Chapter 25 - A Suspicious Patient and an Even More Suspicious Guardian (3)
[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.
“Dr. Seol Hyeon-su, which department are you planning to apply (residency application) to?”
“Ah, I haven’t decided yet.”
Seol Hyeon-su stammered as if flustered. Although she tended to be dejected at times, she was a diligent person. In the past, she had applied to Thoracic Surgery and seemed to do quite well.
‘If this person applies to Psychiatry, what happens to Won-gi?’
Sihyeon thought of Kim Won-gi, his junior—more accurately, the man who was scheduled to be his junior in a year.
While he didn’t think for a second that Kim Won-gi, who usually competed for the top intern grades, would be pushed out of the competition, if such a thing were to happen, it would be a significantly large change.
‘From the patients' perspective, it means their physician in charge would change entirely.’
Come to think of it, he could feel the eyes of the nurses at the station on him for a while now. Among them was Nurse Park Hye-seon, who had handed Sihyeon coffee yesterday.
‘Is this an idea of reference?’
The feeling that they must be talking about him. It certainly wouldn't be gossip, but it was equally burdensome.
The subtly changed atmosphere of the Emergency Room stimulated Sihyeon’s anxiety.
……
Monday Morning Rounds.
“First-years, you worked hard over the weekend. You said a ward patient was transferred to Cardiology due to dyspnea?”
“Yes, patient Jeong Gi-cheol in Room 903 developed pericarditis (inflammation of the membrane surrounding the heart) and was transferred. Pericardiocentesis (the removal of fluid from the pericardial sac) was performed by Thoracic Surgery, and he is currently under observation.”
“Dear me. That could have been a disaster.”
Professor Lee Gwang-seop wiped his forehead after hearing Hwang Jin-ho’s report.
“Once a patient is admitted to the ward, you must look closely for internal medicine issues from then on. You did well over the weekend.”
Though he seemed surprised for a moment, a gentle smile soon appeared on Lee Gwang-seop’s lips. He seemed to think the first-years were doing a good job.
“When that patient is transferred back later, let’s have a discussion about it.”
Without any further comments, Lee Gwang-seop finished the rounds and left the ward.
“Anyone who wants coffee, follow me. Busy doctors, go see your patients.”
It was the Chief, Kim Min-hong. Perhaps because his stock investments were going well, he had been buying coffee every Monday lately.
“For someone who was busy over the weekend, you look quite fresh,” Kwon Jin-eun, a second-year, said with a mischievous expression.
The first year is a time when one suffers from an absolute lack of sleep.
To see someone who could barely manage to wash and shave looking free of fatigue and properly dressed, it seemed he looked a bit different to her.
“Sihyeon is quite popular lately,” Hwang Jin-ho said.
“The interns and even the ER nurses like Sihyeon so much.”
“Is a call going to come in during an ER staff dinner at this rate?” Kim Seok-yong chimed in.
‘Maybe so.’
Compared to the past, he was taking ER calls more diligently and had even helped an ER nurse in a private setting.
The Head of Emergency Medicine was very interested in residents from other departments.
In particular, he made a point of personally looking after residents who were good to the interns and nurses.
Bzzzzzt.
“Psychiatry R1 Cheon Si-hyeon speaking.”
—Doctor. Professor Lee Gwang-seop is calling for you.
It was a call from the outpatient clinic.
‘What’s going on?’
Sihyeon quickly finished the rest of his coffee and headed toward the outpatient clinic.
……
Knock, knock.
“This is Cheon Sihyeon.”
“Dr. Cheon, about that patient Lee In-im you saw in the ER over the weekend. The one whose guardian keeps insisting she has delusional disorder.”
“Yes. I remember her, Professor.”
“She came to the clinic this morning. I think the patient needs to be admitted for an evaluation.”
Lee Gwang-seop seemed to hesitate slightly.
“The patient said she liked the doctor on duty she met in the ER and wants to be admitted under Dr. Cheon Sihyeon. What do you think?”
“Yes. I would like to take charge of her case.”
“Hmm... alright then. I’ll put in the admission order, so let’s work hard on this.”
Just as Sihyeon was about to bow and leave, Lee Gwang-seop spoke.
“I looked at the ER chart, and the medical records were excessively centered on the patient’s subjective statements.”
Sihyeon had indeed mostly written what the patient said in the chart. It was because he had used ‘Kaitman’s Glasses’ to perceive that most of the guardian’s words were lies.
“I’m sure you did it out of concern for the patient. However, I’d like you to balance it with objectively observed findings so that another doctor won't have a preconceived notion about the diagnosis when they see it later.”
“I will keep that in mind, Professor.”
His words were a sound argument with no room for rebuttal.
“By the way, how did it look to you, Dr. Cheon?”
“Pardon?”
An unexpected question. He was indirectly asking for Sihyeon’s personal opinion.
“I thought the guardian was suspicious. I got the impression that he was framing the patient as having delusional disorder.”
“So that’s how you saw it?”
A faint smile brushed past Lee Gwang-seop’s face.
“The guardian didn't seem ordinary either. Even if it takes time, I want her to be admitted and properly evaluated. Contact them as soon as a bed becomes available.”
“Yes, Professor.”
In Sihyeon’s opinion, Lee In-im was merely stressed by her husband’s affair; she wasn't a patient with symptoms severe enough to require hospitalization.
‘There must be a reason why the Professor recommended admission...’
Even though he had returned four years into the past, it was still difficult to read Professor Lee Gwang-seop’s inner thoughts.
……
Two days later, in the afternoon.
Patient Lee In-im, her husband, and their two daughters arrived at the ward.
‘I’ll use Kaitman’s Glasses.’
[SORA: Your current remaining points are 5,500P. Would you like to use them?]
‘It’s a waste, but I have no choice.’
As long as there was a guardian determined to deceive, a typical interview was meaningless. When Sihyeon gave a slight nod, a message appeared stating that the 1-day subscription had been used.
[Owned Resources - 500P]
‘That leaves me with just enough for one Recovery Potion.’
To think I’d go broke meeting a strange guardian. Sihyeon let out a bitter smile.
“Doctor. We meet again. I ended up being hospitalized in psychiatry because of this man.”
“No... this woman is doing it again? I told you, I’ve never had an affair!”
[System: The guardian is lying. (99.9%)]
‘This man really... he’s consistent.’
Sihyeon let out a small sigh.
“I just wish my husband would stop meeting ‘that woman.’ But since I’ve been admitted like this, please help me, Doctor,” Lee In-im said, her voice cracking with emotion.
“Yes. I will do that...”
“I want to live happily with my husband, just like we used to.”
Ding-dong!
[System : The patient is lying. (99.9%)]
The notification popped up before her answer even finished.
‘Huh? What is this...?’
Sihyeon couldn’t take his eyes off the screen, stunned by the unexpected result.
“Doctor, please fix this woman. Her jealousy is out of control! It’s a delusional disorder, I tell you!”
[System : The guardian is lying. (99.9%)]
Delusion.
The "jealousy" the husband spoke of referred to delusional jealousy (Othello syndrome)—a delusion where one suspects the fidelity of their spouse.
“If he just gives up that woman and comes back, I’ll forgive everything. So please...”
It was a situation where the wife was already suffering from her husband’s affair, yet was being criticized for having "baseless suspicions."
The patient bit her lip and struck her chest, trying to suppress the surging sorrow.
Just as Sihyeon was about to feel the weight of her frustration—
Ding-dong!
Sihyeon’s eyes widened at the notification that followed.
[System : The patient is lying. (99.9%)]
Both the husband and Lee In-im were lying.
‘What is with this couple? Exactly which part is the lie?’
For a moment, he even doubted "Kaitman’s Glasses."
“Are you saying you want to restore the relationship with your husband and get along well like before?”
Sihyeon, finding her statement strange, asked again to confirm.
“Of course. I want to live happily.”
[System : The patient is lying. (99.9%)]
“We’ve never had any major problems during our marriage until now.”
The two daughters watching from the side nodded repeatedly. Like Lee In-im said, they seemed to hope for a reconciliation.
‘Can a middle-aged couple who got along fine suddenly act like this?’
It was a baffling situation.
The husband was having an affair and framing his wife’s reasonable suspicions as delusions, while the wife was pointing out the affair but secretly didn't want to restore the relationship at all.
‘What on earth is going on here?’
“Guardian, you may head home after finishing the admission paperwork.”
Sihyeon felt it would be difficult for Lee In-im to speak her mind as long as the family was listening.
……
After the guardians left, Sihyeon began the interview with the patient.
“Our marriage was perfect until not too long ago. How did it come to this?” Lee In-im let out a sigh.
“Well. It’s a bit strange for a husband to frame his wife as a mental patient in a relationship that has no problems, don't you think?”
“It’s all because of ‘that woman.’”
“You’ve been mentioning her since earlier. Who exactly is she?”
He had suddenly become curious about the identity of "that woman."
“Ever since ‘that woman’ appeared, he started saying he’s investing in companies with names I’ve never heard of... he makes frequent golf appointments, and goes to meetings he never used to attend.”
“Your husband suddenly started changing?”
“It must have been since early last year. My husband runs a small company... he was truly a diligent man who knew nothing but work.”
Lee In-im shook her head as if she still couldn't understand.
“He was a bit indifferent to the house, but he wasn't like this... Now, my trust in him is completely broken. To be honest, I want to leave him.”
[System : The patient is telling the truth. (99.9%)]
“It’s a company my father started, so I have a lot of affection for it. But lately, I’m so anxious because I feel like something big is going to happen to both the company and our home. I’d rather it just be a simple affair.”
Whatever the circumstances were, it was certain that the husband was so infatuated with ‘that woman’ that he couldn’t exercise his usual judgment.
“Do you also have shares in the company?”
“Yes. I have exactly the same number of shares as my husband.”
The image of the husband demanding psychiatric hospitalization and a medical certificate flashed through Sihyeon’s mind.
‘In the end, is it a matter of assets?’
What Sihyeon had been doing all this time was diagnosing and treating illnesses. Proving that someone was not a mental patient was a different matter entirely.
The most certain way to prove that Lee In-im did not have delusional disorder was to confirm that the husband’s affair was a fact. However, hiring someone to tail him wasn't an option. It was realistically impossible.
Another way was to observe the patient closely and conclude that there were no findings consistent with delusional disorder.
‘So that’s what he meant by "evaluate her well."’
He felt he understood Professor Lee Gwang-seop’s intentions.
In this hospitalization, Sihyeon’s role was to provide at least a minimum defense against the husband who was trying to frame his wife as a patient.
‘Even though I know it’s a lie and I even have the mistress’s contact information, there's nothing I can do.’
As Sihyeon headed down after finishing the interview, his heart felt even more heavy.
……
On his way to the dormitory through the emergency room. Sihyeon encountered some unexpected people in the parking lot on the first floor of the annex.
A middle-aged man and a young woman who looked to be in her early thirties at a glance.
“Ah, h-hello?”
Lee In-im’s husband offered an awkward greeting. His flustered state was evident.
“Oh my? You must be a doctor here. It seems like that unni has a really bad obsession. Please take good care of her.”
Not a hint of concern could be felt in her voice. She didn't seem like an acquaintance of Lee In-im. Sihyeon was about to pass with a brief nod when the woman added a word.
“Do your best to ‘treat’ her. Oppa is having such a hard time. Is it because she’s such a difficult patient? Hahaha.”
“Stop it! What's wrong with you?”
The husband was restless, cautiously gauging Sihyeon’s reaction.
‘It’s her.’
With a furrowed brow, Sihyeon glared at ‘that woman’ Lee In-im had spoken of.