Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Dropping the Bomb (1)
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I slipped out of the consultation room.
I had no idea.
For now, I shoved the paper out of my mind and focused on how to survive until quitting time.
"Take care!"
...
***
And so, the abstract writing began.
Of course, it wasn't true hell.
Not with those foul-mouthed dead medical geniuses glued to me 24/7.
I hunkered down in the corner of the ER station, handling flu patients and drunks in between, with the gallery window open, frantically gathering data.
Hell Korea Slave 1: Anyone got case reports on laparotomies done in the ER!!!! Even better if it was just straight-up slashed open in the ER!!! Urgent!!!!
ㄴ Latte is Just Talk: Tsk tsk. Who else would pull that insane stunt besides you? Just search keywords like Damage Control Surgery in Austere Environments. Sounds more legit.
ㄴ Hell Korea Slave 1: Does that change anything?
ㄴ God's Scalpel: You'll get wartime surgeries or disaster site laparotomies, idiot.
ㄴ Hell Korea Slave 1: OK OK
I was in the middle of scraping together these fragmented bits of info and cramming them into a Word file.
"Hey, Hyeon-jae. Good work."
Professor Cheon Eun-jeong paused beside me, coffee in hand.
"How's the abstract coming?"
"Oh, yes, Professor. Just reviewing some references right now."
I quickly showed her the trauma journal on my monitor.
"Would something like this be a good reference?"
Professor Cheon peered at my screen for a moment.
"Pre-hospital Thoracotomy... Thoracic surgery paper. Hmm, not bad."
She thought for a bit, then nodded.
"Yeah. If you can open the chest outside the hospital or in the ER, no reason you can't open the abdomen. Good angle. Build the logic solid."
"Yes, Professor!"
Phew.
First hurdle cleared.
That night.
On my way out, I ran into that massive silhouette by the elevator.
Professor Kang Hyun-jun of Trauma Surgery.
"Oh, hello, Professor!"
"Yeah. Doctor Han."
Professor Kang glanced at me and tossed out a curt line.
"Heard you're writing that thing for real now. The laparotomy."
"Oh... yes. Professor Cheon..."
"Don't pad it with useless crap."
He cut me off.
"Pardon?"
"When you present, no bragging about what you did or what I did. Techniques and all that. Don't center it on your actions precisely."
Professor Kang pressed the elevator button.
"Stress that trauma surgery specialist arrival was delayed, the patient was dying, and it was the only option in the ER."
Ding.
The elevator doors opened.
"Emphasize the inevitability—that the patient would've died otherwise. If you write it like some EM doc bragging about slicing open a belly, the surgeons will swarm and tear you apart. Just an old man's advice."
Professor Kang left that gem and stepped into the elevator.
So that's what he meant.
Anyway, it's set that an EM resident did the laparotomy, and it'll be presented.
If you're presenting, frame the entire defense around the situation's inevitability.
Thanks, Professor.
***
And so, the five days Professor Cheon gave me passed.
Right after my all-nighter shift, instead of going home, I knocked on the professor's office door.
"All done, Professor."
"Already?"
Professor Cheon fired up her tablet PC.
Opened the email, loaded the attached file: 'ER_Laparotomy_Abstract_Final_ReallyFinal_ThisIsIt122.docx'.
Her eyes scanned the screen.
At first, her expression was calm.
Subtle nods.
Frown lines forming.
Then, finally, reading the Discussion section packed with Professor Kang Hyun-jun's advice.
Her scrolling stopped.
"Ahem... hmm... okay."
Without looking away from the screen, Professor Cheon asked me.
"Did you write this alone?"
"Yes? Yes, of course. Stayed up all night grinding. Though Professor Kang did give a bit of advice."
"You some paper-writing machine? AI? Nothing to nitpick..."
Professor Cheon scanned from top to bottom again.
"Hmm, nothing stands out."
She let out a hollow laugh.
"Logic's perfect. Evidence spot-on. Title's killer. Submit as is?"
"Yup. Thank you."
Now I could act a bit cocky.
'Who've I got backing me? Heh heh heh.'
Hundreds of dead geniuses coaching me live, devouring any thought of my peace—they made this a piece of cake.
"Alright. Submit the abstract now?"
"Yes! Got it!"
I replied with the most spirited, confident voice of my life.
"Okay, go! Get off work!"
"Off work!!!!"
I bolted from the office, whooping in triumph.
And so, the grueling abstract that capped my second-year spring came to an end.
***
Rrring.
The phone rang in Professor Cheon Eun-jeong's lab.
She'd just skipped lunch, about to fill her stomach with coffee.
"Damn it."
Frowning, Professor Cheon picked up the receiver.
She recognized the number right away.
Seoul area code, starting with 02.
"Yes, this is Cheon Eun-jeong, Emergency Medicine."
[Hello, Professor. This is regarding the spring conference abstract submission...]
A very polite, businesslike young woman's voice.
"Yes, yes. Thanks for your hard work. What is it...?"
[It's about the abstract you registered as corresponding author. Just confirming.]
"Confirming? Was there a problem with the paperwork?"
Professor Cheon's voice sharpened a tad.
It was finalized and submitted sharp yesterday, after five days.
[Oh, no! No issues with the paperwork! Just... confirming the content...]
"Yes, go ahead."
[That one submitted to the oral presentation Trauma section... title... one moment...]
Typing and paper rustling faintly from the receiver.
[Found it. Title: [Emergency Resuscitative Laparotomy and Damage Control Packing Led by an Emergency Medicine Physician in a Delayed Surgeon Arrival Scenario: A Case Report]. Corresponding author Professor Cheon Eun-jeong, correct?]
"Yes, that's me."
Professor Cheon turned on her tablet PC and pulled up the submitted file.
[Yes. And the first author... I mean, lead author is Resident Han Hyeon-jae, right?]
"Yes, that's correct."
Professor Cheon replied indifferently.
Then, three seconds of silence on the other end.
[...]
'...What? Why no response?'
Professor Cheon set down her coffee mug.
[...Professor, forgive me, but is this Han Hyeon-jae a resident?]
The staffer finally got to the point without beating around the bush.
A thin smile crept onto Professor Cheon's lips.
Here it comes.
"Yes, second-year resident. Any issue?"
[Oh, no! Not an issue! But in the academic committee's review of submissions, a second-year resident leading a laparotomy in the ER is, as you know, extremely unusual... haha.]
Awkward laughter.
Laced with suspicion: 'This isn't fabricated, right?' 'Professor didn't just hand the first authorship to a first-year, did she?'
"It is unusual."
Professor Cheon leaned back in her chair.
[Yes! Thank you for confirming! Just routine check! Great case report. Professor!]
"Yes, take care."
Click.
Professor Cheon hung up the rushed call and stared blankly into space.
...Pfft.
A snort escaped her.
Yeah. Even the conference staff doesn't believe it. Probably the folks there that day, even Han Hyeon-jae himself who did it, still can't grasp what happened.
Professor Cheon read aloud the title of the abstract she'd approved.
"Emergency Resuscitative Laparotomy... Led by an Emergency Medicine Physician in a Delayed Surgeon Arrival Scenario...."
She shrugged.
'Not a word wrong.'
Surgeons were late, EM doc stepped up, patient survived.
Perfect case report.
She imagined the barrage of questions, shock, and professors' mixed expressions when this was presented at the conference.
Ding-
[Your submitted abstract has been accepted for the Spring Conference Oral Session - Trauma.]
"Let's do this."
Professor Cheon took a sip of her instant coffee.
"Our hospital's madman."
***
Before I knew it, I was in a car heading to Daegu.
No clue if the hospital had cash to burn or if they were assuaging guilt by chartering this, but I had a comfy seat all to myself.
Left early morning, so my eyes were gritty, but my mind was weirdly sharp.
I gazed at my haggard reflection in the window and smiled faintly.
Nervous, sure. But no terror of total failure.
Why?
I'd prepared like crazy already.
***
The day before.
Last night, instead of sleeping, I booted up my laptop.
For that presentation that could define my hospital life.
Opened Word, hammered the keys.
=====
[Dead Medical Scholars Gallery]
This good enough?
Author: Hell Korea Slave 1
[Expected Q&A List & Model Answers Image]
=====
I uploaded my overnight masterpiece to the gallery.
Comments exploded.
[Comments]
Latte is Just Talk: This should get you through without bawling midway.
Cardiology Ghost: Q3—that question's definitely coming.
God's Scalpel: Why's this kid so good?
Heir of Hippocrates: Bravo, living one! Ready to flaunt your knowledge in the halls of academia!
Okay, Q&A list looks solid...
Oh, and.
Forgotten thing.
Shop.
Too hectic, slipped my mind.
My LP.
Gotta check LP too.
I opened the drab shopping cart icon.
[Owned LP: 30,160]
...
"...What the hell."
Did I seriously not spend LP once since possession?
What're you ghosts doing.
No nerf here.
The 30k number nearly short-circuited my brain, but first, douse the fire in front of me.
[Palace of Memory (One-time Use)]
[Price: 800 LP]
[Description: Perfectly recall everything seen/heard in the last 24 hours like photos. Find missed clues.]
...Yeah, buy this.
Gotta perfectly remember those dozens of model answers the gallery ghosts hammered out last night, plus the papers Professor Cheon tossed my way.
[Purchase Complete]
Prep for presentation with this.
Okay.
Scrolling down, my eye caught a new item I hadn't seen before.
[Possession Upgrade]
[Price: 30,000 LP]
[Description: For 30 min, possess a designated gallery user into your body, or have them float beside you for 1 hour providing real-time guidance.]
[Penalty: After use, 6 hours of severe full-body muscle pain.]
...Oh?
1 hour? Possession still 30 min, but guidance float time up from 30 min to 1 hour?
And penalty.
Down from 12 to 6 hours?
Halved?
'This works.'
Gotta think on this.
***
Back to today.
After that kind of night, my brain was spinning faster than ever.
"Hyeon-jae."
Professor Cheon Eun-jeong, sitting beside me scrolling her laptop, called out.
"Presentation prep good?"
"Yup, all set."
"Nervous?"
She adjusted her glasses and glanced at me.
I played it cool, but my heart was pounding.
Grabbing a mic in front of hundreds? Different terror from slicing a patient's belly.
"...Yeah. Honestly, a bit."
Professor Cheon chuckled and nodded toward the front seats.
"It passes. See Lee Min-jae up there?"
"Yes, I see him."
Up front, Lee Min-jae was out cold, neck pillow on, mouth agape.
Fellow now after specialist, but his sloppiness hadn't changed a bit.
"Drooling in his sleep, huh?"
"...Yeah."
Look close—his mouth was soaked, beyond tissues.
"Sigh, still like that as a fellow. He was quaking like you back then, popping heart pills. Anyway, first oral—don't freak too much. Just say what happened, what you did. Fighting."
"Yes! Got it, Professor!"
I replied briskly.
Anyway, I've got hundreds of ghost legion at my back.
Time to clash.