Surviving as a Rogue Hospital Director - Chapter 103

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 103.
Beom-jun sat at his desk with one hand propping up his chin, while the other moved restlessly across the computer mouse.
‘If he’s made contact with the patient, he’s determined to cling to the treatment.’
Beom-jun was scanning Kim Do-yoon’s orders using the hospital system when, right on cue, an order came through from Neurosurgery.
– Referral to Department of Thoracic Surgery (Note: Professor Im Sung-hyuk)
There it was. Kim Do-yoon had finally been transferred to Professor Im Sung-hyuk’s care.
Beom-jun personally felt more comfortable overseeing patients himself, but Sung-hyuk’s reasoning had merit.
‘I’ll give it a try.’
While he carried the patient, Beom-jun would be able to check Han Myeong-jae’s moves.
But Beom-jun hadn’t simply handed everything over to Sung-hyuk and washed his hands of it.
If it were a trivial matter, perhaps. But not this time. Not with the Chairman involved. This time, he was moving directly, without going through the Vice Director or anyone else.
‘So he doesn’t care about getting caught?’
The Chairman had stayed in the shadows until Doctor X ended. What was his real game?
Beom-jun was newly irritated that Han Myeong-jae had targeted Im Sung-hyuk—his closest ally and, in matters like these, his best chess piece.
Of course, the original target probably hadn’t been Im Sung-hyuk. More likely it was Shin So-jeong from Neurosurgery. Either way, she was Beom-jun’s person too.
But now that Kim Do-yoon had been transferred to Thoracic Surgery, Han Myeong-jae must be thrilled. He wouldn’t have known the patient would end up there.
Whichever way it fell, one thing was certain: Han Myeong-jae had targeted Beom-jun’s people, not Beom-jun himself.
“Hell, why not just come after me directly? Petty bastard anyway.”
Beom-jun found himself cursing aloud again after a while. Han Myeong-jae’s underhanded tactics left a bitter taste.
Thinking that the Chairman had been pulling strings like this every time the Vice Director made a move in Doctor X made it even worse.
But as long as Beom-jun remained Hospital Director, Han Myeong-jae couldn’t do whatever he pleased.
Then the status window appeared.
[Hidden Quest has opened.]
[Hidden Quest: Uncover the enemy’s conspiracy.]
Chairman Han Myeong-jae is laying a trap. Escape from it.
Reward: Item Reuse Ticket (1 use)
The quest was warning him about what Han Myeong-jae was about to set in motion.
The heat draining from Beom-jun’s thoughts left them cold. He needed to be careful.
With Im Sung-hyuk—no, with Kim Do-yoon—held hostage, he couldn’t afford to move recklessly. Caution upon caution was the only way.
After all, breaking Han Myeong-jae wasn’t the real objective this time. Not losing was the same as winning.
‘The Main Quest only said to secure witnesses. So it’s not an all-out war at least.’
There was no way around it—for now, the priority was to bar the gates and block any incoming attacks.
Beom-jun logged into the Korea University Hospital system.
He clicked on Kim Do-yoon’s patient file and added one name to the attending physician information.
– Professor Im Sung-hyuk, Department of Thoracic Surgery
– Professor Jeong Da-eun, Department of Thoracic Surgery
It was a way to distribute responsibility. A temporary measure, but better than nothing.
If Han Myeong-jae tried to destroy Im Sung-hyuk, Jeong Da-eun would bleed with him. Since Professor Jeong was a doctor at Eunseong Hospital, he’d probably be reluctant to touch her lightly.
And strictly speaking, Professor Jeong had more seniority than Im Sung-hyuk. Between the two of them, Jeong would carry more weight, which meant Im Sung-hyuk’s accountability would be lighter.
After modifying Kim Do-yoon’s attending physicians with a few clicks, Beom-jun posted a notice on the hospital’s internal bulletin board.
-[Notice] Co-attending Physician Designation Guide
The notice stated that doctors from Eunseong Hospital would jointly serve as attending physicians during the dispatch period.
When you’re doing something unconventional, justification matters.
Beom-jun then texted Jae-gyeong to handle the follow-up and stood from his chair. Everything he needed to do sitting down was finished.
He pulled out the white coat he kept in the Director’s Office cabinet and put it on.
In the deliberately dimmed office, only the white coat reflected the light, glowing as brightly as a fluorescent lamp.
As he walked quickly down the corridor, the office door closed roughly behind him.
Bang.
Beom-jun’s destination was the Chairman’s Office. The best defense was always a preemptive strike.
‘Time to see the old man’s face, hasn’t it been a while?’
* * *
A few hours later, Im Sung-hyuk came in as usual and discovered that Kim Do-yoon’s attending physician had changed. But it wasn’t a simple substitution with another doctor.
‘Two attending physicians?’
One patient with two doctors.
Sung-hyuk couldn’t make sense of it. Most of what the Director did was like this, but this felt different.
-Kim Do-yoon
-Chief complaint: Hand tremor
– The above-mentioned patient presented with hand tremor; MRI revealed a tumor in the Brachial Plexus, and referral to Thoracic Surgery is requested for further evaluation. – Department of Neurosurgery
The MRI results from Neurosurgery displayed the tumor’s size and shape.
The tumor was inside the collarbone, compressing the nerve that ran from the shoulder down the right arm.
Between the neck and chest lay a narrow passage where nerves and blood vessels ran; the tumor had nearly blocked it entirely.
The patient was lucky that only his hand tremored. One wrong move and paralysis would have followed.
Yet despite the patient’s stable condition, Sung-hyuk’s mood sank.
– Attending Physicians: Professor Jeong Da-eun, Department of Thoracic Surgery / Professor Im Sung-hyuk
It was unusual for a patient to have more than one attending physician, but he would have to consult alongside Professor Jeong.
‘But I’m listed second?’
Seeing the order, Sung-hyuk felt a sharp sting. His pride took a scratch.
He knew the Director had been watching this patient closely. That’s why he’d even asked to take the case.
‘He didn’t refuse. Or did he change his mind?’
Just yesterday he’d said yes, but in the hospital system, Professor Jeong Da-eun was clearly registered as Kim Do-yoon’s co-attending physician.
Sung-hyuk’s grip tightened on the mouse. His tension extended to his fingertips, and he pressed two buttons simultaneously.
But then something the Director had said before came to mind.
‘Han Myeong-jae seems to have made contact with Kim Do-yoon. If the patient transfers to you, take the case.’
Kim Do-yoon wasn’t a patient the Director took special care with. Quite the opposite—he’d told him to be cautious.
‘Is this not about the patient, but about me?’
Sung-hyuk scanned the patient list. Apart from Kim Do-yoon, no other patient had Professor Jeong Da-eun listed as a co-attending physician.
Sung-hyuk’s initial irritation faded as he released the tension in his hand. The mouse, freed from its imprisonment, moved freely again.
Sung-hyuk thought the Director must have a reason, but his wounded pride wasn’t so easily soothed.
Then a message came through to Professor Jeong.
– Hello, Professor. I’m reaching out regarding patient Kim Do-yoon. He was a patient I was seeing at Eunseong Hospital. What treatment plan are you currently considering?
A clean, no-nonsense message. But six words caught Sung-hyuk’s eye: “a patient I was seeing.”
Kim Do-yoon was someone she already knew. Unlike Sung-hyuk, she got along well with people.
You could say she had good penetration. She was close to not just the doctors at Korea University Hospital but the nurses too. She was also one of the few Eunseong Hospital doctors who had made a favorable impression on the Director.
Receiving her message, Sung-hyuk felt as if a red warning light had materialized before his eyes. His heart went cold, as if an emergency had just been declared.
He’d thought he could simply treat the patient well while figuring out what kind of deal had passed between Han Myeong-jae and the Chairman. But this wasn’t something to take lightly.
If Sung-hyuk failed, it would be an opportunity for Professor Jeong to earn points with the Director.
‘No matter what happens, I’ll figure this out.’
As Korea University Hospital’s sole professor of thoracic surgery, Im Sung-hyuk felt a surge of dopamine at the sight of a competitor after so long.
She’d have more experience than him, since age was as good as seniority. But whoever the opponent was, Sung-hyuk was confident.
* * *
Upon arriving at the Chairman’s Office, Beom-jun nodded in greeting to the secretary stationed outside.
She and Jae-gyeong were close. Classmates from orientation, he’d mentioned.
Thanks to that connection, Beom-jun no longer made wasted trips to the Chairman’s Office or spent all day waiting for calls that never came.
Though he didn’t know all of Han Myeong-jae’s intentions, at least he could now track his movements.
Beom-jun reached the door to the Chairman’s Office and placed his hand on the handle.
From inside, he heard Han Myeong-jae on a call, talking to himself while praising someone.
“That’s right. It’s all thanks to you. This time there’s no way to escape.”
He was chuckling with delight. He always kept up appearances in front of Beom-jun, but now he seemed frivolous.
“What? Kim Do-yoon? It doesn’t matter. There’s no evidence anyway.”
When Beom-jun heard Kim Do-yoon’s name, he leaned in even closer.
After exchanging a look with the secretary, Beom-jun brought his index finger to his lips—hush. At his signal, the secretary sat down and resumed her usual office work.
“Even if they knew, what could they do but take it? Ha ha ha ha.”
Laughter continued to pour from the Chairman’s Office.
But the conversation that followed was hollow. Nothing decisive was being said.
Beom-jun held his breath. His hand remained on the door handle.
‘We’re almost there? So what exactly is the issue with Kim Do-yoon?’
Fortunately, as time passed, Han Myeong-jae’s chuckling grew quieter. The sound of him shifting on the sofa reached Beom-jun’s ears.
“Wait, wait a moment.”
His excitement waning, he collected himself and chose his words carefully. As if about to say something important.
‘Huh?’
But before Beom-jun could react, the office door suddenly swung open.
With his hand still on the handle, Beom-jun nearly toppled forward with the opening door but managed to catch his balance at the last moment.
“Thought there might be a rat lurking about, but it’s Director Choe. Ha ha ha, just kidding.”
Han Myeong-jae laughed awkwardly at the sight of Beom-jun.
Ha ha ha, he chuckled to himself and flashed Beom-jun a thin smile.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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