Chapter 124: This Fracture is Strange (1)

“Sigh.”

Suhyuk let out a brief sigh.

He had to take away a patient from Manager Choi Nokphil, who hated losing patients, and then give it to Professor Seo Hyoseok, who disliked seeing patients. It would be stranger if he didn’t sigh here.

[Just do it first and think later.]

‘Do it first? If I do that, I’ll get kicked out of the hospital!’

[Huh? You won’t be expelled at all. If Suhyuk were just an ordinary resident, there might be a problem. But you know this, Suhyuk. Now, you are completely royal.]

‘Hmm.’

[In any case, Professor Choi Nokphil will not leave the operating room today. Didn’t you see earlier?]

‘Well, yes.’

Baruda’s words reminded Suhyuk of the surgical situation he observed earlier before coming to this patient room. Although Baruda was unable to remove Choi Nokphil from his mind…

And although he wasn’t exactly a good person…

Unlike Seo Hyoseok, Choi Nokphil possessed enough skills to firmly hold the position of Head of Neurosurgery at Taehwa Hospital.

It is a skull base tumor, right? It requires joint surgery with ENT.

“Yes… Well… it won’t finish until after noon. Transfer the patient within that time frame. The resident will be happy, right? After all, cooperation has already been agreed upon. Moreover, Choi Nokphil focuses on the brain while this case involves the spine. Internally, they might also plan to send the patient to another professor.”

Baruda’s words were both sweet and persuasive. Suhyuk was already extremely curious about the patient’s condition, making Baruda’s proposal irresistible.

What about Professor Seo Hyoseok? What should I do with him?

“He won’t be back from his rounds anytime soon anyway. Unless Suhyuk asks questions, he wouldn’t even realize this patient is here.”

In reality, it sounded absurd. It shouldn’t have made sense, but surprisingly, it did because the opponent was Seo Hyoseok.

It could work.

Moreover, Suhyuk was confident that Seo Hyoseok would not question anything. Although it might seem audacious, Suhyuk firmly believed he had surpassed Seo Hyoseok as a doctor.

[Then what are you hesitating about?]

‘Okay. Got it. Hmm. Yes. Let’s give it a try.’

Thus, Suhyuk cleared his throat and looked at the patient.

The patient was initially surprised by the sudden appearance of an internal medicine doctor but became uneasy as he kept staring into space for some time. As their eyes met, the patient slightly recoiled.

“Ouch.”

Moving hurt due to the pain.

“M-Mrs. Kim Dae-hyun.”

“Yes?”

“When I examined today’s X-rays…I don’t think this fracture requires neurosurgical intervention.”

“Huh? Oh, so I’m going to orthopedics then?”

In countries like South Korea with excellent access to healthcare, most people generally knew which specialties treated specific conditions. However, this time, they were mistaken.

Thanks to this, most people had a rough idea of which department treated what illnesses. However, this time, they were wrong.

For treating fractures, it was obvious that orthopedic surgery should be involved given the observation of pelvic bone fractures. Yet according to Suhyuk and Baruda’s judgment, there was no need for surgery at present. Instead, they needed to investigate why these multiple fractures were occurring.

[There is a high possibility of cancer.]

Among various cancers, multiple myeloma was particularly suspected since this disease causes fractures by eating away at bones. Of course, the X-ray findings differed somewhat from typical cases. Nevertheless, overlooking multiple myeloma as a potential cause for unexplained fractures could lead to medical negligence.

“N-no. I suspect an internal cause.”

“I…internal?”

Naturally, the patient’s head tilted with confusion.

A fracture due to an internal cause?

Isn’t that strange?

“Yes. The patient clearly stated they didn’t hit any part of their body, right?”

“Ah, yes. I…I don’t usually move around much.”

“Nevertheless, there is a clear fracture line. Moreover, this specific fracture location is not common from external trauma.”

“Oh.”

“Therefore, I believe there must be an internal factor causing these fractures.”

“W-what could it be?”

“That’s what we’ll investigate when you visit Internal Medicine.”

“Ah…”

However, Suhyuk was never particularly good at communicating. Despite this, both his expressions and tone had significantly improved over time.

As a patient, she couldn’t help but be reassured by his words.

“I will definitely find and correct it for you.”

“Uh, should we just leave like this without saying goodbye to Professor Choi?”

“You were admitted yesterday, right? Didn’t I mention that you saw him then?”

“Oh… That’s true.” Patient Kim Da-hyun blinked her large eyes.

She had met the professor once, but there was no news from her primary physician since seeing them briefly yesterday. She knew neurosurgery departments were busy, but she didn’t expect it to be this extreme.

‘Perhaps Internal Medicine would be better…’

Her trust began to sway significantly towards Suhyuk.

“I’ll visit you at least twice daily. Rest assured, I will find the cause and treat it accordingly.”

Moreover, Suhyuk looked quite young but exuded confidence. Although he couldn’t compare to Choi Nokphil, he seemed much better than his primary physician. As they spoke, it appeared that this truly was an internal medicine issue.

“Yes…I understand. Then…”

Additionally, she suspected that discussions with neurosurgery had already taken place. Otherwise, why would he mention it? Of course, something strange was indeed happening, though as a patient, she could not fathom what exactly.

“Yes, regarding the operating room?” Suhyuk stepped out of the hospital room momentarily to make a call.

“Yes, Room 13. What seems to be the problem?” The voice of the nurse from the operating room sounded rather displeased.

It was obvious. The surgery currently underway in Room 13 involved removing a brain tumor larger than 10 cm. It could take several hours just to access it. Without seeing it, Lee Suhyuk nodded as if he already knew this fact.

“Yes. This is Dr. Lee Suhyuk from Internal Medicine, second-year resident.”

“Ah… Dr. Lee Suhyuk. Hello.” As soon as she heard his name, the nurse’s attitude completely changed. Earlier, her tone had been brusque and impatient, reflecting the hectic atmosphere of the operating room, implying annoyance at receiving a call during such a critical time. Now, however, she treated him almost on par with a professor. In the past, Suhyuk might have felt flustered by this special treatment, but now he was accustomed to it.

“Yes. Is it possible to call Dr. Kang Dohyung?”

“Ah…I am currently assisting Dr. Kang.”

“Can you put him on the phone? It’s regarding a patient requiring cooperation.”

“Just a moment.”

The nurse glanced around the operating room while holding the receiver. Fortunately, Choi Nokphil, with his irritable temper, had crossed his arms and moved aside. Although he never took his eyes off the surgical area, at least otolaryngology was now performing their part of the surgery. Compared to Choi Nokphil, the otolaryngology professor was almost angelic, providing an opportunity for communication.

Moreover, as a neurosurgery resident, Kang Dohyung wasn’t serving as the primary assistant but rather the secondary assistant. This meant he could momentarily step back without causing any issues.

“Excuse me, sir. There’s a phone call for you. It’s about internal medicine cooperation.”

“Ah, yes.”

Kang Dohyung remembered submitting a cooperation request yesterday. Moreover, he recalled it was for endocrinology, which rarely responded to such requests. He cautiously glanced at both Professor Lee Nakjoon and Manager Choi Nokphil before answering the phone. Fortunately, the angelic Lee Nakjoon briefly nodded his permission with a smile.

“I’m on the call now. This is Kang Dohyung, first-year neurosurgery resident.”

“Oh, this is Lee Suhyuk, second-year Internal Medicine resident. It’s regarding patient Kim Da-hyun whom you referred.”

“Ah, Dr. Belzer.”

Among his peers, several were envious of Suhyuk. However, just one year junior made all the difference. As part of the Royals, Suhyuk was known for being intelligent and providing excellent care to patients.

Where could one find such a seniority gap?

“The patient seems to have…multiple fractures.”

“What? Multiple… Oh, yes.” Kang Do-hyung inadvertently raised his voice before quickly lowering it after noticing Choi Nokphil’s gaze.

Meanwhile, Suhyuk continued speaking, “It is highly likely due to internal causes. I will consult with Internal Medicine.”

“Uh, consultation… That…”

“Why?”

“No reason. Um.” Kang Do-hyung discreetly glanced at Choi Nokfil.

Choi Nokphil had a notorious temper and rarely acknowledged even first-year residents. Typically, third or fourth-year residents would handle neurosurgical cases once the actual brain surgery began. However, currently, he was the only neurosurgery resident present.

‘Shit, what should I do?’

It was natural to be worried. Asking would easily resolve this issue, but it was impossible for him. Anyone who had interacted with Manager Choi Nokphil before would understand his predicament.

“Dr., Dr. Neurosurgeon, we need you to focus now.”

He couldn’t continue worrying as even Professor Lee Nako, known as an angel, deemed the situation critical.

“Uh…yes. A-alright. Then, let’s proceed. Yes.”

Thus, Kang Do-hyung reluctantly moved forward without questioning why Choi Nokphil, specializing in neurosurgery, was treating a patient complaining of lower back pain.

“H-help me pull here.”

“Yes, sir.”

Naturally, he didn’t dwell long on thoughts about Patient Kim Da-hyun either.

This surgery was too difficult for Suhyuk to think about anything else. Even the professors were struggling, so how could he feel at ease as a first-year resident?

I need to prescribe something. I can ask the nurse.

[Yes, let’s do that. As soon as you receive it, please issue the prescription.]

Prescribe what?

“Let’s hear Suhyuk’s opinion first.”

Instead of providing an immediate response, Baruda asked for Suhyuk’s input. It felt slightly like receiving guidance, but Suhyuk didn’t mind. After all, relying solely on Baruda would never make him the world’s best doctor. Honestly, there was no guarantee how long Baruda would continue functioning properly within his mind.

Thus, Suhyuk cooperatively shared his thoughts.

‘Firstly, I need to conduct blood tests. To determine if it is osteomyelitis… or something else.’

[Yes, and?]

‘There were too many areas where the X-rays were inconclusive for fractures. We should perform bone scans.’

[Excellent. Anything else?]

‘Well… Most issues can be seen on the images, but it would be better to consult with an ENT specialist, including checking the tonsils.’

[Including lymphadenopathy. You pay attention to detail, Suhyuk.]

Baruda appeared genuinely impressed. However, due to Baruda’s previous critical nature, Suhyuk couldn’t tell if this admiration was sincere or not.

‘Do you have anything to add?’

[No, nothing at present. Let’s wait for the results before deciding further actions.]

‘Sounds good. Let’s proceed.’

[Agreed.]