Chapter 57

“Wow.”

“TV Goryeo has completely lost it, huh?”

By now, Kang-hyuk’s “shut up” moment had already gone viral as an image file on online communities.

Those who were catching up late were in the middle of watching Professor Kim Sun-woong’s rather dull interview.

Then suddenly, Kang-hyuk appeared, shoving the camera.

The footage shook violently, and the camera awkwardly panned to show Reporter Park Sang-eun’s stunned face.

“P-Professor! You can’t just hit that!”

A young man, off-screen, yelled out.

It was, of course, Yang Jaewon.

Kang-hyuk turned back to him and shouted.

“Shut up! No time! Can’t you hear the helicopter coming?!”

“Well… even so…”

“Who the hell stands in front of the ICU like a moron?! If the camera’s broken, bill me! I’m Baek Kang-hyuk from Hanguk University Hospital!”

“Oh my god.”

Jaewon palmed his forehead but still followed behind Kang-hyuk.

Because, like it or not, the helicopter was indeed almost there.

If they delayed even further and the departure was postponed, what would happen?

Kang-hyuk might actually toss Jaewon out of the helicopter mid-flight.

‘I can’t die like that.’

Sure, everyone dies eventually.

But that would be such a ridiculous death.

So, backpack still strapped on, Jaewon waddled after Kang-hyuk.

Completely unaware of how infamous Kang-hyuk’s actions were becoming online.

<This guy’s nuts. The nerve.>
<He said to bill him. LOL.>
<But why is he even taking a helicopter?>
<Isn’t he a doctor? Why’s he riding a chopper? Genuinely asking.>

The live chat on ‘TV Goryeo’s’ current affairs show was on fire.

This was the first time something like this had happened since the show’s inception.

At this point, the PD had no choice but to change their mind.

“Th-That crazy bastard… Film wherever he’s going!”

“Huh? What about Professor Kim Sun-woong’s interview?”

“Just get that via email or something. Look at the viewer reactions! No one cares about Professor Kim right now!” (T/N: Poor Professor Kim. lol)

“Well… you’re not wrong.”

The assistant director scratched their head while watching the chat feed.

Messages were pouring in by the second.

It was on par with a smash-hit drama or a top-tier variety show.

Unthinkable numbers for a current affairs show airing in the middle of a weekday.

Brrrrr.

The assistant director immediately called Reporter Park Sang-eun.

Still dazed, it took Park several rounds of phone vibration to finally pick up.

Of course, all of this was still airing live.

“This is Reporter Park Sang-eun.”

“Hey, Park!”

“Oh, Assistant Director.”

“The PD says follow Professor Baek Kang-hyuk right now.”

“What? Follow that guy—I mean, that man?”

Reporter Park’s expression looked like she might faint.

Which, of course, reignited the live chat.

<OMG yes. Follow them!>
<Why is this live broadcast more exciting than any drama?>
<First time watching this show—if it ends now, I won’t sleep tonight.>
<20 minutes left. Hurry uppppppp.>

The assistant director, checking the chat again, nodded intensely.

“Yes, go now!”

“Sigh…”

“Move! The reactions are insane right now!”

“Alright, alright.”

Though she looked totally unenthusiastic, what could she do?

Orders from above were orders.

That’s what the salary was for, wasn’t it?

Soon she and the camera operator rushed after Kang-hyuk.

They were already over a minute behind, so catching up was no easy task.

Fortunately, Kang-hyuk and Jaewon were lugging heavy gear. Otherwise, they would’ve been impossible to catch.

“Th-There!”

Reporter Park pointed at Jaewon’s disappearing figure as he turned a corner into the central corridor.

The live chat exploded again.

<This is better than a variety show.>
<Catch up to them!>
<Are you even allowed to run like that in a hospital?>
<Looks super urgent, though.>

Park didn’t stop running.

Meanwhile, Jaewon, running out of stamina, had to lean against the wall to catch his breath now and then.

Every time he did, Kang-hyuk barked at him, but it didn’t help much.

“P-Professor. I’m done for.”

“Don’t be dramatic. You haven’t even run 200 meters.”

“But I’m carrying all this!”

Jaewon showed off his backpack with a resentful expression.

It held the trauma box, spare kits, and the defibrillator.

It was probably the same weight as full military gear—or heavier.

Just being able to run while carrying it deserved praise.

But Kang-hyuk, as always, offered none.

“Stop whining, Slave. Look over there!”

He simply pointed at the helicopter descending onto the tennis court.

Tat tat tat tat.

The trees nearby began shaking like they might snap, and dust swirled through the air.

In just one or two more minutes, it would land.

They had to make it by then.

Just thinking about running again with trembling legs made him want to curse out loud.

“Fking h—”

“What h?”

“No, nothing.”

“I’ll let that slide since we’re in a rush. Once we’re on board, you’re dead.”

“Please don’t say that. Sounds way too serious.”

“I am serious. You can read people well, huh? Anyway, keep moving. No time to joke around. The patient could die.”

“Yeah yeah, I’m going!”

The two of them kept grumbling as they pushed themselves forward.

Since Reporter Park was now quite close, their entire conversation was broadcast live across the nation.

<Wow, the swearing is top-notch.>
<Wait, who’s dying?>
<No clue.>
<The helicopter really came.>
<That noise is insane.>

Naturally, the heat of the live chat didn’t die down.

In fact, it was spreading rapidly across other platforms as well.

Major portal sites were now beginning to be dominated by this incident on the real-time trending search ranks.

[Baek Kang-hyuk]
[Doctor Baek Kang-hyuk]
[Hanguk University Hospital Baek Kang-hyuk]
[Baek Kang-hyuk foul language]

These search terms slowly started rising from 20th place, climbing higher and higher.

Tat tat tat tat.

Meanwhile, the helicopter was nearly on the ground.

If the landing pad had been properly built, it would’ve landed long ago.

But with dust flying everywhere and the ground uneven, it took nearly twice as long.

It was proof that the allocated budget had been wasted in all the wrong places.

“Take off the backpack now!”

“Ah, yes.”

The helicopter’s rotors were still spinning violently.

They planned to take off again immediately once Kang-hyuk and Jaewon were onboard.

If they bent over while wearing their packs, it could’ve caused a serious accident.

If even part of a strap got caught in the blades, who knows what would’ve happened?

They’d have had to perform emergency surgery on Jaewon right there instead of dispatching.

“Ugh, why are you so slow? Gimme that.”

Feeling frustrated, Kang-hyuk snatched the backpack off Jaewon’s shoulders and dashed toward the chopper.

He moved in sync with the direction of the spinning rotors.

It was always an incredible thing to witness.

“Is he a doctor or a soldier…?”

Jaewon, momentarily awestruck, quickly ran after Kang-hyuk.

Without the backpack, it was a lot easier.

“Give that to me!”

Jung-heon, waiting inside the helicopter, grabbed the pack from Kang-hyuk’s hand.

It was far heavier than expected—he staggered from the weight.

Thankfully, his body had been hardened through rigorous training. Otherwise, he might’ve fallen out.

‘He was running with that like it was nothing?’

Jung-heon let out a grunt as he thought to himself.

Meanwhile, Kang-hyuk had already jumped into the helicopter.

“Slave! Grab my hand! Pilot, lift off now!”

“Okay, we’re taking off.”

As soon as the pilot heard Kang-hyuk’s words, he began lifting the aircraft.

The slowing rotors began spinning violently again.

Tat tat tat tat.

Jaewon, with one foot on the skid and the other on the boarding step, screamed.

“What?! You’re lifting off with me still hanging on?!”

“I’ll pull you up!”

“You crazy bastard!”

“This punk swears at his professor every chance he gets.”

“How can I not?!”

Jaewon screamed, then got yanked up.

Kang-hyuk had lifted him with one arm.

As always, his brute strength was terrifying.

Jaewon broke into a cold sweat at the thought of having just cursed at a guy like this.

“I apologize for earlier, Professor.”

“Ugh. Should I just throw you off?”

“No, please…”

Jaewon honestly believed Kang-hyuk was capable of doing exactly that.

But Kang-hyuk soon turned back to speak with Jung-heon, who had already taken his seat.

He really wanted to vent his frustration on Jaewon—but he hadn’t forgotten why they had to rush onto this helicopter in the first place.

“What’s the patient status?”

“There are two critically injured. The other two with minor injuries can be handled by military doctors.”

“Two. Hm.”

That was a slightly better situation.

If it had been three, both their supplies and manpower would’ve been stretched thin.

“How’d they get injured?”

“They’re still figuring it out on their end. Apparently, a powered boat flipped during training, and one of them got hit by the propeller.”

“That’s odd. A powered boat’s propeller is too small to injure two people at once, isn’t it?”

“Seems the other one hit his head somewhere during the flip.”

“Head injury. Do they even have a CT scanner there?”

Jung-heon answered with an expression like Kang-hyuk had gone insane.

“Would they?”

“Goddammit. How long will it take to get there?”

“About an hour and a half.”

“That’s… way too long.”

“The local medical staff is performing emergency care for now. Let’s just get there as fast as possible. I’ll keep you updated.”

“Hmm.”

As Kang-hyuk frowned and gathered more details, Reporter Park Sang-eun was filming the helicopter fading into the sky.

“Yes, Professor Baek Kang-hyuk’s helicopter has taken off. But where exactly is that chopper heading? TV Goryeo will do our best to find out.”

By now, the PD and assistant director had already decided to continue the live broadcast even after the current affairs program ended.

They would switch over to TV Goryeo’s YouTube channel.

As expected, the reaction was explosive. A livestream on a channel with only 2,000 subscribers now had over 10,000 viewers.

<Did you see that? They boarded while the chopper was taking off.>
<Thought it was a movie shoot.>
<What kind of doctors are these??>

Naturally, related search terms began shaking up the rankings more than ever—some even hitting the #1 spot.

[Baek Kang-hyuk foul language.]

At this point, it was impossible for the hospital’s PR team to remain unaware.

A professor’s name topping real-time search rankings on a major portal site? Not noticing that would be negligence.

In fact, simply knowing and doing nothing about it was also negligence.

So they reported it to Professor Hong Jae-hoon, the head of hospital administration.

“What? That insane bastard… What did he do this time?”

“We’re still trying to confirm.”

“Goddammit… Take action, now!”

“Yes, sir.”

Professor Hong Jae-hoon immediately opened Naver, and sure enough, Baek Kang-hyuk’s name was plastered all over the real-time rankings.

And it was immediately obvious that it wasn’t for a good reason.

Related search terms included “shut up” and “fking h—”.

“Phew…”

Just as he let out a deep sigh, someone knocked on his door.

It was Professor Han Yoo-rim, his trusted aide and the head of surgery.

“Oh, good timing. Come in.”

“Yes, sir. I have something urgent to discuss.”

“Make it quick. I’ve got a headache from dealing with Baek Kang-hyuk.”

“Ah, actually… I came to talk about Professor Baek Kang-hyuk.”

“What, he caused another incident?”

“No, sir. I was going to suggest we allocate a bit more budget to the trauma surgery department…”

The moment Han Yoo-rim finished speaking, Hong Jae-hoon’s face twisted like a goblin.

“Are you out of your mind?!”