Chapter 62: National Treasure Talent (2)

“H-Hyung.” Shin Hyun-tae had turned away, unable to watch this unfold, but now he rushed back towards them. He couldn’t remain idle while his close friend’s son was being taken from him.

“Why? You know already?” However, Lee Hyunjong seemed somewhat frantic due to his determination not to lose their brilliant Suhyuk.

“W-What do I know, hyung? What is going on? It’s scary.”

“You know. That Lee Suhyuk is my son.”

“No…” Shin Hyun-tae looked around, unsure what to say.

Several professors, including Woo Changyun and Park Gukjin, were gathered nearby. Even those who previously showed no interest in Suhyuk had come to witness this moment. Lee Hyunjong, known for being married to academia, suddenly revealed that he had hidden a child.

‘Ah shit, what is this…?’

Shin Hyun-tae felt his mind going blank as he faced their skeptical gazes. He had been working for two years as the head of Internal Medicine at Taehwa Medical Center and thought he had experienced everything. However, it seemed like there was still one challenge left - dealing with public confrontations.

“Suhyuk. You can call me dad now. I’m sorry for all these years.” Meanwhile, Lee Hyunjong turned towards Suhyuk, speaking even more crazily than before.

Thanks to this, Suhyuk looked even more troubled than Shin Hyun-tae.

‘Dude, what should I do? Is he serious?’

[Analysis cannot be performed. This situation is unprecedented.]

‘He claims…I am his son?’

[Let’s analyze the advantages if you truly were Lee Hyunjong’s son.]

‘H-Hurry up!’

[Yes. You may feel slightly dizzy.]

‘Huh? Oh.’

Baruda started using Suhyuk’s computational function to its maximum extent. As glucose in his blood was forcibly consumed, Suhyuk completely stopped moving for a moment. Originally, most of our brain functions are used during movement, and this had been interrupted.

Fortunately, Lee Hyunjong, who was standing in front of Suhyuk, knew too well about such peculiar behavior from him.

‘Our Suhyuk is at it again.’

Not only did he know but also appreciated it. Instead of finding it strange, Lee Hyunjong shielded Suhyuk from others, albeit with a somewhat aggressive approach.

“Hey, let me give you a hug!”

With Lee Hyunjong’s support and Baruda’s assistance, Suhyuk was able to complete his calculations.

[If you publicly become Lee Hyunjong’s son, there is almost a 100% chance of becoming a professor.]

‘Isn’t that great?’

[However, this would deny your biological parents. Is that okay?]

Baruda asked a question somewhat uncharacteristic for artificial intelligence. Unlike other AIs, Baruda possessed human senses, and due to constant communication with Suhyuk, it seemed to have evolved slightly differently.

Suhyuk momentarily lost his words at Baruda’s unexpectedly human-like query.

‘My biological parents…’

He didn’t know their names or faces. He wasn’t even sure if they were alive or dead.

‘It doesn’t really matter.’

Despite these thoughts, Suhyuk found himself nodding affirmatively.

For almost thirty years, Suhyuk had lived without parents. Even if Lee Hyunjong was a slightly odd father like Baru mentioned, Suhyuk thought it might be nice to have one around at least once in his life.

“Then let’s call him ‘Dad’.”

‘Haa.’

Of course, addressing the director as “dad” wasn’t easy for Suhyuk. However, after experiencing Lee Hyunjong’s warm embrace and seeing the tender gaze directed towards him, Suhyuk managed to open his mouth slightly.

“A…”

“Yes, Suhyuk! My son!”

“Dad…”

“That’s right! Well done!”

As soon as Suhyuk called him “dad,” Lee Hyunjong joyfully lifted Suhyuk, spinning them both with a wide grin.

Despite being over sixty years old, Lee Hyunjong possessed incredible strength and vitality, spinning his son around like a pinwheel.

“Wow.”

“Is this real?”

Watching them interact, Woo Changyun and Professor Park Gukjin exchanged puzzled looks. It seemed utterly unbelievable considering how Lee Hyunjong had always claimed to be married to academia with pride, boasting about it at every academic conference. Woo Changyun clearly remembered those instances.

Was he lying all along?

It turned out that Lee Hyunjong had been hiding a son, and not just any son but Lee Suhyuk himself. Although it felt too surreal, they couldn’t deny hearing Suhyuk call him “Dad.” This revelation completely altered their perception of the situation.

‘Well…he is incredibly smart. If his father is Lee Hyunjong…it makes sense to some extent…’

Despite Lee Hyunjong’s eccentric behavior, he became the director of Korea’s best hospital due to his remarkable achievements. It indicated how brilliant he truly was.

‘Plus, there were hints that something was off with Lee Suhyuk.’

Based on Woo Hayoon’s observations, she mentioned Lee Suhyuk could also appear strange if viewed from a certain perspective.

As Woo Changyun began accepting the possibility of the father-son relationship between Lee Hyunjong and Lee Suhyuk, Lee Hyunjong spoke again. He looked much more confident than before, which was understandable since he now held Suhyuk’s hand firmly.

I can confidently say that among these professors gathered here, some might not have held their son’s hand this firmly even if they had close relationships with them.

“Did you see that? He is my son. Therefore, I am responsible for him. I will make sure he gets the best position as a professor.”

Lee Hyunjong wasn’t just any professor. He was the director of Taehwa Medical Center and a distinguished professor at Taehwa University’s medical school. With such a person supporting him, it would undoubtedly carry immense influence. Moreover, since Suhyuk was his son, no one could argue against it.

“Yes… understood…” Professor Park Gukjin acquiesced reluctantly.

Suhyuk was extremely curious about the amount of money inside the envelope Park Gukjin carried, but asking about it now seemed rather insane, so he simply licked his lips in anticipation.

“W…Well, yes. Ah, I didn’t know you had a son. He seems to resemble his mother…” Woo Changyun trailed off and slowly walked away.

With both instigators gone, there was no reason for anyone else to linger. Soon, only Lee Hyunjong, Lee Suhyuk, and Shin Hyun-tae with his jaw still agape remained outside the lecture hall.

“Hyung…” Shin Hyun-tae cautiously approached Lee Hyunjong, clearly questioning if this drastic action was necessary.

As he did, Lee Hyunjong tightened his grip on Suhyuk’s hand and spoke firmly, “He is my son now. Understand that.”

“B-but hyung, what about your reputation… If it gets out that you’ve been hiding a son… The board of directors won’t be pleased…”

It could be seen as a moral failing. While it might not lead to losing his position as director at this point, it would certainly fuel gossip behind his back.

“Is your reputation more important than medical advancement? Don’t you…don’t you realize who he is yet?”

Lee Hyunjong’s expression made it clear that such concerns were irrelevant. This stemmed from Suhyuk’s exceptional performance while working alongside him in cardiology. It wasn’t just about the cases mentioned in the recently published research paper; Suhyuk had consistently demonstrated remarkable abilities across various scenarios. In fact, describing him as merely “extraordinary” felt like an understatement - his talent was truly astounding. Considering he was still in his first year only amplified this sentiment.

“Well…that’s true. He is remarkable.” Shin Hyun-tae also acknowledged Suhyuk’s abilities fully, so he had no intention of contradicting Lee Hyunjong’s statement.

“Let’s consider it settled then. Let’s eat some food. Are you hungry, Suhyuk?”

“Yes… Yes, I am. Um… What should I call you?” Suhyuk nodded and suddenly asked this question. Earlier, he hastily addressed him as ‘dad’, but he felt strange continuing to do so.

“Huh? Call me whatever makes you comfortable. You can just call me dad if you like. From now on, I want to think of you as my real son.”

“Oh… Then…I will call you Director for now.”

“Yes, yes.” Lee Hyunjong laughed heartily, showing he didn’t mind, and walked briskly ahead with Suhyuk.

“L-Let’s go together.”

Initially, Shin Hyun-tae had planned to eat the lunch provided by the conference instead of spending his own money, but belatedly, he followed behind them. Guided by Lee Hyunjong, they headed towards a Korean restaurant located on the second floor of the hotel.

The hotel wasn’t exceptionally high-end, but it still boasted a luxurious appearance.

“Wow…” exclaimed Shin Hyun-tae.

‘Why are you surprised?’ Suhyuk wondered, observing Baruda display emotions despite being artificial intelligence.

Baruda responded slightly defensively:

[Suhyuk, Suhyuk has never taken me to such a place before.]

‘Well, I’m still a resident doctor. Why would a resident go to a hotel restaurant?’

[Will you come here once you become a professor?]

‘Nope. So let’s hurry up and make me the best doctor in the world.’

[Understood. I will strive for it.]

Baruda reaffirmed his commitment to fully support Suhyuk again. The motivation behind this might be strange, but regardless of how things turned out, it was beneficial for Suhyuk.

Of course, Baruda wasn’t the only one supporting him.

“Eat some braised short ribs. It’s delicious.”

“By the way, hyung. Will you really make Suhyuk a professor as soon as we return?”

In response to Shin Hyun-tae’s question, Lee Hyunjong vigorously nodded while serving more braised short ribs onto Suhyuk’s plate.

“I was going to eat it. But now I can’t. Did you see Park Gukjin’s expression earlier?”

“Yes, he seemed determined.”

“At that moment, my disciple… No, that bastard caused quite a stir, right?”

“It was huge indeed. Honestly, I really liked him until then…”

“He fell for 1 billion won. Anyway, I never want to experience such humiliation again. Suhyuk must first accept the professor position.”

Even thinking about it now made Lee Hyunjong furious, and bits of ribs flew towards Shin Hyun-tae as he spoke.

Shin Hyun-tae skillfully avoided the fragments while trailing off his sentence, “The board of directors will hate this…”

“You don’t know his skills yet! Even now, he is better than most specialists.”

“Why are you angry at me…? I’m on your side. On your side.”

“But why are you arguing?”

“No… No, I will also help him.”

“Helping? Why do you sound hesitant? We’re making Suhyuk a professor.”

Shin Hyun-tae briefly tilted his head at Lee Hyunjong’s words.

“A professor?”

Lee Hyunjong silently pointed towards Suhyuk with his chin.

“Oh, as if he were my son… Yes, understood.”

“Now, let’s give each other a high-five. Operation ‘Making Suhyuk a Professor’ begins.”

“What operation…”

“Won’t you participate?”

“I got it, I got it.”

“And Suhyuk, join us.”

“Oh, yes.”

Thus, Lee Hyunjong high-fived them before resuming his meal.

From Suhyuk’s perspective, it couldn’t be any better. Both the director and the head of Internal Medicine were committed to making him a professor.

“Ah yes. First-year resident Lee Suhyuk from Internal Medicine.”

Of course, he was still a resident. He had to start his shift immediately after returning from the conference.

“Yes, sir! I’m calling about a patient with fever!”

“Fever? What treatment is being given?”

“Well, since the patient takes immunosuppressants, I contacted you right away.”

Fever while on immunosuppressants… This meant considering many more potential conditions than usual.

“I understand. I’ll come down now.”