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Chapter 130

Suhyuk's pupil expanded when he saw a fatty white man in his mid-30s, his upper clothes stained with lots of blood, which flew onto the floor.

Coming to his senses, Suhyuk jumped the counter and tore off his s.h.i.rt.

Suhyuk noticed blood coming out from the man's chest, and that it came from the left side where his heart was located.

"Please help me…Cough, cough…"

Fortunately when he coughed from his mouth, blood did not come out of his mouth.

Suhyuk pressed the man's chest hard with his clothes, which became instantly stained with blood as if it were a sponge.

There might be some towels for sale at this convenient store to use instead, but he had to stop the bleeding first.

"What is your blood type?"

At Suhyuk's urgent asking, the man said with difficulty, "B-type…B"

Suhyuk called 911 immediately.

"I have here a patient who was wounded by gunshot, and is now bleeding severely. His blood type is B. Urgent. Come quickly to this place. The address is…"

After the phone call, Suhyuk made a frown because the blood was spreading from his back and to the floor.

'Penetrating wound.'

"Please press it for a moment."

Suyuk lifted his hand and had him press it.

Then he jumped the counter, picking up a towel that was inside the store and returned back to the man.

He put the towel on the part of his back where the blood was coming out.

Suhyuk was clearly aware of what he was supposed to do in such a situation.

Actually he had experience with opening many patient's bellies for surgery.

He was far from embarra.s.sed. He was only concerned about the man's safety.

The man's face, who was looking at the ceiling blankly, became pale gradually.

"Am I dying now… I should not die…"

Tears rained down from his eyelids, because his mother living alone was glimmering in his eyes.

'What is she doing now?'

She had one of her legs lost because of a traffic accident.

Even now she might be waiting for him, not sleeping at this late hour.

Her face smiling at him came to his mind, but it became darker and darker now.

At that moment Suhyuk lifted his eyelids, saying,

"Come to your senses! You're not dying! Don't worry. I'm a doctor."

At his words, the man cast his languid eyes toward him and said,

"Really…? Please save my life. I have to survive because my mother is sick…"

If he dies, there is n.o.body who can take care of his mother.

"Don't worry. What is your name?"

"Milion…"

"Okay. Milion. How old are you…"

Suhyuk kept encouraging him to talk, and on such occasions he replied without fail.

Soon people began gathering at the convenience store, and looked at Suhyuk and the man with a worried look.

At that moment the 911 crew came in.

"We're here!"

"Gunshot wound?"

"Yes, penetrated through his chest. Please stop the bleeding first."

Milion was taken to the ambulance quickly.

Pads designed to monitor the oxygen respirator and the patient were attached on his body, along with blood packs.

"Huuuuuuh… huuuuh…"

Every time he breathed, a pure white steam fogged up in the oxygen mask.

"Please don't tell my mother about me…"

Milion was carried into the trauma treatment center immediately, and the doctors examined the viewer showing his X-ray shots.

There was no bullet seen anywhere in his body.

As expected, the bullet penetrated clean through his chest.

While he was being given fluids and blood transfusions, he had all sorts of examinations.

And the doctors were inevitably surprised.

Daman murmured, "The bullet penetrated beyond all the organs…"

Despite that, the patient was far from safe.

There was some damage to his scapula and ribs. The lungs were the same. The bullet moved beyond the organs, but the lungs were damaged by the shock.

Incisional suturing was urgent.

"Be ready for surgery."

At Daman's direction, the medical staff moved ferociously.

Without any word Suhyuk disinfected his hands and wore a surgical gown.

When Milion was going under anesthesia, Suhyuk approached him, showing his face to him by removing his mask, and said, "You'll be better when you wake up from a good sleep."

Nodding his head, Milion said in murmuring tone, "Please… I feel sleepy now."

"We're going to start with incising the lungs and then penetration suturing…"

At Daman's voice the medical staff nodded.

Whenever he held out his hand, the a.s.sistants gave him several tools.

Suhyuk fixed his eyes on them from behind.

Daman shook his head before he knew it because he felt he was being monitored by someone else as if he was a beginner resident. He even felt that if he made even a small mistake, Suhyuk would find fault with it. He noticed Suhyuk's sharply glittering eyes.

"Heart…"

At Daman's saying, an a.s.sistant pulled the heart so he could get a view of it.

When he touched the bobby on the lungs, a white smog came out, pouring out blood.

Without caring at all, he cut into the anastomosis. It required a partial, not complete incision of the wounded area.

"Huuuuuh…."

Wrestling with the suturing for a while, Daman turned his head to the side, when a nurse wiped off beads of sweat from his forehead.

Two hours had already pa.s.sed since the operation started.

It would be perfect if the operation was done within the next 30 minutes.

But the operation lasted about 3 hours.

As soon as he was done with the anastomosis, Daman washed the organs and bones where the bullet pa.s.sed beyond. Otherwise there was a chance of inflammation developing.

After he was done performing the surgery, Daman stepped back.

"Finis.h.i.ng touches, please."

Then, Suhyuk said, "Wait a moment!"

The medical staff turned their eyes toward Suhyuk.

"Looks like the patient has lipoma."

Daman looked back at the patient's belly, and widened his eyes.

As Suhyuk pointed out, there was some sort of bulging on his belly, 10 cm away from the navel.

Was it because he focused only on the incision of the lungs? Daman could find it only when Dr. Lee mentioned it.

Already Daman's hand was on it. He felt something like a rubber ball at his fingertip.

Then Suhyuk opened his mouth again, "Looks like you had better remove it."

It seemed a small lipoma between 2 and 3 cm.

There would be nothing damaging to the body even if it was left unremoved, because the patient wouldn't feel any pain from it.

However, if left unremoved, it could grow into a giant lipoma of more than 10 cm over time.

Then the lipoma, grown as large as it could get, would cause pain by touching its surrounding tissues, and directly affect the function and movement of the body.

"We can't do anything without the guardian's consent. We can wait until the patient recovers and talks."

At Daman's words, Suhyuk knitted his brows because the patient would have to go through another surgery.

"Okay, let me get the guardian's consent then. Wait a moment."

Suhyuk looked at the patient, whose chest was already opened up, with his heart wiggling and beating hard.

It looked as if the patient was saying he is okay.

'Please be patient a little longer.'

After a quick look at the patient's face, Suhyuk went out of the operating room,

When he came out, he found an electric wheelchair moving toward him quickly.

She was in her early 60s, in long pants with her right leg lost.

She was Milions' guardian, who just got here after she was contacted by the hospital.

"Doctor! My son… Is my son alive?"

Suhyuk smiled at her as brightly as he could.

"As planned, the surgery was done well. And your son will get well soon."

Tears dropped from her wrinkled eyelids, and Suhyuk bent his knees to meet his eyes with hers, saying, "You filled out the consent form a while ago, right? Now the doctor found a lipoma during operation. Though it's nothing particular, he might get sick later if it is not removed…"

Suhyuk explained to her as easily as possible, and she nodded quickly.

"Boohoo… yes, please go ahead!"

"Yes, will do."

Standing up again, he moved to the automatic door of the operating room, and he turned his head to her back. One of her pants drooped down.

He smiled at her, adding, "Let me come back with your son very soon."

When he came back to the operating room, Milion's chest was closed, with the suturing done with just a moment ago.

"I've got the consent for the lipoma removal."

Daman shook his head, saying, "I've never seen a doctor like you before."

"Can I do it?"

At his words, Daman nodded his head because he already knew Suhyuk was quite capable.

"Okay, thanks for your efforts then."

Holding a scalpel, Suhyuk walked up to the patient.

And he checked the location of the lipoma.

When he found it, he moved the scalpel without any hesitation.

He pressed the incised area as if to squeeze out something. At the same time, some yellow fat came up. It was the lipoma in question. It looked like mashed tofu.

When he checked it with his naked eye, it was about 3 cm bigger than expected.

Suhyuk pulled it out to the root by hand.

The lipoma was dropped onto the metal tray, and he st.i.tched it up right away.

He could finish it with only a few st.i.tches as it had been only a small incision.

"Done. Thanks."

"Oh, my G.o.d…"

The medical staff murmured to themselves, watching him agog.

As soon as he grabbed the scalpel, he made an incision and then he was suturing.

All this was done instantly before their eyes.

'Without any mistake, let me do it in the shortest time,' Suhyuk thought to himself.

Of course, the medical staff were unaware of Suhyuk's thought like that.

In the meantime, Daman, with his mask removed, shook his head, saying, "How wonderful…"

Dr. Han really created a spectacular monster, he thought.

Soon the patient was moved to the recovery room.

All the vital signs on the machine were indicating that he was normal.

Though his blood pressure was a bit low, it would get better gradually.

Daman, waiting for the patient to wake up, tapped Suhyuk on the shoulder.

"Good job!"

As soon as he said that, the other medical staff who partic.i.p.ated in the operation said in unison,

"Dr. Lee, nice job!"

Watching the vital signs of the patient, Suhyuk smiled at them, and said,

"Just call me Suhyuk. Lee Suhyuk."

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Chapter 131

Milion's condition was getting better so quickly that anybody could hardly think that he had just been shot. For the bullet went completely through without hitting his organs.

There was no other way to explain it than to say that he was just that lucky.

Another day pa.s.sed like that.

Even though only 24 hours pa.s.sed since he had undergone surgery, he could chat with a smile on his face, but it was still too much for him to get out of the bed and walk.

Turning over the chart before Milion in bed, Daman opened his mouth with a smile,

"Post-surgery condition is really good. You can be discharged in one month."

His mother in the electric wheelchair expressed words of thanks continuously,

"Thanks so much, doctors. Thanks a million…"

When she offered her thanks like that, Daman turned his head to look at Suhyuk, who was smiling in the back.

The very doctor who saved his life.

Without his help, his mother would have sit up all through the night everyday, his picture soaked with her tears.

At that moment a man holding a camera around his neck came into the room.

"Excuse me, sir."

Everybody turned their heads back. n.o.body knew him.

But the man was indifferent. Looking at the doctors, he cast his eyes at Suhyuk.

"Oh!"

Taking out a pen and notebook, he approached Suhyuk quickly.

"h.e.l.lo, my name is Robert, a reporter with CNO. You are the doctor!"

Suhyuk stepped back before he knew it.

"Yes… yes…."

"Can I ask you how you're related to the patient? I heard the surgery went well…"

Suhyuk pointed to Daman, saying, "He performed the surgery."

Daman said with a smile, "Fortunately the bullet…"

Glancing at the professor, Robert looked back at Suhyuk and asked, "Did you see the suspect's face?"

What the reporter was interested in was not the doctor who performed the surgery.

It was instead the Asian doctor who took care of the victim with gunshot wounds.

Ordinary people were more interested in this Asian doctor.

How dramatic the report would be!

When Robert held out the recorder, Suhyuk suddenly spoke in Korean,

"Well… I don't speak English well. I didn't see the suspect. The police…"

Suhyuk could not continue because some sort of awkward Korean was being spoken by Robert.

"Oh…were you Korean? I could speak Korean a bit as I learned it…"

What happened?

How could he speak Korean, such as it is?

When Suhyuk was about to sneak out of the room, he saw some other reporters coming toward him.

"Isn't he the person we're looking for?"

"Looks like he is. Wasn't he a doctor?"

Suhyuk was surprised all of a sudden, as they were taking out recorders, and holding cameras like Robert.

Suhyuk slipped out of the room without hesitation.

"Wait a moment!"

Without looking back, he quickened his stride, and went straight to the restroom.

Then he changed his mind and changed his direction.

The restroom was a closed place, and open to the public. Accordingly, once he went in, he would be confined there, surrounded by the reporters.

"Doctor!"

Suhyuk moved around here and there as if he was playing hide-and-seek with them.

The reporters were chasing him like ticks.

In the end, Suhyuk chose a place only he had access to. An operating room.

He quickened his pace to the operating room.

Despite their desperate calls, Suhyuk went into the room.

And the reporters swept up their hairs, gasping for breath after following him in vain.

After catching their breath, some of them sat on the hallway bench.

Once he went inside the room, Suhyuk caught his breath.

Then a masked man came out of the operating room.

"Dr. Lee, what are you doing here?"

The man, taking off his mask, was Phillip who just came out after serving as an a.s.sistant.

"Let me go out after I take a breather here."

"What's the matter?"

Suhyuk made a bitter smile, telling him about the situation about the patient with gunshot wounds and the reporters chasing after him.

Phillip nodded lightly. He felt Dr. Lee didn't want to be known to the public.

"Okay, let me go first."

Phillip went out when the automatic door opened.

As Suhyuk said, the reporters camped out on the hallway.

Watching them quietly, Phillip told them,

"You shouldn't do this. You might get punishment for obstruction of justice if you go on like this."

Then Robert stood up and said with a smile,

"Don't you think the prestige of St. Hopkins Hospital will go up if the people know about this?"

"As you know, St. Hopkins Hospital is the best in New York. Please go back. If you don't, I have no choice but…"

Phillip's warning was very icy, and the reporters had no choice but to leave.

Phillip was standing there until they left the building to the end.

When they all left, he looked at the operating room where Suhyuk was hiding.

Suhyuk's embarra.s.sing expression came to his mind.

Watching the automatic door, Phillip smiled and headed to the desk of the cardiothoracic surgery department.

Fortunately the news about Suhyuk was not reported.

But this was not back in Korea.

The video that was taken through the CCTV about Suhyuk's treatment of the wounded patient still spread.

Those acquaintances of Suhyuk's came to know about it, and the video was spreading through the internet, with lots of replies to it.

Though he never wanted it, his presence was being appreciated back in Korea, where he was not there anymore at the moment.

Suhyuk moved cautiously all day long.

Whenever he moved, he basically looked around first.

It was not in his element to draw others' attention. It felt too uncomfortable for him.

The long arduous day was now over.

When he was waiting for an elevator to go back home, Han Myungjin opened his mouth,

"Why don't you take a break for the rest of the day?"

Suhyuk shook his head. Though he wanted to, he could not break his promise to William.

It was an a.s.signment he had to resolve by all means.

"Okay, I won't give you any errands for beer. So come back home straight after you're done."

Han got on the elevator, while Suhyuk headed for William's office.

And he thought to himself, 'in the near future…'

If he worked harder with William, he felt he could produce some good results.

As soon as he knocked on the door, William opened it.

Suhyuk went in. The door did not stay open for very long.

It was well past the time Suhyuk usually went back home.

Past 1am, and still there was no sign of their movement inside.

The hallway was quiet, except for some occasional footsteps from some medical staff.

Then a loud voice was heard from William's room.

"Oh my G.o.d! Ha ha ha…"

It was William's voice.

"Suhyuk! I owe it all to you. Thanks!"

William expressed his thanks to him by grabbing Suhyuk's hands.

All he did was to make a puzzle, which everybody could do.

But putting the complex puzzle together was not something anybody could do.

But Suhyuk did it! And at that within a month.

"You're wonderful!"

Suhyuk smiled at that.

As he put together the puzzle, all he needed to do was to identify what kind of picture it was.

'I can now do it.'

Suhyuk tightened his fist strongly.

The next evening.

After the day's work Suhyuk made a strange look in front of William's office.

For the door was locked tightly, and he did not take Suhyuk's call.

He could learn the reason from the nurse at the desk of the cardiothoracic surgery department.

William was on vacation leave for one week as of today.

Anything wrong happened to him? Or…

Suhyuk smiled bitterly. It did not matter to him even if William took all the papers of his.

Suhyuk just wanted to confirm the outcome of his research with his own eyes.

He wanted to check it by all means because he had something to do.

Walking through the hallway, Suhyuk shook his head.

Though William was a recent acquaintance of his, Suhyuk did not think William was a shallow guy he could not trust.

At that moment his cell phone buzzed and Suhyuk smiled.

It was a call from William.

"Yes, William. It's me"

"Dr. Lee, could you come to Manhattan now?"

"Why do you want me to come there all of a sudden?"

"Oh, I'm afraid you might find it difficult to locate my place…"

As Suhyuk arrived in New York only recently, obviously it would be difficult for him to get there easily. It would take some time even if he gave him the address.

William opened his mouth again,

"Let me send you a car, so the driver can take you here. It's urgent. There seems to be an error in our research."

Suhyuk tilted his head because he and William found no error when they met yesterday.

Was it because their research was at the final stage?

"Okay, then. Let me wait for the car at the main gate."

There might be hidden errors he failed to catch.

After the call he headed to the main gate right away, and waited for about 30 minutes.

A luxurious car arrived there.

A middle-aged man in black suit got out, and asked with a smile,

"Are you Dr. Lee?"

"Yes, you're right."

"Please get in. William is waiting for you now."

Nodding his head, Suhyuk got in the car.

It was around 8pm.

When he was looking out the car window, the driver's eyes were reflected in the side mirror.

His eyes were cast toward him, 'Asian…'

His glittering eyes showed he was surprised at Suhyuk.

After about one hour's drive, the car arrived at the destination.

It was an auditorium seemingly reserved for operas.

"Is this the place where William wants to meet me?"

At Suhyuk's asking, the man nodded and adjusted the b.u.t.tons on his upper clothes.

"Let's go."

Suhyuk followed him silently.

He felt something was strange because the man entered through the rear door instead of the main door.

Though he cast a doubtful look, the man was just smiling.

They soon arrived at one door covered with leather.

The man held out his hand instead of entering.

"Let's go in."

Nodding his head, Suhyuk pushed the door open.

And he formed a blank expression when he stepped in.

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Chapter 132

Click, click.

Never-stopping camera shutter sounds and camera lights that popped up here and there seemingly looking like stars.

Suhyuk looked around.

There were more than 100 people seated down, looking at him. Then they all stood up in unison.

He heard a m.u.f.fled applause from someone, and then everybody there clapped their hands at him.

"What's this all about…"

When Suhyuk made a blank expression, he heard William's voice from the side.

"Let me introduce to you, Dr. Lee."

Suhyuk turned his head to William, who was now standing on the podium.

He was dressed in a black suit. Though his dishevelled hair was the same as always.

With a smile, William looked over at him, asking him to step up to the podium.

Suhyuk slowly walked up to William, with all the people inside now casting their eyes at him.

He could not understand the whole situation at this moment.

"William, what the heck is this…"

"They have lots of questions now."

At that moment one reporter asked, raising his hand,

"You solved quite a big conundrum. Does this now mean that you can revive dead nerve cells by using stem cells?"

Suhyuk opened his mouth, with a puzzled look, "Yes…"

"Dr. Lee, what do you think about the costs of stem cell transplant, which must be very high?"

"Dr. Lee! Look this side!"

Reporters asked questions here and there, but Suhyuk answered each question calmly.

The question and answer session lasted about one hour.

William stood quietly next to Suhyuk.

Now he could treat his mother who had a limp caused a traffic accident.

William smiled, murmuring to himself, "Thanks, Dr. Lee. I owe it to you."

When there were no more questions and the camera flashes diminished, Suhyuk let out a long sigh.

The next day.

Waking up from the bed, Suhyuk again found himself embarra.s.sed.

For Prof. Han came into his room early in the morning.

Han opened a newspaper suddenly, with its front page showing a big picture of him standing at the podium.

Han said, "You're on the TV news too."

Suhyuk headed to the living room as if he was absent-minded.

Yes, it was true that he was on the TV news, and at that, on the newshour of a network that has considerable global influence.

Was he not completely awake from sleep? He rubbed his eyes with his hand.

Suhyuk threw himself on the sofa.

"You're really a wonderful guy."

Han shook his head after watching him.

He had heard from the start that he and William were working on stem cell every night.

And he expected that Suhyuk might come up with some astounding result.

But this was more than what he had expected.

Despite it being only his recent arrival here, he had already made himself known to the whole world.

Wearing a puzzled look, Han opened his mouth,

"Why are you making a crestfallen expression when you have done such a great job?"

"Well…"

Suhyuk just scratched his head, letting out sigh after sigh.

"Let's just go."

Nodding his head, Suhyuk stood up.

He had to report to work anyway.

The people at St. Hopkins Hospital were going crazy about Suhyuk.

Every time the medical staff pa.s.sed by Suhyuk, they gave him a thumbs-up.

Though Suhyuk let William claim the credit, he could not cool down their hot attention on him.

Besides, William was seen nowhere at the hospital as he took a one-week vacation.

He said he would visit his mother.

Suhyuk's appearance could be seen from behind, heading for the patient's room where Milion was hospitalized with gunshot wounds.

After looking at Suhyuk's back for a moment, Daman opened his mouth with a smile,

"Dr. Han, you have been raising a tiger cub so far."

Han replied, with a smile, "No, I haven't. I just ran into a little tiger lost in the mountain. I just guided him to a nearby stream that I knew of, as he seemed to be thirsty."

Han looked over at Suhyuk now going into a patient's room, saying to Daman,

"It is that man who quenched his thirst for himself."

Daman nodded his head from side to side.

"By the way, I don't see a single reporter here."

Han was curious, too.

Given the magnitude of the event, normally a throng of reporters would come here, but that curiosity was instantly gratified by Daman.

"Phillip drove all of them away," said Daman.

Han slowly nodded his head, thinking it was good for Suhyuk because he wanted to take care of his patients quietly without any distraction.

But Suhyuk's ident.i.ty was already being widely known to the world by various news reports, so there was nothing different even if the reporters were stopped from coming to this hospital.

Though Suhyuk's name was on the lips of the medical staff at St. Hopkins Hospital, he just remained quiet.

"Is there anywhere you feel uncomfortable?"

At Suhyuk's words, Milion made a smile, replying,

"Well, I don't have any problem with walking now. Can I get discharged soon?"

Suhyuk smiled softly and said,

"As you said, your condition is very good. But I think you still need a post-surgery watch for the time being."

Nodding head, Milion said, "I saw the news. I'm so lucky to have met such a wonderful doctor."

With a smile he went out of the room, followed by Han.

Accompanied by the medical staff, Han explained about the diseases and their names, with Suhyuk standing in the back.

There were no emergency patients.

It was about the time that they would leave the office.

When Suhyuk talked with the medical staff at the desk of the cardiothoracic surgery department, Daman came and said,

"Dr. Lee, other hospitals request that you hold a briefing session for them. What do you think?"

A briefing session about his stem cell research.

Suhyuk rejected the request without any hesitation, saying,

"I don't know much about it. I think William would do better than me."

Daman was about to reply, but did not, just nodding his head lightly.

He could not force him to do it when Suhyuk did not want it.

Suhyuk and Han got on the elevator and then stepped out into the lobby together.

"It's been a long time since we're going home together. How about beer at home?"

Suhyuk said, with a smile, "Sounds great!"

Arriving at the apartment, they took a shower and sat in the living room.

Drinking canned beer, Han made a satisfied expression.

"On a muggy day like this, cold beer is the best," said Han, glancing at Suhyuk.

He was making a bitter expression as he was again on the TV news.

Han took a gla.s.s of beer to his mouth.

He could understand why Suhyuk refused the request for his briefing session.

Han opened his mouth, his eyes fixed on the TV news,

"I guess you rejected their request because you just wanted to focus on the patients."

Suhyuk nodded, with an awkward smile.

"It's difficult to save many people's lives with only one hand, but if you think from a different perspective, you could make a hand to treat many patients with one person's knowledge," said Han.

When Han said that, Suhyuk felt as if he had his head struck with a hammer.

Why did he realize that only now?

If he let others know about what he had found out, it could help them save those groaning in pain.

Suhyuk rose from the seat abruptly. Han took a glance at him.

"Are you going somewhere at this hour?"

"I think I have to call Dr. Daman."

"Okay."

Suhyuk went into his room, and Han made a smile, drinking beer.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Dr. Daman."

"No not at all. I'm still at the hospital. By the way, what's up?"

"Well, I want to have the briefing session you mentioned a while ago."

"Great! Let me tell the hospital staff about it then."

After the call, Suhyuk touched his cell phone.

'Sure, what's the big deal about people appreciating me? I can just do what I'm supposed to do steadily. Let's be a proud son to my parents, so they can talk about me proudly wherever they go.'

When Suhyuk made a resolution like that afresh, his cell phone buzzed.

It was a call from reporter Han Jihye.

"h.e.l.lo…"

"Hey! You're making a bigger impact now that you're in the United States!"

The big three TV networks in Korea were scrambling to report about Suhyuk's research on stem cells.

"What I mean is…"

"Anyway, congrats! I'm so proud that you're a Korean."

Coming to work very early in the morning, Suhyuk was waiting for a car sent by the hospital that requested his briefing session.

"You're now Korea's signature doctor. Do it well."

Suhyuk smiled awkwardly at Han's encouraging words.

Soon a black sedan arrived.

Getting out of the car, a middle-aged man held out his hand to him.

"h.e.l.lo, my name is Melson, working at the neurosurgery department. Thanks for your precious time."

Then Suhyuk said goodbye to Han, "See you, sir."

"Let's go now," said Melson.

He opened the door for him, and Suhyuk got in.

While Melson was driving, Suhyuk made a firm determination to tell his audience about the outcome of his research on stem cell completely, without holding anything back.

He already asked for consent from William, who gladly okayed it.

Though both of them produced the outcome, it was rather difficult for William to explain it.

For it was Suhyuk who completed the research at the end of the day.

Above all, William had his name and Suhyuk registered in the medical world with respect to the stem cell research in question.

They could both angle for the n.o.bel prize with due recognition.

Though of course, Suhyuk did not even dream of it.

The sedan soon arrived at the destination. It was a big hospital, widely known, but not famous enough to be compared with St. Hopkins Hospital.

"Suhyuk, let's go in."

Escorted by Melson, Suhyuk went in.

Even at the entrance of the lobby there were many people already that recognized him.

Some of the patients cast dubious eyes at him, but the medical staff correctly recognized who he was.

The conference room was on the 5th floor.

Suhyuk walked up to the podium, looking around.

There were many medical staff in white gowns.

Suhyuk lightly tapped the microphone before him and opened his mouth,

"h.e.l.lo, my name is Lee Suhyuk."

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Chapter 133

The briefing session continued on without any break time.

Despite this, n.o.body left the place as they were all focused on Suhyuk's explanation.

That showed how important his briefing session was.

"Thanks everybody. Let's have a 10-minute break and then a QA session after."

As soon as Suhyuk said that, the doctors present there closed their laptops and notebooks, standing up from their seats.

"Just great. How could he solve all that?"

"I heard that Koreans are smart, and I think that's right. He's a really smart guy."

Suhyuk, standing at the podium, looked at them heading for the restroom.

'They would treat a great number of patients, based on my stem cell research.'

Even though he had no patients right before his eyes, he felt he would be able to treat them, starting from today.

Click.

The camera flash popped up at the place where he mingled with the medical staff.

A photographer took a picture of Suhyuk.

Suhyuk made a gentle smile at him.

Click, click.

The photographer suddenly raised his thumbs up, to which Suhyuk did the same.

The Suhyuk today was different from the Suhyuk of the past who hated camera flashes and attention.

"Is there anyone you respect?" one reporter asked.

Suhyuk gladly answered without any hesitation,

"Well, that would be my parents who gave birth to me and raised me."

That's right. Without caring about their own life, his parents raised him by working hard, doing such things like manual labor or cleaning buildings despite their back pain.

When they wrote Suhyuk's remarks in their notebooks, another reporter asked,

"Do you have any mentors?"

At his asking, Suhyuk replied,

"Prof. Han Myungjin. He's a guest doctor at St. Hopkins Hospital right now."

Nodding his head, the reporter murmured, "Someday I've got to interview him."

While the reporter and Suhyuk were exchanging a brief conversation, the doctors came back after their break. The breaktime was now over.

Suhyuk said, "Let me now open the floor up to your questions."

The doctors raised their hands here and there.

After the briefing session was over, Suhyuk went back to the hospital, and was waiting for the elevator.

"Dr. Lee!"

Suhyuk turned back at someone's calling him from behind.

It was Phillip.

"How did your briefing session go?"

"Great. Thanks for your help."

Suhyuk knew that Phillip drove away all the reporters coming to the hospital to see him.

Without Phillip's help, he would have experienced a lot of difficulties moving to his where he needed to go.

Ding dong.

Suhyuk went inside the elevator with Phillip.

They remained silent while they were heading for the surgery building.

Soon they stepped out into the hallway, with Phillip walking ahead.

Phillip walked fast as if he had a patient he needed to see urgently.

"Dr. Lee. Nice job today!" said Phillip, suddenly turning his head back toward Suhyuk.

When Suhyuk was about to open his mouth, Phillip had already disappeared around the corner.

Suhyuk walked to the desk of the surgery department, where he could find Daman and Han already there.

Han greeted Suhyuk with a smile, saying, "So, did your briefing session go well?"

"Yes, sir."

"You must be tired."

"I'm alright, sir."

"Really?"

When Han gave an eye signal to Daman, he handed a piece of A4 paper to Suhyuk.

A list of several hospitals were on it.

"What is all this…"

"Well, these hospitals are requesting for you to give a briefing session too."

Suhyuk fixed his eyes again on the paper. More than 30 hospitals.

Han cautiously opened his mouth, "You don't have to."

Han knew it was not that easy for him to move from one hospital to another for the briefing session, both physically and mentally.

At Han's remarks, Suhyuk, who was perusing the list of hospitals, lifted his head, saying,

"I can do it."

Suhyuk was full of confidence, as if he would go as far as Africa for the briefing session.

Watching him quietly, Han said,

"Yes, you have to work more if there are many people wanting to see you. But you have to take a break if you feel tired. If you're sick, oftentimes you can't see the patients even if you want to."

"Got it."

"Sure, your health comes before anything else."

At that moment, he heard the nurse taking the phone at the desk.

"A trauma patient. He's being transported to our hospital now."

When Daman took over the phone from the nurse, Han looked at Suhyun as if to ask him, 'What are you going to do?'

Suhyuk's glittering eyes trembled a bit, but only for a moment.

"Your job, professor."

'Yes, that's what I want to hear from you.'

Han patted him on the shoulder.

Then Daman, who just hung up the phone, opened his mouth,

"Dr. Lee, the phone number for each hospital is written here. Call them to arrange a convenient time for your briefing session."

"Yes, sir."

Soon Han and Daman left the place.

Left alone, Suhyuk pressed the call b.u.t.ton on his cell phone, checking the number on the A4 paper.

"h.e.l.lo, this is Boston Hospital."

"h.e.l.lo, this is Suhyuk Lee."

"What? Lee Suhyuk? What business made you call us?"

Scratching his head, he informed them again about him,

"This is Suhyuk Lee from St. Hopkins Hospital. I'd like to offer a briefing session…"

Some sort of startled voice was heard from his cell phone.

"Oh, doctor! Wait a moment. Let me connect you to the hospital director."

The connection was made immediately.

A deep and sonorous voice was heard in Suhyuk's ears. It was very polite.

"Thank you for your call, sir. This is James, the director of Boston Hospital."

Already dozens of days pa.s.sed since Suhyuk hopped from one hospital to another for the briefing session.

Though the videotapes of his briefing session were spread to many doctors, he went anywhere he was wanted to satisfy the doctor's curiosity and answer their questions.

It did not end there.

The US FDA endorsed his stem cell work after it went through the 1st, 2nd and 3r clinical tests successfully. It came very close to being commercialized.

Regardless of their age, the doctors looked at Suhyuk with respect.

Aside from his capabilities, his att.i.tude toward the patients was different.

He treated patients well as if he was taking care of his lover or as if he was sick himself.

Some of the doctors did not pay any serious attention to him, but there were those who took his words to their hearts.

And they began to call him another t.i.tle other than merely 'Dr. Lee.'

Dr. of Medicine.

Even though he had no doctoral degree in medicine, the fact that he was called like that meant he was now recognized by his fellow doctors.

Never caring about it, though, Suhyuk only showed them his medical knowledge while performing the surgery.

—–

Suhyuk's activities at St. Hopkins Hospital went on and on, and soon it snowed and new buds appeared on the trees. Time pa.s.sed quickly like that.

And Daman and Han shook hands.

With a smile Daman opened his mouth,

"Times flies like an arrow. Already one year has pa.s.sed since you came here. Thanks so much for your work here, Dr. Han."

Han smiled gently, replying,

"Well, I enjoyed it a lot here, working and making money too. Hope you can stay in good health until we meet again."

After exchanging greetings with Han, he looked at Suhyuk.

He just raised his thumbs up without saying anything to him.

With a smile Suhyuk gave a bow to him as well as the medical staff who came to see him off.

"Goodbye everybody!"

Everybody waved their hands at him.

Now Han and Suhyuk got in the car waiting for them.

The buildings in New York quickly pa.s.sed outside the car window.

"What are you going to do first when you go back to Korea?"

"I want to buy a house."

With a smile Han nodded his head.

Suhyuk made a lot of money by offering the briefing sessions at many hospitals, which were not free.

"Well, I miss spicy kimchi soup along with soju."

"Let me treat you, sir."

"I guess you don't want to treat me just one time, right?"

Suhyuk smiled and said, "Just tell me anything you want to eat, professor."

"Wait a minute… I've got too much food that I want."

"I'm going to buy you all of it."

"Yes, I was going to make such a request anyway. I'm going to have you treat me a lot."

Suhyuk looked out the window, thinking about when he would be able to come back to the US.

While Suhyuk was thinking about it, the car was heading for the airport silently.

Arriving at Incheon International Airport, Suhyuk went out after going through immigration.

Fortunately there were no reporters out there.

As he arrived without even informing Daehan Hospital of his return, the reporters could not get wind of it.

"Are you going straight home? I think I have to stop by the hospital."

Han had to report to the hospital director.

"I would like to come with you, sir."

Both of them headed to the hospital, which took about two hours to get there.

Arriving at the hospital, Suhyuk looked up at it.

He felt as he was back home. Are they all doing well?

"What are you doing?" asked Han who was walking ahead.

Suhyuk quickened his pace.

The medical staff of Daehan Hospital greeted them wildly.

Especially Suhyuk's appearance made the whole hospital excited and noisy.

Even those medical staff who did not know him approached to exchange greetings.

Park Sungjae, who became a resident of the cardiothoracic surgery department, was no exception.

"Welcome back, sir!"

"How have you been doing?"

At Suhyuk's greeting, he nodded his head and said, "I respect you, sir!"

That night.

The medical staff had a dinner get-together, and Suhyuk was present.

Regrettably Prof. Lee Mansuk and Prof. Kim Jinwook could not attend because they went to academic seminars.

The hospital director raised his gla.s.s, saying,

"As you know, Dr. Lee Suhyuk came back with a terrific research achievement."

At his words, the medical staff nodded their heads.

Suhyuk, who made such a sensational impact in the United States, became the face of Daehan Hospital now.

When he was making an embarra.s.sed look, the hospital director raised his gla.s.s higher and said, "Let's toast for the future of Dr. Lee Suhyuk!"

"Cheers!"

Everybody downed their gla.s.s of soju, and so did Suhyuk.

The mixed taste of soju and beer softly touched his throat.

"Were you always that interested in stem cells, Dr. Lee?"

"How did you come to think of it?"

The professors showered him with questions, with mixed feelings of envy, surprise and jealousy.

Han just smiled at them.

Suhyuk was about to answer the questions when the director said,

"Dr. Lee Suhyuk."

"Yes, go ahead."

"You must have had a lot of hards.h.i.p in the United States. So, I would like to let you take vacation. How about one month? Of course you'll be paid during that period, and at that, twice as much."

It was obvious that the other hospitals were keen on scouting Suhyuk. Accordingly it was inevitable to give him the best possible compensation.

At the director's eye-opening offer, the other professors were surprised.

Suhyuk opened his mouth,

"Thanks for your consideration, sir. But I'm afraid I have to join the army soon."

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Chapter 134

Suhyuk got out of the dinner get-together by making an excuse.

It was 10pm. It was late, but not that late into the night.

He arrived at his villa by taking a taxi. An old and battered villa.

Looking at it quietly, Suhyuk walked up to it.

Ding dong.

"Who is it?"

"It's me."

"Who?"

"Me, Suhyuk."

The door was flung open.

Suhyuk's mother stood with eyes wide open.

Surprised by his sudden appearance, she stared blankly for a moment and then hugged him.

"Oh my G.o.d! You came back here without informing me at all!"

Suhyuk, held in her arms, closed his eyes.

He felt warm, comfortable, soft and cozy while being embraced by her.

All the flowery words that could be found in this world were not enough to describe a mother's s.h.i.eld for protection.

"Did you eat?"

"Yes, mom, I did."

"Did anybody come to our home?"

His father's voice was heard from the living room.

"Honey, Suhyuk is here!"

"Really?"

Suhyuk stepped into the living room with a carrier bag.

His father was standing with the TV remote controller in his hand.

"When did you come back?"

"I arrived in the evening, but first stopped by the hospital."

"I see. Nice work. Did you eat?"

Suhyuk just smiled at his father's blunt way of speaking, which made him happy whenever he heard it.

"Yes, I ate before I came here."

Despite that he asked his wife, "We've still got samgyopsal (pork belly rashers) in the refrigerator, right? Roast them for Suhyuk."

"He said he had dinner already."

The she turned to Suhyuk, saying, "Your daddy purchased samgyopsal today. It's very delicious as they were made near here. Let me roast them. Do you want to try?"

Suhyuk nodded his head.

He could have samgyopsal only several times with his parents.

"Let me wash up first."

Putting down his carrier bag on the floor, he headed for the restroom.

Then he heard his parents' conversation outside.

"We don't have soju anymore?"

"You drank it already in the evening!"

"Let me go out and buy some soju at the supermarket."

"Are you going out to buy soju again? Buy some beer for Suhyuk, too."

Suhyuk was all smiles while he was taking a shower.

When he went out, he saw the dining table covered with all kinds of delicious foods.

Kimchi soup and various kinds of side dishes, and samgyopsal, too.

"Suhyuk, come on in and eat."

As soon as he was seated, his mother gave him some samgyopsal that she wrapped in lettuce.

"Tastes delicious, right? Your dad bought it."

With a smile, Suhyuk opened his mouth,

"Dad, mom. Let's move to another house."

—–

Suhyuk left home very early, and stopped by the real estate brokers' offices.

Though it would be more desirable for him to let his parents choose the house they wanted, it was certain that they would not let him do so. They told him even yesterday that the current house was more than enough for them, and he knew the reason without asking them why they said that.

When he went into a real estate agent's office, a woman in her early 40s greeted him.

"Come on in. Are you looking for a house?"

"Yes, please show me a good one."

She instantly scrutinized him. A man in his 20s wearing ordinary clothes.

Yet his face was somewhat familiar to her, which instantly came to her mind before disappearing. There were lots of people with similar faces.

"Sure. One bedroom or two bedroom house? There are many cheap listings out for sale."

"Apartment.."

"Oh, have a seat then."

Offering coffee, she sat face to face with him.

"These days there are many listings for long-term rent, too."

"I want to buy one."

"I see. How big one are you looking for?"

She felt that he did not seem able to afford one.

"Well, I'm looking for a s.p.a.cious apartment, hopefully with a terrace."

Her eyes were opened wide.

Even those in the upper middle cla.s.s could not afford such an apartment.

Was this man playing a trick, she thought to herself.

"How much do you have in mind?"

Suhyuk smiled, saying, "I'll buy any listing I like, regardless of the price."

Now Suhyuk was looking around a big apartment.

It had a s.p.a.cious living room with four bedrooms, plus a terrace.

It was as if he was looking at a small garden, with gra.s.s on the terrace, which reminded him of the Sky Park on the rooftop of Daehan Hospital.

Suhyuk looked around the terrace slowly.

It was s.p.a.cious enough for his mother to place flowers and plants.

Back to the living room, he looked at the spot where a TV set was supposed to be put.

A big-screen TV in that spot.

Obviously his father would like it, who liked to enjoy watching soccer and baseball games on TV.

"The restroom is also s.p.a.cious and good. Look at the landscape from the terrace. You could have a barbecue party here with your kids in the evening. It adds a fantastic atmosphere, I think."

Suhyuk smiled at her remarks, though he did not have any kids.

"Ok, let me sign the contract."

The sales contract was completed very quickly, and that very evening he visited the apartment again with his parents.

"Oh my G.o.d!"

His mother was at a loss how to express her joy, moving from the living room and bedrooms to the terrace. His father slowly moved around the room with his hands clenched behind his back.

Coming to Suhyuk quickly, she opened her mouth,

"Son, you didn't buy it yet, right? One must make a living within one's own limits. I love this place, but it looks too expensive."

Then his father came up to him, saying, "you had better cancel the contract. Let's go."

"I've already purchased this."

His father's eyes were wide open.

"What did you say?"

Looking at them, Suhyuk smiled.

'Living within one's own limits? If that's true, they should have lived in a much bigger one than this. They're great parents who raised me by working so hard up to now. I'm here thanks to them, and I was able to be a doctor. I made a lot of money during my stay in the United States. They made all the sacrifices for me without looking back on their miserable life. It's about time they enjoy their life even in a small way.'

"Are you sure, son? Can't you cancel this contract?"

At his mother's asking with concern, Suhyuk just smiled, saying, "Yes, I purchased this."

"Haaaah……" She let out a long sigh.

His father was looking at Suhyuk quietly without any words.

Then he said to his wife, "He said he purchased it already."

At his words, she said, "Suhyuk, come to me, dear."

And then she hugged him tightly, saying,

"How could I live in luxury like this without you?"

Feeling her warm body temperature, folded in her arms, he murmured to himself,

"This is just the beginning. I've a long way to go."

Watching his wife and son quietly, his father moved to the terrace.

A clear view from the terrace seemed to make him feel very good.

"I think I have a good son…" he murmured, and then called his friend,

"Hey, it's me. I'm going to throw a housewarming party. When are you available? Toilet paper? No, just buy some pork neck. It's an apartment with a garden. How much did I pay? Well, my doctor son bought it for us, hahaha!"

—–

The date of Suhyuk's enlistment was set.

One and a half months away.

It was enough time for him to remove a spike that had been stuck in his chest for a long time.

Hana's Rice Soup restaurant.

Looking at the signboard, Suhyuk went into the restaurant.

As it was lunchtime, the restaurant was crowded with customers.

The memories of his get-togethers with Dongsu and Hana came to his mind one by one.

Rolling up his sleeves, he went into the kitchen.

Sensing someone's presence, Hana's father turned his head.

"If you take a seat…"

Suhyuk smiled at him, saying, "How have you been, sir?"

"Oh, who is this? Korea's signature doctor!"

Suhyuk moved to the kitchen sink with an awkward smile, but Hana's father stopped him.

Killing his boredom by watching TV, he was already aware of all the news stories about Suhyuk.

"Your hands are not for this kind of rough work."

He pushed Suhyuk aside and said, "You didn't have lunch yet, right? Let me bring you a delicious rice with soup, so go and have a seat."

Suhyuk bent his knees to check the condition of his ankles.

"How do you feel now?"

"I'm okay. So, just get out of here, please."

Not caring about what he said, Suhyuk touched his ankles with his hands here and there, asking,

"How about now?"

He made a bitter smile, replying, "It hurts if you touch it like that."

Suhyuk stood up after hearing what he wanted to hear.

The nerve was still alive around his ankles, which meant the surgery could be done without any difficulty.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for so long. Let's go for surgery."

Making a smile, Hana's father said, "I just feel okay. So, never mind it."

"Well, I can't go to sleep," said Suhyuk.

At his reply, Hana's father hardened his face.

Had he been repenting for himself up to now? So, he wasn't sleeping properly?

Though Suhyuk was smiling, he looked so pitiful.

"Okay, meal first. Go and have a seat there."

"Cheque, please!"

At the customer's asking for the cheque, he was about to move, when Suhyuk stopped him.

"Let me take care of that. Yes, I'm coming now."

Suhyuk reported to work at Daehan Hospital.

He was there for the surgery of Hana's father's legs and the post-surgery care, which he estimated would take about one month.

15 days after that, he was supposed to be enlisted in the army.

The time was enough, so he did not make any haste.

Actually he took into account the remarks by Hana's father that he could not close the restaurant all of a sudden.

So, he gave Hana's father one week for preparation until the surgery.

Suhyuk adjusted his schedule for it.

And he began offering lectures on his stem cell research as he did in the United States.

Fellow doctors and professors came to listen to his lectures, regardless of their ages or ranks.

Suhyuk was no more the kind of person who took on all the a.s.signments for himself at the hospital like before.

It was as if they looked at a seasoned lecturer.

Suhyuk was determined to teach them all his findings on stem cell research.

"Thanks for your nice lecture!"

When he was done, all the medical staff present there gave him a standing ovation.

Especially, Prof. Lee Mansuk and Prof. Kim Jinwook clapped their hands energetically.

Looking at Suhyuk, Lee shook his head, "What a wonderful guy!"

Kim, next to him, made a smile and said, "I knew early on he would hit it big like this."

Then Suhyuk's cell phone buzzed. It was a call from Prof. Han Myungjin.

"Yes, professor."

"Are you busy now?"

"No, I'm just finished."

"Good. I hear that a patient was just transferred here from another hospital. As I have to go to the operating room now, I wonder if you can take my place. He's in the intensive care unit now."

"Yes, sir."

Suhyuk moved immediately.

At his prompt action, the medical staff murmured among themselves,

"Dr. Lee, he's running again…"

"Just amazing."

It was not unfamiliar to them to see Suhyuk running around in the hospital.

Soon he arrived at the intensive care unit, asking the nurse,

"Where is the patient that was transferred from another hospital?"

"Oh, come this way. And this is a chart sent by the hospital."

Suhyuk examined the chart swiftly.

23-year-old woman="" patient="" kim="" suji=""

Suhyuk pulled down a curtain when he saw the patient, after being guided by the nurse.

A woman who seemed to be in her early 20s.

With an oxygen respirator on her mouth, she looked so miserable.

A sort of little voice came out from her mouth, who was looking at him with half-closed eyes,

"Haaaaaah…. h.e.l.lo, doctor…"

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Chapter 135

Suhyuk came closer to her, asking her,

"h.e.l.lo. What is your name?"

"Haaah… haaaaah… Suji. Kim Suji."

He was relieved to hear her reply to him because it showed her conscious state was normal.

Checking her vital signs and body condition, he said,

"I'm Dr. Lee Suhyuk. Can I touch the stethoscope to your chest?"

"Yes…"

Suhyuk pulled down her upper clothes slightly, and pressed the stethoscope against the left side of her chest.

He carefully listened to her heart.

He heard the heart murmur.

It was a sign that one of the four valves, which could be called the door of the heart, was ruptured. If the valve which opened to send blood through to the body is not closed properly, this kind of noise is heard as the blood reverses in the wrong direction.

"Haaaaah… doctor… am I in a serious condition? They told me to go to Daehan Hospital, saying they can't treat me…"

She was aware of the name Lee Suhyuk, and of his face, because she saw him on TV.

Suhyuk, whose face hardened for a moment, smiled and said,

"Don't worry. I'm a famous doctor who was on TV. So, just trust me. Got it?"

She nodded her head slightly.

Suhyuk called a nurse immediately.

"Please take a blood test and ECG for this patient, Kim Suji."

"Yes, sir."

After she, carried on a stretcher, disappeared with the nurse, he fixed his eyes on her chart again.

There was the name and the contact number of the physician who treated her.

Suhyuk called him without any hesitation.

"Yes, this is Dr. Oh Chulin."

"h.e.l.lo, this is Dr. Lee Suhyuk at the cardiothoracic surgery department at Daehan Hospital."

Suddenly Oh's voice was not heard, but it was only brief.

"Oh! It's an honor for such a famous doctor like you to give me a call like this…"

"I'm taking care of the patient you sent us. You mentioned myocardiopathy, and no reaction to treatment…"

"Ah… actually she has terminal cancer. Initially the reaction was favorable internally, but…"

Listening to him, Suhyuk nodded his head, but his face was hardening gradually.

"Got it. Thanks for your explanation."

"You're welcome. When you're available one of these days…"

Suhyuk hung up the phone as he did not hear his voice. He was completely focused on the patient.

The radiograph shots were shown on the viewer.

Suhyuk knitted his brows.

Her condition was serious, just like Dr. Oh had said.

She could not be cured with internal treatments.

The fact that her heart did not respond to internal treatment meant her heart was broken.

It needed a surgical operation, and it was not that easy of one to perform.

Terminal myocardiopathy.

Suhyuk contacted Prof. Han immediately. Fortunately he answered the phone quickly.

"Professor Han. The transferred patient. She has terminal myocardiopathy."

"Terminal? So what?"

"I think we need to perform a heart transplant."

"Are you in the intensive care unit? Let me come to you right away."

Han soon arrived, and checked the shots, images and the examination chart with a long sigh.

The mitral valve and tricuspid valve of the heart were damaged, and various complications were present. Therefore, the operation of the artificial heart besides the artificial valve could not be considered. Left untreated, she could not live more than one year.

"What is her blood type?"

"Type B."

Watching the chart and shaking his head, Han murmured, "it'll take a long, long time…"

Because it was none other than the heart organ, it was like picking a star from the sky to find someone who was willing to donate the heart.

It was only possible to get a donation from a patient in a state of brain death, suspected of having clear medical death due to an accident or brain disease. Needless to say, one had to get the donation paper signed by the patients who had fallen into the disease or the consent from their picky guardians.

"I will contact the organ donation center," said Suhyuk.

He faxed the patient information to the center after calling them.

It would take time to find the right organ compatible with the patient, but his name recognition would help speed up the process.

He got a reply from the center that they would get back to him the next morning.

A nurse came to him, who just finished the call, saying,

"Sir, Kim's guardian came."

"Where are they?"

"She's in the intensive care unit."

A woman in her late 40s was sitting on a bench in the hallway.

She hurried to the hospital after she was informed that her daughter had been transferred to a different hospital.

Wrapping her face with her hands, she stood up feebly, and asked,

"Then, can my daughter survive if she receives a heart transplant?"

"I already informed the organ donation center about this. They said that they would reply by tomorrow. So stay with your daughter until then."

"What if there is no heart compatible with hers? Then what happens to my daughter?"

There was some silence between them.

"Then we have to find another heart donor."

At his reply she clenched her teeth.

"We'll do our best to find the right donor."

Nodding her head, she went into the intensive care unit.

She stroked her daughter's hair cautiously.

"Mom, Dr. Lee Suhyuk told me that he could treat me. The nurse also says that he's a famous doctor…"

She was almost choked to tears, but cleared her throat, nodding her head.

"Really? Don't worry about anything, okay? Got it?"

"You're going through so much hards.h.i.p because of me, mom… If I get well, let's go out for the noodles that you like…"

"Sure, sure. And for the clam noodle soup that you like…"

Suhyuk soon turned his back after watching them.

The next day.

Suhyuk was talking to the organ donation center.

"Unfortunately we could not find a heart compatible with patient Kim Suji. h.e.l.lo?"

"Can you contact outside the country?"

"We can, but it will take some time. 6 months at the latest…"

Suhyuk knitted his brows. Six months would be too long.

There was limit to controlling a patient's life span by using all kinds of medical methods.

"I look forward to your best possible help."

Suhyuk tried his best to find a donor other than the organ donation center.

Whenever he found any available time, he took to the phone to find a possible donor.

But there was no tangible outcome.

"Huuuuuuuh….."

Suhyuk let out a long sigh after putting down the phone, just looking at it quietly.

Soon he was heading for the intensive care unit to check her condition.

While he was walking down the hallway, he overhead some nurses talking to each other.

"You know patient Kim Suji, who has terminal myocardiopathy. I hear she needs to receive a heart transplant… Too bad."

"Was it three years ago? A patient died after he failed to get a heart transplant while waiting for one."

Suhyuk, whose face was hardening, made up his mind that Kim would not tread the same path.

He went into the ICU and ran into the patient's mother.

"Doctor, I have something to tell you…"

They moved to a break area.

Offering a cup of coffee to her, Suhyuk took a seat.

"The heart compatible with my daughter… do you think it will take some time to find…"

Suhyuk did not hide anything because she need to know about the exact situation.

"I'm currently checking outside the country. So, a compatible donor can appear quite soon."

Was she listening to him?

Sipping cold coffee, she looked at Suhyuk, and said,

"Don't you think that a heart from a family member has a higher chance of compatibility with her?"

"Well, that is statistically right. But examination is necessary for an accurate diagnosis…"

Suhyuk opened his eyes wide while talking to her.

Was she thinking of donating her own heart?

All sorts of thoughts came to his mind.

"Don't think about weird stuff. There is a certain standard for a patient who can receive a heart transplant. Above all, there is a clause that says, 'the patient can get psychological protection from their family.'"

In that respect, she is not the right person to get a heart transplant from.

His face hardened, Suhyuk came out of the break area.

At that moment, she stopped him and said,

"Her daddy is in the hospital right now, in a vegetative state."

Tears flowed from her cheek.

—–

9pm.

Suhyuk was on the elevator at a different hospital with Suji's mother.

They soon arrived at the 3rd floor, and moved to the patient's room.

There was a middle-aged man in his late 40s in there.

He stayed put there in the bed, with an oxygen respirator on his mouth.

He was none other than Suji's father and her husband.

"Honey, I'm here."

She came up to him, and grabbed his hands, saying,

"Sorry. I couldn't come yesterday as I was too busy. Were you bored?"

Suhyuk came to her side.

"He is two years younger than me."

They met at college as a junior and a senior.

The memories of him giving her flowers or tying up the loose laces on her sneakers on bent knees were still vivid in her mind. And their pleasant walks during the summer night.

Holding his hands gently, she opened her mouth,

"Honey, our daughter Suji is very sick… Boohoo… very, very sick. So… boohoo…"

Suhyuk slipped out of the room.

Suhyuk met his physician and asked him to check the compatibility.

"As I am not busy, I can check it out quickly."

Having said that, the physician left the place, and Suhyuk sat on the bench in the hallway.

About two hours pa.s.sed.

The physician came back to Suhyuk. He nodded his head to Suhyuk who rose from the seat.

"Thank you."

Then Suhyuk went back to the room. In front of the door he heard her sobbing quietly.

"Huuuuuuh…"

She was holding his hands as if she was praying.

Suhyuk cautiously opened his mouth,

"It's compatible."

Hearing that, she sobbed louder, which filled the room.

Suhyuk was leaning against the wall.

It would be a tough surgery.

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Chapter 136

Suhyuk was moving in an ambulance, along with Suji's mother and father.

She did not say anything while holding his hands tightly.

She was just shedding tears quietly.

The ambulance arrived at Daehan Hospital in no time.

And the medical staff waiting for them took her husband inside.

The stretcher carrying Suji's father was coming into the lobby and then to the elevator.

Suhyuk checked his condition briefly, which showed that nothing could go better or worse.

Beep. Beep.

Sitting next to him, she did not say anything at first, but soon barely opened her mouth,

"Honey. Do you remember what I told you when you brought me a bundle of flowers? I said we would have been better off going out to eat meat with that money that you spent on flowers. I think it was slip of the tongue. The flowers were so pretty and I loved them. I'm sorry, honey… And you remember the time in the early morning when you came home drunk? You asked me to boil ramen to relieve a hangover. I just went to sleep with the excuse that I was sick…? So sorry I didn't boil it for you then. Boohoo… I'm just sorry for everything… Sorry… boohoo…"

Tears flowing from her eyes soaked her cheeks.

Suhyuk moved his hands toward her shoulder, but did not touch it.

Nothing could comfort her at the moment.

Suhyuk put the papers on the table, which were the consent form for Suji's surgery and a certificate of donation on of her husband's heart. He went out the door and closed it quietly.

"Good job!"

Suhyuk turned his head to the side at someone's voice.

It was Prof. Han Myungjin.

"Your face doesn't look good."

Like he said, Suhyuk's face was hardened.

"What should we do? We have to save the patient's life first."

Han patted him on the shoulder.

Having said that, Han let out a sigh, staring at the door of the patient's room that Suhyuk just came out of.

The next morning, Suhyuk visited the patient's room where Suji's mother and father were staying together in.

Warm sunlight was pouring into the room as the curtains were opened. A cool wind shook the curtains and made them swing gently.

"Suji's mom," spoke Suhyuk.

At his calling, she stood up while looking at her husband. Her eyes were swollen.

She must not have slept at all, shedding tears all through last night.

She presented the consent forms to him, saying,

"Doctor… my daughter… and my husband… Please do good to them."

"Don't worry. We'll do our best."

Handed the consent forms, he confirmed her signature.

She must have felt very pained and even tormented when writing down her signature.

It was tinged with her tears.

Looking at the papers, Suhyuk opened his mouth at last,

"The surgery date has been set for today, but if you need more time…"

She shook her head, and on such occasions she shed tears.

"My husband might want a quick surgery too, because he loved her so much. Right, honey?"

She smiled, but her tears never stopped flowing.

Suhyuk visited Suji's room immediately, and smiled.

"Fortunately we found a compatible heart, so you can get the surgery today."

"Really?"

"Yes, 3pm this afternoon."

She barely nodded her head. Even though the surgery was scheduled suddenly, she still liked it.

Then her mother came into the room.

"Sorry, I could not come because I was busy yesterday."

Suji said, smiling faintly, said, "Mom, the doctor says I can get the surgery…"

She stroked her hair adorably, saying, "Yes, how fortunate it is… Really it is…"

"When the surgery is done, let's go out for clam noodles and see your daddy. He must be very bored as he is alone…"

She stood from the seat and turned back quickly.

"Let me go to the restroom."

Shutting her mouth with her hand, she ran out of the room.

Watching the door she just went out of, Suhyuk smiled at Suji and said,

"I'll see you a bit later then."

The operating time was approaching, and the preparations were well in progress.

Soon the time came, and Suhyuk went to see Suji.

"It's time for your surgery. You can come with me."

Suhyuk pushed the stretcher carrying Suji out the room, along with her mother.

She was holding Suji's hands as if she was praying.

"Suji, you can manage it, right? Don't be scared. The doctor says it will be over quickly. You just take a nap and then wake up. Right, doctor?"

When he nodded his head, Suji lifted her hand with the IV fluid attached.

She wiped her mother's tears, saying, "Yes, mom. Don't worry too much."

The door of the operating room opened, and she shouted into the gap of the closing door,

"I will be here, waiting for you, Suji!"

Coming back out of the operating room, and Suhyuk moved with her.

While Suji was under anesthesia, he had to bring her father.

Soon they arrived at his room, and pushed the stretcher carrying him into the hallway.

She did not say anything, just walking while watching him continuously.

Soon they arrived at the operating room.

Suhyuk stopped for a moment to give time for the last meeting between her and him.

"Suji's daddy… Haaaaa…"

Again tears rained down her cheeks.

"Suji's daddy. Let's meet again, okay? We will meet again, right?"

She looked like she would fall down from having too much fatigue acc.u.mulated.

The automatic door of the operating room opened, and Suhyuk pushed the stretcher into it.

She held out her hand before she knew it, but her husband already disappeared into the room.

The medical staff approached when Suhyuk appeared with Suji's father in the operating room.

They shook their heads, indicating that her anesthesia was not complete.

Nodding his head, Suhyuk began disinfecting. He washed his fingers and forearms with the disinfection brush. He rubbed them so hard that the skin looked like it peeled off.

Now, wearing a surgical gown, he looked through the window into the room.

The anesthetist rolled his hand to form a circle.

Suhyuk let out a long breath, and then said to Suji's father on the stretcher.

"Let's go then."

He pushed the stretcher into the operating room, where the father and daughter met after such a long time. If they moved their hands a bit, they could hold each other's hands, but they could not.

Suhyuk came up to them, and made it so that Suji's one hand grab her father's other hand.

The medical staff were watching quietly.

Some nurses were moved to tears by that.

When Suhyuk put them back to their original position, Han opened his mouth,

"Everybody, come here."

The medical staff came around Suji's father.

"Silent tribute!"

Everyone lowered their heads, with eyes closed.

Soon they opened their eyes, and Han said again,

"This is the place where the patient's father is watching us. We have to do it fast and do our best. I won't allow any mistakes."

Having said that, Han took his hand to the oxygen respirator Suji's father had on.

Then Suhyuk opened his mouth,

"Let me do it, sir."

As he brought Suji's parent here, he thought it was right that he should do the last ritual for him.

When Han stepped back after nodding his head, Suhyuk moved his hand to the respirator.

His hand trembled. Now just a little hand motion would end his life.

Suhyuk looked at Suji and then murmured to him,

"Your daughter is very pretty. You've done so much for her up to now. Now rest without any worry."

Suhyuk's hand took off the oxygen mask.

The oscillating vital signs became parallel, and the medical staff checked the time.

"Current time 15:32. The patient died."

Suhyuk's eyes were turned toward him, who looked like he was giving a smile.

"Let's start."

At Han's direction, the medical staff got down to work briskly.

Han's scalpel touched Suji's belly, and so did Suhyuk who began opening her father's belly.

They were trying to remove each one's heart simultaneously.

The pads and ringer attached to Suji, and the cardiopulmonary valve to replace the heart started operating. On the contrary, there were nothing attached to her father's body.

Suhyuk's hand moved delicately more than ever.

Suhyuk cut the part of the heart connected to the main aorta. At that moment, the blood that had pooled up there shot up like a water gun. Suhyuk's mask was filled with blood. However, he did not show any agitation. He cut off the vein artery gradually. Soon, his heart came out.

"Extraction is over."

Han replied to Suhyuk's voice. "I'm done too. Bring it."

The heart in the hands of Suhyuk went into Suji's opened chest.

From now on, it was the real start of the surgery.

Fight against anastomosis.

They did not know how long it would take to get a tight and subtle anastomosis.

Suhyuk and Han Myungjin.

Their hands began to move busily.

And Suji was gradually becoming one with her father.

"My daughter… Why is she not coming out? Why?"

Absolutely exhausted, Suji's mother asked, holding a nurse.

It was 4am.

It was already gone past 12 hours since her daughter and husband went into the operating room.

At that moment the automatic door opened.

Taking off his mask, Suhyuk was coming out.

She approached him quickly and asked,

"What happened, doctor? My daughter and husband, no, my daughter Suji. Is she okay?"

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Chapter 137

Suji's mother grabbed Suhyuk's hands firmly without realising it.

"The surgery went well, Suji's mom. Her daddy saved her life."

As soon as he said that, she squatted on the floor and sobbed.

"Boohoo… boohoo…"

Wrapping her face with her hands, she broke down into tears, and despite her exhaustive crying, her tears kept coming out.

Suhyuk bent his knees and held her shoulder cautiously, saying,

"Her surgery was done well. You made it, too."

What about her feelings, now that her husband is gone?

"Your daughter is in the recovery room now. After several checks, she will be moved to the intensive care unit."

She dragged herself up to her feet.

"Is my daughter okay now?"

Suhyuk nodded his head.

Then the door of the operating room opened, with Suji coming out, carried on the stretcher.

"Suji!"

She rushed to her daughter.

She wanted to touch her pale face, but did not. She felt something bad would happen if she touched it, and instead wiped off her tears quietly for fear her sobbing might wake her up.

Once Suji was moved to the intensive care unit, the medical staff moved briskly.

Checking her vital signs, they injected a suitable amount of IV fluid and checked her condition again carefully.

Holding her daughter's hands gently, she asked Suhyuk,

"Can I see my husband now?"

When he nodded, she stroked Suji's hair cautiously and said,

"Suji… I'll be back in a minute."

She followed Suhyuk to the bas.e.m.e.nt of the hospital where his body was laid to rest.

There she saw his pale face, with the respirator seen no more on his mouth.

Momentarily she staggered, and Suhyuk quickly supported her.

"Are you okay?"

She gave strength to her feet, and looked at her husband again.

"Suji's daddy, Kim Gangu! Boohoo…"

Her sobbing did not stop for a while

Almost five hours pa.s.sed since Suji was moved to the intensive care unit after the surgery.

When she opened her eyes for the first time, she saw her mother.

Her mother's eyelids were swollen, and her lips had blisters.

"Mom… I'm okay now. So, don't cry…"

"Sure, I won't cry anymore seeing as you are okay now after the surgery."

She kept stroking her hair while talking to her.

Three days pa.s.sed after that.

No complications were detected in the patient, which was something beyond a miracle in the eyes of the medical staff.

Especially since she received someone else's heart for the transplant. Even though the heart was donated by a family member, some sort of complication would usually appear, because it was not their own heart to begin with.

Nonetheless, she did not show any complications, showing an incredible recovery progress.

Looking at the medical staff's surprise, Suji's mother said, stroking her sleeping daughter's hair,

"Suji's father is not the type of person that gives his daughter pain…"

And she asked the medical staff to hide the fact that his heart was transplanted to her.

She was going to tell her eventually, but not now.

It was urgent that her daughter first gets well again.

Coming out of her room, Suhyuk let out a short breath, sweeping up his hair.

Her post-surgery condition was very good.

Suhyuk looked at his hands while walking through the hallway.

He saved a patient's life with his hands, and at the same time ended another's.

"…"

Suddenly he thought of Dongsu.

It was currently 9pm. What was he now doing?

Suhyuk called him.

"Hey, who is this?"

Suhyuk informed him of his return from the United States.

Though Dongsu asked to meet him, he found it difficult to adjust his schedule.

"What are you up to now?"

"Well, I'm working hard for this country night and day."

"I wanted to treat you to soju…"

Then an urgent sounding voice of Dongsu's came from the phone,

"Let's drink some now."

"You just said that you're working hard?"

"Don't you know you need to fill the gas to drive a car? I need soju now."

Suhyuk said with a smile, "Let me come to your place then."

Taking the metro, Suhyuk came out of the exit Dongsu told him about.

Even though it was past 10pm, there were many citizens on the street.

At this hour some were crying and others laughing.

"Hey!"

Suhyuk turned his back at the familiar voice that came from behind.

"Hey, long time no see! Looks like I've not seen you for one and a half years."

Though they had not seen each other for such a long time, they felt easily comfortable around each other as if they had just met yesterday. And this is what they call friends.h.i.p.

"Let's go. I know a terrific makkoli (brewed rice wine) bar."

With his hand on Suhyuk's shoulder, Dongsu guided him.

When they entered the bar, there were lots of college students mingling there over drinks.

"What do you want to drink?"

"Something cold."

Dongsu opened the menu.

Side dishes were mainly pancakes such as vegetable pancake.

"How about sausage pancakes and mung bean pancakes?"

Dongsu ordered without asking for his consent.

"So, did you make a lot of money in the United States?"

Suhyuk smiled at his asking. Yes, he did. More than enough to buy a house.

"Then, the bill here is on you!"

"Sure, help yourself to a lot, man."

Makkoli and side dishes were placed on the table in no time.

"Let me offer this gla.s.s first."

They clinked gla.s.ses together.

Wiping some residue drops of makkoli from his cheek, Dongsu opened his mouth,

"Anything wrong? Your face doesn't look good."

As he said, Suhyuk's face was rather gloomy.

Though he was smiling, he did not look genuine, which only Dongsu could sense.

"Tell me, man. What is it?"

When pressed by Dongsu repeatedly, Suhyuk told him about the situation about patient Kim Suji and her father.

After drinking one gla.s.s of makkoli in one gulp, Dongsu said,

"Don't you think it's only fair?"

When Suhyuk took a gla.s.s of makkoli to his lips, Dongsu spoke again,

"Stop anyone on the street and ask. And a.s.sume their a father with a daughter. What are they going to do?"

Suhyuk slowly nodded his head.

"Get out of your miscellaneous thoughts, and drink! And the bill is on you, man!"

Suhyuk giggled at his remarks.

Their get-together over drinks lasted very long into the night.

One week pa.s.sed quickly.

In the meantime Suji was recovering quickly enough to start walking again.

"Thank you, doctor."

Suji's mother expressed thanks to Suhyuk and the medical staff.

She was also recovering from her devastated state of mind gradually.

Checking her condition, Suhyuk now could go ahead with his plan of surgery on Hana's father.

Suhyuk, who happened to be at the Sky Park, made a call to him.

"This is Suhyuk, sir."

"Oh, it's you. Have you eaten?"

"Yes, I just ate. Now it's time for your surgery."

Nothing came out of his cell phone, but a moment later, he said,

"Sure, sure. Thanks so much."

He already put out a sign for temporary closure outside the restaurant.

"Let me come over to pick you up."

"No, you don't have to. I can come there myself."

"Well, I need to stop by somewhere near you, sir."

Of course there was no such thing.

Suhyuk just hated the idea of him walking to Daehan Hospital with a limp.

"Okay, then. I'll be here in front of the restaurant."

After the call, he moved to the elevator immediately.

When he was about to go in, a man was coming out of it.

He was Park Sungjae.

"Did you eat lunch, sir?" asked Park.

With a smile, he nodded his head, patting him on the shoulder.

"Enjoy your lunch hour fully before going back to the office."

Suhyuk got on the elevator, and turned back after pressing the b.u.t.ton,

"I've got a surgery scheduled tomorrow. If you're available, can you help me as an a.s.sistant?"

Park's eyes became wide open.

He could not afford to hesitate as he was given a chance to be an a.s.sistant for Dr. Lee who made his name known to the United States in addition to his name already being recognized in Korea.

"Yes, sir. Thanks!"

After Suhyuk stepped into the elevator, the door closed and Park drank up his coffee.

"Yes! Yes!"

Finally he could help as an a.s.sistant for his respected senior.

Hana's father was sitting on the chair in front of his restaurant.

The scorching hot weather outside formed beads of sweat on his forehead.

Then a taxi stopped, and Suhyuk got out of it.

"Why didn't you wait inside on this hot day?"

Suhyuk opened the back door for him.

Limping along, he stood up and got inside the taxi.

Inside the taxi Suhyuk talked to him,

"You're going to be hospitalized today, and I've set the surgery for tomorrow."

Hana's father nodded his head, and stroked his legs.

He spent many long days with his uncomfortable legs, but he did not blame Suhyuk for that.

Who said in life that there are always ups and downs?

His restaurant was thriving, and Hana got a good job.

He just felt pitiful about Suhyuk who must have suffered from a guilty conscience for such a long time.

While he was having such thoughts, the taxi arrived at Daehan Hospital.

Opening the door, Suhyuk helped him out cautiously.

When he got out, he looked up at the hospital.

"What a big hospital!"

Suhyuk smiled, saying,

"Let's go in."

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Chapter 138

Hana's father was hospitalized in the VIP room.

With IV on a drip attached, he looked around his bed, saying,

"I feel something different at a big hospital like this…"

There was everything in this room that he could ask for.

He felt as if he were lying on the bed in the main room of a rich man's house on TV.

"As the surgery is simple, it will be over quickly," said Suhyuk.

"Thanks, thanks," replied he.

"Daddy!"

Suhyuk turned back at the voice from behind.

It was Hana who just arrived here right after leaving the office.

She grabbed his hands firmly.

"Why did you come here, seeing as you're so busy? Suhyuk will take good care of me," said he.

"Anybody hearing what you said would think he is your son," said Hana.

"I feel sort of tired as I'm on an IV drip," replied he.

"Well, it doesn't include anything like a sleeping pill. I guess you didn't have a sound sleep last night," said Suhyuk.

At his remarks, Hana's father corrected his body position and lay on the bed.

"Maybe you're right. Hana, wake me up in an hour as I will go to sleep now."

Both of them turned off the light and went out.

Hana's father opened his eyes quietly and looked at the door that the both of them just went out of.

On the Sky Park Suhyuk offered a bottle of canned coffee to Hana.

"Thanks."

"How have you been?"

At Suhyuk's asking, she nodded her head, her eyes fixed on coffee, saying,

"Well, I just get by, day by day."

She swept up her hair.

Like Dongsu, she had not changed at all. She was as pretty as usual.

Though they had not met in a long time, they did not talk much.

It was Hana who opened her mouth first, though.

"Hope you can treat him well."

"Don't worry at all. It's my duty anyway. I'll do my best."

With a smile Suhyuk continued, "I'm going to cure his legs by all means."

Hana nodded with a smile, asking, "By the way, how is Ms. Binna doing?"

"I heard that she has taken a long vacation."

'About one month, I think?'

When he returned from the United States, she was not there at Daehan Hospital.

"I see… Ooops! Already one hour has pa.s.sed. I should wake him up. Otherwise he would not be able to sleep later."

Suhyuk and Hana moved to his room again.

Greeting each other, they parted in front of the door.

Hana, who was about to enter the room, looked at his appearance from behind.

She had lots of things to talk with him about, as she had not met him in such a long time.

But she did not, just like a fool.

Suhyuk turned back before walking around the corner, but she went straight into the room.

The next day.

The faculty members headed for the operating room.

Today was the very day that Suhyuk was supposed to perform surgery by using stem cells.

In the meantime he was pus.h.i.ng the stretcher carrying Hana's father.

"Daddy, Suhyuk says it's an easy surgery, so don't worry too much," said Hana.

He replied with a smile, "I'm not worried at all. Don't you know Suhyuk's capabilities? He is Korea's signature doctor!"

Hana nodded her head, and looked at Suhyuk.

"Surgery without pain, please, Suhyuk."

"I'll come out with him soon. So wait here a moment."

When the door was closing, Hana's father waved his hand at her through the gap in the door.

Inside the operating room Hana's father could see many faculty members.

Everyone was a faculty member, except for resident Park Sungjae.

His glittering eyes trembled a bit.

He was told this would be an easy surgery, but it did not seem so, given the presence of many faculty members there, and the surrounding environment too.

Strange devices and metal tools, which made him tense.

Did Suhyuk sense him feeling like that?

Approaching him, Suhyuk opened his mouth softly,

"They are the best professors at Daehan Hospital. By the time you wake from a sound sleep, your surgery will be finished."

"Got it."

When he replied with a smile, the anesthetist came up.

"Please breathe in calmly."

When the anesthetist put the oxygen respirator on his mouth, he closed his eyes silently.

'After a nap, he will find everything different about his legs.'

Beep… beep…

After confirming that he was completely asleep, Suhyuk said,

"Let me start now."

At his remarks, the faculty focused their eyes on him.

"The patient had multiple fractures…" said Suhyuk.

The faculty there concentrated on his remarks in order not to miss any words.

Among them were professors Lee Mansuk and Kim Jinwook.

The more they saw him, the more they wanted to have him as their disciple.

But the timing for that was now gone forever.

He was not the kind of person that they could teach anymore.

"Anyway, he is great…" Lee murmured.

"I knew well in advance that he would become such a big success."

Suhyuk held out his hand to resident Park Sungjae who was there as his a.s.sistant.

"Scalpel."

His leg was incised by Suhyuk's scalpel.

Park quickly wiped the blood coming out of it.

Suhyuk's scalpel was quick and accurate, not touching the countless blood veins at all.

Even the professors' eyes became open wide.

Soon Suhyuk got hold of the needle he prepared in advance.

"This is what I originally cultured from the patient's stem cells in the past."

He stabbed the needle into the nerves and then the muscles step by step.

Suhyuk showed them all the methods of treatment, and at that, without any hesitation.

Beep… beep…

No other noise was heard.

Only Suhyuk's voice was filling the operating room.

'I'll make you walk as before by all means.'

The operating time did not last long.

Hana's father was gradually opening his eyes in the recovery room.

A dim light came into his eyes, with someone reflected there.

His vague eyesight became clear gradually.

"Are you coming to your senses now?"

Confirming Suhyuk's face, he nodded his head, asking,

"All done?"

"Yes, the surgery went very well."

"Nice job. Thanks so much for your hard work!"

Suhyuk checked his condition after confirming that his consciousness was normal.

Normal, normal, normal.

And he touched his legs wrapped with bandages.

"How do you feel now?"

"It hurts," said he, making a frown.

Now the only thing he wished for was that the stem cell cultures would work for him as intended.

"Let's go out to see Hana, sir."

Suhyuk pushed the stretcher out the room.

The door opened, and Hana raced toward him.

"Daddy!"

When she approached him, he grabbed her hands.

"Are you okay now?"

He nodded his head, replying,

"Of course. Looking at who performed the surgery on me!"

Hana's sense of tension was gone instantly when she saw his relaxed face.

He looked so relaxed that n.o.body could believe that he just had a surgery.

He looked as if he just woke up from sleep.

Hana looked at Suhyuk, saying, "Thanks."

Suhyuk made a satisfied expression, never seen before when he looked at Hana's father.

—–

About two weeks pa.s.sed since Hana's father had surgery.

Suhyuk pushed the wheelchair carrying him into the Sky Park.

"It's cool here, right?"

At Suhyuk's words, he nodded his head feeling for the cool air.

"Let me bring you a soft drink, sir."

He moved to the vending machine and bought some canned coffee.

When he turned back, he noticed something surprising.

"Oh my G.o.d…"

Suhyuk's eyes became wide at the sight.

He was walking with his two legs cautiously.

Even yesterday he could barely stand up by himself.

When Suhyuk walked up to him urgently, he made a smile.

"I was itching to walk, so I did. And now I can!"

Suhyuk let out a long breath, saying, "Yes, you've made it, you've made it at last!"

"Hey, why are you crying? Why?" said he.

Suhyuk shook his head, saying, "No, who is crying, sir?"

A cool wind swept through Suhyuk and dried away his tears.

And about one month pa.s.sed like that.

Hana's father underwent physical therapy during that time, and finally got discharged.

He could now jog along lightly, and Suhyuk looked at him pleasantly.

Suhyuk now felt all the psychological burdens come off his chest.

He felt he could now go his own way with a calm conscience.

The date for his enlistment was the day after tomorrow.

He exchanged greetings with the medical staff for the last time.

And he could see the patient Kim Suji who was getting discharged.

She, and her mother also expressed thanks to him.

"When you come out on vacation, don't fail to visit us!"

"I'll be waiting for you here, sir!" Park Sungjae said.

Suhyuk held out his hands to Park for a handshake.

"I hope you can become a famous doctor by the time I come back here."

"I'll keep it in mind, sir!"

Regrettably he could not see Prof. Han who went to an academic seminar.

So he instead called him to say goodbye.

And he left Daehan Hospital just like that.

—–

One week later.

Han was standing in front of the main entrance of Daehan Hospital.

"What a guy…"

'How come he came to see me without contacting me in advance like this? What if I was not here?'

Soon a taxi stopped before Han.

The person who emerged from the taxi was Prof. Daman of St. Hopkins Hospital, and his disciple Phillip.

"Hey, why didn't you inform me about your visit here in advance?"

At Han's asking, Daman opened his mouth, smiling,

"I just wanted to surprise you!"

And he presented something to him.

It looked like a thin book bound with leather, in the form of a notebook.

Han looked at the inscription on it.

"What the heck is this…"

Daman also gave him a medal.

"Yes, this is an award Dr. Lee Suhyuk has to receive. Is he inside now?"

Han made a bitter smile, saying, "You should have hurried a bit sooner."

"What the h.e.l.l are you talking about?"

"He was enlisted into the army."

Daman and Phillip's eyes became wide suddenly.

"What?"

"Enlisted in the army?"

Having said that, Han murmured, touching the award and medal,

"I had better display them on a spot where many people can see."

—–

A small boat with a tire attached on its side was crossing the sea.

Whenever waves. .h.i.t the boat, it was shaking dangerously, but did not lose its balance.

On one corner of the boat was seated Suhyuk, who dipped his hands into the sea.

"We're almost there!"

Suhyuk lifted his head at the voice coming from the boat's steering house.

The island that looked like a dot in the distance became larger and larger before his eyes.

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Chapter 139

The boat entered the pier.

The waves crashed against it, and white foam spread all over the place.

Suhyuk hopped from the boat.

"Hey!"

Suhyuk turned his head at the voice coming from the boat.

"Take your baggage with you, man!"

A sailor whose face was suntanned black threw a bag to him.

Suhyuk made a broad smile, saying, "Thanks. Take care!"

"Sure. A few years of hard work won't be a problem. Take care!"

The boat chugged down the sea and disappeared.

Seagulls were circling in the sky.

Gazing at the disappearing boat, Suhyuk then carried the bag on his shoulder and looked around.

He saw several people fis.h.i.ng in a relaxed manner, and their children squatting on the gra.s.s looking at the fish that they had caught.

He felt as if he was on an outing on this island.

Moreover, the landscape of the island was great.

Suhyuk soon moved to his destination.

The road to his destination was winding here and there, and also it was very narrow.

If one missed their step, they could fall down into the wild foliage on the side.

Suhyuk walked on the road for about 20 minutes.

However, he could not find his way to the destination easily.

It looked as if the roads and the houses were intermingled like a maze.

"Huuuuuuhh…"

When Suhyuk was looking around, wiping his sweat, he saw an old woman walking up to him.

She wore a loose long skirt, with a net bag in her hand.

"h.e.l.lo, grandma."

The woman wearing a hat stopped and looked at him.

"Did you call me?"

"May I ask you where the public health clinic is?"

She scrutinized him and said, "I've never seen you here before. Are you here for sightseeing?"

"No, I just…"

"Seeing as you're here for sightseeing, you should not get into any hard times here. Go straight down the road and make a right turn," said she, pointing her fingers.

"Thank you."

When Suhyuk bent his head, the woman was already walking down the road.

With a smile, he walked on again.

Arriving at the destination, he was looking at the building.

It was very small and old.

The white paint on the wall was peeled off here and there.

Suhyuk opened the door, hearing the clinking sound of the doorbell designed to indicate a patient's' arrival.

Still n.o.body came out.

Suhyuk looked around the place.

There were seven chairs and a small TV set in the room.

"Are you here for an examination?"

He turned back at the voice from behind.

There was a plump woman in her early 30s.

She was wearing a nurse gown with the nameplate 'Choi Miran'.

"I'm a.s.signed here as a public health doctor…"

Initially looking at him carelessly, she opened her eyes wide now, saying,

"Oh my G.o.d! You must be Dr. Lee Suhyuk, right?"

Suhyuk affirmed her question, scratching his head.

Covering her mouth with her hand, she began babbling,

"Wow! You look much more handsome… Have you eaten yet?"

"Yes, I already did."

Actually he had some delicious sus.h.i.. It was thanks to the boat captain's filleting raw fish, and mixing it with rice and spicy red pepper bean. It was so delicious.

"It's narrow and small here, right? Still it's comfortable enough for a person to live in. I had a hard time initially but soon got accustomed to it. The people here are really good-hearted…"

Choi Miran, looking at Suhyuk queerly, continued to speak.

"What am I supposed to do here?"

"Oops! Please wait here a moment, sir. I must have been absent-minded."

Choi went into the examination room right away, and soon came out.

Gesturing with a smile, she said, "Please come in."

"Thanks."

Though the door was open, he knocked on it before going in.

Inside was a middle-aged man in his early 50s, with thin hair. He stood up to greet Suhyuk.

"Welcome. I'm a doctor here," said he, reaching out his hand with a smile.

"How are you sir," said Suhyuk, grabbing his hand.

"Miran, give us something to drink."

"Coffee?"

The doctor looked at him and said, "We've got juice, too."

"Either one is fine."

"Two cups of coffee then!"

"Have a seat."

When Suhyuk was seated, the man introduced himself,

"My name is s.h.i.n Jaechol, and I've been here for 7 years now."

"My name is Lee Suhyuk, sir. My service to you!"

At his courteous tone, s.h.i.n wore a smile like a generous countryman.

"I wonder why they could not give a military service exemption to a doctor like you."

s.h.i.n was already well aware of his reputation on the TV and in newspapers.

How could they send him to an island as a public health service doctor?

He was such a great talent who should not waste his precious time in a place like this.

Was his future not at all pointing to great success?

Nonetheless, this young man before him was making a smile as if he was satisfied with his new life here.

"What am I supposed to do here, sir?"

"Don't push me like that, young man. You don't have to hurry. The senior patients are very healthy here, so come to see us occasionally."

Then the nurse came in with coffee.

"Thanks."

"Ms. Choi, you can go out now."

"Oh, yes, sir!"

Choi, who was stealing a glance at Suhyuk, went out of the room hurriedly.

Then both of them exchanged light talk such as the running of the clinic and the island.

s.h.i.n patted him on the shoulder several times, saying,

"I'm so relieved to have a doctor like you here."

Then s.h.i.n went out the room, and asked him to follow him.

Outside the clinic s.h.i.n said to the nurse,

"Let me show Dr. Lee around his lodging Ms. Choi. Just give me a call when you see a patient."

"Yes, sir!"

At his remarks, Suhyuk was a bit surprised.

He wondered how the doctor could be out of the office during the normal operating hours.

But it seemed natural to him.

This island seem laid back, especially with the residents being considerate and kind to each other giving warmth.

It took about 20 minutes for them to reach Suhyuk's small lodging.

"Such as it is, it's very cool here during the summer time, and very warm in winter because of its heated floor system."

Following s.h.i.n into the yard, Suhyuk looked at the side, where an old bicycle was located.

'What's this, sir?"

"Ah, this was used by a previous doctor. As I recently oiled it, you'd have no problem using it."

Suhyuk took his hand to the old bicycle and clinked the bell.

The clear clinging sound of the bell resonated throughout the island.

Now he was shown into his room.

There was a chest of drawers for clothes and a blanket on top of it.

That's all there was in the room.

"I cleaned up the room roughly, so you might need one more cleanup."

"Thank you, sir."

"Oh, don't mention it. By the way, I asked Mr. Lee to check the electricity here…"

He turned on the switch on the wall.

The light was flickering several times, and then illuminated the room in no time.

s.h.i.n scratched his head when he noticed cobwebs on the ceiling.

"Oh, I didn't notice them before…"

Suhyuk said with a smile, "Let me take care of it."

s.h.i.n continued to explain about the location of the kitchen and the restroom.

He said that in case of no tap water he can use the water from the well in the yard.

He also told him that all the necessities could be bought at a small supermarket at the foot of the village.

"Let me go down first. So, first unpack your baggage and take your time."

"Got it."

After seeing him off, Suhyuk began cleaning the room. He removed all the cobwebs on the ceiling and wiped the floor with a mop.

He also cleaned the kitchen, and headed to the well after stretching himself.

He pulled on a rope that had been lowered down into the well.

Soon the bucket was pulled up, and he scooped up water with a bowl.

Drinking it up, Suhyuk nodded his head. The water tasted delicious.

Wiping his lips, he looked around carefully.

The sound of waves in the distance and the smell from the mountains tickling his nose, and the cool wind wrapping his body and then disappearing away.

Even the seagulls seemed to welcome him.

Suhyuk rode the bicycle to the clinic again.

s.h.i.n told him that he should use it on his way back to the clinic.

Just like when he visited it first, there were no patients there.

Only the sound of the TV filled the room.

One thing that drew his attention was a bag of rice weighing 40kg.

Then a nurse came up to him.

"This bag is for you, Dr. Lee. It's given by the government, so you don't have to feel any burden by it," said she with a smile.

Suhyuk went into s.h.i.n's room with a knock.

s.h.i.n took off his gla.s.ses while reading a book, saying,

"The room looks nice after a cleanup, right?"

"Yes, it is cozy and comfortable."

"How about having dinner together? Do you like oysters grilled on a stone? They are very delicious."

"Yes, I like them very much."

At his reply, the nurse flung open the door, exclaiming, "Dinner together?"

"Of course. Seeing as we have a new member here."

The nurse checked the time on the wall.

It was 5pm. In a little while they would leave the clinic.

"Okay. Let me wrap things up quickly then."

As soon as she went out of the room, s.h.i.n shook his head with a smile.

She just liked food way too much.

"You can look around here."

At his remarks, Suhyuk went and looked around the clinic to check this and that.

Restroom, injection room, and X-ray room.

As the clinic was very small, he could move from one room to another with only a few steps.

"Where is the radiologist…"

At his asking, Choi, sorting out patients' files, replied,

"Actually I'm…"

"I see."

He could understand the situation as there were only two people in the clinic; s.h.i.n and Choi.

"Normally we're not busy, but when patients come in droves, we're just tied up completely."

"I can help you out now."

Clapping her hands, she gave him a thumbs up, and then focused back on the files.

Then the door of the clinic opened.

Taking off his gown, s.h.i.n tapped on his wrist watch.

"It's 6pm. Let's go."

"Wait a moment, sir. I'm almost done," said the nurse.

Then a phone rang.

She picked up the phone, saying, "Yes, it's the clinic."

Her eyes became wide, and s.h.i.n looked at her.

"Mrs. Choi says she is unwell!"

s.h.i.n talked to Suhyuk, "Let's have a welcoming party later. Let's go."

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Chapter 140

Suhyuk followed s.h.i.n who was walking with a fast pace.

"Mrs. Choi is a woman who is the oldest person on this island. She is right now 103 years old."

Suhyuk knitted his brows because he clearly heard that she fell down.

At that age even a little shock from falling could be fatal to her.

"Not that road."

s.h.i.n stopped Suhyuk who was walking ahead of him already.

"This way."

s.h.i.n walked into an ally, and Suhyuk followed him immediately.

She was living in a house with a red gate.

The gate was rusted as the house was surrounded by the sea.

"It's me, s.h.i.n Jaechol."

He knocked on the door.

The door opened with a sharp noise.

A man in his early 60s, the son of Mrs. Choi, answered.

"Is she in?"

At s.h.i.n's asking, the man gestured him to come in and stepped aside.

So s.h.i.n and Suhyuk went in.

The room was small, about 7-pyong wide, which looked even smaller because of the TV set and other furniture.

There inside lay an old woman with short and grey hair.

Taking off his shoes, Suhyuk went in first, and sat next to her, bending one of his knees.

"How are you, grandma?"

"Your face is new to me…"

The woman, who was making a frown due to pain, made a curious expression.

Then s.h.i.n came into the room, raising his voice louder than before,

"He's a new doctor. He is very good at curing patients."

Nodding her head, she looked at Suhyuk.

"Where do you feel uncomfortable, grandma?"

Suhyuk's voice as loud as s.h.i.n's, because she could not hear well, yet in genereal she was unbelievably healthy for her age of 103.

"I feel pain in my leg from after I fell down."

She tapped her right thigh with her hand, saying,

"Right under here…"

Suhyuk stroked her ankle lightly and watched her reaction.

"Can you move?"

She lifted her leg slowly, and even wiggled her toes.

"Very good."

Suhyuk carefully moved her ankle joint up and down.

No reaction.

Then he touched the muscle around her ankle.

"Ouch!"

She made a little moan at his touch.

Suhyuk said, with a smile, "Looks like the muscle went into spasms a bit."

Fortunately, there were no sprains on the ankle or problems with the bones or nerves.

"You might feel some pain, grandma."

Then Suhyuk began to ma.s.sage the area where the muscles were cramped up.

It was to loosen the blood flow to make the muscles loose.

Failure to loosen it leads to making part of the muscle fiber become tight, and the blood circulation may be blocked and could lead to an ischemic state. As a result, the neurotransmitter that stimulates the nerve is secreted, which makes the pain worse and the muscle more cramped up.

"Ouch, ouch…"

Suhyuk smiled at her painful moaning.

"Please bear with it a moment."

Having said that, Suhyuk looked at her son, saying,

"A cold pack will take away a lot of her pain."

Nodding his head, the son headed to the kitchen.

After about 10 minutes he brought a cold pack.

Suhyuk wrapped it around her leg.

"Before you go to sleep, please dip your feet in warm water, which will help you out a lot."

Warm water helps blood circulation and loosens cramped muscles.

"Please call us anytime when you feel pain."

"Thanks, doctor."

Watching Suhyuk from the back, s.h.i.n was smiling broadly.

Suhyuk's diagnosis and treatment was quick.

And the way he deals with the patient, it looked as if her grandson was dealing with his grandma.

He was such a great doctor befitting his capabilities.

s.h.i.n understood fully why Suhyuk was famous and why it was inevitable he became so.

Suhyuk still managed to have the dinner get-together with s.h.i.n and Choi.

Although the old woman was hurt very much and took time to treat, they still went ahead with the dinner as planned.

The restaurant they arrived at was crowded with customers already.

Families and lovers took their spots to grill oysters over charcoal fire.

Though Suhyuk was not well aware of them, most of the customers were people on the island.

Soon they found a good spot, and as soon as they were seated, a middle-aged woman with an ap.r.o.n came up with a pleasant smile, saying,

"It's been a long time since you came here with the nurse, doctor."

"Well, we're here for a dinner with the new doctor at the clinic."

The owner of the restaurant cast his eyes toward Suhyuk.

s.h.i.n introduced him, saying,

"This is a new public health doctor a.s.signed to our clinic. He is very capable."

Suhyuk exchanged greetings, with a smile,

"My service to you!"

She waved her hands, repling,

"It's me who has to ask you a favor. What would you like to order?"

"Oysters, please."

Choi helped s.h.i.n with the order in a tw.a.n.gy voice,

"Please give us plenty of that!"

"Of course! We're like close family on this island. Just await the order."

She then put some charcoal on the grill to light them first.

Then she brought a handful of oysters in a nickel-silver pot.

"Enough oysters, right? Let me also give you some fan mussels for free."

"Thank you."

"Please help yourself a lot. If the oysters are not enough, just let me know."

s.h.i.n put on cotton gloves, saying,

"As I'm used to wearing surgical gloves, I feel other gloves are strange."

"Let me do it."

"No, I can't let you do it since you're the main guest today."

s.h.i.n began putting the oysters and fan mussels on the grill with his hands that were wearing gloves.

Appetizing smells rolled up from the grill.

"Don't say you're not someone who enjoys drinking alcohol."

"Oh, I drink well."

s.h.i.n filled soju in Suhyuk's gla.s.s, and so did Suhyuk.

"Let's toast for Dr. Lee Suhyuk's addition to our clinic!"

"Cheers!"

As it was coinciding with the sunset, the whole island was being tinged with redness.

About two hours pa.s.sed like that.

With his face red with intoxication, s.h.i.n looked at Suhyuk with a smile.

"I think you could go to a better clinic, given your capabilities."

That was true. Even while he was on his military training, he was asked for by many clinics.

But he rejected their requests and chose to come to this place.

An island village where he could meet warm-hearted people.

Suhyuk liked this place, especially given the poor medical facility here.

"Dr. Lee, please accept my refill!" said Choi.

Even though she already had three bottles of soju, she was still sober.

She rested her chin, asking, "Do you have a girlfriend?"

s.h.i.n shook his head at her bold move.

"No, not really."

"Really? You're so able and handsome. Are you sure you don't have a girlfriend? You're lying…"

Suhyuk just smiled at her.

"Actually I don't have a boyfriend…"

Was it because of the flaming sunset?

Her cheeks were glowing brightly.

Suhyuk suddenly felt something cold on his spine.

He turned his head to s.h.i.n, saying, "You look tired, Dr. s.h.i.n."

s.h.i.n answered, nodding his head, "n.o.body can beat age. Let me take my leave first, so enjoy yourselves some some more, you guys."

"Let's break up together," said Suhyuk, "To be honest, I feel tired a bit due to the boat ride today."

Choi made a regrettable expression.

However, s.h.i.n already headed to the counter to pay the bill.

"Thanks for the food, doctor!"

s.h.i.n, patting Suhyuk's forearm, said, "You remember the rice bag inside the clinic, right? Don't forget to take it. If you're drunk, don't ride the bicycle."

"I'm all right, sir."

"Okay, see you tomorrow!"

They parted, and Suhyuk headed for the clinic.

When he opened it, it was quite dark inside.

When he turned on the light, a fluorescent light popped to illuminate the room brightly.

Suhyuk was walking slowly, looking around the room once again.

He touched the waiting sofa and the shooting machine.

This was the place he would be spending time in for several years.

With a smile Suhyuk went out with the rice bag in hand.

Then he tied it onto the bicycle with a rubber rope, and sat on the saddle.

When he pressed down on the pedal, the flashlight attached on the bike came on and illuminated the road.

Back home, Suhyuk put the rice bag in the kitchen.

He made his bed and turned on the light.

Though there was a TV set, he did not want to watch it.

He closed his eyes.

Sounds of the roaring waves and seagulls' occasional crying even in night could be heard.

He fell asleep before he knew it.

When he woke up, the morning light had already broke.

Suhyuk checked the time hurriedly. It was 7:30am.

Was it because of his fatigue and cozy bed, or was it because he was drunk?

As he never slept in that late, he was very much embarra.s.sed.

Was.h.i.ng his face and brus.h.i.ng his teeth roughly, he got on the bike and pushed on the pedal.

While he was heading to the clinic, some pa.s.sersby looked at him curiously, whispering among themselves,

"Oh, I've never seen his face before?"

"I heard that he's a new doctor who just got here."

"Really?"

"I heard that he's really a good doctor."

They all looked at him with a satisfactory look.

He could arrive at the clinic soon. It was 10 minutes to 9am.

The moment he got down, he was surprised a bit.

He heard that there were not many patients at the clinic usually.

But something different was happening before his eyes.

People were lining up outside the clinic.

Resting the bike on the side, he headed for the entrance.

"May I come inside?"

"Don't cut in line!"

A man waiting in the line made a frown.

"Oh, I'm the new public health doctor."

The man's eyes became wide, and cleared the way for him.

When he got inside, Suhyuk's eyes became wider.

At least 30 people were there.

"That doctor is mine! I saw him on TV!"

At the voice of a very old woman, everybody cast their eyes on Suhyuk.

"Right! Right!"

"They say he was such a famous doctor even in the United States."

When Suhyuk made a blank expression, Choi came up to him and said,

"All of these people are here for a medical checkup from you."

Suhyuk scratched his head, but immediately began seeing them.

"Please come on in!"

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Chapter 141

Check-ups were done by the two doctors simultaneously.

s.h.i.n only took care of their check-ups while Suhyuk not only proceeded with the check-ups but also had them take an X-ray.

This time he came back to the room after he took an X-ray.

X-ray shots were hung on a small viewer, and Suhyuk looked at the neck part carefully.

The patient was there due to pain in his neck.

He supposed that the patient's neck bone was bent, but it was not, fortunately.

With a smile, Suhyuk turned his eyes to the old man, saying,

"What are you doing for a living, sir?"

"Well, farming on the field."

There were fields here and there on the island, though they were not large.

"Are you working with your head down a lot?"

"Yes, because I have to use a pickaxe."

Suhyuk shook his head.

The pain in his neck was one which meant he could not lift his head for a long time.

"If you look at this…"

Suhyuk pointed toward the X-ray shot.

"You see the neck bone here is curved. If this gets straightened, you experience a neck disc."

"Disc? That's not good, right?"

Suhyuk shook his head, replying,

"If you don't want it, you have to stretch your body while working."

Then Suhyuk stood up, asking him to follow his stretching.

Suhyuk pulled the other side of his shoulder with his right hand. Then he turned his head to the left.

"You have to loosen up your neck like this."

The old man nodded his head, following his actions.

"Let me give you some muscle injections."

Every time a needle touched his neck, he made a slight frown.

He felt it much more stinging and stiffening than the shots he usually got on his a.s.s.

"As I had shots administered, do you think my neck can get better?"

"Sure, very soon."

"What about medication?"

"You don't have to take any. Just stretching will do."

During the morning Suhyuk saw patients without letup.

That was the same situation for s.h.i.n and Choi.

Soon the morning pa.s.sed quickly, and lunch time came.

Now the clinic was empty because all the patients in the morning were gone after their check-ups.

"Have lunch first!"

At Choi's voice outside the clinic, s.h.i.n and Suhyuk headed to the break area.

It was narrow.

Choi took out some side dishes from the refrigerator, and added her own food to the table.

s.h.i.n looked at Choi, narrowing his eyes.

"Oh, a meat side dish?"

"I made it yesterday."

"You didn't do this before…"

Choi scooped rice in a bowl and gave it to him.

"Please eat it."

Then she, looking at Suhyuk, served rice in a bowl and pressed it with even more.

"Please eat a lot."

"Oh, it's too much…"

"As lots of patients want to see you, you have to eat a lot for stamina!"

At her smile, Suhyuk could not refuse it.

Three of them began eating like that in a merry mood.

—–

The waves. .h.i.t the steep cliffs.

The foam scattered and produced a spectacular view.

There were some people throwing a fis.h.i.ng pole over it.

They were a couple who looked to be in their late 20s.

It looked like they were here for travel.

"Honey, do you really know how to slice raw fish?"

When the straight-haired lady named Jinhee asked in a tw.a.n.ky voice, Lee Mujin holding the pole said with confidence, "Sure. I heard that this is the spot that attracts lots of parrotfish. Wait a minute, honey."

"Okay, then. I look forward to it!"

Then Jinhee's head turned to the side suddenly.

It was a road leading to the foot of the island.

"Why isn't she coming yet? I'm so thirsty."

The lady who came here with her boyfriend and her friends went out to buy ramen and bottled water, but she had not yet returned.

Jinhee asked her boyfriend, fanning herself with her hand,

"Honey, do you know when she went down there?"

"About 30 minutes ago? Looks like she will be late for her date…"

Then Mujin pulled hard on a fis.h.i.ng rod when he felt something heavy on his palm.

"Hey, it looks like a big fish. Wait a moment. Let me catch it right away."

At that moment his body became fixed like a stone statue.

A lady could be seen falling into the sea, scattering her hair in the distance, as if she was falling from a cliff.

Jinhee's screaming voice broke out.

Obviously it was Minji, her friend, falling into the sea, who went out to buy ramen and bottled water.

Her brown hair and clothes all showed it was she.

"Minji!"

A man's voice coming from somewhere was echoing through the area.

Both of them hurriedly went down the hill.

In the meantime Minji was floundering in the sea.

Her head was bobbing up and down in the sea repeatedly as if she could not swim.

Coming down to the seaside, Jinhee and Mujin were just at a loss, not knowing what to do.

"Honey, just do something to save her!"

At Jinhee's pressing, Mujin hesitantly jumped into the sea.

Like someone who learnt swimming systemically, he swam his way toward her bravely.

It looked as if he could reach her quickly who was now floundering in the sea.

At that moment Minji, who was struggling to poke her face out of the water, went into the sea but did not come back up. Mujin swam even faster to get to her.

Arriving at the spot he saw her, he looked around and then submerged into the sea.

How long pa.s.sed?

Watching him anxiously, Jinhee's eyes became open wide, for her boyfriend came out of the water.

And he came out not alone, but also with Minji.

Hukk. Hukk.

Taking her out of the water, Mujin was letting out a rough breath.

"Minji! Minji! Come to your senses!"

Jinhee tapped her cheek, but she did not open her eyes.

"Step aside," said Mujin.

He took his ear to her mouth. She was not breathing.

"She isn't breathing!"

Suddenly Mujin applied CPR, and pounded on her chest several times.

It was typical CPR.

Though it was not professional, he kept on applying CPR.

But she showed no reaction.

"Minji! Open your eyes!"

Then another man's voice was heard. A man with a strong build who was her boyfriend, Yonggyu.

"Brother, what happened?"

At Jinhee's crying voice Yonggyu came up as if he was absent-minded.

"Minji…"

Though Mujin kept applying CPR, she did not move one bit .

"What happened?"

At Jinhee's screaming, Yonggyu made a blank expression.

"She made a false step… We need to take her to the hospital right now."

He tried to raise Minji who was unconscious, but Mujin stopped him, saying,

"Hey, move back! We need to get her to breathe first!"

Again CPR was applied.

At that moment.

Cough, cough!

Suddenly sea water came out her mouth along with a cough, from her who had shown no reaction until a moment ago.

"Come to your senses! Minji!"

Mujin patted her on the shoulder lightly, but she still had no consciousness.

Fortunately, she was able to breathe.

"Hey, carry her on your back!"

At Mujin's order, Yonggyu carried her on his back.

Carried on her boyfriend's back, her body was drooping down.

As soon as the lunch time was over, the people began gathering again at the clinic.

Suhyuk went back and forth to the X-ray room and injection room alternately.

When he was sorting out the patients' files, he heard some noise outside.

"Please save this woman!"

Those waiting for their medical check-ups turned their eyes to the entrance.

Yonggyu was entering, with Minji on his back.

Choi at the reception desk approached him quickly, and so did s.h.i.n.

Suhyuk asked urgently, "Was she hurt?"

"She fell from the cliff right into the sea."

"This way."

Guiding them into the checkup room, he lay Minji on the bed.

Choi alternately looked at Suhyuk and the patient, while s.h.i.n was standing in the back.

s.h.i.n trusted Suhyuk who was now confirming the patient's breath.

Mujin opened his mouth,

"I applied CPR as she wasn't breathing."

"Good job."

Suhyuk took out a penlight from the pocket in his gown and lifted her eyelids.

When the penlight illuminated her pupil, it shrunk visibly within no time.

"What is the patient's name?"

Jinhee answered, "Park Minji."

Nodding his head slowly, Suhyuk cast a suspicious look.

Obviously she had consciousness.

Has the multiple shock mentality weakened?

No, because her reaction was too immediate.

Her cheekbone was swelled up red.

Was she hurt while falling into the sea? That was impossible because she had no abrasion.

"As she can get burnout, let me inject a sap first."

"Do you think she will be alright?"

At Jinhee's asking, Suhyuk nodded his head, saying,

"I don't think she has a big problem, but…"

He looked at Mijin quietly, who was closing her eyes.

"Let me take all the possible tests for her."

He then pushed the bed into the X-ray room.

"Guardians, please wait outside."

Suhyuk took a shot of her body very carefully from head to toe.

And he did not go out after the shot.

He checked the picture inside.

Fortunately her body was not hurt, except a fracture in her cheekbone.

Looking at the picture, he headed to her on the bed.

Turning off the viewer, he approached her and opened his mouth,

"You have a fracture in your cheekbone."

If somebody had seen it, he might have misunderstood.

For he was talking to the unconscious patient.

But Suhyuk was full of confidence.

"You must be feeling a lot of pain…"

Looking at her, he opened his mouth again,

"Why are you still lying down?"

At that moment her eyes opened silently.

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Chapter 142

"Are you alright?"

At Suhyuk's asking tears dropped from her eyes suddenly.

While she was going out to buy ramen with her boyfriend, she got a message from a male acquaintance younger than she.

And then her boyfriend asked her who the h.e.l.l that guy was, which caused a quarrel between the two of them.

Very much upset, her boyfriend hit her.

At that moment she pa.s.sed out and stumbled, falling into the sea.

Listening to her story, Suhyuk knitted his brows.

This was the so-called date violence that he heard about before.

She told Suhyuk about other similar experiences in the past.

It was not the first time her boyfriend hit her.

When she met him five times a week, she said she was beaten three times.

"Why didn't you report it to the police?" asked Suhyuk.

Based on her story, this was chronic a.s.sault that warranted legal punishment.

"When I think about it carefully, I could understand his behavior. Maybe my boyfriend hit me because he might have misunderstood. I think I made a mistake."

"How can you say that…"

Suhyuk just shut his mouth, though.

He felt as if she was defending her boyfriend, the attacker, even though she had experienced a life-threatening situation.

Suddenly a mental illness came to his mind.

Stockholm syndrome.

"I guess you love your boyfriend very much?"

At his asking she nodded her head, replying,

"Yes, he is a good person."

"Still, you were beaten by him. Don't you want to report it?"

Her eyes opened wide, and she stood up abruptly and asked,

"Why? It just happened because of my mistake. Something like a quarrel between husband and wife. Just think of it that way."

Suhyuk slightly nodded his head at her remarks.

She was not normal in terms of her thought process, behavior and judgement.

"Got it," said Suhyuk with a smile.

Only then did she make an expression of relief.

Minji took a rest after getting an IV shot.

Though she felt pain due to a fracture in her cheekbone, she would feel better with an outpatient treatment in a few weeks because it was not severe.

While she was lying in bed, Suhyuk met with Minji's friends.

While showing them her X-ray, he cast his eyes toward a man, her boyfriend.

Given his strong build, he seemed to have had physical training.

"Mr Oh Yonggyu?"

His expression was calmer than before.

"Are you the guardian of Ms. Choi Minji?"

"Yes, she is my girlfriend."

"I heard that she fell from the cliff by stumbling, but fortunately…"

Oh nodded his head.

"Yes, Minji often stumbles on normal days…"

Suhyuk could barely put down his anger at that.

"It's a miracle. She's alright, fortunately."

Suhyuk then pointed to the X-ray, saying,

"As you can see, she has a fracture in her cheekbone."

"Please treat it quickly, doctor!" said Jinhee.

At her pressing, he shook his head, saying,

"Regrettably, this is a small clinic, so we can't give her professional treatment."

Then Suhyuk looked at Oh again.

"I think we need to take her to a bigger hospital quickly," said Oh.

"Yes, you should. Where do you live?"

"Seoul…"

"Good. I know a good doctor there. Can I introduce him?"

Suhyuk observed Oh's behavior then.

'What would you do? You want to take her to a top doctor or any doctor at a nearby hospital?'

"Thanks for your consideration, doctor. Thanks so much," said Oh.

After letting them take care of Minji, Suhyuk went out of the room.

Choi Miran at the reception desk asked him with a worried look,

"Is the patient alright?"

Suhyuk opened his mouth, smiling lightly,

"Can I borrow your cell phone?"

"Sure!"

Handed her phone, he went out the clinic.

He called someone.

"Yes, this is Park Sungjae at the cardiothoracic surgery department."

"This is me, Lee Suhyuk."

"Oh dear! Who did you say you were?"

"Lee Suhyuk."

"Wow! Sir, how have you been doing? I miss you dearly!"

"How are you doing?"

"I'm so stressed.. Ooops… I'm doing fine. I am worried about you, sir."

"I'm doing fine, too. Sungjae, let me transfer a patient to you."

He then told Park about Minji.

"Hope you'd take care of her."

"Sir, don't worry. Let me take care of her well."

—–

Arriving at Daehan Hospital Oh looked for Park Sungjae.

Park's eyes were glittering.

"Please treat her well, doctor," said Oh, holding out his hand for a handshake.

"Don't worry. Let me have her get a thorough checkup because she might have other problems than a bone fracture."

Minji went through a thorough checkup.

Park detected all the marks of violence from her body.

Then he whistled while looking at her chart, saying,

"He will be behind bars with this much evidence even without the victim's consent."

Then his cell phone in his middle pocket buzzed.

"Yes, this is Park Sungjae."

"How are you? This is prosecutor Kim Dongsu. I'm here at the hospital. Where can I find you?"

"Why are you looking for me, sir?

"Oh, I received a call from Suhyuk, my friend."

"Ah…"

Park let Dongsu meet Minji and Oh Yonggyu.

Showing his ID card to Oh, Dongsu smiled a bit.

"Follow me when I speak with kind words. Don't exercise any right to silence, if you can avoid it. It's waste of our time if you do so."

"What are you talking about?"

Dongsu, pointing to Minji with his chin, said,

"You know better than me, don't you?"

Oh cast an icy look at Minji, at which she waved her hand hurriedly.

"No, no! Prosecutor, you seem to be misunderstanding something…"

Dongsu shook his head from side to side.

Suhyuk mentioned something like 'Stockholm Syndrome,' and it seemed he was right.

Dongsu shook the diagnostic certificate before his eyes, which he received from Park.

"This is the name of your crime."

Staring at his girlfriend, Oh opened his mouth,

"By the way, can a prosecutor like you talk down to me?"

"If you don't like it, you talk down to me too, b.a.s.t.a.r.d."

—–

The case was resolved well.

Minji received psychological treatment while her boyfriend went to jail.

It was morally right to have them separated.

About one week pa.s.sed since Suhyuk came to the island.

He spent busy days as there were many patients visiting the clinic.

He was as busy here as he was at Daehan Hospital.

Back home after the day's work, he put the bike on the yard and headed to the kitchen.

There he found an iron pot.

He wanted to cook rice in an iron pot, but could not because he was busy.

Today seemed to give him a good opportunity to do so.

He cleaned the dirt inside, and pulled water from the well in the yard.

"Do I need to wash the rice first?"

Rolling up his sleeves, he washed the rice, and poured it into the pot.

He lighted a piece of paper and then put some twigs into the furnace.

The fire caught on the firewood immediately.

While blowing air into the furnace, Suhyuk made a satisfactory smile.

Smoke went up from the chimney connected down to the kitchen furnace.

Those pa.s.sing by gathered one by one to look at it.

It was a magnificent spectacle for them to see after such a long time.

While the rice was cooking, he was tr.i.m.m.i.n.g a tripletail as thick as his forearm.

Though he had never done it before, it was not so difficult for him to remove the scales from the fish.

An old man who stopped by the clinic gave him some, saying he had a good catch.

After scaling it, he put it on a grill with some salt.

And he put it inside the furnace.

Soon a savory smell filled the kitchen.

After he took out the grill from the furnace, he held the caldron lid with a dishcloth.

White steam came up quickly from the caldron.

Suhyuk brought a small table from the room, and then set the table ready to eat.

On top was a well done tripletail and some delicious rice.

Also there were vegetables and salted seafood given to him by nurse Choi.

Suhyuk raised his chopsticks picking up the fish.

What a delicious taste!

Suhyuk could enjoy the peculiar taste of each food that he could not usually have in city life.

About 10 minutes into eating, he heard some rumbling noises outside.

"What is this? It's only smoke from the chimney."

"You're right. We made a big deal out of nothing…"

They then opened the door to find Suhyuk sitting before the table.

Each of them was holding a bucket and a large bowl to put out a fire.

With a smile, they said, "Our doctor cooked rice for dinner!"

"Oops, we just raced here thinking this house caught fire."

Though those nearby knew it was not a fire, those seeing the smoke from the distance might have thought it was.

That meant there were very few people who lighted a fire in the furnace and cooked rice in a caldron.

Scratching his head, Suhyuk asked, "Have you eaten anything?"

"Well, it's about time we ate."

"As I raced here, I feel more hungry now."

Smiling a bit, Suhyuk went out and asked, "There's lots of cooked rice here. Do you want to share some?"

Some of them, hesitant for just a the moment, began coming into the room.

"Looks like we're disturbing your dinner, doctor!"

Then they sat before the table one by one.

"I feel great if you can join me like this. I'm no longer bored thanks to you."

Suhyuk immediately grilled two more tripletails and scooped rice into bowls.

Then some of the people called somewhere.

"I'm here at the new doctor's house. Please bring me some maggoli (brew rice wine)!"

"Honey, we still have ox head slices in the refrigerator, right?"

Suhyuk had a long dinner together with the island people like that.

The next day came without fail.

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Chapter 143

It rained heavily.

Not many came to the clinic because of the rain.

Suhyuk was feeling the rain drops at the entrance of the clinic.

Then Choi came out and offered him some coffee.

"Thanks."

Sweeping up her hair, she asked him worriedly,

"The wind is blowing very hard."

Suhyuk nodded his head.

The weather forecast was that a typhoon would pa.s.s beyond the island the day after tomorrow.

"It's almost lunch hour. I think I have to wake him up," said Choi.

She then headed into the office where Dr. s.h.i.n was taking a nap.

After lunch they spent some drowsy times in the afternoon.

Even as the office hour was at an end, not many visited the clinic.

Only five came for check-ups today; a big contrast compared with yesterday.

"Nice job everyone!"

The door was closed with Choi's message like that.

Suhyuk put on a raincoat, going down into the village.

He was heading for the supermarket there.

Just in case of a power outage caused by the typhoon, he wanted to buy some candles.

Everytime he moved his footsteps, he heard the strange noises of the strong wind.

He walked for about 10 minutes.

Arriving at the supermarket, he brushed off his raincoat with his hand before opening the door.

"Wow! You came here, doctor!"

A woman in her early 40s greeted him gladly.

"h.e.l.lo."

"What a strong wind! You had better stay home on a day like this. A man was hurt by a flying signboard in the past."

Suhyuk looked for candles first, and then ramen and eggs.

He wanted to watch TV over ramen on a day like this.

"Also, take this too."

The woman gave him some canned tuna.

With a smile she said, "You can make soup with that."

"Thanks."

"Take care. If you need anything, please let me know anytime."

Suhyuk went out, and put on the cap attached to the raincoat.

The wind kept blowing hard.

Though it was already a dark night, it grew even darker quickly.

Suhyuk boiled ramen with an egg, and sat before a TV set.

It smelled savory thanks to the egg.

Though it was quite windy due to a typhoon outside, the floor was warm because of its inbuilt heating system.

The sliding door was shaking hard, which meant the wind was becoming stronger.

As the night went on, Suhyuk fell asleep before he knew it.

How much time pa.s.sed by?

At the severe shaking of the door, Suhyuk opened his eyes.

It was still dark outside.

"Is the doctor inside?"

He was the village foreman.

"h.e.l.lo, sir. What brought you here at this time?"

At that moment he recalled what the supermarket woman had told him.

The foreman said in a trembling voice,

"I'm sorry to come at this early hour, but are you available right now?'

Suhyuk put on some clothes and followed him.

The rain did not yet stop, and thunderous roars in the sky were heard here and there.

Braving through the stormy rain, they soon arrived at the green door of a house.

There were many people gathered there.

"Who the h.e.l.l did this to her?"

"Poor Heryong! Boohoo! What should I do? Heryong!"

With a hardened face Suhyuk went inside.

When he was about to enter the porch, he found a familiar smell tickling his nose.

It was the smell of blood.

Two policemen in the living room gnashed their teeth.

"Son of b.i.t.c.h! How did he…"

"I'll get you by all means!"

It was almost one year since they came to this island.

Still, a homicide accident like this happened on this narrow island.

They felt that they were completely ignored.

Still they had to report it to the police.

Then Suhyuk approached, with his feet wrapped in a vinyl bag.

The murdered woman was in her late 20s.

The pool of blood around her had already dried.

"Who are you?"

At the policeman's asking, the foreman said, "He's the new doctor."

The reason he did not seek Dr. s.h.i.n was because he had already heard rumors about Suhyuk's reputation.

A doctor who received an award even in the United States.

"Still this is the scene of the crime. You should not come into this area before the detectives get here first."

"Then, do you want me sit idle here just looking on?"

The policemen knitted their brows.

Then Suhyuk went out, and came back in no time.

He was wearing surgical gloves.

"May I check her briefly?"

At Suhyuk's asking the policemen nodded reluctantly.

Suhyuk bent his knees to check her.

Her pale face was reflected in his eyes. She looked pure and good-hearted.

How could anybody kill her…

Controlling a fit of anger, he looked at the wounds that led to her murder.

Stabbing wounds in the neck and side.

When he opened it slightly, sticky blood came out.

It seemed that the direct cause of her death was excessive bleeding from a damaged carotid in the neck.

He heard the crying of the family members of the victim.

But he was not agitated because of that.

After checking the victim for a while, he stood up and talked to the policemen,

"As you can see, the direct cause of her death seems to be excessive bleeding from a damaged carotid in the neck."

"How about the time of her death?" asked one policeman.

"I think she died about three hours ago. By the way, did you take a picture of her?"

Stunned by his asking, they began taking pictures of her body and the surroundings with their cell phones.

Suhyuk looked carefully at the footprints of the suspect from the porch to the living room.

The footprints left by the suspect were clear, but a little bit strange.

Suhyuk knitted his brows.

Though the right footprint was clear, the left one was not.

It was as if the suspect's achilles tendon was damaged.

If the suspect was a handicapped person, that footprint in question was quite understandable.

Then the policeman, taking the pictures, came up to him.

"Don't you think it's strange?"

At Suhyuk's asking, he nodded his head.

"This is the first time I witnessed a homicide accident since I was a.s.signed here."

Suhyuk explained to them about the footprints.

As he said, the murder suspect seemed to have a disability.

A man with a limp leg.

"Without you I might have missed it, doctor."

Suhyuk looked at the living room.

Here and there on the wall were marks of the victim's palms.

Despite heavy bleeding she was struggling to maintain her balance.

Everywhere there were bloodstains splattered.

Suhyuk did not touch anything, and took pictures with a cell phone Dr. s.h.i.n gave him for contact.

Click, click.

Then something caught his eyes.

Three cards of poker.

Despite blood being splattered on the TV, the cards were very clean.

Heart Q, Clover 3, Diamond 2.

They were arranged from the left side.

Looking at the cards quietly, he took a picture.

Then a policeman took a phone call.

Some additional detectives were supposed to come over in cooperation with the Maritime Police. They were braving their way through the typhoon.

Overhearing the policeman talking, Suhyuk looked at the victim lying on the floor, murmuring,

"Detectives will identify the suspect by all means."

Suhyuk then moved to the porch.

Shaking his head, Suhyuk then went out of the house.

The parents of the victim, who looked to be over 60 years old, were crying at the top of their voices.

—–

Back home Suhyuk turned on the switch.

The light did not come.

He lit a candle, which was shaking like a ghost in the room.

Lying on the bed, he carefully looked at his cellphone.

And he scrolled through the pictures one by one.

Candles s.h.i.mmered in his eyes, but he was staring at one picture in particular.

It was none other than the three cards.

Heart Q, Clover 3 Diamond 2.

Suddenly he stood up.

Heart Q was 12 o'clock, Clover 3 referring to the minute, and Diamond also referring to the minute.

12:32 am.

It was similar to the time the victim was murdered.

Coming out the house, he put on a raincoat and ran.

He had to tell them about it.

Whether the cards were some sort of message or not, that seemed to be a clue that the suspect left behind.

He ran toward the victim's house in about 10 minutes.

When he was entering an ally, he saw a man walking toward him from the opposite side.

He was wearing a raincoat, the kind of pied one that could be used in the army.

Pulling his hat over his eyes, only his lips were seen in the dark.

He and the man pa.s.sed each other.

Then Suhyuk stopped suddenly.

Why had he been looking at the victim's house for such a long time?

Turning back, Suhyuk called him.

"h.e.l.lo there!"

The man then stopped momentarily.

Then he moved again.

When Suhyuk called him again, the man quickened his walking.

Suhyuk chased after him.

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Chapter 144

Suhyuk was now chasing this stranger fiercely.

He criss-crossed into the alleys as if he was playing the game of hide and seek with the guy.

He saw the guy's raincoat fluttering before his eyes.

He felt that he could catch hold of it if he reached out his hand.

Then the guy turned the corner quickly.

Suhyuk almost skidded on the slippery road due to the rain, but managed to regain his balance.

When he raised his head, the guy was already running away into the distance.

"Huuuuuh… huuuuuuuh…"

Two roads diverged before his eyes.

He was not sure which road the guy took, but he was gone anyway.

Suhyuk began running again by taking the road on the right.

How long did he run for? He could not find any trace of the guy's footsteps.

After all that, Suhyuk had to turn back.

The howling wind and the heavy rain kept beating him on his way to the crime scene.

When he arrived there, he found that there were more crowds, and the victim's family cried out, unable to control their emotions.

Suhyuk showed the pictures on his cell phone to the policemen outside, saying,

"Think of Q as 12 o'clock, Clover as 3 minutes and Diamond as 2 minutes. Then, you get the time 12:32. It's about the same time as the victim's homicide time."

The policemen opened their eyes wider at his explanation, and uttered out some four letter words,

"This d.a.m.ned b.a.s.t.a.r.d…"

"Is this guy now playing a murder mystery game with us?"

They gnashed their teeth in anger.

Suhyuk opened his mouth again,

"You might find more clues that the suspect left behind. And I also saw a suspicious guy."

They glittered their eyes, asking, "Suspicious guy?"

"Yes, he was wearing a raincoat that one would wear in the army…"

Actually the guy had been looking at them, with his body hidden behind a wall.

His face could not be seen because it was covered by a hat.

Nodding at Suhyuk's explanation, the policemen took note of his remarks.

"By the way, when are the detectives coming here?"

"I hear it will take at least fours for them to get here…"

Soon they put their notebooks into their back pockets, patting Suhyuk on the shoulder lightly.

"Nice job! And don't ever chase after a suspicious guy even if you notice him as it's dangerous. You had better report to us first."

Nodding his head, Suhyuk went out of the gate when he turned back at the loud crying of the victim's family.

When Suhyuk got back home. It was already 5am.

Inside the room he lay on the bed and examined the pictures on his cellphone carefully.

He concentrated on finding any trace of the crime in the pictures.

But he could not find any other clues except for the poker cards.

Why did he leave the cards? This was like a tool for the criminal to tell others about himself. A psychopathic tendency and a sense of superiority for others to want to know about himself?

All kinds of mental illnesses pa.s.sed through his mind.

However, he could not pinpoint what the illness was.

It was clear, though, that the suspect was insane.

He was a murderer.

While Suhyuk was thinking about the photo, the day was breaking gradually.

Pa.s.sing a sleepless night, Suhyuk got up from the bed.

Outside, strong winds were pa.s.sing through the island village ferociously.

Was.h.i.ng his hair and face roughly, he put on a raincoat and got on the bike.

Though it was too early for work, Suhyuk pushed down on the bike pedal.

Instead of heading for the health clinic, he went to the victim's house.

When he arrived there, he checked inside the house.

Though he could not see clearly inside because of the crowds, it seemed the detectives had not arrived yet.

Looking at them quietly he pushed down on the pedal again.

When he arrived at the clinic, n.o.body was there yet.

For it was 7:30am, well before the business hour.

When he entered the clinic, there occured lightning with thunder.

He pressed the switch to turn on the lights nervously.

Fortunately the lights went on.

At that moment, nurse Choi said from behind, "You came early, doctor!"

She was entering the clinic, brus.h.i.ng off the wet umbrella.

"Hi, I woke up early in the morning."

With a smile at his greetings, she suddenly brought up the topic, saying,

"Did you happen to know that there was a murder incident? The victim's name was Heryong…"

Suhyuk nodded with a bitter expression.

"Actually I've already been to that place in the morning."

"Really? What happened? Thief?"

"No, her valuable items were not robbed…"

"She was raped?"

He shook his head, saying, "I don't know."

"What a terrible murder! Terrible…" said Dr. s.h.i.n, entering the clinic.

"Did you know about the murder, too?"

Suhyuk and Miran nodded their heads without saying anything.

At that moment Miran grabbed Suhyuk's arms, alarmed by the roaring thunder outside.

s.h.i.n clicked his tongue looking out the window and said,

"Even the sky seems very upset about the bad b.a.s.t.a.r.d murderer!"

As the day was gloomy and dark, there were few customers on that day.

Rain was dropping from the window panes in the waiting room of the clinic.

Suhyuk was quietly looking out the windows.

"What a heavy rain!"

Folding her arms, Miran approached him who had his eyes fixed outside.

Then their heads turned to the side because they heard some voices from outside.

Two men in raincoats came inside.

"Welcome!" said Miran.

At her greetings, one of the men, who was dusting off the umbrella, presented his ID card, saying, "My name is Kang Taewook, and I'm a detective. Are you Dr. Lee Suhyuk?"

Miran turned her head to Suhyuk at Kang's asking.

"Yes, I am."

When he approached Kang, he held out his hands.

"Nice to meet you. I'm detective Kang Taewook."

Another man, sitting beside Kang, lowered his head, his eyes fixed on Suhyuk.

"My name is Jang Taesan."

"What business brought you here?" asked Suhyuk.

"We're here for the murder case. Are you available for a moment?"

Suhyuk nodded his head slowly.

The detectives and Suhyuk sat on the waiting sofa, and Miran offered them coffee.

Sipping coffee, Kang opened his mouth,

"I heard that you visited the scene yesterday."

"Yes, I did. I wonder if this information I give are helpful…"

"Take a look at this," said Kang, showing him a cellphone.

It displayed a picture of the three cards.

"How did you know this?"

"I could make an educated guess because it coincided with the victim's homicide time."

"I see."

Nodding his head, he turned over the pictures on the cellphone one by one.

One of the pictures showed the suspect's footprints.

"According to the police here, the suspect might have disabilities…"

Slurring his words, Kang looked at Suhyuk.

For Suhyuk not only made an educated guess about the meaning of the cards, but reminded him of the fact that the suspect might have disabilities, which Kang surely had missed.

Suhyuk, looking at the pictures on the cell phone, opened his mouth,

"As you know, if you look at the suspect's footprints, his walking is not consistent. That's my a.s.sessment from my viewpoint as a doctor, so it may not be true. It's just my guess."

"Are you saying it might not be true?"

"Yes. Did you find any clue other than the cards?"

At Suhyuk's asking, Kang took his hand to the inside of his pocket, shaking his head.

Soon he took out a sealed card, left behind by the suspect.

Looking at the card in Kang's hand, Suhyuk said,

"I think this guy is turning a person round his finger. That means he is very circ.u.mspect. I wonder if he has any disabilities…" said Suhyuk.

"I see," said Kang, nodding his head.

He continued, "Did you say you saw a suspicious man near the crime scene?"

"I didn't see his face though."

"Was he a man with a limp?"

Suhyuk shook his head, saying, "No. His height was around 175 cm."

"Thanks for your cooperation, Dr. Lee. We might visit you again later. Sorry to bother you like this."

At that moment Dongsu came to his mind, who hopped from one place to another to catch a suspect like a detective.

"You're welcome. Take care then."

The detectives headed to the entrance, wearing their raincoats again with a frown.

Streaks of rain were becoming more and more fierce.

The second hand of a watch was pointing to 5pm already.

Choi Miran sorted out the files before she left the office.

Then she turned her head to the entrance, where a middle-aged gentleman was folding his umbrella.

"Come on in! You must have had a lot of trouble coming up here due to the rain."

At her kind words, he made a smile, saying, "I'm okay. Is it too late now?"

He was in his late 40s.

"No, not yet. We still have time to see the patients. Which pain brought you here?"

"I stumbled, with some bruises on my arm."

Choi cast her eyes toward his arm.

Even though he wrapped it with bandages, there was lots of blood stained there already.

"Looks like you're a new patient here. May I have your name and address?"

He offered her his ID card.

She was surprised after confirming it, which read 'Jo Jungwhan, 57 years old.'

While typing on the computer, she was quite surprised in her heart.

She thought he was in his 40s, but he looked so young for his age.

"Please wait a moment here."

Nodding his head, Jo sat on the sofa in the waiting room, looking around slowly.

Then she came out of the clinic office where Suhyuk was working.

"You can go in now."

She felt it more appropriate to send him to Suhyuk rather than Dr. s.h.i.n.

"Come on in," said Suhyuk, greeting Jo.

Then Suhyuk cast his eyes at Jo's legs because he was limping.

"Did you have your leg hurt too?"

"No, it was hurt when I was a child."

With a bitter smile he sat on the chair.

At that moment Suhyuk's eyes opened wide.

"Why are you looking at me, doctor? Is there anything wrong on my face?"

"No, no, sir…"

"Let me remove your bandage first."

Standing up from his seat, Suhyuk approached him to unwrap the bandage.

While watching Suhyuk unwrapping his bandage, Jo asked suddenly,

"I heard that the suspect left cards at the crime scene, right?"

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Chapter 145

Hearing Jo's remarks, Suhyuk stopped unwrapping the bandage suddenly, but resumed after a moment, with a smile.

"How did you know that?"

"Well, this is a small village as you know. Rumors are spreading quite quickly."

Suhyuk nodded his head.

Soon Suhyuk removed the bandage completely with a frown.

"Did you say you were hurt from falling?"

The wounds were strange.

The bruises on his arm were not caused by his falling.

It looked as if it was cut by a sharp object, about 7 cm deep.

Though he could not see any bone, he found the stab wounds to be deep.

A bit of pressing on it might cause a gush of blood from there.

"When did you get hurt?"

Looking at his own wound, he made a strange smile.

"Only yesterday…"

"You might feel a bit of a sting. Let me do it quickly, though."

"Did you get your arm cut by a sharp object when you stumbled?"

"Well… I was not sure because it was dark at the time."

Having said that, he looked at Suhyuk.

At the moment both met their eyes simultaneously.

A brief moment of silence.

It was Jo who said, with a smile,

"Doctor, do you think my condition is not good?"

Suhyuk fixed his eyes back on his wounds.

"Fortunately there seems to be no damage to the bone or muscle. I don't see any debris, either. Did you do any first-aid by yourself?"

He nodded his head, answering, "Yes, I rinsed the wounds with lukewarm water."

"Well done. Next time come to the clinic immediately when you're hurt like this."

He smiled, replying,

"Well, this is the only clinic on this small island. I would love to, but I can't."

After he was done with disinfecting the wounds, Suhyuk said,

"I think you need some st.i.tches because the stab wound is deep."

'Please go ahead in a less painful way, doctor."

"You'll be alright because the st.i.tches are done only after anesthesia."

"It costs additional money, right? You don't have to apply anesthesia then."

"No big difference in the cost."

Jo smiled faintly, saying, "Then please go ahead with anesthesia."

Now Suhyuk began st.i.tching the wounds on his arm.

"Don't you feel any stinging?"

"No, I'm alright."

After he was done with st.i.tching, Suhyuk now disinfected his arm once more.

"Makes sure the wounds don't touch water, and keep them clean."

Jo nodded his head, asking, "Am I done?"

"Yes, Let me give you a prescription, so don't fail to take it. The prescription I will give you is an anti-inflammatory drug…"

After listening to his explanation, Jo rose from the seat.

"Thanks, doctor."

"My pleasure."

Suhyuk looked at his appearance from behind when he was going out.

A man with a limp, 175 cm in height. And he was hurt yesterday.

'Is it my own delusion or do I just feel that way because the whim is on me?'

Suhyuk lowered his eyes downward.

Later on that night, the identification team from the police station arrived at the crime scene.

It took a long time for them to finish the job.

As the suspect's crime was so perfect, it was not easy for them to find any clues.

At that moment, they heard a voice calling, "Detective Kang!"

Kang ran out of the scene at the voice.

"Take this thing."

It was a cigarette b.u.t.t that the identification team handed to Kang.

Kang's eyes glittered.

He heard that n.o.body in the victim's family smoked a cigarette.

Squatting on the ground, Kang looked at the b.u.t.t held with tweezers by the identification team member. Fortunately it was found under the roof, so it was not wet.

It was more than enough to get a DNA sample of the suspect.

Kang murmured to himself as if he was sure of catching the suspect.

"You b.a.s.t.a.r.d, stay put right there!"

The victim had no acquaintances who had grudges against her, which made the detectives feel stuck in the investigation. Now it looked like they could find some clue.

"Detective Jang!"

"Yes, sir."

"Get all the DNA samples from those walking with a limp and with height of 175cm."

"Alright."

The people on the island showed complaints whenever the detectives came to see them, but were overall cooperative in their investigation.

The detectives met all the island residents from morning till evening.

And they narrowed down to two suspects: Jo Jungwhan, 57 and Lee Osu, 45.

Both of them were walking with a limp, 175 cm in height.

The detectives kept a close eye on these two men.

But their wives testified that they were sleeping when the crime happened.

But they could not take their words at face value because they were a family.

Kang took their DNA samples from their mouth and gave them to the identification team leaving the scene.

All they had to do was to wait for the outcome of their DNA samples by the National Scientific Investigation Center.

—–

Back home after work he lay on the bed, looking at his cellphone like he did yesterday.

For a while he was on the bed like that, and then opened the door after getting up.

It was still raining hard outside.

Finally tomorrow there will be no rain.

While looking outside on a chair, he wore a raincoat suddenly.

He held a first-aid box with one hand.

Something kept bothering him about patient Jo Jungwhan.

He heard from the detectives that Jo was on the suspect list because the footprint the suspect left behind on the crime scene was about the same as his feet.

But Suhyuk was thinking of the guy in a raincoat watching the crime scene with his body behind the wall.

'Why did he run away at my voice?'

However, the two legs of the running guy were normal.

"Do you think they can catch the suspect?"

That was the question asked by Jo with glittering eyes, when Suhyuk was st.i.tching the wounds on his arm.

Something suspicious was clearly written in his eyes.

Suhyuk was aware of Jo's address as he memorized it from his medical record.

After walking for about 10 minutes, he arrived at the rusty gate of Jo's house.

Suhyuk checked the time on his wrist watch.

It was 9pm.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Is anyone inside?"

At his voice the iron gate shook with a big noise.

"Who is it?"

Taking off his hat, Suhyuk said, "h.e.l.lo."

Jo was slightly surprised to see him.

"How come you came at this hour?"

"Sorry, sir. I told you that I'd disinfected your arm, but forgot to."

"Oh, that's fine. I'm sorry to have you come at this hour, though."

With a smile, Suhyuk said,

"That's alright. May I come in?"

Nodding his head, Jo looked outside, and let him in soon.

Suhyuk went into the living room, and looked around carefully.

It was nothing particular, with a small refrigerator, a small TV set and some furniture.

And there was another room, whose door was tightly closed.

"Doctor?"

"Oh, let me disinfect now."

After he sat down, Suhyuk unwrapped his bandage and began disinfecting.

In between he checked the room around him.

"All done."

After he was done, Suhyuk stood up.

At that moment he saw something under the kitchen sink.

Reddish black fluid. It was none other than blood.

As a doctor Suhyuk could notice it better than anybody else.

"What is that…?"

At his asking, Jo opened his mouth as if it was nothing.

"I cut my hand while cooking."

'Cut hand?'

The mark of blood was still there as if he did not wipe it off completely.

To make matters worse, he did not wipe the blood under the kitchen sink at all.

Suhyuk knitted his brows.

The size of the blood mark showed clearly that someone's bleeding was large.

'Why did he lie?'

"Thanks so much for coming all the way to my house to disinfect my arm, doctor."

"Can you show me the cut area of your hand? You might get another disinfection if you leave it untreated like that."

He made some sort of embarra.s.sing expression.

At that moment the door of that room that was shut tightly opened, and a guy came out.

He was in his mid-20s.

His eyes met Suhyuk's directly.

"Why did you come out like that instead of sleeping?"

He was Jo's son. At his scolding, the son made a frown.

Then Suhyuk cast his eyes at the son's wrist.

A poker card sticking out of it.

It was a Diamond card.

With a calm voice Suhyuk asked him, looking squarely at him,

"Was it you?"

At his asking, the son's lips were twisted.

Yes, those were the lips Suhyuk witnessed, which he only saw partially due to the darkness.

And then the son took out a knife from the waist of his trousers.

He charged toward Suhyuk.

"No don't. Son of a b.i.t.c.h!"

Jo blocked his son in front of Suhyuk. At the same time the knife he was aiming at Suhyuk's heart slashed Jo's shoulder lightly.

A line of blood was cut through his shoulder.

And then the son ran out of the house.

"I'm sorry, doctor."

Suhyuk checked the wounds on his shoulder, who was deeply troubled.

Fortunately the wound was not serious.

"I'll be back soon."

Jo's son was already opening the gate to run out, and he quickly moved out.

At that moment he rolled forward like a spring as he came out of the gate.

For Suhyuk kicked his back.

When he was about to stand up, Suhyuk stepped on his throat. And when he was struggling to move the knife, Suhyuk pressed his wrist with his foot gently.

It was still raining hard, and a man was approaching them like silhouettes.

He was detective Kang Taewook, who was in hiding in the vicinity of Jo's house.

"What happened?"

Suhyuk opened his mouth, staring at Jo's son,

"This guy is the culprit."

All the details of the murder case were revealed.

The murder was committed by Jo's son.

He put his brain to work for fear of his name being put on the suspect list.

So, he fabricated footprints of a lame person, and dropped a cigarette b.u.t.t on purpose that he had collected from his father's ashtray. And then he made his father the suspect of the murder.

And Jo visited the clinic with the wounds on his arm.

On the night before the murder incident, Jo sensed something strange from his son.

His son was showing abnormal behavior such as killing wild cats sometimes.

He just felt terrified when he saw his son going out with a knife.

While he stopped his son going out, he had his hand cut by his son's knife.

And that early morning the murder incident took place.

Jo already knew who was responsible. Though his son committed a terrible crime, he was his son, after all. So, he visited the clinic because he heard Suhyuk had seen a suspicious person and wanted to check it with him. Fortunately Suhyuk did not seem to know who was the culprit.

However, it all was revealed now, to his regret.

"I'm sorry…"

When Suhyuk was done dressing his cut shoulder, Jo said miserably.

Looking at him quietly, Suhyuk opened his mouth,

"I don't think that's what you should have said to me."

Detective Kang handcuffed Jo and dragged him out of the clinic, and his son who committed the murder was taken along with his father.

They left the island with the detectives.

—–

Lunch time was approaching.

A couple of gentlemen in neat suits visited the clinic.

"Is Dr. Lee Suhyuk in?"

At one man's asking, Choi called Suhyuk.

Coming out of the clinic, Suhyuk asked,

"I heard that you came to see me."

"Let us escort you. Let's go!"

"For what…."

"Come with us to receive your award. The n.o.bel Prize."

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Chapter 146

Choi Miran, sitting at the desk, opened her eyes wider.

Did she hear it correctly?

Then Suhyuk opened his mouth, asking, "What the h.e.l.l are you talking about? n.o.bel Prize?"

One of the gentlemen stroked his chin as if he felt something was wrong.

"Have you not been informed yet?"

"No, nothing."

With a smile, the gentleman said,

"Let's go. My name is Choi Kitaek, chief of the presidential security service at the Blue House. I'll escort you safely."

Suhyuk's look showed that he was embarra.s.sed.

"Wow! You're going to the Blue House now?"

"Yeah, he should go," said s.h.i.n, who came out of the clinic room and patted Suhyuk on the shoulder, and added, "It's such a pity that a talented doctor like Suhyuk wasted his time here."

Suhyuk said, shaking his head,

"Where should I go in my capacity as a public health doctor?"

"Don't worry about it. It's been decided by the higher-ups already."

Suhyuk opened his mouth with a bitter smile,

"I won't go."

s.h.i.n and Choi were stunned to hear that. So were the two bodyguards.

Not receiving the n.o.bel Prize?

This was a great event not only for the person involved but also for the country.

The n.o.bel Prize in Medicine.

For him to receive it would be a great chance to make Korea known to the world and promote its prestige.

Suhyuk thought differently, however.

What is the big deal here?

Promote one's fame and honor in addition to acc.u.mulating one's wealth?

That was not what Suhyuk wanted.

Chief bodyguard Choi Kitaek made an embarra.s.sed expression.

Never did he dream that Suhyuk would reject the prize.

He kicked off the prize without a moment's hesitation.

Still his expression was very calm.

"Are you sure you would reject the prize?"

Suhyuk nodded his head, saying,

"Thanks for the trouble of coming this far. I'm sorry. Please have some food before you leave. I'd like to treat you."

He thought of the roasted oyster food he had enjoyed recently.

"Wait a moment…"

Choi went out of the clinic to call someone.

s.h.i.n opened his mouth, "Hey, just say you will go. If you really like it here, you can come back after you receive the prize."

Suhyuk just smiled without any reply.

Then Choi came back after a call, saying,

"If you want anything, please tell me."

Suhyuk shook his head.

At that moment, s.h.i.n began uttering pa.s.sionately,

"How many things do we need here! We have to expand the clinic facilities, and hopefully bringing in a CT machine would be much better…"

Then Suhyuk looked at s.h.i.n, who nodded at him with a smile.

Letting out a long breath, Suhyuk nodded, too.

If what s.h.i.n said could be realized, he felt he would not be needed at this place anymore.

Suhyuk made a quick judgment, saying,

"Okay. I've got what I want, as you said."

"Please go ahead," said Choi.

"Please expand the clinic facilities here. And send more doctors and nurses, too."

Nodding his head, Choi took his cell phone to his ear.

"With a few conditions Dr. Lee will come with us. He wants to have the clinic facilities expanded…"

"Tell him we're going to do so," said someone on the other end.

After the call, Choi showed smiles, replying,

"We're going to fulfill what you want."

"When should I go then?"

"Please pack up your stuff now. A boat is standing by right now."

"Just go," said s.h.i.n, patting him on the shoulder.

"You will come again here, right?" said Choi Miran, as tears welled in her eyes.

"Sure, I will," said Suhyuk.

Then he said to the bodyguards,

"Please wait here a moment, so I can bring my things. Dr. s.h.i.n will tell you what I want specifically."

s.h.i.n, smiling at Suhyuk, said, "Thanks."

Suhyuk rode the bike to head to his lodging.

Arriving home, he stroked the bike.

Though it was only a brief time, it was like a good friend to him as it served him well.

Thanks to the bike, he could arrive on time in the morning.

When he arrived on this island, he carried only one bag.

It was still the same when he left.

He turned back suddenly to look at his lodging disappearing in the distance.

At the clinic, s.h.i.n and Miran were ready to say goodbye.

"Goodbye, Dr. Lee. Don't forget to come back," said Miran.

"Take care, and thanks so much," said s.h.i.n.

s.h.i.n held out for a handshake, and Suhyuk grabbed his hand, saying,

"Goodbye, sir. I'll come again surely."

"Sure, sure. And this one…"

It was a doctor's gown that s.h.i.n presented to him, with "Lee Suhyuk" inscribed on the white gown.

"Thanks. See you then."

Escorted by the bodyguards, Suhyuk began moving to the pier.

Looking at his appearance from the back, s.h.i.n murmured to himself before he knew it,

"What a great doctor!"

—–

Someone was setting down his foot on the ground, getting off the boat.

He was none other than Suhyuk.

"You must be quite tired, so we'll escort you to a hotel."

"No, I'd like to go to my house."

Choi Kitaek nodded his head after some thinking over it.

Two weeks later a n.o.bel Prize ceremony would be held.

There was enough time for him to visit the Blue House during that period.

Soon a black sedan arrived as Suhyuk's ride.

Choi opened the back door, and Suhyuk got in with a bitter smile.

He felt as if he was a great man already.

He could arrive at his house in about three hours.

As soon as the sedan stopped, the bodyguard seated along with him came out and opened the back door.

"Thanks," said Suhyuk.

And he headed to a luxury apartment building.

Ding dong.

"Who is it?"

He felt good whenever he heard his mother's pleasant voice.

"It's me, Suhyuk."

Her eyes opened wide instantly.

"Oh my G.o.d! My dear son!"

She gently stroked his face with her thumbs, asking,

"Are you on vacation?"

Suhyuk shook his head, saying, "No, I've got something to receive."

"When?"

When he moved into the living room, his father was looking a large-screen TV on the sofa.

Suhyuk liked that kind of relaxed appearance so much.

Then his father turned his head, asking, "How come you came here?"

He stood up abruptly, asking the same question as she,

"Are you on vacation?"

Suhyuk said, with a smile, "Well, I'm receiving the n.o.bel Prize."

"What did you say?"

That night. The whole family had a celebration party.

His father went out to buy some spicy pig's feet dish.

He was thinking of buying him that food when Suhyuk came home on vacation.

His mother, who never touched alcoholic drinks as a rule, had several gla.s.ses of soju that night.

Her laughter never stopped, and the smile on the sulky face of his father never disappeared that night. Suhyuk's spirits could not be better too, when he saw their happy moments.

Many patients started visiting Daehan Hospital even early in the morning.

A woman was entering the lobby with her fretful daughter.

"Boohoo… I don't want to come here! I'm not sick at all."

She bent her knees, wiping her tears, saying,

"I'll buy you a Bobby doll that I promised last time on our hospital visit. Okay?"

"Hi!"

She turned her head at the voice from the side.

A man was looking at her daughter.

"Who are you?"

With a soft smile, Suhyuk said, "I'm a doctor at Daehan Hospital here."

He stroked her head and touched her forehead.

She had a slight fever.

"You don't want to come to the hospital, right?"

"Boohoo… yeah, doctor!"

"Can you open your mouth a bit?"

Instantly he focused his eyes on her mouth.

Her tonsils were not that swollen, and her tongue had no coating on it.

He took out a stethoscope from his bag, taking it to her chest.

He could not hear any abnormal sound from her lungs.

"Looks like she has a cough. Don't worry too much."

"What about her medication?"

Suhyuk said, stroking her daughter's hair,

"You don't need it. Try to avoid cold water and soft drinks. Also stay away from instant food…"

"Thanks so much, doctor," said she.

Suhyuk waved his hands at the mother and daughter leaving the lobby.

A nurse's eyes opened wide because of one person now entering through the revolving door.

He was none other than Suhyuk.

"Wow! Here comes Dr. Lee Suhyuk!"

At her shouting, all the medical staff on the lobby turned their heads to him.

All of them approached him, saying,

"We heard you that you will receive the n.o.bel Prize in Medicine!"

"You look great, doctor!"

Suhyuk made an awkward smile.

Then they cleared the way all of a sudden.

For Prof. Han Myungjin was approaching them.

With a bright smile he welcomed Suhyuk.

"Dr. Lee, don't you think you got here too late?"

"I'm sorry, sir," said Suhyuk with a smile.

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Chapter 147

Suhyuk moved with Prof. Han Myungjin.

When they were heading for Han's office, the medical staff whispered among themselves.

"Is he Dr. Lee? He is so handsome…"

"I hear that he is receiving the n.o.bel Prize this time at that young age. How wonderful!"

Though they spoke in a low voice, it was not that low enough for Suhyuk to not overhear.

Soon they arrived at the office.

Offering him coffee, Han opened his mouth,

"You look great seeming as if you have spent a good time on the island."

"Yes, sir. The air was nice, and I feel as if I came here after a nice vacation there."

Probably Suhyuk would be the only person to say so among those who returned after their a.s.signment on the lonely island.

"Now, what are you going to do from now on?"

"Well, I think I have to visit the Blue House, and get the prize later."

He left the island on the condition that the clinic facilities be expanded, along with an increase in the medical staff there. He had to make sure the promise is kept.

"Anyway, you're really great, man. Do you know how many n.o.bel Prize winners our country has produced so far?"

"I think I would be the second if I get the award this time."

He would be famous, but would not feel burdened like before.

He had a new objective now, which was to disseminate his knowledge on stem cell research.

He was no more the Suhyuk of the past.

In the past he was only concerned with seeing the patients, but now he had a broader vision of his goal. He was growing professionally as a doctor now.

"When are you going to the Blue House?"

"They're supposed to give me a call."

'By the way, how come you came here? You had better take some rest at home."

"Oh, I'm so bored at home," said Suhyuk with a smile.

When Suhyuk visited the cardiothoracic surgery department, many staff greeted him gladly.

Among them Park Sungjae was the one who welcomed him the most emotionally.

"Sir, congrats!"

With a smile Suhyuk asked, "How have you been?"

"Good, sir. I missed you a lot!"

"Now can you find the blood vessels well?"

Park scratched his head, thinking of the embarra.s.sing memories of the past.

Now he could deal with any patient.

"Yes, sir. I can find it instantly thanks to your teaching!"

Looking at him nervously, Park asked,

"You're not going anywhere, right?"

Suhyuk smiled at his question without replying, which Park took as a positive sign that he would not.

"Sir, can I have lunch with you later? I'm going to see a patient now…"

"Can I go with you to see the patient?"

"Of course!"

Both of them went to the patient's room.

Looking at the chart, Park said,

"She is an 18-year-old patient who swallowed a razor."

"Swallowed a razor?"

"Yes, I heard that she broke it with her teeth partially before swallowing it while she was fighting with her father."

Suhyuk shook his head from side to side.

Approaching the student, Suhyuk asked,

"Do you feel uncomfortable or painful in the stomach?"

Watching TV on the bed, she glanced at him, replying,

"No, not at all."

Suhyuk asked Park, "Did she get a CT?"

'Yes, some fragments of a razor were seen inside the small intestine."

"When did you take it?"

"When she was taken to the emergency room."

Nodding his head, Suhyuk asked Park to take another CT.

Park took her to the CT room immediately.

Suhyuk watched the monitor right behind the gla.s.s room where the patient was staying.

A razor about 2 cm in diameter.

He heard that it's inside the small intestine, but it was now down to the ascending colon.

The fact that she did not complain about any pain meant that the razor fragments had not damaged her organs yet.

"Don't you think she needs surgery? They can break out of the organ walls at any moment…"

Suhyuk smiled, saying,

"Our organ walls are not as vulnerable as we think. And you had better resort to incision as the last resort."

That was what Suhyuk believed in as a rule.

Namely, a surgeon should not carelessly use a scalpel to open the patient's belly.

Surgery could be done only in a situation where internal treatment was difficult, and there was no other way than open surgery for treatment.

"Shall I wait until they come out of the organs then?"

Suhyuk nodded his head.

"I think you had better monitor her condition during the day until tomorrow."

"Yes, I got it, sir!"

As Suhyuk said, the razor disappeared from her body on the second day of her hospitalization.

It just came out from her body.

Park nodded his head, confirming it on the monitor.

1pm.

After a light lunch Suhyuk was going out of his house.

He was wearing a black suit perfectly fitting his body.

Then a man got out of a luxury sedan parked on the other side of his house.

He was the chief presidential bodyguard Choi Kitaek.

"How are you, sir?" said Choi, lowering his head.

Then he got inside the car when Choi opened the back door.

An hour's drive took him to the Blue House.

Getting out of the car, Suhyuk looked around slowly.

He was accustomed to it as it was seen on TV, but he felt its surroundings strange on his actual visit.

His parents were busy calling their relatives about Suhyuk's visit to the Blue House, praising it as a family celebration.

"Let's go inside," said Choi.

Nodding his head, he followed Choi.

How many minutes did he walk for? Choi was standing before a big gate.

It was inscribed with gold-colored Mugunghwa, a rose of Sharon on its front.

"Wait a moment here."

Suhyuk fixed up his clothing in the meantime.

Soon Choi reappeared, with the door opening.

"Now you can come in…"

There was a big red carpet in the entrance.

A middle-aged woman sitting at the PC desk confirmed his name, and stood up.

"Come on in!" said a gentleman.

He came up to him for a handshake.

"My name is Jang Chulwoo, the chief presidential secretary."

Suhyuk grabbed his hand, saying, "My name is Lee Suhyuk."

"You achieved a really great thing! We didn't know that there is such a talented man like you in this country. I'm proud of you as a citizen of this country."

Suhyuk made an awkward smile at his flattering.

"Oh, the President is waiting for you now. I'll escort you to the guest house."

Suhyuk moved again, escorted by him. It was not that long.

Arriving at the gate, he knocked on it lightly before going in.

There were several guests seated there, and he saw someone seated on the upper seat of the table. He was the President of Korea.

Now Suhyuk was coming out of the guest house.

It looked like he talked for about two hours with the President over lunch.

The President said something like this: thanks for promoting our country's prestige, a special plane will be provided for your flight to Norway for the n.o.bel Prize, etc. And exemption from the military service, too.

"Let's go," said Choi, who was on standby nearby.

Never did he think that he would come to visit the Blue House like this.

"Please give me a ride only to the entrance," said Suhyuk.

"Well, I have a duty to escort you in safety…"

"I've got an appointment, though."

"Got it, then."

Of course, the appointment he mentioned was a lie. He just wanted to buy some trekking shoes for his parents who said they were going mountaineering.

Soon the car arrived at the entrance, and Suhyuk got off there.

"Take care then!"

"Thanks."

After exchanging greetings with Choi, Suhyuk walked for a bit before catching a taxi.

He felt much more comfortable now without the bodyguards.

Now he was heading for the department stores in downtown.

He would have felt it burdensome to come to this place in the past, but he still had lot of money that he had earned during his stay in the United States.

Once inside the department, Suhyuk carefully checked the trekking shoes for the best quality ones.

He spent about 30 minutes time selecting the trekking shoes and clothes.

When Suhyuk presented his card to the counter clerk, she took a glance at him, saying

"Oh, are you Dr. Lee Suhyuk by any chance?"

Suhyuk's eyes opened wide because she was a total stranger to him.

"Yes, I am. How did you know me?"

In a blush she said, "I saw a TV doc.u.mentary about you the other day."

"I hear that you're receiving n.o.bel Prize this time…"

When she asked cautiously, he nodded his head awkwardly.

"Wow! Congratulations! I heard that only a genius can get the prize."

"Thanks."

Paying the bill instantly, Suhyuk left the place.

Then the employee stopped him, asking, "Hey doctor!"

He turned his head at her.

"Can you pose with me for a picture?"

"Oh… no problem…"

Click!

"Thanks!"

Suhyuk left the shop instantly, but he was still hanging around in the department store.

He wanted to buy some more things for his parents, but could not think of anything.

Then one item came into his eyes. A nicely wrapped piece of delicious beef.

He purchased it without any hesitation because his parents liked meat.

Then he went up and down the escalators.

Suddenly he stopped walking at the voice of a woman behind him.

He turned his head backwards to find a familiar face out there.

She was holding the hands of a man who looked stout, as if they were a couple.

Walking from the opposite side she also found Suhyuk.

Suhyuk smiled at her, saying,

"Long time, no see, Binna!"

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Chapter 148

Suhyuk's appearance was reflected in Binna's brown pupils.

"Dr. Lee…"

The the man holding her hands looked at her, asking,

"Who is he?"

"Oh, he is the doctor that I work with in the same building…"

"Really?"

Approaching Suhyuk instantly, he held out his hand politely and said,

"h.e.l.lo, my name is Han Jisok."

With a smile Suhyuk held his hands.

"h.e.l.lo, my name is Lee Suhyuk. I'm glad to meet you."

Then he turned to Binna.

She said, "I hear you took vacation, sir. I wonder what happened to you…"

"Well…"

Binna did not look at his eyes. She just looked down at her feet, lowering her head.

How much she wanted to see him, now standing before her eyes.

After Suhyuk left, she would look at the pictures of him every night, which she had taken secretly with her cell phone. She would also visit the Sky Park and walk on the lobby he used to go around. Days after days pa.s.sed like that. And her father, her only family member, died.

She wept and wept to the point that she was take to the emergency room from becoming unconscious due to dehydration symptoms. During that difficult time there was a man who took care of her whole-heartedly. He was always there to keep and protect her. One year ago he said he loved her, and then stayed with her. He was her high school cla.s.smate. Han Jisok.

Han was the man who shared her pain during her most difficult times. The she began to open her heart to Han, and soon became his lover like this.

"I'm glad to know you're now okay. You look fine."

Suhyuk never knew her father had died, but knew one thing clearly.

This man holding Binna's hands. His eyes looking at her were warm.

"When are you coming back to work?"

At Suhyuk's asking, she said with a smile, "I think sometime next week."

"Alright. I'll see you then."

Suhyuk then pa.s.sed by her.

A little sigh came out her trembling lips.

She thought that she could stay calm when she met him again, but clearly she could not.

"Boohoo…"

When she lowered her head, tears dropped from her chin suddenly.

Han asked with a surprised look,

"What is the matter with you, Binna?"

He turned his head and looked at Suhyuk's appearance from behind.

But it was only brief, and he now looked at Binna worriedly.

Was she thinking of her father again?

Keeping her head down for a while, she raised her head now, wiping her tears.

With a smile she nodded her head, saying,

"Yes, I'm alright. I'll be alright."

She calmed down her heart now beating strongly.

The man she had to look at now was not Lee Suhyuk, but the man before her eyes.

Dr. Lee had a woman, who he used to call his "friend."

But it was not just that, in her eyes.

Their eyes looking at each other clearly showed their relations.h.i.p was more than just "friends."

—–

When Suhyuk went back home, there were some strangers visiting it.

They were his parents' friends having a late housewarming party.

And he had to get a scolding from his parents because of the gifts he was holding with both hands.

Soon their scolding turned to praise, though.

All of them looked at his parents with envy.

Their son visited the Blue House, plus he would also receive a n.o.bel Prize.

That night Suhyuk had many gla.s.ses of soju refilled by them wis.h.i.ng him well.

The next morning.

As soon as he went out of the house, he stopped by a convenience store.

He bought a hangover drink and emptied it in one gulp.

He felt he was not yet sober from intoxication last night.

If it were only like last night, he felt he could go on eating and drinking like that.

For he saw his parents' happy smiles.

Thinking of the happy event last night, he soon moved to Daehan Hospital.

"h.e.l.lo, Dr. Lee!"

"h.e.l.lo, sir!"

As soon as he came into the lobby, those medical staff in the lobby said greetings here and there, at which Suhyuk responded by lowering his head.

He ma.s.saged the back of his neck once he got inside the elevator.

Now he was accustomed to the greetings by even those medical staff he did not know.

Ding dong.

With a bitter smile he headed for the cardiothoracic surgery department.

"Uh?"

The nurse who was putting data into the PC was surprised to see him.

"I thought you were taking a break until you get the n.o.bel award."

Such a rumor was already spreading.

Shrugging his shoulders, Suhyuk said with a smile,

"What is the point of idling away time?"

"Slow down, doctor," said the nurse.

Then the phone rang, and she picked up the phone.

"Yes, it's the cardiothoracic surgery… Oh, TA patient? Got it."

As soon as she hung up the phone, Suhyuk said, "Let me go and check him."

Suhyuk quickened his pace.

At that moment Park Sungjae approached the desk after turning around the corner.

"Isn't he Dr. Lee Suhyuk?"

"Yes, he went right to the emergency room."

Park quickly moved to find him.

"Sir!"

Before Suhyuk pressed on the b.u.t.ton of the elevator, Park pressed it first.

"Can you allow me to go with you?"

Suhyuk nodded his head.

Going into the emergency room, Suhyuk looked around quickly.

He was near the entrance of the room.

Oh Byunchul, who took the defibrillator to a middle-age man's heart, checked his vital signs.

Letting out a sigh, Oh wiped off sweat from his forehead.

Fortunately his heart beat again.

"Is he the TA patient?"

At Suhyuk's asking, Oh turned his head.

"Oh, you came here?"

Oh knew Suhyuk had come back to Daehan Hospital, but he saw him now for the first time since then.

Though he was glad to see Suhyuk, it was not the right time to exchange greetings.

And that was the same feeling for Suhyuk.

Suhyuk scanned his body from head to foot.

The bandages around his arms and legs were stained with blood, which was now spreading gradually.

"Boohoo! Please open your eyes, uncle!"

A high-school girl beside him was nervous, and sobbing uncontrollably.

Looked like she was a family member of the man.

Then her face seemed familiar to him.

She was the patient who had been hospitalized after swallowing a razor.

Even with naked eye it was obvious that the patient's condition was serious.

"How long did the patient's heart stop for?"

At his asking, Oh opened his mouth,

"It stopped for a moment because of shock. He won't have any big trouble."

"Got it. Mr. Park, contact the guardian of the patient."

Suhyuk pushed the stretcher to the intensive care center for a thorough checkup.

"Looks like there was damage to his liver…"

Murmuring to himself, Suhyuk looked at the patient with the oxygen respirator.

Also the patient had a slipped disc in cervical spine. No.5 and No.6.

He might have felt numb even on his hands along with extreme pain.

"We will start surgery immediately."

At Suhyuk's direction, the medical staff prepared surgery.

Suhyuk was no more a resident.

He was a doctor recognized by the medical faculty.

Above all, he was like a personal hospital on the move.

"Sir!" Park came in urgently, with an embarra.s.sed look.

"Looks like he doesn't have any family or relatives."

Letting out a sigh, Suhyuk swept up his hair, and then said,

"Okay. Let me be his guardian from now on. I'll be responsible for any surgical mistake."

There was a smile on the faces of the medical staff inside the room.

It was the moment they could confirm why everybody called him a doctor.

Heading for the operating room Suhyuk asked Park,

"Wasn't the patient the father of that high school girl?"

Park, shaking his head, looked at the man on the stretcher.

At first he did not recognize who he was, but soon knew him after seeing the girl crying in the emergency room several times.

The middle-aged man visited the hospital several times while the girl was hospitalized.

It was he that paid the bill for her.

He thought the man was her father, but he was not.

There was no way of finding out their relations.h.i.p.

"Looks like she is not his daughter. I don't know exactly their relations.h.i.p."

Nodding his head, Suhyuk hurriedly went to the operating room.

The automatic door opened, and the patient and the medical staff went in.

Closing his eyes, Suhyuk began disinfecting himself.

Though he arrived at the hospital, he might have to fight over the patient's bleeding now.

Really, there was bleeding from all over his body.

What about the condition of the organs inside his abdomen?

He could only make an educated guess based on the shots.

As soon as he was done with disinfection, he opened his eyes, and made a judgment.

Inside the operating room Suhyuk checked the IV and blood packs tied to the patient.

"There will be lots of bleeding while we're performing the surgery. So, please get enough blood packs…"

Suhyuk looked at the patient's arms and legs wrapped with bandages.

"Please press on the wounds as hard as possible. We'll get into surgery after checking the condition of his organs first."

The medical staff began bandaging the wounds, not too hard or too soft.

While they were doing it, Suhyuk took a look at the patient with the oxygen respirator.

"You have to overcome it."

"TA patient, we start surgery now."

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Chapter 149

A girl student was looking at the automatic door of the operating room as if she was absent-minded.

She was Kim Yuri, who had been hospitalized at Daehan Hospital after swallowing a razor.

Tear drops were formed at the tip of her jaw, who was standing with a blank expression.

"He drives me crazy to the end…"

She really hated the man. Very annoying from the beginning…

She squatted in the hallway as if she was collapsing.

Her long hair hid her face.

"Haaaah…" A long sigh came out from her lips.

She was always a lonely kid even though she had parents. Her mother ran a bar in a remote small village, while her father was a gangster that everybody shunned.

Her parents quarrelled whenever they met, and it was common that they did not come home for one week. What was her presence to them? When she ran into them occasionally, they always cast their eyes with disbelief as if they complained that their lives were messed up because of her.

And they would throw 20,000 or 30,000 won as pocket money. That was it.

In the end, they divorced, and her mother claimed the right to keep her in a legal battle.

The situation never changed for her.

It was about one year after they divorced when she experienced some change in her life.

She got married to another man. Exactly speaking, they only registered their marriage.

This 'new father' was weird. He would give her pocket money on a regular basis, and made breakfast for her without fail. For what? Any hidden purpose?

Besides, he would find her by all means whenever she fled from the house.

She felt just ashamed about him when she was mingling with her friends.

His attire was always that of a manual laborer.

She could not understand why her mother got married to a man like that.

Anyway, even her mother cut relations with her, and deserted her.

There was a rampant rumor that she met another guy and left.

In the end, she was left alone with this man, the new father.

One day when she was trying to go out, he stopped her.

He told her not to mingle with bad girls, resulting in a quarrel.

"Why? What do you mean to me?"

She chewed a razor before his eyes and swallowed it.

Then he slapped her in the face.

It was the first time she was. .h.i.t like that by him who never used any force.

She was taken to the hospital.

Fortunately there was no damage to the cut lips and bleeding tongue, but she felt pain on her wrist because he pressed on it.

In the end, she was hospitalized, but she closed her eyes as if she was sleeping on the bed.

And she could hear what he was saying to her.

"Do you hate me that much?"

She span hre body around at that and heard a quiet sigh from his mouth in her ears.

She could not see him since then.

She just heard from the nurse that he had paid the bill after checking her condition.

Back home she led the same life as before.

She turned on the TV and sat on the sofa.

Suddenly she cast her eyes at the kitchen.

"You must be hungry. Wait a moment…:

She seemed to see the back of the man cooking for her, but he was not there.

She felt stuffy in heart, and so she opened the refrigerator to get some cold water.

She found fruits and soft drinks in it, plus plenty of side dishes prepared by someone else.

"I didn't say I want this kind of food."

Night fell and morning broke every day.

And then the man never came back.

"I'm free at last…"

She just felt relieved after such a long time because the man who interfered with her everyday disappeared at last.

She clenched her fist and gnashed her teeth. Otherwise she felt that she would cry.

She wanted to enjoy some fresh cool air outside, and so she went out.

She was waiting at the crossing to move to a small park near her villa.

While she was waiting, she saw a familiar man wearing manual worker's clothes with lots of dirt on.

He was the man, her 'new father.'

The traffic light now turned to green.

Finding her, he was walking toward her, waving at her, with several shopping backs in one hand.

Thump!

She could not move her body as if it were frozen like ice.

Screams came out from pa.s.sers-by here and there.

The shopping bags were flying in the air, with the contents falling down.

"How, how did he know it?"

The contents in the shopping bags were the kind of clothes she wanted to have.

"Uncle!"

Suhyuk held out his hand, and the nurse gave him the tool.

With a burning smell, his belly was opened slowly.

"Pull it."

At Suhyuk's direction Park on the other side pulled the abdominal walls by using a retractor.

"Sir, his blood pressure is dropping."

At the a.s.sistant's words, who had been monitoring the patient's vital signs, Suhyuk knitted his brows. And he looked at the patient's face, murmuring, 'You have to overcome this.'

"Keep up with supplying blood. Suction!"

While blood was being sucked into it, Suhyuk moved his hands.

'It's his liver now.'

About two thirds of it was smashed like mushed tofu, from which bleeding did not stop.

Even with the suction, bleeding did not stop.

It was very strange because the amount of bleeding was unusual for damage like this.

Hundreds of educated guess pa.s.sed through his mind.

And he could make a conclusion out of it.

If he had been taking blood pressure pills like anticoagulant that diluted blood, that was possible. Was he taking blood pressure pills?

"Please apply an anticoagulant injection."

As soon as he said that, he began incising the liver.

As the anticoagulant was injected, the surgery was done sooner than planned.

"Now irrigation!"

Suhyuk poured water liquid into the patient's belly.

"Suction!"

Though the liver was partially cut, bleeding was not that severe now thanks to the anticoagulant.

His hand moved ceaselessly, and now he was doing anastomosis.

Fortunately there was no other organs damaged other than the liver.

"Please st.i.tch them."

Suhyuk stepped back, and the a.s.sistants quickly got together for the st.i.tching job.

After letting out a long breath, Suhyuk looked at the bandages wrapping the patient.

He could still see some bleeding from his right leg.

No damage to the bones, but too much bleeding.

After all, he cut the bandages to check it.

As he expected, the wounds were messy, with the s.h.i.fted skin tearing apart.

Suhyuk began was.h.i.ng his leg while the medical staff were engrossed in st.i.tching.

Something strange caught his eyes when he opened the wound. Only the fat layer was washed away. The bleeding was severe because the patient was taking that medicine.

Suhyuk began to disinfect again. Otherwise, the skin graft or inflammation might have led to rotting skin after necrosis occurred.

After disinfection, Suhyuk checked the patient's vital signs.

The blood pressure was coming back, though it was still below normal.

'You're doing fine.'

The medical staff doing the st.i.tches were done finally.

"Nice job, doctor!"

"You, too, sir!"

At the medical staff's complement, Suhyuk checked the vital signs quietly.

There was some silence for a moment.

Now Suhyuk took off his mask, looking at the medical staff,

"Thanks for the work, everybody!"

Though the vital signs were not perfect, the numbers were coming back to normal.

As long as the patient opened his eyes and had enough recovery time, his vital signs were likely to go back to normal.

The patient was take to the intensive care unit.

As soon as the door opened, Kim Yuri, who followed him right before the operating room, could not control her sobbing.

While the medical staff were checking the IV drip and the devices attached on the patient's body, Suhyuk said to Kim,

"The surgery went well."

"Boohoo..boohoo…"

She now suppressed her tears, saying,

"When you said the surgery went well, does it mean he is okay now?"

Suhyuk slowly nodded his head, replying,

"Do you happen to know this patient's relatives or acquaintances?"

"Wait a moment," said Kim, who then called somewhere.

How long ago did she call that number?

She could not remember it because she did not call it for a long time,

Kim called the number again, but to no avail.

Yes, she was right. He mother deserted her.

Back in the intensive care unit she stopped there.

And she looked at him lying on the bed in the distance.

Why only now did she realize it?

Now she began to see the very person who had been taking care of her up to now.

She walked up to him slowly.

The patient opened his eyes faintly.

"Are you back to your senses a bit now?" asked Suhyuk.

At his asking the patient's pupils moved.

He fixed his eyes on Kim who came up to him before he knew it.

And she opened her mouth slowly, saying,

"I'm his guardian… It's me, boohoo…"

She kneeled down as if her legs lost strength, and grabbed his hands gently.

She would never let go of his hands again.

"I'm his guardian. Boohoo… He is my father. My father!"

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Chapter 150

Kim Yuri looked as if she was praying, holding his hands.

And she did not raise her head.

There was some sort of desperateness in her trembling shoulders and her occasional crying,

"Boohoo… He's my father, my father."

The face of the patient, Choi Jongchol, could not be seen clearly because of the white fogs inside the oxygen respirator he had on, but a closer look could confirm his faint smile.

Though she cried, he felt it was the most pleasant melody in the world to his ears.

Finally she recognized him as her father.

Though even one drop of blood was not mixed with her, he thought of her as his daughter the moment he saw her.

'She was a child born into my heart. Yes, my daughter.'

Though her mother deserted her, she was still his daughter.

"Yuri…"

When he murmured something, she shook her head strongly, saying,

"Don't say anything. Just stay still like that!"

Both of them reached out their hands and felt their warmth.

"Sir!"

Suhyuk turned his head back to find Park Sungjae.

He said, looking over the patient's chart.

"What about his slipped discs in his spine? It looks like it's very severe."

"I think he can wait until he is fully recovered first."

"Can I partic.i.p.ate when you perform the surgery on it too?"

Suhyuk made a bitter smile because he would have to leave the hospital for a while by the time when the patient needed the disc surgery. He was supposed to attend a n.o.bel Prize ceremony.

"I'm afraid I can't because of the n.o.bel Prize award ceremony."

Typically Suhyuk would not go anywhere if he had a patient like this.

But the situation changed now, because there were disc treatment experts at Daehan Hospital.

"Follow me."

When Suhyuk moved ahead, Park followed him quickly.

Both of them got on the elevator.

"Where are you going,sir?"

Without replying Suhyuk just smiled at him.

Getting off the elevator, Park opened his eyes wider, because they were now at the desk of the cardiothoracic surgery department.

Nervously Park asked, "Why did you take me here?"

"You said you wanted to observe a spinal disc operation, right?"

Suhyuk walked through the hallway, exchanging greetings with the medical staff.

Looking at the nameplate of the office blankly, Park turned his head to Suhyuk suddenly,

"Hope not…"

Despite his surprised look, Suhyuk just knocked on the door.

"Come on in!"

When he opened the door, he saw Prof. Lee Mansuk.

When he saw Suhyuk, Lee stood up and greeted him gladly,

"Dr. Lee!"

"How are you, prof. Lee!"

Prof. Lee grabbed his hands all of a sudden.

"How come I can't see your face more often? I called you the other day for a dinner appointment, but you didn't answer the phone…"

"Oh, my cellphone was turned off, sir."

Park joined them quietly now, looking at Prof. Lee nervously.

Park heard that Prof. Lee was very tough, but he did not seem like that now.

"Have a seat."

At his gesturing, Suhyuk sat on the sofa, and looked at Park.

"Please sit down, Park."

Brewing coffee by himself, Prof. Lee turned his head, asking,

"By the way, who is he? I have not see him before…"

Park stood up abruptly, saying,

"How are you, sir? This is resident Park Sungjae with the cardiothoracic surgery department."

Seeing Park standing at attention, Lee scratched his ear and opened his mouth,

"Ooops, your voice makes my ears deaf!"

"I'm so sorry!"

Shaking his head, Prof. Lee offered coffee to Suhyuk and Park.

"Congrats!"

"Thanks."

Putting down his coffee, Prof. Lee opened his mouth after looking at him for a moment,

"Are you leaving for the award ceremony next week?"

"Yes, I think so."

"By the way…" Prof. Lee cast a doubtful look at Park sitting next to Suhyuk.

Park said with a stumbling voice,

"The problem is…"

Suhyuk quickly cut in,

"The patient I performed the open surgery on had a spinal disc slip. So, after he is recovered…"

Suhyuk asked Prof. Lee for the surgery.

Talking to Prof. Lee, Suhyuk suddenly turned to Park, and thought to himself.

He's going to be really a good doctor. Like him, Park was acutely aware of the patient's pain.

When he found it difficult to find the patient's blood vessel, he used his own arm to find it.

Accordingly his forearm was covered with bruises due to countless needle punctures on it.

"I'm afraid he can't catch up with you."

At Prof. Lee's remarks, Park nodded his head.

"You're right, professor. Dr. Lee is like a hospital on the move."

Suhyuk took the coffee cup to his lips with an awkward smile.

Then Prof. Lee looked at Park gently.

The resident recommended by Suhyuk.

Prof. Lee was now forming some sort of expectation of Park.

"I hope Park is in good hands, sir," said Suhyuk.

Suhyuk stood up with a polite greeting.

Suhyuk headed to the exit.

"Where are you going?" said Prof. Lee, looking at Park.

Park, who was following Suhyuk, looked at Lee with wide eyes.

"I need to talk with you some more," said Prof. Lee.

"Oh, yes, sir…"

So, Suhyuk went out the office alone, leaving Park behind.

Lee's loud voice came out the office.

"Don't you know that, man!"

Suhyuk walked through the hallway.

It seemed like Park needed to make lots of efforts to learn from him.

—–

After he got back home early, Suhyuk was on the bus to go somewhere.

It was only 9pm.

He looked out the window quietly.

The street lights pa.s.sed by, leaving a long tail behind.

The bus stopped at the traffic light.

He saw a couple walking hand in hand.

The lady walking behind her boyfriend smiled brightly.

There appeared some smile on Suhyuk's blank face.

He looked happy.

Then his cellphone in the pocket buzzed.

It was a call from Prof. Han Myungjin.

"Yes, professor."

"Are you busy?"

"No, sir. Please go ahead."

"Well, the Korean Doctors a.s.sociation made a request for your lecture on stem cells."

Suhyuk did not refuse it.

"When is it, sir?"

"Well, it's tomorrow."

Suhyuk shook his head before he knew it. Why so suddenly…

But he changed his mind. It did not matter.

"What time do I go and where?"

"3pm. They'll send someone to pick you up when you report to work tomorrow."

"Got it."

"Okay, have a good rest then."

After the call, Suhyuk pressed the bell inside the bus because he already arrived at his destination.

Getting off the bus he looked at the street while walking up the overpa.s.s.

Somewhere there he was. .h.i.t by a motorcycle a long time ago.

The suspect was none other than the son of the hospital director.

The incident was vivid in his memory as if it just happened yesterday.

He could not remember how many times he walked up and down this place.

Walking down the overpa.s.s now, he turned into an alley.

The rusty street light was still flickering occasionally.

It was there that he noticed Choi Suryon's abnormal symptoms.

He wondered how she was doing these days.

Suhyuk had to walk several more minutes to his destination.

Finally he stopped before a restaurant with bright lights inside.

Hanas' Rice and Soup restaurant.

"Hey, one bottle of soju, please!"

"Yes!"

"Please give me one more dish of oxhead slices!"

"Okay. Oxhead slices, please!"

A lady with her long straight hair tied up was working, busy with taking the orders.

She was none other than Hana.

"Here you are," said Hana, offering a bottle of soju on the customer's table.

At that moment the entrance door of the restaurant was opened.

With a smile, she turned back to greet the customer.

"Please come on in…"

Frozen like a stone statue, she found her pupils trembling.

A handsome man was smiling before the door.

"It's you…"

Suhyuk came in, saying, "How have you been?"

Hana could not say anything.

It was Suhyuk who opened his mouth first.

"I'm here, sir."

Hana's father, who came out of the kitchen with a dish of oxhead slices, greeted him,

"Oh, you came here. Have a seat at any empty table."

Having said that, Hana's father put down the dish on the customer's table.

He did not walk with a limp anymore. He was walking normally just like an ordinary man.

That made Suhyuk's smile brighter.

Seated at the table Hana's father pointed to, Suhyuk looked around.

As only two tables were occupied, they did not seem busy.

Then Hana moved to the refrigerator.

"Aunt, give me rice and soup, and a bottle of soju!" said Suhyuk.

Hana turned back suddenly, demanding, "Who dared call me an aunt?"

With a smile, Suhyuk pulled away her wrist, and she squatted on the seat next to him.

"I'm going abroad for some business briefly. I hear the landscape is terrific, along with fresh air there."

"You're going there to win the n.o.bel Prize…"

Suhyuk continued, blocking her mouth, saying, "Let's go together."

It took him so long for him to confess his true feelings to her like that.

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Chapter 151

Looking at Hana for a moment, Suhyuk smiled at her.

She did not say anything, just looked at him.

"Please give me a bottle of soju!" shouted a customer.

"Yeah…" Hana replied as if she were murmuring.

Standing up from his seat faster than her, he took out a bottle of soju and put it down on the customer's table.

He came back to his seat, asking her, "Won't you go with me?"

At his repeated asking, she opened her mouth,

"What about dinner? Did you eat?"

Suhyuk smiled, shaking his head.

"Wait a minute."

She disappeared into the kitchen and came back with a bowl of rice and soup for him.

Steam rolled up from the bowl filled with delicious toppings of vegetable and meat.

"Thanks."

Suhyuk began eating quietly. Everytime he touched the food, he looked at her with a smile.

They were looking at each other without saying any words.

They could sense each other's feeling without talking.

They knew that they went through all sorts of ups and downs along the way in their relations.h.i.p.

They were standing face to face with each other all the time, but could not come closer to each other because of an invisible wall between them.

Suhyuk always felt a sense of guiltiness that he hurt her father's legs, which made him feel at the same time that Hana, his daughter, was like a heavy wall standing before him.

"Let me pay the bill," said a customer.

"Sure, I'll come," said Hana.

When she was about to stand up, her father stopped her shoulder, saying,

"Let me take care of it. Didn't Suhyuk say he wanted another bottle of soju?"

"Oh, you're right…"

Hana's father moved to the counter, and she offered a cup of soju to Suhyuk.

Suhyuk drank it in a gulp, with a pleasant smile.

"Let me offer you soju, aunt!"

"Call me an aunt again?"

Narrowing her eyes she received a cup of soju from him.

Looking at them with a satisfactory look, Hana's father nodded his head slowly.

After all they were supposed to be united like that.

He just felt nervous all along that their relations.h.i.p would be estranged because of him.

"Check, please," said the last customer.

After he got paid, Hana's father said at the entrance door,

"Let me go home first, Hana, as I'm a bit tired today. So, clean up for me."

"Are you going, sir?"

When Suhyuk approached him, he waved his hand.

"I'm going to take a taxi from near here, so don't see me off."

Then he looked at Hana, asking her to shut the door without fail.

Now Suhyuk and Hana were left alone in the restaurant.

At that moment their eyes met simultaneously.

"Why, why?"

She tried to avoid some sort of awkward situation by raising her voice and began cleaning the table.

At that moment Suhyuk pulled her wrist toward him gently.

Her eyes became wide. She could not say anything.

She could feel his warmth entirely.

Suhyuk's soft voice went into her ear.

"Sorry. I've kept you waiting for so long."

Held in his arms, she closed her eyes and shook her head slowly.

He smelled something pleasant from her trembling hair.

She snuggled into his arms as if she was hugging a soft pillow.

The next day.

Suhyuk got on a car to give a briefing session on stem cells at the request of the Korean Doctors a.s.sociation.

As many doctors around the country were gathering for the event, the hall was huge.

Walking up to the podium, he moistened his dry throat with some natural spring water.

Then a text message appeared on his cellphone.

It was a message from Hana.

With a slight smile he looked around at the large audience. The noisy audience became quiet soon, with doctors seating one by one.

Some photographers began clicking shutters.

Suhyuk tapped on the microphone with one finger. Everybody became silent in just a moment.

"h.e.l.lo, my name is Lee Suhyuk."

The sound of clapping hands spread like waves into the hall.

When the sound became quiet, he opened his mouth,

"Thanks so much for coming to this place. Let me start now."

The doctors' eyes were glittering at his lecture.

How could any doctor who resolved the mystery of stem cells reveal to the outside world so easily like that?

His research had a such a great potential in terms of its commercial value.

He could make a zillion out of it.

However, Dr. Lee Suhyuk now standing before the podium gave out all his research.

The audience listened to him carefully for about two hours.

"Now let me take your questions."

One doctor raised his hand.

Suhyuk said, nodding at him, "Please go ahead."

"How do you feel now that you're soon going to receive the n.o.bel Prize?"

The audience made a satisfactory look at him.

At the unexpected question Suhyuk said briefly, "I feel good."

As soon as he replied, various questions were thrown here and there by many doctors.

Some sort of scholastic conversation was exchanged between them, at which the cameramen shook their heads, unable to understand them.

"No more questions?"

Answering all their questions, Suhyuk cast his eyes toward the audience.

There were none.

Actually Suhyuk spent as much time answering the questions as he did on the briefing.

"Then I a.s.sume that there are no further questions… Let me tell you about my own thoughts briefly then…"

Some of the doctors about to go to the restroom sat back down on their seats.

"As you know, the profession of a doctor is a very difficult job. Especially when you have a stream of emergency patients, it's just common for you to give up your sleeping. But try to cheer up a little more. Patients are just powerless before doctors. At least during the time they visit the hospital, they don't know anything about their body just like a child. They just rely on the doctors."

Now occasional chattering among some doctors stopped when he said that.

Silence hung among them.

Suhyuk continued,

"When we doctors meet face to face with patients, we should be their parents. Just like the patient trusts and relies on us, we have a duty to treat them to the best that we could. If we treat them just like our parents or children even for a moment, they won't forget us and come back. More patients coming, and as a result, more facilities and more medical staff will be needed.

If we think of the patients as our family members, such things will follow naturally. Because of this, we should be a part of their families."

Looking around the audience quietly, Suhyuk said, "That's it. Thank you!"

When he lowered his head, thunderous clapping hands broke the silence.

—–

The bulletin boards of Daehan Hospital homepage website was covered with all kind of tweets and replies about Suhyuk.

There were many patients who visited Daehan Hospital on purpose to get his treatment.

But they could not see him because he was already aboard the plane about to take off.

"This is the first time I am traveling abroad."

Hana, seated in the first cla.s.s cabin, looked inside the plane.

She was comfortable but nervous because it was the first time she got on a plane.

Suhyuk, seated next to her, smiled. He felt the same when he got on board the plane bound for the United States for the first time.

"After you have some in-flight food, watch a movie and take a nap, and then you'll have already arrived at the destination," said Suhyuk.

Soon an in-flight announcement came out, "Now we're leaving to receive the n.o.bel Prize."

When Suhyuk and Hana were smiling at each other, the plane was taking off into the sky.

While they were heading for Stockholm, both of them received comfortable in-flight service.

It took them 13 hours to fly there.

When they arrived at the airport, it was early in the evening.

Probably it would be early in the morning in Korea.

Contrary to their expectation, there were no other pa.s.sengers or reporters at the airport.

Actually they arrived at the airport secretly at his request.

"Give me the baggage. Let me escort you to the hotel safely."

A bodyguard wearing sungla.s.ses took Hana's carrier bag and his baggage.

A total of four bodyguards were protecting Suhyuk and Hana.

When they got out of the exit, one of the bodyguards opened the door of a black limousine.

"Are you heading to the hotel right away?"

Thinking for a moment before getting in the sedan, Suhyuk opened his mouth after looking at Hana, "We'd like to have some fun before checking in."

"Of course. We'll drive you anywhere you want."

At the bodyguard's words, both of them got in the limousine.

Their sightseeing began.

—–

It was a lonesome rectangular room.

The only furniture there was a long table and two chairs.

There, two men were facing each other.

One of them was silent and the other one smiled while lookin at his smartphone.

He was Dongsu.

Some voice was coming out of his phone as if he was watching TV on it.

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Soon the n.o.bel Prize award ceremony began.

It was the moment Suhyuk's face became known to every corner of the world.

Dongsu made a light smile at it.

Forming a V shape with his fingers after he wore a medal around his neck.

It was Suhyuk's signature appearance.

Looking at it with a smile, Dongsu showed it to the man before his eyes.

"A wonderful guy, isn't he?"

Gazing at it briefly, the man turned his eyes to Dongsu again.

"Treat me well. You're making a mistake now," said the man.

Dongsu just laughed it away, and stood up, unable to put up with him.

Approaching near the guy, Dongsu stroked his shoulder, saying,

"Unlawful firing and embezzlement of official funds, plus accounting fraud. You really stole lots of money!"

At Dongsu's remarks, the guy gnashed his teeth hard enough to make a sound.

"And you committed stalking, too!"

The guy hired a man to stalk Hana, and forcibly contacted her everyday.

Out of desperation with his persistent hara.s.sing, Hana reported it to Dongsu.

"I want to talk with my lawyer."

At his words Dongsu took his mouth to his ears, replying,

"Sure. But you had better give up getting out of here Insu. I didn't like you from the high school days. And now I've become a prosecutor, man."

Tapping him on the shoulder lightly, Dongsu looked at his cellphone on the table.

Suhyuk, walking down the podium after receiving the award, was holding Hana's hands.

Dongsu made a smile at that.

"Don't you think that they look great?"

Kim Insu gnashed his molars hard enough to break them.

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Chapter 152

Suhyuk visited a series of hospitals in Stockholm to brief about his research on stem cells.

Numerous reporters followed him there, and those doctors present at his briefing session were busy taking notes of, and even recording what he said.

At last he completed all the lectures he had to, and was able to find his own free time.

He could have returned to Korea after the ceremony, but he did not.

He spent his vacation with Hana in Stockholm.

They took pictures in front of famous buildings and had delicious food.

Smiles never disappeared from their faces.

Holding their hands, both walked along the streets during the night.

It was no exception today.

Holding a cup of coffee, they took a leisurely tour of the busy thoroughfare crowded with foreigners.

"Looks like they are not tired," said Hana.

At her remarks Suhyuk looked back slightly.

Stout guys with a strong build, in black suits and wearing gla.s.ses.

They were the bodyguards a.s.signed to protect them.

From morning till night they guarded both of them without any rest.

"You feel rather uncomfortable because of them, right?"

At Suhyuk's asking Hana made a bitter smile.

"Well, as they're keeping an eye on us, I do feel like that…"

Suhyuk suddenly quickened his pace, along with Hana holding his hands.

Surprised by their sudden act, the bodyguards began following them quickly.

However, both of them already disappeared into the crowds.

"Haaaah… haaah…"

Both of them were now crossing a long bridge over the water.

After running away from the bodyguards, they came to a stop soon.

Though they were short of breath, they did not lose their smiles.

Suhyuk looked back at the road they had come from, and then looked at Hana.

"Looks like we gave them the slip finally."

He was right. Though they felt sorry about the bodyguards, Suhyuk and Hana wanted to spend their valuable time just between themselves during their stay in Stockholm.

All this would be a good memory about which they could reminisce together later.

Holding their hands again they walked on the bridge slowly.

Suhyuk then asked her suddenly,

"Hana, what is your dream?"

"Me? Well…"

She, hesitant to answer, just looked down at the water, sweeping up her long straight hair.

Her dream already came true at this place.

"How about you?"

At her asking Suhyuk just smiled and said,

"Well my dream is…"

When the wind blew, the trees nearby shook, with the leaves scattering away like snowflakes.

"Yes, this is the Lee Suhyuk I used to know," said Hana.

When Hana raised her thumbs, Suhyuk hugged her carefully.

She became red in the face, and his soft voice became brighter.

Both of them spent more time together than yesterday.

—–

After he returned to Korea, Suhyuk reported to work without fail.

He did not visit the cardiothoracic surgery department.

As there were so many patients, he saw them in the office that was just opened under his name.

Those in the waiting room let out a sigh after confirming their names on the patient's list.

It was at least 20 minutes wait for any patient to see Dr. Lee for a checkup.

Some of them complained, but they soon understood why after seeing him.

Suhyuk's explanation was very thorough.

They even came out of the office with a correct understanding of the disease they thought they understood just by common sense.

Just like a recipient of the n.o.bel Prize, he was a true doctor.

Even though they came to see him because they were sick, he did not give prescriptions as easily as they expected. Because they did not need to take any medicine, it made them trust him all the more.

The hospital, and its director were rather nervous about it.

Already Daehan Hospital was becoming Lee's private hospital because of so many patients coming to see him.

Even some other hospitals sent their emissaries to Daehan Hospital, disguising them as patients to see Suhyuk.

"We're going to pay you five times as high as what you receive at Daehan's as annual compensation."

"No thanks."

"In addition to the salary, we'll offer you a newly built apartment overlooking the Han river…"

"I'm rich and I have a good house. I'm sorry."

Suhyuk rejected their offers without any hesitation.

Whatever lucrative offer they gave to him, Suhyuk's reply was consisent,

"I've got so many patients waiting to see me now. So, please go out."

They had to turn back after hearing Suhyuk's resolute and unemotional request for them to leave.

Soon the business hours of the day was over.

Rising from his seat, Suhyuk stretched himself lightly.

He could not think of how many patients he saw today.

He only moved when he felt he needed to go to the restroom.

Still he felt good all along because the patients trusted and came to see him.

Suhyuk headed to the desk.

At that moment he ran into Binna who held a chart in her arms.

"Hi, doctor."

When she bowed her head, so did Suhyuk and said,

"You look like you are on call today."

"Yes, I a,…"

"Did you already have dinner?"

"No, not yet. I'm going to in a minute…"

"Don't skip your meals!"

"Thanks, you too, sir," said Binna.

She then quickly pa.s.sed by him.

Watching her walking with short and quick steps, Suhyuk let out a sigh of relief.

When he saw her boyfriend at the department store the other day, his impression was so good to him. Above all, there was some kind of warmth in his eyes looking at her.

Taking his eyes off from her, he began walking.

Then Binna came back urgently, offering something.

"Take this…"

What she took out from her pocket was a wedding invitation.

"When is it?"

"Next weekend, sir."

With a smile, Suhyuk replied, "I'll surely be there."

She smiled big, forming her signature dimples on her cheeks.

"I wish you can come by all means, sir."

"Of course, I will."

Nodding her head, she turned back and left.

Suhyuk visited Prof. Han Myungjin.

Though it was late at night, he was still in his office.

Greeting him gladly, Han said,

"You look busier than before these days."

Smiling awkwardly, Suhyuk took a cup of coffee to his lips.

Though he was busy, it was not true that he was busier than before.

Putting down the cup, he opened his mouth,

"Professor…"

When he was about to say something, Han's cellphone buzzed.

"Wait a minute."

Taking the call, his facial expression changed every moment.

The call was not that long.

"Can you wait here a moment? A patient is complaining about pain in his abdomen."

"Let me go with you."

When Suhyuk stood up, Han shook his head, saying,

"No, it's not a big deal. Just stay here a moment."

After Han left the office, he sat back again.

How much time pa.s.sed?

Seated on the sofa, Suhyuk fell asleep.

Though he had a great time in Stockholm, it was inevitable that fatigue overtook him due to the jet lag.

—–

All the world around him was white.

What he could see was just that.

Though it was a very familiar place, he could not recall it well.

At that moment Suhyuk, looking around, opened his eyes wide.

He saw a black shade walking toward him from the distance.

A man in a surgical gown and a mask.

"You must be…"

Now Suhyuk felt he could recognize who he was.

He was none other than the man he had met in his dream when he was young.

He formed wrinkles at the outer corners of the eyes.

He was smiling.

"You did better than I expected."

"What do you mean? And who are you?"

"It's not easy to treat the patients, but you did it very well."

"Who are you?"

At a glance he seemed to be more than 50 years old.

"I'll see you soon."

As soon as he said that, Suhyuk heard a thump.

Suhyuk's eyes opened when the office door was opened.

It was a dream.

"Did you wait long? Some patients likes to feign illness so much."

Back in the office, Prof. Han shook his head, with a smile.

And he suddenly cast a suspicious look at Suhyuk.

"Are you feeling hot in here?"

He saw beads of sweat on Suhyuk's forehead.

"I'm alright, sir. I think I took a nap, and dreamed a weird dream."

"Look at those cold sweats, man. Taking rest is part of your work. You can treat a patient when you're healthy. Take a medical checkup when you can. If you keep going like that, you might burn out soon."

Suhyuk nodded his head at his sincere advice.

"Got it, sir."

'Just do it with your parents one of these days."

"Yes, sir."

"Why don't you bring them over here sometime next Monday? Okay?"

At that moment Han had another call.

"Yes, this is Prof. Han."

A nurse's voice was heard immediately,

"Professor Han. Prof. Jung Jisuk's condition is not normal."

Hanging up the phone, Han rose from the seat quickly.

"Is he a patient?"

Nodding his head, Han went out of the office without any word.

That meant that the patient's condition was very grave.

Han pressed on the elevator b.u.t.ton quickly.

Approaching him, Suhyuk said,

"What kind of patient is he, sir?"

"In a vegetative state right now. He is my mentor, too."

Inside the elevator Han pressed the b.u.t.ton for the top floor.

It was where the VIP rooms were located.

Han's face hardened tightly enough to make Suhyuk surprised.

He has never seen Han making such an expression before.

Getting off the elevator, Han began to run toward the patient's room.

He went into the room, and so did Suhyuk.

Inside there were many medical staff gathered before the patient.

Everybody wiped of their sweat with a sigh of relief.

"What happened?"

When Han approached, they cleared the way.

One of them opened his mouth, "His condition is back to normal now."

Watching the monitor checking the patient's' condition, Han let out a long breath.

Sometimes the vital signs of his mentor were violent like this.

Everytime it happened, his heart sank.

Before he was struck by cerebral infarction, he was a cheerful doctor who liked to play jokes or encourage the medical staff.

Looking at the patient, Han shook his head and said,

"Sir, if you keep making fun of me like this, you're really killing me."

Then Suhyuk approached him.

The patient lying in bed with an oxygen respirator on, looking in his late 50s.

Strange enough, his face was familiar to him.

While Suhyuk was thinking like that, he felt he had been struck by a thunderbolt.

He was the very man he saw in his dream.

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Chapter 153

He really looked like the man Suhyuk saw in his dream.

The man who appeared in his dream, wearing a mask. And the patient lying in bed with an oxygen respirator over his face.

Suhyuk was looking at him with a surprised look.

Was he mistaken?

There were many who resembled each other in the world.

Still the patient kept attracting Suhyuk's attention.

He looked as if he would talk to Suhyuk at any moment after opening his eyes.

When Suhyuk was standing frozen like a stone statue, Han checked his condition carefully again.

There was nothing troublesome.

"I'll be back again, sir."

Covering the patient with a blanket Han turned back, and looked at Suhyuk who was standing blankly.

"What are you doing? Let's go."

"Ah, yes, sir."

Soon he left the room with Han.

Walking down the hallway with Han, Suhyuk opened his mouth,

"Was he a professor in our college?"

Han nodded his head, adding, "He was a very good professor."

"May I ask what kind of person he was?"

With a smile, Han said, "Shall we go outside?"

Both of them went out.

Pulling canned coffee from the vending machine near the no-cigarette booth, he gave it to Han.

"Thanks."

He lit a cigarette that Han was holding in his hand.

"Huuuuuh…"

A stream of smoke that filled his lungs all the way down was blown out.

And he talked as if he was reminiscing about his mentor.

"He really took excellent care of the patients…"

Han reeled off various stories about him:

He was a hard-working doctor. Though he had a family, he stayed at the hospital all the time as if it was his home. The most hours he slept in a day was only five. On those days with no surgery scheduled, he would teach juniors all the time. Though he was exhausted by fatigue, he never revealed it. He was smiling all the time, playing jokes to cheer up the medical staff. Yet he was a strict doctor before patients. When the medical staff made mistakes, he scolded them harshly enough to make them shed tears, but he cheered them up over drinks when his anger melted away.

In short, he was a genuine doctor with touches of humanity.

Everybody respected him.

"That is how he fell sick, consumed by his work," said Han.

Suyuk nodded his head when Han was done with talking about his mentor.

But Suhyuk's mind was confused.

Was he the same man that appeared in his dream? He felt he could identify him if he could hear the patient's voice.

"What's wrong with you?" asked Han, looking suspiciously at Suhyuk's hardened face.

"Nothing particular, sir."

Suhyuk made a bright expression and looked at Han.

What was clear to Suhyuk now was that Prof. Jung Jisuk, now lying in bed, was a great doctor.

As Han said he was his mentor, Prof. Jung was really such a great doctor.

Parting with Han, Suhyuk got on the elevator.

Walking down the hallway, Suhyuk stopped and looked at the patient's room before his eyes.

Suhyuk came back to the VIP room where Jung was hospitalized.

Looking at the name quietly, he opened the door silently and went in.

There was n.o.body there this time.

"……"

Standing near the patient, Suhyuk opened his mouth,

"Prof Jung Jisuk. Was it you, sir?"

Beep. Beep.

Instead of his reply, only the machine monitoring his condition emitted sound.

Suhyuk sat on the sofa beside the bed, and murmured to himself,

"I lost consciousness when I had an accident. I had a dream back then. In that dream I spent many years with a man. I performed countless surgeries with him. I got a good scolding many times and was given many praises along the way."

Suhyuk stood up, as if he was reminiscing about that time, and looked at him.

"Was that man none other than you, professor?"

There could be no reply from Jung. Instead he looked as if he was smiling at him.

Jung's face looked as relaxed and peaceful as ever.

Letting out a breath, Suhyuk turned back, saying, "Goodbye for now, sir."

Closing the door quietly, Suhyuk headed to the lobby to go home.

Then came out an announcer's voice from the TV stand in the lobby.

Suhyuk stopped while pa.s.sing by it casually, and received a call on his phone.

It was from Dongsu.

"Hey, did you seethe news?"

At his asking out of the blue, he turned his head to the TV news before he knew it.

The related news was coming out at the moment.

"What about it?" asked Suhyuk.

"You remember Kim Insu, right?"

"Kim Insu?"

"Yes, that guy during our high school days who really sucked."

Of course Suhyuk knew him.

"Yeah, I know him. Why are you talking about him out of the blue?"

"Well, I put him in jail."

Suhyuk's eyes opened wide. The TV news he just heard was vivid.

It was about Kim's wrongdoings, and there were many things related to him that the prosecutor had been looking into.

"What happened?"

"Well, when I looked into his case, he had lots of criminal activitiesinvolved. That b.a.s.t.a.r.d ruined many companies, too."

He stole other companies' product items with money, nipping in the bud their attempt to grow as his rival companies. Dozens of such cases were detected.

"I feel as if a thorn in my neck has been removed. Now he's been caught! b.a.s.t.a.r.d!"

Suhyuk made a bitter smile.

He recalled Kim Insu's face that always looked confident and complacent.

He deserted even his friend for the sake of his own interests, which was destined to end up like this, after all.

Now what would be his fate?

"I'll call you later as I have to interrogate him now."

"Uh…"

The phone was hung up abruptly.

Shaking his head, Suhyuk went out of the lobby and got on the bus bound for his home.

There were many kinds of people on the bus. A company employee who fell asleep out of fatigue, students chatting with smiles, and some worried parents caring about their children.

Looking at them Suhyuk made a slight smile.

Then he got a call from someone he knew. He had been thinking of calling him, but forgot.

"How are you, sir!"

"Are you busy these days?"

It was a call from Kim Hyunwoo, the rich businessman who helped him a lot.

"No, I'm not. How about you, sir?"

"Oh, I'm doing well. Congrats for your n.o.bel Prize. By the way, you forgot to call me after so long?"

"Sorry, I was just absent-minded…"

"Okay, then. Let me give you a chance for me to forgive you. You said you're not busy, right?"

"No, sir. Please go ahead."

"Can you see me now? I'm here at…"

After the phone call, Suhyuk got off at the next stop.

It was a thoroughfare where he called Suhyuk.

15 minutes' walking took him to the destination.

It was a typical beer house, which did not match Kim's image well.

Suhyuk went in.

There were many college students there at the moment.

"How many customers?"

"I've got someone waiting for me here," said Suhyuk, looking around.

"Hey, I'm here!" said Kim, raising his hand from the side table.

Suhyuk headed to the table with a smile.

He was not alone. Sitting beside him was a woman with long hair, with her face white and pure. She looked just unfancy, not perking herself up at all.

"Long time no see, brother," said Suhyuk.

Kim was a bit surprised at Suhyuk calling him brother, but stayed calm.

With a smile Kim nodded his head,

"Thanks for coming this far. Have a seat."

As soon as he said that, the woman sitting next to him widened her eyes, asking,

"Are you really Dr. Lee Suhyuk?"

"Oh, I am. How are you? My name is Lee Suhyuk."

Kim cut in, "She didn't believe me when I said I was on close terms with you."

She bowed her head, saying, "h.e.l.lo. My name is Lee Kahyon. That's what I mean, as you're a busy doctor…"

Kim replied instead, "He's not busy at all. I would not have called him here if he was busy. Beer?"

When Suhyuk nodded his head, Kim ordered a beer.

"She is going to be your sister-in-law."

Surprised by Kim's remarks, Suhyuk asked before he knew it,

"Are you getting married?"

Kim looked at his girlfriend gently.

"When are you getting married?"

"Next year? Kahyon said she would support me."

Suhyuk blinked his eyes. Support Kim? Support such a millionaire?

Actually Suhyuk smelt a rat when Kim asked him to call him a brother from the beginning.

Kim, glancing at her cellphone, told her, "Go and take your phone."

"Sure," said Kahyon, going out to take the phone.

"She has to keep to the curfew hour at home. Around this time she gets a call from her father."

"Beer is ready," said a waiter.

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Chapter 154

Getting out of Kim's car, Suhyuk looked at the large garden.

He came back to this place after such a long time.

"Let's go in."

When Suhyuk followed him into the house, he heard a familiar but pleasant sound.

Bark! Bark!

That big dog resembling a lion.

She looked even bigger than last time, as Suhyuk saw her for the first time in a long time.

When he approached, she wagged her tail.

"You remember me."

When he stroked her head, she lay down on her back and acted cute.

"Come on in, Suhyuk," said Kim.

There was nothing that changed about the big living room.

He recalled lots of memories here in the past, such as keeping the mother company and studying there.

"Do you still play games?" asked Suhyuk.

Taking out import alcoholic, Kim said with a smile, "Sure I do."

"Hey, let me offer this," said Kim, filling a cup for him.

Kim filled the gla.s.s and put some ice in it by himself.

It looked like the import alcohol cost more than one million won.

How could he disguise himself as a jobless man to her?

"You must be busy these days, right?" asked Kim.

"Business as usual, sir."

"I'm proud of you, man," said Kim, taking a sip of it and looking at him proudly.

Though he said Suhyuk was smart, he never thought he would go as far as to receive a n.o.bel Prize. Suddenly he recalled the first time he met Suhyuk. Those medical staff at the emergency room were like scarecrows. It was the student Suhyuk who actually found out that the real cause of his mother's disease was appendicitis.

"Seeing as you received a n.o.bel Prize, now you could open a private hospital," said Kim.

Suhyuk just smiled at his compliment.

Then a door opened and his mother came out.

Suhyuk rose from his seat with a smile.

"How have you been?"

"Mom, were you disturbed by the noise here?"

Despite Kim's asking she fixed her eyes on Suhyuk and then rolled up her sleeves.

"Have you eaten, honey?"

Then she went to the refrigerator and opened it.

Kim let out a short sigh at that with a smile, saying,

"Looks like she sees her late husband in you."

Rising from the seat, Kim went to her and said,

"Yes, mom. He said he ate already."

"You still don't know who your daddy is. He just drinks alcohol with his business friends without eating anything."

Standing behind her Kim just made a bitter smile.

He could feel her affectionate feelings toward her late husband through her voice.

"Honey, don't take any more alcohol and sit. Let me cook delicious spicy Kimchi soup with pork neck. I know you like it a lot," said she to Suhyuk.

Seated at the table, Suhyuk opened his mouth, looking at her,

"Thanks so much. I like Kimchi soup very much."

Turning her back, she looked at him, saying,

"Ooops, don't use honorific words with me. You seem very drunk to say things like that to me."

Looking at Suhyuk with a warm smile, she began chopping Kimchi again.

Kim took a seat on the opposite side of Suhyuk and said, "Thanks."

Bowls of rice and side dishes were soon put down on the table.

She rubbed her belly as if she felt something uncomfortable.

"Looks like the ramen I had before is still in my stomach. Just go ahead."

"Okay, let me see my mom's cooking skills then."

When was the last time she cooked for him like this?

Kim began moving the chopsticks, picking up some side dishes.

"It's really delicious, mom," said Kim.

In the meantime she did not take her eyes off from Suhyuk.

Then she suddenly said, "I feel sleepy now."

Instantly she turned into a child, typical of dementia symptoms.

Rising from the seat, Kim approached her, saying,

"Shall we go back to the room for sleep, my queen?"

"Yeah, I want to sleep."

Nodding his head, Kim lifted her up cautiously, and headed to the master bedroom.

Until Suhyuk was done with eating, Kim did not come back.

It seemed he was putting her to sleep.

Suhyuk looked at Kim's seat on the opposite side of the dining table.

Kim had already emptied a bowl of rice as if he was very hungry.

At that moment Kim came back, "Sorry to have kept you waiting a long time…"

When Kim came back into the living room, Suhyuk had disappeared already.

Ding dong.

Kim moved to the sofa at the sound of his cellphone alarm.

It was a message from Suhyuk.

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Please drop by the hospital with your mother one of these days. Let me schedule a comprehensive test for her. Of course for free!

Kim made a smile at that. That's why his mother liked him.

—–

Sunday.

Suhyuk was busy looking for a building for sale.

He did all the legwork trying to find one he liked from morning till evening.

He had been doing so for almost five hours.

Even the real estate agents found themselves in a difficult spot as time went by.

A large and good-looking building.

They showed him around many such ones.

On such occasions, however, Suhyuk asked them to show him some other ones.

Was he looking for one commanding a good landscape?

In a way he seemed to think that way because he examined the outside landscape after a quick look at the building.

Suhyuk went on to find one until 6pm, and finally he could find one that he liked.

"I'd like to make a contract on this building."

The real estate agent was so happy to hear Suhyuk's go-ahead, who was looking out the window. After a long legwork on a sultry day, he made a decision in the end.

If he had not been a n.o.bel Prize recipient, the agent would have called it quits and gone home.

"You've made a great choice. As it was for short sale, it's cheap."

Having said that, the agent made a suspicious look.

Given that he was a n.o.bel Prize winner, the building was such a nondescript and humble place.

Of course it was not old or shabby because it was built only three years ago.

The only thing that bothered him was that it was hard to get to, and there was no convenience store nearby.

"By the way, what are you doing here?"

At the agent's asking Suhyuk just smiled.

One week pa.s.sed. There was lots of renovation work going on inside the building.

Many people were curious about the use of the building, but n.o.body knew the answer.

In the meantime Suhyuk was walking along a crowded street with Hana.

There were lots of students after school and company employees after the day's work.

"Did you leave the office early?" asked Hana.

"Yes, I'm going to leave at exactly 6pm from now on," replied Suhyuk.

Hana's eyes became wide at his remarks, for Suhyuk was a workaholic.

"Suhyuk, is there anything wrong with you?"

Suhyuk, walking ahead, said with a smile,

"We're almost there now."

Then he stopped before a luxurious restaurant.

"Isn't it very expensive here?"

"Let's go inside."

Suhyuk went in while Hana was at a loss for the moment.

She knew this place because she had been here before. She just came out immediately after seeing the expensive price of the menu, which was still vivid in her memory.

"This place is really expensive!"

Murmuring to herself she went inside.

"Come on in. You are here with a gentleman, right? Please come this way."

The waiter escorted her to the table Suhyuk was seated at.

"Please call me when I'm needed," said the waiter.

He then placed a sign outside the restaurant, which read "Closed".

"Let's go out, Suhyuk. It's too expensive here."

Suhyuk shook his head, saying, "We can't, because I can't cancel it."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, I rented the whole restaurant."

At Suhyuk's calm remarks, she opened her eyes wide and looked around.

There were n.o.body around except for those carrying violins to the stage.

Hana said quickly, "Are you crazy? Let's go out. You can get back half the money you paid for this. Can I go and ask?"

This time Suhyuk shook his head.

"I heard I can't."

She let out a long sigh.

Suhyuk said, with a smile,

"Hana, let's have a date like other lovers, which is just too common to them."

Shaking her head, she swept up her long hair and said,

"Do you think this kind of date is common?"

"Don't you see it in a TV soap opera sometimes? They just rent out a whole coffee shop or restaurant. Even in the movies…"

"Yeah, it's conceivable in the movies…"

"Hana, we've come a long way like this. We can have this kind of special date just one time. Yeah, just one time…"

Having said that he looked at the stage.

A soft music filling the restaurant stopped suddenly and the violin players took their seats.

And they started playing music.

The music was so soft that she could not say anything.

"Are you moved to tears already? Really?"

"No, dude. Because I just feel the money for this has been wasted…"

"No way…"

Suhyuk took out something from his pocket.

It was none other than a ring box.

"It seemed common that boys put the ring in an ice cream before proposing, but I could not bring myself to do it…"

The ring was plain. Neither expensive nor cheap.

"Will you marry me, Hana?"

The music played as softly as ever, and Hana's heart was beating hard, when the waiters shouted cheers and clapped their hands at his proposal to her.

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Chapter 155

Three weeks pa.s.sed, and Suhyuk saw the patients at Daehan Hospital as usual.

Whenever he had a call from the operating room, he wore surgical globes.

He was wanted not only at the cardiothoracic surgery department but at other clinical departments such as internal medicine, Ob/Gyn, urology, etc.

The patients there cried out for Suhyuk.

Making the rounds of patients absent-mindedly, he was having a late lunch.

At that moment his phone buzzed.

"Dr. Lee, this is a pediatrics department. A patient's guardian insists on receiving your treatment."

"What's her name?"

"Lee Narae."

"Got it. Let me come in a moment!"

"Thanks!"

After the call he began eating hurriedly.

He didn't touch the side dishes, only having soup.

Quickening his pace, he tied up his gown before an elevator.

When he got off the elevator, he saw a woman holding her child.

Looking at them standing close to his clinic office, they were obviously the patient and the guardian that the pediatrics office called him about.

Approaching them, Suhyuk opened his mouth with a smile,

"You must be Lee Narae's guardian, right?"

"Oh,are you Dr. Lee Suhyuk?"

"Yes."

He then looked at the child holding her mother's hand, sayng

"How cute! What pain brought you here?"

"Marble…"

She opened her mouth quickly, "She swallowed a iron marble."

Nodding his head, he stroked her head softly, saying

"Please come on in."

When she and her guardian sat, the nurse came in, saying

"I sent you her CT on the computer."

"Thanks."

After the nurse went out, Suhyuk told the guardian after turning on the PC monitor,

"I saw a patient who swallowed fragments of a razor."

The guardian was stunned.

What would have happened to the patient's organs? Broken into pieces?

Contrary to her nervous look, Suhyuk fixed his eyes at the monitor with a relaxed smile.

"She was discharged with no damage at all. The organs in our body are not that weak as we think."

"Then…"

She turned her head and looked at her daughter.

She was not aware of what she had eaten yesterday. She said in the morning all of a sudden,

"Mom, I swallowed a marble."

She had no choice but to take her to the hospital urgently.

"If you take a look at this…" said Suhyuk, turning the monitor toward her.

"Obviously it looked like a marble. Fortunately it reached to the intestine. I feel it will come out of her body without any trouble."

"Are you serious, doctor?"

"Yes, she doesn't need any medicine or a shot."

The girl's face, who was wearing a crying expression, now brightened.

"Next time you eat something like that, let me follow you and give you a shot, okay?"

"No, no! I won't swallow it again."

"Good girl!"

It's 9pm.

Suhyuk was heading to Prof. Han Myungjin's office.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Come on in"

When he went it, Han greeted him with a smile.

"So, were you busy again today?"

Suhyuk was the busiest doctor at Daehan Hospital these days.

And the whole medical staff knew it.

"A bit, sir."

"Coffee?"

"Thank you."

A fragrant coffee smell filled the office. The cars seen through the window let an usually long trail of light behind today.

Offering him coffee, Han took a seat, saying

"So, you made the decision?"

"Yes, sir."

Han nodded his head.

Though he wanted to stay with Suhyuk and watch him grow, there was no way of stopping him.

Suhyuk took out a white envelope from his pocket and put it on the table politely.

Han said with a bitter smile,

"Wasn't the hospital director opposed to your resignation?"

"He said just he could not take it."

Han nodded his head again faintly.

Even if I were in the director's shoes, I would have done the same thing, discouraging him from resigning. But I'm a doctor.

"Let me convey it to the director on your behalf," said Han.

"Thank you, sir."

Taking a sip of coffee, he rose from the seat in no time.

"I'd like to take my leave then."

"Sure, sure. Have a good rest. By the way, How about me sending you an orchid?"

Suhyuk smiled, saying "Please do come empty-handed. Bye for now, sir"

Bowing to him deeply Suhyuk went out of the office.

Han looked at the door through which Suhyuk just went out.

Wrinkles on his eyelids, Han smiled, murmuring,

"Now you have full wings to fly bravely"

Not hearing Han's murmuring, Suhyuk headed to the VIP room.

The name plate placed on the door of the patient's room.

Suhyuk cautiously opened the door and went in.

It was bright inside with the lights on. There was n.o.body, and Prof. Jung lay in bed.

The humidifier on the side was puffing out while fog, and the professor's oxygen respirator formed steam inside.

"How are you, professor?"

Naturally there was no reply from him.

Suhyuk sat on the sofa beside him.

"Professor, I've got some question. Are you really the person that came up in my dream? If so, please open your eyes like miracle and say something like you did in my dream."

Suhyuk only heard the faint puffing sound from the humidifier.

He then rose from the seat and held the back of his hands softly.

The second hand of the clock was pointing at 11pm.

"I'll see you again, professor."

Suhyuk went out the room cautiously, and headed to his original lodging.

Though it could accommodate only two persons, there was n.o.body when he visited.

For Daehan Hospital provided Suhyuk with an exclusive lodging.

Suhyuk rejected the hospital's offer to give him a separate office there.

He was not a professor yet.

Sitting on the mattress and touching it, Suhyuk soon lay on the bed after turning off the light.

It was quiet. Only ticking sound of the watch and Suhyuk's breathing sound were heard.

He fell to sleep like that before he knew it.

"Did you come?"

Suhyuk nodded his head calmly.

A world of white.

A man walking toward him from the far distance.

The moment Suhyuk felt it was only a dream, he greeted the man gladly.

When the man in a surgical gown approached, he cast a long shadow that reached the tiptoes of his feet.

Looking at his eyelids, Suhyuk opened his mouth.

It was strange, though. Though he said, he could not have his voice heard.

'Prof. Jung Jisuk. Are you him, sir?'

That moment the man who watched Suhyuk's lips made a good smile.

"Are you leaving now? You've made a great sacrifice here. But you're now starting a new journey, right?"

At his remarks, Suhyuk shook his head and said,

'I just start a journey chasing my dream.'

As if he was proud of Suhyuk, the man nodded his head slowly.

'By the way, Prof. Jung Jisuk…'

Suhyuk could not think any more because something surprising was happening before his eyes.

A white fog was coming out of the professor's hand, and it slowly started to make a human figure. Soon it began to reveal its ident.i.ty fully, and Suhyuk had no choice but to be stunned.

There was the same self of him when he was young, who resembled him exactly, was holding the man's hand. This another Suhyuk was making an annoying expression, but he looked like a child before him. It looked as if he shaked off the man's hands and dashed toward him. But he couldn't because the man held him tightly.

"This is all I could do for you," said the man.

He looked at the young Suhyuk he was holding tightly and then turned his eyes at Suhyuk.

He didn't say any words, and that was very brief.

He turned back and began walking.

The young Suhyuk resisted following him, but could not help being dragged along.

On the contrary, the man in a surgical gown looked as peaceful as ever.

Suhyuk reached out his hand quickly to get hold of him, but failed.

The man had already disappeared.

The ticking sound of the watch woke him up.

It's 4am.

He had fallen asleep before he knew it. Though he slept a little, he felt unusually great.

Rising from the bed, Suhyuk put his white gown on the hanger.

It was time he would leave the place.

Who said time flies like an arrow?

One season pa.s.sed quickly, and Suhyuk could not be seen any more at Daehan Hospital.

Still there were many patients visiting the hospital.

It was where Suhyuk, the n.o.bel Prize winner, once worked.

Patients felt it regrettable not to see him any more. It was only natural that they wanted to be taken care of by a famous doctor like Suhyuk. Nonetheless, there were many talented doctors at Dahan's. They just did their best to see and treat the patients.

Among them was a doctor who had an unusual high voice tone.

He was none other than Park Sungjae.

Park was touching the foreheads of interns as if he didn't like their performance.

'You guys are troublemakers…'

Soon Park opened his mouth,

"I told you to gather by 2am, right?"

Then he went up to a female intern, saying

"You set the alarm, but it didn't buzz? You did have a sound sleep, right?"

Shaking his head, Park's eyes met another intern's for the last time. As the intern came on time, he was confident.

"You didn't do anything good, either, dude. You alone came here on time. Good! So, you expected me to praise you for that? No way. You should have brought them here the moment you found your fellow interns were not here."

Letting out a long sigh, Park looked at the interns who now stepped back, scared at him.

"You guys said you wanted to be a doctor like Lee Suhyuk, right?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Did you see him?"

"Yes, I saw him during the medical college days."

Suhyuk once gave a lecture to the medical students at the request of his alma mater.

"There is a rumor that he didn't sleep much even during his interns.h.i.p. Actually I've never seen him nodding off when he worked with me. When I came to work early in the morning, he was already in his office looking at the charts and beside the patient. What about you? You are saying Dr. Lee is your icon? Respect him? Never say that wherever you go. Each of your behavior will stain his name and honor. Anyone who doesn't work hard enough doesn't have qualification to even mention his name," said Park.

"I'm sorry, sir.

"Did you attend his marriage ceremony?"

At Park's sudden asking, the interns blinked their eyes.

"I mean, Dr. Lee Suhyuk's marriage ceremony."

"No, sir."

Park shook his head, disappointed.

To him, they were just smooth talker even though they respected Dr. Lee, chasing after and looking up at Dr. Lee's fame alone without any consideration.

He felt that they needed some sort of tight discipline.

"You guys, just keep thinking 'I'm not the person of what I am supposed to be' for the next one month."

It was a place where shally villas were located here and there.

Though it was early in the morning, the atmosphere was eerie around the cracked buildings with peeled-off paints. There was a big mountain behind. Actually the place was crowded with many shabby houses with the winding steps. The houses were located face to face, and the gap between them was narrow like an alley.

Tweet, tweet, tweet.

Some sparrows flying over the area perched on the electric cords of the utility poles.

Then the sparrows suddenly flew away at the walking sound of a human being.

It was an old woman in her late 60s, who wiped sweats from her face, looking at a building.

"It's true they're accepting patients there!"

A thick shape of cross in green that was painted at the entrance of the building.

It was a hospital.

The people in the neighborhood, watching lots of interior renovation work, boasted that whatever business they started, they would go to ruin.

Actually many start-up business were ruined like that, including a chicken shop, clothing shop, etc. Whenever they opened a store near the building, they would soon close their shops and left because of the poor location. It was a place where most of the residents were poor.

Even though they were sick, most of them didn't visit the hospital to save money.

A new hospital was open in such a situation.

Some said as they're smart, the doctors would find out the realities belatedly and change their mind not to open the hospital.

Despite that, the hospital was opened today!

"Good for me," said the old woman.

She didn't go to a faraway hospital for physical therapy.

She went into the hospital slowly.

The hallway was long, contrary to her expectation.

As the building was big, its hallway was naturally long, she thought while walking on.

She saw various paintings on the wall while she pa.s.sed by.

Then she heard a woman's voice in front of her.

"Yes, we're looking for experienced personnel who can get down to work right away. You said you have two years of experience? Okay, then. When are you available?"

At the moment the woman talking at the front desk found her.

"I've a new patient here. Can I call you back in a minute? Thanks."

Putting down the phone, she smiled brightly at the old woman.

She was the first patient of the day.

Coming out of the front desk, she made a polite bow to the woman.

"h.e.l.lo, grandman. What pain brought you here?"

At her asking the woman looked around.

She felt as if she was in a big hospital. The TV set was huge and there were many chairs in the waiting room. It was clean more than anything else. But there was no patient around.

"Have you not opened yet?"

She shook her head lightly. Then her nameplate glittered at the sunlight.

"There are no patients yet because it's not yet the business hour. Today is the first day our hospital opens. The nurses will be here soon."

Hana was not a nurse. She was supposed to take care of simple tasks and accounting.

"Oh, I got here too early. Can I take a seat over there and wait?"

As it turned out, it was not yet even 8am.

Hana made a smile, saying,

"No, you can see the doctor now. He is here."

"Oh, I'm so sorry…Thanks. My back is terrible, so I want some physical therapy."

Hana showed a worried expression, saying,

"Ooops… do you feel only physical therapy would do?"

"Uh? When I visited a big hospital, they wanted to take something like an MRI. But it's too expensive, so I want only therapy…"

"Well, you can pay only 10,000 won for it here. You might have it taken for 1,000 won if you're talking to the doctor well," said Hana.

The woman laughed merrily.

After all, this is not the place like a traditional market where all kinds of bargaining was made.

Then the door of the examination room opened, and appeared a doctor in a white gown.

The woman's eyes were widening gradually at him.

She saw him a lot on the TV news that said he received some great award. Wasn't he the same doctor?

"Come on in!"

Greeting her gladly, Suhyuk made a bright smile.

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