Chapter 81

Whirr.

The automatic door opened, and before it could fully slide open, people began to squeeze through the narrow gap.

Emergency workers in orange uniforms, covered in blood, rushed in pushing a stretcher.

One of them was on top of the stretcher, pressing down on the patient’s chest.

Another was squeezing blood through the IV line connected to the patient’s forearm.

‘Is it because the Central Rescue Team is taking direct charge? They really are different.’

Kang-hyuk briefly reflected as he watched the rescue workers manage patients with remarkable efficiency.

The Central Rescue Team, led by Team Leader Jung-heon, was also one of the organizations that had changed the most after the recent parliamentary audit.

To save patients with severe trauma, the hospital’s capabilities were important, but what mattered most was keeping the patient alive until they reached the hospital.

They were said to train every day as if it were a real emergency.

Kang-hyuk realized that such training wasn’t pointless as he rushed toward the patient.

“How was this patient injured?”

At Kang-hyuk’s question, the senior rescue worker pushing the bed and giving directions answered right away.

“The patient was ejected during the fall and suffered an abdominal stab wound.”

He pointed at the steel beam deeply embedded in the patient’s abdomen.

At a glance, it was hard to imagine where it could have pierced from.

Seeing Kang-hyuk’s confusion, the worker added an explanation.

“There’s a playground at the north end of Cheongdam Bridge. There’s a pillar structure for children to play on, and, well…”

“Ah. So you brought that part along.”

“Yes. We didn’t pull it out. The bleeding is still severe even now.”

“Good job. Really good.”

Whenever something is embedded in the body, you should only remove it when you’re ready to deal with the bleeding that will result.

If you just pull it out carelessly, it can cause irreparable damage instantly.

In other words, the on-site judgment was entirely correct.

“Blood type is A. So far, only the abdomen is visibly injured. Level of consciousness… The patient could answer their name at first, but as you can see now…”

The worker continued to list the essential details about the patient.

Kang-hyuk nodded and took over the bed.

“Understood. Please get someone from admissions to take care of this patient. First, I’ll stabilize the heart.”

“Yes, Professor!”

Kang-hyuk then immediately attached [ECG] electrodes to the patient’s chest.

Seeing this, an emergency medicine resident rushed over carrying a [defibrillator].

“Quick, hook it up!”

“Yes, Professor!”

The resident responded quickly, as if Kang-hyuk were their own department’s professor.

Lately, they had been receiving much more help from Kang-hyuk than from their own attending.

Kang-hyuk looked back and forth between the rapidly connected [defibrillator] and the rescue worker still performing chest compressions.

‘There’s no visible injury near the heart. Looks like all the force from the impact went straight to the abdomen when that thing pierced it…’

That meant there might only be damage from the stab wound itself inside the abdomen.

And that suggested the possibility of massive bleeding.

‘[Arrhythmia] from low blood volume is the most likely diagnosis, let’s see…’

(T/N: [Arrhythmia] is an abnormal heart rhythm, which can include irregular, too fast, or too slow heartbeats.)

After making his quick assessment, Kang-hyuk checked the connected [defibrillator].

As he expected, the patient’s heart was beating erratically and far too fast.

It was, in a sense, fortunate.

“Charge to 220!”

“Charging!”

As Kang-hyuk shouted, holding the [defibrillator] paddles, the resident set the charge to 220.

“Clear!”

“Clear!”

At Kang-hyuk’s command, everyone near the patient hurriedly stepped away.

Kang-hyuk checked that no one was touching the patient, then delivered the [electric shock].

“Shoot!”

With a mild jolt, the electricity was delivered perfectly.

Normally, this was the moment to start chest compressions instead of checking rhythm.

But Kang-hyuk stopped the rescue worker from climbing on top of the patient again.

Covered in sweat and blood, the rescue worker looked at Kang-hyuk questioningly.

“Hold on. [Arrhythmia] caused by bleeding usually resolves quickly. See? It’s okay now, right? How’s the blood pressure?”

“Blood pressure is 100 over 80! It’s back!”

“Good. Let’s take the patient straight to the operating room.”

At Kang-hyuk’s words, the previously exhausted rescue worker nodded with satisfaction.

“Oh, right! We’ve already contacted the guardian. They should be able to get to the hospital within an hour.”

“We don’t have time to wait for them anyway.”

“Right, right.”

Emergency surgeries like this were, of course, completely different from regular procedures.

The biggest difference was, as Kang-hyuk had just said.

In these surgeries, neither the patient nor their family had a choice.

Only the attending doctor’s judgment mattered.

Whirr.

Kang-hyuk pushed the bed toward the operating room.

“Professor! We secured two people from the Anesthesiology department!”

At that moment, Jaewon appeared, grinning brightly.

Despite the fact that only two had been secured after a bus carrying more than thirty people crashed, he was smiling.

Naturally, Kang-hyuk was fuming, but he held it in.

If he threw a punch now, he might lose a valuable [Slave]—no, a doctor he needed.

“Only two, you bastard…”

“Should I call again? They were already pretty pissed…”

“No, no! Take care of this patient first!”

“P-Professor, what about you?”

Jaewon noticed from Kang-hyuk’s tone that he might not be seeing the patient himself and started trembling, worried that he’d be left alone again.

He suddenly remembered the time he rode a helicopter with this sergeant.

Back then, the sergeant’s [intracranial pressure] spiked, and Jaewon was terrified.

‘He didn’t even answer the phone…’

He later learned that Kang-hyuk had been in the middle of surgery on a ship at the time.

Realizing he was truly alone back then, Jaewon had to go into ‘full brain power’ mode and ended up placing a line into the [spinal canal].
(T/N: The [spinal canal] is the space within the spine that contains the spinal cord and cerebrospinal fluid.)

The effect might be a little less compared to other [intracranial pressure reduction procedures], but it was the safest and most sustainable method.
(T/N: [Intracranial pressure reduction procedures] are treatments aimed at lowering the pressure inside the skull to prevent brain damage.)

Fortunately, it worked perfectly, and the patient survived.

There was an overwhelming sense of accomplishment, but it also felt like his lifespan had been shortened by about ten years in that moment.

‘Please say you’re coming with me! Please!’

So Jaewon looked at Kang-hyuk with a desperately hopeful expression.

But Kang-hyuk, as always, was unsympathetic.

“Me? Don’t you hear the sirens? More patients are coming in. I have to triage and treat them.”

“Anyone can do that, though.”

“What are you talking about? Triage is the hardest part. Can you tell at a glance who’s going to die and who’s going to live?”

“Uh…”

Even Jaewon couldn’t nod to that.

You could end up judging a survivor as someone who would die.

If that happened, it could amount to murder by incompetence.

It was an unbearably heavy decision for a doctor.

“But you know…”

“Y-yes?”

“Looking at your face, you seem a bit unreliable…”

Kang-hyuk threw out a hurtful comment without a care.

But rather than feeling hurt, Jaewon actually felt reassured.

No matter what he was told now, his greatest wish was that Kang-hyuk wouldn’t leave him alone.

“Don’t make that weird face.”

“A-ah, sorry. I really am lacking…”

“Is that something to be proud of? Jang-mi! Hand me some betadine over here.”

“B-betadine… Oh, yes!”

Jang-mi, who was nearby, fetched betadine from the cart in the hallway and handed it to Kang-hyuk.

Kang-hyuk opened the betadine and poured it onto the patient’s abdomen as he spoke.

“Slave. Why are you just standing there?”

“Y-yes? What should I do…?”

“Get the suture, the suture! And the suture kit!”

“Uh… okay.”

Jaewon wondered why he needed to bring suture material when the steel was still stuck in the abdomen, but he ran anyway.

If nothing else, when it came to medical decisions, Kang-hyuk was always right.

At least, that had been the case so far.

It didn’t seem like that would ever change.

“H-here it is.”

“Are you crazy?”

Kang-hyuk had already poured all the betadine.

He glared at Jaewon, holding the empty betadine container.

Jaewon felt like he might get hit with it.

“Y-yes?”

“Open it up. How am I supposed to stitch with it still in the container?”

“Ah… Oh, you already have gloves on.”

On closer look, Kang-hyuk was already wearing sterile gloves.

Sometimes it was hard to believe he was even human, he moved so fast.

When did he even put those gloves on?

Jaewon clicked his tongue as he opened the suture kit.

Thunk.

Kang-hyuk wasted no time threading a large suture needle with size 2 thread.

“Size 2…?”

Jaewon tilted his head as he looked at the thread Kang-hyuk grabbed.

In general, the smaller the number, the thicker the suture.

Size 2 was one of the thickest threads used in regular surgeries.

Kang-hyuk, who usually boasted insanely skilled suturing, hardly ever used it.

Thicker thread meant a thicker needle, which naturally increased the risk of unnecessary injury.

Thud.

But without hesitation, Kang-hyuk stabbed the patient’s abdomen.

The needle was so thick it was practically like a knife, and even though the patient was barely conscious, they flinched.

Jaewon flinched too at the sight.

“Uh… Are you just… stabbing it like that?”

He thought there was no way Kang-hyuk was doing this for nothing.

But just from watching, it looked like he was only causing damage without any benefit.

‘If this is all, he might as well just leave him alone and do nothing,’ he even thought.

“Are you crazy? Would I just stab for no reason?”

“Then… why…”

“I’m using the suture to clamp off all the blood vessels in the abdominal wall. Can’t you tell just by the direction I’m stitching?”

“Huh? Oh… ah!”

Only then did Jaewon realize how meaningful Kang-hyuk’s needlework was, anatomically speaking.

Kang-hyuk’s needle was passing near every blood vessel in the abdominal muscles and fat at the surface of the belly, in one side and out the other.

Thud!

In a flash, Kang-hyuk drew the needle out near where he’d first inserted it.

He tied it off with a knot that looked a little loose.

“Slave. When we pull out that steel later, pull this thread at the same time. Then at least there won’t be any bleeding from the abdominal wall.”

“Ah… Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me, just hurry up and get to the operating room! I’ll be in as soon as triage is done.”

“Y-yes! Professor!”