Chapter 14 – What day, what time(7)

“Understood. Then I will schedule the surgery at the most convenient time.”

Placing down his cellphone, Chief Ha sent Dowook an ‘OK’ gesture. Since Prof. Choi, the VIP patient, and Chief Ha all consented, the vice dean had no choice but to agree.

“I guess this is how things will go. Dowook, we can still back out now. Should we cancel everything?”

“Huh? Can we cancel? Then I’ll think a bit…..”

“Brat, do you really think we can! You should at least act like you’re a bit nervous. You’re the one performing the surgery but it’s my heart that’s about to jump out of my chest.”

“Nervousness comes only when one is energetic.”

After several days of being on-duty and being so tired he couldn’t think straight, Dowook was only able to yawn.

At the sight of his student who displayed exactly how tired he was, Chief Ha sent him a pitiful look.

“You’ve worked hard. Go rest and take care of yourself. Remember to come back on time tomorrow.”

“Yep.”

Leaving the room, Dowook went to the on-duty room to pack his things and got ready to leave for home. Simply moving made him tired, however, if he spent another night in the cramped night duty room, his body would not be able to take it.

Going out to the main street and walking for 10 minutes, he soon saw the familiar appearance of the sharehouse.

Scanning his access card and opening the door, he saw Seong Chang Soo who’d been lying on the sofa in the public room lift his head.

“You just got off?”

“Don’t ask. I’m dying.”

“Let’s have chicken and beer before you die. Go wash quickly and come back down.”

“I’m just gonna sleep today.”

He trudged up the stairs to the second floor and threw his bag beside his room door. He went straight into the bathroom and relaxed under the shower, allowing the hot water to wash away his exhaustion.

He entered the room wrapped in a towel. Then he laid on his own bed for the first time in 4 days.

‘……..’

Although he needed to sleep soon so he could follow tomorrow’s schedule, sleep didn’t come to him easily.

The main reason was probably the strange phenomenon he experienced yesterday and today.

Dowook recalled the unbelievable things that had happened in the operating room.

His extreme sensitivity had almost faded away. But he still hoped it remained so he could gain more experience and improve. Although it was something that he had to experience again to be sure.

‘Oh, right.’

He grabbed his phone from the side table and looked for the number of the police officer he asked for before coming home.

[Sergeant, if you find the runaway patient, please contact me at this number. I’m the one responsible for the case at the hospital.]

After sending the message, he still couldn’t fall asleep so he opened the MRI film of the patient about to go into surgery. Then he stared a hole into the cyst he had to resect tomorrow.

Click. Thud.

His door suddenly opened and Seong Chang Soo peeked in.

“The chicken’s here. Are you really not gonna have any?”

“I’m gonna sleep.”

“What are you looking at so carefully?”

“The VIP’s picture.” [T/N: In Korea, X-ray, CT, and MRI films are all called pictures.]

“Really? Can I see it too?”

Seong Chang Soo ran over to his side.

“You jerk! Careful of the dust!”

“I can finally see her flower-like appeara ……”

Seeing the brain scan on the phone, Seong Chang Soo looked dumbfounded.

“Why are you looking at something like this with a blank face?”

“Can’t you see that I’m seriously examining the case?”

“Whatever. How pretty is she?”

Maybe it was because Seong Chang Soo kept asking about her, but her smiling face that he saw at the Skylounge flashed through his mind.

“That part really looked like a flower.”

“What part?”

Yawning, Dowook pointed outside.

“My eyelids are becoming heavier. Get lost before I can’t fall asleep.”

“Ah! Answer my question first!”

* * *

Seeing as all 10 residents of Sinchon Sharehouse were doctors working at Myeong Sae Hospital, every morning was a warzone. But there was one rule everyone followed.

The order of using the bathroom was based on how much duty one had that day.

“I have to take care of 40 patients on my round. Please save me.”

“I have 40, plus 20 more. I also have to prepare for a conference.”

“A fellow in our department had indigestion so all work is double. Please show some consideration.”

Finally, the thoracic department’s Jeong Inseok, who had to cover for a colleague, was decided to be first. The moment the first person to use the bathroom was decided.

Waking at the sound of his alarm, Dowook slammed opened his door and shouted.

“I have a surgery today! The assistant will be Choi Hoo!”

At the words ‘Choi Hoo,’ everyone stopped moving.

Drinking a glass of water in the 2nd floor waiting room, Seong Chang Soo thought he had misheard and asked again.

“Dowook. Who’s going to be the assistant?”

“Last Choi.”

“Woah. Rest in peace, my friend.”

In front of the name Choi Hoo, no one tried to get in Dowook’s way. After he entered the bathroom, Dr. Jeong, who was supposed to be first, turned his head.

“Why would Prof. Choi stand as Dowook’s assistant? Chang Soo, do you know why?”

“Maybe it’s part of his hysterics. A baptism in fire.”

“I don’t know how the doctors in the neurosurgery department can survive by that person without trembling. Oh. they have nerves of steel so they’re in the neurosurgery department?”

“Augh, I think you need the same training as Dowook, senior.”

15 minutes later, everyone lowered their voice when Dowook opened the door after he finished even shaving. A solemn atmosphere filled the hall as everyone looked at Dowook as if they were looking at a terminal patient.

Not yet fully recovered from his exhaustion, Dowook staggered to his room. Having a lot of time before he had to get to work, Seong Chang Soo followed after him and leaned on the door.

“The surgery you said you’re doing, it’s the case you were looking at last night, right?”

“Yup.”

“The VIP? What, doesn’t that mean Last Choi can really write a death certificate this time?”

Dowook, who’d been buttoning up his shirt sleepily, turned to face the serious Seong Chang Soo.

“Aren’t you talking a bit too roughly to the person in question?”

“What kind of mistake did you make?”

“It’s because I made a good impression.”

Feeling too lazy to explain everything that had happened, Dowook continued his preparation for work.

“Wait. No, no. If you think about it, isn’t this a case of fatefully saving her life then fatefully performing surgery on her? There’s even a dramatic barrier like Last Choi.”

Dowook couldn’t help but respond to such speculation.

“If you want to watch a drama, turn on the TV. That VIP, she isn’t someone like you’re thinking about.”

“You said she’s pretty. Do you need a bigger reason for destined love?”

“It’s not a question to be asked by someone without any dating experience.”

“This guy!”

Vrrrr.

While Seong Chang Soo was clenching his fist, his phone rang. After checking the message, Seong Chang Soo’s eyes widened.

“What? Why couldn’t I send the payment? Why does it say retrieval failure?”

“Maybe you didn’t have any money in your account.”

“What are you saying? Our salary just got deposited. I don’t use more than my salary.”

Checking his account on his bank app, Seong Chang Soo furrowed his eyebrows.

“See, see. The bonus for this month didn’t come in. As expected. Do I talk to the department’s general affairs office about this? How can they not give me the money I earned by skimping on sleep?”

Now that he thought about it, the juniors in the hospital staff were complaining about a similar case.

“There seems to be some mistakes after some personnel changes in the accounting office.”

“Did you get yours?”

“Just a sec.”

After he finished putting on his clothes, Dowook held his charging phone and froze after looking at the screen.

“Huh? There was a call from Prof. Choi.”

A chill went down his back. Seong Chang Soo was also surprised.

“At what time? Did you just ignore it?”

“Hey, don’t even think such a scary thing.”

Dowook gulped and dialed Prof. Choi’s number.

Click.

“Yes, Prof. Yes, understood.”