Chapter 57 – The Gentleman Who Studied in America (5)

Professor Watanabe’s research office.

Thanks to the emergency measures of Ji-hyuk and Yun-seok, and the late-arrived effective treatment of Professor Chung Ki-ryeo, the patient Kim Pil-sung was able to overcome the crisis.

“Dr. Kim Yun-seok, is it correct that the patient Kim Pil-sung took coffee?”

However, a patient with poor kidneys secretly drank a large amount of coffee. From the position of the doctor in charge, it was difficult to escape responsibility.

“Yes. It seems so. I am sorry, Professor.”

Kim Yun-seok could not lift his head.

“The surgery department people neglecting patients is always the same! Do you not know how dangerous it is for a patient with ruined kidneys to consume such an excessive amount of caffeine? There was no problem at all when he was treated in our department! Our internal medicine never commits such mistakes.”

Professor Watanabe scolded Kim Yun-seok with a scowl.

“I am sorry. It is my fault for neglecting the patient’s management.”

“This is a matter to be judged within common sense. Why do you not know that a doctor’s carelessness can decide a patient’s life?”

“I will pay more attention in the future.”

“Do not try to solve it with words. Just keep in mind that due to your single mistake, the patient’s condition worsened even further. A doctor must never make mistakes. Because that single mistake is directly connected to the patient’s life. You must keep this in mind again and again.”

“Yes.”

“Listen to my words clearly. Dr. Kim Yun-seok! Young talents like you must work 10 times, 100 times harder than others. With this war as an opportunity, my country, Japan, stands in a high place that your country, Korea, cannot reach. Do you think the downfall of Joseon was a coincidence? Do you think such a tragedy will never happen again?”

“…”

“Mistakes are also a part of one’s ability. If you live complacently as you do now, it will be impossible to catch up with Japan in the next 100 years. You must never forget even for a moment that bone-aching efforts are needed to avoid repeating Korea’s unfortunate history. Do you understand?”

‘This man! He genuinely cares for our country!’

“Yes, Professor! I will keep that in mind again and again!”

Kim Yun-seok repeatedly bowed his head to show respect to Professor Watanabe.

* * *

Surgical department office.

‘It’s not simply because of coffee! It is true that if a patient with poor kidneys suddenly drinks a large amount of coffee, it will naturally cause strain. However, that alone does not make the condition this serious. It absolutely does not lead to cardiac arrest! There must be some other problem. Where and how did the problem occur?’

Kim Ji-hyuk examined Kim Pil-sung’s medical record carefully.

However, since he could not find an answer easily, his worries deepened.

“…”

In the middle of that, something suddenly occurred to Kim Ji-hyuk.

‘Right! The rash on the chest!’

Kim Ji-hyuk found the lesion he had overlooked while taking emergency measures.

‘A rash was scattered on the chest, and the patient poured out sudden hematuria… What medication did they use for Kim Pil-sung?’

Kim Ji-hyuk rummaged through Kim Pil-sung’s medical record again.

“…”

Suddenly, he jumped up from his seat like a spring and immediately ran to Professor Chung Ki-ryeo.

Professor Chung Ki-ryeo’s research office.

“Professor, I have something to tell you!”

Out of breath—

Kim Ji-hyuk entered Professor Chung Ki-ryeo’s room panting.

“What is the rush?”

“No, it’s not that. Rather, I have something to ask you, Professor!”

“All right, all right. Take a breath after drinking this cup of water, and then explain it step by step.”

Trickle—

Professor Chung Ki-ryeo poured water into a cup and handed it to Kim Ji-hyuk.

Gulp, gulp—

Kim Ji-hyuk emptied the water cup in one breath.

“Professor! It’s about patient Kim Pil-sung!”

“I know, so speak slowly.”

“Even if a patient’s kidneys are not good, cardiac arrest doesn’t occur just because they drank some coffee, does it?”

“Hmm, that is true. So did you find something?”

“The red spots on the abdomen and chest!”

“Oh dear, I told you to speak step by step. What do you mean by sudden spots?”

“Based on the pit of Kim Pil-sung’s stomach, red spots were embedded above and below!”

“Hmm, couldn’t it be a simple skin disease?”

“Yes. That is true. But what if it isn’t a simple side effect? As a result of checking the medical record, there was no trace of Kim Pil-sung suffering from skin disease at all!”

“So? Keep explaining.”

Professor Chung Ki-ryeo began to show interest little by little.

“Moreover, the patient saw hematuria in the middle of emergency measures.”

“Hmm, I also know about that.”

“The important thing is, checking the medical record, he has complained of oliguria (a phenomenon where the amount of urine is extremely reduced) until now!”

“Oliguria?”

Professor Chung Ki-ryeo narrowed his eyes.

“Yes! If a patient who complained of oliguria suddenly sees hematuria?”

“Are you perhaps trying to say the wrong drug was used?”

Professor Chung Ki-ryeo narrowed his eyes even further and stared at Kim Ji-hyuk.

“The possibility is high!”

“What drug are you talking about?”

“Jeprodac! It seems internal medicine administered Jeprodac!”

Kim Ji-hyuk showed the medical record to Professor Chung Ki-ryeo.

“Isn’t Jeprodac a kind of cardiotonic? Isn’t it a general treatment to administer cardiotonics to a patient with a bad heart?”

Jeprodac!

It was a heart disease drug that Kim Ji-hyuk knew well.

Although its effect as a cardiotonic was outstanding, it was a drug that caused significant side effects.

Because the fatal disadvantages were more severe than the advantages, it was one of the heart disease drugs that was rarely used after the 1970s.

Those fatal side effects were precisely the red skin rash and hematuria.

“So Dr. Ji-hyuk’s words mean it is a side effect of the Jeprodac prescription?”

“Yes! Of course, Jeprodac is not a big problem for patients with good immunity, but for a patient like Kim Pil-sung whose immunity has dropped extremely, it can cause fatal side effects.”

“Hmm, that is highly possible. I have also seen the clinical trial report. Although the pharmaceutical company argues that it is not a big problem, it can definitely be dangerous for patients with weakened immunity. Especially for patients with poor kidneys, special attention must be paid! So your thought is that the Jeprodac prescribed by internal medicine was the problem?”

Professor Chung Ki-ryeo, while agreeing with Kim Ji-hyuk’s judgment, put emphasis on the internal medicine prescription.

“Yes! Although it is difficult to overlook the side effects of coffee, the fundamental cause is highly likely to be Jeprodac, Professor!”

“Hehe, then Dr. Kim Yun-seok was scolded by Professor Watanabe for nothing.”

“That was probably to raise awareness, wasn’t it?”

“No! If they scolded my kid like that, I must make them pay the corresponding price. Isn’t that so?”

Professor Chung Ki-ryeo smacked his lips with a strange smile on his face.

* * *

Kim Pil-sung’s ward.

Thanks to the dedicated treatment of Professor Chung Ki-ryeo, Kim Yun-seok, and Kim Ji-hyuk, Kim Pil-sung, who had recovered his body to some extent, was moved to a general ward.

“Dr. Kim Yun-seok, I have no face. This is all my fault. I heard roughly from the nurse that you went through a hard time because of this!”

Kim Pil-sung blamed himself for drinking coffee secretly from the attending physician.

“Yes! I was scolded quite a bit because of you. I almost got fired.”

Hehehe—

Kim Yun-seok smiled brightly.

“I am sorry! I am really sorry.”

“No, it’s a joke! It is fine. What’s done is done. You just need to be careful in the future.”

Kim Yun-seok slowly shook his head.

“I must have been out of my mind. Even though you requested it so much.”

“Yes. Thanks to that, you just need to keep in mind that you can never leave the ward.”

Kim Yun-seok smiled broadly.

“Of course. Tasting hell once is enough. I will never drink coffee again either.”

Kim Pil-sung swept his startled chest.

“I am not telling you never to drink coffee again. Get treated well, and once you become healthy later, drink as much as you want. You just need to be careful while you are here.”

“Oh my, the only one who thinks of me like this is you, Doctor.”

Kim Pil-sung gazed at Yun-seok with a distant look in his eyes.

“Since I am the doctor in charge. I must take responsibility for my patient.”

“Yes. My Ju-seong also wanted to become a doctor.”

“If it’s Ju-seong…”

“Yes. It is my dead brother’s name. How good would it have been if he had grown into a reliable doctor like you, Doctor.”

“I see.”

“Ah, right! Did you say you resemble my dead brother a lot, Doctor?”

“Yes. You said so.”

“Hahaha, looking at you now, the way you smile looks even more similar. If it is not rude, may I dare to think of you as my brother, Doctor?”

“Well. Do as you please. Isn’t it a fate if I resemble your brother?”

“Really?”

“Of course. I also wished I had a cool older brother like you. Someone to rely on.”

“I am not a cool person… Is this a dream or reality! Can I really do that?”

“Yes. Please be comfortable. Just use honorifics in public, and speak comfortably when the two of us are alone.”

Although he bragged a lot and was full of vanity despite having nothing, Kim Yun-seok felt a sense of compassion for Kim Pil-sung, who had no relatives and had lost even his brother during the war.

“Then shall I do that? Brother?”

Kim Pil-sung spoke comfortably with difficulty.

“Haha, the title of brother feels strangely ticklish.”

Kim Yun-seok scratched the back of his head.

“Can I ask my brother one thing?”

“Yes. Anything.”

“How much longer will I be able to live?”

“Hmm… With a very high probability, you will pass away within 100 years?”

“Hey, kid! Why do you make such a joke?”

“Since Professor Chung Ki-ryeo and other doctors are doing their best, you will live a long, long time if you just get treated well.”

“Thank you. But I know my body well. I probably won’t live that long. So… take this, brother.”

Fumble, fumble—

Kim Pil-sung opened the drawer, pulled out a yellow envelope, and handed it to Kim Yun-seok.

“What is this?”

“It is a contract if it’s a contract, and a promissory note if it’s a promissory note.”

“Pardon? A promissory note? What kind of promissory note?”

“I received it when I was in America…”

Kim Pil-sung began to explain the documents in the envelope in that way.

“So this is a promissory note written by an American named Sam Walton, right?”

“Yes. Sam is a friend I met at the University of Missouri where I went, and we became close because of his cheerful and humorous personality. Later, he borrowed 500 dollars from me to open a retail store.”

“500 dollars is a huge amount of money, isn’t it?”

“Haha, I had quite a bit of money back then.”

“Hmm, looking here, it says if he establishes a Ben Franklin store later, he will transfer 10 percent of the store’s shares to you, hyung?”

“Hahaha, that’s what I mean. This guy also brags quite a bit. He boasted that he would set up large retail stores all over the United States later. He said he would provide goods at low prices every single day. What was it? He blabbed about ‘Everyday Low Price’.”

“Hahaha, what is left if you sell goods cheaply every single day? Isn’t that the shortcut to ruin?”

“That’s what I mean! I was a fool to believe that guy Sam! Anyway, it might be useless for anything, but if you happen to go to America, make sure to visit Sam Walton. Who knows? This is all yours, brother.”

“Hehehe, yes, yes. If I happen to go study in America, I will make sure to look for him.”

“Do so, brother!”

Kim Pil-sung smiled brightly and held Kim Yun-seok’s hand.

‘Oh my, this man! He must have acted like a fool in America too. It’s 500 dollars! How can you just lend such a large sum of money?’

Kim Yun-seok shook his head and stuffed the promissory note given by Kim Pil-sung into his pocket.