An autistic young man with developmental disabilities, and a passionate, genius doctor eager to help others—these two identities, intertwined, evoke a condemnation of societal discrimination and indifference. When facing people with differences, what is needed is not sympathy or pity, but empathy and resonance...
Si-on, who had been living with autism since childhood, struggled with interpersonal communication and had no close friends. His unusual expressions and subtle gestures made it easy for others to label him as "different." Children of his age mocked and insulted him. The only person who stood by young Si-on was his older brother, who had grown up with him. His brother always protected and encouraged Si-on; in his eyes, Si-on was not an autistic person with intellectual limitations, but his smartest younger brother—the one he most wanted to take care of.
Once, to get other children to accept Si-on, the older brother agreed to enter a mine to collect glass marbles. The brothers took Si-on into the pitch-black mine. The surrounding silence and jagged rocks on both sides sent chills down their spines. Fortunately, they soon found the marbles. Excited, they grabbed Si-on and prepared to leave the mine. Tragedies often strike in an instant. A sudden collapse of the mine claimed the older brother’s young life—and took away the person closest to Si-on.
Time flew by. Grown-up Si-on, holding fast to the promise he had made to his brother—to become an outstanding doctor—graduated from medical school with honors. Today was a crucial day for him: with the strong recommendation of his mentor, Dean Choi Woo-seok, he had an interview opportunity for an internship at Seongwon University Hospital, one of the top hospitals in the country. However, on his way to the hospital, an emergency occurred: a child was hit by a huge billboard that suddenly fell at the station. The child lost a lot of blood and was in critical condition. Si-on, who happened to be at the scene, used his exceptional medical skills to give the child first aid and accompanied them into the ambulance. On the ambulance, Si-on kept checking his watch, but the scheduled interview time had long passed. His absence led the hospital board to reject his job application.
The child was sent to none other than Seongwon Hospital—the very place of Si-on’s interview. But Si-on had no time to worry about the interview. He noticed the child showed symptoms of traumatic cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, an extremely serious traumatic complication that could be life-threatening if not treated promptly. Si-on tried to rush into the operating room to warn the attending doctor, but he was stopped at the door. All he could do was mumble vague English medical terms. During the surgery, Dr. Kim Do-han, the attending physician, suddenly noticed the child was bleeding from the heart. He suddenly recalled the English words Si-on had spoken outside the operating room—those words were exactly a warning about the emergency measures that needed to be taken. In the end, the child was saved.
Si-on’s heroic act of saving the child was widely reported by the media. He was mistakenly identified as a doctor at Seongwon Hospital, attracting a large number of reporters to interview him. The hospital director held another meeting to discuss Si-on’s employment. At the meeting, Dean Choi argued strongly, emphasizing that although Si-on had autism, he had extraordinary talent in medicine—and that autism was not uncurable. Finally, he even offered to resign as dean if Si-on failed to perform his duties within six months. Vice Dean Kang Hyun-tae, who had long been eager to seize power, saw this as an opportunity and took the lead in agreeing to the proposal. Si-on finally succeeded in joining the hospital as an intern in the pediatric department.
Dr. Kim Do-han, also a pediatrician, was confused by the dean’s decision to hire an autistic intern. However, after learning that Si-on was the one who had given first aid to the child that day—and understanding Si-on’s unique perspective on medicine—he began to feel a hint of recognition for him. Cha Yoon-seo was a beautiful pediatrician at Seongwon Hospital, known for her strong sense of mission and approachability. She had gotten into a dispute with Kim Do-han over a treatment plan and had drowned her sorrows in alcohol. Drunk, she returned home and accidentally walked into the wrong room—only to meet Si-on, who was celebrating his birthday alone. What kind of fateful story would unfold from this unexpected encounter...