By now, Bread Gim too was getting the feeling that something was being accomplished.
"Okay."
"Doctor Choe, liquid hemostatic agent."
Tap.
Having received it, Taesu added an order to Nurse Ellen.
"Babcock and Doyen forceps only. Please hand them to me immediately."
"I will."
Rustle.
Nurse Ellen held the Babcock and the Doyen forceps in a way convenient to pass to Taesu and stood by.
Babcock forceps, Doyen forceps.
They had various applications, but their primary use was for grasping organs.
The Babcock had tips that curved roundly at both ends, and the Doyen was characterized by an abnormally long blade portion.
Judging by appearance alone, they looked so different that one would think they had no relation.
Just then, on the opposite side, Bread Gim held out a bulldog clamp.
"Here."
"Schmidt, I'm ready."
At Taesu's abrupt words, Doctor Schmidt reacted naturally.
"I'm almost done here."
"Please give the signal."
"Five……. Four……."
Doctor Schmidt hurried his suturing and began the countdown.
Everyone except Taesu now realized that there were signs something was about to happen.
That countdown soon reached its end.
"Two……. One……. Suturing complete."
"…….Suction complete on this side too. Hm, hm……. Bread. There."
Taesu shouted sharply in that instant.
Bread Gim, who had been on edge, saw it too.
Beside the suction tip, blood was gushing out in surges.
The location was, surprisingly, a blood vessel adjacent to the small intestine.
Bread Gim fixed his gaze upon it like a hawk, and with the sharpness of a hawk's talons, seized that vessel with the bulldog clamp.
Click.
"Got it."
It happened at the same time.
Taesu suddenly became busy.
"Ellen, Doyen first."
"Here's the Doyen."
Clack. Thud.
"Babcock."
"Here."
Click. Thud.
In an instant, Taesu plunged the two surgical instruments, incongruously enough, into the duodenum.
The small intestine and the duodenum.
Though connected, the distance between them was considerable.
Doctor Oliver thought Taesu had made a mistake and even flushed red.
"You……."
It was the moment he bared his teeth fully inside his mask.
Beep-beep-beep, beep, beep.
The ECG sound slowed in an instant.
And then the anesthesiologist, who had been facing away, spun around abruptly and shouted.
"I-it suddenly stopped."
"What?"
"The bleeding stopped."
The anesthesiologist repeated with a dazed expression.
It happened at the same time.
"Bravo."
Doctor Schmidt's soft voice of encouragement rang out.
He looked like he wanted to applaud.
But since he couldn't, he did so with his eyes instead.
And then.
"How much time does the anesthesiologist have to catch a breath?"
"I believe roughly over 3 minutes."
"Good. Everyone, don't let your guard down and regroup."
Since the emergency had just ended, he allowed a brief moment of respite.
That was more for the patient than the medical staff.
The patient needed sufficient blood in the body to endure the continuing surgery.
That time was necessary.
It was rest in name only.
No one stepped away from the operating table.
Taesu breathed heavily, his face covered in sweat, and gave Doctor Schmidt a thumbs-up.
"Doctor Schmidt, you were really the best."
"No. I had no idea you'd find the petechia (bleeding point) like that."
"There was no other way. The liver bleeding didn't seem severe, but the bleeding point wasn't visible either."
Pat, pat.
While Taesu was speaking, Nurse Ellen dabbed at his sweat.
The same went for Doctor Schmidt.
While another nurse wiped his sweat, he added.
"How did you come up with the idea of lifting the liver and letting all the blood drain downward first?"
"I thought I had to resolve the liver issue first at least."
"Yes, because if the hepatorrhagia (liver bleeding) stops, the immediate worry disappears."
"Fortunately, that tactic worked out just right, buying us time to find the duodenal (duodenum) rupture and the torn superior mesenteric artery."
While Taesu calmly explained.
Doctor Oliver and Bread Gim moved their gazes accordingly.
Truly, in the middle of the duodenum, gripped left and right by the Doyen and Babcock, there was a torn wound.
The bulldog clamp lodged beside it was something Bread Gim knew well.
"The superior mesenteric artery was torn for at least three centimeters."
"Torn? Not severed?"
"Yes, torn. Like this."
Swoosh.
When he pointed, Doctor Oliver confirmed it and his eyes went wide.
"Gasp."
It was a look of disbelief despite seeing it with his own eyes.
Doctor Oliver raised his head sharply and looked at Taesu.
"How in the world……."
It was a problem that a specialist could find, of course.
But finding it in an urgent emergency situation had to be viewed from a completely different perspective.
He was staring wide-eyed at the fact that Taesu had calculated all of that.
To such Doctor Oliver, Doctor Schmidt asked.
"Oliver, have you never heard of Doctor Choe?"
"I have heard the name once or twice."
"From where?"
"From a Doctor called Bak, Doctor Bak Jonghyeok, who had come to Korea for volunteer work."
Perhaps they were quite close, as his Korean pronunciation was natural.
At that unwelcome name, Taesu and Bread Gim smiled bitterly.
'To think I'd hear it here.'
'Why is that guy popping up now.'
Even if it was something from long ago, it was not a welcome name.
Meanwhile, Doctor Schmidt wondered about the evaluation with a strange look in his eyes.
"What did he say about Doctor Choe?"
"He said he was just an ordinary doctor, not worth worrying about. So I thought of him as a young doctor from Korea."
Doctor Oliver seemed to trust the words he had heard from his acquaintance.
Toward him, Doctor Schmidt asked with a deep smile in his eyes.
"Does age equal experience?"
"I believe that is the established theory."
"Of course that theory is correct. But sometimes an unexpected person pops up."
When Doctor Schmidt left it open, Doctor Oliver immediately bit.
"Unexpected?"
"You must have heard about the doctor who climbed ABC alone and conducted medical service not long ago."
"Of course. Only a few people know about that person……. No way?"
Doctor Oliver's eyes went wide.
Doctor Schmidt nodded lightly.
"That's right. Doctor Choe is exactly that notorious person."
"The hero of Izimbak from just now."
"The same person."
Doctor Schmidt answered shortly.
Doctor Oliver trembled without realizing it from the great shock.
"To think it was the same person. And to think he was such a young doctor."
"Haven't I told you before that judging by appearances is not a good habit?"
"You……. did."
"If you look at experience rather than career, he would be similar to you. And he's someone specialized in field surgery, clashing with bare hands at that."
"Field surgery……. you say."
Doctor Oliver barely answered with a trembling gaze.
Doctor Schmidt turned his gaze to Taesu and asked.
"How long has it been since you've been in an operating room?"
"Uh……. It's been a while."
"Approximately."
"Um, before Sahad, Nepal……. Ah. Right before going to Nepal, I briefly participated in Doctor James's surgery."
When Taesu answered, racking his memory, Doctor Schmidt roughly stated the period.
"It's been at least three months."
"It's already been that long."
"The operating room is nice, isn't it?"
"Haha."
When Taesu gave an awkward smile, Doctor Schmidt pressed slightly.
"Can you tell me what exactly is nice? I think I'd be quite disappointed if you just let this question pass."
"Ahem. There's an anesthesiologist, so many nurses, four doctors, things like that. The anesthesia machine (general anesthesia machine) is welcome too."
"How many went on this dispatch?"
"Three. Two doctors, one interpreter and nurse. That's how it was."
Taesu answered, unable to push away Doctor Schmidt's question despite his awkward position.
Doctor Oliver, who had been listening casually, had eyes wide open.
"That's ridiculous. Surgery with only three people?"
It wasn't completely impossible.
But performing a thoracotomy or laparotomy without even a general anesthesia machine?
Even Doctor Oliver wouldn't be confident in that.
Regardless of skill, he would definitely feel unfamiliarity if placed in such a situation.
He was thinking so.
Beside him, Bread Gim seemed to be thinking the same thing and let out a low exclamation.
"Ah, so that's why Doctor Choe……."
"That's why he hindered the doctor so much at first."
"Yes. Because he must have been used to working alone. But after that……."
"Since you told him to have free rein, he must have adapted his methods to fit this surgery. What's scary about field surgery is exactly its adaptability."
Doctor Oliver immediately grasped the core.
Just then, Doctor Schmidt looked at Doctor Oliver and spoke.
"That person called Doctor Bak. I don't know about his skill, but he certainly seems to lack an eye for people."
"……."
"Make sure to choose your company wisely."
"Under……. stood."
Doctor Oliver had no choice but to agree immediately.
Professor Bak Jonghyeok's words and the Taesu he had met directly were completely different people.
Taesu was reflected once again in Doctor Oliver's eyes.
A wild animal.
That was what Taesu looked like in his eyes right now.
But what was truly amazing was that while he looked disorganized, he was unexpectedly systematic.
'Who did he learn from?'
Among the doctors he knew, there was no one who pursued a style like Taesu's.
A deep curiosity arose.
But.
Soon, Doctor Oliver's gaze turned cold.
"……."
It was because of the sight of Taesu and Doctor Schmidt conversing so amicably.
His curiosity gradually turned into displeasure.
Three minutes later, as promised.
Everyone finished preparing to resume surgery.
Then the anesthesiologist reported to Doctor Schmidt.
"The vitals have risen a bit. But there seems to be another problem."
"Besides the bleeding?"
"Yes. The vitals can't rise further and keep hovering in place."
Having heard the anesthesiologist's report, Doctor Schmidt answered heavily.
"Note it. Anything else?"
"More blood transfusion is going in than expected. I don't quite understand that."
"Got it."
Swoosh.
Doctor Schmidt, who had finished speaking with the anesthesiologist, stood toward the operating table.
Everyone had heard the two's conversation.
So Doctor Schmidt asked shortly and heavily.
"Is there any speculation regarding those symptoms?"
"……."
"None?"
"……."
Silence flowed.
It was likely intended not to encroach on the lead surgeon's domain.
But Doctor Schmidt seemed to feel differently.
The good atmosphere instantly froze over again coldly.
"You all don't happen to think this surgery is merely my surgery, do you?"
"What?"
"Do you think you're merely assisting in a surgery by Doctor Schmidt, the lead surgeon?"
His voice turned as cold as his gaze.
Everyone flinched.
"……."
Unable to answer, their eyes shook slightly.
Taesu was no different.
Had he really been thinking that way?
He couldn't deny it, and his conscience ached.
Doctor Schmidt's criticism was exactly on point.
He had been thinking of it as his surgery.
The fact that Taesu had been able to move freely in the earlier emergency was possible because the burden had been light.
And that freedom had been limited to the emergency.
By regular surgery standards, Taesu himself thought he was still an egg.