Chapter 109: Henry (5)

Firstly, Suhyuk followed Henry around the research institute. Previously, they had rushed through it due to their busy schedules, but this time, they took their time. Thanks to this, not only Suhyuk but also Baruda was able to memorize much of the research institute’s layout.

‘Amazing. It is structured in 3D.’

[This is possible because I am Baruda.]

‘Can’t all artificial intelligences do this?’

[No, only Baruda can achieve this.]

‘Suddenly, you sound quite arrogant.’

[Not at all, merely confident.]

As he listened further, he realized it was true. Among existing artificial intelligences, none possessed human-like senses like Baruda did.

Thus, only Baru could scan and create blueprints by simply walking around.

‘However, it seems to have little effect?’

Suhyuk looked down at his phone with confusion. It was already Day 4 since he returned from the Chicago research institute. If he stopped taking aspirin on that day, his tinnitus should have disappeared. In such a case, Suhyuk would have received a call.

[Indeed… Well… Even if it didn’t work, we haven’t lost anything.]

‘Still, it feels bad.’

[Exactly! Are you daring to say that a diagnosis involving me, Baruda, has failed?]

‘There might be some issues here though? I’m the one who thought of the aspirin side-effect?’

[I practically created you, Suhyuk.]

‘W-What? Oh.’

Suhyuk stopped cursing and picked up his phone from the table. On the table were leftovers of frozen pizza and flat cola, but it wasn’t difficult to locate his phone amidst them.

“It’s Mr. Henry.”

Baruda displayed a meaningful smile as he saw the number on the phone screen. It was the same number written on the business card received that day. Of course, this call could be useless, but Henry didn’t seem like someone who would waste time unnecessarily. He appeared to be obsessively concerned about his health. Baruda thought it likely contained positive news.

“Yes, this is Lee Suhyuk.”

Thus, Lee Suhyuk confidently answered the phone call.

“Ah, Dr. Belzer. This is Henry.”

Contrary to his expectations, Henry’s voice sounded stiff.

‘Didn’t he recover?’

“How strange? It shouldn’t be like this?”

Henry’s abrupt tone surprised both Suhyuk and Baruda.

“Yes…um…why did you decide to call me?”

However, neither Suhyuk nor Baruda showed any signs of confusion as they continued their scripted dialogue.

“[The scenario has been dropped.]”

‘Don’t bullshit me. You said you would cry immediately after calling.’

“That was a lie. This is rain.”

‘I’ve never heard about rain before?’

“Rain means improvisation.”

‘Then it implies there wasn’t any need for tears!’

Naturally, Suhyuk was taken aback, but fortunately, the call quality wasn’t excellent, so Henry didn’t notice his hesitation.

“What happened? You called about the aspirin.”

“Ah… How is it going?”

“I wanted to express my gratitude first.”

“Oh.”

“My tinnitus has disappeared. Haha.”

Henry’s laughter sounded awkward. He might have felt uncomfortable as well since this was his first laugh after experiencing tinnitus. Moreover, there was a sense of disappointment embedded within his laughter, making it feel even more peculiar.

“That’s great news.”

“Yes…indeed.” Henry had a very complex expression on his face.

Since they were having a voice call, Suhyuk couldn’t see him, but if he could, Baruda would likely have been able to read Henry’s emotions accurately.

Henry’s face displayed a myriad of emotions such as frustration, absurdity, relief, and embarrassment - too many to describe accurately. Among them, gratitude was most prominent.

“If it wasn’t for you, Dr. Belzer, I probably would have never found the cause in my lifetime.”

“You might have discovered it if you searched for research papers on aspirin.”

“No, not at all. Since I believed I knew everything about aspirin…I wouldn’t have bothered searching.” Although it may sound surprising, this scenario occurred more frequently than one might expect. Experts in their field often lagged behind updates due to overconfidence. Suhyuk had witnessed similar mistakes made by some older professors during his student days.

“Well… In any case, congratulations on curing your tinnitus.”

“It’s all thanks to Suhyuk… I remember everything you asked for at that time.”

Henry recalled some of the things Suhyuk had requested if his tinnitus was cured. At the time, it seemed absurd. Asking for compensation before anything had happened, especially from a doctor treating a patient. However, now that his tinnitus was gone, he felt willing to give even half of his wealth if Suhyuk asked. At least, that was how he felt currently.

“Thank you very much. I… should become a specialist and fellow in about two years.”

“Yes. Don’t worry about the cost of research Suhyuk will be doing at that time. I promise it with my position.”

Firstly, there was support for research funding. In fact, most ‘clinical’ research didn’t require large amounts of money. This was especially true for studies conducted at university hospitals in Korea. Most were retrospective studies based on accumulated patient data. However, when it came to experimental research, the situation completely changed. Everything from start to finish required money.

“Thank you. Your word is certain?”

“Of course. There are only a few people above me in the company.”

Even if there were more, it wouldn’t pose any significant issues.

In any case, research funding wasn’t given out freely. If Suhyuk achieved results with this money, it would be beneficial for Pfizer as well. No one at Pfizer would question the research endorsed by someone like Dr. Henry.

“Additionally, we will invite you to our conference held next year in Hong Kong. At that time, new drugs currently under development or treatment protocols being researched at affiliated hospitals will be revealed. It could be helpful if you attend.”

The second offer was attendance at a conference. One might think conferences can be attended simply by paying and having the time, but there were exceptions.

This conference was organized by a multinational pharmaceutical company, gathering their research institutes and hospitals worldwide. It could be seen as an inner circle meeting for them.

“Originally, we only invite mid-level researchers… Well, Taehwa Medical Center, right? Bringing one or two professors from there shouldn’t be a problem. But will they be interested?”

“It’s free?”

“Of course. Pfizer covers all participants’ airfare and accommodations.”

While Shin Hyun-tae might not appreciate it, Lee Hyunjong certainly would. He had dedicated his life to research and patient care, foregoing even starting a family. In general, he loved any opportunity to travel.

Moreover, it was free and with Suhyuk, whom Henry cherished most these days? The deal was done.

“Then he will be pleased.”

“Hmm, hmm. I see. Hmm.” Henry cleared his throat as he pondered which distinguished professor they would bring along. However, he didn’t change his mind because Suhyuk had become his savior in many ways.

Of course, now he needed to find a supplement to replace aspirin. Honestly, just stopping the sleep aids and antidepressants taken for tinnitus felt liberating. It was like lifting a dense fog that clouded his thoughts every morning.

“Anyway, thank you very much. I assure you, I will fulfill both promises.”

“Thank you, Henry.”

“You’re welcome. In Iowa… I hope you enjoy your remaining time here. Please feel free to call me if you need any help.”

“Thank you, Henry.”

Henry agreed to Suhyuk’s two conditions without hesitation despite them potentially being perceived as rude.

Indeed, tinnitus is not a symptom to be ignored.]

It could all be attributed to Baru. Among the numerous research papers on tinnitus that Suhyuk had read, he focused on those describing the impact of tinnitus on patients’ daily lives. The findings revealed that patients with chronic tinnitus experienced emotional distress comparable to cancer patients.

I could even write a research paper based solely on this information.

[It is quite unexpected territory… Still, it can be written if you want to try. Perhaps it might get published somewhere?]

‘Well, I’ll do it when I have time. First, I need to focus on Internal Medicine. Ultimately, this will help me rise higher in academic conferences.’

[I cannot acknowledge that research is more important than clinical skills, but unfortunately, that seems to be the case.]

Are professors at university hospitals truly the best surgeons?

No, they were not. There were numerous skilled individuals outside academia.

However, it was true that professors at university hospitals excelled in research. Most doctors conducting research were affiliated with universities, and their ability to produce quality research determined whether they could continue working there.

Sometimes, it felt wrong that research was prioritized over clinical skills, but what could they do?

The system already operated this way, and until they had the ability to change it, adapting to the system was the right choice.

Well… I’ll think about that later. Today should be interesting.

Before he knew it, his fellowship in Iowa was nearing its end.

When would such an opportunity arise again? As Suhyuk mentioned, doing their best here now was the correct approach. And today genuinely seemed like it would be enjoyable.

“So…I heard patients from a state correctional facility will arrive today?”

American prisoners, huh?

Without much thought, images of menacing individuals clad in orange prison uniforms popped into Suhyuk’s mind. He had seen them often enough in movies, so he wondered if reality matched those depictions.

I was quite curious if this was true.

[Don’t just be curious about that… Isn’t the prison environment quite unique?]

‘Yes.’

[Then there may be diseases specific to that environment. Let’s try finding them.]

‘Sounds good. Shall we go?’

[I would have gone anyway even without your permission. Well, I suppose it is nice having such a friend with me. Let’s proceed.]

‘This bastard…’

Why did he always speak like this?

Suhyuk wanted to grumble more, but time didn’t allow for it. He had been delayed due to Henry’s phone call.

“Wow, it’s cold. It feels like experiencing all four seasons in one day.”

It should definitely be warmer during the daytime.

It snowed this morning.

The weather in the Midwest of the United States was known for its unpredictability, but Suhyuk didn’t expect it to be this extreme.

“Ah, Dr. Belzer.”

Upon entering the hospital, Steve warmly greeted Suhyuk. Over the past few days, he had been treating Suhyuk almost like a professor. However, today his demeanor seemed slightly different.

“Steve, why are you looking at me like that?”

“Are you nervous?”

“Nervous? Ah, about the prison visit.”

“I’m not kidding. Even though we have a guard accompanying us…it makes me more scared.”

“Hmm. That’s…true enough.”

“And what’s even harder is…” Steve shook his head as he continued.

“There are truly unexpected diseases out there.”

“What kind of diseases?”

“You’ll see when we get there.”