Surviving as a Rogue Hospital Director - Chapter 131

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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 131
‘There was one Hidden Quest I never cleared. What was it again?’
At that moment, Beom-jun opened his Status Window to check his past quests.
[Hidden Quest: The First Voice]
The atmosphere has grown stagnant. It needs fresh air.
Make someone who has been silent speak their mind openly.
Reward: 1x Talent Contract.
It was an item that let you recruit someone who harbored hostility toward you as a talent.
‘Sigh…’
Beom-jun wanted the reward item, but the quest itself felt overwhelming.
‘So I need to find someone who’s keeping quiet and get them to open their mouth? That’s rough.’
Beom-jun swept his hair back roughly, parting it down the middle.
“Oh, Director, is there anything you need? Can I help?”
The moment Beom-jun let his discomfort show, Jae-gyeong hurried over and asked.
He’d been in an excellent mood lately—ever since hearing that Beom-jun had given up on the AI Medical Center.
“I’m free! Tell me anything you need!”
Landing a business deal meant big money for the hospital, but that didn’t mean more pay trickled down to individual employees. For a salaried worker, less work was always better.
Jae-gyeong had worried and prepared for a major project, so now his smile stretched ear to ear.
“You’re that happy?”
Even as Beom-jun needled him, the upturned corners of his mouth showed no sign of falling.
“Honestly, I am happy—but should I keep it hidden?”
He scratched his head, watching Beom-jun’s reaction carefully.
“Do whatever you want.”
At Beom-jun’s words, Jae-gyeong burst into a cheer. He bounced around the Director’s Office, his feet hitting the ground cleanly mid-jump, the landing crisp and perfect.
“Yesss!!!”
He was really happy about this.
Beom-jun shook his head, but watching Jae-gyeong’s joy didn’t displease him.
Taking on every unnecessary task wasn’t wisdom. If something didn’t have to be done, there was no reason to burden the staff.
Work only multiplied the more you did it, so you had to know when to hold back, and always calculate what you’d gain versus what you’d invest.
Because management strategy wasn’t really about what to do—
it was about deciding what not to do within limited resources.
“Hey, you know Director Min even knows you’re hanging around here?”
Jae-gyeong was the head of the Planning and Coordination Office, and Min Jeong-sik was his direct superior. The question was whether Min knew Jae-gyeong was loafing about in the Director’s Office.
“Isn’t the Director covering for me?”
At Jae-gyeong’s answer, Beom-jun swatted him on the head with a stack of papers.
—Thwack!
But seeing the bundle of papers flutter, it didn’t seem like much of a hit. Either that, or Jae-gyeong’s skull was solid stone.
“Go ask Director Min to do it.”
“Ugh. You said the Planning and Coordination Office was just temporary, anyway. I’m just waiting for the day I get reassigned back to your side.”
Even after becoming a subordinate to Min Jeong-sik, Jae-gyeong hadn’t forgotten about Beom-jun. If anything, he seemed to miss him even more.
“Why do you keep trying to sneak back? Is there something different about this place?”
Beom-jun’s playful words trailed off. To be honest, he was curious. Jae-gyeong was unusually loyal to him compared to other talents.
If Beom-jun asked him to stick his neck out, he’d probably actually do it. That set him apart from the other gifted medical talents.
“Because you trusted me, Director, I’ve been able to work this hard. I’m still not enough, but looking back, I was really lacking back then.”
Since joining Min Jeong-sik, Jae-gyeong seemed to have learned a lot.
He’d probably learned more from Min Jeong-sik, who handled all the administrative work, than from Beom-jun the doctor. He’d discovered just how much he was still lacking.
Hearing Jae-gyeong’s words, Beom-jun suddenly remembered what Jae-gyeong used to be like.
‘Right, that’s how it was.’
Jae-gyeong wasn’t someone with incredible talent or exceptional growth potential.
When Beom-jun first possessed Doctor X and had to manage Korea University Hospital, he’d registered Jae-gyeong as a talent just to get foundational knowledge.
But even with modest abilities, Jae-gyeong never ran away or passed the buck to others. Once he took on a task, he held onto it to the very end—that was his defining stubbornness.
This type of person was rarer than you’d think. Especially in Korea University Hospital, where geniuses flew around like hawks, Jae-gyeong was someone you could trust and hand work to.
“I know you were trying to bring me along even though I’m not enough. That’s why you reassigned me to the Planning and Coordination Office, right?”
Jae-gyeong spoke, holding back emotion. When he’d first heard about the transfer, he’d jumped for joy. Now he understood Beom-jun’s intentions well enough.
But Beom-jun didn’t like what Jae-gyeong was saying.
Jae-gyeong wasn’t insufficient. What showed up in the talent information wasn’t everything. The persistence and sincerity Jae-gyeong possessed would continue to be the foundation for his growth.
“Jae-gyeong, you’re going to do well. Don’t worry about being slower than others. You’re going to be fine.”
Beom-jun rested a hand on his shoulder and said it.
Slowly but steadily, Jae-gyeong was improving.
[Name: Kim Jae-gyeong / Position: Secretary Director]
Schedule Management: ■■■□□
Administrative Support: ■■■■□
Internal Communication: ■■■■□
External Cooperation: ■■■□□
– Growth Potential: Minimal
– Affection: MAX
It wasn’t just talk—it was real. Since going under Director Min, External Cooperation had gone up one rank. It seemed there was a lot of work to do outside the hospital now.
Despite having minimal innate growth potential, Jae-gyeong wasn’t falling far behind Min-ho, whose growth potential was explosive.
That was probably because the effort Jae-gyeong put in where no one could see it was enormous.
“When I return to the secretarial office, I’ll help you then, Director.”
“Oho, I’m counting on you?”
Beom-jun made a fist and gave him a light punch to the chest as he spoke eagerly.
So he hadn’t picked up Min Jeong-sik’s ways after all—he had his own goal. To become someone who could help Beom-jun.
“I’ll show you way more than you’re expecting!”
“Just having you around helps.”
Beom-jun spoke sincerely to the spirited Jae-gyeong.
Jae-gyeong’s eyes glistened slightly, but before he could get emotional, Beom-jun pinched his cheek.
The strength behind his fingertips matched the affection, and Jae-gyeong’s cheek stretched out like rubber. The pinched area turned bright red.
“Ow! Ouch, Director!”
Tears vanished from Jae-gyeong’s eyes as he flailed about. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to brush away Beom-jun’s hand.
[Affection is at MAX. Will absolutely never betray.]
Jae-gyeong’s affection toward Beom-jun had been at MAX from the beginning. When Beom-jun possessed Doctor X and woke up in the ICU, the first person he saw was Jae-gyeong.
Beom-jun cherished Jae-gyeong differently than he did Im Sung-hyuk. He was like a shadow, always standing faithfully by Beom-jun’s side.
And then, a new Main Quest appeared.
[Main Quest has been generated.]
[Main Quest: Hold Your Ground]
The Uigwonhoe will attempt to approach you. Do not waver at their logic.
Reward: Survival Probability +1%
Failure: Death
* * *
This quest wasn’t about doing something—it was about not doing something. Or rather, it was defensive in nature.
That was great. All he had to do was stay put.
But after checking the reward, Beom-jun’s eyes narrowed.
‘What? Was this generated by mistake?’
Sure enough, this reward was just a measly 1% increase to survival probability.
‘Man, this isn’t even worth doing.’
The moment Beom-jun thought that, a Status Window appeared as if answering him.
[Quest rewards are designated according to difficulty.]
The Status Window then listed past quests that hadn’t had 3% rewards.
[Main Quest: Reveal Korea University Hospital’s Vision]
Create a video of genuine treatment in action,
and gain public empathy to increase views.
– Views over 300,000: Survival Probability +3%
– Views over 100,000: Survival Probability +1%
– Views under 100,000: Death
[Main Quest: Break Vice-Director Gu Hui-jeong’s Spirit]
[Survival Probability increased by +3%.]
[Vice-Director’s spirit completely broken. Survival Probability increased by an additional +2%.]
[Hidden Quest: Establish Im Sung-hyuk’s Standing]
[Survival Probability increased by 1%.]
‘Okay, okay, I get it.’
Every time a past quest appeared, Beom-jun rolled his eyes and hit delete.
Anyway, this quest wasn’t particularly difficult in terms of challenge level.
If the Uigwonhoe tried to brainwash Beom-jun, they’d contact him soon. All he had to do was wait.
Beom-jun cupped his palms together and rested his chin on his hands, enjoying a rare moment of leisure.
* * *
“CODE BLUE, Administrative Building, Fifth Floor, Accounting Department. CODE BLUE, Administrative Building, Fifth Floor, Accounting Department.”
While Beom-jun was relaxing in the Director’s Office, the CODE BLUE announcement echoed.
The Accounting Department? That wasn’t where patients came and went. The cardiac arrest was happening to a staff member.
‘The Administrative Building is practically outside the hospital. An ambulance would be better, wouldn’t it?’
Hearing the announcement, Beom-jun considered the medical team’s routes. If it were within the hospital proper, they could run there and perform Emergency Treatment, but from the Administrative Building, they’d lose time getting there.
They could miss the Golden Time if they weren’t careful.
Beom-jun’s brow furrowed. A hospital staff member collapsing during work—the thought alone already put him in a foul mood.
If follow-up procedures weren’t handled properly, he’d have to overhaul the entire emergency response system.
Then the announcement came again.
“CODE BLUE, cancelled. CODE BLUE, cancelled.”
The CODE BLUE was lifted. Protocol called for an announcement first when an emergency occurred—it was how you called for help.
Thankfully, it seemed it wasn’t serious after all.
The patient could have regained consciousness and woken up. Or maybe they’d misjudged the situation initially. There were many possibilities.
Beom-jun exhaled, his irritation fading slightly as he rubbed his chest.
Still, it’d be good to know the details.
Beom-jun contacted his secretary, Park Ha-rin.
—Ring-ring, ring-ring.
But she didn’t answer.
Damn it, he shouldn’t have let her double as the Accounting Department head. She might as well be invisible for all the time she spent at the secretarial office. A week could pass without seeing her.
—Ring-ring, ring-ring.
As the ringing went on, Beom-jun’s irritation climbed. The CODE BLUE announcement had already put him on edge.
‘Wait…’
Come to think of it, the Fifth Floor Accounting Department—that was where Park Ha-rin worked.
Surely not. The thought that crossed his mind made Beom-jun’s expression harden. His chest dropped.
—”Director. It’s the Accounting Department Chief. I apologize, but Ms. Ha-rin, the Department Head, is currently unavailable to take calls.”
The voice of whoever answered in Park Ha-rin’s stead was trembling.
“The CODE BLUE just now—was that Department Head Park Ha-rin?”
Beom-jun asked about the situation calmly first.
—”Yes, yes, that’s right! She just regained consciousness, so we cancelled it, but she’s trying to go to the Emergency Room….”
—”Never mind that! There’s no point going to the Emergency Room anyway.”
And through the receiver, Park Ha-rin’s voice came through.

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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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