Chapter 24 – Passenger Ship Sinks (3)

Five or six soldiers walked into the operating room. Holding buckets full of ice in both hands.

“Heavens, how did you all get here?”

The startled Kim Ji-hyuk blinked his eyes.

“We heard that a young child is sick, so we came to be of some help!”

One of the soldiers spoke on their behalf.

“Yun-seok, what is going on?”

“Yeah. Erika and I were breaking ice at the stream, and passing soldiers came down, heard about the situation, and offered to help.”

“Whew, it is a very grateful thing, but.”

Meanwhile, the soldiers tried to enter the operating room.

“Wait a minute! This is an operating room right now! You cannot just enter as you please!”

At that, Kim Ji-hyuk shouted in dismay.

“Ah! Is that so? We are sorry.”

“No. There’s no need to apologize… Ah! Since it has come to this, let me ask one more favor.”

“Yes! Tell us whatever it is.”

“Please trouble yourselves to bring as much as you just brought, three more times!”

“Hahaha, I wondered what it was! I will mobilize our entire platoon and prepare it perfectly!”

“Thank you!”

“Private Park! Go to the barracks immediately and tell the entire platoon to prepare for deployment!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Then, Doctor! We entrust the child to you. Since she is a precious child who will carry the future of South Korea!”

“Yes. I will do my best.”

In this way, Kim Ji-hyuk and the medical staff were able to secure a sufficient amount of ice.

‘From now on, it’s just pure physical labor! There’s no choice but to lower the patient’s temperature with this ice massage! I will do my best! Leaving the rest to heaven’s will!’

“We will begin icing the patient now!”

With that, the medical staff desperately began the massage to lower the patient’s temperature.

“However, Ji-hyuk! This isn’t sterile ice, will it be okay? The child’s immunity must have dropped a lot.”

Kim Yun-seok was right. Unsterilized ice. Before his regression, using such ice would make no sense, but it was an unavoidable situation now.

Because it was a situation where they had to choose the next best option instead of the best.

“Didn’t you say you broke it from the stream in the back hill? There is no cleaner water in this vicinity than that stream. Besides, it is not a situation to consider such things right now! First, let’s lower the temperature. That is the urgent priority.”

“Understood! Let’s try it.”

Kim Yun-seok clenched both of his fists tightly.

Gasp, gasp—

Kim Ji-hyuk and Kim Yun-seok, along with Erika and Ena, focused on icing to the point where sweat poured like rain.

The medical staff exerted all their strength to drop the patient’s temperature using ice from head to toe.

Finally.

“Doctor Kim Ji-hyuk, the patient’s temperature is dropping little by little!”

Good news was delivered.

“That’s a relief! Everyone, cheer up a little more!”

Around the time they ran out of ice, the soldiers ferried in additional ice, and the medical staff continued the massage with all their might.

“Forty degrees! The temperature dropped a lot!”

“Senior, you must not forget to administer IV fluids!”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Once the temperature reaches thirty-eight to thirty-nine degrees, the icing must be stopped. You must check it carefully!”

To prevent hypothermia, the cooling could not drop below thirty-eight to thirty-nine degrees.

“Understood!”

In that way, the time they spent fighting the disease was about an hour, and finally the efforts of the medical staff bore fruit.

“Patient’s temperature is 38.7 degrees! Stop now!”

Checking the temperature, Shin Jung-eun raised the tone of her voice.

‘Done!’

At Shin Jung-eun’s shout, Kim Ji-hyuk clenched both fists tightly.

“Stop now! Stop icing, and from now on we must maintain the body temperature. Please put the hospital gown on her!”

Kim Ji-hyuk raised one hand.

“Understood!”

Steam rose from the heads of the medical staff despite it being midwinter.

Their faces were flushed red and they were catching their rough breath, but their expressions were bright at the news that the temperature had dropped.

“Ji-hyuk, is it okay now?”

Pant, pant—

Kim Yun-seok asked, panting for breath.

“For now, the dangerous crisis has passed. However.”

“However what?”

Kim Yun-seok had an anxious expression.

“Malignant hyperthermia has severe side effects. We cannot be relieved just because she passed the dangerous crisis.”

The recurrence rate of malignant hyperthermia was fifty percent.

Because the probability of recurrence within five to six hours was generally the highest, they had to prepare thoroughly.

But, considering the environment here where neither proper medicine nor medical equipment was available, the probability of side effects occurring was much higher than in the university hospital before his regression.

Major side effects could occur in various areas, ranging from coma or paralysis to cerebral edema in severe cases.

“Are you worrying about side effects?”

“…….”

Kim Ji-hyuk nodded his head silently.

“I suppose. But you did your best. There is a saying that one does his best and leaves the rest to heaven. Let’s leave everything to heaven’s will now. The child’s mother who passed away first will surely protect her. You really did a great job, Ji-hyuk!”

“Yeah. We should. We can only hope that this child, who has held out firmly so far, will gain a little more strength. You did a great job too, Yun-seok!”

“Hehe, what about me?”

At that, Shin Jung-eun popped up suddenly.

“Yes, yes! Senior worked hard too, and both nurses worked hard as well!”

Kim Ji-hyuk greeted the medical staff, casting his gaze evenly at them.

“The title of ‘nurse’ doesn’t sound bad to hear!”

At that, Ena laughed brightly.

“Of course!”

Hehehe, only then did Kim Ji-hyuk try to put on a smile.

“Doctor Kim Ji-hyuk, there is a proverb in Sweden like this.”

Erika slowly approached Kim Ji-hyuk.

“Yes?”

“They say a caterpillar turns into a butterfly the moment it thinks the world has ended! Do you know what this means?”

Erika showed a smile.

“Mm, does it mean we shouldn’t discard hope even in a desperate situation?”

Kim Ji-hyuk answered carefully.

“Yes. That is right. This child met us in a desperate situation, but she will flutter and fly through that blue sky like a butterfly before long. We can know just by looking at how she has held out so far. Surely, there will be God’s grace. I firmly believe so, Doctor Kim Ji-hyuk!”

Erika’s face was filled with hope.

“Yes. I will also pray earnestly for that to happen.”

Kim Ji-hyuk nodded his head.

“Right! They said it comes true if you want it desperately!”

‘Huh? This is a phrase I’ve heard somewhere a lot…’

Kim Ji-hyuk tilted his head in puzzlement.

Then,

“Now, shall we give a round of applause for our best doctor!”

Erika raised both hands, speaking in a clear voice.

“Of course! Doctor Kim Ji-hyuk is today’s hero! You were truly amazing today, Doctor Kim Ji-hyuk!”

Shin Jung-eun was the first to respond and step forward.

Clap, clap—

Clap, clap—

Starting with Shin Jung-eun in that way, all the medical staff encouraged Kim Ji-hyuk.

“Even though you are my friend, I honestly respect you! Doctor Kim Ji-hyuk!”

Kim Yun-seok also chimed in.

‘They are truly warm-hearted people. If I am with such people, there is nothing to fear!’

Kim Ji-hyuk stared at them with a pleased expression.

* * *

A week later, a general ward.

Heaven helped. No, saying the child held out with superhuman strength would be a slightly more accurate statement.

Even though several days passed, the child showed no particular symptoms, and she was now regaining her energy little by little.

Sleeping softly—

The child slept soundly as if nothing had happened.

Kim Ji-hyuk carefully touched the child’s wiggling fingers.

‘Come to think of it, I don’t even know this child’s name.’

The Yanggang-ho incident was an absurd accident.

Except for the captain, crew members, and a few passengers, everyone died. Absurdly, about three hundred people drowned, and even now, they were conducting body recovery operations.

Because passengers were loaded exceeding the proper capacity, there was strain on the ship.

It was a major disaster created by the Yanggang-ho captain’s greed.

Because the child’s mother and the child were over-capacity boarders, no personal information of theirs remained at all.

Kim Ji-hyuk and Kim Yun-seok searched in all directions to find the child’s father, who might be alive, but they could not find him.

Since the era was 1953, and on top of that, it was during the war, finding proper family registry-related materials was almost impossible.

‘What should I do? I think I need to give her a name first…’

Creak—

At that moment, Kim Yun-seok walked into the hospital room.

“Is our Soon-deok sleeping well?”

‘What? Soon-deok?’

“What is this now?”

Kim Ji-hyuk glared at Kim Yun-seok.

“What?”

“Did you just call that child Soon-deok?”

“Yeah! Our Soon-deok is so gentle and nice, isn’t she? So Soon-deok suits her perfectly.”

Kim Yun-seok came into the room and examined the sleeping child here and there.

“Who thinks our Soon-deok… no, Soon-deok suits as a name for this angel-like child?”

“It suits her. What’s wrong with Soon-deok? The name is pretty.”

‘Right, Soon-deok!’

Honey dripped from Kim Yun-seok’s eyes as he looked at the child.

“No! Stop calling our angel Soon-deok! I am going to give her a pretty name.”

“What are you going to name her?”

“Well, I have to think about that gradually from now on. Anyway, Soon-deok is absolutely a no! What is Soon-deok? It’s old-fashioned.”

Kim Ji-hyuk shook his head flatly.

“Old-fashioned? I think it’s good.”

It was right at that moment.

Creak—

Two more people opened the rattling sliding door and walked inside. They were nurses Erika and Ena.

“Is our Soon-deok sleeping well?”

“Soon-deok! I miss you so much I feel like I’ll go crazy if I don’t see you for even a single day!”

‘Heavens, Soon-deok again…’

Sigh—

Kim Ji-hyuk sighed with a blank expression.

“See. Those ladies call her Soon-deok too. Erika said the name Soon-deok rolls off the tongue nicely.”

“…….”

Kim Ji-hyuk still had a displeased expression.

“Our Soon-deok, get well quickly, okay? I will make you lots of delicious things.”

Erika sent a sorrowful gaze while checking the child’s IV bottle.

“Soon-deok is a good girl! No coughing today either!”

Ena also seemed determined to call the child’s name Soon-deok.

“Then is this child’s name really Soon-deok?”

“Of course!”

“Of course!”

“Yes!”

‘Oh man, this isn’t right…’

The voices of the three burst out simultaneously. In that way, the child’s name was settled as Soon-deok. Although deep regret remained, Kim Ji-hyuk had no choice but to accept it.

“By any chance, what should we do about our Soon-deok?”

The child who had suddenly become a total orphan. Even if she recovered, the aftermath was the problem.

“What do you mean, what should we do?”

“Hey. Are you planning to send our Soon-deok to an orphanage?”

At that, Kim Yun-seok raised the tone of his voice.

“Are you crazy? Why would we send our Soon-deok to an orphanage? We should raise her.”

“What, we raise her? Where?”

“Where else? We raise her here.”

“Here? Do you mean our hospital?”

The startled Kim Yun-seok jumped up from his seat.

It was right at that moment.

“Ah! That’s right. Doctor Kim Ji-hyuk, Professor Olsen calls for you! I forgot to deliver that.”

Erika touched her head with her finger.

“See. Professor Olsen wants to see you.”

“What does that have to do with raising Soon-deok here?”

“We will see about that. Anyway, I will definitely raise Soon-deok.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Well, if we can just raise Soon-deok here, it’s fine by me.”

Kim Yun-seok scratched his head, showing a puzzled expression.