Fire.

Dr. Kuramoto had already made his judgment.

At this rate?

The patient’s life was in danger.

He had no reason to step into the fire himself.

Naturally, he intended to take issue with the first aid Taesu’s group had performed.

Of course, he had an excuse as well.

If another surgical team suddenly stepped in during emergency surgery where every second counted?

The risk would be high.

He planned to emphasize that later.

Got you.

A cruel smile appeared at the corners of Dr. Kuramoto’s mouth.

His face was filled with satisfaction, as if this would let him settle every debt.

At the same time, it showed his determination not to get involved in anything dangerous.

“Mm?”

At that moment, Dr. Yamaguchi’s demeanor was different.

Biting down hard on his lip, Dr. Yamaguchi ignored everything and headed for the general anesthesia machine.

At the anesthesiologist’s position, Dr. Yamaguchi turned on the power first.

Whirrr.

Then he informed Taesu of the medications administered.

“Hemostatic agent, antiarrhythmic, sodium, minerals……”

Taesu stored it in his head and immediately started calculating as he gave orders.

“Two bags of glucose, two transfusion packs, and one extra saline.”

“Yes. And…… my real name is Jo Uncheol. It’s the name my grandfather gave me.”

Jo Uncheol?

He had even spoken in Korean from the moment he said his name.

It seemed he had been hiding it until now.

Taesu knew exactly what kind of resolve he had made.

“Dr. Jo, I’ll be counting on you.”

“Yes, Dr. Choi.”

“How long until general anesthesia?”

“……Twenty seconds.”

Dr. Jo Uncheol abruptly raised his voice.

The Japanese medical staff were more than a little shocked.

“That bastard, what’s he saying?”

“What’s wrong with him?”

“How dare he refuse Kuramoto-san’s orders?”

Everyone was in disbelief and strongly objected.

At that moment, Dr. Kuramoto raised his hand to stop them.

“Quiet.”

“……”

“We stand by as we are.”

Dr. Kuramoto’s voice flowed out coldly.

In his eyes, there was no critically ill patient.

His pride and honor came first.

As if he had seen that, Jeong Minsu frowned.

“Are those guys insane?”

“Say it yourself.”

“Should I really?”

“As much as you want.”

Taesu urged him on.

From the moment they had stopped their hands, he had already sensed it.

If they were not the ones in charge, there was no meaning to it.

That was exactly what they were thinking.

He couldn’t understand why there were so many people steeped in a sense of authority.

Nor did he intend to understand.

And yield?

I’d rather bite my tongue.

At this moment, he wanted nothing to do with those who tried to look after their own interests.

Then Jeong Minsu harshly spat out the words he had been holding inside.

“You goddamn sons of bitches, is a person’s life your toy?”

“……”

“Get the hell out. I may not have a single impressive thing to my name, but at least I’m not rotten like you.”

He roared and roared.

Jeong Minsu shouted so fiercely that the classroom itself seemed to tremble.

Only now did it seem possible to gauge just how much anger he had been bottling up.

Even Nurse Casey and Nurse Ellen were startled.

At that moment, Taesu called for Jeong Minsu.

“Done?”

“Even cursing them is a waste.”

“Then get to it.”

Taesu immediately announced the start of the emergency surgery.

And yet the one who stepped forward first was Taesu himself.

Snap.

He held out his hand to the side and called for Nurse Casey.

“Scalpel, Deaver.”

“Coming right up.”

Because she had been startled, Nurse Casey’s response was half a beat late.

In that fleeting moment, Taesu looked at Dr. Jo Uncheol.

“Let’s just do this in English. General anesthesia ready?”

“Not yet.”

“How long are you telling me to wait?”

Taesu shouted.

Still, Dr. Jo Uncheol had more backbone than Jeong Minsu and answered immediately.

“I told you, morphine has been administered.”

“I’m asking about general anesthesia.”

“Ten seconds.”

Tap-tap-tap.

Even as Dr. Jo Uncheol answered, he quickly moved his hands, checking the various machines.

It was then.

Tap.

“Scalpel.”

The scalpel Nurse Casey handed him was placed into Taesu’s outstretched hand.

His gaze immediately turned to the affected area.

The right chest.

The patient had suffered a penetrating wound above the bust point.

The vitals were at an extremely dangerous level.

Waiting?

That was no longer possible.

Just then, Dr. Jo Uncheol’s voice rang out.

“Anesthesia is in.”

At the same time, the scalpel in Taesu’s hand drew a large circle.

“Beginning.”

Sssk.

Emergency surgery began in Taesu’s hands.

Jeong Minsu now responded with practiced ease as well.

“Suction, Bovie.”

“Ready. Suction first.”

“Bovie, stand by for a moment. Gauze.”

“Gauze.”

Thud-thud-thud.

The process of pouring and suctioning was repeated rapidly.

But there was more bleeding than expected.

“Ugh.”

“I’ll take this side.”

Not only Jeong Minsu and Nurse Ellen, but Nurse Casey on the opposite side also lent a hand.

“I’ll do this side.”

“Casey…… just suction out the internal bleeding.”

Taesu had been about to ask for help, but instead switched surgical instruments himself.

If he glanced over and reached out?

The surgical instrument he wanted was already in his hand.

Among dozens of surgical instruments, selecting exactly one in a split second was extremely difficult.

But watching Taesu, it didn’t look that difficult.

That was clearly the difference in experience.

Grip.

With a Senn retractor and hook, he spread the wound himself.

The blood that had pooled inside flowed out again.

Drip-drip.

“Hemostasis, hemostasis.”

“I’m doing it.”

“Faster.”

Taesu and Jeong Minsu moved their hands while shouting as if they would devour the others whole.

At that moment, Dr. Jo Uncheol’s voice was heard.

“Adjusting the pace of general anesthesia.”

“Quickly.”

“Administering muscle relaxant, transfusion pack opened to maximum, adding one ampule of hemostatic agent.”

Dr. Jo Uncheol’s voice had also become agitated at some point.

As the patient’s life grew perilous, his blood was boiling; it showed plainly.

Taesu was not satisfied.

No, the patient was in danger.

Beep-beep-beep-beep.

The ECG went wild, warning of danger.

That sound displeased him.

He hated hearing it.

So no matter what they did, he could not be satisfied.

“Dr. Jo, focus on blood. As much as possible.”

“I know, so stop nagging me, damn it.”

“You can curse all you want, just hurry.”

“I’m doing it. I said I’m doing it.”

He shouted and shouted.

Dr. Jo Uncheol moved while venting all the anger he had.

But the strange thing was, the more intense his voice became, the faster he got.

Was that what Korean blood was like?

There was a tenacious quality to it, responding unmistakably to stimulation.

But this was not the situation to savor that quality.

The vitals were truly at their worst.

Most of all, perhaps because the bleeding had continued for so long, the blood volume was far too low.

Flash.

Taesu’s fierce gaze shot toward those standing by.

“……”

Dr. Kuramoto met that gaze head-on.

The others subtly avoided it.

But no one moved.

In the end, Taesu brought out the words he had already sworn to himself.

“Just try butting in. I’ll smash you first.”

He deliberately muttered in Korean.

He did not even want to exchange words with them.

Taesu coldly withdrew his gaze and focused on the problem before him.

They did not exist.

Here, there were only Dr. Jo Uncheol and them.

That was the answer.

Having coolly organized his thoughts, Taesu quickly began assessing the situation.

He did not even dare think about removing the piece of wood lodged in the chest.

What mattered most?

Bleeding, as expected.

Gurgle, gurgle.

“Gauze over here.”

“I need suction here.”

“Here. Bleeding here too.”

The three people’s hands and voices moved back and forth like mad.

Thanks to that, Taesu was gaining a brief moment to think.

But he couldn’t just keep thinking forever.

Taesu made a decision first.

“Brute force is the answer.”

“What?”

“First, pack in as much gauze as possible. Pull the suction out.”

“What are you trying to do?”

“Let it set like this. Liquid hemostatic, powdered hemostatic.”

Taesu shouted, compressing his orders as simply as possible.

That made them easy to understand.

“Liquid hemostatic, here.”

“Gauze.”

“Suction’s out.”

Even Jeong Minsu responded quickly.

At that moment, Taesu’s gaze turned to the wooden branch.

“Mm?”

“Why all of a sudden?”

“I think it moved for a second.”

“If even that becomes a problem, there’s really no answer.”

Jeong Minsu was not saying that for no reason.

Taesu, too, had not dared to pull it out earlier.

But he thought he had just seen it move. He could not proceed without confirming that part precisely.

“Dr. Jeong, take main for a moment.”

“Main?”

“Give the orders.”

“You bastard, we’re dying here. Just do it.”

Jeong Minsu shouted, but he wasn’t getting irritated; he was driving himself on.

In an emergency, Jeong Minsu was even more frantic.

Now was the perfect moment to draw out that violent instinct.

Whoosh.

It was almost an illusion that flames were surging in his eyes.

“Casey, hold this.”

“Yes, yes.”

“Ellen, what are you doing? Gauze, quickly.”

“Coming.”

“Liquid hemostatic?”

“Yes, yes.”

The skilled nurses were flustered by Jeong Minsu’s rapid-fire orders.

Once ignited, Jeong Minsu was certainly fierce.

Meanwhile, Taesu touched the branch.

Wobble.

“Damn it.”

It moved.

He hadn’t seen wrong.

If it was moving, they had no choice but to remove it.

They had to treat it together to prevent a secondary emergency, even if only a little.

There were not enough hands here.

Taesu’s gaze turned to Dr. Jo Uncheol.

“Dr. Jo, over here.”

“Yes?”

“Come here. Hurry.”

When Taesu shouted, Jo Uncheol left the general anesthesia machine with a flustered expression.

Step.

When he came closer, they ended up standing to the left and right with Nurse Casey in the middle.

Taesu immediately gave him an order.

“What are you doing? You don’t see the bleeding?”

“The transfusion pack over there…… and the anesthesia machine readings……”

“Only look at the bleeding. Only the bleeding.”

“Do you have a method?”

“Quickly.”

When Taesu pressed him, Jo Uncheol moved with an all-or-nothing mindset.

“Fine. Do whatever you want. Which bastard pulled the suction?”

“I did.”

“This needs to be suctioned, doesn’t it?”

“Then do it.”

Gurgle, gurgle.

Jeong Minsu, thoroughly worked up, growled as he moved the suction.

Taesu still did not move.

The priority was to make even a little progress in the surgery.

It was because, while he had been thinking for a moment, the rhythm of the moving hands had gone out of sync.

Whoosh, snap.

“Here.”

“Wait. You have liquid hemostatic, right?”

“Yes. Here.”

“Let’s cut down on talking and get our flow back first. Mixter first.”

When Taesu called for a surgical instrument, Jeong Minsu responded accordingly.

“I’ll take straight forceps and curved forceps.”

“Here. Huh? I’ll empty the suction canister for a moment and refill the saline.”

“I’ll get gauze too.”

Swish.

The nurses began darting around the operating room as nimbly as rabbits.

There was cloth spread over the floor, and it was damp from the scattered water, so there was no need to worry about dust.

In that brief moment, the burden on Taesu and Jeong Minsu immediately increased.

With the helping hands gone, they had to move twice as much themselves.

Fortunately, they had no small amount of experience like this, so they did not panic.

And Dr. Jo Uncheol was also a great help.

“Minsu, pull that way.”

“Pulled. Dr. Jo.”

“This side is somewhat done as well.”

“The bleeding’s a little…… it’s decreased.”

Taesu corrected Jeong Minsu’s words precisely.

“It didn’t decrease. We blocked it.”

“For now, that’s the same thing.”

“Whew. One wrong move and we’re in serious trouble. Be really careful. We need to start moving soon, but it’s not organized. Damn it.”

Taesu forced his expression to remain calm.

But he could not erase all the urgency in his eyes.

Anesthesia and transfusion.

He had to deal with those parts immediately too.

Since he had called the anesthesiologist over, Taesu had to move even more.

It was then.

Step.

The nurses who had left their positions returned to their places.

“I emptied the suction canister completely and brought a ton of saline.”

“I prepared gauze, cotton wool, and even surgical drapes.”

The nurses’ voices were solemn.

It was hard to believe they had only moved for a moment.

Before speaking, they had shown it through action first.

That was the resolve with which the nurses approached this.

Putting his gratitude aside, Taesu explained the part he needed to make clear.

“From now on, I’ll be leaving my position often.”

“Leaving your position?”

“I have to monitor anesthesia and the IV.”

“By yourself? No, can you really do all that?”

Nurse Casey and Nurse Ellen’s eyes widened.

It seemed he had not removed the anesthesiologist for nothing.

Even so, what kind of resident could handle a general anesthesia machine and know injections and fluids inside out?

The nurses looked considerably bewildered.

Taesu wanted to explain properly as well, but there was no time.

He cut it all short and gave only the conclusion.

“In any case, you two just need to maintain your positions as much as possible and focus on Dr. Jo and Dr. Jeong.”

“That shouldn’t be difficult.”

“Don’t worry about me. Then, Dr. Jeong, Dr. Jo, start with the preliminary preparations.”

Rustle, rustle.

The moment he gave the instruction, Taesu’s two hands moved first, swift and sure.

Jeong Min-su’s hands immediately followed.

Dr. Jo Un-cheol added his own hands as well.

The doctors became one, moving in harmony.

“Urgh.”

“Mm.”

“Uuugh.”

Muscles were pulled taut, and groans burst out.

With the chest opened like that, they pushed the lungs aside and felt their way toward the end of the tree branch.

Not only their hands, but their mouths never stopped either.

“Gauze, gauze. Gauze.”

“Suction. Spray some saline there. Stop. Suction again. More, more, more.”

Tap, gush.

They built a wall of gauze around the tree branch.

Then they repeatedly drew out the bleeding with suction and washed it away.

Again and again.

When they clung to just one thing like that, the end eventually came into view.

And they truly saw the end of the branch.

The moment there was the slightest sign that things were clearing up, everyone’s expressions abruptly hardened.

“Damn it.”

“Tch.”

“Oh my.”

They even frowned.

They had wanted to avoid the worst-case scenario, but in the end, it was exactly that worst case.

The end of the tree branch had damaged not only the front ribs, but the ribs in the back as well.

This was why the bleeding had not stopped.

A surge of irritation rose in Taesu, so strong he wanted to roughly rake through his hair.

But he was wearing surgical gloves, so that was not easy.

“Whew. No wonder the bleeding was so massive…”

“Exactly. Ah, right. The bleeding.”

Jeong Min-su’s reaction was strange.

It was definitely the reaction of something flashing through his mind.

The ingenious ideas he sometimes showed had startled Taesu more than once.

Taesu looked at him, hoping this time would be the same.

As if answering that expectation, Jeong Min-su spoke with a serious face.

“The fact that the bleeding continued means the circulation didn’t stop either.”

“If we pull this out in that state?”

“The damage might be surprisingly small. No, even if the damage is severe, it might not be hopeless. Doesn’t that make sense?”

Jeong Min-su asked, his eyes wide.

Taesu immediately weighed it and tossed it to the side.

“I think it makes sense. What do you think, Dr. Jo?”

“You’re asking me as well?”

“You’re performing surgery with us, aren’t you?”

“…I think similarly.”

Dr. Jo Un-cheol answered with a slight stammer.

It seemed he had never been asked for such an opinion before.

But that was the past.

Now, he was in surgery with new people, led by Taesu.

Just then, Jeong Min-su asked once more.

“What do you think? Does it really look possible?”

“Yes.”

“Then that’s enough. As long as there’s a possibility.”

Jeong Min-su was right.

Even one percent was a possibility.

That was all they needed.

The remaining ninety-nine percent?

The medical team would fill it with their effort.

Now that they had seen the possibility, all that remained was the path to success.