Chapter 26 - A Suspicious Patient and an Even More Suspicious Guardian (4)
‘“Treat her well”?’
It was a cheap provocation, but it was enough to infuriate Sihyeon, who was already feeling a deep sense of helplessness.
Ding-dong!
[System: The user’s sympathetic nervous system is extrely heightened.]
[System: The information access range is temporarily expanded.]
Countless information windows began floating above the people passing by. This was the second ti this had happened.
[Lee Ye-rim (F/41)]
He had already experienced how knowing just a na could be enough to fluster an opponent.
“If you’re that worried, Ms. ‘Lee Ye-rim,’ why don’t you head up to the ward yourself and pay her a visit?”
A chilling smile ford on Sihyeon’s lips. The playfulness instantly vanished from Lee Ye-rim’s face.
“How...”
The mocking tone she had used with Sihyeon was nowhere to be found.
— 4885, is that you?
Why did that movie line pop into his head at this mont? He almost laughed.
‘This doctor... how does he know?’
Lee Ye-rim was horrified by the sight of Sihyeon, who looked as if he were stifling a laugh.
Ordinarily, a mistress would never show her face at the hospital where the spouse is admitted. Let alone picking a fight with the attending physician—it was practically unimaginable.
‘Did she show up ostentatiously just to upset the patient?’
Provoking Lee In-im and fueling her ill will toward her husband—it was a transparent move. It was a cheap strategy, but he had to admit it was effective in its own way. After all, Lee In-im had already stated she had no intention of reconciling with her husband.
“Doctor, I think you have the wrong person. This friend isn’t Ms. Lee Ye-rim, she’s...”
Lee In-im’s husband stepped forward, but seeing Lee Ye-rim’s reaction, he could tell sothing was seriously wrong.
“...Ji-eun, let’s go for now.”
Wanting to escape the uncomfortable situation quickly, the guardian pulled Lee Ye-rim away.
“We’re going to the ward to deliver so things. See you next ti.”
As the guardian and Lee Ye-rim hurried toward the hospital, Cheon Sihyeon added one more thing.
“It seems things didn’t go well with the last guy you were with. I hope it works out better for you this ti.”
“W-What are you talking about right now?”
At Sihyeon’s words, Lee Ye-rim’s face turned bright red, and she even began to stutter.
“Dr. Cheon, what does that an...?”
The guardian, also quite shocked, stopped in his tracks and asked.
“Well, you’d have to ask Ms. Ye-rim... oh, did you say her na was Ji-eun this ti? Anyway, you’ll have to ask her. I’m sure you’ll give him a satisfying explanation, won’t you?”
The husband’s eyes, darting between Sihyeon and Lee Ye-rim, began to waver violently. It felt as if the sound of trust cracking could be heard in the air.
In reality, "trust" is much more critical in an illicit affair than in a marriage. When it breaks, there is no structural chanism between them to hold the relationship together.
‘Got ’em.’
Regardless of whether Lee Ye-rim actually had a past relationship like that or not, Sihyeon had achieved his goal.
Ding-dong!
[Achievent Reward: "If Not, Then Whatever" — A casually thrown comnt dealt massive damage to the opponent. (Very Hard difficulty 1,000P)]
To think even this gave him points. Sihyeon smiled faintly at Lee Ye-rim once again.
“……”
Lee Ye-rim could only gape like a fish, unable to utter a single word.
‘I should keep the fact that I saw those two at the hospital a secret.’
For now, he's managed to stop things from going exactly as Lee Ye-rim intended. Now, the choice rests entirely with the husband.
……
On duty the sa evening.
Bzzzzzt.
Sihyeon’s phone, sitting on the office desk, rang.
[02 - 20xx - 1950]
It was the ward.
“This is Cheon Sihyeon.”
“Doctor, there’s a visitor for patient Lee In-im. He says he's her attorney...”
“A lawyer?”
Sihyeon tilted his head. Up until the afternoon interview, there had been no ntion of anything legal.
“I’ll head up. Please ask him to wait in the interview room.”
Sihyeon headed to the ward without delay.
“Hello. I’m Cheon Sihyeon, the physician in charge of Ms. Lee In-im’s ward.”
“I am Lee In-im’s attorney. My visit is late because I ca after work.”
He was a middle-aged lawyer with a calm, baritone voice and a tall, clean-cut appearance.
‘His voice sounds like an announcer’s.’
He gave off the impression that he could score points with clients right from the first eting.
[Hwan Sa-jun, Co-representative of Pacheon Law Firm]
Hwan Sa-jun offered Sihyeon a handshake and handed him a business card.
‘What brings a law firm representative here?’
As if reading Sihyeon's expression, he spoke first.
“I’m here because my client told her husband is trying to fra her as a ntal patient.”
“Yes, an evaluation regarding that is currently being conducted in the ward.”
“Yes, I am aware. My client also ntioned that you are taking great care of her. I am grateful for that as well.”
Hwan Sa-jun said with a bright smile.
“By the way, is there a specific test that can psychiatrically prove it isn't a delusion? For instance, if we were to try an MRI or a blood test...”
The casually tossed question was quite sharp.
“To date, no radiological or blood tests have been established that can definitively diagnose a delusional disorder.”
“Ah, I see. Then how do you evaluate it?”
“A clinician interviews the patient and evaluates the appropriateness of their thought content and thought process. Psychological testing is also conducted alongside this.”
Hwan Sa-jun nodded slowly at Sihyeon’s words.
“Interviews and psychological tests. But those are ultimately done by people—thodologically, isn't that too biased toward subjectivity? Isn't there a more objective and definitive thod?”
Sihyeon reflexively furrowed his brow. There are still no biological markers that can accurately diagnose delusional disorder.
“We make efforts to establish diagnostic criteria and reduce differences between evaluators, but I wonder if perfect objectivity is even possible.”
“I see.”
Hwan Sa-jun toyed with the tip of his chin, closed his eyes for a mont, and then opened them.
“Then how about this thod? What if we prove that the client’s husband is actually committing infidelity? Then, naturally, it would an it's not a delusion, wouldn't it?”
Proving directly that it wasn't a delusion. It was an intuitive and clear thod, but one that was difficult for dical staff working at a hospital to execute.
“Pardon? Are you saying you’re going to tail the guardian, then?”
“Why not? I hate it when my clients lose.”
[System: Hwan Sa-jun is telling the truth. (99.9%)]
“We shouldn't just defend against him framing her as a ntal patient. We have to uncover the mistress like that so we can proceed with a lawsuit for alimony later.”
Hearing the explanation, it seed Hwan Sa-jun was a very proactive individual.
‘So, offense is the best defense, huh?’
It was a thod Sihyeon had never even considered before. He felt a surge of tension in his firmly set lips.
“But the patient is currently hospitalized. How do you plan to gather evidence?” Sihyeon questioned.
Evidence collected during Lee In-im’s hospitalization would highly likely be considered illegal if it involved hiring others.
“I was thinking that for a few days, myself and my staff could take Ms. Lee In-im out every evening to check the scene ourselves. Would that be alright?”
The lawyer’s explanation was essentially this: while Lee In-im was hospitalized, her husband would feel safe enough to et the mistress openly, so catching his tail wouldn't be difficult. His opinion was that securing such evidence was better than spending weeks in a locked ward to obtain a purely ‘subjective’ psychiatric opinion.
“I want to try that too.”
The patient was of the sa mind.
“I intend to do my absolute best. My client’s interest is my interest.”
[System: Hwan Sa-jun is telling the truth. (99.9%)]
‘It’s a radical thod... but the intention doesn’t seem malicious.’
“I’ll let you know after getting confirmation from the professor in charge.”
It was the first ti Sihyeon had ever encountered a request for a patient to go out every night during a stay in a locked ward.
— A lawyer ca personally? Tell her she can go for a short while, provided it doesn't disrupt the atmosphere of the ward.
Lee Gwang-seop’s reaction was one of slight surprise, but he ultimately allowed the outings. His judgnt was that since this wasn't a formal court-ordered psychiatric evaluation and the patient wasn't going out alone, there was no issue.
“Doctor, I’m headed out now.”
Before long, three people—Lee In-im, now changed into civilian clothes, Hwan Sa-jun, and another law firm employee—left the ward.
It was an attempt Sihyeon had never seen in the past. He watched their receding figures with a mix of anticipation and concern.
……
10:00 PM
They returned to the ward only after the distribution of bedti dications for the patients had finished.
“Doctor, you’re still here in the ward?” Lee In-im asked Sihyeon, who was sitting at the station.
“Was there any progress with what you went out to do?”
“Ah, yes. Here...”
Lee In-im imdiately pulled her phone from her pocket, tapped it a few tis, and showed the screen to Sihyeon.
The background was a motel parking lot. In the center of the photo, a black sedan was parked with its license plate clearly visible. Standing beside it were a middle-aged man and a woman who looked much younger by comparison.
In just a few hours, Lee In-im and her attorney had caught him in the act of infidelity.
‘It’s Lee Ye-rim.’
Sihyeon’s eyes widened as he confird the person in the photo.
“Is this woman the mistress you ntioned earlier?”
“I think so. No, I’m sure of it!”
The corners of Lee In-im’s mouth quirked up slightly before settling. It was only for a fleeting second, but a distinct smile had crossed her face.
‘What was that just now?’
In the next mont, a newly appeared notification window imdiately hijacked Sihyeon’s attention.
Ding-dong!
[System: Lee In-im’s primary emotion is ‘Pleasure’.]
The effect of ‘Kaitman’s Glasses’ used during the initial ward interview was still active.
‘Pleasure...?’
Even if she had confird that her suspicions were correct, the subject was her husband’s affair. Anger or sadness would be understandable—but pleasure?
It was sothing he couldn't understand at all.
“Um, could I make a quick call to my daughter before I hand back the phone?”
Lee In-im, who had changed back into her hospital gown before he knew it, stood in front of the station and asked while clutching her phone.
“Yes, but please keep it brief as it’s bedti for the patients.”
“Yes, I will.”
‘It’s been a long day.’
As he sohow wrapped up his daily tasks, a wave of fatigue began to wash over him. The patient, the guardian, the mistress, and even the lawyer—today’s interviews had been exceptionally long.
If not for ‘Kaitman’s Glasses,’ he would have likely ended up tearing his hair out in indecision, unable to reach any conclusion.
[Owned Resources - 1,000P]
He was depleted, both in body and mind. He only had enough points left to buy one ‘Recovery Potion’ and one ‘Deep Sleep Potion.’
Leaving Lee In-im behind as she talked on the phone at the end of the ward hallway, Sihyeon headed for the exit.
“Doctor, patient Jeong Gi-cheol is complaining of dyspnea! His BP is 90/60 and his heart rate is 120!”
Nurse Lee Seon-ji shouted from in front of Room 903.
‘Jeong Gi-cheol...?’
He was the patient who had been transferred back to Ward 9 after his vitals stabilized in Cardiology. He had been fine during the afternoon rounds, but now he was exhibiting both hypotension and tachycardia.
‘My day... isn't over yet.’
Sihyeon imdiately started running toward Room 903.
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