Wrapping Up Year One

Late December. The hospital was filled with the usual end-of-the-year restlessness. But for us, the end of December held a completely different meaning: the announcement of the new resident matches. The judgment day that would determine the quality of my life for the next year. Would a new slave... no, a new junior arrive to lighten our call ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠shift burden?

All afternoon, Kim Ji-hoon and I refreshed the announcement board on the hospital's intranet every chance we got. The F5 key was practically worn down to nothing.

"When the hell is it going to post?!" Kim Ji-hoon bit his nails anxiously. "They said it'd be up sometime this afternoon!"

"Shut up. It'll post when it posts." I pretended to be cool, but my heart was also racing with anxiety.

Right then, the page refreshed, and a new post appeared at the very top of the list.

"It's up!" Kim Ji-hoon and I yelled almost simultaneously, pressing our heads together in front of the monitor.

"Oh... where is it... let's see..." I scrolled down like a madman.

"Found it!"

A quota of four... and only two applicants matched...?

Damn it. I couldn't believe my eyes. There were only two names. But even in my despair, a familiar name caught my eye.

"Park Seong-jeong? He actually chose EM...?"

"What?" Kim Ji-hoon, who was despairing beside me, looked up. "That intern you dumped the foreign-object-in-the-ass patient on? Why the hell did he apply here? To get revenge on you?"

"Shut up, Kim Ji-hoon." I ignored his sarcasm and checked the other name.

Baek Eun-seo. Ah, the one who came to submit her application last time.

"Well, I guess it's not the worst." I tried to comfort myself. It was better than zero.

"Hey! It's two! Two! That's only half our quota! That means we're still going to be busting our asses on call next year, just like first-years! Our lives are guaranteed to be a living hell next year too!"

"It's better than zero, you idiot." Having someone was better than having no one.

"What about the other departments? Are we the only ones in this state?" At Kim Ji-hoon's words, I scrolled down to look at the match lists for other departments.

"Internal Medicine and General Surgery did okay, they filled most of their spots. Uh... OB/GYN and Peds got completely wiped out, though?"

"Oof..." Kim Ji-hoon clicked his tongue. Why did they even bother writing "[None]"? They should have just left it blank.

"Oh, look. Cardiothoracic Surgery got one. What a lunatic."

Kim Ji-hoon and I gasped in admiration at the same time.

It was right when we were gossiping about the rise and fall of other departments to distract ourselves from our own misery. A chilly shadow loomed over us from behind.

"H-Hyeon-jae."

"Don't talk to me, Kim Ji-hoon. I'm busy seeing which other departments survived and which ones crashed and burned."

The moment I finished speaking, an icy voice drifted down from behind us.

"Aren't you two supposed to be working...?"

"Ack." I almost screamed.

Turning around, I saw Professor Cheon Eun-jeong looking down at us with her arms crossed.

"Professor Cheon! Oh! We didn't even realize you were here!" I leaped out of my chair and bowed at a ninety-degree angle.

"We should work! Of course we have to work! We'll get right on it!"

We scrambled to work.

Time marched on relentlessly. Countless patients passed through my hands, and my first year of residency was drawing to a close, accompanied by the endless nagging of the ghosts.

And then, February 11th arrived.

A resident's year begins in March and ends in February of the following year. The end of winter meant the end of the year. And at the end, there was always a farewell.

The entire Emergency Medicine department gathered for a dinner. The venue was a barbecue restaurant in front of the hospital.

From the fresh, incoming first-years to the fourth-years leaving the hospital today, and even the professors. I sat there, blankly spinning my beer glass.

R1. First-year resident. I couldn't believe that hellish time was finally coming to an end.

After the meat had been cooking and glasses had been clinking for a while, Department Chair Park Ung tapped the grill with his spoon.

"Alright, alright, attention everyone!"

The noisy restaurant instantly fell silent.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Tonight, we are here to send off our proud fourth-year doctors who have dedicated their youth to our Emergency Medicine department for the past four years. You've all worked incredibly hard! Let's give them a round of applause!"

Applause erupted. Clap clap clap. I clapped so hard my palms stung.

"Now, we have to hear about their bright futures! Dr. Yoo Sung-hoon, what are ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠your plans?"

The fourth-year, Yoo Sung-hoon, stood up.

"Yes... well, by some stroke of good luck, I've been accepted into the Critical Care Medicine fellowship program at Ohsung Seoul Hospital."

"Whoa! Sung-hoon is moving up to the big leagues!" Exclamations of admiration erupted from all around.

"And where did you say you were going, Dr. Kim Min-uk?"

Kim Min-uk, whom I barely knew because our paths rarely crossed, stood up.

"I'm wrapping up my life in Busan and heading down to my hometown of Tongyeong to take a position as the Chief of Emergency Medicine at a general hospital there. I think it's time for me to live a slightly more relaxed life."

Everyone burst into envious laughter at his words. Yes, that was a great path too.

"Of course, of course. Going back to your hometown to contribute to regional healthcare is an excellent choice. Now, finally! Our chief resident! Lee Min-jae?"

All eyes turned to Lee Min-jae. Rumors had been circulating for months that he was preparing for a fellowship at Aseong Hospital, one of the largest hospitals in the country.

Lee Min-jae stood up with a solemn expression.

"Yes, everyone. I..." Lee Min-jae paused for a moment. Then, he shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Am staying!!!!"

Silence fell over the room. Staying? Where?

"I, Lee Min-jae! Will bury my bones here at Cheongjin University Medical Center, the place to which I have dedicated my youth and soul!"

Right then, a loud sputtering sound echoed from the professors' table.

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Turning my head, I saw Professor Cheon Eun-jeong spitting out the water she had just sipped, coughing violently as it went down the wrong pipe.

"What? What? Min-jae, what did you just say? You're staying? Where?"

"Did you not know? I thought all the professors knew. I've decided to bury my bones here at Cheongjin. I can't leave the ER, and I certainly can't leave all of you!"

"Haha, what is this? Was I the only one who didn't know?"

Wait, I was bewildered too. How could a professor not know this?

As Professor Cheon looked around in confusion, the Department Chair sitting opposite her burst into roaring laughter.

"Since you're always nagging and teasing Min-jae, I made sure to keep it a secret from you specifically! Surprise!"

"Department Chair!" Professor Cheon Eun-jeong looked at him with a face full of betrayal.

Only then did everyone realize what was happening, and the room erupted into laughter. Lee Min-jae's surprise announcement had heated up the atmosphere of the dinner to its peak.

After the commotion went on for a while, Department Chair Park Ung raised his voice once more. His gaze was directed toward two young faces sitting almost invisibly at the very end of the table.

"And we have some very special guests with us tonight!"

At those words, all eyes turned to Park Seong-jeong and Baek Eun-seo. They were the incoming first-years.

"Our incoming first-year doctors are here with us tonight. How do you feel? What are your thoughts on being here?"

At Park Ung's question, Park Seong-jeong's face turned pale.

"Ah... well... the... EM department... really... seems... like... a... great... department... The seniors are all wonderful... and I will learn a lot..."

Laughter erupted from all sides at his completely soulless response.

"Dr. Park Seong-jeong needs to practice his poker face before he practices his medical knowledge. Haha!"

Once Park Seong-jeong's hazing was over, attention naturally shifted to Baek Eun-seo beside him.

"Now, why did Dr. Baek Eun-seo choose to come here? Because you love Emergency Medicine? Or did you just match your grades?"

At Park Ung's mischievous question, Baek Eun-seo stood up.

"Ah, well. I applied after seeing Senior Han Hyeon-jae perform a laparotomy on a patient!"

A moment of absolute silence.

All the noise in the bustling barbecue restaurant vanished in an instant, as if by magic.

I froze, dropping the piece of pork rib I was about to put in my mouth right back onto my plate.

And one second later.

"Bwahahaha!"

Lee Min-jae's explosive laughter shattered the silence. Triggered by his laugh, the entire restaurant turned into a sea of hysterical laughter.

"Wow, to think there was actually an intern who saw that crazy bastard and decided to apply to EM!" Lee Min-jae was laughing so hard he was practically crying.

"Hey, rookie," the fourth-year Yoo Sung-hoon at the next table advised seriously while holding back his laughter. "You shouldn't lose your mind like Han Hyeon-jae and slice open a patient's stomach, okay? He's just a mutant. A total freak of nature. He literally bet his medical license on that. He's a madman."

"Exactly! He even spoke informally to the professor back then!" the fellow Park Se-yeong added.

My face flushed bright red with embarrassment. I hung my head and just downed a shot of soju.

"Ah, come on, doctors! Why are you bringing up old stories again!"

My protest was completely drowned out by the massive waves of laughter.

"What do you mean old? It was only a few months ago!" Lee Min-jae teased, refilling my glass.

I downed the shot in one go. Ah, it tasted bitter.