Chapter 264

Episode 264. A Real Genius (1)

I quietly began scrolling down the article.

[A recent controversy has erupted following confirmations that an Emergency Medicine resident at University Hospital A—a regional bedrock institution—who recently rose to fame as a "star doctor" after performing an emergency cranial burr hole surgery to save a patient, was listed as the first author on a neurosurgical cerebrovascular case report.]

"Controversy?"

What kind of controversy are they talking about?

The neurosurgery residents are already calling me a paper-manufacturing machine or whatever.

"Haa... First, let's calm down."

I kept reading further down the article.

[Suspicions are mounting that the hospital may have deliberately bundled residency training achievements to elevate its flagship star. A visiting resident who doesn't hold a scalpel was registered as the primary author, while the department's actual resident—who assisted in the operating room and was solely responsible for the patient's ICU care—was pushed down to a mere co-author.]

"So, the point of this article right now is..."

Giving the first authorship to me instead of Hwang Seong-hun is the problem?

In the first place, the ones who pointed out the anatomical variation were the ghosts, and since I am acting as the representative(?) for those ghosts, I thought it was perfectly fine for me to be the author.

I never imagined it would cause a problem like this.

[According to a comprehensive investigation by this paper, Professor Park of University Hospital A's Neurosurgery Department recently designated Resident B as the first author of an English-language paper on an ultra-rare anatomical variation, in which the professor participated as the corresponding author. The paper is currently undergoing the submission process for an international journal related to the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies.]

"How on earth did they find out?"

Did it leak somewhere in the middle of the submission process?

Or...

"Did someone blow the whistle?"

I clutched my complicated head and continued reading the article. Let's see what else they have to say.

[This case, with fewer than two digits reported globally, is evaluated as an achievement of exceptionally high academic value within the neurosurgical community. Since neurosurgery residents must publish a certain number of papers as a primary author to qualify for the specialist certification exam, it appears the department essentially handed over the fruits of its own hard-working resident’s blood, sweat, and tears to another department.]

"This makes me look like a piece of trash."

I made a reasonable contribution. And that is why I was given the first authorship. Yet, this article described it as if I had stolen someone else's rightful achievement.

[Some in the medical community point out that this blatant attempt to manufacture a star doctor has crossed the line. The resident in question has previously received massive media spotlight. Critics question whether the hospital is artificially constructing academic credentials to further solidify this 'genius doctor' title.]

"Who said they wanted to be a genius doctor?!"

Ugh, this makes me so mad.

By some stroke of luck, I started seeing the Gallery of Dead Medical Scientists, and by following what those crazy ghosts told me to do, I ended up becoming a genius. My original goal in life was just to be a fellow doctor in a secondary hospital's emergency room!

"Haa... I guess I have to handle things like this too."

However, having ultimately decided to remain a genius and become a professor, it was impossible to just gloss over this matter. If I let this incident slide, I would ultimately be left with nothing but the title of "a doctor who steals others' achievements."

[A clinical instructor of neurosurgery at a university hospital in the metropolitan area strongly criticized the situation, stating, "Ruptured anterior communicating artery aneurysm surgery is a highly sophisticated microsurgery handled only by neurosurgery specialists who subspecialize in cerebrovascular fields. Although he may have gained fame through a past emergency burr hole surgery, it is common-sense nonsense that a visiting doctor from another department, who merely observed in the operating room, led a case report describing the surgical process. It's like sucking the blood of residents just to complete the heroic narrative of a flagship star."]

"Who the fuck is that guy?"

A university hospital in the metropolitan area. There are so many university hospitals there. And a clinical instructor? How many people could possibly be doing a neurosurgery fellowship in the metropolitan area?

"Deliberately keeping it vague so they can't be identified..."

Wow. They are truly wicked people.

They wrote it so that anyone could identify me, while they hide behind the shield of anonymity. What should I call this... it's just repulsive to watch.

I scrolled all the way down to the final section.

[Voices are growing louder that the Medical Residency Training Status Evaluation Committee under the Ministry of Health and Welfare must step in to conduct a thorough on-site audit of the resident's training records and the actual contribution to the paper. A Ministry official stated, "If a formal civil complaint is filed, we plan to immediately initiate a factual investigation in accordance with the Medical Residents Act and the regulations on specialist training."]

"Haa..."

At this rate, even the Ministry of Health and Welfare is going to step in.

"To be precise, they said 'if a formal complaint is filed'..."

Looking at the news comments, it seemed that the time for a formal complaint to be filed was not far off.

ghkd* (08:18)

Saving... lives... is the true... duty... of a doctor...!! All they do... every single day... is talk about money and papers...!! Sigh. Tsk tsk...!!

'I did save the patient, though.'

rlat* (07:42)

An ER doctor as the first author of a brain surgery paper? Lmao. Go dig up who that resident's father is right now.

'My father runs a meat restaurant in Seoul, though...'

dbsx (08:49)

No matter how you look at it, he’s definitely the hospital director’s son. Otherwise, there’s no way they’d blatantly use media play to make him a star and even feed him a paper like that.

'I said, my father runs a meat restaurant...'

Haa. Let’s snap out of it.

I slapped my own cheeks.

Slap!

"Okay, now I’m finally clearing my head."

Let's calm down for a moment. First, I understand the context in which that article appeared.

Ever since my second year, I appeared in a documentary, got on the news after handling an accident at an intersection, and then ended up on the news again because of a briefing in front of the emergency room thanks to that Mes of the God guy. A star resident whose face and name had been exposed multiple times went for a rotation in neurosurgery. This alone is a strange point, but on top of that, he participated as the first author in a neurosurgery paper. And that, too, in an ultra-rare anatomical variation case.

To an ordinary reporter...

"They would obviously think it's a scoop."

Because to anyone looking, it looks like pure privilege. If so, what kind of response can I, a mere resident, make?

I opened the floating window in the air.

[Dead Medic Gallery]

Title: You guys, the living doctor became a star.

Author: Korean Slave 1

(Picture)

It was a screenshot of the news.

Damn it.

Someone save me.

[Comments]

Mes of the God: Sssshhhhiiiit, anyone who touches our Hell Slave, step forward right now!!!!!!

ㄴ Latte is Mine: Didn't you ruthlessly badger Hell Slave yourself?

ㄴ Mes of the God: That and this are completely different cases, don't you think~

Crack the Head Open: No, what the fuck, those blockheads almost ruined a person's optic nerve, he saved them, and now they're throwing a fit over a paper?

ㄴ Korean Slave 1: ㅠㅠ

ㄴ Crack the Head Open: What are you crying for as if you did well? You should have done better from the start.

ㄴ Korean Slave 1: ????

ㄴ Crack the Head Open: Just kidding. First, pull yourself together.

Mes of the God: Shouldn't we just lie down and go on strike for now?

ㄴ Korean Slave 1: Am I you?

I listened to the opinions of various ghosts like that, but it was hard to find a solution that caught my eye.

Well, of course. No matter how crazy these ghosts were, there was no way they had experience being sniped in an article for receiving special treatment after participating as a first author in another department's paper while still holding resident status.

Even so, just in case, I left a comment.

ㄴ Korean Slave 1: Anyone happen to have a similar experience?

ㄴ Mes of the God: As if.

ㄴ Thoracic Surgery Veteran: Probably none.

ㄴ Cardiology Ghost: Wouldn't it be weirder if there was?

"..."

These guys. Why are they being rational all of a sudden?

"Haa..."

As I was agonizing over it, the door suddenly clicked open.

Click—

An administrative staff member in a neat outfit entered and looked for me.

"Are you, by any chance, Dr. Han Hyeonjae?"

"...Ah, yes. That's me."

What is it? Is he from the legal team?

"The President is looking for you. Please follow me."

"Ah... Ah, yes."

President Lee Jae-yoon is looking for me. Well, that crazy romanticist president wouldn't abandon me at this point...

"It’s probably a discussion about what to do next."

Knock, knock, knock—

The administrative staff member who walked ahead knocked on the door.

"Yes~"

A familiar voice echoed from beyond the door.

"President, Dr. Han Hyeonjae whom you mentioned is..."

At that, vitality returned to Lee Jae-yoon's voice.

"Ah! Send him in quickly."

At his words, the administrative staff member carefully opened the door.

Thump, thump—

I walked straight into the President's office, gave a short bow, and naturally sat on the sofa on the opposite side where the President pointed.

"Are you okay?"

"About what, sir?"

At my calm reply, Lee Jae-yoon quietly stared at my face.

"This public opinion isn't something a mere resident can easily handle."

The public opinion and the media of the world, which had been friendly toward me, began to tear me down while hiding behind the shield of anonymity. My title was shifting from a hero to a doctor with fake credentials. In fact, because too much information that could identify me had been leaked in the article, the President also seemed anxious.

"It seems that a few follow-up articles are coming out from other media outlets as well."

"Is that so."

At my calm response, Lee Jae-yoon let out a deep sigh and continued.

"Yes. Normally, it might have passed as minor news in a small medical journal, but..."

"Because the target of the attack is the 'genius doctor' who has been circulating in the public eye, it couldn't just be ignored—is that what you mean?"

"...I suppose you could look at it that way."

The President took a sip of tea and soon set the cup down.

Clink—

"I'm sorry."

"..."

I was speechless. No, sir. What do you have to be sorry for?

"...No, sir. It feels like this happened because I needlessly agreed to do a paper that I could have rejected. I should be the one apologizing."

Lee Jae-yoon wore a bitter expression at my words.

"So, there is a method that the public relations team and I came up with together."

At those words, I tilted my head.

"What kind of method is it?"

Medical journalist Choi Jeong-cheol's day was spectacular.

[Exclusive] Emergency Medicine resident as first author of a neurosurgery paper?... Controversy over training privileges to 'elevate a star' at University Hospital A in the Yeongnam region.

An article that started from another specialized medical journal. And that article gave birth to numerous derivative pieces.

[The flip side of a genius doctor... Famous doctor caught up in controversy over stealing achievements]

[An ER doctor in a neurosurgery paper? Controversy over personnel management at University Hospital A]

And Jeong-cheol had also just finished writing an article jumping on this trend a moment ago.

"There've been quite a few rumors at Cheongjin University Hospital lately..."

A rumor that the President deeply cherished a single resident. Jeong-cheol had thought it was nothing more than a poorly circulated rumor consumed as mere gossip among the hospital staff.

"But what if it's not?"

Could it be a blood relation? Or a hometown connection? A school connection? Ah, maybe not a school connection.

In any case, Choi Jeong-cheol’s mind was entirely occupied with how to link this incident to the President of the medical center.

"If I catch this right..."

It would be a massive scoop. For now, the controversy was limited to a level of special treatment being bundled to create a star doctor, but the story changes a bit if it's a doctor whom the President has been pushing all along.

However.

"Uh?"

What Jeong-cheol checked was a press release posted on the official homepage of Cheongjin University Medical Center.

"Dropping their tails already? Well, it must have been hard to hide..."

Then, Choi Jeong-cheol could not help but gape.

[Cheongjin University Hospital to Hold Official Press Conference Regarding the 'Neurosurgery Case Report First Author' Controversy]

Full public disclosure of the 3D-CTA raw data analysis process before surgery and medical verification to be conducted.

Medical journalists, medical school professors, and practicing specialists are highly welcome to attend... Unlimited free Q&A session will take place.

Scroll, scroll—

The mouse wheel scrolled down rapidly.

[The hospital side chose a frontal breakthrough to completely dispel suspicions raised by some quarters regarding 'unjust achievement bundling to elevate a star doctor' and 'abnormal training privileges for a visiting resident from another department.']

[In particular, the resident registered as the first author will directly take the stage to conduct the presentation.]

[As this matter directly relates to highly advanced neurosurgical expertise and image reading capabilities, the hospital added that they actively welcome the attendance of neurosurgery and radiology specialists, medical school professors, and medical journalists, in addition to reporters from general media outlets. A free Q&A session without any prior coordination or script will follow on-site...]

"What kind of crazy talk is this?"

If this proceeded exactly as stated without any manipulation...

"Unless he is a real genius, there's no way he can break through this."

Choi Jeong-cheol hurriedly began contacting medical journalists and doctors he knew around him, resolving to prepare questions that would absolutely prevent any rigging.