Chapter 36
A little while later.
When Daeho arrived at the hospital, he headed straight to the SICU — the Surgical Intensive Care Unit.
It was where patients stayed after surgery.
That meant entry was heavily restricted, even within the hospital.
But for Daeho, it was a free pass.
Whirrr.
As he stepped into the SICU, he looked around.
“Still the same.”
The glass rooms were arranged in a circular formation, with a staff room in the center.
Daeho looked at it as if it were the most natural thing.
He was so familiar with this environment that it didn’t stir any emotion.
Then, suddenly, he narrowed his eyes.
‘Now that I think about it, I’ve never been inside Chung Hyo Hospital’s SICU before.’
He’d been too busy spending sleepless days in the emergency room.
He hadn’t even thought about visiting any other place besides the cafeteria or break room.
‘I should try to take things a bit slower.’
He started mentally organizing his plans for after returning to Korea.
While doing that, he reached one of the glass rooms.
It was the room of his patient — Dominic.
The monitor on the glass wall displayed Dominic’s vital signs.
“Hm.”
Daeho focused his gaze and watched the changing numbers.
Pulse rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, body temperature —
All the essential vitals were clearly listed.
And the ECG graph showed the rhythm of the beating heart.
‘Not bad.’
Considering it was right after surgery, the results looked quite promising.
Now then —
It was time to meet the patient.
Today, Daeho decided to approach things in a more Korean way rather than the formal American style.
He opened the door and walked into the room.
Swish.
“Mr. Dominic, how are you feeling today?”
“Huff, huff… oh?”
Dominic widened his eyes when he saw Daeho.
His dark skin made the whites of his eyes stand out even more, and his surprised expression became vividly clear.
His breathing quickened — the condensation on his oxygen mask didn’t have time to clear.
Daeho approached him naturally, smiling softly.
“I didn’t get a chance to properly greet you in the OR. So, how are you feeling?”
“Huff… Dr. Choi… thank you… for the difficult surgery…”
“Yes, it was quite challenging, honestly. The condition had been left untreated for nearly twenty years, so the surgery wasn’t easy.”
He said it with a teasing tone — partly to lighten the atmosphere for the patient.
But in truth?
‘That one almost broke me.’
The difficulty of the surgery had been extreme.
Just thinking back on it made his shoulders tense a little.
If not for Caprené’s medical knowledge and clinical experience…
And one more person’s help…
He wouldn’t have pulled it off.
The difficulty level was that high.
So Daeho’s words weren’t exactly exaggerated complaints.
Still, since he was speaking to his patient, he mixed in a bit of humor to help Dominic relax.
And it worked.
Dominic smiled faintly.
“Huff… you worked… hard. Th-thank you…”
“I came to hear that compliment, so I guess I arrived at the right time.”
“Ha, haha…”
Dominic responded with a light laugh.
He still couldn’t talk much, but Daeho didn’t mind.
He continued talking gently to keep the patient at ease.
“How does your heart feel? Any strange sensations when it beats?”
“Nooo… I can feel it… my heart…”
“You can take your time speaking.”
“Huff… The rhythm… is steady. Huff… clearly steady.”
Thumbs up.
Dominic raised his thumb with effort.
He could feel the improvement himself — that the surgery had gone well.
He had lived with an irregular heartbeat for twenty years, after all.
That made him all the more aware of how it felt to have a heart beating properly again.
Daeho smiled warmly at that genuine praise.
‘That’s why talking to patients matters.’
It wasn’t just a formal routine.
There was a special kind of thrill in it — the quiet pride only a surgeon could feel after saving someone’s life.
He pulled up a chair and sat down.
Swish.
“Mind if I sit for a bit?”
“Of… course not.”
“Actually, I’ll be returning to Korea soon.”
“Oh… is that so…”
A faint look of regret appeared on Dominic’s face.
Daeho smiled brightly and continued.
“So I thought I’d give you a full briefing about how your treatment will go from here.”
“I’ll… listen… carefully.”
“Good. First, if you look at that waveform on the monitor…”
Daeho patiently explained the readings, pointing at the vital signs so Dominic could understand.
Dominic listened intently, moved by how kind and detailed Daeho was.
He had never met a doctor like this — not since his admission.
That made Daeho seem even more genuine and caring.
After spending enough time with Dominic, Daeho finally left the SICU.
His expression was noticeably bright.
The frustration he’d felt after yesterday’s surgery had completely lifted.
“Ah, that feels good.”
He realized for the first time how refreshing it was to explain things thoroughly to a patient.
He promised himself to keep doing that from now on.
As he walked down the hospital corridor, he noticed how empty it was.
Hardly anyone was passing by.
But that didn’t surprise him.
