Chapter 46
Pyo Jinwoo spent the next week slowly putting his affairs in order.
I was originally planning to stop clinical work after this locum job.
He did not immediately cancel the infection-control and sterilization business he had been preparing.
After all, he still did not know how things would turn out at his new workplace.
As planned, he registered the business and corporation, only postponing client consultations.
He also spoke to the personal trainer he had signed up with on Tuesday and moved his sessions to every Wednesday, the clinic's day off.
Then he untied the obstetrics and gynecology textbooks and recent medical journals he had bundled up for disposal.
He selected several dozen books and packed them into a suitcase.
Director Im had offered to prepare a bookshelf for his personal books if he wanted one, so he had accepted.
The following Thursday, Pyo Jinwoo pulled his suitcase to work with an oddly excited heart.
He had even bought a new suit for the occasion.
It had been somewhat embarrassing to practically conduct his own job interview, but he had been hired in the end.
So hadn't everything worked out?
Before going inside, he quietly stopped by the second-floor construction site.
Black pipes hung in tangled rows across the ceiling.
Somewhere, water dripped one drop at a time.
The smell of cement mixed with the metallic scent of construction materials.
Rows of thin, flat steel studs stood from floor to ceiling.
They were the framework for the walls.
The drywall had not been installed yet, so everything was still exposed.
So this is it.
He could clearly see where the delivery room and labor room would be.
Then, as he looked up at the ceiling again, Pyo Jinwoo's gaze stopped.
Among the bundle of black pipes was a familiar green line.
An oxygen pipe.
And right beside that lifeline was an electrical junction box.
The gap between them was barely wide enough for a hand.
"This is bad."
Pyo Jinwoo clicked his tongue.
He had once prepared to open a hospital himself, so he knew exactly how dangerous this was.
If oxygen leaked and even a small spark jumped from the electrical box, it could cause a disaster.
It also violated the legally required separation distance under fire-safety regulations.
He immediately turned and headed into the clinic.
"Dr. Pyo, you're here."
"Nurse Jo."
Pyo Jinwoo looked at the new nameplate.
[Examination Room 2: Pyo Jinwoo]
Then he stepped inside.
"...!"
Bright sunlight poured through the window.
A brand-new beige desk with a wood-patterned surface stood by the wall, with traces of protective plastic still clinging to one corner.
The chair was new too.
Even the computer was already running with all the necessary programs installed.
"..."
The door to the inner procedure room was open.
Pyo Jinwoo walked inside.
The ivory examination chair was covered in smooth synthetic leather, its leg supports folded neatly beneath it.
The screen of a GE Voluson 730 sat dark on one side, reflecting the sunlight.
On the shelf, unopened packs of sterile drapes were stacked in perfectly aligned rows.
Pyo Jinwoo stood there for a long time without moving.
When he had worked here as a locum, it had felt like borrowing someone else's room for a while.
This was different.
The desk.
The chair.
The examination table.
Everything had been brought in for him.
...This is my place now.
It had been years since he had felt that way.
Belonging somewhere felt good.
He began putting his books on the shelf.
"Dr. Pyo, you're here?"
Im Gain's voice came through the open door.
"Director Im."
"Wow, you brought so many books."
Gain looked over the titles with interest.
"There's one here I've wanted to read. Can I borrow it later?"
"Of course. Ah, there's something I need to tell you."
Pyo Jinwoo turned serious.
"Upstairs, the oxygen piping and electrical junction box are too close together. I don't think they meet the required separation distance. You should check it."
Gain raised her eyebrows.
"Which area?"
"The ceiling over the labor room. If you don't correct it now, you won't be able to see it once the drywall goes up."
"I'll check it immediately. Thank you, Dr. Pyo."
Gain turned toward the hallway.
At that moment, a woman in a white coat approached from behind her.
"Gain, the next scheduled patient says she absolutely wants to see you instead of me."
"I need to check the construction site. Is it urgent?"
"No, nothing like that. Go check the construction first."
Pyo Jinwoo's gaze moved toward the woman.
White coat.
Name tag.
[Examination Room 3: Kim Saetbyeol]
...A doctor?
He had never seen her before.
He had heard the name Kim Saetbyeol.
He simply had not expected her to already be working here.
"Ah, this is..."
"Oh, you haven't met yet, right?"
Gain turned and smiled.
"Dr. Kim Saetbyeol. She's been working here since last week."
"...Since last week."
Pyo Jinwoo's voice became noticeably lower.
Gain had told him to start one week later so he could organize his affairs.
He had not realized another doctor would start working during that week.
Unbelievable.
The woman had a bright expression.
But the cuff of her white coat was stained with water.
In other words, dirty.
Someone who can't even follow the most basic principle is going to be my coworker.
He had seen the type countless times.
They washed their hands but never washed their doctor's coat.
Sterile technique did not mean only washing your hands.
You also had to avoid splashing water elsewhere.
If water got onto the sleeve of your coat, it was contaminated and should ideally be changed.
Director Im Gain understood that basic rule perfectly.
So did Nurse Jo Eunjae, Nurse Lee Seyoung, and even front-desk worker Choi Yuri.
That was why he had felt safe enough to join this clinic.
But judging from the way Kim Saetbyeol casually mixed informal speech when talking to the director, the two clearly knew each other already.
Since they were women around the same age, they were probably former classmates.
Pyo Jinwoo's stomach began to ache faintly.
For a moment, he wondered whether joining this clinic had been a mistake.
No.
I knew they were going to hire another doctor besides me.
They were building a delivery room and nursery.
