Chapter 61: National Treasure Talent (1)

‘He is performing better than I thought…’

Woo Changyun, who had just tapped Professor Kim Kyungrae’s shoulder and served as the academic director of this winter conference, felt conflicted emotions swirling within his mind.

‘Should I really bring him to our hospital?’

As he hesitated, Woo Changyun instinctively glanced towards Lee Hyunjong and Shin Hyun-tae. Initially, he had been interested in Suhyuk, but now, after witnessing his presentation, his interest turned into a calculated ambition.

‘What should I offer?’

However, any guilt was fleeting. Although Lee Hyunjong and Shin Hyun-tae were good colleagues, they did not belong to the same hospital. For Woo Changyun, the priority remained Asun Hospital. Over the years, he had painfully realized that as a hospital grows, the treatment of its professors significantly improves.

‘I’ll stick with one billion won.’

On the other hand, Professor Park Gukjin from Chilseong Hospital had already made up his mind about Suhyuk. Looking back, it was somewhat amusing. Despite being outstanding, Suhyuk was still only in his first year as a doctor. However, considering his achievements despite being a junior, it was evident that he would soon become one of the top doctors in Korea once he gained more experience.

“Suhyuk, let’s leave now.” Shin Hyun-tae immediately recognized the predatory gleam in others’ eyes, reminiscent of hyenas circling their prey. If they allowed slow-moving Suhyuk to linger here until lunchtime, he feared Suhyuk might be torn apart metaphorically. Of course, this was purely based on Shin Hyun-tae’s perception; such a scenario wouldn’t actually unfold.

“Now?”

“Yes, right now.”

“Oh… Okay.”

Regardless, Suhyuk slowly exited the lecture hall alongside Shin Hyun-tae.

In his mind, he could visualize the professors who had made lunch plans with him earlier, but what could he do? Even if all these professors from other hospitals gathered together, their influence on Suhyuk would not compare to Shin Hyun-tae’s hold over him.

“Why are you leaving so quickly?”

As soon as they exited the lecture hall, someone approached them near the entrance. Turning around, Shin Hyun-tae saw Professor Woo Changyun. He wore an expression of utter disbelief.

“Seriously, can the academic director just leave during a session in the grand ballroom?”

“Well, considering Professor Kim Kyungrae is chairing it, I doubt there will be any issues.”

Woo Changyun’s mention of Kim Kyungrae, another esteemed senior professor, left Shin Hyun-tae momentarily speechless. While he stood silent, Woo Changyun strode towards Suhyuk.

“Mr. Lee Suhyuk. Did you forget our lunch appointment?”

“W-What lunch?! You’re eating with me!”

Upon hearing ‘lunch,’ Shin Hyun-tae erupted.

“What are you talking about? We planned to eat together.”

Unexpectedly, several others joined Shin Hyun-tae’s outburst, including Park Gukjin from Chilseong Hospital.

“W-What do you mean? And you…”

At this question, Professor Park Gukjin chuckled softly.

“What do I mean? It means we have an appointment to discuss your future prospects.” He then revealed his pocket towards Suhyuk.

Inside the pocket was a white envelope clearly marked with the logo of the Chilseong Group.

‘W-What is inside?’

Naturally, Suhyuk’s interest shifted towards it. Previously, he might have dismissed it as materialistic, but now, he felt similarly drawn.

[Money…right? Chilseong Group is an incredibly large corporation, isn’t it?]

‘A large corporation? It’s a global enterprise. Are they going to offer me 1 billion won as well?’

Taehwa Group was also a significant company, but compared to Chilseong, it paled in comparison. Taehwa Medical Center ranked higher than Chilseong Hospital solely due to its longer history and not because of its overall influence.

“W-Why discuss his future with them?! Our Suhyuk!”

“Our Suhyuk? Dad?”

“Dad…isn’t here.”

“Then please leave us alone.”

“No way. Absolutely not!” Shin Hyun-tae reacted as if someone were trying to steal his child.

The other residents were astounded by this scene.

“Can you believe that usually composed professor is causing such a commotion…?”

“Didn’t you see earlier? Even I would be tempted if it was me. And he’s just in his first year… Imagine how the more experienced doctors feel.”

“Oh…now that you mention it, I recall hearing about favoritism there.”

“But what can we do… It seems inevitable with someone like him…”

“You’re right.”

Naturally, most people understood Shin Hyun-tae’s actions, but not all hospital professors were as forgiving.

“Department Head Shin, can you guarantee Lee Suhyuk a professor position immediately? Do you have room for him?”

Park Gukjin, who had secured ten billion won, was particularly understanding of Shin Hyun-tae’s predicament.

Shin Hyun-tae appeared flustered by Park Gukjin’s unexpected question about securing a professorship for Lee Suhyuk.

“W-What…?”

“I asked if you can guarantee him a professor position.”

“O-of course. Why would he need to be a fellow with such outstanding skills?”

“This is exactly why Taehwa Medical Center has been struggling lately.” Park Gukjin wagged his finger and looked directly at Suhyuk.

Curious about what offer Park Gukjin might make, Suhyuk inadvertently met his gaze just as he spoke up.

“Dr. Lee Suhyuk, Chilseong Hospital can immediately provide you with a professor position without needing to go through a fellowship. All you require is enrollment in master’s or doctoral programs, and naturally, we’ll cover it with a full scholarship!”

This statement meant that Chilseong Hospital would surpass all current fellows working there. It disregarded any sense of fairness, but naturally, it was an enticing offer for Lee Suhyuk.

Becoming a professor without going through the fellowship process? This sounded like something from several decades ago. It felt as if he had traveled back in time.

“Uh! Can you take responsibility for what you just said?”

For Shin Hyun-tae, these words were nothing short of a nightmare. Especially troubling was witnessing the spark in Lee Suhyuk’s eyes upon hearing the proposal. To counter, he resorted to the phrase doctors dread most: “Can you take responsibility?”

He hoped Park Gukjin would at least flinch, but Park Gukjin remained steadfast.

“You got it approved by the board of directors?”

“The board… Did you plant someone there, Park Gukjin?”

The board of directors was not naive enough to be swayed solely by professors’ opinions. Objective data was needed to influence them. However, if they had already approved it, it meant that the board had been presented with numerous challenging cases diagnosed by Suhyuk until now.

“Planting someone… That’s harsh. Just…he is my colleague.”

“A colleague? Bullshit…” Shin Hyun-tae glared at Park Gukjin, feeling deeply betrayed.

But this wasn’t the end.

Another professor declared his intention to join the battle for Lee Suhyuk.

“Our Ashin Hospital will secure a professor position as well. I swear on my own job.”

It was Woo Changyun immediately responding.

“You! You…!”

“What? If you feel wronged, put your position at stake too.”

Woo Changyun laughed off Shin Hyun-tae’s finger-pointing. His shameless reaction left Shin Hyun-tae speechless and feeling suffocated. Unable to continue speaking, he could only groan.

Woo Changyun looked triumphantly at Shin Hyun-tae and continued, “If you’re not willing to risk your position, then don’t talk about ‘our Suhyuk’…”

“I’ll bet my position. Call the director. Everyone else will kneel.”

However, he couldn’t finish his sentence as Shin Hyun-tae’s savior appeared - Lee Hyunjong, the eternal legend of Taehwa Hospital.

“No… Why would you bet your directorship?” Woo Changyun and Park Gukjin exclaimed simultaneously.

Was this man crazy to wager his directorship?

But Lee Hyunjong was completely serious.

“Didn’t you start it first? How dare you try to snatch away our Suhyuk! They made lunch plans without consulting me. Huh?”

Lee Hyunjong had always been aware of Suhyuk’s exceptional talent, but working together on the presentation reinforced just how outstanding he truly was.

This young man is…a national treasure indeed.

To prevent Taehwa Medical Center from being overtaken by latecomers like Chilseong or Ashun Hospitals and to compete with world-class hospitals, having one monster talent like Suhyuk was more important than recruiting a hundred excellent doctors. Lee Hyunjong pulled Suhyuk closer towards him as he continued:

“If anyone lays a finger on him, they’ll have me to deal with!” He looked like a child unwilling to share his toy, and his voice echoed loudly, almost excessively so.

“What’s going on…?”

“A lovers’ quarrel?”

The commotion drew curious professors and residents from other lecture halls who were unaware of the situation.

Shin Hyun-tae wanted to involve Lee Suhyuk but couldn’t muster up the audacity like Lee Hyunjong, so he took a step back and even turned away.

‘Stay strong, L-Lee Hyunjong…’

He secretly cheered for him.

In any case, from the outside perspective, it appeared as though the conflict had transformed into a showdown between Lee Hyunjong versus Park Gukjin and Woo Changyun.

“Actually, Professor Lee Hyunjong, there is no such rule. To put it bluntly, you’re not Dr. Lee Suhyuk’s father, right?” Park Gukjin shook his head firmly, having already secured approval from the board of directors.

“That’s exactly my point!” Woo Changyun joined in, finding Park Gukjin’s argument quite convincing. “On what grounds do you base this objection?”

The attack continued for some time.

“As professors, we should truly consider the future of our residents. In that case, Chilseong is better than Taehwa. We can provide all kinds of support to you. Did you know? The chairman of Chilseong Group recently stated that biotechnology holds the future.”

“Ah yes. If we talk about the future, our Ashin isn’t lagging behind either. Despite its name, it is under the ‘Future Group.’ Didn’t I tell you we are planning to build a new outpatient building?”

Both were speaking directly to Lee Hyunjong, but their real target was Lee Suhyuk.

[Indeed, both offers don’t seem bad.]

‘Yes, they both sound good.’

[Taehwa Hospital seems lukewarm than I thought. Did they consider this already settled?]

‘Well, that’s disappointing.’

Of course, Suhyuk had developed some affection for Taehwa as a human being. However, how could loyalty alone dictate the world? Sometimes, personal gain was more important.

‘I wonder if the director will say something else…’

Despite his slight bias towards Taehwa, Suhyuk still harbored small hopes when Lee Hyunjong made his move.

Stomp.

Although he wasn’t particularly heavyset, his footsteps echoed loudly. It appeared intentional. This subtle gesture effectively captured everyone’s attention, causing both Park Gukjin and Woo Changyoon to fall silent and turn towards him.

It seemed he deliberately made this noise. It was minor but quite effective as Park Gukjin and Woo Changyun closed their mouths and looked at him. Lee Hyunjong waited until everyone’s attention was focused on him before speaking. He had a very serious expression on his face.

Then, with that solemn look, he spouted nonsense:

“My son.”

“Pardon?”

“Lee Suhyuk is my son.”

“What… What are you saying…”

“I will make him a professor with my own hands. Don’t interfere.”