Taeho looked at the two of them and asked,
“Do you know what the problem was?”
Lee Chaerin and Kim Dohyeon glanced at each other and remained silent.
“The patient was frightened. Seeing two doctors argue over who would go first made the patient wonder if he was truly in a dangerous condition.”
Kim Dohyeon opened his mouth.
“I have no excuse for making such a basic mistake.”
“You know that the more urgent the situation is, the calmer you need to be. Your roles need to be clearly divided as well. If both of you try to do the same thing, efficiency drops, and the patient gets confused.”
Lee Chaerin nodded too.
“From now on, the person who arrives first will automatically be the attending physician, and the person who arrives later will serve as the assistant.”
“Good. What do you think, Dr. Kim Dohyeon?”
“Yes. I’m sorry. I’ll work hard.”
As Taeho sent the two of them out, he thought.
The problem was that both of them hated losing.
This time, it had only been a patient with simple musculoskeletal pain, so it was fortunate. But what if it had been a real emergency?
The worst-case scenario played out in Taeho’s mind. A cardiac arrest patient arrives, and the two of them argue with each other over who should take the lead.
In the meantime, the patient…
‘No, they wouldn’t be that incompetent.’
Taeho opened the résumés on his desk again. Both Kim Dohyeon and Lee Chaerin had impressive careers.
‘They must have been aces at their respective hospitals. They’re people used to being recognized.’
From the selection process onward, doctors go through an extremely competitive path.
Admission to medical school itself required breaking through competition among the top one percent of students. Once inside medical school, they had to compete fiercely again for the right to choose their specialty, and during residency training, they had to compete with their peers over who learned faster and who received better evaluations from professors.
In reality, many hospitals were troubled because doctors failed to cooperate while competing with one another, or neglected patients while showing off their own skills.
Both of them were used to being first, and they were in positions where accepting second place or an assisting role would be difficult.
‘How can I turn these two into a real team?’
Taeho’s worries deepened.
***
That afternoon, five men and women in suits visited the director’s office.
“You must be Director Kang Taeho. I’m Kim Seongcheol, managing partner at Kim & Partners Law Firm.”
A tall, dignified man in his fifties handed him a business card.
“This is Section Chief Park Yongman from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Middle East and Africa Bureau, Team Leader Lee Hwaseong from the National Intelligence Service’s Overseas Safety Division, and our legal team.”
“Hello. There are more of you than I expected.”
Taeho greeted them with handshakes.
Attorney Kim Seongcheol took out a bundle of documents with a serious expression.
“His Highness the Prince’s medical information is classified at a level comparable to state secrets. You’ll need to sign a confidentiality agreement first.”
A thick stack of documents was placed in front of Taeho. The contract was written in Korean, English, and Arabic.
“I’ll explain the main points.”
Attorney Kim explained them one by one.
“First, the list of the treatment team and the medical staff’s personal information are also subject to confidentiality. Second, all medical records related to the prince will be transferred to the royal family after treatment ends. Third, this case may never be mentioned in future academic presentations or papers.”
“That’s quite strict.”
Taeho said as he turned the pages.
“In return, if the treatment succeeds, the medical fee will be five billion won. In addition, the royal family has stated that they will donate ten billion won to Geumsan Samcheok Hospital as a development fund.”
Taeho’s eyes widened slightly.
As expected, an Arab prince operated on a different basic unit.
“Fifteen billion won?”
“Yes. They’ve also promised that the royal family will receive their regular annual health checkups at Geumsan Samcheok Hospital. They will also donate state-of-the-art medical equipment worth one billion won.”
Section Chief Park from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs added to Attorney Kim’s words.
“If you succeed, it will also include an exclusive partnership with the largest medical foundation in the Middle East. It could become a bridgehead for entering the entire Middle Eastern medical market.”
The terms were even more extraordinary than he had expected.
Taeho read through the contract carefully.
Most of the clauses written in tiny print were things he already knew.
But one phrase caught his eye.
Article 7 (Liability and Compensation for Damages)
① Party B (the medical team) shall bear liability for damages toward Party A (the royal family) in the following cases:
1. In the event of a medical accident caused by the medical team’s intent or gross negligence.
2. In the event of damage caused by medical practice that violates medical standards.
② The amount of compensation for damages under Paragraph 1 shall be capped at ten billion won (KRW 10,000,000,000), including direct damages, indirect damages, and diplomatic damages.
What was this?
If treatment failed or side effects occurred, the compensation for damages could be ten billion won?
Taeho put down the pen he had been holding and said,
“I can’t sign this contract.”
Taeho had already experienced being burdened with damages he could not handle because of a medical malpractice trial.
He was at the point where even the word “damages” was enough to give him trauma, so naturally, he could not sign a contract with content like this.
Everyone seated there—the Ministry of Foreign Affairs official, the NIS official, and the law firm employees—widened their eyes.
“May I ask why?”
“To be frank, is there any guarantee that I can cure an illness that hospitals like the Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins couldn’t cure in fifteen years? If I do my best and still fail to treat him, what happens then? Not only would there be ten billion won in damages, but diplomatic issues would arise as well…”
Attorney Kim Seongcheol flipped through the documents and replied,
“We have considered that part as well. First, the royal family is not demanding that you guarantee a complete cure. You only need to make your best effort.”
“What exactly does ‘best effort’ mean?”
“It will be sufficient if there is a written medical opinion from the medical team stating that diagnosis and treatment were carried out according to international medical standards.”
Section Chief Park from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs cut in.
“And even if treatment fails, compensation for damages applies only if medical malpractice is proven. A simple lack of treatment effect is not malpractice.”
“Then what cases would actually be a problem?”
“Cases where the patient’s condition worsens due to a medical accident, infection, drug side effects, and so on. Director, to be honest, medical malpractice isn’t exactly common, is it?”
But Taeho’s attitude was firm.
“Medicine is a game of probabilities. In a case where the world’s best hospitals have failed for fifteen years, demanding a one hundred percent success rate is medically impossible. If this clause remains, I’ll have no choice but to choose only the safest treatments. Then I won’t be able to attempt any innovative treatment.”
Attorney Kim proposed an alternative.
“Then how about taking out medical liability insurance? We’ll lower the amount to one billion won, in line with international standards.”
“No. If this clause remains, I can’t sign the contract. This isn’t just my problem. It’s a matter of trust in the entire Korean medical community. I think you’d be better off finding another doctor.”
Taeho did not back down a single step.
Attorney Kim Seongcheol’s face twisted slightly.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Attorney Kim took out his cell phone, went out into the hallway, and made a call.
A short while later, after ending the call, Attorney Kim turned on the video conference screen.
Interpreter Kim Sara appeared on the screen.
—Hello, Director Kang Taeho. His Highness wishes to speak with you directly.
A moment later, a young man in traditional Arab attire appeared on the screen. For a thirty-two-year-old, his face looked somewhat weary.
When he spoke in Arabic, Kim Sara interpreted.
—His Highness says that he understands reality well. After receiving treatment for fifteen years, his expectations for a complete cure have fallen considerably.
Taeho looked at the screen and asked,
“Then what does he want?”
—Pain relief. At the moment, the pain is bad enough that he cannot sleep at night, so he believes even a fifty percent reduction would be a great success. He says he has no intention of placing a burden on you, Director, so the damages clause will be deleted.
“Good. However, I’d like to present a few conditions of my own.”
At Taeho’s answer, Attorney Kim looked flustered.
“Conditions?”
“First, I will personally conduct a preliminary diagnosis, and if I determine that treatment is possible, we’ll begin full-scale treatment. If I see no hope during the initial diagnosis, please give me the right to politely decline.”
“That is…”
“Second, during the treatment period, if I determine at any point that it is medically dangerous, I must be able to stop treatment.”
Taeho spoke even more firmly.
“Third, if there is no improvement whatsoever, I will accept only the actual expenses as medical fees. I won’t accept the donation.”
Attorney Kim exchanged glances with the other officials.
“And lastly, if the treatment succeeds, please grant me the right to anonymize the patient’s information and present it academically ten years from now. It would be for the advancement of medicine.”
The prince on the screen said something in Arabic. Kim Sara interpreted.
—His Highness says those are reasonable conditions. He says he will accept them.
Attorney Kim made notes on the documents as he said,
“We will revise the contract to reflect those conditions.”
The contract was revised on the spot.
Taeho signed the revised contract.
***
The day before the prince’s arrival, Taeho visited the Samcheok Grand Hotel, which would serve as the prince’s lodging and a temporary clinic. The Samcheok Grand Hotel was a five-star hotel completed last year.
If this hotel had not existed, they would have had quite a hard time finding lodging for the prince.
After parking his car in the lot and entering, he found that the normally quiet hotel lobby had completely changed.
Security agents in suits were stationed here and there, and the hotel staff were moving busily with tense expressions.
“Director, please come this way.”
An employee from the United Arab Emirates embassy guided Taeho.
“I don’t see any other tourists.”
“Yes, we’ve rented the entire building from the first floor to the fifteenth.”
“The entire thing?”
“It’s necessary for security reasons. His Highness the Prince will be on the twelfth floor, the medical team on the eleventh, and the security team will be stationed on each floor.”
When they took the elevator to the twelfth floor, it was like a completely different world. State-of-the-art security equipment was installed throughout the corridors, and well-built Arab security agents were standing guard.
“Wow, this is like a spy movie.”
When Taeho let out an exclamation of admiration, the embassy employee grinned.
“His Highness Prince Faisal has visited Korea only once before. Even then, he only stayed in Seoul for a week. We don’t know how long he will be staying in Samcheok, so we have no choice but to prepare thoroughly.”
“This is His Highness’s suite.”
When the door opened, Taeho was rendered speechless. A spacious living room filled with expensive furniture, three bedrooms, a conference room, and even a terrace with an excellent view. It was like a small palace.
“A temporary medical facility will also be installed here.”
The embassy employee explained.
“As per the list you sent us, an electrocardiograph, ultrasound machine, portable X-ray, and even a defibrillator in preparation for emergencies will be brought in. Of course, all of them are brand-new.”
“It must have cost a lot.”
“The rental fee for the entire hotel is three hundred million won per day. On top of that, the installation of security facilities and medical equipment cost six hundred million won. But we haven’t even started yet. If you include the private jet operating costs and the lodging expenses for the fifty attendants, it will cost much more.”
The embassy employee, who had been explaining enthusiastically, subtly lowered his voice.
“And His Highness the Prince is not coming alone.”
“You mean his attendants?”
“No. Her Highness Princess Amira, the prince’s younger sister, is also coming with him.”
The embassy employee waggled his eyebrows as if he were telling Taeho an earth-shattering fact.