Chapter 53, Part 1: The Birth of a Club President (3)

On the first day of school, the first class was Medical Terminology.

Medical Terminology was a course I personally considered the most important in the pre-med curriculum.

This is because while learning the usage of medical terms, which differ from general English, one can also acquire a certain level of anatomical knowledge.

Of course, for me, a thoracic surgeon who has regressed, it might not have much significance.

"Is the Black Knight here?"

As I entered the classroom, Shin Cheol-woo called out my nickname in a fairly loud voice.

The word "Black Knight" echoed through the classroom, and most of the students burst into laughter.

My face turning red was an added bonus.

"Hey, how long are you going to keep calling me the Black Knight? The Black Knight died yesterday."

"The Black Knight may be dead, but the brave spirit of the Black Knight will live on forever. I believe that."

"Are you going to spout nonsense from morning? If you keep this up, I'll make sure you can't even find your bones."

While bickering with Shin Cheol-woo, I made eye contact with a female student.

She covered her mouth with her hand and quickly averted her gaze.

I couldn't help but understand the meaning of her action.

'Maybe it's for the best...'

At that point, I was approaching the nickname "Black Knight" from a new perspective.

Top of the class.

A student who, for some reason, skillfully handled the traffic accident that occurred during orientation.

Just looking at these aspects, I was a person that my peers found hard to approach easily.

Being different can make one feel both impressive and repulsive at the same time.

However, the ridiculous nickname "Black Knight" was a very useful tool for making my peers feel more familiar with me.

After all, the students who made eye contact with me were all infected with laughter.

This nickname might serve as a lubricant between me and my peers.

"Would someone who was top of the class take revenge on a trivial person like me? No way."

"You're the one who's top of the class, aren't you?"

"To survive medical school, you have to be good at something."

While exchanging meaningless banter with Shin Cheol-woo, Nam Chorong and Kwon Ah-reum entered the classroom.

In my previous life, Nam Chorong would have probably been in the morgue around this time.

The current Nam Chorong was in a place I could hardly imagine.

Seeing Nam Chorong, who had escaped a futile death and was radiating the vitality of youth, I was convinced that I had made the right decision again.

A death I could only watch helplessly.

A death that unfolded so helplessly it was chilling.

A death that I couldn't reverse despite my efforts.

In this life, I will definitely overcome all the deaths that hurt me in my previous life.

I firmly believed that this was the real reason I had regressed.

"Faith, hello."

"Good morning."

When Nam Chorong waved and greeted me, I responded in the same way.

"How are you feeling?"

"See for yourself, I'm full of energy."

Nam Chorong smiled strangely at my answer.

When I asked out of curiosity, she replied:

"The word 'full of energy.' It's a word my father often uses. I didn't expect to hear it from you."

"R... Really?"

"Anyway, it's good to see you looking healthy. Listen to the lecture and do your best."

As I watched Nam Chorong and Kwon Ah-reum move to the front of the classroom and take their seats, I sensed a chilling presence.

It turned out that Lee Min-ho and his gang were glancing at me with a sinister look, like hyenas eyeing their prey.

A hostile relationship that didn't exist in my previous life.

However, I wasn't afraid of Lee Min-ho and his gang.

No matter how solid their background, Lee Min-ho was ultimately just a kid. He couldn't match someone who had experienced both life and regression.

* * *

The curtain rose on the Medical Terminology class.

On the first day, it was common for lectures to not progress much, but the Medical Terminology class was different.

Professor Kim Mi-suk spent about 20 minutes introducing herself and the course, then immediately started the lecture.

Even if the students sent regretful glances, it was of no use.

The quick-witted students would have grasped the situation by now.

That getting a good grade in the Medical Terminology course would not be easy.

To me, a former thoracic surgeon, Medical Terminology was at the level of addition and subtraction in math, but it was still interesting to listen to.

Because there was a unique charm in Medical Terminology that differed from general English.

The liver is called "liver" in English.

But in Medical Terminology, the liver is denoted as "hepat."

This is because Medical Terminology primarily uses English derived from Greek or Latin.

Another interesting aspect of Medical Terminology is that various combinations are possible with prefixes and suffixes.

For example, "hepat" means liver, and "itis" means inflammation, so "hepatitis" means liver inflammation.

If you add "oma," which means tumor, after "hepat," it becomes "hepatoma," meaning liver cancer (the "t" before "oma" indicates the nature of the tumor).

Thanks to this characteristic, if you memorize prefixes, suffixes, and roots, you can understand the meaning of new Medical Terminology terms to some extent.

That's why Medical Terminology was my favorite subject in my previous life.

After the Medical Terminology class ended, I had lunch with Shin Cheol-woo in the cafeteria and moved to the Plum Hall.

"You heartless person, where are you going without me?"

"I'll tell you when I'm done. Try to appreciate my value while I'm gone."

As I joked and quickened my pace, I headed to Professor Yang Sun-jae's research lab.

Today's main event was the aptitude test conducted by Professor Yang Sun-jae.

Of course, I didn't feel the slightest bit of tension, anxiety, or nervousness.

Unlike the other freshmen, I was essentially a fully-fledged doctor.

I had obtained a thoracic surgery specialist certification and completed a two-year fellowship in the heart part.

I had climbed to the position of associate professor after accumulating numerous clinical experiences.

I had even achieved the feat of completing a new surgical method despite a painful betrayal.

So, I was just a medical student in name, but in essence, I was already a seasoned thoracic surgeon.

I was prepared to easily handle whatever questions Professor Yang Sun-jae might throw at me.

I would pre-study the topics that would be covered in the lung and esophagus fellowship program in the pre-med curriculum.

Thus, I would become a thoracic surgeon who could handle not only the heart but also the lungs perfectly, unlike in my previous life.

This was my ambitious goal.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

When I knocked on the research lab door, a voice told me to come in.

Professor Yang Sun-jae was sitting at his desk, working.

"You're here. Sit on the sofa over there."

"Yes, Professor."

I sat on the sofa, and Yang Sun-jae sat opposite me.

We exchanged glances as if we were sizing each other up.

Yang Sun-jae was the first to speak.

"You said at the orientation that you wanted to pre-study the lung and esophagus part of thoracic surgery."

"Yes, Professor."

"You know that it's part of the thoracic surgery fellowship program, right?"

Yang Sun-jae asked as if he was confirming a fact he had already asked about.

"Yes, I know it's a subject that is studied in detail after passing the medical licensing exam, completing an internship, and finishing the four-year thoracic surgery residency program."

"Hmm... You know all this, yet you made such a request? Is it reasonable for a mere medical student to want to learn what you should only study 11 years from now?"

Yang Sun-jae's voice was filled with intense doubt.

From his perspective, it was natural to feel absurd and ridiculous.

But now, I no longer needed to hide my medical skills.

Why?

Because I was now a proper medical student.

"Professor, you might think my actions are utterly ridiculous."

"You know it well."

"But I have a different talent. I believe I can do things that others cannot."

I stated my opinion confidently.

Now that I had come this far, I couldn't back down.

"Hmm... There's no point in arguing verbally. Let's get straight to the test. Are you ready?"

"Yes, Professor."

"The time limit is 40 minutes. If you get half of the questions right, I'll recognize your ability and teach you what you want."

Yang Sun-jae placed a prepared printout on the desk.

I picked up a pen and began to carefully examine the questions.

There were 30 questions in total, with subjective and objective questions mixed equally.

Additionally, the questions were a mix of medical licensing exam questions and thoracic surgery specialist exam questions.

I started by solving the objective questions and then moved on to the subjective ones.

Explaining diseases that can be treated with surgery in writing was as easy as eating cold porridge.

I quickly marked the answers until I encountered the last question, which required a long explanation.

At that moment, I realized that Yang Sun-jae had given this question to test the limits of my abilities.

So, I had to pay extra attention.

I started with relatively simple contraindications.

Pulmonary hypertension with heart failure.

Severe left ventricular dysfunction with an ejection fraction of less than 0.2.

Additionally, when there is stenosis of the left main coronary artery, stable angina, unstable angina, acute myocardial infarction, and angina after acute myocardial infarction.

I listed five situations where surgery is possible.

To cap it off, I added that the patient's age is not a contraindication for coronary artery bypass surgery.

After all, there is a case of a 91-year-old patient successfully undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery.

"Here it is, Professor."

I confidently handed the test paper to Yang Sun-jae after solving all the questions in 20 minutes.

At the moment I handed in the test paper, I knew I had a perfect score.

"Faith, you didn't just guess, did you? You solved the questions too quickly."

Yang Sun-jae's gaze towards me was filled with doubt.

A first-year medical student solving medical licensing exam questions and thoracic surgery specialist exam questions in 20 minutes?

And with subjective questions mixed in?

It was an impossible feat by any standard, so his reaction was natural.

"You'll see."

"Alright. We'll see."

As Yang Sun-jae scanned the test paper, his expression gradually changed.

From doubt to surprise, and from surprise to shock.

He blinked in disbelief even after thoroughly checking the test paper.

"Wow... I feel like I'm dreaming. How is this possible...?"

"..."

"All the objective questions are correct, and there's nothing to criticize in the subjective questions. Your medical knowledge is already at the level of a specialist."

"Is it clear now why I wanted to pre-study the lung and esophagus part?"

As I watched Yang Sun-jae's reaction, I smiled contentedly.

Now that I had proven my abilities, all that was left was to receive his teachings.

"Right. With this, you are more than qualified to study the lung and esophagus part. I'm still in shock, though..."

Yang Sun-jae nodded in amazement.

Since I had proven my skills and knowledge through the test results, he seemed to accept me willingly.

"Now that I know your level and intentions... Is there a specific reason you chose thoracic surgery?"

"..."

"Thoracic surgery is a very challenging field, contrary to what I imagined and expected. It's a difficult field with a lot of hard work, and few people apply, so doctors tend to avoid it."

Yang Sun-jae's point was entirely valid.

Thoracic surgery was a recognized living hell.

In the distant future, there was even a record of no applicants for thoracic surgery at university hospitals for several years.

But my resolve remained unshaken, both in the past and now.

The patients I couldn't save in my previous life were calling me, and I couldn't ignore their call.

"Are you sure you won't regret choosing thoracic surgery?"

"Yes."

I answered briefly.

A short answer was more definitive than giving a myriad of reasons.

"Alright. If that's the case, I'll teach you the lung and esophagus part as you wish. It's not a difficult task and will be rewarding for me. However..."

"However...?"

"I think it's better to do it this way."

After a pause, Yang Sun-jae continued.

"Faith, you should go to the United States."