24ES | Chapter 10.7

Hearing the truth, Jin Gangin stood there, stunned. It seemed he hadn’t realized someone had recognized his abilities long before Yesung did. Even when he snapped out of his daze, it was only because someone announced that the CT and X-ray results were ready.

As Yesung watched Jin Gangin and the team accompany the patient to the operating room, he turned away.

Yesung’s role ended with confirming the CT and X-ray results. The rest was up to orthopedics.

“Let’s hope the surgery goes smoothly,” Yesung murmured.

“The child is strong. They’ll pull through,” Im Dowoon replied as they left the now-empty treatment room together.

Suddenly, a piercing scream echoed through the hallway.

“Kyahhh!”

“What the—?!”

“Doctor!”

The chaotic emergency room was once again thrown into a commotion. Murmurs and gasps filled the air as people quickly gathered. Yesung, wide-eyed and alarmed, immediately bolted toward the source of the commotion as soon as he pinpointed its direction. Surprised, Im Dowoon quickly followed him.

Before his brain could even process the situation, Yesung’s body had already reacted. He pushed through the crowd that had gathered in a tight circle, only to find Jung Hageon collapsed on the floor.

“Jung Hageon!”

Yesung hurriedly knelt to assess his condition.

“Jung Hageon! Wake up! Can you hear me?!”

No matter how much he shook his shoulders, there was no response. Yesung turned his sharp gaze to the bewildered medical staff surrounding him.

“What are you all standing around for? Move him to an empty bed, now!”

“Y-Yes, Doctor! Right away!”

Startled by his commanding tone, they quickly sprang into action. Once Jung Hageon was placed on an empty bed in the emergency room, Yesung pulled a penlight from his coat pocket and checked his pupil responses.

Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any major issues—it appeared to be a simple fainting spell. Straightening his back, Yesung furrowed his brows.

“What happened?” he demanded.

“Well… w-we’re not sure either. He was leaving the resuscitation room after declaring a patient deceased and just suddenly collapsed…” stammered an emergency medicine resident under Yesung’s sharp questioning.

Declaring a death. The word alone was enough to inform Yesung that the grandmother of the child he had treated earlier had passed away. Despite their best efforts with CPR, it seemed they couldn’t save her.

She had been in poor condition from the start. Even upon her arrival at the emergency room, the blood trail left in the stretcher’s wake was a stark indication of how critical her state was. By the time she arrived, it might have already been too late.

Perhaps the child’s relatively minor injuries were due to the grandmother shielding them.

Clicking his tongue briefly, Yesung muttered, “I had a bad feeling. His complexion didn’t look good earlier in the resuscitation room.”

His concern had become reality. He had personally escorted Jung Hageon to the on-call room to rest, but it was evident he hadn’t slept at all. There was no need for tests to diagnose the issue—it was obvious. Severe fatigue from lack of sleep and malnutrition.

Collapsing in the middle of the emergency room was something interns or first- or second-year residents might do, not a fellow.

“A fellow of all people can’t even take care of his own health?”

Jung Hageon was someone who paid excessive attention to others’ health while neglecting his own. For some reason, this made Yesung feel unexpectedly angry. Running a frustrated hand through his hair, Yesung pointed to a specific intern amidst the crowd of medical staff.

“Dr. Im.”

“Yes, sir!”

The confident voice belonged, of course, to Im Dowoon.

“Stay behind and help me for a bit. Everyone else can leave. I’ll take care of Dr. Jung.”

“Oh, okay. Then we’ll be off.”

“Good luck, Dr. Han.”

“Take care, Dr. Im.”

Grateful for the reprieve, the others dispersed quickly. It was understandable—the emergency room was still bustling with incoming patients, leaving no time for distractions.

Watching them leave, Yesung turned to Im Dowoon.

“Dr. Im.”

“Yes?”

“Go to the nurse and ask for N/S with high-concentration vitamin mixes of every kind, and grab the most expensive, non-covered supplements.”

“…Huh?”

“You heard me. Go get them.”

“Yes… wait, what?”

Im Dowoon, usually sharp and quick to understand orders, blinked in confusion, hesitating as if he wasn’t sure he’d heard correctly. His face showed clear doubt, questioning whether he had understood properly.

In other circumstances, Yesung might have patiently repeated himself, but his tolerance was running thin.

“Didn’t you understand me, Dr. Im? Do I need to say it again?” Yesung pressed, narrowing his eyes.

“N-no! I understood! But, um… the medication costs might be pretty high…”

His hesitant gaze seemed to ask whether it was really okay to proceed. While it wasn’t unusual to use expensive medications, there were limits to what the hospital could cover for staff.

“Yesung clicked his tongue, suppressing his annoyance. “Don’t worry about it. Even if the billing office comes knocking, Dr. Jung won’t be paying for it. I will.”

His resolute response left no room for debate, and with a firm nod of encouragement, Yesung gestured for Im Dowoon to hurry. After a moment of hesitation, Im Dowoon finally snapped to action.

“Yes, sir. I’ll handle it.”

The diligent intern disappeared to fulfill the request, leaving only Yesung and the unconscious Jung Hageon behind the privacy curtains.

Sitting in the chair meant for guardians, Yesung studied the face of the collapsed fellow. It was a mess. His pale complexion, cracked lips that seemed as dry as a desert, and rough skin coated with layers of flaky dryness spoke volumes about his neglect.

Yesung’s hand reached out, gently brushing against the sweat-drenched forehead. As expected, it was burning hot.

“Click.”

Unable to hold back his frustration, Yesung clicked his tongue again and muttered under his breath, “Seriously… why are you so stubborn, Jung Hageon?”

He suppressed a sigh that threatened to escape.

“You take care of everyone else’s health better than your own. And look at you now. What am I supposed to do with you?”

His quiet scolding filled the air behind the curtains. If Jung Hageon had been awake, he probably would have sheepishly apologized, only to then tease Yesung for worrying so much.

Yesung’s hand moved to brush against the rough cheek. It was surprising—it looked soft from a distance, but up close, it felt worn, like the callused hands of a surgeon.

When had this happened?

Sighing with a mix of pity and concern, Yesung pulled his hand back just as Im Dowoon returned, panting.

“Doctor! I’ve got the fluids you asked for!”

“Good work, Dr. Im. I’ll take it from here. You can go.”

“Yes, sir. Then I’ll leave now.”

Though he must have been curious about why Yesung was so concerned over Jung Hageon, or when their relationship had grown close enough for Yesung to cover medication costs, Im Dowoon wisely kept his questions to himself and left.

Left alone, Yesung adjusted the IV line, regulating the drip speed.

Drip. Drip.

Yesung checked the speed of the IV drip and released the clamp he had been holding. With one hand shoved into his pocket, he pulled out his phone.

Beep-beep. The ringing sound echoed. Soon enough, the call was answered.

“Hello?”

“This is Han Yesung from Pediatric Surgery. Is this Dr. Seong Yugang?”

Yesung had called Seong Yugang, a Cardiothoracic Surgery resident. As soon as he identified himself, a sharp gasp could be heard from the other end of the line.

“Ah! Yes, yes! Hello, Dr. Han! But, uh, why are you personally calling me? Oh! Is there an emergency patient from our department in the ER?”

Even without seeing him, Yesung could picture the overly polite and respectful manner of Seong Yugang. But he quickly put the resident’s speculation to rest.

“No, that’s not it, Dr. Seong. I’m calling regarding Dr. Jung Hageon.”

“W-what? About Dr. Jung? What about him…?”

“It’s nothing serious. Well, actually, Dr. Jung collapsed.”

“What?! Dr. Jung collapsed?!”

“Yes. Diagnosis: extreme exhaustion from lack of sleep, combined with malnutrition. Oh, and he’s running a fever too—about 39 degrees Celsius.”

“Oh no… How did this happen…?”

“So, I’m calling to let you know that Dr. Jung won’t be able to take his call shift today.”

“He…won’t? Today? All day?”

Seong Yugang’s voice quivered, disbelief laced in his tone. Of course, he was panicking. If Jung Hageon couldn’t take his shift, it meant all the workload would fall onto Seong Yugang himself.

Yesung was well aware of this. But he was resolute.

“Yes, all day. As the physician who assessed his condition, I’ve determined that Dr. Jung absolutely needs proper rest. If he doesn’t, this might happen again very soon.”

That essentially meant the burden wouldn’t just last a day but could stretch across multiple days. Horrified, Seong Yugang shouted:

“Please! Please tell Dr. Jung to take all the time he needs to rest, Dr. Han! I’m begging you! They say health is wealth for a reason! Please, just make sure he rests properly!”

After promising to pass on the message, Yesung ended the call. Crossing his arms, he murmured to himself.

“Alright, that’s one thing taken care of. Next…”

Yesung glanced down at the still-unconscious face of Jung Hageon, then unfolded his arms and pulled the blanket up to his colleague’s chin. After checking the IV one last time, he drew the curtain shut.

With the sharp gaze of an eagle scouting prey, Yesung scanned the area before snagging an unsuspecting doctor by the back of the neck and yanking him inside the curtain.

“Huh? Wh-whoa?!”

The startled doctor, eyes wide, had no idea what was happening. Before he could flail too much, Yesung silenced him by putting a finger to his lips.

“Shhh!”

“Huh? Wha…Dr. Han?”

Only then did Yesung confirm that Hageon’s breathing had evened out. The cocktail of expensive nutrients in his IV had finally pulled him into a deep sleep.

There was no way Yesung would let any commotion disturb him now. The unfortunate “prey” dragged into the curtain was Baek Euijun, a third-year Emergency Medicine resident.

“Dr. Baek.”

“Y-yes, Dr. Han. Do you need something from me?”

“Yes, I do. I have a favor to ask of you.”

“From me?”

“Yes. It has to be you. No one else but you.”

Baek Euijun blinked, bewildered. Yesung’s expression was so serious it looked as if he were recruiting him for some top-secret mission. The poor resident gulped nervously.

“A favor only I can do… What is it?”

Perfect. Flashing a wider smile, Yesung gestured toward the bed where Jung Hageon lay.

“You see Dr. Jung Hageon over there, right?”

Following Yesung’s gesture, Baek Euijun turned his gaze and froze, eyes widening in shock as he finally noticed the unconscious doctor.

“Huh? Dr. Jung? Why is he… What happened?”