Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 238

238. Blood-Red War

Old residential area-

“Oh! I don’t know how to thank you enough, Seon’s mom!”

A middle-aged woman, emerging from her house, was leaving the convenience store with a bag of new snacks.

“No need to thank me.”

“Of course, I should. My youngest is coming home tomorrow, and she was so insistent on getting these snacks. She’s been calling all week.”

“Coming to her parents’ house tomorrow?”

“Yeah. Maybe because she’s the youngest, she’s still like a child, even after getting married.”

The middle-aged woman was happy to have secured the trendy snacks her married daughter had requested.

“Of course. Aren’t children always children in their parents’ eyes, no matter how old they get?”

“That’s true. But Seon’s mom, didn’t you come to the convenience store at this hour just because of me?”

“No, it’s okay. It’s my first day as a part-timer today anyway, so I came out early to get the hang of things. By the way, did you hear about that?”

“What?”

“Down the street. Young-gi’s mom from the hair salon is making a fuss again…”

Just as the two middle-aged women were about to launch into a proper chat, a rough curse shattered the air.

“Hey! You, you son of a bitch!”

The curse, jarringly loud, interrupted their conversation.

“You shut up, you son of a bitch!!”

As another, even louder curse echoed, both women turned their heads toward the house directly next to the convenience store.

“It’s starting again?”

“I thought it was quiet this week.”

“I don’t know why they live like that.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Seriously! They’re both unbelievable.”

The women exchanged resigned glances at the house from which the curses emanated, as if this was a familiar occurrence.

“When you think about it, neither of them seems to get tired. How can they keep doing that?”

“I know. That’s why their children are so fed up; they don’t even want to come home.”

“My husband says that relationship will only end when one of them dies.”

“Well, that’s probably true. Oh, it sounds like they’re starting another round. I guess we can’t talk. Let’s chat next time. I’m going in.”

“Thanks for the snacks, Seon’s mom.”

The two women, who had been about to enjoy a conversation on the chair in front of the convenience store, quickly wrapped things up and left.

A little later-

“I’m so sick of it.”

The curses continued unabated from the second floor of the house next to the convenience store.

“Do you think you’re the only one who’s sick of it? Do you think I want to be broke?”

“Don’t give me that. If you hadn’t screwed up your stocks and business, we wouldn’t be living like this, so poor.”

“What! Give you that? Hey! You crazy woman! I did that to try and make us live well!”

“You’re kidding me. If you want to live well, you have to work. You blew all your retirement money, and now you’re yelling at me.”

“You x! What about you! How much money have you made that you keep yelling at me? Don’t you dare yell at me.”

“Hey, human! Did the kids raise themselves? I raised them all while you were off doing that. You didn’t help with housework or the kids, but now you’re making a fuss.”

“Didn’t I play during that time? Did I play? I made money.”

“Don’t say ridiculous things. You lost more money than you made. It wouldn’t have been like this if you had listened to me.”

It’s starting again!

A night like any other weekday.

The middle-aged couple’s abusive language continued, their voices growing louder.

The fight, far beyond a typical marital spat, was so intense it seemed only hatred remained between them.

People say a couple’s fight is like cutting water with a knife [meaning it leaves no lasting damage], but that wasn’t the case for this couple.

No one paid attention to their constant bickering, which occurred as regularly as meals.

As a dark joke, people marveled at their staying power, suggesting they remained married solely to continue fighting.

Whenever the sounds of fighting erupted, neighbors simply clicked their tongues and ignored it.

“Why am I living like this! It’s all because of you!!”

“Look who’s talking. Hey! It’s the same for me.”

Thump- Thump- Thump-

Clang-

The couple’s voices escalated, soon accompanied by the sound of objects being thrown.

Where did it all go wrong?

Looking back, it seemed to have been flawed from the start.

It’s said that the closest and most distant relationship in the world is that of a married couple. But for these two, only the distance seemed to have existed from the beginning.

There may have been times when their bodies were close due to instinct, but their hearts never were.

“I was crazy. I was crazy!”

The couple had been trapped in this old rental house since they married.

The children, unable to bear their parents’ animosity, had long since turned their backs on them.

Witnessing their parents’ constant fighting, the children deliberately chose schools and jobs far away, becoming independent as if fleeing home.

“You ruined my life! Do you even know that?”

“You’re talking nonsense. It’s the same for me.”

This level of fighting was the norm for the couple. It was as routine as waking up, working, and eating.

The couple, having exchanged countless curses and shouts, were indifferent, as if immune to such words.

Until his wife took out a knife.

“Yaaaaaa!”

Wife Lee Han-soon screamed, her throat raw.

“I can’t live like this anymore! I can’t live, you x!”

“Oh, yeah. Another knife?”

As if this wasn’t the first or second time Lee Han-soon had done this, her husband, Kim No-dam, didn’t even blink.

“Oh, my! It’s not even surprising anymore.”

Lee Han-soon still held the knife, pointing it at Kim No-dam.

“You bad bastard!”

“Yeah, do whatever you want. It’s true that you and I are bad for each other.”

“I’m so sick of it.”

“Hey. I feel the same way.”

“My life is hell.”

Suddenly, Lee Han-soon, chanting in a low voice, slowly brought the tip of the knife to her stomach. She stared blankly at the kitchen knife in her hand, contemplating stabbing herself.

Neither she nor Kim No-dam recognized the spiteful desperation in her expression.

“xx son of a bitch!”

“You’re kidding me. Why? Stab me. Huh! How many times have I been stabbed? Stab me!”

“You and I are hell to each other…”

Lee Han-soon, listening blankly to her husband’s typical reaction, suddenly thrust the knife into her stomach.

“Aaaagh!!!!!”

She stabbed herself. Red blood immediately began to pool on the floor.

“Hey!! Oh, this woman is crazy!! What are you doing now?”

Kim No-dam, who had been watching TV, turned at the sudden scream.

“Ah!! I’m in so much pain. Ugh!!”

Kim No-dam hadn’t believed she would actually stab him, let alone herself. He’d assumed she’d make a fuss, as usual.

He was taken aback by the sudden turn of events.

“T, this woman is really crazy. What did you just do?”

“119!! Call 119 quickly!!”

The couple never expected their usual fight to escalate into a blood-red war. Kim No-dam frantically called 119 [emergency services number in South Korea] while staring at the blood flowing from his wife’s abdomen.

A little later, the paramedics arrived at the couple’s house.

“Where is the patient?”

“Here, it’s here. My wife is a little hurt.”

“Can the patient speak?”

The paramedics, accustomed to all sorts of unbelievable situations, focused solely on the patient, having immediately grasped the situation from the scene inside the house.

“Ugh! My stomach… my stomach hurts so much.”

“We’ll move you to the bed and then to the ambulance. Try not to talk too much.”

“…right? Husband?”

“Yes?”

“Aren’t you coming with me?”

“Ah, yes. I’m going. I have to go.”

Kim No-dam, who had been watching the self-harm scene unfold, left the house with the paramedics.

* * *

An hour later-

Lee Han-soon and Kim No-dam were in the emergency room of Our Hospital.

Even in the emergency room, the couple, consumed by disgust rather than concern, kept their distance.

The space between them was more than 3 meters, and they didn’t exchange a word.

One might wonder, ‘How can a couple be like that, even in this situation?’ But it’s not uncommon.

More people than one might think end up in the emergency room after a fight, and in reality, not just in dramas, many couples remain indifferent to each other even after arriving at the hospital.

“Um… guardian? But why was your wife stabbed?”

Lee Chan-hee asked, his curiosity evident.

“I don’t know.”

“Yes!?”

Kim No-dam answered simply, as if he had no interest, from a distance.

“Crazy x!”

Then, his wife, Lee Han-soon, lying on the bed, turned her head away as if she couldn’t bear to look at her husband, and muttered curses under her breath.

“It’s a relief that your organs weren’t damaged, but it could have been a really big deal. Be careful next time.”

The cheerful Lee Chan-hee continued, oblivious to the tension between the couple.

“And you have to be careful with knives. As you know, no matter how skilled you are, accidents can happen…”

Thump!

Nurse Lim Jeong-sook hit Lee Chan-hee on the back, unable to endure his unnecessarily long-windedness.

“Ouch!”

Frustrated, Lim Jeong-sook grabbed Lee Chan-hee and pulled him away.

“Why did you suddenly hit me, Teacher Soo [Teacher is a common honorific in Korean culture]?”

“I can’t believe it. It’s because you’re being clueless, Teacher Lee.”

“Clueless?”

“Teacher Lee? Don’t you understand the situation?”

“Yes? It’s a situation where his wife is hurt.”

“Oh, my! I’m really frustrated. You’re good at everything, but if you improved your social awareness, you’d be perfect. Can’t you tell just by looking at them? They’re here because of a couple’s fight.”

Anyone could see that the wife had self-harmed after a fight, but Lee Chan-hee was the only one among the emergency room staff who hadn’t realized it.

In fact, Lee Chan-hee’s lack of awareness stemmed from two reasons: first, he had unusually little experience with patients involved in domestic disputes; and second, he couldn’t fathom a couple resorting to self-harm during a fight.

Lee Chan-hee’s inherently kind nature made it difficult for him to comprehend such a situation.

“You’re saying his wife self-harmed during a fight?”

“Yes. That’s what I’m saying. Didn’t you hear what the paramedic said earlier?”

“I didn’t hear it clearly because I was focused on the patient. You mean she really stabbed herself with a knife?”

“Shh! They’ll hear you. Lower your voice.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I was so surprised. I’ve never seen a case like that before.”

Lee Chan-hee was also embarrassed, as this was his first time encountering such a patient, despite his extensive experience in the hospital.

“Teacher Lee, you haven’t seen many patients who came because of a couple’s fight, have you?”

“No, all I’ve seen is them scratching each other while arguing. Those patients are also very fierce.”

“That’s mild. The fiercest patients are those involved in couple’s fights.”

“It’s really intense. No, no matter what, how can a couple be like that…”

“Originally, once a relationship sours, a couple can be more terrifying than strangers. That’s why they say a couple is no relationship at all. Teacher Lee, your phone is ringing.”

“Ah, yes. It’s Tae-kyung.”

Lee Chan-hee, who had been talking to Nurse Lim Jeong-sook, quickly answered her cell phone after seeing Tae-kyung’s call.

-Where are you, Teacher Lee?

“I’m in the emergency room.”

-I heard a patient with abdominal stab wounds came in?

“Yes, a female patient with stab wounds in the upper abdomen was brought in by 119.”

-Really? What’s her current condition?

“The current depth is…”