Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 399

400. Could You Please Just See My Daughter Once?

Lee Jae-san, who was explaining, covered his eyes with his hand for a moment, as if reminded of his departed son, and began to sob quietly.

“I miss my son so much, even now. Sniff!”

Tae-kyung, swallowing his own emotions, quietly approached Lee Jae-san, who was sobbing, and handed him a handkerchief.

Watching Lee Jae-san’s shoulders shake with each sob, Tae-kyung felt a pang of empathy, as if he could feel his pain.

He couldn’t possibly describe in words how tragic, devastating, and heartbreaking the incident his family had experienced truly was.

For all parents, their children are special.

The moment a man and a woman meet, form a bond as a couple, and a child resembling both of them is born, the world begins to look different, and the child becomes the center of their universe.

They want to give their child a better world, hoping they will live happily, seeing only good things, meeting only good people, and remaining healthy.

Parents will do anything for their children; they cherish them beyond measure and would even give their lives for them.

Perhaps all parents feel this way about their children.

But then, that child passed away. Not from illness, but the healthy and strong child passed away in an instant, without any warning.

Lee Jae-san and his family still can’t believe that they can no longer see, touch, or be with their beloved child.

The hearts of parents who have lost their children may seem fine on the outside, but inside, they are torn to shreds with wounds, sorrow, and pain.

It was an emotion that ordinary people couldn’t fully understand before experiencing it, but Tae-kyung, who worked in a hospital where life and death were repeated countless times, understood that emotion better than most.

Moreover, Lee Jae-san’s family had absurdly lost their son due to a medical accident, and as a result, their distrust of hospitals was beyond description.

Perhaps the family has considerable trauma regarding hospitals.

Even a patient who comes to the hospital to treat a small wound and experiences more pain than expected is afraid to go to the hospital next time. It’s only natural to distrust the hospital after losing a beloved family member.

Clearly, the behavior of Lee Jae-san’s mother, which deviated from common sense, could not be justified, but it was understandable.

“Sniff!”

Tae-kyung approached Lee Jae-san, who was still sobbing, and patted him on the shoulder to comfort him.

His tall and large back looked small and vulnerable.

“Are you feeling a little better?”

“I was trying to explain, but before I knew it, tears came out… I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need to be sorry. It’s okay. Thank you for telling me in detail, even though it wasn’t easy to explain.”

“No, it’s not. I’m more grateful that you listened to the end, even though it wasn’t a good story.”

“But why did you keep saying you didn’t have time earlier?”

“Ah! That’s because my mother doesn’t know I went to the hospital. If she finds out, it’ll be a disaster, literally. I’m sorry to use this expression, but she throws a tantrum almost to the point of having a seizure. So, I secretly came out, saying I was stopping by a client on the way home from work.”

“I see.”

“I’m sorry that I was so impatient and upset that I insisted on meeting the director.”

Lee Jae-san, who had poured out all his stories and cried, seemed to have finally come to his senses. He felt sorry for his reckless and noisy behavior at the reception desk earlier.

“The reason the guardian came to see me is because of your daughter, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. I would like you to examine Jin-i to see what condition she is in.”

“To examine her, no matter how detailed the explanation I hear, I cannot make an accurate diagnosis until I see her myself. I have to see the child in person.”

“I know.”

“Can you bring the child to the hospital?”

Even as Tae-kyung asked the question, he thought it wouldn’t be easy.

Although the whole family has extreme trauma regarding hospitals, even if the couple mustered courage and made a decision for their daughter, there was still a big obstacle called the mother.

“I wish I could, but I don’t think it will be easy.”

As expected, Lee Jae-san’s answer was exactly as he had expected.

Tae-kyung was thinking about how to solve this problem when it happened.

“Director!”

“……!”

Suddenly, Lee Jae-san knelt down on the floor and called out to Tae-kyung earnestly.

“Please help me. I’m like this… I’m begging you like this. I’m sorry, but could you please come to my house and see my daughter just once?”

“To your house?”

“…Yes. Director, please help me.”

“Please get up first.”

Tae-kyung stood up Lee Jae-san, who was looking up at him with desperate eyes.

“What’s your name?”

“My name is Lee Jae-san.”

Lee Jae-san’s desperate eyes changed to anxiety, thinking that he might be rejected.

The moment he thought he should plead once again, seeing Tae-kyung seeming to be contemplating, he saw a cell phone in front of him.

“……”

Tae-kyung was handing his cell phone to Lee Jae-san.

“Director. Why are you giving me your cell phone?”

“Please enter your number. I’ll contact you later.”

“Yes!? Does that, does that mean…”

“I’ll help you.”

Tae-kyung felt that he had to help this family, who were still living in sorrow and pain.

More than anything, he couldn’t ignore the pain of the child who was still suffering.

“Are you, are you serious? Did you really say you would help me?”

Lee Jae-san asked again with a blank expression, as if he couldn’t believe Tae-kyung’s words that he would help.

He had definitely told his wife that he would bring a doctor, but honestly, he wasn’t sure how to do it.

He was a famous doctor who had appeared in the media and whose face was known, so he wondered if he could even meet him, and even if he did, would he listen to him?

If he was rejected, he was thinking of coming again tomorrow, even if it seemed foolish. But he never dreamed that Tae-kyung would really offer to help.

Seeing Tae-kyung willingly offering to help, he felt relieved, although he was still somewhat bewildered.

“Thank you, Director.”

Lee Jae-san bowed his head deeply, almost touching the ground.

Although Tae-kyung had not yet seen his daughter in person, just the fact that he had agreed to help gave him hope.

“Thank you so much.”

“It hurts your back if you do that. Stop it and enter your number first.”

“Excuse me! Director?”

The moment Lee Jae-san was about to grab the cell phone with trembling hands, Team Leader Choi raised his voice and approached.

“Yes, Team Leader.”

“I’m sorry. Just a moment.”

“Is it an emergency patient?”

Team Leader Choi excused himself to Lee Jae-san and went out of the examination room, and Tae-kyung assumed it was because of an urgent patient.

“No.”

Team Leader Choi had just entered the treatment room connected to the examination room.

This was because he was worried that something might happen since Lee Jae-san had raised his voice and caused a small commotion at the reception desk.

But when Tae-kyung handed over his cell phone and asked him to enter his number, he rushed over to stop him.

“Giving your cell phone and saying you’ll contact him later is the same as giving that person your personal number, and that’s the same as giving out the director’s personal number.”

“Yes, I know.”

It was extremely rare for medical staff to give out their personal numbers.

It was something that could be misused at any time and in any way, and you could be contacted at any time.

For that reason, it was never beneficial to a doctor who had to take care of patients.

However, it wasn’t the first time for Tae-kyung to give his number to a patient who was desperate and in dire need of help, so it wasn’t that big of a deal.

“I don’t want the director to give out his number. Frankly speaking, we don’t know what kind of person that is, so what if something bad happens after giving him your personal number?”

“Don’t worry, he’s not a strange person; he just has an unfortunate story.”

From Team Leader Choi’s point of view, who didn’t know Lee Jae-san’s story, it was a reasonable thing to say, worrying about Tae-kyung.

“Are you really okay with this?”

“Of course.”

After sending Team Leader Choi out, Tae-kyung saved Lee Jae-san’s phone number that he had given him.

“I’ll contact you after I see the patient, and then go to your house.”

“Yes, Director. You must contact me. Thank you.”

Lee Jae-san expressed his gratitude several times before leaving the hospital.

“Director? I heard from the team leader that you’re going to that man’s house to see a patient. Is that true?”

When Tae-kyung came out of the examination room, Nurse Lim Jeong-sook and Team Leader Choi approached.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“No, why? What did that man say that made you go all the way to his house to see a patient?”

Nurse Lim Jeong-sook also asked with a worried expression.

“I had no choice but to come out earlier because the director said he was okay, but I’m against it too. What if something difficult happens to the director because of that?”

“I fully understand how you two feel. I know how absurd it must be that someone who doesn’t care about anything when it comes to patients is now trying to go all the way to their house. But there was a reason why I had to do this.”

“Yes!? What reason…”

“Director, what are you talking about?”

“That man’s child passed away due to a medical accident at Shinhwa University Hospital.”

Tae-kyung explained Lee Jae-san’s unfortunate situation to Nurse Lim Jeong-sook and Team Leader Choi.

“A child… Are you perhaps talking about the boy’s flu incident?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Nurse Lim Jeong-sook knew about the incident because she had heard about it from a fellow nurse who worked at Shinhwa University Hospital at the time.

Since the victim of the medical accident was a child, it was a well-known incident among medical professionals.

“How could this happen…”

Nurse Lim Jeong-sook and Team Leader Choi couldn’t say anything after hearing about Lee Jae-san’s situation, who had lost his child due to a medical accident.

Both of them were parents raising children, so they could understand how devastated they must be.

“I know that my actions may be more unusual than other doctors. But as a doctor, there are parts I can help with, and I can’t just ignore that. If I refuse here, the couple will be hurt once again.”

“I understand what you mean, Director.”

Nurse Lim Jeong-sook and Team Leader Choi didn’t say anything more.

“Let’s get ready and start the outpatient clinic right away.”

“Excuse me, Director. But hasn’t your mother left yet?”

“Ah! That’s right.”

Tae-kyung, who had been focusing on Lee Jae-san’s case, suddenly remembered his mother, whom he had forgotten, and hurriedly went out of the entrance.

“I had a great time today thanks to Dr. Euijin. Thank you so much.”

“I had a great time too.”

When he came outside, Ms. Lee was getting up from her seat, seemingly about to go home.

“Are you leaving?”

“Oh, Tae-kyung-ah. I should go now.”

“I’ll go in first. See you again next time, Mother. Please go home safely.”

“Okay. It was so nice to meet you today, and let’s see each other again. Thank you.”

Euijin went into the hospital first so that the two could greet each other comfortably.

“You came all this way, but I was so busy talking to the patient that I didn’t get to talk to our Ms. Lee properly.”

“You’re saying all sorts of things. Mom likes being able to talk to Dr. Euijin more than you today.”

Ms. Lee, who had been secretly hoping that she might be able to see Euijin again today, liked meeting the prospective daughter-in-law much more than seeing her son after a long time.

“I was even thinking to myself to come out late while we were talking, wondering if you would come out early.”

“Did you like it that much?”

“Of course. She’s very smart and so charming. Tae-kyung-ah?”

“Yes?”

“As I told you before, women are more touched by small things than you think. Treat her well. Got it?”

“She’s someone I like, so of course I have to treat her well. Don’t worry.”

“Okay, Mom’s leaving.”

“I’ll call a taxi for you.”

“Euijin has already called one in front of the main gate. It’s about to arrive. Go in quickly.”

“Yes, go safely and let me know when you arrive.”

“Okay. Good luck, my son.”

Looking at Ms. Lee’s pleased expression, Tae-kyung came into the hospital and started seeing outpatients.