A competent doctor can cure everything

At my words, the playful expression on Lee Hyun-seung’s face disappeared, replaced by hesitation.

‘?’

Seeing someone who is usually so confident suddenly fumble like this made me feel on edge as well.

Just as Lee Hyun-Seung finally parted her lips to speak, the buzzer went off.

We both flinched at the sound.

“I’ll get it.”

I returned with a tray holding sandwiches and drinks.

In the meantime, it seemed like Lee Hyun-Seung had gathered her thoughts because she started talking as soon as I sat down.

“I can be a bit of a jerk sometimes.”

‘……?’

“I can say things I don’t mean, and I’m pretty blunt with no hesitation.”

I wasn’t sure why she was suddenly saying this, but I decided to keep listening.

“There was this time when I even got into it with a professor from another department. They kept meddling with the meds I prescribed. I ended up getting an apology from them.”

I could easily imagine Lee Hyun-Seung, hands on her hips, arguing with another professor.

The woman across from me continued speaking without any hesitation as if she had thought about this many times before.

“But when I think about it, I realize I made the same mistake. I thought I was just being honest, saying what needed to be said. But being honest and being rude are two different things, right? So, the conclusion is… I’m sorry for speaking carelessly about your field.”

When I didn’t respond, the fellow awkwardly averted her eyes.

“No, when I thought about it, I realized I’ve never apologized to you before. I wanted to take the opportunity to do it properly.”

“And while you were planning to apologize…”

“?”

“Did you ask me to buy lunch?”

I clasped my hands together.

Lee Hyun-seung blushed in embarrassment.

“Hey, that’s…! Ugh, fine. I’ll treat you to something delicious next time.”

“I was just kidding. But seriously, thank you for speaking so earnestly. It’s the first time I’ve received an apology from a professor.”

When I smiled slightly, Lee Hyun-Seung seemed to relax and smiled back.

“Well, I’m not even a full professor yet, just a fellow. We’re probably around the same age, too.”

“I’m also grateful for your help this time.”

With the atmosphere more relaxed, we started our meal.

As Lee Hyun-Seung chewed on her sandwich, she said, “I wish I had met an Oriental medicine doctor like you earlier.”

“Did something happen in the past?”

I took a bite of my sandwich as well.

“Not to me, but to my mom. She went to a well-known place but felt like they looked down on patients who wouldn’t make them money. I guess that’s when I first got a bad impression of Oriental medicine.”

“Where did that happen?”

“You know Hwalin Oriental Medicine Hospital, right?”

The moment I heard that name, my hand froze as it reached for my drink.

“Uh? What’s wrong?”

The fellow observed my expression closely. I quickly composed myself.

“It’s nothing. There are plenty of good Oriental medicine hospitals out there, so don’t go to places like that.”

Lee Hyun-Seung looked like she wanted to ask more but then silently focused on her sandwich instead.

* * *

We finished our meal and parted ways in front of the restaurant.

“Since I’m already in the basement, I might as well check the mailbox.”

I headed towards the mailboxes located in the basement of the hospital. One side of the basement wall had mailboxes, similar to those found in apartment buildings.

Each department at Hanbit University Hospital had its own slot.

“Here it is. Oriental Medicine Intern Education Office.”

After scanning the rows, I found the mailbox for the Oriental Medicine interns. A few letters and notices were stuffed inside.

‘Rustle’.

As I pulled them out, I accidentally dropped some letters from another department’s mailbox. I sighed in frustration and bent down to pick them up.

Fortunately, the nearby mailboxes all belonged to the Oriental Medicine department, so I could easily return the letters by checking the recipients’ names.

“Wait, this letter…”

A familiar light green envelope caught my eye. It was the same one Choi Jin-seong had been holding during a recent night shift.

The sender’s address naturally drew my attention. Contrary to the nurses’ speculation, it wasn’t from a woman. In fact, it wasn’t from a person at all, but from an organization.

It was from the “Youth Bullying Victim Support Foundation.”

And the recipient was “Sponsor Choi Jin-seong.”

“Was he sponsoring bullied youth?”

Did “the most troublesome” Choi Jin-seong have this side to him?

Feeling a bit confused, I returned to the Intern Education Office.

“Oh, Dr. Lee Joon brought the mail.”

“Thanks!”

While everyone was busy sorting through their letters, I approached one of the interns.

“Hey.”

The person turned around, startled. Or rather, I should say he looked down at me.

I’m pretty tall myself, but this guy towers over 2 meters.

As he turned to face me, I noticed the ID badge hanging from the collar of his white coat.

“Oriental Medicine Doctor Go Min-hwa.”

He was tall, with a rugged face, and because his surname was Go, people called him “Gorilla.” There was a small photo attached to the corner of his ID badge case.

“Is that your girlfriend?”

I looked away from the ID badge and asked him.

“Min-hwa, you’re from Ho-yeon University, right?”

I remember hearing that Min-hwa went to the same university as Choi Jin-seong.

Min-hwa nodded, looking a bit puzzled.

“Then you were at school with Jin-seong… I mean, Senior Choi? What was he like as a student?”

“Uh… as far as I know… he was kind of an outsider, didn’t fit in, and even took a leave of absence…”

His tone was surprisingly soft for someone of his size. He seemed really shy, barely able to meet my eyes.

“Really? That’s unexpected.”

I thought about how Choi Jin-seong was always loud and bossy with the interns. A whole bunch of them had already been scolded by him for minor things.

It seemed like he was living a different life here, where not many people knew him. That realization made me feel a little sorry for him.

“Yeah, I was surprised too… He’s like a different person…”

“I see. So, is that picture your girlfriend?”

I asked, not thinking much of it, but Min-hwa’s face turned bright red, and he started lightly punching me.

“Oh no… It’s not… I couldn’t possibly… It’s ridiculous…!”

Geez, this guy’s got some strength. If this keeps up, I might end up with a broken arm.

I tried to calm Min-hwa down and continued talking to him.

“Then who is it?”

“You… you really don’t know? It’s Mika from “Purple Angel”!”

When I tilted my head in confusion, Min-hwa looked like his eyes were about to pop out of his head. Gone was his low, shy voice, and he started rattling off *Purple Angel*’s achievements like a machine gun.

“”Purple Angel”, Mika, Bree, Rafa, and Uri—they’re a four-member girl group. They’ve got the number one album sales, every song they release hits the top of the charts, and they’re insanely popular overseas too! They’re a global top-tier girl group!”

Uh, really?

Watching Min-hwa get so excited that his chest was heaving, he really did look like a gorilla.

Just then, one of the interns burst into the room, waving a piece of paper.

“Whoa, amazing! Did you guys see this? Dr. Lee Joon is…!”

He must not have realized I was there, because when he made eye contact with me, he stopped mid-sentence.

Dozens of curious eyes turned toward me and the intern.

“What is it?”

Encouraged by the expectant looks, he regained his confidence and finished his sentence.

“Dr. Lee Joon got featured in this week’s hospital newsletter!”

“Wow, really?”

“Let me see!”

Everyone crowded around, eager to look at the paper the intern had brought.

“Wow, “Employee of the Week”?”

Our hospital publishes a newsletter every week, placing copies in elevators and various spots throughout the building. It usually contains various hospital news, along with stories from the patient suggestion box, where particularly memorable compliments are highlighted.

It seems that Mr. Hwang Jung-hoon must have written a compliment about me. Even after receiving his stent procedure and thanking me several times, it looks like he felt that wasn’t enough.

“Oh wow, it says, ‘Thanks to Dr. Lee Joon, I was able to find out I had angina and get the procedure done in time.'”

“Dr. Lee Joon! Did something like this really happen? That’s amazing.”

“Why didn’t you tell us? If it were me, I’d have it written on my forehead and walked around!”

With that comment, everyone started chiming in with their opinions about me, and suddenly it turned into a full-blown “Lee Joon Review Session.”

“Don’t you think Dr. Lee Joon’s first impression is totally different from how he actually is?”

“Yeah, at first, he seemed kind of cold and unapproachable, but he’s surprisingly kind.”

“Seriously, I thought his eyes were about to start dripping honey when he was talking to a patient!”

All of them had started their internships in March, but I didn’t join the hospital until almost May, after finishing my public health service. Plus, there was a difference in our graduation years, so it seems they initially found me a bit intimidating.

I was somewhat aware of the atmosphere but didn’t realize they thought of me like that.

‘I didn’t know they saw me this way.’

As I stood there feeling a bit bewildered, one of the interns spoke to me.

“Dr. Lee Joon! You know that once your KIP (Keep in Place) period ends, the interns get a day off, right?”

“We’re planning a group dinner that day. You’re coming, right?”

“Hyung! It’s not like these opportunities come often. You’ve got to come!”

Wonil smiled warmly and casually slung an arm over my shoulder.

It seemed like they had already been planning the dinner among the closer interns and were now inviting me to join.

“Alright, I guess I’ll come.”

“Awesome~.”

Considering that we’ll be seeing each other for the next four years, it’s probably best to get along well with them. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the excited faces of the interns.

* * *

“Intern, get ready for the new patient rounds. The professor will be heading up in five minutes.”

That afternoon, I received a call from Choi Jin-sung, a third-year resident in the Acupuncture and Moxibustion department.

By now, after nearly a month in this routine, preparing for rounds had become second nature to me. I quickly gathered the necessary items onto a medical tray and waited at the entrance of the ward for the professor and the residents.

But after a while…

‘Why aren’t they here yet? They said they’d be here in five minutes.’

Just as I was checking my watch and wondering, the phone rang again.

“Intern, why aren’t you here?”

“Sorry? I’m waiting at the entrance of the ward for rounds.”

“Oh, no~. I forgot to tell you. This patient is in the VIP ward. Hurry up.”

His sly tone somehow sounded amused.

‘…This bastard didn’t tell me on purpose.’

Any sympathy I had felt for Choi Jin-sung earlier melted away like snow. I suppressed my frustration and ran towards the elevator with the tray.

As soon as I got in, I urgently pressed the button for the 12th floor.

The traditional medicine ward is on the 5th floor of the hospital, while the VIP ward is on the top floor.

‘But which room is it?’

In my rush, I hadn’t even asked for the room number. I stepped out of the elevator and vaguely looked around.

The VIP ward’s luxurious atmosphere was evident from the hallway’s interior design. Even the nurses’ uniforms and the overall vibe were different from the lower floors.

Then, I heard voices coming from a half-open room.

“Professor, can’t we do something by next week?”

“This illness isn’t that simple.”

A pleading female voice and a middle-aged man’s troubled response.

‘That’s Professor Kim’s voice.’

I hurried towards that room.

And then, I froze like a stone, shocked by the scene visible through the crack in the door.

First of all, the room was at least two or three times the size of a regular hospital room. The bed wasn’t the typical hard hospital bed but a plush mattress on a motion bed with a remote control. The view outside the window, overlooking everything below, was quite spectacular.

But what made my jaw drop wasn’t any of these things.

Beyond the sight of a woman with glasses and Professor Kim engaged in a serious conversation, sitting propped up against the headboard of the bed was…

‘The person I saw on Go Min-hwa’s ID badge earlier… Mika?’