Chapter 33: Here Too (2)

[Are you crazy?]

Baruda, the ultimate AI that constantly learns and evolves through deep learning, thought about Suhyuk's statement.

He must be crazy.

Otherwise, how could an ordinary human, let alone Suhyuk, who is still quite immature, claim to know the answer before me?

However, Suhyuk had a more confident expression than anyone else at the moment.

"Bro, let's give him a sedative first."

"Sedative? Even if we give it to him, it will only be temporary... and the effect will be limited."

"I think I know the cause. But we can't examine the patient if he's acting out."

"Really?"

Oh Jin-seung immediately looked skeptical.

It was true that various rumors about Suhyuk had been circulating lately.

Most of them were absurd, like him being the hidden child of Director Lee Hyun-jong.

But it was also said that he was the greatest genius since the opening of Tae-hwa Medical Center.

Of course, to Jin-seung, who had known Suhyuk for quite some time, these rumors seemed rather absurd.

'Has he really hit his head and become a genius?'

According to Professor Choi Nak-pil, the head of the neurosurgery department, it was true that in extremely rare cases, brain injuries could lead to improved performance.

And it seemed that this had happened to Suhyuk.

'No matter what... there's nothing to be gained by holding onto the patient in this situation.'

It was a genuinely frightening situation.

During the interview, he would have seizures.

During the seizures, he would lose consciousness.

When he woke up, he would seem fine.

This bizarre cycle was repeating itself.

Jin-seung had no idea how to break this cycle and lacked confidence.

"Alright. I'll give it to him."

So, he decided to inject a sedative into the patient's abdomen.

The administration was quick.

The patient was lying on the floor, having a seizure.

There was no need for any restraint.

"Is his breathing okay?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. It's not that kind of drug. He should be fine for about 20 to 30 minutes."

"Got it. Let's do a CT scan then."

"CT scan?"

Doubt flashed across Jin-seung's face again.

A CT scan was something the patient had already had done at least ten times.

Was it just a CT scan?

He had also had multiple brain MRIs.

And now, another one?

It didn't seem like there was any brilliant solution.

[So, what are you thinking? Suhyuk?]

Baruda, seemingly sharing Jin-seung's thoughts, responded with a skeptical tone.

Despite this, Suhyuk still looked confident.

"It's not the head, bro."

"Huh? Not the head?"

With the patient having a seizure, not examining the head seemed odd.

The doubt on Jin-seung's face deepened.

Baruda had a similar reaction.

[Are you really crazy?]

'Shut up, you. Just watch.'

[I will watch. I can't stop you anyway.]

On the other hand, Suhyuk was almost delighted by Baruda's skepticism.

He was eager to prove himself.

Thanks to this, he responded to Jin-seung with a rather sinister smile.

"Right, bro. I'm going to scan the abdomen."

"Abdomen... You..."

A seizure, and now an abdominal scan?

Moreover, with that strange expression?

Jin-seung recalled another rumor about Suhyuk.

It was mainly spread by Kim Jin-yong and Hwang Seon-woo.

'They say he's crazy...'

According to them, all the amazing diagnoses Suhyuk had made so far were just coincidences, and he was actually crazy.

At first, this rumor gained some traction.

After all, when someone exceptionally talented appears, especially if they were originally just an ordinary person, they tend to be disliked.

However, as Suhyuk continued to make successful diagnoses and treatments, the rumor was gradually dying down.

"Anyway, I'll write the prescription and go for the scan. We don't have much time."

"Huh? Oh... right. Intern... go with him."

"Got it, bro."

While Jin-seung was lost in thought, Suhyuk pulled the patient's bed out.

All the beds in the emergency room, and in the hospital, were designed for easy transport, so it wasn't too difficult.

"Sir, I'll pull it."

"Ah, thanks."

Of course, it wasn't easy for Suhyuk, who had a leg injury.

Fortunately, the intern was a first-year, so he didn't have to pull the bed all the way.

Tap.

Tap.

As Suhyuk followed the patient's bed with his cane, Baruda spoke up.

[Abdomen? Why an abdominal CT scan?]

'You said it yourself, didn't you? Can't you feel anything strange?'

[Feel? Do you mean tactile sensation?]

'No. You... um... yeah, intuition. Do you have that? A gut feeling.'

It might sound a bit strange, but among doctors, saying "He has a good gut feeling" was a tremendous compliment.

It was said about someone who, despite average test scores, had exceptional diagnostic skills.

Naturally, Baruda didn't understand this concept.

[Are you really crazy? Maybe there's a case of successful implantation of a foreign object in the brain. This seems like a lost cause.]

'Shut up. As soon as the images are taken, you'll be amazed by my greatness.'

[Please... Is there any competent neurosurgeon around?]

'Shut up.'

After muttering this, Suhyuk entered the radiology room.

Under normal circumstances, he would have helped the technician position the patient, but with his leg injury, it wasn't practical.

It would be fortunate if he didn't fall.

Squeak.

Soon, the technician, leaving the intern behind, returned.

The monitor showed the intern and the patient side by side.

"Abdomen... with contrast, right?"

The technician, after looking at the monitor for a moment, asked Suhyuk.

Suhyuk, holding his cane, nodded.

"Yes, before and after."

"Got it. I'll start the scan."

"Okay."

The technician then grabbed the microphone, asked the intern to hold the patient, and pressed the button to start the scan.

Whirr.

The CT machine, after a brief warm-up, began to operate.

Compared to an MRI, it was incredibly fast.

The images were transmitted one by one to the computer in the radiology room.

Although the information was limited before the contrast agent was administered, Suhyuk stared intently at the screen.

[Will that make anything appear?]

In contrast, Baruda was indifferent.

He was confident that the abdominal CT would show nothing.

[Hmm?]

'See?'

However, as the images accumulated, Baruda's reaction began to change.

[This... What is it?]

There was a round mass.

In the abdomen, specifically in the pancreas.

[Cancer? Did you know this before the scan?]

'Cancer? You're talking about cancer. Have you ever seen cancer that looks this round and pretty? It's not a metastasis either.'

[Well... the data suggests a low probability of cancer. Then... what is it?]

'Let's wait until the contrast agent is fully administered before we talk.'

[Wow...]

Baruda let out a sigh.

Meanwhile, Suhyuk continued to stare at the screen.

His face was filled with a smile, which was entirely justified.

The lesion he had anticipated was confirmed on the CT scan.

'As expected, hypoglycemia... This is the key.'

[Not the seizures?]

'Right. Ah, the contrast agent is being administered now.'

Suhyuk turned his head to watch the contrast agent being injected into the patient's veins.

The risk of adverse reactions to the contrast agent is about 0.3 per 100,000 people, but it is not negligible.

Especially in university hospitals, deaths due to contrast agents are not uncommon.

This is because patients in university hospitals are generally in worse condition than the general population.

In this patient's case, he was relatively young, but caution was still necessary.

Swoosh.

Fortunately, there were no adverse reactions, and the scan continued.

Images with the blood vessels highlighted began to be transmitted.

This indicated that the contrast enhancement was working properly.

[It's really bright?]

As Baruda said, the small mass found in the head of the pancreas was now extremely bright.

This meant it was a tumor with a high blood supply.

It also indicated a place where energy was being consumed very actively.

'Right. What kind of tumor primarily occurs in the head of the pancreas and looks like this on a CT scan?'

[Hold on... I need to analyze this.]

'Tap tap.'

[I won't do that again. I'm sorry.]

'Tap tap.'

Suhyuk nodded with a very satisfied look and left the room.

The scan was already complete.

"Good job, Intern."

He patted the shoulder of Intern No Young-tae, who was taking off his protective gown, and returned to the treatment room with the patient.

Jin-seung, who had been anxiously waiting, rushed over and asked.

"Did... did you get anything?"

"Yes, I did."

"Really?"

"Yes, bro. I'll give you a notification."

"Oh... right. Jin-yong? He'll be furious."

Kim Jin-yong's bad reputation wasn't limited to the internal medicine department.

He was even more disliked in other departments.

Whenever a consultation was requested, he would get angry, regardless of whether it was justified.

So, Jin-seung, shaking his head as if he didn't want to hear his voice, left the treatment room.

Meanwhile, Suhyuk took a deep breath and picked up his phone.

"Phew."

He then called Kim Jin-yong.

Since Jin-yong was on call outside the hospital, he should have answered immediately.

But Jin-yong, being the person he was, didn't.

It took three calls before he answered, and even then, he sounded very displeased.

"What?"

At least it was Suhyuk.

If it had been another first-year, he would have been scolded first.

For calling on a weekend.

"Sir, it's Suhyuk. I have a patient to notify you about."

"An endocrinology patient? We rarely admit patients to the ER."

That was true.

But it wasn't impossible.

This was Tae-hwa Medical Center, after all.

"Yes, an endocrinology patient."

"Ha... tell me."

"The patient is a 35-year-old male who has been experiencing continuous seizures and convulsions for a few months..."

"Hey, is this an endocrinology case?"

"Yes."

"But what about the seizures and convulsions? If it's not you... he'll die."

Unlike other residents, Jin-yong didn't hesitate to say "die."

He knew from his information gathering that Suhyuk was nothing special.

Just smart.

Nothing more.

Jin-yong wasn't the kind of person to be kind to someone like that.

He might even step on them.

"Keep going... no, no. Just give me the diagnosis first. What is it? Why is it an endocrinology case?"

"Yes. The patient's diagnosis is..."

[Insulinoma! Insulinoma! Hypoglycemia continues! Other symptoms disappear! Only neurological symptoms remain!]