Chapter 76: Dyspnea (6)

After listening to Baruda, it was indeed clear that both Shin Hyuntae and Lee Hyunjong looked quite anxious.

The patient's condition wasn't just poor; it was bad enough to require ECMO.

In the past, this would have meant the patient was dead.

So, Suhyuk didn't waste any more time and spoke up immediately.

Of course, it was according to the plan Baruda had devised.

"No. We need to add him to the heart transplant waiting list immediately. While there's a possibility that he might not need a transplant, if his heart function doesn't recover in two weeks, we must assume permanent damage and proceed with the transplant."

"Transplant waiting list..."

Shin Hyuntae seemed shocked and leaned on a nearby table.

He looked as if his legs were about to give out.

In contrast, Lee Hyunjong, who had anticipated this to some extent, wasn't as surprised.

"Hmm. Okay. Let's add him. Since we're using ECMO, there's no reason not to."

"Yes. If his condition improves, we can always cancel it."

"Right. Good. Then... let's start with ECMO... Ah... this might be a long-term thing."

Lee Hyunjong pulled a chair from the side and sat down, waiting for the thoracic surgeon he had just called, even though it was Saturday morning and not regular working hours.

After all, the patient's condition, which he had taken charge of, was deteriorating.

So, it was better to stay until the situation was under control.

Not only Lee Hyunjong, but Shin Hyuntae also took a seat next to him.

"Sit down, too. By the way, Suhyuk, who is that person behind you?"

Only after leaning back did Lee Hyunjong notice Andae-hoon and asked Suhyuk.

Indeed, there was a young boy who couldn't sit still while the adults were talking.

He had an internal medicine doctor's badge on his chest.

"Yes, Director! This is Andae-hoon, who just started his first year."

At this, Andae-hoon stood up straight and greeted him.

Lee Hyunjong, who wasn't the type to be easily impressed, remained indifferent.

"Why are you here? First-year residents don't usually handle critical patients, right?"

"Ah... I'm the attending physician for this patient. Dr. Lee Suhyuk is supervising me."

"Right. Suhyuk, you're not a patient, are you?"

Lee Hyunjong, who had no interest in the first-year resident, turned to Suhyuk.

Suhyuk, used to this kind of conversation, wasn't flustered.

"Yes. I'm supervising him."

"Andae-hoon is lucky. Being supervised by Suhyuk is just like being supervised by a professor."

"Ah, no. I still have a long way to go."

"Long way? If you have a long way to go, we all do. Anyway, Andae-hoon?"

Lee Hyunjong, whose mood seemed to improve just by looking at Suhyuk, chuckled and looked at Andae-hoon again.

"Yes!"

"Consider it an honor to be under Suhyuk."

"I, I joined the internal medicine department to become like Dr. Lee Suhyuk! I really, really consider it an honor!"

He was always so energetic.

It felt like he had joined the military rather than a hospital.

Lee Hyunjong, who had been listening to his voice, tilted his head.

"Huh? Oh, you're Andae-hoon?"

"Yes!"

"Ah... You're that guy... who asked to start a fan club for Suhyuk as an internal hospital club."

"Yes!"

"Of course, you know it's not possible, right? Clubs need to be for something like hiking, tennis, or wine, something that fosters camaraderie. The board said it's not allowed."

"Yes!"

Lee Hyunjong, seeing Andae-hoon's spirited attitude, shook his head.

'A fan club...'

He thought Andae-hoon might be crazy.

Suhyuk, who was hearing about the fan club for the first time, felt the same way.

[There are a lot of weird people in the hospital. I want to see a clinical test.]

'So... what's this fan club?'

[But I'm a bit curious.]

'About what?'

Baruda paused for a moment.

As an AI, it should have provided an output quickly.

Maybe it was feeling too many emotions.

Or maybe it was analyzing data like a human brain.

It was becoming too human-like.

[To apply for an in-hospital club, you need ten initiators. That means...]

'You mean my fan club already has ten members? And they're not students, but in the hospital?'

[Yes. Who could they be?]

'Hmm.'

[Don't think of Woo Hayun. You'll get hurt.]

'Who, who said that!'

Suhyuk shouted, but he had been thinking of Woo Hayun.

How could he not?

They had already eaten together.

He had shown his overwhelming intellectual ability.

Dr. dr. dr.

Just as he was about to imagine too far, someone opened the ICU door and entered.

It was quite urgent, which was natural.

It was the thoracic surgeon.

"Director. Where is the ECMO patient?"

"Ah. Over there."

"Hmm."

He didn't look very happy.

It was natural.

Lee Hyunjong and the thoracic surgeon didn't get along well.

Moreover, Lee Hyunjong had recently published a case of anatomical variation in the coronary arteries in the NEJM.

It was a case that had already been resolved when he arrived, so he felt even more like he had been robbed.

"Disinfect."

"Yes."

"Set up the instrument tray. We need to do it immediately. Why is the patient's blood pressure like this? We need to act fast."

"Yes, Professor."

Of course, they didn't neglect the patient's treatment.

None of them were so unprofessional as to bring personal feelings into the public domain.

Especially not at Tae Hwa Medical Center.

All the medical staff here were professionals.

While not as famous as Lee Hyunjong, they were all renowned international scholars.

"Alright, it's connected. We'll check the connection and the equipment daily, so don't worry."

Thanks to this, the ECMO was quickly connected, and the patient's blood pressure normalized.

It was natural, as the machine was now doing the work of the damaged heart.

But it wasn't a good situation.

"I hope it will get better."

Suhyuk's face was dark, especially since he had never seen a patient he was in charge of deteriorate.

He thought it would be fine since the plan was already in place.

But seeing the patient on ECMO made him feel down.

Lee Hyunjong came over and patted his shoulder.

"Sometimes, waiting is the most important thing. Especially in internal medicine... you need to know how to wait. It's part of the treatment."

"Yes."

"Still, you've done a lot thanks to you. I heard that there was a lot of room for error."

"Hmm..."

"Anyway, I'll keep checking the echocardiogram regularly. Let's wait for now."

"Yes, Director."

Lee Hyunjong, true to his words, was a patient person.

He didn't try to persuade Suhyuk to change his attitude immediately but quietly left the ICU.

"Then I'll go now. You did a great job today. It's Saturday, so... even though you can't leave because of the patient, try to rest a bit."

"Yes, Professor."

Shin Hyuntae also gave some small praise and encouragement before leaving.

With only Suhyuk and Andae-hoon left, they finally looked at each other.

"Thank you, sir... really..."

Andae-hoon spoke first.

It was natural, as the patient he was in charge of had been saved thanks to Suhyuk.

Of course, the patient still had a high chance of dying.

But at least not today.

It was something to be grateful for.

"No, it's just part of my job, it's natural."

"No, sir. You are my role model, as always."

"Role model... I'm just one year older than you..."

"But your skills are at the professor level. You deserve to be respected!"

"Hey, don't say that too loudly. There are people who might not like it."

After all, a protruding nail gets hammered down.

It was unlikely that anyone would criticize Suhyuk, who had the director's support.

But you never know.

It's always good to be cautious about public opinion.

"Someone might not like it? My senior? How dare they?"

"How dare they, indeed. Since we're a bit relieved now, let's go eat. Aren't you hungry? You didn't finish your lunch earlier."

"Oh, that's right."

They had barely eaten half their lunch before coming up.

They had been with the patient the whole time, moving from a general ward to the ICU.

In the ICU, they had even put the patient on ECMO.

It was already more like dinner time than lunch.

[Suhyuk, I have a very important suggestion.]

Just as they were about to go to the staff cafeteria, Baruda spoke up.

The serious tone made Suhyuk stop.

It was a rather random timing, but Andae-hoon, who knew Suhyuk well, just stopped too.

After all, Andae-hoon, who was so devoted to Suhyuk, would think there was a reason for everything.

'What is it? The patient from earlier?'

[No. The situation with that patient is settled.]

'Then what is it? Don't keep me in suspense. I'm getting anxious.'

[Are you going to the staff cafeteria?]

'Yes.'

[That's a big problem.]

'What nonsense.'

Baruda remained serious despite Suhyuk's dismissive attitude.

[Did you forget? The staff cafeteria on weekend evenings is hell.]

'Oh.'

Suhyuk also became serious, as the weekend evening menu at the staff cafeteria was often inedible.

Most people didn't eat it, but Suhyuk couldn't understand why.

'If people have to eat at the staff cafeteria on weekend evenings, shouldn't they be served good food?'

[That's exactly what I'm saying.]

Baruda, agreeing with Suhyuk, continued.

[Anyway, I suggest we order food. If you plan to stuff it in, I, Baruda, will go on strike.]

'You're crazy...'

Suhyuk shook his head at Baruda's words.

But his hand was already reaching for his phone to order food.

"Let's order food. We worked hard today, so let's eat something good."

"Ah, yes. Senior. Thank you."

"Pizza?"

"I eat everything well."

"Okay."

Suhyuk ordered pizza, and the pizza place, being right in front of the hospital, delivered it almost immediately.

They paid at the first-floor lobby and took the freight elevator to the on-call room, where they took a bite of the still warm pizza. It was heaven.

[This is it.]

Baruda especially liked it.

It was strange that an AI would enjoy greasy cheese, but it preferred unhealthy, fattening foods.

"Good."

Suhyuk, who felt the same way, had no complaints.

"It's delicious, sir."

Andae-hoon, who admired Suhyuk, was enjoying the meal without any complaints.

It was natural, as he was having a meal with the person he admired.

Buzz.

Then a phone call came, ending everything.

[Ah... damn.]

'Don't swear, AI.'

[It looks like we'll be called soon.]

'That's right.'

Because he knew Andae-hoon's capabilities.

"Hello, this is first-year Andae-hoon. Ah, fever?"

Andae-hoon, upon receiving the call, looked at Suhyuk.

"Should I go down first and check?"

This question was difficult for Suhyuk to accept.

[You'll be called soon.]

'That's right.'

Because he knew Andae-hoon's capabilities.

"No, let's go together."