Dr. Taesoo Choi

The nurses, who had been on night duty, greeted the interns with tired faces, their skin looking rough.
“Hello.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“I’m dying.”
The nurses shook their heads in disbelief.
Tae-su and the other interns avoided responding with smiles and first looked over the charts.
Most of the charts were disorganized.
As they examined the key points, Chief Park Seong-min’s voice came from behind.
“Well, it looks like our interns are out first today. Did you all sleep well last night?”
“Did you sleep well?”
“I had a peaceful night, but I heard this teacher and Jung Seonsaeng almost died last night.”
At Chief Park’s words, Jeong Min-su quickly denied it.
“No, it was a good experience.”
“That’s right. Even though it’s tough, irritating, or whatever, an intern must always keep their smile. By the way, who came in through the ER last night?”
When Chief Park asked, it was the third-year resident, Lee Pil-young, who responded.
“Looking at the chart, it’s Choi Sang-bok, 43 years old…”
As Chief Park and Lee Pil-young discussed, the other residents and interns divided the charts.
Once the explanation was finished, Chief Park spoke again.
“Seonsaeng and Jung Seonsaeng, you’re in charge of that ward, and Choi Seonsaeng, follow me. The rest, go to your respective wards.”
“Understood.”
“The current time is 6:08 AM. Everyone will gather back here at exactly 6:50 AM. Let’s go.”
“Let’s go!”
The residents and interns shouted energetically and immediately moved.

Tae-su moved with Chief Park Seong-min.
It seemed the nurses had already woken most of the patients, as they were all up.
However, there was always someone who didn’t listen.
At the far end of the six-bed ward, a patient had fallen back asleep. Chief Park looked at Tae-su and said,
“What are you doing? He’s sleeping.”
“I’m going.”
Tae-su replied, immediately heading toward the patient.
Before entering the room, he double-checked the patient’s bed and name, then called out.
“Kim Deok-hwan, Mr. Kim Deok-hwan.”
“Mm. What?”
The response was immediately informal.
However, since the patient was almost in his sixties, Tae-su kept his smile and spoke politely.
“You need to get up.”
“Too lazy.”
“It’s almost time for rounds.”
“Tell them to skip me.”
The patient’s sleepy voice was very curt.
It was already a tough situation, having to care for so many patients. With little sleep, Tae-su wasn’t in the best mood either, but he held back.
The words he had heard from Im Taek-jin, his patient, still lingered, and he couldn’t shake them off.
‘A good doctor?’
He wasn’t sure.
But one thing was certain: it wasn’t a doctor who would just get angry.
“You can go back to sleep after rounds.”
“I told you, I don’t want to.”
“Please understand our situation too.”
As Tae-su gently urged, the patient, who had been hiding under the covers, poked his face out and asked,
“When did you ever understand my situation?”
“We’re trying to make you better. Now, please get up.”
Tae-su, unable to be led around any longer, simply pulled the blanket off.
Whoosh!
As the cold air rushed in, the patient’s face twisted.
“Ugh.”
“Do you have any specific discomfort?”
“I’m dying.”
“If you cooperate, you’ll be able to go home earlier. Now, see you later.”
The patient only pouted his lips, not complaining about going back to sleep. Tae-su, smiling faintly, moved on to the next patient.

After waking all the patients and confirming their conditions, it was time for rounds.
As the residents and interns gathered in front of the ward’s nurse station, the elevator doors opened.
Inside were Chief Lee Chumyeong and Professors Kang Hyunpil, along with other thoracic surgeons.
Tae-su and the others, including the nurses, all bowed their heads in greeting.
“Good morning!”
“Good morning. Shall we go?”
Chief Lee Chumyeong led the way, and everyone followed behind.
It was the start of the official rounds.
However, the rounds didn’t take as long as the effort put in.
Chief Lee listened to the patient updates and exchanged pleasantries, and that was it.
By 7:30 AM, the rounds were done.
The next order of business was a briefing on the surgeries scheduled for the day.
Everyone from the rounds proceeded to the thoracic surgery office. After everyone sat down, Chief Lee Chumyeong opened the briefing.
“What’s the surgery schedule for today?”
“There are two surgeries in the morning and three in the afternoon. The morning surgeries are…”
Since this was the usual spot, it wasn’t Chief Park Seong-min but Associate Professor Cho who gave the briefing.
The briefing mainly covered who would be performing the surgeries and what types they were.
As Tae-su listened, he briefly pondered.
Had all of Caprene’s knowledge truly been absorbed by him?
The results of some tests on his patient, Im Taek-jin, had been surprisingly good.
However, Caprene was a thoracic surgeon—one of the most renowned in the world.
Especially when it came to surgeries, he was a well-known name.
Surgery?
For a moment, Tae-su’s eyes lowered.
The last test to confirm what had happened to him flashed in his mind.
While Tae-su was lost in thought, the briefing on the surgeries concluded.
“Alright, let’s get to work.”
Chief Lee Chumyeong encouraged everyone and was the first to leave the office.
Finally, everyone stood up and began to head out.
Tae-su quickly scanned the attending surgeons who were scheduled for surgery.
Associate Professor Kang Hyunpil, because of his work in the SICU, gave Tae-su a cold look.
Other surgeons must have heard the news as well.
Asking a well-known surgeon from a prestigious university for a favor was not the most ideal situation.
At that moment, Tae-su noticed Associate Professor Baek Seonghyun, another associate professor.
He was from a different university, so perhaps he would be more lenient toward Tae-su.
With that in mind, Tae-su walked toward him with hope.
“Excuse me, Associate Professor.”
Baek Seonghyun, with sharp eyes and a cold demeanor, faced Tae-su.
“Oh, Choi Seonsaeng. What’s up?”
“I’d like to enter the operating room, Associate Professor.”
“Do you know what surgery it is?”
“I heard it’s an AVF (Arteriovenous Fistula) procedure.”
“Have you observed it before?”
Baek Seonghyun’s voice was calm, but his response was positive.
Tae-su quickly replied.
“No, I haven’t.”
“How much have you studied it?”
“I’ve only seen it in videos. I’m asking to observe in person because I really want to learn.”
“It’s a simple surgery, so it’s good to watch it up close. Just make sure to come in on time.”
With a light pat on Tae-su’s shoulder, Baek Seonghyun passed by him.
Tae-su immediately turned around and deeply bowed his head.
“Thank you!”
Baek Seonghyun, whether he heard it or not, left the office without responding.
“Yes!”
Tae-su clenched his fist with excitement.
Just then, Chief Park Seong-min stepped up beside him.
“Wow, look at this confident intern, boldly declaring he wants to enter the operating room. Doesn’t he care that everyone else is avoiding it?”
“Well…”
“Just kidding. So why the sudden interest in observing surgeries?”
Chief Park wasn’t surprised or disapproving, just curious.
This was one of the rights interns had: they could attend any surgery if the attending surgeon permitted it.
This allowed them to gain a deeper understanding of the department and helped them in choosing their future specialty.
If they were just assigned menial tasks, they wouldn’t find the department appealing, so this was a right exclusive to interns.
Unlike Lee Ki-jun and Jeong Min-su, who had already entered the operating room several times, Tae-su, who had been in the SICU, was just now getting his chance.
If there was one thing interns had over residents, this was it.
Tae-su smiled and answered cheerfully.
“I want to get a true sense of what thoracic surgery is like.”
“Oh! That’s the right mindset, excellent idea. When you see those surgeons’ amazing skills, your eyes will pop out.”
“Really?”
“Of course! I’m absolutely sure. I joined thoracic surgery because I was mesmerized by their skills.”
Chief Park grinned mischievously.
“Well then, I’ll go prepare for the surgery.”
“Wait, wait! You should at least hear the precautions first!”
“I know.”
“Recite them.”
At Chief Park’s command, Tae-su immediately responded.
“First, don’t be a nuisance in the operating room. Second, don’t just watch; be proactive.”
“Good. And the last one?”
“After the surgery, no one should go looking for Chief Park.”
“Okay! Perfect! Since you’re going into the operating room, make sure you learn something useful!”
“Understood. I’ll go now!”
Tae-su responded confidently and immediately began to move.

Surgery was a harmony created by many medical professionals.
For that reason, there was a lot to prepare.
After running around in a rush, the surgery preparations were finally complete.
Only then did Tae-su, together with Lee Pil-young, start moving the patient’s bed into the operating room.
Grroooan.
The sound of the transport bed wheels echoed through the hallway, and the patient’s face was filled with anxiety.
Tae-su turned his gaze to the patient’s face.
This was his first surgery observation, so the patient’s details were fresh in his mind.
A 41-year-old male patient with diabetic complications who had been diagnosed with chronic heart failure.
Before starting dialysis, he was scheduled for an AVF surgery.
Tae-su gently called the patient’s name.
“Mr. Kang In-cheol.”
“Yes?”

“There shouldn’t be anything wrong.”
Tae-su smiled gently, but Kang In-cheol, the patient, didn’t look any more at ease.
How much comfort could Tae-su’s words, coming from an intern, really provide?
Kang In-cheol closed his eyes completely.
Tae-su felt bitter but didn’t say anything further.

Soon, the patient’s bed arrived at the operating room 3.
They positioned the bed in the center of the room and secured it, marking the end of Tae-su’s task.
Now, his only job was to watch the surgery unfold to the end.
Tae-su stood to the side of the operating room.
But something felt strange to him.
There was something oddly familiar about the setting.
It wasn’t a feeling from simply entering the operating room a few times before.
Was it a vague sense of nostalgia?
Tae-su didn’t pursue the feeling he was experiencing.
In the operating room, there was no room for distractions—nerves had to stay focused.
As Tae-su observed, the anesthesiologist arrived.
Not only was she responsible for putting the patient to sleep, but she also held the patient’s life in her hands throughout the surgery.
Tae-su reflexively greeted her with a bow.
The anesthesiologist paused, then met his gaze.
Through the hair cap and mask, Tae-su could sense that the person was a woman.
Was his guess correct? A high-pitched voice confirmed it.
“Oh my, who do we have here? Choi Tae-su!”
Since the other person recognized him first, Tae-su was momentarily surprised.
“That’s me.”
“What? I didn’t recognize you with all this covering.”
Anesthesiology?
Though Tae-su hadn’t done an internship in that department, there was one doctor he had met during another department’s practice.
“Are you, Dr. Pyo Seong-mi?”
“Finally recognize me? So, how’s your life as an intern in thoracic surgery?”
“It’s good.”
“Good, huh? I know all about that. You look so much older now, though. Don’t you want to join us? With your work ethic, I think you could easily succeed.”
At Dr. Pyo’s suggestion, Tae-su smiled.
“Thank you, but I think I need to think about it some more.”
“Of course, take your time. Shall we begin the anesthesia then? Watch my skills closely.”
Dr. Pyo’s words were a little aloof, but they carried a certain charm.
Dr. Pyo moved to the patient’s head.
Various complex machines displayed the patient’s condition in precise numbers.
Dr. Pyo observed seriously and then spoke through the mask.
“We’re starting the anesthesia. Think of it as if you’re taking a deep rest. One, two…”
As Dr. Pyo counted, her attention shifted, and during that moment, she injected the anesthetic into the IV connected to the patient.
The patient slowly slipped into a state of anesthesia, soothed by Dr. Pyo’s soft voice.