In forming my response to your story I juxtapose two lines that serve (in my view) as narrative bookends:
From the first sentence:
an elderly professor whose best friend is boredom and young candidate, eager to be in my place in a few decades
And the last sentence:
Of course, it was quite clear to me what fate awaited this boy.
The professor is tired, bored and perhaps disappointed in life. He projects this shadow of experience on the passionate optimism of the youth.
As for your last line...it is clear the fate that awaits the boy. Perhaps clear to the professor, but the professor does not have clear sight. He sees himself in the boy. But the boy may travel a different path, one with a different outcome. It may be that the young man does change medicine, or it may be that he just changes lives, a bit. This may be enough to sustain his optimism
A great story, with subtle touches that drew me in and made me reflect.
I just love how you always have great ideas and how you study the story thoroughly. It seems to me that you always experience it in person. Thanks for the nice words.