Emergency Instinct - Chapter 3

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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It seemed his destination was also the 21st floor, as he had gotten on first.

The mother of the little girl who got on with them pressed the 18th floor button, and the elevator closed and began moving.

The numbers climbed rapidly and stopped exactly at the 18th floor.

“Su-jin! No!”

Suddenly the child’s mother screamed in alarm.

The phrase “in an instant” was perfectly fitting.

In the blink of an eye, she could see the child’s fingers getting sucked into the gap between the opening elevator doors.

Ji-an quickly grabbed the elevator door, and the startled mother instinctively grabbed the child’s hand.

Fortunately, the child’s fingers that had been caught in the gap came out. But.

“Waaaaah!”

The frightened child burst into loud tears.

“It’s okay, baby.”

The mother hugged the child to comfort her as they got off.

The 18th floor was a guest room floor, with only empty corridors.

Ji-an couldn’t ignore the mother and daughter who needed help. She followed them off and looked at the child’s fingers that had gone into the elevator gap.

Fortunately, they weren’t torn so there was no visible blood. However, the index and middle fingers that had gone into the gap were noticeably swelling up.

A fracture was suspected. They needed to be immobilized and taken to the hospital immediately for examination.

Just as Ji-an approached and was about to speak.

“Gack!”

The child who had been crying loudly suddenly grabbed her throat, coughed, and gasped for breath.

“Su-jin!”

The alarmed mother grabbed and shook the child while shouting.

Like lightning, Ji-an recalled the child happily eating candy on the 1st floor. The candy had gone down when she burst into tears from shock, blocking her airway.

Airway obstruction.

It was an emergency situation. The candy blocking the airway had to be removed immediately.

Seeing the child turning blue, Ji-an’s body reacted before her mind and she shouted loudly.

“I’m a doctor! Please call 119 right away.”

***

Tae-jun, who had been in the elevator, looked up from his phone screen at the child’s mother’s scream.

An accident had happened in an instant, and the child burst into tears.

He instinctively followed them off the elevator.

But suddenly the child grabbed her throat and couldn’t breathe.

At the same time, the woman who had also gotten off shouted that she was a doctor and to call for help.

Tae-jun immediately called 119 and reported the situation.

The woman who had thrown down her designer bag pushed the mother aside faster than light and embraced the child from behind. She made a fist and attempted the Heimlich maneuver, pressing firmly between the child’s navel and solar plexus with precise technique.

“One! Two! Three!”

It was when the third compression was attempted, calmly but swiftly.

Pop!

The candy that had been blocking the child’s airway shot out of her mouth.

“Cough! Cough! Haa… Mommy!”

The child expelled the blocked breath and looked for her mother.

The mother rushed to embrace the child who burst into tears again.

“Yes, baby. Mommy’s here. Thank you. Thank you.”

Tears were already flowing from the eyes of the mother comforting the child who had turned blue.

The woman who had saved the child smiled with relief.

“Don’t worry, ma’am. The airway was temporarily blocked by the candy. Now that breathing has returned, she’ll be fine once she calms down.”

She reassured the child’s mother and continued in a calm voice.

“And you should immobilize the child’s fingers and go to the hospital right away to have them checked. Explain the situation and get all the necessary tests done.”

The woman carefully examined the child’s fingers. Then she unwound the scarf that was around her neck.

She skillfully wrapped it around the child’s swollen fingers and hung it over her shoulder to make a sling.

“You can go to the hospital like this.”

“Thank you, doctor!”

The rescue team arrived only after the woman had finished taking care of everything.

She clearly explained the situation and handed the child over to the rescue team.

Perhaps because she was a doctor, her handling was swift and cleanly efficient without any unnecessary actions.

There didn’t seem to be anything more for Tae-jun to help with.

Tae-jun, who had been watching, turned around thinking of his delayed blind date.

But as he was about to walk away, unexpected words reached his ears.

“I’m Hong Ji-an, working in the Emergency Room at Hanyeong Hospital.”

Hanyeong Hospital meant she belonged to the Hanyeong Foundation.

Hanyeong Hospital’s stagnant sales curve automatically came to mind in Tae-jun’s brain.

He slowly turned around and looked at the woman with new eyes.

“If you need anything, please contact me anytime. And could you let me know if the child’s condition is okay after treatment?”

“Of course. I’ll contact Hanyeong Hospital.”

“Yes, thank you. Take care.”

The woman smiled brightly for the first time as she looked at the paramedic.

Tae-jun’s lips also curved up subtly.

To think there was such a passionate doctor at a hospital with no sales growth. If she’s a Hanyeong Hospital doctor, she’s also a member of the group, so it would be fine to at least greet her.

Curious, instead of leaving, he slowly walked toward the woman.

***

“Phew…”

What a relief.

Left alone, Ji-an let out a sigh of relief as the tension eased. But her heart wouldn’t calm down easily.

Feeling stuffy, she unbuttoned her blouse and gathered her disheveled hair to tie it tightly.

As she wiped the sweat beads on her forehead, her heart beat even more overwhelmingly.

This kind of pleasant trembling had been so long.

The moment she saw the child struggling with breathing difficulty before her eyes, she thought her heart would stop.

Her body remembered and moved automatically rather than her mind.

She had only thought about saving the child before it was too late.

After catching her breath briefly, Ji-an remembered that she was late for the blind date.

Her feet really wouldn’t move, but she had to go before getting even later.

As she hurriedly walked, she couldn’t maintain her balance in the unfamiliar high heels and her body swayed. At that moment.

“Be careful.”

A man who suddenly approached caught her waist and prevented her from falling.

Ji-an, who was drawn into the unfamiliar man’s embrace, was startled and tried to stand up straight. But she staggered ungracefully again.

The man put more strength into the hand around her waist and embraced her shoulders.

Ji-an, who was suddenly embraced even more deeply, had her face pressed against the man’s firm chest.

At that moment, the man’s loud heartbeat reached her ears. It was big, solid, and resonant like the sound of a huge bell.

“Are you alright?”

Unlike the sound of his heartbeat, the man’s voice flowed out unusually low.

“Ah, yes. I’m fine.”

Though flustered, Ji-an tried to answer calmly. She swallowed dry saliva, caught her breath, and barely managed to straighten up.

And she slowly raised her head.

A familiar suit and handkerchief came into view.

They belonged to the man who had been in the elevator with them.

The next moment, Ji-an spoke first at the thought that came to mind.

“Ah, you’re the person who called 119 earlier, right?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

The man who had caught her slowly nodded as he looked down at her.

His gaze was particularly intense.

Ji-an could still feel the firm muscles of the man’s arm wrapped around her waist as she spoke, avoiding his eyes.

“Um, I’m fine now, so please let me go.”

When Ji-an gently pushed him away, the man obediently stepped back.

The tense Ji-an straightened her back and put strength into her legs.

“Thank you for earlier. Thanks to you, we were able to act quickly.”

“You were more impressive than me, Doctor.”

“Oh, no. I just did what was natural.”

Throughout their conversation, his unwavering gaze made Ji-an feel inexplicably self-conscious.

She awkwardly brushed her hair back.

But then it happened.

Suddenly, the man reached his hand toward her face. There was no time to dodge.

By the time she came to her senses, his hand had already tucked her fallen hair behind her ear.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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