In a brightly lit operating room, about four or five people surrounded a patient. The cold air without any warmth or the minimal movement did not feel as real as watching a TV screen at first glance.
There is no music that is common in other operating rooms. In the operating room, where speaking is extremely limited, let alone joking, the only sound is when the surgeon is changing the instruments he or she is holding.
Rattling.
Hae-joon treated the blood vessel leaking out and placed the instrument on the steel tray. When the scrub nurse who controlled his breathing handed him the next instrument, Hae-joon squeezed it as if he was enjoying the familiar feeling. But even for a moment, before he could forget the feeling, his hand moved towards the patient’s chest. There is no benefit in delaying time during a major surgery that involves opening a person’s heart.
“Dr. Jeong, how are the patient’s vitals?”
“ah… … “HR (heart rate) has also returned to normal levels, and AVP (arginine-vasopressin: antidiuretic hormone) and CVP (central venous pressure) are both fine.”
As the anesthesiologist read the monitor, Hae-joon seemed a little relieved and removed his hands.
‘You can do this, right?’
She glanced at the patient’s open chest and told the assistants what to do next. Her staff looked at her in a bit of surprise, but Hae-joon was calm and undisturbed both when she was wearing her mask and when she was taking it off.
“and… … .”
As soon as Hae-joon stepped back, scrub nurse Yeon-joo bit her lip slightly. In fact, the thing that feels most unreal to them is not the patient lying down with his eyes closed or the cold air. I have become accustomed to the unique silence of the operating room and the smell of blood that would make some people feel sick. So, of course, the most unrealistic person in the ten-pyeong operating room is Hae-joon, the surgeon.
“Is there something wrong with the patient?”
“Oh, no.”
Yeon-joo, who was staring at her, shook his head the moment he met Hae-joon’s dark brown eyes, which were revealed as he took off the loupe. Maybe she is just as beautiful even to other women.
She is definitely a person to whom the word beautiful rather than pretty would fit better. The eyes, which were refreshing and slightly raised at the ends, were as proud as a cat. Most of her features included closed red lips, a sharp bridge of the nose that seemed to have been painted against her face, and a surgical bandana covering her hair, but it did not hinder the slightest guess of her natural appearance.
“Well, thank you all for your hard work.”
“professor. “Are you going to leave?”
Yeonjoo was a little surprised and smiled awkwardly. Hae-jun, who was appointed as a full-time doctor at Jeil Hospital this year, pursued perfection in the operating room as well as his appearance. I was a person who felt angry only when I finished everything myself, including cleaning and suturing, which would normally be left to an assistant, so it was surprising that I left the operating room first today.
“Don’t do that, let’s eat together. “We had it delivered to us.”
“no. “I have something important to do.”
“… … .”
Do you know that even if the corners of your mouth turn up just a little, the atmosphere changes completely?
As Yeon-joo could not take his eyes off her lips, which were slightly lifted out of politeness, Hae-joon hurriedly left the operating room as if he was burdened. The anesthesiologist standing next to the monitor laughed as he watched Yeonju still chasing Haejun.
“I can’t take my eyes off you. Do you like Teacher Yoon that much?”
“… … You’re cool. “He’s charismatic.”
Yeonjoo didn’t bother to deny it and just laughed as he cleaned up the surgical tools he used. If you think about it, there are few people in the operating room who don’t admire Hae-joon.
“How can you be so perfect in your first year as a fellow? Isn’t that right, Teacher Kim?”
“They say it wasn’t a joke when you were at Korea University. “At first glance, she looks like a sassy queen.”
Someone from the staff chimed in, and the topic naturally turned to Hae-joon. Everyone was itching to express their interest that they could not bear to show in front of her in this way.
“But he quietly took care of the surgery and other difficult tasks without complaining even once. From the outside, it doesn’t look like he’s going to lift a finger, but he probably has the busiest schedule.”
“But…” … “Don’t you feel a bit distant?”
Because it’s so perfect.
Although the reason was not explained, everyone realized that they had the same thought through each other’s awkward laughter. From appearance to skill to personality, there is no gap that can be squeezed in.
Yeonju sticks out her lower lip as if she is a little disappointed, but in front of her eyes, all she sees is the patient’s heart beating, showing ‘what a cool-headed and perfect doctor Yoon Haejun is.’
“Well, I guess she would be the CS girl head of the household.”
Crack.
Hae-joon’s legs gradually became faster as he walked down the hallway without even changing his surgical clothes. After confirming that there was no one around, his face also relaxed. At the last moment, when her breathing became urgent, she opened the door to her classroom.
“Professor Park!”
“Oh oh. “Is our Jun here?”
“Are you leaving now?”
As he reached out his hand to the center director who was packing his luggage, Hae-joon’s eyes instantly filled with tears. I knew it would be like this. She was so distracted that she forgot to close the door, so the center director pushed the door shut instead.
“I told you to be careful. “How many eyes are there to see?”
“What should I be more careful about now?”
“… … .”
“I came here only trusting the professor. If you go like this… … .”
What do you mean?
Hae-joon’s nose felt sore just thinking about it, so he rubbed the tip of his nose with the back of his hand. With only one door in between, she, who had never been a haughty queen in her world, now covered her mouth with both hands like a princess in a miserable defeat.
“What should I do? now.”
“Whatever. “You just have to do what you do.”
The center director tried to act calm and patted Hae-joon on the shoulder, but in reality, he was just as worried. With great determination, he couldn’t bear to leave his best student, who had left his alma mater, alone in this large hospital.
“Why am I suffering from such a disease? “I’m so embarrassed that I can’t even say I’m the director of the cardiovascular center anymore.”
“Why is it your fault, Professor? “You only see patients day and night.”
Exactly for that reason, he suffered a myocardial infarction, putting his position as director of Cheil Hospital’s Cardiovascular Center in vain. Despite suffering from various chronic diseases, he was unable to rest even for a single day and was standing in the operating room all day. A week ago, after taking a few steps, he collapsed clutching his chest.
“Still, I’m glad if it’s good. “Hae-jun received a stent right away from you and is now fine.”
“I’m a professor.”
As Professor Park patted his chest in pride, Hae-joon reluctantly smiled. I recently performed the procedure myself, so I know Professor Park’s condition best.
“You need to rest well for the next three months. “Did you know?”
“Yes, yes. All right. Professor Yoon. That’s how it should be.”
“… … “Are you making fun of me?”
“I said no. I promised. “Jun said he will make you a professor next year.”
“… … .”
“If CS doesn’t disappear by then and remains.”
As Professor Park rubbed his glasses with a solemn expression, Hae-joon could not bear it anymore and placed both arms on the desk. Hmm. Her brown bob hair flowing along her downturned head was reflected in the golden sunset, leaving a faint afterimage.
As if their position might disappear soon.
“Gwae, it’ll be okay. “I will protect this place well, so don’t worry.”
“Jun.”
“What can happen in three months? This is Cheil Hospital. Daejeon Hospital with 100 years of tradition.”
Hae-joon smiled brightly as if he was trying to cheer up, but in fact, there was some ambiguity in these words. Cheil Hospital, where she currently works, is a leading general hospital with a long history, but it was transferred to the large conglomerate Seomun Group several years ago.
Since then, the faculty has been replaced and the system has completely changed, so there is no one among the other professors who can lead the department of thoracic surgery as head of the department. She was a trainee doctor at a non-university hospital, so she only had three, and as a full-time doctor, her shoulders were heavy.
“… … If I had known this would happen, Jun would have just left you at Korea University Hospital. “Why should I be so greedy?”
“Because it’s not. I really like it here. “You know.”
“… … .”
Professor Park opened his mouth for the first time in response to Hae-joon’s sincere smile. How pretty your shy smile is. As a teacher, I was saddened by the reality that I couldn’t live my life with a smile.
“okay. “Jun, you should at least stay here.”
“professor.”
“If we somehow hold out until next year and get a separate heart transplant center, wouldn’t we be able to bring in all the remaining students from Korea University?”
“sure. That’s how it should be!”
Heart Transplant Center!
As if by magic, Hae-joon’s eyes changed. He had promised himself countless times since he first came to Jeil Hospital, but this is not his beloved alma mater, but a battlefield. There is a reason why, for 11 long months, we have been desperately trying to avoid any flaws in this place, which is as precarious as a sand castle.
“If a heart transplant center opens, I will definitely bring my children. “Until now, you just saw that one thing and ran.”
“okay. So… … .”
For a moment, Hae-joon was relieved as he solemnly bit his lip, and the end of Professor Park’s words became as blurry as his eyes.
“A new chairman is coming soon?”
“… … “Who?”
“Why is he the eldest son of Seomun Group? “I’ve been on TV for a while. Don’t you know?”
“… … .”
Hae-joon almost shouted, “What is the TV doing?” and swallowed his saliva. When you’re stuck in an operating room all day and don’t know the weather that day, TV and other newspapers are a different world. However, if the chairman of the board is changed during the current emergency, it is inevitable that we will at least understand that it is not a good thing.
“no way. A chaebol is just a name. “I plan to add a line to the history on a homepage or something later.”
“I would like that too, but the rumors I hear are unusual.”
“… … Professor, is it time to worry about that? “You need to get better quickly and come back and cut the tape with me when we hold the opening ceremony for the heart transplant center.”
Is it time for us to worry about the conglomerates?
