Surviving as a Rogue Hospital Director - Chapter 53

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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 53.
At Beom-jun’s encouragement, Jason looked up at him like a kitten.
‘You’ve got this, Jason. You can do it.’
Beom-jun nodded at him with an encouraging glance.
Jason swallowed dryly and began his presentation.
“At first, we clarified the patient.”
Once he got off to a strong start, things went remarkably smoothly.
His native English flowed from his tongue as naturally as water,
and the hair falling over his eyes lent him an air of confidence.
The materials Sung-hyuk had prepared also played a significant role. The way he explained without droning through the script highlighted his expertise.
“Wait, what happened in just two days?”
“It’s as if the Hospital Director of Korean University Hospital cast some sort of magic.”
The medical staff of Cheon-hui University Hospital were deeply moved by Jason’s transformation.
In truth, their expectations for Jason had never been high to begin with. Since he’d botched previous presentations so badly, anything remotely decent looked extraordinary by comparison.
‘That’s right, he’s doing well.’
Beom-jun remained at the very back of the Conference Room, watching over everything as if he were directing the presentation itself.
He’d offered only a little coaching, yet Jason was performing better than expected. Admirably so.
As Beom-jun watched him, he felt a warm sense of satisfaction. It was much the same feeling he’d had when he told Sung-hyuk to listen to his patients’ words.
Then the Status Window, which had been quiet for some time, appeared.
[Talent discovered.]
[Name: Jason / Position: Professor]
Patient Interview: ■■□□□
Examination: ■■■□□
Diagnosis: ■■■■■
Treatment: ■■□□□
Follow-up: ■■■■■
– Growth Potential: Sufficient
– Affinity: 6
[Stubborn character who digs deep into one area; narrow vision prevents him from seeing what’s around him.]
Beom-jun had assumed he could only view Talent information for personnel from Korean University Hospital, so the Status Window appearing before his eyes was unexpected.
‘Jason’s information appeared?’
A mentor and advisor.
Once Beom-jun became involved in Jason’s paper presentation, his decisions became the standard by which Jason measured his own.
[Hidden Quest opened.]
[Hidden Quest: Register a talented individual from another hospital.
Reward: Affinity Potion (Intermediate)]
An Affinity Potion? What’s this now? When Beom-jun clicked on the reward item, information appeared.
[Name: Affinity Potion (Intermediate)
Effect: Increases target’s affinity by 5.
Remaining Uses: 1]
He’d thought he’d taken on a tedious task, but an unexpected reward had materialized. A potion that raised affinity by five all at once.
Beom-jun crossed his arms. If he raised Jason’s affinity by just 1, he could register him as a Talent. There was no way he could let this opportunity slip away.
‘Heh heh, I wonder what our Jason likes.’
Beom-jun’s smile looked sinister, but fortunately, standing at the very back, no one saw it.
Just then Sung-hyuk approached and stood to Beom-jun’s right. Unconsciously, he crossed his arms just as Beom-jun had.
“We came all the way to Busan, yet you’re still busy. Director, it’s not easy to get to see you.”
Sung-hyuk, who had labored over Jason’s presentation materials, voiced a complaint of sorts.
Yesterday, Beom-jun had spent time with the Conference Chairman of the Korean Thoracic Surgery Society, so Sung-hyuk hadn’t even caught a glimpse of him.
“You were busy all day yesterday looking over Professor Jason’s research materials too.”
“Well, it seemed you were paying attention to Jason, so I just helped out.”
Beom-jun couldn’t quite bring himself to say, ‘I kept Jason from becoming enemies with you.’ Or that this research would be used as a treatment method for the next patient who came along.
“It’ll all come full circle. Just wait and see.”
To Sung-hyuk’s discontent, Beom-jun chuckled and spoke, and Sung-hyuk didn’t press the cryptic reply further.
After all, Beom-jun’s words had never been wrong, nor had his advice ever led to bad outcomes.
“This concludes the presentation. Thank you for listening.”
Once Jason’s paper presentation ended, applause echoed from the audience for some time—a far richer sound than the solitary clap from Beom-jun at the beginning.
And today, unlike two days before, questions and discussion about the research followed.
“Hello, Professor, I enjoyed today’s presentation. I’m curious about one thing—how you plan to apply this paper going forward. I’m interested in your future plans.”
Opinions on the utility of this paper were still divided,
“Hello, I’m a graduate student researching hypertrophic heart disease. Thank you for presenting related research. The treatment method you mentioned seems to hinge on the surgeon’s skill level. What about training for surgeons…?”
And so there was still no answer to the question of how it could be put to practical use.
But this was proof that people had listened closely to Jason’s presentation. In this field, critical comments beat silence.
‘If anything, that’s good.’
Beom-jun watched the process with satisfaction.
Jason stumbled somewhat in answering, contrary to his presentation delivery, so fortunately the questions weren’t particularly aggressive.
And the task of ‘how to apply this paper’ was torn into small pieces and distributed to everyone.
What had been a single person’s interest—Jason’s—became a collective one. Next time, collective intelligence would shine as multiple minds put their heads together.
“Director! Your help really made it go well. Professor Sung-hyuk also helped me, so thank you very much.”
Once all proceedings concluded, Jason descended from the podium. The moment he spotted Beom-jun, he came trotting over.
Jason spoke with childlike innocence, and a Status Window appeared before Beom-jun’s eyes.
[Quest completed.]
[Main Quest: Cut off the roots of enmity]
[Survival Probability increased by 3%.]
[Current Survival Probability: 31%]
After going full circle, the Main Quest had finally ended.
* * *
That evening, the Conference Chairman of the Korean Thoracic Surgery Society bought raw fish for dinner.
He repeated his words about how impressive the presentation was. He added his determination not to spare support for young doctors.
“The Korean Thoracic Surgery Society will support follow-up research, so I hope you don’t lose this passion going forward.”
“Really? Ah, thank you so much.”
At his words, the head of surgery at Cheon-hui University Hospital wiped her eyes with a tissue.
“Excellent! Let’s see this through to the very end!”
Meanwhile, upon hearing that the evening menu was raw fish, Hyun-ji was delighted, and Min-ho laughed bashfully as he watched her.
Observing Min-ho like that, Beom-jun tapped Sung-hyuk on the shoulder.
“While we eat later, ask him if he’s interested in doing a Fellowship. You never know—he might really want to.”
“…I wouldn’t do it if I were him.”
To Beom-jun’s words, Sung-hyuk replied with a sullen expression.
“Hey, when a professor says something like that, what am I supposed to do?”
“…Director, if you go back as a Resident, will you continue with thoracic surgery?”
At Sung-hyuk’s question, Beom-jun didn’t have an immediate answer. Thoracic surgery hadn’t been his choice. It was what the original body’s owner, the Hospital Director, had chosen.
“Hmm, who knows?”
If asked whether he’d have practiced medicine had he returned to the past, he would’ve said yes. As difficult as it was, it had been rewarding.
When Beom-jun replied vaguely, Sung-hyuk continued in a low voice.
“Think about it. You wouldn’t do it either. Sigh, I really think I should let Min-ho go if I truly care about him.”
Sung-hyuk was seriously wrestling with the question of holding onto Min-ho. Since this choice could determine the rest of his medical career, pursuing a Fellowship was no light matter.
“Things will get better.”
To Sung-hyuk’s worries, Beom-jun told him not to be concerned.
Now that he’d entered Doctor X, Sung-hyuk wouldn’t have to worry about anything other than treating his patients.
The improvement of thoracic surgery’s working environment would also be a byproduct that emerged from that process.
“I promise. I can’t say it’ll be heaven starting tomorrow. But it’ll get better, definitely.”
At Beom-jun’s words, Sung-hyuk, who had been complaining, closed his mouth as if his words had been cut off. His pupils trembled severely side to side. This was probably exactly what he’d needed to hear.
“Why, don’t you trust me?”
“No, no! I trust you, I do.”
At Beom-jun’s playful words, Sung-hyuk stammered but his face cleared.
The restaurant was located in the Food Alley next to Gwangan-ri Beach. The alley was packed with people.
Of course, this was a tourist spot, but so many people on a weekday was likely due to the conference. There had been an influx of at least a thousand people from outside.
On the third floor of the crowded restaurant, the owner—a contact of the Conference Chairman—had cleared the entire floor and welcomed Beom-jun’s party.
“Since we’re hosting such distinguished guests, I took special care.”
“Wow, this place is amazing!”
“It’s the best. Conference Chairman, it’s wonderful.”
And the cheers that had been directed at Beom-jun yesterday were heard again. How amusing.
As Beom-jun approached the table, seeing his group hesitate, he spoke first.
“Now that everything’s done, let’s relax and enjoy the meal.”
He gave a glance to the Korean University Hospital medical staff and took his seat at the table.
Beom-jun, Sung-hyuk, Min-ho, and Hyun-ji occupied one table, with the Cheon-hui University Hospital medical staff gathered at the adjacent one.
The Conference Chairman sat at the head. He went on at length about future research, and Jason’s ears were practically bleeding.
Min-ho pulled out a chair for Hyun-ji and looked after her comfort, but even afterward he kept glancing at her.
Noticing this, Beom-jun raised one eyebrow.
‘Well, well, look at that. And here I thought he was too swamped with work?’
A Resident finding time for romance. It was certainly different from when Beom-jun had trained.
“Yay, finally eating raw fish! Thank you for the meal!”
Soon seasonal sea bream and black porgy came out as a set. Hyun-ji’s voice pitch rose.
But contrary to her words, she held her chopsticks without taking a bite, just tasting the air. Sung-hyuk and Min-ho did the same. The group was waiting for Beom-jun to pick up his utensils.
“Eat as you like.”
Only after Beom-jun ate a piece of sea bream did the others finally begin their meal.
Beom-jun took three or four thick slices of sea bream into his mouth, and the thin bones crunched slightly, creating a crisp texture.
They say that when sea bream is in season, even a runaway daughter-in-law returns home. The sea bream’s distinctive flavor mingled with subtle umami, and the meat dissolved on his tongue.
Beom-jun understood now why the Conference Chairman had spoken with such confidence that it would be delicious.
It wasn’t fresh-caught raw fish but aged sashimi. The aging had maximized the sweetness, yet the distinctive oiliness of sea bream remained.
‘Hmm? I didn’t expect much, but this is pretty good.’
The assorted sashimi, which had captivated everyone’s palate, quickly disappeared into their stomachs.
“Seems like a good find. The Conference Chairman mentioned his hometown is Busan.”
“That explains it! It’s so delicious. Finally feels like I’m really in Busan!”
While Sung-hyuk and Hyun-ji ate contentedly, Beom-jun focused his attention on Min-ho.
“I should eat plenty now. If not now, when?”
And seizing the moment, he pounced on Min-ho’s remark.
“Why? We can come again next year.”
At the mention of next year, Min-ho stopped mid-bite and opened his eyes wide.
“Hmm~ Next year means Fellowship?”
Hyun-ji spoke with her eyes half-lowered, and at the taboo word ‘Fellowship,’ Min-ho’s shoulders stiffened and rose.
“Already time to graduate? Hey, congratulations, Min-ho. You’ve worked hard.”
Even as Beom-jun patted Min-ho’s back, his shoulders remained rigid. Just as when he’d first met Beom-jun, Min-ho tended to shrink beside Sung-hyuk.
“That’s right, Doctor! So will you do a Fellowship next year?”
“I… if I can? It would be nice if I got accepted. Though I’m not sure if Professor would pick me….”
‘Huh?’
At Min-ho’s cautious words, the gazes of Beom-jun and Sung-hyuk collided. It seemed he was actually interested in the Fellowship after all.
This was why you needed to talk directly to the person involved.
“Well, if that’s what you want to do.”
But the taciturn Sung-hyuk brushed it off as if it didn’t matter either way.
At Sung-hyuk’s words, Min-ho lowered his eyes and stared at his empty plate, and Beom-jun called out to Sung-hyuk loudly for some reason.
“Come on, Professor Sung-hyuk wouldn’t reject you, right?”
At Beom-jun’s meaningful glance, Sung-hyuk quickly responded.
“Yes, Min-ho is more than qualified. If he applies, I’m sure he’ll be accepted right away.”
Hyun-ji was triumphant, as if she’d known Sung-hyuk’s answer all along.
“See?! I knew you’d say that.”
Only after she tapped Min-ho’s foot under the table did the tension finally drain from his body.

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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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