24ES | Chapter 9.1

After the initial meeting in the conference room, several more discussions followed before the surgery. Considering the complexity of the case, a far more cautious approach was required than usual. Finally, the thoroughly prepared surgery commenced.

“You’re here?”

“…Yes, Professor.”

Professor Jin, who had arrived earlier, greeted Yesung warmly. Yesung, still catching his breath from running, replied between gasps.

During their last conversation in the conference room, Jung Hageon had told Yesung to take a proper rest if there wasn’t anything urgent. But that was practically impossible. With so much work to do, how could he rest? Except for his days off, he was always on standby during work hours.

Even now, he had just finished handling an urgent matter before rushing here. Not that he had planned to rest anyway. He had intended to observe the surgery from the start. However, just as he was on his way, a sudden emergency call delayed him.

Once he caught his breath, Yesung stood next to Professor Jin.

“Has it started?”

“Yeah. You’re not too late, though. They’ve just made the incision and stabilized the area.”

Professor Jin briefed him on the progress so far. Yesung nodded while looking up at the monitor. Through the glass window, he could see the surgery in progress.

Glancing down briefly to check the ongoing situation, Yesung furrowed his brows as he looked back up at the monitor.

“When I last checked a few days ago, it wasn’t this bad… The adhesion between the metal fragment and the organs seems to have worsened. The condition looks terrible.”

“Well, it’s thanks to pediatrics managing the inflammation that it’s even this manageable… Still, today’s surgery won’t be easy. Professor Cha’s in for a tough one.”

The critical part of today’s surgery was removing the metal fragment that had fused with the organs due to adhesions. Only after that could the restoration and reconstruction proceed.

A nerve-wracking operation unfolded.

“…It’s out!”

“As expected of Professor Cha.”

Upon opening the site, the adhesions were much worse than what the scans had shown, making it exceedingly difficult to remove the metal fragment. However, Professor Cha from the cardiothoracic department pulled it off spectacularly.

Yesung and Professor Jin, who had been watching, couldn’t help but cheer. Yesung unconsciously unclenched his fists, which he hadn’t realized he was gripping tightly. Beyond the glass, Professor Cha and Jung Hageon switched positions.

Now that the metal fragment was removed, it was time to separate the adhered organs and clean up the surrounding inflammation—a task for Jung Hageon.

A bovie¹ was placed in his outstretched hand.

“Well then, let’s see how good Dr. Jung really is,” Professor Jin said with a playful tone, arms crossed. Yesung found himself clenching his fists again. Somehow, he felt certain that Jung Hageon would do well.

True to Yesung’s faith, Jung Hageon proceeded with calm precision and confidence.

“Wow… Dr. Jung, that’s…”

Professor Jin, who had been quietly observing, let out an admiring murmur.

“Quite a talent, isn’t he?”

It was no surprise. Even from his handling of cases in the ER, it was evident that Jung Hageon was skilled. But his true abilities shone during surgeries. His clean and efficient technique left even Yesung, who had been silently watching the monitor, silently impressed.

He’s managing to dissect the adhesions² like that?

“…Ha.”

Yesung chuckled in disbelief at the way Jung moved as if he already knew all the answers. The previously unrecognizable mess of adhered organs was separated in no time. Not long after taking over, Jung Hageon had already finished dissecting the adhesions and begun removing the surrounding inflammation.

“Well, well… This is something else…”

Professor Jin glanced sideways at his student, whose eyes sparkled as he closely observed Jung Hageon’s surgery.

“Two monsters, not just one. Professor Cha and I must have saved a country in our past lives.” Muttering something that Yesung didn’t catch, Professor Jin called out to him.

“Dr. Han.”

“…Yes, Professor.”

Yesung’s reply was a beat late as he was so engrossed in watching the surgery. Professor Jin couldn’t suppress a chuckle at his reaction.

“We should get ready. At this rate, Dr. Jung might finish the entire surgery before we even start.”

They needed to hurry. The inflammation removal was already nearing completion. Organ reconstruction would likely be finished in the blink of an eye. Yesung nodded at Professor Jin’s urging.

“Yes, Professor.”

He wanted to watch Jung Hageon’s work a little longer, but there was no time for that. Reluctantly, Yesung turned away.

***

After finishing their surgical preparations, Yesung and Professor Jin entered the operating room, the very place they had been observing from above just moments earlier. Professor Cha warmly welcomed them as they entered.

“Are you here, Dr. Han? I was just about to call you.”

The surgery was already at the stage of organ restoration. All that remained was to suture the esophagus. It was perfect timing.

“You’re here, Professor Jin.”

“Nice finesse with the surgery, Professor Cha. Your skills seem to improve day by day. Impressive.”

“You flatter me. I still have a long way to go compared to you.”

As the two professors exchanged greetings, Yesung, now dressed in surgical gown and latex gloves, approached the operating table. Jung Hageon, gloved up, greeted him.

“Sunbae.”

“I’ll take over from here.”

“Alright.”

Yesung smoothly nodded and exchanged places with him. But instead of standing where a typical first assistant would, he moved to a different spot.

“…Huh? Dr. Jung?”

“Uh?”

The unexpected development caught everyone off guard, including a puzzled Professor Jin and a retreating Professor Cha.

Amidst the confusion, only Jung Hageon remained calm. He simply turned his head to look at the professors.

“I’d like to serve as the first assistant. Is that okay?”

“Uh…”

Technically, both thoracic and pediatric surgeries fell under the broad category of surgery, so it wasn’t a problem. Normally, fellows or residents would serve as first assistants, so that wasn’t an issue either.

After a moment of silent contemplation, Professor Jin exchanged glances with Professor Cha, who nodded. Professor Jin, intrigued, addressed Jung Hageon.

“Alright, go ahead.”

Professor Jin could easily monitor the procedure through the large screens in the operating room without having to stand as the first assistant. With the professors’ approval, Jung Hageon finally sought Yesung’s consent.

“You’re okay with this, sunbae?”

It was an entirely unexpected turn of events, but it was too late to object now that both professors had agreed. Resigned, Yesung slightly nodded, albeit with a hint of reluctance.

“…Yes.”

“Thank you.”

Jung Hageon’s eyes curved in a smile, the only part of his face not obscured by the mask.

…Now let’s see if you can actually pull this off.

Typically, a lot of preparation was required for a first assistant, who needed to act as an extension of the lead surgeon’s hands. It was tricky enough to synchronize perfectly even after extensive preparation. And now, Jung Hageon, who had never synchronized with Yesung before, was stepping into that role.

Of course, Yesung didn’t doubt his capabilities; he had already witnessed Jung’s skills during a previous observation. The real issue was their synergy. Would Jung be able to align his actions with Yesung’s?

“Suction.”

“Yes.”

“A bit more to the left… yes, that’s right.”

“Yes.”

“Mixer…”

“Yes, I’ve got it.”

“Next, to the right… okay.”

Surprisingly, the operation flowed smoothly. Jung Hageon anticipated Yesung’s needs, selecting and using tools without being asked. It was as if he was reading Yesung’s mind, which made the surgery proceed more smoothly than ever before. It was hard to believe this was their first time working together.

“Indeed…”

“A genius recognizes a genius, right?”

“Yes. It’s really amazing.”

As Yesung managed the surgery calmly, despite the initial shock, the professors exchanged knowing looks from the side.

“…Cut.”

“Cut.”

Soon, the esophageal suturing was complete. Yesung, with a nurse wiping the sweat from his temples, checked the clock on the wall of the operating room.

…Unbelievable.

The collaboration with Jung Hageon had been so seamless that the suturing finished in less than 30 minutes. Yesung was astounded as he opened his mouth behind his mask.

“Great job, sunbae.”

Now it was Jung Hageon’s turn again. He faced Yesung with an unwearied expression.

“I’ll finish up now. …Thank you for letting me join. It was an honor.”

The sight of doctors from different specialties both leading and assisting in a surgery was rare. Yesung bit his lip, feeling a mix of surprise and pleasure. This was the first time he had worked with someone with whom he felt such perfect harmony. It was a relief to focus solely on the surgery without any other distractions, something even his long-time colleague Park Joohyuk couldn’t match.

Perhaps that was why. He coveted more of this experience, to continue feeling this perfect synchrony.

Yesung bit his lip slightly and then released it as he looked up. His dark eyes sparkled with resolve.

“…Sunbae?”

Jung Hageon called out to him, noticing Yesung hadn’t moved yet. However, Yesung turned his gaze towards the professors instead of responding.

“Professor Jin, Professor Cha.”

“Dr. Han?”

“May I serve as Dr. Jung’s first assistant this time?”

“…Eh?”

Even the professors, particularly Professor Jin, were taken aback by this turn of events, as if witnessing a student’s bold move.

“Sure. Go ahead, Dr. Han. You two really seem to have a great synergy. It’s hard to believe today was your first time syncing up.”

It seemed Professor Cha understood Yesung’s feelings, recognizing the thrill of a perfectly synced surgical partnership, a sensation any surgeon could relate to. Professor Jin, noting Yesung’s eager eyes, eventually gave in.

“Hmm… Okay, go ahead. It looks like you two are going to handle the whole surgery today anyway.”

“Thank you.”

Yesung quickly responded before Professor Jin could change his mind, and turned to meet Jung Hageon’s gaze.

“Is that okay?” If Jung Hageon could do it, so could he.

Seeing the confidence and excitement in Yesung’s eyes, Jung Hageon burst out laughing.

“Of course.”

His eyes curved into beautiful crescent moons. Yesung paused to watch his laughter for a moment before switching places and extending his hand.

“Pass me the hemostat, please.”

Today’s surgery was likely to become an unforgettable memory for both of them. As the surgical instrument was placed in his hand, the lengthy operation neared its conclusion.