They moved at a run, urgency pounding in their hearts.
Running during surgery was the ultimate taboo.
Because dust could billow up everywhere.
But no one cared.
Vinyl sheeting covered the floor, and water had pooled on top of it, enough to be soggy.
Thanks to that moisture, no matter how much they ran, dust absolutely never rose from the floor.
Yun Juseong and Nurse Chu Gangik glanced around and whispered.
"This was Hyeokgwon-sshi's idea, right?"
"I was dumbfounded at first."
"He calls himself a field OR setup specialist? That was funny too."
"Don't laugh alone. Focus. I said let's laugh together."
Nurse Chu Gangik cut in at just the right moment.
That didn't mean Yun Juseong was goofing around.
Swish, swish.
His eyes were entirely focused on the hand movements assisting Brad Kim.
The conversation was just a bit of seasoning.
Taesu, standing diagonally, heard all of that conversation.
Because he was maintaining his assisting hand movements, he didn't say a word.
On the opposite side right now?
Snip, swish swish.
"Dr. Jeong, arm."
"Ugh. It twisted… It's untangled. Got it."
Jeong Minsu was hurriedly donning a surgical gown.
Because his partner was absent, Taesu needed a bit more time to start the surgery.
But he wasn't watching them because he had free time.
It was time to gauge their skill level.
Evaluating them?
He had no such arrogant thoughts whatsoever.
The paths they had taken to master medicine were far too different.
Even with the same treatment, knowing which methods they preferred was necessary to reduce confusion.
Taesu was waiting for Jeong Minsu while observing carefully.
Rustle.
Kim Hyeokgwon leaned toward Taesu and whispered.
"Why do you seem more sensitive?"
"It's my first time operating with them."
"Haven't you operated with other doctors for the first time before?"
"They were authorities. These people aren't yet."
Taesu's answer was short.
But it held great meaning.
Dr. Schmidt—or rather, even Dr. Oliver—had his own medical techniques firmly established.
If the lead surgeon held the center, the assistants just had to follow.
But there were no specialists of that level in this operating room right now.
In short, it was a boat full of boatmen.
Whether to go toward the sea or the mountain.
The direction was unclear.
It was hard to see Taesu's worry as mere anxiety.
Into Taesu's ear, Kim Hyeokgwon's voice whispered.
"They say even if you go without knowing the way, as long as you reach Seoul, it's fine."
At those words, Taesu's eyes sparkled.
As expected of Kim Hyeokgwon.
With a single sentence, he completely erased Taesu's worries.
There was more than one way to reach the destination.
He had already steeled himself for twists and turns—there was no reason to look for an easy path.
"That's the right answer."
"Your expression looks much clearer."
"Because my heart feels lighter."
Taesu smiled faintly with his eyes.
Though it was brief, unlike before, he looked at the abdominal surgery with a lightened expression.
The liver surgery was proceeding quickly.
The first thing that had to be done was separating the temporarily packed gauze from the liver.
The gauze stuck to the liver had hardened, mixed with liquid hemostatic agent.
Only by removing this could they operate on the ruptured liver and stop the fundamental bleeding.
But dissolving and removing the artificially hardened blood scab was not so easy.
"Start by loosening the packed gauze."
"If we tear it off, the tissue will come away with it. Anticoagulant."
"Prepare…"
Nurse Chu Gangik was about to respond to Yun Juseong's order.
"Wait."
Taesu cut in abruptly.
Everyone froze and looked up.
Among them, Brad Kim reflexively asked.
"Dr. Choi, why?"
"Not anticoagulant. Saline."
When Taesu changed the order, Yun Juseong immediately stepped up.
"Dr. Choi, why?"
"Anticoagulant affects the other wounds too."
Taesu spoke with weight.
The liver was the most representative bleeding site, but that didn't mean it was the only one.
The bleeding from the ruptured subclavian vein had nearly stopped.
It wasn't because fundamental treatment had been done, but because it was blocked by a blood clot.
But if they used anticoagulant, the bleeding was highly likely to restart.
Bleeding.
It was a symptom Taesu had experienced so much it made his teeth chatter. His handling of it was already at a specialist level, one might say.
All eyes turned to Yun Juseong.
A resident had blocked a specialist's treatment plan head-on.
What was Yun Juseong's reaction?
Swiftly.
Yun Juseong looked around at everyone, quickly gauged the situation, and acknowledged his mistake.
"Dr. Choi's judgment is correct."
"Then I'll switch to saline."
Nurse Chu Gangik also immediately prepared according to the revised order.
At the sight of those two, Kim Hyeokgwon raised his eyebrows high.
"He's got some flexibility."
It was a mutter with a slightly surprised tone.
But he was satisfied with the situation proceeding in the same flow as their emergency treatment.
Then.
Yun Juseong looked at Taesu and asked.
"Is there anything else that needs to be changed?"
"No."
"If there is, tell me anytime."
"Mm."
When Taesu showed a strange expression, Yun Juseong added.
"My ears are always open."
"I'll ask the same of you."
"Anytime."
Wink.
Yun Juseong responded first with a wink.
Nurse Chu Gangik, who had just finished preparing the saline, did the same.
Taesu's expression also brightened again.
And he was certain.
That this would be an emergency surgery where they respected one another.
Then that was enough.
No matter what obstacles came, if they kept their ears open to each other, they wouldn't miss the path to success.
The operating room atmosphere grew even hotter.
Thud.
Jeong Minsu, who had finished preparing just in time, also stood in his place.
"I'm here."
"You're always late."
"I just need to hurry."
"Of course you should. We'll begin the chest too."
Taesu shouted out vigorously in a voice full of fighting spirit.
Those words were the signal flare.
The abdominal surgery immediately resumed the hand movements that had stopped.
"Chu, saline."
"I'm pouring it."
Yun Juseong and Nurse Chu Gangik.
It felt just like watching Taesu and Kim Hyeokgwon.
They bickered, yet never lost the flow of the surgery.
The atmosphere on the abdominal lead surgeon's side was a little different.
"Nurse Lee. Ellis, and Mayo."
"Yes. Here."
"Please place the gauze under the liver."
"I'll do it right away."
Snip. Snip.
Brad Kim took the lead, and Nurse Lee Chorong watched carefully and carried out his orders.
The abdominal surgery proceeded that smoothly.
Meanwhile, the chest?
It was just beginning.
Taesu's hands headed to the affected area first.
"I'm securing the lesion."
"Scalpel here."
"Scalpel received. Retracting."
Taesu's hand headed toward the affected area, swollen and discolored blue and purple.
Slit. Gush.
The accumulated bleeding flowed out the moment the scalpel touched it.
It was Jeong Minsu's turn.
Blood?
Jeong Minsu's eyes, tempered until now, were cold.
"Nurse Hwang, retractor first, and suction."
"Yes. Nurse Chu."
"Here."
Tak.
"Here, Dr. Jeong."
"Received. Please have the Bovie ready too."
Squelch, squelch.
Jeong Minsu spread the wound with the retractor and quickly suctioned the bleeding that was about to pour out.
There was only one Bovie and one suction unit each.
The problem was that both were surgical tools with high usage frequency on both sides.
Such a problem was being resolved immediately, as if it were laughable.
Among them was someone moving powerfully yet silently.
It was Kim Hyeokgwon.
"Gauze here, then long-nose forceps, Debakey, tissue forceps…."
Snip, snip.
Whenever Taesu reached out his hand, he immediately exchanged the surgical instruments.
Conversation was short, and movements were several times more numerous.
Yun Juseong, Chu Gangik, Hwang Jisu, and Nurse Lee Chorong saw that too.
An interpreter was really assisting in surgery.
With their own eyes, they were watching hands that clearly did not belong to someone who had done this only once or twice.
"……."
"……."
Their furtive glances were full of surprise.
An interpreter capable not only of emergency treatment but also surgical assistance?
*He's a jack of all trades.*
Especially in an environment like Kashmir, he was the optimal person.
Then.
Swoosh.
Kim Hyeokgwon quickly looked around at everyone and asked.
"Any complaints?"
"Ah, no."
"Then don't. Dr. Choi, the Adson is here."
Kim Hyeokgwon calmly continued assisting in surgery.
At that moment, everyone thought the same thing.
*Jackpot nurse.*
They simply defined him as such.
To that extent, they no longer wanted to be confused.
Their gazes busily went back and forth, but the surgery itself wasn't rushed.
Especially Taesu and Jeong Minsu, because they had started a beat late, were hurrying even more.
Soon the shoulder lesion was widely exposed.
The bleeding from the blood vessel itself had decreased as clots formed.
However, the clavicle fracture was severe, and the subclavian vein rupture was substantial.
"Hiss."
Jeong Minsu swallowed a groan.
Taesu reflexively looked at Jo Wuncheol.
Since he was managing the patient's vitals, it was natural to notify him before starting.
"Dr. Jo, we will touch the subclavian vein."
"No."
"What?"
Taesu flinched at the unexpected objection.
Jo Wuncheol explained the reason while keeping his eyes on the ECG alone.
"If bleeding bursts out there now, the heart won't endure."
"Isn't his condition better than Changgyu's?"
"It's relative, not absolute."
Jo Wuncheol was right.
Without stopping, Taesu immediately consulted about changing direction.
"Shall we go down to the abdomen?"
"For now."
"Call. Dr. Jeong."
He found Jeong Minsu at the same time as his answer.
Taesu didn't want to be a lone wolf.
It was only natural to accept reasonable opinions.
Immediately, Taesu and Jeong Minsu were deployed to the abdomen.
It seemed like they had come a long way back.
But that wasn't the case.
Brad Kim stated the reason along with the order.
"Dr. Choi, watch the upper part of the liver. And since we've checked the situation on the clavicle side, take it easy."
"I will. But Brad, please open up some space."
"Oh, my. I'm the one who's more impatient."
"It's that kind of situation. I think we need to hurry a bit more."
Taesu gave his opinion.
Though it was a chaotic situation where they couldn't firmly appoint a lead surgeon, he put Brad Kim forward.
It was an attitude of respect toward a specialist.
Brad Kim knew it too, and he didn't refuse.
"Everyone, let's hurry a bit more."
"Yes."
Swish.
Several hands gathered at the liver increased their speed.
Saline pouring from all directions thoroughly soaked the gauze wrapped around the liver.