Golden Time

With IV on a drip attached, he looked around his bed, saying,

“I feel something different at a big hospital like this...”

There was everything in this room that he could ask for.

He felt as if he were lying on the bed in the main room of a rich man’s house on TV.

“As the surgery is simple, it will be over quickly,” said Suhyuk.

“Thanks, thanks,” replied he.

“Daddy!”

Suhyuk turned back at the voice from behind.

It was Hana who just arrived here right after leaving the office.

She grabbed his hands firmly.

“Why did you come here, seeing as you’re so busy? Suhyuk will take good care of me,” said he.

“Anybody hearing what you said would think he is your son,” said Hana.

“I feel sort of tired as I’m on an IV drip,” replied he.

“Well, it doesn’t include anything like a sleeping pill. I guess you didn’t have a sound sleep last night,” said Suhyuk.

At his remarks, Hana’s father corrected his body position and lay on the bed.

“Maybe you’re right. Hana, wake me up in an hour as I will go to sleep now.”

Both of them turned off the light and went out.

Hana’s father opened his eyes quietly and looked at the door that the both of them just went out of.

On the Sky Park Suhyuk offered a bottle of canned coffee to Hana.

“Thanks.”

“How have you been?”

At Suhyuk’s asking, she nodded her head, her eyes fixed on coffee, saying,

“Well, I just get by, day by day.”

She swept up her hair.

Like Dongsu, she had not changed at all. She was as pretty as usual.

Though they had not met in a long time, they did not talk much.

It was Hana who opened her mouth first, though.

“Hope you can treat him well.”

“Don’t worry at all. It’s my duty anyway. I’ll do my best.”

With a smile Suhyuk continued, “I’m going to cure his legs by all means.”

Hana nodded with a smile, asking, “By the way, how is Ms. Binna doing?”

“I heard that she has taken a long vacation.”

‘About one month, I think?’

When he returned from the United States, she was not there at Daehan Hospital.

“I see... Ooops! Already one hour has pa.s.sed. I should wake him up. Otherwise he would not be able to sleep later.”

Suhyuk and Hana moved to his room again.

Greeting each other, they parted in front of the door.

Hana, who was about to enter the room, looked at his appearance from behind.

She had lots of things to talk with him about, as she had not met him in such a long time.

But she did not, just like a fool.

Suhyuk turned back before walking around the corner, but she went straight into the room.

***

The next day.

The faculty members headed for the operating room.

Today was the very day that Suhyuk was supposed to perform surgery by using stem cells.

In the meantime he was pus.h.i.+ng the stretcher carrying Hana’s father.

“Daddy, Suhyuk says it’s an easy surgery, so don’t worry too much,” said Hana.

He replied with a smile, “I’m not worried at all. Don’t you know Suhyuk’s capabilities? He is Korea’s signature doctor!”

Hana nodded her head, and looked at Suhyuk.

“Surgery without pain, please, Suhyuk.”

“I’ll come out with him soon. So wait here a moment.”

When the door was closing, Hana’s father waved his hand at her through the gap in the door.

Inside the operating room Hana’s father could see many faculty members.

Everyone was a faculty member, except for resident Park Sungjae.

His glittering eyes trembled a bit.

He was told this would be an easy surgery, but it did not seem so, given the presence of many faculty members there, and the surrounding environment too.

Strange devices and metal tools, which made him tense.

Did Suhyuk sense him feeling like that?

Approaching him, Suhyuk opened his mouth softly,

“They are the best professors at Daehan Hospital. By the time you wake from a sound sleep, your surgery will be finished.”

“Got it.”

When he replied with a smile, the anesthetist came up.

“Please breathe in calmly.”

When the anesthetist put the oxygen respirator on his mouth, he closed his eyes silently.

‘After a nap, he will find everything different about his legs.’

Beep... beep...

After confirming that he was completely asleep, Suhyuk said,

“Let me start now.”

At his remarks, the faculty focused their eyes on him.

“The patient had multiple fractures...” said Suhyuk.

The faculty there concentrated on his remarks in order not to miss any words.

Among them were professors Lee Mansuk and Kim Jinwook.

The more they saw him, the more they wanted to have him as their disciple.

But the timing for that was now gone forever.

He was not the kind of person that they could teach anymore.

“Anyway, he is great...” Lee murmured.

“I knew well in advance that he would become such a big success.”

Suhyuk held out his hand to resident Park Sungjae who was there as his a.s.sistant.

“Scalpel.”

His leg was incised by Suhyuk’s scalpel.

Park quickly wiped the blood coming out of it.

Suhyuk’s scalpel was quick and accurate, not touching the countless blood veins at all.

Even the professors’ eyes became open wide.

Soon Suhyuk got hold of the needle he prepared in advance.

“This is what I originally cultured from the patient’s stem cells in the past.”

He stabbed the needle into the nerves and then the muscles step by step.

Suhyuk showed them all the methods of treatment, and at that, without any hesitation.

Beep... beep...

No other noise was heard.

Only Suhyuk’s voice was filling the operating room.

‘I’ll make you walk as before by all means.’

***

The operating time did not last long.

Hana’s father was gradually opening his eyes in the recovery room.

A dim light came into his eyes, with someone reflected there.

His vague eyesight became clear gradually.

“Are you coming to your senses now?”

Confirming Suhyuk’s face, he nodded his head, asking,

“All done?”

“Yes, the surgery went very well.”

“Nice job. Thanks so much for your hard work!”

Suhyuk checked his condition after confirming that his consciousness was normal.

Normal, normal, normal.

And he touched his legs wrapped with bandages.

“How do you feel now?”

“It hurts,” said he, making a frown.

Now the only thing he wished for was that the stem cell cultures would work for him as intended.

“Let’s go out to see Hana, sir.”

Suhyuk pushed the stretcher out the room.

The door opened, and Hana raced toward him.

“Daddy!”

When she approached him, he grabbed her hands.

“Are you okay now?”

He nodded his head, replying,

“Of course. Looking at who performed the surgery on me!”

Hana’s sense of tension was gone instantly when she saw his relaxed face.

He looked so relaxed that n.o.body could believe that he just had a surgery.

He looked as if he just woke up from sleep.

Hana looked at Suhyuk, saying, “Thanks.”

Suhyuk made a satisfied expression, never seen before when he looked at Hana’s father.

—–

About two weeks pa.s.sed since Hana’s father had surgery.

Suhyuk pushed the wheelchair carrying him into the Sky Park.

“It’s cool here, right?”

At Suhyuk’s words, he nodded his head feeling for the cool air.

“Let me bring you a soft drink, sir.”

He moved to the vending machine and bought some canned coffee.

When he turned back, he noticed something surprising.

“Oh my G.o.d...”

Suhyuk’s eyes became wide at the sight.

He was walking with his two legs cautiously.

Even yesterday he could barely stand up by himself.

When Suhyuk walked up to him urgently, he made a smile.

“I was itching to walk, so I did. And now I can!”

Suhyuk let out a long breath, saying, “Yes, you’ve made it, you’ve made it at last!”

“Hey, why are you crying? Why?” said he.

Suhyuk shook his head, saying, “No, who is crying, sir?”

A cool wind swept through Suhyuk and dried away his tears.

And about one month pa.s.sed like that.

Hana’s father underwent physical therapy during that time, and finally got discharged.

He could now jog along lightly, and Suhyuk looked at him pleasantly.

Suhyuk now felt all the psychological burdens come off his chest.

He felt he could now go his own way with a calm conscience.

The date for his enlistment was the day after tomorrow.

He exchanged greetings with the medical staff for the last time.

And he could see the patient Kim Suji who was getting discharged.

She, and her mother also expressed thanks to him.

“When you come out on vacation, don’t fail to visit us!”

“I’ll be waiting for you here, sir!” Park Sungjae said.

Suhyuk held out his hands to Park for a handshake.

“I hope you can become a famous doctor by the time I come back here.”

“I’ll keep it in mind, sir!”

Regrettably he could not see Prof. Han who went to an academic seminar.

So he instead called him to say goodbye.

And he left Daehan Hospital just like that.

—–

One week later.

Han was standing in front of the main entrance of Daehan Hospital.

“What a guy...”

‘How come he came to see me without contacting me in advance like this? What if I was not here?’

Soon a taxi stopped before Han.

The person who emerged from the taxi was Prof. Daman of St. Hopkins Hospital, and his disciple Phillip.

“Hey, why didn’t you inform me about your visit here in advance?”

At Han’s asking, Daman opened his mouth, smiling,

“I just wanted to surprise you!”

And he presented something to him.

It looked like a thin book bound with leather, in the form of a notebook.

Han looked at the inscription on it.

“What the heck is this...”

Daman also gave him a medal.

“Yes, this is an award Dr. Lee Suhyuk has to receive. Is he inside now?”

Han made a bitter smile, saying, “You should have hurried a bit sooner.”

“What the h.e.l.l are you talking about?”

“He was enlisted into the army.”

Daman and Phillip’s eyes became wide suddenly.

“What?”

“Enlisted in the army?”

Having said that, Han murmured, touching the award and medal,

“I had better display them on a spot where many people can see.”

—–

A small boat with a tire attached on its side was crossing the sea.

Whenever waves. .h.i.t the boat, it was shaking dangerously, but did not lose its balance.

On one corner of the boat was seated Suhyuk, who dipped his hands into the sea.

“We’re almost there!”

Suhyuk lifted his head at the voice coming from the boat’s steering house.

The island that looked like a dot in the distance became larger and larger before his eyes.