Surviving as a Rogue Hospital Director - Chapter 4

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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 4.
Seong Hyeok began his Ward Rounds late in the evening. With two Emergency Surgeries that day alone, it was already past ten at night.
‘I can’t just leave without seeing the patients.’
It was his iron rule to meet with patients in person at least once a day. Seong Hyeok strode into the Ward with a long gait. At that moment, Min Ho, a resident who had been dozing inside, jolted awake.
“Oh! Professor, you’ve arrived.”
His hair was disheveled, and there were traces of drool at the corner of his mouth.
“Sleeping on duty—do you have no shame toward your patients?”
Seong Hyeok rebuked Min Ho sternly. It was something he simply could not tolerate.
“Ah, well, I was actually on duty yesterday…”
Min Ho, who had come in to work even on his days off, felt wronged but couldn’t explain it all.
Seong Hyeok, an iron man through and through, overcame any work environment through sheer willpower. Tales of him had become legend among his juniors.
‘Wow, he finished a surgery in thirty minutes?’
‘That treatment method for that condition—Professor Lim developed it first.’
‘Did you hear? He worked without sleep for a whole week.’
Manual dexterity is essential for a doctor, but that wasn’t all Seong Hyeok possessed. He had an engine of extraordinary capacity, and more than enough fuel to power it.
Through his obsession with medicine and his sense of mission toward his patients, he stayed ahead of other doctors every single time.
“If that’s how you’re going to work, keep your hands off my patients.”
At Seong Hyeok’s stern command, the resident apologized repeatedly.
To Min Ho, Seong Hyeok was a figure difficult to approach. The heights he had achieved through endless effort were excessively high compared to ordinary people. Standing beside him, one felt such self-loathing as to question whether one was even a doctor at all.
“I apologize. I think I lost my mind for a moment.”
Min Ho, now awake, opened his eyes clearly and spoke. Only then did Seong Hyeok nod in satisfaction and pat his shoulder reassuringly.
“Keep your wits about you. The lives of dozens rest in your hands.”
Min Ho’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. Seong Hyeok took Min Ho along with him, asking about and explaining the treatment progress of each patient.
‘That’s…’
As they passed the ICU, his eyes caught a familiar face. Next to the internal medicine ICU, the PICU—Pediatric Intensive Care Unit—where Lee Seo was admitted, came into view.
“Oh, hello, Professor.”
Lee Seo’s mother greeted Seong Hyeok first.
“Hello, ma’am. Are you on your way back from visiting Lee Seo?”
“Yes, well, that’s right.”
She answered with an awkward smile.
Indeed, things had become strained since their last consultation. Lee Seo’s worried mother had suggested they couldn’t delay the surgery, and Seong Hyeok had flatly refused.
And yet the surgery couldn’t be avoided. There was no other option, and delay would only work against Lee Seo.
Seong Hyeok harbored no regret about that decision. He would have done the same thing if he could go back any number of times.
“Doctor, how is our Lee Seo doing? There’s not much time before the surgery, and my wife is so worried about whether everything will be all right.”
Lee Seo’s father, sensing the uncomfortable atmosphere, stepped forward. It was a question he’d asked before, but Seong Hyeok explained from the beginning again. If this could lift them from their anxiety, he was willing to do it as many times as needed.
“Of course, there are certain risks involved, but at this point, surgery is the best option. If we try to manage with medication alone, there’s a high chance we’ll miss the critical window.”
The father nodded earnestly, listening intently to every word, while the mother, who had been pursing her lips slightly, finally spoke after his explanation was done—as if she had known all along.
“The Director mentioned the same thing just earlier.”
“The Director? You met with him?”
In any case, the Director was Seong Hyeok’s superior. The mention of the hospital’s director from the mouth of his patient’s guardian startled him considerably.
“Yes, he wanted to see us. Since we come to visit Lee Seo every day anyway, we said any time would be fine.”
“How did the Director come to meet with you?”
Seong Hyeok asked her. Though the Director wasn’t one for lengthy speeches, his curiosity was greater. How had they met? When exactly?
Having just come out of the Director’s Office after a confrontation, he couldn’t help but be troubled.
‘A doctor’s trying to treat his patient—what’s the problem?’
Seong Hyeok had been under considerable stress lately, at odds with the hospital. He felt keenly now that a patient’s life couldn’t be saved by will alone.
How powerless a doctor—a mere individual—could be within a hospital system. Yet he couldn’t give up either. Because the attending physician was all the patient had.
From the moment the Director was mentioned, something sharpened in him, and he waited for Lee Seo’s parents to continue.
“Ah, it was a few days ago when he called. He didn’t say anything particular.”
Lee Seo’s father, sensing Seong Hyeok’s hesitation, spoke up with quick insight.
“The Director did say we couldn’t afford to miss the timing.”
“I’m sorry?”
Taken aback, Seong Hyeok repeated the question, and then the mother slowly spoke.
“Well, I was honestly worried, but… thank you. Professor, for trying to save our Lee Seo. After hearing what the Director said, I understood—if not for you, no one would have agreed to perform the surgery.”
She spoke, near tears, her eyes downcast and unable to meet his gaze.
“I’m sorry for the misunderstanding. We’re truly grateful.”
He’d thought she was uncomfortable, but it turned out differently. As her nose reddened and she sniffled, her husband attended to her.
Witnessing this, Seong Hyeok felt a sudden realization. He’d overlooked something crucial in his urgency for the surgery.
That rapport with a pediatric patient who couldn’t make their own medical decisions must include the guardians.
If the guardians’ hearts were wounded while pushing the surgery in the name of saving the patient, then who was this treatment truly for?
‘How could I have missed this.’
He had skipped the process of persuading and respecting them. Seong Hyeok’s ears flushed with shame.
On the surface, he looked toward the couple and spoke simply.
“Let’s save the thanks for after the surgery.”
He bowed his head briefly, then strode down the corridor. The words the Director had spoken seemed to echo in his ears.
‘So he’s taking on such a difficult surgery—truly, he lives up to his name, Professor Lim.’
Had those been sincere words? Not only had the Director taken time for the guardians, but had sided with them as well.
‘I was the one who misunderstood, not Lee Seo’s mother.’
Seong Hyeok recalled storming into the Director’s Office, shouting and slamming the door behind him. He remembered misinterpreting Beom Jun’s words and venting his anger on him.
Yet the Director hadn’t reproached him for it. Instead, he’d attended to the very parts Seong Hyeok had overlooked.
Seong Hyeok’s head bowed of its own accord.
* * *
[Seong Hyeok’s Affinity has increased by 1.]
[Seong Hyeok’s Affinity has increased by 1.]
[Seong Hyeok’s Affinity has reached 7.]
In the Director’s Office, Beom Jun checked the Status Window that had appeared suddenly.
‘What’s this, all of a sudden.’
Beom Jun clicked the details next to the Status Window to check where Seong Hyeok was located.
[Searching for Talent’s location.]
[Seong Hyeok’s location confirmed: Outside PICU.]
Looking at the location, it made sense. He must have run into Lee Seo’s couple. And shortly after, Lee Seo’s Surgical Consent Form appeared on the HIS.
It was signed by the primary guardian, the mother. Looks like the conversation went well. For Affinity to rise by 2 at once was lucky. Now could he register him as a Talent?
[Minimum Affinity required for Talent registration is 7.]
As if reading Beom Jun’s mind, an alarm window appeared. A bit unsettling, but he had the information he needed.
So, only registration remained. Wondering where Seong Hyeok might be, the Status Window appeared immediately.
[Searching for Talent’s location.]
[Seong Hyeok’s location confirmed: Professor’s Office, Room 417.]
After Ward Rounds, Seong Hyeok had gone straight to his office. Diligent as always.
Beom Jun passed through the crowded Lobby and took the elevator in the corner.
Exiting the elevator and walking down the corridor, signs for rooms 414, 415, and others passed by one after another.
Then someone appeared in the corridor. The gown read: Thoracic Surgery Department, Hee Seong.
‘Ah, one of the fellows Seong Hyeok keeps with him.’
Beom Jun thought to himself. After completing a Medical Residency, the Fellowship was like doctoral studies in a graduate program.
Hee Seong had played a significant role in Doctor X, but let’s stop here. Officially, his Fellowship term had ended, but in truth, he couldn’t endure Seong Hyeok any longer.
The work remains the same, but when the person leaves, the professor bleeds himself dry.
‘That’s how Seong Hyeok began to take interest in the hospital system.’
Seong Hyeok, who had known only patients, began to question the hospital when work piled up. He started seeing the unreasonable and unfair systems at Korea University Hospital.
His determination to overhaul everything and his eventual acceptance of the Director’s position stemmed from moments like these.
“Director, what brings you here?”
Upon arriving at the Professor’s Office, Seong Hyeok spoke to Beom Jun with a guarded tone.
It was something he heard often these days.
‘Should I just sit in the Director’s Office all day without moving.’
“I was passing by. You’ve been working hard lately, Professor Lim. Ha ha.”
For a “passing by,” the Professor’s Office was quite isolated from the hospital’s main facilities, but Beom Jun made a reasonable excuse. ‘He’ll figure it out and act accordingly,’ he thought.
“Yes.”
Yet Seong Hyeok’s response was short and cold, his brow furrowed. For someone whose Affinity had risen, it was decidedly chilly. How embarrassing.
Was it because of the fellow who’d just left? Beom Jun carefully broached the subject.
“I saw Hee Seong leaving. Now that I think about it, he’ll be graduating soon—”
*

*Graduating: slang for completing one’s Medical Residency
“…it’s his life to live as he chooses.”
Seong Hyeok spoke, suppressing irritation. The atmosphere was decidedly poor.
“There’s no need to visit about such matters in the future.”
Beom Jun sighed to himself.
He was fortunate to have been an enthusiastic reader of Doctor X. Otherwise, seeing how rudely Seong Hyeok spoke would have killed any affection.
“Right, I understand. You must be busy—take care of your work.”
Instead, Beom Jun opened the Status Window in that moment. Yes, that’s what he came for. He’d accomplish his task and leave.
[Register Seong Hyeok as Talent? Yes / No]
Yes, absolutely yes. Beom Jun’s eyes moved to click. Getting Seong Hyeok as his first Talent left him somewhat exhilarated.
[Seong Hyeok has been registered as a Talent.]
But the moment the message appeared that Professor Seong Hyeok had been registered, Beom Jun suddenly felt a sharp, splitting pain on both sides of his head—intense enough to be far more than a simple migraine.
[Through registration effects, the Talent’s knowledge is being absorbed.]
“Ugh!”
Beom Jun braced himself against the wall, unable to stand.
The intense pain squeezing both sides of his head left him momentarily unable to see clearly.
As Beom Jun sank to the floor, medical knowledge of Thoracic Surgery was etched into his mind one piece at a time.
The structure of the heart, so vivid he could sketch it immediately, and the positions of blood vessels,
the ribs that enclosed it all.
Every disease related to the heart and even the current condition of patients admitted to the ward.
‘This can’t be real.’
This was likely the expertise Seong Hyeok had built over more than a decade. It was knowledge of a depth that couldn’t possibly be grasped through brief study.
Beom Jun, pale as if he’d seen a ghost, leaned his body against the wall.
“Director, are you all right?”
The man who had only nodded in his seat rushed over and steadied Beom Jun.
“Ah, just a moment of dizziness. I’m fine.”
A new Status Window had already materialized before his eyes.
[Main Quest completed.]
[Beom Jun’s Survival Probability has increased by 3%.]
[Current Survival Probability: 3%.]
Now that he’d obtained Seong Hyeok as a Talent, Beom Jun felt the reality of what “Survival Probability” meant. There was now a path to survival for Beom Jun the Director, who was originally destined to die.

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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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