To Taesu, they were matters of absolutely no interest, so he found them nothing but tedious.
It was in the midst of this.
"......Third Assistant: Dr. Choe. Assistant: Nurse Casey."
At the sudden call, Taesu's dazed mind snapped awake with a start.
What?
For a moment, Taesu couldn't understand.
It seemed he wasn't the only one feeling that way.
"......"
"......"
Before he knew it, everyone was looking at Taesu.
Their expressions said they had no idea what was going on.
Not even Taesu himself knew what was happening, so he had nothing to say.
Then Dr. Kuramoto stepped forward and gave the answer to the question everyone wanted to hear.
"I assigned them at my own discretion."
"Is that so?"
Dr. Schmidt responded in a heavy tone.
Dr. Kuramoto spoke as if he had expected this.
"I heard that several residents are being made to participate in various surgical operations."
"That's right."
"So I decided to do this."
Dr. Kuramoto broke into a broad smile.
Even if one scrutinized his words, there wasn't really anything problematic about them.
But then.
Swish.
Dr. Oliver raised his hand and asked.
"I understand the good intentions, but shouldn't you have notified us beforehand?"
"Dr. Choe took a great interest in this patient, so I too made the decision suddenly."
"Hmm."
As Dr. Oliver simply stared, Dr. Kuramoto continued.
"I wish to be of some help, however small, to Dr. Choe's passion for coming all this way from a nearby neighboring country to learn."
"......"
"I believe that by participating in the Batista procedure, he will also feel pride in thoracic surgery."
After Dr. Kuramoto finished speaking.
Dr. Oliver still seemed to have more to say.
"Well......."
Grab.
A hand grabbed Dr. Oliver from the side.
In that instant, Dr. Oliver's expression stiffened.
Because the owner of that hand was Taesu.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"I'm saying I'll participate."
"Do you think this is the same level as a pericardiocentesis?"
"That the level is different...... I know that better than anyone."
At Taesu's meaningful answer, Dr. Oliver slightly furrowed his brows.
"Seeing you do this even though you know that, you must be overflowing with confidence."
"Because I'm the third assistant."
Wink.
Taesu smiled and immediately turned his head.
And he sprang to his feet, bowing his head to Dr. Kuramoto as he spoke.
"I ask for your generous guidance."
"Very good. Very good."
Clap, clap.
Dr. Kuramoto even clapped, delighted.
Yet in his eyes, a sharply strange glint briefly flashed across.
Taesu, meeting his gaze, could see that faint trace.
As expected, he seemed to think Taesu had ignored him yesterday.
It didn't matter.
'As long as the surgery ends well.'
That was exactly what he thought.
He didn't want to pace around outside anxiously.
He chose the path of participating in the surgery to find the cause directly.
The briefing concluded once the surgical staff was decided.
Soon Dr. Kuramoto led the mid-level doctors, with Dr. Schmidt at the forefront, and went outside.
Dr. Takeshi was also included in that line.
Only the Japanese medical staff remained in the briefing room.
The gazes directed at Taesu were far from friendly.
Though he felt it with his whole body, Taesu's expression didn't change one bit.
A Japanese man with an upright bearing, who had been presiding over the proceedings, approached Taesu.
"I'm Dr. Yamaguchi. I'm a third-year specialist and in charge of anesthesia."
Unexpectedly, he was a doctor with a bright, sociable disposition.
Taesu also dropped his sharpness and responded gently.
"I'm Dr. Choe Taesu. I look forward to working with you."
"You must have been flustered to be put on the surgical staff list so suddenly."
"I was a bit surprised, but I'm grateful that an opportunity was opened for me."
As Taesu answered composedly, Dr. Yamaguchi smiled softly.
"Then that's a relief. Then, may I ask you to prepare for the surgery?"
"Seeing to the patient first is the proper order, isn't it?"
"That is indeed the proper order."
"Thank you for the opportunity."
Taesu politely bowed and turned to leave first.
Before he knew it, a deep smile had formed on his lips.
Thud, thud.
As Taesu walked, Nurse Casey immediately followed and exclaimed.
"Going around and around, we finally meet again."
"This is why you shouldn't miss your chance."
"That's right. Timing is now."
"I can't miss it twice. I'm off to see her now."
Taesu spoke meaningfully and moved with Nurse Casey.
Truthfully, the process of participating in the surgery had not been very pleasant.
Because a more important issue took priority, they were both being sparing with words.
Exiting the briefing room, Taesu confidently went to find Vanessa.
Creak.
When he opened and entered that hospital room, only Vanessa was there.
It was not a private room.
The room seemed to have been allocated to the Japanese medical team, and because Vanessa was the first patient, she appeared to be lying there alone.
Beside her, a nurse in her late twenties was stationed.
Taesu recalled the names that had been mentioned until now and was able to find her name.
"Nurse Kagari?"
"Yes."
She seemed quite nervous at Taesu's appearance and answered loudly.
By actual age, they were peers.
But at the feeling of being treated like an elder, Taesu's expression grew awkward.
But that was only for a moment.
Taesu decided to take advantage of Nurse Kagari's misunderstanding.
"I'm Dr. Choe Taesu. Would it be alright to converse in English?"
"Yes. I can do that."
"You don't need to strain yourself like that. The room is clean, which is nice."
Taesu really acted leisurely, like an elder.
Of course, he wasn't doing this blindly.
Beep, beep.
He kept an eye on the ECG monitor from time to time.
But the numbers on the monitor changed slightly.
They had dropped, if only a little.
'Comfort?'
Why suddenly?
It was when the puzzled Taesu tilted his head.
Tap.
He felt a light touch from Nurse Casey from behind.
Taesu's gaze, which had paused, moved toward Vanessa in the same moment with a start.
Vanessa was already looking at Taesu.
"Hoo-uk, hoo-uk."
She was receiving assisted breathing from a ventilator.
Following her breath, the cover was completely filled with condensation.
Soon the condensation disappeared, and inside the transparent cover, Vanessa's calm smile could be seen.
'You came to see me.'
Her eyes were saying that.
They had met for only about ten minutes just an hour ago.
Even when compared to a single day, it was but an exceedingly brief moment.
Yet Vanessa was so happy to see Taesu again before the surgery.
The emotion contained in her eyes and smile.
It was precisely 'trust.'
It was a joy perfectly befitting the journey Taesu had undergone to meet Vanessa again.
In that moment, Taesu recalled the advice James had given him some time ago.
— Become a doctor that your patients have no choice but to trust.
Until now, it had been vague and daunting as to how to do that.
Because trust is not an emotion that arises by force. But now, something was felt from Vanessa's smile.
Meeting for one year, twelve months, doesn't mean trust forms between doctor and patient.
Conversely, if they had met only briefly, it would have been even harder to gain trust.
Therefore, the time spent facing the patient didn't matter.
What was truly important was consistency.
The answer was to treat even briefly met patients with sincerity.
Taesu would only be sending his heart to one patient. However, patients talk about Taesu to those around them.
If such rumors layered upon each other, even a patient meeting him for the first time could feel trust.
Taesu smiled without realizing it.
'I'm glad I came.'
And.
He had gained a reason to find by all means the cause that could endanger the surgery.
He couldn't give any disappointment to a patient who trusted him.
That was because Taesu was still a coward who was afraid of patients leaving.
Enlightenment comes in a moment.
Right now, Taesu's appearance was filled only with smiling at Vanessa.
Wink.
Taesu, who had lightly gestured with his eyes, exuded leisure once again.
"Nurse Kagari."
"Yes. Dr. Choe."
"Where is the chart?"
At Taesu's question, Nurse Kagari quickly approached and held out the chart.
Rustle.
"It's here."
"It must have been hard keeping watch alone."
"Not at all."
"Still, since it's before surgery, I think it would be good for you to get some fresh air."
Taesu suggested with a gentle smile.
But Nurse Kagari opened her eyes wide and quickly answered.
"Yes, I'll d-do that. Excuse me."
Whoosh.
Nurse Kagari quickly turned around and left the room with brisk steps.
At that sight, Taesu narrowed his brows.
"Just what kind of rumor is going around about me?"
"Hohoho. Dr. Choe is so cute, yet she's like that because she's scared."
Taesu immediately reacted to the hint Nurse Casey tossed out.
"She's scared of me?"
"When you put on airs, you do look a bit older."
"A mirror....... I'll find one later. The chart too, later......"
"Why are you putting everything off?"
Nurse Casey looked at him puzzledly.
Rather than answering, Taesu moved first.
Tap.
Arriving at the bedside, Taesu lightly held Vanessa's hand.
And while meeting her gaze, he spoke calmly.
"You said you wanted to see me so much, so I came like this."
"......"
Vanessa simply looked back at him with a smiling face.
Only then did Taesu realize with a start.
"Ah, the conversation....... Oh my."
Taesu, who hadn't thought of that, made a bitter expression.
It was then.
"$^#$%@#$."
The local language suddenly rang out from the direction of the door.
This voice?
The startled Taesu quickly turned his head.
"Oh my."
Nurse Casey reacted exactly the same.
The person standing receiving their gazes was, surprisingly, Kim Hyeokgwon.
Click.
He calmly closed the door and came inside.
And while slightly raising one corner of his mouth toward Taesu, he spoke.
"They say a certain young doctor left his post without permission and is poking around everywhere; do you happen to know who it is?"
"Hyeokgwon."
"Dr. Jeong said that if you follow Patient Vanessa, you'll see one troublemaker."
At his words, Taesu was surprised once again.
"Minsu did?"
"We know each other's personalities inside out; he must have caught on to that much."
"That punk."
Taesu was considerably impressed by Jeong Minsu's support.
But then Kim Hyeokgwon approached and held out his palm with a thwack as he spoke.
"You know there's no such thing as a free lunch, right?"
"Of course I know."
Slap.
Taesu, who had answered energetically, struck his palm against Kim Hyeokgwon's with a sharp smack.
With Kim Hyeokgwon having come, Taesu felt much more at ease.
Because without needing many words exchanged, he interpreted on cue each time, and was also proactive in medical matters.
Taesu immediately made use of Kim Hyeokgwon.
Not that he was sending any signal to him.
Taesu simply uttered what he wanted to say to Vanessa right now.
"I'm so glad to see you again."
"#%@$%@#$....... I knew you'd come."
"Thank you. But actually......."
"^@#$#......."
Taesu accurately informed Vanessa of why he had come.
Kim Hyeokgwon interpreted Taesu's words in real time.