“Doctor.”

As Min-cheol staggered out of the store, Seo-jun grabbed him. Min-cheol swayed and turned his head.

“Yes?”

“You probably won’t remember today’s events.”

Park Min-cheol chuckled softly.

“Boss. I’ve been drunk many times while drinking...
Hic! I’m drunk now, of course. But I’ve never had a blackout. Three thousand years old! And two million won! I’ll remember everything.”

“You won’t.”

“I will...”

Seo-jun stepped closer to Min-cheol. Then, he handed him the briefcase that Min-cheol had left behind.

“Ah? I almost left this. Thank you. This was a gift from my wife, so I’d be in big trouble if I forgot it.”

“No problem.”

Hic!

“Well, I’ll come back next time.”

“Doctor.”

“Yes?”

“You are a good doctor.”

“Me? I don’t think so...”

“Why don’t you think so?”

“I’ve lived long enough to know that there are no truly good people in this world. Anyone can become evil depending on the circumstances. I’m no exception.”

“5,678.”

“What’s that?”

“Those are the patients you’ve saved. At least to them, you are a good doctor.”

“...You know things I don’t even know.”

“After living for over three thousand years, I’ve gained some abilities.”

Min-cheol chuckled and shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, can you use that ability to tell me the lottery numbers for this round?”

“Sorry. If I did that, I’d get caught by those who wouldn’t be happy with it. But I’ll give you something else you need.”

“Something I need? What could that be? Ah! A car? A car sounds good. I’d like to try the Triangular Star...“

“4,322.”

“What’s that again? The number of people who died at my table?”

“No.”

“Then what is it?”

“That’s something you’ll gradually understand.”

“I’m too impatient for that... I can’t wait for it.”

“That’s why I told you. You won’t remember today’s events. Without memory, there’s no need to be in a hurry.”

Min-cheol chuckled again.

“That’s true. If I don’t remember, there’s no rush. Have you said everything you needed to?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll really go now. And...”

Thud, thud.

Min-cheol tapped his own head with his index finger.

“Three thousand years and two million won. I’ll remember.”

Min-cheol staggered out of the store.

The trauma surgery department had always suffered from a shortage of staff. It was so bad that no residents applied to it.

If there were no residents, how could there be specialists?

Of course, that was a thing of the past. After the upheaval, the need for trauma surgery became clear.

At that time, the government had sent anyone with military service obligations or who had committed crimes among the pre-med students, residents, and fellows straight into trauma surgery.

This wasn’t just human rights suppression, it was like taking away the freedom of job choice, but at the time, the entire world was under threat.

It was a dark time, uncertain how long the war with the alien race would last.

Because of that, trauma surgeons increased.

As the situation gradually stabilized, many doctors changed their careers after passing the double board exams.

In Min-cheol’s trauma department, there were many skilled surgeons, including Kim Woo-jin.

So, it had never happened before.

“What is it?”

“...We don’t have any doctors available to go in right now.”

“There’s Dr. Choi.”

“He just received a transfer from the ER and is now in an emergency surgery.”

“Then what about Dr. Woo?”

“Dr. Woo...”

“Isn’t Dr. Park available? I thought he was off today.”

“Dr. Park was urgently called and is also in surgery. Right now, the only doctor available to operate is you, Professor.”

Min-cheol, who had been scribbling on the resignation letter he couldn’t finish yesterday in his office, was called unexpectedly.

There were no surgeons to perform the operation.

Gate explosions or monster appearances that suddenly cause a rush of patients could explain such a situation, but it was rare to have no surgeon available on a normal day.

Min-cheol couldn’t help but be taken aback.

He wasn’t in any condition to operate right now. In fact, he had only ended up performing Officer Go Kyung-soo’s surgery after postponing it over and over again.

But now, he had to enter the operating room again?

If symptoms appeared, he would likely end up performing surgery on the wrong person.

“Dr. Lee from orthopedics and Dr. Cho from neurosurgery are both double board-certified specialists. I’ve asked them to...”

“...I’ve already asked them. Dr. Lee is in surgery, and Dr. Cho is currently at a seminar.”

Min-cheol let out a bitter laugh. Even the heavens were indifferent, leaving him with no choice but to perform the surgery himself.

Standing in front of the operating table, Min-cheol felt strangely uneasy. The operating table, which he had seen hundreds or thousands of times, seemed unfamiliar today.

Clack-!

It was the same with the shadowless light. For some reason, the shadowless light in the operating room felt colder than usual today.

“Professor, the patient is asleep.”

Min-cheol nodded and opened his mouth.

“Scalpel.”

Shhhhh-.

‘What is this?’

It felt strange. It was the same flesh he had always cut, but today it felt as if it was sliding away without any hindrance.

His hands remained steady.

“Dr. Oh, prepare the aminevac (traction device).”

“Understood.”

Chiiiiiick!

The electric scalpel smoothly sliced through the abdomen.

‘The ribs are fine, but the lungs are the problem.’

The patient on the operating table was a day laborer. He had fallen from a construction site and landed on his abdomen, resulting in a tension pneumothorax.

They had bought some time with an emergency chest tube insertion, but the real problem was that the lung between the pleura was torn.

His assistant let out a sigh. They judged that suturing would be difficult.

That was the case for Park Min-cheol as well. No, that’s what he had thought.

Suddenly feeling a strange thought, Min-cheol took off the loop (magnifying lens). It was an oddly clear feeling, as though he could see even the cells within the internal organs.

Moreover, his hands still had no tremors. In fact, it felt like he could control each nerve, each part of the body.

‘It’s possible.’

When Min-cheol first assessed the patient's condition, he thought there was no answer other than a resection. But now, it was different.

It seemed quite possible.

“Pro, Professor?”

The assistant called out to him, sensing that Min-cheol’s attitude had changed.

“I’m going to proceed with suturing instead of a resection. Grasper.”

The medical staff in the operating room were shocked at Min-cheol’s request. This patient was clearly not someone who could undergo suturing.

But now, Min-cheol was attempting to do suturing.

“Professor, this patient…”

Even the assistant broke the unwritten rule in the operating room out of concern. Min-cheol glanced at the assistant and spoke.

“Grasper.”

“……”

The assistant bit her lip hard, and the nurses who were assisting watched with tense expressions as Min-cheol continued his surgery.

10 minutes.

The time it took for the tension to turn into euphoria was only 10 minutes.

Operating room waiting area.

When the door to the operating room opened, the first thing Min-cheol saw was a little boy with a buzz cut.

Behind him, a shabby-dressed lady was looking at him with both hands clasped together.

She must be the patient's wife.

“Doctor, how did it go?”

“The surgery was successful.”

“Then, the life is…?”

“There will be no problem. He should wake up soon.”

“Ah… Thank you! Thank you, Doctor!”

The lady kept thanking him while holding his hands, and Min-cheol smiled brightly. He was happy that he could smile.

If the surgery had gone wrong, he wouldn’t have been able to smile. And this moment was the most rewarding moment for him as a surgeon.

He had saved one person’s life, but he wasn’t the only one who had been saved.

All the people connected to him, those who would mourn and hurt because of his death, it was as if their hearts had been saved as well.

This was a reward that couldn’t be expressed in words. And…

‘Resignation.’

Min-cheol suddenly recalled the resignation letter he had been scribbling earlier.

Could he live comfortably after leaving the operating room?

Could he live by picking up a fishing rod instead of a scalpel?

‘As long as my hands are fine…’

Today had been the most satisfying surgery he had done so far.

The feeling of being able to control all the nerve cells, the feeling of being able to handle each tiny blood vessel of the patient, the tissues clearly visible even without the loop…

Would he ever be able to feel these sensations again?

‘As long as my hands are fine…’

If so, he would be able to feel them again.

Min-cheol left the room, reluctantly leaving his longing behind and heading back to the medical office.

Resignation Letter

Min-cheol stood with his arms crossed, staring vacantly at the resignation letter on his desk.

This piece of paper contained nothing less than the 35 years of his life, which had started back when he was a student preparing for exams.

35 years of time could be squeezed into this paper, but submitting it was something he hesitated to do.

If he submitted it, his 35 years of time would disappear along with this paper.

‘I thought it would be easy…’

When he first asked his wife for permission, he thought it would be easy. Write and submit a resignation letter.

How simple a task was that?

But now that the situation had come, it wasn’t as easy as he thought. He must not have a clear heart, even though he was nearly sixty.

Still in deep thought, Min-cheol placed the resignation letter in a drawer and left work for the day.

A walk might help clear his complicated mind.

As Min-cheol walked aimlessly, he stopped in front of a shop. After standing there for a moment in hesitation, he entered the shop.

‘It’s quiet today.’

Yesterday, the place was bustling with customers, but today it was quiet. Maybe it was because it was early.

“You came again.”

“Ah… Yes. I know I come too often.”

“If you come often, it’s good for us.”

Min-cheol took his seat and soon placed an order. He ordered beer and spicy pork belly with gochujang (Korean chili paste).

The food and drink were quickly served. As Seo-jun placed the pork belly on the table, Min-cheol spoke.

“Hey, boss.”

“Yes?”

“Did I make any mistakes yesterday?”

“Mistakes?”

“I had a blackout, so I was wondering if I made any mistakes…”

“Well, there was one.”

“What…”

“You don’t remember.”

“What?”

Seo-jun smiled brightly.

“You said you’d remember, but it seems you can’t.”

“Looks like I made a big mistake while drunk. I’m sorry…”

“No need to apologize. Since it seems like you can’t remember, should I refund you?”

“Refund?”

“Didn’t you get a message about the card payment yesterday?”

“I don’t usually check messages. Just a moment…”

Min-cheol checked his messages, and his expression changed to a stunned one.

[Web Send]

XX Card 6*0* Approved

Park*Cheol

2,000,000 KRW One-time Payment

09/27 02:33

One Drink

Why didn’t I see this?

No, more importantly, what kind of crazy person spends two million in one go? This madman… this crazy bastard!

“I’ll refund you.”

“...Would that be okay?”

“Of course.”

“But looking at the fact that I swiped two million, it seems like I made some big mistake and used it for something, like breaking some equipment or causing a huge loss…”

“Nothing like that happened. The two million was for the drink of Officer Go, who will come later.”

“Ah…”

“Should I refund you?”

Min-cheol shook his head, smiling.

If that’s the case, then it’s fine. Even though the blackout erased his memory, he now understood why he paid for that patient’s drink.