Chapter 25
In the recovery room of the emergency ward, the patient lay on the bed, looking pale and drained.
No one could have been more nervous and frightened than she had been.
Rustle, rustle.
While writing on her chart, Daeho asked gently,
“Ms. Lee Youngrae, are you feeling nauseous or uncomfortable right now?”
“Thank you.”
“No, I mean—how does your stomach feel?”
When Daeho repeated the question, Youngrae instead reached out and held his hand.
Softly.
“I heard it was really dangerous… thank you so much.”
“Who said that? It was nothing for me.”
Daeho winked as he replied.
That small joke finally eased the tension from the patient’s face.
“Ahh… I feel fine. Really.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Once the bleeding stops completely, you’ll be moved up to the ward.
Until then, please rest.”
With a polite nod, Daeho turned to leave.
But before he could go, Youngrae hesitated and asked,
“Doctor… how long will I have to stay in the hospital?”
“If your recovery goes well, about a month.
If not, it could take longer.”
“I know this sounds selfish, but… is there any way I could be discharged earlier?”
She asked so cautiously that it almost sounded like a whisper.
It was an unreasonable request.
Daeho’s expression hardened instantly, and his voice grew firm.
“We need to monitor your recovery for the minimum required period.”
“Y-yes, of course. I understand. I’ll do that.”
“Please rest then.”
Clack.
Daeho left the recovery room, his tone colder than usual.
The moment he stepped into the corridor—
He staggered.
Creak.
He quickly sat down on a nearby bench.
“Phew…”
He exhaled deeply. His face was pale.
Outwardly, he looked calm. But inside, he was completely drained.
The procedure had taken about an hour—short and simple by most standards.
But in truth, it had been a nerve-racking hour, every second filled with life-and-death tension.
The surgery had been on a brain artery—a vessel so swollen that one slip could’ve meant death.
Even the smallest mistake would have left the patient with permanent damage.
And he had done all that while the patient and her daughter were watching.
No wonder his mental strength was spent.
“Ah… I’m wiped out.”
He let out a faint groan.
But then—
A tired yet faint smile appeared on his lips.
“Heh. Well, I really stirred things up this time.”
Overstepping authority?
Not at all.
He had acted completely within his rights as a doctor.
Still, Chief Lee and the other specialists might see it as a problem.
So what?
Daeho’s heart felt strangely light.
“Ha… Welcome to hell, huh? It really fits.”
That line—once spoken by the mysterious “X”—seemed perfectly suited to his situation now.
After a short rest, Daeho got to his feet again.
Even a few minutes off his feet had helped restore his strength.
“Agh, the head of planning shouldn’t disappear too long, right?”
He muttered a pointless joke to himself and walked toward the nurses’ station.
Step, step.
But just then, from one of the corridors, he heard a soft voice whispering.
“Sorry for waking you… yeah, Mom had a stroke…”
Daeho stopped dead in his tracks.
It was unmistakably Kim Jihyun’s voice—the daughter.
She was speaking quietly over the phone… asking to borrow money.
And just like that, her mother’s earlier request suddenly made sense.
Daeho’s expression darkened.
“Right… the rescue team, the emergency procedure…”
It would cost a fortune.
He’d seen it countless times at Johns Hopkins.
Even as a non-specialist, the fee would still be huge.
If a certified specialist had handled it, the bill could’ve easily reached $100,000—over a hundred million won.
Step, step.
As he walked silently down the corridor, Daeho’s heart felt unbearably heavy.
When he returned to the nurses’ station, he glanced at his desk and smiled faintly.
“Heh. It’s starting to feel like my own spot.”
But before he could even sit, the door to the prep room burst open.
A group of nurses rushed out, led by Nurse Lee Suyeon, who was holding a snack cake topped with lit candles.
“Dr. Richard!”
“Ta-daaa!”
Rustle, rustle.
The nurses surrounded him in excitement.
Standing in the middle, Daeho blinked in confusion.
“What’s going on?”
The nurses all grinned brightly.
“What do you mean?”
“Congratulations on your first successful procedure!”
“It’s a party! Woo!”
Clap clap clap!
Their cheerful applause filled the room, their joy pure and genuine.
But Daeho still looked puzzled.
“I mean… why?”
As he hesitated, the nurses’ mood instantly shifted.
“What, you’re really going to make this awkward?”
“Do you have any idea how hard we worked to prepare this before you came?”
They stepped closer, teasing him with mock frustration.
It felt like he was under friendly siege.
“Uh, it’s not such a big deal…”
“Your first procedure at Chunhyo! And on a stroke patient, no less!”
