Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 273

Five Vital Signs-Episode 273 (273/502)

273. Formalin and Sulfur!

Goo Min-woo’s House-

“Mmm! Delicious. It tastes even better today. The meat and stew, even the side dishes. The seasoning is just right.”

Lee So-ri, having finished work and returned home, was preparing dinner to eat with Goo Min-woo when he arrived.

“As expected, I take after my mom when it comes to cooking.”

Click-

Lee So-ri took a photo of the various side dishes, soybean paste stew, and spicy pork bulgogi [Korean BBQ] she had made and sent it to Goo Min-woo.

-Looks delicious, right? I prepared dinner with your favorite dishes. A cold beer is a bonus. Finish up safely and come home. Love you♡

Lee So-ri was in a good mood, having received congratulations on her pregnancy all day.

Not only her parents and family but also her in-laws and work colleagues. Everyone sincerely congratulated her on her pregnancy.

Lee So-ri felt like she was facing the happiest and most pleasant days of her life.

Her husband, who had been working as a stuntman for a long time, signed a contract with a major film company, and now the blessing of Haengun [meaning ‘good fortune’ or a baby’s nickname] had come into their lives.

It was truly nothing but gratitude. Moreover, her husband had promised not to do any more dangerous filming, so she couldn’t ask for anything more.

Her only wish was that today’s filming would end safely and without injury until the end of this movie.

Ding-dong-

“……!”

Lee So-ri, who was lost in thought after sending a message to her husband, headed to the intercom at the sound of the doorbell.

“Who is it?”

Usually, filming often ended late, so it wasn’t time for her husband to come home yet, and no one would ring the bell at this hour, so Lee So-ri was puzzled.

“Who is it?”

-Is this Lee So-ri’s residence?

“Yes, it is. Who are you?”

-Flower delivery from Fragrant World.

“Flower delivery? Just a moment.”

Clang-

Lee So-ri opened the apartment complex door at the mention of a flower delivery and then opened the front door a moment later, peeking her head out. She saw a large bouquet of flowers and the delivery person, who told her the name of the sender.

“Goo Min-woo, do you know him?”

“Yes, he’s my husband……”

“Your husband sent these flowers to Lee So-ri. Please receive them.”

“Oh my! Oh my gosh! My husband sent this?”

“Yes, please sign here. Goodbye.”

“Thank you. Be careful on your way.”

Clang-

Lee So-ri, who had received the biggest bouquet of flowers in her life, didn’t know what to do.

The flowers, boasting vibrant colors including pink and sky blue, spread their fragrance throughout the house, filling her with joy.

A smile gradually spread across her face as Lee So-ri unfolded the card attached to the bouquet.

-So-ri, you must be wondering why the sudden bouquet, right? When I think about it, I haven’t given you flowers very often.

It’s just that I wanted to congratulate you on your pregnancy.

A smart, pretty, and even more beautiful-hearted person. You’ve been too good for me from the beginning until now.

You know, honey. I was actually bothered by that woman who said we were living together with just a marriage registration and no wedding.

You said it was okay, but I kept feeling sorry. They say the bride is the star of the wedding.

I felt so inadequate for not even being able to dress you in a beautiful dress.

So-ri, let’s have our wedding as soon as this movie shoot is over. I’ll make you the most beautiful bride in the world.

Thank you for believing in me and living with me until now.

I will make you and our Haengun happy from now on. I love you, Lee So-ri, the first and last woman in my life.

The greatest luck in my life is you!

“I’m going crazy. Goo Min-woo, seriously……”

He was someone who had particularly bad handwriting since school. But today, his neat handwriting showed how much effort he had put into writing this card.

“When did you even prepare this? Haengun, do you see this? It’s a flower your dad sent. Pretty, right?”

Just as she was basking in happiness, her lips practically reaching her ears,

Rrrrrrrrr

The cell phone placed on the dining table rang loudly.

“He can’t help but be a rascal.”

The words ‘My Love’ were displayed on the phone screen. Lee So-ri naturally assumed it was her husband, Goo Min-woo, and answered the phone brightly.

“Is it break time? I received the flowers. It’s the biggest bouquet I’ve ever……”

-Sister-in-law?

As she was expressing her gratitude for the flowers, she heard a man’s voice that wasn’t her husband’s.

-It’s me.

Lee So-ri immediately recognized the voice as the action team leader.

-It’s CEO Kim Chang-hee.

“Ah, yes. CEO, how have you been? But why are you calling from his phone?”

-Well, I was so out of it that I left my phone in the car, so I’m using Min-woo’s for now…….

The CEO, who was indeed out of it, was rambling.

-Ha! Crap. That’s not it.

Lee So-ri felt uneasy for a moment, hearing his strange voice. And she instinctively knew that something had happened to her husband.

‘It’s okay! It’s nothing. It’ll be nothing like before.’

Lee So-ri poured out these words to herself inwardly.

Her husband had been doing well without any major injuries since the day he first started as a stuntman.

Even amidst various dangers, a leg fracture was his biggest injury, so her husband was someone who was far from injuries.

He was so lucky that even his colleagues envied him. So, she thought that nothing would happen this time either.

‘I’ll be careful and do well on the shoot without getting hurt. I promise.’

Because he was someone who always kept his promises to her, no matter what, Lee So-ri comforted herself that her husband would be okay. But the CEO’s words that followed shattered her comfort.

-Sister-in-law? Don’t be alarmed and listen carefully to what I say.

Like a weak leaf fluttering in a breeze, the fingertips holding the phone began to tremble uncontrollably.

-Min-woo……. He got hurt.

“Where? How badly is he hurt? Where is Min-woo now?”

-There was a problem with the wire, and he fell from a high place and was taken to the hospital.

“Ho, hospital? Is he okay now?”

-Min-woo is unconscious.

“……!”

As soon as the CEO said that, the bouquet in Lee So-ri’s arms fell to the floor, and the colorful petals scattered helplessly.

The happy time she had after receiving the bouquet turned into despair in an instant.

Thud-

And Lee So-ri, her legs giving out, collapsed to the floor.

“Ah!”

-So-ri?!

“How could this……. Sob!”

-So-ri, are you okay? So-ri!

The CEO, startled by the sound of her crying, kept shouting, but the only answer he received was her scream.

“Hoo흑!”

Lee So-ri wanted to run to the hospital right away. But she couldn’t muster any strength in her body.

‘Get a grip!’

She tried to regain her senses by hitting her trembling legs with her fists.

* * *

Our Hospital Emergency Room-

“CPR~~~ CPR!!”

Tae-kyung, who had just finished talking to the paramedics, shouted so loudly that the entire emergency room shook.

“……!”

“CPR?”

Choi Mona and Lee Chan-hee, who were examining patients, also reacted to the sound and hurried with their treatment.

Tae-kyung, who was shouting loudly, quickly entered the cardiopulmonary resuscitation room.

“Open the door here and prepare for patient CPR.”

“Yes, Director.”

It was a simple order, but the eyes of all the medical staff who heard the CPR sound lit up.

They, who had been working leisurely because there were relatively few patients, began to move busily.

The quiet air of the emergency room was instantly filled with tension.

“Here, I have prepared for endotracheal intubation [insertion of a tube into the trachea].”

“I will prepare for central venous catheter insertion [placing a tube into a large vein].”

“Director? I have prepared the ultrasound.”

The emergency medical technician pushed in the ultrasound machine.

“Bring the trauma shears to cut the patient’s clothes.”

“Yes, Soo Teacher.”

“And Director, focus on securing the central line, but we should also try the peripheral line, so bring a lot of supplies.”

“Yes!”

“And Go Teacher! Just leave the automatic door at the front entrance open. Quickly!”

“Understood.”

As Nurse Im Jeong-sook gave instructions to the other nurses, they all ran around frantically, carrying equipment.

Thud-

Soon after, a bed was rushed through the door. And at the same time as the door opened, Tae-kyung’s head turned towards the door as if drawn by a magnet, and his brow furrowed deeply.

‘Formalin and sulfur!’

The angry fifth vital sign stimulated Tae-kyung’s nerves even before the door opened.

‘It’s transitioning from stage 4 to stage 5.’

That meant the patient could die. It was that urgent, and it was also the same as saying that there was not much golden time left to save the patient.

‘This is a severe injury, even among traumas.’

The pungent smell that quickly filled the emergency room was similar to the smell from the hospice ward where Yoo Ji-cheon was.

“This is OO Fire Station, whom I called earlier.”

“Yes, come here.”

“Uh!”

“……!”

As soon as they saw the face of the patient being carried in by the paramedics, Tae-kyung and all the medical staff were momentarily shocked.

The patient being carried in with trauma was Goo Min-woo, who often came to the hospital.

They knew his job was a stuntman, but he had never been carried in with a major injury.

And everyone couldn’t help but be surprised because he had come to the hospital with his wife in good health just this morning.

Moreover, Goo Min-woo’s wife, Lee So-ri, was currently pregnant.

‘Congratulations on your pregnancy.’

‘Thank you, Doctor.’

‘Min-woo is happy too, right?’

‘He’s getting physical therapy right now, so I haven’t told him yet. I’m going to tell him later.’

‘He’ll be very happy when he hears it. Congratulations again.’

Tae-kyung, recalling the conversation he had with Lee So-ri in the morning, felt even worse.

They were medical staff who saw countless patients every day, but they were also human. If someone they knew well came as a patient, they couldn’t help but feel concerned.

But that was it. No one was surprised and made a fuss.

Before they knew it, the surprised expressions disappeared from the faces of the medical staff, and everyone focused on the patient.

“From the head!”

“Okay! We’ll move him. One, two, three!”

The paramedics and nurses lifted and moved Goo Min-woo in unison.

Goo Min-woo was clearly unconscious at a glance. His face was pale, and he showed no response to any stimuli.

As the clothes he was wearing for treatment were cut off with scissors, his healthy body, honed by exercise, was revealed.

It was a body that showed how hard he had worked out.

All lives are precious, of course, but everyone felt bad seeing Goo Min-woo, a young man with a bright future, in this state.

“Paramedic, tell me what the situation is and what it was like on the way here.”

Tae-kyung shouted as he prepared for endotracheal intubation.

“He was filming with wires at the film set when he was hit by a wall. There are no visible external wounds, but his blood pressure has been continuously dropping on the way here, and it is currently in the 70s systolic [top number in a blood pressure reading]. From the time of discovery, his consciousness was in a semi-coma state, and it has been the same since.”

“Guardian! Is the patient’s guardian coming?”

“Yes, his mother and wife are coming.”

“Doctor, systolic is currently 65.”

“Norphine (norpin, a representative vasopressor used when blood pressure drops)! Start norphine. And let’s do O-type blood transfusion right away!”

“Yes, understood.”

The medical staff gathered around Tae-kyung next to Goo Min-woo, who was lying in a semi-coma state, and moved frantically.

“Quickly! Go to the blood bank and get it. Quickly!