Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Chapter 69: Second Year - Part 1 (Complete)
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The last day of February.
The emergency medicine residents' lounge was in chaos.
The fourth-year residents, who had endured four grueling years, were finally packing up to leave.
Lockers spilled out musty smells from years of storage, along with worn textbooks, knockoff Crocs, and mysterious bottles of supplements.
I quietly watched the scene from my spot.
It was a bittersweet feeling.
Just then, Yoo Sung-hoon approached me carrying a large delivery box.
"Hey, hey, check this out?"
What Yoo Sung-hoon proudly unfurled was a brand-new doctor's coat emblazoned with the crisp blue logo of Oseong Seoul Hospital.
"This is the Oseong coat. It got delivered yesterday. The fit is killer, right?"
Yoo Sung-hoon draped it over himself, striking an awkward pose to show it off.
"Yeah, yeah. Too much bragging can be poisonous, Dr. Yoo Sung-hoon. It's so dazzling I can't even open my eyes."
"Oh yeah? Look at this guy. Now that I'm heading to another hospital, you're treating me like an outsider? That hurts."
I waved off his playful jab with a laugh.
"Haha, no way. I'm just congratulating you. You're off to the best hospital in Korea."
"Ugh, well, whatever...."
Yoo Sung-hoon awkwardly took off the coat and folded it back into the box.
Then, reverting to his usual nonchalant expression, he patted my shoulder.
"You worked hard. If more guys like you had shown up on my shifts, things would've been easier for me."
"Aw, now it's my turn to suffer, Doctor."
"Still, first year is the toughest. Survive that, and you'll make it through the rest somehow. Whether you thrive or just scrape by."
And with that, our brief farewell ended.
Yoo Sung-hoon picked up the box and headed out of the lounge.
Through the window, I saw him pause in front of the Emergency Medical Center sign.
He pulled his hand from his pocket and gently traced the words "Regional Emergency Medical Center."
His face mixed relief with a touch of regret.
As I watched him, lost in sentiment, a booming voice grabbed me from behind by the collar.
"Hyun-jae!"
It was Lee Min-jae.
"Don't I get a goodbye?"
...You're staying, though.
"Well... I mean... we'll be seeing each other plenty from now on, Doctor."
At my perfectly logical response, Lee Min-jae looked like the world was ending.
"Hyun-jae! I! We! I thought we were comrades who shared blood, sweat, and burning hearts in this ER! And now you're trying to end it with some perfunctory office chit-chat? This is deeply disappointing!"
...This guy is utterly impossible to read.
If he'd put even half that passion into studying for exams, he'd have topped the nation by now.
Word was he placed fifth nationwide.
"Anyway, take care going forward! Starting today, I'm not your fourth-year senior anymore! Call me Clinical Instructor Lee Min-jae! Haha!!"
Fellow.
He'd become that awkward in-between position between professor and resident.
"Ah... yeah... Congrats on starting your clinical instructor training...."
I reluctantly shook his hand and mumbled a forced congratulations.
***
A little later, Yoo Sung-hoon and Lee Min-jae exchanged final goodbyes at the main gate.
"Aw, feeling regretful? If you're that bummed, you should've stayed. Come on."
Lee Min-jae teased him good-naturedly.
"Cut the crap. I'm itching to get back to Seoul. You can bury your bones here."
Yoo Sung-hoon shot back and hopped into a taxi without a backward glance.
I watched the whole scene from a short distance away, chuckling to myself.
Those departing.
Those staying behind.
And me, watching them, waiting for my next turn.
For once, the ER even smelled faintly like a place where people lived.
***
And so, my first-year winter ended, and a new March dawned.
The air in the ER had subtly shifted.
The new chief was Choi Soo-min.
And Lee Min-jae...
"Hyun-jae!!! Good morning!!!"
Lee Min-jae burst through the lounge door—unchanged as ever.
Only his title had switched.
"The morning of a clinical instructor is worlds apart from a resident's—starting with the density of the air itself!!! Can you feel it? This scent of freedom!"
Lee Min-jae threw his arms wide and shouted.
He didn't seem any different from his days as fourth-year chief.
Still loud.
Still chaotic.
Still over the top.
Apparently, earning specialist status didn't overhaul one's core nature.
New March.
The hospital brimmed with fresh faces.
Wide-eyed new interns, and new residents wearing the same shell-shocked expressions I'd had last year—fresh off their intern badges, sporting shiny new resident ranks.
And the most important change of all.
My position had shifted ever so slightly.
"Alright, you've heard the basic rundown."
Now a fourth-year, Han Jae-eon stood with arms crossed before the pale, frozen new first-years.
"This batch all did their internships here, so adaptation should be easier. No need to teach basics like hospital layout or EMR usage."
"Yes, sir!"
"Good."
Han Jae-eon nodded in satisfaction.
"The person who'll mainly teach you, chew you out, and lead you is sitting over there—Dr. Han Hyun-jae. Any questions? Ask him first."
"Huh?"
I'd been sipping coffee and spectating when the sudden spotlight hit me, nearly making me choke.
"He's your direct senior year-wise, and there were all those rumors last year? Prepping for internal medicine double boards solo or whatever...."
"No, wait, sir...? That was just gossip..."
I tried to protest, but Han Jae-eon brushed it off.
"But he's got a ton in his head for real. Studies like crazy on his own. Sometimes his diagnostics outshine even us upper-years. Anyway, he seems brainy, so hit him up for advice often."
"Haha... You're too kind...."
I forced an awkward smile.
Baek Eun-seo's eyes sparkled with admiration.
Please don't look at me like that.
"And you've all heard the legendary rumors about him, right?"
A devilish grin spread across Han Jae-eon's face.
"In the ER resuscitation bay, he did damage control by slicing open a patient's—"
"Aaah, sir!! No more old stories!!"
I practically screamed to cut him off.
Han Jae-eon burst into roaring laughter at my desperation.
"Fine, fine. Hyun-jae hates it, so I'll stop there. Point is, you guys hit the jackpot. Got a genius right above you. Brag to your peers in other departments."
'Stop calling me a genius, you jerk....'
I wailed internally.
How much extra hassle would that word bring to my residency?
"Anyway! Details and all that, ask Dr. Han Hyun-jae here. I'm out!"
Han Jae-eon dumped all responsibility on me and sauntered out coolly.
"Fourth-years are busy, you know!"
I let out a deep sigh.
'Your routine hasn't changed much from a year ago... What makes you suddenly so "busy" as a fourth-year that you strut off like that....'
I nearly cursed his retreating back under my breath but held it in.
What could I do?
He was gone, and now the duty of shepherding these poor lambs fell squarely on me.
I became the de facto tour guide for the ER newbies—by force.
My clothes, hair, shoes, socks—all soaked...
Wait, wrong tour.
"First, to the station. Your intern EMR accounts probably changed today—tried logging in yet?"
"Uh, no, not yet...."
"Do it now. It's your first official day, so your prescribing privileges should be unlocked. Check that first."
I pointed to two computers in the corner of the station.
Baek Eun-seo and Park Seong-jeong fumbled with their employee numbers to log in.
The familiar EMR interface popped up.
"Okay... Thirteen minutes till shift start, so let's check the basics before then."
I gathered the interns—no, first-years—at my monitor.
"Watch the screen. It's quiet now, but soon new patients will roll in... Oh, someone's registering. See how triage pops up here? Name, age, chief complaint on the left patient list monitor."
I pointed to the refreshed patient list on screen.
"But that's just the nurse's initial sort—not finalized in the system yet. After seeing the patient, we input the diagnosis and KTAS level ourselves in the EMR chart. Mess this up, and the patient's copay explodes later—leads to complaints. So always double-check. Got it?"
I opened the charting screen to show the diagnosis input field.
"See the diagnosis code box? KTAS classification at the top. When entering the primary diagnosis, duplicate it here too—don't forget."
"Got it, sir!"
With the basic handover done, the three of us sat side by side in the station chairs.
Strangely, no new patients had arrived yet.
I broke the awkward silence.
"Oh, right. Seong-jeong."
I glanced at Park Seong-jeong beside me.
"Got a personal question."
"Yes? Sir?"
"Why emergency medicine? Genuinely curious. You know what I did to you."
Park Seong-jeong hesitated, then gave a brutally honest, pragmatic answer.
"Uh... work-life balance."
"Work-life balance?"
"Yeah. Seniors said EM has clear start and end times, so post-shift life is somewhat guaranteed. Early outs possible...."
I was speechless for a moment.
Talk about peak Gen Z.
Though I was Gen Z too.
Just then, Baek Eun-seo chimed in brightly from the side.
"By the way, Dr. Han. The ER is way quieter than I thought. No patients or anyth—"
That instant.
I summoned every reflex I had to clap a hand over Baek Eun-seo's mouth.
"B— Baek Eun!"
The final syllable "thing" escaped her lips.
Right as—
Rrrrrrrring!
Too late.
The station phone erupted.
I clutched my forehead.
I'd failed to teach the ER's ultimate taboo first thing.
A nearby nurse picked up the receiver.
"Yes, Cheongjin University Hospital Emergency Room."