Chapter 69: Second Year (1)

“With this, I conclude my presentation on one death case due to Scedosporium infection from a donor and three successful treatment cases using boriconazole, echinocandins, and GM-CSF combined therapy.”

Suhyuk bowed with even more confidence than at the autumn conference.

“As expected! He truly is a genius?” Lee Hyunjong gave a thumbs up towards Suhyuk, who had delivered another perfect presentation as usual. Shin Hyun-tae, vigorously clapping his hands, nodded in agreement.

“Exactly. Seriously, would anyone believe that a first-year resident made this diagnosis?”

“I know, right? And he presents so well.”

It was almost perfect as if someone had read from a script. The pronunciation and word choice were excellent. Even the suffixes and prefixes were meticulously calculated. It felt like listening to a presidential speech due to its impeccable delivery.

[Well done.]

‘All I did was read what you gave me.’

Of course, Suhyuk himself just considered it another task accomplished for the day. He did feel nervous during the presentation, but compared to treating actual patients, it was nothing. There were no life-or-death situations at stake here. Moreover, all Suhyuk needed to do was follow Baruda’s instructions and read aloud.

[People are leaving now.]

Baruda observed through Suhyuk’s eyes as people left the lecture hall. Unlike regular conferences, their attire seemed quite casual. One could assume those dressed formally were presenters. Most attendees wore sportswear or more precisely ski suits.

‘It is a skiing conference after all. After attending morning lectures, they rush to enjoy skiing.’

As university hospital professors, especially at large hospitals, there was hardly any free time for leisure activities. Naturally, when they did have some spare time, it often involved attending conferences. Over time, this led to growing dissatisfaction among them. The Ski Conference was established with the aim of addressing these grievances.

This conference had members studying only in the morning and skiing for fun in the afternoon. Initially, there was significant resistance from its members when it was first established, but now it is one of the most beloved conferences.

“I am disappointed, Suhyuk.”

Baruda muttered as he glanced at Suhyuk’s leg while watching the departing members. His tone genuinely expressed his disappointment.

Suhyuk felt similarly, but he had already adjusted to having an injured leg. Having faced numerous hardships throughout his life, he quickly accepted situations beyond his control.

‘It’s okay. They mentioned this place has a great sauna.’

As Suhyuk slowly descended from the podium, the trio from Taehwa Medical Center’s Internal Medicine department rushed towards him.

Lee Hyunjong from Cardiology, Shin Hyun-tae from Infectious Diseases, and Taejin Jo from Hematology-Oncology approached him.

“Good job.”

“You truly are a genius.”

“I didn’t even know such bacteria existed. With many Blood Type patients having suppressed immunity, this is quite educational for me.”

The trio showered Suhyuk with praise. Among them, Lee Hyunjong acted as a de facto father figure by regularly giving Suhyuk spending money. Suhyuk bowed to him first.

“Thank you, Dr. Lee.”

“Yes.” Lee Hyunjong looked at Suhyuk with somewhat melancholic eyes.

It would have been fantastic if Suhyuk stayed within cardiology, but his leg was a significant obstacle.

Whether performing Jo Young-sul or cardiac ultrasounds, cardiology required standing and moving frequently. For Suhyuk with his leg condition, it could be seen as an unfavorable division. Consequently, Lee Hyunjong couldn’t strongly recommend cardiology to Suhyuk.

“Thank you, Manager.”

“Yes, yes.”

In contrast, Shin Hyun-tae appeared quite pleased. Firstly, the case presented today was one he had handled himself. Moreover, despite Suhyuk’s leg issue, there were still ample opportunities within the infectious diseases department. Although Suhyuk hadn’t explicitly stated his preference yet, Hyun-tae suspected that infectious diseases might be where his interest lay.

“Thank you, Professor.”

“You’re welcome, Suhyuk.”

Taejin Jo looked the most confident among the three professors.

Although he was younger compared to Lee Hyunjong and Shin Hyun-tae, Hematology-Oncology could be considered the pinnacle of Internal Medicine in the 21st century. Initially, it seemed like Infectious Diseases would fade away due to the end of epidemics, but it experienced resurgence with aging populations and increasing cancer survival rates. Cardiology’s popularity also soared due to the steep rise in cardiovascular diseases. Nonetheless, Suhyuk’s belief that Blood Type was supreme remained unchanged.

“We’re going to the sauna. Want to join us?”

After congratulating Suhyuk once more, they invited him to the sauna.

[Let’s go together.]

‘Yes, sure.’

Going to the sauna with three professors? Despite their friendly relationship,

wasn’t this taking things too far?

“I’m feeling quite tired, so I’ll head back to my room for some rest.”

“Ah yes, indeed. You need rest. Room service is available for your room, so order food if you’re hungry. No need to attend the banquet tonight. Let’s have dinner separately later.”

“Oh, thank you, Professor.”

“What gratitude? Between rich people, it doesn’t matter. Ha ha.”

Fortunately, Lee Hyunjong and the other professors made exceptions for Suhyuk. Thus, they left him behind as they exited the lecture hall.

“Sigh.” Alone, Suhyuk let out a short sigh.

As he slowly walked with his cane on the carpeted floor, someone caught his eye. Unlike most attendees dressed casually, this group was unusually well-dressed in formal attire.

“A-Hello! Dr. Lee Suhyuk!”

There were about four of them, visibly nervous beyond measure.

Suhyuk initially couldn’t recognize them until Baruda provided some context:

[Bachelor’s degree holders who will start working from tomorrow or the day after.]

‘Ah, right. There are interns.’

[Don’t just focus on professors; pay attention to those below you as well.]

‘When you say it like that, I sound too materialistic.’

[Is that not true?]

‘It is indeed.’

Realizing he couldn’t recall even their names or faces, Suhyuk once again looked at the group of prospective first-year residents gathered before him.

“Ah, yes. Welcome aboard.”

“No need for such formality, Dr. Lee Suhyuk!”

“Well… why so formal? That’s not the vibe in Internal Medicine.”

“We all joined because we admire you, Dr. Lee Suhyuk!”

“Admire… me?”

Suhyuk could easily appear older than these three first-year residents despite being younger himself. It wasn’t just my mistaken perception or wishful thinking; it was evident how much hardship they must have endured to look so youthful compared to him. The one who mentioned ‘admiration’ even had significant hair loss. Honestly, every time he bowed his head, I felt incredibly embarrassed and guilty.

“Yes, we truly admire you, sir! We’ve heard that you’re considered the greatest prodigy since Taehwa Medical Center’s establishment!”

“No… Where did such rumors come from…? I didn’t even graduate at the top of my class.”

“I’ve heard that due to your part-time tutoring job, you couldn’t fully focus on your studies.”

“T-That… It is true…”

Suhyuk often said this when he drank alcohol. If his circumstances had been better or if he hadn’t needed to do other work, he would’ve graduated at the top of his class. The scholarship from Taehwa Medical Center Foundation was substantial, but could anyone live on water alone? Suhyuk needed to earn enough for living expenses.

“Indeed! We are truly delighted to be under Dr. Lee Suhyuk. I still remember how firm you were during patient diagnosis and treatment when you were an intern.”

“Uh… Yes.” Suhyuk was accustomed to being favored by professors, but it was his first time receiving such attention from fellow residents.

It was natural as neither his peers nor seniors expressed admiration towards him directly due to jealousy or indifference.

[Why don’t you buy something? You received the card anyway.]

‘Ah, maybe I should?’

[I learned that an upperclassman who keeps their mouth shut and opens their wallet is cool.]

‘Where did you learn such nonsense?’

[From dramas.]

‘Well…it…is somewhat true.’

For a moment, he felt flustered, but fortunately, Baruda’s timely advice helped him make the right decision.

“Instead of standing here, would you like to grab some food? The team dinner isn’t mandatory anyway.”

“W-With Lee Suhyuk-ssi?”

“Don’t be so dramatic. Why are you trembling… It’s not scary.”

“I am too happy! Sorry about that. Where should we go?”

Suhyuk sighed as he looked at the junior standing in front of him. The junior was leading without knowing where to go. It felt like dealing with an overeager intern.

‘Well…’

If it wasn’t for Baruda, Suhyuk would have been exactly like this. In fact, being a first-year doctor is more challenging than being an intern. As a first-year resident in Internal Medicine, one constantly deals with life-and-death situations, causing heightened anxiety. Having someone with additional years of experience during such times feels almost heavenly.

“Let’s go to our room. We can order room service.”

“Oh…room service…I’ve never tried it before.” The prospective first-year resident trembled slightly at Suhyuk’s suggestion.

Meanwhile, Baruda completed comparing An Dae-hoon’s current appearance with his intern days.

[Ah, this person’s name is An Dae-hoon. Age: 27.]

‘27? With that face?’

[I believe there were some complications. For more information, you need to view his application form.]

‘No, well… Yes. 27… He is younger than me… But why is he doing this?’

[He was an intern in March. You might remember him vividly. While other first-year residents struggled, Suhyuk flew through tasks.]

‘Ahh…’

Considering this, it made sense now.

“I originally planned to specialize in Dermatology. I’ve always been interested in hair as well.”

Meanwhile, An Dae-hoon’s face lit up as if he was genuinely happy and opened his mouth to speak. When Suhyuk realized that An Dae-hoon might mention something about hair, he became more somber but responded with slightly more kindness than before.

“Ah, I see. You must have studied well then, considering you were aiming for Dermatology.”

“Oh no, not at all! In our year, there was no genius like Lee Suhyuk-ssi. Still, I wasn’t the top student; I ranked second.”

“Second? But weren’t you first among the applicants?”

It was unfortunate, but the popularity of Internal Medicine was steadily declining. This trend persisted despite reducing the training period to three years.

The responsibility of dealing with life and death felt burdensome rather than a calling. Moreover, compared to other departments, Internal Medicine was more challenging yet offered lower financial rewards. It was particularly cruel when comparing it to Dermatology as they had superior quality of life, workload intensity, and monetary compensation.

“However, after observing you diagnose patients in March, Ah…I realized I wanted to be an internal medicine doctor. That’s why I applied.”

“Because of me… Oh dear.”

To think she gave up Dermatology for Internal Medicine because of him. Lee Suhyuk wasn’t sure whether he should feel happy or sad about this.

Of course, he enjoyed Baruda.

[Indeed, you possess the qualities to become the world’s best internal medicine doctor. You already have followers.]

‘Well…it isn’t necessarily bad.’

Although the professors adored Suhyuk, relatively speaking, his support from fellow residents was weak. While this might not be definitive, it could potentially hinder his progress. Reputation is crucial when aiming to become a professor.

Suhyuk smiled contentedly as he once again observed An Dae-hoon and the other incoming first-year residents.

‘They can serve as stepping stones.’

[Do not view people merely as tools, Suhyuk.]

‘Shouldn’t that advice come from someone else?’

[Isn’t the issue hearing such words from artificial intelligence itself?]

‘Oh boy.’