Altschmerz

Four

2019
8:33 am
Gangnam

The cardiac monitors beeped in the general ward which was reeking of a familiar disinfectant cleaner.

The sick elderly man on the bed looked over at Dr. Shownu as the senior doctor, Dr. Namhyuk, skimmed through his medical reports grimly.
Dr. Shownu only smile reassuringly in response.

"Looks like we need to run some more tests before going ahead with your surgery." said Dr. Namhyuk

"More tests?!" The patient said in a surprise.

"Standard protocol. We just want to make sure nothing goes wrong with you on the operation table." His tone was robotic, not a hint of any emotions
whatsoever. "I'll send in the nurses to collect the required samples."

He turned around and instructed the registrar beside him about contacting the patient's consulting doctors and then he walked away with his team of doctors.

"They keep delaying my shit." The old man said grumpily.

Dr. Shownu sighed and walked over and took a seat beside him. "You'll be okay, Mr. Kim. They're just following the standard procedure to ensure your safety." His tone was calm.

"Safety my ass. I could die of a kidney failure anytime."

Shownu gave a little nod disapprovingly, "That won't happen, don't worry. I'm keeping an eye on you."

"Ow!" The old man clutched at his chest, "I think I'm getting a heart attack."

The young doctor glanced at the cardiac monitor beside him and smiled helplessly, his eyes half moons now, "Mr. Kim. Relax a little." He gently placed a reassuring hand over his, "You're okay. Trust me."

The old man rolled his eyes and sighed in defeat, dropping the act, "I want to get out of this hellhole asap, okay? Plus, I can't afford these lousy tests anymore. The money I saved up for the trip to L.A is going to be wasted on these baffoons."

Mr. Kim was Shownu's highly irritable neighbor. He'd chug on vodka and live off of junk food every day despite of Shownu's advise against it. He'd see him as his grandfather whom he loved dearly back in his town. The other night, Mr. Kim got seriously sick and ultimately got rushed to the E.R by Shownu. When asked for his carelessness, he told the doctor he was just "winging it till death knocked at his door."

Shownu understood that the old man was very depressed after his wife died. He literally watched him deteriorate into a grumpy old drunkard. He was a happy man once, now he masks his pain by brutal humor and witty come backs.

"You're going to L.A?" Shownu's brows knit in confusion. "As far as I know, none of your relatives lives over there."

"It's called the City of Angels for a reason, son." The old man winked, a mischievous smile spreading across his wrinkled face.

Shownu couldn't help but chuckle, then he leaned over and whispered, "Can I tag along?"

The old man's eyes widened, he gasped dramatically, resisting a smile, "Aigo, look at this young man, how shamelessly he talks about it with his elders." He said it too loud to get the nearby nurses attention. She gave shownu a look.

Shownu's ears turned a shade of pink, "Looks like the medicines are kicking in, I'll leave you be now. Rest well, Mr. Kim." He said it loud enough for the nurse to hear.

12:45 pm

Shownu knocked before entering Dr. Namhyuk's office "You called for me, sunbae?"

"Ah yes yes, come on in." The man seated behind the desk said. He gestured for him to sit across him.

His office was big. The furniture was dark and the walls proudly displayed his achievements. There was a huge window giving an overview of the city.

Namhyuk was more of a mentor to Shownu, guiding him along through his initial years at the hospital. Shownu respected him for his professionalism. There is always something new to learn from him.

"Looks like you're getting some decent sleep at night since you're off the night shift."

"Actually, yes. Night shift was turning me into a literal zombie."

"We could tell when you were on a laughing fit the other day...in the operation theatre."

"Sleep deprivation, sir." Shownu gave a thin lipped smile, cheeks burning. "Doesn't work out for me very well evidently."

"I hope you keep getting some good hours of sleep because you'll be needing it for your new job."

Shownu raised his brows, clearly confused. "I'm sorry, what was the last part again?"

"Yes, a research lab needs you. I've been contacted by Taekang hospital this morning. Apparently they're recruiting potential doctors for their new research on Anamorsia. As you may already know, Anamorsia is a rare brain disease to which there is no possible cure at this moment. So, for that cause, Taekang hospital has set up a new research lab in Busan. When they asked for our top most competent doctors for their assistance, I gave them your name. Taekang might contact you sometime soon."

Shownu was rendered speechless for a cool moment. Yes, he wanted to jump right in because it's a pretty big offer. But he was all too overwhelmed by it at the moment. The name Taekang raised a few red flags in his head which he wasn't sure about.

"Sir..." He was struggling to find words. "Hyung, Do you want to reconsider your choice? I mean I'm still a junior doctor."

Namhyuk leaned over the desk, "Do you doubt my choice? I know you for a long time now and I do know for a fact that you're more than qualified for this job."

When Shownu said nothing, he pushed even more, "Trust me, I know what I'm doing." He sounded a little desperate to persuade Shownu at this point. It was highly unlikely of him.

Shownu thought for a moment, "I'll think about it."

A smile spread across his senior's face, he looked relieved. "Very well."

8:39 pm

"Taekang?!" Jooheon exclaimed. "Did you forget what I told you about those shady people?"

"No I remember everything. But I'm just not sure."

"Look, I've been digging up their shit for a long time now and one thing's for sure, Taekang group of companies ARE funded by Bang Yongguk directly or indirectly. However, Taekang dismisses any relation with him. But you see, any involvement of Bang Yongguk in any business means something shady is going down."

"And you're going to expose their monkey business? And what If Bang Yongguk is actually involved, as you say, then It's sort of dangerous for you, bud."

"A journalist's job is always dangerous, man. I'm getting real close to them this time. Once I find a solid evidence, Taekang is so gonna get busted." Jooheon said zealously.

Shownu thought for a moment, "This is about your brother, right?"

The line went silent. Shownu could hear jooheon sigh on the other end, "They let my baby brother die, hyung. They could have saved him and you know it."

Shownu was there when it all happened. His brother was due for a brain surgery. Jooheon worked day and night for the bills. But when the moment came, his doctors rescheduled the operation because one of the VIP patients wanted to get her surgery done on the same date. In a way, Taekang killed him because they knew very well how critical his brother was. They knew everything but still they decided to treat on their VIP patient. Jooheon and his brother, being poor, couldn't escape the political bias and social marginalization of the hospital.

"Just be careful is what I want to say."

"Careful is my middle name." Jooheon chuckled.

"Sure, sure." Shownu chuckled.

"I wonder why Taekang is interested in this rare disease now. I need to know what's up with these goons. Thanks for the lead, hyung."

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