The next day, July 8, 2001.
Seongnam Military Capital Hospital, 1st floor, Orthopedics Clinic.
In front of the clinic, soldiers in pain lined up endlessly.
Captain Park Jung-hyun, who had worked at Hongcheon Hospital 18 years ago, was now at the Capital Hospital.
Bustling noise ..
Colonel Park Jung-hyun, holding the door open while seeing patients, was genuinely annoyed.
He had managed to get to the Capital Hospital by making a good impression on the higher-ups and taking care of seniors from his medical school, but promotion seemed nowhere in sight.
He recalled the ridiculous words of the hospital director.
‘Isn’t it too much to demand promotion while working comfortably in the metropolitan area? If you’re upset, why don’t you go to a provincial post? How about somewhere far like Hampyeong or Daejeon?’
Was that something a senior from Y University Medical School would say? After all I’ve done… what a garbage bastard. I can’t believe I served under such a so-called senior.
Suppressing his anger, Park Jung-hyun snapped loudly at the patient who had just entered the clinic.
“An ankle sprain. Sprain! You came to the hospital just for this? Your military discipline is way too lax! Get out now!”
“… But can you at least take an X-ray?”
“Who the hell do you think you’re ordering around? Don’t you see the rank badges here? What, a corporal telling a colonel what to do? Get lost! Take some anti-inflammatory ointment on your way out. I don’t need an X-ray to know what’s wrong.”
“… Understood. Salute.”
Colonel Park Jung-hyun had the worst reputation among military doctors in Orthopedics at the Capital Hospital.
There were simply too many patients at the Capital Hospital. The worst cases nationwide were flocking there, but to him, many came complaining exaggerating minor injuries.
Wasting time on these guys felt like a waste of his youth. He just wanted to get promoted quickly and stop seeing patients…
As Park pondered, a nursing officer entered and said,
“Colonel Park, the hospital director is calling for you. But… there are too many patients outside right now. What should we do? If you leave now, who will take care of these patients?”
“That’s none of my concern. The other military doctors can handle them. Once clinic hours end at 4 p.m., the soldiers will leave. I’m going. Make sure you explain that to the patients.”
As Colonel Park dashed away, the nursing officer and soldiers’ faces stiffened, especially a soldier on crutches who said,
“I heard Major Kim Cheol-soo in Orthopedics at Hampyeong Hospital stays late into the night to see patients, but Colonel Park just runs off.”
“Yeah, I heard about Major Kim too. They say he’s an unparalleled genius—handling orthopedics, trauma surgery, general surgery, and he doesn’t leave until all patients are seen.”
“Ah… I want to go to Hampyeong! That’s what a real doctor is.”
Because the military was such a tight-knit organization, news about happenings in Hampyeong was already widespread.
Among the soldiers interested in these talks, one rumor circulated.
‘There’s a genius doctor in Hampyeong. He can cure any disease.’
*****
Summoned to the hospital director’s office, Park Jung-hyun felt pleased.
He had been begging for a promotion, and it seemed the request was about to be granted.
But the hospital director, a senior from Y University, said something unexpected.
“Park Jung-hyun. I’ll promote you. But you’re going down to Hampyeong Hospital.”
“Sir! What do you mean by that? Are we really going to do this between us? You know how much money I’ve given you…”
“Tsk. Why bring that up here? I said I’ll promote you. I just want you down in Hampyeong for a while. When the time’s right, I’ll call you back.”
Park flinched under the hospital director’s sharp gaze. Even as a fellow Y University senior, he couldn’t defy a colonel.
So, with a softer expression, he asked,
“You mean I have to go down to Hampyeong?”
“They say you won’t get promoted while you’re here at the Medical Command. So go down to Hampyeong, get the acting colonel rank… Stay there quietly. Within a year, you’ll be promoted colonel and called back here.”
“You mean I’ll be the colonel promotion candidate? That sounds appealing…”
The military’s promotion system was unique; they temporarily appointed lieutenant colonels who were about to be promoted colonel to the acting colonel (진) rank.
It was a rank between lieutenant colonel and colonel.
Park felt tempted and replied,
“Alright. Then I’ll get promoted to acting colonel first, and definitely become colonel within a year? Thank you, sir! Ha ha ha! I’ll report to Hampyeong first thing tomorrow.”
“Good. Don’t cause any trouble there. While you’re deputy director of treatment, if anything happens at Hampyeong, you won’t get promoted. Don’t let junior military doctors cause problems, and keep things quiet with the press. The military loses when it gets noisy. Understood?”
“What could possibly make military hospitals noisy? Don’t worry. I’ll go now! Salute.”
Bang
After Colonel Park closed the door and left, the hospital director picked up a document that had just arrived.
It was a complaint sent by the head of Trauma Surgery at Hampyeong Hospital.
… Lieutenant Colonel Kim Cheol-soo of General Surgery performed surgery on a civilian trauma patient without my permission. This is an unacceptable overreach, and I request a thorough investigation by the Capital Hospital and Medical Command.
“Hmph, hope there won’t be any problems. I have a feeling Hampyeong’s going to get noisy. You better handle it well, Park Jung-hyun. If you keep letting Kim Cheol-soo run wild, you won’t get promoted.”
*****
Hampyeong Military Hospital Orthopedics Clinic Room 3.
Kim Cheol-soo was examining a female officer.
“Second Lieutenant Seo Min-jung, you wear high heels a lot, don’t you?”
“… Yes. How did you know? That’s amazing…”
She was so surprised that she forgot to speak formally. It was almost uncanny how he matched her lifestyle by looking at the side of her protruding big toe.
Thinking it was truly remarkable, she asked,
“Did wearing high heels so often cause my foot to become like this?”
“Yes. High heels aren’t good for your feet. From what I see… your right big toe has hallux valgus. This condition is common in women. Does your mother happen to have this symptom?”
“That’s right. How did you know that too? It’s amazing how you got everything right.”
“Hallux valgus tends to be hereditary. It’s a condition prone to developing issues, and wearing high heels only worsens it. Your big toe side is completely swollen. The shape of your foot is crooked, so it must be uncomfortable. Do you ever experience numbness?”
“Sometimes it does get numb. I also feel pressure from my shoes.”
Kim Cheol-soo recalled Joo Kyung-sik, who recently had surgery. His cyst was painful because it was pressed by his shoes, and this patient’s bone protrusion was constantly irritated.
Essentially, it was a similar situation: whenever the foot shape is abnormal, there’s always pain and problems.
“Men can also develop hallux valgus if they wear tight shoes. So it’s better to wear comfortable shoes. Currently, there are two treatment methods. First is wearing an orthotic device to correct foot shape—like dental braces but for feet. The problem is, it doesn’t restore the foot to its original shape; it just prevents worsening. Also, they’re expensive.”
“Then what’s the other method? Please do anything, doctor. How can I live with such ugly feet?”
As a newly commissioned second lieutenant, she wasn’t inclined to get expensive orthotics. She asked anxiously.
Kim Cheol-soo smiled and said,
“Don’t worry too much. There’s a simple surgery called osteotomy, where we cut the protruding bone and reshape it normally.”
“… Is that okay? Surgery scares me…”
“If you leave it untreated, your foot will become increasingly deformed. It’s best to have surgery now and take a good rest—about six weeks of hospitalization.”
“Six… six weeks? Other military doctors usually say only three weeks. Will you really keep me hospitalized that long?”
Her eyes widened in surprise.
“Of course. After surgery, with the cast, you can’t walk properly, so discharge is difficult. Four weeks in a cast, and two weeks rehabilitation. Hospital treatment.”
“Then I’ll have the surgery immediately! Being hospitalized in the hottest summer sounds perfect!”
Suddenly determined to have surgery, Seo Min-jung made up her mind, and Kim Cheol-soo nodded.
“Very well. Since we don’t have many patients today, let’s go straight to surgery. Have you eaten breakfast?”
“I actually came without eating. I usually don’t eat much…”
“Good. See you shortly in the operating room. Don’t worry and relax. I’ll take full responsibility for your surgery.”
*****
Rrrr ..
Seo Min-jung was brought into the operating room on a transport stretcher.
Kim Cheol-soo exchanged glances with Lieutenant Shin Se-young and Captain Oh Ha-jin from anesthesiology.
By now, they trusted each other just from a look, having worked together on several surgeries.
Anesthesiologist Oh Ha-jin spoke first.
“Anesthesia is complete, Major.”
Lieutenant Shin added,
“We applied a tourniquet to reduce blood flow to the foot to minimize bleeding during surgery.”
“Alright, then give me the scalpel.”
Kim Cheol-soo grasped the scalpel handed by Shin Se-young. Although the surgery was simple, being his first orthopedic operation brought some tension.
But since he clearly remembered the procedure, it would be no problem.
He began with surface disinfection…
He made a 1 cm incision on the left side of the right big toe’s hallux valgus.
Using tooth forceps and scissors, he expanded the incision to 4 cm.
Next, he used a Senn retractor to spread the inside and get a clear view.
Finally, the white bone emerged from beneath the tissue.
The severely bent big toe bone was visible.
“I will cut the protruding bone.”
Ziiiiiing!!!
Kim Cheol-soo cut the protruding bone causing the deformity with a sagittal saw.
Rrrr!
Then, he corrected the angle of the bone displaced inward and outward to a normal big toe shape using bone screws.
He didn’t forget to connect and secure tendons and bones with sutures.
Finally, he stitched up the incision made with scissors, dressed the exterior, and finished the surgery.
Shin Se-young was surprised.
“You’re better at orthopedic surgery than I expected. I guess I was wrong to discourage Joo Kyung-sik’s surgery. Removing cysts is much easier. You handle the saw very well.”
“No, it went well thanks to Lieutenant Shin and Captain Oh’s help.”
Oh Ha-jin, pleased at being mentioned, chimed in.
“Great surgery, Major. How about a drink tonight?”
“I’ll pass. I’m a bit tired. Let’s drink tomorrow. I want to rest after this unscheduled surgery.”
“Ha ha! Understood. Lieutenant Shin and I will clean up here. Go home and rest.”
“Alright. Thanks for your hard work.”
*****
Exhausted, Kim Cheol-soo left through the guard post to go home.
But something felt off at the hospital entrance. Unlike usual quiet days, there were too many parked cars, mostly large ones…
‘What’s this? A car with an antenna on the roof? I’ve never seen that before.’
As Kim passed by, a door on the antenna-equipped car suddenly opened, and several people jumped out with microphones.
“A person finally came out of the hospital! Let’s cover this!”
“Hello! We’re from KBC Broadcasting’s entertainment program [Byul-Byul]! Is it true that S.E.A.’s member Ha Sae-byeok, a top female idol, is hospitalized here at Hampyeong Military Hospital? We received a report that she survived surgery performed by a military doctor after a traffic accident! Do you know who the surgeon was?”