A competent doctor can cure everything

“They say even a tiger comes when you talk about it, and here we go again. If you go take a look, you’ll understand immediately.”

The caregiver lady shook her head and led me to the wiring room at the end of the ward corridor.

The wiring room is a space equipped with a distribution table for patient meals, a sink, a microwave, and other necessities. It can be seen as a shared kitchenette for the ward’s users.

“Did you reserve this microwave? How long are you going to use it?”

“When I’m done, I’ll clear out on my own. Why are you putting your dirty hands on food meant for someone else’s daughter?”

As I got closer, I saw a crowd of people gathered, buzzing with excitement.

Inside the group, a man and a woman were pointing fingers at each other.

It was Jin-ah’s father and a female caregiver from another room.

“What’s going on?”

“That man keeps hogging the microwave, so that woman must have turned it off and put the food away.”

The incident started over the microwave.

There weren’t enough microwaves for the number of users, making the area in front of the wiring room crowded during meal times.

“No matter how long the line is, I’d think it’s ridiculous for adults to fight over something like a microwave.”

But that’s what a cold and desolate environment like a hospital can do to people.

Especially for the guardians of patients like Jin-a, who stay in the hospital indefinitely, it must be difficult.

They can’t take their eyes off the patient for 24 hours and have to cram into a small multi-bed room with the patient and caregivers all around them.

As a result, many people were filled with emotions like depression, anxiety, irritation, and anger.

On the other hand, the caregivers who take care of critically ill patients are not easygoing either.

Sensitive people often can’t endure the cramped hospital life with so many others around.

‘So, it’s not unusual for guardians and caregivers to get into a fight in the hospital.’

People argue over things like cutting in line for the shower or monopolizing the water dispenser for the same reasons.

Onlookers chimed in with their opinions about the entertaining spectacle that arose from the boredom of hospital life.

“That guy is usually pretty bad.”

“He only takes care of his daughter? What, are the rest of us not sick?”

Most people thought that Jin-ah’s father was in the wrong.

It seemed that in just the third day of their stay in the hospital, he had already earned the displeasure of many people.

“Alright, everyone. Calm down.”

As I hesitated about whether to intervene, the experienced head nurse rushed over and mediated between the two people.

She was short but exuded authority, wearing red horn-rimmed glasses and red lipstick that showcased her confidence.

The onlookers dispersed, and both Jin-ah’s guardian and the female caregiver returned to their respective rooms, still glaring at each other.

The lady who had been with me seemed embarrassed to walk alongside Jin-ah’s guardian and followed at a distance.

For me, the path to the intern training room was that way, so it appeared that I was walking with the lady.

Jin-ah’s guardian opened the door to room 5236, then suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He then shouted toward his daughter and turned back the way he had come.

“Jin-ah, I left the food in the wiring room. Just wait a moment.”

At her father’s shout, Jin-ah turned her head toward the door and blinked when she saw me and the lady.

“Dr. Joon and the lady. You’re both here?”

I thought I might stop by to see the patient’s face once more before leaving for the day.

Naturally, I entered the room with the lady.

Jin-ah was sitting against the backrest, her upper body supported, preparing for dinner.

I glanced at the flowers surrounding her.

“It seems you like flowers.”

“Yes! My job is as a florist. It’s a pity that I can’t bring fresh flowers to the hospital, so these are artificial.”

I noticed that she didn’t use the past tense when introducing her profession.

“I’ll come by next time to order a bouquet.”

“Of course! Come by anytime. I’ll make something beautiful for you.”

She smiled brightly, like a flower, but then suddenly fluttered her eyelashes and looked down, her demeanor changing.

“By the way, I just overheard everything. Please be honest with me. That loud noise outside earlier… it was my dad, right?”

“……”

“Ha, I knew it. This is driving me crazy.”

The patient’s face flushed, and she bit her lip.

“You’re having a hard time because of my dad too, aren’t you?”

“Hmm? No, no. Why would you say something like that?”

The lady hastily denied it, but her expression still looked troubled.

“It’s about my dad acting like that. The truth is….”

As she spoke out of frustration, she inhaled deeply and then tightly shut her lips.

“No, no, it’s just because of me. He’s so upset.”

“Yeah, I understand. Don’t worry too much about it.”

‘……?’

It seemed like she was about to say something else, but there was no time to ask again.

The guardian returned to the room with the food.

He looked at me and, setting the dishes down on the table, spoke gruffly.

“Hey, doctor. You came at just the right time. I had something to discuss.”

“Go ahead.”

“Dr. Yu puts in the morning acupuncture, and you do it in the afternoon, right? Well, it’s been three days since Jin-ah was admitted, and I’ve been observing.”

“?”

“Why is your afternoon acupuncture schedule so inconsistent?”

I was taken aback and tried to recall his words.

“I said I would come at 2 PM, and I’ve always arrived around that time, haven’t I?”

“What I mean is! You don’t come exactly at 2 PM; there are always a few minutes of difference.”

What is this…?

It seems that I’m not the only one who finds this ridiculous.

The nurse also let out a stunned breath.

However, the guardian continued to make unreasonable claims.

“No, I have my own schedule for taking care of my daughter, and it gets messed up because of you. Also, I studied some acupuncture points, and I think your needle placement is incorrect. Are you really doing the treatment properly?”

Goodness. Now my needling skills are being doubted by the guardian.

“…What did you study with?”

“Youtube.”

The guardian declared this with such confidence.

At that moment, both the nurse and Jin-ah were left speechless.

Jin-ah even squeezed her eyes shut as if she didn’t want to see any more.

It was a moment that truly made me realize that Kim Jin-ah’s guardian was the famous PS from Hanbit University Hospital.

* * *

‘I really have to listen to all kinds of complaints.’

Even while preparing to leave work, I was still incredulous about earlier.

But I couldn’t just stand there dazed.

Today was the day I was scheduled to make my first out-of-hospital visit to the women’s volleyball team.

The place I was going to visit was a gym in Seoul.

‘Since it’s rush hour, it’s going to be crowded. I should leave quickly.’

I caught the elevator to get to the hospital’s underground parking lot.

Since there were no passengers, the elevator quickly arrived at the fifth floor.

Finally, as I stood in the empty elevator, watching the doors close….

Clank-.

With a clatter, the doors opened again, and a pair of men’s shoes stepped inside.

“Doctor Seon-Joon.”

It was Shim Ji-seob.

He spotted me inside and nodded.

Then he pressed the button for the first floor.

“Hello.”

“Are you on your way home?”

“I’m not going home; I’m on my way to a business trip for treatment.”

“Oh.”

At my words, Shim Ji-seob let out a short exclamation but didn’t say anything more.

Once the conversation ended, silence enveloped the elevator.

I recalled what Professor Yeon Jae-wook had said earlier that day.

Shim Ji-seob wanted to provide the best treatment as a traditional medicine doctor and was dedicated to research for that purpose.

‘This senior actually said that.’

It was an idealistic, pure vision that even seemed naive.

But I didn’t dislike it. It was somewhat touching.

Maybe that’s why I felt compelled to speak up, wondering if I had misunderstood this senior.

“Doctor Shim Ji-seob. It’s about patient Kim Jin-ah.”

He turned his head toward me.

“I’m treating her based on typical quadriplegia, but I’m struggling with the treatment direction. Since it’s a condition with a slow progression, should I take a more persistent approach?”

Almost immediately, I regretted my impulsive question.

The corners of Shim Ji-seob’s lips curled up.

“You must not have experienced significant failures until now, Doctor Seon-Joon.”

“…….”

This guy….

Staring at him with irritation, Shim Ji-seob shrugged casually.

“I told you about this patient, didn’t I? I said not to lose strength. Why are you pondering the treatment direction?”

Enough.

Stop it.

The strings of reason inside me began to snap one by one.

I also remembered Jin-ah’s smile as she said she would make beautiful flower arrangements.

My rising anger was making my head spin.

“Aren’t you supposed to try the treatment before making judgments?”

“Haha, Doctor, your passion is just so typical of an intern, and I like it.”

That senior had an irritating smile as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“They’ve already treated her for six months with Western medicine, and it didn’t work. Do you really think it’s going to work with traditional medicine?”

“!”

In that moment, a memory flashed in my mind.

Security guards dragging me out through the hospital’s main entrance and throwing me outside.
Looking down at me with a smirk in their eyes.

Words spilling from their lips, stretched into a long, twisted grin.

“Your father was unqualified. A hospital is a business too. If a patient doesn’t bring in money and is hard to treat, they should be kicked out quickly to improve turnover.”

With that, the last thread of my reason snapped.

“Is that really what you want to say? If that’s the case, why are you even a doctor? You should just reapply to medical school right now.”

I took a few steps towards Shim Ji-seob, growling at him.

“If the medical staff gives up first when things get tough, what does that say to the patients? Why make a fool of your fellow doctors?”

Gradually, the smile faded from his face.

“Doctor Seon-Joon. Watch your words.”

“If you want to be treated as a senior, act like one. I don’t want to treat someone as a senior just because they’ve aged without making any effort.”

At that, despite the somewhat unpleasant expression, Shim Ji-seob’s demeanor changed completely.

The ends of his eyebrows rose, and his forehead furrowed deeply, his lips twisting.

It seemed I had touched a nerve.

“I’ve put in the effort too. More than anyone else. I’ve searched every single paper related to the patient, both domestic and international, and I’ve done my best to use it for treatment. Who do you think you are…?”

He spat those words out in a low voice, quickly and harshly, before stopping abruptly as if he had regained his composure.

His expression returned to a calm state.

“So don’t speak carelessly when you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“…….”

A heavy silence hung in the air.

Just then, the notification sound indicated that the elevator had arrived on the first floor.

“I got a bit worked up earlier too. We both made mistakes, so let’s just forget about it.”

After leaving those words behind, Shim Ji-seob got off the elevator.

“…….”

What the hell is wrong with that guy?

Still, I got an idea for Kim Jin-ah’s treatment from what Shim Ji-seob said earlier.

‘I hadn’t thought of that. Thanks, you jerk.’

Before I knew it, the elevator had chimed and stopped at the basement level.

I made my way toward the parked car.

Sure, it might be an ignorant approach, but I plan to look up every existing document on limb paralysis caused by spinal injuries.

And I’ll try any treatment method that seems applicable.