Chapter 30

Kang-hyuk moved his hands skillfully, with Jaewon nodding in understanding behind him.

The first step was to connect Lee Ki-young’s portal vein to the donor liver’s portal vein.

If they connected the hepatic artery, bile duct, or hepatic veins first, they could face serious complications during this stage.

With the front structures already attached, working on the back connections would be nearly impossible.

That’s why the portal vein had to be connected first.

“Sutures.”

“Yes.”

“Anus, pull there.”

“Yes, Professor.”

“Not too hard! You think you can yank around someone else’s blood vessel like that? You’ll take responsibility if it tears?”

“N-no, sir!”

Jaewon kept watching without pause, getting scolded the entire time, as Kang-hyuk stitched the vessel.

Watching him cut was already incredible, but compared to suturing, it was child’s play.

‘Fast… but every stitch is evenly spaced…’

Even more impressive—the suture thread barely touched the vessel’s inner lining.

No matter how biodegradable the thread was, the body always recognized it as a foreign substance.

For most patients, this wasn’t a big deal.

A simple antibiotic course would prevent any complications.

But this patient had already received nine blood transfusions and was now undergoing a liver transplant.

In this situation, even the smallest foreign material inside the blood vessel could trigger a surgeon’s worst nightmare—[Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation] (DIC).
(T/N: A severe condition where blood clots form throughout the body, leading to organ failure.)

‘This technique nearly eliminates that risk.’

Kang-hyuk knew Jaewon was watching him without blinking.

Jaewon—or anyone else—wouldn’t notice, but Kang-hyuk himself still wasn’t going all out.

That didn’t mean he was being careless.

‘Sometimes… I miss it.’

‘Syria… Afghanistan…’

Back then, he had seen so many patients who seemed beyond saving.

But he had worked alongside true masters—

– An anesthesia team so skilled that “flawless” wasn’t enough to describe them.
– Surgical assistants who sped him up rather than slowing him down.
– Nurses who could read the operation and anticipate every move.
– Internal medicine doctors who handled post-op care so well that he never had to worry.

‘No one like that here.’

Now, it felt like he had fallen out of a dream team and landed alone.

But Kang-hyuk didn’t let himself dwell on it.

Even though South Korea was a barren wasteland when it came to trauma care—

‘I can make it work.’

He firmly believed he could build and train a team on his own.

Jaewon, who had followed him so willingly, only reinforced that belief.

So even now, while slowing down his movements to teach, he didn’t feel frustrated.

“You got that?”

“Y-yes!”

Jaewon nodded enthusiastically, his eyes burning with focus.

“Good. Now the lower connection.”

Kang-hyuk immediately moved downward and connected the remaining portal vein.

Since this was a large blood vessel, suturing was easier.

With blood vessels, the larger they were, the harder they were to cut, but the easier they were to connect.

“Release the clamp.”

“A-ah, yes.”

Jaewon removed the clamp from Lee Ki-young’s portal vein.

Gush!

A thick stream of blood flowed into the newly attached vein.

The portal vein carried blood from almost the entire digestive system, so the change was dramatic.

Jaewon only felt like he could see the blood rushing in—

But Kang-hyuk could actually see it.

‘Perfect connection.’

He had already felt that it was going well, but now it was confirmed.

As long as there were no leaks, this liver would hold up for a while.

Even though venous blood wasn’t rich in oxygen, it still carried some nutrients.

“Stop standing around. Time for the artery.”

“A-ah, yes!”

“Push it in deeper. Carefully—don’t rupture anything.”

“Yes, Professor.”

Jaewon carefully shifted the liver into the upper right abdominal space.

He was extremely careful, making sure not to damage the freshly connected portal vein.

Because of the restored blood flow, the liver, which had been pale, was beginning to regain color.

“Good. Now the artery.”

Kang-hyuk moved on to the hepatic artery.

For blood vessels this small, most surgeons would use at least a [lupe].
(T/N: A magnifying surgical glass similar to a microscope, worn as eyewear.)

But Kang-hyuk didn’t use anything.

Instead, Jaewon, the assistant, was the one relying on a lupe.

“That thing doesn’t make you dizzy?”

Kang-hyuk glanced at Jaewon, who was holding the blood vessel with the magnifier on.

Jaewon kept his eyes fixed on the arterial end and nodded slightly.

“Y-yeah… but I’m used to it now.”

“Good. Don’t rely on it too much.”

“Why not?”

“Because you won’t always have one when you need it.”

“A-ah…”

“And…”

Kang-hyuk reached out with forceps, grabbing the artery where Jaewon had failed to hold it properly.

“It narrows your vision. You miss the big picture. Like right now.”

“S-sorry.”

“Forget it. Just pull.”

The hepatic artery suturing was almost done.

“Now, what’s next?”

“The veins.”

“Correct.”

Since they had already connected the hepatic artery, the liver had blood flowing in.

Now, it needed a way out.

If blood kept pooling inside the organ, it would lead to serious complications.

Especially with an organ like the liver.

Unlike most organs, the liver didn’t just receive blood from the arteries—it also had a unique vein called the portal vein, which carried blood into the liver.

Unlike arteries, if the pressure inside the liver increased, blood could backflow into the portal vein.

This was the same mechanism behind [esophageal varices], a condition commonly seen in patients with liver cirrhosis.
(T/N: Esophageal varices are swollen veins in the esophagus caused by increased pressure, usually due to liver disease. If they rupture, they can lead to severe bleeding.)

Snip.

But as long as Kang-hyuk was the one operating, there was zero reason to worry about such things.

Veins were flimsy and significantly harder to stitch than arteries.

Yet, Kang-hyuk didn’t hesitate for even a second as he pierced the vein with his needle.

His stitches always entered at the perfect spot and exited exactly opposite on the other side.

“Good. Now the bile duct.”

After suturing the veins in an instant, Kang-hyuk moved on to the bile duct, handling it without hesitation.

Jaewon stared at the fully connected liver, his mouth hanging open.

It hadn’t even been thirty minutes, yet every connection had already been completed.

If not for the surgical mask, he might have drooled right onto the operating table.

“Why are you standing there like an idiot? Close up.”

“A-ah, yes!”

“Sutures.”

“Yes, Professor.”

Kang-hyuk took the suture thread from Jang-mi and began closing the incision, all while continuing to talk.

This time, he wasn’t speaking to Jaewon, but to Jang-mi.

“Hey, gangster. You ever taken care of a liver transplant patient before?”

Jang-mi hated that nickname, but she didn’t dare complain.

Not when his next words were what truly shook her.

A liver transplant patient?

Was he serious?

Until now, the Severe Trauma Team’s ICU had mostly been used as overflow space for the main hospital’s ICU.

Naturally, they had never handled a patient of this level before.

“No, I haven’t. I doubt anyone on our team has.”

“Hmm. Anus, what about you? Ever handled post-op care for a liver transplant?”

Jaewon’s expression mirrored Jang-mi’s.

The nickname was the least of his concerns right now.

“N-no, sir…”

“Tsk.”

Kang-hyuk shook his head in disapproval.

Jaewon thought that finally, Kang-hyuk would transfer the patient to another department.

‘Yeah, we did the transplant, but there’s no way Trauma Surgery can handle post-op care. This needs to go to the Transplant Surgery Department.’

Jang-mi had the same thought.

‘Yeah, this patient needs to be sent to the main ICU.’

But Kang-hyuk’s next words completely shattered their expectations.

“I was planning to get some sleep after clinic today, but guess not.”

“…Huh?”

“I’ll set up the treatment plan, so pay attention and learn. We’ll be handling more patients like this from now on.”

“…Excuse me?”

Both Jaewon and Jang-mi turned to look at him in unison.

“What? You got a problem?”

“N-no, sir…!”

Neither of them dared to object, so they simply nodded.

And just like that—

The surgery ended.

But Kang-hyuk wasn’t done.

After personally transferring the patient to the ICU, he entered all the necessary prescriptions himself.

“Whew.”

Both Jaewon and Jang-mi let out a breath of relief—almost simultaneously.

The work was finally over.

Or so they thought.

Because Kang-hyuk—

Instead of relaxing, suddenly shot up from his chair.

His movements were way too fast for someone who had just finished a surgery.

“Professor, where are you going?”

“Where do you think? There was another patient earlier—Lee Hye-young.”

“Oh…”

Jaewon had completely forgotten there had been two patients brought in.

Like he was in a trance, he instinctively followed Kang-hyuk out of the ICU and toward the Emergency Treatment Room.

But when they arrived—

There was no patient.

Only an empty room.

“Hmm.”

If a patient had been in a room but was now gone, there were only two possibilities:

1. They were transferred somewhere else.
2. They died.

“Wait.”

Kang-hyuk grabbed an intern passing by.

The intern immediately straightened up—

Kang-hyuk’s notoriety was well-known.

“Ah! G-good morning, Professor!”

“I didn’t stop you to chat. Don’t waste my time.”

“S-sorry!”

“Where’s the patient that was here? Lee Hye-young.”

“Lee Hye-young…? Oh.”

“Don’t hesitate. I hate waiting.”

Terrified, the intern blurted out the answer.

“She w-was taken to the operating room!”

“Operating room?”

“Y-yes! She was handed over to Orthopedics!”

“Ah.”

Lee Hye-young’s leg bone had been completely shattered.

Any competent ER doctor wouldn’t leave her in the Treatment Room.

It made sense that Orthopedics had taken over.

Kang-hyuk let out a small sigh of relief—

At least the patient was still alive.

“What about her kidneys?”

“T-that… I don’t know…”

“Right. You’re just an intern.”

Kang-hyuk clicked his tongue.

“Where’s the operating room?”

“The main building.”

Kang-hyuk didn’t even wait for the intern to finish before taking off.

And Jaewon?

He was practically being dragged along.

“Anus, stop standing there like an idiot. Hurry up.”

“But… hasn’t she already been transferred? Doesn’t that mean she’s not our patient anymore—”

Jaewon’s face screamed exhaustion.

He had been in surgery all night.

He still had morning clinic ahead of him.

It was pure misery.

But—

The moment he saw Kang-hyuk’s face twist into a demonic glare, he gave up.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Uh…”

“When you saw her, was she a TRAUMA patient or not?”

“…Y-yes, she was.”

“Then she’s OUR patient. Now shut up and follow me.”