Chapter 57

Episode 57 Chaotic First Academic Conference (End)

Professor Cheon crossed her arms and looked back and forth between us.

"Tell me everything, from start to finish, about what kind of questions were asked. Starting with Hyeonjae."

I glanced over my shoulder at Kim Jihun, whose expression made it look like his soul had left his body.

Swallowing hard, I began to recall the questions I had received one by one.

"Yes, Professor. At first, most of them were general questions about the content of the abstract. They were questions regarding the patient's vital signs upon admission, the peak myocardial enzyme levels, and the coronary angiography findings. I answered them exactly as I had prepared beforehand."

"Right. That sounds passable. What else?"

"And Professor Kim Hyeok-jae from Ohseong Seoul Hospital asked about the differential point with Non-occlusive Mesenteric Ischemia."

At my words, Professor Cheon’s eyes widened slightly.

"Professor Kim Hyeok-jae? So, did you answer well?"

"Yes. Fortunately, I explained clearly that the possibility was low based on the abdominal examination findings and the lactate level."

"Good job."

A satisfied smile spread across the corners of Professor Cheon’s mouth.

"What about Jihun? What kind of questions did you get?"

Kim Jihun’s shoulders flinched.

"I... uh... I was asked a question about the efficacy of urinary alkalinization therapy in rhabdomyolysis... but I couldn't answer properly. Sorry."

The end of his voice trembled slightly. Professor Cheon was silent for a moment.

"Who on earth was the person who asked that? What kind of gentleman asks a 1st-year resident something like that?"

"It was Professor Park Jooseong from Catholic University of Sacred Heart Hospital in Seoul..."

"Oh boy."

Professor Cheon pressed a hand to her forehead.

"Why did that gentleman ask something like that? Talk about bad luck."

While an awkward and heavy silence was flowing between us that way, a roaring, crazy voice was heard from far away.

"Han Hyeonjaeee!!!"

When I turned my head, the Head of Doctor's Office, Lee Minjae, was running toward us, weaving through the massive crowd like a dog with rabies.

"Is that rumor true!!! The fact that you went and cut off the head of the Asan Hospital resident...!!"

Right at the moment that terrible and vulgar metaphor was about to echo throughout the entire venue, Lee Minjae’s eyes locked onto the face of Professor Cheon Eun-jeong, who was standing next to me.

"......Ah!"

Lee Minjae’s body skidded to a halt right on the spot with a screeching sound, like a bus slamming on its brakes.

As if by magic, all the madness vanished from his face.

In less than 0.1 seconds, Lee Minjae erased his crazy bastard face and put on the mask of the most polite and well-mannered model resident in the world.

Lee Minjae bowed 90 degrees at his waist and shouted loudly, "Professor! Hello!"

"Yes, yes. Minjae, you're here? Did you finish your oral presentation well?"

Professor Cheon accepted Lee Minjae’s greeting as if nothing had happened.

"Yes! It's all thanks to your guidance, Professor! It finished very successfully!"

"Right, good work."

Where did that crazy bastard go who was talking about cutting off heads a moment ago, and how could such a perfectly socialized human be standing there instead?

...So that's what social life is.

That marvelous shift in attitude.

That perfect mask technique.

Admiring Lee Minjae’s wondrous social life skills, I quietly waited for the conversation to end.

After offering a few compliments about Lee Minjae’s oral presentation, Professor Cheon turned her attention back to us.

"Right! We should talk about that! I heard Hyeonjae really caused a scene at the oral presentation hall earlier?"

Lee Minjae began to excitedly pass along the rumor.

Professor Cheon’s eyebrows rose slightly.

"Hyeonjae? Hyeonjae was doing a poster presentation, wasn't he?"

"Exactly! He caused a scene during the Q&A session of someone else's presentation!" Lee Minjae shouted, unable to hide his excitement.

Professor Cheon’s gaze scanned between me and Kim Jihun.

"What happened? Jihun, you tell me."

All the spotlight turned toward Kim Jihun, who had just been staying quiet.

"Uh... um... well... Professor... it's a bit of a long story to explain..."

"It's fine if it's long, so go ahead."

Kim Jihun glanced at me once, and soon began to recite the whole story of the disaster that happened in the seminar room earlier.

"...So, Hyeonjae raised his hand and, based on the fact that the apical muscle looked thick on the echocardiogram image and that a giant T wave inversion was visible on the EKG... he challenged the presenter's diagnosis. He said it was highly likely to be apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, not Takotsubo..."

As the explanation grew longer, the space between Professor Cheon’s eyebrows narrowed subtly.

"So, you're saying he verbally beat up an Asan Hospital resident in front of dozens of professors?"

'No, why do the people at this hospital all have such cheap mouths? Beat up...'

I clicked my tongue inwardly, but I couldn't deny the fact that Professor Cheon’s phrasing was more accurate than any other explanation.

"And then."

Professor Cheon looked at me.

"So, what happened? Did that presenter cry and walk down?"

"Ah, no, it wasn't that... The supervising professor even came up to apologize and said they would contact the patient again, and then it finished."

"Hmm. Then what about after that?"

"Pardon?"

"There's no way there wasn't any aftermath after you publicly humiliated them like that. Didn't anyone come up and say anything to you?"

I hesitated for a moment.

Should I mention this?

If I say it for no good reason, won't I be branded as an arrogant, obnoxious jerk?

"Ah... well... I just received... a little bit of... compliments from Section Chief Kim 혁재 of Ohseong Seoul Hospital and Professor Park Jooseong of Catholic University of Sacred Heart Hospital in Seoul, saying the question was impressive..."

When I answered in a voice as tiny as an ant, Professor Cheon shrugged her shoulders as if she wasn't particularly impressed.

"Well, you don't really have to tell me that kind of stuff. Those Seoul folks originally love to mark their territory on promising young fellows anyway."

I pulled a crumpled business card out of my pocket.

"The thing is, Professor. They didn't just give compliments..."

I handed Professor Kim Hyeok-jae’s business card to her.

"The Section Chief of Ohseong Seoul Hospital gave me his business card, telling me to definitely contact him later."

At that moment, all the air around me stopped.

Kim Jihun’s mouth fell open like a goldfish.

Lee Minjae’s triumphant expression froze right in place.

And for the first time, a faint crack appeared in Professor Cheon Eun-jeong's always relaxed smile.

"Whaaat...!!"

Professor Cheon snatched the card from my hand almost aggressively.

As time passed, the wariness melted away from Professor Cheon’s face as she inspected the card over and over.

Professor Cheon lightly slipped the card of the Ohseong Seoul Hospital Section Chief back into my hand.

And then, she asked in a very soft and sweet voice, "Hyunjae."

"Yes, Professor."

"Even so, you're going to finish your resident training at our hospital, here in Busan, right?"

Behind Professor Cheon’s smiling face, a chilling aura seemed to gleam, saying, 'You can't take a single step out of my territory without my permission, you little bastard.'

I answered almost reflexively.

"...Yes. Of course."

"Right."

Professor Cheon formed a satisfied smile.

"As long as you finish your resident training properly, who would say anything if you do your fellow training in Seoul after that? There are plenty of paths."

Professor Cheon glanced out of the corner of her eye at Lee Minjae next to her.

"I noticed our Head of Doctor's Office, this bastard Lee Minjae, is already looking into fellow positions at Asan Hospital. Isn't that right?"

"Gasp!"

A sound of deflating air burst from Lee Minjae’s mouth.

His face flushed bright red.

"Pr-Professor! How did you know that!"

"You were openly looking at job postings on your cellphone during every break time, so if I didn't know that, I'd be blind with my eyes open."

Professor Cheon clicked her tongue and smacked Lee Minjae hard on the back.

"Argh! Professor! Please spare me! I just... I just looked into it! Preparing for the future...!"

"Quiet. Go buy dinner for the kids."

'...Anyway, is it thanks to these people? Why is this hell-like hospital gradually starting to look a little more human?'

A chuckle slipped out of me.

Just like that, the storm-like academic conference quickly finished.

Those two days were truly a dream-like process.

I was showered with dozens of questions in front of my poster, met several professors, and received business cards.

At night, I was treated to expensive beef, and on the bus back to Busan, I fell asleep as if I had passed out.

A dream. Yes, it was a dream.

And now, I am awake from that dream.

"Waaaaaaaah!!!"

Right next to my eardrum, a piercing scream burst out—one that was unbelievable for the lung capacity of a four-year-old child.

"Shh! Seunghun, be a good boy! Look, the doctor is just going to look at your ear once! Look! What is this? An airplane is flying~ Vroooom~"

Waving the otoscope in my hand like an airplane, I put on a desperate acting performance.

However, the child did not fall for my childish trick.

The child slapped my hand away and wailed even more violently.

"Nooo!! Go away!!! Mommyyyy!!!"

This was the middle of the pediatric emergency room, known to be the most grueling spot even within the emergency room.

And I was stuck right in the center of it.

What was the point of being called a genius 1st-year resident at the academic conference?

In reality, I am just a worthless doctor struggling because I can't even look properly inside the earhole of a 4-year-old child suspected of having otitis media.

"Dr. Han!"

While I was taking a bath in sweat as I battled the child, the nurse called me in a voice that could either be a savior or the Grim Reaper.

"Another baby patient just arrived. Their fever is 40 degrees right now, and the child is completely limp..."

Leaving the wailing child with the nurse for a moment, I stood up, staggering.

Ah.

The dream is finished.