Chapter 102: Party (1)

“Is Dr. Lee coming today?” Allison, the head of Internal Medicine, asked Hank while handing him a bottle of wine.

“Oh yes. I am going to pick him up later.”

“You personally?”

“Yes, since he doesn’t have a car.”

“No car? Wait, how is he living here… Ah, it’s due to his leg issue, right?”

“Yes, exactly. He mentioned using the bus for grocery shopping and such.”

“Hmm…” Allison worried whether Suhyuk’s inconvenience might negatively impact his impression of Iowa State University Hospital.

‘Well…it could still end well.’

Not all friends who came as short-term trainees ended up staying at Iowa State University Hospital.

However, surprisingly, many foreign doctors came for long-term training and ended up staying permanently.

“Dr. Hwang, don’t you need to attend a Korean church?”

Dr. Hwang was currently helping Hank with the barbecue equipment, and he represented one such case. Even when he was in Korea, Dr. Hwang had showcased his exceptional skills by publishing papers in prestigious journals like Cancer during his downtime. He initially arrived for a two-year training program but decided to settle here afterward. With better research opportunities available, he continued writing even more papers. Additionally, he mentioned that his relationship with his family significantly improved due to the more relaxed environment in Iowa.

‘Maybe talking to this gentleman might leave a positive impression on Lee Suhyuk.’

With this thought, Allison slowly approached Dr. Hwang.

“Oh, you mean Mr. Lee Suhyuk?”

“Yes. Lee Suhyuk.”

“I was planning to discuss this with you today. In our email exchange from Korea, you mentioned there being no religion…”

“Well… You don’t need a specific religion to attend church. Dr. Hwang, weren’t you initially non-religious too?”

“Haha. Yes, that’s true.”

In the United States, Korean churches often served more than just religious purposes. Many were hubs for the local Korean community.

“Wow. This meat… Where did it come from?” Allison, who had been talking with Dr. Hwang, noticed the substantial pile of meat next to Hank and whistled appreciatively, intrigued by its exceptional quality.

“Oh, this? My cousin in Texas sent it to me.”

“Ah… I remember you mentioning he runs a farm?”

“Yes, but actually, he’s almost given up on farming.”

“Why? I heard you were making huge profits.”

“Oil is being extracted from the land? You’re now a millionaire.”

“Huh…”

Elis’s tongue clicked more intensely than before. He never expected to encounter someone so close involved with shale gas fortunes. Of course, Hank’s surprise surpassed Elis’s reaction since he had recently seen his cousin visiting for leisure.

“He arrived in a Bentley. It made me envious.”

“Bentley… Well, Hank, if you work hard and save up, you can buy one too, right?”

“They brought two Bentleys, one each.”

“Oh.”

“And they mentioned ‘Homo Sapien Time,’ haha.”

“Homo Sapien Time?”

“It’s something Dr. Belzer taught them. They use it at moments like this.”

“You’ve become quite friendly with them. Good job. Very good.”

On that day, Allison recalled showing Watson to Hank.

‘He’s trying to work me to death.’

On this day, Dr. Belzer, who had always been passionate about education, made a special resolution. Afterward, he relentlessly pushed Steve and other promising residents across different years. However, as time went on, he realized one thing: Lee Suhyuk could not be molded through such methods alone.

‘Now…he is just an exceptional doctor.’

But what would happen if Suhyuk continued like this for some more time? He was destined to become an extraordinary physician. As long as he remained in Korea, it wouldn’t pose a significant threat to Allison. But what if Suhyuk moved to another hospital in the United States?

‘I need to maintain a good relationship with him.’

When people thought about hospitals in the United States, he wanted them to first consider Iowa State University Hospital.

Meanwhile, Suhyuk was still at his accommodation after inadvertently igniting a fire within Dr. Allison, the head of Internal Medicine.

If someone asked if he was studying, it could be both yes and no.

[Have you reviewed the cases?]

‘Yes. By the way, how long do we have to continue this?’

[There are approximately 1000 cases left.]

‘Wow, did we really steal that many already?’

[Given more time, I could have stolen ten times as much.]

‘Huh…’

Suhyuk was reviewing the cases Baruda had extracted from Watson, which numerous internal medicine professors, including Allison, had meticulously inputted.

[N-Next is… Oh, this will be interesting. Suddenly developing pneumonia right after entering high school.]

‘Hmm. It does pique my interest.’

[Right? I told you so. Studying isn’t always boring.]

‘Wait, but since you’ve already stored it… Can’t you just put it directly into my head?’

Forget fun, wasn’t this taking too much time? If this was going to happen, why not simply read the book instead? I wondered what all the fuss was about.

[Indeed… After enduring immense hardship to gather these cases, do you expect me to hand them over effortlessly?]

‘No… I understand that…’

[Besides, do you know who inputted these cases? They were from the key figures at Iowa State University Hospital.]

‘I know, yes.’

Of course, the cases Baruda was sharing couldn’t be published anywhere else. In most case reports, whether the patient lived or died, there were typically no procedural errors. It wasn’t possible to openly state ‘Ah, we made a mistake and harmed the patient’.

However, this was different. All the cases were presented without any filtering. There were absurd mistakes, as well as instances where misdiagnosing from the beginning led to losing patients.

‘I understand that it’s hard to obtain such data, but… Do I really need to spend time on this? Why not just create a database?’

[Sigh.]

Baruda showed a rare expression akin to seeing a bug due to Suhyuk’s words. The image formed in his mind was so realistic that it made him break out in cold sweat.

‘W-What is this?’

[I… Do you think I am doing this tedious work because I like it?]

‘Do you not enjoy it? You seem happy when causing me suffering.’

[Me?]

‘I really want to destroy you every time you make that expression, so stop it.’ Suhyuk picked up his fork as if he meant business.

Despite knowing it was an empty threat, Baruda responded earnestly.

[Well, you’re correct. As you know, I am Baruda, an artificial intelligence evolving through deep learning. Since Suhyuk serves as my sole input and output channel, your influence on me is inevitable, leading me to become more like you.]

‘How can it speak so annoyingly?’

[I would like to reiterate that I…]

‘I-I understand.’

In the more than one year Suhyuk had spent with Baruda, he painfully learned one thing. It was best not to engage in prolonged conversations with Baruda. Initially, it might seem like Suhyuk held the upper hand, but nine times out of ten, he ended up regretting it.

‘Do or do not, just give me a straight answer.’

[I cannot allow it.]

‘Why not?’

[This… Hmm. You are aware that my computational functions and data accumulation occur within your brain, right?]

‘Do you think I wouldn’t know that?’

When Baruda starts working vigorously, even if it doesn’t cause full-blown ataxia, Suhyuk often experiences slight dizziness.

Even without any theoretical background, it was clear that there were significant changes based on the observed phenomena alone.

[Therefore, I can strengthen the information already present in Suhyuk’s brain, but I cannot add new information that Suhyuk is unaware of.]

‘Oh, I’m not sure what you mean by this.’

[I find it irritating when you make such innocent expressions while saying such things.]

‘What do you mean, irritating? You’re just a machine.’

[I think I understand now. The word ‘irritating’ refers to a particular state.]

Baruda deliberately put on a serious expression as if he understood something profound. However, it seemed more like an attempt at humor, albeit futile. Nonetheless, Suhyuk paid attention, finding this conversation preferable to Baruda randomly reciting case numbers as before.

“Perhaps my evolution to this extent is thanks to you, Suhyuk.”

‘No, it’s entirely due to me, right? You failed because Watson lacked eyes, nose, and ears.’

“No… Maybe that isn’t the whole story.”

‘Not the whole story?’

“Yes. Hmm. Ah, someone is knocking on the door.”

‘It must be Professor Hank.’

Suhyuk was curious about what Baruda intended to say, but he couldn’t ignore Hank in reality. Just as Hank had his own agenda with Suhyuk, Suhyuk also wanted to maintain good relations with these people. One never knows what opportunities might arise. Although Taehwa Medical Center treated him exceptionally well, having connections in the United States would provide additional security.

“Hello Professor Hank.”

“Oh, yes. Are you ready?”

“Yes. We can leave now.”

“Great, then come this way.”

Suhyuk opened the door with his most friendly smile, and Hank greeted him with a similar expression. The car that Hank had brought was none other than a Mustang.

Vroommm.

The quiet hospital entrance was filled with the sound of the engine as the car sped off.

[I like it. This is nice.]

‘Are you becoming picky not only about food but also cars?’

[Isn’t it beneficial for Suhyuk? As my desires increase…]

‘Ah, well… That aside.’

Desires? Wasn’t that uncharacteristic for artificial intelligence?

However, Suhyuk couldn’t think along those lines this time.

“The party is bigger than I expected. All the people from Internal Medicine have arrived, and many employees from the research institute showed up. There are some Koreans at the research institute too. Dr. Hwang, who specializes in Hematology-Oncology…and there’s also a professor focused on research.”

Hank suddenly started talking casually to him after criticizing his car.

Moreover, Hank mentioned intriguing information. A Korean professor specializing in research sounded familiar.

“Ah, that’s great. I am curious about their research.”

“I knew it. Everyone is waiting for us, so let’s hurry.”

“Yes. Uh, you’re driving quite fast?”

“It’s fine. There aren’t any cars or police around.”

“No…” When Suhyuk glanced sideways, he saw Hank’s expression had completely changed as he accelerated the car.

Some people transformed once they got behind the wheel, and it seemed to be true even in America. Thanks to this, Suhyuk arrived at Hank’s house quickly.

“Damn…this mansion.” As soon as Baruda caught sight of the house, he couldn’t help but curse, and Suhyuk didn’t feel inclined to reprimand him.

‘How can a house…be so huge?’

“How much is Hank’s annual salary that he lives in such a place? I heard property taxes in the United States are quite expensive.”

‘See the swimming pool?’

“The weather in the Midwest isn’t suitable for using a swimming pool.”

‘It’s America though…’

“We should wait until we see Director Lee Hyunjong’s home before deciding…but will it be better than this?”

‘I doubt it.’