Chapter 69: Second Year (1)

"I will conclude my presentation on one case of death caused by Scedosporium infected through a donor and three cases successfully treated with a combination therapy of boronate, echinocandins, and GM-CSF."

Suhyeok bowed with a more confident look than at the autumn conference.

"Of course! They say he's a genius, after all."

Lee Hyun-jong, as usual, gave Suhyeok a thumbs up for his flawless presentation.

Shin Hyun-tae, who was clapping his hands until they were red, also nodded in agreement.

"Exactly. I mean, who would believe that a first-year diagnosed this?"

"Exactly. And how well he presented it."

It was almost as if someone was reading from a script, it was so perfect.

His pronunciation and word choice were impeccable.

Even the suffixes and prefixes were meticulously calculated.

The grammar was so perfect that it felt like listening to a presidential speech.

[Well done.]

'I just read what I was told to read, that's all.'

Of course, to Suhyeok, it was just another task completed for the day.

While giving a presentation was nerve-wracking, it was nothing compared to seeing actual patients.

After all, it wasn't a matter of life and death.

Moreover, Suhyeok was in a situation where he just had to read what Baruda told him.

[People are leaving.]

Baruda looked through Suhyeok's eyes at the people leaving the lecture hall.

Unlike regular conferences, people were dressed very casually.

Those in suits were almost certainly presenters.

Most were wearing sportswear, or more accurately, ski suits.

'It's a ski conference. After listening to the morning lectures, they should hurry to go skiing.'

When you work as a professor at a university hospital, especially a large one, you hardly have any free time.

You have to attend conferences whenever you can, so it's only natural.

As a result, there was a buildup of frustration.

The ski conference was created to address this.

A conference where you study in the morning and ski in the afternoon.

There was a lot of resistance when it was first created, but now it's one of the most beloved conferences.

[It's a shame, Suhyeok.]

Baruda muttered, glancing at the members leaving and Suhyeok's legs.

His tone was genuinely regretful.

Suhyeok felt the same way, but he had already adapted to his leg injury.

Having grown up in difficult circumstances, he was quick to accept the inevitable.

'It's okay. They say the sauna here is good.'

As he slowly descended from the podium, the three musketeers of Taehwa Medical Center's internal medicine department came running up to him.

Lee Hyun-jong from cardiology, Shin Hyun-tae from infectious diseases, and Jo Tae-jin from hematology-oncology.

"Well done."

"You're a genius, as always."

"I didn't even know about that bacteria. There are many immunosuppressed patients in hematology, so I learned a lot from you."

They all praised him without hesitation.

Suhyeok bowed first to Lee Hyun-jong, who often gave him pocket money and acted as a de facto adoptive father.

"Thank you, Director."

"Yeah."

Lee Hyun-jong looked at Suhyeok with a somewhat wistful expression.

It would be really great if Suhyeok stayed in cardiology, but his leg was a major obstacle.

Cardiology involves a lot of standing and moving, whether it's performing angiography or echocardiography.

For Suhyeok, with his leg injury, it would be a nightmare.

Thus, Lee Hyun-jong couldn't strongly encourage Suhyeok to join cardiology.

"Thank you, Professor."

"Yeah, yeah."

In contrast, Shin Hyun-tae had a very warm look on his face.

First, the case presented was one he had handled.

And even with a leg injury, he could still work in infectious diseases.

Although Suhyeok hadn't clearly expressed his intentions yet, Shin Hyun-tae thought he might end up in infectious diseases.

"Thank you, Professor."

"Yeah, that's right. Our Suhyeok."

Among the three, Jo Tae-jin had the most confident look.

Although he was much younger than Lee Hyun-jong and Shin Hyun-tae.

Hematology-oncology was arguably the crown jewel of 21st-century internal medicine.

While infectious diseases, thought to be on the decline due to the end of epidemics, were making a comeback due to aging and increased cancer survival rates, and cardiology was becoming more popular due to the rapid increase in cardiovascular diseases, Jo Tae-jin still believed that hematology was the best.

"Are you coming to the sauna with us?"

The three praised Suhyeok once more and then invited him to the sauna.

[Let's not go.]

'Yeah, that's right.'

A sauna with three professors.

Even though they were close, this seemed a bit too much.

"I'm a bit tired, so I'll rest in my room."

"Oh, right. You should rest. Your room has room service, so order something if you're hungry. You don't have to come to the dinner. We'll eat separately later."

"Ah, thank you, Professor."

"Don't mention it, we're like family. Haha."

Fortunately, Lee Hyun-jong and the other professors treated Suhyeok as an exception.

So the three left Suhyeok behind and exited the lecture hall.

"Huh."

Alone, Suhyeok let out a short sigh.

As he slowly walked with his cane on the carpeted floor, he noticed someone.

In a conference where everyone was dressed casually, a group in suits stood out.

"Ah, hello! Dr. Lee Suhyeok!"

There were about four of them, and they were incredibly tense.

Suhyeok looked at them, wondering who they were, and only realized who they were after Baruda spoke.

[They are the incoming first-year residents. They start working the day after tomorrow.]

'Oh, right. Some of them were interns.'

[Don't just focus on the professors. Pay attention to those below you too.]

'When you say it like that, it makes me sound too worldly.'

[Is that not the case?]

'No, it's not.'

Suhyeok admitted that he couldn't even remember the names or faces of the interns he had supervised and looked around at the gathered first-year residents.

"Ah, yeah. Nice to meet you."

"Don't be so formal! Dr. Lee Suhyeok."

"No... Why are you so stiff? The internal medicine department isn't like that."

"We all came here out of respect for Dr. Lee Suhyeok!"

"Respect...?"

Suhyeok could pick out at least three people who looked older than him.

It wasn't a mistake or a guess; it was clear that they had to have suffered a lot to look that way.

One of them, who had just mentioned respect, was even half bald.

Frankly, it made him feel terrible every time they bowed.

"Yes, we respect you! Dr. Lee Suhyeok! We've heard you're the greatest genius since Taehwa Medical Center opened!"

"No... Where did that rumor come from... I didn't even graduate first."

"We heard you couldn't focus on your studies because you were tutoring and working part-time."

"Y-Yeah... That's true..."

It was something Suhyeok often said when he drank.

If his circumstances had been better, or if he hadn't had to work, he would have graduated first.

The scholarship from Taehwa Medical Center was generous, but you can't live on water alone.

He had to earn his living expenses.

"Exactly! We are so happy to be under Dr. Lee Suhyeok. I still remember how you diagnosed and treated patients when you were an intern."

"Y-Yeah. Um."

Suhyeok was used to being favored by professors, but this kind of attention from fellow residents was new.

His peers and seniors were usually too busy being jealous or avoiding him to show such respect.

[Why don't you buy them something? You got the card anyway.]

'Oh, should I?'

[We were taught that a cool senior is one who keeps their mouth shut and opens their wallet.]

'Where did you learn that?'

[From dramas.]

'Well... It is a good point, I guess.'

Although he was initially flustered, Baruda's timely advice helped him make a decision.

"Instead of standing here, why don't we grab something to eat? The dinner isn't mandatory anyway."

"W-Will we be eating with Dr. Lee Suhyeok?"

"Don't overreact. Why are you shaking... It's not scary."

"I was so excited! Sorry. Where should we go?"

Suhyeok sighed, looking at the junior who had stepped forward.

Leading the way without knowing where to go made him feel like he was dealing with a new intern.

'Well...'

If Baruda hadn't been there, Suhyeok would have been in the same position.

First-year residents were even harder than interns.

Especially in internal medicine, where you deal with life and death, the tension was always high.

Having a senior who had been there a year longer was almost like having a god.

"Let's go to my room. We can order room service."

"Oh... Room service... I've never had it before."

The first-year residents almost trembled at Suhyeok's suggestion.

Meanwhile, Baruda had finished analyzing the contrast between their intern days and now.

[This one is Ahn Dae-hoon. He's 27.]

'27? With that face?'

[He's had a rough time. You'd need to see his application to know more.]

'Well... 27... Younger than me... But why is he acting like this?'

[He was an intern in March. You must have made a strong impression. While other first-years were struggling, you were flying.]

'Oh...'

Thinking about it, it made sense.

"I originally wanted to do dermatology. I've always been interested in hair."

Meanwhile, Ahn Dae-hoon, looking very excited, spoke up.

Suhyeok, feeling a bit more solemn when Ahn Dae-hoon mentioned hair, responded more kindly.

"Oh, I see. You must have studied hard. If you were thinking about dermatology."

"No, no! There were no geniuses like Dr. Lee Suhyeok in my year. I came in second."

"Second? You must have been the top applicant, then?"

Unfortunately, internal medicine was becoming less popular.

Even with the training period reduced to three years, it was still the case.

The responsibility of dealing with life and death was more of a burden than a calling, and it was much harder and less financially rewarding than other specialties.

Especially compared to dermatology, which was at the top in terms of quality of life, work intensity, and financial rewards.

"But when I saw Dr. Lee Suhyeok diagnose a patient in March, I thought... Yes, a doctor should be in internal medicine. So I applied."

"Because of me... Oh my."

To give up dermatology and come to internal medicine because of him...

Suhyeok wasn't sure whether to be happy or sad.

Of course, Baruda was pleased.

[Of course, you have the qualities to become the world's best internal medicine doctor. To already have a follower...]

'Well... It's not a bad thing.'

While the professors were overly fond of Suhyeok, he had relatively weak support from the residents.

While this wasn't absolute, it could still be a hindrance.

Reputation was also important in becoming a professor.

Suhyeok smiled warmly at Ahn Dae-hoon and the other first-year residents.

'A stepping stone, indeed.'

[Don't think of people as mere tools, Suhyeok.]

'Isn't that a bit much for an AI to say?'

[Isn't it a problem that you're hearing this from an AI?]

'Oh dear.'