Chapter 25

Chapter 4, Part 5 of Episode 25

The last homework

In the middle of a Korean class in the afternoon.

Warm and drowsy sunlight poured through the window.

The snow that had accumulated on the playground melted away, leaving no trace, thanks to the mild weather.

My eyes, which had been stealing glances out the window, shifted direction and settled on Kim Jiwon.

In this life, I have known Kim Jiwon since kindergarten.

But in my previous life, I had no connection with Kim Jiwon at all.

To my previous self, Kim Jiwon was a shining child.

She was a dazzling presence that I dared not approach.

She was pretty, outgoing, and both students and teachers liked her.

I remember liking Kim Jiwon too.

However, when I look back on my previous life, strangely, I don't have many memories of Kim Jiwon.

The only thing I remember.

It was the fact that she would transfer to another school around the end of 6th grade.

Naturally, I didn't know the reason for her transfer.

Not only me, but other children didn't know either; the teacher vaguely mentioned that it was due to family matters.

If the reason was for education or moving to a better house, there would be nothing I could do to stop it.

But if it wasn't, I wanted to stop it.

After knowing her for 8 years since kindergarten, I guess you could say I had developed both fond and unfond feelings for her.

Ding dong dong~.

While I was lost in these thoughts, the bell signaling the end of class rang.

"Jin, do you want to come over to my house today? My parents bought a game console a few days ago."

Kim Jiwon said proudly.

I had already heard this story from Kim Jiwon's brother on the way to school today.

"Wow, you really have a game console at home?"

The troublemaker, who sat in front of me, turned around lightning-fast and asked.

"Yeah. A Samsung Game Boy."

"Jealous. Hey, Itchy. Are you going to take me with you?"

"Why don't you ask Jin instead of me?"

"If I say I want to go, you'll say no. So I have to persuade Jin. You'll do whatever Jin says, right?"

"Not necessarily."

"Of course you'll say that."

I watched the two of them bicker as usual and then told Kim Jiwon that I would go to her house.

I was tired of studying English speaking and listening.

I thought it would be good to take a break from the routine.

Studying all the time without playing makes one a fool.

This saying had become popular, and my previous self was exactly like that.

I was too rigid and inflexible because I didn't know how to play.

"Can Yohan come too?"

"Yohan? Sure."

Since Kim Jiwon readily agreed, I approached Kim Yohan, who was sitting in the back.

Kim Yohan, who had recently had a face-lift, was drawing and chatting with his friends.

He looked bright, cheerful, and healthy.

He was the exact image of the kind of child I wanted to see.

Every time I saw Kim Yohan, I felt a sense of pride. I was a doctor, and I could save people.

"Yohan, do you want to go to Jiwon's house to play the Game Boy after class?"

"Game... Game Boy?"

Kim Yohan's eyes widened.

At that time, not many children had game consoles at home, so his reaction was natural.

A game console cost about 120,000 won, and each cartridge cost between 20,000 and 50,000 won.

"Of course, we're going."

"I knew it. Let's go with me and the troublemaker."

"Thanks."

Returning to my seat, I rolled a pencil in one hand. Today, I found the time at school particularly boring.

* * *

After class, I went to Kim Jiwon's house with the troublemaker and Kim Yohan.

"Wow, your house is really nice."

"Really cool and fancy."

As we passed through the garden and entered the front door of the detached house, the troublemaker and Kim Yohan opened their mouths in amazement.

I had been to Kim Jiwon's house a few times, so I had no reason to be impressed.

I had already visited her grandmother's old house.

"I'm back. Mom, I came with my friends."

"Sure, come on in."

Kim Jiwon's mother greeted us at the front door.

Kim Jiwon's mother exuded an elegant and refined aura.

The dress she wore was so fancy that it seemed too much for home, and the earrings and necklace she wore sparkled with gold.

"Jin, it's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Yes, hello, Auntie."

"I heard you saved a classmate recently. You did a great job while I was away."

"No, it was just luck..."

"Being lucky is also admirable. Anyway, come over often. Actually, the game console was for you..."

"Mom!"

Kim Jiwon shouted.

"Hehehe. Our daughter, there's no need to get so upset. I understand everything. Play nicely in the living room. I'll prepare some snacks."

Kim Jiwon's mother left, and the three of us enjoyed the Game Boy in the living room.

The troublemaker and Kim Yohan particularly enjoyed the game.

The troublemaker had once begged his parents for a game console and got a severe scolding.

Kim Yohan, due to his family's financial situation, could only dream of having a game console.

"Jin, is the game fun?"

While playing the game, Kim Jiwon often asked me this.

It seemed she really wanted to play with me, as her mother had said.

In this reincarnation, I was receiving excessive love from various people.

-You cannot receive love if you have never given it, and you cannot give love if you have never received it.

A quote I once read in a book flashed through my mind.

According to this, the reason I was receiving so much love was that I had brought happiness to the people around me with the knowledge I gained from my reincarnation.

How far can I embrace my life and the people around me in the future?

I wondered where my limits were.

"It's actually quite fun."

"It doesn't look very fun to me."

"I'm not the type to show excitement openly."

"That's true. Anyway, I'm glad you're enjoying it."

Kim Jiwon smiled sweetly.

While enjoying the game and eating the fruit snacks Kim Jiwon's mother had prepared, Kim Jiwon's brother, Kim Jiyoung, came home from school.

My eyes narrowed as I looked at Kim Jiyoung.

Why did I get an ominous feeling every time I saw him?

"Jiyoung, is everything okay?"

"Brother, you're home?"

Kim Jiwon and her mother went to the front door to greet him.

The troublemaker, Kim Yohan, and I also greeted Kim Jiyoung as he entered the house.

"Yes, everything's fine. Have fun playing."

Kim Jiyoung changed into casual clothes and left the house again.

It seemed he was going to exercise.

"Jiwon."

I asked Kim Jiwon, who had returned to her seat. I had something I wanted to confirm.

"Why?"

"Is your brother Jiyoung healthy? Does he have any health issues? Like shortness of breath or chest pain?"

"Our brother is healthy. He's never been to the hospital. Why do you ask?"

"No reason. Just asking."

I brushed it off.

I had asked out of concern, a habit from my previous job as a thoracic surgeon.

Kim Jiyoung's physique and build were perfect for developing a pneumothorax.

If Kim Jiyoung had a pneumothorax or was at risk, intense exercise would not be a good choice.

The pressure difference in the lungs caused by exercise could lead to pleural damage.

According to a paper I read in my previous life, the risk of pneumothorax increases with greater temperature changes, like in the past few days.

I tried to shake off the feeling that something bad was about to happen to Kim Jiyoung.

* * *

Why do happy premonitions never come true?

Why do ominous and sad premonitions always come true?

Bang!

Kim Jiyoung, who had just finished exercising, suddenly collapsed at the front door.

Today, I finally experienced firsthand what it feels like to have my hair stand on end.

My heart sensed the crisis, and my mouth went dry.

"Brother!"

"Jiyoung!"

Kim Jiwon, who had been watching the game, and her mother, who had been sewing, rushed out like bullets.

The troublemaker, Kim Yohan, and I followed behind.

"My chest... it hurts so much. I can't even breathe..."

Kim Jiyoung, clutching his right chest with one hand, writhed in pain.

It was clear that the situation was serious.

"Can you stand? Let's go to the hospital quickly."

Kim Jiyoung shook his head weakly at his mother's urging, seemingly lacking the strength to stand.

"Auntie, please call 119 first."

"Okay, that's a good idea."

At my suggestion, Kim Jiwon's mother picked up the home phone in the living room.

Kim Jiwon, tears welling in her eyes, stood by Kim Jiyoung, and the troublemaker and Kim Yohan were at a loss, stomping their feet.

Amid the chaos, I was the only one who maintained my composure.

'As expected...'

Based on the symptoms and the circumstances, it seemed Kim Jiyoung had a pneumothorax.

The problem was that there are different types of pneumothorax.

Pneumothorax can be classified as spontaneous, traumatic, or tension, and the treatment methods vary slightly depending on the type.

"Brother, are you okay?"

To make an accurate diagnosis, I approached Kim Jiyoung.

If I had a stethoscope, I wouldn't have to struggle, but there was no way a stethoscope would be in a home.

I had to make do without it...

Examining Kim Jiyoung's chest, it seemed intact.

I could rule out traumatic pneumothorax or cardiac tamponade.

Feeling his carotid artery, his pulse was very weak.

Kim Jiyoung's face was turning blue, and his labored breathing was gradually fading.

His condition was becoming critical by the second.

"Brother, brother. Stay with us!"

Shaking his shoulder, I got no response from Kim Jiyoung.

He had fainted.

I was frustrated that I was not a doctor and was trapped in the body of a grade school student.

"Jin, can't you press his chest like you did to me?"

Kim Yohan, who had been silent, spoke up.

I firmly said no.

It was a foolish act to perform chest compressions on someone who had collapsed without checking their consciousness.

Chest compressions are only necessary when the heart has stopped beating.

If you perform chest compressions on someone whose heart is still beating, what would happen?

'Given the severity of his symptoms, it seems like a tension pneumothorax...'

I regained my composure and assessed the situation.

Tension pneumothorax is the most severe type of pneumothorax.

It occurs when air gets trapped in the pleural space, causing the lung to collapse.

If Kim Jiyoung had a tension pneumothorax, even if the ambulance arrived, they wouldn't be able to save him.

His lungs would already be collapsed by the time they arrived.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

I could hear the urgent ticking of a clock in my head.

The sound of Kim Jiyoung's life fading, urging me to act quickly.

'If he's unconscious and has fainted, it must be a tension pneumothorax...'

I trembled with anxiety.

If I were a doctor and in a hospital, I could easily save Kim Jiyoung.

I could perform a thoracostomy to release the trapped air in the pleural space.

But I was a grade school student, and this was a home.

There were Kim Jiwon's family and friends around.

The situation was too precarious to attempt anything.

-So are you just going to watch him die? You're a thoracic surgeon, not just a grade school student. You have to do something. Was the doctor you wanted to be the type to give up on patients?

My inner self harshly reprimanded me.

Regaining my senses, I moved to Kim Jiwon's room and grabbed a pen.

I removed the pen's contents and used all my strength to break it in half.

Snap.

Feeling the broken pen tip with my fingers, it was incredibly sharp.

'I have to do this right...'

I knew the emergency treatment for a tension pneumothorax.

Puncture the second intercostal space along the midclavicular line with a sharp object.

This allows the trapped air to escape, reducing the pressure on the lung.

The problem was whether anyone would let me do this.

Of course, they wouldn't.

Who would think a grade school student was in their right mind to stab someone's chest with a pen?

But I pushed those concerns aside for now.

First, I had to save the person.

'There's no time to hesitate. I have to do this quickly and decisively.'

With my resolve set, I approached Kim Jiyoung.

I had to successfully perform the thoracostomy with the pen.

At the same time, I had to do it without being noticed by the people around me.

I had two difficult tasks to accomplish.