Chapter 107: Henry (3)

“Tinnitus?”

Henry paused while handing over documents to Suhyuk and looked at him.

[“Did it work? You seem quite surprised.”]

‘Indeed.’

“What indeed? It was just luck. But well done. He appears interested.”

Suhyuk nodded with Baruda’s unexpected encouragement.

“Yes, I Ming. Do you happen to have tinnitus?”

“Uh…”

Henry didn’t know what to say, as he had never discussed his condition with anyone except his doctor.

‘Dr. Johansson… No, that can’t be possible.’

While not renowned, Dr. Johansson was a highly trusted psychiatrist.

He couldn’t believe that his secret had leaked from Dr. Johansson. Moreover, Henry had never mentioned anything about ringing in his ears. He only talked about not being able to sleep.

‘What is this? Where did he get this information?’

Henry looked at Suhyuk with suspicion.

Despite not providing a proper answer, Suhyuk was confident based on Henry’s expression alone.

Seeing this reaction, Suhyuk explained, “Please don’t look at me like that. As a doctor, when observing someone experiencing discomfort, I can usually determine the issue.”

If it weren’t for the conversation overheard yesterday, Henry might have dismissed these claims outright. However, there seemed no need to reveal that detail now.

“So you…just know by looking?”

Henry had mixed feelings about Suhyuk’s claim. In fact, he knew very well that it sounded absurd. As the head of Pfizer Research Institute, he met numerous doctors regularly. Until now, not a single person had noticed his condition. Some diagnosed him as mentally unstable and recommended psychiatric treatment, while others suggested getting an MRI scan.

“Yes, I understand. You can see them.”

However, Henry couldn’t help but be swayed by Suhyuk’s unwavering confidence. Without realizing it, he pulled up a chair nearby and sat down heavily.

Suhyuk, who was already experiencing slight pain in his left leg, gratefully took a seat as well.

“How long has this been going on?” Henry asked, adopting a professional demeanor for the consultation.

He assumed a proper posture for conducting a medical examination. One might think doctors adopt this stance casually, but it is actually taught during their student days. Facing too directly could be perceived as threatening, while leaning too far away might give off an impression of disinterest. Therefore, sitting at a 45 to 60-degree angle was considered appropriate.

This approach proved effective, as Henry became more cooperative and opened up further.

“It’s been quite some time.”

However, his response wasn’t entirely helpful.

‘What’s with this attitude, acting like a guardian?’

“I’m not a doctor, just the research institute director.”

‘Still, aren’t you a scientist? “Quite some time” isn’t specific enough.’

“Don’t get angry at me; please ask again.”

Realizing that such vague responses wouldn’t assist a doctor, Suhyuk followed Baruda’s advice and rephrased his question:

“How long exactly has it been? A year?”

“No, much longer.”

“Then ten years?”

“No… It’s been more than twenty years.”

“Twenty years… That is indeed quite long.”

To have pathological tinnitus for over twenty years…

Suhyuk was relieved that Henry hadn’t developed mental illness. However, perhaps he already had. Statistically, it was confirmed that patients with tinnitus frequently experienced depression and higher suicide rates.

“Do you hear it in both ears?”

“Hmm… I can’t pinpoint the direction.”

Suhyuk pushed aside his surprise and continued asking questions. Henry responded sincerely to each query. Suhyuk was the only person who accurately diagnosed his condition upon first glance. Moreover, from the moment Suhyuk started questioning him, Henry felt as if he were dealing with a seasoned doctor.

“When was your last hearing test?”

“Three months ago. Both ears were normal.”

“Normal… What about the MRI?”

“It has been done. It is also normal.”

On the other hand, Suhyuk rechecked the information obtained from the bar.

‘He really is normal. But does he accurately remember everything?’

[Based on the conversation and amount of data gathered here, this person seems to have slight obsessive-compulsive tendencies. There is no doubt about it.]

‘Ah… Indeed, looking at his files…’

[Yes. He likely knows more about tinnitus than most doctors? I’ve heard such cases are common among life science researchers.]

Suhyuk had heard similar stories before. His senior worked as a public health doctor at KAIST’s infirmary, and he mentioned how challenging it was during that time. Every patient would research their symptoms beforehand, leading to exhausting debates with each visit. Henry’s situation was probably not much different, if not worse.

Every patient would come with research papers about their symptoms, leading to exhausting debates with them. Henry seemed no different - actually, it appeared even more severe.

“Look at this, Dr. Lee.” As expected, Henry started appealing to his studies instead of answering Suhyuk’s question.

“Yes.”

“Hearing loss… In other words, isn’t tinnitus typically caused by compensatory mechanisms due to nerve damage and impaired hearing?”

“Um, usually yes. Typically.”

“But my hearing is normal.”

“Yes.”

“So, I had an MRI done on my cervical spine thinking there might be another reason. The Pfizer-affiliated research institute has most facilities available.”

“Oh…”

Henry pointed downwards as he continued speaking. It seemed the MRI machine was located in the basement of the research institute.

It wasn’t a cheap machine, yet they used it for research purposes. Truly, global pharmaceutical companies were on another level.

“However, everything appears normal. No disc issues… In fact, I don’t even have neck pain.”

“Then it’s not due to any musculoskeletal disorder causing your tinnitus.”

“No, it isn’t.”

“Could it be stress-related… or perhaps depression?”

“Oh, you’re saying this based on my appearance…” Henry smiled faintly and shook his head, indicating familiarity with such questions. “I took a break for half a year before joining Pfizer…”

“A break? Did you travel somewhere?”

“Nope. I just stayed in Pattaya, Thailand. Whenever I was hungry, I ate; when tired, I got massages. But the ringing didn’t go away. It remained exactly the same.”

“Hmm.”

Pattaya, Thailand. I had never been there before but it seemed like an incredibly appealing place. Moreover, being able to eat when hungry and get massages whenever tired… It was a life that everyone would want.

‘It doesn’t seem like stress.’

[In fact, psychological tinnitus doesn’t last this long. There must be some underlying cause.]

‘Nothing showed up on the MRI scan. Do you hear anything? Is it not objective tinnitus?’

There were different types of tinnitus, including objective tinnitus. This meant a type of tinnitus where anyone could hear it, not just me. Most cases belonged to this category, such as muscle spasms holding onto the bones inside the ear or blood flow through veins at the back of the head.

However, neither Suhyuk nor Baruda had heard any sounds until now. Additionally, this type of tinnitus was strongly related to the patient’s posture, so it required taking on a unique position. At least Henry had very good posture, and objective tinnitus could be excluded.

“Honestly, I am surprised. The tinnitus… No doctor has ever acknowledged it before. However, that is all. I… have really studied a lot about tinnitus. Its causes and treatments. But… my tinnitus is strange. There is no cause or treatment.”

“Hmm.” Suhyuk swallowed hard as he looked at Henry, who appeared desperate.

Indeed, as Henry mentioned, there didn’t seem to be any clear cause for his tinnitus. Everything was normal, yet he had to constantly listen to white noise of this magnitude due to the ringing in his ears.

‘What could it be?’

[Please remain calm. There is no symptom without a cause. This fact never changes.]

‘So…that… that’s true.’

However, Baruda’s words provided some reassurance. Of course, modern medicine hasn’t unraveled everything about our bodies yet. But among what has been discovered and what remains unknown, the known aspects overwhelmingly outnumber the unknowns. Even if treatment isn’t always possible, understanding the cause often is. Therefore, there might still be hope for identifying the reason behind Henry’s tinnitus.

[First… let’s ask if he has any other illnesses. The possibility is low, but tinnitus can occur due to arteriosclerosis caused by high cholesterol levels.]

But there isn’t any change depending on his posture, right?

[Still, it is worth asking. We need to cover all the basics.]

‘Understood.’

In every field of study, emphasizing the importance of fundamentals cannot be overstated. In medicine, especially when treating patients, adhering to basic principles is crucial not for excelling but for avoiding mistakes.

“Curator Henry, do you have any other health issues?”

“Other health issues? Yes, I suffer from insomnia.”

Henry seemed resigned and spoke quite curtly with Suhyuk.

Suhyuk wasn’t greatly surprised as Henry had always been like this. Thus, he calmly continued the conversation.

“Ah. It must be due to your tinnitus.”

“Yes, of course. This damn tinnitus… it has ruined my life.”

“That’s all?”

“Yes, that is all. I wake up at the same time every day and run 8 kilometers every evening.”

“Oh…”

“I eat the same food daily. My weight hasn’t changed for the past 20 years.”

Indeed, although not overly muscular, Henry appeared quite fit. For a 52-year-old man living alone, he seemed remarkably robust.

‘What exactly is going on here?’

[Indeed. I’m unsure too.]

‘Hey, I’ve asked so many questions until now… What if he says he doesn’t know?’

[If you don’t know, then just say that… Fudge it somehow. You won’t be doing Pfizer’s research anyway.]

‘This… this bastard…’

[Ah, I don’t know. Huh?] Baruda had been ignoring everything but suddenly cocked his head. He was focusing on something within Suhyuk’s field of view. As Suhyuk hadn’t paid attention to that area, he couldn’t understand what caught Baruda’s attention.

‘Why? Is he embarrassed?’

[No… Didn’t they say this person has no illness?]

‘That’s right.’

[Then why is there a bottle of pills on the table?]

‘Might it be vitamins? It seems unlikely to be medication due to its colorful appearance.’

Based on their conversation, Henry appeared obsessively health-conscious, almost to the point of hypochondria.

It wouldn’t be strange for someone to take one or two supplements daily. In fact, it would be more unusual if there were none present. Unfortunately, among these supplements, there was nothing that could cause ringing in the ears.

“No, look closely. One of them is medication.”

‘Medication? Oh…you’re right.’

Finally, Henry realized Suhyuk wasn’t looking at his face but rather something behind him.

“What are you doing?”

“Ah, yes. Isn’t this the curator’s desk?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“You seem to be taking…some kind of medicine?”

“They aren’t medicines, but nutritional supplements - Omega-3 and vitamins.”

“But…isn’t that one medication?” Suhyuk pointed to a white pill bottle between the other two.

Henry shook his head dismissively, indicating it was inconsequential.

“That’s just aspirin.”