Surviving as a Rogue Hospital Director - Chapter 143

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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 143.
‘I was going to meet Uigwonhoe with Im Sung-hyuk, but now it looks like I’ll be bringing Lee Min-ho instead.’
It was unexpected, but then again, nothing in the world ever goes exactly as planned.
Rather than stubbornly clinging to one path, when you adjust flexibly to circumstances,
you find yourself discovering unexpected fortune,
and learning something new.
“Yes, Min-ho should be fine. I’ll be performing the surgery myself, but Min-ho has been seeing almost all the patients. He’s also been handling the education of the resident fellows.”
Min-ho had more work because Im Sung-hyuk kept him close, but truthfully, he was never a character in the original Doctor X.
It was only because Beom-jun assigned him to Im Sung-hyuk early on to keep him from burning out.
The fact that Im Sung-hyuk could focus entirely on surgery meant that Min-ho was supporting him without any gaps.
For a massive hospital like Korea University Hospital, the premise that Im Sung-hyuk alone could handle the Department of Thoracic Surgery didn’t make sense.
‘Let me check what Min-ho’s current abilities are.’
Beom-jun opened his Status Window to review Min-ho’s personnel information.
[Name: Lee Min-ho / Position: Resident, Year 3]
History-Taking: ■■■■■
Examination: ■■■■■
Diagnosis: ■■■■□
Treatment: ■■■□□
Follow-up: ■■■□□
– Growth Potential: Explosive
– Affinity: MAX
[Works proactively without being told; strong desire to grow; susceptible to superiors with greater ability than himself.]
‘What? When did he get like this?’
No matter how explosive the growth potential was supposed to be, this didn’t make sense.
His growth rate was tremendous. When Beom-jun first discovered Min-ho in the On-Call Room, he hadn’t been at this level,
but ever since being placed next to Im Sung-hyuk, he’d been shooting up at an incredible pace.
Moreover, Min-ho was still just a resident. When he went on medical volunteer service, there would be Fellows and Professors everywhere, but he’d stand out among them without question.
‘A resident who treats patients just as well as a professor—that’s more than just acceptable. It’s genuinely impressive.’
“This could work. I can take Min-ho with me.”
“Then, I suppose I could stay behind at Korea University Hospital.”
At Beom-jun’s words, Sung-hyuk spoke up immediately.
‘This guy really didn’t want to go, did he.’
Sung-hyuk stood there with an expressionless face, but he’d made his point clear.
“You said Min-ho sees almost all the patients. You can handle them alone?”
Beom-jun needled Sung-hyuk on purpose.
“…? There’s no way I can’t handle it. Min-ho has only been in the Department of Thoracic Surgery for less than six months—since after you woke up from the ICU. I handled everything myself until then!”
Watching Sung-hyuk get riled up as intended, Beom-jun stifled a laugh.
Sung-hyuk’s face had flushed red while his lips were moving. Beom-jun quickly slid a coffee across to him.
It was an Iced Americano that Jae-kyung had prepared, arriving earlier than Beom-jun. Apparently it was made with the beans Sung-hyuk preferred—somehow Jae-kyung had known.
“I know, I know. What do you think I am?”
Sung-hyuk was indignant, but he didn’t refuse. He drank from the coffee Beom-jun had placed in front of him.
The moment the straw touched his lips, brown liquid rose through the transparent tube. Sung-hyuk took a couple of sips, then drained half the cup.
And just like that, his expression softened.
Watching Sung-hyuk stare at the coffee, Beom-jun held back a smile. Just as Jae-kyung had said, it matched his taste perfectly. The guy was simple, really. No wonder Doctor X was so entertaining.
Real hospital life was complicated beyond measure, but watching Im Sung-hyuk made everything feel clear.
His priorities had never wavered—patients always came first. And maybe that’s what it took to keep your priorities steady: ruthlessly cutting away everything else that mattered less.
“The volunteer service is a week, but with the weekends before and after, it’s nearly ten days. If anything urgent comes up, talk to the Vice-Director. I’ll give him a heads-up.”
Beom-jun spoke to Sung-hyuk, who held the half-empty coffee.
“Yes? Ah. Yes, I understand.”
He spoke as though he’d already forgotten his earlier irritation with Beom-jun.
“Have a safe trip. Take care of yourself. I’ll share the volunteer service schedule with Min-ho.”
“No, that’s fine. I’ll tell him myself, so just leave it.”
Beom-jun was planning to deliver this delightful(?) news to Min-ho in person.
He opened his Status Window and searched for Min-ho’s location.
[Searching for personnel location.]
[Lee Min-ho’s location confirmed: Department of Thoracic Surgery On-Call Room]
Min-ho, who’d been on call the previous night, was catching a brief sleep in the On-Call Room.
And the place where Min-ho was—it was where Beom-jun had first met him. Beom-jun recalled Min-ho dozing there with disheveled hair.
At that time, his sleep deprivation had been severe. He’d been working non-stop for three days straight.
The Status Window had warned that Min-ho could leave Korea University Hospital at any moment, but somehow he’d become indispensable to the hospital.
‘When did he grow this much? Time really does fly.’
Watching Min-ho’s explosive growth, Beom-jun found himself acutely reminded once again that his own death was drawing near.
This volunteer service would take him deep into the heart of Uigwonhoe.
There were no Quests marked as important so far,
but as he grew closer to Uigwonhoe,
he couldn’t shake the feeling that his own murder case was approaching.
Beom-jun rolled his eyes and closed the Status Window.
“Director, are you feeling unwell?”
That was when Sung-hyuk noticed Beom-jun’s condition and asked. His intuition had gotten so sharp that it was becoming a problem—he could see things Beom-jun didn’t want him to see.
Beom-jun spoke cheerfully.
“Just tired. You came in early because you have no time otherwise. That’s why.”
Beom-jun had no intention of unloading all his burdens onto Sung-hyuk. It was the opposite, in fact. For Sung-hyuk to focus solely on his patients, it was better if he didn’t know what was coming for Beom-jun.
“Get some rest, Director. I’ll be heading out now.”
Sung-hyuk either genuinely believed Beom-jun was tired, or he pretended to. Either way, he stood up quickly and left.
“By the way, Min-ho should be in the On-Call Room. A post-operative patient’s condition was unstable early this morning. He probably monitored him all night.”
He offered this information to Beom-jun—not knowing that Beom-jun already knew—as if providing a helpful tip.
“And the patient—how did it go?”
“Well… he survived.”
Sung-hyuk paused for a moment before answering Beom-jun’s question. As long as the patient lived, that was what mattered. That’s why the hospital ran twenty-four hours a day.
“Good. He did well.”
Min-ho really was demonstrating abilities every bit as capable as Sung-hyuk’s when Sung-hyuk wasn’t there.
This volunteer service would be the stage for Min-ho, who’d been saving patients without fail, to truly shine.
In the meantime, Beom-jun would search for the hidden gem within Uigwonhoe.
* * *
Beom-jun found the surgical ward’s On-Call Room and wandered down the corridor. Among the doors still marked only with room numbers, he came to the very last one.
He opened the door and stepped inside.
One of the two bunk beds was empty; the other had someone sleeping on the lower bunk.
He could tell from the back of his head alone. It was Lee Min-ho.
Snore—drowwwwgh.
The man who hadn’t slept a wink all night was now snoring away.
Snore—drowwwgh. Gasp!
The snoring suddenly stopped. Beom-jun’s head snapped around to check on Min-ho.
He’d wondered if Min-ho had sleep apnea, but it seemed he’d simply felt Beom-jun’s presence and woken up.
Beom-jun spoke to Min-ho, who was rubbing his eyes.
“Sleep well?”
“Huh—whoa, Director!! Ah!”
Min-ho, recognizing Beom-jun, sprang out of bed. As he did, he bumped his head on the bunk and clutched his forehead with both hands.
“Why are you startled? It’s not like this is my first time coming here.”
“W-well, that’s true, but… how did you… Professor Sung-hyuk must have gone on rounds by now.”
Im Sung-hyuk and Lee Min-ho knew each other’s schedules by heart. It was only possible because they were working back-to-back on the front lines of clinical medicine.
“I came to see you.”
“Me? Director, why me?”
Min-ho seemed incredulous that Beom-jun’s business was with him. Honestly, it was rare for Beom-jun and Min-ho to meet alone without Sung-hyuk present.
If he told Sung-hyuk about the volunteer service and Min-ho refused, things could get complicated.
‘If someone else shows up saying they’ll do it, that’ll be annoying. Better to settle this in one shot.’
So Beom-jun had come to find Min-ho directly. If things went well, he might be able to bring Min-ho along without having to use his authority.
“You haven’t taken any vacation time yet this year.”
Beom-jun said this after checking Min-ho’s attendance record.
“Director… I haven’t taken a single vacation day since I was hired.”
Min-ho spoke with a hint of bewilderment. He still had no idea where this was leading. The surprise visit was paying off.
“Take a week off. I’ve already told Sung-hyuk.”
Beom-jun announced it like Santa throwing down a gift.
“What? Really? Can I really take a vacation?”
Min-ho looked ready to cry. After three years as a resident, he’d probably never had a proper break.
A resident—the word itself means a doctor who ‘lives in’ the hospital. There are many terms: resident, fellow, specialist-in-training, but the actual working conditions are identical.
While forty-hour weeks and five-day work weeks have become standard, specialists-in-training work eighty hours a week. Add overtime and on-call duty, and it probably reaches a hundred hours a week.
And this is the reduced amount due to specialist-in-training regulations. When Beom-jun was a resident, there was a saying that it was normal not to leave the hospital for a hundred days after hire.
Beom-jun was about to launch into a “back in my day” story, but he held back. Instead, he tempted Min-ho with sweetness.
“You’re starting your fellowship soon anyway. Think of it as recharging before that.”
“Wow, Director. Thank you so much. Really, thank you.”
Min-ho bowed repeatedly and thanked him. Beom-jun waved him off with a gesture and spoke.
“It’s basically a domestic trip.”
The region for the volunteer service was the Southwest Region. There’d probably be a beach, so it was a trip in any case.
“Huh? Wait… are you saying you’re going too, Director?”
Only then did Min-ho, sensing something off, ask, one eyebrow twitching slightly.
“Yeah. Problem?”
“No! Of course not!”
Beom-jun was confident, and Min-ho, catching on quickly, spoke up. But his shoulders sagged despite what he said.
“Doesn’t seem like it. Or should we skip the vacation?”
“No! I love it! Really! I do want to go!”
Watching Min-ho echo his words, Beom-jun grinned broadly.
“Since you’re so eager, I guess we have to go together.”

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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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