Chapter 84, Part 2: I Am an Intern (4)

"Hello, I am Lee Minjeum, who will be taking on the role of an intern in the cardiology department starting today."

I stood up from my seat and bowed slightly.

The past life is the past life, and the present life is the present life, isn't it?

Since I was an intern now, I needed to make a good impression on the residents. It wasn't embarrassing or shameful to show them respect.

"Nice to meet you. We'll only be working together for a month, but can we speak informally?"

"Of course, that's fine."

A first-year resident suggested speaking informally on our first meeting, and I readily agreed.

After a brief conversation, I finally had the chance to carefully observe the faces of the residents who had entered the on-call room.

The first person who caught my eye was naturally Kim Seulgi.

The intern who had handed over the duties had pointed her out as someone to watch.

Kim Seulgi had a square face and eyebrows as dark as charcoal, which made her look like a troublemaker even if it was just a preconception.

Another first-year resident, Oh Sehyung, had a faint presence.

Third-year resident Bae Taegon was like a refreshing rain after a drought.

We had met through the volunteer club for hospital attendants.

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

"Hello, senior. I didn't expect to see you on my first shift."

"Indeed, it seems we have a connection."

"Is she a junior you know well?"

Kim Seulgi butted into the conversation between Bae Taegon and me.

(Kim Seulgi and I were from different universities, while Oh Sehyung and I were from the same university but had no close relationship.)

"Of course, I know her well. She was the one who made our medical school lively from the moment she entered until she graduated. Isn't that right?"

"Hahaha, was I really that person?"

I scratched the back of my head with an embarrassed expression.

In any case, I felt relieved that Bae Taegon was a third-year resident in the cardiology department.

Even if Kim Seulgi was a troublemaker, with Bae Taegon around, she wouldn't treat me too badly.

The network I had built since medical school was indeed not in vain.

"Are you hungry? Should we order some food?"

"How did you know that?"

Kim Seulgi asked, her eyes wide open.

"Isn't it obvious? I'll order it myself."

"Seulgi and Sehyung, you're lucky. We have a sharp and perceptive intern."

"Indeed, the junior you noticed is different."

Bae Taegon's words made Kim Seulgi laugh and add a comment.

'This is more challenging than I thought. It won't be easy to deal with her.'

We had only exchanged a few words, but I already felt like I understood Kim Seulgi's true nature.

Weak to the strong and strong to the weak, a typical sycophant.

Without Bae Taegon, she might have been trying to control me.

Despite Bae Taegon's solid support, I had a foreboding that my life in the cardiology department wouldn't be smooth sailing.

"Two large pizzas, please."

"..."

"Thank you."

I ordered two large pizzas, looking at the flyer stuck on the refrigerator.

Ordering late-night snacks.

This was one of the surprisingly important tasks for an intern.

If the late-night snack menu was poor, you'd be criticized by the residents throughout the meal.

For example, during my thoracic surgery internship.

I ordered jajangmyeon and jjamppong and got scolded so badly that my face turned red.

An emergency surgery was scheduled during the meal.

When I returned to the on-call room after the surgery, the noodles had turned into a sticky mess.

The angry residents grilled me like jajangmyeon.

Thinking about that still gives me chills.

"Minjeum, do you like pizza?"

"No, I don't particularly like pizza."

"Then why did you order it?"

"It's a convenient food for seniors who might come in later. It doesn't smell much when it's cold, and it's easy to reheat."

I gave a clear answer to Bae Taegon's question.

Kim Seulgi clapped her hands in admiration.

"Hey, you already show the potential of a top intern. You have a great sense from the first day."

"Thank you. There's another intern. Should I bring them over?"

"Of course, you should."

I left the men's on-call room and moved to the women's on-call room on the opposite corridor.

Our university had a well-separated system for men's and women's on-call rooms.

Even at that time, some university hospitals still had mixed on-call rooms.

Knock, knock, knock.

I knocked and called Nam Chorong's name.

The door opened slightly, and Nam Chorong appeared.

"What's up?"

"The residents are having late-night snacks. You should come and show your face."

"Ugh, I'm getting nervous again."

"Don't worry too much. They're not monsters."

My joke made Nam Chorong cover her mouth and giggle, and she seemed a bit less tense.

I liked Nam Chorong because she was kind and considerate, but I was also worried about her because of those qualities.

The hospital is a battlefield.

What's important on a battlefield isn't goodness but the ability to survive, even if it means being ruthless and evil.

My struggles in my past life were partly due to my romanticized view of the hospital.

'I'll have to take care of her for a while.'

Seeing my past self in Nam Chorong, I decided to look after her.

If she could endure the tough times, she wouldn't have to feel as frustrated and defeated as I did in my past life.

She would be able to spread her wings.

"Let's go."

I led the way down the ward corridor.

* * *

The casual conversation with the residents over pizza.

I was surprisingly alert.

More so than when I received the handover from a senior intern.

Why?

To me, who had experienced a time loop, people were more important than work.

It was rare for social life to be difficult just because of the work itself.

The real reason social life was hard was due to the relationships with colleagues.

So, to have a smooth cardiology internship, I needed to maintain a good relationship with the residents.

- First-year resident Kim Seulgi is respected by senior residents and is known for her good work.

- First-year resident Oh Sehyung is quiet but has a clear sense of self.

- Third-year resident Bae Taegon is like a friendly older brother, but he is thorough when it comes to work.

And so on.

While conversing, I carefully analyzed the characteristics and dynamics of the residents.

In my past life, I couldn't have done this even if I had come back from the dead.

With this data, I could surely come up with good strategies when problems arose.

After the late-night snack session, the residents dispersed.

Except for Kim Seulgi, who was on duty, and me, who was on intern duty.

Maybe because it was our first meeting, Kim Seulgi didn't show her claws right away.

She didn't do the trashy things the intern who handed over the duties had warned me about.

She even gave me advice, like how to handle difficult situations and to ask for help if I needed it.

But I was already predicting when her mask would fall off.

"Doctor, can I go to the bathroom?"

"Sure, you don't need permission for that."

Kim Seulgi smiled and continued.

"But you need to keep your pager with you at all times. You never know when an emergency call might come."

"Yes, doctor."

I moved to the bathroom and took out my phone instead of the pager.

It was 10 PM.

If my mentor, Professor Yang Sunjae, who had returned as an associate professor in thoracic surgery, was awake, now would be a good time to lay the groundwork for new training.

"Yes, Professor. This is Minjeum. Is it okay to talk?"

-Yes, is it Minjeum? Calling on your first day as an intern... Is there a problem?

As expected, Yang Sunjae answered the phone before the second ring, immediately concerned about my well-being.

If there was someone I was grateful to after my parents, it would be Yang Sunjae.

"I don't have a problem, but I have a favor to ask, and I'm sorry for that."

-I'll do anything except asking for my liver.

"Professor, I heard you have a good relationship with Professor Kim Yong in the cardiology department..."

I started cautiously.

* * *

The second day of my cardiology internship began.

As expected, I hardly slept during my on-duty night.

Why were there so many patients who needed tests in the middle of the night?

Why was the pile of discharge orders so high?

It would have been fine if it was just a lot of work, but Kim Seulgi quickly showed her true colors.

She offloaded her work onto me.

But her methods were very cunning.

It wasn't just about offloading work; she made it seem like she was teaching me.

She made it look like the resident's work was the intern's work.

These two methods were sophisticated and malicious.

If I were my past self, I might not have even realized I was being taken advantage of.

I couldn't confront a senior on my first day, so I did as Kim Seulgi told me.

She probably didn't realize she was digging her own grave.

I'll take care of her within ten days, no matter what.

At 6 AM, when the intern routine started, I began my rounds with a nurse.

The nurse had to take the patients' blood pressure, and I had to perform ABGA (arterial blood gas analysis).

ABGA involves drawing blood from an artery, not a vein.

The target patients are those with respiratory symptoms, and the test checks for any abnormalities in lung function.

"Doctor, don't be too nervous. It's your first day, and it takes time to get used to drawing blood."

As we entered the first room, the nurse who was doing the rounds with me encouraged me.

ABGA is the test that interns dread the most at the beginning of their internship.

Sometimes the needle misses the artery or punctures it, causing swelling.

The problem is that if the blood draw fails, the number of attempts increases.

And patients often get angry at interns during this process.

It's natural for patients to dislike being repeatedly poked with a large needle.

"I appreciate your concern. I'll finish the rounds quickly."

I was grateful for the nurse's encouragement, but I wasn't in a position to need it.

In this life, I didn't have shaky hands, and my skills were top-notch.

ABGA was as easy for me as walking on flat ground.

Click!

The nurse turned on the light in the room, took the patients' blood pressure, and came back to me.

Her eyes still looked anxious.

"Doctor, you seem more nervous than I am?"

"It's just... The first patient I need to draw blood from is tough. Last time, they were poked five times, switching arms."

The nurse warned me in a tiny voice.

Her concerns quickly became reality.

"What? Draw blood again? No way. Just go."

A 60-year-old patient with chronic myocardial infarction refused the ABGA and made it clear he didn't want to be a guinea pig for a new doctor.

If I were my past self, I would have been flustered, but I didn't need to be now.

I just needed to succeed in one attempt.

I called the patient with a gentle voice.

"Sir."

"What?"

"I'll draw blood in one try. If I fail, you don't have to do it again."

"...Are you sure you're not lying?"

"Doctors get struck by lightning if they lie to patients."

My confident words made the patient reluctantly extend his arm.

The nurse, on the other hand, turned pale.

"Doctor, what if you can't keep your promise? If the blood draw fails, you'll get scolded by both the patient and the resident."

I smiled at the nurse's whispered concern.

Our roles were completely reversed.

Usually, the doctor should be nervous, and the nurse should be calm.

"Isn't it just a matter of not failing?"

I held the syringe confidently.