Chapter 90, Part 3: Troublemaker (5)

"Hey, would you rather be charged with assault or stop drinking?"

Lee Minjeum's words echoed through the quiet corridor.

She never expected to be threatened by an intern.

Yang Soyeon did not miss the fear and anxiety that rose on Cho Heetae's face.

'Wow, this teacher is something else.'

Cho Heetae was surprised, but Yang Soyeon was also quite taken aback.

An intern who had only been on the job for two days.

An intern who looked like a rookie and seemed to avoid conflict.

He had managed to subdue the worst patient's family member in the internal medicine ward in one go.

What was even more astonishing was the method he used to subdue the family member.

Lee Minjeum had recorded the conversation and acted as if the family member had pushed him.

He came up with an unimaginable way to entangle the family member in an assault charge.

Yang Soyeon wanted to see inside Lee Minjeum's head, wondering how he could come up with such an idea on the spot.

"Teacher, let's settle this amicably."

Cho Heetae began to bow and use polite language.

This was the first time he had taken such a stance, despite always treating nurses poorly.

When the talk of a lawsuit came up, he immediately cowered.

Damn, what a despicable person...

"It's because I have alcohol addiction, so I couldn't help it. Please forgive me, young man."

"That depends on what I see from the family member. If there's any trouble in the ward again... then we'll meet at the police station."

"If I drink again, I'll be a dog, not a human."

"Apologize to the nurse before you leave."

At Lee Minjeum's firm command, Cho Heetae scratched the back of his head.

"Nurse teacher, I'm sorry. I treated you too casually, thinking of you like my daughter, and I was rude."

"..."

"I'll make sure this doesn't happen again."

Watching Cho Heetae bow, Yang Soyeon felt a sense of satisfaction.

She never thought she would see his stiff neck bend.

"Since I'm doing this for the doctor here, behave yourself while he's around. Got it?"

"Of course, I will."

As the family member returned to the ward, a rare peace settled over the station.

Yang Soyeon felt a decade's worth of pent-up frustration wash away.

Cho Heetae would never cause trouble with drinking again.

Just that thought made her feel like she had gained a few years of life.

"Teacher, you were really cool! I was on the edge of my seat watching... You really gave that troublemaker a taste of his own medicine."

The youngest nurse, Kim Sora, who was working at the station, said excitedly.

Yang Soyeon couldn't be outdone.

"Thank you, teacher. I almost got high blood pressure from that troublemaker, but thanks to you, I'm fine."

"It was just a lucky coincidence, that's all."

Lee Minjeum showed a humble attitude.

This was the Lee Minjeum that Yang Soyeon had observed so far.

How could such a polite person be so calm and firm just a moment ago?

It was a mystery when she thought about it now.

"People like that need to be taught a lesson. If not, they'll keep pushing their limits."

"Will you proceed with the lawsuit?"

"No, I'll just scare him for now. If we file too many lawsuits, it could damage the hospital's image."

"..."

"Strictly speaking, he didn't really push me and make me fall."

"That's true. Anyway, thanks to you, I'm fine. Thank you again."

Yang Soyeon expressed her sincere gratitude once more.

Lee Minjeum, who was in the on-call room, could have pretended not to know about Cho Heetae's trouble.

No, he should have pretended not to know.

It would have been much more comfortable for him.

Yet, he took it as his own matter, stood up for the nurse, and neatly subdued Cho Heetae.

His kind heart deserved praise.

"Teacher, wait a moment."

Yang Soyeon went into the treatment room at the back of the station and gathered a lot of snacks like chocolate and candy.

Then she came back and stuffed the snacks into Lee Minjeum's doctor's coat.

"You don't need to do this much."

"What are you talking about? This is just a start. Whenever you're tired, eating something sweet will refresh you."

"Thank you. Then, have a good evening shift."

"You too."

"Oh, by the way."

Lee Minjeum, who was walking away, suddenly turned around.

"This is a secret between the three of us who work the night shift. What do you think of the first-year resident, Kim Seulgi?"

Yang Soyeon thought she understood the intention behind Lee Minjeum's question.

If the number one troublemaker in the ward was Cho Heetae,

then the number one troublemaker among the residents was Kim Seulgi.

"Kim Seulgi is also a tough one. She sometimes gets angry at us for forgetting to write a prescription."

"I've also experienced retaliatory orders."

"Me too."

The youngest nurse and the second-year nurse joined in to support Yang Soyeon.

"Retaliatory orders? She goes that far?"

Lee Minjeum clicked his tongue, clearly disbelieving.

Retaliatory orders refer to prescriptions given by doctors to harass nurses, unrelated to patient treatment.

For example, an order to measure the patient's vital signs every 15 minutes.

If nurses had to go in and out of the ward every 15 minutes, how could they do their other work?

This was clearly a way to make nurses' lives miserable.

'This is more serious than I thought.'

Lee Minjeum realized that Kim Seulgi, the villain, was destroying the internal medicine ward.

Not only was she tormenting interns but also the nurses.

If so, Kim Seulgi should taste the hammer of justice sooner.

"Teachers, tell me everything you've experienced with Kim. I'll remember it and give her a piece of my mind, just like I did with that family member."

At Lee Minjeum's words, the nurses eagerly shared their grievances.

Some even included physical contact and sexual harassment.

Lee Minjeum enthusiastically recorded their stories and returned to the on-call room.

* * *

After subduing the troublemaker and returning to the on-call room, I paused my ECG study.

A more important matter was at hand.

'Is the ammunition sufficient now?'

I reviewed Kim Seulgi's misdeeds, checking my notes.

First, there was the drinking confirmed during the fridge cleaning today.

The fact that a bottle of soju was still in the fridge.

The fact that a nurse smelled alcohol on Kim Seulgi during her night shift.

These two points effectively proved Kim Seulgi's drinking.

'If these are combined... she's finished.'

I smiled and reviewed the nurses' stories.

I had already confirmed the retaliatory orders Kim Seulgi gave through the nursing records.

I also found evidence in the security room, where I went to check on the Cho Heetae incident.

The footage clearly showed Kim Seulgi making unnecessary physical contact with a nurse in front of the station.

What would happen if these scattered pieces came together?

Even if Kim Seulgi monopolized the love of the senior residents, wouldn't she fall into the abyss in one blow?

'How many days until that incident?'

I stroked my chin and stared at the calendar.

A major accident will happen in the internal medicine ward this month.

A patient will die in the emergency room due to Kim Seulgi's negligence during her night shift.

This will bring the Shinwon University Hospital into the media in a dishonorable way.

I don't know when it will happen, but I marked that day as D-Day.

The patient will survive, and Kim Seulgi will be in a state of no return, triggered by that incident and the cards I have prepared.

I watched Kim Seulgi, who was sound asleep, unaware of anything.

It's best to get a good sleep while you can.

* * *

The third day of my internal medicine internship began.

I woke up at 5 AM.

I had studied ECGs, had a conflict with Cho Heetae, and planned to deal with Kim Seulgi, so I only slept for an hour.

My body's cells were screaming in fatigue.

Unfortunately, the only way to overcome this was with mental strength.

The sleep schedule for interns in this era was horrific.

A mere 11 hours a week.

It was almost like being tortured by sleep deprivation.

To survive, I had to take naps whenever I could.

To regain my focus.

I washed my face with cold water and took a shower.

I also ate the chocolate I received from the nurse yesterday.

Thanks to this, my body and mind, which had sunk, lifted a bit.

I started my morning routine with Nam Chorong at 6 AM.

Nam Chorong, who learned ABGA techniques from me last night, showed a fierce blood-drawing skill that was uncharacteristic of a new intern.

Her success rate was a remarkable 70%.

In terms of blood drawing, she had already earned the right to turn A.

Nam Chorong, who died absurdly in my previous life, was now making a name for herself in this life.

I was curious about how far she would grow and what department she would choose later.

After finishing the routine tasks like ABGA, dressing, and obtaining consent for tests, I returned to the on-call room, where Oh Hyunjun called me.

"Minjeum."

"Yes, senior."

"You didn't sleep well last night, right? Take a 30-minute nap in the bathroom."

"No, I need to help with the conference preparation."

"Just go and sleep. If your condition is bad, you'll make mistakes, and mistakes will lead to a vicious cycle of bad conditions."

"..."

"I know from experience."

Oh Hyunjun forced me out of the on-call room, despite my protests.

His consideration for me, who hadn't slept all night, was kind and grateful.

Indeed, Oh Hyunjun was a warm person, unlike Kim Seulgi.

The rare, short but precious free time.

I entered a toilet stall and sat down.

I closed my eyes and meditated.

Those who have meditated know.

Even a short time of deep meditation can make you feel as refreshed as if you had slept for hours.

Meditation, along with cabbage juice, was one of my weapons for maintaining my health.

After meditating, I moved to the conference room.

As usual, I listened to the conference and went on rounds.

"Teacher, you are really kind. I've been to many hospitals with my mother, but I've never met a doctor like you."

During the rounds, Cho Heetae praised me profusely in 710.

He was clearly still shaken by the incident last night.

Knowing the truth, I found the situation amusing.

His hypocrisy made me feel nauseous.

Still, thanks to Cho Heetae, I received praise from the professors.

It was rare for a family member to praise an intern so enthusiastically.

The fact that Kim Seulgi looked at me with envy was an added bonus.

Go ahead and enjoy your life now.

You act like a lamb in front of the seniors and a fox in front of the juniors.

Your hypocritical facade will be stripped away soon enough.

As the morning rounds ended, the official day of an intern began.

Nam Chorong assisted in the angiography room.

I assisted in the ward.

Had the morning shift nurse received the handover about the Cho Heetae incident from last night?

The nurses' voices on the call phones were gentle, and the urgency that used to be there was gone.

Today, which was supposed to be smooth, started off unusually.

Just as I was returning to the ward after taking an ECG in the ECG room,

"Code Blue, Code Blue. Cardiac arrest patient in the 2nd floor blood draw room. I repeat, Code Blue..."

Hearing the announcement, I started to run back in my doctor's coat.

The blood draw room was just where I had passed a moment ago.