Chapter 13: On Call Duty (4)

“Huh. What is this?” The director let out a sigh.

The person currently reading the X-ray image was Professor Kim Jinsil - who exactly was she?

She was none other than Lee Hahyun’s protégé, the foremost authority on abdominal imaging at Taehwa Medical Center. Moreover, she had already published three papers in Radiology, the most prestigious academic journal for medical imaging.

When someone like her confirmed it, there was no need to question further.

The director expressed his astonishment that Suhyuk’s diagnosis was correct.

“See? I told you he’s a genius! Actinomycosis? Where in the world can you find a first-year resident capable of diagnosing this? You didn’t believe me before.” Shin Hyun-tae shrugged proudly as if taking credit for Suhyuk’s achievement.

“Well… Isn’t he quite peculiar, though?”

Until yesterday, the director had vehemently dismissed such claims as absurd, but now he could only nod his head with admiration.

While the director was momentarily stunned, Department Head Shin turned the phone towards himself and spoke, “Yes, actinomycosis. It makes sense. What is your plan after admitting her?”

The director’s eyes widened at this question directed to Shin Hyun-tae. Usually, diagnosing correctly would be enough for a first-year resident, but here they were discussing treatment plans. On one hand, though, he couldn’t help but wonder how far Lee Suhyuk could go. Instead of interrupting their conversation, he leaned closer to the phone to better hear Suhyuk’s response.

“First…” Lee Suhyuk bought some time and attempted to converse with Baruda.

Baruda’s purpose, regardless of what happened, was to nurture Suhyuk, so there was no way he could refuse such requests. He truly acted like a tree giving without restraint, albeit often through provocation.

[I can provide medication therapy. Which antibiotic would you prefer?]

Suhyuk didn’t immediately respond as his goal was also training himself further. Fortunately, Suhyuk had access to the data Baruda accumulated, making it relatively easy to find suitable treatments once the disease name was known.

‘Between Penicillin G or Amoxicillin… I think Amoxicillin is better.’

While contemplating internally, Suhyuk simultaneously sought Baruda’s agreement.

[There is no reason to risk side effects. It’s a good choice.]

As soon as Baruda confirmed, Suhyuk mentioned amoxicillin.

Now, Manager Shin Hyun-tae had high expectations of Suhyuk, so he was not surprised by his response. Instead, it seemed quite obvious to him.

“Yes. But what if they don’t respond to treatment?” He posed an additional question.

The director raised his eyebrows again, thinking this might be too excessive. However, he refrained from interrupting their conversation and began reassessing his opinion of Suhyuk gradually.

‘He could truly be a genius. Hmm. Maybe it’s possible.’

Despite being cautious by nature, he remained open-minded.

“Hmm…” Suhyuk pretended to ponder deeply, although he already had a prepared answer.

He wanted to raise their expectations.

“I know there is a 90 percent chance of responding to drug treatment. In other words, it means that there is a 10 percent chance where drugs will not have any effect.”

By mentioning specific numbers, he subtly showcased his knowledge. Naturally, Manager Shin Hyun-tae’s expression became even warmer, and the director was increasingly impressed by Suhyuk.

Look at this guy!

Having captured their attention, Suhyuk continued:

“In such cases, I believe we would need to perform a partial colectomy limited to the area with the mass. Additionally, considering the possibility of cancer if the patient does not respond to medication, I think it’s crucial to conduct a frozen section examination during surgery. Although the likelihood of mucus obstruction is low, missing a potential case of cancer must be avoided, hence the necessity for this approach.”

It was a thoughtful and natural plan. He even considered the possibility of misdiagnosis, which is often overlooked by less experienced internal medicine doctors. This answer wasn’t expected from someone who had only completed their first year, let alone without being a specialist yet.

“Sounds good?”

Manager Shin Hyun-tae nodded with great satisfaction on his face.

The director also nodded because he would have given the same response if he were Suhyuk’s primary physician. It didn’t bother him to agree with a mere first-year resident; instead, he felt immensely proud.

‘He provided the correct diagnosis… And he’s just a first-year resident… In March! Is this even possible? How did such an exceptional talent end up here?’

His worries persisted even after Department Head Shin told Suhyuk to ‘admit patients under his name and do whatever he wanted until Monday.’

“The omelet is here.”

Despite complaining about being hungry earlier, Suhyuk didn’t remove his hand from his chin when the food arrived. His eyes appeared slightly less strained now. While others might not realize it, Department Head Shin knew very well that it was best not to disturb Director Lee when he was like this. It was evident that he was deep in thought over something crucial.

Previously, during one of these moments, he suddenly wrote an academic paper. There’s no doubt why they call him a genius.

Lee Hyunjong, the director and professor specializing in cardiology within Internal Medicine, was nicknamed “World Star” for a reason. Despite occasionally exhibiting eccentric behavior, it was precisely this brilliance that propelled him to become the hospital director.

He was one of only two distinguished professors at the entire Taehwa Medical Center for this reason alone.

‘I think the abstract he wrote back then suggested something like “Stenting can be performed on descending coronary arteries.” It really shook things up.’

At that time, it was widely believed worldwide that when a descending coronary artery became blocked, open-heart surgery was inevitable. This wasn’t just limited to South Korea; the belief persisted globally. However, Lee Hyunjong, standing right before them now, had completely overturned this notion.

With his groundbreaking paper, Lee Hyunjong catapulted to stardom and prompted numerous medical textbooks to be revised. Inspired by this story, Department Head Shin Hyun-tae cut an omelet in half and handed it to Professor Kim Jinsil as a gesture of admiration towards Director Lee.

“Is there any monster like Suhyuk among this year’s students?” She asked to avoid awkwardness.

“No, well…there are plenty of troublesome ones.” Professor Kim chuckled and shook her head at his response. While it was true that radiology attracted many intelligent students, none had surpassed the ‘level’ set by Suhyuk, whom she had just spoken with over the phone.

She briefly stirred her egg omelet before signaling for makgeolli, seemingly feeling unsatisfied.

“Would you like some, Professor?”

“Oh no, thank you. I can’t aim properly when drinking.”

“I understand.”

Typically, people tend to stop drinking when alone, but Professor Kim Jinsil ordered makgeolli and promptly began emptying her cup.

I’ve heard about drowning one’s sorrows, so is this what it looks like?

Professor Shin Hyun-tae, who neither enjoyed nor was good at drinking, appreciated his seniority as he finished eating the egg omelet. It wasn’t particularly delicious, but it cost over 20,000 won per tiny serving, typical of these shady establishments. Although his financial situation didn’t require him to be frugal, he still forced himself to eat every bite.

“Hmm.”

The director finally lowered his chin from his hand when Department Head Shin had consumed the egg omelet and started sipping on a tasteless 10,000 won ice coffee.

“Hey, let’s get up now, old friend. We need to hit some balls.” Manager Shin tapped the director’s shoulder and glanced expectantly at their waiting caddy.

As the caddy prepared to move with the golf cart, the director shook his head.

“Are you more concerned about hitting that ball? Listen, we have a rare talent joining our department right now.”

“What’s with this sudden change of heart? Yesterday you were calling me Troll.”

“But I see that’s not true today.”

“Huh? Don’t be stubborn. Let’s get going.”

Director Myung ignored Manager Shin’s attempt to pull him up by his arm and plopped back down onto the bench.

The sight of this caused a strange expression on Manager Shin’s face.

“Wow… Seriously… Are you doing this because you’re afraid of losing our bet?”

Kim Jinsil might have been a pushover, but these two were considered top-notch players within Taehwa Medical Center. They were both single users who could hold their own against professional golfers, so naturally, there was money involved in their game.

“Come on, talk sense. Do you really think I’d act like this just because of some stupid bet?”

“Then why is this happening? We need to hurry and play golf! If the team behind us catches up, we will be delayed!”

“Once money is involved, you start mixing formal and informal speech? Damn it, I am the director here!”

“Wah… Golf betting isn’t about being the director.”

“You fool. It isn’t that? Suhyuk’s friend…”

“Don’t use Lee Suhyuk as an excuse.”

“No, no. Sit down for a moment. This really is important.”

“Important talk my ass…” Despite his grumbling, Department Head Shin sat opposite the director. Regardless of their positions, Lee Hyunjong was one of Shin Hyun-tae’s favorite people.

“What is it?”

“This time… There is a seminar discussion, right? The Taehwa end-of-month seminar discussion.”

The Taehwa Medical Center’s end-of-month case discussion could be seen as a type of academic conference. It wasn’t just limited to the Internal Medicine Department at Taehwa but also included nearby internal medicine departments. The discussions often resembled lectures rather than debates.

“Yes, uh… Wait, surely not?”

“What if Lee Suhyuk presents it?”

“Huh?” Shin Hyun-tae thought this was obviously a joke.

After all, presenting during these discussions usually required someone with at least three years of experience, and typically, fellows handled them.

“Why are you so surprised? You brought it up first.”

“At that time…I mentioned it thinking he wouldn’t agree to mentorship.”

“Nope, nope. I believe he can handle it. We need to nurture talent like him.”

“Uh… You’re serious, hyung.”

“Yes. I will contact…the department heads of other hospitals.” After saying this, Lee Hyunjong abruptly stood up as if something urgent had arisen.

The dazed Department Head Shin only realized what happened after Director Lee left his shade.

“W-Where are you going?! We need to finish our game!”

“Do you think winning is important? Or playing fair? It’s because of people like you that my paper still hasn’t been published in ‘NEJM’ (New England Journal of Medicine).”

“Why do you keep poking at my sore spot!? Wait a minute! Hey!”

“I’ll see you on Monday.”

“Hey! Lee Hyunjong! You bastard!”