Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 137

Five Vital Signs – Episode 137

Episode 137. Beep- Beep- Beep-

“I can’t do it. I don’t think I can do anything.”

Firefighter Do Seung-won, the man once brimming with enthusiasm, passion, and hope, now felt utterly devoid of it all.

It was as if the very foundations of his life had crumbled. Despair was the only word that could capture his feelings.

“I… I don’t think I need to live anymore. The nurse said I need surgery, but I won’t do it.”

“I understand how you feel, but you need to have surgery quickly. Otherwise, you could get an infection, and we might not be able to stop the bleeding. We’re using a device to stop the bleeding now, but we can’t use it indefinitely.”

Tae-kyung tried to comfort and persuade him, but his words seemed to fall on deaf ears. Do Seung-won remained consumed by despair.

“No. I don’t need any of it. I… I won’t have surgery. Just leave me like this.”

He wasn’t raising his voice; his calm tone only underscored his resolve. Tae-kyung’s heart sank, and he was lost in thought when it happened.

“Oppa!!”

Lee Seung-hee burst into the treatment room, her voice filled with urgency.

“Oppa, are you going to keep doing this?”

“Hey, hey! You can’t come in here, ma’am.”

Other medical staff tried to stop Lee Seung-hee. But Tae-kyung, who would normally never allow a guardian into the treatment room, signaled that it was okay.

“Seung, Seung-hee?”

Do Seung-won’s expression softened as he saw Lee Seung-hee. The emotionless look in his eyes seemed to dissipate, replaced by the comfort he always felt in her presence.

“Oppa!”

Lee Seung-hee’s face clouded over for a moment as she saw Do Seung-won’s legs wrapped in bandages. But she composed herself, approaching him with the brightest smile she could muster.

“Oppa, are you going to keep saying you don’t want treatment?”

“No, no. It’s not like that.”

“We’re supposed to get married and live happily together, so you can’t say things like that.”

“I didn’t say anything like that.”

Do Seung-won responded like a chastened child to Lee Seung-hee’s gentle scolding.

“If you say such weak things, who am I supposed to trust?”

“Of course, Seung-hee only needs to trust her oppa [an affectionate term for an older brother or boyfriend].”

“I trust you always. So get the surgery. Okay?”

“But Seung-hee, the surgery… you know. I think it would be better to do it a little later. Because…”

“No. Get it!”

Lee Seung-hee’s firm tone contrasted with her gentle expression, and Do Seung-won seemed taken aback, unable to respond.

“Oppa? You should get the surgery. Let’s get it done. Okay?”

“…Okay.”

Do Seung-won avoided Lee Seung-hee’s earnest gaze and answered softly.

“Really? You’ve thought it through?”

“Thank you, patient. Then I’ll get the surgery consent form for a moment.”

“Yes, hello? Just a moment.”

Lee Seung-hee, receiving a call from the fire station chief who was concerned about Do Seung-won’s condition, briefly left the treatment room.

* * *

“Team Leader, you can talk. I’m with oppa, so I came outside for a moment. Are the others all okay?”

-Everyone is fine. We’re finishing up at the scene. More importantly, how is Seung-won?

The team leader was worried about Do Seung-won and called from the scene.

“That’s…”

-Ha!

The team leader sighed deeply at Lee Seung-hee’s hesitant answer.

“Oppa is acting like he’s given up on everything.”

-I thought he might be like that.

The team leader, who knew Do Seung-won’s personality well, was even more worried because his fears had been realized.

Do Seung-won was usually the brightest, most cheerful, and most dedicated member of the team.

Even when others were struggling with their jobs, Do Seung-won always offered support, sharing his strength and encouragement.

The team leader admired his junior’s dedication in all aspects of his life, but he also worried about him striving for perfection.

‘Seung-won, take it easy. Slowly. Don’t burn yourself out.’

‘Of course, Team Leader. I’m Do Seung-won. Don’t worry.’

But unfortunately, a series of devastating events had struck him all at once.

There was no way he would be okay. The team leader felt angry and saddened by the accident that had befallen his cherished junior.

He wished he could have taken the injury instead. He also regretted not being more insistent about Do Seung-won leaving the scene earlier.

“But Team Leader, how did oppa get hurt?”

Lee Seung-hee still didn’t know the full story of Do Seung-won’s injury.

A little while ago, at the accident scene-

‘We’ve confirmed that there are no more people inside, so let’s withdraw.’

‘Team Leader? Seung-won hasn’t come out yet.’

The team member walking down the hallway noticed Do Seung-won’s absence.

‘What! Seung-won? Why aren’t you coming out?’

The team leader called Do Seung-won on the radio.

‘I’m in the lab inside. Team Leader, I’m going to check here one more time.’

‘There’s a risk of a secondary explosion there, I told you to come out quickly! Why did you go back in?’

‘Just in case.’

Do Seung-won didn’t mention his girlfriend to the team leader, even when asked why he was going back in.

‘The external situation room has confirmed that all personnel are accounted for. Come out now.’

Even though everyone inside the building had been accounted for, Do Seung-won hesitated to leave.

‘You guys go down first!’

Because he wasn’t usually one to stubbornly insist on things at the scene, the team leader decided to go get Do Seung-won himself.

‘I’ll bring Seung-won…’

Bang-

Tragically, the accident occurred just as the team leader was about to reach him.

“He was looking for me when that happened.”

Lee Seung-hee, now understanding why Do Seung-won was hurt, felt her heart shatter.

-Seung-hee, I’m sorry.

“No. Why are you sorry, Team Leader? I’m the one who should be sorry. Don’t say that.”

-Please comfort Seung-won. Help him through this.

“Don’t worry. I’ll do whatever it takes to cheer oppa up. Team Leader, I’m going back to oppa now.”

-Okay. Keep me updated.

“Yes, everyone be careful.”

Lee Seung-hee, anxious about Do Seung-won, quickly ended the call and returned to the treatment room.

* * *

In the meantime, Tae-kyung seized the opportunity and took out the prepared surgery consent form. He meticulously and quickly explained the surgery, the expected duration, past medical history, family history, medications, underlying conditions, anesthesia, allergies, and other relevant details.

“I’ve explained everything. Do you have any questions?”

“I don’t have any.”

“Then, please sign here.”

“Doctor, to be honest, I don’t want to have surgery. So…”

“Oppa? Did you sign the consent form?”

Just as Do Seung-won was about to reiterate his refusal, Lee Seung-hee returned from her phone call.

“Oh. I was just about to sign it.”

Do Seung-won reluctantly signed the consent form, his expression resigned.

Tae-kyung felt relieved that he had secured the signature with Lee Seung-hee’s help. The surgery needed to happen as soon as possible, and he had been worried that Do Seung-won would change his mind again.

“Then I’ll proceed with the surgery as quickly as possible. Our patient will stay with his guardian for a while.”

The other staff members were surprised by Tae-kyung’s unusual decision. But with the surgery imminent, and the risk of Do Seung-won changing his mind without his guardian present, he decided to keep Lee Seung-hee by his side as a last resort.

“Lee, tell Dr. Jung to prepare the operating room immediately.”

“Yes, I understand. But Doctor?”

Lee Chan-hee followed Tae-kyung out of the treatment room.

“Yes?”

“Who is performing the surgery?”

“What are you talking about? Of course, I am.”

“Doctor, Do Seung-won’s patient requires an amputation…”

Lee Chan-hee asked out of genuine concern. He knew Tae-kyung was board-certified in Orthopedic Surgery (OS). However, Tae-kyung had primarily focused on abdominal surgeries recently, and since this was an amputation, he was a little worried.

“Lee Chan-hee?”

Tae-kyung’s confident response quickly dispelled his worries.

“Don’t worry. I’m good at it.”

Lee Chan-hee was speechless. Tae-kyung’s self-assuredness was undeniable. It wasn’t mere boasting; Kim Tae-kyung was known for his exceptional skills and wouldn’t make such a claim lightly. If he said he was good at it, he meant it.

‘Who am I even questioning right now?’

Lee Chan-hee, momentarily distracted by Do Seung-won’s case, realized he had asked a foolish question.

“I’ll prepare for the surgery.”

“Okay. Let Dr. Jung know quickly. And Nurse Lim?”

“Yes, Doctor.”

Tae-kyung called nurse Lim Jung-sook as soon as Lee Chan-hee left the emergency room.

“The anesthesiologist will be calling within the hour. Send the patient up right away. The NPO [Nil Per Os – nothing by mouth] time is sufficient, so let’s proceed quickly.”

“Yes, I understand.”

With all the preparations complete, Do Seung-won was greeted by Lee Seung-hee at the entrance to the operating room.

“Oppa. I’ll be here, so don’t worry about anything and get the surgery. Okay?”

“Yeah. I know.”

“Think of it as taking a nap and only think good thoughts.”

“Okay.”

Do Seung-won headed to the operating room, answering briefly and avoiding eye contact.

Lying on the operating table, Do Seung-won was a different person than he had been with Lee Seung-hee. His expression was grim, mirroring his initial despair.

Fortunately, he didn’t protest the surgery, perhaps because he had made a promise to his girlfriend.

Instead, he remained silent, staring blankly ahead.

“What’s the patient’s name?”

Ui-jin initiated a timeout [a standard procedure to confirm patient identity and procedure] for confirmation before anesthesia, but received no response.

“Is the patient’s name Do Seung-won?”

“…”

“You’re Do Seung-won, right?”

In response to the repeated question, Do Seung-won simply nodded slightly, his expression vacant.

Having barely completed the confirmation, Ui-jin began preparing for anesthesia.

He placed a pulse oximeter on the patient’s finger and a blood pressure cuff on his upper arm. Then, he attached an electrocardiogram (ECG) to his chest and a BIS (Bispectral Index) monitor to assess the depth of anesthesia.

“I’m going to anesthetize patient Do Seung-won. Take a deep breath slowly. You’ll fall asleep soon.”

As propofol was injected intravenously, Do Seung-won quickly lost consciousness. After confirming he was asleep, Ui-jin injected a muscle relaxant.

Then, he picked up a laryngoscope (a tool used to visualize the vocal cords for intubation).

Ui-jin skillfully inserted the laryngoscope into Do Seung-won’s mouth, lifted the airway, and inserted the endotracheal tube.

“Performing intubation. I’ll fix it at 23cm.”

He carefully proceeded with the routine he had performed countless times, monitoring the equipment.

“Doctor, are you going to lower the patient a bit?”

“Lowering the patient is…”

Just as Tae-kyung was responding to Ui-jin’s question after the anesthesia had taken effect-

Beep- Beep-

At that moment, a mechanical alarm sounded from the monitor.

All the medical staff in the operating room turned towards the source of the sound.

Beep- Beep-

It was the sound coming from the general anesthesia machine. Specifically, it was the alarm indicating that Do Seung-won’s oxygen saturation was dropping.