Chapter 97: Breaking the Seal (3)

“Oh…” Jesse looked as if he’d been hit on the back of his head with a hammer.

He was well aware that marijuana wasn’t good for him despite what some people claimed about its low addictive potential and such.

There’s no smoke without fire, after all. Even Jesse had started off smoking weed before becoming addicted to methamphetamine long ago.

Is dama…the cause of my coughing fits?

But who knew it would turn out to be the root of his chronic illness?

This revelation took him completely by surprise.

“I-is this for real?”

“Why would I lie to you?”

“That…that’s right.”

Why would the doctor lie to him? Moreover, upon reflection, the timing seemed accurate. He hadn’t experienced any symptoms before he started his dama business earnestly.

Additionally, Steve couldn’t dwell on this issue for long because Suhyuk began presenting enticing information.

“The treatment is not that difficult.”

“W-What do you mean?”

How many patients can focus on anything else when discussing their treatment? Jesse was no exception and quickly straightened up in front of Suhyuk.

Steve found the extreme change in Jesse’s demeanor amusing, but he couldn’t laugh openly. Realizing his own posture had also become attentive alongside Jesse, he understood why it wasn’t surprising.

As always, Suhyuk’s diagnosis had a flow and was captivating. Once you started listening to him, it was easy to get absorbed.

“You mean avoiding the cause?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I am saying not to engage in the dama business.”

“Aren’t… aren’t you a doctor? You’re a cop!”

Not engaging in the dama business - hadn’t he heard this somewhere before?

It must have been from a police officer earlier. Jesse’s face flushed red due to embarrassment.

However, Suhyuk remained unfazed.

“Oh, so if I don’t comply, you’ll report me for being involved in the dama business?”

“Hey! A doctor…a doctor is supposed to protect patient information!”

“It might be different when it comes to drugs.”

“T-this…”

“Listen quietly to what I have to say. If things go wrong, then I will call for help.”

“You… You think you’ll be safe after this?”

Honestly, Suhyuk was slightly intimidated at this point. It was a genuine threat from a gangster. This type of intimidation differed significantly from threats made in South Korea, where people often said they would kill someone without any real intention. Here, there was a possibility that he could actually get shot.

“Oh, I’m not staying in the United States. I am going back to Korea.”

“What…?”

However, Suhyuk quickly regained his composure thanks to Baruda reminding him that they would soon return to Korea.

“So let’s just focus on your treatment.”

“Huh…”

“Firstly, you should stop handling dama.”

“As a doctor, not as a policeman?”

“Not as a policeman? You’re originally from Korea anyway.”

“Sigh…”

Jesse truly looked like someone who had lost his country. Perhaps he felt similar emotions since he needed to close down his business. Of course, this business wasn’t entirely legitimate, but regardless, it was akin to losing something precious.

“You want me to quit…?”

“If you don’t, your condition will continue to worsen. The basic treatment for cotton dust disease is avoidance. It gets worse every Friday because you are exposed to the cause on that day.”

“Ah…”

He wanted to argue against it, but no matter how much he thought about it, his symptoms did indeed worsen whenever he took breaks and handled dama again.

It was unlikely that this Asian doctor had installed cameras for his business, so based on Suhyuk’s accuracy, it seemed I should trust him.

“Th… That’s all? For treatment?”

“No. It would have been fine if you stopped exposure early on. However, it has been over a year.”

“That…that’s true.”

“Moreover, not only were you exposed to dama…”

Suhyuk paused and awaited Baruda’s confirmation.

[I am certain. This human hasn’t missed any drugs. He also smokes cigarettes.]

After receiving Baruda’s response, Suhyuk continued.

“You smoke cigarettes and various other substances, right?”

“Various substances…” Jesse belatedly covered his mouth, feeling embarrassed. Apparently, he was aware of the state of his oral health.

“Well, there is no need for me to go into detail… In any case, you smoked?”

“I did smoke.”

“That is one of the factors contributing to your worsening condition. With cotton dust disease, this leads to more severe symptoms compared to exposure to seawater, and it explains these X-ray findings.”

“O-okay.”

“Therefore, additional treatment is required. Fortunately, it’s not too complicated. Ah, it would be better if the professor explained this part instead of me.”

“The professor? Will another person learn about my dama usage?”

“Don’t worry; he is also a doctor. I don’t have prescription authority since I’m not officially recognized here.”

“Sigh…”

Jesse simultaneously felt relieved at knowing the cause of her symptoms and troubled by the potential widespread revelation of her most significant secret.

His sighs grew deeper and deeper.

However, what could he do? The one who shook him up was not a professor but rather someone who wasn’t even a doctor.

‘What the hell is this bastard…?’

How could someone without medical training accurately diagnose his illness?

“I will see you later.”

Of course, Suhyuk had no intention of answering such trivial questions. He promptly left the clinic with Steve.

As expected, as soon as they exited, Steve bombarded him with inquiries.

“H-How did you suspect that? Cotton dust disease? Wait… What exactly is that condition?”

Judging by his expression, there were numerous things piquing his curiosity.

“Let’s discuss this later…in front of Professor Epps.”

“N-no… If I do that, he’ll scold me again for being ignorant…”

“But we’ve already taken up too much time. If we’re late…”

“Oh.”

Even in the United States, where outpatient appointments were generally more relaxed, thirty minutes was the maximum allotted per patient. They had already spent over twenty minutes with Jesse, leaving them with only ten minutes remaining.

Steve knew it was all just excuses, but they sounded quite plausible. He couldn’t argue against them.

“Fine…,” Steve sighed and headed back to the room, shoulders slumped.

“Why so late? What happened?” Epps asked, sounding bored.

However, he didn’t seem angry, genuinely curious instead.

Epps genuinely seemed curious.

“Well…there were some inaccuracies in the patient’s medical history,” Steve preemptively explained, knowing he wouldn’t get another chance once the discussion began in earnest.

“Inaccuracies…in their medical history?”

“Yes. There were errors in the documentation. It wasn’t the hospital’s fault; it seems the patient provided incorrect information initially.”

“Hmm… What kind of errors? From what I saw earlier, Dr. Lee was leading most of the questioning, not you.”

However, Steve’s efforts were futile due to the CCTV footage. Although they couldn’t hear any audio, it gave them a general idea of what had transpired inside the room. The cameras were installed primarily for the safety of patients and healthcare providers but occasionally used for surveillance purposes like this.

“Yes, I will explain it to you, Professor.”

Suhyuk, who was already prepared, naturally stepped forward, pushing Steve aside. Steve lacked both justification and strength to resist, so he could only helplessly step back.

“Alright, Dr. Lee.” Epps scratched his bald head.

‘Hank mentioned…that Suhyuk is an exceptional trainee.’

There’s a strange misconception that Americans don’t feel embarrassed about being bald. However, this belief contradicts reality. If it were true, why would research on hair regrowth treatments be most active in the United States?

Regardless, Hank and Epps had become extremely close due to their shared baldness. They even collaborated on lung cancer research, leading Epps to repeatedly hear Hank’s admiration for Suhyuk ad nauseam.

In other words, they had high expectations for Suhyuk.

“Yes. Why did it take so long?”

“Firstly, looking at the patient’s medical records…”

Suhyuk pointed to the copy of the medical report held by Dr. Belzer.

“It lists all the medications prescribed for his cough since last year. It includes expectorants, antihistamines, bronchodilators, steroids, and even antibiotics.”

“I see.”

During the wait, Dr. Belzer had nearly memorized the medical report, so he wasn’t particularly surprised.

“The only medication that showed any effect was the bronchodilator. Although brief, there was improvement while taking it.”

“Oh, right.”

It was indeed written as such. However, due to its short-lived impact, it hadn’t caught much attention.

“So?”

“It is somewhat different from typical pneumonic plague. There was no response to steroids.”

“Hmm… Yes… That’s true.”

“However, the X-rays show signs of typical pneumonic plague.”

“Mm.”

“And there is also a decrease in lung function.”

“Hm.”

Epps nodded as he followed Suhyuk’s explanation, mentally organizing the information.

“In summary, the patient has pneumonic plague but only responds to bronchodilators. Considering this incomplete reaction, the X-ray findings appear relatively good.”

“That does sound unusual. Indeed, most patients don’t reach this stage without serious complications.”

“Additionally, according to the report, the patient’s symptoms have fluctuated over the past week.”

“Yes. Then…”

“Considering this, it might not be typical hypersensitivity pneumonia but rather pneumonia caused by exposure to something.”

“Oh.”

Indeed, based on the symptoms discussed so far, it seemed quite similar to occupational hypersensitivity lung disease.

“But there’s no coal mine nearby. The patient’s nails weren’t blackened either. And regarding asbestos… hasn’t its danger been recognized for a long time in the United States, leading to its near elimination?”

“That’s true.”

“So among the remaining possibilities… what type of pneumonia matches the patient’s condition?”

“It’s hard to discern that level of detail from here.” Epps shrugged and pointed at the CCTV footage.

As he mentioned, Jesse appeared significantly different on the monitor compared to how Suhyuk had seen her in person.

Firstly, it was black and white making it difficult to determine if the person had tattoos or not.

“Ah, yes.”

“So Dr. Belzer, please explain.”

“Yes. Hmm… Firstly, looking at the patient’s hands - it is not visible here. There is slight tremor. Considering their age, this is unusual.”

“Hmm.”

“And these teeth appear decayed, but differently from dental cavities. It seems due to chemical damage.”

“It must be drugs.”

“Yes. There have been reports that most drug addicts primarily use dama.”

“Oh…”

When Suhyuk mentioned ‘dama’, Epps finally nodded as if understanding. Steve, crumpled in one corner, reacted similarly with astonishment on his face.

He… thought of all this inside TERMINAL? What the hell… Is he truly a genius?