“I’ll perform this surgery. I will carry out the pancreaticoduodenectomy (a surgery that removes the head of the pancreas where the cancer has spread, along with part of the duodenum) and save the patient!”
“… You’re really going to do it? Such a difficult surgery?”
The expression of the head of the General Surgery Department at Y University Hospital, startled, turned almost comical.
It was only natural.
No matter how crazy Kim Cheolsu was, no one expected him to say he would take on a surgery like this.
If it failed, the repercussions would be enormous. Most doctors wouldn’t dare volunteer for it.
But Kim Cheolsu was different. He had no interest in anything but saving the patient.
The pure passion he showed made the department head uneasy, and he asked once more.
His tone, now calmer, had returned to a respectful form of address.
“I’ll ask one last time. So, you’re saying you will perform the chairman’s surgery?”
“Of course. To a doctor, every patient is the same. There’s no reason to treat a conglomerate chairman differently.”
“… Hoo… Honestly, I don’t know what to say. I was so angry and pushed you hard earlier, but now that you say you will really do the surgery, I feel small. I couldn’t have done it.”
The department head spoke with a hint of respect toward Kim Cheolsu.
Of course, it didn’t mean he suddenly liked him.
He simply felt awe at Kim Cheolsu’s determination, which softened his tone.
Noticing the change, Kim Cheolsu spoke up.
“I got a little excited too. Anyway, since I’ve decided to perform the surgery, can I count on your cooperation?”
“Of course. It feels like a burden has been lifted. Since the chairman isn’t admitted to our hospital, there’s no need for a transfer… I’ll give you the chairman’s medical records and MRI images. We no longer need them.”
“Thank you. May I take them now? Are these the documents you showed me earlier?”
“Go ahead.”
Kim Cheolsu took the files and left the department head’s office.
-Thunk
Hearing the door close, the department head silently evaluated Kim Cheolsu.
“What guts. A young doctor like him doesn’t feel intimidated in front of a medical authority like me. Hm, now that I think about it, I just recalled the news that he graduated from S University. We might have a talent worth watching.”
To be honest, the department head had started to view Kim Cheolsu more favorably today, but at the same time, his wariness grew.
He resented that Kim Cheolsu was bringing change to the military hospital dominated by Y University graduates.
If that happened, his plan to become the head of the military hospital after retirement would be jeopardized.
Clicking his tongue, he muttered.
“Huh! I tried to provoke Kim Cheolsu on purpose because Park Junghyun asked me to, but I gained nothing. Is S University really that way? Or is Kim Cheolsu just a peculiar breed?”
After a moment of contemplation, he shook his head and stopped thinking about it.
The arrow had already been shot. He wished for Kim Cheolsu to fail the surgery.
That way, one annoying junior would be out of his sight.
-Slurrrp
The department head sipped his premium coffee, savoring the aroma. He silently prayed for Chairman Jung Monghun, who was gravely ill, to pass away soon.
Having such a famous figure become Kim Cheolsu’s patron was utterly unacceptable…
*****
Having obtained the necessary materials from Y University, Kim Cheolsu returned to his hotel.
But he encountered an unexpected face.
It was the director of Catholic Hospital.
“Oh my, Military Doctor Kim Cheolsu. Where have you been? We’ve been looking for you. Come this way.”
“Me? Alright.”
He had intended to show gratitude to the hospital director who had lent the emergency room.
So Kim Cheolsu followed him with a relaxed expression toward the café, and they began talking over tea.
The Catholic Hospital director started the conversation.
“Thank you, Military Doctor. Thanks to the surgery you performed, our hospital has gained fame as well.”
“On the contrary, I should thank you. It would have been quite difficult without lending the emergency room.”
“I heard you saved the fetus with an emergency cesarean section. Congratulations. Now the media is praising you, and everything seems to be going well. Your future looks bright. Ha ha!”
“I just go wherever surgery is needed. I have no interest other than saving lives.”
“Still, please meet with him just once. He’s here at the hotel now.”
“What?”
Kim Cheolsu was momentarily angered. He was annoyed that the director called someone without telling him.
But he had once been indebted to the Catholic Hospital director.
“Well, I suppose I have no choice. I’ll meet him once.”
“I’ll call him now.”
After the director left, a moment later a burly middle-aged man approached and extended his hand.
“Pleasure. I’m Jung Monggi, president of Hyundo Motors.”
“… Yes. Pleasure to meet you. You said you wanted to see me?”
“I don’t beat around the bush, so I’ll get straight to the point. I heard you were going to perform my younger brother’s surgery… How about you don’t?”
Kim Cheolsu frowned.
Where had the information leaked…? Ah! He remembered visiting Y University Hospital earlier.
The department head might have acted personally, or another doctor at Y University might have told him.
Indeed, the information network of a chaebol family was formidable.
In any case, Kim Cheolsu found himself in an awkward position.
He knew the Hyundo Group was currently embroiled in a princely strife.
After a moment of silence, Jung Monggi continued persuading him.
“What do you want? I’ll give you whatever you ask for. Want to return to S University Hospital? That’s fine… Or I can pull strings to get you promoted to colonel immediately. How about it? I think this is a good offer…”
The large chaebol’s words sounded like a generous offer, but they included a threat that brooked no refusal.
Kim Cheolsu thought that Jung Monggi had a meaner personality than his older brother Jung Monghun.
And he knew touching such a man would only bring trouble.
“Hoo—Honestly, I’m in a bind. I have no interest in chaebol family affairs. I simply can’t abandon a patient who came to me.”
“So… just this once. Just this once, help me. Then Hyundo Motors won’t leave you empty-handed. Want money? I’ll launder tens of billions in slush funds and give it to you immediately.”
“Sorry, I don’t need that. Please consider today’s proposal as never having been made.”
As Kim Cheolsu stood, Jung Monggi’s face darkened.
He restrained a curse and spoke calmly.
“You’d better accept my offer. My brother won’t live much longer anyway. Go home and think carefully about what’s best for you.”
Kim Cheolsu was irritated by those words. He tossed out one last remark and left.
“A doctor doesn’t consider such things when operating on a patient. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
-Step step
-Step step
-Step step…
After Kim Cheolsu left, Jung Monggi threw his teacup onto the floor.
Fuming that things hadn’t gone his way.
-Clatter!!
-Aaah!!!
“What are you looking at?! You never seen someone spill coffee before, you brats?!!”
He pulled out a stack of checks and documents from the table and stood up.
Money could solve any rude behavior.
But meeting a doctor who wouldn’t be swayed by money today put him in a foul mood.
He spat on the floor and grumbled.
“You dare disrespect me? I won’t forgive you. A worthless technician like you…!”
Being in Seoul was hectic indeed.
Reporters swarmed him noisily, and more and more people kept visiting him.
In the end, that day Kim Cheolsu rode a jeep back to Hampyeong with Shin Seyoung and Oh Hajin.
It was still before sunset.
But just then, near the entrance of Hampyeong Hospital, a villager was lingering around.
Startled, Kim Cheolsu approached and asked.
“What’s the matter?”
“I’m lucky to meet our doctor! My leg keeps going numb, so I came to your place, but I couldn’t see you… Are you free now? Please treat me.”
He brought in Grandma Kim Boksun, who grew apple trees.
He laid her on a bed in Orthopedics Room 3 and asked.
“Where exactly does it hurt?”
“My left leg is very numb…”
“Any other pains?”
“My hip sometimes hurts too.”
At the mention of hip pain, Kim Cheolsu’s expression tightened.
He had Grandma lie face down and examined her hip with an X-ray.
But he couldn’t find any particular problem.
Unfortunately, X-rays weren’t万能.
Some symptoms couldn’t be seen through imaging, which made orthopedics more difficult than other departments.
Patients complained of pain, but often the X-ray showed nothing.
Though it was his first time facing such a case, Kim Cheolsu remained composed.
He spoke to Shin Seyoung beside him and began a physical exam.
“I’ll check the Freiberg sign. Lieutenant Shin.”
“Yes, understood.”
Shin Seyoung fixed the patient’s torso so she couldn’t move her body.
Meanwhile, Kim Cheolsu artificially internally rotated the patient’s left lower limb.
“Ah! My hip hurts, doctor! And my whole leg hurts too.”
Judging from the patient’s reaction, he roughly figured out which muscle was at fault.
Kim Cheolsu said with a serious face.
“It seems like the piriformis muscle (the muscle between the pelvis and femur) is the problem, but I’ll do a few more tests. Next, I’ll check the Pace sign.”
He flexed the hip and attempted abduction.
He felt resistance from the piriformis muscle, and the patient showed muscle weakness and pain.
“It definitely looks like a piriformis muscle problem… Lastly, I’ll check the Piriformis sign.”
He laid the patient supine and noticed asymmetry as the left piriformis muscle rotated outward.
Though the physical exam was complete, he still wasn’t certain of the diagnosis.
It was tricky because it could be confused with a herniated disc.
Both conditions cause pain in the lower limbs.
“For an accurate diagnosis, we’ll need to perform an electromyography (EMG) test. We need to check nerve conduction velocity on the EMG monitor to determine whether this is piriformis syndrome or herniated disc (a condition where the nucleus pulposus escapes the disc and compresses nerves).”
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