Chapter 8: The Genius Returns (2)

What have I missed?

The wrinkles on Suhyuk's forehead deepened.

It was Baruda, as usual, who snapped him out of his thoughts.

[Suhyuk, the guardian's condition is also concerning. It would be best to conduct an examination.]

But this was not the usual bickering.

It was a very useful piece of advice.

And it was timely.

"Ah."

Thanks to this, Suhyuk, who had been muttering to himself and making those around him uneasy, was finally able to properly look at the guardian.

"Cough, cough."

The guardian was continuously coughing, and the phlegm color was not good.

The condition was almost that of a patient.

No, it was difficult to distinguish from a patient, except for the lack of a hospital gown.

"Shall I listen to the lungs inside for a moment?"

"A, ah, yes."

Upon listening to the lungs, a crackling sound was heard in both lower lobes of the lungs.

It was a sound so clear that even Suhyuk, with his limited experience, could easily notice it.

It meant pneumonia.

And it was quite advanced.

'Bacterial pneumonia spreading so... quickly?'

It was strange for a person with the average infrastructure of South Korea to have a bacterial infection deteriorate so rapidly.

No, it was beyond strange.

[There is also a possibility that the source of the guardian's infection is not patient Kim Jin-cheol.]

'Ah... Then... That makes sense. Hmm.'

[According to the nursing records, there is no special travel history. The source of infection is likely within the local community.]

'What kind of bacteria can survive in the local community? It's too fast. If this had spread, it would have been in the news already.'

[That is a problem for Suhyuk to investigate.]

'This guy is just... '

But Suhyuk was indeed in a hurry.

'If I can diagnose this patient properly... I might see a path to becoming a professor.'

While medical professors are somewhat more accessible to those from humble backgrounds compared to professors in other fields, it was by no means an open path.

Perhaps it was more like a narrow gap.

But what if he could diagnose this?

At the very least, he could be the best among his peers.

Even if it wasn't a professorship at Tae-hwa Medical Center.

[You are quite worldly, Suhyuk.]

'You try growing up in difficult circumstances and see what happens.'

[I find it hard to understand, but I support you.]

'What's with you?'

[It is determined that Suhyuk becoming a professor aligns with the goal of becoming the world's best diagnostic and therapeutic internal medicine physician.]

'Yeah... Well... That could be true.'

If he became the world's best internal medicine physician, as Baruda said, would a professorship really matter?

He could go to the United States and work with a blank check.

But for now, it was all a fantasy.

Suhyuk was a first-year internal medicine resident, a limping underdog.

Nothing more, nothing less.

To make this a reality, he had to diagnose this patient first.

"Guardian."

He decided to speak to the patient's guardian first.

"Yes? Yes!"

The guardian, who had been watching Suhyuk mutter to himself, was taken aback and answered with a confused look.

Despite wondering why this person was acting this way, Suhyuk did not forget what he needed to say.

"From what I can see, the patient may have pneumonia. That... "

Suhyuk glanced at the clock on the wall and continued.

"Since the outpatient clinic is closed, let's go to the emergency room together. I'll help you with the registration and ensure the patient gets the necessary tests."

"Ah... Is it that serious?"

Suhyuk faced the guardian, who was looking at him with a worried expression.

'What should I say?'

[You might as well tell them it could be fatal.]

'You shut up, you lunatic.'

Baruda, who seemed to take pleasure in destroying people's psyches, was acting like an AI.

"Let's just confirm. Just confirm."

Fortunately, Suhyuk did not adopt Baruda's insane suggestion.

He was not as crazy as others, including the chief, thought.

On the contrary, having lived a difficult life, he knew how to consider others.

He was likely better than most first-year residents.

"Ah... Yes."

"Your daughter should also be checked, just in case."

"Yes. It might be... a good idea. Cough."

The guardian, who was worried about his seemingly healthy daughter, was naturally concerned.

With her husband's condition worsening day by day, it was understandable.

If something happened to his daughter as well, he wouldn't be able to bear it.

"Let's go together. Since it's past dinner time, there might be a wait at the emergency room. Patients tend to flood in during this time."

In truth, the main reason was that he was a first-year and couldn't pull off the authority of a senior.

It was better than being an intern, who had to rotate through different departments every month without a fixed specialty.

But it was still a comparison among slaves.

A slightly better-off slave was still just a slave in others' eyes.

"A, Suhyuk. What's up?"

At the emergency room station, the emergency medicine resident, known as "Furball," greeted Suhyuk too warmly.

'Is this guy crazy?'

He didn't even know the guy's name.

Everyone just called him Furball.

And once they became interns, they realized that Furball was synonymous with the devil.

He would nitpick over trivial matters and cause a fuss.

Suhyuk had been called in many times and reprimanded for ridiculous reasons.

The first thing he checked every morning was whether Furball was around and whether he was in a good or bad mood.

"Yes, yes, senior."

"Sure. What are you looking for?"

But now, Furball seemed like an angel.

'Is he trying to be nice because I might have to notify the internal medicine department in the future?'

Unaware of the rumor that he was the hidden son of the chief, Suhyuk could only think this.

So, as usual, he spoke politely to everyone.

"Ah, yes. These are the guardians of my patients. There's a suspicion of infection, so we want to do blood tests and X-rays."

"Ah, got it."

Furball, without saying much, nodded and stroked his furry chin.

If it were any other day, he would have already asked if Suhyuk had gone mad.

But a rumor had just spread in the group chat that Suhyuk might be the chief's son.

Even if that wasn't true, it was widely believed that the chief backed Suhyuk 100%.

So, he couldn't treat Suhyuk casually.

Especially Furball, who had already caused a mess in the hospital.

"I'll have the administrative office register them and process them immediately once they give their patient numbers."

"Ah, thank you, senior."

"No problem. I always do my best."

"Ah... Yes..."

Suhyuk, thinking Furball might have had a drink, headed to the administrative office with the patients.

"Cough, cough."

Kim Jin-cheol's wife, Oh Jin-kyung, was still coughing.

Her daughter, Kim Se-hee, still looked perfectly fine.

Despite similar exposure times, their conditions were completely different.

'Definitely strange.'

[It is recommended to wait for the test results.]

'Yeah, sure.'

Suhyuk, tilting his head, registered the two and informed Furball.

Furball, as promised, immediately provided the necessary staff to conduct the blood tests and X-rays.

Suhyuk, feeling lucky that Furball was in a good mood today, informed the guardian.

"Please wait a moment. It will take some time for the results to come in."

"Yes, doctor."

Thanks to this, Suhyuk was able to check the X-rays almost immediately after arriving at the emergency room.

'Hmm.'

[There is increased shadowing in both lower lobes of the lungs, consistent with pneumonia.]

The X-ray of patient Oh Jin-kyung, as expected from the auscultation, indicated pneumonia.

The shadowing was clear enough for even Suhyuk, who was not experienced in reading X-rays, to notice.

[There are no significant findings on the chest X-ray of patient Kim Se-hee.]

In contrast, Kim Se-hee's X-ray was clean.

Completely normal.

The subsequent test results were the same.

'Patient Oh Jin-kyung has a high neutrophil count. It's bacterial pneumonia.'

[Patient Kim Se-hee is completely normal. There are no signs of infection.]

'Strange... '

Even during the incubation period, there should be some changes in the blood test.

Since bacteria had entered the body and a fight was happening.

But Kim Se-hee's blood test was calm.

'According to the patient's statement, Kim Se-hee had contact with Kim Jin-cheol and Oh Jin-kyung three days ago. But she didn't get infected.'

[...]

'Why are you so quiet? Is it unsettling?'

[I have considered several possibilities.]

'What are they?'

[If the source of infection is not human, it can only infect the primary contacts, patients Kim Jin-cheol and Oh Jin-kyung.]

'Ah.'

[Additional history is requested.]

It was a shift in thinking.

Suhyuk, feeling as if he had been hit on the back of the head with a hammer, approached patient Oh Jin-kyung.

"Cough, cough."

Oh Jin-kyung was still coughing.

It seemed more severe than before, and it wasn't just Suhyuk's imagination.

[The frequency has increased. I recommend using an oxygen supply device.]

Baruda's opinion was the same, and monitoring showed her oxygen saturation had dropped to around 93%.

"Put this on your nose for now."

Suhyuk provided the oxygen supply device and continued his questions.

"Have you recently visited a farm or a place where animals are raised?"

"No, no. I haven't."

"Hmm."

Just as he was about to think his guess was wrong, his daughter, Kim Se-hee, interjected.

"We do have a pet at home, Mom."

"That's just a small animal."

Oh Jin-kyung seemed to think it was no big deal, but from a doctor's perspective, it couldn't be ignored.

Often, crucial clues were found in things patients thought were trivial.

"What kind of animal do you have?"

"Oh, it's nothing special."

"It's an important question, Mom. What kind of animal?"

While asking, Suhyuk was a bit confused about whether this was important for the patient or for his own career.

But his serious expression seemed to work.

"A parrot. It's small."

"A parrot?"

"Yes."

Parrot.

Parrot.

Suhyuk repeated the word "parrot" to himself.

Unable to help it, he looked into the air and muttered to himself.

Oh Jin-kyung and Kim Se-hee, who had seen Suhyuk do similar things before, were not too surprised.

Meanwhile, Baruda and Suhyuk almost simultaneously thought of a disease.

'Parrot fever.'

[Chlamydia psittacosis.]