Lee So-young came to visit him in the hospital every day after work. After that, life returned to No Seong-jin’s face. His recovery speed also became astonishingly fast.
“Love really does seem to be the best medicine.”
Tae-ho muttered as he looked at the two of them.
“It really worked out for the best, didn’t it?”
Park Geum-ja also watched the two of them, the tip of her nose stinging.
The two nursing assistants were already arguing over where the wedding venue would be.
“It’ll definitely be the Samcheok Beach Resort wedding hall. The ocean view there is absolutely amazing…”
“What nonsense. Why would teachers get married at an ordinary wedding hall? It’s just expensive. They’ll do it at the Teachers’ Wedding Hall in Gyeongju.”
“Still, with the principal’s wealth, a resort wedding hall should be more than possible…”
“It’s not just about the cost. Teachers always get married at the Teachers’ Wedding Hall because of their reputation.”
Watching the two of them get so worked up over someone else’s wedding, Tae-ho and Park Geum-ja couldn’t help but smile.
***
Samcheok Medical Center. Imaging Room.
“All right, we’ll now begin the MRI scan to check your recovery.”
The radiologic technologist guided No Seong-jin into the MRI room. It had been six weeks since his subdural hematoma treatment had ended.
Today’s scan was the final hurdle for confirming a complete recovery.
Since Gumsan Clinic did not have MRI equipment, they had decided to come to Samcheok Medical Center for the checkup.
Tae-ho and Principal No sat quietly in the outpatient waiting room of the radiology department.
His progress so far had certainly been good. But until the last thread of doubt was removed, they could not truly feel at ease.
Twenty minutes later, the imaging results came out.
“Does this even make sense?”
Yu Si-hyeok, the head of neurosurgery, stared at the MRI images with an expression of disbelief.
Principal No asked in a frightened voice.
“Is there some kind of problem?”
“No, it’s not a problem… It’s the opposite. The subdural hematoma has completely disappeared. Without a trace.”
Chief Yu Si-hyeok checked the images once more.
The entire brain was clean. The hematoma that had been pressing on the motor cortex just six weeks ago had vanished completely.
“How on earth was such treatment possible without surgery?”
Chief Yu Si-hyeok asked, looking at Tae-ho. As a neurosurgeon, it was a result he simply could not understand.
Tae-ho calmly explained the treatment process.
Yu Si-hyeok shook his head in admiration.
“A microneedle patch… How did you even come up with such an idea?”
“It’s a technology developed by our R&D center.”
Tae-ho smiled faintly.
Looking at Tae-ho, Chief Yu Si-hyeok felt something beyond admiration—a wall.
To possess that level of skill and resourcefulness at that age.
When it came to treating a patient, he did not shy away from bold and novel methods.
What kind of person would Kang Tae-ho become in the future?
He had a feeling that Tae-ho might become a global medical innovator, far beyond the Korean medical field.
Just then, No Seong-jin came out of the imaging room. A bright smile was spread across his face.
“Father! Director!”
No Seong-jin approached with a healthy gait. He looked completely different from when he had been moving around in a wheelchair not long ago.
No Seong-jin bowed deeply to Tae-ho.
“Director, thank you so much for saving me.”
“Not at all. I only did what was natural as a doctor.”
Tae-ho smiled pleasantly.
Rema announced in a voice that could not hide its excitement.
-Kang Tae-ho has developed the groundbreaking treatment method known as the microneedle patch and succeeded in treating a highly difficult subdural hematoma case with a complete recovery probability of less than 10%.
-This will become a turning point in global medicine, shaking the existing surgery-centered treatment paradigm.
-In recognition of your contribution to medical innovation for humanity, the following rewards will be issued.
-Innovative Treatment Success Reward: +500 coins
-Current total coins held: 2,530 coins
It was certainly a higher reward than usual.
So now I have 470 coins left until Silver grade?
Tae-ho smiled once more in anticipation.
***
Exactly two weeks had passed since No Seong-jin’s complete recovery was officially declared.
Tae-ho was looking at his monitor, checking one email after another as they poured in from various countries. Even though he had gotten used to it, each time it still felt new.
“Director, there’s another call from overseas.”
Park Geum-ja knocked and came in. She still wore an expression that said she could hardly believe what was happening.
“From where?”
“This time, they said it was Summit Medical Research Institute. I barely managed to get their phone number. Whew, I guess I need to start studying English again. Who knew we’d get this many calls from abroad?”
Tae-ho gave a small laugh.
These calls had already continued for a week. After No Seong-jin’s recovery case was published in Nature Medicine, the international medical community had quite literally been abuzz.
‘Complete Cure of Cerebral Hematoma Through Innovative Transdermal Absorption Therapy’
‘A New Paradigm in the Fusion of Eastern and Western Medicine’
‘A Medical Revolution Born in a Local Clinic in Korea’
It would probably be a gust of wind that swept through briefly and passed, but even quite renowned hospital research institutes were flooding them with consulting proposals.
That was because many media outlets were covering Gumsan Research Institute and Gumsan Clinic.
Just then, the door opened again.
Seong Gi-hwan entered with a thick file folder in his arms. His eyes were burning with excitement.
“Director, we received contact from the Max Planck Institute in Germany. They say they want to try applying the microneedle patch technology to cancer treatment. They even sent a joint research proposal.”
Surprise flashed through Tae-ho’s eyes as well. It was because of the Max Planck Institute’s international standing.
“Gi-hwan, congratulations. Now your name will become known all over the world. Not as a genius of the past, but as a genius who is still actively working today.”
Gi-hwan smiled bashfully.
“It was all your idea, Director. I only made it with the researchers.”
“It’s true that you’re a genius, Gi-hwan. Even if I gave the idea, how many scientists could actually make it so quickly?”
After receiving praise from Tae-ho, bright joy appeared on Gi-hwan’s face. Then he soon scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
Bzzzz—
Tae-ho’s cell phone rang. It was Chief Lee Jun-beom of Mount Sinai.
“Chief, hello.”
-Dr. Kang, it’s been a while. I called to share some good news.
Chief Lee Jun-beom’s voice was especially bright.
Seeing Tae-ho answer the call, Gi-hwan tactfully left the office.
Tae-ho sat down in his chair and continued the call.
“How is Jun-ho doing?”
-He’s become a completely different person. His SSPE symptoms have almost disappeared, and these days he’s preparing a new project. He’s insisting that when he holds an exhibition in New York, he’ll invite everyone from Gumsan Clinic.
“Hahaha. If that happens, everyone will be delighted.”
-It’s all thanks to you, Dr. Kang. On the day Jun-ho was discharged, his whole family was in tears. Thank you sincerely.
“I’m the one who’s grateful if he’s recovering well.”
Tae-ho smiled in relief. Lee Jun-ho’s recovery meant more to him than just a successful treatment. It was because it had healed, to some extent, the deep wound left by the failure of Jang Yun-a’s treatment.
Chief Lee Jun-beom seemed to hesitate for a moment before bringing up something unexpected.
“By the way, Dr. Kang. Do you have any experience in tropical medicine?”
“Tropical medicine? No, I don’t… Why do you ask?”
Tae-ho asked back, sounding puzzled.
A brief silence.
The laughter that followed from Chief Lee Jun-beom sounded somehow awkward.
“Ah, it’s nothing. It just suddenly came to mind. Haha. It doesn’t mean anything.”
He’s hiding something.
Tae-ho’s intuition told him so.
“Please give Jun-ho my regards. And tell him to come visit Gumsan Clinic whenever he comes to Korea.”
“Yes, I’ll be sure to tell him. Then, I’ll be going…”
The call ended. Tae-ho slowly lowered his phone, feeling strangely unsettled.
Tropical medicine, out of nowhere?
***
“Director! Come out and watch the news!”
Park Geum-ja shouted urgently.
Wondering what was going on, Tae-ho hurried out to the waiting room.
“What news?”
“Ah, well, they’re talking about you, Director.”
The wall-mounted TV in the waiting room was in the middle of a news broadcast.
-…Gumsan Clinic, a small rural hospital in Samcheok, Gangwon Province. But the reality of this hospital is not all that it appears to be. This small rural hospital is now drawing the attention of the international medical community. It is because of the microneedle patch treatment method developed by Director Kang Tae-ho. This innovative treatment method…
The screen alternated between exterior shots of Gumsan Clinic and Gumsan Research Institute. Then came footage of Tae-ho treating patients, followed by scenes of Tae-ho giving instructions to Seong Gi-hwan and the research team at the institute and immersing himself in research with them.
“Director, you look really good on camera!”
Park Geum-ja smiled brightly, delighted.
The two nursing assistants agreed as well.
“You really look like the main character of a medical drama.”
“Agreed. You look so cool.”
Tae-ho crossed his arms and smiled. More than anything, it was a major achievement that Gumsan Research Institute was now receiving attention both domestically and internationally. The range of things Gumsan Research Institute could do in the future would only grow larger.
-…World-renowned medical institutions such as Northbridge Medical Research Institute and Sierra Life Sciences Center are proposing joint research. Gumsan Clinic, a small giant, is raising the status of Korean medical technology in this way. Now, for international news. The U.S.-China trade conflict appears to be expanding into the African region…
The reporter’s segment ended, and the news soon moved on to the next topic.
“Ah, that was too short. They filmed for half a day, and it was less than five minutes… I only got three seconds of the back of my head.”
Park Yeon-ji glared at the TV in disbelief.
-…In the West African region, economic cooperation between nations is actively underway, but at the same time, political instability is also growing.
The screen had now changed from Gumsan Clinic to a map of Africa.
-In particular, tensions are rising among member states of the Economic Community of West African States, including Gambia, Mali, and Guinea-Bissau. Some predictions now say that if this continues, military conflict cannot be ruled out…
-This region is known to have been stabilized under the leadership of President Ibrahim of Gambia, so why such events are suddenly unfolding…
“Tch, African news that has nothing to do with us is longer than the report on Gumsan Clinic. Next time a broadcasting station reporter comes to cover us, I’m not giving them any drinks.”
Park Yeon-ji grumbled.
The news continued in the waiting room, but everyone scattered back to their own places.
***
“You’re patient Kim Jeong-hun, correct?”
“That’s right.”
Kim Jeong-hun, a man in his late thirties, had a rather pale complexion. The dark circles under his eyes stood out, and even as he sat in front of Tae-ho, he kept massaging his leg with one hand.
“Where does it hurt?”
“It started about three months ago. At first, the tips of my toes were tingling, but it kept getting worse, and now it’s hard to walk.”
Even as Kim Jeong-hun spoke, he kept rubbing his hands together.
Tae-ho glanced at him and asked.
“Do your hands hurt too?”
“Huh? Ah, yes. It started at the tips of my fingers, and now the tingling goes all the way up to my forearms. It’s especially bad at night when I’m trying to fall asleep.”
Tae-ho carefully studied the patient’s expression.
It seemed like peripheral neuropathy, but something about it felt subtly off.
It did not look simple.
First, tests.