Chapter 128: VIP (2)

Suhyuk stood up with his staff. If he were alone, he might have been slightly nervous, but Shin Hyun-tae, one of Suhyuk’s wishes, was standing next to Choi Nokphil. Unless it was something significant, Hyun-tae would likely support him.

“Hello, Professor.” Suhyuk greeted him enthusiastically.

Initially, Choi Nokphil intended to skip pleasantries and get straight to the point, but upon recognizing Lee Suhyuk, he hesitated momentarily.

‘Is this Lee Suhyuk?’

He had wondered what kind of person the director’s son could be. To his surprise, it was the same patient he had operated on early last year.

‘So…he’s the director’s son?’

It seemed quite peculiar.

At that time, wasn’t it clear that the director had gotten angry when his student was injured and stated he felt lucky to be an orphan?

‘Even if he hid his son… Did he hide him this thoroughly?’

To go as far as claiming to be an orphan publicly? Lee Hyunjong might have been somewhat eccentric, but didn’t this seem excessive?

“Manager Choi, the patient is in this hospital room, right? Isn’t that so, Suhyuk?”

While Shin Hyun-tae’s thoughts were preoccupied with these absurdities, he addressed Lee Suhyuk. His tone was warm, just like always. If not for their lack of blood relation, one could mistake them for father and son.

“Which…patient are you referring to?”

However, Suhyuk was someone who could separate personal and professional matters. He could easily hide things even if they were obvious to protect his safety.

“Ah, right. I didn’t tell you earlier. Patient Kim Da-hyun…was Manager Choi’s patient. You transferred her case, correct?”

“Ah… Yes, I did transfer her case. Is there any problem…”

Suhyuk continued to feign ignorance. His acting skills were exceptional, acknowledged even by Baruda himself. Shin Hyun-tae, who already had a favorable impression of Suhyuk, and Choi Nokphil, shaken by the revelation that this resident had hurt him, both fell for Suhyuk’s act.

“D-Did you not know?”

Choi Nokphil tried to hide his frustration and opened his mouth.

Suhyuk knew everything but shook his head.

“I’m sorry. I have no idea what you are talking about.”

By focusing on his own feet, Suhyuk made those around him feel uncomfortable, especially Shin Hyun-tae.

“Manager Choi, please don’t blame innocent people… Let’s discuss this once Professor Seo Hyoseok arrives.”

“That… Ugh. How annoying. Where is that guy, Seo Hyoseok?”

“He should be here soon since he finished at the outpatient clinic.”

“That bastard… If he took someone else’s patient, he should treat them diligently. Why bother taking over if he won’t even attend to them?”

Despite not having seen Seo Hyoseok since his admission to the hospital, Choi Nokphil started grumbling about him.

At that moment, VIP patient Kim Da-hyun was transported towards the elevator for her surgery, but no one except Suhyuk recognized her. In some ways, it was understandable. A patient admitted to the Internal Medicine ward heading to surgery? It was quite unusual.

“Th…that’s right, I don’t know either. Professor Seo Hyoseok is known for being peculiar.”

“Yes, you’re correct. It must be challenging for Department Head Shin as well.”

Initially venting his anger indiscriminately, Choi Nokphil suddenly realized there wasn’t anyone here he could easily target. Suhyuk was famous as the director’s son, and while Lee Hyunjong may have been eccentric, he was a renowned global medical star.

Even with his limited involvement in management, Taehwa Medical Center’s profits continued to increase since he became the director due to sheer luck.

‘Shin Hyun-tae is not just any department head.’

While Seo Hyoseok had married well, Shin Hyun-tae was born with a silver spoon and made an even better marriage match. One of the main pillars of Taehwa Lifeline was Shin Hyun-tae’s father, and his father-in-law served as an executive director at another large corporation. Essentially, except for age, Choi Nokphil couldn’t compete with Shin Hyun-tae on any level.

Realizing this, Choi Nokphil hastily tried to control his anger.

Despite being puzzled by Choi Nokphil’s sudden change in tone, Shin Hyun-tae decided to go along with it.

“Yes, there might be some discrepancies.”

Although Shin Hyun-tae wanted to criticize Seo Hyoseok openly, he refrained from doing so in front of colleagues from different departments.

Hyun-tae refrained from snapping back, considering they were in front of another department’s professor.

Ding.

Fortunately, Seo Hyoseok promptly arrived, as if aware that he shouldn’t keep two department heads waiting for too long.

“Whew, it’s been a while since I’ve been here.” The statement seemed rather inappropriate coming from the Endocrinology and Internal Medicine professor entering his own department’s hospital ward.

Choi Nokphil mentally called him crazy and slammed his hand on the nurse station desk.

“Professor Seo, over here.”

“Oh… Manager Choi. Yes, hello.” Despite not hiding his displeasure, Seo Hyoseok greeted Nokphil out of courtesy.

Unlike himself, Choi Nokphil had risen through the ranks based solely on his surgical skills. In fact, when it came to brain surgeries, there were few who could match his expertise.

“I hate beating around the bush, so let me get straight to the point.”

As soon as Seo Hyoseok approached, Choi Nokphil confronted him without hesitation. Shin Hyun-tae tried to stop his colleague, but it was futile.

“You… You know where patient Kim Da-hyun is, don’t you?”

Shin Hyun-tae knew well that Seo Hyoseok’s temper matched Choi Nokphil’s, and he also understood that Seo Hyoseok could be even more ruthless than Choi Nokphil. Generally, involving higher-ups in such disputes would be seen as petty, but not for Seo Hyoseok—he didn’t hesitate at all.

“What?” However, Seo Hyoseok feigned ignorance convincingly, making Choi Nokphil feel slightly embarrassed for raising his voice.

“I’m talking about Kim Da-hyun! Kim Da-hyun!”

“Oh… I don’t know anyone by that name. What do you mean ‘taken away’…?” Seo Hyoseok maintained an innocent expression throughout.

“Wait, hold on. Kim Da-hyun? Taehwa Electronics?” Instead, Shin Hyun-tae interrupted their conversation.

Kim Da-hyun was occasionally seen at gatherings through her father’s connections. She was incredibly intelligent yet reserved. Her family could be considered the most influential outside of the direct Taehwa lineage.

“Yes, that Kim Da-hyun. And here I am causing all this trouble. But you don’t know her?”

“I’ve never heard that name before.”

“Don’t bullshit me! How can you not know her when she even has a criminal record!”

“A criminal record?”

The expression on his face asking ‘A criminal record?’ seemed genuinely innocent. However, considering Choi Nokphil believed he knew about Kim Da-hyun’s past, it only infuriated him further.

“Hmph.” Choi Nokphil became consumed with thoughts of how to deal with this bastard.

“Oh, excuse me, Professor.”

As the atmosphere became increasingly hostile, Suhyuk intervened after receiving a text message related to his surgery:

[A Frozen Fragment fragment was not obtained.]

This single line was all that was written in the text. It was likely Dr. Jong-se Kim, a third-year ENT resident, who intentionally kept it brief.

However, the implications of this message were far from simple for Suhyuk.

“Huh?”

“Hey, why do you keep interrupting when adults are talking?” Shin Hyun-tae showed interest, Seo Hyoseok ignored him, and Choi Nokphil grew angry at Suhyuk’s interference.

In most cases, a resident would remain silent in such situations, but Suhyuk operated on a different level.

“Ah, I thought Manager Choi was quite curious about the patient since you asked several questions. As the primary physician…I know to some extent.”

“Huh? Oh, yes. Hmm.” Choi Nokphil glanced at Seo Hyoseok one last time.

Even then, Seo Hyoseok appeared genuinely clueless. Initially, Choi Nokphil suspected it might be an act, but as he observed more closely, it seemed unlikely.

‘He’s not that clever anyway.’

There were usually only one or two residents like this each year - individuals who made others wonder how they managed to get into medical school. Seo Hyoseok wasn’t just any of those; he had become infamously known across multiple academic years for his exceptional ignorance.

‘It appears he truly doesn’t know. Rather, this fool…’

Thus, Choi Nokphil decided to focus on Suhyuk Shin. Since Shin Hyun-tae had been observing only Suhyuk from the beginning, everyone except Seo Hyoseok now turned their attention towards him.

Suhyuk calmly received these gazes and opened his mouth.

“Firstly, the patient was referred for consultation due to diabetes.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“When looking at the blood test results, specifically the HbA1c level, it indicates that his blood sugar is well-controlled with medication.”

“That…makes sense.”

As one of the ace directors of Taehwa Electronics, he would not have neglected his health. It was unexpected for such a person to complain about back pain severe enough to require hospitalization.

Whenever Choi Nokphil thought about receiving that phone call, his heart still raced.

“But something was strange. The reported pain was in his lower back, but the fracture occurred in the pelvic area.”

“Hmm.”

As he listened, Choi Nokphil realized it made sense and nodded, wondering why he hadn’t caught this earlier. Shin Hyun-tae also nodded with understanding.

Only Seo Hyoseok appeared puzzled by their conversation. It seemed his diagnostic skills had become rusty due to lack of practice.

“So, during the X-ray performed early next morning after admission, I found multiple fractures in the ribs as well.”

“What? In the ribs?” Choi Nokphil’s frustration shifted to surprise, as he hadn’t even considered reviewing the patient’s examination results. Initially, he had assumed it wasn’t within his expertise and relied solely on interdisciplinary cooperation for updates.

Observing Choi Nokphil’s startled expression, Suhyuk chuckled softly.

“Based on the patient’s statement, she did not hit any part of her body. Considering the multiple fractures, I initially thought it might be due to internal causes.”

“Huh.” Choi Nokphil felt a chill run down his spine.

If this were true, he had completely missed the diagnosis for the daughter of Taehwa Electronics’ Vice President and granddaughter of its Executive Director.

Suhyuk continued, enjoying Choi Nokphil’s reaction:

“You were already in the operating room, Professor, and since Dr. Dongho Kang, the responsible resident… was also in surgery, I received updates over the phone. At that time, the patient complained of severe pain, so I prescribed a fentanyl-based analgesic to manage it.”

“Pain…”

It was often overlooked, but pain management was one of the most important aspects of treating patients. This was especially true for hematologic oncology, and Suhyuk had learned this concept well while working closely with Professor Taejin Jo.

“Additionally, during the scan I ordered, we confirmed a fracture in the coccyx beyond the initial X-ray findings. This was the cause of her lower back pain. Furthermore, in the blood test results, there was evidence of decreased reabsorption of sodium by the kidneys. Suspecting lymphoma as a potential cause, I requested a biopsy after excision.”

“Lymphoma? Damn it.” Choi Nokphil began to despair, realizing that he had missed a cancer diagnosis.

“Oh, you’re here now. Let me explain everything to you.” Suhyuk pointed towards Kim Da-hyun, who had just appeared behind Choi Nokphil, and slowly approached her.

Tap.

His movement was slow due to his reliance on the staff, but no one attempted to stop him. The strength and conviction in Suhyuk’s explanations thus far deterred any interference.