Taeho gave instructions calmly.
“First, prepare a liver function test and set up plenty of IV fluids. Have Urso and silymarin ready too. Let’s also check for hepatitis virus antigens. We’ll decide on antiviral treatment after seeing the results.”
With his clouded mind, No Seongjin barely opened his mouth.
“Director…… Has my condition worsened again?”
“Your jaundice has worsened, so we’re taking measures now. Don’t worry.”
No Seongjin blinked with effort and fumbled around for his phone.
He wanted to check if the reply he had been waiting for had come.
He had spent days trying to change her mind. But in this condition, he shouldn’t hold her back.
He had promised that from now on, he wouldn’t be swayed by his father and would protect her…….
He didn’t want to make her shed tears because of a man named No Seongjin anymore.
She had already cried enough until now.
He had been too hasty.
He should have contacted her after his body had fully recovered.
He had been anxious that someone would take her during treatment. He had been too selfish.
He had wanted to give her only things to laugh about…….
He had wanted to make her happy…….
—Let’s just brea
No Seongjin couldn’t finish the text. Strength drained from his hand. The phone slipped and fell onto the blanket.
His consciousness faded, and his eyelids closed heavily.
While the IV fluids were being administered and liver protectants were being given, the blood test results arrived.
Taeho took the printed report.
AST 380, ALT 356, creatinine 3.8, total bilirubin 6.1…….
Taeho’s expression hardened.
His liver function had deteriorated rapidly. It seemed to have affected his kidneys too.
It appeared to be a drug toxicity reaction.
“We need to change the treatment approach immediately. Liver protectants alone aren’t enough, and initial symptoms of hepatic encephalopathy are suspected. Administer lactulose. We need to remove intestinal toxins first.”
At that moment, No Seongjin muttered as if talking in his sleep.
“……Ah. Don’t go. I was wrong. Don’t go.”
His eyes were slightly open, but they were unfocused.
Taeho immediately conducted a responsiveness test.
“Given the clouded consciousness and delayed responses, this is stage one hepatic encephalopathy. It could progress faster. First, put in a transfer request to the Samcheok Medical Center Liver Center.”
Bak Geumja flinched in surprise and asked back.
“Is this a condition requiring a liver transplant?”
“We can’t say for certain yet. But if it progresses to liver failure, we can’t afford to waste time.”
Taeho ordered Bak Yeonu to prepare the transfer records.
“Continue monitoring oxygen saturation and track changes in consciousness. We can’t measure blood ammonia levels right now, so we have to respond based on clinical observations.”
“Yes, Director.”
Even within his clouded consciousness, No Seongjin seemed to try to listen to Taeho’s voice, slightly raising his head before lying back down. His hand kept trembling.
Taeho looked at that hand and spoke.
“You will get better.”
***
At 5 a.m., No Seongjin’s condition began to stabilize thanks to rehydration and the medication administered in time. His breathing gradually lightened as well.
Taeho sat in the hallway outside the ward with an exhausted face. He held a cold cup of coffee, and traces of having kept a tight grip on his nerves all night were clearly visible on his face.
“Ungh……”
A groan came from the bed.
“Seongjin!”
Principal No, who had rushed over after being contacted at dawn, grabbed his son’s hand.
Taeho sprang to his feet and approached No Seongjin.
“Teacher No, are you alright?”
No Seongjin blinked with difficulty and looked around. His consciousness was finally returning properly.
“Director. ……What happened to me?”
“After taking the herbal medicine, your liver and kidney functions deteriorated simultaneously. Fortunately, the emergency response was quick, so you’re stable now.”
Principal No looked at Taeho and lowered his voice.
“Director. How could this happen…… We trusted you with him.”
Taeho bowed his head.
“This was an unexpected reaction even for me. The dosage was adjusted according to standards, and all the medicinal herbs used were verified combinations. Hyeolbuchukeotang and Boyanghwanotang are prescriptions whose safety has been confirmed through long clinical use.”
But he must have missed something.
Taeho pulled out the question he had been planning to ask No Seongjin when he woke up.
“Teacher No, you like exercising, don’t you?”
“Of course, it’s my job.”
“What kind of exercise do you do?”
“When there are triathlon competitions, I run, swim, and cycle, but usually I mainly did weight training.”
“Then you also took protein powder?”
“Of course.”
“Since when?”
“I’ve been taking it steadily since college.”
“How much did you take per day?”
“Before I got sick, I think I took it about four to five times a day to build my body.”
Taeho let out a sigh.
“So that’s why.”
“What do you mean?”
Principal No asked, looking anxious.
“Teacher No was already burdening his liver and kidneys with excessive protein intake. But then the herbal medicine was added on top of that, and his body couldn’t handle it. Simply put, it’s like an engine already at its limit being overloaded.”
Principal No’s expression turned desperate.
“Th-then what will happen to our Seongjin now?”
“It can’t continue like this. The existing herbal medicine treatment must be stopped. It’s dangerous while his kidneys haven’t recovered.”
“Then do we have to give up on treatment? Director. That can’t be. Please help us.”
Principal No clasped his hands in front of Taeho as if begging.
Taeho spoke carefully.
“We have to find another way.”
Surgical methods were out, and combining Western medicine with herbal medicine was also impossible.
How could he treat No Seongjin?
Taeho’s worries deepened.
***
“Cough, cough.”
The sound of coughing filled the room from early morning.
Taeho entered Hayul’s room, which was decorated cozily.
Gihwan sat beside Hayul’s bed holding a thermometer. Deep worry was etched on his face.
“How is he?”
“His fever is 38.5 degrees. His breathing is also a bit rough…….”
He had started coughing since yesterday, but overnight the symptoms worsened. Hayul lay buried in the blankets, limp and exhausted. His eyes, sunken after just one night, made the observer feel even more heartbroken.
“Hayul, where does it hurt?”
When Taeho asked gently, Hayul pointed to his throat with a tiny finger.
“Here…….”
“Then Uncle will give you medicine. If you take it, you’ll get better soon.”
Taeho took out a stethoscope and placed it on Hayul’s chest.
Rough breathing sounds and light rales.
It was bronchitis.
“We need to use antipyretics and cough medicine.”
Then Gihwan spoke hesitantly.
“But Hayul can’t swallow pills. We’ve tried several times, but he can’t swallow them. He cries just seeing a pill.”
Taeho met Hayul’s gaze quietly.
“Hayul, you don’t want to take medicine?”
Hayul shook his head and pouted his lips. His tearful appearance was both pitiful and cute.
“Then Uncle will give you a tasty liquid medicine. Don’t worry.”
Taeho went down to the clinic and rummaged through the medicine storage. There was cold syrup, but the bronchodilators that matched Hayul’s symptoms exactly were all in pill form.
Taeho called the pharmaceutical supplier.
“Do you have a pediatric bronchodilator patch? The salbutamol kind. I need it urgently.”
Two hours later, the medicine arrived.
Taeho tore open the patch packaging in front of Hayul.
“This is magic medicine. This medicine will help Hayul breathe.”
When Taeho held up the small, cute patch, Hayul’s eyes sparkled. He seemed curious.
“If you just stick this like a bandage, the medicine goes right in through the skin.”
“……Really?”
“Yeah. It doesn’t hurt at all. This is a special medicine only for brave children. Shall we stick it on?”
Hayul nodded cautiously. Taeho carefully attached the patch to the side of his chest.
Hayul carefully touched the patch with his fingertips.
“Hayul got the magic medicine on…….”
“Good job. Now this medicine will help you breathe easily and gradually cure your cough too.”
Gihwan also nodded as if amazed.
“It’s a transdermal absorption method.”
“Right. Medicine doesn’t always have to be taken orally or by injection.”
A thought suddenly came to Taeho’s mind.
What if herbal medicine ingredients could also be delivered through the skin?
It would be suitable for patients who had difficulty taking oral medication, and wouldn’t it reduce the burden on the liver and kidneys?
Leaving Gihwan to give Hayul the cold syrup, Taeho left the room.
“Rema, if herbal medicine ingredients are also delivered in a transdermal absorption form, what would the efficacy be?”
—Analyzing…….
—The molecular weight of typical herbal medicine ingredients is too large for transdermal absorption.
Taeho wasn’t disappointed and asked again.
“Isn’t there a special method? Like a gel form…… Hmm, microneedles! Right. What about a microneedle form?”
Rema searched the database and after a while, gave an answer.
—Using microneedles increases delivery probability to 70–85%.
“If it’s microneedles, it’s possible.”
Taeho’s heart raced.
“Rema, can we manufacture microneedles with the equipment at our R&D Center?”
—Geumsan Medical Research Institute’s 3D printers and precision processing equipment can produce microneedle patches.
—Estimated time required: 54 hours.
Taeho immediately called for Gihwan.
“Mr. Gihwan, I think we can deliver herbal medicine ingredients using microneedles.”
Gihwan said in surprise,
“Is that really possible?”
“Our equipment is sufficient. Needle length 0.2–0.5 mm, diameter 0.05 mm. Designed to reach only the dermis layer, and there will be almost no pain.”
“Oh, at that level there’s almost no skin irritation, and it would safely reach the dermis.”
“Exactly. Moreover, drug loss is minimized, and we can manage the concentrated extraction directly ourselves.”
“But how do you come up with all these ideas, Director?”
Gihwan clicked his tongue in admiration.
Every time they hit a wall in treatment, Taeho came up with brilliant ideas that surpassed existing medical common sense, which was truly amazing.
Until now, he had often been called a genius, but when he looked at Director Gang Taeho, it seemed the real genius was someone else.
“You’ll find a solution if you keep looking. How long will it take?”
“If all the researchers pitch in, one day for the herbal concentrate, one day for the mold, two days for assembly and testing…… A total of about four days.”
Taeho nodded.
“Good. When the researchers come in today, have them begin emergency development. Let’s develop a microneedle patch.”
***
As the automatic door opened, a woman in a neat business suit entered Geumsan Clinic.
Bak Geumja looked up over the reception desk, and her eyes instantly widened.
“Huh?”
Bak Geumja flusteredly sprang to her feet.
It was Minsu’s homeroom teacher, I Soyeong, who had appeared at the clinic without notice.
I Soyeong greeted her with a neat expression no different from usual.
“Hello, Minsu’s mother.”
“Teacher! Hello!”
Bak Geumja came out from behind the desk and hurriedly bowed. The nurses’ aides sitting at the desk, Bak Eunji and Bak Yeonu, leaned their heads together and whispered.
“Unni, who is that?”
“Minsu’s homeroom teacher…….”
Bak Geumja, conscious of her surroundings, cautiously asked I Soyeong.
“By any chance…… did our Minsu do something wrong?”
I Soyeong quickly waved her hands as if surprised.
“No, Minsu is doing really well. There’s no problem at all.”
Bak Geumja gulped. Her heart kept beating fast. The homeroom teacher’s face seemed somewhat unsettled.
Then what was this about?
“Then is our Minsu being bullied again? Still, these days his expression has brightened, so I thought he was doing well at school…….”
“No, that’s not it. The children in our class like Minsu so much.”
I Soyeong shook her head, smiling as if flustered.
Just then, Taeho came out of the treatment room and spotted I Soyeong.
“Teacher I Soyeong, you’ve come.”
“Hello, Director.”
I Soyeong bowed her head with a somewhat nervous expression.
Taeho gestured kindly.
“Please come this way. He must be waiting.”
“Yes?”
I Soyeong’s eyes widened in surprise.
Taeho smiled and spoke nonchalantly.
“Didn’t you come to see Teacher No Seongjin?”
“How did you……?”
I Soyeong couldn’t continue speaking, as if flustered. Her face gradually reddened as if her inner thoughts had been exposed.
Bak Geumja and the two nurses’ aides all gaped.
“……!”
“Then is she that person?”
“Wow!”
At that moment, the automatic door opened behind I Soyeong.
“Principal?”
In that instant, I Soyeong’s expression stiffened.
For the briefest moment, Taeho’s eyes gleamed sharply.