Chapter 6 – Becoming Ike’s Savior (2)

The hospital cafeteria.

“Hahaha, look here, General Van Fleet! How does it taste?”

After gulping down a whole bowl of seaweed soup, Eisenhower asked General Van Fleet beside him.

“Although the slipperiness in the mouth is a bit bothersome, it tastes quite good, Your Excellency.”

“Right? I think just eating one bowl of this would make my stomach feel full. I normally don’t eat meat boiled in water, but this is strangely savory. What is this savory taste, Doctor?”

“It is sesame oil. It’s oil made by pressing sesame seeds. It is rich in unsaturated fatty acids and is extremely good for blood vessels. In particular, it should be a good food for you, Your Excellency.”

“Ah! You know that my cardiovascular health is poor too?”

‘In a few years, you will undergo myocardial infarction surgery. Eat plenty of seaweed soup and take care of your cardiovascular health. Then, you might be able to avoid that crisis.’

“Seeing that you sweat often and your face quickly turns pale, it seems your cardiovascular health is not good. Once you return to the US, receive steady treatment along with an examination for that, Your Excellency.”

“General Van Fleet! Isn’t this young doctor truly amazing? Isn’t it wonderful how he points out exactly where I am sick just by looking at my face?”

Eisenhower raised his thumb toward Kim Ji-hyuk.

“Your Excellency, your health is a crucial matter that can decide the fate of our soldiers and, furthermore, the entire United States. It would be trouble if information leaked, so please exercise self-restraint. Besides, blindly trusting the words of such a doctor is also……”

“Would you say the same if the doctors standing over there, rather than a Korean doctor, had spoken?”

Ike stared at Van Fleet and gestured toward the Swedish doctors with his chin.

“Ahem, it’s not that……”

Van Fleet blushed.

“The reason I rose to my current position despite having numerous seniors is not because I am outstanding.”

“…….”

“Since the old days, I have never been particularly good at anything. I didn’t have great physical stamina like others, nor did I have outstanding planning skills; I was just an ordinary person. However, just one thing. I possessed a good ear that those people did not have. It is because of these big ears that I can be in this position.”

“Yes, General.”

“The young Korean doctor’s diagnosis was accurate. He diagnosed it as if looking inside my body. But does it make sense to ignore his words simply because he is a Korean doctor?”

“I apologize, Your Excellency!”

Van Fleet quickly bowed his head.

“I am not rebuking you, Commander, but praising that Korean doctor. So even after I return to the US, I want the Commander to support this young man with all your heart so that he can properly train in medicine. The war will end soon. Won’t the medical system be more important than anything else then? Once those gentlemen return to their own countries, this land will have to be entirely the responsibility of these young doctors.”

Eisenhower winked at Kim Ji-hyuk.

“Yes. I will do so.”

Van Fleet followed Eisenhower’s words without a single complaint.

A moment later,

After enjoying the seaweed soup, Eisenhower called Kim Ji-hyuk to his quarters.

‘Perhaps this behavior of mine will trigger a butterfly effect, causing a massive ripple effect in the future. Nevertheless, I must do it. This cursed land of Korea, turned into ruins! For the sake of future generations, and for my grandfathers and fathers who are weakly fading away, I will do whatever I can. If that is the way to save this country and the way for me to survive!’

“After eating the seaweed soup, it seemed sufficient for a meal. My stomach feels much more comfortable too.”

“Yes. It is a good food. It facilitates bowel movement, making it perfect for patients with poor intestines like you, Your Excellency, and it is rich in various nutrients, so mothers often eat it after giving birth.”

“Is that so? Haha. At any rate, I wondered how it would be to provide this excellent food as military rations for our troops? Eating warm seaweed soup on a cold battlefield would make one’s stomach feel full.”

“That is a good idea. I think it could make an excellent ration.”

“Right. That is why I want to take the doctor’s seaweed soup to America, would you permit it? If you do, I will pay a sufficient price.”

“I apologize, but seaweed soup is not mine; it is a food of our Republic of Korea. Therefore, there seems to be no reason for you to seek permission from me, Your Excellency.”

Kim Ji-hyuk slowly shook his head.

“Mmh… Meaning?”

“Meet the President of the Republic of Korea. And how about formally discussing the commercialization of seaweed soup?”

“You mean President Syngman Rhee?”

Eisenhower frowned.

There was a reason Eisenhower wore a troubled expression.

In the first place, Eisenhower had no intention of meeting President Syngman Rhee, whose views differed from his own.

“Yes. Seaweed soup is a representative Korean food. Therefore, negotiating officially with the Korean government is the natural thing to do.”

“Hmm, General Paik Sun-yup did come by and say something like that a while ago……”

“Although it may be presumptuous of me to say, please do so. And buy the seaweed soup at a fair price.”

“Very well. I will review it positively. Since I absolutely cannot leave this mysterious food behind.”

“Thank you, Your Excellency! To give you one more tip, it will be convenient if you dry the seaweed, make the broth into powder form, and put it in a portable container.”

“In powder form?”

“Yes. With America’s technological prowess, it should be entirely possible. It is a method of pouring hot water over the powdered mix to eat. If so, it can be applied to noodles or spaghetti in addition to seaweed soup, and can be eaten conveniently.”

“Oh! That is a great idea! Urging to eat conveniently later by just pouring hot water.”

“Yes.”

“Dr. Kim’s idea is truly interesting. I will review it positively. Of course, I will ensure that the price for using Dr. Kim’s idea is fully paid.”

“I am fine.”

“Being fine is out of the question.”

“The idea is mine, but I belong to the Republic of Korea. Since our country does not yet have the technology to implement this idea, please commercialize it in your home country. However, if this product becomes commercialized, half of the share belongs to the Republic of Korea, so please do not forget that.”

“Of course! This is awkward, but just as Dr. Kim says, it seems I have to meet President Syngman Rhee after all.”

“Thank you.”

“Anyway, since I feel indebted to Dr. Kim in many ways, do you have any thoughts about studying in America after this war ends? If Dr. Kim wishes, I will support you. And you could also look after this poor body of mine by my side.”

As they talked more, Eisenhower fell deeper for Kim Ji-hyuk’s charm. While he made an extraordinary offer, Kim Ji-hyuk’s thoughts were different.

‘No matter how advanced American medicine is, can it compare to the Korean medicine of the 2020s? What on earth would I learn by crossing over to America?’

“Thank you, but I must decline. The situation of the Republic of Korea is not so leisurely that I can cross over to America to study. And saving even one more person is more important to me than studying.”

“Splendid, Dr. Kim! I am a person with only a good ear, but Dr. Kim has a good heart in addition to a good ear. Yes. Please never change that heart.”

“I am embarrassed.”

“I will remember your name for the rest of my life. Contact me whenever you need my help. Unless it is a matter of national survival, I will run to you anytime.”

“Thank you.”

“Anyway, is it really the effect of the seaweed soup? My stomach feels comfortable and my abdominal pain seems to have vanished completely?”

“Hehehe, no way. It’s just your imagination. However, if you eat seaweed soup steadily and take the medicine I prescribed, you will definitely improve.”

“Understood. I will keep Dr. Kim’s words in mind. Let us stay like friends in the future as well. I don’t think I can ever forget the Republic of Korea and Dr. Kim.”

“It is an honor, Your Excellency!”

‘Eisenhower and I are staying as friends? Everything happening to me right now is real, right? I really have come to 1952!’

Looking at Eisenhower smiling brightly in front of him, Kim Ji-hyuk realized once more that all of this was not a dream but a fact.

* * *

A week since Eisenhower visited Korea.

Just as he had promised Kim Ji-hyuk, Eisenhower met President Syngman Rhee, and it was decided to commercialize seaweed soup in America under the condition of providing royalties to Korea.

It was the moment that changed the origin of cup ramen, which Japan sold in 1971 by placing ramen in a cup to eat conveniently.

A week later, the duty room.

“You are really amazing. How did you know President Eisenhower had Crohn’s disease? Even the professors here didn’t know much about it.”

Kim Yun-seok asked in curiosity.

“I just guessed.”

“Guessed? Can you just guess that?”

“Mmh, I read a paper by Dr. Burrill B. Crohn once, and the symptoms were identical to Eisenhower’s. Of course, John showed the same symptoms too.”

Kim Ji-hyuk glossed it over.

“Ah! So that’s why it was named Crohn’s disease?”

“Yeah. Since America decided to support the medicine entirely for free, it would be good to treat Major John first, and if it’s effective, expand the scope of treatment.”

“Mmh, will that drug really be effective for Major John?”

‘Of course. Because it has already been proven.’

“Well? We will see when we wait, won’t we?”

“Anyway, you are really amazing. I thought Professor Olsen would object, but it’s also incredible that he readily allowed it. Did he really think that drug is a cure for Crohn’s disease?”

“That’s probably not it.”

Kim Ji-hyuk slowly shook his head.

“Then?”

Kim Yun-seok had a curious expression.

“It was something Eisenhower pushed for and wanted strongly, and methotrexate isn’t actually that dangerous of a drug. It was developed in 1947, and while it was initially used for cancer treatment, it seems to have been applied to Crohn’s disease because of its outstanding performance in treating tumors and inflammation. With Professor Olsen’s skills, he must have diagnosed that Eisenhower has a fairly large ulcer in his large intestine, and even if this drug isn’t a cure-all for Crohn’s disease, he probably judged that it would be effective for colitis.”

“Ah!”

Kim Yun-seok admired with his mouth wide open.

“So there was no need to go against Eisenhower’s wishes. That’s probably why he permitted the administration of the drug easily.”

“Whoa, you are amazing!”

Kim Yun-seok shook his head in astonishment.

“It is nothing.”

“Nothing? Honestly, looking at you, I got goosebumps sometimes, but it seems even worse lately. Same with when you stuck a syringe into Cheol-woo’s heart last time. Who on earth are you?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“No, I just wondered if you are indeed my friend Ji-hyuk whom I normally know… It seems you are, but then it seems you aren’t, so I’m confused.”

“Stop saying silly things and let’s get to work.”

“Che, fine!”

Kim Yun-seok pouted.

‘I have really returned to the 1950s of Korea!’

Although he did not want to believe it, it was now a reality he could no longer deny.