Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 219

Nurse Im Jeong-suk spoke to Doctor Lee Ui-jin, who was staring intently at Tae-kyung’s test results at the emergency room station.

“How is he?”

“Fortunately, there’s nothing particularly wrong.”

Ui-jin, having checked thoroughly, sighed briefly in relief.

At those words, Nurse Im Jeong-suk, as well as Lee Chan-hee, Choi Mona, Team Leader Choi, and other staff members nearby, also looked relieved.

“He looked unwell even in the operating room earlier. As I expected, it’s just overwork.”

“It’s no wonder he’s overworked. He should have come in sooner.”

“That’s absolutely right, what Doctor Im said. Our director has been pushing himself too hard.”

“Team Leader is right. He’s always been so focused on patients that he hasn’t taken care of himself.”

“Anyway, he needs to rest now. It can’t be helped if an emergency patient comes in and we have to call him, but otherwise, let’s all put in a little extra effort.”

“Of course.”

“Doctor Lee and Doctor Choi, please put in some extra effort.”

“Yes, don’t worry.”

Ui-jin gathered some IV fluids and left the emergency room, heading to the doctors’ lounge.

Clang-

“Why does our director live like that?”

Opening the door and entering the doctors’ lounge, Oh Gye-sun, the cafeteria chef, was clicking her tongue and nagging.

“Tsk, tsk! I told him so many times to rest, but he doesn’t listen. I’m so frustrated.”

“I’m really okay.”

“Doctor Jeong, look at what our director is saying. He still hasn’t come to his senses.”

Oh Gye-sun shook her head at Ui-jin.

“I feel the same way as Madam. I don’t think he’s come to his senses either.”

“Doctor Jeong, give him a good talking to. Tell the director that his health is the top priority. Got it? Make sure he eats this later.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Oh Gye-sun placed a thermal lunchbox containing beef porridge on the desk and went outside.

“You got a good scolding from Madam.”

“Is that enough? He needs more.”

“Do I have anything seriously wrong?”

“There’s nothing particularly wrong, just overwork.”

“That’s a relief. I was worried that something might be wrong.”

When Tae-kyung felt a slight dizziness in the ward earlier, he briefly worried about his health.

“What’s so fortunate about that?”

“Everyone gets overworked.”

“It’s because you’re pushing yourself so hard that your body is signaling you to rest. And no one works as foolishly as you do.”

“Heh!”

Tae-kyung didn’t dislike Ui-jin’s endless nagging; it somehow felt endearing.

“What is it? How can you laugh in this situation?”

“Should I cry then?”

“Ugh! Stop with the corny jokes and lie down quickly.”

“Why?”

“Why do you ask? I’m going to start the IV. I’m going to stab you hard on purpose. Lie down quickly!”

Ui-jin slapped the bed on one side with her hand and looked up at Tae-kyung.

“Do you really have to go this far?”

“If I don’t go this far, you won’t give in and will go out to see patients right away. Am I wrong?”

“I can’t say you’re wrong. But are you really going to stab me painfully?”

“Yes, I’m going to stab you really hard.”

She said that, but Ui-jin inserted the IV gently.

“It doesn’t hurt at all.”

“Really? I guess you’re good at enduring pain. It will take about 2 hours to finish this. I’ve adjusted it well, so close your eyes and rest while it’s dripping. Seriously, if you lose your health, nothing else matters.”

That was absolutely true. And Tae-kyung knew that fact better than anyone else.

He had suffered from a terminal illness and come back from the brink of death, so the importance of health was beyond question. But when he was absorbed in seeing patients, he was so engrossed that he didn’t even notice he was tired, and that was always the problem.

“If you collapse, our hospital collapses too. So please, sometimes rest for yourself. I’m begging you.”

Ui-jin supported Tae-kyung’s dedication to his work and liked that about him, but sometimes she felt sorry for him.

“Okay, thank you. But it’s not so bad to be overworked. I get to receive Ui-jin’s nursing care.”

“I’m not in the mood for jokes.”

“I’ll buy you dinner on my next day off. Let’s eat together.”

“We eat in the cafeteria every day. Buy me a movie or a drink instead.”

“Then I’ll buy you dinner, a movie, and a drink.”

“No, I’ll treat you to the movie.”

She never said it outright, but Tae-kyung was always grateful to Ui-jin for always being the first to take care of him with all her heart and soul whenever something happened.

“Ui-jin?”

“Yes, Doctor.”

“Thank you always.”

Just as Tae-kyung was stroking Ui-jin’s hair with his hand to express his gratitude, clang-

“I heard our director collapsed?”

Lee Dong-hoon shattered the sweet atmosphere that was rarely seen between the two people who lived buried in their work.

“D, Doctor Lee, you’re here?”

Flustered, Ui-jin quickly shook off the large hand that had landed on her head and jumped up from the edge of the bed where she had been sitting.

“Oh, Doctor Jeong was here too.”

“Yes, I’m here because of the IV.”

“Ah! Of course. You need to get an IV. You should get some vitamins too.”

“Vitamins are included.”

“You haven’t had chemotherapy for long, what brings you here?”

Tae-kyung raised his eyebrows and asked Lee Dong-hoon.

“I came with my wife because we had something to do nearby, and the team leader said in the group chat that our director collapsed from overwork, so I was worried.”

“You came at the right time. Please keep an eye on him so he doesn’t get up in the middle.”

“Really? That’s good. I bought a book from the bookstore earlier, so I have something to read. I’ll keep a good eye on him.”

“Yes, Doctor Lee. Thank you.”

“Okay. Good work, Doctor Jeong.”

Clang-

Awkward, Ui-jin quickly left the doctors’ lounge.

“Tae-kyung, aren’t you happy that I came? Don’t worry about anything and just go to sleep.”

“Yes, I’m so happy that you’re here, Doctor Lee. Thank you.”

Lee Dong-hoon, unaware of the two people’s situation, sat at his desk with a proud expression and began to read his book.

* * *

“Seriously, how did you raise your child to be so violent at that age?”

“What, what did you say? Violent?”

While Tae-kyung was enjoying a rare deep sleep while getting an IV, the emergency room was in chaos.

Sometimes, the emergency room has days like that.

Not only do patients flock in like clouds, but it’s also like a flea market [a disorganized, chaotic scene].

Occasionally, patient guardians gather and fight, and today was one of those days.

There is a newly developed city known for its high level of education nearby, and a fight broke out between children at a taekwondo [Korean martial art] studio in an apartment complex.

The problem was that the children’s fight turned into an adult fight.

“Violent? Are you done talking?”

“No! I haven’t finished yet? Can you see this? That kid left a scar on our precious child’s forehead.”

“Hey! Can’t you see the scratch on our child’s cheek? Huh?”

“Your son probably started it first, so he was defending himself.”

“Started it? Listen, you live on the 15th floor of building 152, right? I heard that you and your husband are always fighting. What did your child learn from that?”

“What, what are you talking about?”

“Hey! Did you see it? Huh! Did you see it?”

“Hey! Why are you talking informally to my wife? Huh?”

“Hey! Who are you to talk informally to my wife?”

The mothers’ fight escalated into a fathers’ fight, and the voices of the four people were getting louder and louder.

“Excuse me! Guardians?”

Lee Chan-hee, who couldn’t stand it any longer, kept trying to stop them, but the four people didn’t seem to be listening.

“Doctor, is my Cheon seriously injured?”

“Isn’t my Hee-soo more seriously injured? I think he’ll have a scar…”

“I’ll explain everything, so please calm down.”

“How can we calm down in this situation? Can you give us a medical certificate?”

“I’m going to sue these rude people, so please give us one too.”

“Lower your voices. Ha!”

Lee Chan-hee was on the verge of going crazy because of the people who wouldn’t listen.

“I’m going crazy. Seriously!”

“Stop!!!!!”

Ui-jin, who had come down to help because the emergency room was so busy, approached, shouting like a lion from over there.

“……!”

The noisy four people all became silent at the resounding voice.

“Doctor Lee, I’ll take care of this. Go see other patients.”

“Yes, Doctor Lee. Thank you.”

At Ui-jin’s words, Lee Chan-hee headed to another bed without looking back.

“Seriously, how can adults fight like this in a hospital? Aren’t you ashamed in front of the children? Didn’t you even realize that your children were gone?”

“Oh! Where did our child go?”

“Oh my! Honey. Hee-soo is gone too.”

The parents, who had been raising their voices and fighting, finally realized that their children were gone.

“There, do you see them?”

When the four people turned their eyes to the direction Ui-jin was pointing, the children who had been fighting were sitting on one side of the emergency room chairs, laughing and talking.

“While the guardians were fighting, the children had already made up and were doing that. How can you be worse than the children?”

“I’m sorry.”

“We were a bit too much.”

“We shouldn’t be doing this in a public place… I’m really sorry.”

“Both children have minor scratches and won’t have scars. Pay the bill and take your children home.”

“Yes, thank you.”

The parents apologized politely with embarrassed faces and took their children out of the emergency room.

As one group of people left the emergency room, Choi Mona was dealing with a drunken middle-aged man.

“Bring me more alcohol!!”

“Please calm down, patient. This is not a bar.”

“Give me alcohol!! Alcohol!”

The man had fallen while walking down the street drunk and needed stitches on his face.

“Patient, you need stitches on your right cheek, so you must not move.”

“Shut up! I’ll sue you if you touch my body.”

“Nurse, can you please ask Agent Jang to come?”

“Yes, Doctor.”

Choi Mona, judging that she couldn’t perform the stitches as it was, asked the nurse to call Jang Deuk-chil.

“Alcohol!! Bring me soju [Korean distilled spirit]!”

“Patient!! Stop it.”

“Doctor Choi? Just a moment.”

While Choi Mona was calming the patient, another nurse approached.

“Yes, what is it?”

“It’s not that, but…”

“Ugh!!!”

The moment the nurse was about to tell Choi Mona about a new patient, the drunken man tried to hit his head against the wall next to the bed.

“Patient! What are you doing?”

“Oh my, this person is very drunk. Stop it.”

Jang Deuk-chil, who had rushed over after hearing the news, subdued the drunken man to prevent a bigger accident.

“Doctor, I’m sorry, but I think I need to stitch this person up quickly first, what should I do?”

“I’ll take care of it, Doctor Choi. Doctor Lee, what is it?”

Lee Chan-hee, who was coming out after seeing a patient on the other side, approached the nurse.

“It’s a surgical patient in bed 3.”

“What’s the patient’s chief complaint?”

“He just feels weak.”

“Weak?”

“Yes.”

“But why surgery? This seems like internal medicine should see him?”

“This patient had surgery for colon cancer by Director Kim Tae-kyung 3 years ago.”

“Really? What are the patient’s vitals?”

“Blood pressure is 90/70 and no fever.”

“Blood pressure is a bit low.”

“But his blood pressure has always been around this level.”

“Doctor Lee? The patient in bed 9 is in too much pain.”

Just as Lee Chan-hee was about to answer, he heard another nurse calling urgently.

“I’m going now. I don’t think that patient is urgent, so I’ll see that patient first. Give him an IV.”

“Yes, I will.”

Lee Chan-hee, judging that the blood pressure was a bit low but not that urgent, decided to see the more urgent patient first.

So, the patient in bed 3 continued to wait his turn as time passed.

Chareuk-

“Excuse me, nurse?”

After some time had passed, the patient in bed 3, who had been waiting for a doctor, called a passing nurse.

With a desperate expression, he called the nurse, Oh Jae-bal, the owner of a rice cake shop who had come up from the countryside.

“Yes, patient.”

“When can I see the doctor? I know you’re busy, but I’d like to see the doctor as soon as possible.”

“Ah, yes. I’m sorry. It seems like we’re seeing patients in order of urgency right now.”

“I’m a patient who had surgery with Director Kim Tae-kyung when he was at another hospital, and I came all the way here from the countryside.”

“Oh, really? Right now, the director is…”

The nurse, unable to say that Tae-kyung was getting an IV, paused for a moment and then said something else.

“The director is busy with other work, so I’ll check one more time.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Doctor Lee, I’m here. I’ll see the patient.”

The nurse, who was about to call Lee Chan-hee anyway, thought it was fortunate.

“Hello, patient. I heard you’re feeling weak, when did you start feeling like that?”

“I felt it a bit last night, and it seems like it’s been worse since this morning. Doctor, I came all the way here from the countryside to see Director Kim Tae-kyung.”

“Ah, yes. Patient, do you have any other symptoms? Do you feel a fever or body aches?”

“No, I don’t have anything like that.”

“Then, let’s proceed with a blood test first.”

“When can I see the director?”

“I’ll tell you after the blood test. Please do the basic labs for this patient here.”

“Yes, should I call you when the results come out?”

“No, I’ll just go to the bathroom and come right back.”

While Lee Chan-hee was in the bathroom, Tae-kyung, who had finished his IV, came out of the doctors’ lounge.

“Oh, Director. Are you feeling better?”

“Not just a little, but very good.”

Tae-kyung said to Team Leader Choi, who was asking with concern, as if to say he was fine.

“But I don’t see Doctor Lee Dong-hoon.”

“He left after seeing you fall asleep. He said you wouldn’t be able to sleep comfortably if he was next to you.”

“Really? By the way, there hasn’t been a single emergency call so far. Is the emergency room okay?”

“No. It’s not okay.”

Just as Team Leader Choi was about to answer, Lee Chan-hee, who came out of the bathroom, answered instead.

“Were you busy?”

“It wasn’t just busy, it was almost a war. Don’t even mention it. Whew!”

“Looking at your expression, it’s not an exaggeration. You’ve worked hard. I’ll take over now.”

“Are you feeling better?”

“I feel very refreshed because I got a good IV…”

Tae-kyung’s expression instantly crumpled as he walked and talked with Lee Chan-hee.

‘What is it? This smell…’

The closer he got to the emergency room, the stronger the smell became, to the point of numbing his nose.

It was like the smell of rotting and burning corpses.