Chapter 17, Section 3: I Am a Elementary School Student (5)

The ambulance arrived at Sungdong Hospital, a comprehensive hospital with 100 beds.

Sungdong Hospital was a 10-minute drive from the school and was capable of performing various surgeries, including appendectomies.

"Shin, can you tell me your home phone number?"

As I helped Kim Yo-han out of the backseat, the paramedic asked me.

It was an unexpected question, so I tilted my head in confusion.

"Why do you need it?"

"I think your actions are so commendable that I'd like to see them on the news. I know a journalist. If it makes you uncomfortable, you don't have to tell me."

"Yes, I'll tell you."

I readily gave the paramedic my home phone number.

I had a feeling that a new connection was beginning, but I didn't pay much attention to it at the moment.

What was important now was finding the cause of Kim Yo-han's cardiac arrest.

I had no time to be distracted by other things.

"Thank you for giving my friend a ride."

"I should be the one to thank you. I hope your friend recovers quickly."

After the ambulance and paramedics left, Kim Yo-han, the homeroom teacher, and I went to the emergency room and waited on the benches.

"It's okay, Yo-han. Everything will be fine."

I placed my hand on Kim Yo-han's trembling shoulder and spoke kindly.

In my past life, I had examined countless patients and performed countless surgeries, but there were certain patients who always made my heart ache.

They were children under 15 years old.

Every time I saw these young, innocent lives suffering, it felt as if my own flesh was being torn apart.

Diseases that affect children are often too harsh, and even if they overcome them, they leave a permanent shadow on the child's life.

I hope you don't misunderstand my sentiment. I don't mean that adults are allowed to suffer.

'What kind of disease could it be...?'

While waiting for my turn, I thought about the heart condition that was troubling Kim Yo-han.

The most likely cause was a congenital heart defect.

Congenital heart defects are structural abnormalities in the heart that affect the cardiovascular system from birth.

The most common of these is valve malformation.

However, if the valve malformation was severe enough to cause cardiac arrest, there should have been some warning signs before, such as difficulty breathing or arrhythmia.

But despite my careful observation, I couldn't find any characteristics of a congenital heart defect in Kim Yo-han.

The more I thought about it, the more I felt like I was sinking into a quagmire.

"Yo-han! Are you okay?"

"Mom? Mom~!"

Kim Yo-han's mother, who had been contacted by the homeroom teacher, found us in the waiting room. Kim Yo-han sobbed in his mother's arms, and his mother shed hot tears.

The sight of the mother and son, who had overcome poverty by relying on each other, made my heart warm.

I hoped that for their sake, Kim Yo-han would be fine...

I had seen too many tragic and unbelievable stories, such as a groom-to-be dying of a heart attack a week before his wedding, so it was hard to feel at ease.

"Madam, you're here? Let me explain the situation briefly."

The homeroom teacher explained what had happened at school.

Kim Yo-han's mother listened to the teacher while comforting her son.

A moment later, the long-awaited examination began.

The emergency physician listened to the situation and examined Kim Yo-han.

Throughout the examination, he, like me, had a look of surprise.

It was not common for an elementary school student to collapse from a cardiac arrest.

"Did you say this young boy performed CPR?"

The emergency physician's gaze suddenly turned to me.

"Ah, yes. When Yo-han collapsed, this boy was the only one in the classroom."

The homeroom teacher answered for me.

"Wow... That's another surprise. An elementary school student saving a friend with CPR. Where did you learn CPR?"

"I saw it on a drama my mom was watching. When someone collapsed, they pressed the chest like this."

I lied naturally.

It was a skill only I could use, living as an elementary school student with the mind of an adult.

"What a smart and brave boy. You saved your friend."

"No, thank you for the compliment."

"I should be the one to thank you. You brought a healthy friend back to the teacher. We'll start with the necessary tests and see the results."

Kim Yo-han and his mother followed the nurse, leaving the homeroom teacher and me in the waiting area.

Even without looking at the chart, I knew what would happen.

Kim Yo-han would undergo the three basic tests of a hospital: blood test, urine test, and chest X-ray.

Since he had a cardiac arrest, an ECG and echocardiogram would be added.

That should be enough to determine Kim Yo-han's condition.

While waiting for Kim Yo-han, I tapped my foot anxiously.

I understood the feelings of a guardian well.

I had waited for 8 hours in front of the operating room when my father had OPCAB (off-pump coronary artery bypass surgery).

Those 8 hours felt like 8 days, and I still remember it vividly.

Waiting.

Endless waiting.

A waiting that makes you travel between heaven and hell hundreds of times in your mind.

The hospital is a battlefield against death and a battlefield against waiting.

"Shin, you seem to have some free time now. I couldn't say it earlier, but you did a great job. You saved Yo-han."

The homeroom teacher looked at me with pride.

"No, it was just luck."

"It might be a bit difficult for you to understand, but luck only comes to those who can recognize it. So, in the end, saving Yo-han was all thanks to your ability, Shin."

"Thank you for the compliment."

"Hey, I heard from another teacher that you want to be a doctor?"

"Yes, I want to be a great doctor."

"Of course you will. You'll be the best doctor in Korea, no, in the world."

The homeroom teacher's expectations for me felt awkward and unfamiliar.

In my past life, my homeroom teacher treated me like air, as if I didn't exist.

Of course, this doesn't mean the teacher was bad; it was just strange to see the situation change.

After reincarnation, my presence stood out everywhere.

- Shin, when you have a task to do, first take a spoonful of the belief that you can do it.

- But Shin, too much belief can make your heart rot. When that happens, take a spoonful of doubt. But after taking doubt, you might not want to do anything.

- Then, take another spoonful of the courage-giving belief. Two spoons of belief, one spoon of doubt. If you remember this formula, even without your father, you can live a strong life.

Perhaps because I was waiting like a guardian in a large hospital,

The words my father said before his OPCAB surgery came vividly to mind.

The magical formula my father taught me to sustain life.

Two spoons of belief, one spoon of doubt.

I don't know what the results of Kim Yo-han's examination will be, but I believe he will overcome it.

And I decided to teach him this magical formula.

* * *

"Hmm..."

The emergency physician frowned as he looked at the screen.

All the test results were in.

Kim Yo-han and his mother, the homeroom teacher, and I were gathered in front of the emergency physician again.

The silence from the emergency physician made the atmosphere around us tense.

"First, there are no abnormalities in the urine and blood tests. In the chest X-ray... there's a hairline fracture in the ribs."

"R... rib fracture?"

"Don't worry. It actually means the friend performed CPR well."

The emergency physician glanced at me with an approving look.

Chest compressions should be done with the intention of breaking a few of the patient's ribs.

Only then can you squeeze blood from the stopped heart and send it throughout the body.

"Let me continue."

The emergency physician spoke calmly.

"There are no abnormalities in the echocardiogram, either. I suspected a congenital malformation in the valves or septum due to the cardiac arrest, but that's not the case. There are no significant findings in the ECG, either."

"So, is Yo-han healthy?"

"Yes, the test results show no abnormalities. He should recover if he rests for a few days."

"Teacher, but if Yo-han is fine, why did he collapse?"

Just as everyone was sighing with relief, I boldly asked.

I sincerely hoped Kim Yo-han would be fine, but there were still unresolved issues.

A cardiac arrest in an elementary school student without a congenital heart defect?

It was too suspicious to just let it go.

"Well, even young children can experience temporary cardiac arrest if they are under excessive stress."

"Wow, really? That's great! He's healthy!"

I clapped my hands innocently and approached the emergency physician.

I wanted to see the test results with my own eyes before the situation was glossed over.

After all, as a former professor of thoracic surgery, I would be more accurate in interpreting the results than the emergency physician.

'Really, no abnormalities?'

I stood next to the emergency physician and tiptoed.

I thought there might be something the emergency physician missed, but I couldn't find anything particularly suspicious.

All the test results, including the echocardiogram, were normal.

The only thing left was the ECG record on the desk.

"Teacher, can I look at this?"

"Be careful and just look."

"Thank you."

I bowed and examined the ECG results.

At first glance, the ECG results seemed to be meaningless ups and downs, but they actually contained a lot of information.

From arrhythmias to heart muscle disorders and structural abnormalities.

The electrical rhythm of the heart is a secret message the heart sends to us.

'Ah...'

As I examined the ECG, my brow furrowed like a piece of paper.

The ST segment in the V1-V3 region was elevated, showing a pattern of right bundle branch block.

In other words, the heart rhythm was abnormal.

This rhythm pointed to only one condition.

Brugada syndrome.

Brugada syndrome, which causes the heart to contract irregularly, can lead to sudden cardiac death in patients.

Because the heart beats irregularly, it can sometimes stop.

'Is this guy incompetent?'

I glared at the emergency physician secretly.

Diagnosing Brugada syndrome is not difficult. In most cases, a detailed ECG can identify the disease.

Just like me.

If additional drug-induced ECGs were added, a perfect diagnosis would be possible.

If I hadn't checked the test results myself,

If Kim Yo-han had returned to his daily life without proper treatment,

He could have had another cardiac arrest at any time.

As I thought about this, I felt a chill and my anger towards the emergency physician grew.

'Wait, could it be a problem of the times?'

As I took deep breaths to regain my composure, a new perspective emerged.

The current year is 1992.

If my memory serves, Brugada syndrome was published in the field of cardiology in 1992.

From this perspective, it wasn't strange that the emergency physician didn't recognize Brugada syndrome.

A disease must be defined as a disease before it can be treated.

In other words, Kim Yo-han's Brugada syndrome onset was earlier than the naming of Brugada syndrome.

Suddenly, my hands and feet went cold, and my hair stood on end.

'But this is too much...'

The typical onset age for Brugada syndrome, as I know it, is between 20 and 40 years old.

Yet, Kim Yo-han, a mere elementary school student, had Brugada syndrome.

In other words, it was a special case.

It seemed most appropriate to conclude that the god of fate intended to kill Kim Yo-han from the beginning.

Was fate this cruel?

As I tried to calm my emotions, I returned the ECG results to the emergency physician.

"Teacher, do you know what Brugada syndrome is?"

"Huh? What kind of nonsense is this?"

"Ah... Never mind."

I waved my hand and backed away, shaking my head.

It was the moment when my hypothesis, which I had doubted, was proven correct.

The emergency physician wasn't incompetent; he simply didn't know about Brugada syndrome. The situation had taken an unexpectedly serious turn.

"Teacher, thank you."

"No, I didn't do much. Please take care of the child for a few days and make sure he doesn't overexert himself."

"..."

"Just in case, I'll prescribe a sublingual nitroglycerin. If there's an emergency like today, place it under the tongue and let it dissolve."

The consultation ended, and we left the emergency room with Kim Yo-han, his mother, and the homeroom teacher.

The three of them looked relieved and relaxed, but my expression was as gloomy as ever.

I had a premonition that a new obstacle had appeared.

I alone knew about a future heart disease that doctors didn't know about.