NOVEL NEXT Chapter 16
Chapter 16
There’s a Malignant Among Us (7)
‘Let me write this down before I forget!’
I meticulously recorded everything I could remember on my smartphone.
I couldn’t trust my memory at all.
And in the early morning, after my shift ended…
Click—
I finished showering, returned to the empty dormitory, and closed the door.
Then I picked up the desk calendar.
Let’s organize this.
In the third premonition.
There were definitely some clues hidden in the chief resident’s words.
— Of course, some of you might feel wronged. You might think, ‘I did well for a [whole month],’ but because of that guy…’ You might feel resentment.
‘Whole month.’
The chief resident clearly said that.
This meant that the incident probably occurred towards the end of this month’s internship.
—Even if the ER was [busier than usual], how could they make such a ridiculous mistake?
‘Busier than usual.’
This was also an important clue.
In other words, the incident would occur at the end of this month, on a day when the ER was flooded with patients.
‘If I check the days we’re working at the end of April, every other day…’
Scribble, scribble—
I marked the calendar with a red pen.
The possible dates were narrowed down to three or four days.
‘The incident will probably happen on one of these days.’
Thump—
I put down my pen.
The vague picture was becoming clearer.
Of course, it wasn’t enough information.
But knowing the approximate time of the incident would make it much easier to prepare.
“…Whew.”
I rubbed my face.
It was a strange feeling.
It was as if someone was challenging me with a difficult exam question.
Can you solve this, you insignificant intern?
…Of course, I wasn’t particularly good at solving problems even when I was a student.
I wasn’t born with the brains to get into a prestigious university, and I wasn’t a fast learner either.
But should I call it perseverance or stubbornness?
Whatever it was, once I set my mind on something, I wouldn’t give up until I saw it through.
“Alright, let’s see who wins.”
Clench—
I made a fist.
My competitive spirit was ignited.
Medical accident or whatever it was, I would change the future.
And I would survive and get a good evaluation in the EM (Emergency Medicine) department!
“I am Shin Seon-han, son of Garak Market, you bastards.”
I said to myself and grinned.
Although it was completely out of context, it was a sentence that always had a magical effect on me.
Triage (1)
“Ah~ I want to fall in love.”
Geun-uk muttered, sitting on the bench.
One day in April.
We were sitting on a bench next to the hospital, sipping convenience store coffee.
That was what we called it among ourselves.
Whoever designed this path leading to the funeral hall had a romantic touch…
Cherry blossom trees were lined up along the path, and on a spring day like this, with a gentle breeze, the falling petals created a beautiful scene.
Looking at the fluttering cherry blossoms, anyone would feel a flutter in their heart and a wave of sentimental emotions.
Spring was coming to the hospital, a place that seemed so dry and sterile, and it was the same for the hearts of us interns.
— Is the rumor about intern Yoon dating a pediatric nurse true?
— There’s only one Yoon among us, LOL. Seems like it’s true. I witnessed them on a secret date the other day. They looked very lovey-dovey.
— Are you guys Dispatch or something?
— LOL
— LOL
— Hearing about all these budding romances makes me realize it really is spring ㅠㅠ I’m lonely~
I scrolled through my smartphone screen and chuckled.
I had recently learned about the existence of an anonymous online community for interns.
Apparently, these kinds of communities were active in every workplace these days.
Since it was anonymous, all sorts of things were discussed, and lately, there had been an outpouring of cries about loneliness.
Now that everyone was getting used to their internship, they were starting to look around.
And my roommate, Geun-uk, was no exception.
“Spring has sprung, but it doesn’t feel like spring. What a bummer.”
He said, taking a sip of his coffee with a melancholic air.
Spring has sprung, but it doesn’t feel like spring.
It meant that spring didn’t feel like spring in a foreign land because there were no flowers, or something like that.
Sometimes, Geun-uk had an old-fashioned side to him.
“This won’t do!”
Geun-uk suddenly jumped up and exclaimed.
“We’re not old enough to wither away yet. Aren’t we wasting our youth cooped up in the hospital?”
“What are you getting at?”
Geun-uk looked at me and said in a dramatic voice,
“Let’s go on a group blind date.”
“A group blind date?”
“Wait a minute.”
Rummage, rummage.
Geun-uk took out his smartphone and searched for something, then showed me a picture on social media.
Ta-da!
Three beautiful women were smiling brightly.
They were sitting at a rooftop bar, fully made up, looking like they were from a different world.
“What do you think?”
“Who are they?”
“All three of them passed the Korean Air flight attendant recruitment this year. My friend said he could introduce us if we have enough people. What do you think? Interested?”
Geun-uk’s eyes were sparkling.
Even an elementary school student waiting for Christmas wouldn’t have such bright eyes.
I answered in a single word,
“Not interested.”
“What?”
“I’m not planning on dating this year.”
“Seon-han, please!”
Geun-uk clung to me.
He smelled like sweat.
And I felt his bulging chest muscles, which was strangely unpleasant.
“Get off me.”
“Seon-han, you’re the only one among us who looks like a normal person! We need someone like you at the group blind date to liven up the atmosphere!”
“Group blind dates are something you do in your first year of college.”
“What are you talking about? Group blind dates for working adults are super popular these days!”
“Really?”
“Of course!”
Geun-uk exclaimed with spittle flying from his mouth.
These days, you could easily meet people through smartphone apps, but apparently, many people were tired of such superficial encounters.
And the advantage of group blind dates for working adults was that you could meet people with desirable professions.
“These women want to meet doctors. And I’ve always dreamed of meeting flight attendants since I was a kid. It’s a match made in heaven, don’t you think? Hehehe.”
“They’re not noonas anymore.”
“Oh… Right? Anyway, that’s not important now! Are you in or out?”
I grinned.
“I’m out.”
“You jerk.”
“What are you guys talking about so excitedly?”
Yeon-seo suddenly interrupted.
She must have seen us while returning from the convenience store with other colleagues and decided to join us.
Geun-uk grinned and replied,
“Oh, it’s a secret. We were having a private conversation between men!”
“Funny. What were you talking about?”
“A hot 3-on-3 group blind date with beautiful flight attendants.”
“A group blind date?”
Yeon-seo’s eyes widened.
She seemed to need a moment to process the information.
“Oh, not a work-related meeting at the hospital… but a real group blind date?”
“Of course, a real one. Why would we have a work meeting outside the hospital? Hehehe.”
“Oh my, you must be excited.”
“Of course, we are. Seon-han agreed to come too.”
“Seon-han oppa too?”
“I said…”
“Hello? Dong-hyeop? It’s about that group blind date we talked about!”
Geun-uk ignored me and happily got up, making a phone call.
It seemed like he was going to make plans without my consent, but who would go to such a bothersome event?
Just as I was thinking that…
Sweep—
A shadow fell over my face.
I looked up and saw Yeon-seo looking down at me, her eyes narrowed.
“Dr. Shin Seon-han, you seem to be living the good life. Going on a h.o.t. 3-on-3 group blind date with beautiful women~?”
“I never said I was going…”
“Oh, come on, weren’t you just saying you were too busy adjusting to your internship?”
Yeon-seo said with a pout.
Her lips were curled into a playful smile, and it seemed like she was just teasing me.
“A group blind date, how nice~”
Muttering to herself, Yeon-seo disappeared somewhere.
I sipped the rest of my coffee.
…It seemed like everyone lost their minds when spring came around.
I had to stay focused.
***
8:00 PM.
The ER was still crowded with patients.
“Tsk, why is this spring rain coming down so hard?”
Dr. Yeo Bong-cheol, dressed in casual clothes, grumbled as he came back to look for his umbrella.
I had just finished changing a dressing and was returning to the station.
“You haven’t left work yet?”
“It’s raining.”
“It is?”
“You didn’t know?”
“I was inside the ER, so I didn’t know what the weather was like.”
“You’re going crazy too, huh?”
Dr. Yeo Bong-cheol imitated Kim Yoon-sik from the movie “Tazza: The High Rollers” and patted my shoulder.
I chuckled.
It was the fourth week, and I had become close enough with Dr. Yeo Bong-cheol to exchange jokes.
We had seen each other at the gym a few times, which sped up the process of getting to know each other.
“You’ll understand when you become a resident. It feels awkward when you go home. Like it’s not where you’re supposed to be. But when you come to the ER, you feel like, ‘Ah, this is where I belong.'”
“Aren’t you dating?”
“Dating, my ass. I need someone to date first. Are you kidding me?”
Dr. Yeo Bong-cheol grumbled.
I suddenly remembered the conversation I had with Geun-uk during the day.
Should I send Dr. Yeo Bong-cheol to the group blind date instead of me?
He would probably be overjoyed if he heard that beautiful women were involved.
‘It’s not the right time yet.’
I shook my head.
If a medical lawsuit erupted and the atmosphere turned chaotic, the group blind date wouldn’t matter anymore.
The most important thing was to safely navigate through the accident predicted for this month.
‘If it’s going to happen, just happen already!’
Waiting was exhausting.
My nerves were becoming increasingly frayed.
It felt like I was clenching my teeth, ready to take a punch, while the puncher was annoyingly raising and lowering his fist.
I just wanted him to get it over with.
As I was thinking this, a call came into the ER.
Ring, ring—
“Yes, this is the Yeonguk University Hospital emergency…”
Pause.
The nurse on standby stopped speaking mid-sentence.
A subtly different atmosphere settled over the room.
The nurse suddenly gestured to Dr. Yeo Bong-cheol and said in a loud voice,
“Is this the 119 emergency center? You said a TA (Traffic Accident)? What’s the location? Estimated arrival time?”
TA!
As soon as he heard that, Dr. Yeo Bong-cheol dashed over like lightning and snatched the phone.
“What’s the patients’ condition?”
The atmosphere changed instantly.
The lighthearted mood vanished, and tension filled the ER.
Dr. Yeo Bong-cheol jotted down some notes, hung up the phone, and shouted,
“Nine patients arriving in 20 minutes!”
Nine!
This wasn’t an ordinary accident.
Everyone’s face hardened, and Yeo Bong-cheol continued,
“They said there are no CPR patients, but knowing them, there might be critical cases, so clear out the resuscitation room! Prepare for intubation and set up the ventilators! Call the blood bank in advance!”
Thump, thump!
At Dr. Yeo Bong-cheol’s shouts, the nurses started moving busily.
Yeo Bong-cheol, on his way to inform the attending physician on duty about the situation, saw the interns standing there dumbfounded and shouted,
“Everyone, get your act together! Got it?”
“Yes!”
Gulp.
The other interns looked terrified, facing a major traffic accident for the first time, and I had a feeling.
[The last week of April]
[When the ER is especially busy]
Today was the day.
—————–
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