Chapter 144: Enough is Enough, II

“Are you talking about a team dinner?”

Suhyuk hadn’t even completed his rounds yet, but Seo Hyoseok was already discussing a team dinner. Naturally, Suhyuk didn’t like this approach. However, he couldn’t show it and responded as politely as possible while subtly indicating there were many patients to see by glancing back at them.

This tactic would have worked on most doctors, but Seo Hyoseok wasn’t quite up to that level.

“Yes, a team dinner. Hurry up.”

“Oh…”

This time, An Dae-hoon opened his mouth. It wasn’t true that Suhyuk saw all the patients. As a proud first-year Internal Medicine doctor, An Dae-hoon also had his own patients under his care. Normally, Seo Hyoseok should have been informing him about these patients, but…

In reality, Suhyuk had been informing him about this patient. However, what would happen if he messed up during rounds with Suhyuk?

‘No… That is…’

He lacked confidence. Consequently, his hesitation burst out like a scream amidst his distress.

“What’s wrong? The professor is talking to you, so answer properly!”

Of course, Seo Hyoseok wasn’t someone who paid attention to such details. He was merely quick to anger.

“Let’s apologize here for now, instead.”

Baruda had already analyzed this situation beforehand, leading to an appropriate conclusion. Suhyuk agreed and followed Baruda’s advice.

“I apologize. He is still a first-year resident. I will prepare him and send him down.”

“Yes, that’s better. A second-year resident would be preferable. You have thirty minutes. Come down within thirty minutes.”

“Understood, Professor.”

With those words, Seo Hyoseok left the hospital room quickly. Despite being a professor, he seemed to dislike even the smell of the hospital ward.

“Ahhh… What should we do? We haven’t prepared tomorrow’s prescriptions yet.” An Dae-hoon sighed as he alternated between watching Seo Hyoseok’s departing figure and the relentlessly ticking clock.

Suhyuk chuckled at his lament and patted An Dae-hoon on the shoulder reassuringly.

“Don’t worry. Now… let’s see your patient list.”

“Huh? Oh, right.”

“Let me check… Eight patients now? One more than before?”

“Yes, they were admitted today.”

“Let’s see.”

Suhyuk clicked through each patient sequentially from the top. He had already organized all the information about individual patients using Baruda, so there was no need to review them separately.

Dadadada…

He just needed to prescribe medications quickly.

“Uh…”

“I’m sorry, today I’ll handle everything without teaching.”

“Huh… This…this is possible?”

“When you reach your second year…”

Suhyuk trailed off before completing his sentence. There was one condition required for him to achieve this level by his second year.

[Because of this body.]

Baruda chuckled, interrupting Suhyuk’s thoughts.

Suhyuk casually ignored Baruda while continuing to prescribe medications amidst An Dae-hoon’s praise.

“No, how could I…? This level of expertise is only possible for Dr. Lee Suhyuk.”

The tone sounded somewhat desperate, as if it was more appropriate for a conversation taking place far north of here.

“You truly amaze me. Today, you received patients directly from the emergency room to the intensive care unit and attended meetings… How do you manage to keep track of all your patients so precisely?”

Ha-yoon’s reaction beside him wasn’t much different; in fact, her praise was even more specific, having heard about Suhyuk’s achievements through various sources.

“Alright, enough praise. I’ve given you tomorrow’s prescriptions, so get dressed and meet me at the elevator.” Suhyuk shook his head despite enjoying the compliments initially but now feeling bored of hearing them constantly.

He tapped on the desk as he spoke.

An Dae-hoon nodded almost mechanically in response to Suhyuk’s words. His swift agreement reminded Suhyuk of ancient sycophants.

“Yes, sir.”

“Hayuni…you know your way back to the accommodation?”

“Yes, I’ll go straight to the lobby.”

“Good. Let’s hurry then.”

After sending Ha-yoon towards the elevator, Lee Suhyuk briskly walked towards the on-call room that felt like home.

‘Take off my gown… Do I need to change clothes?’

[I saw you leave like this earlier today as well. It might be chilly tonight, so let’s bring a cardigan.]

‘I don’t have one.’

[Oh…] Baruda muttered with a resigned expression, realizing he should’ve bought some clothes while in the United States.

[Lets just go… We’ll take a taxi anyway.]

‘Yes, that sounds good.’

[It is not ‘good,’ but we have no choice.]

‘Well…’

Suhyuk wanted to find something to argue about, but there were many things in life where simply having determination wasn’t enough. Since Baruda was correct, Suhyuk couldn’t refute him.

Meanwhile, Baruda mentioned something quite significant right as Suhyuk entered the on-call room.

[By the way, why did that human Seo Hyoseok suddenly suggest having a team dinner? Based on the data from your narrow social network, Seo Hyoseok suggests a team dinner only three to four times a year.]

‘Um… Can you remove the word ‘narrow’?’

[Actually, it is accurate, but I will remove it if it offends you.]

‘Sigh…’

Suhyuk took off his gown and looked around the room. It was sparsely furnished with hardly anything inside. Apart from the gown he just removed, there were only a few short-sleeved t-shirts. In truth, his recent salary wasn’t particularly low, but he felt awkward spending it, leading him to save every penny. As a result, rumors circulated among colleagues that Lee Suhyuk dressed most stylishly at work compared to anywhere else.

[Anyway, there must be some reason for it.]

Baruda continued talking while Lee Suhyuk helplessly reached his hand into empty space, literally placing it inside an empty closet. After repeating this action several times, Suhyuk left the room.

‘Reason… I wonder what it could be?’

[It is difficult to know without information, but it may be related to your earlier phone conversation with Shin Hyun-tae.]

‘Phone call? Ah, when preparing for the presentation?’

[Yes. Isn’t it strange?]

Shin Hyun-tae was not someone who usually raised his voice. Of course, recently he had become irritable due to constantly dealing with strict individuals calling him ‘hyung’. Still, how often did Shin Hyun-tae lose his temper over the phone in a year?

‘Something is strange.’

“And you heard about the researcher earlier?”

‘That useless bastard indeed.’

“I think these two incidents might be connected. I am not certain yet.”

‘Let’s hurry up.’

“Yes.”

One thing was for sure - Seo Hyoseok would throw a fit if they were late.

“Ah, Dr. Belzer.” As Suhyuk approached the elevator, An Dae-hoon greeted him with a refreshed look. Although his mind seemed quite empty, making him appear somewhat pitiful, it was better than seeing him in a hospital gown.

“Oh, yes. Let’s head down.”

Upon reaching the lobby, they found Seo Hyoseok looking as disheveled as before, a salesperson bowing profusely in front of him, and Ha-yoon exuding a radiant aura nearby.

“Ah, Dr. Belzer!” Ha-yoon subtly glanced at Seo Hyoseok before smiling warmly and greeting Suhyuk.

“[Shining like sunlight ~ Your eyes looking at me ~]”

The lyrics of the song matched Baruda’s smile as described by Baru.

“[Now wake up properly. You’re already distracted.]”

‘What? Wha… What?. Wait.’

“[Oh no… No… Even though medically you are fine, why is this happening?]” Baruda managed to suppress swearing, but his expression revealed everything to Suhyuk.

“Ready? Let’s go. Ah… annoying. Hey, can we drink somewhere decent?”

Suhyuk didn’t have time for Baruda’s complaints. Seo Hyoseok seemed more irritable than expected and had a worse personality than previously thought.

“Oh, yes, sir. I prepared some tea.”

“Because of one girl…I can’t go to my usual place. Understood?”

“Yes, yes. Of course. There with those residents…”

“Stop talking nonsense. Have you crossed the line recently?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Professor.”

From how he treated the salesperson, it was clear Seo Hyoseok had almost physically assaulted him. However, as Seo Hyoseok held the highest position among them, no one dared show their discomfort.

“Let’s move out, guys.”

Suhyuk, who ranked second, managed to get Dahoon and Ha-yoon into the van. The vehicle barely escaped being described as shabby, emitting a musty smell.

“It seems we are going to a beef restaurant?”

Only Baruda could associate the old scent with beef fat.

Suhyuk was skeptical, but he decided to trust Baruda’s analysis as his perception had become quite accurate recently.

Why do you seem excited?

[Because of the beef! Do I need any other reason?]

‘Hmm.’

[Think positively. We already enjoyed lunch, and now we’re having beef for dinner. What a wonderful day!]

I…I suppose.

Seeing Baruda so relaxed eased Suhyuk’s concerns somewhat. As he looked outside, however, the scenery seemed unfamiliar, almost like they were on a rural road despite being near Gangnam.

“We’ve just entered Hanam, Dr. Belzer,” An Dae-hoon remarked with a troubled expression, contrasting Suhyuk’s calm demeanor.

Upon hearing this, Ha-yoon, seated next to Suhyuk, paled visibly.

“Why?”

When asked this question, Hayuni cautiously whispered while glancing at Seo Hyoseok sitting in the front passenger seat and the driver behind the wheel.

“Our father is also from Internal Medicine.”

“Y-yes.”

Who wouldn’t know Professor Woo Changyun of Ahseon Hospital? He was quite famous, even appearing on ‘Doctor Friends.’

“So, he occasionally has meals with Professor Seo…”

“Oh…”

“But I heard that when Professor Seo feels stressed, he takes residents drinking to a specific place. And it’s located in Hanam.”

“Huh.”

What a bastard! Not only did he neglect patients but also got them drunk? Moreover, bringing them all the way out here? Baruda, who had been excited about eating beef, became furious upon hearing this revelation.

“This bastard… This won’t do.”

‘It won’t work. But is there any other way? I should eat before dying…’

[Why die? I will prevent your death.]

‘How?’

[I am Baruda. There is always a solution.]

In Suhyuk’s mind, Baruda thumped his chest confidently. Recently, it seemed like Baruda had been expressing emotions more effectively, and now he was using appropriate gestures.

‘Hmm.’

Due to Baruda’s confidence, Suhyuk briefly wondered if he could somehow force the production of enzymes within his body. However, Baruda’s proposed method turned out to be far from sophisticated or impressive.

‘Eat the biscuit… Is that what you mean?’

[Techically, eating biscuits can become an art form.]

‘Stop talking nonsense…’

[Anyway, when I give the signal, discard them quickly. You can do this.]

‘Sigh… Will it cause unnecessary trouble?’

[No, trust me. Your hands will be faster than their eyes.]