Chapter 62: National Treasure Talent (2)

"Brother, Hyung."

Shin Hyuntae, who had turned his head, thinking he couldn't bear to watch, hurried over.

How could he just stand by and watch his son, who had no other close brother, being made?

"Why not? You know, right?"

But Lee Hyunjong's eyes were a bit wild.

It was because of his single-minded desire not to lose their brilliant Seohyuk.

"What... what do you know, Hyung? Why are you being so scary?"

"You know. Seohyuk is my son."

"No..."

Shin Hyuntae looked around, unsure of what to say.

Professors like Woo Changyun and Park Gukjin, along with many others, had gathered.

Even those who usually didn't care about Seohyuk had gathered.

After all, it was unexpected for Lee Hyunjong, who was known to be married to his studies, to suddenly reveal a hidden child.

'Ah, fuck, what do I say about this...'

Shin Hyuntae felt his head going blank as he faced the skeptical gazes.

He had thought he had seen it all after serving as the head of the internal medicine department at Tae-hwa Medical Center for two years.

But now, it seemed there was still an air battle to face.

"Seohyuk, you can call me Dad now. I'm sorry for all this time."

Meanwhile, Lee Hyunjong had turned to Seohyuk.

He was speaking even more wildly than before.

As a result, Seohyuk looked even more troubled than Shin Hyuntae.

'What do I do? Is he serious?'

[Analysis is impossible. This is the first time for such a case.]

'He's saying... "son"?'

[Let me analyze the advantages of being Lee Hyunjong's son.]

'Hurry up!'

[Yes. It might be a bit dizzying.]

'What? Oh.'

Baruda began to maximize the computational functions Seohyuk possessed.

As glucose in his blood was forcibly consumed, Seohyuk momentarily froze.

Most of our brain functions are used for movement, and since that was halted, it caused this effect.

Fortunately, Lee Hyunjong, who was right in front of him, was well aware of Seohyuk's peculiar behavior.

'Our Seohyuk is at it again.'

Not just aware, but he even doted on it.

So, instead of being surprised, Lee Hyunjong shielded Seohyuk from others' gazes.

In a rather aggressive manner.

"Hey, let me give you a hug!"

Seohyuk, thus embraced by the extraordinary genius Lee Hyunjong, was able to complete the computation with Baruda's help.

[If you become Lee Hyunjong's son publicly, the probability of becoming a professor approaches almost 100%.]

'Sweet, right?'

[However, you will be denying your biological parents. Is that okay?]

Baruda asked a question that seemed a bit uncharacteristic for an AI.

Perhaps because, unlike other AIs, he had human senses and communicated with Seohyuk 24/7, he had become a bit different.

Seohyuk was momentarily speechless at Baruda's almost human-like words.

'My parents...'

They were people he didn't know by name or face.

He didn't even know if they were alive or dead.

'It doesn't really matter, I guess.'

But Seohyuk soon nodded.

He had lived for nearly 30 years without anyone.

Even if Lee Hyunjong was a bit strange as a father, it might be good to have one.

[Then, call him Dad.]

'Sigh.'

Of course, it wasn't easy to call the director "Dad."

But after being embraced and looked at with such warm eyes by Lee Hyunjong, his mouth opened a little.

"Ah..."

"Right, Seohyuk! My son!"

"Dad..."

"Right! Well done!"

The moment Seohyuk called him Dad, Lee Hyunjong lifted him up and spun around.

Despite being over 60, he had the health and strength of a much younger man, so Seohyuk spun like a windmill.

"Wow."

"Is this real?"

Woo Changyun and Park Gukjin, watching this, were scratching their heads.

It seemed too much like a joke.

Lee Hyunjong, who had always claimed to be married to his studies.

He even boasted about it at every academic conference, as Woo Changyun clearly remembered.

'So it was a lie?'

It turned out he had a hidden son, and it just happened to be Seohyuk.

It seemed too much like a lie, but they had just heard Seohyuk call him Dad.

Thus, their thoughts were completely turned upside down.

'Well... he's just too smart. If his dad is Lee Hyunjong... it makes a bit of sense...'

Lee Hyunjong could be the president of the best hospital in Korea and a distinguished professor at Tae-hwa Medical University because he had achieved incredible feats.

That meant he was incredibly smart.

'Besides, Seohyuk is a bit strange too, according to Professor Woo's beloved daughter Woo Hayun.'

She had said that Seohyuk could seem really strange if you looked at him the wrong way.

As Woo Changyun's thoughts began to align with the idea of Lee Hyunjong and Seohyuk being father and son, Lee Hyunjong spoke again.

He looked even more confident, which was understandable since he was now holding Seohyuk's hand firmly.

Among the gathered professors, there were probably some who couldn't remember the last time they had held their own son's hand so firmly.

"See? He's my son. So I'll take responsibility. I'll make him a professor under the best conditions."

Lee Hyunjong wasn't just any professor.

He was the president of Tae-hwa Medical Center and a distinguished professor at Tae-hwa Medical University.

If he backed someone, it would naturally be a huge advantage.

Especially if it was his son.

No one had anything to say.

"Ah, I understand..."

So, Professor Park Gukjin backed down.

Seohyuk was curious about the amount in the envelope he was holding but thought it would be crazy to ask now, so he just licked his lips.

"Um... I didn't know you had a son. He must take after his mother..."

Professor Woo Changyun also disappeared after saying this.

With the two main actors gone, there was no reason for anyone else to stay.

Soon, only Lee Hyunjong, Seohyuk, and Shin Hyuntae, who still couldn't close his mouth, were left in front of the lecture hall.

"Brother..."

Shin Hyuntae approached Lee Hyunjong with a face that said, "Did you really have to go that far?"

Lee Hyunjong, still holding Seohyuk's hand tightly, replied.

"He's my son now. Understand that."

"But... what about your reputation... If you have a hidden son... The board might not like it..."

It could be seen as a moral flaw.

They probably wouldn't take away his position as president now, but it could certainly cause some gossip.

"Is reputation important? The advancement of medicine is important. Don't you know what kind of person he is?"

Of course, Lee Hyunjong looked like he didn't care about such things.

It was because of how Seohyuk had performed while working with him in the cardiology department.

Not just the cases in the paper he had recently published, but in all other cases, Seohyuk had shown exceptional talent.

In fact, it was so exceptional that the word "outstanding" felt inadequate.

Especially considering Seohyuk was only in his first year.

"Of course... he is exceptional."

Shin Hyuntae, who fully recognized Seohyuk's abilities, had no intention of arguing with Lee Hyunjong.

"Then, understand that. Let's eat. Seohyuk, are you hungry?"

"Um... yes. But... what should I call you?"

Seohyuk nodded and then suddenly asked.

He had called him Dad in the heat of the moment, but it felt strange to keep doing so.

"Hmm? Call me whatever you're comfortable with. I'm fine with Dad. I want to think of you as a real son now."

"Ah... then... I'll call you President for now."

"Sure, sure."

Lee Hyunjong smiled and walked forward with Seohyuk.

"Come on, let's go together."

Shin Hyuntae, who had planned to eat the lunch provided by the conference, followed them.

They headed to a Korean restaurant on the second floor of the hotel.

It wasn't a five-star hotel, but it was still a hotel, and it had a rather impressive exterior.

[Wow...]

'Why are you surprised?'

Seohyuk asked Baruda, who was expressing something like surprise.

Baruda replied in a slightly scolding tone.

[Seohyuk, you've never taken me to a place like this.]

'You're a resident. Residents don't go to hotel restaurants.'

[Will you take me when you become a professor?]

'Yes, so let's work hard to become the best doctor in the world.'

[I will. I'll do my best.]

He reaffirmed his full support for Seohyuk.

The motivation might be a bit strange, but it was a good thing for Seohyuk.

Of course, it wasn't just Baruda who was supporting him.

"Have some galbi-jjim. Galbi-jjim."

"Brother, are you really going to make Seohyuk a professor as soon as we get back?"

Shin Hyuntae asked, and Lee Hyunjong, who was serving Seohyuk galbi-jjim, nodded vigorously.

"Yes, I am. Can't you see Park Gukjin's face earlier?"

"I saw it. He came with a purpose."

"At that moment, my student... no, that bastard, took away my research center and made it much bigger, didn't you know?"

"It was huge. I really liked that guy too..."

"He took it for 10 billion. Anyway, I can't stand to see that again. Seohyuk needs to get the professor position first."

Lee Hyunjong, still fuming, scattered pieces of galbi-jjim in Shin Hyuntae's direction.

Shin Hyuntae skillfully dodged and trailed off.

"The board might not like it..."

"He doesn't know Seohyuk's abilities! He's better than most specialists right now."

"Why are you angry at me... I'm on your side. On your side."

"But why are you arguing?"

"No... I'm not. I'll help too."

"Help? Your words sound a bit hesitant. It's about making my nephew a professor."

Shin Hyuntae tilted his head at Lee Hyunjong's words.

"Nephew?"

Lee Hyunjong pointed at Seohyuk with his chin.

"Ah, son... right. I understand."

"Okay, let's put our hands together. Operation Make Seohyuk a Professor is starting."

"Operation...?"

"Are you not putting your hand out?"

"Okay, okay."

"Seohyuk, put your hand out too."

"Ah, yes."

After a high-five, Lee Hyunjong resumed eating.

From Seohyuk's perspective, this was a great opportunity.

The president and the head of internal medicine were going to do their best to make him a professor.

"Ah, yes. I'm Seohyuk, a first-year resident in internal medicine."

Of course, he was still a resident.

He had to take a night shift right after returning from the conference.

"Yes, sir! I'm calling because we have a fever patient!"

"Fever? What are you doing now?"

"Yes. The patient is on immunosuppressants, so I called you immediately."

Fever in a patient on immunosuppressants.

This meant there were many more conditions to consider compared to a regular person.

"I understand. I'm on my way."