Chapter 54

“Aigoo.”

Jaewon instinctively turned his head.

Delivering bad news was always perceived as a challenge for doctors.

What made it worse this time was that the news the Severe Trauma Team—Jaewon’s team—had to deliver to Lee Ki-young wasn’t just “bad.”

‘If only… it was a personal misfortune involving just one person.’

It might sound surprising, but patients—especially older ones—were generally more composed when facing their own tragedies.

But when that tragedy involved their family, it was a completely different story.

That’s why doctors usually preferred talking directly to the patient rather than the family.

In short, this was one of the situations doctors dreaded the most.

“Ah, so that’s what you’re curious about.”

But Kang-hyuk didn’t look troubled in the slightest.

His expression simply said, ‘You asked, so I’ll answer.’

It was a brutally simple mindset.

They say ignorance is bliss—and fearless.

Kang-hyuk seemed determined to prove that.

Neither Jaewon nor Jang-mi had time to stop him.

“Due to the collision at the time, the man and woman in the back seat died. Lee Hye-young and Lee Ki-young, who were in the driver’s and passenger’s seats respectively, were transported to this hospital’s ER with severe injuries.”

“P-Professor!”

Jaewon rushed in, trying to cover Kang-hyuk’s mouth before he could say more.

Jang-mi did the same, urgently pointing at the monitor showing the patient’s rapidly rising blood pressure and heart rate.

“Professor, are you out of your mind? How could you just blurt something like that out?”

But Kang-hyuk brushed them off like they were nothing.

He always had surprisingly deft hands.

“And at this level, Lee Ki-young’s current blood pressure and heart rate aren’t a big problem.”

And clearly, he lacked something fundamental as a human being.

Jaewon stared in disbelief.

“That’s not the issue. Psychologically—”

“If it’s not life or death, don’t interrupt.”

“What the—”

“Move. I’m talking to the patient.”

“You’re saying weird things.”

“Hey, can’t you see the patient’s dying to know?”

“What?”

When Jaewon turned his head at Kang-hyuk’s words, he saw that indeed, Lee Ki-young was staring at Kang-hyuk, desperate for answers.

It was only natural.

He’d just heard that his wife and brother-in-law were dead, and his sister was severely injured.

He was probably burning with anxiety.

‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’

Jaewon stepped aside, mentally kicking himself for not anticipating Kang-hyuk would say something like this outright.

Kang-hyuk shoved Jaewon aside with a smug look and faced Lee Ki-young again.

“My… my wife is dead?”

Lee Ki-young finally asked the question he’d been holding back.

Kang-hyuk nodded, face unchanged.

“Yes.”

“My brother-in-law too…”

“Yes.”

“My sister… what happened to her? She came to the ER, right? Did she make it?”

“She lived.”

“Ah.”

Lee Ki-young looked like he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Kang-hyuk continued, watching him.

“Lee Hye-young had other issues too, but… [acute renal failure] was the most critical.”

(T/N: Acute renal failure is a condition where the kidneys suddenly stop functioning properly, leading to a dangerous buildup of waste and fluid.)

“Renal failure?”

“Ah. It means her kidney function was severely impaired.”

“That’s… serious, isn’t it?”

“If left untreated, she would’ve died.”

“Then how did…”

Lee Ki-young glanced down at the surgical wound on his abdomen.

Then, with a dawning realization, he looked up at Kang-hyuk.

“Did she…?”

“Yes. She received your dad’s kidney. She’s recovering now in the [nephrology ward].”

(T/N: The nephrology ward is the hospital department specializing in kidney care and treatment.)

“Ah… this is just…”

Lee Ki-young looked truly lost for words.

It was a relief that both he and his sister Hye-young had survived.

And it was something he owed to Kang-hyuk.

But losing his father, wife, and brother-in-law all at once—what kind of curse was that?

“Could I… be alone for a moment?”

After Kang-hyuk’s explanation, Lee Ki-young gestured apologetically, asking him to step back.

Jaewon and Jang-mi looked relieved and stepped away.

But surprisingly, Kang-hyuk shook his head.

“You can’t.”

“What?”

Lee Ki-young, Jaewon, and Jang-mi all looked at him in unison, shocked.

‘What the hell is wrong with this guy?’

But as always, Kang-hyuk had a reason.

A medical reason.

“You were only taken off the ventilator 20 minutes ago. You need to be closely monitored for the rest of the day.”

“Ah…”

“That’s why, gangster.”

“What?”

Lee Ki-young flinched at the unexpected word.

Kang-hyuk chuckled and pointed at Jang-mi.

“Your attending nurse is a gangster. Haha.”

“Ah… I see… a gangster…”

Lee Ki-young looked more confused than ever.

A gangster for a nurse?

Was this a joke or what?

Though no one was more shocked than Jang-mi.

Her face looked like it was about to explode.

To be called a gangster in front of her assigned patient—it was only natural to be upset.

“P-Professor! What do you mean gangster?!”

“Hm? Gangster. Why are you reacting now after being quiet all this time?”

“I mean… in front of the patient…”

“It’s just a nickname. And let’s be honest, you kind of are one.”

With each exchange, Lee Ki-young’s expression grew increasingly bewildered.

Jaewon’s words from before suddenly echoed in his mind.

‘You just shouldn’t talk to Professor Baek for too long.’

Back then, it hadn’t made much sense.

So he let it go at the time—but now that he’d experienced it firsthand, he understood.

You really shouldn’t engage in long conversations with Baek Kang-hyuk.

“Well… uh… understood…”

Jang-mi couldn’t say anything and just lowered her head in defeat.

Kang-hyuk chuckled and turned to Lee Ki-young.

He pointed at Jang-mi, who still had her head down.

“Alright, good. Anyway, Mr. Lee Ki-young, this gangster here will take great care of you. If you feel uncomfortable, let her know.”

“Yes… I will…”

The thought that a gangster would “take good care of you”—was that something a patient should hear in a hospital?

Regardless, Jang-mi remained by Lee Ki-young’s side to continue caring for him.

Kang-hyuk and Jaewon left the two behind and exited the ICU.

Clack.

As the door opened, Jaewon let out a long sigh toward Kang-hyuk.

“Professor… You really shouldn’t say things like that in front of a patient…”

He had just bluntly dropped the news that the man’s wife, brother-in-law, and father had died.

Depending on the situation, this could’ve easily made its way to a “customer complaint” report.

“Huh? What do you mean, ‘say things like that’?”

But Kang-hyuk looked completely unaware of what he’d done wrong.

That expression made Jaewon even more frustrated.

“You could’ve waited to tell him about his wife, brother-in-law, and father passing…”

“And would they come back to life if I waited?”

“Well, no, but…”

Jaewon shook his head, already sensing he was being pulled into another verbal trap.

In contrast, Kang-hyuk was confidently unfazed.

“Look, you’re a doctor. Your job is to make medical judgments. What, are you a judge? A philosopher?”

“Of course not…”

“Then just relay the facts as they are. Don’t inject your personal opinions. If someone’s dead, say they’re dead. If they’re injured, say they’re injured. Simple.”

“Hmm…”

When phrased like that, it sounded surprisingly reasonable.

“If you ask me, classes like ‘How to Deliver Bad News’ are useless. They just mess with young doctors’ heads.”

“Yeah, sure…”

‘Why do I always end up getting convinced by him?’ Jaewon thought.

“Look at Mr. Lee Ki-young. He took it so stoically. Was I wrong?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

Jaewon hoped the conversation wouldn’t drag on much longer.

Bzzzz.

Just in time, Kang-hyuk’s phone rang like a savior.

Given his position, ignoring calls wasn’t really an option. He answered immediately.

“This is Baek Kang-hyuk from Trauma Surgery.”

“Ah… yes, this is Kim Sun-woong.”

“Kim Sun-woong?”

Professor Kim sighed at Kang-hyuk’s response.

They’d spoken at least a dozen times already, but he still hadn’t saved the number.

“I’m in charge of Lee Hye-young’s case.”

“Ah, nephrology. Yes, what is it?”

“She’s fully regained consciousness. She wants to see Lee Ki-young… Would that be possible? Or is it still too early?”

Professor Kim knew that Lee Ki-young’s condition had been more severe than Hye-young’s.

He had even undergone a [liver transplant], after all.

Normally, patients stayed on mechanical ventilation for at least a week.

But Kang-hyuk nodded without hesitation.

“It’s doable. He’s alert now, too. The only concern is infection… As long as there’s no direct contact, it’s fine.”

“Oh, he’s awake?”

“Yes. And fully communicative.”

“Then… we should let them meet. This is all so unprecedented…”

“Sure. If she’s still on dialysis, we’ll go to her.”

“That would be great. Thank you.”

“Alright then—”

“Ah, wait.”

Just as Kang-hyuk was about to hang up, Professor Kim stopped him.

Kang-hyuk had sharp hearing and brought the phone back to his ear.

“What is it?”

“We received a call from the Organ and Tissue Donation Center. Apparently, this is their first time dealing with a case like this…”

“I really don’t like it when people trail off while talking.”

“Ah, right. Since it’s under the Disease Control Headquarters, they’re allocating a special budget. They’ll cover the funeral expenses for the three deceased and partially support the medical bills for the two surviving family members.”

“Oh, that’s good news.”

“But…”

Professor Kim trailed off again.

Naturally, Kang-hyuk was annoyed.

He hated hesitation—and especially the word ‘but.’

It always meant something bad was coming.

“But? I said I hate it when people trail off. You’re really testing me.”

“They’ve requested that the story be published in an article, using pseudonyms for the patients and deceased. The hospital and our names would be published as-is.”

“Hmm.”

“What do you think?”

“Hold on. Just give me a minute.”

“Sure, take your time. Personally, I—”

“Could you be quiet? I’m thinking. You’ve been trailing off this whole time, and now you want to keep talking?”

“Sheesh. Fine.”

Kang-hyuk ignored Professor Kim’s exasperated sigh and sank into thought.

‘The media, huh… Hmm. This could actually be an opportunity.’