Chapter 12: Can You Also Take a Good Shift? (3)

"Actinomycosis..."

Thanks to Baruda, Suhyuk, who had accumulated a considerable amount of knowledge, spat out a strange disease name.

It was a disease name he had never known before he met Baruda.

[Correct. Actinomycosis. It's rewarding.]

At the same time, Baruda said the Korean name of the same disease with a pleased tone.

Second-year Hwang Seon-woo frowned deeply.

'What kind of disease is this... Actin... what?'

After all, it was only March, and he had just become a second-year a few weeks ago.

Being a first-year in Internal Medicine meant that the given tasks alone were already overwhelming.

Therefore, it was difficult to accumulate a vast amount of knowledge unless one was exceptionally diligent or exceptionally smart.

Unfortunately, Hwang Seon-woo did not fit either category.

He had barely managed to survive each day to become a second-year.

Thus, he had only accumulated the knowledge necessary to become a second-year.

'Ah... this guy... If it were someone else, I would just yell at him to get lost.'

Hwang Seon-woo looked back at Suhyuk with a very troubled expression.

'This guy is the chief and the head of the department... Ah...'

He wasn't the type to have lingering feelings for professors.

He was desperate to leave as soon as he got his specialist certification.

To him, Tae-hwa Medical Center felt more like a prison than an educational institution.

However, that didn't mean he could afford to have a falling out with the professors.

If he did, the remaining two years would undoubtedly be miserable.

Moreover, they could hinder his job search when he left, rather than help.

While professors might not be able to help find a job, they certainly had the power to hinder.

'But how can I notify about something I don't know?'

He didn't know what Actinomycosis was, but he knew it referred to some kind of infection.

'Mycosis' referred to a fungal infection.

So, the 'Actino' prefix likely referred to a type of fungus.

This meant that the person he needed to notify was Professor Shin Hyun-tae, the current head of the Internal Medicine department and an infectious disease specialist.

"Um..."

After a while, Suhyuk spoke again, looking very cautious, which made him even more annoying.

There was no way to touch him even if he wasn't being careful.

'Why isn't he kicking me?'

On the other hand, Suhyuk was trembling.

He was about to speak, gathering all his courage.

"Why?"

"That... Professor Shin Hyun-tae."

"Ah, the head of the department. Why?"

Hwang Seon-woo thought this guy was finally going to reveal their close relationship.

'So, he's going to tell me not to touch him? Well, I'd rather he did. That would be refreshing.'

While having petty thoughts, Suhyuk continued.

"He said to notify him directly. It's related to infectious diseases."

"Huh?"

Hwang Seon-woo thought Suhyuk might be more royal than he imagined.

A professor receiving a notification from a first-year?

And that too in March?

At this point, most of what came out of his mouth was nonsense.

This was an insane situation.

'What, is he some hidden genius or something?'

For a moment, deep-seated inferiority welled up from the bottom of his heart.

But then he thought it might be for the best.

After all, he could now pass this difficult, perhaps insane, notification to Suhyuk.

"Really?"

"Yes, sir."

"Hmm."

Suhyuk looked at Hwang Seon-woo, who was pretending to be troubled.

After all, he had done various part-time jobs and tutoring in different households since his school days.

It was all about putting on a show.

"Sir, you're currently seeing patients in the ICU, right? Can I call you?"

It was a statement that scratched the right spot.

Hwang Seon-woo nodded, trying not to show his joy too much.

"Y-Yeah... Sure, do that."

"Yes, sir. Thank you."

Suhyuk, who had nothing to be grateful for, said "thank you" out of habit and picked up the phone.

Buzz.

Soon, the phone in the back pocket of Professor Shin Hyun-tae, who had just finished the 9th hole and entered the clubhouse, started ringing.

"Hey, you're supposed to turn off your phone when you're playing golf."

The director, who confirmed this, scolded him.

Fortunately, they were in the clubhouse.

If the phone had vibrated while he was about to hit a driver, it would have been a disaster.

There was no worse breach of etiquette.

"How can a university hospital doctor turn off their phone? Besides, I'm on external duty today."

"External duty? On the day you have a golf appointment with the director, you're on external duty?"

"Director, I'm here as a senior and junior. Isn't that right, Professor Kim?"

Professor Shin Hyun-tae, jokingly, looked at Professor Kim Jin-sil standing next to him.

She had just become a full-time professor in the Abdominal Imaging Department at Tae-hwa Medical Center this year and nodded with a slightly flustered expression.

While Professor Shin Hyun-tae might see Director Lee Hyun-jong as just a senior,

to the still young Professor Kim Jin-sil, he was like a god.

Fortunately, Professor Shin Hyun-tae was a perceptive person.

"Ah? It's Suhyuk?"

By answering the call, he diverted his attention from Professor Kim Jin-sil.

"Suhyuk? This guy is calling during golf?"

Naturally, Director Lee Hyun-jong reacted with a start at the name Suhyuk.

He pressed the phone to his ear, worried that Suhyuk might be causing trouble.

"Professor, this is first-year Suhyuk. I'm calling about a patient who came to the emergency room. Is it okay to talk?"

But the voice on the other end of the line was soft, and the tone was extremely polite.

It was hard to see him as a lunatic.

"Ah, sure. Anyway... I have about 30 minutes before I do anything. We're taking a break, right?"

Professor Shin Hyun-tae sat down in an empty seat pointed out by the caddy and looked around.

Since Professor Kim Jin-sil had no choice, she only needed the director's permission.

"Sure, do as you please. I came out without breakfast, so I'm hungry anyway."

The director nodded roughly and started flipping through the menu.

"Go ahead, talk."

So, Professor Shin Hyun-tae, with a more relaxed face, allowed Suhyuk to notify him.

Suhyuk cleared his throat and began the notification.

"Yes, Professor. A 45-year-old female patient has been experiencing continuous abdominal distension and a 10kg weight loss for the past month. She was referred to our emergency room after a lump was found near the right colon (ascending colon) during an examination at another hospital."

"Hmm... weight loss and a lump near the colon?"

Immediately, Professor Shin Hyun-tae's face showed confusion.

At the same time, a certain confidence spread across Director Lee Hyun-jong's face.

"See, he's a lunatic, right? Why is he notifying you about a cancer patient?"

Of course, the director's voice didn't reach Suhyuk.

Thanks to this, Suhyuk could continue with what he wanted to say.

"Yes, Professor. On the CT scan, about five 5cm-long threads are observed near the IC valve (ileocecal valve: the connection between the small intestine and the large intestine). All the threads are fused."

"Colon cancer... right?"

Professor Shin Hyun-tae, still hoping Suhyuk was a genius, asked cautiously.

Suhyuk, as if waiting for that exact question, quickly replied.

"There are no signs of bowel obstruction, and the patient reports constipation but not complete inability to defecate."

"Hmm... fused threads over 5cm without obstruction?"

Finally, Professor Shin Hyun-tae held the phone with a somewhat relieved expression.

The director, who had been waiting for food with a bored look, felt the same way.

"Yes, Professor. If it were colon cancer, there would definitely be obstruction at this size."

"Hmm. What do you suspect, Suhyuk?"

With a crisp tone, Professor Shin Hyun-tae called Suhyuk by a name that would make other third-years gag.

"Our Suhyuk?"

Anyone would think this guy was crazy.

The director thought so too.

"Are you crazy?"

But Professor Shin Hyun-tae only smiled faintly and waited for Suhyuk's response.

He even switched the call to speakerphone.

"Let's hear it. This is on speaker, so don't make a mistake."

"Ah."

Unaware that the call had been switched to speaker, Suhyuk continued his notification in his usual clear tone.

"On the CT scan, the margins of the threads are irregular, and some have invaded the abdominal wall. Contrast enhancement also shows various patterns, and the threads are fused."

These findings could be indicative of cancer.

"However, there is no obstruction. Another notable point is that an intrauterine device (IUD) is inserted."

Intrauterine device.

Also known as IUD.

It is known as one of the safer contraceptive methods, but it is not without complications.

The experienced internal medicine doctors, Professor Shin Hyun-tae and Director Lee Hyun-jong, and the rising star in the abdominal imaging department, Professor Kim Jin-sil, could think of a specific disease after hearing this.

And the diagnosis was exactly what Suhyuk had mentioned.

"Based on these findings, Actinomycosis can be suspected."

"Wow..."

The director, surprised, forgot that it was on speaker and let out a sigh.

How many first-years, or even third-years, could diagnose Actinomycosis?

'There probably aren't any...'

Then, is he really a genius?

While the professor was completely taken in and smiling broadly,

this was the director, the head of Tae-hwa University Medical School, one of the most prestigious in Korea.

"Send the images. Send the images."

Suhyuk couldn't let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity pass.

Surprised by the unfamiliar voice, Suhyuk asked back.

"Who is this?"

"It's the director, the director. Send the CT images of the IC valve area you just mentioned."

"Ah, yes, Professor."

Appealing to the professor alone would be a big deal.

Moreover, with the director right there, it would be a double win.

Suhyuk, trying to control his pounding heart, took the pictures.

[221 and 223 cuts would be appropriate.]

Of course, he followed Baruda's advice.

The images, sent by the director, were immediately shown to Professor Kim Jin-sil.

"How about it, does it match?"

Professor Kim Jin-sil frowned for a moment, then nodded.

She looked quite surprised, as if she was having trouble speaking. She seemed to be carefully organizing the information in her head.

"Based on this information... Actinomycosis is the most plausible. Is this guy really a first-year? This... I would believe he's a fourth-year in radiology."