Geumsan Samcheok Hospital executive meeting.
Director Kang Taeho sat at the head of the table, and Honorary Director Kim Byeongjo took the seat to his right. The hospital’s key executives sat along both sides of the table.
Planning Director Lee Jeonghun, General Affairs Manager Park Sangcheol, HR Manager Kim Mihyeon, Chief of Surgery Yu Sihyeok, and Nursing Director Lee Miseon. Every one of them wore a grave expression.
Taeho opened the meeting.
“Now, I believe everyone knows why we’ve gathered today. Director Lee, please brief us on the issue of reinforcing our medical staff.”
Planning Director Lee Jeonghun opened his materials and spoke.
“At present, our hospital is short seven doctors. To be specific, we’re short one in internal medicine, one in surgery, and we need at least two more in emergency medicine. We’re also short one each in family medicine, pediatrics, and neurology.”
Since it was a problem most of them already knew about, everyone listened while nodding.
“The particular problem is night duty. Because we’re short on doctors, the number of duty shifts per person has increased to eight or nine times a month. Normally, it should be around four or five times a month. If this situation continues, there’s a high possibility that even our current doctors will leave. In fact, I’ve heard that Dr. Park and Dr. Lee are already considering changing jobs.”
Lee Jeonghun ended his report with a sigh.
General Affairs Manager Park Sangcheol added,
“The lack of young doctors is especially a problem. We have a fair number in their forties and above, but doctors in their thirties or younger can be counted on one hand.”
Chief of Surgery Yu Sihyeok said,
“It’s the same at nearby Gangneung Medical Center. I hear it’s almost impossible to find doctors in Yangyang and Sokcho as well.”
The shortage of medical personnel was a chronic problem that grew more serious the farther one moved from Seoul.
Nursing Director Lee Miseon nodded and spoke.
“The nurses have been struggling lately too. After our hospital opened, the number of patients increased sharply compared to when this place was the old Samcheok Medical Center. But because we don’t have enough doctors, the workload has increased, and that’s creating a vicious cycle where even the nurses end up quitting.”
“Shouldn’t we bring in doctors even if we have to raise salaries drastically?”
Honorary Director Kim Byeongjo let out a deep sigh.
Planning Director Lee Jeonghun tapped at his calculator as he spoke.
“I heard Gangneung Medical Center raised salaries by more than double this time. Even so, they said there still weren’t many applicants.”
“Considering our hospital’s financial situation, doubling salaries is too much. The deficit will snowball.”
General Affairs Manager Park Sangcheol voiced his opposition.
Everyone looked troubled.
At that moment, Taeho quietly opened his mouth.
“Let’s post the recruitment notice while keeping the salaries as they are.”
For an instant, the conference room fell silent. Every gaze focused on Taeho.
Planning Director Lee Jeonghun spoke in bewilderment.
“Director, what do you mean by that? Other hospitals can’t get anyone even after offering several times more money.”
“It’s unrealistic. There are plenty of hospitals in Seoul. Who would go out of their way to come all the way to the countryside in Gangwon Province?”
General Affairs Manager Park Sangcheol also shook his head.
HR Manager Kim Mihyeon spoke cautiously.
“Director, I’m sorry to say this, but shouldn’t we look at reality?”
Taeho answered calmly.
“I am looking at it realistically. But money isn’t everything.”
“What does that…”
“Interest in our hospital has been rising recently. There’s more than enough possibility that good medical staff will come.”
Planning Director Lee Jeonghun snorted.
“Director, how many people could that possibly be? One or two? We need seven right now.”
“Let’s try it first, then judge.”
There was strength in Taeho’s voice.
General Affairs Manager Park Sangcheol said in frustration,
“Director, aren’t you being too optimistic? Reality isn’t that easy.”
“In my opinion…”
“Realistically…”
“Doctors these days…”
The conference room grew noisy as everyone began voicing their own opinions.
Taeho lightly tapped the table and stood up.
“Everyone, I am the director of this hospital.”
The atmosphere in the conference room instantly grew tense. Taeho’s voice was stiffer than usual.
“We will keep salaries at their current level and post the recruitment notice. Let’s look at the results in two weeks and discuss it again then.”
Planning Director Lee Jeonghun objected one last time.
“Director, what will you do if no one comes after two weeks?”
“At that time, I’ll take responsibility and find another way. But for now, we’ll try it my way.”
Taeho answered firmly.
HR Manager Kim Mihyeon asked carefully,
“Then how should we word the recruitment notice?”
“Post it plainly. Something like, ‘Geumsan Samcheok Hospital is recruiting medical staff to work with us.’”
“Director, if we do it like that, truly no one will come.”
General Affairs Manager Park Sangcheol shook his head.
Taeho spoke with confidence.
“Manager Park, trust me. They will come.”
Department Head Yu Sihyeok asked, puzzled,
“Director, do you perhaps have some special plan?”
“You’ll find out soon.”
Taeho smiled ambiguously.
Honorary Director Kim Byeongjo leaned toward Taeho and whispered,
“Director Kang, are you truly certain?”
“Yes, Director. Please leave it to me.”
Taeho nodded.
After the meeting ended, the executives left one by one, murmuring among themselves.
“Isn’t the director being too optimistic?”
“What if no one comes in two weeks?”
“It does seem like he has some kind of plan…”
Lema’s voice sounded.
—Kang Taeho, are you really confident?
‘Of course.’
Taeho left the conference room with a smile. In two weeks, everything would become clear.
***
At 11:30 that night, Song Mira took a sip of coffee and typed the final sentence.
“During the three days I observed Director Kang Taeho’s consultations, this reporter realized that medicine is not merely a science, but an art. At his fingertips, patients were reborn not as mere cases, but as precious lives, one by one.”
“Hoo…”
Song Mira rolled her stiff neck and exhaled deeply. It was a long article of over thirty thousand characters.
Her cell phone rang. It was the editor-in-chief.
—Song, did you finish the article?
“Yes, I just finished. I’ll send it to you by email now.”
—What did you use for the headline?
“I went with, ‘The Sherlock Holmes Who Diagnoses in Five Seconds—There Is Something Special About Director Kang Taeho of Geumsan Samcheok Hospital.’”
Kim Cheolsu’s voice trembled with excitement.
—Oh, the headline grabs you right away! Is the content just as impactful?
“I’m confident. Choi Jinsu shot the video well too.”
—Then we’ll run it as the top front-page article tomorrow. Let’s release it online at 6 a.m. at the same time.
“Understood.”
Song Mira smiled.
After hanging up, Song Mira sent Choi Jinsu a message.
—They say it’s tomorrow’s top front-page article! Get the video ready too.
—Awesome! The edited YouTube version is done too. I think the views are going to explode. lol.
The reply came immediately.
“Of course.”
Song Mira smiled quietly.
The next morning at 6 a.m.
Song Mira sat in front of her computer without having slept properly. She wanted to see the exact moment the article went online for herself.
When she hit refresh, the article finally appeared on the main page.
[Exclusive] The Sherlock Holmes Who Diagnoses in Five Seconds
—There Is Something Special About Director Kang Taeho of Geumsan Samcheok Hospital
“All it takes is one look at a patient’s hands to see their medical history.”
The video shot by Choi Jinsu was posted beneath the article as well. It was the scene of Taeho accurately diagnosing Song Mira’s plant allergy.
“Now, it begins.”
Song Mira murmured.
The first ten minutes were quiet. It was still too early for people to be awake.
At 7 a.m., as more people started looking at their smartphones on the subway during their commute, the views began to soar rapidly.
One thousand…
Five thousand…
Ten thousand…
At 8 a.m., the views surpassed thirty thousand.
Comments began to appear.
[Fantastic 20XX.09.15 08:12]
—Is there really a doctor like this? It’s like a movie.
[DoctorsAreTrash 20XX.09.15 08:15]
—lol Isn’t this fake? Reporters exaggerate way too much these days.
[InternistKim 20XX.09.15 08:18]
—I’m a practicing doctor, and this level of observation is entirely possible. Still, he’s an impressive doctor.
At 9 a.m., the article began being shared on “MediCircle,” an online community for medical professionals.
—[Repost] Is this article real? “The Sherlock Holmes Who Diagnoses in Five Seconds”
The comments exploded.
—[EmergencyMedicine_3rdYear] Wow… how do you even develop observational skills like that? I’m jealous.
—[InternalMedicineSpecialist] I watched the video, and it really is amazing. He diagnoses a plant allergy just by looking at her fingernails.
—[MedStudent_4thYear] I want to become a doctor like thatㅠㅠ
—[Surgeon] Does he have some kind of special know-how? But where is that hospital?
***
At 10 a.m., Geumsan Samcheok Hospital.
Taeho finished his morning rounds as usual and returned to his consultation room. For some reason, every staff member he passed in the hallway looked excited.
Nurse Go Hayoung asked in an excited voice,
“Director, have you seen the internet?”
“The internet? What happened?”
“The article written by Reporter Song Mira! The article about you is on the main page of the portal site!”
“Is that so?”
Hayoung thrust her smartphone toward him. On the screen, alongside his own photo, the title “The Sherlock Holmes Who Diagnoses in Five Seconds” appeared in large letters.
Taeho read through the article.
—Director Kang Taeho identified the exact cause of the allergy just by looking at the fine traces of soil beneath the patient’s fingernails and the plant powder on her sleeves. It was like watching Sherlock Holmes make a deduction.
Bringing up Sherlock Holmes seemed a bit much, and his face even felt slightly hot…
At that moment, Lema’s voice sounded.
—Taeho, the impact of the article is far greater than expected.
‘How big is it?’
—It has currently surpassed 150,000 views, and social media shares are increasing explosively. It is becoming an especially hot topic among medical professionals.
“It’s going well. Exactly what I wanted.”
Taeho smiled faintly.
Public health doctor Lee Junho saw Taeho from the end of the hallway and ran over.
“Director! Did you see the article? It’s incredible! They say your article has two hundred thousand views!”
“Dr. Park, calm down.”
“Huh? Yes. But they say the hospital phones are on fire right now! Patients are calling to ask about appointments. Oh, and apparently several doctors have called too!”
“Doctors?”
“Yes! Actually, a few of my medical school classmates asked me about it today too. They asked what our hospital was like.”
“I trust you spoke well of us.”
“Of course.”
Lee Junho grinned.
The staff members he encountered here and there were all wearing excited expressions as well.
“To think we’d become this famous right after opening…”
“I know. It seems like a lot of patients will come, doesn’t it?”
Taeho sat in the director’s office, drank coffee, and read the article once more.
Song Mira had written it in a truly moving way. She had portrayed him almost like a saintly doctor devoted solely to saving patients.
‘It’s a little embarrassing, but this isn’t bad at all.’
—An analysis of the current situation indicates that it is very positive. In the eight hours since Reporter Song Mira’s article was published, online search volume related to medical staff has increased by 340 percent, and searches related to “Geumsan Samcheok Hospital recruitment” and “Samcheok doctor job openings” have surged in particular.
—More interestingly, analysis of the social media activity patterns of doctors at major Seoul hospitals shows that mentions of burnout-related keywords have increased by 23 percent over the past six months. This is a signal that they want a change in environment.
—According to my calculations, there is an 87.3 percent probability that at least twelve applications will be received within seventy-two hours. Of those, I estimate that roughly eight to ten people will actually be available for interviews.
Taeho smiled and murmured,
“Lema, your calculations are wrong.”
—Pardon? Which part is incorrect?
“It won’t be twelve. More will come. Far more.”