Chapter 127: VIP (1)

Kim Da-hyun, one of Taehwa Electronics’ executive directors and the largest shareholder of Taehwa Biotech, which owned Taehwa Medical Center, stared at the ceiling with a bored expression on his face.

‘At least I’m not feeling any pain now.’

Previously, no medication had alleviated his chronic pain. However, after being treated by the young doctor named Lee Suhyuk, he was finally able to manage it effectively.

‘I was initially worried about him due to his youth.’

He even considered calling the director separately, but upon reflection, Director Shin didn’t seem like someone receptive to such requests during their board meetings.

‘His name is Lee Hyunjong, right?’

Similar to other fields within Taehwa Group, Lee Hyunjong was widely recognized as the world’s best in his specialty. It wasn’t surprising given his reputation.

Such individuals were less likely to accept favors, especially if it felt like they were being pressured from above.

Click…

As patient Kim Dahyun continued staring at the ceiling, the door opened. Expecting it to be the neurosurgeons who had been bothering her since half past five, she turned and was surprised to see the doctor from Internal Medicine whom she met yesterday.

She wasn’t sure if her diagnosis was correct or not, but regardless, her pain had disappeared. Naturally, her feelings towards Suhyuk could only be positive.

“Ah, Dr. Belzer.”

Kim Dahyun forced herself to sit up and greeted Suhyuk warmly.

Suhyuk smiled faintly at her response.

“Yes, Ms. Patient. Are you feeling any discomfort?”

First, he asked about her pain. Previously, Suhyuk and Baru would have started with questions to aid in diagnosis rather than focusing on pain. However, their experiences over the past year had changed them significantly. They now paid more attention to the patient’s suffering, realizing that it was not just about treating the disease but caring for the whole person.

“Ah… It’s much better now. But it hurts when I move.”

“Don’t push yourself too hard. With fractures, excessive movement can increase the pain…and potentially worsen the fracture.”

“Oh, okay. By any chance… do you know what illness I have?”

Behind Suhyuk, Dahoon and Hayoon’s faces turned grim at the patient’s words. They had just discussed how likely it was that she had Impaam.

However, Suhyuk shook his head without any change in expression. His year of experience as an internal medicine doctor made him more cautious.

“Thank you for your concern. It is best not to say anything until we are 100% certain.”

Suhyuk learned many things while being the primary physician for both Baruda and Baru. One significant lesson was how much patients’ emotions can be swayed by a single word from their doctors. A misplaced remark could plunge them into despair, whereas a well-chosen statement could inspire hope and determination for treatment.

In particular, I experienced this phenomenon frequently in Professor Taejin Jo’s hematologic oncology department.

“Firstly, it is certain that there is an internal cause. We do not know the reason yet, but your body is losing iron. Starting today, we will conduct tests to determine the cause.”

“Oh… Yes.”

Kim Da-hyun had no idea what ‘losing iron’ meant. However, she understood that it was related to her multiple fractures.

“One of the tests might be… uncomfortable.”

“Uncomfortable?”

“Yes. Could you please show me your neck for a moment?”

“My neck? Ah, like this? Sure.”

Kim Dahyun recalled what she had heard from Hayoon earlier and willingly exposed her neck to Suhyuk.

On the left side of her neck at level 4, there was a lump approximately one centimeter wide.

‘It is not chain-like.’

[It also does not appear to be pressing against surrounding structures.]

‘The possibility of it being malignant decreases, but…’

[However, lymphoma can exhibit these characteristics as well.]

‘Indeed, that’s true.’

Even with simple CT scans, it could be difficult to distinguish between benign and malignant masses. How could he differentiate using this examination alone?

In cases where lymphoma was suspected, a tissue biopsy was almost always necessary.

“It would be best to remove this lump for further analysis.”

“Remove…it? Do I need surgery?”

“It is a type of surgery, but it isn’t complicated.”

“Will you be doing it yourself, doctor?”

Da-hyun felt she could trust Suhyuk with anything. Initially, this wasn’t the case due to his young age. However, her perception had changed now.

‘Something about him… feels incredibly skilled.’

It was like meeting a master in their field. Considering his age and the status of people Doctor Kim usually encountered, this realization seemed absurd. Nevertheless, her heart was already swayed towards trusting him fully.

Unfortunately, Suhyuk slowly shook his head.

“No, not me. We’ll refer you to an ENT specialist since they specialize in throat procedures.”

“Oh…”

“You don’t need to worry. It is a basic biopsy procedure.”

“By any chance, will it be performed by a professor?”

Suhyuk momentarily closed his mouth at Da-hyun’s question. Professors typically did not perform simple procedures like fine-needle aspiration biopsies. Usually, third or fourth-year residents handled these tasks.

He was about to explain this when Baruda interrupted him.

[It feels strange, doesn’t it?]

‘Why? What do you mean?’

[I’ve mentioned before that I am accumulating data beyond medical information, right?]

‘I know.’

Suhyuk refrained from saying it was pointless since Baruda had proven useful multiple times already. However, contrary to Suhyuk’s expectation, Baruda proceeded to elaborate further.

[Firstly, Professor Choi Nokphil has never admitted a patient outside his specialty before.]

‘Really?’

[Moreover, he hasn’t visited any patients transferred without a request from neurosurgery.]

‘Then what’s going on?’

[I believe this patient is a VIP, and possibly an extraordinary one.]

‘Ah…’

Suhyuk had always treated patients regardless of their social status. Of course, he often asked about their occupation or place of residence, but these were questions for diagnosis, not to judge the patient. However, Suhyuk was also quite perceptive, and he immediately understood Baruda’s implication.

‘Something did seem off. That department of neurosurgery…’

“It is strange that there is no notation on her chart, but I remember seeing your name recently in a Naver news article. Kim Da-hyun, Executive Director of Taehwa Electronics. The age matches as well.”

As Suhyuk listened to Baruda, he immediately took out his phone and started searching online. Patient Kim Da-hyun found it odd, but doctors rushing around with their white coats were not uncommon sights in hospitals. She could never have imagined that Suhyuk was searching for information about her.

‘Wow. She’s the daughter of the Vice President of Taehwa Electronics?’

Daughter of the Vice President of Taehwa Electronics - she wasn’t just from any wealthy family; this indicated significant influence within the electronics industry.

[“Let’s have Professor Shin handle it. She’ll be touched when she finds out you did this without her asking.”]

‘That is… No, no. Understood.’

As a doctor, Suhyuk debated whether he should grant such favors. He felt slightly guilty, but there was nothing to be done about it.

After further brief discussions, Suhyuk spoke again, “For the cooperative surgery, I’m not sure which professor will be assigned. I will let you know once it is decided.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you. Should we wait here?”

“Yes. Just one CT scan first. Even for a simple surgery, preoperative tests are necessary.”

“Oh… Yes, understood.”

The abdomen area is also well-suited for ultrasound examination.

However, there was no substitute for a CT scan when deciding on surgery. Fortunately, unlike an MRI, a CT scan did not take long, and there were gaps between scheduled patients. Moreover, with the director’s son implying that Kim Da-hyun was a VIP, who could refuse her request?

Less than thirty minutes after Suhyuk mentioned the need for a CT scan, it was performed. On the monitor, regardless of how challenging one tried to make it, the patient’s tumor appeared to be within reach of a resident surgeon.

I have to package this convincingly.

“Yes, fortunately, Suhyuk has gained a reputation as quite competent at the hospital.”

He truly is skilled.

“It’s not all due to Suhyuk.”

‘Yes, thanks to you, okay?’

[Is there any choice when stating the truth?]

‘Sigh.’

Suhyuk expelled his anger with a sigh and picked up his phone.

“Yes, this is Dr. Jong-se Kim from Otorhinolaryngology’s third-year cooperation team.”

As soon as he dialed, the other party answered promptly. Their tone was extremely professional, which was expected since they were known for such mannerisms. However, Dr. Jong-se Kim was also famous for being interested in various hospital rumors. It was likely that he had some knowledge about Suhyuk.

“Hello. This is Lee Suhyuk from Internal Medicine, second year.”

“Oh, yes. Dr. Lee Suhyuk. Are you requesting collaboration?”

As anticipated, Dr. Jong-se Kim responded warmly upon hearing Suhyuk’s name, shedding his previous cold demeanor instantly.

His previously cold tone had vanished without a trace.

“Yes. Just now, you mentioned that the patient needs an excisional biopsy… Hmm.”

“Please continue.” Kim Jongse looked at the phone with confusion as Lee Suhyuk paused mid-sentence. After precisely five seconds, Suhyuk resumed speaking.

“This is confidential… The patient is a VIP.”

“Oh… Yes. Well…”

There were several types of VIPs in hospitals. Firstly, there were politicians - needless to say, they always received VIP treatment. Secondly, celebrities and public figures fell under this category due to their influence, making it unavoidable for them to be treated accordingly.

The third category was the most important: executives from Taehwa Group. As they were directly providing money to the hospital, they received VVIP treatment.

“Taehwa… However, you don’t want this information revealed. It must not become public.”

“Ah, ah. Yes.”

As soon as Kim Jongse heard ‘Taehwa,’ his voice involuntarily lowered. Moreover, the hand holding the phone began trembling. Lee Suhyuk was the son of the director, yet even he seemed nervous when mentioning these VIPs.

“I assume you can’t handle it personally… By any chance, is there a professor or fellow available today?”

“Uh…uh… Ah, we do have one fellow available.”

“Okay. Great. Can they perform the procedure today?”

“W-we will make time for them immediately.”

“Thank you.”

“No problem. Yes, I will contact you once we have secured it.”

Suhyuk clicked his tongue as he watched Kim Jong-se tremble at the mention of ‘VIP’ before hanging up the phone.

What a materialistic person.

Upon hearing this, Baruda wanted to add “Who’s talking?”, but he held back since it wasn’t the right time.

Two individuals with somber expressions were approaching from the direction of the hospital elevators - Shin Hyun-tae and Choi Nokphil.

Earlier, Suhyuk might not have understood their mood, but now he knew why.

‘Do they feel like someone stole their patient?’

[I believe so.]

‘Are we okay though? We’re monitoring him much better.’

[Absolutely. In fact, they should be embarrassed. Their surveillance was quite chaotic.]

Baruda’s words brought a smile to Suhyuk’s face. The more he thought about it, the less guilty he felt.

‘Great. Then…’