Chapter 12: On Call Duty (3)

“Actinomycosis…”

Suhyuk’s vast knowledge, thanks to Baruda, allowed him to recognize this unusual disease name. He wouldn’t have known it if not for his mentor.

[Correct. Actinomycosis. This is quite stimulating.]

Baruda simultaneously revealed its Korean name with evident satisfaction.

Hwang Sunwoo, now in his second year of residency, frowned deeply.

What kind of disease is this…? Actino…what?

It was only March, meaning he had just started his second year as a resident a few weeks ago. As a first-year Internal Medicine resident, there never seemed to be enough time to complete all assigned tasks. Consequently, unless one was exceptionally diligent or naturally gifted, accumulating extensive medical knowledge proved challenging.

Unfortunately, Hwang Sunwoo did not fit either category. He barely survived each day to reach his second year as a resident. Consequently, he had only acquired the minimum knowledge necessary for this stage of his career.

Damn… If it were anyone else, I would’ve kicked them out by now.

Hwang Sunwoo looked at Suhyuk with great discomfort.

It’s because this bastard has connections with Director Baek and Manager Yoon… Ugh…

Sunwoo wasn’t particularly interested in becoming a professor. His sole ambition was to leave Taehwa Medical Center once he completed his specialization. To him, Taehwa felt more like a prison than an educational institution.

However, burning bridges with professors was never a good idea. It would undoubtedly make the remaining two years unbearable, let alone potentially hinder future job prospects upon departure.

Worse still, instead of helping him secure employment upon leaving, they might actively hinder his job search. Professors didn’t have much power to assist someone’s career, but they certainly had the influence to impede it.

But how can I report something…when I don’t even know what it is?

Although he wasn’t familiar with actinomycosis specifically, he knew it referred to some type of infectious disease due to the suffix “-mycosis,” which denotes fungal infections. The prefix “actino” likely indicated a specific type of fungus involved. In other words, the person who needed to be notified was Shin Hyun-tae, both the head of Infectious Diseases and currently the acting chief of Internal Medicine.

“Um…” After hesitating for quite some time, Suhyuk finally spoke up again, looking incredibly cautious, which only annoyed Sunwoo more. It wasn’t like Sunwoo would physically harm him just because he wasn’t being careful enough.

Why isn’t he trembling this time?

On the other hand, Suhyuk was trembling nervously. It took all his courage to muster up the strength to speak again.

“Why?”

“Um… Professor Shin Hyun-tae said…”

“Huh, Manager Hwang? What?” Hwang Sunwoo looked like he thought Suhyuk might finally reveal their close relationship.

Is he going to say not to mess with me now? Yes, go ahead. That would be satisfying.

As Sunwoo continued harboring petty thoughts, Suhyuk elaborated:

“He specifically asked me to handle notifications related to Infectious Internal Medicine.”

“Huh?”

Hwang Sunwoo began to suspect that Suhyuk might be even more privileged than he initially thought. A professor personally assigning tasks to a first-year notifier, and in March no less? This was during a time when half of what residents uttered were empty promises. The situation seemed utterly insane.

‘Damn, is he actually hiding something?’

For a moment, deep-seated feelings of inferiority surfaced within him, but then he decided it might be for the best. Regardless of Suhyuk’s true nature, Hwang Sunwoo was relieved to have passed off this demanding and possibly insane patient to someone else.

“Really?”

“Yes, Dr. Hwang.”

“Hmm.”

Suhyuk observed Hwang Sunwoo pretending to look troubled. Having done various part-time jobs since his school days, including tutoring at numerous households, Suhyuk could easily read people’s intentions.

“Should I tell them that you’re currently attending to patients in the intensive care unit?” It was exactly what Hwang Sunwoo wanted to hear.

Trying not to show too much excitement, Hwang Sunwoo nodded.

“U-um… Yes, please do.”

“Yes, Dr. Hwang. Thank you.”

Suhyuk didn’t think it was anything to be thankful for, but out of habit, he expressed his gratitude before pulling out his phone.

Brrr.

At that moment, Manager Shin Hyun-tae had just finished hole nine and entered the shade when his phone started ringing from his back pocket.

“Hey, I told you to turn off your phone while playing golf,” scolded the director upon hearing the ringtone.

It wasn’t an issue now since they were under cover, but imagine if it had vibrated during their swing with a driver. There could be no greater breach of etiquette on the course.

“How can a doctor at a university hospital ever turn off their phone? Besides, today I’m on-call outside the hospital.”

“On-call outside the hospital? On the day you have a golf appointment with the director?”

“Director Lee is just like any other senior colleague here, right?” Department Head Shin Hyun-tae joked while looking at Professor Kim Jinsil standing beside him.

She had recently become a full-time professor of abdominal radiology at Taehwa Medical Center this year. Appearing slightly flustered, she nodded her head. To Shin Hyun-tae, Director Lee Hyunjong might be simply seen as his senior colleague, but to someone relatively new and young like herself, he was akin to a god.

Fortunately, Department Head Shin was quite perceptive.

“Huh? It’s from Lee Suhyuk?”

As soon as he answered the call, attention shifted away from Kim Jinsil.

“Lee Suhyuk? That bastard calling me while playing golf?” As expected, Dr. Lee Hyunjong reacted explosively upon hearing Lee Suhyuk’s name.

He pressed his ear closer to the phone, worried that someone might be pranking him.

“Ah, Professor. It’s Lee Suhyuk from your first-year class. I am calling about a patient admitted to the emergency room. Is it okay if we talk now?”

However, Suhyuk’s voice through the receiver was smooth and extremely polite. It was difficult for Hyun-tae to consider him mentally unstable based on this conversation.

“Oh, yes. Anyway…I have nothing scheduled for the next thirty minutes. Are you taking a break?”

Department Head Shin Hyun-tae, guided by a caddy, roughly sat down at an empty seat while looking around. Kim Jinsil had no choice but to follow as long as she received permission from the director.

“Yes, do as you please. I am hungry since I didn’t eat breakfast.”

The director nodded briefly and started flipping through the menu.

“Well, go ahead.” With this encouragement from Shin Hyun-tae, Lee Suhyuk’s expression visibly relaxed.

Suhyuk cleared his throat before beginning his notification earnestly.

“Professor, there is a 45-year-old female patient with continuous abdominal distension for the past month and a weight loss of 10 kg. She was examined at another hospital where they detected a mass near the right colon (ascending colon). As a result, she has been transferred to our emergency room.”

“Hmm… Weight loss along with a mass near the colon?” Confusion immediately spread across Shin Hyun-tae’s face.

At the same time, Director Lee Hyunjong’s face showed his conviction.

“See, he is a Troll again? Why notify him about a cancer patient?”

Of course, Suhyuk couldn’t hear the director’s voice. Thanks to this, Suhyuk continued speaking as intended.

“Yes, Professor. On the CT scan, approximately five 5cm-sized blades were observed near the IC valve (the connection between the small and large intestine). All the blades have fused together.”

“It isn’t… colorectal cancer?” Department Head Shin cautiously asked, still hoping that Suhyuk might be a prodigy.

Suhyuk promptly responded, as if waiting for this question.

“There is no obstruction indicating colorectal cancer. The patient complained of constipation but not complete inability to defecate.”

“Hmm… Despite fusion with a polyp over five centimeters, there’s no obstruction?”

Finally, Department Head Shin seemed somewhat relieved as he adjusted his grip on the phone.

The director, who had been waiting for this conversation like someone anticipating their food at a restaurant, shared similar sentiments.

“Yes, Professor. If it were colorectal cancer, there should have been an obstruction given its size.”

“Hmm. Then what do you suspect, Suhyuk?” Department Head Shin addressed Suhyuk using a nickname one might use with close friends or family, almost teasingly calling him ‘our Suhyuk’. It made others wonder if he had gone mad.

The director also asked:

“Is he crazy?”

However, Department Head Shin merely smiled faintly and awaited Suhyuk’s response. He even switched to speakerphone mode.

“Let us hear it first. This is now on speakerphone, so don’t make any mistakes.”

“Eh?” Unaware of the switch to speakerphone, Suhyuk continued his report with his usual crisp tone. “On the CT scan, the margins of the mass are irregular, and there is invasion into parts of the abdominal wall. The contrast enhancement shows various patterns, indicating possible fusion.”

This clearly indicated a suspicion of cancer.

“However, there is no sign of pneumonia. Additionally, another notable finding is the presence of an intrauterine device (IUD) inserted within the uterus.”

An intrauterine device (IUD). It was known as one of the safest contraceptive devices, but it wasn’t without potential complications.

Upon hearing this, Department Head Shin Hyun-tae, an experienced internal medicine doctor; Lee Hyunjong, the director; and Kim Jinsil, the rising star in abdominal surgery, all thought of the same diagnosis. This diagnosis matched exactly what Suhyuk had mentioned earlier.

“Based on these findings, Actinomycosis can be suspected.”

“Huh…” The surprised director forgot he was using a speakerphone and let out an audible gasp.

How many first-year residents, or even third-year ones for that matter, could diagnose Actinomycosis?

I doubt there’s anyone else…

Is he truly a genius? The manager was already captivated with a wide grin on his face.

However, this person was the director. He was the head of Taehwa University’s medical school, one of the top institutions in Korea.

“Photos. Send me photos.”

Suhyuk couldn’t let this rare opportunity slip away. Surprised by the unfamiliar voice, Suhyuk hesitantly asked:

“W-Who is this?”

“It’s the director, the director. Send CT images near…the IC valve as mentioned earlier.”

“Oh, yes. Professor.”

Appealing to just the manager would be impressive enough, but having the director present made it even more advantageous for Suhyuk. Trying to steady his racing heart, he quickly took the requested photos.

[Cuts 221 and 223 should suffice.]

Of course, this was based on Baruda’s advice. The transmitted photo was immediately shown to Professor Kim Jinsil by the director.

“What do you think? Does it seem correct?”

Kim Jinsil frowned momentarily before nodding her head. She appeared quite surprised. It seemed difficult for her to express herself verbally as she meticulously organized the information in her mind once again.

“With this information alone… Actinomycosis is the most appropriate diagnosis. Is he really just a first-year student? This level of analysis… I would believe it if someone from their fourth year in radiology provided it.”