Chapter 10

Episode 10 Strange Guy (3)

Senior Lee Minjae’s prediction became a curse and was realized with pinpoint accuracy. After that day, my status in the Emergency Medical Center completely changed. Of course, I should probably mention that it wasn't a status with a positive meaning. Or rather, looking at it another way, should it be considered a status with a positive meaning? For now, one certain fact was that, for me, that way, a not-so-positive situation had arrived.

Of course, it was a good thing for my juniors and fellow peers. In the first place, the reason my status rose was because of them anyway. But dear seniors, you shouldn’t be liking this, should you? No, I know it might be a hassle to come and ask things yourself, you gentlemen. Even so, a 1st Year is busting his ass right now. You should at least take a look yourself, shouldn't you?

At any rate, instead of being treated as a low-ranking 1st Year piece of trash, I became an existence with embarrassing and burdensome modifiers like the ‘God of Diagnosis,’ ‘Walking Up-to-date,’ and ‘Savior of the Juniors.’ And the price for that was horrifying.

“Teacher Han Hyeonjae! Just a moment, please!”

Around 3 AM, just when my mind was becoming blankly faint from handling the rushing influx of patients, an intern with a pale face ran up to me. In my hand was the EKG paper that had just been printed.

“Excuse me, that 78-year-old female patient keeps saying her epigastric area hurts and she feels nauseous. I thought it was just simple indigestion, but the EKG I took just in case is a bit ambiguous…”

The intern's voice was trailing off.

I let out a sigh inwardly and took the EKG. At a glance, it didn't seem to have much difference from a normal electrocardiogram. However, just like the intern's words, the ST Segment from V1 to V3 was very subtly depressed by about 0.5 millimeters. A finding that, if it were the beginning of the 1st Year, one might just ignore and pass over as a ‘margin of error’ or a ‘non-specific change.’

Holding the EKG, I stared at a point in the void for a moment.

Accessing the Gallery.

Title: 78/F, Epigastric pain, nausea. Subtle ST depression on EKG V1-V3. Differential Point?

Author: Korean Slave 1 (Male)

Only 0.5 seconds after posting the text, that 118.235 IP made its entrance again.

ㅇㅇ (118.235): Suspect Posterior MI. Take leads V7-V9, you bastard.

I checked the answer sheet and turned my gaze back to the intern.

“Considering the patient's age and symptoms, you must not rule out the possibility of an atypical Myocardial Infarction. Especially since this could be a Posterior MI, attach additional leads from V7 to V9 on the patient's back and take the EKG again. And immediately send a lab call for Cardiac Enzymes, including Troponin, and notify me as soon as the results come out.”

“Yes? Posterior MI? Ah! Understood!”

A short while later, the additional EKG brought by the intern showed a clear ST Segment elevation in leads V8 and V9. A typical finding of a Posterior Myocardial Infarction. I immediately called the Cardiology on-duty doctor, and the patient went to receive an emergency procedure.

I saved another patient who had almost been left unattended with indigestion until her heart muscle completely rotted away.

Proud.

Things like this were repeated several times a day.

“Hyunjae, take a look at that patient. He's a 25-year-old man, his X-ray is cleanly normal, and he says he’s had a dry cough and a fever for a week. I just feel so uneasy about it.”

My peer Kim Jihun (Male) scratched his head and asked me.

Accessing the Gallery. [25/M, dry cough, fever. Chest PA normal. R/O?]

ㅇㅇ (14.52): It’s Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Atypical pneumonia doesn’t show up well on an X-ray originally. Put him on Azithromycin.

“…Hmm, even if the X-ray is clean, it can be Atypical pneumonia. Thinking of a Mycoplasma infection, for now, it seems good to try using the antibiotic Azithromycin empirically.”

“Ah, right! Atypical pneumonia! I almost just gave him Cold medicine and sent him away.”

Kim Jihun (Male) struck my shoulder with genuine admiration.

‘The guy who, when asked, suddenly stares into space somewhere, thinks deeply, and then gives an amazing answer after a moment.’

That was my new title.

To the intern who sprained their ankle but saw an ambiguous bone piece on the X-ray, I told them, “That’s an Accessory bone, so just leave it alone.” To the peer whose child kept touching their ear and fussing, I advised, “If there’s no redness on the eardrum, a bug or something might have gone into the ear canal, so look inside with an Otoscope.”

Thanks to this Gallery, I had to pour out knowledge that surpassed my year without rest. They said most of these were thoughts that would be easy enough to differentiate and think of if one just gained a little experience. Of course, since I was a low-ranking piece of trash, I couldn’t properly recall most of those cases on my own, though.

Before I knew it, the time was passing 5 AM.

Ragged from the endlessly continuing baptism of questions, I hid my body in a corner of the Supply Room, escaping everyone’s eyes. As I leaned my head against the cold wall, my eyes closed softly. Please, even just for one minute, I hope no one finds me.

Fuck. Please just go ask the senior residents. Don’t come to me, go ask the 3rd Year or 4th Year sitting over there, you bastards. I don’t know either. I’m just a 1st Year exactly like you guys.

Leaning my head against the cold Supply Room wall, I opened the system window and checked the price of my labor. During the past few hours, I moved, thought, and gave answers without rest. I became the savior of the interns and peers, preventing their mistakes. What on earth is the reward given to me in return?

I pressed the LP acquisition history. A detailed list popped up on the screen.

[Posterior MI Diagnosis Assistance: 10 LP]

[Atypical pneumonia Diagnosis Assistance: 5 LP]

[Accessory bone Differential Diagnosis Assistance: 2 LP]

[Ear canal foreign object Differential Diagnosis Assistance: 2 LP]

[Urinary tract infection Diagnosis Assistance: 3 LP]

…

Is this all, fuck?

Adding it all up, it was 22 LP. My total LP became 622 points. I let out a hollow laugh.

Fuck, because they’re minor cases and everything I confirmed doesn’t count as me directly treating them, the LP barely accumulates.

The system was cold-hearted. Diagnosis assistance was just assistance; it did not give a complete reward. A structure where proper points enter only when I directly interview the patient, make a diagnosis under my responsibility, and start treatment with my order.

With this role as a human consultant cleaning up other people's messes like now, let alone 5,000 LP, it would easily take several months just to gather 1,000 LP.

Annoyed, I closed the LP window and moved to the main screen of the [Dead Medic Gallery]. It was because I wondered what kind of trivial things these ghost bastards were talking about again.

And I doubted my eyes. The gallery’s popular post list was entirely plastered with my story.

Title: Hell Slave 1, successfully diagnosed Posterior MI like a dog www

Author: Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine

The intern kid almost passed it off as simple indigestion, but Hell Slave 1 coming to the gallery to ask and catching the Posterior MI was pretty good. Come and ask often in the future, kiddo.

Title: Today’s Hell Slave 1 Atypical pneumonia case, would it have been okay to use Doxycycline instead of Azithromycin?

Author: Latte is Mine

Azithromycin is a good choice too, but if it were me, I think I would have used Doxycycline. What do you guys think? Let’s have a discussion on this topic.

Title: Thanks to the great Hell Slave 1, gallery-ing is worthwhile these days

Author: Bone Nerd 88 (Male)

Thanks to this gentleman, even after dying, I get to encounter the latest cases, and it feels like seeing patients in real time, so it's fucking great. How should I put it, it feels damn fresh. It's hard to explain, but there's something like that.

I stared blankly at the screen in disbelief.

These ghost bastards were watching my hard labor in real time from the gallery and even holding discussions. To these crazy gallerists, I was no longer an ordinary living doctor, but an existence like a streamer of a 24-hour live streaming channel that relieves the boredom of these crazy ghosts.

I entered one post and checked the comments.

ㅇㅇ (14.52): Every single one of them is a novice-like case, but even so, doesn’t it feel good because it really feels like seeing a patient?

Pediatric Ghost: Real ㅋㅋ Besides, seeing him make a diagnosis while referring to our posts and coming to report it, it feels like we are participating in the treatment process, you know?

Hippocrates' Descendant: Vulgar things. Gloating over such minor cases. However, it is true that it is slightly enjoyable.

These crazy bastards are treating my patients as a leisure activity.