Chapter 97, Section 5: I'm All Grown Up (2)

The current time is 9 PM.

The location is the on-call room.

"Phew, I'm exhausted."

I had been looking at the ECG graph on the monitor and closed my eyes for a moment.

I had become so engrossed in studying ECGs during this rare free time that my eyes ached as if they were about to fall out.

I felt dizzy, as if I were seasick, and my stomach churned.

Professor Kim Yong's secret to reading ECGs, which he had told me, was surprisingly memorization.

However, memorizing graphs, not just text, was far from easy.

After memorizing about ten ECG graphs, I always ended up with some kind of aftereffect, like now.

Then, how much must Professor Kim Yong have studied ECGs to become so proficient?

The more I studied, the more I marveled at Professor Kim Yong's dedication.

"Still, my skills have improved a lot."

I reviewed the ECGs by opening the files I had studied before.

Professor Kim Yong was right.

By memorizing the entire graph, my speed in interpreting the graphs improved dramatically.

Or, more accurately, I no longer needed to interpret them.

As soon as I saw the graph, thoughts like "Ah, this is left ventricular hypertrophy" or "Ah, this is premature atrial contraction" popped into my head like soda from a vending machine.

There was another interesting point.

After memorizing, my ability to interpret naturally improved.

For example, if I had to read a new ECG:

I could analyze the new ECG by recognizing the characteristics of the ECGs I had memorized.

It was truly an amazing growth rate.

To reach this level in less than a month of studying ECGs under Professor Kim Yong...

-If you want to grow quickly and correctly, find a good teacher.

I don't remember where I heard this, but it was true.

Rattle, rattle, rattle.

At that moment, the on-call room door opened.

I was alone in the on-call room, so I closed the ECG file and opened the OCS (prescription transmission program) screen.

No one knew that I studied ECGs in my spare time.

-Is your internship comfortable?

-Do you even have time to study alone?

If my studying was discovered, I would likely hear such sarcastic remarks.

"What are you doing?"

"I was entering discharge prescriptions."

"If you're not busy, can we talk for a moment?"

"Even if I'm busy, I have to make time when the chief calls."

I made a joke, and Choi Hosub chuckled and sat down next to me.

It was unusual for Choi Hosub and me to have a private conversation.

After all, interns were usually too difficult to approach, even to the point of not being able to step on the shadow of a fourth-year resident.

"Time really flies. It's already been a month. It feels like you just joined the cardiology department."

Choi Hosub looked at the calendar and muttered to himself with a wistful voice.

I felt the same way.

It seemed like only yesterday that I had performed ABGA in the pediatric respiratory department, rejecting Kim Seulgi, and now a month had already passed.

Today was my last day working in the cardiology department.

As a hospital wanderer and intern, I would start working in a different department from tomorrow.

"Do you have any plans to apply for a cardiology residency?"

"Thank you for the offer, but... I've already decided to apply for thoracic surgery. I'm sorry."

"You could go to any department you want, but why thoracic surgery?"

Choi Hosub raised a question.

I would probably hear this question repeatedly from the departments I interned in.

Why thoracic surgery?

The fact that it deals with the heart, a core human organ.

The fact that the intense and tragic nature of thoracic surgery was often portrayed in dramas and documentaries.

These two factors contributed to the positive public image of thoracic surgery.

However, among doctors, thoracic surgery was considered a graveyard.

A place where one chose to suffer.

"Ever since I was young, I wanted to become a doctor, and if I became a doctor, I wanted to be a thoracic surgeon."

"..."

"If I put it a bit more romantically, I feel a fateful attraction."

"Fateful attraction... That's not just a bit romantic, it's very romantic."

Choi Hosub made a joke.

Then, without much persuasion, he encouraged me to grow well in thoracic surgery.

"Chief, I have a question."

"What is it?"

"What happened to Senior Kim Seulgi?"

A garbage intern who fled because she was disliked by her seniors for drinking, retaliating against nurses, harassing nurses, and inadequate patient care.

I suddenly became curious about the garbage intern's current situation.

"That kid? It will be hard for her to continue her medical career. The professors heard about it and were very angry."

Choi Hosub explained.

Kim Seulgi was blacklisted at Shinwon University Hospital.

She could no longer enter the main hospital, branches, or affiliated hospitals.

He also added that the nurse who was harassed was filing a lawsuit.

It was a truly satisfying conclusion.

I felt a sense of pride in having dealt with her myself.

'In my past life, she probably would have gotten away with it. She would have had a smooth medical career.'

I thought that in my past life, Choi Hosub would have lived a comfortable life.

He would have faced media criticism over the Son Myunghwan case, but many seniors in the department would have supported him.

Eventually, everything would have been forgotten...

After washing away his sins with time.

Choi Hosub would have worked in the cardiology department without any issues.

Thinking about it, the second person to fall into the abyss because of me was Kim Seulgi.

The first was Shim Byungsoo, who led school bullying in high school.

Through regression, I gained the ability to prevent tragic deaths and the ability to deal with evil people.

Yes.

The person who changed the most through regression was myself.

"Don't worry about your internship grades. I gave you all perfect scores and spoke well of you to the professors."

"Thank you, Chief."

"I should be the one to thank you. Thanks to you, we saved the Son Myunghwan patient and got rid of some trash."

Choi Hosub patted my shoulder and left the on-call room.

Thus, my last night in the cardiology department was passing.

* * *

I said goodbye to the resident seniors, packed my things, and came out into the hallway.

I also said goodbye to my first month as an intern and the cardiology department.

Though it was a bit sad, I had to accept it.

Perhaps life is a process of repeatedly saying goodbye, not meeting.

Considering that even the end of human life is a farewell to life, this might be true.

"I'm going to miss you. It feels like we just started getting along."

Yang Soyeon approached me as I waited at the station.

"I feel the same way. It feels like time flew by."

"But you're so skilled, so you'll adapt well wherever you go."

"I hope so."

While chatting with Yang Soyeon, I waited for Nam Chorong.

I thought about the new department I would start working in today.

My next destination was pediatric thoracic surgery.

Pediatric thoracic surgery had an even harsher working environment than thoracic surgery.

There were fewer than 50 pediatric thoracic surgeons in the entire country.

Pediatric thoracic surgery was mostly found only in big 5 hospitals.

Considering that the heart is already difficult to handle...

Performing surgery on the underdeveloped hearts of children under 6 years old?

If it weren't difficult and exhausting, it would be strange.

The reason I chose pediatric thoracic surgery was simple.

I thought it would be very helpful for my internship.

With the skills and knowledge from my past life, I already had excellent skills in adult heart surgery.

Thanks to my training with Professor Yang Sunjae since medical school, I had fellow-level skills in the esophageal part.

Additionally, I was becoming proficient in ECGs through Professor Kim Yong...

Now, the only subject left for me to conquer was pediatric thoracic surgery.

If I could master the unique, delicate, and precise surgical techniques of pediatric thoracic surgery, I would become a complete thoracic surgeon.

I was steadily moving forward toward my dream.

By the way, the reason I could choose pediatric thoracic surgery as my next destination.

It was because I saved the father of an emergency medicine professor during the interview.

In my past life, I did not do an internship in pediatric thoracic surgery.

"Sorry, did you wait long?"

Nam Chorong, who had packed her things, hurriedly ran over to me.

"It's not just a long wait. I waited for six, no, seven hours."

I tried to make a joke, but all I got was a cold stare.

Not only Nam Chorong, but Yang Soyeon also narrowed her eyes and looked at me.

I thought I had delivered a great joke, but it seems I was mistaken.

Is the dream of becoming a doctor with a sense of humor really something I have to give up?

"Dr. Nam, Dr. Lee needs to be admitted. Can you write an admission order?"

"If we had enough beds, I would admit him right away, but it's a shame."

The two of them exchanged jokes, leaving me out.

I suddenly felt a sense of isolation.

After saying goodbye to Yang Soyeon one last time, I left the ward with Nam Chorong.

Nam Chorong's next assignment was in the emergency department, and mine was in pediatric thoracic surgery.

Since our routes overlapped, we talked while moving.

"I ran into Chulwoo a while ago."

"Chulwoo? He was probably in neurosurgery, right?"

I replied to Nam Chorong.

Shin Chulwoo, my lifelong friend since medical school, had not been in touch since the start of our internships.

But I had no reason to be upset.

Interns are supposed to be too busy to take care of themselves.

"Yeah, but as soon as we met, he made a bomb announcement."

"Bomb announcement?"

"He said he's going to fix in neurosurgery. Isn't it too early to fix?"

"It is early. I doubt there's anyone else in the country who fixed in the first month besides Chulwoo."

I chuckled at Shin Chulwoo's typical decision.

Interns are supposed to rotate through various departments to gain diverse experiences in the hospital and find a specialty they want to pursue.

Fixing is the opposite.

I've already decided on my specialty.

So, I will stay in one department instead of rotating through others.

...That's what fixing means.

Since Shin Chulwoo had been talking about brains since pre-med 1, and he happened to start his rotation in neurosurgery, the outcome was almost predictable.

If I'm crazy about thoracic surgery, then Shin Chulwoo is crazy about neurosurgery.

We make a good pair.

"The neurosurgeons will be happy. It's easier to teach when a fixer comes in."

"That's true. Still, I think fixing in the first month is not a good idea. Why be an intern if not to rotate through various departments?"

Nam Chorong seemed to approve of Shin Chulwoo's choice.

She was unexpectedly practical.

Indeed, based on my observations, Nam Chorong was a smart and capable person.

She could now perform ABGA proficiently and quickly handle the routine tasks of an intern.

She was several times better than I was in my past life.

It was just sad that such a talented person had left the world in vain during the OT.

"I hope we can work together again and have a good time."

"Me too. Good luck."

After parting ways with Nam Chorong at the emergency room, I left the main building.

The bright morning sunlight enveloped me.

I even wished for time to stop as I enjoyed the morning sunlight, which I hadn't experienced in a long time.

While drinking cabbage juice to maintain my stomach health, I hurried to the children's hospital.