Chapter 37: This First Year is Different (1)

“What’s wrong?”

The sudden summons from the manager caused Suhyuk to feel uneasy.

‘What could it be?’

“Regardless of what happens, you must handle this situation properly. The person involved is the Manager, not Kim Jinyoung.”

For someone with three years of experience like himself, even without being favored by professors as Kim Jinyoung was, Suhyuk had ample opportunities to outshine others. Despite his questionable behavior, he managed due to his exceptional skills.

However, how would things unfold with the Manager? He needed to tread carefully and show utmost respect.

“Yes, Professor Shin,” Suhyuk responded diligently, turning around with his cane.

He nearly stumbled but managed to regain balance thanks to Professor Kim Jinsil, who quickly grabbed his arm.

“Ah, thank you.”

“No problem. Please sit down.”

“Yes, Professor.”

Shin Hyun-tae waited until Suhyuk was comfortably seated before speaking.

“You have something in your hand.” Baruda gestured towards the documents held by Department Head Shin.

It appeared to be more than just one or two sheets of paper. He handed them over to Suhyuk and began explaining.

“Do you know about it? Taehwa Medical Center selects outstanding residents from each department for a month-long training program.”

“Oh… Yes, I am aware. It’s open to third-year residents, right?”

“That’s correct. Originally, either third- or fourth-year residents were eligible.”

To put it bluntly, first- and second-year residents essentially served as slaves within their respective departments.

The third and fourth-year residents had to handle everything from patient care to trivial tasks. Consequently, the senior residents preferred when the first and second years were absent, leaving them with minimal work. However, whenever they needed to cover for these tasks themselves, it understandably annoyed them.

In the past, first-year residents used to receive two separate three-day breaks, typically on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

“Why did he give this to Suhyuk? He is…no, he’s a first-year resident.”

‘I don’t know either. What is going on here?’

Suhyuk briefly glanced at the paperwork handed to him. There was a significant amount of information that needed to be filled out. Interestingly, since it involved potentially working in a U.S. hospital, he also had to provide his English proficiency scores.

It was either TOEIC or TOEFL scores. One unique aspect was the requirement for published papers.

‘Ah, I need to have published papers to go.’

As if reading Suhyuk’s thoughts, Shin Hyun-tae pointed at that specific item.

“I think you can go by your second year.”

Shin Hyun-tae recalled Lee Hyunjong’s words:

-“Hey, should we limit ourselves to domestic achievements? Let’s aim overseas! Overseas!”

Hyun-tae seemed eager to send Suhyuk abroad immediately. However, it posed some difficulties. Firstly, it wouldn’t be courteous towards the receiving hospital. While everyone acknowledged Suhyuk’s excellence, they needed more objective criteria such as years of experience or published research.

They needed something objective like publishing a paper or presenting at conferences.

“During his second year…he will go for training?”

“Yes. Don’t tell anyone else about this, okay? There is only one spot available per department. If he goes, no one else can.”

As Shin Hyun-tae spoke these words, he thought of the current second-year residents who would be third-years next year. It sounded harsh, but it was simply the reality of their situation.

Kim Insoo represented the third years, and Lee Suhyuk stood out among the first years, leaving the second years without any standout individuals.

‘Oh right, there’s Hwang Sunwoo.’

Despite being in his second year, he performed worse than some first years.

Lee Hyunjong believed it would be better to give the valuable training opportunity to a promising first-year resident rather than waste it on someone from that mediocre cohort.

When Shin Hyun-tae mentioned that sending the same person twice could be problematic, Lee Hyunjong burst out laughing.

“What’s the problem? It’s winner takes all. Didn’t you know?”

Perhaps due to his rapid success at a young age, including publishing papers in prestigious journals like NEJM, he had become quite arrogant.

However, Shin Hyun-tae also experienced similar career growth, making him somewhat arrogant as well.

“Oh…”

“Well, regardless of whether it’s me, the director, or you, there isn’t anyone else we’d send anyway. But if others find out, they might get jealous.”

“I think you’re right.”

Recently, there was indeed an unusual tension in the air.

Lee Hyunjong and Shin Hyun-tae were openly protective of Suhyuk. Moreover, Taejin Jo kept saying he wished Suhyuk would stay within their department for his entire career, which didn’t sit well with others. These colleagues were also top talents who had consistently ranked first throughout high school before entering Taehwa University’s prestigious medical school.

“So let’s keep this confidential.”

“Yes, Professor.”

“Do you know how great this program is?”

“Ah… I’ve just heard about it, but I don’t have detailed information.”

“Geez, listen up. Our hospital’s PR team needs to step up their game.” Manager Shin Hyun-tae jokingly grumbled while flipping to the last page of the document he had given Suhyuk earlier.

There were numerous special benefits listed, but Department Head Shin continued without even glancing at them. It seemed he had memorized everything due to his immense pride.

“Since it is sponsored directly by Taehwa Lifespan, the program is truly well-funded.”

“Oh…”

“Firstly, round-trip flights will be provided. They are economy class tickets, but they are fully covered.”

“Wow…the United States…!”

“What? You haven’t been to the United States before?”

It wasn’t about the United States; I couldn’t recall ever being on an airplane. Seeing Suhyuk’s somber expression, Department Head Shin remembered that Suhyuk was an orphan.

‘Ah, right.’

He almost let out a sigh of relief when Suhyuk got injured earlier, realizing now how insensitive that could have been.

‘I feel somewhat guilty.’

At that time, Suhyuk had been nothing but trouble for him. Now, he was someone whom they needed to nurture within their department. It truly showed how unpredictable life could be.

“You don’t have to go if you don’t want. Anyway, yes. The airplane ticket is covered. Additionally, during your stay, hotel expenses will also be paid for.”

“Wow…”

“We’ll provide daily living expenses as well. One hundred thousand won per day. Not bad, right?”

“Yes, indeed. So, it’s almost…”

“It’s similar to your monthly salary. Since this is extra income on top of your regular wage, you should save quite a bit this month.”

“This is amazing!”

Suhyuk now fully understood why this matter had to be kept secret. It was such an incredible opportunity.

I didn’t expect it to be this good.

However, I was slightly worried about my English skills.

“Don’t worry, Suhyuk. I will handle listening, interpreting, and speaking,” Baruda confidently declared.

While I couldn’t fully trust him outside of medical matters, somehow, I felt he might excel at English. Considering how rapidly artificial intelligence like Papago had been improving, it seemed plausible.

“But there is one issue.” Manager Shin Hyun-tae continued with a bright smile, but his expression turned slightly somber compared to earlier.

“Yes, Professor?”

“You need a research paper. Given your abilities, that shouldn’t be too difficult… However, it must be published before you leave.”

“Oh…”

The process of publishing a paper was extremely complex. First, you had to apply, and then it would be decided whether or not they accepted it. The problem might stem from pride, but there were no cases where approval happened immediately. They always required at least one minor revision. After barely managing to submit the revised paper, there followed an endless period of waiting for a response.

If he was going abroad after two years, there was plenty of time, but aiming for next year made it quite urgent.

“It is best if I provide the subject matter for the paper. In infectious diseases, these days, it mostly involves experimental papers… It takes some time. There may also be negative results.”

Medical papers could largely be divided into clinical and experimental papers.

Clinical papers often involved testing established facts, theories, or hypotheses from experimental research in clinical settings or analyzing patient data treated with validated therapies. At first glance, it might sound impressive, but their academic rigor was generally lower compared to experimental papers.

“So…I’ve already asked the director and Taejin Jo, but they haven’t had any specific ideas lately.”

“Oh…you need ideas for your paper.”

“Yes. But luckily, we have Professor Kim Jinsil here, who is like a ‘paper machine.’ She’s truly almost robotic.” Shin Hyun-tae glanced at Professor Kim Jinsil, who had been quietly sitting there like a bundle of sticks.

Kim Jinsil didn’t feign modesty. “While I have written many papers, I’m not quite a machine yet.”

“Haha. You mentioned needing data for an Internal Medicine paper?”

“Yes. It’s still at the research proposal stage… However, with the help of a capable primary physician, I believe it can be completed quickly. Since I’ll serve as the corresponding author, you can be listed as the first author, Lee Suhyuk.”

“Great, that sounds perfect. Anyway, Suhyuk, although your first year will be busy, attending conferences next year would greatly benefit you. So let’s work hard on this project.”

The manager had meticulously planned everything. Honestly, Suhyuk should have been grateful just for receiving such an idea. To think he’d also be named as the first author! He couldn’t help but bow respectfully.

“T-Thank you very much. I’ll do my best.”

“Yes. Then do your best. I’ll leave first since I need to talk with Professor Kim.”

“Understood, Professor.”

“Oh right, Suhyuk.” As Suhyuk was about to exit the room, the manager called out to him again.

“Yes, Professor?”

Suhyuk briefly wondered when he would finally be able to leave this room but turned around nonetheless.

“If Kim Jinyoung asks, tell him that you’re someone special whom the director and I are nurturing. No wait, let me send an email now instructing all doctors to cooperate fully with you.”

“Huh? T-that’s not necessary…”

“Hey, just gratefully accept it. The others will be incredibly jealous of you. Do you want them to gang up on you?”

Upon reflection, Manager Shin had a point. There were already whispers among his peers.

‘Fucking bastards. Thanks to me, we don’t have to do on-call duty every hundred days anymore.’

Suhyuk felt extremely wronged, but there was nothing he could do about it. How could Suhyuk stop the gossiping behind his back? At least, he appreciated that they refrained from doing so in front of him.

“Yes, Professor Kim. Thank you.”

“Alright then. Now, really go ahead and leave. You’re on call today, so take breaks when you can.”

“Understood, Professor.”

With those words, Suhyuk bid farewell and exited the room.

As promised, Manager Shin Hyun-tae briefly discussed matters with Professor Kim Jinsil before sending out an email.

[Notice to all doctors: The diagnostic skills and sincerity of Lee Suhyuk, a first-year Internal Medicine resident, have been recognized by Director Lee Hyunjong, Manager Shin Hyun-tae, Professor Taejin Jo, and others. They have selected him as a talent to lead the next generation of Taehwa Medical Center’s Internal Medicine department, and they are currently nurturing him for this role. Please assist Dr. Lee Suhyuk by ensuring he can focus solely on internal medicine without unnecessary emotional stress. Thank you.]

In summary, it meant “Leave him alone or face consequences.” Just as rumors about his being the director’s son were fading away, it became clear that he had even stronger backing behind the scenes.