Chapter 85: We Do Lung Surgery Too [3] It was going to end one way or another.
Either the surgery would end, or the patient's life would.
Everything depended on time and on Makbong.
The problem was that it did not look as though Makbong had much time left either.
He was practically half-dead.
To the point that once this surgery ended, it felt as though Makbong would be next.
"Makbong."
Perhaps because of that, Kanghyeok's voice had become noticeably gentler.
It was the kind of situation where a person would not be human if he did not feel sorry.
"Mmph."
Makbong had reached the point where he could no longer even answer properly.
He merely kept blowing air in and answering with his eyes.
"Hang in there just a little longer."
"Mmph."
At the same time as Makbong's brief response, Kanghyeok went back to suturing.
Each time his hand moved, another bronchus closed.
That quickly reduced the amount of escaping air, and thanks to that, Makbong gradually began to recover some breathing room.
"Yeoni, Dolseok, you two hang in there a little longer too."
What had changed most noticeably was, of course, Kanghyeok's tone.
When surgery was not going well, the surgeon naturally became bad-tempered, and when surgery was going well, the surgeon likewise became gentler than anyone else in the world.
"Yes, young master."
Dolseok let out a sigh of relief and cautiously watched Kanghyeok's expression.
Just a moment ago, he had looked as though he might kill someone, but now he looked like some kind of Buddha.
Exactly like the rumors people had been spreading.
"Whew. It's almost done now."
Only after suturing the last bronchus did Kanghyeok finally stop moving his hands.
The chest cavity was still open, so they still had to blow air in, but compared to the beginning, it was much better now.
Even Heo Jun, who had stayed silent all this time, was finally able to speak.
"His blood pressure is also 120 over 80. You said this is the normal range, correct?"
"Yes. My goodness. I was rather rude during the surgery."
"Not at all. I am sorry I could not be of much help."
Heo Jun recalled the Kanghyeok he had just watched.
That Kanghyeok, moving his hands without the slightest hesitation as though he could see perfectly clearly how the inside of a human body was laid out.
He had felt it from the very first time they met, but as a physician, Kanghyeok was truly beyond comparison.
To use a man like this as a torture technician in the State Tribunal.
Heo Jun clicked his tongue inwardly in regret.
Because of that, the rumors circulating about Kanghyeok had become quite grim, and the problem was that even the king had not simply ignored them.
Though usually he paid no heed at all to what his subordinates said.
At times like this, however, he listened like a ghost.
"Anyway, shall we finish up now? The patient will wake soon."
Kanghyeok looked down at Kim Gyehan, who was still completely unconscious.
It was not exact, but by Kanghyeok's count, he ought to wake in about twenty minutes.
I need to hurry.
Kanghyeok picked up the suturing instrument again and moved his hands.
Compared to suturing the bronchi, this was a much simpler and easier task.
He only had to draw the muscles together and stitch them, then close the skin.
For someone else, it might still have taken quite a while, but for an excellent surgeon like Kanghyeok, it was about as easy as eating rice cake while lying down.
As his hands moved with smooth precision, the wound that had been spread open gradually drew shut.
—Snick, snick.
The sound of the knots being tied rang through the room with almost cheerful crispness.
Now that they could finally breathe easier, Makbong sprawled out carelessly and muttered,
"Good grief, young master. Am I going to be all right?"
Without even looking at Makbong, Kanghyeok replied,
"Judging by the fact that you're talking, I think you'll be fine."
"You're too much. At least comfort me a little."
"Comfort you? Aren't you supposed to be the one giving comfort, not receiving it?"
"At the moment, I don't think anyone coming would help."
Makbong kept whining while hanging limp.
For an instant, irritation surged up, but Kanghyeok barely managed to suppress it.
Well, he did work hard.
In fact, it would not have been an exaggeration to say that half the credit for saving this patient belonged to Makbong.
Who else could keep blowing air in without rest for nearly two hours?
And using that thick, oversized iron-ball bag at that.
"I'll do something for you later."
"Yes, thank you."
After saying that, Makbong collapsed as though he had fainted.
Kanghyeok focused on the suturing again, and fortunately he was able to close the skin completely before Kim Gyehan woke up.
"Whew."
"Then what should be done now?"
Heo Jun asked while looking back and forth between the roughly removed section of lung and the peacefully sleeping Kim Gyehan.
For him, it was only natural, and unavoidable, that he would ask.
How was he supposed to deal with the aftermath of a surgery he had never even heard of, let alone seen in his life?
Fortunately, Kanghyeok was quite responsible when it came to patients.
"I will come every day and check on him. The pass Lord Jeong Cheol gave me is still valid."
"Would you truly do that? Thank you."
"No need for thanks. I came to Hanyang long ago, and I only now get to see your face. I'm the one who should be sorry."
"Not at all. From what I hear, you have been extremely busy."
Heo Jun recalled the rumors surrounding Kanghyeok.
Some said he was a divine physician among divine physicians who had cured Ryu Seong-ryong's long-standing illness.
Some said he was a fraud who colluded with Yi Hangbok and went around performing bizarre treatments.
Some said he was a torture technician who made people open their mouths through astounding methods.
For rumors surrounding one man, they were quite diverse in content.
That made them hard to believe, but since the man in question was Kanghyeok, it was equally hard to dismiss them outright.
"Yes, I have been busy."
Kanghyeok nodded with a bitter smile.
When he first came to Hanyang, his only goal had been to see Yi Sun-sin's face at least once and exchange a few words with Heo Jun about medicinal herbs.
But now, against his will, he had ended up carrying out torture and becoming one of the principal causes behind bringing the purge forward.
Well… it's still far better than having it happen right before the Imjin War.
He had even managed to gain the trust of Jeong Cheol, who stood at the center of power.
If I had been a man with power, maybe I could have refused.
Though ordinary power would not have been enough.
Still, if he had already been on the official career path, he felt he might at least have been able to take some kind of action.
But what use was there in regretting it now?
What was done was done.
The purge had begun, and countless people were dying and falling one after another.
Even now, he could not decide whether it had been the right thing or the wrong thing.
Fortunately, Kanghyeok and the people connected to him had at least been kept out of it.
That alone barely served as consolation for him.
"Ugh."
"Oh, he's waking."
At the same moment the patient opened his eyes, Kanghyeok was able to emerge from his own thoughts.
For now, he decided to focus on Kim Gyehan.
A eunuch. And one very close to Seonjo at that.
If he kept chatting at his side, perhaps something good might come of it.
It would not suddenly earn him high office, of course.
Still, one never knew.
Wearing the friendliest smile he could possibly manage, Kanghyeok met Kim Gyehan's eyes.
"You're awake?"
"Ah. Mm."
Kim Gyehan was still not fully conscious.
First of all, he had no idea why he had fallen asleep or why he was now lying there quietly.
That was only natural, since the anesthetic Kanghyeok had made also had an amnesiac effect.
"What exactly happened…?"
"Do you remember the conversation we had earlier?"
At Kanghyeok's words, Kim Gyehan blinked uncertainly.
His memory was hazy, but in any case, he thought he had at least seen Baek Kanghyeok's face.
"I do."
"Good. I have already treated your wound. How do you feel?"
"Ah, now that you mention it…"
Kim Gyehan struggled upright and looked down at his body.
Earlier, even breathing had been difficult, but now he was more or less all right.
There was some pain, though.
"Much… Ugh. Cough, cough."
It seemed the sudden movement had irritated his bronchi.
For a while Kim Gyehan kept coughing and spitting up phlegm.
Mixed into the phlegm were thick clots of bright red blood.
The man spitting it out and the people receiving it all looked equally shocked.
Coughing up blood was never an ordinary matter.
"Good grief."
Heo Jun's face darkened at once as well.
It was no coincidence that he remembered the patient they had seen before in Gwanggyo-myeon.
Had not even Kanghyeok given up then, saying there was nothing to be done once the man vomited blood?
"Ugh."
Kim Gyehan, the one who had coughed it up, was quite a sight himself.
Just moments earlier he had said he felt much better.
Now his face had turned even paler than it had been before the surgery began.
The expressions of Kanghyeok's group were not much different.
Except for Makbong, who had completely gone limp and passed out, everyone else looked worried.
"Young master, will this be all right?"
"What do we do?"
Yeoni and Dolseok fired off their anxiety like a rapid volley.
The only one remaining calm was, as expected, Kanghyeok.
"It's a good sign. He needs to cough more and spit it all out."
Rather, Kanghyeok patted Kim Gyehan's back and helped the blood come out.
Thanks to that, Kim Gyehan had to cough several more times and spit up more clots.
"G-Good grief… Is this… all right?"
Kanghyeok examined the clots he had spat out closely.
They had all already coagulated.
That meant there was no active bleeding at present.
The blood produced during surgery had pooled in the bronchi and was only now being expelled.
Kanghyeok laughed heartily and answered Kim Gyehan,
"You would know that better than anyone. How is your breathing?"
"Mm. Mmm. Oh."
Kim Gyehan took several deep breaths, then opened his eyes wide.
Breathing was far easier than it had been before he coughed.
It felt almost as though he had gone back to how he was before he got hurt.
Except for the stabbing pain he felt every time he breathed.
"Good. Very good."
"Exactly. The blood is not being produced now. It is only what came out earlier. So you need not worry."
"Ah."
Kim Gyehan was in no state to know whether Kanghyeok had performed surgery on him or what had been done.
So all he could do was nod.
In any case, he was far better off than before.
"Then get some rest. Ah, and take this medicine too."
Kanghyeok took out antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medicine from his house-call bag and handed them to Heo Jun.
Heo Jun accepted the medicine and tucked it carefully into his robes.
"When should I administer it?"
"Mm."
Kanghyeok looked at Gyehan.
Normally, after general anesthesia, it was safest to keep a patient fasting for about six hours.
That was because not only anesthetic but muscle relaxants were also usually involved.
However, the anesthetic Kanghyeok had made did not have the same effect as a muscle relaxant.
Still, it's better to play it safe.
If he gave it too early and a problem arose, it would be difficult to deal with.
"I am not leaving right away, so let us stay together for a while. I'll tell you again when the time is right."
"That is good news."
Heo Jun smiled pleasantly and soon had a small table brought out.
True to his nature as a born physician, tea was served instead of wine.
"This is tea I received as a reward after curing His Highness Imhae-gun last time. It is very precious tea, so the taste should not be too bad."
"Oh."
Kanghyeok lifted the teacup with a genuinely surprised expression.
The fragrance was indeed excellent.
The subtle taste lingering in his mouth was good as well.
"Mm."
By contrast, Dolseok, Yeoni, and Makbong clearly did not care for it at all.
Aside from Kanghyeok, only Yeoju managed to make even a passable show of drinking it.
"How is it?"
"It's good."
"That's a relief."
"How have you been in the meantime? We've only been corresponding through letters all this while."
At Kanghyeok's aggrieved expression, Heo Jun laughed heartily.
He had gained many more wrinkles in the time they had not seen each other.
Life at the Royal Medical Bureau clearly had not been easy.
"As for me… there are more patients inside the palace than I expected. His Highness the prince is not in particularly good health either…"
"His Highness the prince? You mean His Highness Imhae-gun?"
"No. His Highness Imhae-gun is healthy now."
"Then…?"
"His Highness Gwanghae-gun's health has also recently…"
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