NOVEL NEXT Chapter 14
Chapter 14
There’s a Malignant Among Us (5)
It felt like walking underwater.
Soon, my vision cleared, and another premonition began.
“Interns, are you all here?”
A sharp voice echoed through the conference room.
I slowly looked around.
About ten doctors were gathered in the emergency room conference room, their faces grim.
‘What’s with this atmosphere?’
The air was heavy.
It felt like icicles would form in the air if a single drop of water fell.
What is going on…?
I slowly walked forward and looked at the faces of the people gathered.
‘Ugh. Isn’t that me?’
I saw myself, looking rather haggard, standing with my head bowed alongside my fellow interns.
Next to me were Ham So-dam, Jo Jin-gi, and Oh Joong-won… in other words, all the interns currently working in the ER.
But why is everyone hanging their heads?
As if they were criminals.
“I’ve never seen anything like this in all my time working in the emergency medicine department.”
The chief resident looked furious for some reason.
“To cut a long story short, all of your intern evaluations this month are C’s. Got it?!”
“Yes.”
The four interns, including myself, nodded with gloomy expressions.
What? C’s?!
It felt like a bomb had exploded over my head.
We are getting C’s less than two months into our internship?
Is this a sign that our time at Yeonguk University Hospital was over?
“Of course, some of you might feel wronged. You might think, ‘I did well for a month, but because of that guy…’ You might feel resentment.”
The chief resident continued.
“But don’t feel wronged. Even if one person makes a mistake, it’s a shared responsibility. You should have looked out for each other’s shortcomings!”
Shared responsibility…
I tried to think calmly.
So, to summarize the situation, one of the four of us had made a mistake.
And whatever it was, it seemed to be a huge mistake.
What kind of mistake was it, Chief Resident? I need to know what happened so I can prevent it after seeing this future! Please tell me more…
As I was thinking this, the chief resident’s angry voice continued.
“The patient is still in the ICU, and you know the family has even contacted the media, making this a huge deal, right? The professors are in an uproar.”
ICU? Media reports?
I was on the verge of jumping up and down in frustration.
Come on, man! What is going on here?
I couldn’t make a sound, so I couldn’t ask, and the frustration was driving me crazy.
Then Yeo Bong-cheol spoke up.
“I apologize. I should have taught them better.”
“Is this the kind of mistake that can be prevented with teaching?”
“Still, it’s largely my fault.”
“Forget about making excuses! Even if the ER was busier than usual, how could they make such a ridiculous mistake?”
The chief resident sighed deeply, as if the world was ending.
And then he added,
“I can’t believe this. A medical lawsuit because of an intern’s mistake…”
What?
Wait, what did he just say? A medical lawsuit?
Damn, this is the worst-case scenario.
If such a thing happened because of an intern’s mistake, it was enough to turn the whole hospital upside down.
This wasn’t a situation that could be resolved with a simple “I’m sorry.” It was understandable why the chief residents were furious.
‘But…’
If I could figure out what the mistake was, I might be able to prevent it!
I focused intently, listening closely.
“All four of you, listen carefully. And especially the one who caused this incident…”
Just as he was about to say more—
Flash!
My vision returned to normal.
***
“Holy shit…!”
A curse slipped out of my mouth.
At the most crucial moment, I was back in reality, with only half the information.
What kind of shitty timing was this?!
“What’s wrong?”
I looked up and saw Yeon-seo staring at me with wide eyes, startled.
I must have looked crazy, suddenly shouting at the air.
I quickly made an excuse.
“No, I’m sorry, it’s nothing.”
“Oppa… you seem to act strangely sometimes. Are you a split personality or something?”
Yeon-seo said, rolling her eyes.
I couldn’t do this. I had to stay calm…
Getting angry in front of poor Yeon-seo wouldn’t help anything.
“Sorry, I suddenly remembered that I forgot to report a neurology patient.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh no, shouldn’t you go quickly then?”
“Yeah, I’ll contact you later, Yeon-seo!”
I made a quick excuse and returned to the ER, lost in thought.
Four interns in the emergency room.
Among us, someone was hiding who would cause a massive incident in the near future.
It could even be me.
‘This is driving me crazy.’
If only the vision had been a little longer, I could have gotten more information.
It was frustrating that it was cut off abruptly.
‘It can’t be helped.’
I had no choice but to try to prevent the future with the limited information I had!
***
An average of 200 patients visit the ER every day.
But there were days, especially on weekends, when there were relatively fewer patients.
After clearing the task list and waiting for new ones, Joong-won hyung approached me.
“Seon-han, I’m going to take a break. Call me right away if anything comes up, okay?”
Joong-won hyung winked.
Interns were supposed to be on standby in the ER for 24 hours, but they would cleverly take turns hiding and resting.
In particular, the ultrasound room, tucked away in a corner, was a popular spot for interns to sneak off and rest, thanks to its relatively comfortable patient bed and discreet location.
But…
Joong-won hyung went there too often.
Was it a skill to have perfectly adapted to sneaking off within a week of starting in the ER? Perhaps there was a reason why he was older.
I asked carefully.
“You did the spinal tap earlier, right?”
“Of course, I did it perfectly. Who do you think I am?”
“There were four consent forms for patient Kim Tae-jin. You got all four signed, right?”
“Oh, Seon-han. You’re acting like a nagging mother-in-law. Let’s not be too hard on each other, man!”
Joong-won hyung chuckled.
In a positive light, it meant being meticulous, but negatively, it described someone inflexible and exhausting to be around.
But I couldn’t help it.
I knew from my vision that one of us would cause a medical accident.
‘Of course, the possibility of it being Joong-won hyung is low…’
I observed him quietly.
Although Joong-won hyung had a tendency to slack off, he rarely made mistakes when it came to essential tasks.
At least he wasn’t the most likely candidate to cause an accident in the ER.
“Hyung, let’s go together.”
“Why are you following me?”
“Oh, come on, are you going to enjoy yourself alone? Let’s slack off together.”
Jo Jin-gi was seen following Joong-won hyung with a sly grin.
Jo Jin-gi?
He was a strong candidate, but the possibility of him causing a medical accident was also low.
This was because he had a cast on his arm and could only perform tasks like getting consent forms signed or doing simple checkups.
‘Then, is the most likely candidate… Ham So-dam?’
I looked at So-dam sitting next to me.
She seemed even more dejected than before, her shoulders slumped as if the failed blood draw incident had further damaged her confidence.
But I shouldn’t jump to conclusions.
Perhaps it wasn’t any of the three of them, and I would be the one to screw up.
‘Damn, I can’t let my guard down for a second.’
My head was pounding from being on edge all day.
I wasn’t sure who it was yet, but there was definitely a malignancy among us.
***
After finishing a simple dressing for a patient, I returned to the station.
As 3:00 AM approached and the ER became relatively quiet, I stepped outside to get some fresh air.
I was stretching to wake myself up when So-dam approached me and spoke.
“I’ve been thinking.”
“Yeah?”
“You asked me why I became a doctor the other day, right?”
It was the first time she had spoken in three hours.
I had noticed that she seemed to want to say something.
I turned my head to look at So-dam.
She fidgeted with her fingers and hesitated for a long time before speaking.
“After talking to you, I started thinking a lot. I’ve been pushed to study and pushed to go to medical school by my parents since I was young.”
“…”
“That’s how my life has always been. I’ve just been doing what others tell me to do, without knowing what I’m good at or what I want.”
“…”
“Now that I’ve become a doctor, I’m scared of patients… and what scares me the most is the fear of failing. I think I made five mistakes today. Maybe I shouldn’t have become a doctor.”
I looked at So-dam’s gloomy expression without saying a word.
Honestly, I couldn’t relate at all.
At least I desperately wanted to become a doctor.
Even though it was an exhausting daily life that made my mind and body feel like they were splitting apart, I was grateful to be working at Yeonguk University Hospital at this moment.
‘But…’
I understood what she meant.
It was a typical case of a model student who had been under excessive pressure since childhood.
The eldest daughter of a third-generation medical family.
She was pushed by her parents to reach a destination, and when she finally came to her senses, she realized it wasn’t the path for her.
In So-dam’s case, the side effects were manifesting in the medical field.
‘This is serious.’
At this rate, she was a ticking time bomb who could make any kind of mistake during her month in the ER.
I was becoming increasingly convinced that Ham So-dam was the culprit in the medical lawsuit case.
‘Wait…’
At that moment, an idea came to mind.
Perhaps I could plant something in So-dam’s consciousness?
There was that movie, ‘Inception’, wasn’t there?
If I planted a trigger in So-dam’s mind, I might be able to change the future!
“Don’t worry alone.”
“Huh?”
“Even if you make a mistake, the other interns can cover for you. So actively rely on me or Joong-won hyung.”
“Ah…”
“In return, you can help us too. Let’s all be careful not to make mistakes. As colleagues. What do you think?”
This was my strategy.
The “bait operation.”
If I said this, I might be able to prevent So-dam’s fatal mistake in the future!
So-dam stared at me and said,
“You’re really kind.”
Huh?
What kind of conclusion is that?
It seemed like she misunderstood something.
I just wanted to prevent a medical accident, but I inadvertently became a good friend.
So-dam continued in a seemingly touched voice,
“Thank you. No one has ever said that to me before… You’re really kind. Is it because your name is Seon-han?”
“My name doesn’t mean that.”
“Isn’t it the ‘seon’ (善) that means kind?”
“It’s the ‘seon’ (鮮) that means fresh. I’m the son of a raw fish restaurant owner.”
“Raw fish restaurant?”
So-dam’s ears perked up.
I gave her a brief summary of my family history.
And for the first time, I saw So-dam burst into genuine laughter.
I had never met anyone who didn’t laugh after hearing the story behind my name.
It was like a cheat code.
“Ahaha… You’re a really funny guy.”
So-dam laughed so hard that tears welled up in her eyes, and she listened to my stories with interest for a while after that.
Once we started talking, So-dam wasn’t as gloomy as I initially thought.
She was just much more timid than others and was having a hard time adjusting to her internship.
I believed she could do well in the future.
***
Tuesday morning commute.
Ham So-dam’s footsteps were light.
She was thinking about what Seon-han had said to her a few days ago.
It had been a while since someone had said something so encouraging to her.
‘He’s a good guy.’
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
She was always surrounded by people who treated her with prejudice because she was a “royal,” but for the first time, she felt like she had made a close friend.
‘I should be friends with him.’
Thinking that, So-dam changed into her doctor’s coat and headed to the ER.
When she arrived at 7:00 AM, the nurse’s eyes widened.
“Oh? You’re here early, Doctor.”
“Good morning.”
She had arrived an hour early, driven by her newfound enthusiasm.
Once Ham So-dam got excited about something, it was hard for her to calm down.
So-dam looked around and cautiously spoke.
“Um… Is there anything I can help you with?”
“Oh my, you’re already offering to help even before your shift starts?”
So-dam nodded.
Seon-han had clearly said, “Let’s help each other.”
To follow through with that, she wanted to gain more experience interacting with patients and build her confidence.
That was the only way they could “help each other”!
“Well, there’s quite a bit of work piled up… If you don’t mind, could you see the patient in Zone B?”
“What kind of patient is it?”
“A urethral stricture patient.”
At the nurse’s words, So-dam walked over to the screen and checked the task list.
[B-7] 24687883
Ban Jin-ho 20 Male : CIC
[assign] [done]
‘Ban Jin-ho…?’
So-dam tilted her head.
That name sounded very familiar. Is he a celebrity?
—————
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