A little over ten minutes from Geumsan Clinic.
Taeho and Park Suhyeok turned into the alley. In front of the gate stood old Hwang Gyutaek, his face gone deathly pale.
“The boy was staggerin’ about, then just dropped flat like a felled tree!”
When they entered the house, a man in his mid-forties was in the middle of the living room, his upper body leaning against a chair.
Beside him, his elderly mother held on to her son with an anxious expression.
“Oh my. My son’s face is white as snow on Daegwallyeong.”
When they looked at the son, Hwang Geonho, he had regained consciousness, but his face was as pale as a dead man’s. Shallow, rapid breathing. Lips that looked faintly blue.
“I can’t… I can’t breathe… properly.”
Hwang Geonho spoke with difficulty.
Taeho immediately activated Bio Vision. The patient’s body began to take on various colors.
The area around his heart rippled with a dark, murky purple, while the region around his lungs was a blue so deep it was nearly black. The muscles of his arms and legs were tinged with a pale gray, showing his vitality slowly draining away.
‘Acute heart failure, and muscular dystrophy on top of that?’
The most serious sign was the deep red warning signal spreading out from his heart. Bio Vision was indicating a critical stage.
But Taeho did not make the diagnosis right away.
The patient’s elderly parents were both looking only at Taeho.
He had to give Park Suhyeok, who would need to establish himself at Geumsan Clinic from now on, the first opportunity.
Taeho began with the basic examination.
“Pulse 110, respiratory rate 28, blood pressure 140 over 90.”
Park Suhyeok nodded, then took out his stethoscope and listened to the heart and lungs.
“There’s a gallop rhythm in the heart sounds, and fine crackles in the lower lungs.”
Park Suhyeok asked the patient,
“When did the shortness of breath begin?”
“…About an hour ago. I was walking in the yard when my legs suddenly gave out and I sat down. That’s when I started getting short of breath.”
The possibility of heart failure accompanied by acute pulmonary congestion.
Park Suhyeok’s gaze sharpened.
Even without saying anything, Taeho could tell that Park Suhyeok was thinking the same thing.
“Oxygen mask first.”
At Park Suhyeok’s words, Taeho opened the portable oxygen tank.
“Mr. Geonho, we’re going to put the mask on you. Breathing should become much easier.”
Park Suhyeok checked that the mask was completely sealed against the patient’s face, pressing it down himself with his hand. It was an action that revealed his usual meticulous nature.
Once oxygen supply began, Park Suhyeok took nitroglycerin sublingual tablets from the emergency kit.
“You haven’t taken any erectile dysfunction medication within the last forty-eight hours, have you?”
“…No.”
Taeho immediately rechecked his blood pressure.
“140 over 90 is stable. It should be fine to administer it.”
“This will dilate your blood vessels and reduce the burden on your heart. Put it under your tongue and let it dissolve slowly.”
After administering the medication, Park Suhyeok did not leave the patient’s side. He checked the oxygen flow, not missing the slightest change in the patient’s breathing or expression.
From time to time, he calmly explained things to the family.
After giving the nitro, Park Suhyeok prepared 20 mg of furosemide IV.
The top priority was to administer a diuretic and reduce the fluid accumulated in the lungs.
“Right now, your heart is under strain, causing fluid to build up in your lungs. We’re reducing that burden with medication, so you should improve soon.”
After the administration, the two of them stayed by the patient’s side for thirty minutes, frequently checking his breathing, pulse, and blood pressure.
Hwang Geonho’s breathing gradually grew steadier, and the color began to return to his lips.
“It’s much easier to breathe now.”
Once the patient stabilized, Taeho noticed Park Suhyeok carefully observing Hwang Geonho’s arms and legs. His gaze moved between the patient’s muscles and the family members, as if he were analyzing something.
‘The professor seems to have found something…’
Taeho sensed it instinctively.
“Professor, what do you make of the patient’s condition?”
Park Suhyeok hesitated for a moment, then said,
“Hmm. I’d like to take a closer look…”
“Of course. Take as much time as you need.”
Encouraged by Taeho, Park Suhyeok began moving in earnest.
“Mr. Geonho, has anyone in your family ever had problems with their muscles or heart?”
Hwang Geonho’s mother answered for him from beside him.
“Oh my. How did you know that? They say my father started having a mighty hard time walking around fifty, and then passed away like that.”
Taeho saw Park Suhyeok’s eyes flash sharply.
‘He’s caught it properly.’
Park Suhyeok continued asking questions.
“Did any of your sisters’ sons have similar symptoms?”
“Now that I think on it, my older sister’s boy, the one she had after marryin’ off to Gangneung, couldn’t even stand from around thirty. Couldn’t move at all. Back then, we thought it was some other illness…”
Taeho watched as Park Suhyeok systematically identified the family history and nodded inwardly.
‘Even before, he used to emphasize how important it was to uncover the patient’s hereditary background.’
Park Suhyeok checked the strength in Hwang Geonho’s arms and legs one by one.
“Could you push with the tips of your toes? Good. This time, with your heels.”
The patient tried to move according to his instructions, but his muscle strength was markedly reduced.
So as not to interfere with Park Suhyeok’s diagnostic process, Taeho reassured the family.
“Don’t worry. The professor is examining him very thoroughly.”
“Of course. Yes.”
Hwang Gyutaek nodded again and again. At this point, he would have believed Taeho even if he said you could make meju from red beans.
It seemed Park Suhyeok had finished his diagnosis. After briefly exchanging glances with Taeho, he spoke in a voice filled with certainty.
“This is not simple heart failure. Judging from the family history and the pattern of muscle weakness, it appears to be Becker muscular dystrophy that has involved the myocardium as well.”
The family looked startled.
“B-Becker… What’s that?”
“It’s an X-linked hereditary disorder. Your mother or her sister is likely a carrier, and your maternal grandfather was highly likely to have had the same disease. It has affected the heart as well, which led to today’s emergency.”
Taeho nodded and said,
“Professor, that was truly impressive. I was only focused on treating the heart failure, but you identified the underlying cause as well.”
At Taeho’s words, the patient’s parents’ eyes widened, and they looked at Park Suhyeok again.
‘That gentleman must really be something. If our director says that much…’
Confidence returned to Park Suhyeok’s face.
Old Hwang Gyutaek asked,
“Then how should we treat it?”
“We stabilized him today with emergency care, but from here on is what matters. We’ll move him to the clinic observation room right away and monitor him overnight. We’ll perform an electrocardiogram, cardiac ultrasound, and blood tests, then make a medication plan tomorrow morning. He’ll need long-term management to protect his heart function and slow the progression of the muscle disease. And the entire family will need testing as well.”
Taeho felt pleased in his heart.
It was the moment Park Suhyeok shone completely in his area of expertise.
The next day. Hwang Geonho, who had safely made it through the night in the observation room, had also stabilized in his breathing.
And a new rumor spread through the village.
“You know the vice director at Geumsan Clinic? That fellow found out what disease the Hwang old man’s son had!”
“I heard he pinpointed the muscle disease from his mother’s side!”
“Our director’s skills go without saying, but they say that vice director’s no slouch either.”
“Of course. He’s someone our director went all the way to Seoul to bring here. How could he be ordinary?”
Nurse Park Geumja relayed this to Taeho.
“Director, it seems the residents trust Professor Park a great deal now.”
Taeho smiled and nodded. Park Suhyeok would be able to settle in well at Geumsan Clinic.
Thanks to that, Taeho could now focus on finding an emergency medicine specialist to work at Samcheok Medical Center.
***
Late afternoon after consultations had ended, in the director’s office at Geumsan Clinic.
Following Taeho’s command, Rema was searching through the medical staff database. On the holographic screen spread before Taeho’s eyes, profiles of emergency medicine specialists were densely listed.
“Rema, apply search filters. Among emergency medicine specialists, they must be in the top ten percent for patient-centered care evaluations and have at least six months of experience in overseas medical volunteering.”
-Searching…
The list shrank rapidly.
-Possibility of relocation to Gangwon region: low
-Fixed contract with large hospital: present
Even among the few names that remained, most had red annotations attached.
Then Taeho’s gaze stopped on one profile.
-Jo Hyeongjun
-Emergency medicine specialist
-Former mechanical engineering major; later re-entered medical school
-One year of volunteer experience with Doctors Without Borders
-Currently working at Seoul Gangseong Hospital
“Career, disposition, overseas experience… He seems like a perfect fit. The problem is whether we can bring him all the way to Samcheok.”
Taeho issued a command.
“Rema, analyze Jo Hyeongjun’s personal network. School ties and regional ties, of course, but also past workplaces and joint project history. Analyze everything.”
-Yes. Understood.
-Beginning network analysis…
Thin lines spread across the hologram like a web. With the name “Jo Hyeongjun” at the center, several names appeared around it in circles.
Taeho’s eyes stopped on one point.
One name was marked with a thick connecting line: Park Suhyeok. Beside it floated the annotation, “Family medicine clinical clerkship supervision (8 weeks), joint participation in overseas volunteer work.”
The corners of Taeho’s mouth slowly rose.
“This guy studied under the professor before. This might be possible.”
Taeho immediately went to the vice director’s office.
“Professor, are you busy?”
When the door opened, Park Suhyeok, who had been looking at patient charts on the computer, craned his neck.
“Oh. Director Kang. What is it?”
Taeho entered the consultation room and sat down in a chair.
“I’m currently looking for an emergency medicine specialist for Samcheok Medical Center, and I found someone interesting. A man named Jo Hyeongjun. Do you know him?”
Park Suhyeok recognized the name at once and smiled.
“Hyeongjun? Of course I know him. He was a student I supervised back when I was a professor of family medicine. We did an eight-week clinical clerkship together, and we also went on a volunteer trip to Africa once.”
“Then that’s perfect. He has skill, plenty of experience, and his disposition seems like a perfect fit for our team.”
“If it’s him, he’s reliable. He used to be in engineering, but he quit and entered medical school because of his mother, who had a rare disease. His mother passed away soon after he got into medical school, but… perhaps because of that, he was truly sincere when it came to patients.”
But as he spoke, Park Suhyeok’s expression gradually darkened.
“Hmm… But Taeho, there’s one problem.”
“What is it?”
“I heard Hyeongjun is already preparing to go overseas.”
“Overseas?”
“Yeah. He applied to Doctors Without Borders again, apparently. He’ll probably be redeployed to Africa around next month…”
Taeho’s expression hardened.
“Why is he trying to leave again?”
“He’s worn out by the reality of Korean emergency rooms, that’s all. They’re always going on about bed turnover rates and treatment efficiency… He said he couldn’t endure a system where numbers come before patients anymore.”
Taeho thought for a moment, then spoke as if he had made up his mind.
“Professor, the reason he wants to leave. I think we can solve it.”
“You’re going to persuade him?”
“Yes. If it’s here, he should be able to practice the real medicine he wants.”
Park Suhyeok looked at Taeho for a moment, then nodded.
“All right. Meeting him once wouldn’t hurt. I’m going up to Seoul this weekend, so I’ll try to arrange something then. However…”
“However?”
“It won’t be easy. Changing Hyeongjun’s mind won’t be easy. He may be the most difficult person you’ve tried to recruit so far.”
Taeho smiled.
“Then he’s even more worth the challenge.”