The moment Taeho and Amira looked at each other, Faisal, who had been sleeping on the sofa, stirred and woke up.
“Mmm…”
Taeho and Amira hurriedly turned their heads in opposite directions.
Faisal sat up, covering his yawning mouth with his hand.
“What time is it? Doctor Kang, you’re here. You should’ve woken me, Amira. But what’s wrong with you? Is your fever coming back?”
“I’m fine. Ya akhi.”
“No, you’re not. Your face is red.”
Faisal got up and placed a hand on Amira’s forehead.
“Huh? You really are burning up.”
Faisal jumped in surprise. But the more he did, the redder Amira’s face became.
“Ya akhi, I’m fine…”
“No, your fever’s too high. Doctor, is Amira all right? It’s not a side effect, is it?”
“…She’s fine. Ahem.”
Taeho cleared his throat and stood up.
“She’ll be all right if she gets a good night’s sleep. Then please rest comfortably.”
Taeho quickly left the hospital room.
***
Taeho was in the director’s office, making plans for the afternoon rounds, when there was a knock at the door.
“Come in.”
Kim Mihyeon, the head of HR, came in holding a thick file. Her expression looked darker than usual.
“Director, there’s something I need to report.”
“What is it?”
Kim Mihyeon carefully placed the file in front of Taeho.
“It’s regarding Dr. Hwang Jiman in pediatrics.”
“What happened?”
“We’ve been receiving continuous complaints from patients’ guardians.”
Kim Mihyeon opened the file and explained.
“There have been fifteen in total over the past month.”
“Fifteen?”
Startled, Taeho looked down at the file. The contents of the complaints had been organized in dense detail.
[Summary of Complaints from Patients’ Guardians]
Kim ○○ (mother of a 4-year-old boy): I can’t understand what the doctor is trying to explain. He repeats the same thing several times, but it only makes me more confused.
Park ○○ (mother of a 2-year-old girl): The doctor seems unconfident, so it makes me anxious. He stammers and keeps saying “um” and “uh,” so I’m honestly not sure if he’s really taking proper care of my child.
Lee ○○ (father of a 5-year-old boy): The consultation takes too long. It was just a simple cold, but it took thirty minutes, so the waiting time became too long as well. I was only going to pick up the medicine and go straight back to work, but it was so frustrating.
Choi ○○ (mother of a 3-year-old girl): The doctor is so cautious that it actually makes me more anxious. He keeps saying things like “just in case” and “if by any chance,” and honestly, what are we supposed to do if the doctor himself doesn’t know?
...
Taeho continued reading as he turned the pages.
The complaints were similar. There were no issues with Hwang Jiman’s medical judgment or treatment direction. Most of them were complaints about his manner of communication.
“Were there any cases of medical error or misdiagnosis?”
“None at all. In fact, there are even evaluations saying his diagnostic accuracy and treatment plans are more meticulous than those of the other doctors. The problem is his communication style.”
“…”
“What should we do about Dr. Hwang Jiman? If we leave things as they are, I think it may affect the hospital’s reputation.”
Kim Mihyeon spoke carefully, watching Taeho’s reaction.
Taeho slowly nodded.
Fifteen complaints. Over two weeks, that meant complaints had been coming in almost every day.
“Does Dr. Hwang himself know about this?”
“I haven’t told him directly, but he’s probably noticed. He sees the patients’ reactions firsthand.”
Taeho recalled a scene he had seen a few days earlier.
It had been Friday lunchtime, and Taeho had happened to pass by. At a time when all the staff had gone to eat lunch, he had heard a voice coming from Pediatrics Examination Room 2.
When he looked through the crack in the door, Hwang Jiman was sitting alone, muttering something.
“Hello. I’m Hwang Jiman. How is your child feeling today?”
He was sitting across from an empty chair, practicing a conversation with a patient.
“Ah, no, that’s not it. Hm, hm. I need to say it more simply.”
Hwang Jiman started again.
“Hello, Mother. How was our baby? It must have been hard on you.”
Then he reviewed his own words and nodded. But soon, a hesitant expression crossed his face again.
“Tsk, this sounds strange too…”
Hwang Jiman was clearly a good doctor. He sincerely worried about his patients, and his medical knowledge was solid. He simply did not know how to convey that sincerity.
“Director?”
At Kim Mihyeon’s voice, Taeho opened his mouth.
“Let’s watch Dr. Hwang for the time being. I’ll meet him and talk to him.”
“But if the complaints keep coming in…”
Taeho spoke in a voice filled with conviction.
“Manager Kim, Dr. Hwang Jiman definitely has the potential to become an excellent doctor.”
“But realistically, the patients’ complaints are too severe.”
“Give me about a month.”
“A month?”
“Let’s see how much he changes. We can’t lose a good doctor like this. That would be a loss for the patients, for the hospital, and for Dr. Hwang himself.”
Kim Mihyeon still looked worried, but she nodded.
“Understood. Then even if new complaints come in, I’ll put them on hold for now.”
“Thank you. And Manager Kim.”
“Yes?”
“Please don’t tell Dr. Hwang directly about the complaints. I’ll let him know at the appropriate time.”
Kim Mihyeon organized the file and smiled as if she had no choice.
“You really are certain, Director.”
“Yes. That’s why I hired him.”
Taeho smiled lightly.
***
“Dr. Hwang, do you have time after work today?”
Taking advantage of a brief gap after a patient left, Taeho visited Pediatrics Examination Room 2.
“Uh, Director. Ah, time? Yes, I do.”
“Then how about a beer?”
Hwang Jiman stood up awkwardly, looking flustered.
“You mean… with me?”
“Yes. Would that be all right?”
“I’m fine with it, but you’ve been so busy lately, Director…”
“Just think of it casually. A senior doctor buying a junior doctor a drink.”
“Ah, understood.”
That evening, at a chicken restaurant near the hospital.
Two glasses of draft beer and one whole chicken sat on a small table. Hwang Jiman still looked awkward as he fiddled with his beer glass.
Taeho smiled and said,
“It looks good. Go ahead and eat.”
Taeho pushed the chicken toward Hwang Jiman.
“You should eat first, Director.”
When Taeho picked up a chicken leg and tore into it, Hwang Jiman also picked up a leg. As he took his first bite, there was a crisp crunch.
“Mmm!”
Hwang Jiman unknowingly closed his eyes and savored the taste.
“Is it good?”
“This place makes good chicken. It’s delicious.”
Hwang Jiman took another bite of chicken with a blissful expression.
Taeho laughed at his childlike expression.
“I heard this place was famous. It really is good.”
“I used to strictly keep to one chicken a day back in the past, but I haven’t been able to eat much lately.”
“Why not?”
Hwang Jiman cleanly stripped the meat from the chicken bone, then lifted his beer glass and drank deeply.
“It feels a bit empty eating alone.”
“Ah, really?”
“Yes. Chicken tastes best when several people are gathered together, making a lot of noise while they eat. When I go home from the hospital, I’m alone. I tried ordering chicken by myself and eating it while watching TV… but for some reason, it didn’t taste good.”
“Where is your family?”
“They’re in Busan. My parents… and my older sister’s family.”
Hwang Jiman said as he tore into a wing.
Taeho ordered another chicken.
“You can eat five more if you want, so take your time.”
“Yes. Hehehe.”
Hwang Jiman laughed as he downed his beer. Seeing how quickly his face turned red, it seemed he had a very low tolerance for alcohol.
“Actually, when I was back home, my older sister used to buy me chicken all the time.”
“Then you should visit often.”
“I can’t. Mm… I’m a bit embarrassed.”
Hwang Jiman’s voice suddenly grew quiet.
“Why are you embarrassed?”
“I’m still… hic… not a proper doctor. I only get complaints from patients…”
Hwang Jiman suddenly reddened around the eyes while eating chicken. It seemed he had been worrying over it quite a lot himself.
Perhaps because of the alcohol, his usual cautious demeanor was nowhere to be seen.
“My sister calls me all the time and says, ‘Our Jiman is doing well, right?’ But… ugh… I don’t know what to say. Hic.”
“…”
“My parents too… hic. They bragged to the whole neighborhood that they had a doctor for a son… If they saw me like this…”
With hands slick with oil, Hwang Jiman took another gulp of the freshly served beer.
Taeho said,
“Are you all right today?”
“Yes. Hehehe. Hic. It’s been so long since I ate chicken with someone else.”
“Then let’s eat together from time to time. When eating alone feels boring.”
Hwang Jiman’s face lit up.
“Really? Hic. That would be great!”
“But there’s one condition.”
“What is it?”
Hwang Jiman’s eyes widened.
Taeho smiled and said,
“Next time, tell me lots of stories about your hometown. About your sister and your parents too.”
“Yes! Hic. My sister is really such a funny person! But do they have yangnyeom chicken here too?”
“Shall we order yangnyeom chicken too?”
“Yes. Hehehe.”
Perhaps because he was drunk, Hwang Jiman was honestly revealing the emotions he usually kept pressed down.
“Directooor… Thank you so much. Hehehe. For buying me such delicious chicken… I really respect you, Director… You don’t know, do you? Hehehehe.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Why do you think I applied all the way here in Samcheok, where there’s nothing at a~ll, instead of staying in Busan…? It’s because I wanted to work under our Director Kang. Tae. Ho!”
“How did you know me?”
“Huh? You didn’t know? You’re freaking— no, no, no, I’m sorry. You’re suuuuper famous, Director…”
Taeho smiled on the outside, but inside, he felt bitter. For the naturally taciturn Hwang Jiman to chatter like this meant he did not usually have many people to talk to. It made Taeho realize that he must have been spending all this time lonely and alone.
“Eat comfortably.”
“Hic… It’s sho good. Direc’or. I looove you~”
Drunk, Hwang Jiman even started acting cute.
With a body as big as a bear’s, perhaps it was actually endearing.
Taeho chuckled and said,
“But is there really nothing difficult about treating patients?”
Hwang Jiman put down his beer glass, and his expression suddenly darkened.
“Mm… hic. There is.”
“What is it?”
“Every time I see a patient… ugh… I get so nervous. What if I’m wrong? What if I make another mistake?”
Hwang Jiman fiddled with his beer glass and blinked.
Taeho asked carefully,
“What made you start thinking that way?”
Hwang Jiman sat blankly for a moment, then his eyes suddenly filled with tears.
“During my first consultation, hic… something really terrible almost happened.”
“What happened?”
“It was a two-year-old baby. A pretty baby who smiled so brightly.”
Hwang Jiman put down the chicken and muttered drunkenly.
“That baby’s name was… hic. Seojun. He was coughing… and had a fever of 38.5 degrees. They were ordinary cold symptoms. When I auscultated him… hic. There were some slight crackles, but they weren’t that severe. The X-ray was ambiguous too…”
“Then it was a difficult case for differential diagnosis.”
“Yes. Ugh… But I spoke too confidently. I said it was just a simple cold, and that they only needed to give him fever reducers at home.”
Hwang Jiman’s voice trembled.
“But at dawn that day, his mother apparently ran to the emergency room crying. The baby couldn’t breathe properly, and his lips had turned blue.”
Hwang Jiman covered his face with his hands.
“When they took another X-ray, it was pneumonia. And it had progressed quite a bit… Hic. His oxygen saturation had dropped to 88%.”
Taeho nodded.
“Then he must have been hospitalized immediately for treatment.”
“Yes. Fortunately, he recovered with antibiotics, but… ugh… back then, the professor…”
Hwang Jiman suddenly raised his voice.
“Hey, you fucking idiot! The kid nearly died because of you! How can someone like you call himself a doctor? Quit right now!”
People at the nearby tables looked over.
Taeho’s expression hardened.
“The professor said that to you?”
“Yes. Hic. Since then, every time I see a patient, I hear that voice. What if I’m wrong again? What if something happens to this kid… Hoo…”
“So that’s why you started stammering.”
“Yes. Because I have no confidence.”
Hwang Jiman raised his head and looked at Taeho. Tears were gathered in his eyes.
“Really… hic… is it all right for someone like me to be a doctor?”