Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 231

231. The Whereabouts of the Suicide Note

Click-

As Ms. Kim left the examination room, Tae-kyung’s gaze turned to the paper in his hand.

As he slowly read from the top line, Tae-kyung’s pupils began to dilate.

-Like other boys my age, I wasn’t thrilled about enlisting in the military. But since it was something everyone had to do, I let go of the fear in my heart and mustered the courage to enlist.

I spent my days uneventfully, and my military life passed like any other soldier’s. I thought I would be discharged like this.

But one day, my military life changed drastically. To be exact, my senior soldiers started to harass me.

1. November xx, 2021, Location xx

They took me to the PX [Post Exchange, a store on a military base] and forced me to drink a large bottle of water all at once. When I couldn’t drink it, they pulled my ears and hit my head until I succeeded.

2. December xx, Location xx

When the other soldiers were away, they made me take off my top and turned me into a human dartboard. They would sharpen pens, pencils, or folded paper and throw them at my nipples.

The senior soldiers enjoyed my shame and humiliation, laughing and chatting among themselves.

If I accidentally dodged, they would twist and pinch my nipples. And when a pen tip flew, it would naturally leave a wound.

3. December xx, Location xx

One day, they created a game called telepathy, where I had to guess the words they were thinking of.

These words were the names of their ex-girlfriends or acquaintances, words I could never guess no matter how hard I tried.

When I got it wrong, they would make me stand in the middle of the living quarters until the other soldiers came, tapping me from head to toe with their palms and touching my sensitive areas.

Also, the two of them constantly subjected me to severe verbal abuse and threats that were mentally unbearable.

Go Cheol-soo and Park Byeong-deok were devils in human form.

I want to kill those bastards, but frankly, I’m scared. So, I chose the path of disappearing.

……

Kim Seong-hoon specifically wrote down the places and dates where Go Cheol-soo and Park Byeong-deok had harassed him in his suicide note.

The content continued from number 1 to 50, and the more he read, the more unbelievable it became.

“……!”

After reading Kim Seong-hoon’s suicide note, the only word that came to Tae-kyung’s mind was shock.

“H, how could this happen…….”

The fingertips holding the paper trembled, as if he was being harassed himself just by reading the words. He felt suffocated, as if he were choking.

He had heard about military bullying incidents on the news from time to time, but this felt completely different. This couldn’t be happening. No matter what, this was not right.

“You bastards, worse than beasts.”

Harsh curses poured out of Tae-kyung’s mouth.

“Ha! Crazy bastards.”

Maybe it was because he had read the suicide note, but he understood why Kim Seong-hoon’s expression was like that when he first saw him. It was more than just the expression of a sick person; something was off.

People are instinctively sensitive to pain and suffering. Even those who endure well have their limits.

But Kim Seong-hoon’s expression in the emergency room was as if he had already transcended everything, and his eyes were filled with emptiness.

Tae-kyung had seen many patients who had decided to commit suicide or had been injured by suicide.

When he recalled those patients’ faces, they were the same as Kim Seong-hoon’s. It was the look of someone who had given up on life.

“This won’t do.”

Click-

Tae-kyung took a photo of Kim Seong-hoon’s suicide note with his phone. Then, he searched for Captain Choi Tae-shik’s number in his contacts.

He was going to send it to him right away.

“Oh! It’s not here?”

But when Choi Tae-shik’s number wasn’t on his phone, he remembered that he had been told to get the number from Team Leader Choi.

Squeak-

Tae-kyung hurriedly got up from his chair and headed for the examination room door, ready to do anything.

“…….”

But as he grabbed the doorknob, he suddenly stopped.

“Is this right?”

Frozen like an icicle, he stood in place with a serious face, contemplating. He let go of the doorknob and returned to his seat.

“This isn’t right……. Nothing will change in the end if I do this.”

Tae-kyung, talking to himself, put the suicide note in the desk drawer and left the examination room to focus on seeing patients.

He needed to think about what would really help Kim Seong-hoon.

The Next Day-

Tae-kyung, who had found the suicide note, still hadn’t taken any action.

Choi Tae-shik, who didn’t know what he was thinking, visited the hospital and ran into him.

“Hello? Doctor?”

“Hello, Captain. You must be working hard, going back and forth between the base and the hospital.”

“It’s nothing. The real hardship is with Private Kim Seong-hoon.”

“That’s right. Ah! Is there anything else going on at the base regarding Kim Seong-hoon’s case?”

“…….”

“I suppose it’s difficult for you to speak freely about base matters. I apologize for being rude.”

“That’s the principle.”

“Yes?”

“That’s the principle, but I have something to ask you about this matter, so I’ll tell you. I’m looking into it from various angles, but there’s no progress yet. I think there will be progress when Private Kim wakes up.”

“I suppose so. But what did you want to ask me?”

“I……. Did you notice any signs of assault on Private Kim’s body?”

“Are you suspecting assault or bullying?”

“I can’t completely rule that out.”

“Then, can I ask you one question and hear your answer before I answer?”

Tae-kyung, who received Choi Tae-shik’s question, asked a question in return instead of answering.

“Of course. Ask away.”

“Why do you come to the hospital when you can’t even go into the intensive care unit to visit?”

Even though Kim Seong-hoon’s consciousness hadn’t returned, Choi Tae-shik visited the hospital twice a day, once before work and once after work.

“To be honest, I feel sorry for Seong-hoon.”

“Sorry? You do?”

“Yes. It may sound like a cliché, but as an officer, I should have protected the soldiers in my unit, but I didn’t. I think it makes me feel better to come to the hospital and hear the news about Seong-hoon directly from the medical staff.”

That was true. It wasn’t to show a good image to Kim Seong-hoon’s family or to improve the unit’s image.

Choi Tae-shik was visiting the hospital out of genuine guilt.

“I see. I understand. If you have a moment, please follow me.”

“Yes?”

“It’ll only take a moment.”

Click-

Tae-kyung headed to the examination room with Choi Tae-shik.

“You asked earlier if there was anything strange about Kim Seong-hoon’s body, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Actually, there’s a strange wound on his upper body.”

“A wound?”

“Yes, and I found out that the wound was caused by Kim Seong-hoon being bullied within the military.”

“Bullying? But how did you know that, Doctor?”

“This?”

A piece of paper suddenly appeared in front of Choi Tae-shik.

The reason Tae-kyung didn’t contact him as soon as he saw the suicide note the day before was because he needed confirmation.

No matter which group you go to, there are always people who deviate from common sense.

This matter was important enough for Kim Seong-hoon to give up his life, but it might not be for someone else.

To put it bluntly, if a high-ranking military officer didn’t want it to spread outside, it could pass by quietly enough to be absurd.

It may sound ridiculous, but it’s still happening in reality.

If that happened, there would be no way to resolve Kim Seong-hoon’s injustice. So, he was checking if Choi Tae-shik was trustworthy.

Of course, judging whether someone is trustworthy with just one simple question could be hasty. But at least Choi Tae-shik didn’t seem like someone who would cover up injustice.

Tae-kyung trusted his gut and decided to trust him.

“What is this?”

“A suicide note.”

“Yes? A s, suicide note? Whose… could it be?”

“That’s right. It’s Kim Seong-hoon’s suicide note.”

Choi Tae-shik unfolded the paper Tae-kyung handed him and checked the contents.

It was a suicide note, and the content inside made Choi Tae-shik feel the same way Tae-kyung felt when he first read it.

Moreover, when he asked his senior soldiers, Go Cheol-soo and Park Byeong-deok, about the bullying, he remembered their expressions when they said it wasn’t true, and an unbearable anger surged.

“How could this happen……. These damn bastards.”

“Captain, excuse me, but can I ask what you plan to do in the future?”

“Ha! First of all, when something like this happens, it’s most important to understand the situation from the victim, Private Kim Seong-hoon. After that, I’ll report it to the unit and an investigation will be conducted according to the procedure.”

“So, you’re saying that Kim Seong-hoon has to reveal what happened to him.”

“Yes, it’ll be difficult, but that’s the beginning of solving the problem. Once Private Kim regains consciousness, I plan to check it directly.”

“What if Private Kim says no, that nothing like that happened?”

“Yes?”

Choi Tae-shik hesitated for a moment at the unexpected question before continuing.

“I don’t think that will happen because there is definite evidence that he wrote himself.”

“Captain Choi Tae-shik?”

“Yes. Doctor.”

“Can you do me a favor?”

“A favor? Ah, yes. Tell me.”

Tae-kyung conveyed his opinion with a calm expression.

Choi Tae-shik, who was listening to the words from across, was sometimes startled and took expressions and gestures that he could not understand the words he heard. But the more he did, the more Tae-kyung’s words and actions remained unchanged, and he conveyed his opinion seriously until the end.

“If Kim Seong-hoon says that according to my words, then please do me a favor. I ask you.”

“Ha! Okay. Instead, it’s only when that kind of reaction comes out as you said.”

“Of course. Of course.”

“Maybe not. He’ll react right away. Private Kim Seong-hoon.”

“That could be. Actually, I hope so too.”

The two, who had a serious conversation, found a compromise and finished the story.

Choi Tae-shik waited for Kim Seong-hoon to wake up to find out the truth about military hazing.

* * *

3 days later-

Kim Seong-hoon, who had a successful surgery, was getting better day by day. The day after the surgery, he removed the oxygen respirator and reduced the vasopressors [medications that constrict blood vessels and raise blood pressure].

And blood pressure and inflammation levels normalized. Finally, Kim Seong-hoon’s consciousness, which everyone had been waiting for, returned.

“…….”

Kim Seong-hoon, who regained consciousness and opened his eyes, thought for a moment when he saw the light in front of him.

‘Am I dead?’

Just as the word ‘thank goodness’ and a sense of relief came to mind, someone’s voice calling him was heard.

“……Patient?”

“Patient Kim Seong-hoon?”

A nurse was talking to Kim Seong-hoon, who had regained consciousness next to the bed.

“Do you remember where you are?”

“Hospital…….”

Kim Seong-hoon swallowed the word ‘damn’ inside.

He never wanted to live and wanted to die comfortably, but he was annoyed by the thought that he couldn’t do what he wanted with his death.

“The surgery went well, and you’ve been unconscious because of your blood pressure and inflammation levels. The progress is good now, so if you recover well, you’ll be fine.”

As the nurse’s kind explanation continued, the whereabouts of the ‘suicide note’ suddenly came to Kim Seong-hoon’s mind.

“Excuse me, nurse?”