Chapter 20 – Coincidence or Destiny (1)

Even in the university hospital before his regression, which had the best surgeons, state-of-the-art medical equipment, and medicines, these would have been critical patients difficult to handle.

However, now, during the war in 1953, despite the UN Hospital being the best existing hospital in the country, both medical staff and equipment were severely lacking.

All medical personnel who could be procured from the hospital, including medical students studying in Busan, were deployed to the emergency room and fighting a hard battle.

Even so, the medical staff found it overwhelming to handle the influx of patients.

“Morphine! Bring morphine!”

Covered in blood from head to toe, doctors were running around frantically, busy as could be.

“Yes, understood!”

Nurses began carrying morphine boxes containing sets of twelve stored in the cabinets.

In that way, the nurses and doctors were administering narcotic analgesics first to suppress the extreme pain.

Since treatments were severely lacking, this was the only way to alleviate their pain, even if only for a short while.

Naturally, because they were not in a position to provide fundamental treatment, it was a situation that had to rely on temporary measures.

“Damn it! Arghhh! It hurts too much! Just cut off my leg, please!”

“R-rather, just kill me! I cannot hold out any longer!”

“P-please, even just morphine!”

The soldiers let out the most horrific screams a human could make.

Drenched in blood, they clung to the arms of the treating doctors, pleading with them to just kill them instead.

“If there is a hell, this is exactly the place!”

Having worked in the emergency room several times before his regression, Kim Ji-hyuk had seen many patients with severe trauma.

However, the patients now were more horrific than any patients he had ever seen.

The eyes of Kim Ji-hyuk, who was staring at the patients, were filled with despair.

‘There is nothing I can properly do right now. There’s no way a place like a resuscitation room of a severe trauma center exists, and we don’t even have proper medicine! I know very well that what I can do is extremely limited! But I am a doctor. I will try to save even just one person!’

Watching the soldiers writhe in pain so extreme that it could burst his eardrums, Kim Ji-hyuk grit his teeth.

‘A South Korean soldier whose lower body was crushed and severed by a tank, and a French soldier deployed for South Korea thousands of miles away whose ankle was blown off after stepping on a landmine. Without them, I wouldn’t exist either, so I will save them no matter what!’

“Yun-seok, it is unfortunate, but let’s leave the hopeless patients aside and first save the ones we can!”

“Is it really okay to do that? They are still breathing.”

Yun-seok pointed to the patients who seemed to have almost no chance of recovery.

“I know. But now is the time to judge coldly. While we cling to those patients, the ones we can save might die! It’s unfortunate, but now is the time for selection and focus!”

“Y-yes, all right. I think you are right!”

“Students! Come over here!”

“Yes, sir!”

Kim Ji-hyuk gathered the flustered medical students who did not know what to do in one place.

“Students! You can distinguish mild patients, right?”

Right now, they were short-handed enough to need any help they could get, so it was fortunate that at least the medical students were here.

“Pardon?”

“There’s nothing difficult about it! First, patients who are conscious! Patients who can speak! Even if they have gunshot wounds, patients with injuries only to one arm or leg are all classified as mild! Do you understand?”

Patients who, before his regression, would have been classified as severe without question, had no choice but to be classified as mild under the current circumstances.

First and foremost, sorting and classifying the patients by the severity of their injuries was the priority.

“Yes! U-understood.”

The medical students hesitated with lack of confidence.

“You must pull yourselves together! If you lose focus now, all those patients will die!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Yun-seok! Take the students and please look after the patients. I think I need to help the professors.”

“Understood. Students! From now on, everyone pack aspirin, iodine tincture, compression bandages, and hemostatic agent, and follow me!”

“Understood!”

With that, Kim Yun-seok began to move busily, leading the students.

‘Heavens, traumatic eyeball rupture!’

A patient caught Kim Ji-hyuk’s eye, one of whose eyes was completely destroyed. However, he remained in his place with surprising composure.

Traumatic eyeball rupture!

Kim Ji-hyuk approached the patient and carefully examined his eye.

“Patient, are you okay?”

“Yes. It does not seem like I will die. I am fine, so please look after my subordinates first.”

He was a patient in a situation where he could completely lose sight in one eye, yet his attitude was amazingly resolute.

“I cannot do that. Before that, let me check your eye first.”

Despite his protest, Kim Ji-hyuk wiped away the blood with sterile gauze.

“I am fine. Go ahead and tend to my subordinates…”

He waved his hand.

“Shouldn’t the general be fine for the subordinates to gain strength as well? The war is not over yet, General Min Geon-woo!”

Kim Ji-hyuk pointed to the man’s rank insignia.

“I probably won’t be able to use this eye anyway, right?”

His attitude was so resolute that he could make a joke even in the midst of this.

“It hurts my pride. A doctor is right in front of you, yet the patient makes the diagnosis. That makes me want to save it even more out of stubbornness.”

“Fufu, that is exactly it. What I aimed for. It sounds like you are saying you can save my eye, so may I look forward to it?”

“I did not say that either. I only treat to the best of my ability.”

Kim Ji-hyuk opened the first-aid kit and began treating the wound.

“Haha, thank you. For at least saying that.”

‘Vitreous hemorrhage and retinal detachment must have occurred together… Moreover, the cornea is torn with a laceration! The possibility of losing one eye is high, but that doesn’t mean there is no hope at all. Because the cornea is not completely torn! If it’s Professor Linburn, it might be possible!’

Kim Ji-hyuk carefully examined the patient’s eye. To prepare for future surgery, he carefully performed emergency measures so that the wound would not deepen as much as possible.

“The pain must be severe, right? You endured it well.”

“It is nothing compared to my subordinates.”

The man pointed to his groaning subordinates with a chin gesture. Even in the midst of this, he was only worried about his subordinates.

“You are amazing.”

Kim Ji-hyuk wiped the flowing blood with gauze and disinfected as he spoke.

“My subordinates are the ones who are amazing. Those fellas carried me on their backs and ran after my eyeball ruptured. Even though their own bodies were not in good shape either.”

“…….”

“So please save even just one of my subordinates. I do not care about something like one eyeball.”

“Patients are not supposed to talk for long in the first place! First, I will wrap it with a bandage!”

After completing the treatment, Kim Ji-hyuk took out a sterile bandage and wrapped it tightly around one of Major General Min Geon-woo’s eyes.

It was right at that moment.

Professor Linburn, his gown covered in blood, made an appearance. He was the only ophthalmologist at the UN Hospital.

“Dr. Kim Ji-hyuk, how is the patient’s condition?”

“It seems to be a traumatic eyeball rupture.”

“Is that so? Let me take a look.”

Professor Linburn slightly lifted the bandage to examine the patient’s eye.

“Did you treat this?”

Professor Linburn wore a slightly surprised expression.

“Yes, sir. Did I perform any wrong measures?”

“No. You have quite good hands. You did well with the emergency measures. At this level, it is not a hopeless situation.”

“Then?”

“I will take over this patient from now on, so go ahead and help the other doctors. It seems we are very short-handed.”

“Yes, sir!”

With that, Kim Ji-hyuk saluted and stood up from his spot.

“Excuse me, doctor! By any chance, could I know your name?”

At that, Major General Min Geon-woo stopped Kim Ji-hyuk’s steps.

“Yes. I am Kim Ji-hyuk!”

Kim Ji-hyuk pointed to his name tag, which was invisible, soaked in blood.

“Doctor Kim Ji-hyuk… I will remember your name for the rest of my life.”

Major General Min Geon-woo muttered Kim Ji-hyuk’s name over and over again.

“Yes, General! I will also make sure to remember your resolute appearance! I will pray earnestly for your recovery.”

With that, Kim Ji-hyuk saluted once more and ran toward where the patients were.

A moment later.

Under Kim Ji-hyuk’s command, the residents including Yun-seok and the medical students moved systematically, and before they knew it, they were able to treat a significant number of soldiers.

“Ji-hyuk! First of all, just as you said, the emergency treatment for the mild patients is all finished! But what do we do about those patients? It exceeds the range of what we can do.”

Yun-seok, who was covered in blood to the point where it was indistinguishable from sweat, spoke with a flushed expression.

“It is okay. There is no need to hurry. We only need to do what we can do!”

It was Kim Ji-hyuk still calmly leading the medical staff.

“Y-yes, all right. Then what should we do from now on?”

“First, let’s mark patients who have passed the dangerous crisis with blue, those who need more treatment with yellow, and those whose lives are in immediate danger with red on their wrists. That way, it will be easier for the professors to treat them later.”

“You are right. It would be good to do that.”

“Then let’s move! All these people are comrades-in-arms who fought to defend the country! Let’s do our best to repay them, even if only a little.”

“Yes! Got it!”

As Kim Ji-hyuk encouraged him, Kim Yun-seok clenched both of his fists tightly.

“Dr. Kim Ji-hyuk! Dr. Kim Yun-seok! I have also come to help!”

At that moment, Shin Jung-eun ran over, waving her hand toward the two of them.

“Senior!”

“Senior!”

The two welcomed her warmly.

“I do not know much, but I will help too. It’s better than nothing, right? My hands?”

Shin Jung-eun stood before them with a bright smile.

“Wow! What do you mean you don’t know much! It feels like we’ve gained a powerful army! Thank you!”

Kim Ji-hyuk and Kim Yun-seok welcomed her with open arms.

“Then what should I start with?”

It was Shin Jung-eun burning with determination as she rolled up her sleeves.

* * *

A week later.

At the UN Field Hospital where the commotion had broken out, there were many achievements thanks to the devoted efforts of the medical staff.

In the case of patients whose injuries were relatively light(?)—even if “light” meant losing arms or legs—they were able to save their lives, and patients requiring emergency surgeries were operated on directly by Swedish doctors, saving many patients.

Among them was Major General Min Geon-woo, who had formed a bond with Kim Ji-hyuk.

Professor Linburn immediately operated on Major General Min Geon-woo’s eye, and the surgery was a success, though he did lose a portion of his vision.

Creak—

Kim Ji-hyuk carefully opened the door of the hospital room and walked in. A man in military uniform was sitting in front of General Min Geon-woo, as if he had come to visit.

“General, I am here.”

“Oh! Welcome, Doctor Kim Ji-hyuk!”

General Min Geon-woo welcomed him warmly. Compared to a week ago, he was visibly recovered.

“How is your body feeling?”

Ji-hyuk asked after Major General Min Geon-woo’s well-being.

“Thanks to you, it is very good! Ah, right! I have someone to introduce to you.”

Major General Min Geon-woo looked at the man sitting next to him.

“Who?”

“Colonel Park Jung-ui! Please greet him! This doctor is the savior of my life!”

General Min Geon-woo introduced the man to Kim Ji-hyuk.

“Nice to meet you. I am Park Jung-ui!”

He offered a handshake, extending his hand.

‘Park Jung-ui? Surely it’s not that Park Jung-hee I know?’

“Ah, yes. Hello.”

Extending his hand in spite of himself, Kim Ji-hyuk tilted his head in puzzlement.