Inside a dark room.
A haggard looking man was holding a cellphone in his hand.
He tapped the call button and listened to the dial tone. No one answered the call so he quickly opened a message app.
[Chief, we’re almost there.
Once we figure out how to deal with the effect of paralysis that occurs during processing the signal from the nervous system, the thought transmitting technology will be complete.
The chance to take the lead in the development of the neural technique to understand the mindset of geniuses is almost within our grasp!]
Beep.
The hand that had just finished typing the message stopped at the new message notification. The notification window on top showed ‘Chief’ so he scrambled to check the message.
[You called again. How many more people need to be carried out before you stop? Stop sending useless messages while you’re at it. Your research funds are canceled.]
“I said it’s almost complete!”
Unable to stop his rage, the man threw his phone which hit a transparent wall with the sign saying ‘Cranial Nerve Research Center’ before it fell to the floor.
Breathing raggedly, he turned his gaze to the equipment with foreclosure tickets stuck to them around the center.
“I’ll personally show you.”
The man stood in front of a table with an electric cable attached to a needle on it. The hand holding a thin and long needle shook slightly.
“By myself…..”
The mirror reflected the hidden madness within the man’s expression.
The man slowly stuck the needle into his temple.
Bzzzt
A blue flash of electricity traveled from the machine down the cable right into his brain.
* * *
Tirrriing!
At the loud ring, Dowook who had been lounging in a staff chair reflexively stretched out his hand and answered the phone.
“Yes….. Park Dowook from Neurosurgery ……”
-So slow. Why are you so slow in answering the call?
The person who’d called was his colleague, Seong Chang Soo. Dowook shook his head sleepily.
“It’s not our department’s patient.”
-You haven’t even heard what I want to say.
“Don’t be so hard on me today. I’ve been on duty for 4 days straight.”
-What can you do about it? Okay, take a rest.
Just before ending the call, Seong Chang Soo said enticingly.
-A patient with a 20cm needle stuck in his head, but you don’t want it so what can you do about it? We’ll just have to transfer the patient.
“Wait. A needle?”
-Hey, Myeong Deok. What’s the name of a hospital with a famous neurosurgery department around here?
-It’s AN. Why do you even have to ask?
-You have friends working there, right? Try to contact anyone you know.
“Just a sec!”
Opening the electronic file, he checked the CT result and saw a needle stuck deep in the brain from the side of the skull.
Seeing the piece of metal sticking out from the temple following the fracture line gave him chills like in a horror movie.
“When did this patient come in?”
-The person who called in the case found him an hour ago, but we don’t know when he became unconscious. It was also the only injury he had.
The patient’s bizarre circumstance woke Dowook up. Special cases in the neurosurgery department were enough to wake even the dead.
-What are you going to do?
“I’m going. I’m going.”
-He’s coming. Myeong Seok, get off the phone.
-I haven’t called yet though?
-Then, call and hang up.
“I said I’m going!”
Walking toward the door while flinging on a white coat, Dowook woke the intern who’d been dozing in a corner.
“Dr. Park. Is it a call from the patient’s ward?”
“Emergency”
“Phew. Keep up the good work~~”
“Keep a clear head. Chief might let other things slide, but he hates it when others sleep when he can’t.”
The intern looked like he was about to cry.
“I mean, at Chief’s level, does it make sense to work the night shift on a weekend? Just why!?”
“What happened was …..”
Since he was 99% the reason for it, Dowook shut his mouth and darted off.
The automatic doors leading to the emergency center opened.
As Dowook was swiftly walking toward the area with urgent patients, he found Seong Chang Soo, who’d called him.
‘Huh?’
Although their eyes met, he couldn’t call out. Another patient had come in during that interval.
“Prepare for intubation!”
The medical staff surrounded the patient suffering a heart attack and did their best to perform CPR. Even the patient’s family sobbing at the back while covering their mouth. There was a solemn atmosphere in the room.
“Keep up the pressure! You still haven’t caught the central venous pressure! Myeong Deok!”
When Dowook took a step back in case he got in the way, Seong Chang Soo pointed at Room 10 while he was busily yelling out instructions. Dowook sent an OK signal with his hand.
‘Hopefully, things go well.’
Entering the room, he saw a person lying on it.
It was a man in his 50s with a messy beard and pale face.
If it weren’t for the stab wound on his temple, the patient simply looked like he was in a deep sleep.
Dowook put on the latex gloves from the cart, pushed back the hair on the patient’s head, and looked closely at the needle.
The bleeding had stopped a long time ago. Chang Soo had already placed a dressing to stop infection.
He started trying to talk to the patient while checking his pupillary light reflex.
“Sir, can you hear my voice? Sir.”
While patting the patient to check for a motor response, he turned towards the monitor.
The patient’s awareness was strangely quiet.
He had expected an emergency surgery before coming, but he might have to look at the recuperation more closely as well.
‘Can a patient’s vitals be this stable after a brain penetrating injury? Amazing.’
After checking on the patient, he realized the need to call on his superior. A case this rare would interest the chief as well.
Dowook took out his phone.
The moment he did so, a hand came out to grab Dowook’s wrist. Since it was from an unconscious patient, Dowook was frightened.
“S, sir?”
The man with his eyes still closed had stretched out his left hand like a robot. There was still no answer.
At that moment.
Dowook saw a flash of blue light like electricity from the needle sticking out of the patient’s head.
‘What is that….’
Bzzzt-!
A twinge of something gave Dowook’s fingertips a strong shock.
“Ack!”
He tried to get out of the patient’s grip but it was like a manacle stopping him from moving.
“Hey!”
The penetrating current flowed through his whole body at 0.1 intervals and made everything numb. At the impact, Dowook couldn’t even make a sound and fell to his knees beside the patient.
Does electric shock torture feel like this?
The current traveling through his body traveled up his spine and slammed into his head.
Thump.
Dowook lost his strength and fell unconscious on the spot.
“Hey, Dowook. Park Dowook?”
Dowook, who’d lost consciousness, suddenly opened his eyes. As soon as his sight returned to focus, Seong Chang Soo’s greasy hairstyle was the first thing he saw.
“You alright?”
“Ow, my head. Huh, what happened?”
“That’s what I want to ask. Where’s the patient?”
“Huh?”
Dowook stood up from the floor and was bewildered to see the bed where there was no sign of the patient.
“Where is he?”
“That’s what I want to ask.”
“Hey, you. At least you were awake.”
“I was also very busy so…”
That was when he saw the blood splattered on Seong Chang Soo’s coat.
