Chapter 116: The Return Press Conference (2)

“Suhyuk!”

“Come with me!”

“With me!”

In a short time, a strange rumor spread throughout the auditorium that research funds could be obtained by attending the Pfizer conference. As this rumor wasn’t entirely false, even professors who weren’t close to Suhyuk shyly raised their hands.

[Why are they here?]

‘Who do you mean? The professors.’

[We haven’t interacted before, right? Especially that guy over there. Seo Hyoseok from Endocrinology Internal Medicine.]

‘That bastard… No, he isn’t particularly good.’

[I think you just called him a bastard based on your lip movement? Is it okay?]

‘Eh, it’s fine. He wouldn’t realize I’m insulting him anyway.’

Seo Hyoseok - Compared to other hospitals and departments, he was considered almost angelic within Taehwa Medical Center’s Internal Medicine Department, yet he remained an anomaly.

He wasn’t supposed to become a professor, but somehow, through his father and father-in-law Baek’s influence, he managed it.

‘Unfortunately, this man starts from this month.’

[What… Won’t you be happy if he doesn’t come to the hospital? Just take care of it yourself. It has been done so far.]

‘Well, that is true.’

Suhyuk turned away from the detestable person and looked at the three who cherished him: Lee Hyunjong, Shin Hyun-tae, and Taejin Jo.

Among the professors, many favored Suhyuk as he was considered the ace among aces. However, none showed their affection without regard for decorum like these three.

“Me?”

“Suhyuk, I’m your dad.”

“It isn’t customary between family members, Suhyuk.”

All three professors were respected individuals with high social status. Yet, they eagerly raised their hands, including Lee Hyunjong despite his recent health issues. It wasn’t just about attending a conference; they wanted to spend time with Suhyuk and ideally become his mentor. Understanding their intentions made Suhyuk even more grateful.

“You should speak quickly. You cannot stay here any longer.”

‘Okay… Are you crazy? Stop watching ‘Show Me The Money’, damn it.’

“It’s entertaining though.”

After silencing Baruda’s nonsense, Suhyuk took a deep breath and looked at Lee Hyunjong first.

Lee Hyunjong couldn’t hide his excitement as he believed himself to be chosen. Thinking about it, this situation was absurd. Everyone present likely knew that person could never go there.

“Director.”

“Call me Dad, son.”

“No… Here, I should…”

“It’s fine. Call me Dad, my boy.”

“That is not the issue…”

Suhyuk looked around at the murmuring crowd with embarrassment before hesitantly opening his mouth.

“Dad…”

“Yes?”

“You can’t go…”

“What? Why can’t I, you bastard?” Despite treating Suhyuk kindly moments earlier, Lee Hyunjong suddenly started cursing. If anyone else had spoken to him like that, they might have wet their pants.

The outburst was unexpected from the director himself. However, Suhyuk had experienced Lee Hyunjong’s mood swings for too long to be surprised.

“Again… He does it again.”

‘It’s not just one or two instances.’

Lee Hyunjong has always been this way. Instead of snapping back, Suhyuk sighed deeply and continued:

“This schedule…it overlaps, doesn’t it?”

“I’ll cancel it.”

“But…you’re scheduled to chair the cardiology conference next year. Are you not attending?”

“Huh? It clashes with that event?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, damn.” Upon hearing a valid reason, Lee Hyunjong muttered curses under his breath and slumped helplessly in his seat.

Taejin Jo took a step forward, wearing a smug smile. After all, cancer remains the most significant challenge in modern medicine.

In today’s world, research on anti-aging, including dementia, and cancer treatment were two major areas of focus.

‘Oh boy, infectious diseases…’

Compared to those fields, Shin Hyun-tae’s specialty, the infectious diseases department, was somewhat outdated. When he had chosen his specialization, it used to be considered the king of all internal medicine departments, but that was no longer the case. Of course, cancer patients eventually required assistance from the infectious diseases department due to immune system issues, but currently, modern medicine primarily focused on fighting cancer rather than infections.

Taejin Jo felt quite confident about this.

“And Professor Taejin Jo.”

“Ah, yes, Suhyuk. I’m Taejin Jo from the Hematology-Oncology Department.” Despite being named right after Lee Hyunjong, who had just been eliminated by Suhyuk himself, Taejin remained undeterred.

As far as he knew, Pfizer was investing billions of dollars for cancer research. However, there was one thing Taejin overlooked.

“Professor, don’t you have an important commitment that day?”

“Huh? Isn’t it about the conference?”

“Not the conference.”

“Not the conference…?” Professor Taejin Jo’s expression suggested he couldn’t think of anything more significant than the conference.

For Suhyuk, this situation seemed absurd.

‘No way! Despite always bragging about being a “girl dad”… He forgot her birthday?’

[I’m crazy. I almost died.]

‘So…she has quite a temper.’

[Even now, I can’t forget that day…]

‘Don’t worry.’

[Lol.]

It was scary enough to make Baruda, an artificial intelligence, tremble. However, it was likely his daughter’s birthday, who resembled him closely and whom he found adorable. Considering Taejin Jo always made sure to return home at least once a week for dinner with his family, there was zero chance of him traveling abroad on that day.

“What…?” Suhyuk shook his head as Taejin Jo failed to recall this fact.

Seeing Suhyuk’s reaction, Shin Hyun-tae burst out laughing as if he understood everything. He then tapped Taejin Jo’s shoulder.

“That day is Eunsu’s birthday.”

“Huh? Oh. Oh…”

Taejin Jo slumped back in his chair, speechless and disheartened by realizing he had forgotten his daughter’s birthday.

For several years, Taejin had prioritized his work as a professor over his family life. While other professors might have been equally demanding, those working in Hematology-Oncology faced immense pressure due to their frontline role dealing with matters of life and death.

Yoonsu, Daddy couldn’t make it.

During his time abroad for training in the United States, he finally managed not to confuse his daughter’s age with her birthday, highlighting how consumed he had been by his work. The realization shocked him deeply, leading him to resolve that from then on, he would never miss his daughter’s birthday again.

“So, you’re going?” asked Shin Hyun-tae, flashing a triumphant smile after successfully eliminating two strong competitors. His confidence was so palpable that Suhyuk felt tempted to challenge him despite knowing better.

“Yes, Manager Shin. If your schedule permits, I would appreciate it if you could join me.”

Of course, Suhyuk wasn’t so foolish as to joke around with his manager.

“Oh, great.”

“I will discuss the details with Professor Lee. Then… that concludes my presentation. Thank you.”

With this brief conclusion, he stepped down from the podium.

Naturally, professors and members of his fan club swarmed towards him. The first reason for their excitement was due to seeing Suhyuk shortly after his return from the United States.

“Looks like you gained some weight?”

Unlike Lee Hyunjong, who had greeted Suhyuk at the airport, Taejin Jo hadn’t seen him since his return. He grabbed Suhyuk’s belly fat, seemingly surprised by how much there was to hold onto.

“Huh? Is this all fat?”

“Yes…yes. The hamburgers were delicious.”

“You didn’t eat them for every meal…you did? Are you crazy? You’ll clog your blood vessels!”

“I need to exercise…”

“No, you should reduce eating. How much can you exercise with your leg condition?”

“Ummm…yes. I will keep that in mind.”

As expected from a doctor, he immediately gave stern advice.

“Do you know how much your risk of developing high cholesterol, diabetes, and hypertension increases with each kilogram gained? Don’t assume you’re invincible just because you’re young. Well, you’re not even young anymore, man. You’ll be entering your thirties soon. This isn’t about missing out on some conference or whatever; it’s about your health.”

Even Lee Hyunjong started reciting a research paper about the increased risk of cardiovascular diseases due to high-fat diets.

[Ugh, be quiet.]

‘But isn’t it good?’

[Yes. Well…it doesn’t matter.]

‘It is my hometown. My homeland.’

[I think I understand how you feel.]

Despite the noise, Suhyuk smiled brightly.

Honestly, while he was in the United States, his thoughts had been shaken back and forth. The professors there seemed more relaxed compared to those here. However, unless he was born as an American, he would always remain a foreigner. It didn’t seem like he could fully blend in with them.

“In any case, going abroad has given me some valuable experiences. I’ve seen so much over there.”

While everyone else discussed trivial matters, Manager Shin Hyun-tae made a more significant observation amidst them:

“Look at this bastard, excited about attending the conference alone.”

Of course, he didn’t offer any assistance from the side, but Shin Hyun-tae remained persistent.

“Nah, what’s there to be excited about? Well, it is good that my disciple returned safely.”

“Oh… Yeah, Iowa is relatively incident-free. By the way, Chicago has frequent gun-related accidents, yet you came back safe and sound.”

“Ahh! Professor Hwang mentioned you, actually. He asked me to convey his regards.” Taejin Jo chimed in towards the end of their conversation.

Indeed, Professor Hwang from Iowa was part of the Hematology-Oncology Department.

“Ah, you already knew him?”

“Yes. Before going to Chicago, he was actively involved in academic conferences. He originally loved seeing patients… Now, he is completely immersed in research and rarely seen… Still, I occasionally meet him at conferences. Allison said Suhyuk made quite an impression.”

“Really? As expected of our Suhyuk. I should call Allison.” Lee Hyunjong admired Suhyuk, who had almost torn his way through as predicted, then started searching for his phone. There was a significant time difference between here and Iowa, so their active hours barely overlapped. However, it seemed Hyunjong didn’t care about such details.

“He’s not answering; maybe sleeping?” With that, Lee Hyunjong stepped away to make the call.

Meanwhile, Shin Hyun-tae continued speaking with Taejin Jo.

“Yes. This month…where is it?”

“It’s in New Delhi. Professor Seo Hyoseok.”

“Ah. Well…you aren’t that awkward with him, right?”

“No. He just doesn’t pay much attention to such things.”

“Yes. You guys have been working hard. Take care of yourselves. Let’s set aside some time later for discussing the conference.”

“Yes, Manager An.”

After saying this, Suhyuk was held up by Taejin Jo and others for quite some time before barely managing to escape.

“Upperclassman!”

Of course, it didn’t end there. In front of the auditorium, An Dae-hoon and Woo Hayoon were waiting for him. Despite his fatigue, he acknowledged them as they considered themselves part of his fan club.

“Oh, yes. It has been a while. Ah, I brought you gifts.” Consequently, Suhyuk handed each of them a refrigerator magnet.

The gifts were insignificant, but they held significant meaning for Suhyuk. When he first visited his female classmate’s house after entering university, he was envious of the magnets from various countries stuck on her refrigerator. From that moment, collecting magnets became one of the items on Suhyuk’s bucket list.

“Oh, thank you very much.”

“Thank you!”

Dahoon and Hayoon were overjoyed, as they would have been thrilled even if Suhyuk had given them handfuls of dirt from Iowa. However, upon closer inspection, their happiness seemed mixed with something else.

“It seems like they want to discuss something troubling.” As usual, Baruda noticed it first.

“So, what do you need to talk about?”

When questioned, An Dae-hoon exchanged glances with Woo Hayoon before speaking up.

“Well…there’s this rather unusual patient.”