Chapter 59, Part 2: The Crossroads of Choice (4)

“I will stay in Korea.”

After the regression, I faced a choice that could completely alter my future, and I chose to remain in Korea.

Training in the United States.

Of course, it was tempting and attractive.

The working environment in U.S. hospitals was not like the revolving door for doctors in Korea.

There was ample time for self-development and medical research.

Moreover, skilled doctors were respected rather than restrained.

Not to mention, I had the economic means and English proficiency to support my life in the U.S.

Even Yang Sun-jae rolled up his sleeves and offered to help me.

So adapting to life in the U.S. wouldn't be entirely painful.

If the purpose of training was the top priority, then going to the U.S. was certainly the right choice.

But the U.S. option lacked something crucial.

Of course, treating foreign patients is not meaningless.

The time required to become a thoracic surgery resident in the U.S. is 12 years.

If I spent those 12 years in the U.S., I would miss out on 12 years of helping people.

People I missed in my previous life.

People I couldn't take care of.

People I had to send off with my own hands.

If the purpose of regression is to correct the mistakes and errors of my previous life, then the U.S. option would not benefit me.

During the period of medical school, internship, and residency, I would miss out on the relationships I wanted to mend.

“Xin, is there any room for reconsideration? Your decision seems firm, but I find your choice regrettable.”

“...”

“Righteousness and a sense of mission are indeed noble emotions. But there are things that cannot be overcome by these emotions alone.”

Yang Sun-jae said with a troubled expression.

I fully understood his regret.

I had also been an associate professor of thoracic surgery in Korea.

I could clearly see the hardships that lay ahead.

But I didn't want to avoid the path I needed to take.

I had been given the miraculous gift of regression, and if I used it well, I could overcome the trials to come.

It was true in the past, it is true now, and it will be true in the future.

I am no longer the clumsy person from my previous life, unable to manage those around me.

I even started my medical career with the skills of an associate professor.

“Thank you for your consideration, Professor. But I do not wish to change my decision.”

At my firm answer, Yang Sun-jae shook his head weakly.

He seemed to realize that I would not change my mind about staying in Korea.

“Sigh, if this is the will of heaven, then so be it. Fine. We'll consider the U.S. option null and I will train you myself.”

“Thank you, Professor.”

“However, since you are a genius, my training methods will not be easy. I will bring your knowledge of the lung and esophagus to a fellow level before graduation.”

Yang Sun-jae's words, spoken as a warning, were actually welcome to me.

That was exactly what I wanted.

* * *

After the personal interview, I went to the anatomy lab with Yang Sun-jae.

Before the formal training, he said he would personally give me an overview of the lungs and esophagus, which I would be dealing with.

As I entered the anatomy lab, I felt a rare excitement.

It felt like I was returning to the operating room after a long time.

The cold air and the smell of alcohol that filled my nostrils with each breath.

The scrubbing process, where I rubbed my fingers and palms with a Povidone-iodine solution.

Then, putting on the surgical cap, mask, gown, and gloves, it felt like the prelude to a real operation.

“Anatomy of cadavers usually starts in the first year of medical school. But you are special, so you will do some preliminary learning.”

“...”

“The cadaver we will practice on today was obtained for personal research from the department head, so you don't need to feel burdened.”

“Yes, thank you, Professor.”

“Then let's go in.”

Yang Sun-jae led the way, and I followed.

In the cool air, under bright lighting, and on a silver medical table, a cadaver lay.

As I approached the cadaver, which had been treated with formalin and covered with a white sheet, a sharp smell like mustard hit my nose.

It felt as if my nose, which had been blocked, suddenly opened up.

“Smell, isn't it intense?”

Yang Sun-jae checked my expression and chuckled.

“It's a wake-up call. My nose is clear now.”

“Kid, you seem surprisingly calm for someone seeing a cadaver for the first time?”

—I have seen countless real cadavers and made countless death pronouncements with my own hands.

...I barely held back from saying that.

“I am naturally a calm person.”

“Indeed, you didn't change your expression even during the orientation when a traffic accident happened. Maybe you are a natural prelude.”

“Professor, I have a question.”

“Go ahead.”

“What exactly do you mean by giving me an overview of the lungs and esophagus?”

I asked, bringing up a question I had been harboring.

Yang Sun-jae's training was thoroughly different from what I had expected from the start.

I never thought I would be in the anatomy lab on the first day, handling a cadaver...

“Books and papers can never teach you what I want to. Learning is always more effective when all five senses are engaged.”

“...”

“Today, you won't do anything with your hands. Just watch the cadaver and listen to my explanations.”

Rattle.

Yang Sun-jae pulled the dressing cart to the table and removed the white sheet covering the cadaver.

The cadaver was lying on its side.

A posterolateral thoracotomy had already been performed, with the skin and fascia of the side of the chest cut and some ribs removed.

It seemed that Yang Sun-jae was researching lung cancer surgery through thoracotomy.

‘After learning from Professor Yang, I will be able to perform lung surgery myself.’

I was already excited.

Lung cancer surgery, and even more advanced, lung transplantation, the pinnacle of lung and esophagus surgery.

If I could perform such high-difficulty surgeries, I could become a recognized master of thoracic surgery.

A realm I couldn't reach in my previous life.

The ability to handle a wider range of organs and improve my skills was a blessing in itself.

Now, let's enjoy the one-on-one fellowship training from Yang Sun-jae, a master of the lung and esophagus.

“Xin, you know this is the lung, right?”

Professor Yang pointed to the right lung of the cadaver with forceps.

“Yes, Professor.”

“The lungs are located in the thoracic cavity, surrounded by the ribs, and they send oxygen to the blood and expel carbon dioxide from the body. We'll talk about that later.”

“...”

“Understanding the greatness of the lungs is more important than textbook knowledge.”

Yang Sun-jae continued calmly.

“While there are no unimportant organs in the human body, the heart, brain, and lungs are especially significant. When someone dies, what expression do we commonly use?”

“They say the person's breath has stopped. Or that they have lost their life.”

I gave the answer Yang Sun-jae was looking for, understanding what he wanted to convey.

He smiled, satisfied.

“You only give me the answers I want to hear. You're not just a genius, are you?”

“...”

“Right, the organ directly related to life is the lung. If you can't handle the lungs, you will fail in surgery. And the cost is the patient's life.”

Yang Sun-jae delivered a heavy lesson from the start.

Lungs and life.

Lungs and failure.

He revealed a deep, humanistic reflection on the organs, not just a list of medical knowledge.

From just a few words, I understood why Yang Sun-jae was a respected prelude.

But at the same time, I had a question.

Why?

Why did I, in my previous life, not find Yang Sun-jae's clinical lectures particularly impressive...

When he could give such wonderful lessons.

Was there a problem with Yang Sun-jae when he gave the clinical lectures?

I had a question, but it was not something I could solve immediately.

So I decided to store the question in the back of my mind.

“Xin, do you know the size and weight of the lungs?”

Yang Sun-jae asked, looking at me.

“I know they are about 25 to 30 centimeters in length and weigh about 1 kilogram in total.”

“Ha, you're like a textbook. I still wish you would go to the U.S....”

Yang Sun-jae continued with a regretful tone.

“Then, let me ask you one more thing. Do you know how much air a person inhales and exhales in one minute?”

“I... don't know.”

“It's 6.8 liters. Enough to fill four 1.5-liter bottles of water and still have some left over.”

“...”

“If the lungs process 6.8 liters of air per minute, how much air do we breathe in a day, or even a lifetime?”

As I tried to calculate Yang Sun-jae's question in my head, I quickly hit an overload.

The amount was truly enormous.

As a thoracic surgery resident, I thought the heart was the most diligent organ in the human body.

The heart circulates 7,000 liters of blood a day and beats about 2.5 billion times in a lifetime.

But after hearing Yang Sun-jae, I realized the lungs were also a passionate worker, not inferior to the heart.

“This time, you seem a bit surprised.”

Yang Sun-jae laughed, finding my reaction amusing.

“Yes, I didn't know the lungs were so diligent.”

“Most people think that. But if you look closely, the lungs are not inferior to the heart.”

“...”

“At this point, I believe you can fully understand why pneumonia, lung cancer, and other respiratory diseases are so frightening.”

He continued his explanation.

Yang Sun-jae informed me that the right lung is slightly larger and heavier than the left lung.

He explained this from an evolutionary biology perspective.

The left lung is smaller due to the space constraints caused by the heart.

As I listened to Yang Sun-jae's first lesson, I was in awe.

His lessons were not just rote memorization.

They were tangible information, such as the amount of air inhaled per minute, the greatness and importance of the lungs.

He approached the lungs from a humanistic perspective, using the word "life."

He explained the size difference between the left and right lungs from an evolutionary biology perspective.

He used the cadaver to vividly show the lungs and stimulate the senses.

Yang Sun-jae's education was a comprehensive training that covered all aspects.

His lessons had the power to make anyone want to specialize in the lung and esophagus.

‘Indeed, my choice was right.’

At this point, I felt confident that my decision to stay in Korea was the right one.

I was not sure, but would there be a teacher in the U.S. who could teach in the same way as Yang Sun-jae?

I didn't think so.

After 90 minutes of class, I was burning with a desire to learn, having absorbed Yang Sun-jae's teachings like a sponge.

I wanted to absorb all of Yang Sun-jae's knowledge and experience to become a versatile thoracic surgeon, covering not only the heart but also the lungs and esophagus.

My dream, after regression, was growing bigger and bigger.