Chapter 87: I have to go to America (4)

“What?”

Next month meant next week. It was natural for Suhyuk’s eyes to widen as he wasn’t prepared since he thought it would be August.

“Why are you so surprised? You knew we were sending someone to the US.”

“That… Yes, but…it was supposed to be in August.”

“Ah…was it?”

Lee Hyunjong couldn’t immediately recall that Taehwa Hospital’s Internal Medicine Department had established a sisterhood relationship with Iowa State University Hospital ever since his tenure began. Thus, every year for the past decade, residents have been sent there in August.

Among them, nine individuals, representing ninety percent of the group, were either professors at Taehwa Hospital or working towards becoming one. However, none had caught Lee Hyunjong’s personal interest. It wasn’t surprising, considering he believed himself to be the smartest person under heaven and above earth.

“Yes. That is why… I even scheduled my vacation for that time…”

“Really? Then change your vacation as well. When else will you get to visit the US?”

“But…”

For the director, changing his vacation would be easy. However, it was not straightforward for a mere resident. Hospitals operated on the principle of squeezing every last drop out of their employees, especially residents who were treated like disposable laborers. Losing just one could cause significant issues.

Among them, residents were treated as mere laborers, so losing one person was a significant issue.

“Don’t worry about it. Shin Hyun-tae agreed to handle this.”

“Ah, you know about it too, Manager?”

“Why do you look relieved when saying that?”

“No… It’s not like that.”

Suhyuk trusted Shin Hyun-tae more than Lee Hyunjong for such matters since Lee Hyunjong wasn’t quite ordinary.

“In any case, it will be two weeks from now. Uh… Have you ever been abroad before?”

Hence, Suhyuk’s somewhat impolite reaction didn’t bother him much. Instead, he asked with genuine concern, reminiscent of a mentor’s heart.

Suddenly, Suhyuk’s difficult family situation came to mind.

‘Nowadays, kids keep talking about being “dirt poor”…’

At least among medical students, there was no one as financially disadvantaged as Suhyuk. Unlike Lee Hyunjong’s time, it had become increasingly challenging to enter medical school without parental support. Shin Hyun-tae was genuinely surprised when he learned that Suhyuk was an orphan raised in an orphanage. Not only was it remarkable that Suhyuk got admitted to medical school, but also because there seemed to be no lingering shadows from his past affecting him.

‘Maybe more important than his intelligence…’

It appeared that Suhyuk’s greatest strength might be his strong mental fortitude. This was evident, wasn’t it?

His injured leg was barely noticeable unless one paid attention to it. Due to this, professors including Lee Hyunjong often forgot Suhyuk’s difficult circumstances.

Fortunately, Shin Hyun-tae, who tended to be more observant, had given him a heads-up beforehand, allowing Suhyuk to prepare accordingly.

“N-no.”

As expected, Suhyuk had never been abroad before. Baruda was also domestically developed AI, so his knowledge of foreign countries came solely from movies and dramas he’d watched with Suhyuk. Thus, he had no idea what documents were required for international travel.

“Do you have your visa?”

“Visa?”

“Your passport.”

“Oh.”

“I’m glad you didn’t ask.”

Lee Hyunjong shook his head and made a phone call.

“Should I come now?”

It was his secretary, who sounded quite enthusiastic.

“No, come here.”

“We have that meeting today, right?”

“It hasn’t ended yet?”

“Not yet. So hurry up.”

“You need to be here. An urgent matter has arisen.”

“Sigh.”

The secretary had a rather casual relationship with Lee Hyunjong. This could be attributed to both Lee Hyunjong’s personality and their long history of working together. Consequently, they were comfortable around each other.

“What is it?” The secretary knew from experience that arguing further would be futile.

“It’s about our Suhyuk.”

“Something related to Lee Suhyuk?”

Over the phone, there was a sound resembling something being dragged across the floor. It seemed like the secretary was getting up.

“Oh yes, here is the route to the cancer center from the annex building.”

“Yes, thank you… Do I need anything?”

“Hmm…” Lee Hyunjong briefly glanced at Suhyuk. “Do you have your wallet?”

“Wallet? Yes, sir.”

“Just bring your keys as well.”

“Yes, sir.”

The secretary didn’t ask for further clarification. He simply grabbed his keys and went where Lee Hyunjong directed him.

“Ah, why?” The secretary’s expression wasn’t particularly happy.

“As my secretary, should you frown like that in front of me?”

“It’s because you aren’t doing director duties.”

“Tsk.” Since it was true, Lee Hyunjong didn’t say more. Instead, he patted Suhyuk on the shoulder.

“Hey, we have to go to the US in three weeks. We don’t have visas or passports yet. Please take care of this. Our health check-up documents should be fine since we did them last year.”

“Huh? Visa and passport?”

“Yes. It shouldn’t be difficult.”

“Then ask the director to handle it.”

“I have a meeting.”

“Wow… Really… Wow…”

The secretary couldn’t curse at them as he alternated between looking at Lee Hyunjong and Suhyuk. When gazing upon Lee Hyunjong, his face expressed ‘Is this even human?’, while when focusing on Suhyuk, it was more of ‘Are you serious?’ Of course, Lee Hyunjong didn’t care about others’ opinions, so he promptly left. Whether he actually attended the meeting remained uncertain.

Regardless, the secretary had no choice but to fulfill the task assigned by the director.

“D-Do I address you as Mr. Lee Suhyuk?”

“Yes. Oh dear, thank you for your trouble.”

“No, not at all. The director is always like this. And obtaining a visa and passport isn’t too challenging.”

“I see.”

“Let’s start by resolving the visa issue.”

“Yes, are we going to the embassy?”

“Hmm.”

After hearing Suhyuk’s words, the secretary realized why he was assigned this task. He didn’t bother with maintaining his expression in front of Director Lee, so he became even more relaxed around Suhyuk.

“W-Why?”

“Well… For short-term stays, you can apply here. Ah, but you don’t have a passport yet. Huh…” He sighed deeply and then produced car keys, waving them slightly.

“Let’s go in Dr. Lee’s car. Fortunately, the Government Office in Gangnam issues passports within three days… We should have enough time.”

“Oh, okay.”

Suhyuk followed the secretary and got into Lee Hyunjong’s vehicle.

[Wow, what a nice car.]

‘Indeed. Being a director definitely has its perks.’

[I can do it. Let’s aim for being a hospital director in your forties.]

‘Why have you become so materialistic…?’

[Are you unhappy about this?]

‘No, I am pleased.’

The director of Taehwa Hospital would be treated as an executive of Taehwa Group. Naturally, he would receive an Ecus vehicle. Originally, there was also support for hiring a driver, but Lee Hyunjong chose to give the money to his secretary instead.

As a result, the secretary received an unimaginable annual salary, which contributed to his unwavering loyalty to Lee Hyunjong.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“Yes, sir.”

With the help of the secretary, Suhyuk obtained both a passport and visa. During this process, Suhyuk discovered something quite favorable, although others might not find it as significant.

At least this was true for Suhyuk and Baruda.

[You have been exempted from military service, Suhyuk.]

‘Indeed. My injured leg turned out to be quite fortunate. Well…I had roughly anticipated it.’

It felt good having his exemption officially recognized by a government agency. According to the municipal employee, not only was Suhyuk exempt from active duty, but he was also exempt from reserve forces as well as civil defense duties. It made sense since the hospital registered him with a disability status.

‘My friends will be jealous.’

Suhyuk muttered while flipping through the pages of his ten-year multi-entry passport. As expected, it was much thicker than the one-year single-entry passports carried by his friends.

[Tomorrow is the day. Please check your luggage once more.]

‘Ah, I should do that. Thank you so much for helping me with all these things…’

Baruda’s words caused Suhyuk to leap up from his bed and rummage through the carry-on luggage provided by his secretary. He had purchased additional clothes as there was barely anything inside it. Additionally, this carry-on contained various devices including a laptop charger.

“You have a phone call.”

As he continued searching with a fluttering heart, Baruda alerted him about the incoming call. His phone, placed in the pocket of his robe, started ringing.

It was strange since today wasn’t his on-call day.

[I find that thought quite sad. Your phone only rings when you’re on duty…]

‘Shut up, man. It’s because you constantly nag me to study.’

[Despite your studies, weren’t we never particularly close friends?]

‘None of your business.’

Suhyuk shook off Baruda’s mental attacks and picked up his phone.

It was An Dae-hoon from his first year of residency.

‘Ah, I guess there is a patient he can’t handle?’

[He has no manners calling someone who leaves for America tomorrow.]

‘Well, at least he seems nice.’

[He just admires you. As one of your followers, it would be good to answer his call.]

Thus, Suhyuk answered the phone.

“Dr. Na! Sorry for calling so late. Did…I wake you?”

An Dae-hoon sounded increasingly deferential.

“No, not at all. Why do you ask?”

“I wanted to remind you that you’re leaving for the US tomorrow.”

“Yes, that’s right. It’s not about a patient?”

“No, not that… Our fan club prepared a small gift for you on your way out.”

“Huh?” Suhyuk expressed his confusion with various meanings contained within this single word.

Firstly, he wondered what gift they had prepared for him. Secondly, he was curious about when he acquired a fan club.

“We are currently outside your office. It would be our honor if you could join us briefly. If it is too bothersome, just leave the door unlocked…”

“No, no. I’ll come out. What do you mean ‘leave the door unlocked’?”

“Yes, we will be waiting for you, Ms. Sellner. We truly admire you.”

“You… don’t need to.” Shaking his head, Suhyuk stepped outside, feeling quite embarrassed.

Baruda seemed puzzled by Suhyuk’s reaction.

“From An Dae-hoon’s perspective, it is natural to hold you in high regard, Suhyuk.”

Is my work really that commendable?

“Of course! Every patient you touch lives.”

‘That…is not entirely true this month.’

No matter how accurate his diagnosis or treatment plan was, there were patients who could not be saved. Even as one of the best doctors in modern medicine, he was still bound by its limitations.

However, this month had been exceptionally fortunate with all the positive outcomes for his patients. It might seem to An Dae-hoon, with his limited experience, that it was solely due to Suhyuk’s efforts.

“Oh, upperclassman!” Hayuni interrupted his thoughts.

“Huh?”

“I am the vice-president of your fan club.”

As always, An Dae-hoon enthusiastically bowed with a bright expression on his face.

“Ah…”

In other words, Suhyuk’s fan club consisted of these two people. This was a moment where disappointment would have been understandable, but instead, his lips curled upwards. It wasn’t solely due to An Dae-hoon. Nor was it just because of their gifts.

“Sir, Iowa is truly rural. You might get bored at night. Maybe this will help.”

“Oh…this is…”

“I heard you used to work part-time at a comic book store when you were a student, so I know you like comics. There aren’t many here, but please take them.”

“T-Thanks. Appreciate it.”

“And this… Since you haven’t been to the US before, it’s a simple conversational guidebook. Even though your English is good, I got nervous meeting foreigners for the first time.”

“Wow… Thank you.”

It touched him that she had stepped forward and put such thought into her gestures.

I appreciated that she went to such lengths for me. Of course, as Baruda mentioned earlier, this might still be within the bounds of human kindness.

‘But could it not be?’

[Honestly, I am unsure. Woo Hayoon is a strange person.]

It seemed there was also a possibility it wasn’t just human kindness.