Chapter 158

               

“Ha…”

Jaewon let out a sigh so deep it might’ve cracked the ground.

‘Things were finally going smoothly for once…’

He glanced down at the upper right arm he was operating on.

He had to admit—even though he did it himself—it looked good.
The incision was clean, the bone fragments aligned beautifully.

And not a single surrounding muscle, vessel, or nerve had been damaged.

‘At this rate… I might’ve been able to finish it on my own…’

Anyone who’s ever been lead surgeon would understand how Jaewon felt.

For a surgeon, completing a procedure from start to finish held enormous significance.

“You dumbass! Not coming down?! Can’t you see the idiot digging around here?!”

But that dream was clearly shattered.

He turned at Kang-hyuk’s outburst—brutal as always—and sure enough, Captain Lee Dong-joo was making a royal mess.

‘Why the hell would you pull from there…?’

In the past, Jaewon would’ve sided with the underdog and cursed Kang-hyuk in his head.

But unfortunately, Jaewon now wasn’t the same Jaewon from before.

It might sound funny to call a few months “the past,” but—

For some, time passed with a different density.

In the past few months, Jaewon had lived through years’ worth of experience.

‘Yeah… It’s just my own selfish pride.’

Ironically, Kang-hyuk’s teachings came to mind.

That nothing—not pride, not ego—should come before a patient’s life.

And Kang-hyuk hadn’t taught that just in words. Jaewon had carved it into his heart.

‘Right! What matters more than saving lives?!’

So Jaewon rushed down to assist, shouting with an uncharacteristically cheerful face:

“Coming down!”

“What’s with the tone? Something good happen?”

“The patient’s gonna make it, that’s why.”

“Insane bastard…”

Of course, Kang-hyuk didn’t relate to such sentimental crap.

He only guided Jaewon toward the right place.

“Here. Stand exactly here.”

“You could’ve said it with words. Why kick me?”

“Kicked? People might get the wrong idea. I nudged you.”

“If you ‘nudge’ twice, someone’s gonna die.”

“Oh. Want to be that someone?”

“Nope, not at all. Standing right here, sir.”

Once Kang-hyuk saw Jaewon positioned exactly where he wanted, he pushed Captain Lee away.

“Don’t take it too personally. Military docs always get rusty.”

“…Yes, sir.”

Captain Lee did, in fact, feel a little personally attacked, so his voice was heavy with disappointment.

And who wouldn’t feel that way?

Military doctor or not, he had finished a brutal ortho residency at a university hospital and earned his board certification.

But skill atrophies quickly.

Most military doctors come back with diminished ability compared to when they left.

“Here, pull this. I’m counting on your sense of touch. Don’t pull for your own view—pull for mine. Think about opening up my field of vision.”

“Y-yes, sir.”

Kang-hyuk’s rare tone of encouragement was enough to feel like a blessing.

So much so that Jaewon shot a jealous side-eye, his eyes narrowing into triangles.

‘Right… I should at least pull well.’

Captain Lee, newly motivated, carefully pulled the incision open.

Truth be told, he couldn’t see a thing.

But that didn’t matter.

In the OR, the only person who needed to see was the lead surgeon.

And sure enough, Kang-hyuk’s expression brightened.

“Yes, just like that. Slave, you’re there—yes! That’s it! Way better.”

“Th-thank you, M— I mean, Professor!”

The sudden praise almost had Jaewon saying “Master” again.

Thankfully, he caught himself in time.

Though to anyone listening, it probably sounded like “Master” anyway.

Only Jaewon let out a sigh of relief.

“Everyone stay sharp. Now that the abdomen’s dealt with, he’s not dying anytime soon.”

Kang-hyuk declared this while moving toward the [femur fracture].

At that, Director Yoon’s eyebrows shot up.

To declare the patient out of danger in this state—what sheer madness.

‘But… he might be right…’

Yoon had over 20 years of experience as an internist.

Some might think that’s not long, but that’s 20 years ‘after’ becoming board-certified.

He’d reached mastery.

And it wasn’t 20 years in some cushy clinic—he’d lived and breathed the ICU.

Even he had to admit, the abdominal repair was flawless.

“The next thing we need to worry about is long-term disability. Especially this leg.”

“Yes, Professor.”

The importance of the leg couldn’t be overstated.

Especially because it wasn’t just the lower leg—it was the thigh.

There was even a stat:
For people over 50, a fractured femur has over 50% one-year mortality rate.

“Support’s good right now. Stay focused.”

Kang-hyuk was unusually generous with his praise.

Jaewon suspected it had something to do with Captain Lee standing right there.

‘It’s like riding a Sonata after only driving junkers—it feels like a Benz…’

Maybe a little mean, but earlier, just glancing over, he could tell Captain Lee wasn’t exactly skilled.

Honestly, he’d been kind of awful.

Compared to that, Jaewon was at least competent.

Thanks to Captain Lee, Kang-hyuk’s praise threshold had dropped.

“Oh, pulling from there? That’s creative.”

Even mistakes weren’t met with yelling.

As long as you didn’t slice a muscle or nerve, it seemed fine.

‘Alright… I’m gonna enjoy this while it lasts.’

Jaewon enthusiastically continued assisting.

And it made the whole procedure faster than usual.

Sure, there were minor mistakes—

But Kang-hyuk’s skill was strong enough that he wasn’t fazed.

In fact, speed with minor error was better.

He could correct those.

“All right. Now… time to align. Captain Lee, you’ve aligned fractures before, right?”

Only then could Captain Lee finally get a clear look at the surgical site.

The muscle, small vessels, and [sensory nerves] wedged between the broken femur were all neatly pushed aside.

Not a single one was damaged.

It was like witnessing a miracle.

‘He should’ve had to cut at least a few of those…’

What kind of sorcery was this?

He would’ve loved to take a recording home.

At his current post with Hanbit Unit, he couldn’t even stream videos.

His friend had to send him K-dramas on USB sticks.

This surgery video would’ve been more entertaining than any show.

But it had been too urgent to bother with filming.

“Don’t just stand there—answer.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Then go to the pelvis and hold tight.”

“Yes, Professor.”

Captain Lee dragged his heavy body to the pelvis and braced it like he might break it.

His eyes burned with resolve.

“Nice. That’s textbook ortho.”

Kang-hyuk smiled as he walked down to the foot, just seeing Captain Lee’s stance.

“Hold it tight. It shouldn’t be too hard—he’s under.”

He glanced at the anesthesia monitor.

Gyeongwon silently gave a thumbs up.

Behind him, all five fingers on the anesthesia scale were fully extended.

Not just asleep—completely under.

“As expected.”

Kang-hyuk gave a satisfied smile and began gently pulling the leg.

The anesthesia and [muscle relaxants] made it relatively easy.

Though that only applied if you were a monster like Kang-hyuk.

As he pulled, the confident expression on Captain Lee’s face began to twist.

“Hrk!”

“Don’t let go! Slave, if I pull wrong, say something!”

Kang-hyuk yelled as he slowly applied traction.

Jaewon couldn’t take his eyes off the surgical field and nodded.

“Yes!”

“Don’t just say yes! Guide me!”

“Uh… it’s perfect right now?”

“Don’t kiss my ass!”

“No, seriously…”

Jaewon was already full of silent awe.

Even without looking, Kang-hyuk was pulling the leg in a way that aligned the bones like perfectly matching magnets.

Director Yoon, who had come closer out of curiosity, chuckled in disbelief.

“Ha…”

He’d seen it all—but this was something else.

‘Clack.’

A sound rang out as the misaligned bones clicked back into place after over a week.

Kang-hyuk held the foot firmly to prevent misalignment and shouted,

“How is it? Lined up?”

“Y-yes!”

“Then fix it in place!”

“M-me?!”

“Who else?! I got four arms?! I can’t see! You can!”

“N-no…”

Jaewon wanted to complain about the tone, but something else hit harder—

The feeling of being trusted.

‘He wants ‘me’ to fix it…’

Might not sound like much.

But this was how it started—being handed responsibilities.

So Jaewon, face full of determination, reached out his hand.

“Drill.”

Jang-mi passed it over with a congratulatory smile.

Using it, Jaewon drilled a few holes away from the fracture.

Then secured the bone with plates and bolts.

It was one of his first times doing it solo, but it felt weirdly familiar.

Probably because he’d watched Kang-hyuk do it over and over.

‘All that yelling… guess it was worth it.’

There were times he wondered if the abuse was really necessary.

But seeing the perfectly fixed bone in front of him—it was hard not to feel proud.

‘I wasn’t just tagging along after all.’

Director Yoon was thinking the same.

Jaewon had always been overshadowed by Kang-hyuk.

But he was a skilled trauma surgeon in his own right.

“Finished? You just gonna smile like an idiot?”

Kang-hyuk yelled while still holding the foot.

He couldn’t let go until confirmed.

Jaewon turned to him and smiled confidently.

It was full of assurance and reliability.

“Yes, it’s done.”

“Good. Lemme see.”

But the moment Kang-hyuk said he’d look, Jaewon’s heart pounded.

And kept pounding… until Kang-hyuk finally spoke.

He stared at Jaewon’s work for a while, tilting his head.

“Hmmm.”

“W-what? Something wrong?”

“No.”

“Then why the face?”

“I just like watching you squirm. Nice job.”