The morning rounds had begun, but as expected, no patients showed up.
The General Surgery Department itself was quite unpopular. In fact, it was rare for young soldiers to have liver or pancreatic issues.
In the end, Kim Cheolsu called Shin Seyoung over and held a small tea gathering.
Potato rice cakes with green tea! A perfect combination.
“The patient’s family brought potato rice cakes? Major, that’s impressive! Hmm—these are so chewy and really delicious.”
“Lieutenant Shin, could I have another cup of green tea? It goes perfectly with the rice cakes.”
After leisurely finishing his green tea, Kim Cheolsu spoke to Shin Seyoung, who was holding a rice cake in her hand and eating.
“Green tea? Of course—just wait a moment.”
Kim Cheolsu found it enjoyable to spend the consultation time so comfortably.
It made sense—if there were many patients, it meant many were sick. But since no one came, he could rest easily, which gave him great peace of mind.
“Here you go. Major, you really seem to like tea.”
“Life is short. You have to enjoy it while you’re young. Tea lifts your spirits.”
“Why would someone who thinks like that come all the way to this countryside? There’s nothing to enjoy here…”
Shin Seyoung said this with a puzzled expression.
Kim Cheolsu, alone with her in the consultation room and eyes wide open, rebutted.
“Why say there’s nothing to enjoy? There’s actually more to do in the countryside. Nature is much better. I want to show you the view from my home when I wake up in the morning. Watching farmers rolling up their pants and stepping into the rice fields, or wearing wide-brimmed hats to shield themselves from the sun while working—it’s really amazing. I actually think it was good to be assigned here.”
“Those kinds of scenes happen at your home? That’s really surprising. I’m a native here, but I’ve never seen that. Maybe it’s because I live in an apartment?”
“Of course, if you live in an apartment. You should come visit my house next time. I’ll show you.”
“Uh… yes…”
Lieutenant Shin Seyoung trailed off awkwardly. The idea of going to a man’s house felt strange.
At that moment, Private Hong Jino, wearing a patient gown, entered the consultation room. He had come to begin proper treatment.
“Major!”
“Oh—Jino. Did you sleep well? Have you fasted properly?”
Kim Cheolsu, who had been sitting leisurely, immediately jumped to his feet and approached Hong Jino, patting his shoulder.
“Yes. Starting treatment today, right?”
“Yes. We’ll start chemotherapy and radiation therapy.”
“You mean the anticancer drugs?”
“Right. You’ll have to take those and also undergo radiation sessions. That’s how we prevent the tumor from growing. We can do this. Stay strong, Jino. Got it?”
“Yes…”
Hong Jino’s expression darkened.
The initial joy of being hospitalized was short-lived as he sensed the grueling treatment process ahead.
Kim Cheolsu led him to the treatment room and said,
“Since the jaundice is severe, we need to perform biliary drainage first to relieve it. Is that okay?”
“I trust only you, doctor.”
For some time now, both Jino and the cafeteria lady had been calling him “doctor” instead of military titles like Major or military physician.
Though not exactly fitting for the military, Kim Cheolsu liked it.
It made him feel truly trusted as a doctor.
At that moment, Shin Seyoung came up behind them and asked,
“Major, will you do this endoscopically or percutaneously?”
“Endoscopic ERBD (Endoscopic Retrograde Biliary Drainage). It’s more comfortable for the patient and lasts longer. Percutaneous drainage means carrying around an external drainage bag, which makes daily life difficult. It’s also awkward for others to see. ERBD doesn’t require a drainage bag, so that’s the method.”
“Understood!”
The reason for biliary drainage is to unblock the bile duct obstructed by the tumor. This also relieves jaundice.
Hong Jino lay nervously on the treatment bed. Shin Seyoung held his hand beside him.
“It’ll be okay. We trust our Major, right?”
“Yes. Of course, Nurse Officer.”
After a while, Hong Jino received sedatives, anesthetics, and muscle relaxants.
The sedated endoscopy began.
“Let’s start.”
First, an endoscope was inserted through the patient’s mouth. Kim Cheolsu simultaneously used X-rays to see clearly inside the body, allowing the procedure to progress faster.
He advanced the endoscope to the duodenal papilla and located the stricture—the blocked bile duct area.
Then, through the endoscope, he inserted an artificial drainage tube into the bile duct, securing a passage for bile to flow.
The key was to place an artificial tube to clear the tightly blocked “road” so bile could pass.
The procedure was successfully completed. Although there was a risk that cancer cells might re-enter the drainage tube causing another blockage and jaundice, it was unlikely anytime soon.
Finally, he injected contrast medium to check that bile flowed properly into the duodenum before ending the endoscopy. (Normally, fluoroscopy equipment is required, but he replaced it with his X-ray vision.)
“The bile is flowing well. It’s done! The jaundice and liver dysfunction will gradually recover. Congratulations, Hong Jino.”
Hong Jino, coming to his senses from the medication, expressed his gratitude.
“Thank you, Major. Haha! I already feel like I’m cured.”
“You’ll keep getting better. Starting tomorrow, we’ll begin chemotherapy and radiation and monitor the progress. If your condition improves, surgery will be possible.”
“Yes! Understood!!”
Kim Cheolsu’s expression darkened as he looked at Hong Jino lying on the transport bed with hope.
The survival rate for hilar gallbladder cancer was so low that quoting probabilities was meaningless.
No matter how many treatments were attempted, success depended on the difficult surgery going well.
The burden weighing on his shoulders and his sympathy for the patient made Kim Cheolsu’s expression heavy.
‘But extended right hepatectomy isn’t an ordinary major surgery. Can I really pull it off?’
“Major… are you okay?”
Noticing his expression, Shin Seyoung approached and placed her hand on his shoulder.
She cared about the patient just as much.
Seeing Kim Cheolsu’s face alone, she could guess his desperate feelings.
“Of course. The hardest part is for the patient. I’m fine. Starting tomorrow, we’ll do chemo and radiation, so please manage the patient’s condition well.”
“Yes! Understood. I’ll transfer the patient to the ward now.”
As important as the biliary drainage was, chemotherapy and other treatments mattered too.
The problem was that Hong Jino’s suffering would increase as time passed.
Eventually, harsh chemotherapy would cause hair loss and emaciation…
Kim Cheolsu vowed to schedule the surgery as soon as possible.
Even if the operation took 10 or 20 hours, no matter how difficult, he would not stop halfway.
“Phew… this morning’s been draining.”
Since biliary drainage wasn’t a simple procedure, it was mentally exhausting.
With a somewhat tired expression, Kim Cheolsu stepped out of the treatment room and met someone.
It was Jang Kihoon, head of the Orthopedic Department.
He had come to see General Surgery Chief Lee Youngcheol but ran into Kim Cheolsu here.
Seeing the Major rank insignia on Kim Cheolsu’s uniform, he sneered and approached.
“Are you Major Kim Cheolsu? I’m Jang Kihoon, head of Orthopedics.”
“At your service. Major Kim Cheolsu, General Surgery.”
Kim Cheolsu saluted his superior without any change in expression.
Seeing that, Jang Kihoon was inwardly surprised.
Anyone could tell that Kim Cheolsu wasn’t intimidated even when confronted by a higher-ranking officer looking for a fight.
‘This guy’s tougher than expected. No wonder he bosses other departments around. But you’ve met the wrong person today. Orthopedics is my domain. And you dare interfere? You’re in for it today.’
“Is Chief Lee Youngcheol here?”
“No. He’s not. May I ask what this is about?”
“This is troublesome. We have too many patients in Orthopedics, so I came to request support from General Surgery, but the chief isn’t here. Well then, here’s what we’ll do! Captain Son Woohyun said you’re so full of orthopedic knowledge? You’ll take care of our patients then. How about that? You’ll treat our department’s patients today.”
Seeing Jang Kihoon subtly provoking him, Kim Cheolsu thought the storm had arrived.
This was the backlash from admitting Jo Kyungsik.
He sighed and said,
“Sorry, but I’m currently seeing General Surgery patients and can’t come. I think I can after the morning rounds. How about then?”
“Then come to Orthopedics after lunch. Don’t keep me waiting.”
Jang Kihoon left the General Surgery consultation room, wearing a bitter smile of victory.
Kim Cheolsu sighed upon watching him go.
Jang Kihoon seemed even more politically cunning than General Surgery Chief Lee Youngcheol.
No wonder he held the most popular department’s chief position.
If Kim Cheolsu showed any weakness in Orthopedics, Jang Kihoon would immediately issue a reprimand.
He could complain about Kim interfering despite knowing nothing about Orthopedics and even summon him before a disciplinary committee.
Despite the looming crisis, Kim Cheolsu felt calm.
He was confident that the strange knowledge he felt while treating the village chief this morning would resurface.
It felt as if he had become an orthopedic doctor with many years of experience.
He hoped the morning rounds would end quickly and the afternoon come soon, drinking the green tea on his desk.
“I should go to Orthopedics right after lunch. I’m really looking forward to it.”
****
During the morning rounds until noon, not a single patient came to General Surgery.
Kim Cheolsu was a bit disappointed but accepted it.
“Still, it’s good there’s no one sick. My patients will surely come on the next consultation day.”
“Major, you’re really lucky, huh? No patients at all on your first day. It’s basically like having a day off, isn’t it?”
“A day off? I performed a procedure on Hong Jino this morning. You saw Lieutenant Shin too, yet you say that?”
“But doctors from Seoul really seem different somehow.”
“What do you mean?”
Lieutenant Shin suddenly changed the subject as Kim Cheolsu stood in line for lunch outside the first-floor cafeteria and asked, curious what was different.
“That biliary drainage earlier. It’s not an easy procedure, but you found the stricture so easily and precisely, I was amazed. Especially at the end, you didn’t even use fluoroscopy equipment, yet you knew exactly how the bile was flowing into the duodenum. It’s really incredible!”
Kim Cheolsu was a bit taken aback and stammered.
“… Well, that’s just long experience. Other doctors probably did the procedure the same way. I didn’t do anything special.”
“Still, I think it’s amazing. Other doctors I’ve seen often fumble around. Major, your skill is definitely on another level.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
As they talked, the line shortened.
The cafeteria lady, serving food, called out upon seeing Kim Cheolsu.
“Oh! Our doctor is here! Today’s main side dish is sausage vegetable stir-fry. Eat lots!”
Suddenly, she pulled out a ladle from behind her and scooped a generous portion into a large bowl.
Kim Cheolsu loved this side dish, but with other officers shooting him sharp looks from the side, he said awkwardly,
“Haha… I think this is too much? The others should eat too…”
“Oh, those officers who just waste rice without doing anything can eat less! Huh? Our pretty Lieutenant Shin Seyoung is here too? You like this side dish, right?”
At the cafeteria lady’s question, Shin Seyoung’s face brightened.
She secretly had a big appetite.
Being served a lot of the army’s best side dish made her feel overjoyed.
“Yes! I like it too! Please give me a bowl just like Major’s!”
For the first time in a while, she smiled genuinely brightly.
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