Chapter 94: Turf War (5)
Morning rounds.
Thud. Thud.
Jun-hoo led the way, followed by professors and residents.
At first glance, it seemed Jun-hoo was at the center of power, but this was only superficial.
Most of the professors were on Kim Han-sang’s side.
Like medieval knights attending to their king.
To put it in Silla terms [referring to one of the ancient Korean kingdoms].
Kim Han-sang was of royal blood.
He had never left Busan Shinwon University Hospital, from his residency to becoming an associate professor.
Since Kim Han-sang was the oldest.
It was no exaggeration to say that Kim Han-sang’s history was the history of the neurosurgery department.
But then.
A nameless, inexperienced pebble rolled in from nowhere.
Trying to dislodge the embedded stone, Kim Han-sang.
But from Kim Han-sang’s perspective.
Jun-hoo was simply amusing.
Occasionally, he even seemed cute.
At Jun-hoo’s age, useless values like ‘reform’ could still seem brilliant.
“There’s no need to be too disheartened that the plan fell apart.”
Kim Han-sang whispered to Choi Jin-gu, who was standing to his right.
“Yes? What do you mean by that?”
“I mean, don’t act like you’ve lost the world just because the department head’s surgery was successful. The real fun starts now.”
A sinister smile spread across Kim Han-sang’s face.
Whirr.
Whirr.
The staff was busy going in and out of the patient rooms. And finally, it was ‘that room’s’ turn.
“How’s your back feeling?”
Jun-hoo approached Ahn Byung-tae and asked.
The patient Choi Jin-gu had misdiagnosed.
The patient who left a blemish on Choi Jin-gu.
At the same time, the patient Jun-hoo had re-operated on.
“It’s much better. I used to have a sore back when I sat or lay down for a long time, but I don’t have that anymore.”
“That’s good news to hear.”
Jun-hoo smiled brightly.
He changed the subject.
“Don’t be complacent just because the surgery is over. Make sure to get rehabilitation therapy and exercise at home from time to time, within the limits that don’t strain your back.”
“Of course. Even if you told me to die, I’d at least pretend to die.”
Some of the residents burst into laughter at the patient’s jest.
That’s how good the atmosphere between the two was. The atmosphere of shouting and hatred from a while ago had melted away.
‘Acting friendly is only for now.’
Kim Han-sang laughed darkly inside.
Unless ‘that problem’ was resolved, the two would never truly become close.
“Then, have a good discharge and see you in the outpatient clinic in two weeks.”
“Yes, doctor. Thank you.”
The patient bowed his head in gratitude.
Soon, the rounds ended peacefully.
The professors and residents scattered.
Kim Han-sang had tea time and then went into morning surgery.
After performing surgery on a pituitary tumor.
It was 1 p.m. in the blink of an eye.
Grumble.
The beggar in his stomach was clamoring for food. But Kim Han-sang’s destination was not the cafeteria.
It was the temporary admission/discharge office located on the 5th floor.
“Hello, Professor.”
The office staff greeted him first.
“Nice to see you, Mr. Kim. Could you look up a patient for me?”
“Please tell me the name.”
“Ahn Byung-tae. Please check his discharge payment.”
Kim Han-sang asked, excited like a child about to go on a picnic.
The flower of the hospital is surgery?
What foolish nonsense!
The flower of the hospital was payment.
The medical services provided by the hospital were all provided to get money from the patients.
‘As soon as today’s schedule is over, I’m going to the Vice President of Medical Affairs.’
‘I’m going to report that Jun-hoo’s free surgery has severely impacted the hospital’s finances.’
‘Jun-hoo’s reputation will plummet.’
This was the scenario Kim Han-sang was envisioning.
If he did similar work two or three times.
Jun-hoo would be fired from his position as head, and Kim Han-sang could take his place.
‘He’s just kicking the ball into his own net, so I’m grateful. Hehehe.’
Kim Han-sang laughed inwardly.
“Professor, is this the patient who was discharged from the neurosurgery ward today?”
“Yes, it is. Is there a problem?”
“No, I’m asking because there’s no problem. The discharge payment is all done.”
The office staff looked at Kim Han-sang and said.
In an instant, Kim Han-sang’s brow narrowed. Earthworm wrinkles wriggled on his forehead.
‘No!’
‘What kind of nonsense is this?’
To acknowledge the hospital’s fault and sincerely apologize to the patient.
Jun-hoo said he would provide the existing surgery and re-surgery costs for free.
In that case, the admission and discharge fees should have been recorded as accounts receivable [money owed to the hospital].
“The patient I just searched for, is he a neurosurgery patient?”
“Yes, there’s no mistake. Would you like to check it yourself?”
“Let’s do that.”
Kim Han-sang composed his bewildered feelings and moved to the office staff’s side to look at the monitor.
“Ha…….”
A sigh escaped from his lips.
It wasn’t a mistake.
Ahn Byung-tae was indeed that Ahn Byung-tae.
Kim Han-sang grabbed the back of his neck without realizing it.
The back of his neck was stiff and cold.
“How much are the admission and discharge fees in total?”
“It’s 12 million won.”
“Can you also check who made the payment?”
“I can find out if it wasn’t paid in cash. Just a moment.”
The office staff busily moved the mouse. Soon, a man’s name appeared on the payment screen.
The moment he confirmed the name.
Laughter burst out before he could cover his mouth.
Of course, it wasn’t laughter of joy.
It was laughter that burst out because he was so dumbfounded and absurd.
“We’ve got a mad dog in the department.”
“A dog in the department?”
The office staff was also surprised.
It was a complete misunderstanding of the metaphor.
Kim Han-sang corrected that it wasn’t the meaning the staff knew.
And he stared intently at the person’s name and confirmed it.
A large sum of 12 million won.
The person who paid it was none other than Jun-hoo.
* * *
That day, 6 p.m.
Jun-hoo finished all the regular surgery schedules and headed to the lobby.
Because the outpatient clinic was over.
The lobby was relatively quiet.
It was hard to find the hustle and bustle and noise typical of university hospitals.
‘Things are slowly settling down.’
A week has passed since he was appointed as the head.
The outpatient clinic was overflowing with patients, and the surgery schedule was packed.
Today alone, Jun-hoo performed a whopping five surgeries.
Considering that neurosurgery surgeries take an average of 4-6 hours.
Professors usually do 1-2 surgeries a day.
But Jun-hoo far surpassed this.
Inner strength and martial arts.
The arduous training at Mayo Clinic was the foundation.
At first, he had many concerns.
‘Should I be acting so recklessly?’
‘If my surgery skills and speed are too overwhelming, wouldn’t voices of doubt erupt from everywhere?’
But soon he decided not to care.
What is Jun-hoo’s goal?
Isn’t it to return healthy lives to more patients?
If so…….
There was no need to be mindful of others.
Also, there were many people in the world with monstrous talents.
Of course, Jun-hoo was a monster himself.
But an overwhelming skill could be glossed over as a genius talent somehow.
Jun-hoo, who was strolling through the lobby, fiddled with his earlobe.
Suddenly, his ear felt itchy.
It seemed like someone was cursing Jun-hoo.
Was the protagonist Choi Jin-gu?
Was it Kim Han-sang?
Was it both, or was it a third person? It was impossible to know.
The important thing was that Jun-hoo had given the other party a big middle finger [a rude gesture of defiance].
‘I bet they didn’t expect this.’
A smile spread across Jun-hoo’s face.
Ahn Byung-tae’s patient’s admission and discharge fees are recorded as accounts receivable. Using this as an excuse, they attack Jun-hoo.
The associate professor’s side must have been preparing such a scheme.
But Jun-hoo neatly shattered the insignificant scheme.
How?
Jun-hoo directly paid the patient’s admission and discharge fees!
The huge salary he received from Mayo Clinic.
(In fact, he was so busy training at this time that he hardly spent any money.)
NewTube revenue.
The salary he receives in Busan now, etc.
He doesn’t show it, but Jun-hoo was already a wealthy man in the top 0.5 percent of Korea.
He makes so many personal donations that he can’t count them on his fingers, so there was no reason why he couldn’t pay Ahn Byung-tae’s admission and discharge fees.
In any case, with the Ahn Byung-tae patient case, Jun-hoo proved that he was by no means an easygoing new head.
What remains to be done in the future.
It was to break Kim Han-sang and his gang one by one.
It will take time, there will be countless adversities and hardships, but it was a task worth doing.
While lost in thought, he arrived at the administration office.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Jun-hoo knocked and went inside.
“I’m Seo Jun-hoo from the Department of Neurosurgery. I’m here to see the director.”
“Yes, Director. I’ve heard about it. This way.”
Following the guidance of the administration office staff, he arrived at the reception room.
The administration office director was already sitting at the table, sipping a mixed coffee [a common type of instant coffee mix in Korea].
“Oh, you didn’t have to come in person.”
“It’s only right to visit you.”
Jun-hoo sat opposite the administration office director.
“I’m sorry for the delay in processing. This month, we’ve been unusually swamped with work.”
“It’s okay. It wasn’t urgent.”
Jun-hoo waved his hand.
“First, please take this. I also sent the file to the director’s email.”
The administration office director held out the document envelope that was on the table to Jun-hoo. Jun-hoo pulled the document envelope and examined the contents.
The contents were none other than medical statistics.
He wanted to know the exact figures of how the neurosurgery department was running.
Jun-hoo visited the administration office on his first day as head.
He requested various statistics from the neurosurgery department, such as bed turnover rate, surgery success rate, and patient satisfaction conducted through surveys.
That was freshly prepared today.
Jun-hoo had no intention of dominating the department by simply creating a plausible atmosphere.
With data, evidence, and figures.
It was a plan to challenge the existing professors.
“I asked them to organize everything they had, so they did…….”
The administration office director hesitated and continued.
“Isn’t it too thick to be difficult to read?”
“No. At this rate…… it’ll take a day or two.”
“Yes? A day or two?”
Too surprised, the administration office director’s voice cracked.
To see all the data that the administration office worked hard on for three days in just a day or two?
Is that possible?
“I learned speed reading in the past. Anyway, thank you for your hard work. I want to repay you, but there are legal issues and such.”
“…….”
“If you have any personal requests, please tell me anytime. I’ll roll up my sleeves and help you.”
“Hahaha. If the director says so.”
The conversation ended amicably.
Jun-hoo took the document envelope and immediately moved to the neurosurgery ward.
He leaned back comfortably on the sofa in his office.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Jun-hoo’s index finger pointed to the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus.
He pointed to the Broca’s area responsible for language.
He was using the ‘Brain Stimulation Acupressure’ technique.
As the acupoints were pierced and received intense stimulation, a new world unfolded.
Flap!
Jun-hoo took out the file and read the first page.
With one glance, the contents and figures of three paragraphs entered his head.
Usually, when you read a text, you go from words to sentences, but the range in which Jun-hoo recognizes text was on a different level from ordinary people.
He perceives text in chunks.
Even so, the content was imprinted on the hippocampus as if stamped with a seal.
It was neatly classified by meaning.
‘You underestimated me too much.’
‘I’ll see it all tonight.’
Jun-hoo flipped through the statistics as if turning the pages of a fairy tale book.
Tomorrow’s conference seemed very interesting.