Obviously that man looked like someone whom he knew, but he couldn’t recall who he was.
For a closer look, Kanghyok approached him.
At that moment, that man presented the ticket no. 23.
“Sorry I got here late.”
When Kanghyok examined him at close range, the man looked wiry. He seemed 30 at most, but had an air of dignity that meant that nobody could treat him lightly.
Kanghyok used honorific language subconsciously. “No worries. How is your condition?”
“Nothing serious, but I’ve come here for your care against my will.”
Then the man showed his right leg as if it was nothing. It was obvious that somebody gave him first aid. He had splints along his right leg here and there.
‘Oh, his shin slipped out of joint. How could he stand like that?’
Medically speaking, he could not stand with a disjointed shin. However, he was standing there in the dark with a superhuman patience. His face was covered in beads of sweat.
“Please come inside. Dolsok, let us just sleep here tonight.”
Dolsok, excited with getting drunk tonight, was shocked to hear that.
“Oh my…”
“This is the man the mayor entrusted in my good hands. Just lay out a mattress.”
“Yes, master.” Dolsok went back into the house with a heavy heart.
Quick-witted, Yoni helped the man quickly. “Master, let me help him.”
“Sounds good. Hey, Makbong, give me a helping hand.”
“Yes, sir.”
As the man had a large build, it was not easy for the three to help him move his legs to the examination room.
Kanghyok could not understand at all how he could stand all this time.
He was also a man of immense patience.
‘He doesn’t even groan with pain.’
Actually, he didn’t groan even when his right leg tripped on the threshold.
“You’re in the examination room now. Lie here with your head down.”
“Got it.” With a little frown, he followed Kanghyok’s instruction.
When he examined his wound under the bright light, it looked serious. His right calf was swollen, black and blue.
Yoni and Makbo shook their heads.
“Both of you can go home now,” said Kanghyok.
“I can stay here longer,” said Yoni.
“Well, you can do nothing to help me now. Dolsok is here to help me anyway.”
“Got it, sir.” Yoni didn’t talk anymore. She left the room without hesitation.
Left alone, Dolsok got busier.
“Go and bring me warm water. Don’t boil the water too hot!” Kanghyok gave him a basin and a small IV sap he took out from the bag.
“Yes, master.” Dolsok was now an able helper.
“You may feel pain,” said Kanghyok.
“Not a problem.”
Kanghyok carefully touched the man’s legs. When he touched them, he could clearly determine what was wrong.
‘It’s no coincidence that his right leg was shorter than his left one. The right shin was out of joint when it broke.”‘Kanghyok checked the wounds on his leg.
Just like a martial arts man, he had very strong muscles on his calf.
‘It’s really tough to set the broken shin back. Worse, it is…’
The color of his leg was black and blue. A small blood vessel had likely burst inside. Otherwise, it was not supposed to be black and blue like that. Moreover, it was swollen quite a bit.
‘I need to incise the leg. What should I do?’
Although he was an excellent surgeon, that man should feel lots of pain anyway during the surgery.
‘He needs a good anesthesia…’ He needed spinal anesthesia at least. The problem was, he had no facilities, medicine, nor assistants.
While he was agonizing over it, Dolsok came back with the basin filled with warm water. The sap was warm, too.
His bone pain could not be reduced with a painkiller or partial anesthesia. The pain could cause shock and even his death. But if that man was left like this, he might die anyway.
Kanghyok had to make a decision.
He decided to count on the superhuman patience of this man.
“Listen to me well.”
“I’m listening.”
“Your shin is out of joint as it has broken. I need to set it back, but I can’t in this condition.”
That man just nodded.
“Worse, blood vessels were damaged as well. That’s why your right leg is swollen.”
“Got it.”
“I need to cut the leg with a scalpel, suck out the blood pooled inside, stitch the damaged blood vessels, and then set the shin back.”
While explaining to him, he looked at him. Typically, the patient would get scared. But it appeared that the man wasn’t nervous at all.
“Please, go ahead.”
As he answered so calmly, Kanghyok felt embarrassed.
‘Didn’t he hear me well?’
If Kanghyok cut his calf and depleted his blood, he might pass out because of extreme pain.
But that man didn’t seem unnerved with an observant eye.
“Are you sure?”
“I heard from Mayor Yungil Kim that if you couldn’t treat me, no other doctor could. I trust you. Just treat me as you wish.”
“I have to use a scalpel.”
“No problem. I’m a man who has decided to be a man of the martial arts.” He remained firm and strong.
Kanghyok was touched by hiis words as well as Yungil Kim’s.
‘It’s surprising to know that this man deeply trusts such a womanizer like Yungil Kim.’
Yeah, there must be a reason why Yungil was assigned to Suwon as its mayor.
‘Got it. Let me apply an injection for pain reduction first.’ Kanghyok took out a narcotic analgesic. ‘I just wonder why the chairman wanted me to bring this for what purpose at that time.’
He had no way of knowing his intention back then in modern Korea.
‘Anyway, I have found a good use for it now.’
Actually, that man was fortunate enough to get an injection of this medicine.
Kanghyok found out the vein skillfully and got him an IV.
“Dolsok, take off your clothes.”
“Oh, yes.”
Kanghyok and Dolsok took off their clothes, with the patient laid on the bed.
Though it was disgusting to see them almost naked, they had no other choice. In particular, Kanghyok couldn’t do the surgery while dressed in a loose overcoat.
“Master, I wish we could put on some convenient clothing when you operate…”
“Got it. We just have no choice today.”
“Look at him. Even this patient was surprised, sir.”
As Dolsok said, that man seemed surprised at the scene.
“Shut up, Dolsok. Let’s wash his leg first.”
“Yes, master.”
“You’ll feel it’s chilly.”
“No problem.” Then, the man looked up at the ceiling. His lips trembled a bit, which suggested that he was also tense at the moment.
“You will feel a sting in the leg.”
Kanghyok gave the injection of anesthetic around the calf area he would cut with a scalpel.
It was a pretty different scene from when the Ansung governor made a big fuss with pain.
“Huuuuh,” Kanghyok let out a sigh.
He had never before applied a local anesthetic for a major surgery like this.
‘I don’t have any blood to transfuse…’
In terms of the level of psychological difficulty, Kanghyok thought this would be the highest.
‘But I have no other choice now.’
When Kanghyok looked at that man who was totally counting on him at this time, he could not hesitate.
“Dolsok, you should really be an excellent assistant to me now.”
“Yes, yes, master.”
“Okay, let’s start now.”