Kang Sangyoon's Interest
“You mean a protest against it? No, not at all! It’s a position where we can treat more patients and make more money, so I don’t see any reason doctors would reject it that strongly.”
At this point, Ji Minhwan could do nothing but defend his idea with everything he had.
But Kang Sangyoon was too sharp to be pushed back by blind insistence alone.
“Doctors don’t earn anything close to a huge financial windfall just because they see one or two more patients. On the other hand, if they make a misdiagnosis through telemedicine, the penalties they face are crystal clear.”
“Still, wouldn’t it be fine to start with something simple, like prescribing cold medicine?”
“How are you going to prescribe medication simply? Are you sending the drugs remotely too? In that case, do you think pharmacists will like the idea?”
Kang Sangyoon’s judgment was correct.
Telemedicine had already been under discussion in Korea since around 2002.
But persistent resistance from the medical establishment had made commercialization difficult.
The issue had even grown serious enough to trigger massive nationwide demonstrations by doctors.
It was only after the outbreak of COVID, a large-scale infectious disease crisis, that it was accepted to some extent in law and in common practice. Trying to push it in today’s Korea, where nothing of the sort had happened yet, was simply unrealistic.
“I think this service is tangled up in complicated legal issues, the medical community won’t look kindly on it, and if there are any problems caused by the app, liability would be unclear. What do the Siren Team members think?”
Kang Sangyoon’s sharp feedback left Ji Minhwan’s mind completely blank.
It’d be more convenient for patients to receive treatment remotely instead of going around to see a doctor for nothing more than a cold.
That was all Ji Minhwan had ever done—borrowed ideas from adults who said things like that.
He had never really considered how the medical community would react.
He had only assumed, naturally, that they would be happy if patient numbers increased.
“Still, I mean, the legal issues can be solved step by step. No matter how much the medical community hates it, if patients want it, doctors who can’t make money will have to log on, and then, um...”
Kang Sangyoon no longer even looked at Ji Minhwan as he rambled.
From JH Medical’s perspective, as a company that did business with doctors, there was no reason to give high marks to an idea that the medical community would dislike.
And the chill in the air wasn’t lost on the other judges, either.
“Yes, understood.”
“Uh, yes, thank you.”
As a result, Ji Minhwan’s team’s total score had no choice but to drop.
He had been brought down completely.
“Now, the next team, TA Medical, will begin their presentation.”
It was now Kim Siwon’s team’s turn to shift Kang Sangyoon’s mood.
“Hello. I’m Kim Siwon from the TA Medical team.”
When he saw the word “Medical” in the team name, Kang Sangyoon fixed his eyes on Kim Siwon’s face.
A team aiming at the medical field, even though they weren’t healthcare professionals?
To Kang Sangyoon, that just meant he’d found another piece of prey.
For better or worse.
“The service we developed is an AI that helps diagnose lung cancer, pneumonia, and tuberculosis through X-rays.”
Kim Siwon’s presentation was exceptionally clean.
He laid out exactly what their AI did, why they had chosen those three conditions, how the service worked, and what kind of impact it was expected to have.
He had also conducted a thorough market analysis, and every piece of logic lined up neatly.
“I’ll show you right now how this AI can diagnose disease in just three seconds.”
Showing a short video of the execution screen was visually striking, too.
An AI that could diagnose illness in seconds.
And not just that—an AI with very strong accuracy, too.
It was the kind of presentation that drew the eye no matter what.
“That’s all. If you have any questions or feedback, please let me know.”
Kang Sangyoon’s eyes were the brightest they had been all day.
His heart was even pounding a little at the thought that he had finally found something worth using.
From JH Medical’s point of view, a company that also sold X-ray equipment, the idea was irresistibly appealing.
“It’s impressive that you want to diagnose disease using something as basic as an X-ray.”
“Thank you.”
“And deciding to include tuberculosis as well, in anticipation of exports to developing countries where medical volunteer work is carried out—that’s smart.”
At Kang Sangyoon’s steady stream of praise, Kim Siwon smiled.
For someone as sparing with compliments as Kang Sangyoon to enumerate specific strengths like that.
It was a clear sign that his presentation had been a success.
“Your marketing and sales strategy, not to mention your overseas expansion plan, were all so well thought out. It was very impressive. Frankly, it’s more professional than I’d expect from college students.”
“Thank you.”
The judge with connections to Ji Minhwan broke out in a cold sweat.
The atmosphere made it far too difficult to find fault.
“Would the medical community actually want to use this AI? Couldn’t they feel like it’s replacing their jobs?”
“Legally, AI cannot diagnose patients in place of a doctor. That means it can only be used as a support tool for doctors. In places like health screening centers with a high volume of X-rays, or in countries with a shortage of medical staff, this AI would be able to meaningfully assist doctors.”
Even when they asked a question clearly meant to put him in a bind, Kim Siwon kept answering flawlessly.
When necessary, he even showed them the supporting materials he had set aside in an appendix.
Rather than being cornered, he only seemed more prepared with every attack.
“Yes. Good work. You may step down now.”
Kim Siwon’s team became the only team to walk off the stage to applause.
Even as the next presentation continued, people found it hard to shake thoughts of Kim Siwon’s team from their minds.
“Thank you all for your hard work. After one hour for lunch, we will announce the winners.”
As soon as all the presentations were over, everyone thought the same thing.
Ah. First place is definitely going to Kim Siwon’s team.
“We’re taking a photo now. On three—one, two!”
Click.
Our team won the grand prize without any surprises.
So I ended up holding the grand prize panel for a group photo with Kang Sangyoon and a few other important-looking people.
“Good work!”
“Siwon, you really went through a lot!”
“What are you talking about? You all worked hard too!”
“Hey—this team crushed it!!”
After the photo, we returned to our seats and happily fussed over one another.
The grand prize came with several million won in prize money and promised investment-linked programs.
For a startup that had only just begun, those were incredibly valuable opportunities.
“We should be celebrating, but I’m way too sleepy.”
“Then we can all drink together with the club after exams are over.”
“Did you upload the photo to the group chat?”
Just as we were getting carried away, a familiar presence approached, clapping softly.
“Congratulations on winning the grand prize.”
It was Kang Sangyoon.
Right. I knew he’d come.
“It was a very good idea. The product itself looked quite polished, too.”
“Thank you.”
“We’re considering internal adoption as well. Would it be all right if we requested installation for an internal test? From what I saw, it looks like it can even be installed on a regular laptop.”
At Kang Sangyoon’s sudden proposal, all of our teammates startled.
JH Medical, the number one company in the country, was considering adoption?
Of course, anyone would think this was an impossible opportunity.
They probably couldn’t even guess what exactly was meant by “adoption.”
“Yes, yes! It can be installed on just about any laptop right away!”
Excited, Jeong Hyeonwoo lost all sense of caution and bit hard on the bait.
“Ah. Then should I just bring over my laptop right away?”
Not a chance.
I gave Kang Sangyoon, who was trying to pull some nonsense with a benevolent smile, an equally benevolent smile of my own.
“Then is the contract for the business agreement already prepared?”
My answer made Kang Sangyoon’s eyes wobble slightly.
He probably hadn’t expected a college student to talk so boldly about contracts with a conglomerate.
“No. Since the business agreement hasn’t been finalized yet, the contract hasn’t been prepared.”
“I see. In that case, once today’s presentation materials are reviewed and a decision is made on whether to proceed with adoption, the business agreement will be contracted, correct? And once the contract drafting is complete, we can install it for you then.”
“Hahaha. Yes, that’s right.”
“Haha. Great! Thank you for the kind offer. I’m honored.”
Once I brought up the proper procedure, Kang Sangyoon burst out laughing.
So I laughed right along with him.
As if he was going to snatch a little toy product from us.
He wouldn’t get a thing from us before the patent applications were filed.
“So, are you heading out to eat something nice with the prize money?”
“No. I think we’ll end up using all of it for patent applications. There are quite a few things to register, so all the investment money and prize money will probably go there.”
“Investment money?”
“Yes. There’s a professor who invested in our company, so we’ve been using that money to get a few things moving. We’ve also already prepared an investment proposal for the clinical design phase.”
Kang Sangyoon, who had been acting like he was in the position of absolute leverage, reacted the moment he heard the word “investment.”
That meant the people JH Medical had been eyeing as easy prey had already received money from investors.
And now they were saying they were getting additional investment for the clinical stage, too.
He looked as if he was worried this might all end up falling into a competitor’s hands.
“May I ask which professor that is? I’m wondering if I know them.”
“Ah, that’s still confidential for now.”
“Haha. I see. So you’re still in the process of receiving investment, then?”
“Yes. If the terms are right, I imagine the investments will keep coming.”
Kang Sangyoon was no longer thinking about scheming behind our backs.
What mattered now was trying to sweet-talk us quickly so a competitor wouldn’t steal us away.
“Then we’ll also do our best to speed up the investment-linked process on our side.”
“Yes. Thank you for taking the trouble.”
“Not at all. I hope we’ll have the chance to meet again under good circumstances.”
Only then could I give Kang Sangyoon a truly genuine smile.
Yeah. Go ahead and turn that brain of yours over a little.
I’d respond just as well.
“Hey. But when did you write an investment proposal?”
After Kang Sangyoon left our side, Seo Jeongwon asked me in a low voice.
So I whispered back just as quietly.
“My future self spent several years writing it.”
“Huh?”
“Mm.”
I patted Seo Jeongwon’s back as they stared at me with a dumbfounded expression.
“Just trust me. I’ll handle it well.”
From this point on, the real balance of power between JH Medical and us had changed.
Because now it was in our hands whether an innovative AI technology would be introduced by which X-ray company first.
Even if the validation was internal, 99 percent diagnostic AI still wasn’t exactly common.
“Uh... so what are we supposed to do now?”
The team members, still looking confused, asked me again.
I answered them seriously.
“Study hard for midterms.”
“Huh?”
They all looked at me like I was joking.
But this answer wasn’t a joke.
It was one hundred percent sincere.
“I’m not kidding. I mean it.”
“We don’t need to do anything else?”
“No. For now, the most important thing is to keep up your positions as scholarship students in the Computer Engineering Department at Korea University.”
Because now it was time for us to begin our proper PR campaign.