Surviving as a Rogue Hospital Director - Chapter 32

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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 32.
At Beom Jun’s gesture, Jae Gyeong unzipped the vinyl bag and pulled out the mysterious box. A fountain pen and a sponge to secure it.
Beneath lay ten department store gift certificates worth one million won each.
‘The bastard really stuffed this thing.’
The murmuring around the room grew steadily louder.
With each gift certificate that emerged, Han Seung Woo’s expression twisted further.
“Only Han’s fingerprints will be on it. If you want, we can have it analyzed.”
At Beom Jun’s words, Han Seung Woo’s face flushed crimson, then drained of color. The mask had finally come off, and now his features showed genuine emotion.
‘There it is. That’s your real face.’
Though rage seemed to burn brighter than shame in those eyes.
“Wait, am I the only one? Huh? Everyone here’s the same!”
Han Seung Woo began thrashing, pointing at the other professors. Every one of them suddenly found somewhere else to look.
Some were avoiding a mess, others had either taken bribes themselves or done exactly what Han Seung Woo had done.
Han Seung Woo jabbed his finger at Beom Jun.
“What makes you different? Huh? You think I don’t know what you’ve been doing all this time?!”
Beom Jun didn’t answer. Honestly, he didn’t know the director’s entire past.
There was a time he must have devoted himself to saving patients—would a man do that and still be this rotten? But what bothered him was how easily Han Seung Woo accepted that first bribe.
“Me?”
So instead of responding, Beom Jun asked a question in return.
But those two syllables sounded like a threat to Han Seung Woo. If he was wrong about this, everything that followed would spiral beyond his control.
“I—I—!”
Han Seung Woo couldn’t decide whether to push forward or retreat. Ten gift certificates already lay scattered across the desk between him and the director.
The sum wasn’t trivial, but it hadn’t been exposed to the outside world. After all, they’d shared the same kitchen at this hospital—weren’t they colleagues? Could the bonds between doctors really dissolve this easily?
The tangle of his thoughts sealed his mouth. And Beom Jun, calm as ever, delivered the ultimatum.
“What’s certain is that if you keep that position, you’ll have plenty more to do.”
Beom Jun spoke in circumlocutions, but his meaning was transparent to everyone.
‘Step down from your professorship.’
The unexpected words silenced not just Han Seung Woo but every professor in the conference room.
It was something a director with authority over personnel could certainly say, but such a thing had rarely happened before.
Perhaps it was a courtesy owed to the medical profession—the idea of an honorific position, leaving no stain on its dignity.
“Whatever you’ve all done until now, things must change going forward. See that you don’t get trapped by the past and lose sight of the future.”
“You should’ve said that upfront! Level with me—you’re trying to make an example out of me alone, aren’t you?! How many others like me have there been until now?!”
Han Seung Woo protested his unfairness. Why him? Why not the rest?
When no one obeys the law everyone should follow, it’s the one who calls for compliance who gets pointed at.
“Do you think I have some grudge against you? If so, say it to my face!”
The agitated Han Seung Woo mixed formal and informal speech. What did he have to lose, facing expulsion from the hospital?
As his composure cracked before them, the professors still averted their eyes. They couldn’t afford to get tangled up and expose their own secrets.
‘Don’t worry. Don’t step in.’
Each time Sung Hyuk moved to intervene directly, he caught a sharp look from Beom Jun. It was crucial that Sung Hyuk not be seen as involved. This couldn’t devolve into a conflict between the Department of Cardiology and the Department of Thoracic Surgery.
Instead, Beom Jun regarded the seething Han Seung Woo with contempt and spoke. Stripped bare like this, the man was pathetically small.
“Say it! Say what you think!!”
Han Seung Woo lunged forward as if to grab Beom Jun by the collar.
“You don’t know your limits?”
Beom Jun sat alone at the head of the table, his presence filling the empty space around him, and he looked down at Han Seung Woo.
Beom Jun rose from his seat and moved toward Han Seung Woo.
“W-what—! Wh-why! What is—!”
As the distance between them closed, Han Seung Woo’s rage transformed into fear.
Beom Jun, towering over six feet, looked down at the inadequate doctor before him. Then he gripped his shoulder with his right hand, hard.
“Ugh—argh!!”
Han Seung Woo’s shoulders hunched under the crushing grip. The stronger Beom Jun squeezed, the more his thin frame bent, and his wrinkled coat crumpled further.
“If you do nothing, nothing will happen. Keep your head down and wait quietly.”
Beom Jun spoke in a low murmur, his gaze boring into Han Seung Woo. Like a predator over its prey, he revealed only his teeth—a silent, terrible smile.
Han Seung Woo’s will to strike back shattered in an instant.
The director had always been a reckless man. The thought that a punch might come next jolted Han Seung Woo back to reason.
The swagger of moments before evaporated. He began priming his pity routine instead.
“…What are you going to do with me? Fire me?”
He’d always been good at reading the room and pivoting. Now Beom Jun spoke to him with tired indifference.
“Fair warning—your resignation won’t be processed. It’s a recommended resignation, not a voluntary one. You’ll need to figure out what comes next on your own.”
For this official statement, Beom Jun used formal speech. He wasn’t addressing Han Seung Woo; he was speaking to the other professors in the room.
The professors who’d come prepared for interdepartmental posturing suddenly began reading the atmosphere, watching the situation unfold.
‘What is happening here.’
‘How should I know?’
‘Han Seung Woo’s the only one screwed.’
They lost all their fighting spirit. Some resolved never to fall out of the director’s favor; others decided they’d better participate earnestly in the multidisciplinary team.
But all of them grasped one thing: the director didn’t fall for cheap tricks.
‘Collaboration happens among yourselves, horizontally. Don’t try to drag me into it.’
Sung Hyuk, seated to Beom Jun’s right, embodied that message. Beom Jun leaned toward the microphone before him and spoke.
“If you’re doctors, act like doctors. Put aside distractions and focus on your patients. Of course, fulfill your respective duties faithfully.”
At his words, the medical staff nodded in unison. Point taken.
“Then, let’s end the meeting here. See you next time.”
Before Beom Jun had even finished speaking, the professors hurried out of the conference room.
Han Seung Woo remained where he stood, lost. He had become invisible to both the director and his colleagues. He still seemed unable to process what had happened to him.
Beom Jun tapped the shoulder he’d gripped just moments before and left the conference room. He was simply reaping what he’d sown. He felt no pity for Han Seung Woo.
And then, a notification appeared.
[Hidden Quest completed.]
[Hidden Quest: Eliminate a member of the Uigwonhoe.]
The Uigwonhoe? Beom Jun’s eyes narrowed as he read the message.
[Caution: Han Seung Woo is affiliated with the Uigwonhoe.]
[Personnel Information updated based on additional data.]
[Name: Han Seung Woo / Rank: Professor]
History Taking: ■■■■■
Examination: ■■□□□
Diagnosis: ■■■□□
Treatment: ■■□□□
Follow-up: ■■■■□
– Growth Potential: Minimal
– Affinity: ??
– Hostility: High
His personnel information now showed high hostility. That was from what had just happened.
And beneath that, a new field appeared: “Remarks.”
– Remarks: Full member of the Uigwonhoe
(Registering a Uigwonhoe member as personnel resets Survival Probability to 0%.)
‘What is this? Survival Probability resets to zero?!’
Beom Jun’s jaw went slack. It was dangerous. He’d never intended to recruit Han Seung Woo anyway, but if he had, all the survival probability he’d painstakingly built would reset to zero.
‘Damn, even thinking about it now gives me the chills.’
When Beom Jun thought back to that moment, his whole body erupted in goosebumps.
‘Anyway, what is the Uigwonhoe? Was there anything like this in ?’
Beom Jun had no particular knowledge of the Uigwonhoe. Honestly, he was hearing about it for the first time.
‘Does it show up after Part 1? If so, there must be some setup…’
Beom Jun racked his brain, going over the contents of .
One thing stood out: the chairman’s fountain pen. He remembered it being described in excessive detail.
– The chairman drew a fountain pen from his chest pocket. A stainless steel silver snake coiled around the body of the pen, its scales carved with such fluid precision and luxury that each one was distinct.
And then, starting with him, everyone in that place drew the same pen. They signed their names on a list, solidifying their bond. They were going to reclaim Doctors’ Rights, they said.
Beom Jun snapped his fingers.
“Ah! Doctors’ Rights!!”
It was definitely entangled with the chairman.
Given that the survival probability resets, it seemed that Beom Jun’s survival and a collision with the Uigwonhoe were at odds.
He’d need to watch carefully.
* * *
The next evening, as the sun was setting, someone came to the Director’s Office.
– Knock, knock, knock.
“I thought you might still be here. Haven’t had dinner yet, have you?”
It was none other than Sung Hyuk.
After Han Seung Woo’s suspension took effect, Fellow Kang Se Ra had taken over his duties. In practical terms, she was fulfilling the professor’s role.
Since then, the cardiology multidisciplinary team had run smoothly, and Sung Hyuk would stop by occasionally to report progress to Beom Jun.
“Something to talk about?”
But this time, he wasn’t here for business. Sung Hyuk had grown close enough to Beom Jun to drop by the director’s office unannounced, and they’d become comfortable enough to grab meals together.
“No, I was just thinking about eating, and it seemed you hadn’t left yet.”
Sung Hyuk suggested the Gukbap Restaurant they’d been to before, and once they arrived at the familiar place, the two headed to the sunken dining area in the back.
That spot again. His reserved table, apparently.
“It’s inconvenient to come and go, but I think you’ll find it quiet to eat in peace.”
– The old sliding door rumbled open with a click.
Before they’d even settled, Sung Hyuk called out.
“Two beef head soups, ma’am.”
Following Sung Hyuk’s lead, Beom Jun sat down and felt a mischievous impulse take hold.
“You’re paying?”
“Huh? Oh, yes. Enjoy.”
Half-joking, Sung Hyuk made an odd sound before agreeing. He seemed caught off guard.
Watching this, Beom Jun had to stifle a laugh.
Since entering , he’d had to scramble to survive every day, but seeing Sung Hyuk in person was a major advantage.
Up close, Sung Hyuk was a master of reactions. Honest and transparent, his thoughts played across his face instantly—the guy was asking to be teased.
Beom Jun stared at him for a moment, then spoke with a serious expression.
“Then get me some boiled pork too.”
At Beom Jun’s sudden non sequitur, Sung Hyuk just stared blankly. He was probably wondering what had gotten into him.
Beom Jun pulled down the corners of his mouth. He’d been a fan of Sung Hyuk’s ever since reading , and now it hit him that they’d grown close enough to joke around together like this.
“It’s not? Get me some boiled pork.”
“…?”
Still befuddled, Sung Hyuk called over a staff member with that confused expression plastered on his face.
“…Ma’am! Please bring some boiled pork too.”
“Pfft—”
A short laugh escaped, and Beom Jun quickly lowered his head to hide his smile.
By then, the boiled pork arrived, set down between him and Sung Hyuk.
Thickly sliced meat filled the plate, separated along the grain.
The surface glistened with fat, and tendrils of steam carried the savory aroma particular to boiled pork.
“Aren’t you eating?”
“Of course. Let’s eat well.”
Beom Jun picked up a piece of the boiled pork with chopsticks and spoke. The corners of his mouth were still twitching upward.

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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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