Chapter 135

– ‘Gyeonggi Fire Department helicopter assistance denied.’

This thunderous notice wasn’t just a problem for Hanguk University Hospital.

“Team Leader Kim Kang-ryul, the fire chief wants to see you.”

Kang-ryul, who had already heard bits and pieces of the news, set down the paper cup he was holding.

It was filled with instant coffee—something doctors were always telling him not to drink.

He got scolded often by physicians since his job brought him into frequent contact with them.

Baek Kang-hyuk in particular wasn’t just blunt—he was practically verbally abusive.

Even now, if Kang-ryul closed his eyes, he could hear that voice.

– ‘Keep drinking that and you’ll end up on a blacklist.’

It might’ve sounded like nothing—

But to a rescue worker, that kind of warning felt like a curse.

The more he thought about it, the more it sounded insane.

But still—he couldn’t bring himself to hate the man.

‘He’s the definition of self-sacrifice…’

And not just because of the blood donation incident.

That was just how Kang-hyuk lived his entire life.

“Sir, the chief is waiting for you.”

Kang-ryul had only just set the cup down, so the staff repeated the message.

Kang-ryul slowly turned his head and stared at the guy.

He was the same junior who’d gone out on the rescue mission with him just yesterday.

“What do you think he’s going to say?”

“I don’t know for sure… but I don’t think it’ll be good.”

The junior wasn’t one to sugarcoat things—they’d worked together for a long time.

So Kang-ryul rose from his seat with the look of someone thinking, ‘Well, here we go.’

“Yeah, I figured this was coming eventually.”

“Team leader—I mean, sir.”

“What?”

“If he starts chewing you out, just take it. Don’t end up like Ahn Jung-heon.”

“Ahn…”

That guy had been officially reassigned to desk duty—

But within a month, he was sent to some remote island nobody could remember the name of.

After all that seniority… now stuck across the sea?

Ahn claimed he was glad to be back in the field.

But to everyone else, it looked like punishment.

‘It was basically a public execution.’

Thinking of that made Kang-ryul’s steps a little heavier.

Unlike Jung-heon, Kang-ryul had a wife and kids.

Knock knock.

But no matter how slowly he walked, the chief’s office was still within the same building.

He had no choice but to knock.

“Come in.”

Just the voice made it clear the man was pissed.

‘Shit.’

The chief already had a reputation for a nasty temper.

Kang-ryul bit his lip and opened the door.

“You bastard. What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Sure enough, he opened with a curse.

Some might scoff at such a toxic work culture, but—

Groups that dealt with rough fieldwork often took on a rough edge themselves.

And this chief was particularly extreme.

“I… I’m not sure what you’re referring to.”

But Kang-ryul wasn’t exactly mild-mannered either.

After all, he had volunteered to take the lead even after seeing what had happened to the previous team leader.

So for now, he played dumb.

“You really don’t know? Huh?”

“I need you to explain, sir—”

“Unbelievable, this bastard…”

The chief shook his head in disbelief.

Kang-ryul glanced at the desk.

There was a paper front and center—he couldn’t read it all, but the sender was clearly the National Fire Agency Chief.

“You know how much shit I got from the top this morning over this?”

This guy was a high-ranking officer himself.

Suwon Fire Station was one of the largest in the country—

They even operated helicopters, which said it all.

But compared to the national chief, he was nothing.

No wonder he was this mad.

“The chief… called you?”

“Yeah! Why the hell are you flying the Gyeonggi chopper all the way to Seoul, huh?! You insane? The complaints are pouring in! The chief even got chewed out by the district mayor over it! What the hell is wrong with you?!”

That’s when Kang-ryul began to understand.

‘So it’s a civilian complaint, huh…’

But it still didn’t make sense.

If you went by call frequency, the central rescue team under Ahn Jung-heon flew with Kang-hyuk way more often.

They even had a full duty rotation that ran year-round.

So why now?

“What’s with the shifty eyes? Aren’t you going to apologize?”

The chief didn’t like the look on his face and raised his voice again.

Anyone else would’ve already groveled—but Kang-ryul wasn’t anyone else.

He didn’t think he’d done anything wrong.

“Sir, isn’t it protocol to transport the patient to a facility capable of treating them? That’s all I followed.”

“Oh, this bastard. I let you off too easy. What, we don’t have hospitals here?”

“There are hospitals. But that professor—Professor Baek—what happened to him now?”

It wasn’t like Baek Kang-hyuk was the only doctor in Korea.

Even in poor environments, there were talented people.

The problem was no one supported them.

“So what, he’s the only doctor? The hospital shut down without him?”

“No, sir. But when it comes to someone who can respond and provide perfect initial treatment in the field, there’s only Professor Baek Kang-hyuk.”

The moment Kang-hyuk’s name came out, the chief’s face twisted.

Because the national fire chief had called him out specifically.

Said he was the worst son of a bitch alive.

It wasn’t entirely untrue—

But it was still a harsh label.

“That damned Baek Kang-hyuk! What, our helicopter’s his personal taxi now? We fly when he says so?!”

“How could you say that? A taxi? Not once have we flown for personal reasons. Every call was for rescue and treatment!”

Kang-ryul raised his voice without meaning to.

The man risked his life to save others, and now he’s being called a taxi?

It was outrageous.

But the chief clearly didn’t see it that way.

“Then why treat patients there? Isn’t he just using this for personal research? You’re too naïve. You know how many crooked doctors are out there?”

“Research? Fine—say it’s research. He’s still saving lives, isn’t he? And those lives? All of them were residents under our jurisdiction!”

“You think I’ve never done rescue before? Why not send them to closer hospitals, huh?! And why always use the chopper?! Saving the ambulance for a damn museum or what?!”

“In trauma care—”

Kang-ryul stopped mid-sentence.

‘Preaching to a brick wall.’

‘If even a fire station chief doesn’t understand trauma care…’

He remembered something Kang-hyuk once said:

Unless the entire country changes how it views trauma centers—

People will keep dying in the streets.

This moment made that painfully clear.

The chief mistook Kang-ryul’s silence for agreement.

“That’s right. Just give it up. Why bust your ass and get cursed out? You know how hard I had to work to keep your name out of this? That neighborhood group’s preparing a lawsuit.”

“A… lawsuit?”

“Yeah. Says it’s a violation of residential rights. Too noisy, sandstorms from the chopper… all for some guy’s personal agenda.”

“Personal…”

“Anyway, get out. No more chopper for you.”

He placed the helicopter key on his desk.

It meant he was confiscating it.

From now on, Kang-ryul would need permission to fly.

And he wasn’t going to get it.

Kang-ryul’s lips twitched involuntarily.

The chief pointed at them with a finger.

“You open your mouth again, and you’re out. You hear me?”

“I…”

“I said, know your place.”

“…Understood.”

“Good. Take a few days off. Cool your head.”

“Time off” was a euphemism. It was de facto house arrest.

All he’d done was risk his life to save others.

Kang-ryul felt disgusted enough to consider quitting—

But that would mean giving up on saving lives.

And he had a family to support.

So he quietly bowed and walked out of the office.

Slam.

The only protest he could make was shutting the door just a little harder.

While Kang-ryul was enduring that humiliation, the trauma center team at Hanguk University Hospital wasn’t idle either.

“We have to do something. You saw it, didn’t you? Ambulances aren’t enough.”

Gyeongwon was referring to something Jaewon hadn’t forgotten.

The one case they’d failed to save despite Kang-hyuk being on-site.

It had been the one time they didn’t fly the helicopter.

That was the reason.

“So what are we supposed to do? Let’s wait and see what Department Head Han Yoo-rim says.”

Jang-mi sighed at that.

Her face had darkened.

“Yoo-rim’s all bark now. I heard they’re planning to replace the head of surgery.”

“…That’s true.”

At this rate, Yoo-rim wouldn’t be a department head for much longer.

The hospital director and chief secretary had made it crystal clear what happens when you go against them.

“If they remove Yoo-rim… that’s bad.”

Despite everything, he had been helping.

Even if general surgery couldn’t spare much during the day—

At night and on weekends, he lent them interns.

Sometimes even medical students for wound care.

It might not sound like much—

But for an under-resourced trauma team, it was enormous.

“What reason are they giving?”

Gyeongwon asked, sighing.

Jaewon looked almost dumbfounded.

Because the reason for Yoo-rim’s dismissal was beyond ridiculous.

“They’re blaming him for the second-year who quit.”

“Quit? People leave surgery all the time.”

It was a sad thing to say.

Surgery was a core pillar of medicine—and it had fallen this far.

But it had been that way for so long it just felt normal now.

“Exactly. Why blame him all of a sudden?”

Jaewon stopped mid-sentence and perked up his ears.

So did Jang-mi and Gyeongwon.

Grrrrrrrr.

A growl, like some wild beast, echoed through the halls.

“What the hell? Did a lion get loose?”

“It’s… coming from Professor Baek’s room.”

Jang-mi turned to look.

Sure enough, Kang-hyuk was sitting up on the hospital bed outside the conference room.

Pointing at the catheter in his groin.

“WHAT THE HELL IS THIS SHITTTTTT?!”