Chapter 69
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: The Haughty Surgeon
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Wednesday.
After switching to a seven-day schedule, it was the busiest day of the week.
"Ughhhh~!"
With Hwang Sanghun off, I had to handle his patients too, and they piled up especially in the morning.
Maybe because it drained my energy, I felt hungry earlier than usual.
"Everyone! What are we having for lunch?"
"I was thinking of ordering from Yongho Noodle House. Want to join us, Director?"
"Sounds good! Let's order everything delicious. One menu item each, and add chili shrimp, kung pao chicken, and shredded pork with sauce!"
I waved my card grandly as I declared.
"...For real? Is that okay?"
While the staff hesitated, wondering if it was truly fine, Seo In-ae quickly opened the delivery app.
"Of course it's okay! Why wouldn't it be? If there's leftovers, I'll take them home!"
The food arrived right on time for lunch.
We spread out a feast of Chinese dishes on the table and were about to dig in.
Bzzzzt-.
But then my phone vibrated.
"Who... Oh, it's mine?"
No one usually calls me. What's this?
It was an unknown number not saved in my contacts, but I picked up anyway.
If it's spam, I'll just hang up.
"Hello?"
"Is this Director Han Yeowon of Seongsu Clinic?"
A man's voice. Not someone I knew.
"Yes, that's me. Who is this?"
"I'm the attending physician for patient Yun Hanbyeol."
Ah...?
From Sowon General Hospital's surgery department, where I assisted with the operation?
"How did you get my personal cell number?"
"I got it from the patient's guardian. When I asked where they got the herbal prescription, they gave me this number."
I'd heard that Yun Jeonghun had mentioned me to the doctor.
But if you're giving out a contact, why not the clinic's number? Not my personal one!
"Go ahead and eat first."
I reluctantly set down the chili shrimp and moved to the consultation room.
"If you need to contact me again, search the portal site and call the clinic. What's this about?"
I spoke curtly on purpose. It didn't sound like good news.
"Word is the dumping syndrome cleared up in just a month. What did you give them?"
As expected, picking a fight, huh?
His suspicious tone was deeply irritating. I nearly snapped, Why should I tell you?, but held back.
After all, he's the doctor who operated successfully on Hanbyeol.
"It's called Six Gentlemen Decoction. But it wasn't just the medicine; good lifestyle management helped it improve quickly."
"Hold on."
The doctor went silent.
For nearly a minute.
"Hello?"
"Pinellia, Atractylodes, Citrus peel, Poria, Ginseng, Licorice, Ginger, Donguibogam. That right?"
"Yes."
"Nothing else mixed in besides what's listed?"
"...What would you mix into Six Gentlemen Decoction to treat dumping syndrome?"
My voice sharpened in disbelief.
I'd heard of steroids in injections, but what do you mix into that formula?
Does adding steroids cure dumping syndrome?
"Fair enough. But is this safe to give to a total gastrectomy patient?"
"I gave it because it is."
"Yun Hanbyeol had a 60% resection. I'm asking if it's okay for total gastrectomy."
His tone sounded familiar... A professor, maybe?
"If you're questioning safety, no issue. But whether it helps treatment depends on symptoms. If this isn't about Hanbyeol, why the antagonism over the phone?"
I answered patiently, assuming he called out of concern for her health.
Personally, I prefer a doctor who asks directly over one who blindly warns against herbs without investigating.
At least he's confronting it head-on. I'd done the same to the doctor who misdiagnosed Kim Jinsang months ago.
"Ah, my mother had a total gastrectomy, and she's had presumed dumping syndrome symptoms for two years that won't go away."
Damn it, man.
You should've led with that.
"No phone consultations. Bring the patient in."
"Wait..."
"Would you appreciate a stranger calling during your lunch hour asking the survival rate for stomach cancer surgery?"
"Ah."
Only then did he seem to realize.
"My apologies. Didn't know it was lunchtime. Do I need endoscopy... no, pulse diagnosis or something?"
"Yes. Come in on Wed, Thu, Fri, or Sat."
I offered no more explanation.
I just hung up.
"Director~ We waited for you!"
Back in the break room, the staff were waiting.
Good grief, what weirdos out there!
Can surgeons talk to patients like that?
Well, with supply so low compared to demand.
As long as they operate well, courtesy doesn't matter.
In a way, it was enviable.
"Heavens! Why didn't you eat without me?"
"How could we without you?"
"Come on! Lunchtime's almost over!"
To not keep my kind staff waiting, I quickly shoved some chili shrimp in my mouth.
I needed to fuel up fast to stay friendly for afternoon consultations.
His mother will be my patient too if she comes, right?
Of course I'd give her my best!
The surgeon from Sowon General Hospital and his mother showed up on Saturday.
He didn't introduce himself, but the moment he opened the consultation room door, I knew who he was.
Tall stature. Thick eyebrows. Sharp features. Straight-backed posture with arms crossed. And above all, the charisma radiating from him.
He was the archetype of the rude surgeon from a medical drama.
"You're the one who called Wednesday?"
"Yes. I'm Park Younggil, chief of Sowon General Hospital Surgery Department 1."
The doctor handed me his business card. I glanced at it and set it down.
"Nice to meet you. Mr. Park Younggil, Madam Moon Younghee."
The patient was his mother, Moon Younghee.
Unlike her robust son, she was a frail 67-year-old woman.
"I heard the basics from your son, but I'd like you to tell me directly, Madam Moon. When did it start, and how does it feel?"
Park Younggil nodded curtly and shut his mouth.
Arms crossed, leg crossed—he sat imperiously.
"It's been just over two years since my total gastrectomy for stomach cancer. Ever since, eating makes it clamp right here, and my heart races nonstop."
Moon Younghee glared at her son once before speaking to me.
She pointed to her solar plexus—slightly below the heart, above where her stomach used to be.
"I've been to university hospitals everywhere, but no real solutions, just 'be careful with food.' I am, but..."
"Dizziness right after surgery improved with blood sugar meds. Heartburn, pain, and palpitations are managed somewhat with diet, but not well."
Park Younggil interrupted to elaborate.
Moon Younghee cut him off again.
"Not 'not well'—not at all. Digestives and painkillers do nothing. Tests are normal, but I even tried heart meds just in case—no dice. They sent me to psych, who gave sedatives? Just made me sleep; symptoms same."
She pounded her chest in frustration. Not just the unrelenting symptoms, but anger at her son too.
"Still on the psych meds?"
"Stopped them. Ha! They! Did! Nothing!"
"..."
Park Younggil clamped his mouth shut and crossed his arms again.
"Must be tough."
"Right? I wanted to try herbs, but he threw a fit. Finally dragged here today."
"She snuck some herbs once too. Useless. Still, brought her just in case."
I pieced it together as they rebutted each other.
Definitely not easy.
"Let's check your pulse first."
Normally I'd start with questions on sleep, bowels, etc., but doubtful it'd yield answers.
I took Moon Younghee's pulse, pondering what to say.
If no pulse abnormalities, we'd treat progressively... but.
Hm?
Overall, her pulse was weak—as expected for her age post-major surgery.
But details were off. Among spleen, stomach, small/large intestine—her heart pulse stood out as unstable.
"Any depression, lethargy? Or irritability, quick to anger?"
"Of course. It's this hard."
"Endoscopy shows no GI issues now, right?"
"Yes."
Park Younggil stated firmly.
"ECG, echo, all tests normal."
"Heart looks fine to me."
"To you?"
"Most said that, but Professor Han said even normal tests might reveal issues on opening, suggested thoracotomy if severe."
I couldn't hide my expression.
"We'd scheduled it, but son canceled—said absolutely not."
She'd even been willing for thoracotomy.
"...Makes sense? That happens?"
"No. Well, now I've heard the proposal, almost never. I didn't think so either, so brought her here. Seemed safe enough. Looked up your Six Gentlemen—evidence thin, but papers on post-total gastrectomy use."
"Ah."
He researched it? Won't use it anyway.
Moon Younghee's case differs from Yun Hanbyeol's.
What I wanted was heart involvement confirmation.
I asked Moon Younghee again.
"Your son said blood sugar symptoms mostly resolved. Solar plexus pain same from post-op to now?"
"Others improved as he said, but this pain worsened."
"More squeezing than burning?"
"Yes! Post-op it burned and nauseated; now no burn."
Bingo.
Started post-stomach cancer surgery, so assumed dumping syndrome subset.
Heart or psych considered, but Western medicine ruled out due to normal tests.
Except the lunatic suggesting thoracotomy.
"Symptoms definitely tied to eating?"
"I... think? Worsens after meals."
"Fasting make it much better?"
Key point.
Really dumping? I was sure not.
"At first, yes."
"Not recently? No fasting last three months?"
If so painful per meal, she'd have tried.
"I don't want to eat, but daughter insists small meals timed right—nags constantly. She's caregiving."
"Fasting mornings?"
"Thinking of eating brings it on..."
Park Younggil's eyebrow twitched at 'thinking'.
"Not dumping syndrome at all, in my view."
"...Psychosomatic then."
"Easy mistake. Surgery as stress trigger. Cancer and 'dumping' traumatic for patient."
Park Younggil nodded; Moon Younghee asked back.
"No herbal fix? Back to psych meds?"
As if.
Wouldn't have probed so deeply otherwise.
"No. I'll prescribe herbs for your symptoms. Switch to regular diet today; twice daily from now."
I'd only observed professor on dumping; first direct treat was Yun Hanbyeol.
No gastrectomies in Murim!
But Moon Younghee's symptoms? Plenty experience.
Expert level, even.
I was Murim's top PTSD treater. Hundreds with similar post-amputation trauma.
"Ah!"
She brightened at curable news. Park Younggil stone-faced, but under-eyes quivered.
"Acupuncture today too. Decoction tomorrow. Week tops—one month max, guaranteed better."
"Please take care!"
"...We'll see."
Park Younggil still prickly, but irrelevant.
His doubts wouldn't affect treatment.
Plus, default brusque? Cares more about cure than courtesy.
I was confident treating Moon Younghee.