Surviving as a Rogue Hospital Director - Chapter 66

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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 66.
Choi Beom-jun. Choi Beom-jun. Choi Beom-jun.
That name followed her everywhere she went.
Hee-jeong, who had finally tasted a moment of freedom, felt herself slipping back into her old groove.
Now even the patients were going on about the Director. Hee-jeong pressed her throbbing temples as she spoke.
“You know the Director? How on earth do you know him?”
“Well, it just happened that way. He says we’re close.”
‘How did they even meet, and just how close are they?’
Pride wouldn’t let her ask directly.
Being pushed around by this kid, Hee-jeong felt the good mood she’d enjoyed moments ago drain away again.
“Anyway, what did you mean earlier? You said if you work at a hospital, you end up thinking about patients.”
“You won’t say anything, so why are you asking me?”
Rather than meeting the child’s gaze, Hee-jeong had somehow become childish herself.
At her irritated words, Kang-u took a step back. He sensed that getting involved with her would only exhaust him.
“The Director told me everything.”
Instead, he grumbled, letting his discomfort show.
‘She’s being so petty. The Hospital Director gave me a lot of good advice, but she’s just being mean about it.’
Earlier, the Director had said that when you work at a hospital, you inevitably start thinking about patients—implying that’s how people change through their work.
‘Doesn’t that mean people who care about patients are the ones who work at hospitals?’
Something felt reversed about the order of things, but her expression was so unappealing that he didn’t want to push further.
‘It’s fine. I’ll ask him about it at the next appointment anyway.’
Kang-u decided it didn’t matter. He didn’t care either way.
The strange woman was irritated and his mother still fawned over anyone, but he was okay with all of it.
‘I’ll watch over you as you grow.’
He’d made a promise to become a truly impressive man—one worth admiring. Everything else was irrelevant.
* * *
Kang-u met Beom-jun separately a few days prior.
Right after Beom-jun had emphasized to Im Sung-hyuk the importance of Patient Interview.
Beom-jun gazed at Im Sung-hyuk’s personnel information in awe.
[Name: Im Sung-hyuk / Position: Professor]
Patient Interview: ■■■■□
Examination: ■■■□□
Diagnosis: ■■■■■
Treatment: ■■■■■
Follow-up: ■■■■□
– Growth Potential: Sufficient
– Favorability: MAX
Patient Interview had climbed two levels to reach four—now comparable to his other abilities.
Incredible. The protagonist was truly different. Without needing items at all, Im Sung-hyuk had quickly elevated his own abilities with just a hint of guidance.
“I see now. I need to explain everything and persuade them no matter what.”
“The patient?”
“Yes. I intend to make every single patient one hundred percent understand.”
A behavioral directive was added to the already resolute Im Sung-hyuk. Beom-jun sensed that flames had sprouted around him—as though he stood at the very core of them.
But to Beom-jun, that brilliantly burning intensity seemed dangerous.
Patient Interview is the time a patient and doctor converse.
Narrowly defined, it’s when the doctor identifies meaningful symptoms and gathers diagnostic information.
The doctor guides the conversation and grasps the thread that leads to a diagnosis.
But broadly speaking, Patient Interview is the conversation throughout the diagnostic process.
The doctor organizes the information the patient provides,
explains the suspected diagnosis,
then guides them through upcoming examinations and treatments,
and concludes by obtaining their consent.
Rapport—a trust relationship between patient and doctor—forms in this moment. When a patient clearly understands why they need treatment, their compliance with it strengthens.
If they know that slight improvement doesn’t mean complete recovery, and that side effects are an expected part of the process,
they’ll take their medication for the full prescribed duration without arbitrarily stopping, even if side effects appear.
Without the doctor present, the patient continues their own treatment.
‘Wait. Is this right? I don’t think Kang-u should approach it that way.’
Beom-jun held back Im Sung-hyuk, who seemed ready to charge forward immediately.
“You mean adapting to the situation, right?”
With an adolescent patient, Im Sung-hyuk’s approach risked feeling like coercion.
“Of course. I’ll adapt to the situation.”
But Im Sung-hyuk, now filled with newfound understanding, seemed ready to sprint ahead.
‘No, he’s supposed to persuade, explain, adapt to the situation. Honestly, protagonist.’
He’d probably need Patient Interview to reach five squares to truly develop flexibility.
Im Sung-hyuk, who used to ignore what patients said—or rather, blindly trusted his own intuition—was respected by patients, but he’d also wounded quite a few in the process.
The fact that he’d now learned the importance of Patient Interview counted as substantial progress. That was good enough.
‘The rest I can handle.’
Beom-jun spoke to Im Sung-hyuk.
“When you have Kim Kang-u’s consultation, have him ask me to stop by for a moment.”
“Why Kim Kang-u… I’ll handle it.”
Im Sung-hyuk refused. He believed it was unreasonable for Beom-jun, the Hospital Director, to see patients directly.
“There’s something I want to tell him. His father isn’t around. He reminds me of my son, that’s all.”
Beom-jun was being vague, but Im Sung-hyuk’s expression grew odd. He knew Beom-jun was only a year or two older than him at most.
“…I understand. You must have your reasons.”
Im Sung-hyuk couldn’t possibly know that Beom-jun had raised a daughter in a past life, so he asked nothing further.
* * *
Knock-knock-knock.
Later, Kang-u arrived at the Director’s Office. With Jae-gyeong guiding him, he came to meet Beom-jun first, just before the Consultation Room.
“Then, please talk things through. If you need anything, just call me.”
Jae-gyeong set down coffee and hot chocolate on the table while speaking.
“…I don’t drink sweet stuff.”
“Oh? This one’s mine. The Director must have mixed them up.”
At Kang-u’s words, Beom-jun pulled the hot chocolate toward himself.
‘Phew, almost started on the wrong foot.’
Sip.
Beom-jun sipped from the foam floating on top of the hot chocolate. Hot chocolate in the cool weather was the best—sweet and warm, his whole body seemed to melt into it.
‘Was this actually mine?’
Jae-gyeong usually prepared the drinks on his own. Beom-jun wasn’t particularly picky, so he drank whatever was given to him.
‘Pretty sure this is mine though?’
Meanwhile, Kang-u’s eyes darted around the Director’s Office. He scanned the spacious, dimly lit room and its high-end furnishings.
Kang-u sat with his shoulders hunched, his back rounded into a stoop. His trapezius muscles were elevated, making his neck appear short.
Then he brought the Americano to his lips before setting it right back down.
“Oof. Hot. Hot.”
Kang-u, who came when called and left when told, seemed a bit intimidated.
But after swallowing once, he looked directly at Beom-jun and spoke.
“You said you wanted to talk to me about something. My mom’s waiting, right?”
His mother was resting in the VIP Lounge. Jae-gyeong had said he’d guide her to a massage chair, and the conversation would take about thirty minutes, so it should be the right amount of time.
“Your mother’s fine. You wanted to be alone, didn’t you?”
“What are you talking about? Where did you take my mom?”
At the mention of his mother, Kang-u half-rose from his seat, but at Beom-jun’s next words, he dropped back down.
“Don’t worry. She’s waiting in the VIP exclusive area. You passed by earlier, didn’t you?”
His mother had been concerned about her son and walked him to the Director’s Office before heading back the way they’d come.
The unexpected summons had caught both mother and son off-guard.
“You’re still not smoking, right? If you’re going to have the procedure done, it helps to build up your condition beforehand.”
Beom-jun broached a topic Kang-u would understand and asked about his wellbeing.
“I haven’t decided to do that yet.”
“Right, right. If you do, then.”
But Kang-u’s tone was sharp, and Beom-jun corrected himself to match. Kang-u still sat with his mouth clenched, glaring at Beom-jun.
The hot Americano remained untouched.
“Still, quitting smoking would be good for you. A procedure isn’t the end of it. You have to keep managing your health.”
“…I’m already doing that.”
Though Kang-u appeared fully grown, nearly indistinguishable from an adult at first glance, the more he spoke, the more his youth showed through.
Watching the naive Kang-u, Beom-jun sipped his hot chocolate.
“You have to think about your health. Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy—it’s a genetic condition. Your family should get checked too.”
In the original work, Kang-u’s mother and younger sister both had the same condition. It just hadn’t manifested because of their low baseline activity levels.
Now that he thought about it, he’d never actually seen the younger sister.
“Right, you have a younger sister, don’t you?”
As Beom-jun asked about Kang-u’s family, the boy erupted.
“What the hell!! What gives you the right to tell me what to do?!”
Ah, that’s right. The younger sister lived with his divorced father.
“Hey, calm down. Sorry, I forgot. She’s with your father, right?”
But Kang-u couldn’t settle his agitation at Beom-jun’s words.
Impulsive, inconsiderate, yet extraordinarily direct in expressing his feelings—Kang-u was clearly still young.
“Don’t feel sorry for me! Divorced families are common these days, you know? It’s different from your generation.”
Beom-jun tried to soothe the bristling Kang-u.
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“Why did you even call me here anyway? Because I smoked once at the hospital? You’re really holding a grudge over that?”
Once he’d broken the dam, Kang-u spilled everything he’d been stewing over. Unstable and anxious feelings poured out.
“Are you expecting me to be grateful for helping me once or twice? You’re not going to do it forever anyway. Don’t give me your cheap pity. If you were going to be my real dad, fine—I’d like that. But you’re not, so just drop it, okay?”
And beneath it all lay the layered wound he’d buried deep. His father’s absence.
His body was changing, and at an age when he was beginning to learn an adult’s role, he’d been forced to confront his father’s absence again. It must have made him anxious.
Beom-jun set his half-finished hot chocolate on the table and spoke.
“I can’t be your father. I’m not even married.”
“So what are you saying?”
At the obvious answer, Kang-u felt neither hope nor disappointment. It was just something he’d thrown out casually.
Beom-jun regarded Kang-u steadily.
“I can’t be your father. But I can watch you grow up.”
Beom-jun reached out and firmly pressed the top of Kang-u’s head. With his small frame, Kang-u’s entire head fit in Beom-jun’s palm.
“I’m basically done growing. The Growth Plate assessment said mine are almost closed…”
“You’re going to become a man, and then an adult.”
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy is a genetic condition. Therefore, he’ll visit the hospital throughout his life to monitor his progress—what’s called Follow-up.
After the procedure, it’s a check to ensure his health is maintained and hasn’t deteriorated.
From the hospital’s perspective, it’s managing a potential long-term customer, but because of that, Beom-jun could be part of Kang-u’s entire life.
“Look, if you’re in a situation where you need a father figure, I can step in for a bit?”
Beom-jun ruffled Kang-u’s hair, and Kang-u tried to dodge his hand.
“Kid, stop squirming.”
But as Kang-u tried to pull away, Beom-jun put more force into his grip, firmly pressing down on his head.
Kang-u made a small grunt of protest.
“I hope you become a wonderful man.”

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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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