Chapter 31

The main building’s operating room was the same place where Kang-hyuk and Jaewon had just harvested a liver from the deceased.

Despite it being only 6 a.m., many of the rooms were still lit.

Most of them were likely performing emergency surgeries from cases that had occurred overnight.

Anyone familiar with university hospitals would know—they were places where the sickest patients gathered.

Naturally, the frequency of emergencies occurring within the wards was incomparable to what happened outside.

“It’s chaotic.”

Jaewon pointed at Operating Room 3, which they had just passed.

It seemed like a flap had necrotized in a head and neck cancer patient.

An elderly professor with graying hair and two residents were suppressing their exhaustion as they operated.

“Stop worrying about other things. Just focus on finding our patient. Where’s Room 19?”

Kang-hyuk scanned the hallway of the operating rooms with a slightly irritated look.

As expected of Hanguk University Hospital’s reputation, the space was massive.

The main building alone had over 50 operating rooms.

On top of that, the cancer center had another 50, making its nickname—‘the factory’—far from coincidental.

“Oh, there it is.”

Even Jaewon, who had been at Hanguk University Hospital since his student days, took some time to locate Room 19.

‘Are they still harvesting there?’

As he quickened his pace, Kang-hyuk glanced at the operating room to his left.

Now that he thought about it, the deceased whose liver he had harvested was in Room 18.

That meant his daughter, Lee Hye-young, was lying right next to him.

Through the small window on the door, he could see ophthalmologists inside Room 18.

It was obvious they were harvesting the cornea.

Click.

While Kang-hyuk was briefly looking elsewhere, Jaewon opened the door to Room 19 and stepped inside.

“What the hell?”

Professor Kang Junsu, who was already on edge, shot a sharp glare at Jaewon.

Considering the patient’s leg was completely shattered, the surgery wouldn’t be easy.

“Uh…”

Jaewon was visibly flustered, so Kang-hyuk stepped forward.

“I’m Baek Kang-hyuk from the Trauma Surgery Department. How’s the surgery going?”

“Oh… so you’re that Professor Baek.”

Kang Junsu recalled Kang-hyuk’s appointment ceremony from a while ago.

Since trauma surgery was closely tied to orthopedics, he had attended out of interest.

‘He had a massive fight with the general surgery department head there… and now they’re completely at odds.’

Everyone in the hospital knew Professor Han Yoo-rim had it out for Kang-hyuk.

Even those who typically ignored gossip were aware of it.

After all, Han made sure to bring it up at nearly every meal, golf game, and gathering.

“I asked how the surgery was going.”

Kang-hyuk pressed, watching as Junsu continued focusing on his task.

Junsu clicked his tongue in annoyance before silently pointing at the monitor.

The CT scan was displayed on the screen.

It seemed they hadn’t had time to use a contrast agent, as only non-contrast images were available.

The multiple fractures in the femur were obvious, even to an untrained eye.

But Kang-hyuk had already known this before seeing the scans.

His only thought was: So what?

“And? What does this have to do with the surgery?”

“Can’t you tell just by looking? There’s no way the surgery will go well! The bone is in shambles—it’s obvious a car ran over it.”

“So, you’re saying you can’t do the surgery properly?”

“It’s not that I can’t do it! The case is just too complicated!”

“Blaming the patient for being difficult? That’s a bad look for a professor.”

As if the difficult surgery wasn’t enough, Kang-hyuk was now openly provoking him.

Orthopedic surgeons were known for being more aggressive than doctors in other specialties.

And Kang Junsu was famous even among them for having a fiery temper.

‘Oh boy.’

Both the assisting orthopedic resident and Jaewon sighed simultaneously.

It was obvious how Junsu would react next.

“What did you just say? You little—are you out of your mind?”

As expected, Junsu threw down his forceps and lunged at Kang-hyuk.

He was well-built, having played rugby and lifted weights since his student days.

But Kang-hyuk didn’t flinch in the slightest.

“Out of my mind? That’s a bit harsh.”

“Harsh? You’re one to talk!”

“I’m literally standing right here.”

“You little—”

“Calling me ‘little’ seems odd, considering I’m taller than you.”

“What?! Short?!”

Junsu’s expression darkened instantly, and sparks practically flew from his eyes.

A nearby resident quickly grabbed his arm.

“Professor, wait! Calm down!”

“How the hell am I supposed to calm down?”

“If you get into another incident… the department head won’t let it slide this time!”

Junsu hesitated, still fuming.

He recalled the last time he had struck a disobedient first-year resident—it had nearly escalated into a major issue before being settled privately.

‘If you hit someone one more time, you’re done. That’s your final warning.’

His department head’s words still echoed in his mind.

“Tch. Fine. You’re lucky.”

“Not sure who’s luckier here.”

“Oh, come on, Professor! Just let it go.”

Jaewon tried to calm Kang-hyuk, who was still provoking Junsu despite his retreat.

Kang-hyuk hadn’t come here just to mess with Junsu, so he finally stepped back.

“Give me the forceps again. Ugh… I’m already pissed off, and now this lunatic…”

“Here you go, sir.”

“Hurry up! I still need to do my morning rounds.”

Junsu snatched the forceps from the nurse and refocused on the surgery.

Despite his rough breathing, his hands moved carefully and precisely.

Watching him, Kang-hyuk thought to himself:

He’s probably decent at scheduled surgeries. At least, scheduled ones.

If Professor Kang Junsu had just a bit more experience with trauma patients, he would have handled this case much better.

But in South Korea’s medical system, the chances of a trauma patient ever being treated by a university hospital professor were extremely slim.

University hospital emergency rooms were already filled with their own critical patients, leaving no capacity for trauma cases.

Those patients either wandered from hospital to hospital until they died on the streets or ended up in an under-equipped facility where they met the same fate.

It was a cruel, binary choice.

‘Things will be different now that I’m here.’

With that thought, Kang-hyuk operated the computer next to the monitor displaying the patient’s scans.

A list of test results quickly appeared on the screen.

As expected, his main focus was on the patient’s kidney function.

‘Hmm. The [creatinine] levels have skyrocketed…’
(T/N: Creatinine levels measure kidney function. High levels indicate that the kidneys are not properly filtering waste from the blood.)

Considering how little time had passed since the accident, the deterioration was alarming.

But the most critical indicator was urine output.

“What’s the I/O status?”
(T/N: I/O status (In and Out) refers to the balance of fluids entering (IV fluids, blood transfusions) and leaving (urine output) the body. It helps assess kidney function and overall fluid balance.)

The assisting nurse immediately responded.

The anesthesiologists had already asked about it multiple times and had been administering diuretics.

“The total input, including fluids and transfusions, is around 2 liters. But there’s been no output at all.”

She gestured toward the empty urine bag.

Ever since Kang-hyuk had placed the catheter himself, not a single drop had been produced.

Even Jaewon, standing behind him, had a grim look on his face.

Professor Kang Junsu, who was still operating, wore a similarly dark expression.

“So even if we complete the surgery, the patient might die? What’s nephrology saying?”

A medical resident, who had been entering prescriptions in the corner of the operating room, responded.

“The professor said they’d start dialysis as soon as the surgery is done… But with the amount of antibiotics and other medications already in the system, it’s hard to predict the outcome.”

“Damn it. So the kidneys have completely shut down?”

“Yes, that’s how it looks. The ultrasound showed [hydronephrosis]… and based on the lab results, the patient is already in [uremia]. I’m not sure if they’ll survive.”
(T/N: Hydronephrosis is the swelling of a kidney due to a buildup of urine, usually caused by a blockage or impaired drainage.)
(T/N: Uremia is a condition where waste products accumulate in the blood due to kidney failure.)

“Shit.”

For a surgeon, nothing was more disheartening than hearing that even a successful operation might not save the patient.

Professor Kang Junsu clenched his jaw and forced himself to continue working, suppressing the urge to throw his forceps in frustration.

Meanwhile, Kang-hyuk approached the nephrology resident.

The resident, sensing a shadow looming over him, turned around.

“Uh…”

“I’m Baek Kang-hyuk from Trauma Surgery. You know me, right?”

“Ah, yes. If you give me a formal transfer request, I’ll process it right away. We’ve already prepared a bed for the patient.”

The resident assumed Kang-hyuk was like every other professor, just here to dump a complicated case onto another department.

His words were polite, but the message was clear:

‘We’ll take care of the patient, so don’t waste my time.’

But Kang-hyuk had no intention of backing down.

“Transfer? You already took over the case?”

“Yes. Of course. The priority here is… kidney failure over trauma.”

Technically, he wasn’t wrong.

In this patient’s case, the leg fractures weren’t directly life-threatening.

Unless an infection set in, which was unlikely given the aggressive antibiotic treatment, the fractures alone wouldn’t kill the patient.

But if kidney failure persisted, the limited medication options could lead to death in countless ways.

“Even so, I was the first doctor to see this patient. Let me talk to your professor.”

“What?”

“I need to discuss the treatment plan. See what they have in mind.”

“Uh…”

The resident hesitated but eventually pulled out his phone.

Something about Kang-hyuk made it clear he wouldn’t back down.

“Alright, I’ll put you through.”

After getting permission from his professor, the resident handed over the phone, though he wasn’t sure if this was a good idea.

He had just witnessed Kang-hyuk provoking Kang Junsu moments ago.

Still, Kang-hyuk snatched the phone without hesitation and got straight to the point.

“This is Baek Kang-hyuk from Trauma Surgery.”

“Ah, Professor Baek. What’s this about?”

The nephrology professor’s voice was calm, carrying the characteristic gentleness of internal medicine doctors.

“I wanted to ask about Lee Hye-young’s treatment plan. Are you just going to keep her on dialysis and monitor her condition, or is there another approach?”

“We’re planning to start dialysis and observe the lab results.”

At those words, Kang-hyuk exhaled quietly before responding.

“Professor, as you know, acute kidney failure in trauma patients has an extremely high mortality rate. If we just wait and see, she’ll die.”

“I understand that… but there’s no alternative. It’s not like we can find a kidney out of nowhere—”

Before the nephrology professor could finish, Kang-hyuk glanced toward the adjacent operating room.

Though the wall blocked his view, he could vividly picture the deceased lying just beyond it.

“I can get one.”

“What?”

“I’ll transplant it myself. Prepare to start dialysis in the operating room.”