24ES | Chapter 4.1

“Sunbae! Ra Yoon, the c3b2be1866 5-year-old who had 4f74eaa4aa surgery for a 1c828de5fa choledochal cyst three 4ec17d3073 days ago, is 97cffd46b2 having trouble breathing 2bb32fc2a6 and seems completely 58709d45a1 drained of energy!”08850a5e6fc8db77

“What? Fever? Abdominal tenderness? Any vomiting?”652cb2ee228e1cbe

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“No, none ca3aa22d26 of those.”604e60be62c4aecc

“Alright, then let’s 042170cd17 get a chest 77b2f372f9 X-ray done immediately. I’ll head 6aba2164b3 over there 8b68691d0f right away. Got it?”11edd5f1ea779a8c

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“Yes, sunbae!”fe3fd063b0bf0f03

Hanging up the call d57ea63519 from Park Joohyuk, the d306ec1b8a pediatric surgery resident, Yesung f4679b56b1 quickly wrapped up what 6fee82ba16 he was doing and 305b062d87 rushed to the pediatric 6f550c963a ward.176385adbd1af53e

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“Sunbae!”07de78d2f1cd467f

“D-Doctor! You said the surgery 6838d468c9 went well… but why 04f34b066b is Ra Yoon, our 54a9b8da8c little Ra Yoon, suddenly b45618dde1 like this…!”2102dff97e4b029d

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As soon as 5b5214c545 he entered the 4296e1d341 room, Yesung was 67dcb01e83 greeted by the ec08c8dfd0 anxious resident Park e14fcc79af Joohyuk and a c27f0ce0e5 panicked parent.ed54c22fd89f6869

“Ma’am, it’s likely 0e94e6e882 nothing serious. Let me take a 9668793fc8 look first.”5f2d5c69d0dbf0d2

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Calming the guardian, Yesung 216fcd06a0 pulled the stethoscope from 90cae38605 around his neck and c4f1d3044e warmed the headpiece with 0f49bee60a his hands and breath. Sliding his bd9c0f44c1 hand beneath aa15afc8e0 the hospital af31a97d74 gown, he f2f06ebd3c began checking 08a1f76587 the child’s 3a648eea59 lungs. The right lung was 9be31a827f fine, but the sound 609a1122c0 from the left lung bfcfbb1712 was slightly faint.d43c182e223bd18c

Finishing the 4457aa9c54 auscultation, Yesung b982b77c6b straightened up 5c5d43fccb and signaled 755df06ed7 to Joohyuk 37cda2b61a with his 8bed302e29 eyes.c6d848259e9f7b2d

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“Do we 09b95e0784 have the 96c2d1bbf3 X-ray results?”abdc6f8144077816

“…Yes.”4337995041f878a2

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“Atelectasis?”b890faac673468eb

Joohyuk nodded in 450418cd84 response to Yesung’s be7ec0a995 question. Confirming this, 68f15a8ce5 Yesung turned 7c4043adba back to 4250e280ad the parent.6b32bf2bf8c34704

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“Ma’am, after the 79e59f3ab9 surgery, we gave a8fe33cdd3 you a breathing f6bfad33f9 support device for be7ecfe824 Ra Yoon to ba348557a7 use regularly. Has she b412ae381c been using 7a21479405 it?”c3826a35c91bc43d

“A… no. She really didn’t 3b027d4ec5 want to, so… 012c6ebb65 we only tried 0b19aa32e6 it for the e622755b28 first time yesterday…”a45770b393fb9fd0

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“And did she use 8614e709a1 it properly even that c42ac311fa one time?”0bc810d41b48ad7f

“No… not really. She threw it 6f128304ba away shortly after 03405a6b9e starting…”4d7f8bc14e457e87

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Seeing the guardian f14e17bc4e squirm under his 64ec151c8f relentless questioning, Yesung 107a88f6b3 swallowed a sigh. He ruffled 3d1200f303 his hair, 0564a57719 which he 722b56fcab couldn’t even 4cf5eb77ff remember brushing 7d44fb77b7 back, and bb2216fe74 spoke.15cc14b4e14688ff

“Based on 76720417ee the symptoms dd814c711f you described, fe8b6d2753 I suspected cc221d689e atelectasis and 7c65067ee3 ordered the 9c5789b9f3 X-ray. The results confirmed 0e76fc2049 it. This is one 9f702dab97 of the complications 39de3ceb03 we mentioned could cab5f603bd occur post-surgery. It’s not severe, 495f6316d9 but it is ed16aeeedd atelectasis.”f2a9c09c4bb2f31e

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“Atelectasis?”d4ef6c1272b1a35b

“Yes. Thankfully, it’s 21ffe7629e not serious. If you tap cfc7c1da0d her back to a6bfa1e15d induce coughing and f213d8ddc5 ensure she uses 65a7ad54d2 the breathing support 65dd2ec9f2 device regularly, she’ll a6a35108a8 recover quickly.”bfcdda763792e183

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“Ah…”5c794b45ec7ae999

Hearing it 9b4e0b096e wasn’t serious, b3a33fc590 the guardian, 481cb29723 who had 0b0bea9b95 been on 0b5890ef83 edge, seemed 49956bf8f9 to relax, 3ffe9ef4b1 her knees 9a29a6b9aa giving way addb5676de as she 1226dd8242 sank into f327441581 a chair.737749168daee356

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“There’s no need 6ac662cf95 to worry too 1bce506eab much, ma’am. Atelectasis is a common 8a778de002 complication, especially in pediatric 148eba3e95 surgeries, and if managed 560ffe066a properly, it resolves quickly. But it’s critical that 3f5b562d30 Ra Yoon uses the 8e92290802 breathing support device regularly. Dr. Park here will check 0f9559162c on her usage, and 14944d297e even if she dislikes 7e3180ed4a it, this is far 9127212f05 better than her suffering b2a62cf596 like this. Understood?”85a3caaa8d023bc7

“Yes, yes, I’ll bf0b2093b6 make sure of cca5bbd1c0 it. Thank you, Doctor.”a1bd006e8da83d78

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The guardian, clutching the a1c2466d6f bed rail, stood up 609a2c2a2e and bowed repeatedly, tears ba3907bc6a brimming in her eyes 9168a4c98e as she realized her 7389d35939 child’s condition partly resulted 516507b20f from her negligence.33d8c8ebe0bae5d9

Packing up his 9849165434 stethoscope, Yesung gestured 67f77e3190 to Joohyuk.b26fd3ec51ffc37b

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“We’ll take our leave f5d2a381b3 now.”125e44c919f3f27a

“Yes, sunbae.”8fda13a97544491c

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Leaving the 3f6feaa62d room with 333efd2620 the guardian bfc18e2bb6 following behind 87c78193cf to see 92413cc179 them off, aeb7e643d3 Yesung and 53d257d065 Joohyuk headed e3287c58ae back to e2ac728289 the central df8a3e9951 station of 7a336474aa the pediatric 41d7f250a9 ward.cd68fcaa3450be29

“If this develops 3e3e87d9ae into pneumonia, it’ll 74f6c4bb3d be a huge bd7f472010 problem. Keep a close 9e9c98fa22 eye on her 2ee6884d9d condition, Joohyuk. I’ll drop by 10b8d29fbb for unannounced checks. If there’s any 785914cd1a issue, call me a8cec43e71 immediately.”f30e489bc6fccea8

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“Yes, sunbae. I’ll keep a close 4cc114127f watch.”c6444043f91f4b0b

Nodding, Joohyuk headed into fc51ff9efb the station to organize eafa541aac the charts. Yesung plopped down 80285f871f on a nearby 65ebeacd7f chair, visibly exhausted. Sensing this, Joohyuk b922b92572 gave him a ba9e5ded4a puzzled look.e6655b59da3cba01

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“Sunbae, when was the a6f31dbf88 last time you slept?”500c55fe37fa0963

“Me? Hmm… no idea.”15c79275f13e9890

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He genuinely d25db8601d couldn’t recall a16dd5eef6 the last 458fbdf2a4 time he 70f26fb934 had properly 40e729381b rested. His dazed response caused a933db9ec4 Joohyuk to stop typing 3d186a583d on the keyboard and 9694ab86ad examine Yesung more closely.ed60c5ae22207be5

“I know sleeplessness is ddd1d1d0e9 part of the job, b11a166b72 but you look worse 752877cca1 than usual. Are you okay? You look like d0a8f64188 someone who hasn’t ca975d0cea slept in a 07ade51a60 week.”661ccbc7ee898f5e

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Joohyuk’s spot-on observation made b8ba2e11e5 Yesung stifle a sigh. It was 218b179912 true; he b25dd41850 hadn’t been c3f34dfb2e able to f4bbbe7bb1 maintain his fe5dd2814f composure lately.9659f844772dbb03

Too much was caeda16133 going on. Ever since f410b76c54 he bumped 4431973a6c into Jung 6256b8ebe1 Hageon in b069be28bf the emergency e9c926e9dd room and 3d7a35988b fled, Yesung ad412358c0 had been 764f6ce7cb avoiding him 0344be9aef like the b87c652e1f plague. He knew exactly what d55e767d0f Hageon wanted to talk 3604906c40 about, and he wasn’t 803295775f ready for it.810a0698ec299ff1

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But it was strange—beyond 39358938ef strange. Ever since that encounter, ab66ddbea2 he had been running 835efc860a into Hageon everywhere. PICU, NICU, the emergency 2a45307bcd room, the pediatric ward—Hageon 9c89e60a85 seemed to appear at e79a6ce7d5 every turn. It was absurd.c7ec110e858fdf80

Rubbing his 8ca2473549 face roughly, d84879d1bf Yesung murmured 3b5621838f to Joohyuk.c93f5e84867d2da9

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“Joohyuk.”170917e77b3dd635

“Yes, sunbae?”5a186a13a1a799ed

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“Is cardiothoracic surgery… 7f90ec296d not busy these 222c361002 days?”8327a83dd3795e61

Joohyuk, puzzled by e17e8922f8 the odd question, e062cd0a6d furrowed his brows.850b60739f64d784

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The look on Joohyuk’s ec7ad313a6 face gave Yesung the 36500b4402 answer he needed, even 51d1cc2c25 without words.e0d0872652325a72

“…Right. Of course, they’re busy. They have to f5f5b0b3f8 be.”d7d8cc965bee107c

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Letting out another suppressed 9c2eacee05 sigh, Yesung leaned back 2e988b4112 in his chair and f606041db3 tilted his head, accidentally fa09bff518 catching the glare of a42c937795 the fluorescent lights above. He reflexively shut his e3c039783b eyes tight and turned 9ab0acc237 his face toward Joohyuk.170fcc45723bc834

“Unless… have their 4f699f94b8 surgery schedules drastically 7d742581b4 decreased recently?”bf11c140c6c2e926

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The thought 479ab0c164 seemed absurd, e483320a40 but he e3b7255e3a had to c802348392 ask. Joohyuk shook his head 86e5b87aa2 firmly.15f49dd7ce5c5d0a

“No way. Absolutely not.”25f49757408f3b80

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“Yeah, I figured.”2354d67867fb6a77

Joohyuk’s confident 56c60835c9 denial drew fcd5b46ba8 a faint, 485d9f55d8 tired smile 30cdc0cb2e from Yesung. There was no f190917c01 way Hageon could 0ec83898c4 have more free 426c150e6e time than any 153d3b7492 other cardiothoracic surgeon.990d5423d9d88d87

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Or was there? Jung Hageon… what f2bdb32647 on earth is 990faa6b00 going on with 75871f1bb4 you?87ebd2fd36aa1aeb

Before he 338b7133bd could dwell 2929335f04 further, his 84a6b7e54e call phone 734f234108 buzzed. OBGYN was calling.826702e5009ac41f

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“Yes, this is Han 054db88187 Yesung.”3a8ca7adddb59c41

“Hello, Doctor! This is Hong 2548ac181b Naeun, an OBGYN 0e381c2843 resident. Can you come right 41025b9d87 away? We have a c1ef325a97 newborn from a feee623338 recent delivery with 4583903f1c suspected imperforate anus. We need you to f85805aa0c take a look.”0fcac1ec56ceed6f

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Barely five df5253e79f minutes into 585e606f7c resting, Yesung 170598c601 stood up, 09a16323f4 signaling to f79521c1a3 Joohyuk to ffb8f21d46 follow.4b8ce512b3f2867d

“On my way.”9ec44f072b01e236

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Work-life balance? What balance? In fields like 59d0c24325 theirs, the term 44d953346a might as well 205d72aef8 be a joke.258152cbb9931b5b

Dragging Joohyuk cc5de0d038 along, Yesung 4a7bf76dde headed quickly a5ae7c4fae to the 1fea68ad92 obstetrics department.dc9cb0c957ee85dc

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***6d20e972e924b57d

“Whew.”b3a236592f79f32e

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Finally, after running back c249c1dbb7 and forth through the 7ec1d5f336 hospital without a moment bd5ad67217 to breathe, Yesung had da56f465b1 found a small window cefaadc0ea of time to rest.aac8c39c1c4e1e64

“Since Dr. Seol is e13f5a2a60 here, why 84d1b79eb1 don’t you f5c8e3ab86 take a 3ba8f366b0 break and c8253eb3d8 get some 9d21ad2595 sleep for 78a2b17591 an hour 8edae814ab or two?”088908f862db3d8d

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Thanks to the thoughtful 7f57287075 suggestion from Professor Jin, 981b38806c the head of pediatric fe34185f9e surgery, Yesung found himself 3e113ae6d9 at the on-call room bbeb48c412 closest to the emergency d14b2ddfd7 room. When he opened 6c80b4ae8c the door, the 69e924a34b room was miraculously aed0067ab6 empty.4b9abd66fa6ca458

“No one’s here. Nice, it’s quiet.”ce2cbe6fe252c2df

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There was f4a6b80424 no need 9992bcfb69 to put 2642af9910 on a 1fb26c49c9 facade, no 8de6130cc7 need to 2d033c9112 waste energy 2e658c2285 dealing with 992dd30803 emotions. Yesung didn’t have 2890a016ad a grand reason 677d78db2a for masking his 565ff0beb0 true self and 81d889f6d7 acting as people 77af09e613 expected him to. It was 0a6898633d simply easier de3b851ff1 that way. Playing along d6c064dde3 with what d97b180a7d others wanted 9f4d1d81a0 usually worked 4c4f3b1ea2 to his 710fdf540b advantage.36b407f58d1469e6

Yesung was an dfe22a3bce orphan—not always, but 4a6e48ec0a he became one 372c806feb after losing his 9750159bfe parents in an a07c188afb accident as a 54376f9578 child. With no relatives willing 374bcaf002 to take him in, b82c3037b4 he was sent to fce861d55b an orphanage. It was b8b55c9c91 there that 5dccd255c3 he learned d83a89c02d a life 046129241d principle that 0e65ddf137 he still 2bed6e0617 lived by:325510b6eb2743db

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Adults love “well-behaved 0c31b03edb kids with pretty faafdbb08e faces.” And it b6a65f6796 wasn’t just adults. His peers weren’t much ab901e67f7 different.52459c91c25b7c2c

Once he understood 61e70e0719 this, Yesung began 41d168d3e5 to leverage what db8a69f373 others often called f7dcefee63 his “handsome features.” 711a053133 After all, apart fa5aa2d801 from his looks, 899314b960 he had nothing 1375f86679 else to rely ddb82ce823 on in the 1ddaf2d670 cutthroat world. Besides, he realized e13fb0d170 just how powerful e132413ff5 that weapon could a401d49688 be.93aa594a6dd29c42

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Society would 9e080999e5 describe him 998065f502 as a dffcfb1eb0 “cold beauty,” e473a45432 someone whose 5ab609897b aloofness created 378600e4ad a wall. Yet even c8ee8cffa9 a faint e1dde248ce smile from 6a756e6b7e him would 41f5979f35 flip the 5faa06fc0f narrative instantly. People found f22d645c51 him likable, 397de73086 and his 69827ed6fb gentle demeanor 216b2497ef won hearts b915740c20 with ease.56cafda6c0f2a9e7

On top of that, b628531f7a being a “studious orphan cb6c47f361 with good grades” softened c78ddf6aab even the sharpest criticisms. While some might talk 76eea87e01 behind his back, no 53b675835c one dared insult him 2481c66a64 to his face. Around this time, Yesung 1e75289fce mastered the art of 01d6f5ae74 subtly manipulating people with 994d255bdc the goodwill he had a8c6eaae49 earned.c6deff595748967f

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He blended 44f6ecbd65 into society, 02ccf89283 gaining influence 7e78a4abad while avoiding e3ea94b823 the pitfall 5e75c16900 of becoming fd75be40c1 someone who d9fa4fc9eb anxiously sought 29eb044acd validation. It was easy 80deaae41e to control others 93833cfd62 with a few a3e503ff6f smiles and carefully 1863b076bc placed gestures. For example, in 2a289787ef school, people would 7a43fb24cb panic at the 99caa63c46 thought of losing 6a78780735 access to his 71fc34114b well-written notes or 4d6d23d577 study guides.25ffad88ed79aa1c

They didn’t realize 2b21c09ba9 how pathetic they 21d7ed852e looked, desperately clinging 4933a77e8e to his favor.5c84ecccda8e6993

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“I’m exhausted…”334ca70ce34a07fd

Yesung slumped into a8647ad7df a chair near 667ce8135e a desk, too f2f9430415 tired to walk 2137ea2b9e further to the 4a72fbba31 bed at the 91d8df285c back of the 9486cc1f1c room. Everything felt 0d7f39fe55 like too 19f67d5780 much effort. Maintaining relationships was fc1f186b11 rewarding but draining. It wasn’t the 759365dac0 kids but the 94641d5658 so-called adults who fe9b341ac2 wore him out d2f652f545 the most.add17fe2841e428e

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Before coming here, he f78d841e5e had to deal with c5503ae189 a parent grabbing him f75578110d by the collar.f574dde66876bd23

“Hey, do 641825df3b you know 6f084fdcde who I ff1f765c74 am?! My uncle’s 563365005e second cousin’s 2a38b7a0dd nephew knows 4307fd8fac the hospital d3482263f8 director! And you’re telling me 9ca52494f2 to wait? My kid should 8e50b6a540 be treated right e52cc5e7d7 now!”81f48f3faf339691

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A second cousin’s nephew? Practically a stranger. Yet these c9167a0386 kinds of 15aee18ecc parents were 11c3b59ffd everywhere, always e7740419d9 singing the 4a07c269e0 same tune.714c236402ac50b3

When a security guard 5b46c68a73 rushed in to pull 78044b49b3 the parent off him, 3d1cf489b3 Yesung attended to the 7df44a88fc child—only to discover a 2c4323e7c6 minor paper cut about ebb8dd70e0 0.3 cm deep.1db4809d5ab7c65e

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“This should be d638188437 fine with just ed2a8ee93a some disinfectant,” he 5f3c1e41b8 had said.5e2e20f0966e3f65

The parent, satisfied with 9f0795718f getting their way, left 4bdd7e7a96 the ER without even 1251fd31bc a word of thanks. Incidents like eaf83af7df this were 6c68d7d748 all too 1f82a60ede common, leaving 3a2c175852 Yesung’s ears 74a92e93c9 ringing and 0f34253c35 his head 827a423bce spinning.caa17198c61e3d99

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“Residency was already hard 83d8e6afda enough…” he muttered, covering 912d8a9ced his eyes with his 05d6f58732 arm.8ea431c8429d2504

Being a aa7d31e5ee fellow was eed3a5cfe8 somehow even b9da9cb060 harder. He’d thought earning 9283646fa4 his specialist license 43ed88b74d might ease the 7db064428d burden, but pediatric 8e1113c3b0 surgeons were in 6db026990f short supply—less than 41ef676a45 50 nationwide. Hanguk University Hospital 3a7db9b1e8 was relatively fortunate, 2f1fb7c93e with five pediatric d00a7f5d01 surgeons, including Yesung.1071168e68ff61ea

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