dkrc Chapter 144 Actors on the Operating Table
Chapter 144 Actors on the Operating Table
Chapter 144 Actors on the Operating Table (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
By late June, the sound of cicadas had already begun to fill the streets of Tokyo.
But in front of the Naniwa University Hospital (the real-life location for the filming of "The White Tower"), the air was several degrees cooler than outside.
This is the most prestigious medical institution in all of Japan, a sacred place that countless young doctors dream of visiting.
The massive white building complex reflects a blinding light under the sun, creating an invisible sense of oppression even before one enters.
Kitahara Shin was wearing a simple white shirt, black-rimmed glasses, and a notebook in his hand.
"Kitahara-san, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
A voice filled with laughter came from behind.
He was Professor Okouchi, who had previously served as the medical advisor on the set of "Under One Roof". He was wearing a well-tailored suit, and although his hair was gray, he looked very energetic.
"Professor Okouchi," Kitahara Shin said politely, bowing slightly.
"Don't be so polite."
Professor Okouchi smiled and waved his hand. "Last time on set, I felt you were quite something. You memorized those obscure pathology terms more fluently than real medical students. May I ask, Kitahara-san, which prestigious university did you graduate from? Keio?"
Waseda University again?
Kitahara Shin smiled and said frankly, "I only have a high school diploma."
Professor Okouchi paused for a moment, his steps faltering slightly.
He looked at Kitahara Shin with some surprise, as if to confirm whether he was joking.
After all, during their brief chat, Kitahara Shin had demonstrated remarkable eloquence and an understanding of the medical system far beyond that of the average person.
"High school graduate?"
"Yes." Kitahara Shin adjusted his glasses. "I'm sorry to have made you laugh. I just have a slightly better memory."
"A little better?"
Professor Okouchi shook his head and sighed, "Those surgical plans that are several pages long, even our trainee doctors would need two or three days to memorize them. You memorized them after only reading them once on set last time. If you went to medical school, you might be a genius."
"Come on, I'll take you to see the dean."
The dean's office is located on the top floor and has huge floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the entire hospital campus.
Sitting behind that large desk was the person in charge of the hospital, the hospital director.
This is an old man with a kind face but extremely shrewd eyes.
Upon seeing Kitahara Shin enter, he surprisingly stood up, walked around the desk, and extended his hand with a smile: "This must be Kitahara-san! Seeing is believing, you are indeed a handsome man."
"Dean, you flatter me." Kitahara Shin grasped the hand with just the right amount of pressure, neither appearing humble nor impolite.
"No, no."
Dean Ukai said with a smile, "My daughter is a huge fan of yours. She was so excited when she heard you were coming to our hospital to gather information that she almost couldn't sleep last night. She insisted that I get her an autograph."
"That would be my honor."
After exchanging pleasantries, the conversation turned to business.
"Actually, most of the plots in TV dramas are exaggerated."
Professor Okouchi added, "While there is competition in real-world hospitals, everyone's primary focus is still on treating and saving lives. However—a hierarchical system does exist. Kitahara-san, you should observe this more closely."
Dean Ukai nodded in agreement: "Perfect timing. There's an open class this morning for newly recruited surgical researchers, covering basic suturing and aseptic techniques. You can go and listen in to get a feel for the atmosphere."
"If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask Professor Okouchi."
"Understood." Kitahara Shin nodded.
"Then feel free to look around today," Dean Ukai said with a smile, handing him a name tag. "Just don't interfere with the doctors' work. But I think, with your popularity, you'll definitely receive a warm welcome."
After leaving the dean's office, Kitahara Shin pinned the "Intern" badge to his chest and began to wander around the hospital.
Although he wore non-prescription glasses in an attempt to minimize his presence.
But some things cannot be hidden.
After these years in the entertainment industry, especially after the huge success of "Under One Roof", his unique charisma is hard to hide.
That's an aura that sets him apart from ordinary handsome men.
Even if they were just standing quietly by the corridor looking at the bulletin board on the wall, the passing nurses would often turn around and then blush and whisper among themselves.
"Is that also a new resident medical trainee?"
"So handsome—that profile is absolutely stunning."
"He has such a unique air about him, he seems like a young master from a prestigious family."
He strolled around, observing the operation of this top-tier hospital.
It's busier than I imagined.
Ambulances are always parked at the entrance of the emergency department, and doctors and nurses pushing stretchers rush down the corridors. The loudspeaker constantly broadcasts calls for a certain doctor to go to a certain department.
The air was filled with the smell of disinfectant, and a constant sense of tension and anxiety.
This is the battlefield.
There was no gunfire, but it was a matter of life and death.
Kitahara Shin tried scanning the area with the system, hoping to find some equipment related to doctors.
Unfortunately.
Perhaps it was because the place was too clean, or perhaps it was too high-class, but after wandering around for half an hour, I didn't see a single white-clad person.
I glanced at the time; the open course for the medical trainee was about to begin.
Following the signs, Kitahara Shin arrived at the lecture hall on the third floor of the teaching building.
The classroom was large, and quite a few people were already seated.
Everyone was wearing a white coat, and their faces showed signs of exhaustion and tension.
These are all medical students who have just graduated from medical school and entered a brutal elimination process.
Kitahara Shin found a corner seat in the back row.
As soon as I settled down, a somewhat familiar voice came from next to me: "Hello! I'm Tanaka Junki, I just transferred here today too."
Turning my head, I saw a young man with a baby face who looked a bit simple and honest.
"Hello, Kitahara Shin."
Kitahara Shin replied politely.
"I knew it!"
As if he had found his people, Tanaka Junki immediately lowered his voice excitedly and said, "I see you're not wearing a white coat, so you're here for your first day and haven't received your uniform yet, right? Me too! Oh, let me tell you, I'm so nervous."
This guy is obviously a chatterbox, and a chatterbox who's been holding it in for ages.
"I was doing a pretty good internship at a small hospital in Chiba. Then yesterday I suddenly got a call telling me I was being transferred here. This is a university hospital! All the most insane geniuses in all of Japan are concentrated here!"
"I heard that the surgical professors here are particularly fierce. When they curse, they can insult your ancestors for eighteen generations without using any vulgar language."
If I don't do a good job, my entire medical career will probably be ruined —
Junki Tanaka didn't need Shin Kitahara's response at all; he could recount his entire bittersweet story, from his elementary school ambition to become a doctor to failing his university exams.
Kitahara Shin didn't interrupt him, only nodding occasionally, as if he were collecting character material.
This image of a young doctor who is a bit boastful, a bit timid, but full of awe for big hospitals is actually quite realistic.
Just as Junki Tanaka was talking about how he almost fainted from blood the first time he went on the operating table, the classroom door was pushed open.
The previously noisy classroom instantly fell silent.
A middle-aged doctor with a serious face walked in, holding a lesson plan in his hand, his eyes sweeping across the room like knives.
This is Instructor Noguchi, who is in charge of surgical teaching.
Lecturer Noguchi walked up to the podium and glanced around the back row.
Seeing Tanaka Junki chatting animatedly with the handsome bespectacled man (Kitahara Shin) next to him, his brows immediately furrowed, and he snorted coldly.
"The current medical trainees are becoming increasingly unruly."
The entire audience fell silent.
Tanaka Junki was so frightened that he immediately shut his mouth and shrank his neck like a quail.
The next half hour consisted of dry theoretical explanations.
From aseptic principles to the key points of incision and suturing, Instructor Noguchi explained things in great detail, but it was also really boring.
Although Kitahara Shin wasn't a medical student, he was able to understand most of what was being said, thanks to the knowledge he had memorized for the role.
"Alright, that concludes the theory."
Lecturer Noguchi closed his lesson plan and pointed to the lifelike human model next to the podium: "Talking without doing is useless. Today we will simulate the incision and exposure steps in the most basic appendectomy."
His gaze turned to the back row again.
"Those two who were chatting happily in the back just now. Yes, it's you two."
Instructor Noguchi pointed at Junki Tanaka and Shin Kitahara: "Since you have so much energy, why don't you come up here and give us a demonstration? Let me see if your hand skills are as nimble as your words."
All eyes in the room immediately turned to him.
Junki Tanaka's face turned pale instantly.
"Oh no, oh no—" he muttered under his breath, his legs trembling. "I just got here, I haven't even gotten to know all the equipment yet."
Kitahara Shin, on the other hand, remained quite calm.
He stood up, straightened his shirt cuffs, and calmly walked onto the podium.
"Come on up! Do I have to invite you?" Instructor Noguchi urged impatiently.
The two stood in front of the model.
"You perform the surgery, and he assists."
Instructor Noguchi pointed at Tanaka, then at Nobu Kitahara.
Tanaka Junki picked up the scalpel with trembling hands, his hands shaking as if he were sifting through chaff.
"Stop shaking! Do you have Parkinson's?" Noguchi yelled from the side.
This rebuke made Tanaka even more flustered.
He brandished the knife for a long time, but dared not make a move. Sweat dripped down his forehead, fogging up his glasses.
Kitahara Shin watched from the side, sighing inwardly.
Looks like this guy is really going to die here today.
Although I'm not a doctor and don't know anything about practical skills, since I'm already here, I can't just watch this guy actually pass out, can I?
Moreover, I happen to have something in my possession.
A thought arose.
Open the equipment menu.
【Equipment Name: God's Left Hand - Sterile Touch (Purple - Epic)】
Activate?
【Yes. 】
In an instant.
A cold and extremely rational feeling enveloped Kitahara Shin's entire body.
Those surgical instruments that were once unfamiliar suddenly felt familiar to him. His left hand felt slightly warm, as if it had gained its own consciousness.
"Let me do it."
Kitahara Shin said softly.
He took the scalpel from Tanaka, who was still trembling.
The movements were light and graceful, yet as steady as a rock.
Noguchi was about to get angry and say, "Who told you to change seats?", but before he could even open his mouth, he was stunned by Kitahara Shin's next move.
Kitahara Shin's sword-holding posture was very standard.
It's not the rigid, textbook standard, but rather a composure born from rigorous training.
Start cutting.
Cut it open.
The scalpel sliced through the simulated skin with swift, clean movements, without any hesitation. The incision was smooth and even, with perfect control over its depth, stopping precisely at the subcutaneous tissue layer without damaging any of the underlying blood vessels (although it was a model, it did contain simulated blood vessels).
Next comes the separation clamp.
Kitahara Shin's left hand moved nimbly across the incision like a magician's, blunt dissection, hemostatic clamping, and knotting.
Every movement was fast, accurate, and steady.
The classroom was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
The medical trainees, who had been waiting to see the joke, were all gaping, their eyes filled with disbelief.
Even the usually stern-faced lecturer, Noguchi, widened his eyes and even subconsciously took two steps forward, wanting to see more clearly.
This technique—
That's incredibly skillful!
This fluid and natural rhythm, this respect for the organization, is even better than that of many attending physicians who have been working for several years.
A few minutes later.
Kitahara Shin put down the needle holder and cut the last suture.
"It's done."
He took off his rubber gloves, his expression calm, as if he had just peeled an apple.
It was only then that Tanaka Junki, who was standing nearby, came to his senses.
He stared at the perfect incision, then at his "contemporary colleague" next to him, who still wore glasses and looked refined. His mouth gaped open wide enough to fit an egg.
"This... this strong?"
"Good! Very good!"
Instructor Noguchi couldn't help but applaud, his stern expression quickly turning into admiration: "Although I don't know where you interned before, your fundamentals are very solid! Especially that one-handed knot-tying technique, it's beautiful! Looks like you've practiced a lot in private, haven't you?"
He walked over, wanting to pat Kitahara Shin on the shoulder to show encouragement.
Just then, the classroom door was pushed open again.
Professor Ōkouchi walked in.
He glanced at the situation on the podium, paused for a moment, then waved to Kitahara Shin: "Kitahara-san, so you're here. The dean's situation is all settled, and the director from the film crew has arrived and is waiting for you in the conference room. We need to discuss the filming locations for the next shoot."
The entire room fell silent.
Kitahara Shin?
Film crew?
Filming?
Instructor Noguchi's hand froze in mid-air, his expression shifting from admiration to bewilderment.
He turned to Professor Ōkouchi and stammered, "Professor? What's going on? Isn't this—the new medical resident?"
"Training medicine?"
Professor Okouchi scratched his head, somewhat amused, and said, "What are you talking about? This is Kitahara Shin! The actor who's been really popular lately. He's here today to gather material for his new drama, 'The White Tower,' which will start filming at our hospital next month."
"boom--"
These words were like a bomb, detonating right there in the classroom.
"Kitahara Shin?!"
"Oh my god! It really is Kitahara Shin! No wonder he looked so familiar!"
"That actor, Kitahara Shin, who plays Dr. Masaya?!"
The trainees, who had been quiet just moments before, suddenly erupted in excitement.
The two female doctors in the front row were so excited that they covered their mouths and almost screamed.
Standing next to Kitahara Shin, Tanaka Junki was completely petrified.
He mechanically turned his head to look at the man beside him who had just been listening to him brag and then showed off his skills on the operating table.
Is this... an actor?
An actor who can perform surgery better than a medical student?
That's so discouraging!
Seeing the shocked expressions on everyone's faces, Kitahara Shin smiled somewhat apologetically and bowed slightly to Instructor Noguchi: "I'm sorry to have troubled you. I saw that Tanaka-kun seemed a little nervous, so I couldn't help but try it out."
After saying that, he took down the sign that read "Intern" in front of everyone and followed Professor Okouchi out of the classroom.
Lecturer Noguchi was left standing alone on the podium, looking at the perfect cut model, then at the empty doorway, his face disheveled in the wind.
"Are the bar for becoming an actor this high these days?"
He couldn't help but rub his forehead and utter a profound question.