Chapter 36, Chapter 3: Fracture (1)

Today, Myung Tae-rang had unusually good luck from the morning.

As soon as the morning conference for the cardiology department ended,

the deputy director of the medical department praised him without reservation.

It was because the number of drug-eluting stent procedures at Yangsan University Hospital's cardiology department was the highest in the country.

"You've made it possible for us to secure the budget for the new treatment method. Keep up the good work."

Myung Tae-rang bowed, saying it was more than he deserved.

However, when he bowed, the smile on his face stretched to his ears, a secret that was not quite a secret.

During the morning rounds (when doctors visit patients and their guardians in the ward),

he received food and clothing gifts from a few patients and their guardians.

They were grateful, saying that thanks to him, the procedures went well and they could live healthily even after leaving the hospital.

The regular consultation hours were also exceptionally peaceful.

There wasn't a single difficult patient today.

Most of the patients were well-behaved, so there was no need for him to get angry.

Even Kwak Jun-ho, whom he had met recently, became well-behaved after he took the chart.

Even if someone claimed to know the law inside out, would they know how to read a chart?

Even if they asked another doctor to interpret it, the ship had already sailed.

The chart, which had been handled by a resident,

was already manipulated and could only support Myung Tae-rang.

In other words, Myung Tae-rang's kingdom became even higher and more solid, and no one could invade it.

In the past, now, and in the future.

It was a perfect day.

Myung Tae-rang was finishing his perfect day at home.

But a phone call, like an uninvited guest, began to crack his happy day.

"Professor Oh, what's the matter?"

The call was from Assistant Professor Oh Min-sik from the same department.

"Professor Myung, it seems you appeared on the news. Would you like to check it out?"

"What do you mean? I haven't met any journalists recently."

Myung Tae-rang tilted his head in confusion.

"Check it out first. It seems to be a lengthy report."

"Alright, I'll check and get back to you."

After hanging up, he switched the channel to the news.

"A well-known cardiologist, Mr. M, working at a domestic university, is causing controversy for performing unnecessary procedures to boost his performance. It is reported that Mr. M even manipulated the charts to cover up the fact. By Yoon Dae-gi."

Myung Tae-rang's eyes widened in shock.

Even though the hospital was pixelated, he could clearly see it was Yangsan University Hospital.

And the doctor in the video was none other than himself.

What on earth is going on?

His brain cells, shocked, paused for a moment.

After staring at the news in a daze for a while, he suddenly came to his senses.

Kwak Jun-ho.

It didn't take long to realize that this name was behind the entire incident.

Who else but Kwak Jun-ho would dare to do such a bold and audacious thing?

But how did he manage to do it?

Did he copy the manipulated chart?

Myung Tae-rang couldn't understand why his fraudulent stent procedures were exposed.

'If this gets any bigger, it will be irreversible.'

Myung Tae-rang tried to steady his mind, which was swaying like a reed.

The next step was to find out how Kwak Jun-ho discovered his fraudulent procedures.

For now, he needed to prevent the incident from escalating.

If this continued, the guardians of the patients who died under his care would file a group lawsuit.

His reputation would hit rock bottom,

and people would point fingers at him, accusing him of violating medical ethics.

Worse, his medical career might be threatened.

He had to prevent that at all costs.

"Jun-ho, I just saw the news. Could it be that you stabbed me in the back?"

Myung Tae-rang called Kwak Jun-ho urgently, skipping pleasantries and getting straight to the point.

"Yes, it was me who made you eat shit."

"Damn. If you had a grudge, you should have talked to me face-to-face. This is going too far. We've known each other for a long time."

"We've known each other for a long time, but why did you do that to my mother?"

Kwak Jun-ho's tone was as cold as a winter snowfall.

It made Myung Tae-rang's ears freeze.

"I thought the stent procedure was sufficient. I realized later that it was a misjudgment. It was never intentional. I swear."

"How could you not make a single mistake in your response, exactly as I expected? It's amazing. Do you have telepathic abilities or something?"

Kwak Jun-ho's sarcastic tone in informal speech made Myung Tae-rang's anger boil, but now was not the time to lose his temper.

"Jun-ho, let's meet and talk. Okay?"

"Since you're asking, I have no choice. We'll see each other soon. In court."

Beep beep.

The call ended abruptly.

Despite multiple attempts, he couldn't reach Kwak Jun-ho again.

Myung Tae-rang threw his phone on the sofa in frustration.

The water was already spilled, and there seemed to be no way to put it back.

Is my medical career going to end in lawsuits and gossip?

Buzz buzz.

Buzz buzz.

The phone he had thrown aside vibrated loudly.

It was probably friends who had seen the news, sending messages or calls.

'Where did it all go wrong? Where did it all go wrong?'

Myung Tae-rang pulled out his remaining hair in agony.

He had no way of knowing that his downfall was rooted in his past life and Philip Lee.

* * *

'I feel so relieved.'

After finishing my preparations for school, I watched the news before leaving home.

The incident involving Professor Myung Tae-rang, which had been a hot topic since last week, was still being reported repeatedly on the morning news.

Whether the stent procedure was right or the coronary artery bypass surgery was right,

the manipulation of the chart was a sin that could not be covered up.

Even if Myung Tae-rang claimed to be the grandfather of an eel,

there was no way he could escape this incident unscathed.

'This is all the karma you've accumulated from your past life. Accept it.'

I smiled contentedly as I watched the TV, showing Myung Tae-rang being taken to the police station for questioning.

It was fortunate that I could eliminate the corrupt forces in the medical community in advance.

It was unfair that such a malicious person could make diligent doctors who do their jobs well suffer.

'Wait, come to think of it...'

As I changed my train of thought, a chill ran down my spine.

Could my father from my past life have died due to a medical accident?

This thought, which had never crossed his mind before, began to consume his brain cells.

In my past life, my father died from unstable angina.

He had undergone OPCAB (off-pump coronary artery bypass) surgery at Shinwon University Hospital, but died on the operating table.

At that time, I was a medical student whose medical knowledge was not yet fully developed.

Because the hospital was my alma mater and the surgery was highly complex, I thought my father's death was inevitable.

But after experiencing Myung Tae-rang's incident, I couldn't help but have doubts.

'There is someone I suspect...'

Thinking of the professors I would meet in the future, I stroked my chin.

My father in this life is healthy and won't need OPCAB, but

if I return to the thoracic surgery department, I want to uncover the truth.

If my father's death was due to a medical accident, I vowed to repay it twofold, threefold, or even a billionfold.

"Big son, what are you thinking so deeply about?"

"It's nothing. I'll be going now."

"Okay. Study well and be careful today."

"Okay."

I left home, receiving farewells from my mother and father.

Kim Ji-won said she had a morning shoot and would only attend afternoon classes, so I was going to school alone today.

"Thank you. Thanks to you, this matter was resolved smoothly. If you ever get involved in legal issues, I'll step in with both hands. I won't charge a single penny."

I suddenly remembered the hearty laugh of Kwak Do-an's father from last night.

I had dinner with Kwak Do-an's family last night to celebrate the justice served to Professor Myung Tae-rang.

Kwak Do-an's father, who was persistent and intelligent, was now a perfect ally.

Thanks to him, I felt as if I had gained a powerful support.

Arriving at the classroom, a few friends were quietly studying with their textbooks open.

The tension in the classroom, with the college entrance exam just two months away, was palpable.

In a world where one exam can determine a person's life,

and the students who are fiercely preparing for it,

I felt that it was all unreasonable, but there was nothing I could do about it immediately.

To change the system, I paradoxically needed to reach the top within the system.

"Lee Be-dum. Come here. Solve this one problem for me."

My best friend, Song Yun-ho, called me quietly.

I approached Song Yun-ho and solved the math problem that was giving him a headache.

"Damn, you solved it so easily. I'm starting to feel inferior."

"You can't be good at everything. Your Korean score is top-notch."

"Your encouragement is not encouraging at all, right? When the top scorer in the national mock exam says you can't be good at everything, it doesn't really hit home."

Song Yun-ho pouted, and I chuckled as I returned to my seat.

While skimming through my textbook, the classroom door creaked open.

Park Jung-hoon, wearing a wrist brace, entered the classroom.

Since the direct confrontation with Shim Byung-soo, Park Jung-hoon seemed to be less harassed by Shim Byung-soo.

At least on the surface.

'Something seems off...'

I felt uneasy about Park Jung-hoon's wrist brace and tilted my head.

Park Jung-hoon usually wore light clothing, claiming he had a lot of body heat.

It was suspicious that he suddenly wore a wrist brace...

I had a hunch and called Park Jung-hoon to the hallway.

"Jung-hoon, is Shim Byung-soo still harassing you?"

"No, nothing like that."

Park Jung-hoon's answer was firm, but he avoided eye contact.

The mouth can lie, but the eyes cannot.

I hoped my intuition was wrong and took the next step.

"Stay still."

I forcibly removed Park Jung-hoon's suspicious wrist brace.

A black, circular mark stood out on his wrist.

It was undoubtedly a burn mark from a cigarette.

Anger towards Shim Byung-soo boiled up from deep within me.

Shim Byung-soo had crossed a line that should never be crossed.

"Why... Why are you doing this suddenly?"

As the burn mark was revealed, Park Jung-hoon hid his arm behind his back in panic.

"I was wondering why you were wearing a wrist brace in the summer. Shim Byung-soo burned your arm with a cigarette, didn't he?"

I began to interrogate him.

"Even if I say this, Shim Byung-soo didn't harass you?"

"Believe me, let's just let it go. I don't want to make things worse."

"The situation is already serious. This is a crime."

"Even if he's a bad guy, would he really go this far?"

Despite my anger, Park Jung-hoon was defending Shim Byung-soo.

I understood his fear of retaliation, but I couldn't help feeling frustrated.

In any case, I couldn't leave Shim Byung-soo or Park Jung-hoon as they were.

Shim Byung-soo needed punishment, and Park Jung-hoon needed protection.

Moreover, the burn mark would be a good evidence to convince the homeroom teacher.

"Let's go to the office."

As I led Park Jung-hoon's arm and forced him to the office,

I encountered Shim Byung-soo and his gang coming from the opposite hallway.

It was as if the tiger appeared when I mentioned it.

"Hey, where are you going?"

Shim Byung-soo glared at us, but I stared back at him.

"What are you going to do about it if I tell you?"