The old man’s body was covered with severe bruises, but that wasn’t the real problem.
Kim Cheolsu examined the bruises on his elbow and forearm through the X-ray and said,
“Fortunately, your arms and legs aren’t broken. But how did you end up like this? Did you really encounter a tiger?”
“A tiger? What tiger? If I had met a tiger, do you think I’d be alive now? No, for days wild boars have been prowling near the potato field. They showed up again today, so I chased them off, but suddenly one of those damn boars tried to ram me.”
“That sounds like a close call. And then?”
Startled, Kim Cheolsu asked.
The legendary old man stroked his beard and explained,
“So I pushed the one charging at me to the side. Ha ha! Then it slammed me into the ground, thrashing around. It must have been scared of me.”
Unbelievable! Right before his eyes stood a man who fought wild boars barehanded. And not just any man—an elderly legend.
Kim Cheolsu said,
“Remarkable. Still, you were very reckless. If that boar had hit you properly, you could have been seriously injured. There isn’t a big hospital around here either. That would have been a real problem.”
“Why wouldn’t there be a hospital? You can get treatment at Hampyeong Hospital. Aren’t you from our village hospital?”
“Of course.”
Naturally, Kim Cheolsu planned to do just that. He had already been through this with Ha Saebaek and was used to bringing civilians to the military hospital. Since there was no major hospital near Hampyeong, they would take him there if necessary.
“But are you sure there are no serious injuries? If there’s any discomfort, please tell me.”
“It’s nothing. I’ll just rest at home and it’ll get better.”
Kim Cheolsu noticed the old man hiding his hand behind his back.
He frowned and said,
“Let me see your hand. It’s injured, isn’t it?”
“No, I told you it’s not! Why do you keep asking?”
“Please show me your hand.”
“Hah… can’t refuse that.”
The legendary old man extended his hand forward.
Kim Cheolsu’s expression turned serious all of a sudden.
After checking the X-ray of the hand, he saw that the third and fourth fingers on the right hand were broken.
Carefully lifting the old man’s injured hand, he said,
“The distal interphalangeal joints (DIP) are sharply flexed, causing the extensor tendon at the fingertip to rupture, and there’s a fracture as well.”
“Does that mean the bone’s broken? Honestly, I can’t straighten my fingers, so it does feel uncomfortable.”
“Yes. It’s definitely broken. You can see the bone fragments inside the finger on the X-ray. If there weren’t any fragments, it would be diagnosed as a ‘tendon injury’ and could heal with just extensor splinting. But this is a ‘bony mallet finger’ with bone fragments.”
“Is it serious?”
“Yes. Moreover, the bone fragments aren’t small. This will need surgery immediately.”
“Su… surgery? That sounds terrifying. Why did it suddenly break? What caused it?”
Most people think a broken arm or leg is serious. But in reality, a broken finger bone is just as serious.
Finger bones are very delicate, so if left untreated in a broken state, it causes mallet deformity and later severe swan neck deformity.
Just hearing about it sounds dreadful.
“Do you know a baseball? What happens if a baseball hits your fingertip? The DIP joint bends sharply, and the bone breaks. It seems your fingertips took the impact when you pushed the boar.”
“What happens if I just leave it like this?”
“If left untreated, the fingertip won’t straighten again. The finger stays bent in a hammer-like shape and becomes rigid. That’s why this condition is called mallet finger or baseball finger. It’s not a minor injury, sir.”
Hearing this, the legendary old man was greatly surprised.
“Just a finger injury? Is it really that serious? Huh… so what do we do now? Should I get a splint?”
“A splint alone won’t do. This isn’t a simple fracture. The fingertip bone is broken and a bone fragment is floating in the middle. So you can’t just use a splint. You have to do surgery to put the fragment back in its place.”
“This… sounds really complicated. Can they do this surgery at the local hospital?”
“I’m not sure. What’s certain is that this isn’t a simple procedure. Is there an orthopedic department at the local hospital?”
“Orthopedics? In this countryside? There isn’t one.”
After hearing this, Kim Cheolsu pondered for a moment and said,
“Then come with me to the military hospital for the surgery.”
“Really? Is that okay? I’m not a soldier, yet you want to use a military facility?”
Kim Cheolsu thought it was the perfect chance to conduct the military medical unit’s first surgery on a civilian.
In the end, what mattered most was treating as many people as possible.
Whether a patient is military or civilian wasn’t important.
He smiled as he watched the rain stop outside.
“The rain’s stopping now. Let’s head to the military hospital together. This kind of injury needs quick treatment.”
*****
Back at the hospital, Kim Cheolsu prepared the old man for surgery and met with Shin Saemyeong and Oh Hajin.
They looked surprised that he had brought a civilian patient.
Shin Saemyeong said,
“Commander, is it really okay to treat a civilian like this? Even though we are a military medical unit for critical patients, this could cause problems later.”
“But Hampyeong doesn’t have a proper hospital. From now on, anyone seriously ill around here will need to be treated at our hospital.”
“That may be true, but…”
Shin Saemyeong was a kindhearted man and agreed with Kim Cheolsu.
Still, in principle, treating civilians at a military hospital was prohibited.
But Kim Cheolsu insisted,
“What if we officially declare that our critical patient treatment team will treat civilians too?”
“Huh…?”
Shin Saemyeong and Oh Hajin were puzzled as Kim Cheolsu explained,
“Our critical patient treatment team isn’t part of Hampyeong per se. We have to respond to patients in need of surgery anywhere. Wouldn’t expanding treatment to civilians make sense?”
“That’s true, but…”
Shin Saemyeong hesitated, and Oh Hajin chimed in,
“That’s a good idea, Commander, but we need approval from the military medical department first. It’s a matter of regulations.”
“Regulations… I hate regulations. If the patient needs treatment now, rules don’t matter. If anyone complains later, I’ll take responsibility. Prepare for surgery.”
“Understood!”
When Kim Cheolsu raised his voice, Shin Saemyeong and Oh Hajin nodded and entered the operating room to prepare.
Some might think this was reckless, but Kim Cheolsu believed treating as many patients as possible was the priority.
And frankly, he didn’t think anyone would raise trouble over this.
“What the hell are you doing in front of the OR? Trying to do surgery again, huh?”
Just then, Deputy Director Park Jeonghyeon appeared.
He had been looking for a reason to criticize the critical patient treatment team, and when he saw Kim Cheolsu back at the hospital, he followed him.
“How dare you bring civilians into the military hospital at your whim? As Deputy Director of Hampyeong Hospital, I cannot allow this. Stop immediately! Otherwise, I’ll report this to the medical authorities. Do you want to be disciplined?”
“Do as you please. But I don’t think the military medical department would discipline over such a minor issue.”
“You insolent brat! Do you think you can do whatever you want? Think carefully now. If civilian surgery fails today, everyone supporting you will abandon you. That’s how the world works, you fool!”
“You seem very knowledgeable, sir. But I don’t care about that. At least I’m doing this right.”
“W-What?”
Park Jeonghyeon swallowed nervously, curious what was so important to the genius doctor.
Kim Cheolsu said,
“A doctor who ignores patients in front of him is trash. Before I am a military doctor at Hampyeong Hospital, I am a surgeon. I cannot sleep until I treat my patients perfectly.”
“W-What did you say? You crazy bastard! You’re the only doctor here? I’m a doctor too! Stop showing off and get that civilian out immediately!”
“You don’t understand. Then I’ll put it this way. Even if I get discharged from the military, I can never turn my back on a patient in front of me.”
-Drip…
Kim Cheolsu ignored the speechless Park Jeonghyeon and opened the OR door.
He entered, turned his back, and spoke through the half-closed door.
“But some doctors are not like that. Like you!”
“Y-You… vermin!”
Park Jeonghyeon was left shouting loudly in front of the closed door, unable to do anything else.
He clasped his hands and prayed,
“Jesus, Buddha, ancestors, please let this man’s surgery fail! Help the arrogant Kim Cheolsu leave Hampyeong!”
While the Deputy Director called on every deity he never bothered with, Kim Cheolsu smiled gently inside the operating room.
He looked over the surgical instruments and said,
“Shall we begin the surgery? Is everyone ready?”
“Yes! The patient is fully prepared, including anesthesia.”
Finger surgery is simple and does not require general anesthesia.
Local anesthesia is enough.
Kim Cheolsu saw the old man’s hand already anesthetized with a syringe.
Normally, precise X-ray imaging called a C-arm would be used, but Kim Cheolsu trusted his own eyes.
“You only use the C-arm? Is that even possible?”
“Shh! He’s never failed a surgery yet. Let’s keep quiet.”
The surgical team whispered, but Kim Cheolsu ignored them.
Using his eyes directly is more accurate than relying on an X-ray machine.
His eyes were sharper than CT or MRI.
He could see inside the body clearly…
-Zzzziiinnng…!
He could see the bone fragment left broken inside the finger.
Kim Cheolsu started surgery on the third finger first, planning to operate on the fourth finger afterward.
He carefully extended the distal interphalangeal joint (DIP) downward as much as possible.
Now it was time to insert the pin on the back of the finger.
-Pok…!
He drove a 1.1mm K-wire at a 40-degree angle right behind the broken bone fragment into the middle phalanx.
This was to prevent the bone fragment from shifting backward when the bent fingertip was straightened.
“When straightening the bent fingertip, this prevents the bone fragment from moving toward the hand. Now I’ll straighten the finger fully and begin the main surgery! Everyone, stay focused!”