Chapter 42: What Kind of Question is This? (1)

“Ah… So boriconazole is causing this?”

Ryu Jinsu, the professor of surgery, nodded after hearing from the resident and Suhyuk. Honestly, he had never heard of similar symptoms before. Being a professor in transplant surgery required constant attention to one’s field, making it inevitable for individuals to become specialists within their area of expertise only.

“Yes, Professor. As seen in the case report, this patient also had underlying metabolic issues, which were discovered when they started using boriconazole.”

“Hmm…” Ryu Jinsu quickly scanned through the case report handed by Suhyuk.

As Suhyuk mentioned, boriconazole seemed to have a significant impact on Patient Park Taesu’s dementia.

‘The psychiatry department also stated it wasn’t typical dementia.’

They had sent over a lengthy collaborative note. However, upon closer inspection, it indicated they were still uncertain and needed more observation time. In other words, their input was rather unhelpful, yet surprisingly, a first-year Internal Medicine resident provided a plausible explanation.

‘It seems accurate?’

Under normal circumstances, Ryu Jinsu would have reprimanded the third-year resident for listening to a first-year instead of calling him directly. But this time, Suhyuk’s theory sounded genuinely convincing.

Moreover, compared to other professors, Ryu Jinsu tended to be more approachable towards residents due to his relatively recent appointment as a professor just two years ago.

As a newly appointed professor with only two years of experience under his belt, he relied heavily on rumors. Naturally, he was aware of Suhyuk’s background.

The son of the director…

Perhaps Lee Hyunjong had informed him about this as well, although it could have been through the grapevine. However, those who underestimated Lee Hyunjong did so at their own peril. Genius is not born out of thin air, and Lee Hyunjong, being truly exceptional, possessed knowledge spanning far beyond just medicine.

“Well then, we need to change our approach. Thank you.” Professor Ryu Jinsu nodded and patted Suhyuk gently on the shoulder.

He hoped to leave a positive impression, one that would reach Lee Hyunjong eventually.

“However, what medication should we use now? We still need to administer antibiotics…”

He then turned towards the surgical resident.

The surgical resident shrugged with a confused expression on his face.

“W-Well?”

“Let’s consult with the Infectious Diseases Unit as soon as possible.”

“Oh, yes.”

While listening to their conversation, Suhyuk’s mind raced furiously. Unfortunately, Baruda did not have any relevant information on this matter.

[Personally, I would prefer to reduce the dosage rather than change the medication.]

‘Currently, it is 500mg three times a day, so half that amount?’

[Yes. However, based on case reports, switching to a completely different drug like Lunazole could also be considered.]

‘Not quite accurate.’

[Yes. It would be better to re-evaluate based on feedback from Manager Shin Hyun-tae or other infectious disease specialists.]

‘Right, that sounds good.’

After all, Suhyuk wasn’t working at a private clinic; he was part of Taehwa Medical Center, considered the best in Korea. If he didn’t have immediate answers, it made sense to consult with experts within the institution.

“In any case, thank you. I feel relieved now. Ah… considering how much envy I face, I need to endure these challenges.”

While Suhyuk reached this conclusion, Professor Ryu Jinsu seemed to have requested cooperation from the Infectious Diseases Unit, as indicated by his expression of gratitude towards Suhyuk once again.

“You’re welcome, professor. I’m glad I could help.”

“Yes. If you need any assistance from surgery, please contact me. I will attend to it immediately.”

“Thank you, Professor.” Suhyuk smiled brightly and bowed his head.

At first glance, university hospitals may appear harmonious; however, there were numerous internal conflicts within them. Cooperation disputes were particularly severe, especially for busy departments like surgery, which often pushed collaborative requests indefinitely to the back burner.

Yet, Suhyuk had managed to secure a commitment from this professor. The time spent was truly worth it.

‘Great.’

As Suhyuk exited the intensive care unit, he muttered these thoughts to himself.

Baruda hadn’t fully grasped how hospitals operated yet, but he understood well enough the hierarchy among professors.

In any case, Suhyuk was well aware of how influential this professor was.

[I see. By the way, tomorrow is my day off.]

It wasn’t just any day off but his weekend off with plans already made.

‘I’ll get to see Hayoon.’

[You keep dropping her surname.]

‘Well, it’s none of your business.’

[Yes, I understand that, but please use her full name when speaking in front of others.]

‘Do you think I’m stupid? Of course, I will.’

[Right…]

‘Why shorten names and annoy me?’

With these thoughts, Suhyuk arrived at the elevator. The elevator had been stopped on the first floor for quite some time before it started moving upwards. It then stopped at the third floor where Suhyuk stood.

“Huh?”

“Ah, Professor. How are you doing?”

In the elevator was Manager Shin Hyun-tae, who appeared to have just finished seeing patients at the outpatient clinic. No, he was now exiting the elevator. It seemed like he came straight here after reviewing the list of cases requiring cooperation once his outpatient duties were completed.

“Oh, yes. Did you handle another case?”

Instead of heading towards the intensive care unit with a brief greeting, Shin Hyun-tae grabbed Suhyuk’s attention.

Suhyuk internally regretted missing the elevator, but there was nothing he could do. If the professor wanted him, he had no choice but to comply.

“Yes, Professor.”

“How did you know about it? Boriconazole-induced dementia is quite rare.”

“I happened to read a case report on this topic before.”

“You really study hard. It is impressive.”

“Thank you.”

“Yes, yes. You also seem to be doing well in cardiology. Let’s have a team dinner sometime.”

“Yes, Professor. Thank you.”

As Suhyuk expressed his gratitude, Shin Hyun-tae waved his hand and walked towards the intensive care unit.

‘I guess Manager An heard about this.’

[Lucky for you, Suhyuk.]

‘It feels burdensome as I might be setting my expectations too high. Cardiology… Director Lee Hyunjong will not be easy.’

[It is fine. After fulfilling my weekend commitment with Woo Hayoon, I can quickly review and study.]

‘That…’

Suhyuk wanted to say it wouldn’t happen, but he lacked confidence.

Regardless of what happened, their first meeting could be classified as disastrous. Considering this, it was miraculous that they were meeting again. However, hoping for things to go well might have been too ambitious even by Suhyuk’s standards.

‘Here we go.’

Despite his thoughts, Suhyuk went to the hair salon and got a haircut before dressing up properly for their meeting. In contrast, Woo Hayoon wore black horn-rimmed glasses with a hoodie. Sadly, despite her casual attire, she still appeared more put together than Suhyuk.

“Hello, upperclassman.”

As always, Hayoon greeted him brightly. Unlike their previous encounter, they met not directly in front of the hospital but at a restaurant roughly one stop away from the hospital entrance.

“U-Uh.” Suhyuk waved his hand awkwardly.

Naturally, Baruda’s voice of correction rang out, but Suhyuk didn’t have the luxury to listen to it.

“I…I am sorry about before. I was surprised.”

“Nope. It was truly my fault…at that time. That…no. Sorry.”

Suhyuk initially wanted to blame Baruda, but he stopped himself as people might think he was crazy if he continued talking like this.

“It is okay.” Woo Hayoon waved her hand dismissively and continued speaking. “Shall we go inside? My dad used to come here often, and it’s quite good.”

Woo Hayoon briefly observed Suhyuk’s expression before entering the restaurant.

“Ah, it has been awhile?” The chef greeted Woo Hayoon warmly.

The chef greeted her warmly as if they were regulars.

‘It seems like she really came here often.’

Suhyuk followed them with this thought in mind. It appeared that they had made reservations beforehand, and the chef led them to a private room. The room was somewhat open but still secluded from three sides.

‘By any chance?’

[Pleas do not think about such things.]

‘At one point, you told me to hold hands.’

[I have now established my baseline as Lee Suhyuk instead of Jo Inseong. Such actions will never occur again.]

‘Damn it.’

Suhyuk shook his head as he sat down. He reached for the menu, only to find there wasn’t one present.

‘Huh?’

He looked at Hayoon, feeling flustered, but she just smiled brightly back at him.

“The chef will bring out the food here. My father already paid for everything, so please enjoy it without any worries.”

“What? No… It doesn’t have to be like that… I’ll pay for this.”

“My dad insisted on paying. It’s fine.”

“But…”

As soon as he thought ‘Is this Greenlight?’, Baruda started shouting.

[This can’t be true.]

‘Damn…’

Naturally, Suhyuk was angry at Baruda, but now wasn’t the time to worry about him. Woo Hayoon was sitting across from him, and they were eating luxurious dishes rarely seen outside of such establishments.

“This is…”

“It’s fried mozzarella cheese. You might think it sounds heavy for an appetizer, but surprisingly, it tastes great.”

“Oh. Really?”

Suhyuk wasn’t the only one impressed by the food. Baruda was going crazy over it.

[T-This… This is on another level!]

Suhyuk didn’t realize this, but each course cost more than 100,000 won, so such quality was expected. The subsequent dishes were also excellent - no, ‘excellent’ was an understatement.

There was tender octopus lightly grilled over charcoal, pasta with langoustines, and a perfectly cooked steak. While enjoying these delicious meals, Suhyuk noticed something peculiar about Woo Hayoon’s demeanor.

Is she feeling uneasy?

[I find it strange. Despite her intentions not posing any physical harm to you…]

Should I ask her?

[Hmm…]

I shouldn’t?

[I think it should be fine.]

Nevertheless, we had engaged in casual conversation while eating dinner. This meant our relationship had become somewhat closer compared to earlier.

Thus, Suhyuk gathered his courage and asked, “Is something bothering you today?”

“Oh. Is it that obvious? I’m sorry.”

“No, no. What is wrong?”

“That… That is…”

Woo Hayoon looked slightly embarrassed before continuing.

“I have a PBL assignment next week. It’s really too difficult…”

“Ah… PBL.”

PBL stood for Problem-Based Learning, which was essentially problem-centered learning. Recently, medical professors favored this teaching method quite extensively. The difficulty level of these assignments was significantly higher than others, causing even Suhyuk considerable trouble.

“Can you help me? As an Internal Medicine resident, I might be able to assist.”

“Huh? No, no. You’re busy.”

“Well, today is an open day anyway.”

Even if he arrived early, there would be no rest for him. Baruda would nag at him nonstop. Suhyuk decided it would be better to help Woo Hayoon rather than go through that.

Woo Hayoon hesitated briefly before pulling out her tablet from her bag.

“This… It’s from Dr. Choi. It’s really difficult…”

“From Dr. Choi? Yes, it should be challenging. Let me see.”

“Here.” On the first page of the PBL program Woo Hayoon showed him was written:

A 78-year-old male patient presented with difficulty breathing for one day prior. >