Chapter 31
They were in the middle of transferring a patient when—
Bang!
The emergency room doors burst open, and a man in a suit rushed in.
He looked to be in his early thirties, with broad shoulders and a solid, confident air. On top of that, he was quite handsome.
“Where is it? Where!”
Tap-tap-tap!
The nurses flinched as he sprinted past them and quickly pointed.
“Over there!”
“How did you get here so fast?”
The man in the suit muttered irritably as he passed.
“I was on a date, damn it!”
Clatter!
He disappeared down the hallway, still grumbling.
Daeho, watching from behind, blinked in disbelief.
“What’s with that guy?”
“Be careful what you say,” warned Nurse Hwang Semi as she hurried over. “That’s Dr. Hong Yuhyun, a second-year surgical fellow.”
At that, Daeho’s expression relaxed slightly.
“A surgeon who runs like that—commendable.”
“Well, he does have that tendency. Though, in surgery, they call him the call center.”
“Call center?”
“He lives nearby,” she explained with a wry smile.
Daeho immediately understood.
“So, he’s the go-to emergency surgeon.”
“Exactly.”
Hwang Semi gave an awkward smile.
Then Daeho said casually, “I’ll step out for a moment.”
Srrk.
Leaving only those words behind, he calmly walked deeper into the emergency room.
The area he arrived at was Zone 3.
He’d performed the initial emergency treatment himself, so he had come to provide a brief explanation.
‘Quick response to the call, specialist arrived in good time...’
He mentally checked off items in his head as he walked.
Just then, the surgical residents were transferring the patient, Lee Heeyoung, from a hospital bed to a stretcher.
“One, two...!”
“Heave!”
Srrrk.
They had just finished moving the patient when—
Hong Yuhyun reached the stretcher at the perfect moment, almost in a sprint.
Tap!
“Whew. What’s the situation?”
“Ah, Dr. Hong, you’re here.”
“Now’s not the time for calmness. Where’s the emergency patient?”
“This is the patient. Vitals are quite stable.”
The surgical resident explained calmly.
At that moment, the patient, Heeyoung, lifted a trembling hand.
“Uh... uh...”
He looked so calm now, with an apologetic expression on his face, that the bloodstains all over his hospital gown seemed almost unbelievable.
Hong Yuhyun’s expression relaxed in relief—he had rushed here as if flying, and yet the patient looked far too peaceful.
“What’s this? They said the hematemesis wouldn’t stop.”
“I temporarily blocked the esophagus.”
Srrk.
Daeho stepped forward, explaining.
Yuhyun flinched and turned around.
“Wha—Dr...!”
The moment he saw Daeho’s face, he looked even more shocked.
Meanwhile, Daeho couldn’t understand his reaction.
“Is there something strange about my face?”
“No, but... you’re Richard Choi, aren’t you?”
Yuhyun recognized him immediately. Daeho, however, didn’t seem particularly surprised.
“Yes, I started work here a few days ago. Richard Choi.”
“Don’t you recognize me?”
“Have we met before?”
Daeho searched his memory, but nothing came to mind.
Yuhyun could have been offended, but instead, he smiled.
“Heh, we can talk about that later. The patient comes first, right?”
“Bingo. Here’s how I handled the emergency treatment...”
Daeho explained everything clearly and calmly.
Yuhyun listened carefully, nodding.
There was no tension between them—only professional focus.
The residents nearby exchanged surprised whispers.
“Richard’s explaining so obediently?”
“And Dr. Hong’s actually being polite! He talks down to us all the time.”
“Do they know each other?”
“Seems like it... maybe?”
No one could figure out their relationship.
Soon, Daeho finished his briefing.
“...and that’s the situation after about fifteen minutes.”
“Okay. The direction of the emergency surgery is clear now.”
“You can go ahead first. I’ll follow with the handover.”
“Sure. Just a moment.”
Srrk.
Yuhyun turned back toward the patient.
“I’ll see you again upstairs, but I’m Dr. Hong Yuhyun, and I’ll be performing your surgery.”
“Uh, uh...”
The patient nodded weakly.
Yuhyun gave a calm, reassuring smile.
“It’s not a major operation, so please don’t worry. I’ll do my best.”
“Mm...”
“Once you’re in the OR, we won’t have time to talk like this. See you soon.”
He bowed slightly, ending his words respectfully.
Then he looked at Daeho and added with a grin,
“When the surgery’s over, can I have that cup of tea?”
“How long do you expect it’ll take?”
“Within two hours.”
“I’ll have it ready and waiting.”
Daeho’s tone was calm but slightly challenging.
Any other doctor might have taken offense, but Yuhyun just smiled.
“Then I’ll make sure I’m not late.”
“Good luck.”
Bow.
Daeho nodded to him respectfully.
“A real doctor,” Daeho thought.
He genuinely admired him.
Resident Park Jingyu, watching nearby, was stunned.
