Chapter 61, Section 3: We Must Stop It (1)

"Hey! Did you take your meds? Spending this golden time in the library? Oh, my god!"

This was what Shin Cheol-woo said to me, almost scolding, after our major class ended.

Before that, I had said I would study at the library after class.

"Being a doctor is one of the few jobs where you can actually help others. Why are you looking down on it?"

I replied with a playful tone.

The two years of pre-med were a time to compensate for the grueling college entrance exam period.

It was the only time I could breathe before entering the medical school.

I, who had been a cardiothoracic surgeon in my previous life, couldn't have been unaware of this.

However, I, who had returned, had a grand dream different from my peers.

I wanted to become a better cardiothoracic surgeon than before, and I had a burning desire to save the patients who had slipped away from my hands in my previous life.

So, I even used the embarrassing word "genius" to ask Yang Soon-jae to teach me the lung and esophagus sections.

Yesterday, I received Yang Soon-jae's permission, and the serious training began, so I couldn't help but study hard.

"No matter how I think about it, it's overkill... What do you guys think?"

Shin Cheol-woo asked for opinions from Nam Chorong and Kwon Ah-reum, who were sitting nearby.

"If it's something you want to do, isn't it right to do it?"

"But... don't you think a person should also have some leisure time? Studying so much already..."

Nam Chorong was on my side, and Kwon Ah-reum was on Shin Cheol-woo's side.

The two of them had completely different personalities, unlike Shin Cheol-woo and me.

It seems people aren't just drawn to what they're familiar with.

"I'm not saying I'll study non-stop from now until I enter the medical school. I can study and then hang out and have fun with you guys in the remaining time."

After explaining the special(?) relationship between Professor Yang Soon-jae and me, I bid farewell to the three of them.

I found the library's internet room and checked my email. There was a fresh email from Professor Yang Soon-jae, sent this morning.

"Wow, are you trying to bury me alive?"

I whistled when I saw the amount of papers and materials in the email.

The volume was truly enormous.

Even I, who had returned, would have to study non-stop for 3 to 4 days.

A single sentence in the email was as chilling as a horror movie.

But, strictly speaking, this was my karma.

To Yang Soon-jae, I was a genius medical student with the knowledge of a specialist.

If the amount of homework given to a normal person and a genius were the same, that would be even stranger.

Whirr.

Whirr.

After printing out the papers and materials, I immediately found a seat in the second-floor reading room.

Scratch.

So, I started studying by copying the content I needed to learn into my notebook.

The cardiothoracic surgery fellowship program is divided into two main parts.

One is the cardiac section, which we are familiar with.

The other is the lung and esophagus section, or the general thoracic field, which I started studying.

The surgeries and treatments in the general thoracic field include:

Lung cancer and lung transplant surgeries.

Esophageal cancer and hyperhidrosis surgeries.

Thoracic trauma and mediastinal disease treatments, thoracic wall tumor surgeries, etc.

The reason I, who was originally a cardiac specialist, am interested in the general thoracic field is only one.

It's due to the unique manpower shortage in cardiothoracic surgery.

The number of cardiothoracic surgeons decreases over time.

The work is tough, the pay is low, and every day feels like walking on thin ice, filled with danger and tension.

In my previous life, I often encountered cases where patients died due to a lack of manpower in the general thoracic field.

To prevent this, I had no choice but to take on the general thoracic field myself.

Why?

As I mentioned earlier, finding a cardiothoracic surgeon is as hard as picking stars from the sky.

In simple terms, it's like using your gums when you have no teeth.

Although I felt a bit sad about having to go to such lengths, unfortunately, there was no other way.

Even if I had returned, there was no easy solution.

This fact wouldn't change even if I trained in the U.S. and returned to Korea.

While many medical dramas in the distant future will depict the arduous fate and value of cardiothoracic surgeons, that won't increase the number of applicants.

Medical students are well aware of the gap between drama and reality.

'There's no other way but to change the entire ecosystem of the medical field.'

I stopped writing, lost in thought for a moment.

The reason I joined the Simbongsa club and tried to befriend An Tae-hwan was actually related to this.

An Tae-hwan.

He started as a doctor and later became a seasoned politician.

He even ran for president, defying everyone's expectations.

What if I built a network with such a person?

Wouldn't it be a great help in uprooting and reforming the corrupt medical field?

I wanted to use An Tae-hwan as a bridge to reform the medical field as well.

What's the point of cutting weeds day after day?

You need to uproot them and plant new crops.

'Well, it's not the right time now.'

I pushed away the distracting thoughts and focused on studying the papers Yang Soon-jae had sent.

There was no need to worry about the distant future now.

If I do what I can and what I must do now, opportunities will surely come.

Scratch. Scratch.

As my mind became calm, the sound of the pencil writing the notes also became cool.

* * *

"I'm back."

The time I entered the house was as late as 11 PM.

I had lost track of time while doing the appropriate level of study.

It seemed that Sarang was already asleep because it was so late.

Only my mother and father came to the entrance to greet me.

"Big son, you're late today."

"Did you have a drink with your friends?"

"Ah, yes. It's the beginning of the semester, so there was club activity as well."

I deliberately hid the fact that I had studied hard.

If I told the truth, my parents would worry that I was overworking myself.

"Is everything okay with you two?"

"It's... okay."

Father's meaningful words made me slightly tense.

When he said "it's okay," it usually didn't mean something good.

"Are you sick?"

"It's not that. I just played a little joke. Actually... a new book was published today."

Father went into the bedroom, saying he would be right back, and came out with a book in his hand.

It was the novel he had been working on for years, a fictionalized version of our family's story, finally released to the world.

"Congratulations, Father. You've worked hard."

I took the book from my father and examined it.

The cover was a pastel landscape, and there were recommendations from well-known authors.

"Your father was smiling all day. Although it's the first day of publication, the sales seem to be doing well."

"Well, we'll have to wait and see."

"I'll read it by tomorrow and write a book report."

"Ha, no need for a book report."

Father chuckled at my joke.

Since Sarang was sleeping, my parents and I moved to the living room to continue our conversation.

We often talked, but we still had a lot to say to each other.

My parents were curious about my medical school life, and I asked about their day.

What they ate for dinner.

Who they met.

What emotions they felt in certain events, and so on.

Being curious about the trivial details of each other's lives.

Isn't that what love is?

In that sense, our family loved each other.

Even though I had returned, I was still a child in front of my parents.

I also shared stories with my parents that I didn't share with my friends.

"It's late. Go to bed. We'll go on a trip and have a meal this Sunday, so keep the time free."

"Have a good dream, big son."

"Yes, you two also have a good night."

After finishing the conversation with my parents, I washed up and went to my room.

I leaned against the bed and opened my father's novel.

I opened it just to get a taste, but before I knew it, I had reached the last page.

Surprisingly, the protagonist in the novel was me.

The plot seemed to be a direct reflection of my experiences.

It was about a middle-aged man who travels back in time to prevent his family's misfortune.

Of course, my father couldn't have known about my return, but it was astonishing that his imagination had reached me.

Did my father have some kind of supernatural power?

Reading the words in the author's afterword, I even felt a chill.

It felt like my father had seen through me, who had returned.

Happiness becomes a memory, and misfortune becomes an experience...

I pondered my father's afterword and fell into deep thought.

It seemed that the assignment from Professor Yang Soon-jae to submit a motto was solved in one go.

* * *

On Saturday morning, the entrance of Shinwon University was deserted.

There were no classes, so it was as hard to see students as picking stars from the sky.

It was a season between winter and spring.

I stood at the entrance, facing the chilly morning breeze.

White mist came out with each breath.

Today was the first day of club activities since I joined the Simbongsa club.

The destination was an elderly welfare center 20 minutes from the school.

The schedule for today was to volunteer for half a day at the elderly welfare center.

"You're here early, Im Jeong-min?"

The next person to arrive was unexpectedly An Tae-hwan.

A first-year medical student and the club president.

A doctor who would become a politician in the distant future.

A person who was unaware of the impending misfortune.

"I feel strangely anxious if I don't arrive 10 to 20 minutes early to a meeting place."

"Me too. I hate being late for appointments."

We laughed at finding a similarity between us.

"Senior, I have a question."

"What is it?"

"You seem like someone who likes active things. Why did you join a volunteer club?"

If I were to introduce An Tae-hwan in a language that would be popular in the future, he would be a so-called "social butterfly."

A volunteer club seemed like an ill-fitting outfit for him.

"It's all experience. Since we're born, we should try everything, right?"

"..."

"Besides, I'm not just in the volunteer club. I'm also in the soccer club and the performance club."

"Can you handle all of that? Even with medical school..."

"The activities will naturally decrease, but I'll manage all three. If you set your mind to it, you can do it."

As I had heard in my previous life, An Tae-hwan was an energetic person.

He would build connections through his natural activity and eventually get involved in politics.

So, if I built a connection with An Tae-hwan, I could also use his network.

I continued the conversation with An Tae-hwan.

Since we arrived 20 minutes early, it was a good atmosphere for private talk.

"By the way, what's your family like, senior?"

In the middle of casual conversation, I asked a core question.

It might seem like a trivial question, but to me, who knew An Tae-hwan's future, this was the most important question.

The problem I had to solve this time was not An Tae-hwan but his younger sister.

If my memory serves me right.

An Tae-hwan's younger sister will die this month.