LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Intern Shin Seonhan (3)
I stare at the patient’s information on the screen with wide eyes.
Kim Jeongsu.
A 63-year-old male patient.
He’s suspected of having coronary artery stenosis due to ischemic heart failure and is scheduled for a PCI (Percutaneous Coronary Intervention) today.
‘This is incredible. What’s going on?’
It’s not like I have precognitive abilities or something.
Lost in thought, I feel gazes upon me.
I suddenly come to my senses and find a dozen doctors, including the professor, staring at me with strange looks.
“Intern over there, what’s the matter?”
“Huh?”
Sensing the frosty atmosphere, I finally realize my mistake.
Oh, crap… I messed up!
It seems I exclaimed out loud in surprise.
Again, in the conference room, an intern should be like air. There’s no benefit in standing out unnecessarily.
Kim Snake glares at me with laser-sharp eyes, as if he wants to kill me.
Feeling goosebumps erupt on my skin, I quickly reply,
“Ah… It’s a procedure I’ve always been interested in.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. I’ve heard that Yeonguk University Hospital is the best in Korea for PCI procedures, so I’d love to observe one someday!”
“It’s good to have an enthusiastic intern.”
The professor laughs it off.
Whew, thankfully I avoided being labeled as the weird one.
‘I need to get my act together.’
I slap my cheeks.
No more useless thoughts.
It must be a coincidence. There’s no other explanation.
‘Precognitive abilities, my foot!’
I shake my head.
No more delusions. I’m busy enough focusing on the tasks at hand.
***
Time flies by in a blur.
Electrocardiograms are a typical intern job.
Performing the same task on dozens of patients a day makes you stop thinking and just move your body on autopilot.
If the work starts piling up even a little, the interns will be in for a scolding.
Of course, that’s not all we do.
Drawing arterial and venous blood for tests.
Writing minor prescriptions when the attending physician is busy.
Moving equipment needed for treatment.
Inserting catheters, or administering medication rectally to help patients have bowel movements.
Performing needle biopsies to collect pleural fluid, ascites, or bone marrow for testing.
And so on…
In short, we have to do all the tasks that others don’t want to do.
There’s a reason interns call themselves “handymen.”
As we tirelessly clear the endless stream of tasks, we barely have time to eat.
“How many minutes have passed?”
“Fifteen. Let’s eat quickly and go.”
“Are we doing this right? I’ve been taking ECGs all day, I’m starting to wonder if I’m a doctor or an ECG technician.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Ah, eating like this will cause muscle loss…”
“Is now the time to worry about that? Every day is a war.”
“I hate muscle loss the most in the world.”
After a quick meal at the convenience store with Geun-uk, who’s grumbling, we hurry back to the ward.
As we get off the elevator, I see Yeonseo rushing somewhere, looking flustered.
I ask,
“Yeonseo, have you had lunch?”
“No, I still have four consent forms to get signed. This work never ends.”
Yeonseo holds a stack of printed consent forms with a frown.
Getting consent forms signed is an essential part of an intern’s daily routine.
It may seem simple, but since it involves interacting with patients and their guardians, it requires a considerable amount of attention.
I hold out my hand.
“Give them to me. I’ll get a few signed for you.”
“Really?”
“Go and grab something to eat, even if it’s just a quick bite. You have a puncture procedure this afternoon, right?”
“Ugh, thank you. You saved me. I’ll buy you a meal later!”
Yeonseo beams like a happy puppy.
I take the consent forms from Yeonseo and then freeze in surprise.
— Registration Number: 300–25–21–0
— Name: Kim Jeongsu / M
‘Patient Kim Jeongsu?’
This is definitely the same patient I saw in my dream and at the morning conference.
It feels like I’m somehow entangled with this patient all day today.
Is this some kind of bad omen?
Or maybe I’ve been wandering in a dream since this morning…
I tilt my head in confusion and head towards the patient’s room.
“Mr. Kim Jeongsu, I’m coming in.”
Swoosh!
I pull back the curtain.
And I’m rooted to the spot, unable to move.
The gray hair, the sunken, droopy eyes, and the tanned skin!
It’s exactly the same face as the patient in my dream.
Even if the name is a coincidence, how can the appearance be so similar?
‘I’m sure I’ve never seen this patient before yesterday…’
I stand speechless for a moment.
Soon, the patient’s daughter, who is by his side, tilts her head and asks,
“Doctor, is something the matter?”
“Ah… I’m here to explain the procedure you’ll be undergoing today.”
I barely manage to collect myself and hand over the consent form.
“The coronary angiography and intervention that the patient will receive is…”
I begin my explanation calmly.
I make an effort to explain the concepts as easily as possible without using too much medical jargon, and the patient and his guardian nod in understanding.
After carefully reviewing the consent form, the guardian asks with a worried expression,
“Excuse me, doctor.”
“Yes?”
“My father won’t, you know… die, right?”
“Die? What do you mean?”
“It says here that death is a possibility…”
Saying that, the guardian carefully points to the consent form.
— Side effects of radiocontrast agent
— Vascular damage
— Arrhythmia
— Cardiac complications
— Cerebrovascular disease
— Emergency surgery
— Death
— Other
It’s quite a daunting list, isn’t it?
The consent form the guardian pointed to lists countless risk factors for each item.
This is because they have to inform the patient of every possible complication that could occur, even if it’s a long shot.
So, it’s understandable that patients and guardians would be frightened.
I offer a reassuring smile and say,
“Don’t worry too much. We have to list every complication that could occur, even if the probability is only 0.001%.”
“Ah…”
“This is Yeonguk University Hospital, you know? The best doctors in Korea are gathered here, so there won’t be any problems.”
“Thank you… When I asked other doctors, they didn’t even answer properly. I feel relieved that you explained it so kindly.”
The guardian nods and then says to the patient,
“Dad, did you hear that? Don’t be too scared.”
“Okay, okay.”
Patient Kim Jeongsu coughs a few times and then raises his hand to sign the consent form.
But I feel a sense of unease in my heart.
In the dream I had, patient Kim Jeongsu died.
What if that becomes reality…?
‘Wait. What am I thinking? Stop with the ridiculous assumptions.’
I slap my cheeks a couple of times.
PCI is a procedure performed more than ten times a day, and all the patients who underwent the procedure in the past week were discharged without any problems.
Unless I really have precognitive abilities, the probability of an accident is almost zero.
“Then, doctor, please take good care of my father.”
“Yes, please rest assured.”
Before returning to the station with the signed consent form, I glance back.
Seeing them holding hands to reassure each other reminds me of my sister and father, and a strange feeling washes over me.
***
8:00 PM.
Finally, the end of the workday is in sight.
Of course, it’s not completely over yet. I’m on night duty today.
“Whew.”
I return to the dormitory, looking like a deflated balloon.
The intern dormitory is a two-person room, and its structure is reminiscent of the tiny rooms in the boarding houses I stayed in during my college entrance exam preparation days.
It’s a space with bunk beds and a table fitted perfectly, cramped if you consider it cramped, and cozy if you consider it cozy.
“You’re back?”
Geun-uk, who was lifting dumbbells, raises his head.
“Working out already?”
“Of course. No matter how busy I am, I’ll do anything to prevent muscle loss.”
“Amazing, truly amazing.”
I shake my head in awe.
Geun-uk is the first friend I made while sharing the dormitory.
We’re the same age and from different universities, so we have a lot in common.
And he’s what you might call a gym addict, with monstrous arms.
There’s a reason he’s nicknamed “Geun-ukmon”[mfn]is a playful nickname that combines Geun-uk’s name with “-mon,” a suffix commonly used in Japanese media (anime, manga, video games) to denote powerful monsters or creatures.[/mfn] among our colleagues.
“Seonhan, you’ve looked unwell since this morning.”
“Don’t even get me started. There was a sudden surge of calls, and I’ve been working like an ant.”
“Haha, and of course, it’s on a day when you have night duty.”
“Exactly.”
“You need to work out even more at times like these. Want me to help you with your form?”
“No thanks, Geun-ukmon.”
I collapse onto the lower bunk bed.
Interns take turns doing night duty every two or three days.
Blood tests, various procedures, explaining consent forms, dressings… We have to be on standby at all times, as we never know what tasks might arise.
In any case, as long as there are no major issues, it’s a relief that we can rest in the dormitory.
As I lie down on the bed to rest, I hear Geun-uk’s voice.
“By the way, have you heard that story?”
“What story?”
“The seniors were saying that in March, when new interns arrive, there’s always a major incident at the hospital. They called it a long-standing tradition of Yeonguk University Hospital.”
“Don’t jinx it.”
Geun-uk chuckles at my rebuke.
“Well, what could possibly happen? We can only hope for a peaceful night duty, at least for tonight.”
“I hope so too.”
I reply with a prayer in my heart.
Just because we have night duty today doesn’t mean we get to rest the next day.
In other words, we work for 36 hours straight and can only take a break after 6:00 PM the following day.
Therefore, to work in good condition, a peaceful night duty where we can sleep without any major events is essential.
It’s good for both doctors and patients if nothing happens during the night.
‘Still, I can’t help but worry.’
There’s a face that keeps popping up in my mind.
Patient Kim Jeongsu.
I try to ignore it, but why can’t I shake off this feeling of unease?
I sit down at the desk, abandoning my attempt to sleep, and open a textbook.
Geun-uk’s eyes widen.
“Are you actually studying?”
“Just looking something up.”
“What book is that? Coronary Heart Disease? Wow, to think there’s an intern who opens a textbook and studies during their internship. Legendary, truly legendary.”
I chuckle at Geun-uk’s words and focus on the contents of the book.
I review the sections related to PCI complications in the internal medicine textbook and search for relevant papers on my tablet.
No matter how busy life as an intern is, I need to absorb as much knowledge as possible while my mind is still fresh.
Geun-uk yawns.
“Study hard. I’m going to sleep first.”
“Should I turn off the light?”
“It’s okay. I’ll just wear my eye mask.”
Geun-uk climbs up to the top bunk, and soon, his loud snoring fills the room.
Krrrrrrr—
…How can a person’s snoring sound like an excavator?
He’s a monster in every sense of the word.
I should definitely write a paper on the relationship between muscle mass and snoring decibels someday.
With Geun-uk’s snoring as background music, I immerse myself in studying after a long time, and fatigue eventually washes over me.
I gradually drift off to sleep, sitting in the chair.
***
[Code Blue, Code Blue (CPR M). Main building, 17th floor, west wing, treatment room.]
Thud!
I jolt awake at the announcement blaring from the ceiling speaker.
Damn, what time is it?
I hurriedly check the time on my pager.
2:30 AM.
I jump up like lightning and try to put on my gown. Or rather, I try to.
Thump!
“Ouch!”
I bang my knee on the table and let out a whimper. I guess it wasn’t a dream, since I can feel the pain.
Crash!
“Ouch!”
I look over at the loud noise and see Geun-uk also scrambling to get up, banging his head on the ceiling.
We’re a real-life Dumb and Dumber.
But there’s no time to hesitate, and we start running without a second thought.
CPR (CardioPulmonary Resuscitation).
Literally, a situation requiring CPR!
It’s the biggest emergency that can happen in a hospital.
In other words, the patient’s life could be decided in a matter of seconds!
“Let’s run!”
We kick open the dormitory door and sprint into the hallway.
—————
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