Doctor Goes Back to Joseon

Chapter 17: Sword [1]

He resembled someone he knew, but he just could not look up for the person in his memories. Ganghyuk went closer to him to get a better look, at which point, the man showed his number plate with ’23’ written on it.

“I am sorry to be here this late in the evening.”

His face looked very firm and stern, and he seemed to be in his thirties. But, there was a dignity in his face such that nobody could ignore him.

Ganghyuk answered with a polite language unknowingly, “No, not at all. How is your injury?”

“It is not a big thing. I am sorry to bother you so late.”

He showed his right leg with calm face. Somebody had treated it a bit, as there were some splints here and there. But in Ganghyuk’s eyes, this was not the treatment at all.

‘En… His shin is totally dislocated. How can he stand like that?’

It was clinically impossible. He must be standing there with some superhuman patience for sure. When he looked at him closely, he found him to be sweating.

“Come in. Dolseok, I need to stay here tonight.”

Just a few moments ago, Dolseok was all happy and excited thinking about drinking and having a good time. But now, this situation was a sudden mishap for him.

“Ah…”

“He is the one that the governor wanted me to cure. Make a bed for him.”

“Yes, sir.”

Dolseok rushed into the room while frowning. Yeoni noticed the situation, and quickly assisted the patient to come in.

“Sir, I will help.”

“Yes Makbong, come and help him.”

“Yes, sir.”

As the man was quite big, it was not easy to help him move even with three assistants. It was a mystery as to how he could come here and stand up like this.

He must be a man of tremendous patience.

‘He does not moan at all.’

He did not make a single sound even when his injured leg bumped into the door’s threshold.

Seeing this, Ganghyuk could not help being moved by the man, even though he was not very easily impressed normally.

“Ok. Please lie down here.”

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“Good.”

The man frowned, but followed his orders.

When Ganghyuk looked at the wound in the bright light, he found that it was more serious than he had thought. It was quite swollen, and had gotten blue. Yeoni and Makbong turned their heads away because of the terrible look.

“You can go. Go home and take a rest.”

“We can stay, sir. No worries!” Yeoni answered gallantly. She would indeed stay if he told her to.

“No, we don’t have many things to do. You can go. We have Dolseok here.”

“Okay, sir.”

She never engaged in empty talk. Therefore, she did not make Ganghyuk speak the same thing twice and left the room with Makbong, without any regrets.

As a result, Dolseok was left alone, and consequently became busier.

“Warm up water with the double boiler. It should not be too hot, okay?” Ganghyuk gave him an empty basin and a small IV bag.

“Yes, sir.”

Dolseok learned quickly, and was capable of doing things without supervision.

Thus, Ganghyuk did not need to follow him for supervision.

“It may hurt a bit.”

“No problem.”

Ganghyuk then moved on to examine his legs carefully. They looked strange even when he was standing, and when he examined them with his hands, he could clearly feel the abnormality.

“It is not a coincidence having a shorter right leg. The bone was broken and dislocated…’

Ganghyuk looked at the wound. The man had good muscles, showing that he was good at martial arts. The muscles showed strength even in such a situation.

‘It is not possible to locate it without anesthesia.’

His leg had discolored; it was certain that he had a rupture inside. If not, the color could not have been so blue.

And, there was no other reason to have a swollen leg like this.

‘I need to cut it. What can I do?’

Although he was an excellent surgeon, he could not alleviate the pain.

‘I need anesthesia… A proper anesthesia.’

He needed to at least perform a spinal anesthesia. But, the problem was that he did not have the facility, medicine, or professional assistance to do it.

While he was wondering this, Dolseok got the water. The IV bag was warm enough.

‘Even though I can mix a painkiller here, it will not be enough.’

The pain in the bone was much more severe than what a painkiller or local anesthesia could mitigate. The pain could send one into shock, and could even lead to death.

But, if he left it like this, he would surely die eventually.

‘It will decay soon, and then he will die.’

Ganghyuk had to make a decision. He tried to somehow trust this guy’s superhuman patience.

In the old novels, it was said that Gwanwu ground his bone without any anesthesia. At the time when he started with medicine in college, he thought that it was a bluff. But now, he thought and hoped that it might be true, seeing the man’s superhuman patience.

“Listen to me carefully.”

“Yes, I am listening.”

“Your shin bone is broken and dislocated. It should be set back in place, but I cannot do it the way it is.

The patient nodded his head without any question.

“Your blood vessel is damaged. I think that is the reason why you have a swollen leg.”

“I see.”

“I need to cut your leg up, drain the blood, tie the damaged vessel, and then locate the bone.”

Ganghyuk tried to read the man’s face while explaining. A normal person would be stunned with this explanation. Yet, he looked totally placid.

“Then please do that.”

As he was too placid, Ganghyuk was surprised instead.

‘Did he not understand what I meant?’

If not, how could he be so calm? He had just told the man about cutting his flesh and taking out the blood. How could he stay calm like that?

Maybe, he was not sober because of the pain.

But, his eyes were as bright as buttons. Ganghyuk asked him again, a bit dumbfounded.

“Really?”

“I heard from Sir Kim Yungil. He told me if you cannot help me, no other doctor can. I trust him. Please do what you have to do.”

“I have to cut.”

“It is Ok. I have already decided to be a military officer.”

His eyes did not show any movement or hesitation. As a result, Ganghyuk was greatly moved by the man and governor Kim.

‘I thought he was a sex addict, but he must be more than that. This man trusts the governor so deeply.’

He must be somebody qualified for his office for sure.

‘Yes, I already know he is a man of loyalty.’

He liked money and received bribes, but he was a loyal man still. Hence, Ganghyuk decided to answer for his trust.

“I see. Then, I will inject some painkillers.”

Ganghyuk took out a narcotic analgesic from the bag.

‘Why did the chairman ask for these medicines? What for?’

He could not understand it. And as a matter of fact, he could not even remember the face of the chairman clearly. Strangely, the memory of that day with the chairman had faded.

‘It would do no harm to have these I guess.’

He might actually be able to endure thanks to this medicine.

Having decided on it, Ganghyuk found the vein quickly and then injected the narcotic analgesic mixed with the IV liquid.

“Dolseok, take off your clothes.”

“Ah, yes!”

The two of them took off clothes, leaving the patient on the bed. It was not a pleasant scene to look at, but they could not help. It was too difficult to have an operation wearing the cumbersome attire.

“Sir, how about making a special garment for this?

“Yes. I will. But, we cannot help it today. We should do it like this.”

“See, the patient is also surprised. He came here with a broken leg, and now all this is happening in front of him.”

As Dolseok said, the patient had indeed showed a somewhat puzzled face for an instant. But, he returned back to his original calm face in the next moment.

“Be quiet. Let’s wipe the leg.”

“Yes, sir.”

“It might be cold.”

“Don’t worry.”

The man fixed his eyes to the ceiling. His lips were trembling, showing that he was tensed.

“It will be painful.”

Ganghyuk injected the analgesic on the place he would cut. It was entirely different from the operation on the mayor. If the mayor saw these two operations for comparison, he might actually fire the clinic.

“Hu” The patient sighed.

Ganghyuk was an excellent doctor, but it was the first time for him to do such an operation with just local anesthesia.

‘We do not have blood, either.’

It was not possible to give blood transfusion. This was the most difficult operation in terms of his feeling.

‘But I must do it.’ He could not hesitate after seeing the man who trusted him and had lied down there. He nodded his head and then picked up the mess.

“Dolseok, you must do it well today.”

“Yes… yes, sir.”

“Let’s begin.”