Chapter 31, Part 2: The Symbol of the Times (1)

I couldn't concentrate on my classes all afternoon.

My mind was overflowing with thoughts of Professor Myungtae.

Professor Myungtae was a cardiologist at Yangsan Hospital, one of the Big Five hospitals.

It was when I became a third-year resident that I indirectly became connected to him.

Professor Myungtae, who had graduated from Yangsan Hospital, was appointed as the head of the cardiology department at Shinwon University.

- Isn't it true that the deputy director recruited Professor Myungtae?

- Yes, they say he's both skilled and resourceful.

- That's different from what I've heard. If I recall, the rumors weren't very good.

The news of Professor Myungtae's surprising appointment caused a stir in the hospital.

And with his appointment, the thoracic surgery department took a massive hit...

Because Professor Myungtae's cardiology department monopolized the heart disease patients.

He insisted on stent procedures even for patients who needed surgery.

The reason was simple: he wanted to showcase his performance to the hospital early on.

As Professor Myungtae's career flourished, the thoracic surgery department's influence gradually diminished.

There were even rumors that the department needed to reduce its staff.

However, as the saying goes, a long tail is easy to catch.

Professor Myungtae began to make headlines for sexually harassing female students and verbally and physically abusing male students.

During the investigation, an unexpected fact came to light.

A professor who had been recruited to Shinwon University Hospital along with Professor Myungtae exposed another medical scandal involving him.

The professor revealed that while working at Yangsan University Hospital, Professor Myungtae had performed an excessive number of drug-eluting stent procedures.

He also claimed that Myungtae had packaged these excessive procedures as his achievements to secure a position as an associate professor.

The medical community was once again thrown into turmoil by the additional revelations.

After a long series of lawsuits and appeals, Professor Myungtae was finally sentenced to two years in prison.

The families of patients who had died under Professor Myungtae's care filed lawsuits, but since Myungtae had his medical license revoked and declared bankruptcy, they received no compensation.

'Not all doctors are the same.'

Thinking of Professor Myungtae, I smiled bitterly.

There are doctors who view patients merely as a means to make money or as lab rats.

They are, in a word, a kind of plague and disaster that corrupts the medical community.

For the sake of the medical community's self-purification and for better treatment environments for patients, trash like Professor Myungtae must be eliminated.

So I plan to investigate this case myself and give Professor Myungtae a big surprise.

If I can stop him now, I can prevent the countless wrongdoings he might commit in the future.

And I can also prevent the hardships I will face when I join the thoracic surgery department at Shinwon University in the distant future.

In this regression, I don't believe that simply treating patients well is the only virtue of a doctor.

Creating an honest and fair medical environment and dealing with corrupt doctors are just as important as treating patients.

"Daoan, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure."

After the fifth class, I called Guo Daoan to the hallway.

I was suspicious about the death of Daoan's grandmother.

To turn my suspicion into certainty, I needed the medical chart.

Only with the chart could I uncover the secrets behind Professor Myungtae's stent procedures.

"Your grandmother was quite healthy, but she suddenly passed away after surgery. It seems a bit suspicious."

"..."

"We have a relative who is a thoracic surgeon. He's a great doctor living in the U.S. I thought it might be a good idea to show him your grandmother's chart."

"..."

"Just in case..."

I asked as carefully as possible.

At the same time, I deliberately left my suspicions vague to avoid hurting Daoan.

I wanted Daoan to realize my intentions subtly.

After all, Daoan was already suffering from the sudden loss of her grandmother.

I was bringing this up because I knew Professor Myungtae was a bad person.

But from Daoan's perspective, it might seem like I was spouting baseless conspiracy theories.

I might come across as harsh.

"..."

Daoan was silent for a while, deep in thought.

Perhaps I had asked too much.

"Right? What do you think?"

Daoan's response was unexpected.

"My parents said a professor at a big hospital wouldn't make a mistake, but I didn't think so."

"..."

"She was fine when I visited her before the surgery."

"Then..."

"I'll show you the chart. I already faxed it to the insurance company, but I know the original is at home."

Daoan's unexpectedly positive response relieved me.

While I need to see the chart to know the details, I judged that there was no manipulation in it.

In the late 1990s, medical malpractice lawsuits were almost non-existent.

When a doctor with specialized medical knowledge diagnosed a patient with condition A, the patient firmly believed they had condition A.

Due to the information asymmetry, patients dared not doubt their doctors.

Therefore, doctors usually had no need to manipulate charts.

"Thank you. I know it might make you feel bad, but I appreciate your understanding."

"No, I was also suspicious about my grandmother's sudden passing."

"..."

"But who is your relative doctor?"

"Um... His name is Philip Lee, a Korean-American."

I stumbled over the unexpected question.

Obviously, there was no thoracic surgeon named Philip Lee in my family.

Analyzing the chart was my responsibility.

I had been a thoracic surgery professor in my previous life.

So Philip Lee referred to my previous self.

"I hope your relative doctor can review the chart well. If the professor who performed the surgery did something wrong, it won't end easily. My dad is a successful lawyer."

There was a subtle anger in Daoan's voice.

Daoan's father being a successful lawyer...

If things went well, we might be able to bring down Professor Myungtae all at once.

This could be a golden opportunity.

"Sure, I'll call you as soon as I hear from my relative."

"I'll pass on the chart as soon as it's ready."

Ding dong.

The bell signaling the start of class rang.

Daoan and I returned to our respective classrooms to prepare for the lesson.

I was already excited about the prospect of acting as Philip Lee.

* * *

After class, there was a mandatory (forced) evening study session, but I managed to leave without much trouble.

Since I had topped the national mock exam, the teachers let me go without a word.

"I'm home."

"Did you have a good day? You're home early today."

"Brother, you're here?"

"Yes, I'm back."

As I entered the living room, my father and Sarang greeted me.

I bent down to stroke Sarang's soft hair.

If I had inherited my mother's appearance and skills and my father's personality, Sarang was the opposite.

Sarang had inherited my mother's personality and my father's appearance.

That's why she was sociable and active from a young age.

"Did you listen to Dad, Sarang?"

"Uh-huh."

"Are you lying? While Dad was writing, you kept pestering him to play with you."

"Hee, caught."

Sarang scratched the back of her head, looking embarrassed, but I found her adorable.

"Want to play with me for a bit?"

"Sure, I'd love to."

"Wait a moment. I'll come back after I tidy up."

I changed out of my school uniform into casual clothes and returned to the living room.

I wasn't in the mood to study or go to the boxing gym.

My mind was focused on the chart I would receive from Daoan.

Playing with my sister for a change would be a good distraction.

"I'm Captain Hook, and you're Peter Pan."

Holding the toy sword Sarang handed me, I engaged in a (fierce) sword fight with her.

We battled to claim the invisible Wendy and her friends.

"Ugh!"

When Sarang stabbed me with her invisible sword, I fell flat on my back.

"Wow, I won! Peter Pan won!"

"Aw, I was about to win."

"Pfft! Justice always prevails. You bad guy."

I burst out laughing at Sarang's bold tone.

Although Sarang was a much younger sister I hadn't had in my previous life, I was happy to be with her.

After playing with her favorite mini cars for nearly 30 minutes, I caught my breath in the living room.

Sarang, exhausted from playing, fell asleep in her room.

"Was it too noisy and disturbed your writing?"

I asked as my father came into the living room.

"No, it was a pleasant sound. Listening to you two play was like music to my ears."

A gentle smile spread across my father's face.

My father, who had overcome the misfortunes and unhappiness of his previous life, looked more relaxed.

He could freely showcase his skills as a novelist and receive recognition from those around him.

To think that in my previous life, he had suffered from hard labor and debt collection and passed away during surgery...

Seeing my father now, I felt both happy and a pang of sadness.

"Is your work going well?"

"I'm preparing a new novel about family love, and fortunately, the writing is going well. I'm adapting our family's story a bit."

"I see."

"Faith, how about we have a serious talk for the first time in a while?"

My father's eyes, sitting next to me on the sofa, were different from usual.

The sudden serious talk made me nervous.

Being different from usual and sudden often led to bad outcomes.

Happiness is built gradually, but unhappiness can collapse in an instant.

"Sure, I'm fine with it."

"It's not a big deal, so there's no need to be nervous."

My father chuckled awkwardly and continued.

"Faith, I've always felt you were pushing yourself too hard. When you sewed doll eyes to help with the household expenses and when you studied English diligently on your own, I felt that way."

"..."

"I don't want you to push yourself too hard. I hope you can have more peace of mind."

My father saw through me clearly.

With the golden opportunity of regression, I had been desperately trying to overcome the misfortunes and unhappiness of my previous life.

I moved according to a thorough plan to avoid wasting a single moment.

It was the same in the past, now, and probably in the future.

My father was telling me it was okay to take a break.

His insightful and warm advice made my heart warm.

Who else in this world could give me such advice if not my father?

"Faith, do you think people live to be happy?"

"Um... I think so. Aristotle said that, didn't he?"

My father chuckled at my humorous response.

"Don't take his words 100% seriously. In my opinion, people don't live to be happy. They just happen to feel happy as they live."

"..."

"So don't exhaust yourself for something. Just live as you are. It's just an old man's concern."

"I'll keep it in mind."

"Just keep it in mind. It's not a manual. I think I've nagged enough, so I'll go back to writing."

My father patted my shoulder lightly and went into the bedroom.

Leaning back on the sofa and looking up at the ceiling, I pondered my father's words.

My father had shown me a new path I hadn't considered.

Was there really a reason to keep pushing myself as I had been?

Our family life was peaceful, and our relationship with my maternal relatives was strong.

Wasn't it enough to stop trying to overturn my previous life?

Everything seemed sufficient and satisfying.

'But I still have to move forward.'

I muttered to myself.

Even now, when I close my eyes, the things I missed and the things I ruined with my own hands come vividly to mind.

If I couldn't correct these, if I couldn't shake off their shadows, my regression would be meaningless.

Living would be meaningless.

So I couldn't stop until I achieved a satisfactory result.

Ding dong. Ding dong.

The house phone rang loudly.

After a brief conversation, I left the house.

Daoan had called to meet near our apartment complex, saying she had the chart.

Now it was time for me to act as Philip Lee.