Chapter 24 - A Suspicious Patient and an Even More Suspicious Guardian (2)
[SORA: ‘Kaitman’s Glasses’ is a Core Item. If selected, the use of other Core Items will be restricted.]
‘Even for a one-day subscription?’
[SORA: The same principle applies to the subscription service.]
Kaitman’s Glasses.
A Core Item that analyzes emotions and identifies lies.
If I chose this, I would have to give up on ‘The Old Gentleman’s Couch’ and ‘The Old Prisoner’s Mirror.’ It felt like I was standing at a crossroads in my career path.
‘Psychoanalysis and logotherapy are certainly attractive fields in their own right.’
Understanding the unconscious and desires, and discovering the meaning of life—these are all important matters. But as always, it was more important to properly treat the patient right in front of me at this very moment.
‘I’ll still go with this one.’
Normally, when treating a patient with a delusional disorder, what matters is the patient’s emotions and the flow of their thoughts, rather than the truth or falsehood of the delusion itself.
However, Sihyeon’s thoughts were a bit different. On the day before his specialist exam, hadn't he almost died because he ignored the words of a patient he hadn't doubted were delusions?
‘I can’t repeat the same mistake.’
As he touched Kaitman’s Glasses, a new message appeared.
[SORA: You have purchased a 1-day subscription. Would you like to use it right now? Y/N]
When he touched Y, a faint light began to swirl in Sihyeon’s pupils. In the next moment, countless marker lines began to appear over the facial features of the patient and the guardians.
‘A consultation room where augmented reality has been implemented...’
He had imagined glasses falling out of thin air, but that didn't seem to be the case.
[System: The functions of ‘All Charts in the World’ are being expanded.]
[New Add-on: Kaitman’s Glasses]
‘The new item has been integrated into the system.’
———
[Kaitman’s Glasses 1.0 Release Notes]
1. Lie Detection – Displays the probability of a lie on a per-sentence basis.
2. Primary Emotion Classification – Quantifies and reports basic emotions.
3. ???? – ???? (Deactivated)
– Some functions are restricted in the subscription service.
——
‘A degraded version... you say?’
He had invested two-thirds of his entire fortune into a one-day trial, yet there were functional restrictions. He felt slightly cheated.
While Sihyeon’s attention was briefly diverted by the notification window, the patient’s family was fighting in a 2-on-2 formation.
The husband and the eldest daughter claimed the wife’s delusions were severe and that she should be hospitalized.
The wife and the second daughter argued that there was plenty of reason to suspect the husband and that there were no particular mental issues.
“Dad has been coming home late every day lately, and he even stays out on weekends! And why is the black box footage always erased? Doctor, please say something. Am I wrong?”
The second daughter said, defending her mother.
“So the first thing that came to mind was an affair?”
As Sihyeon nodded, the husband continued, not wanting to be outdone.
“Doctor, life is impossible because of this woman. Impossible! I can’t work because she keeps contacting me all day long and demanding to know where I went!”
This time, the husband vented his frustration.
“Ah... so it was to the point of interfering with your work.”
A difficult situation. Sihyeon was gradually becoming like Minister Hwang Hui—agreeing that everyone was right.
“I truly have never had an affair. If I had at least met another woman, it wouldn't feel so unfair!”
Ding-dong!
[System: A lie has been detected.]
Sihyeon, eager to test out his new item, began asking more specific questions.
“Are you saying there isn't any woman you've been seeing recently?”
“Of course. Absolutely not.”
[System: The guardian is lying. (99.9%)]
“Is it perhaps a misunderstanding because you're close with people at work?”
“Not at all. I don't even share a table with the female employees.”
[System: The guardian is lying. (99.9%)]
‘Oho... look at this guy.’
Every time he opened his mouth, it was a lie.
‘The item isn't broken, is it?’
Sihyeon intentionally threw out a neutral question.
“I’d like to hear from the others as well. Are the only family members living together your wife and two daughters?”
“Yes.”
[System: The guardian is telling the truth. (99.9%)]
If Kaitman’s Glasses were accurate, then Lee In-im was not the patient.
Rather, the problem was the husband, who was gaslighting his wife into appearing mentally ill because his own position was being threatened by her suspicions.
“Her delusions are too severe. I’d like her to be hospitalized.”
Sihyeon was appalled by the words of the husband, who was playing the victim.
“Hospitalization is difficult because there are no available beds. Even if there were, this does not meet the indications for admission.”
“If admission isn't possible, then at least write a medical certificate for me.”
Not content with framing her as a patient, he was now demanding a medical certificate.
A surge of anger rose within Sihyeon. He felt like the man viewed the Emergency Room not as a place for treatment, but as a convenient spot to get a lopsided medical certificate to use to his own advantage.
“We cannot conclude that this is a delusional disorder based solely on an initial ER examination. Since psychiatry requires an evaluation period, it is difficult to issue a medical certificate on the same day.”
Sihyeon spoke calmly, suppressing his emotions as much as possible.
‘How should I punish this guy?’
He wanted to tell them that Lee In-im wasn't the patient, but he had no way to explain it to the family. He didn't exactly have physical evidence.
Bzzzzzt.
Right then, the husband’s phone rang. He glanced at the phone and pressed the "decline" button.
“See that! That woman is calling again, isn't she? Go ahead and answer it.”
“Do I really have to answer the phone while I'm being seen at the hospital? I told you it's not like that, why do you keep doing this? It’s from Manager Kang.”
[System: The guardian is lying. (99.9%)]
The corners of Sihyeon’s mouth curled up slightly.
“It seems like a call from someone at work. Wouldn't it be okay to show your phone to the family for a moment? Your wife is feeling quite anxious.”
“S-Should I?”
The guardian looked a bit troubled but eventually showed them the phone. The family’s attention focused on the husband’s phone.
[Recent Call List]
→ Manager Kang Ho-min
← Department Head Lee Gap-seok
→ Manager Kang Ho-min
No matter how hard they looked, there wasn't a single woman's name. After a quick glance at the recent call records, Sihyeon surreptitiously copied one of the numbers onto a notepad.
“First, I will interview Ms. Lee In-im separately. Guardians, could you please step out for a moment?”
“Ah, yes...”
Once the guardians left, Sihyeon spoke.
“I don't think your thoughts are wrong, Ms. Lee In-im.”
“Right? I didn't misunderstand, did I?”
“However, I think psychiatric treatment will be necessary.”
“Pardon? What do you mean by that? Why should I receive treatment...”
“Because it is a fact that you are under an immense amount of stress because your husband is having an affair.”
“That’s true. Lately, I haven't been able to sleep, and I feel like I'm going to develop hwabyeong*.”
[N: Hwabyeong (화병) is a Korean culture-bound syndrome known as "fire illness" or "anger syndrome," resulting from suppressing rage or injustice over a long period. It is characterized by severe physical symptoms—such as a lump in the chest, heat sensation, or palpitations—combined with emotional distress like anxiety, depression, and suppressed anger.]
Lee In-im thumping her chest as if she felt stifled.
“I think it would be best for you to receive regular treatment and a psychological evaluation to make it clear that this is not a delusional disorder.”
“Thank you for believing me. My husband is so stubborn... and even my eldest daughter keeps saying it's just me being sensitive.”
Sihyeon didn't want to get involved in someone else’s family matters, but he felt he would be uncomfortable if he allowed a perfectly sane person to be labeled a mental patient.
His grip on the notepad tightened involuntarily.
“First, I’ll schedule an outpatient appointment for you.”
Sihyeon prescribed a small amount of sleeping pills and anti-anxiety medication for Lee In-im.
Naturally, no medication for delusions was included.
After the patient left the interview room, Sihyeon began charting so fast his keyboard practically caught fire.
– No findings suspicious of delusional disorder.
– Depression, insomnia, decreased appetite, and weight loss are present, but no specific abnormalities observed in thought content or thought process.
– Husband claims the patient has delusions, but the presentation is not typical.
He wrote with the hope that the professor who would treat the patient in the outpatient clinic could grasp the situation clearly.
In the past, he would have taken a long time because he was indecisive, but this time, he finished the charting swiftly.
Ding-dong!
[System: Achievement reward is being issued.]
[A New Chart: The system adds a new patient's chart. (Hard difficulty +500P)]
Simply treating patients he hadn't seen in the past provided rewards.
‘How would Jin-ho have judged this patient if he had seen her?’
It would not have been an easy case if not for Kaitman’s Glasses. Or more accurately, it was the guardian who wasn't easy.
Sigh.
The fatigue set in after being called here and there since yesterday.
When he touched the Recovery Potion in his inventory, he felt the tiredness gradually vanish and strength return to his eyes.
‘At this rate, I could probably handle another day of duty.’
It was a level of confidence he was feeling for the first time during a weekend shift.
……
Looking around, the Emergency Room was still a mess. Even in the midst of it, Nam Jeong-uk was still shouting at the intern he had called over.
‘He should really take it down a notch.’
A child's crying could be heard from the treatment room. Judging by the gasping sobs, it seemed a Plastic Surgery resident was wrestling with an injured child.
“Intern, I’ll hold the patient, so go see the other patients.”
Intern Seol Hyeon-su, who had lost her strength after holding onto the struggling child for so long, stepped back.
“Hyung, I’ll hold him.”
“Ah, Sihyeon, were you in the ER?”
It was Park Hwan-tae, a first-year Plastic Surgery resident. He was two years older than Sihyeon, and they had shared a bunk bed during their internship.
As Sihyeon firmly gripped the child's shoulders to keep him from shaking, the struggling child grew quiet.
Was it because of the Recovery Potion? He felt like his physical strength was greater than usual.
“Okay. Almost done. Just a little longer.”
Park Hwan-tae’s skill in handling surgical sutures was vastly superior to what it had been a few weeks ago.
They were both interns just late last year, but apparently, he was born with surgical hands.
“Cut!”
Sihyeon cut the suture in sync with Park Hwan-tae’s stitch-by-stitch suturing.
“Phew. Thanks to you, it finished early. Were you down here?”
As the child and the guardian left the treatment room, Park Hwan-tae wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“Yes. I was seeing a patient. Hyung, your handling of the 6-0 (6-0 suture) is completely natural.”
A 6-0 suture is thinner than a strand of hair and very difficult to handle.
“Try doing only this all day. There's no way your skills won't improve. Is it some kind of special day today? Why are there so many people coming in injured...”
“Weekend PS (Plastic Surgery) is the same as always.”
Since people usually call Plastic Surgery whenever there’s a laceration on the face, Park Hwan-tae practically lived in the Emergency Room on weekends.
Depending on which part of the body was injured, there were occasionally territorial disputes (?) between Orthopedics and Plastic Surgery, but Hwan-tae generally accepted calls well, so the interns liked him.
“Let’s go. Let's have a cup of coffee...”
As Sihyeon was about to leave the ER with Park Hwan-tae, the notification sound rang out again.
Ding-dong!
[System: Achievement reward is being issued.]
[The Right Place at the Right Time — You appeared at the perfect moment to help a fellow resident. (Hard difficulty +500P)]
“Hyung, if there’s a patient who needs a suture (stitching) later, please call me. I’ll assist. Okay?”
“Huh? Why would I call you instead of an ER intern?”
“I think I’ll need to see a lot of patients for a while.”
“A lot of... patients?”
It wasn't something he did expecting a reward, but it was a situation where he had essentially earned a free potion with just a small investment of time.
Sihyeon had been beaming for a while now.
‘Is he having a manic episode or something?’
Among all his colleagues, Hwan-tae had never seen a first-year ask to be called so they could see more patients.
Park Hwan-tae, who couldn't possibly know the circumstances, looked at Sihyeon with a worried expression.
[System: Plastic Surgery R1 Park Hwan-tae’s primary emotion is ‘Concern’.]
Perhaps due to the effect of Kaitman’s Glasses, the emotions of the person he was talking to popped up in a notification window.
‘It’s just that the item maintenance cost is a bit high.’
Regardless of what Hwan-tae thought, Sihyeon was only thinking about earning points.
“Interns, give me a noti immediately when a patient arrives. I’ll accept all of them.”
“Pardon? Ah... yes... thank you!”
Seol Hyeon-su looked at Sihyeon with eyes reflecting a slight touch of emotion.
Ding-dong!
[System: Intern Seol Hyeon-su’s trust in the user increases. (Hard difficulty +500P)]
[System: Intern Seol Hyeon-su develops a favorable impression of Psychiatry. The probability of her applying to Psychiatry in the future increases.]
‘Huh, what’s this?’
He had only intended to earn more points, but the results were flowing in a direction different from what Sihyeon had intended.