Chapter 42: What kind of problem is this? (1)

"Ah... So, boric acid is the cause?"

Professor Ryu Jin-su nodded after listening to the surgical resident and Su-hyuk.

To be honest, he had never even heard of similar symptoms.

Being a professor of transplant surgery, it wasn't something he could easily overlook.

It was inevitable to be a specialist in one's own field and a novice in others.

"Yes, Professor. If you look at the case report, this patient also had underlying metabolic disorders, which were discovered while using boric acid."

"Hmm..."

Professor Ryu Jin-su quickly skimmed through the case report that Su-hyuk handed him.

Indeed, as Su-hyuk said, boric acid seemed to have a significant impact on the current delirium of patient Park Tae-su.

'The psychiatry department also said it wasn't a typical case of delirium.'

They had sent a very long consultation note, but upon closer reading, it was clear that they wanted to observe the patient further and didn't have much to offer.

It was essentially a useless response, but surprisingly, a first-year internal medicine resident had brought back an answer.

'It seems to be correct?'

Under normal circumstances, he would have scolded a third-year resident for taking a call from a first-year, but now, it was honestly very convincing.

Moreover, Professor Ryu Jin-su was relatively close to the residents compared to other professors.

Having been a full professor for only two years, he was still a young professor.

This made him well-informed about the rumors, including those about Su-hyuk.

'The director's son...'

Perhaps this wasn't something he did alone, but something Lee Hyun-jong told him.

One might say, "How could a cardiologist know about this?"

But that was a statement made by someone who didn't know Lee Hyun-jong.

Geniuses aren't geniuses for no reason.

Lee Hyun-jong was a genius in every sense, not just in medicine but in other fields as well.

"Then we need to change it. Thanks."

Professor Ryu Jin-su nodded and patted Su-hyuk on the shoulder.

He hoped to leave a good impression and have it conveyed to Lee Hyun-jong.

"But what medication should we use? We still need to use antifungals..."

He then turned to the surgical resident.

The surgical resident shrugged, looking confused.

"Well, I'm not sure..."

"Let's consult the infectious diseases department as soon as possible."

"Ah, yes."

Su-hyuk also listened to their conversation and thought hard.

Unfortunately, Baruda didn't have the knowledge for this either.

[Personally, I would prefer to reduce the dosage.]

'Currently, it's 500mg three times a day, so maybe half?'

[Yes, but as in the case report, changing to a completely different medication like lunazol might also be an option.]

'Not accurate enough.'

[Yes, it would be best to wait for a response from Dr. Shin Hyun-tae or another infectious diseases specialist and then update the data.]

'Right, that's better.'

After all, he wasn't working at a private clinic.

He was at Taehwa Medical Center, one of the best in the country.

If he didn't know the answer, he could always ask someone who did.

"Anyway, thanks. I feel relieved. Ah... The delirium comes and goes, so we need to be prepared."

While Su-hyuk was drawing this conclusion, Professor Ryu Jin-su seemed to have already consulted the infectious diseases department.

This was evident from his expression of gratitude.

"No, thank you, Professor. I'm glad I could help."

"Sure. If you need any consultations with the surgery department, let me know. I'll take a look right away."

"Thank you, Professor."

Su-hyuk smiled and bowed.

While university hospitals might seem to run smoothly, there are often many power struggles within.

Especially when it comes to consultations, the competition is fierce.

Moreover, busy departments like surgery often have their consultations pushed back indefinitely.

To get a promise from a professor like this was a significant achievement.

It was worth the time he spent.

'Good.'

So, Su-hyuk muttered to himself as he left the ICU.

While Baruda hadn't fully grasped the dynamics of the hospital, it knew the importance of the professors.

[That's right. By the way, I'm off tomorrow.]

It wasn't just a regular day off but a weekend off.

Moreover, he had a date planned.

'Ha Yoon, I see.'

[You keep dropping the surname?]

'It's my choice.'

[That's fine, but please use the surname in front of her.]

'Am I an idiot? Of course I will.'

[Yes, well...]

'Why shorten the words and make me feel bad?'

Su-hyuk thought this as he stood in front of the elevator.

The elevator, which had been on the first floor for quite a while, finally started to ascend.

It stopped at the third floor, right in front of where Su-hyuk was standing.

"Huh?"

"Ah, Professor. Hello."

In the elevator, it seemed, was Dr. Shin Hyun-tae, who had just finished his outpatient clinic.

Or rather, he was getting off the elevator.

He had finished his outpatient clinic and was heading straight to the ICU after checking the consultation list.

"Oh, hello. You did another one, didn't you?"

Dr. Shin Hyun-tae, instead of heading to the ICU, stopped Su-hyuk.

Su-hyuk was secretly disappointed that the elevator had already gone up, but what could he do?

He had to follow the professor.

"Yes, Professor."

"How did you know? Boric acid causing delirium is really rare."

"It was a case report I read by chance before."

"You really study hard, I like that."

"Thank you."

"Sure, sure. Do well in cardiology too. Let's have a drink together then."

"Yes, Professor. Thank you."

Dr. Shin Hyun-tae waved his hand and walked towards the ICU.

'So this is how it gets to the ears of the department head.'

[You're lucky, Su-hyuk.]

'This is making me feel too hopeful. Cardiology... Director Lee Hyun-jong isn't easy to deal with.'

[It's fine. Just briefly summarize your weekend plans with Ha Yoon and study.]

'But...'

Su-hyuk wanted to say that it wouldn't happen, but he lacked confidence.

After all, their first meeting was a disaster.

Considering that, it was a miracle they were meeting again.

To hope for things to go well was too much to ask.

Even Su-hyuk, being himself, thought so.

'Here I go.'

But despite this, Su-hyuk had gone to a barber to get a haircut and dressed properly.

In contrast, Ha Yoon was wearing black horn-rimmed glasses and a hoodie.

Ironically, Ha Yoon looked more put together.

"Hello, senior."

Ha Yoon greeted him with a bright face as always.

This time, they met at a restaurant about a station away from the hospital, not right in front of it.

"Oh, oh."

Su-hyuk waved awkwardly.

Naturally, Baruda's corrections flooded in, but he was too flustered to pay attention.

"Well, I'm sorry for last time. I was a bit surprised."

"No, I was the one who was wrong... that time. No, I'm sorry."

Su-hyuk tried to make an excuse for Baruda, but he feared it would make him look crazy.

"It's okay."

Ha Yoon waved it off and continued.

"Shall we go in? This is a place my dad and I often visit, it's really good."

Ha Yoon looked at Su-hyuk's expression for a moment before entering the restaurant.

"Long time no see?"

The chef greeted Ha Yoon warmly.

'So they really came here often.'

Su-hyuk followed her into the restaurant.

It seemed they had made a reservation, as the chef led them to a private room.

It was somewhat open, but three sides were blocked.

'Could it be?'

[Please don't think that.]

'You said to hold hands before.'

[Now, the baseline is set as Lee Su-hyuk, not Jo In-sung. That will never happen.]

'Damn it.'

Su-hyuk shook his head and sat down.

When he tried to pick up the menu, there was none.

'Huh?'

He looked at Ha Yoon, who just smiled at him.

"Here, the chef will serve the food. My dad already paid, so you can eat without worrying."

"Really? But... I should pay."

"My dad insisted. It's fine."

"Um..."

Just as he thought it might be a green light, Baruda interrupted.

[That's not likely.]

'Oh...'

Of course, he was angry at Baruda, but now wasn't the time to focus on that.

Ha Yoon was in front of him, and there was even fancy food.

"This is..."

"Mozzarella cheese fritters. It might seem greasy as an appetizer, but it's surprisingly delicious."

"Oh, really?"

It wasn't just Su-hyuk's opinion.

Baruda was going wild.

[This, this... This is on a different level!]

Su-hyuk didn't know, but a 100,000 won course meal was standard, so it was natural.

The subsequent dishes were also excellent.

No, they were more than excellent.

Slightly grilled octopus, charcoal-grilled octopus, pasta with scallops, and a perfectly cooked steak.

The food was so delicious, but as he ate, he noticed something odd about Ha Yoon.

'She seems anxious.'

[That's strange. Su-hyuk isn't the type to physically harm someone.]

'Should I ask?'

[Hmm...]

'No?'

[It should be fine.]

Still, they had a somewhat closer conversation over dinner.

So, Su-hyuk gathered his courage and asked.

"Is there something making you anxious today?"

"Oh, is it that obvious? I'm sorry."

"No, no. What's the matter?"

"Well, it's... I have a PBL assignment next week. It's really difficult..."

"Oh... PBL."

PBL.

Problem-Based Learning.

A learning method that medical professors recently favor.

It was notoriously difficult, and Su-hyuk had struggled with it too.

"Can I help? As an internal medicine resident, I might be able to assist."

"No, no. You're busy."

"Since I'm off today, anyway. What's the point of going back early if I can't rest?"

Baruda would go crazy, but he thought it would be better to help Ha Yoon if he was going to study anyway.

Ha Yoon hesitated for a moment before taking out a pad from her bag.

"This is... The director gave it to us. It's really difficult..."

"The director? Ah, then it must be. Let me see."

"Here it is."

The first page of the PBL program Ha Yoon opened read:

"A 78-year-old male patient who presented with respiratory distress that started one day ago."