Chapter 59 Announcement (2)

[Suhyuk, this is already the fifth person.]

In addition to Woo Chang-yun and Park Guk-jin, quite a few people had invited Suhyuk to have a meal.

They were all renowned professors from large hospitals, and they held considerable influence within their institutions.

For such figures to show interest...

For Suhyuk, who had only been in his first year for a little over a year, it was somewhat bewildering.

‘No... What am I...’

[The only input-output person of Baruda. You can be proud, Suhyuk.]

‘Isn’t that just your boasting?’

[I believe it’s worth boasting about.]

‘Yeah...’

Why were the people around him, like Lee Hyun-jong and Baruda, all so boastful?

Suhyuk shook his head with a low sigh.

‘Ah, I’m in charge of the guidance here.’

Then he suddenly remembered that he was in charge of guiding the largest lecture hall, the Grand Ballroom.

Looking around, he found, as expected, that things were quite chaotic.

Yoo Ji-sang, who was almost solely responsible for the guidance, was running around frantically.

However, even though the lecture had started, there were still too many people outside.

It was because the announcements hadn’t been made properly.

‘Oh dear. Even now...’

Just as Suhyuk was about to help with the guidance by leaning on his cane, someone grabbed his shoulder.

Turning around, he saw Shin Hyun-tae.

“Ah, Director.”

“Our Suhyuk. You have a presentation later, right?”

“Ah, yes, that’s right.”

“Then what are you doing here? You need to go in and find a seat. Come on, I’ll link arms with you; presenters usually sit at the front.”

“Uh...”

Suhyuk started to be dragged along by Director Shin Hyun-tae.

Shin Hyun-tae was unusually well-built for an internist, and Suhyuk, with his leg injury, had no choice but to follow.

Of course, that didn’t mean he had to keep his mouth shut.

“Director, sir.”

“What is it?”

“I’m in charge of the guidance here. I can’t leave my post just yet...”

“Huh? Guidance? Why would a presenter do that? After the presentation, sure. Who asked you to do it?”

Suhyuk hesitated for a moment.

It seemed like he would end up tattling.

‘He’s just too nosy...’

He just wanted to quietly finish his guidance and then go in.

But he quickly realized that this was impossible.

The Grand Ballroom was like a social hall.

With Suhyuk, a hot figure, standing at the front, it was normal for him to catch someone’s eye.

“Is it hard to answer? Well, I guess it is. You’re just too kind...”

Shin Hyun-tae made a hasty conclusion about Suhyuk’s dilemma.

He decided that Suhyuk, being too kind, had been taken advantage of by the senior residents.

While this was a biased view, it was hard for anyone to disagree, given Shin Hyun-tae’s position.

He was the top internist in the department, second only to Lee Hyun-jong.

Moreover, even Lee Hyun-jong usually deferred to Shin Hyun-tae on departmental matters, making him almost a king.

“I’ll have to scold them at the banquet later. Anyway, let’s go in, Suhyuk. Since everyone here is a doctor, they don’t really need guidance. They’ll come in if they want to listen.”

“Uh...”

“Come on, the presentation is the most important thing. You know that, right? Director Lee Hyun-jong is already inside. He’s probably sitting in the front row.”

“Ah, yes, I understand, Professor.”

Although Suhyuk had been pretending to struggle to move, he immediately followed Shin Hyun-tae inside when Lee Hyun-jong’s name was mentioned.

It was clear who he needed to impress between Hwang Seon-woo and Lee Hyun-jong.

Frankly, Hwang Seon-woo might have been fine to ignore.

Suhyuk was now a talent that most professors were eyeing.

But what if he fell out of favor with Lee Hyun-jong?

His hospital life would undoubtedly become difficult.

Tap.

Tap.

So, Suhyuk hurriedly made his way to the front row with his cane.

“What’s wrong? Is your leg hurt?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen him before. He must be a resident from another place.”

“Ah... Be quiet. Move faster.”

“Exactly.”

Complaints came from those who didn’t know Suhyuk.

If they had known he had a serious leg injury, they might have been more understanding.

But most of them couldn’t even imagine that.

They had little experience working with colleagues who had physical disabilities, especially in a hospital setting.

After all, the workload for doctors, particularly in university hospitals, was enormous.

It was a sad but inevitable fact.

[We need to fix this soon.]

‘Is there a way?’

[It’s still difficult, but haven’t you confirmed that research on nerve regeneration is active?]

‘That’s true, but...’

Indeed, recent leading research showed that studies on nerves were very active.

Though not as much as during the peak of stem cell research.

[If all else fails, we can consider using robots.]

‘That’s an option. Ah, we’re here.’

Even though Suhyuk was generally innocent and cheerful,

he wouldn’t feel good if someone commented on his disability.

He was so distracted that he didn’t even realize he had reached the front.

“Are you that eager to see the presentation? But sit down, Suhyuk.”

“Ah, yes.”

Of course, Shin Hyun-tae found Suhyuk’s eagerness to be endearing.

He assumed Suhyuk was just excited about the presentation.

The same went for Jo Tae-jin, who was behind him.

“Oh, Suhyuk. I’m sorry. I need to check on something too.”

“Ah, no, it’s fine, Professors...”

Moreover, as Suhyuk’s name spread, other professors showed great interest.

“Is this Suhyuk? Let me see his face.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you. Director Lee Hyun-jong speaks so highly of you... I was curious about what kind of person you are. Nice to meet you.”

“You look impressive.”

“I’m looking forward to your presentation.”

Everyone had heard of Suhyuk’s name.

Given how active Lee Hyun-jong and Shin Hyun-tae were in the society and how they always boasted about him, it was natural.

“Thank you, Professors...”

Suhyuk was deeply honored.

The commotion continued for a while until a call came to the professor chairing the session.

“Quiet, please.”

“Ah, right. The presentation is starting. Sorry, yes.”

Finally, Suhyuk could turn around.

He then made eye contact with the chair, whose expression wasn’t very pleasant.

It was clear that the chair knew Suhyuk was the cause of the commotion.

‘Sigh...’

[Don’t worry. Your presentation will be perfect.]

‘Yeah... that’s true.’

While it wasn’t a good thing to start off on the wrong foot with the chair,

Suhyuk was confident enough that it wouldn’t be a problem.

“Do you not need to see anything else?”

Seeing Suhyuk just sitting with a faint smile, Shin Hyun-tae asked, worried despite knowing he had prepared well.

[Let’s do a bit of genius cosplay.]

Baruda, reading Shin Hyun-tae’s expression, spoke in a mischievous tone.

Suhyuk thought for a moment and then nodded.

Since he was already building a genius image,

it would be better to solidify it further.

“I’m seeing it in my mind.”

So, Suhyuk tapped his forehead and smiled.

[Do you really need to go this far?]

Baruda thought it was a bit much,

but Shin Hyun-tae, who was completely smitten, didn’t think so.

The same went for Jo Tae-jin behind him.

“Wow... I can’t even imagine that.”

“Can you just visualize everything in your mind? The screen?”

“Yes, I’m even calculating the exact timing.”

“Wow... I’m so envious. I wish I had a brain like that.”

“Exactly. Wow... being a genius must be great.”

“No, not really.”

Seeing the two professors, who he once thought were beyond his reach, admiring him, Suhyuk felt a bit strange.

[Why not? Since you’ve started, why not recite your paper word for word? It would be quite a shock.]

‘No... let’s not go that far.’

[You’re doing well.]

‘The reaction seems a bit off.’

[Oh, it’s time to prepare.]

‘Is it time already?’

[Yes, you should go out soon.]

Looking ahead, the previous speaker was indeed coming down.

Unlike Suhyuk, this was a much older person.

It was natural, given that this was the Grand Ballroom, the main lecture hall.

It wasn’t a small lecture room in a corner with only presenters.

“The next presenter is from Tae-hwa Medical Center... Ah, an internal medicine resident... in your first year, right?”

The chair seemed a bit flustered.

The information must have been provided in advance,

but how many senior professors would have bothered to check?

Especially the current chair, who was almost a senior and about to retire.

“Yes, Professor Kim Gyeong-rae.”

He was so old that even Lee Hyun-jong had to raise his hand and answer politely.

“Why did you schedule a first-year resident’s presentation in the Grand Ballroom?”

Professor Kim Gyeong-rae finally realized and frowned.

Then, Professor Woo Chang-yun, who was sitting near Lee Hyun-jong and was the academic director of the society, quickly stood up.

“Ah, yes, Professor. If you look at the title... The topic is very good.”

“Even if it’s good, why did you assign me to chair a first-year resident’s presentation?”

“Well... the schedule is set... so we should proceed...”

“Alright, alright. Ah... yes. Um.”

Professor Kim Gyeong-rae was still unhappy but didn’t forget his duty.

No matter how senior he was, he couldn’t keep the hundreds of society members waiting.

“So, the next presenter is Dr. Lee Suhyuk, a first-year resident from Tae-hwa Medical Center. Please come up.”

“Yes, Professor.”

Thus, Suhyuk, who had been waiting, finally stepped forward with his cane.

Normally, a first-year resident wouldn’t elicit much reaction,

but this time it was different.

Shin Hyun-tae and Jo Tae-jin were vying to support Suhyuk,

making it look like they were guarding a king.

“What’s going on? Why is a first-year resident getting such treatment? Is Tae-hwa Medical Center’s internal medicine department in trouble?”

“Strange...”

Amid the murmurs of the members, Suhyuk managed to reach the podium.

The two professors gave him a thumbs-up and went back to their seats.

“Hello, I’m Lee Suhyuk.”

Suhyuk glanced at them and then looked ahead,

greeting the audience with a calm and composed voice.

It was hard to believe he was a first-year resident.

Professor Kim Gyeong-rae, who had been skeptical, adjusted his glasses, impressed.

‘What’s this?’

Suhyuk turned to the next slide, ignoring Professor Kim.

<Confirmation of a New Coronary Artery Anatomical Variation>

A somewhat arrogant title appeared.

Suhyuk looked at it with confident eyes and then turned back to the audience.

A title that seemed arrogant, but he had good reason to think so.

‘The lecture you’re about to hear will be something you need to memorize word for word.’