Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 64

64. The Spear, the Shield, and the Rotten Rope

“Hey, Nurse Su is coming.”

“Nurse Su?”

The staff at the reception desk pointed, calling for Nurse Im Jeong-suk in hushed voices.

“What’s all the excitement? Why are you looking for me so eagerly?”

“Look at that. That!”

“What about it?”

“Over there!”

At the end of the receptionist’s finger was Choi Mona. For some reason, Choi Mona was staring at her phone with her head down, pacing back and forth.

“I’m talking about Ms. Choi Mona.”

“She went straight to Dr. Kim’s office as soon as she came out of the emergency room, and after less than a minute, she’s been like that.”

“A minute? To be exact, she went in and came out in less than 30 seconds.”

“Looking at Ms. Choi’s expression, I sense something profound. What on earth is going on?”

“What’s going on?”

“I heard she got all steamed up while treating a dementia patient in the emergency room.”

“That’s right. I heard she was asking Nurse Su who was responsible, and she was really worked up.”

That’s how it is in a hospital. Whether it’s small or large, there are few places where rumors spread as quickly. Especially when the subject of the rumor is an employee; words travel not just a thousand miles, but with wings, they circulate to every corner of the building.

‘I guess someone told her already.’

Nurse Su knew she needed to tread carefully. Answering the staff’s curiosity would only stir up more trouble, so it was best to play dumb.

“It’s nothing like that. They were just exchanging opinions about patient care.”

“But, if it were someone else, it would be one thing, but Ms. Choi really shouldn’t be acting like that.”

“Honestly, she gets the most patient complaint cards, too.”

“That’s true. That’s why the team leader tried to get Ms. Choi transferred before Dr. Kim came.”

“Okay, stop it. Don’t gossip about other people’s business just because it’s not your own.”

“It’s not that, we’re just curious.”

“There are so many things to be curious about. Did you finish the insurance documents for the patient in room 303? What about the patient in 202?”

“It’s, it’s almost done.”

“Our pretty staff members, go do your work.”

Nurse Im Jeong-suk appropriately suppressed the staff’s interest in Choi Mona, but she couldn’t suppress her own. It didn’t seem like Choi Mona would listen to Tae-kyung so easily.

‘I’m getting nervous for no reason.’

* * *

5 minutes ago-

Knock knock

“Yes, come in.”

After hearing the situation from Nurse Im Jeong-suk in the emergency room, Choi Mona went straight to Tae-kyung’s office.

“Oh, Ms. Choi. What’s going on?”

“Are you busy?”

“Why?”

“I have something to tell you right now.”

“But what can I do? If you want to talk to me, you have to memorize the Geneva Declaration…”

Tae-kyung had started quizzing Choi Mona on the Geneva Declaration after she returned to work after the incident in the operating room with Lee Chan-hee.

‘Hello?’

“Oh, Ms. Choi. Have you memorized any more of the Geneva Declaration?”

‘I haven’t memorized it.’

Tae-kyung, who asked so persistently, was amazing, but Choi Mona was just as stubbornly refusing to memorize it.

“Yes?”

“What do you mean yes? If you want to talk to me, memorize the Geneva Declaration and come back.”

“……!”

“What are you doing? Get out of here quickly.”

* * *

‘Let’s memorize it. I’ll just memorize it.’

Choi Mona, thinking about what happened a little while ago, stared at her phone and looked at the ceiling. She kept muttering to herself like a shaman, and then she knocked on the door of the office again as if she had made up her mind.

“Doctor. This is Choi Mona.”

“Come in.”

Click-

“I clearly said it. I won’t talk until you memorize it.”

“As a member of the medical profession:
I solemnly pledge to dedicate my life to the service of humanity;
The health and well-being of my patient will be my first consideration;
I will respect the autonomy and dignity of my patient;
I will maintain the utmost respect for human life;
I will not permit considerations of age, disease or disability, creed, ethnic origin, gender, nationality, political affiliation, race, sexual orientation, social standing or any other factor to intervene between my duty and my patient;
I will respect the secrets that are confided in me, even after the patient has died;
I will practise my profession with conscience and dignity and in accordance with good medical practice;
I will foster the honour and noble traditions of the medical profession;
I will give to my teachers, colleagues, and students the respect and gratitude that is their due;
I will share my medical knowledge for the benefit of the patient and the advancement of healthcare;
I will attend to my own health, well-being, and abilities in order to provide care of the highest standard;
I will not use my medical knowledge to violate human rights and civil liberties, even under threat;
I make these promises solemnly, freely, and upon my honour.”

As soon as Tae-kyung finished, the Geneva Declaration, recited without a single error, filled the office.

“See? You can memorize it so quickly, why didn’t you memorize it before? Good job.”

“Now I can talk.”

“Then go ahead.”

“I heard from Nurse Im that you gave the order. Is that right?”

“That’s right. I ordered it.”

“What’s the reason for this? Why did you tell me to only see old people and children? I don’t understand.”

“Then how should I understand Ms. Choi’s actions of avoiding treating old people and children until now?”

“That, that’s…”

Choi Mona, who was trying to convey the unfairness of the order, hesitated at Tae-kyung’s words.

“Ms. Choi, do you remember what you said to the herpes zoster [shingles] patient last week?”

“I don’t remember well.”

“You said to the patient who was crying in pain, ‘I’m a doctor, so I know how much it hurts, so stop crying.'”

“I don’t see what’s wrong with that.”

“Ms. Choi, have you ever had herpes?”

“I don’t have it.”

“But how can you say that you know the pain so well to a patient without even experiencing it?”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“You could have treated the patient with more understanding.”

“I think I know what you mean.”

“What’s my intention?”

The tense conversation between the two continued like a long rally [a sustained exchange, like in tennis].

“I think it’s enough for a doctor to have skills; there’s no need to be kind.”

“Skills! So, do you have skills?”

“I think I’m okay compared to doctors with similar experience. And patients are just patients, and I don’t need to sympathize with their pain just because I’m a doctor.”

“Choi Mona! You son of a b*tch, how can you say that now!?”

Tae-kyung, who had not lost his composure until now, raised his voice. The sound was so loud that it could be heard outside the office.

“Understanding patients is the basics of being a doctor. Don’t you know that? And what skills? Are you talking about skills in front of me?”

Anyone who has worked with Tae-kyung even once couldn’t help but admire his skills. But Tae-kyung was different.

He only thought of himself as a hard worker and didn’t think he was particularly good at it. But now, he didn’t like Choi Mona’s twisted attitude, so he deliberately brought up his own skills.

“Are you better than me?”

“Excuse me, but you have learned a lot and are better than ordinary people, so you can’t be compared to me.”

“Choi Mona. Don’t try to rationalize everything based on your own standards.”

“I don’t want to do emotional labor while working as a doctor, sympathizing with the pain of patients.”

“Emotional labor?”

“That’s right. Isn’t it enough to just treat the patient well? I don’t want to work while being overly kind to patients.”

“When did I tell you to be overly kind to patients?”

“That’s not it, but…”

“I’m just saying that you can treat patients well by understanding and sympathizing with them. Don’t you think so?”

“I didn’t even think about that.”

“You memorized the Geneva Declaration earlier, right? It clearly said to do my duty for the patient. Am I wrong?”

“It’s not wrong, but it didn’t say to be kind to patients and understand them.”

“Ha!”

He’s a stubborn mule. There’s no such thing as a stubborn mule like this. Besides, he’s a formidable opponent.

‘I’m going crazy.’

Tae-kyung’s head was pounding as to what to do with this guy.

“Choi Mona. Why did you become a doctor?”

“That’s because my grandfather told me to become a soldier to continue the lineage of the military family and protect the people, but I couldn’t do that. Instead, I became a doctor to protect the people from pain.”

“You clearly told me that, right? You want to keep working here. Right?”

“That’s right.”

“Take responsibility for that. Understanding and sympathizing with the patient’s heart. That’s also one of the skills that a doctor must have.”

“I can’t accept what you just said.”

“It’s not about accepting it, it’s about accepting it and learning it.”

“It’s unfair.”

“Unfair? Who decides what’s unfair? I’m the director.”

Tae-kyung uttered the word ‘director’ through his mouth for the first time.

It was also a word to Choi Mona, but it was also a word to himself. It wasn’t a symbol of power like the directors of other hospitals.

It was a kind of determination to become a true leader who supports the staff and takes good care of the patients. And guiding this difficult junior was also the job of the leader.

“Keep the promise you made to protect the people from pain. Ms. Choi is not keeping that promise right now.”

“Then do I have to see only old people and children tomorrow and the day after tomorrow?”

“Not all, but you will mainly see a lot of old people and children.”

There was a reason why old people and children were assigned to Choi Mona. They require more detailed communication and treatment.

It was a kind of training to break down Choi Mona’s stubbornness.

“Until when?”

“Until you change. Start looking at patients with your heart, not just as a job.”

“I was born like this. I won’t change.”

“Really? Then make up your mind to change even if you have to. There’s nothing you can’t do if you make up your mind.”

“I’m not a good doctor.”

“I’m not a good doctor either. I’m just trying to be a doctor who is not ashamed of the patient.”

Whether it was because she thought she couldn’t beat Tae-kyung with words, or because she didn’t want to have unnecessary arguments, Choi Mona didn’t say anything more.

“You can try that much.”

Tae-kyung got up from his seat and walked to the door of the office. He looked at Choi Mona, who was holding the doorknob and pursing her lips.

“Do you have anything more to say to me?”

“No matter what I say, your mind won’t change, will it?”

“Of course.”

“Then I don’t have anything.”

“Good thinking. Go and do your work.”

The two people’s debate, which continued endlessly like a spear and shield, finally came to an end.

“And while working, think calmly about the conversation we had now every day.”

“I don’t have a good memory.”

“Choi Mona?”

“Yes?”

“Think of a doctor as a lifeline to a patient. The only line a patient can grab is the doctor.”

“……”

“Let’s not be a rotten rope, at least.”

It was when Tae-kyung was opening the door for Choi Mona, who was bowing without saying anything.

Click-

“Oh my.”

“Surprise!”

“Oh. Don’t push me, Team Leader.”

Team Leader Choi and some staff members were about to fall over while pressed against the door.

“What are you all doing? Go and do your work quickly!”

Nurse Im Jeong-suk, who had been watching the situation from afar, quickly approached and scolded the staff.

“Why are you doing that, Team Leader?”

“I was curious… Ms. Choi, I didn’t hear anything.”

“Me too. We’ll go to work now.”

Choi Mona lightly bowed her head with an indifferent expression, and the embarrassed staff also quickly returned to their respective positions.

“Are you okay? I heard a loud noise earlier. Everyone was surprised that it was the first time they heard you so angry.”

“I’m okay, but I don’t think Turtle No. 2 [referring to Choi Mona] is okay.”

“Like No. 1 [referring to someone who changed], will our No. 2 change too?”

“Honestly, I don’t know.”

Tae-kyung couldn’t guarantee whether Choi Mona would change or not.

He would keep trying, but even if she didn’t change in the end, there was nothing he could do. But he hoped that this incident would make Choi Mona feel something, even a little.