Chapter 11: Can You Also Pull a Good Shift? (2)

'What the hell is he talking about all of a sudden? The atmosphere is clearly leading to a cancer diagnosis. If he says something like this now, how will this guy react!'

Suhyuk glanced at Hwang Seon-woo, who was quietly looking at the video.

Seon-woo, who had been scrolling through the images nonchalantly, had stopped at the area where the ascending colon, or the right colon, was located.

There were quite a few round lumps around the ascending colon, and no matter how he looked at them, they seemed to be cancerous.

Seon-woo also had a face that showed complete certainty. Suhyuk wasn't entirely opposed to this opinion either.

However, Baruda, contrary to their hopes, started to say something completely different, with a tone full of confidence.

"There are no signs of obstruction to call it cancer."

'Colon obstruction...'

Suhyuk fell into thought at Baruda's words.

Obstruction means that a passage, like the colon, is blocked.

'Now that I think about it, if these lumps were cancer, the colon should already be blocked. Hmm, that is strange...'

The patient had reported a weight loss of 10 kg over the past month but had never been unable to eat.

In fact, the patient's CT scan showed that feces had already passed the area with the lumps.

This meant that while the passage might have narrowed slightly, there was no obstruction.

'You... If this was such an important point, you should have mentioned it earlier. What are you going to do now, bringing it up at this point?'

Suhyuk let out a sigh, his face showing a mix of frustration and resignation.

Of course, Baruda, being an entity inside him, could sense his feelings, even if it couldn't see his expression.

"It's ultimately Suhyuk's fault."

Baruda, as usual, blamed Suhyuk.

'What kind of ridiculous statement is that? What do you mean it's my fault, you bastard?'

"Because I'm using Suhyuk's body, his computational ability is significantly lower. The processing speed is drastically reduced."

And Baruda continued with a point that Suhyuk couldn't refute.

'Damn it.'

The more the conversation went on, the more Suhyuk felt he was at a disadvantage.

But Baruda's words were likely true.

How could Suhyuk's brain, a biological organ, compare to Baruda's main body, which was housed in a massive machine?

Not just any machine, but a huge one filled with the essence of Taehwa Electronics.

"In any case, there's a high possibility that it's not cancer. I recommend delaying the notification to the hematology-oncology department for a while."

'Shit... What do I do... Ah...'

Suhyuk turned to look at Seon-woo, who was already holding the phone, speaking with a confident expression.

It was natural.

The secondary hospital that had transferred this patient had also assumed the patient had cancer.

'R/O Colon ca. rec Biopsy.'

The report read this way.

It meant that colon cancer was suspected, and a biopsy was requested.

However, he couldn't ignore Baruda's opinion as an AI.

What if it was a different disease, and they started cancer treatment?

It would have a significant negative impact on the patient's prognosis.

Suhyuk couldn't bear to see that happen.

'It's my first shift...'

Getting a misdiagnosis of cancer on his first shift?

'It could be passed off as a first-year mistake...'

But Suhyuk didn't want to be just another first-year.

He wanted to be recognized for his abilities and stand out as a medical professional.

Only then would the professors take notice.

Only then would he have a chance to advance.

"Sir, I have something to say... sir."

He braced himself for a scolding and grabbed Seon-woo's hand.

Seon-woo, who was just about to dial a number, had an odd expression.

'Is this guy crazy?'

Daring to touch a senior without permission?

In the department, there was a clear hierarchy: "Seniors are the sky, juniors are the ground."

In the old days, such an act would have been met with a slap without question.

Of course, Seon-woo also defied seniors, didn't study, and didn't listen.

But people who were in the wrong often rationalized their actions.

Seon-woo had his reasons, and Suhyuk seemed to have none.

'Shit.'

Suhyuk tightened his throat, bracing for a slap.

He looked down at Seon-woo's trembling hand, which seemed ready to fly.

But, contrary to his expectations, no slap came.

'Shit, if it weren't for Director Baek...'

Seon-woo recalled what he had seen and heard yesterday.

What would happen if he hit Suhyuk here?

Before being dragged to the director, he would face Chief Kim In-soo and Pharmacy Director Kim Jin-yong, who would make his life miserable.

Kim In-soo was a reasonable person, but Kim Jin-yong was notorious.

"Why, why."

So he decided to listen to the reason first.

"Well... There's a high possibility that this isn't cancer, sir."

"Not cancer? Man, does that make sense? Losing 10 kg in a month for no reason? I mean, who would say such nonsense as a first-year?"

Seon-woo laughed, seemingly amused.

He even looked pleased.

Of all the diseases, he was certain about this case.

'Sure enough, a first-year is a first-year.'

Conditions like parrot fever or Wells syndrome.

He had been tense, expecting to hear unfamiliar disease names.

'So, should this sky-like second-year take it upon himself to teach me?'

Seon-woo, with a confident face, tapped the monitor.

Specifically, the area around the lumps visible on the CT scan.

"Look. See how the margins are jagged? That's a characteristic of cancer."

"Jagged margins... I don't see that as a characteristic of cancer."

Seon-woo's intended effect was lost on Suhyuk, who could hear Baruda's voice overlapping.

"And look here. See how they cluster together? These are cancerous lumps."

"There's no clear sign of obstruction on the CT scan. If these were colon cancer, there would definitely be an obstruction."

Moreover, Baruda was negating each of Seon-woo's points, adding credible opinions.

Frankly, Baruda seemed more trustworthy than Seon-woo.

"Plus, the weight loss. How can someone lose 10 kg in a month if it's not cancer?"

"Congratulations, Suhyuk. There's someone even more ignorant than you. Ignoring numerous published cases."

Now Baruda was outright mocking.

If this voice were to be heard by others, Suhyuk couldn't even imagine the consequences.

But the more he listened to Baruda, the more he felt it wasn't cancer.

'What's your valid reason for thinking it's not cancer?'

"First, the absence of obstruction is the biggest evidence. The rest is quite similar to colon cancer."

'So that's your only evidence?'

"It's a single but definite piece of evidence."

'Hmm.'

Suhyuk couldn't see Baruda's expression, but he imagined it would be very confident if it had one.

It seemed that confident.

"99.9% it's not cancer."

With such a high probability, it was hard not to believe.

"But... there's no obstruction. The patient's symptoms and the images show no obstruction."

"Well..."

Seon-woo started to say, "It could be," but closed his mouth.

'Really? Is that possible?'

He didn't know much about the behavior of colon cancer because he hadn't studied properly.

Continually touching on things he didn't know made him angry.

If he were a decent person, he might feel regret for wasting time, but Seon-woo was unfortunately a twisted individual.

"Then, what do you think? If it's not cancer, what is it?"

Of course, Suhyuk didn't know much either.

He had grabbed Seon-woo's hand purely because of Baruda's opinion.

Thinking it was better to be wrong than to do nothing, Suhyuk asked Baruda.

'What could it be?'

"Due to the slow computation, more time is needed, but it's likely an infectious disease."

'Infectious disease.'

Indeed, the only disease that could form such lumps in the colon, other than cancer, would be an infectious disease.

"It's an infectious disease."

As expected, Seon-woo shook his head.

"Another infectious disease? Does that make sense?"

He laughed derisively, but Suhyuk didn't pay much attention.

Or rather, he didn't have the energy to.

Baruda's words continued, and they were far more informative than Seon-woo's.

"The first thing that comes to mind, given the domestic situation, is tuberculosis."

'Tuberculosis... Hmm.'

It was possible. There were still many cases of tuberculosis in South Korea.

Tuberculosis wasn't a bacteria that only affected the lungs.

When it invaded the colon, it could form a similar appearance.

"But tuberculosis can't invade the abdominal wall like this. That's a characteristic of cancer."

'You bastard, you just said it wasn't cancer?'

"It's part of the computation process. Don't worry too much."

'You're telling me not to worry after I defied a second-year?'

"Stop interfering. It's already difficult with the slow computation."

'Sigh.'

Even as Suhyuk sighed, Baruda's words continued.

"There are also necrotic lesions inside, and the enhancement of the contrast agent varies."

'Isn't that a characteristic of cancer?'

"You've learned well."

'You bastard...'

When he said it wasn't cancer, he was so confident.

But now, when asked to name another disease, he was only listing characteristics of cancer.

Feeling the intense gaze of Seon-woo, who looked ready to devour him, Suhyuk was frustrated.

Whether Baruda felt it or not was unknown.

"Also, look at the patient's pelvic area."

'Pelvic...?'

Looking down, he saw something foreign in the uterus.

"It's an intrauterine device (IUD)."

'What does that have to do with anything?'

"Given all this, you still don't know the answer? You still have a long way to go."

Baruda's tone was still full of confidence.

'What are you talking about?'

"An infectious disease that shows cancer-like characteristics on CT but is not cancer. And it's related to the IUD. At this point, you should know what it is, right? Are you carrying me on your shoulder just to store me?"

'Ah...'

Suhyuk, about to burst into anger, opened his mouth.

Suddenly, a diagnosis flashed through his mind.

"Ah."