“He’s Prof. Choi’s assistant? What about Dr. Hong? Did he quit or was he fired?”
“Is it someone skilled or nice this time?”
The interest from those at least 15 years his senior became deeper. Chief Ha made them back off by waving his hands.
“Hey. Stop showing so much interest in the neurosurgery department. Dowook, go ahead and call. Call.”
Suddenly wide awake, Dowook stopped his shaking and pressed the number.
Click.
“…….. Professor?”
After a short while, Dowook put down his phone.
“Why? What did he say?”
“He said he’s in his office. He said he can’t answer the phone for long so he said I should go and talk to him. I’ll go over first and call you later.”
When Dowook pressed the elevator button, Chief Ha made a request.
“When you inform him about the patient, don’t even mention the special relations with the vice dean and the VIP patient. It doesn’t work. If he gets angry about taking such a case to him, tell him I sent you. I’ll back you up.”
At the reassuring but ominous advice, he smiled bitterly. While the elevator was coming up, he could hear the conversation of the professors behind him.
“Does he complain to you too, Chief Ha?”
“Choi Hoo complains to everyone in a fair manner.”
Dowook stood in front of the office with a nameplate, ‘Professor Choi Hoo’, and tried to gather his nerves.
What he’d heard from Chief Ha a moment ago were things Dowook had already overheard before. A tendency to only perform surgery on patients in danger. The problem with this case was that it was not detrimental to one’s life.
‘How can I say this so he gets less mad?’
Knock knock.
“Professor. It’s Park Dowook.”
“It’s open.”
As soon as he opened the door, the unique smell of disinfection from operating rooms that came from the room stung the tip of his nose.
It was totally different from the offices of other professors. The walls were lined with all kinds of dummies and the table in the middle was surprisingly the operating table itself.
Surgery training room.
If it weren’t for the name on the door, that was what Dowook would have called this place.
Prof. Choi asked Dowook, who’d wanted to inform him about the case right away.
“You said your fellowship starts from next year?”
“Yes, Professor.”
“Two months. Hong Jin Gu’s desk was over there. You can make use of it before then.”
Dowook’s eyes turned to a dreary corner with two desks. One was probably Prof. Choi’s.
Somehow it seemed more inferior than the ones shared by the hospital staff.
‘What is he still working on?’
Looking at Prof. Choi’s hands, Dowook’s eyes widened in surprise.
Underneath OP drapes, a model similar to a person’s head was now undergoing suture surgery.
“It’s very sophisticated.”
“It’s a prototype from a team at the University of Rochester. Aside from the blood vessels being stronger than real ones, it’s better than practicing with animal tissue.”
Tying the thread, Prof. Choi stopped moving his hands. Seeing him wait a bit for the suction then resume moving, Dowook realized he was training.
‘He does this even on weekends? Doesn’t he go home?’
Dowook was already afraid of what his life would be like after he started working as the professor’s assistant.
The beautiful hand movements of Choi Hoo practicing with a 6mm needle without a microscope continued. Dowook was sucked in by it and focused his sight.
Zaaaap.
The special height that he’d gotten used to after a few times started to work.
A surgery to repair a burst cerebral artery.
The process of fine sutures spiraling through the blood vessel was something he felt with his fingertips before he saw it.
At this part, one should hold onto the outer membrane tissue and pull the thread tight. At that part, one should push the nerve plexus gently and pull the thread lightly.
Simply being able to understand the reasoning behind Choi Hoo’s actions while he was fixing the broken blood vessel was something that brought Dowook joy.
What was the reason why?
Dowook subconsciously lifted the scissors used to cut suture threads at the end of the surgery.
“Should I cut?”
Choi Hoo nodded slightly.
Clip. clip.
In the midst of the simulation with an assistant joining in, the timing for virtual suction came. Using that gap, Prof. Choi asked.
“Why were you looking for me?”
“Oh. That.”
He’d been so focused on Prof. Choi’s ability that Lim So Yool’s case was quickly dismantled and organized in his mind so he managed to speak about it more calmly than he expected.
“There’s a patient who wants a 5mm diameter neurocal cyst to be resected without loss.”
“The location?”
“In the craniocervical junction.”
Hearing that it was at the back of the head, close to the neck vertebrae, Prof. Choi’s answer was expected.
“It’s the wrong department. Ask at the plastic surgery department.”
If one had the technique not to mess with nerve tissue, this was at the level of a double eyelid surgery.
Understanding the sensation, Dowook nodded along to his words before he realized his mistake. He didn’t have to see to know how angry Chief Ha would be if he told him to ‘look for the plastic surgery department.’
He contemplated whether to stress the patient’s desperation. Dowook reacted to Professor Choi’s eyes that were focused on the new vessel.
When Dowook threaded a 0.07mm suture thread through a taper cut needle, Prof. Choi watched with interest.
“Why are you preparing a cut needle instead of a point needle?”
Dowook pointed to the situation on the operating table for Prof. Choi who was referring to the microscopic needle used for vascular anastomosis
“Because you were performing the anastomosis assuming he had sclerosis. It’s easier to stitch a calcified aorta with an edged needle.”
[TN: anastomosis- connection of two things that are normally diverging.]
[TN: sclerosis- a disease in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged.]
Looking at Dowook who’d figured out the target of the sham operation by simply looking at the knots tied, Prof. Choi pointed at a clock on the table.
“The patient can only live if we finish the operation in 20 minutes. The blood loss is already large.”
“Time’s a bit tight.”
“It’s usually impossible.”
Prof. Choi quickly accepted the needle Dowook held out and began a full-fledged anastomosis of blood vessels.
Dowook forgot the real reason he came and started to match the pace of surgery by setting the tools and passing them over.
10 minutes later, the scope of the surgery expanded, making it easier to set up the instruments.
“Dr. Park should finish up on that side.”
“Yes, sir.”
The removal of the calcified tissue from the hardened vessel led to Choi’s elaborate sutures. After repeating the same actions 3 more times, Prof. Choi exhaled a long breath.
“Surgery is over. The current time is….”
The two people turned their sights to the clock on the table.
The time they started was 4:05. It was currently 4:24.
“19 minutes? Nice!”
Dowook clenched his fist in joy.
Then he looked at his hands which were still tingling. When he used Prof. Choi’s surgery skill, he seemed to have lost his mind and focused solely on the patient. Even if it was just a mannequin.
Looking over the perfectly done stitches on the blood vessel, Prof. Choi’s eyes turned to look at the portion in the middle where Dowook started to help him. The reason the impossible became possible was that.
Prof. Choi, who’d been deep in thought, spoke.
“About that patient with a neurenteric cyst.”
“Yes.”
“Schedule their operation right away.”
“Really, sir?”
“But the surgery will be performed by Dr. Park.”
“Underst…. whaat?”
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