Chapter 95: Breaking the Seal (1)

“Uh… Hello, hello.”

Suhyuk entered the Internal Medicine department around 8 am. While this might not be considered late for others, it felt incredibly leisurely to Suhyuk, who had been forced to start work at 6 am daily. Consequently, he carried a cold cup of iced Americano and a sweet pastry in his hands.

“Hmm, you finally seem ready now.”

Steve greeted Suhyuk with exaggerated deference, almost comically bowing low. If Suhyuk were a more magnanimous person, he might have responded with something like, “Oh, stop it.” However, neither Suhyuk nor Baruda could be described as such exemplary figures. Instead, they tended to harbor even small grudges, albeit not towards their patients.

Neither Suhyuk nor Baruda were particularly noble individuals. Instead, they tended to hold grudges for even minor slights. Of course, this didn’t apply when dealing with patients, especially fellow doctors.

“Yes. So, what’s today’s issue - respiratory?”

Suhyuk nodded, accepting Steve’s humiliating greeting without batting an eye.

“Ah, yes. That’s correct.”

Despite Suhyuk’s acknowledgment, Steve maintained his deferential posture unchanged. This stemmed from an incident that occurred after Suhyuk, then still a trainee, clocked out at 5 PM yesterday.

''You need to study more.’

‘No, no. Studying won’t fix this. He’s supposed to be a resident! Can you believe it?’

A meeting had ensued.

Hank had been gradually amazed by Suhyuk’s performance during outpatient clinics, and he couldn’t hold back his laughter during interdisciplinary rounds. Consequently, at around half past five, Hank gathered available residents to discuss the matter with them.

‘There must be something special about their education system. No matter how talented an individual is…there should still be limits.’

Of course, this wasn’t entirely wrong. After all, Suhyuk had received excellent personal guidance from his mentor. In other words, while Suhyuk’s own efforts contributed significantly, most of his current abilities were due to the unique educational approach tailored for him.

However, what Hank overlooked was that the educational system designed for Suhyuk could not be replicated by anyone else in this world.

‘In other words, go and learn. Whether you have to sweet-talk him or use another method, find out how he teaches. That’s your task, Steve.’

Regardless, due to this reason, Steve now carried an enormous burden. Naturally, he was not pleased about it, but what could he do? As a resident physician, when his professor gives orders, he must comply.

Moreover, with his own eyes, he had witnessed Suhyuk’s abilities for the entire day yesterday. Suhyuk was superior to any resident at Iowa State University Hospital.

“So… shall we go? The outpatient clinic is located there as well.”

“Oh, it’s the same place?”

“No, not exactly the same. It’s situated nearby.”

“Aha. Indeed, having both respiratory and blood-related clinics in the same area would be unusual.”

It made sense. Cancer patients already had weakened immune systems, so it would be problematic to have them share the same space as respiratory outpatient clinics, which were hotbeds for airborne infections. This was both medically and morally unacceptable.

“Yes, that’s right. Yes, yes.”

“Then lead the way. I’ll follow you. Can I eat this while walking?”

Suhyuk nodded with a matter-of-fact expression and gestured ahead with his chin. His demeanor resembled that of a superior directing their subordinate, leaving Steve no choice but to comply.

I should’ve been nicer to him yesterday…

Though regretful now, there was nothing he could do about it. The damage was done, and there was no turning back.

“Yes, please come along…”

Thus, Steve was doing his best even now.

Still, it’s Korea… What could be so special about that place?

Don’t underestimate Korea just because you’ve never been there! Seoul is bigger than Chicago!

The conversation with Hank from yesterday kept replaying in Steve’s mind. Despite this, he couldn’t help but think Korea wasn’t anything extraordinary. Nonetheless, he resolved to tread more carefully around Suhyuk.

“Oh, Suhyuk. I heard what happened.” Dr. Belzer greeted them as they entered the professor’s office within the outpatient clinic. He was quite rare for Iowa—a black man.

“I haven’t seen any African Americans here in Iowa before.”

‘Indeed.’

Despite wandering around for three days, this was Suhyuk’s first time seeing an African American. Of course, Suhyuk wasn’t naive enough to express his thoughts outwardly. This encounter differed significantly from meeting Steve earlier.

From the beginning, Suhyuk had primarily interacted with professors rather than residents. These professors were not just ordinary academics but influential figures within their respective fields. Naturally, such interactions honed his social awareness.

“Ah, Professor Exe, nice to meet you.”

“Yes, well… It’s rare to see Hank praising someone so highly… Let’s make today enjoyable.”

“Certainly, Professor.”

“Oh, it might be uncomfortable, but please wear this.”

“Ah…yes.”

Suhyuk picked up the mask pointed out by Professor X. It was not a regular surgical mask but an N95 mask. Although commonly used domestically to filter fine dust, these masks were actually designed to prevent infections.

[Bah. Isn’t it suffocating? Huh?]

Baruda started expressing his thoughts about the mask before abruptly stopping with a puzzled expression on his face.

Upon reflection, Suhyuk had been working as an Internal Medicine resident for nearly two years. During that time, he encountered patients infected with super bacteria.

[I’ve never worn one of these before.]

‘Wait? Ah, now that I think about it…’

[Those crazy Taehwa bastards? Exposing you to danger daily?]

‘This mask is expensive.’

‘No matter how expensive, this is ridiculous. Are they insane? Exposing you to infection risk?’]

‘When I consider it, it does make sense…’

Suhyuk observed Steve, Eps, and other staff members wearing masks as if it was obvious. Upon reflection, it made perfect sense. Even South Korea had not yet eradicated tuberculosis completely. Although not incurable, once infected, patients needed to take potent medication for several months due to its widespread nature. The Respiratory Department primarily dealt with such cases.

“They don’t even provide medication due to a few thousand won…”

‘Indeed, this is different from South Korea.’

He had noticed these differences since his outpatient visit yesterday and during the multidisciplinary meeting. The hospital was filled with consideration for everyone. This care wasn’t limited to patients alone; it extended to all medical professionals and employees working here. It contrasted significantly with the somewhat exploitative environment of university hospitals in Korea.

“A patient has arrived. Go to room 2, Steve. Dr. Lee, you come along too.”

“Yes, Professor.”

While Suhyuk momentarily lost himself in thought, the light above room number 2 illuminated.

In this hospital system, when a nurse informed them about a patient’s arrival, residents or trainees would initially see the patient first. Honestly, it did not seem like an efficient way to treat patients.

‘Still, it should be good for education, right?’

[Naturally. Yesterday, Hank was asking questions non-stop.]

However, this approach was designed to produce excellent specialists. As a resident at a university hospital in Korea, Suhyuk would have had very few opportunities to directly see outpatients like Steve does here. In Korea, he might only encounter patients in the emergency room, and even then, solo outpatient clinics were typically limited to once a week starting from their third year of residency.

‘Phew… I need to ask him about Taehwa Medical Center’s system while he is in this mood…’

As Steve observed Suhyuk’s slightly serious expression, he recalled his mission. He never imagined that Suhyuk would be envious of their educational system. In fact, it struck him as odd for Suhyuk to be so exceptionally intelligent individually. It might have been plausible in ancient times, but this was the twenty-first century. Modern medicine had advanced rapidly, diminishing the importance of individual capabilities due to the overwhelming amount of new knowledge generated each day. In such circumstances, the system itself became more crucial than individual brilliance.

Of course, Suhyuk was exceptional like Steve, but such cases were extremely rare.

Knock knock.

While admiring each other’s systems, they reached Room 2.

Steve cautiously knocked on the door with its glass window, and the patient inside quietly nodded.

Click.

Finally, Steve entered the room after checking his mask once more. Seeing this, Suhyuk also confirmed his mask again.

[Even if you return to Korea, make sure to continue doing it. Do it even if you have to pay out of your own pocket.]

Suhyuk himself felt uneasy, and Baruda had been incessantly nagging him about it.

“I see… You came to the hospital due to coughing issues?”

Meanwhile, Steve started asking questions while looking at the medical report brought by the patient. The report stated that the patient had been coughing for more than a year, and previous treatments were ineffective.

At this moment, Suhyuk noticed that the patient did not seem trustworthy.

“He looks like one of those criminals often seen on TV dramas.”

‘Don’t say that to the patient, man.’

“Isn’t that what you’re thinking too, Suhyuk?”

Suhyuk glanced again at the patient following Baruda’s comment. He observed the gaunt face with tattoos extending up to his neck, along with bloodshot eyes. No matter how he looked, the patient didn’t appear to be someone involved in legitimate activities.

“You’re right about that.”

‘Yes… honestly, it does seem that way… But he is here for treatment. Let’s focus, concentrate.’

“Yes, yes.”

After subduing Baruda’s rampage, Suhyuk focused on Steve’s conversation with the patient.

“Yeah. I’ve been treated for over a year, but it was useless. It feels like dealing with a damn stone. They should have sent me to a university hospital earlier.”

“The treatment… hmm.”

If he summarized the medications listed in the medical report, they had tried almost every possible drug. It seemed as if all cough medicines were attempted, including those used for laryngopharyngeal reflux.

“They even took an X-ray. Shouldn’t that reveal everything?”

“Just a moment. Let me take a look at the images.”

Despite the patient’s harsh words, Steve remained undeterred and continued his examination diligently.

Suhyuk was impressed by Steve’s persistence.

‘I guess this happens often.’

[All kinds of people would visit here.]

‘Is that a disadvantage?’

[There is security nearby. They can restrain any troublemakers, right?]

Baruda referred to the burly man standing outside the glass door. Honestly, he looked more like a villain from a TV show than the patient inside. Since Baruda could observe everything through the glass, he would rush in if needed. With this thought, Suhyuk felt reassured.

“Dr. Lee, what do you think?” While Suhyuk continued his musings, Steve posed a question.

This would have been unthinkable just yesterday morning. However, Steve had already witnessed Suhyuk’s abilities, so he didn’t hesitate to ask for his opinion.

“Hmm, slightly… it appears as though there might be signs of interstitial pneumonia…”

“Despite having this condition for a year, his lung function is not significantly impaired.”

“But it has decreased, right? It’s not normal.”

“Oh, yes, that’s correct.”

“So there must be a reason?”

“Yes…”

Steve looked at Suhyuk with a ‘what else could I say?’ expression as if Suhyuk was stating the obvious. However, Suhyuk remained unflustered by Steve’s reaction because he already had a rough idea of the cause. Of course, further questioning and verification were needed.

“The guard above us, will they come down if necessary?”

“Pardon me? Oh, yes. Naturally.”

“Then, may I examine him personally from now on?”

“Well… Yes, understood. But… what questions do you plan to ask?”

“Just let me observe first.”