemed like his junior also felt what he felt.
“senior. Actually, my goal was to do a triple board, but I don’t think I’ll be able to do that. “I guess I’d have to die and wake up ten times to do that?”
“well. “But that won’t work, right?”
A bitter smile appeared on Bomani’s lips.
* * *
Two weeks have passed since Abudi’s OPCAB ended.
He recovered at a phenomenal rate and was able to walk within five days. He was very satisfied with the results of the surgery and showed interest in a treatment for sleeping sickness even before Choi Ki-seok spoke.
As a result, the meeting between Cled Pharmaceuticals and Abudi was held at Obeid Hospital.
There was controversy over the price of the treatment, but negotiations were concluded without major disagreement through Choi Ki-seok’s mediation.
Abudi was able to set a satisfactory price for the treatment, and Cled Pharmaceutical Company had the sleeping sickness treatment it developed recognized as an official treatment by the Sudanese government.
Choi Ki-seok achieved his desired goal.
In addition to his treatment, he consistently filmed videos and uploaded them to NewTube.
Many people visited his account for his realistic videos that did not force people’s emotions.
The videos uploaded twice a week exceeded 1 million views each time, and inquiries for sponsorship were flooded.
In this way, Choi Ki-seok achieved the honor of becoming the first doctor to receive the New Tube Gold Button.
Meanwhile, Cled Pharmaceutical Company began reproducing a treatment for sleeping sickness, and the Sudanese government supplied it to all hospitals in Sudan.
It was the moment when the infamous Melaspro disappeared into the back of history. Thanks to this, Abna was able to smoothly receive treatment for sleeping sickness with a new drug without side effects.
Medical activities continue in a harsh environment.
Choi Ki-seok overcame the ordeal by relying on himself and his colleagues without blaming those around him.
Simple people who didn’t ask questions.
As he solved the urgent survival problems they faced, his mind expanded.
It was a realization that I could never attain in the United States or Korea.
As time passed, the last evening of the three-month short-term mission arrived.
Choi Ki-seok organized the clinic and introduced the hospital to his successor.
“You stayed here for three months?”
After the introduction, Japanese doctor Taisei looked like a surprised rabbit.
Choi Ki-seok could barely suppress his laughter because his reaction was the same as his own reaction when he first came to the hospital.
“The hospitalization room is full of patients and guardians, and there is only one operating room. Moreover, it is not possible to communicate with the patient.”
“Compared to Japan, I can’t stay here. “You will have to let go of a lot of things.”
“I really need to be very prepared.”
“That’s right. However, if you can endure it well, you will gain a lot. “I can promise you that one thing.”
After finishing talking with Taisei, Choi Ki-seok went down to the first floor. However, while walking down the hallway, I coincidentally ran into Abna, who was getting ready for work.
“Abna. I think they told me to rest for another week….”
“My body ached and I couldn’t bear it. “It’s painful to lie in bed for more than three months.”
“I don’t know why.”
He used the Eye of Hippocrates on Abna and then nodded.
There was no sleeping sickness in the diagnosis.
Finally, she defeated sleeping sickness and regained her health.
I was just grateful to her for persistently persevering until a cure for sleeping sickness was developed.
“By the way, today is your last day of work, right?”
“yes. “It’s a pity, but I have to go back to Korea.”
“Not America, but Korea? “Didn’t Dr. Choi work at MHC?”
“I have work to do in Korea.”
Unlike the United States, the environment for thoracic surgery in Korea is extremely poor.
First of all, even though the surgery was difficult and arduous, he did not receive proper compensation, and the resulting vicious cycle was repeated chronically.
What’s even more unfortunate is that while he was training in the United States, thoracic surgery did not improve even as much as a fingernail.
There is still a shortage of thoracic surgery majors even in university hospitals.
The future of Korean thoracic surgery is still dark.
Revealing this was his final goal.
“Dr. Choi will do well wherever he goes. “You’ve done a great job here too.”
“After hearing all the praise, I don’t know what to do?”
“He is humble again.”
There was warmth in the eyes of the two people looking at each other.
“It’s been a lot of hard work. Thanks to you, I was cured of my sleeping sickness… and I will never forget Dr. Choi from now on.”
“Me too.”
There was silence for a moment, and then a ringing notification was heard.
[You have obtained the legendary item beautiful gift box. You can obtain a large amount of PP by opening the box.]
“I… I think I need to go to the doctor’s office because of my shift. See you tomorrow.”
Abna walked away, wiping her moist eyes, and Ki-Seok Choi watched her and opened the status window.
Hehehe.
When I opened the beautiful gift box, a brilliant light came out.
[You have obtained 500,000 PP.]
My eyes widened when I saw the PP that had risen in an instant.
The PP I have accumulated through training so far is 500,000, and I obtained it all at once through items.
It was natural that I couldn’t keep my mouth shut.
Eventually, his gaze moved to another item.
Another life is a legendary item obtained while helping Lavigne who attempted suicide. The PP needed to use another life is one million, and I have collected it all.
[Legendary item Another Life.]
[Items can be released by consuming one million PP. The effect of the item is unknown until liberation.]
‘Hmm… What should I do with this?’
Choi Ki-seok rubbed his chin and was lost in thought.
When the opportunity to use the item came, I was filled with fear.
What does another life mean?
Is it really okay to become a different person and live one more time?
As if the person who was originally destined to live as Choi Ki-seok?
Or is it possible to live longer than others without dying?
Thought after thought.
When I tried to open the item out of curiosity, a new phrase came to mind.
[Would you like to use another life item? The item effect is activated while maintaining the current ability level. If not used, the item is automatically used right before death.]
‘Use the item right before death…’
Choi Ki-seok repeated the phrase and then turned off the status window.
If the item occurred automatically right before death, there was no need to use it now. To be more honest, it would be accurate to say that I don’t have the courage to use the item right now.
I felt like I would have crossed a river of no return if I had another life.
“honey. What are you doing?”
I turned around at the sound of a familiar voice and saw Jeong Seol-hwa approaching.
“no. “I just have something to think about.”
“Aren’t you feeling groggy because it’s the last day of the mission?”
“uh? uh.”
“Let’s take a short walk.”
First, I left the hospital with Jeong Seol-hwa, arm in arm.
The sunset sky was beautiful.
As the rainy season passed, a cool breeze began to blow through the muggy wind.
It was perfect weather for walking.
The two walked around the hospital in silence for a while.
It was Choi Ki-seok who tried his luck first.
“I still can’t believe it. I’m leaving tomorrow. “I think I came to the hospital about a week ago.”
“me too. I never dreamed that I would last three months here. Time is so scary. “They’re taking us somewhere, one way or another.”
“wow. What you just said was a bit cool. “Do you feel like a poet?”
“Tch! “Don’t make fun of me.”
Jeong Seol-hwa playfully pinched his side, and Choi Ki-seok made a fuss and pretended to be in pain.
“Now that I think about it, a lot has happened. Didn’t he meet a lioness when his car broke down? Didn’t he treat patients he’d never seen before in the U.S.? Didn’t he connect pharmaceutical companies and the government in filming a NewTube video?…” “Fool
. “We can’t forget about being kidnapped.”
Jeong Seol-hwa added a word to Choi Ki-seok’s words.
“ah. really. “That was it.”
“It’s not like it was there. “Even now, whenever I think about that time, my insides turn black.”
“sorry.”
“Honestly, honey, you don’t have to feel sorry. “The bad ones are the people who kidnapped you.”
She must have been angry at the thought at the time, so her arms were crossed and she put a lot of strength into it.
“Do you know what happened to the people who kidnapped them?”
“I haven’t heard anything, but I think I know the basics.”
Choi Ki-seok continued.
After Choi Ki-seok was released, the Aldi gang was completely quiet, and there was no incident of kidnapping a medical group nearby. So, I was speculating that Aldi might stop being a prophet and disband the organization.
“How about NewTube?”
Jeong Seol-hwa changed the topic.
“I uploaded the last video today. “The subscribers were very disappointed.”
“There have been no videos that vividly captured medical settings. Our honey, you’ve had a hard time. “It would be difficult to give treatment, so I took a video.”
She smiled brightly and fell into Choi Ki-seok’s arms, and he gently stroked her head.
“Have you decided on your plans in Korea?”
“yet. There are so many places to come. “The Big Five hospitals are making a fuss about giving each other the position of head of thoracic surgery.”
“My wife is what kind of person she is, so of course she should be.”
“is it?”
Choi Ki-seok kissed Jeong Seol-hwa’s forehead and gazed at the sunset.
As the setting sun deepened, his final goal was stirring in his chest.
* * *
The next morning.
Choi Ki-seok and Jeong Seol-hwa were busy packing their bags.
Considering the time it took to get to the private airport by car and then back to the capital airport, I had to hurry.
Ki-Seok Choi was lost in thought as he looked down at his overstuffed suitcase.
Although it was a short medical activity of 3 months, I felt very attached to this place.
The fact that I was leaving for Korea wasn’t all that easy.
“Are you ready?”
“huh. “Let’s go down.”
The two left the dormitory and moved to the conference room on the first floor.
In the conference room, the hospital staff, including hospital director Neymar, gathered together. It was the second meeting, following a small farewell party held yesterday evening.
“It feels like the last few months have gone by in a flash. Probably because Mr. Choi and Miss Jeong did a lot of work at the hospital.”
“….”
“Other staff members probably think the same as me.”
Neymar got up from his seat and approached the two people. And, like a grandfather, he smiled warmly and held the two people’s hands.
“The hospital director also worked hard. “It was a great honor to be able to live with the hospital director.”
“ha ha ha. “What I will say.”
Neymar burst into laughter.
“Thanks to Mr. Choi’s promotion on NewTube, donations to the South Sudan branch have increased several orders of magnitude. Where is that? Changing the treatment for sleeping sickness was an unprecedented groundbreaking event. “Honestly, I feel like I want to hold on, but I force myself to hold back.”
“….”
“This place is too small for you to operate. Go out and treat more people who are sick. The last thing I would like to say is….”
Neymar’s restless eyes looked back and forth between Choi Ki-seok and Jeong Seol-hwa.
I expected the usual comments to follow, such as I wish you good health and I pray that blessings will always be with you, but there was a slight twist.
“I hope you two get married as soon as possible.”
“Ha ha ha ha ha.”
“Get married! “Get married!”
Some staff members laughed at Neymar’s words, while others clapped or whistled.
Jeong Seol-hwa’s cheeks turned red like apricots due to her colleagues’ pranks.
On the other hand, Choi Ki-seok confidently held Jeong Seol-hwa’s hand.
“Of course I should. “It’s just a matter of time.”
“Mr. Choi, now I see you’re a tough guy?”
Laughter erupted in the conference room once again, and the two took turns saying goodbye to the staff.
“Goodbye to you both.”
“I will contact you even when I go to Korea.”
Colleagues came out of the hospital and waved to see the two people off until they got into the car.
Buuuuuung.
Finally, the jeep left the hospital.
Choi Ki-seok and Jeong Seol-hwa turned their heads and stared at the shrinking hospital as if they had made a promise.
“I feel strange. “I thought when it was time to leave, I wouldn’t look back.”
Choi Ki-seok gently stroked Jeong Seol-hwa’s head as she trailed off.
“so do i. “I think I’ll think of this place even when I go back to Korea.”
“Dr. Choi. Have you made any plans for after returning to Korea?”
Nareka, who had been quiet, joined the conversation.
“Nothing is certain yet.”
“I think a doctor as good as Dr. Choi would be asked to come to many places.”
“There are many, but there is no one that really catches my eye. “You have to think about your future step by step.”
“okay.”
Nareka nodded.
While the conversation was paused for a moment, the cell phone I had placed in my clothes started shaking.
Choi Ki-seok checked the number and quickly answered the phone.
“Hello professor.”
[Mr. Choi. long time no see. Today is the last day of medical service, right?]
“Yes. I’m already on my way to the private airport by car. “Professor, everything is okay, right?”
[MHC is peace itself. Mr. Choi is the majority shareholder, so who would dare to carry out a conspiracy?]
“How are Chief Yasada and Professor Kwon Il-soo doing?”
[Sure. Maybe it’s because I don’t have anything to worry about, but I’ve gained a lot of weight these days. I’m on a diet or something.]
He smiled at his teacher’s playful tone.
After he became MHC’s majority shareholder, MHC returned to being a truly patient-centered hospital.
I heard that it took an overwhelming first place in the recent American Thoracic Surgery Evaluation.
[By the way, Mr. Choi. Not long ago, hospital director Jo Ji-hwan contacted me.]
Jo Ji-hwan.
A name I haven’t heard in such a long time.
If I had an album in my head, the colors of the photos would definitely have faded.
He served as an assistant professor at Uijin University when Choi Ki-seok was an intern, and later kicked out his mentor and became the head of the department of thoracic surgery.
He is currently serving as the director of Uijin University Hospital.
[Do you know what he said to me?]
“Maybe he apologized for what happened in the past?”
[Well… how did you know that? Did you talk to hospital director Cho first, not me?]
“Is that possible? “I don’t even know Director Cho’s number.”
Jo Ji-hwan had a secret, and Choi Ki-seok had seen it through for a long time.
It was not difficult to predict Jo Ji-hwan’s actions.
[Honestly, I was surprised. I never thought he would apologize to me. He must have even checked to see if the sun had risen in the west during the phone call.]
“I think I would have done the same if I were in the professor’s position.”
[I don’t know if Mr. Choi might find it a bit bland, but we resolved all of our past grievances over the phone. It’s not good to hate people. It’s like setting your own body on fire.]
“As expected, you are amazing. If it were me, I wouldn’t have been able to do that. “Did Hospital Director Cho say anything else?”
[He asked for Mr. Choi’s contact information. I plan to let you know if Teacher Choi gives permission.]
“I don’t think it would be okay if you let me know.”
[That’s surprising again. I thought Dr. Choi hated Hospital Director Cho.]
“That’s right. I will never like that person in the future. But things have changed a little. “Because Hospital Director Cho is no longer the enemy.”
[Not an enemy… Those are meaningful words.]
“I will contact you again after the meeting.”
[is it so. Mr. Choi does whatever is convenient.]
Choi Ki-seok talked with Song Myeong-jin some more and then hung up.
“Look over there!”
While driving slowly on the dirt road, Nareka pointed to a place with her index finger.
A pride of lions was taking a nap.
“Isn’t he the same guy back then?”
“I guess that’s right?”
Choi Ki-seok nodded as he looked at the lion that Jeong Seol-hwa pointed to.
Among the pride of lions, there was one that particularly stood out.
A lion with a bandage on its hind leg is a lioness who was treated by Choi Ki-seok in the past.
“Nareka, can you stop the car for a moment?”
“Are you sure you want to go see the lion?”
“That’s right.”
Nareka trembled at Choi Ki-seok’s words.
“It’s a bit… there’s no guarantee that he’ll be as friendly as before.”
“Please just stop the car. “I’ll take care of the rest.”
“…yes.”
When Nareka stopped the car, several lions showed curiosity and approached the car.
Of course, among them was the lioness I had treated before.
Purr purr.
The lioness, who was close to the car, stood up and scratched the car with her front paws, just like a cat getting angry.
After persuading Jeong Seol-hwa and Nareka for a while, Choi Ki-seok went outside alone. Then the lioness rubbed her head at his feet as if she had been waiting.
“Cute guy. “What a cat.”
While stroking the lioness’s head, he removed the dust-covered bandage.
The flesh fell off and pink flesh filled up over the ugly wound.
Fortunately, there seemed to be no infection.
While he was receiving the lioness’s affection, this time the male lion, who had been watching him from a distance, strolled over to him. Then, in an instant, he raised his upper body and attacked Choi Ki-seok.
It may have seemed dangerous, but it was just a prelude to cuteness.
The investigator stood upright and licked Choi Ki-seok’s face with his tongue.
“hey. stop! “Stop it.”
Choi Ki-seok gently pushed the lion’s face, but the lion stubbornly stuck out his face and tried to lick his tongue.
As a signal, the lions around came rushing in and made a show of coquettishness towards Choi Ki-seok.
“Dr. Jeong. I have one question. “Did Dr. Choi also work as a zookeeper before becoming a doctor?”
“It can’t be. “I got a job at a hospital right after graduating from medical school.”
“But why don’t those scary lions go crazy when they see Dr. Choi? “Is this possible based on common sense?”
“I don’t know either. But…”
Jeong Seol-hwa burst into laughter as she watched Choi Ki-seok playing with the lions.
“Could it be that you were a lion in your past life?”
* * *
On the plane heading to Korea.
Choi Ki-seok leaned against the back of his chair and was lost in thought.
There were two main things to do when I returned to Korea.
One thing was able to proceed smoothly through preparation, but the remaining one was a problem.
It was about improving the poor treatment of thoracic surgeons.
‘Where should I go?’
The first step in planning was to find a hospital to work at, but this wasn’t that easy.
The easiest thing to do was to become the chief of thoracic surgery at a university hospital, but it didn’t really appeal to me.
There were already forces with vested interests in university hospitals.
Even though he had the title of triple board cardiothoracic surgeon, conflict with them was inevitable.
Because taking care of patients and leading the power relations within the hospital were two completely different things.
If the two were the same type of work, there would be no reason for Master Song Myeong-jin to leave Uijin University.
‘It’s not that easy.’
Choi Ki-seok rubbed his chin.
In fact, I thought about building a hospital by taking out some of MHC’s shares, but I didn’t like that either.
In that case, the time it takes to build a hospital cannot be ignored, and energy must be devoted not only to treatment but also to hospital management.
However, he only wanted to focus on improving patients and thoracic surgery treatment.
While I was lost in thought, the plane arrived at Incheon International Airport.
Ki-seok Choi shook the shoulder of Seol-hwa Jeong, who was sleeping soundly.
“honey. “Everyone is here.”
“Hmm. already?”
Jeong Seol-hwa rubbed her sleepy eyes and made a mesmerized expression.
Seeing her lovely appearance, he kissed her forehead.
“fool. “You see people.”
“What do you think? “You are mine anyway.”
Jeong Seol-hwa twisted her body as if embarrassed by the long-awaited chicken comment.
Eventually, the two got off the plane and came out to the lobby with their suitcases in tow. Seeing Korean people and signs written in Korean made me feel like I had returned to Korea.
“It’s a new beginning again.”
“Are you worried?”
“No. I’m so excited.”
Ki-seok Choi left the airport lobby with Seol-hwa Jeong, dragging the suitcase.
Returned to Korea after 2 years.
His last dream was about to unfold.
