A competent doctor can cure everything

“Hey, intern.”

Waiting for me was none other than Choi Jin-sung, who was in his third year.

I braced myself for another confrontation…

But his next words almost made me gasp.

“I’m taking leave from tomorrow until the weekend, so I came to say goodbye in advance. You’ve worked hard.”

…?? What?

“I thought you were overstepping as an intern at first, but seeing you now, I don’t think you’re bad.”

Was Choi Jin-sung actually praising me?

I was so surprised my eyes almost popped out, but I managed to respond calmly.

“Yes, thank you as well.”

“Alright. Go and take care of your work.”

Choi Jin-sung seemed a bit awkward about the situation too, rubbing his upper lip before quickly turning away and disappearing.

‘What is this?’

I stood there for a moment in the hallway outside the hospital room.

Well, I guess if the ending is good, everything is good.

Jin-sung, or rather, Senior Choi Jin-sung, no longer seemed as unpleasant.

* * *

Before I knew it, it was Friday.

Even though it wasn’t openly expressed, there was an excited atmosphere among the interns in the Oriental Medicine department.

It was ‘Intern Day,’ when all interns were given time off simultaneously.

Most interns start their work in March every year.

But I had started in May, after finishing my public health rotation.

‘And they said that ‘Intern Day’ would be given only after all the interns’ keep (a month of on-call duties without time off) was completed.’

So, ‘Intern Day’ for me came at the end of May when my keep period ended.

Although it is usually the principle to leave a few interns behind for on-call duties,

for ‘Intern Day,’ the first-year residents cover the interns’ shifts.

“Everyone, gather at the craft beer place in front of the hospital as soon as you finish your work today~.”

The intern coordinator went around the ward, reminding everyone about the gathering place.

Even though the group notice had already been sent out via messenger, it seemed like they were individually checking in to make sure no one had forgotten.

“Okay, okay~. You’ve worked hard.”

Ye Wonil, who was nearby, made an OK sign with his thumb and index finger in response.

“No, it’s nothing.”

The intern coordinator smiled brightly and approached another passing intern.

Wonil, with an apologetic look, rubbed the back of his neck.

“Hyung, I still have work left today. You go ahead.”

“Alright, understood.”

Since there wasn’t anyone particularly close to me other than Wonil, I decided to go alone.

‘Then I guess I’ll start getting ready to leave.’

As I looked at my wristwatch and passed by a ward, I heard:

“?”

Someone was angry, and another person was apologizing while groaning.

I glanced into the room.

‘What’s going on…’

The large figure who seemed to touch the ceiling with his head was unmistakably:

Min-hwa.

‘What’s going on?’

I stopped for a moment in front of the ward and overheard:

“No! How many times are you going to stick that needle in my arm? You’re going to end up hurting someone!”

“I’m… I’m sorry!”

It seemed like the guardian was upset because the ABGA had repeatedly failed.

(ABGA: Arterial Blood Gas Analysis. Here, it refers to the procedure of drawing arterial blood with a syringe for blood tests.)

The big guy, hunched over and bowing his head, looked quite pitiful.

I grabbed Min-hwa, who was leaving the ward with his head bowed.

“Min-hwa, let’s go to the treatment room for a moment.”

I took the red-faced Min-hwa to the treatment room.

“It’s because the ABGA keeps failing.”

“Yes… yes…”

The guy muttered in a mosquito-like voice:

“How many times did you fail?”

“Twice…”

“Both on the right arm?”

Min-hwa weakly nodded.

I considered doing it myself but changed my mind.

‘It might be easier in the short term, but it’s not the right path for him in the long run.’

I silently picked up a new syringe from Min-hwa’s medical tray and straightened the crooked collar of his white coat.

“If you failed twice on one arm, the veins might be hidden now. It’s better to abandon that arm. Try the left arm this time.”

“Ugh… But the guardian is really angry right now…”

He spoke as if he might cry.

I grabbed Min-hwa by the shoulders and made him look at my face.

“Min-hwa, stay calm. Have you flexed the patient’s wrist?”

“Yes, yes… I’ve rolled up a towel and placed it under the wrist…”

“Good job. Next, find the point where the pulse is strongest in the wrist. Hold the syringe like you would a pencil, at an angle of about 45 degrees. And then quickly insert the needle toward the pulse point. Don’t hesitate.”

Min-hwa nodded vigorously.

“If you succeed, the blood will immediately rise into the syringe due to arterial pressure. If blood doesn’t come up here…”

“Yes, yes.”

“Don’t pull out the syringe needle completely; just adjust the angle slightly and try again. Now go and do it.”

“B-but, hyung… What if I fail again…”

I gave Min-hwa a gentle push, and he made a worried face.

“Min-hwa, you’re not a student anymore; you’re a doctor now. You’ll need to do ABGA frequently in the future. Are you going to panic every time?”

I made my face stern on purpose.

“Ugh… No…”

“If you fail this time, I’ll handle it. Don’t show your anxiety in front of the patient. If you’re anxious, the patient will be even more anxious.”

I softened my expression slightly and asked again.

“So, what’s the most important thing?”

“Um…? 45 degrees…?”

“No. I told you not to hesitate. Trust yourself. Now go.”

After giving Min-hwa a pep talk and a push, I sent him out of the treatment room.

I crossed my arms and leaned against the makeshift bed in the treatment room.

A short while later.

‘Is this another fail…?’

As I looked at my watch and started to worry.

Min-hwa returned to the treatment room with a face full of triumph.

“Did you succeed?”

Min-hwa beamed and handed me the tray.

The syringe was filled with dark red blood.

“Well done.”

I gave him a light pat on the back of the head.

“Hyung…! Thank you…! If it weren’t for you…”

“Enough of that. Let’s get off work and go have some beers.”

* * *

“So I thought it was another fail, but… I changed the needle angle as you said, and the blood came…”

“Right, right.”

I headed to the pub with Min-hwa, who was still excitedly recounting his success.

“Hmm… It’s strange when I practice alone, I always succeed, but with patients, it keeps failing…”

Min-hwa’s voice trailed off with a hint of gloom.

“……”

That’s only natural…

I looked at his strong forearm.

With those arms, his arteries must be about as thick as a woman’s pinky finger.

“Older people often have weaker veins, so it’s tough. But you did well today.”

“I… I think I’ve gained some confidence. Hyung, thank you…!”

“Yeah, that’s enough.”

How many times has he thanked me? It’s getting repetitive.

Since I was late because of Min-hwa, most of the other interns had already arrived.

We went to sit at the remaining spot at the end of the table.

“Is everyone who was supposed to come here today here?”

“Huh? Two people are still missing.”

Indeed, the two seats opposite Min-hwa and me were still vacant.

“Who’s missing?”

People looked around, murmuring and searching for the missing individuals.

I quickly scanned the faces and said,

“Wonil hasn’t arrived yet. He said he had some remaining work.”

An intern diagonally across from us tilted their head in confusion.

“Huh? Wonil’s from the same department, and we finished our work early today?”

“……?”

He definitely said he would be late because he had some remaining tasks.

At that moment,

“Ah~. Sorry for being late.”

A bell jingled as the bar door opened.

Wonil, awkwardly rubbing his neck, approached our table.

“Hey, Haet-nim came along too?”

“Yes, I was checking if there were any remaining people, so I’m late.”

The intern manager gave a cheerful smile.

Naturally, Wonil and Haet-nim took the remaining seats opposite me.

“Alright, everyone, cheers~!”

Cold draft beer mugs were placed in front of everyone.

As someone stood up to lead the toast, everyone laughed loudly and cheered.

“Wow~. Everyone worked so hard!”

“Th-thank you for your hard work…!”

“Oh, I don’t recognize everyone in casual clothes.”

“Right? Haet-nim, you look like a different person with your hair down.”

Without saying anything, I suddenly asked,

“Is Haet-nim your real name?”

The intern manager, brushing her hair behind her ear, replied,

“Yes, my name is Lee Haet-nim.”

“Then if you have a sibling, would it be Dal-nim? Haha.”

Wonil seemed to be making a joke, but Haet-nim nodded with a polite smile.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Wow, really?”

Wonil scratched the back of his head awkwardly and changed the topic.

“So, what are you all doing this weekend? It’s tomorrow, isn’t it?”

Hearing the word “weekend” reminded me of something I had forgotten.

“Min-hwa, are you interested in the Purple Angel concert?”

“……! Y-you mean the <202X Purple Angel: Make a Wish> concert this weekend…?”

“?? Oh, probably.”

“W-why are you asking…? Don’t tell me…?”

“Mika gave me two tickets when she was discharged.”

“!!!”

Min-hwa covered his mouth with his hands, which were as big as a pot lid.

“I really, really want to go…! But I’m on duty this weekend…”

He looked like he was about to break down into tears.

“Ugh, what should we do? It’s so unfortunate that it’s this weekend.”

“Oh, Min-hwa, I didn’t know you were a Purple Angel fan. If I could, I would have switched my shift with you, but I’m also on duty.”

Wonil and Haet-nim comforted the despondent Min-hwa.

“Then, do you want to switch shifts with me?”

Min-hwa’s head shot up at my offer.

“……! Hyung, is it really okay? I feel like I’m being such a burden…”

“It’s fine. I was thinking of going to a real estate office this weekend, but it’s not urgent.”

“Oh~. Are you going to live alone now?”

“Yeah, it seems difficult to commute from home to here.”

My conversation with Wonil was quickly interrupted by Min-hwa grabbing my hand.

“Hyung…, thank you so much…! I don’t know how to repay this…”

“No, this is something a fan should experience.”

Mika’s insistence to come flashed briefly in my mind but was soon brushed away.

‘It should be fine. Mika is probably too busy to notice whether I came or not.’

Wonil raised his glass and introduced a new topic.

“Hyung, hyung. Mika was admitted to the acupuncture and moxibustion department, right? Tell us the story!”

“It was just a case of facial paralysis.”

“Come on, Hyung! Just a patient? Isn’t this something you should put on your resume?”

Resume, my foot.

I chuckled at Wonil’s over-the-top reaction.

“No, seriously! A case like Mika’s is definitely worth mentioning on your resume. You could even talk about it in job interviews later. You know, the hospitals everyone wants to get into!”

Wonil furrowed his brows as he tried to remember, and Haet-nim chimed in from the side.

“You mean Hwalin Oriental Medicine Hospital?”

“Ah, yes, that’s the one! The chief doctor there is the president’s personal physician now. The hospital keeps expanding because it’s doing so well.”

“Right, right. It seems like many specialists go there after their training… They say the salary is good too…!”

“Not really… I wouldn’t go even if they called me.”

Perhaps feeling relaxed from the alcohol, I blurted it out in a rather blunt manner.

The atmosphere, which had been cheerful, suddenly turned a bit tense.

Everyone’s eyes widened as they stared at me.

“Uh…? Why…?”

“Wow, did you hear something bad about it?”

Hmm, I should just gloss over this.

“The name of the hospital, Hwalin Oriental Medicine Hospital, is taken from the ‘Hwalinseo’ which treated the poor during the Joseon Dynasty. But now, the hospital is using a high-end strategy and mainly treating VIPs, which I don’t like.”

“Oh…! That makes sense…”

“Oh~. It’s funny when you put it that way.”

Everyone seemed to understand my point.

“This is my first time talking to Joon-oppa, and you have a unique perspective. No wonder you’re rumored to be an ace.”

Haet-nim, who had mostly been listening with a smile, spoke up.

Is that so?

I shrugged and took a sip of my beer.

I didn’t notice that Wonil’s expression had turned serious.