Chapter 106
A blisteringly bright day in August.
The cicadas were chirring away as if they were having the time of their lives, and cold sweat ran down my back.
I was right now…
“All right, this is the sixth floor of the Emergency Medical Center. The Flight Operations Control Room. There are some of you who are here for the first time, right?”
And I was listening to Trauma Surgery Professor Kang Hyunjun speak passionately in front of me, his eyes shining.
Behind him, huge monitors covered the wall.
Real-time weather radar images, complex maps, and even an aircraft operations board with unfamiliar numbers blinking away.
Professor Kang Hyunjun tapped a point on the map with a pointer.
“We have to decide whether we can take off by comprehensively judging the weather, whether a landing zone can be secured, and the patient’s severity. This control room is the brain that makes that decision.”
Professor Kang introduced the flight coordinators, explained how to use the radio, and, with spit flying, explained the protocol for when a dispatch request comes in.
“This red line here is the air defense identification zone. When we go out over the sea and cross this line, we need to coordinate with the military, and at that point the frequency…”
I stared blankly at the red line Professor Kang was pointing at.
‘The air defense identification zone…?’
I’m a doctor.
A person who stitches people up, diagnoses them, and prescribes medication.
Why am I listening to terms that should only matter to a soldier right now?
Is this a medical class, a geography class, or an introduction to military science?
Lee Minjae, who was standing next to me, was at least nodding along with some interest, but I just couldn’t focus.
There was only one thought in my head.
‘Is he really planning to make good on the nonsense the hospital director mentioned last time—sea rescue and mountain rescue?’
Professor Kang’s eyes were far too sincere; they scared me.
That man would probably leap into the sea hanging from a helicopter on a rope, and
‘Oh, that sounds fun.’
jump right in.
And then he’d probably dangle me next to him and make me jump too.
“Once the dispatch decision is made, we have to take off within five minutes, and at that time the doctor absolutely must…”
For more than thirty minutes, I listened to his boring and terrifying lecture on the doctor helicopter’s operation system, the role of the control room, and aviation physiology.
The air conditioner was blasting, but I felt so stuffy inside I could burst.
Ugh, this is boring.
I’d rather fight a drunk old man in the emergency room.
And so, along with Minjae, the nurses, and the EMTs, we were heading toward the final stretch of that tedious oral training.
“Anyway, the composition of the medical staff aboard our hospital’s doctor helicopter does vary a bit depending on the situation. When it’s clear that a severe trauma case has come in, or when surgical treatment is expected to be needed on scene, a trauma surgeon may ride along, but….”
Professor Kang turned his gaze toward where Minjae and I were standing.
“Usually, though, Emergency Medicine rides along. That’s the basic protocol.”
‘…Hmm, but why is Professor Kang the one conducting the training?’
My inner thoughts must have shown on my face.
Professor Kang smirked and continued.
“Haha, I can tell from your expression. You’re wondering, ‘If Emergency Medicine is the one riding, then why the hell is a surgeon teaching this!’ right?”
Oof.
“That’s because I’m the head of our hospital’s aeromedical team.”
Professor Kang clapped his hands once.
“All right, theory ends here. Seeing is believing, as they say, right? Let’s go take a look ourselves. Let’s head up to the rooftop!”
Whirrr-
The iron door opened, and the hot air on the rooftop rushed at us.
Whoooosh~
The wind was blowing, but it wasn’t a cool breeze—it was a lukewarm, unpleasant wind like the one you get standing in front of an air conditioner’s outdoor unit.
The sun baked my head and heat shimmer rose from the concrete floor.
‘What kind of hellish slog is this in summer?’
I frowned, shielding my eyes from the sunlight with my hand.
When I looked over, there was a huge helicopter parked in the middle of the helipad.
A doctor helicopter with a white body and stripes.
“All right! The model our hospital operates! AgustaWestland’s AW-169!”
Professor Kang Hyunjun was practically beside himself, thumping the side of the helicopter like a guy who’d just bought a new car.
“As for this baby, its maximum takeoff weight is 4.8 tons, and its cruising speed is 260 kilometers per hour! Its range is…”
Yeah, I could hear him explaining all sorts of things, but none of it really went in.
I’m not a machine geek, so what do I care?
As long as it doesn’t fall out of the sky.
That was my only impression.
‘It’s fucking huge.’
Seeing it up close, the pressure it gave off was no joke.
If the rotor blades started spinning, it felt like they’d blow me away like a sheet of paper.
And another thing.
‘…What kind of design sense is that?’
I scanned the helicopter body.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare logo was stamped on it in giant letters, and next to that was the National Medical Center logo, with the Busan Metropolitan City logo and the Cheongjin University Medical Center logo plastered all over it.
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
Whoever designed that definitely had no aesthetic sense whatsoever.
“Rather than just looking at it from the outside, how about we go inside and take a look at the equipment? It’s a space where we’ll actually have to carry patients and treat them.”
Professor Kang swung the helicopter’s side door wide open.
“Oh, that’ll be fun.”
Lee Minjae beside me was the first to poke his head in, eyes sparkling.
I, too, let myself be dragged along and looked inside the helicopter.
Look left, look right.
“Oh… Hyeonjae.”
Minjae let out an exclamation and called to me.
“Yes, doctor.”
“Look at this. It’s got everything, doesn’t it? This is more serious than I expected.”
Minjae began touching the various devices inside the helicopter one by one.
“This is an i-STAT
(* portable blood analyzer)
Isn’t it? It can run electrolytes and lactate, even troponin right away… the defibrillator is, of course, there, and oh, the ventilator is a Hamilton? Pretty nice. It’s the same as the one in our ER.”
I got curious too and poked my head farther in to look at the equipment.
It was definitely on the level of having transplanted an ICU into a tiny space.
Suction units, infusion pumps, oxygen tanks, and all kinds of intubation equipment were packed tightly against the walls and ceiling without a single gap.
There was even a portable ultrasound unit tucked neatly into a corner.
“Wow, but they really managed to cram everything in here somehow.”
At the same time as I was impressed, a sense of practical suffocation settled over me.
The equipment is excellent.
But the space….
“You’re saying we have to do CPR, intubate, mix medications, all of that in this cramped place?”
When I asked, Minjae awkwardly sat down in the tight space and snickered.
“Right? If you had to do CPR on a big patient in here, your back would be destroyed. You can’t even stand up, can you?”
I imagined it.
The helicopter shaking, the noise tearing at my ears, and me crouched in this cramped little corner, compressing a patient’s chest and shoving a tube in.
I felt like I was going to get motion sickness.
This isn’t romance; it’s a torture chamber.
A torture chamber that flies through the sky.
Damn, that’s nasty.
After roughly looking over the equipment, we stood in front of the helicopter again.
“All right! Anyway, this new doctor helicopter training class consists of two doctors, four nurses, and four EMTs. For now, please take good care of us.”
Professor Kang Hyunjun led the applause.
Clap, clap, clap, clap.
I mechanically clapped my hands while longing for the floor below—my hometown… no, the emergency room station, where the air conditioning was blasting.
‘Ah, I want to go back down already. It’s damn hot.’
But Professor Kang’s next words were even worse than the heat.
“The nurses and EMTs will be classified as dedicated aeromedical team personnel and receive intensive training.”
Oh, nice.
Very professional.
“As for the doctors, there will be one more added to the shift, but basically you’ll be handling regular ER duties and helicopter duty in parallel.”
…
‘Aaaaargh. No.’
I screamed inside.
That means I’d be seeing patients in the emergency room, then running off when the helicopter took off, and coming back to see the patients that piled up while I was gone.
What about the pay?
Do they double it?
They won’t, will they?
This is labor exploitation.
Professor Kang went on without caring in the slightest about my despair.
“This class is… haha… especially special because we have a resident among us. Everyone, applause~”
All eyes turned to me.
The nurses and EMTs clapped with looks that seemed to say, ‘What on earth did that guy do wrong…?’
Clap, clap, clap…?
“Now this is rather unusual, you know. Usually, it’s a specialist who rides along. Anyway, for the first month, you’ll be doing OJT training with a supervising specialist aboard. I’ll be riding with you or another professor, so don’t worry too much.”
Professor Kang took his phone out of his pocket.
“I’ve sent the work schedule through KakaoTalk for now.”
Jiiing-
My phone in my pocket buzzed.
An ominous vibration.
[Cheongjin University Hospital Doctor Helicopter Team (22)] You have been invited to the group chat.
‘Ah. Another group chat.’
“All right, then for today, the supervising physician, me, and Dr. Han Hyeonjae will do a simulation…”
Just as Professor Kang was about to point at me and explain the training scenario.
Jiiiiiing-
A group chat notification rang out.
Professor Kang pulled out his phone.
I reflexively checked mine too.
[Aeromedical Team Coordinator Kang Minjeong]
[ 59 M / STEMI / Tongyeong, Yokjido V/S: 100/60-55-20-95% / C.C: CP onset 30min / Hx: HTN / Drug: Aspirin 300mg / ETA: - ]
Yokjido.
An island you have to take a boat to get to.
A myocardial infarction had broken out there.
By the time they came out by boat, the golden hour would already be over.
Only the helicopter could save him.
“…Yes, let’s go right away.”
Professor Kang said, stuffing his phone back into his pocket.
“Huh?”
I asked, dumbfounded.
You just said we were going to do a simulation…
“What better training is there than the real thing? For today, there’s nothing we can do about it, so we’ll do some OJT on the way there too. Got it?”
Professor Kang’s tone and manner shifted from lecture mode to the way he’d speak to resident Han Hyeonjae.
“No, wait, Professor?!”
Ding-dong-
The elevator door beside the helipad opened, and the captain and co-pilot in flight suits rushed out.
They gave us a nod, then immediately ran toward the helicopter and began their checks.
Next, a nurse in a fluorescent vest came running with a heavy emergency bag in one hand and a sheet of paper listing the patient information fluttering in the other.
“Professor! The patient’s chest pain is severe and they’re breaking out in a cold sweat! The EKG looks like an inferior wall infarction!”
“Okay!”
Professor Kang shouted.
The engine started up.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud….
As the huge rotor began to turn, an enormous roar erupted and strong winds swept across the rooftop.
“Ack!”
I staggered as the wind pushed me.
My hair was blowing around in a complete mess.
“Dr. Han! What are you doing! Hurry up and get in!”
Professor Kang opened the helicopter door and gestured at me.
The noise made it hard to hear his voice.
I cried out, on the verge of tears.
“Professor! I still don’t know how to ride a helicopter!”
Professor Kang grabbed my arm and pulled me into the cabin.
“Learn as you go! You’ll figure it out once you’re on board! Hurry up and get in!”
Bang!
The moment my butt touched the helicopter seat, the door slammed shut.
The view of the hospital rooftop receding outside the window felt like a farewell to my once-comfortable hospital life.
‘…Mom. I’m flying.’