July 10, 2001.
Deputy Director Park Jeong-hyun of Hampyeong National Military Hospital arrived at work in a good mood and was sipping coffee.
It wasn’t some cheap instant packet coffee, but a cappuccino from a fairly well-known foreign brand.
The smooth milk flavor blended well with the coffee’s bitterness, lifting the deputy director’s spirits.
“Hmm… the aroma is nice. Coffee in the deputy director’s office always tastes better. This office is the best spot in the entire hospital. The view from this window is truly magnificent.”
The deputy director’s office on the sixth floor of Hampyeong Hospital was spacious, and the lush greenery of summer stretched out through the full window.
Park Jeong-hyun sipped his cappuccino and opened the window.
Be-ri-ri-ri …!
The cheerful chirping of a red wagtail pleasantly awakened his mind. Park Jeong-hyun thought today would be another enjoyable day…
But suddenly, that damn face popped into his mind.
“KIM CHEOL-SOO, that bastard. What grudge does he have against me to humiliate me like that? I just don’t understand.”
He thought he had never met anyone like him in his life. A mere captain who wouldn’t even properly salute his superior, defying orders to perform surgeries.
Above all, it was frustrating that Kim Cheol-soo had missed his chance to prove his leadership skills to the Army Military Police Office.
Deputy Director of Medical Affairs Park Jeong-hyun gritted his teeth in rage.
“Just wait and see… Kim Cheol-soo. How dare you look down on me? I will have my revenge. I’ll make sure you have no place to stand in this hospital.”
No matter how skilled a clinician Kim Cheol-soo was, he was still affiliated with Hampyeong National Military Hospital.
So if the deputy director wished, there were many ways to make his life difficult.
For example, cutting his leave, piling on night shifts, or other dirty tactics.
Imagining his satisfying revenge plan, Park Jeong-hyun chuckled.
“Heh heh! This obnoxious bastard needs a thorough beating. First, I should call the head of general surgery and discuss it. Which university did he graduate from again?”
Park Jeong-hyun rifled through documents to check the alma mater of General Surgery Chief Lee Young-chul.
“What? A regional university? Hmm… then he certainly can’t be so arrogant against me, a Y University graduate. Our school dominates the military hospitals.”
In South Korea, there are three top medical universities.
S University, K University, and Y University—the so-called SKY universities.
Among them, S University is known for admitting true geniuses, so they tend to be more individualistic and less cohesive.
They are talented individuals who thrive on their own.
K University’s students often come from provinces to Seoul, enjoy drinking, and tend to be very tight-knit, but they lack influence among military doctors.
Though strong and skilled in civilian hospitals, their military influence is weaker.
Y University students mostly come from well-off families in Seoul.
They tend to be what’s colloquially called “gentlemanly” types, but they have a firm grip on the military hospital cartel.
They are a group obsessed with honor and prestige.
Key positions in the Medical Command include the Capital Hospital Director, the Capital Hospital Neurosurgery Chief, and Park Jeong-hyun himself—all Y University graduates.
They are a group intoxicated with elitism and superiority, caring only for their own advancement and power.
In short, a corrupt group of doctors.
Anyway, Park Jeong-hyun immediately called Lee Young-chul and treated him to coffee.
After some sipping, he got to the point.
“What should we do about this headache in general surgery, Chief Lee?”
“… I’ve been trying to control him, but it’s difficult. I told him not to operate on Hong Jin-oh, but he did the surgery behind our backs. It’s really frustrating. Nurse Officer Shin Se-young and Captain Oh Ha-jin also seem to be sticking to him like glue. I can’t intervene any further…”
Lee Young-chul approved Hong Jin-oh’s surgery after the fact to avoid escalating the issue.
He wasn’t fond of Kim Cheol-soo himself.
He held a grudge from when he almost assaulted Kim Cheol-soo in front of Shin Se-young and ended up utterly humiliated.
But since Deputy Director Park Jeong-hyun was scratching his itch, a wide grin spread across his face.
Park Jeong-hyun slammed his palm on the table, showing a resolute determination as if facing an enemy.
“It seems general surgery is their stronghold. If we don’t deal with Kim Cheol-soo and that filthy bitch Shin Se-young, there will be no peace at Hampyeong Hospital. This place used to be known for its tranquility, but that strange slippery eel has appeared and really ruined the mood!”
“Deputy Director, you’re clearly very upset. I heard too. That arrogant bastard Kim Cheol-soo humiliated you in front of the Military Police Office Chief’s adjutant, right?”
Since the rumors had already spread throughout the hospital, Lee Young-chul spoke easily.
But at that moment, Deputy Director Park Jeong-hyun’s face grew serious and stiffened.
The fact that the incident had become public was a humiliation that made it hard for him to hold his head high.
“That damned son of a bitch, I don’t know why he’s doing this to me. We’ve never even met face to face. Why start a fight from the beginning?”
“What difference does the cause make? As long as he’s affiliated with Hampyeong Hospital, he can’t beat the power of the Deputy Director of Medical Affairs. Since he’s on leave today, give him a thorough scolding when he returns tomorrow. I’ll help too.”
“That’s encouraging. Then when Kim Cheol-soo returns, have him continue treating patients in Orthopedics. If he struggles for a few days, he’ll calm down.”
“Heh heh, if he keeps working until next week, he’ll be worn out and forced to submit to us. He likes playing more than working, so if we keep making him work, it’ll be hell for him.”
“Ha ha! That’s a brilliant idea. Let’s do that! He’ll have to choose between quitting the military doctor role or obeying me.”
The two men excitedly plotted to torment Kim Cheol-soo when someone knocked on the door.
Knock knock
“Deputy Director of Medical Affairs, Captain Oh Ha-jin here. Do you have a moment?”
“What does Oh Ha-jin from Anesthesiology want? Isn’t he friendly with Kim Cheol-soo these days?”
Park Jeong-hyun asked suspiciously, and Chief Lee Young-chul nodded.
“Certainly seems to be on Kim Cheol-soo’s side. I wonder what he’s doing here so early. I’ll open the door.”
With an unwilling look, Lee Young-chul opened the door to the deputy director’s office.
Oh Ha-jin entered, smiling, followed by several soldiers.
“Wow—the rumors were true. This office really does have the best view in our hospital. I’m sorry, Deputy Director Park Jeong-hyun, but you’ll have to vacate the office starting now. Last night, Major Kim Cheol-soo successfully performed surgery on the Military Police Chief, and many things have changed.”
“W-what? He already succeeded in surgery? That arrogant bastard. What nonsense are you spouting? Who are you to order me around? Do you want to get out of the military? I am the Deputy Director of Medical Affairs here at Hampyeong Hospital. Deputy Director! And yet you tell me to leave this room? That’s absurd! If I wanted, I could have you removed as a military doctor in no time…!”
Park Jeong-hyun shouted in anger, wielding his rank and position as authority, but Oh Ha-jin, having just checked the personnel orders from the Medical Command, shrugged.
“Sorry, but it seems you haven’t seen the personnel orders from the Medical Command. Major Kim Cheol-soo, myself, and Lieutenant Shin Se-young were just assigned to the Medical Command’s direct surgical team under the higher command above Hampyeong National Military Hospital.”
“What? That… can’t be. What’s this nonsense? Chief Lee, did you know about this?”
The deputy director and chief exchanged bewildered looks.
“No. What is this? A military doctor assigned from the hospital to the Medical Command? But if that’s true, then your authority as deputy director no longer applies to them.”
While the two trembled with anger, Oh Ha-jin smiled and said to the soldiers accompanying him:
“Gentlemen, these two seem confused. Please escort them outside quietly. And please remove all items here as well. From now on, this will be the headquarters of the Medical Command’s ‘Critical Care Surgical Team.’”
“Yes, sir!”
Drag drag…
Despite resisting to the end, Park Jeong-hyun and Lee Young-chul were dragged out by the Medical Command soldiers.
“This… this can’t be! These bastards! This is my office! The Deputy Director’s office!! This is treason! A coup! How dare they treat me, a Y University graduate, like this? I won’t forgive them!! They’re all doomed!”
Of course, Oh Ha-jin kept smiling as he instructed the soldiers.
“Don’t worry too much. No matter how much of a colonel you are, you can’t disobey the higher command. Once you’ve cleared out, please set up this office with clean desks and equipment. So that when Major Kim Cheol-soo returns tomorrow, the deputy director’s scent is gone from here.”
“Yes, sir!!”
Following Oh Ha-jin’s orders, the soldiers busily moved the office.
It was the moment the Medical Command’s direct ‘Critical Care Surgical Team’ found a new home.
*****
Kim Cheol-soo, unaware of the chaos unfolding at Hampyeong Hospital, had briefly communicated with the Medical Command in the early morning and then fell back asleep.
He had requested that Shin Se-young and Oh Ha-jin also be assigned to the same unit and returned to his dreams.
Two hours later…
Pak pak …!
The fresh chirping of mountain birds and morning sunlight woke Kim Cheol-soo.
He found himself asleep, lying face down on the wooden floor.
He leisurely got up and stretched.
“Haaah… slept well. Good thing it’s summer; otherwise, I might have gotten a stiff neck. Sleeping without a blanket, I must have been really tired.”
Woof!! Woof!!!
His cute white dog wagged its tail and tried to get close.
Kim Cheol-soo laughed and scratched the dog’s head before roughly preparing its meal.
“Hungry? Here, eat this first.”
Watching the dog gobble up the food, Kim Cheol-soo realized it had been quite some time since he had come to this house.
But aside from the village chief’s household, he felt he hadn’t become close with the villagers, which made him a bit regretful.
“Hmm… maybe I should get my head straight. My body feels stiff from yesterday’s surgery, my shoulders are a bit sore.”
Although Kim Cheol-soo was not someone who exercised much, he now wanted to move his body a little.
Surgeries usually require maintaining the same posture and focusing on one spot, which isn’t good for the bones.
Simply put, it can cause something like ‘text neck syndrome’ from studying too much.
He slowly walked over to the massive jujube tree, grabbed a long branch hanging low, and did pull-ups.
He wasn’t sure why he suddenly decided to do pull-ups.
He just felt good. He felt quite strong… full of energy.
“One…!”
“Two…!”
“Three…!”
“Four…!”
“Five…!”
He did as many as five pull-ups and came down without feeling tired.
He was tall and had a solid build, but his athletic ability was usually zero.
Yet… this sensation was different.
His muscles overflowed with strength as if he’d been injected with steroids all over.
He murmured in surprise.
“Is it because the energy of the land is good? I thought I’d be exhausted after a difficult surgery yesterday, but I actually feel stronger. What’s going on…?”