Chapter 23
Once again left alone, Daeho tilted his head in confusion.
“What’s this? It feels like I’m the one being judged by the nurses.”
Nurse Lee Suyeon turned around and laughed.
“We’ve been doing that for a while now, you know. Hehe.”
Nurse Hwang Semi quickly joined in.
“Wasn’t that the plan all along?”“Of course! Dr. Richard will keep helping us from now on.”“Dr. Richard, answer please. We need confirmation!”
The other nurses chimed in eagerly, their eyes bright and cheerful.
There was warmth in their gaze — a bond that treated Daeho as a trusted teammate.
It wasn’t a bad proposal for Daeho.
In fact, this was exactly what he had aimed for from the start.
A doctor and the nurses — like a needle and thread.
If he could work shoulder-to-shoulder with them, he couldn’t ask for stronger allies.
Daeho smiled brightly and joked,
“I’m the new night-shift ER chief, Richard Choi. From now on, my word is law.”“Ooooh, so charismatic!”“And my first order as chief — after the morning shift, we’re having a staff dinner! My treat!”“Whistle~ So cool! Congrats, Chief!”
Clap, clap, clap.
The nurses cheered, laughter filling the room.
Residents passing by stopped in surprise.
“Wait, laughter from the nurse’s station?”“Well, he’s skilled and funny. Honestly, can’t deny it.”
In truth, most ER residents had already accepted Daeho.
His quick decisions, swift treatment, and calm yet powerful charisma with patients —
there was a lot to learn from him.
But they couldn’t join his circle yet.
The attending doctors were on edge, carefully watching Daeho.
If they made the wrong move, they’d be the ones in trouble.
‘What miserable lives we live…’
They sighed quietly, secretly admiring Daeho’s free and confident attitude.
Ten minutes later.
The ER doors burst open. A rescue team pushed in a stretcher.
Rumble.
“This is the patient we called about!”“Over here, please!”
The nurses guided them to the prepared bed.
Daeho rose from his seat, watching the stretcher go by.
They were examining the patient — a woman in her 60s, as reported.
There was nothing particularly noticeable about her appearance.
But that very lack of clear symptoms could itself be a symptom.
His gaze sharpened.
“Hmm…”
Hundreds of possible diseases and conditions flashed through his mind.
Then — someone stepped between him and the patient.
A woman, around her 30s.
“Mom, we’re at the hospital now. You’ll be okay.”“I told you, I am okay. You’re making a fuss over nothing.”“What do you mean? You said you felt dizzy and nauseous.”“Nonsense. Ah, everyone must be tired… but why is it so dark here?”
Rumble.
The mother and daughter’s casual conversation faded as the stretcher was moved out of sight.
It was oddly normal for an ER.
But Daeho’s expression froze.
He stood still, completely motionless — like a sack of rice dropped in place.
Nurse Lee Suyeon approached carefully.
“Doctor, how should we prepare?”“...C.”“C? What C?”
Suyeon tilted her head, listening closely.
Then suddenly —
“Emergency!”
Daeho’s voice boomed like thunder, startling Suyeon.
“D-Dr. Richard?”“Prepare for Cerebral Angiography, now!”
He shouted in English and sprinted toward where the patient had been taken.
Thud-thud-thud!
‘A cerebral infarction — it’s advanced but hasn’t ruptured yet. If I hurry, I can save her!’
His eyes burned with determination.
Meanwhile, Suyeon stood frozen.
It was the first time she’d heard him shout or give an order himself.
But that wasn’t the only problem.
“He wants the angiography equipment set up right now? What do I do?”
She hesitated, flustered.
Nurse Hwang Semi rushed over.
“What? Angiography? There is one for the ER, but… we need authorization.”“Exactly, we need an attending’s permission first.”“Should we call neurosurgery?”“We can’t just call them ourselves… but it was the Chief’s order.”
Suyeon’s head spun.
In an ER where communication between doctors was messy, Daeho’s sudden command could cause chaos.
Yet ignoring him didn’t seem right either — his tone had been deadly serious.
The nurses were torn.
Finally, Suyeon made a decision.
