Taesu began by explaining the situation as best he could piece together.
"We have an emergency patient with a coronary artery problem right now...."
He hastened his explanation.
Jeong Minsu would be arriving shortly. He hadn't arrived yet because his stamina must have flagged after all that running.
At a time like this, surgical preparations had to proceed quickly.
With no time to spare, Taesu's explanation was fast and concise.
"...That is the situation. Please understand."
The medical staff eased up slightly after hearing the circumstances, but their stance remained unchanged.
"Still, you can't do this here."
"Then where do we go?"
"Well... This is a surgical tent with a clear owner. Can you just barge in like this?"
A polite rebuke was heard.
At that moment, Taesu fired back at them.
"If there is a protagonist in surgery, isn't it the patient?"
"Hmm."
"Do you not know who said that?"
"Ahem."
Everyone was momentarily flustered and fell silent.
There was no way they didn't know James's famous words, widely spread throughout the NGO.
Without paying them any mind, Taesu immediately continued.
"Whether this is James's surgical tent, or even a surgical tent used by a god of medicine, isn't emergency surgery the priority?"
"No, using the doctor's name so carelessly..."
"We were trying to think kindly of you, yet you dare..."
The medical staff's anger, which had been subsiding, flared up several times stronger.
They stared with eyes blazing—as much as they could understand the need for emergency surgery, they could not forgive James's name being used so recklessly.
But from behind them, a low voice was heard.
"Doctor Choi is allowed to do that."
At that sound, everyone furrowed their brows and growled.
"Who the hell are you... Huh."
"No, you are?"
The ones who had been angry suddenly opened their eyes wide.
There was a figure walking leisurely through the midst of those medical staff.
It was the figure of Doctor Isaacson.
Doctor Isaacson raised his hand toward Taesu and spoke.
"I heard there was an emergency surgery and came to assist as an anesthesiologist, but..."
"I thought you went to Nepal."
"Are you accepting an anesthesiologist's support?"
"Of course not—I mean, of course."
Taesu cast aside even his surprise and shouted fiercely.
Doctor Isaacson slowly lowered the bag on his shoulder and stretched.
"Ugh. Surgery as soon as I arrive? That's our life, I suppose."
"What happened?"
"I came back because I heard the situation here was bad. I was down below due to mountain disease—altitude sickness—but I ended up returning alone."
Shhk, shhk.
Doctor Isaacson naturally approached the shelf and gathered what he needed.
As he did so, he looked at the doctors still crowded at the surgical tent entrance and spoke.
"Make way, will you? An emergency patient will arrive soon; don't block the path."
"Um, Doctor Isaacson. That bastard... No, who exactly is that young doctor?"
"The owner of this tent."
Doctor Isaacson answered briefly, but that only seemed to arouse more doubt.
"But this is exclusively for Doctor James and the surgical team members."
"That's why I said owner."
"What?"
"He's our team's maknae. Didn't you know? Doctor Choi Taesu?"
Doctor Isaacson looked back at them in puzzlement instead.
Everyone's eyes went wide.
"The new maknae of Doctor James's surgical team?"
"I've never heard of him."
"Wait, Doctor Choi... No. I don't remember. I don't know that doctor."
They all shook their heads regarding Taesu.
Doctor Isaacson shrugged his shoulders as he looked at Taesu.
"They don't know you."
"I only work outside."
"Still, that's sad. Not even knowing our team's maknae."
When Doctor Isaacson put on a sulky expression, Taesu smiled bitterly and properly stated the facts.
"We only worked together briefly in Nepal."
"No, no. If you say that, everyone will feel hurt."
"We can settle that later. Isaacson."
When Taesu gestured with his eyes toward them, Doctor Isaacson smiled deeply.
"As expected of our team's maknae, you clearly know what's important."
"A bit faster."
"Ahem. In that case... Everyone, go back. Hurry."
Doctor Isaacson, who had been smiling broadly, barked out orders at the medical staff as if flipping a switch.
He was a medical doctor, no, a prominent figure in the field of anesthesiology and pain medicine.
None among them could go against the words of such a Doctor Isaacson.
Swish.
Leaving only questions behind, everyone returned to their places.
Doctor Isaacson expressed his dissatisfaction with them.
"Who taught you all to run here instead of watching your patients?"
"......."
"Now that I think about it, this really isn't right. Those guys, I really ought to... once...."
His grumbling didn't easily subside.
It was then.
Snap.
Taesu's patience, which he had been holding back out of relief, finally snapped.
In an instant, Taesu's expression turned nasty.
He even showed irritation.
"Ah, really... I swear I might just cut the anesthesiologist loose."
"Oh, no. Doctor Choi. I flew in from far away; don't be like that."
"Forget it. I'll just handle it myself."
Flap.
Grumbling, Taesu roughly opened the operating room screen and went in. Doctor Isaacson followed right on his heels.
"Little boy, I wasn't trying to waste time...."
It was a sight that made one highly doubt whether he was truly a towering figure in anesthesiology and pain medicine.
Shortly after.
Fortunately, Doctor Isaacson was standing before the general anesthesia machine.
The patient, who had arrived without delay, was also lying on the operating table.
"Hooo, hooo."
The patient's breathing through the ventilator was stable, perhaps due to the anesthesia.
Taesu, Jeong Minsu, and Kim Hyeokgwon, standing around the operating table, were dressed only in surgical gowns.
Beep beep beep.
The ECG sound warned that the emergency situation was ongoing.
Taesu's gaze turned to Doctor Isaacson.
"Isaacson."
"Just a moment... Done. But you're saying you'll proceed with CABG with this personnel?"
He couldn't easily believe it.
Kim Hyeokgwon naturally knew, and he seemed to have briefly heard about Jeong Minsu as well.
Taesu answered shortly and firmly.
"We can do it."
"If that's the lead surgeon's judgment. The surgery can begin anytime."
Doctor Isaacson watched with a somewhat intrigued expression.
CABG.
It was an abbreviation for coronary artery bypass grafting.
It was certainly a surgery performed by thoracic surgery, which handled the cardiovascular system.
However, Doctor Isaacson could do it too.
To be precise, he could assist.
Consistent with the surgical team's motto of pursuing traditional "surgery," he possessed the skill to assist in other medical departments' surgeries.
So he thought he might operate with Taesu if necessary and watched in silence.
Taesu had no interest in Doctor Isaacson's thoughts.
He saw only the patient's life.
The saying that life is unpredictable was indeed correct.
Yesterday a helper, today the lead surgeon.
One truly could not know what lay even an inch ahead.
But such thoughts were brief.
The sooner the start time, the better the surgery.
There was no reason to delay anywhere.
"We proceed immediately. Scalpel."
"Scalpel."
Clack.
Kim Hyeokgwon handed it over energetically.
As this was his first formal surgery, he looked slightly nervous.
Taesu liked that appearance right now.
So without easing his tension, he immediately moved the scalpel.
Swish.
Blood flowed out as the scalpel cut through the flesh.
Then Jeong Minsu immediately stepped up.
"Suction commencing. Continuing with the Bovie. And Mr. Hyeokgwon, prepare the retractor."
Whirrr.
The hand operating the suction was nimble.
She stood by with the Bovie and even had the quickness to cauterize the skin immediately.
Moreover, her voice was unexpectedly firm.
This was how she was in a fully equipped regular operating room.
Once you've experienced field surgery, a regular operating room becomes a paradise.
Having everything you need and having an anesthesiologist manage the vitals eased your worries.
As such, the results of skills honed to the bone in field surgery were now unfolding in a regular operating room.
A short while later.
The retractor was installed, and even the task of cutting the ribs had all been completed.
And so now the heart was visible to the medical staff.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
It was still beating erratically.
If one calmly assessed the situation, it was past time for the heart to have developed a problem.
Yet it was still beating like this.
It was thanks to Doctor Isaacson.
If he hadn't been managing the vitals, the surgery would have been difficult to continue.
This was why an anesthesiologist was absolutely necessary for surgery.
Taesu's gaze was focused solely on the heart.
Thump-thump, thump-thump.
Thick vessels encircling the trembling heart were visible.
They were the coronary artery and the coronary vein.
However, a specific part of the coronary artery was slightly swollen and discolored.
Coronary aneurysm.
In Korean medical terminology, it was called gwansangdongmaekjaru.
Taesu lightly touched that part with a Mixter.
Wobble.
A strong elastic rebound was felt.
"As expected, it's completely blocked."
"Stent? Bypass?"
Jeong Minsu quickly asked the surgical method.
It was time to choose between opening it with stent insertion or proceeding with coronary artery bypass grafting.
Just because a patient lies on the operating table doesn't mean surgery is unconditionally decided.
Determining which treatment was better for the patient was the priority.
"......."
Taesu didn't answer immediately.
He was scanning through Carpentier's knowledge in his head.
It was itself the bible of thoracic surgery.
Just recalling images of thoracic surgery brought up at least dozens of cases.
He just had to find the case most suitable for this patient among them.
At times like this.
Ping.
A strange glimmer flashed across his eyes.
Having decided on the surgical method, Taesu immediately spoke.
"Let's go with crossover."
"What's that?"
"The problem is here at the right coronary artery."
"Yeah."
As Jeong Minsu looked and answered, Taesu pointed to both ends with the tip of the Mixter and said.
"We expand here and here with stents."
"And?"
"We harvest a graft for the middle and proceed with bypass."
Taesu explained briefly but clearly.
But Jeong Minsu showed doubt.
"Is there a need to do both together?"
"The vessel itself has weakened. And I'm not yet skilled enough to solve it with stents alone."
"Wait... Ah, I see."
Only after gingerly touching it with international forceps did Jeong Minsu understand.
Taesu asked Jeong Minsu.
"Call?"
"Yeah. But you've done a lot of heart surgeries too."
"What haven't I done? Anyway, let's proceed quickly."
Taesu showed a bitter smile at past events and urged the present forward.
Doctor Isaacson?
"......."
He was watching with a cold gaze from which all hint of laughter had vanished.
Time was running late.
If a CT or MRI had been taken before this, this time wouldn't have been needed.
Because that wasn't possible, this time was needed.
The consultation was over, so it was time to begin immediately.
Taesu picked up the flexible guidewire first.
"Minsu, hold the vessel."
"Got it."
"Inserting."
Tap. Slish, slish.
The guidewire dug into the vessel with its sharp tip.
Jeong Minsu held the vessel with a surgical tool, her face taut with tension.
The greatest challenge of heart surgery was the movement.
Thump-thump.
The heart continued to pound.