Chapter 27 – Transcendental Diagnosis(2)

Knock knock.

“It’s Park Dowook.”

Dowook opened the door and entered RM 2007, but he stopped after taking a step into the room. It was because Lim So Yool looked very embarrassed and had her eyes wide open.

“How come….?”

With a lollipop in her mouth and a pile of documents in her arms, she went stiff in surprise and didn’t move at all.

“I met your legal guardian. She said I could just go in.”

“You met my sister?”

“Yes, outside.”

Dowook peeked out into the corridor and found that the woman who had a similar career-oriented aura as Lim So Yool had disappeared so he turned back to the room.

“She was just there, but I can’t see her anymore.”

Lim So Yool furrowed her brows.

Feeling like he had just made a mistake, Dowook asked.

“Should I come back later?”

“No, there’s no need for …..”

The papers Lim So Yool was holding onto with difficulty fell from her arms. Hundreds of documents covered the parlor’s floor.

“……that.”

Dowook ran over and held onto Lim So Yool’s shoulder when she reflexively tried to lean down.

“Don’t force yourself and bow your head. The sutures will rip out.”

Lim So Yool had no choice but to look down the neck brace at Dowook who was already picking up the papers on the floor.

“I’m sorry.”

“Your sister should be the one apologizing. I should have followed procedures as an attending physician from the start.”

“Many people fall for my sister’s schemes. She’s very capable. I’ll make sure to take revenge.”

“Revenge?”

Hearing the unexpected word, Dowook raised his head to look at Lim So Yool. As he did so, his eyes were attracted to the lollipop in her mouth. Awkward situations were situations, his work as the attending physician was work.

“If you eat sweets on an empty stomach, your blood sugar test will be messed up.”

“What sweet?”

Lim So Yool realized too late that she had a lollipop in her mouth. She quickly took it out of her mouth, and Dowook could smell its sweet scent.

“If you have eaten anything after 6 PM, we will postpone the blood collection.”

“I just unwrapped it. See, it’s barely shrunk. Even when there were problems with the calculations all night, you don’t know how hard I tried not to….”

Realizing she had just confessed to staying up all night, Lim So Yool shut her mouth tight.

To make things worse, the lid of the trash can she had pressed down earlier opened up, and dozens of paper wads inside rolled out.

Tidying up the documents, Dowook’s gaze went to the trash can. He couldn’t think of what to say in this kind of situation. Thankfully, Lim So Yool made a request first as a patient.

“Please pretend you didn’t see that. As an attending physician.”

She quickly turned around and headed into the inner room. She promised to herself that she would get proper revenge on her sister who had caused this situation.

A moment later.

Dowook approached her, who was sitting on the bed.

“I’m just curious. Why do you work on things at night when you can do it during the day? It’s not good for your health.”

“Once I start thinking of the numbers, I can’t stop. Until I finish solving it. It’s a kind of compulsion.”

“Do you mean you can’t stop thinking?”

“Yes, no matter how tired I am.”

Tingle.

It was clear she was still thinking hard about something. Because her extraordinary sense flowed through his fingers like a river.

“This is a hospital. If you think it’s too much, ask for an IV drip. Absorbing the glucose directly will be more effective than candy.”

“IV drips aren’t sweet so I don’t want to.”

Lim So Yool, who was looking at the results of the night placed on the table, asked.

“I have to go out today. How much time can you give me?”

The time had come. Dowook calmly revealed his plans.

“If you completely pass the exercise response test, you can do whatever you want after.”

“That’s somehow challenging.”

“We have to make sure whether there are aftereffects or not.”

“Ok. Let’s try it.”

Dowook looked at the clock in the room.

7:35. He had to keep her with him through various tests for the next 4 hours.

“Would you like to go now?”

Pushing Lim So Yool’s wheelchair to the front of the neurological clinic on the 5th floor, Dowook saw a doctor he knew rush through the hallway and called him over.

“Jae-geol.”

“Huh?”

The one who stopped was Son Jae-geol, Doctor of Neurology.

He belonged to a sister department and was a close friend like Seong Chang Soo.

So a request like this was fine.

“We have to do a physical examination of this patient all at once. Could you assign a dedicated nurse and 3rd year resident…”

“Hey, sorry, sorry. I’m really busy. Let’s talk later!”

Dowook was bewildered by his friend who didn’t even hear a word and ran away.

‘This guy, making me embarrassed.’

He coughed briefly and looked down at Lim So Yool sitting on the wheelchair. Fortunately, she didn’t seem too concerned.

He pushed the wheelchair into the clinic when the automatic doors opened.

In the hallway leading towards cranial nerve and motor system function test rooms, many medical personnel were bustling around.

Seeing the chaos, Dowook stretched out his head to look.

“What is this? Please wait here for a minute.”

He pushed the wheelchair into the rest area and approached the nurse at the reception desk.

“Patient Lim So Yool is here for tests.”

“Now?”

Seeing the surprised expression on the nurse’s face, Dowook asked.

“Is there a problem if we do it now?”

“Because of a VIP’s treatment, all the doctors in charge are busy. I don’t think it’s possible in the morning. I’ll schedule you in for 1 PM in the afternoon.”

“My patient is also a VIP though.”

The nurse was startled and looked at Lim So Yool on the other side. However, she still shook her head resolutely.

“It was a special order, so I can’t help you. I was told not to let any other patient except this one in.”

Afternoon was absurd. If there was even a 30-minute interval, the section chiefs’ countermeasures couldn’t work.

Dowook couldn’t convince the nurse so he turned his head and found Son Jae-geol among the medical staff. He approached and spoke right away.

“Dr. Son. There’s no patient getting examined, why are you acting so busy?”

“Sorry. I’m in a hurry to set everything up.”

Dowook grabbed Son Jae-geol who was planning to disappear once again.

“If you just leave, you’re going to regret it.”

“Why? What is it? Are you tossing over your patient?”

“I wouldn’t say toss. Patient Lim So Yool needs a full examination. You know who is seated in that rest area, right?”

Since he came with the rumored VIP, he thought that he would definitely support him, but Son Jae-geol only shook his head.

“I can’t.”

“We shouldn’t be saying that right now.”

“It’s a special order from the vice president. The survival of the neurology clinic depends on the patient that’s about to come.”

“The vice president?”

It seemed important things were happening here and there today. Dowook lowered his voice and asked, as he needed to proceed with the examinations as smoothly as possible.

“Who is so important that you give precedence to them over the person responsible for taking care of our salary issues?”

“They’re coming.”

Son Jae-geol’s eyes turned to the entrance of the clinic.

The first thing Dowook saw was the back of someone carrying cameras marked ‘QBS’.

Following the cameraman, who was walking backward, was a man with a cane.

It was difficult to guess his age as he was wearing sunglasses, but seeing the half-white hair he was probably at least 50 years old.

“Is that him?”

“Dowook, do you listen to classical music?”

“No.”

“His name is Jeong Woo-seok. He is as famous as Jo Sumi in the piano world. He is congenitally blind, but he now has hearing problems so he was rushed to the hospital.”

A blind pianist. Dowook remembered seeing something like that in a TV program that introduced modern-day heroes who had achieved national prestige.

“What are those cameras?”

“The emergency is because they said they were going to shoot a documentary or something. If we make a mistake, our neurology department is over. The reputation of Myeong Sae Hospital will also decline.”

Dowook grabbed the leaving Son Jae-geol one more time.

“I get it. You don’t have to send anyone over. I’ll just quietly do the tests and go. Just put me on the checklist.”

“Can’t you do it in the afternoon?”

“I can’t. I’m also just a gear in the hospital. If you ask your section chief, he would also tell you to do the checkup unconditionally.”

Returning to the rest area, Dowook spoke to Lim So Yool, who was looking curiously at the cameras.

“Apparently, someone named Jeong Woo-seok is scheduled for tests. A pianist.”

“Oh. He’s the one who won Queen Elizabeth concur.”

It was the first time he heard of this competition, but that wasn’t what was important.

“The director’s tests might be a bit comfortable due to that person. We have to avoid the examination rooms used for shooting. I will try to make it as comfortable as possible.”

“It’s also for advertising the hospital so it’s ok.”

At the matter-of-fact answer, Dowook unknowingly looked toward Lim So Yool.

She obviously didn’t plan to destroy the hospital. And if one didn’t do anything bad, there was no need to feel guilty.

‘Although it didn’t feel good being told we were selfish numbers.’

Lim So Yool looked up and met Dowook’s gaze.

“Why are you like that?”

“It’s nothing. Let’s go.”

10 minutes later. Muscle conduction examination room.

Lim So Yool, who had a recording electrode attached to her right arm, looked at Dowook.

“Should I start?”

“Yes.”

Lim So Yool threw one of the three soft darts in her hand at the wall.

The dart got stuck outside of the target.

The following 2 darts also got stuck in areas totally unrelated to scores.

“Augh….”

Dowook, who was looking at the recording monitor, looked at Lim So Yool when he heard the sigh.

“The score isn’t important. What I need is the amplitude of the neural signal that goes back and forth between throwing and concentrating.”

Although it was explained to her, her gaze was only fixed on the target. Dowook took the darts from the wall and handed them back to her.

“You can try again. Please pay attention to the connected electrode.”

Lim So Yool didn’t throw them immediately and took a deep breath carefully.

After 30 seconds, a dart flew through the air. It got stuck to the area with scores.

First score. Both the second and third darts were also embedded closer to the inner circle than before.

“You did a good job this time. Let’s try it one more time and move on to the next test.”

Taking the dart off the target and passing the darts, Dowook turned back to the recording monitor. He waited for the sound of the darts hitting the target, but it was strangely quiet.

He turned his gaze and saw her paying close attention to the dart and target while muttering something. No matter how he saw it, she didn’t seem to plan on throwing the darts.

“What are you doing?”

“Calculating.”

Dowook made a puzzled expression wondering if she was calculating the score in the midst of all this.

Tap.

The dart hit closer to the center compared to before. The second and third were also stuck nearby and formed a bullet group.

Dowook softly exclaimed in wonder.

“You’re doing better and better. You seem to be quite coordinated. We can finish the darts here.”

“Just one more time.”

Lim So Yool said as such while only staring at the target.

‘Is she having fun?’

Dowook took the darts out and passed them to her.

“Then, just one more. We have much to do.”

Lim So Yool didn’t throw them right away at the next try either. On the contrary, she needed more preparation time compared to before.

The first dart flew after a minute had passed by.

The first dart was stuck further outside compared to before. The second one was within the scoring area. The third was unexpectedly near the center.

Lim So Yool spoke while biting her lips.

“Again.”

“This isn’t a very important test.”

“It’s because there’s an error in the calculation. I didn’t realize that the air resistance of the sleeves would affect the uniformity variable so much.”

Dowook tilted his head.

“That calculation, it wasn’t the score of the darts?”

“No. Quickly give me the darts.”

“We don’t have time to keep doing this. We have to go to the induced potential exam room before the special patient arrives. Didn’t the director agree to go with the plan?”

At that, Lim So Yool had a very unwilling expression on her face as she took her eyes off the target.

Seeing her with drooping shoulders like a child deprived of candy, Dowook scratched his chin.

He had come to waste time due to Chief Ha’s request, but he hadn’t expected the opposite to happen.

“Please sit on the chair. From now on, we will observe the electromyography that appears when the tactile sense is stimulated.”

When he passed a tissue with a pointed tip over her right wrist, she twitched as if tickled.

“Please see if there is an area that feels duller than the others. If there is somewhere with no feeling, please tell me right away.”

Sitting with a sad face, Lim So Yool didn’t say a word. As he was about to move thinking there was no part that felt dull, he heard her mutter.

“Ah. I didn’t take into account the modulus of elasticity. Both the target and dart are repulsive objects.”

“Yes?”

In the middle of another test, Lim So Yool’s focus was only on the darts. Dowook suddenly remembered the conversation he had with her while coming here.

‘She said finishing a calculation is a compulsion, didn’t she?’

The patient’s cooperation was crucial if he wanted to continue to examine surface sensations such as pain and pressure. Thinking he couldn’t move forward like this, Dowook spoke.

“Director. That calculation you keep thinking about. What is the end? Hitting the center?”

The moment she heard the question, she looked at Dowook with sparkling eyes.

“I thought of a dart function that would allow one to hit the center wherever you throw it.”

“Dart…. Function?”

It was true.

Disbelievingly, Dowook asked.

“Are you saying you can hit the center just by calculating?”

“Yes.”

“Impossible….”

“It is. It’s numbers.”

“Where are the numbers in dart-throwing….”

Outside the glass door, a resident pointed at his watch. The next filming location was really here. Dowook became impatient and told Lim So Yool.

“Ok. If your calculations are correct and you hit the center, then I won’t say anything. If you can’t get it right, please follow my plans.”

Once was luck, repeatedly was something even a dart champion would find difficult. That was why he made the declaration but Lim So Yool simply nodded.

“Give me the dart.”

Standing up, she went in front of the target.

Dowook drew the darts from the target, handed them to Lim So Yool, and then watched her as she stood there without feeling any pressure.

Holding a dart in her hand, she took a deep breath and twisted her hand.

Whoosh.

The dart hit the center.