Surviving as a Rogue Hospital Director - Chapter 14

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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 14.
“Ugh!”
Ten minutes earlier.
Beom Jun, who had been slumped over his desk, let out a sharp cry and toppled to the floor. His chair rolled away, clattering across the carpet until it hit the wall and stopped. What he’d checked was Lim Sung Hyeok’s current location.
‘I looked it up just to be sure.’
[Lim Sung Hyeok’s Current Location: Organ Transplant Center]
‘Is he already tearing the place apart?’
Not literally, but regardless—he had to stop it. Beom Jun picked himself up from the floor and fumbled for his phone.
‘Why did I go through all that trouble yesterday? Don’t tell me he’s already made his move. Sure, the Organ Transplant Center is a nightmare to deal with, but you’re only making yourself more miserable!’
His desperate plea never reached Sung Hyeok.
— Ring, ring, ring.
Sung Hyeok usually picked up before the third ring, but today it took longer. Each passing second made Beom Jun’s anxiety spike.
— Click.
Fortunately, the call connected moments later.
“Yes, Director.”
Sung Hyeok’s voice was clipped as always, but surprisingly composed. Maybe the crisis hadn’t erupted yet.
“Good—the heart transplant for patient Seo Jin Ha is proceeding smoothly, right?”
Beom Jun jumped straight to the patient without preamble. Small talk was the last thing he needed right now.
“No, actually. I’m here because the referral paperwork still hasn’t been processed.”
Sung Hyeok ground out the words as if biting back rage. The fact that he’d actually gone there in person—this terrifying bastard.
The Organ Transplant Center sat at the far edge of the hospital grounds. It wasn’t a place staff frequented.
A twenty-minute walk from the Thoracic Surgery Department, and the man had made the trip himself. Beom Jun could only imagine him seething the entire way.
“For patient Seo Jin Ha—I already told the director about this. Apparently a donor will come up in a couple of weeks.”
He hadn’t heard the exact timeline from the center director, but a couple of weeks should be right.
The reason was that Doctor X had pinpointed Seo Jin Ha’s surgery date as the day before Gaecheonjeol. That same day was also the day after Korea University Hospital’s founding anniversary—a Sandwich Day when hospital staff got consecutive days off.
The coordinator on duty would be back from her honeymoon by then, only to take another vacation. Sung Hyeok was scheduled to tear the center apart.
Beom Jun let out a quiet sigh as he spoke with Sung Hyeok.
This Lim Sung Hyeok. In Doctor X, his fury was cathartic, but watching it from the sidelines felt like standing next to a time bomb.
Still, Beom Jun couldn’t stop him. He knew better than anyone that Sung Hyeok’s anger was justified.
‘It would be righteous. If I were the attending physician, I’d do the same thing.’
Because of Sung Hyeok’s volatile temperament, Korea University Hospital buzzed with internal friction and complications. Yet Beom Jun believed, deep down, that this was how it should be.
Perhaps that’s why he could support someone so relentless when the patient’s welfare was at stake.
“Regardless, just coordinate the surgery schedule carefully. I’ve already told the director, so don’t worry too much about the registration.”
Fortunately, as Beom Jun spoke, Sung Hyeok’s rage began to subside. The source of his anger had evaporated; there was no reason to burn any hotter.
“Yes, thank you, Director.”
The moment Sung Hyeok finished speaking, a Status Window appeared announcing quest completion.
[Main Quest Complete.]
[Main Quest: Prevent Lim Sung Hyeok’s Rage]
[Choi Beom Jun’s Survival Probability has increased by 3%.]
[Current Survival Probability: 11%.]
[Lim Sung Hyeok’s Favorability has increased by 1.]
Sung Hyeok’s favorability rose accordingly. The survival probability had now broken into double digits.
Exhausted, Beom Jun ended the call. The effects of drinking until dawn still clung to him.
On his desk lay the empty packaging of the Hangover Cure that Jae Gyeong had given him and a drained bottle. An IV Drip hung from the curtain rod of the Director’s Office.
Nothing beat an IV drip for lowering blood alcohol concentration. Crude method—literally forcing water into your system—but effective.
At least he could rest easy now. Beom Jun, slumped in his chair, closed his heavy eyes for a moment.
Time passed. The IV drip finished its work, and Beom Jun stirred awake.
Beom Jun rolled his shoulders lightly, stretching.
— Knock, knock, knock.
A knock sounded at the Director’s Office door.
“Come in.”
The sharp-voiced visitor disregarded Beom Jun’s permission and stepped inside anyway.
Beom Jun didn’t recognize the face, but the nameplate told him immediately. Gu Hee Jung. She was the Vice Director of Doctor X. The woman who would murder him in half a year.
Beom Jun’s right hand clenched. What’s she doing sneaking in here?
* * *
Hee Jung settled onto the office sofa as if she owned the place.
“Hmm, Director, I hear you’ve been up to something interesting lately?”
Beom Jun watched her intently, his eyes narrowing. Her appearance triggered the display of Personnel Information as a bonus.
[Name: Gu Hee Jung / Position: Vice Director]
Management Strategy: ■■■■■
Organizational Management: ■■■□□
Performance Management: ■■■■■
External Relations: ■■■■□
– Favorability: ??
– Hostility: High
[Commanding leader. Strong desire to be number one. Highly capable; no one rivals her work ethic.]
The results were striking. Of four categories, only two weren’t maxed out. This woman’s competence was undeniable.
Another Status Window appeared after that.
[Due to existing Hostility, Favorability cannot be displayed.]
[Warning: A high-Hostility individual is nearby. Watch your back.]
Beom Jun already knew Gu Hee Jung would stab him in the back. He knew it would be savage, potentially fatal.
Flanking her on both sides were Korea University Hospital’s accountant and lawyer, standing shoulder-to-shoulder. The Vice Director’s left and right arms. Beom Jun checked their Personnel Information as well.
[Name: An Jun Mo / Position: Legal Affairs Team Lead]
Legal Consultation: ■■■□□
Crisis Response: ■■■◧□
Internal Regulations: ■■■■□
Management Support: ■■■■■
– Favorability: ??
– Hostility: Moderate
[Born chatterbox. Persuades opponents through sheer talk. Skilled in manipulation and gaslighting.]
He had his talents, all right—if you could call those talents. He was the type who wielded power through the Vice Director’s patronage, swaggering around the hospital on her coattails.
Watching Jun Mo puff out his chest in her shadow made Beom Jun’s skin crawl.
The woman at Hee Jung’s left looked anywhere but at Beom Jun.
[Name: Park Ha Rin / Position: Accounting Team Lead]
Budget Management: ■■■■■
Accounting: ■■■■■
Internal Audit: ■■■□□
Financial Strategy: ■■■□□
– Favorability: ??
– Hostility: Low
[Sharp, meticulous personality. Sensitive to numbers. Exceptional memory—note carefully.]
Unlike the Vice Director, Ha Rin showed only mild hostility. The sharp-featured woman scanned the Director’s Office, then made eye contact with Beom Jun before quickly turning away.
Having reviewed all three individuals’ information, Beom Jun was forced to admit they were more formidable than he’d anticipated. Especially compared to Sung Hyeok, Min Ho, and Jae Gyeong.
The Vice Director was even the Board Chair’s closest confidant. No wonder Doctor X showed the hospital director dancing in her palm.
“Lucky you survived. Now you’re up to things you didn’t used to do.”
The Vice Director spoke to him mockingly.
‘Lucky?’
When Beom Jun entered Doctor X, he was in the ICU. The early chapters focused on the protagonist, so there was no explanation for why Beom Jun was admitted.
He’d felt uneasy about it then, and now a suspicion gnawed at him—that the Vice Director was connected to his hospitalization.
‘So trying to kill me didn’t start half a year from now.’
In the latter half of Part One, she administers Epinephrine to the hospital director, triggering cardiac arrest. A murder disguised as death by overwork.
But using drugs would be a clumsy method for her. As a non-medical professional, obtaining Epinephrine wouldn’t be easy.
Maybe she’d arranged a hit-and-run driver instead. It was speculation, but plausible. The thought made Beom Jun let out a hollow laugh.
“Interesting.”
He murmured it under his breath. The corner of his mouth twitched upward, directing a sneer at the Vice Director.
“What brings you to the Director’s Office? I wasn’t informed of any meeting.”
“Just passing by. Thought I’d stop in. We haven’t seen each other since you came back, after all. Why didn’t you come find me? I was waiting!”
The Vice Director smiled broadly, as if Beom Jun were the one who should have sought her out first.
[Main Quest: Break the Vice Director’s Spirit]
The Vice Director’s disrespect has crossed the line. Establish dominance before insubordination takes root.
Reward: Survival Probability +3%
Failure: Death
Beom Jun scanned the new quest. The word “Death” stood out starkly against everything else.
‘So if I can’t clear this quest, I’m dead anyway.’
The Vice Director sat cross-legged on the sofa, her gaze drilling into Beom Jun. Her eyes were contemptuous, looking down on him as if he were beneath notice.
Beom Jun refused to be swayed by her. Though hardly exceptional in ability, he’d kept his professorial position. He’d navigated countless types of people.
She had spent years as hospital director in America. She’d accepted the Vice Director position at Korea University Hospital believing she’d eventually be promoted to director.
In her eagerness, Hee Jung had neglected to research Korean medical law—only later discovering that only physicians could serve as hospital director in Korea.
‘The Board Chair played that cleverly.’
Already committed to the move, with no way back, she’d remained trapped by ambition, bleeding herself dry even as her brilliant career stalled.
Perhaps she needed someone to blame.
But from this point forward, things would be different. He might know death was coming, but he wouldn’t play puppet to her hands.
Beom Jun spoke the words “director” and “vice director” with deliberate emphasis.
“The director has a lot on his plate. You probably wouldn’t understand that, Vice Director.”
He needed to make the barrier absolutely clear to her. Her circumstances were tragic, perhaps, but some things couldn’t be compromised. Some things were simply impossible.
“What did you say?”
As expected, Hee Jung had a fit the moment she heard him.
“Don’t you know I have far more experience as a director? You’re only in your first year! You don’t even realize you’re a greenhorn. Tch.”
[Gu Hee Jung’s Hostility has increased.]
Hee Jung pointed an accusatory finger, her voice rising. Jun Mo and Ha Rin chimed in from either side.
“That’s right. The director lacks experience, so he naturally doesn’t understand.”
“If you were the Vice Director, things would be so much smoother.”
Despite the Vice Director’s character flaws, her staff’s loyalty was remarkable. It likely stemmed from her undeniable competence.
Jae Gyeong flinched beside him, but Beom Jun signaled silently, sending him to the back. Then, with a shrug, he spoke.
“Everyone has a beginning. But I have what it takes to be director, so that should suffice, shouldn’t it?”
[Gu Hee Jung has been intimidated.]
Beom Jun studied the Status Window and felt certain. Yes, in Doctor X, the relationship between director and vice director hinged on exactly this.
Hee Jung fell silent, struck where it hurt. She seemed to choke up; the muscles above her collarbone tensed, leaving a hollow shadow.
“Conditions differ depending on circumstances!”
Hee Jung’s lips trembled with fury. She cried out sharply, but her voice wavered, mangling her pronunciation.

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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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