Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 204

204. Shall We Suggest It to the Medical Association?

“Hey, Director Kim!”

As Tae-kyung looked around, an unexpected figure sitting at a table inside the restaurant called out to him.

“Over here, over here!”

“What brings you here at this hour, Chairman?”

The person who came without any notice was Chairman Kim Gun-hyung of Who Group. Moreover, shockingly, he was eating at the cafeteria.

“Isn’t it absurd?”

Oh Gye-soon, who was in charge of the cafeteria, shook her head with a dumbfounded expression.

“I’m dumbfounded too, so how dumbfounded must our Director Kim be?”

“Madam, what’s going on? Why is the Chairman eating at our hospital cafeteria…?”

“Isn’t that what I’m saying? A little while ago, he came into the cafeteria and said he was hungry and asked for some food. So, I set up a table for him, and he’s been sitting there eating two bowls of rice.”

“Madam, why don’t you come to our hospital? I’ll give you several times more salary than you want.”

“Talking nonsense after eating a warm meal! What did you say? Do you think everything is about money?”

“Hahaha!”

Kim Gun-hyung laughed heartily at Oh Gye-soon’s unfiltered and refreshing tone.

“Rich man. No matter how much money you have, there’s nothing uglier than showing off money in front of people. Why is he doing that, really!”

Oh Gye-soon clicked her tongue and went into the kitchen.

“She seems to have a lot of energy. Long time no see, Director Kim. How have you been?”

Team Leader Go, the head of the security team who was eating across from Kim Gun-hyung, said with a smile.

“Of course. How have you been, Team Leader?”

“Don’t even mention it. It’s not easy taking care of our picky Chairman.”

“Team Leader Go. I can hear you.”

“Your ears are sharp. Have a conversation with the Chairman. I feel like I’ll get an earful if I stay here any longer.”

Team Leader Go cleared his finished tray with a joke and briefly left the seat.

“Anyway, why do you always make people wait whenever I see you? I’ve been waiting for you for over 30 minutes.”

Kim Gun-hyung said as soon as Tae-kyung sat down, as if he had been waiting for it.

“What brings you here, really?”

“What do you mean? You’re making the person who came all the way here feel unwelcome. I came to see you. Why else would I be here?”

“Eating at the employee cafeteria. Didn’t you have breakfast?”

“The hospital director told me to lose 3kg [approximately 6.6 pounds] for health reasons, so I’ve been starving myself after 6 PM these days.”

“You’re going through a lot.”

“It’s not easy. Besides, I went to a breakfast meeting today, but it was suddenly canceled. I came to see you, and when I said I was hungry, Chief Choi told me to have a meal at the cafeteria, so I got a meal. Is that person the chef?”

“Yes, she’s a very good cook.”

“Indeed. Her skills are extraordinary. Looking at your expression, you seem to be dying to know why I came.”

“You’re quick to catch on.”

“I made money with my intuition.”

“Stop joking and tell me quickly.”

“Director Kim, you were on television, right?”

“Did you see it?”

“Of course, I saw it. That’s why I came.”

“You came because of the broadcast?”

“Yes.”

Tae-kyung couldn’t understand what Kim Gun-hyung meant by saying he came because of the broadcast.

“That doctor you mentioned on the broadcast? Is that guy Ko’s guy?”

“……!”

“Why are you so surprised? I was 99% sure, but seeing your reaction, I’m 100% certain.”

“How did you know it was Ko Gye-deuk?”

“Isn’t it obvious if you think about what happened at the conference before?”

Kim Gun-hyung thought about the fact that Tae-kyung’s previous workplace was Sinhwa University Hospital and that Tae-kyung had a verbal battle with Ko Gye-deuk at the recent conference.

Combining various factors, he guessed that the doctor on the broadcast was Ko Gye-deuk.

“But why did you publicly talk about Ko’s guy on the broadcast?”

He was curious why Tae-kyung, who was known for being cautious and kind, would go on television and make things bigger.

“I deliberately exposed him on the broadcast to prevent him from playing with patients and guardians again.”

“To create an issue and get him kicked out?”

“Yes.”

“You were trying to get it into the chairman’s ears?”

“You know well.”

“It’s been a while since I saw Director Ko, but there’s no one as opportunistic as him. He’s probably racking his brain trying to figure out how to survive right now.”

“Probably. But it won’t be easy for him to get out of this.”

“Well, looking at how public opinion is turning, I guess so. But do you really think Go Don-jin will kick out Ko Gye-deuk?”

Go Don-jin, mentioned by Kim Gun-hyung, was the chairman of Sinhwa University Hospital.

“I don’t know what kind of person he is, but I know he thinks of running the hospital as a business.”

“That’s right. There are no rich people who hate money, but that family is crazy about money.”

“Then wouldn’t it be difficult to keep Ko Gye-deuk?”

“……?”

“Eventually, it will cause problems for the hospital’s profits, so wouldn’t they kick him out?”

“Well, that’s true. But be careful of Ko Gye-deuk just in case. You never know what he might do.”

“I won’t be easily taken advantage of either.”

“If Go Don-jin doesn’t move, then I’ll step in and help you directly.”

“You will, Chairman?”

“Yes. I’m the kind of person who takes care of people I consider my own for life.”

Kim Gun-hyung cherished Tae-kyung very much, but the person himself didn’t know that.

“Am I your person, Chairman?”

“Of course, you are. You saved my life. Why? Do you not like it?”

“No. I feel secure.”

Tae-kyung finished his conversation with Kim Gun-hyung, whom he had met after a long time, about Ko Gye-deuk and hospital matters, and started his medical practice.

* * *

Sinhwa University Hospital Conference Room-

“Then we’ll conclude today’s regular meeting.”

“Director…? Director?”

“Ah! Did you call me?”

Ko Gye-deuk, who had been mentally absent throughout the meeting, didn’t even hear the head of the surgery department calling him from the side.

Today was an important meeting for department heads to discuss various matters, including the budget, but he couldn’t remember any of the meeting’s contents.

“Director. The meeting is over. You didn’t look good when you came to work earlier, is something wrong these days?”

“What could be wrong? I’ve been busy and haven’t slept well for a few days, so I must be a little tired.”

It was a blatant lie.

Ko Gye-deuk wasn’t sleepless because he was busy, but because he was afraid of losing his position as director.

That’s because he was in danger of being exposed due to the post on the Sinhwa University Hospital anonymous bulletin board.

The post that was uploaded in a short time spread to other medical communities and quickly spread to places where the general public could see it.

It was like a tail chasing a tail, endlessly being produced.

Netizens who were narrowing down the top 10 major hospitals then narrowed it down to the top 5, and eventually narrowed the scope to the top 3 hospitals. And finally, what Ko Gye-deuk feared and hoped wouldn’t happen, happened.

-But that doctor, isn’t it Sinhwa University Hospital?

-Why? Is it Sinhwa University Hospital? Is it right?

-It’s not that. Dr. Kim Tae-kyung used to work at Sinhwa University Hospital.

-How do you know that?

-He operated on my aunt. He’s such a nice person.

-That’s right. He often appeared on Sinhwa University Hospital’s YouTube channel.

-The most decisive thing is that he was kicked out of there for only thinking about his patients.

-Then isn’t it obvious? Well, the probability is almost the highest in Sinhwa.

Under the broadcast video of Tae-kyung uploaded by the production team, comments openly speculating about Sinhwa University Hospital were posted, and everyone started agreeing.

So, he couldn’t focus on anything, including hospital matters. Throughout the meeting, it was as if the comments were automatically replaying in Ko Gye-deuk’s head.

“Director, don’t overdo it.”

“I should. Let’s get up now.”

Creak-

“Wait a minute! I forgot one important thing. Have you all heard the news?”

Just as the department heads, including Ko Gye-deuk, were getting up from their seats, the vice director threw a word.

Ko Gye-deuk stopped walking as the vice director, who was from the opposing faction, opened his mouth.

“I’m talking about that doctor who’s the talk of the town these days.”

“Are you talking about the person Dr. Kim Tae-kyung mentioned?”

Gu Si-kyung, the head of the neurology department who was about to leave, asked back at the vice director’s words.

“Yes, Director Gu. I think this will be a problem.”

“I agree with the vice director. People are making a fuss all over the place saying it’s someone from our hospital.”

The department heads who had been silent started saying one word at a time.

“No, they’re openly driving it to our hospital, so shouldn’t we take some action considering the hospital’s image?”

“I agree with Director Park. I think it would be good for the public relations team to release a rebuttal article.”

“That’s right. When I was making rounds this morning, patients in general wards and even patients in VVIP wards were asking about it and making a fuss.”

“Not only patients but also resident doctors and intern doctors are looking for the culprit in the talk room [online forum].”

“And since we’re on the subject, is there any doctor here who doesn’t have a concept [lacks ethical awareness]?”

“You’re saying something terrible. What kind of world is it these days that you’d do such crazy things to patients and guardians? Isn’t that right, Director?”

In an instant, the head of the surgery department, not knowing what was going on, threw a bomb at Ko Gye-deuk, who was anxiously watching.

At that moment, with that question, the eyes of everyone gathered in the conference room were focused on one person.

In a way, it was natural for the attention to be focused on Ko Gye-deuk. Among the contents of the post on the bulletin board, there was this sentence.

-Some people may have expected it, but it’s a high-ranking person at a fairly large hospital.

Among the medical staff gathered here, the person with the highest position was Ko Gye-deuk. So, people naturally looked at him.

Of course, the department heads of the same line looked at him in the context of the question, but the people on the opposite side looked at him with suspicion.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Amidst everyone’s attention, Ko Gye-deuk barely swallowed his embarrassed inner self.

“I was also dumbfounded when I saw that broadcast. How could that be possible?”

And he showed the shamelessness of being more angry and agitated as if it were someone else’s business.

It was literally a case of the pot calling the kettle black.

“People are asking me if it’s our hospital. I’m just frustrated because people are saying that the doctor is from our hospital just because Dr. Kim Tae-kyung used to work there. Who wrote that kind of post and made things bigger…?”

Like a snake flicking its dirty tongue, Ko Gye-deuk’s tongue was busily moving, still smelling foul.

“Director, you’re absolutely right.”

The chief of staff of the same line next to him threw a word and was trying to make things bigger without knowing the inside story.

“Even if the authority of doctors these days isn’t what it used to be, it’s still a job that deals with life, isn’t it? I think we shouldn’t let this go as fellow doctors, whoever that guy is. Shall we suggest it to the medical association?”

As soon as he heard the last words, Ko Gye-deuk felt a cold sweat running down his back under his gown and shirt.

“Hahaha! Our chief of staff seems very angry. Come on! Everyone calm down.”

Who are you trying to kill?

Ko Gye-eun, feeling that he couldn’t let this go on any longer, quickly wrapped up the matter and decided to finish it.

“I’ll tell the public relations team to respond actively, so everyone go to work. The patients are waiting.”

Ko Gye-deuk, who was leaving the conference room, was restless itself.

Looking at how public opinion was turning, it didn’t seem like it would die down easily.

And the anxiety that Kim Tae-kyung might open his mouth began to creep in.

-Chairman Yoon? It’s me. You haven’t forgotten our appointment tonight, have you?

Ko Gye-deuk had a prior engagement with the group chairman tonight for the donation project.

‘I must succeed no matter what.’

At this time, Ko Gye-deuk had no idea what would happen to him in his meeting with Chairman Yoon.