Chapter 58: Announcement (1)

Vroom.

The bus soon stopped at the lobby of Cheongju Ramada Hotel.

“Ahhhhh.”

At the same time, Taejin Jo stretched comfortably as he woke up, relieved that his patient’s issue was resolved. His hair flattened against the chair made quite an impression. Despite his messy hair, his face looked refreshed.

It was natural since he had finished work early at the hospital to arrive in Cheongju before the conference started.

[Tactfully recommend him for a sleep study due to snoring.]

In contrast, Suhyuk genuinely appeared tired because of Taejin Jo’s loud snoring throughout the bus ride. Initially, Suhyuk considered blocking his ears somehow while sleeping, but it wasn’t feasible with Taejin sitting right next to him.

It was not easy as Suhyuk sat next to him.

I should do that. I didn’t notice before, but his chin seems slightly recessed.

[If he sleeps flat on his back, obstructive sleep apnea will be observed at severe levels.]

But how should I bring it up?

I couldn’t directly ask, “Professor, you snore quite loudly?” As I hesitated, Taejin Jo fully woke up and muttered while looking out the window.

“Wow. It’s been a while since I’ve been to Cheongju.”

Then, he glanced at Suhyuk, seemingly wanting to strike up a conversation. Suhyuk could not ignore this gesture, so he decided to respond casually.

“Oh… Have you visited here before, Professor?”

“Yes. The spring conference is always held in Seoul. However, the autumn conferences rotate locations. This time, CBKU requested assistance, so our hospital will help with organizing the conference.”

“Ah, I see.”

In other words, ‘organizing the conference’ meant doing miscellaneous tasks. Instead of attending lectures, residents would be running between rooms, ensuring presenters were ready and managing schedules. No wonder the residents on the third bus didn’t look too pleased about their assignment. With just a bit more money, they could have hired temporary workers instead. Unfortunately, the higher-ups at these conferences still clung to the mindset of “Why spend money when we have residents available?”

“Let’s get off first.”

“Yes, sir.”

“What time and where are you presenting later?”

“I’m presenting at 11:30 AM in the grand ballroom.”

“Oh, that’s during the busiest time slot in the largest lecture hall. See you then.”

“Yes, Professor.”

As soon as Taejin Jo disembarked from the bus, he hurried off somewhere else. For professors like Taejin Jo, conferences were not just about learning but also served as networking opportunities. He was eager to catch up with colleagues scattered across different institutions and greet senior professors urgently.

‘Hmm.’

On the other hand, Suhyuk, being only in his first year, felt relatively relaxed.

‘Presentation at 11:30 AM in the grand ballroom.’

It was indeed quite unusual for a first-year resident to be scheduled in the main lecture hall during prime time. Even seasoned professors would feel nervous under such circumstances. After all, presenting to an audience of hundreds is daunting enough, let alone when that audience consists entirely of experts, including fellow professors.

Since one never knew from where or how they would be attacked during their presentation, it was normal to start memorizing and rehearsing well ahead of time.

“We should arrive around 11 AM.”

‘Yes, that sounds right.’

However, neither Suhyuk nor Baruda seemed particularly anxious about the upcoming event.

“Uh, good luck with your presentation, Suhyuk.”

Lee Hyunjong, as the corresponding author responsible for coordinating communication among authors, also appeared nonchalant. Despite his relentless nagging until just yesterday, he now acted like it wasn’t a big deal.

“Oh, thank you, Professor Lee.”

“Since we’re at the conference anyway, don’t focus solely on preparing for your presentation. Take some time to attend other lectures too; it’ll broaden your knowledge.”

After seeing off Lee Hyunjong, Suhyuk was about to attend his lecture when someone approached him. He turned around and saw Hwang Sunwoo, a second-year resident. Soon, the third-year residents would leave for studying towards their specialist exams, making Sunwoo the most senior resident. However, he continued slacking off, gradually falling behind even first-year residents. Compared to Suhyuk, there was no contest.

“Oh, Doctor.”

Of course, this didn’t change their hierarchy, so Suhyuk bowed respectfully as much as possible.

[You criticize me daily but perform well in front of others.]

‘So you’ll badmouth me in front of them too?’

[No, I’m genuinely praising and encouraging you.]

Praise and encouragement are useless…

Hwang Sunwoo had no idea that Suhyuk was having this internal conversation with Baruda as he opened his mouth to speak.

“You’re not actually going to attend the lecture now, right?”

His tone clearly indicated that something wasn’t quite right. Although Suhyuk wondered why Hwang Sunwoo acted like this, he maintained a smile on his face.

“Amazing! You can separate your emotions from expressions.” Baruda sounded genuinely impressed.

Under normal circumstances, Suhyuk wouldn’t have remained silent, but they were currently engaged in a conversation. He couldn’t help it.

“Oh… Dr. Choi instructed me to do so.”

“Dr. Choi doesn’t understand what we really do here. What kind of conference lectures would interest a first-year resident?”

“Oh…”

“Don’t make that face. I’m aware there’s a presentation coming up. I’ll let you go soon.”

“Ah, okay.”

Honestly, this was already lenient for Hwang Sunwoo; normally, she would have kicked him by now based on her temper alone.

It’s all because he’s buddies with those two…

However, messing with Lee Suhyuk had become akin to provoking Lee Hyunjong or Shin Hyun-tae, so some argued it would be best to leave him alone. Nevertheless, once the conference ended, the second-year residents, who were about to take over from the third years, needed to assert their authority. This consensus led them to target Lee Suhyuk despite his connections.

“First, we need to go and collect name tags for the third-year doctors. Line up here. Once we finish distributing them, you can guide people to the grand ballroom. When it’s time for presentations, just enter then. Is that clear?”

“Oh… Yes, Doctor. Understood.”

If Lee Suhyuk had been slightly more audacious, he might have called Lee Hyunjong right away. Instead, he diligently used his cane as he headed towards the conference registration desk. He wasn’t particularly uncomfortable or annoyed.

[Let’s proceed first. If I stand at the entrance of the grand ballroom, they won’t let me work even if I want to.]

This was thanks to Baru who had already handled everything efficiently.

‘Yes, there’s no point creating unnecessary conflict. We may have to continue working together later.’

“[I don’t think Hwang Sunwoo would do this, but it won’t look good for you if your superiors hear about it.]”

‘He’s right.’

Suhyuk nodded while thinking of Kim Jinyoung. Even now, he didn’t believe he had done anything wrong. However, some professors and several third-year residents blamed Suhyuk instead.

“[We’re here. Despite being early morning in Cheongju, there is quite a crowd.]”

Due to his brisk pace, Suhyuk found himself at the registration desk located on the second floor of the hotel. As Baruda mentioned, many people were gathered around the area.

Most appeared to be young doctors, likely residents.

‘I should just introduce myself as from Taehwa Medical Center and get their name tags.’

“Yes, but I’m not sure why one first-year resident has to handle everything alone.”

Suhyuk was relatively fortunate compared to his fellow first-year residents who had already been assigned to lecture halls with cameras to document the presentations. In addition to photography duties, they were responsible for passing around microphones, ringing bells on schedule, and troubleshooting computer or audio issues.

Despite paying tuition to study, they ended up doing menial tasks instead. According to upperclassmen, this was often when aspiring doctors questioned their career choice.

It’s a bad habit that needs to be eradicated.

Muttering to himself, Suhyuk diligently carried out his assigned tasks. Surprisingly, he completed them faster than healthier residents due to others instinctively giving him space because of his cane.

“Well done. Now, go ahead and take charge of guiding people over there.”

Hwang Sunwoo smiled happily as Suhyuk followed his instructions and pointed towards the grand ballroom. Due to its large size, there was already a significant crowd gathered near the entrance. Most of them appeared to be professors, suggesting that they had likely attended similar events before.

“Yes.”

“Ji-sang, join us here. Since the entrance is spacious, let’s fill seats from the inside out. Take photos from both sides separately. Understood?”

“Yes, Doctor.”

Despite being in the same department, it felt like Suhyuk hadn’t seen Ji-sang in quite some time.

Has he lost weight?

“It’s not easy being in Internal Medicine during your first year.”

While Suhyuk observed Ji-sang closely, Ji-sang handed him one of the cameras he had brought along.

“Here, take this.”

Suhyuk felt somewhat pleased, but Ji-sang didn’t seem to reciprocate this sentiment. He appeared indifferent.

‘Maybe it’s because we haven’t seen each other for a while.’

As Suhyuk hung the camera around his neck, he opened his mouth:

“Uh… Yeah. Where are you heading now?”

“Infection.”

“Oh… You’re Shin Hyun-tae’s primary physician?”

“Yes.”

“How is Professor Shin doing?”

“He’s fine, thanks to me. I’m just glad he doesn’t give me too much grief. Anyway, since I’ll handle that side, you take care of here.”

“Huh… Sure. Why not?”

Surprised by the unexpected response, Suhyuk paused and raised an eyebrow.

‘What’s with him?’

Baruda promptly answered as if it were obvious:

[I heard Yoo Jisang comes from quite a wealthy family.]

‘That’s true, but what does that have to do with anything?’

Jisang might be the son of a professor at another hospital. Regardless, Suhyuk remembered hearing about Jisang’s affluent background, which was significantly different from his own - something Jisang himself often emphasized.

In any case, although not Royal-class, Yoo Jisang’s family background was incomparable to Suhyuk’s. I vividly remembered this because Jisang had emphasized it himself.

[I also heard he aspired to become a professor. He likely had high expectations before joining here.]

‘Why can’t he still dream of that?’

[From his perspective, Suhyuk is too formidable a rival. It wouldn’t be pleasing for him.]

‘Ah… Well… It happened partly because I chose you.’

[There’s no need to feel guilty. Luck is part of one’s abilities. And well…]

Baruda refrained from mentioning how exceptionally intelligent Suhyuk was.

Indeed, all the humans around him were praising Baru incessantly. It seemed like there would be trouble if Baru received more compliments here. Moreover, Baru’s predictions never missed.

“Ah, Lee Suhyuk. Long time no see?”

Firstly, Woo Changyun from Asan Hospital approached Suhyuk.

“Ah, Professor Woo Changyun.”

“I heard from Hae-yeon. I’m told you’re doing well with your lectures?”

“Ah… That is just by chance…”

“The abstract of your presentation today looks impressive. Can I expect great things?”

“I worked hard… to prepare it.”

“Yes. Let’s have lunch together after your presentation.”

“Sure. Pardon?”

“You promise?”

After Woo Changyun left, another professor approached him. It was Dr. Gukjin Park, the head of Internal Medicine at Seven Stars Hospital. He had previously poached one of Lee Hyunjong’s junior staff members with a 10 billion won offer.

“Ah, Professor Lee Suhyuk?”

He greeted Suhyuk with a wide smile, resembling more of a headhunter than a fellow academic. Suhyuk couldn’t dismiss him easily since he was the department head from another hospital, especially considering that Seven Stars Hospital was among the top three hospitals in Korea.

“Oh, Dr. Gukjin Park.”

Suhyuk responded courteously, acknowledging his stature.

“Ah… You remember my name as well? What an honor!”

“No, not at all.”

“I’m looking forward to your presentation today.”

“I’ve prepared diligently for it.”

“Great. I’ll be watching closely. How about having lunch together afterward?”

“Yes, sure… Wait, did you say something?”

“You promised, right?”