He thought everyone must be in the same situation.
And he was the one seeing patients at the very front.
If Taesu stopped, everyone would stop.
Knowing the tremendous ripple effect of that chain reaction, he gritted his teeth and endured.
The medical staff were hard-pressed just to process the patients at the pace of Taesu’s initial assessments.
The notes from the initial assessment were extremely brief.
Name, age, sex, chief complaint.
Those four things were all.
Additional notes differed depending on the patient.
It took only an instant to scan the simplified chart.
But the treatment that followed varied wildly from patient to patient.
“This patient is showing signs of pneumothorax.”
“Hand him over to Dr. Jeong.”
“Brad, I’m seeing a patient with hypoventilation right now.”
When Jeong Minsu protested that it was impossible, Brad Kim’s voice rose.
“How long are you going to keep looking at that patient?”
“What do you mean, how long? It’s only been three minutes.”
“There are more than ten patients waiting after their initial assessments.”
“Isn’t that guy a fraud? Isn’t he just spouting crap?”
Jeong Minsu shouted back in protest.
Jo Uncheol, who had been managing the patients’ pain, spoke up.
“The patient you’re seeing right now was also assessed by Dr. Choi.”
“What’s with him all of a sudden? Nurse Hwang, two more squeezes on the Ambu bag.”
Even as Jeong Minsu groaned, he did not lose focus on his patient.
Meanwhile, Brad Kim looked elsewhere.
“Hah. They’re not soldiers, they’re bandage-wrapping machines.”
Brad Kim’s description was exactly right.
The bandaging skills of Squad Leader Sam and his squad members were practically art.
Not only did they move in teams of two, they were even systematic about it.
“Lift.”
“Sir.”
“Wrap.”
“Yes, sir.”
Swish, swish.
Grab, lift, wrap.
Making full use of their trained stamina, they continued basic emergency treatment with disciplined precision.
The soldiers’ efforts were a major reason the medical staff could at least catch their breath.
The more patients there were, the higher the proportion of minor injuries tended to be.
But that did not mean anyone thought it would be easy.
They had to keep moving without a moment’s rest.
On top of that, as soldiers, they were carrying individual combat gear and rifles. It could not be easy to administer emergency care while ignoring those restrictions on movement.
Everyone continued emergency treatment desperately in their own position.
Amid that, Yun Juseong approached Taesu.
He was there to take over a patient.
Taesu was so focused on the initial assessment that he did not even sense his gaze.
“This patient is…”
“Yes. Ugh. What now?”
Scratch, scratch.
Kim Hyeokgwon endured the ache in his grip, which was becoming numb, as he filled out the simplified chart.
Soon, one more initial assessment was finished.
Taesu turned and spotted Yun Juseong, his face brightening.
“Dr. Yun, this patient first. He says he has abdominal pain, and I think his intestines may be twisted.”
“All right. I’ll take a look.”
There was an inexplicable ambiguity in Yun Juseong’s reply.
The hypersensitive Taesu noticed it at once and asked,
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m watching it myself, and I still can’t quite believe it.”
“Me? I really feel like I’m going to throw up.”
It was not a casual expression. He truly felt nauseous.
Yun Juseong did not take it as a joke either.
He quickly took a piece of chocolate from his pocket and held it out.
“If you use your head like that, your blood sugar will drop. Eat this quickly.”
“Dr. Yun.”
“Here’s yours, Mr. Hyeokgwon.”
Rustle.
Yun Juseong promptly paid his tax voluntarily.
Once chocolate entered Kim Hyeokgwon’s sharp expression, a small measure of ease returned to it.
“Mmm. Go ahead and talk.”
His permission sounded so gentle it was almost a whisper.
Now that he had permission, Yun Juseong quietly watched Taesu eat the chocolate and asked,
“I’m asking because I’m genuinely curious, but how on earth did you study all that?”
“I worked hard, and I did it well.”
“Good grief. Just because you worked hard?”
Yun Juseong absolutely did not believe him.
Taesu smiled at the doubtful man and said,
“Everyone has their own box inside their head, don’t they?”
“If you put it that way, I have nothing to say.”
“You have one too, don’t you, Dr. Yun?”
Taesu probed lightly.
It was not a question he wanted an answer to.
On the contrary, it was a question he hoped would not be answered.
The box inside one’s head was, in other words, a hidden edge.
No one would go to the trouble of hiding it only to spill everything.
Yun Juseong was no different.
He flinched, then let out an unnecessary cough and changed the subject.
“Ahem. I’ll take the patient.”
Whoosh.
Watching him hurry away, Taesu smiled faintly.
“As expected, everyone seems to have one.”
It seemed everyone had a hidden card of their own.
Just eating one piece of chocolate made his head feel a little clearer.
That brief conversation had been his break.
Now that he had rested, he had to run again.
Just as he was about to sharpen the edge of his concentration again—
Tap, tap.
“Dr. Choi.”
It was Squad Leader Sam’s voice.
Seeing him come over with a radio, it seemed Leo, the assistant squad leader, had contacted him.
“Did they find a patient?”
“Yes. I think you should hear it directly.”
Thud.
The way he handed over the radio was urgent.
Taesu immediately took it and pressed the button, calling for Assistant Squad Leader Leo.
“Leo, this is Dr. Choi.”
—It’s a patient with chest pain, and it sounded similar to something I heard before, so I’m contacting you to confirm.
“What kind of pain is it?”
—The pain spot is moving around.
At that, Taesu’s expression hardened completely.
“Chest, back, shoulder, like that?”
—Sir. That’s right.
“Leo, that patient… Bring him here immediately, no matter what. Hurry.”
—We’re in the middle of rescue. Three minutes until rescue is complete. Including transport time, estimated maximum seven minutes.
Assistant Squad Leader Leo calculated reflexively and answered.
Taesu’s eyes moved rapidly as he replied,
“Once he’s rescued, you have to come straight here. Minimize shock, but hurry.”
—I’ll do that.
“End transmission.”
Whip.
Taesu immediately returned the military radio to Squad Leader Sam.
Then he grabbed his own radio.
Kim Hyeokgwon’s radio had been handed to Brad Kim.
Taesu called the two of them first.
“Brad, Minsu.”
—This is Brad.
—Why all of a sudden?
After hearing their replies, Taesu explained the situation.
“They’re rescuing a patient with an aortic aneurysm.”
—This suddenly?
When Jeong Minsu sounded dumbfounded, Brad Kim soothed him.
—Dr. Jeong. An aortic aneurysm can occur anywhere.
—I’m not saying I don’t know that. I’m asking what we’re supposed to do about it in this situation.
Jeong Minsu’s voice was filled with groaning despair.
Taesu fully understood how he felt.
An aortic aneurysm was a condition that had to be classified as an absolute emergency.
Once it occurred, the survival rate plummeted exponentially.
Without wavering, Taesu pressed the radio button.
“I have a method.”
—Then you perform the emergency surgery.
“And what about here?”
That was why Taesu had contacted them.
Jeong Minsu realized his mistake in an instant.
—Even if we minimize the surgical staff, you, me, Mr. Hyeokgwon, and Dr. Jo have to go in.
“Leave Dr. Jo out too. Three of us will be enough.”
—Then what about there?
“Brad, most of the severe patients have been sorted. You can handle it, right?”
Taesu immediately asked Brad Kim.
The answer came faster than expected.
—If I can’t even do that much, I can’t call myself part of Dr. James’s surgical team.
“Then come this way. Minsu, move to the medical tent that’s been set up for surgery.”
After answering, Taesu lowered the radio.
Then he looked beside him, but no one was there.
“Mr. Hyeokgwon?”
He searched for Kim Hyeokgwon, who had disappeared, with a bewildered expression.
Fortunately, it did not take long to find him.
But he was found near the campfire.
That place was right next to the medical area and served almost like a rest area for people.
It was a space where they could soothe their exhausted bodies and get a spoonful of emergency rations.
Why there, all of a sudden?
Taesu’s curiosity only grew.
But at that moment, Kim Hyeokgwon proudly lifted something up.
It was blood donation equipment.
Perhaps the formula of surgery equaling blood had been etched into his mind.
It was clear how much suffering he had gone through over blood all this time.
So Taesu laughed loudly.
“Haha.”
“You’ve really become a medical professional now.”
Brad Kim, who had approached, was greatly impressed.
Taesu accepted that assessment with deep satisfaction.
“Not just a multitasker—a specialist medical professional.”
“Yeah. The more I see him, the more I realize there’s no partner like Mr. Kim.”
“He’s a gem I found. Don’t even think about snatching him away.”
“So there was a way to snatch him. Maybe I should start a savings account from today.”
Brad Kim smiled and joked.
He knew all too well how strong the bond between Taesu and Kim Hyeokgwon was.
The people Kim Hyeokgwon prioritized over money were Taesu and Jeong Minsu.
Perhaps it was because Brad Kim knew even that much that he felt even more envious.
A short while later.
All the surgical preparations were complete.
Taesu, Jeong Minsu, and Kim Hyeokgwon were wearing surgical gloves and standing around the operating table.
The patient was a man in his sixties.
Lying on the operating table, he had his eyes closed, apparently under anesthesia.
His breathing was being handled with an Ambu bag.
Squeeze, squeeze.
Kim Hyeokgwon gripped the Ambu bag, checked the time, and said,
“Five minutes have passed.”
That was the time needed for the muscle relaxant to spread.
At those words, Taesu and Jeong Minsu’s expressions settled coldly.
And soon, Taesu announced the start of the surgery.
“We will begin the emergency thoracotomy. I’ll be in your care.”
“I’ll be in your care.”
Bow.
They all bowed their heads together.
At the same time, the scalpel in Taesu’s hand moved.
As his hands moved swiftly back and forth, the patient’s chest was gradually exposed.
Thud.
Soon, as the ribs were lifted away, the heart and both lungs revealed themselves bare.
Now that the thoracotomy was complete, they had to find the aortic aneurysm.
Taesu and Jeong Minsu immediately changed surgical instruments.
Clack, clack.
The table placed over the operating bed reduced Kim Hyeokgwon’s burden.
Though three people had entered the surgery, it seemed as if only two were directly participating.
Taesu carefully manipulated the Mixter to search for the affected area.
Starting from the heart, he moved along the blood vessels in order: the ascending aorta, the aortic arch, and the descending aorta.
The defining feature of an aortic aneurysm was that part of the blood vessel swelled up.
Finding it was not difficult.
“Found it.”
“It’s fairly large.”
“At least two hours have passed.”
Taesu, fully drawing on Caprene’s knowledge, recognized it at a glance.
At that moment, Jeong Minsu glanced at him.
“You can tell just by looking?”
“Then what, I can’t?”
Taesu asked back without batting an eye.
His shamelessness technique had reached a certain level.
When the question came back at him, Jeong Minsu’s eyes wavered instead.
“Was that something you could tell that clearly?”
“Argue about it later. Let’s solve this first.”
“Yeah. But how did you come up with something like this?”
Rustle.
Jeong Minsu suddenly sounded impressed as he picked up what they had prepared beforehand.