Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 445

Five Vital Signs – Episode 446 (445/502)

446. The Last Schedule

“Seriously, who are you hiding so carefully? Just tell me already.”

“Gam Deok-chan.”

“Gam Deok…? Pfft!”

Repeating the name to himself, Park Jun-seok, who was drinking water, was so surprised that he spat water onto Lee Jae-hyun’s face, who was sitting in the middle.

“Hyung [older brother or male friend], are you crazy! What’s wrong with you?”

“Jae-hyun, I’m sorry. I really didn’t do it on purpose.”

“Ugh! Gross.”

“Ah, I brushed my teeth, so it’s clean. No, I was just so surprised by the name Gam Deok-chan that the water just came out.”

“Gam Deok-chan? Who is that guy?”

Lee Jae-hyun was too busy wiping the water off his face to care about Gam Deok-chan or whatever.

“What? You don’t know Gam Deok-chan?”

“No. Should I?”

“Don’t you watch the news?”

“I do.”

“Never mind. Tae-kyung, you’re not talking about that Congressman Gam Deok-chan, are you?”

“Yes, I am.”

“F-Former Congressman?”

“Yes. If it’s Gam Deok-chan, isn’t he the person being mentioned as a potential presidential candidate?”

“What! Was that for real?”

Lee Jae-hyun, who quickly searched on his phone after hearing the word ‘Congressman,’ was quite surprised to learn that Park Jun-seok’s words were true.

“Kim Tae-kyung, you’re insane.”

“How did you become friends with such a big shot?”

“We’re not exactly friends; I just greet him. But I was so desperate that I asked him for a favor, and he granted it.”

“At this rate, Tae-kyung, you’ll be taking on a big position later and sitting in a high place, won’t you?”

“Hyung, it’s not like that. Don’t say weird things.”

“Tae-kyung, is there a doctor’s position available at your hospital? I don’t need a high salary…”

“I want a secretary position. I’ll be your secretary, Tae-kyung. How about it?”

“Ah! Why are you guys like this?”

“Our Director Kim, let’s get some hangover soup after getting off at the terminal before heading in.”

“Yes, Director. We’ll take care of you.”

“I’ll pass.”

Park Jun-seok and Lee Jae-hyun didn’t stop calling Tae-kyung ‘Director’ until they arrived at the terminal.

“Hyung, that was a good meal.”

“Me too.”

The three of them, having arrived at the terminal, had lunch at a nearby restaurant.

“Jae-hyun, thanks for looking into things because we were going to the island, and Tae-kyung, thanks for working hard to save people.”

“Anyone listening would think I saved the patient all by myself. You two saved them together.”

“Anyway, I think this vacation was well spent in a meaningful way.”

“Yeah. I think it was good for me too, to rethink my life as a doctor.”

“Hey, Tae-kyung. Looking at Jae-hyun, isn’t he going to become a resident soon?”

“Looks like it.”

“I told you before, that’s not going to happen. And I definitely can’t do what you and Tae-kyung do.”

“Jae-hyun, there’s no such thing as ‘never’ in this world. Let’s take one last picture together before we go.”

“That hyung is at it again with the pictures. Tae-kyung, I’m going first.”

“Hyung, I’ll head out too.”

“Hey, Jae-hyun. Tae-kyung.”

Leaving Park Jun-seok behind to take pictures, Tae-kyung and Lee Jae-hyun waved goodbye.

There were many ups and downs, but this vacation will remain an unforgettable memory for the three who saved people on Heorak Island.

* * *

After having lunch with his friends and parting ways, Tae-kyung didn’t go home. Nor did he go to the hospital.

Of course, if he had no other plans, he might have gone to the hospital, but he had an appointment today.

He thought about going another day, but he had applied to visit this place a few days ago, so he didn’t want to suddenly cancel his plans.

He would be back at work from tomorrow, and since he had some time, he headed there with light steps, as it was a place he had to visit.

“Driver, please drop me off in front.”

“Someone with such an innocent face, what brings you to such a scary place?”

“I never thought I’d come here either.”

Tae-kyung handed the card to the driver, who turned around to take a quick look at his face.

“No receipt needed. Thank you, driver. Have a good day.”

“Thank you.”

Thud.

Getting out of the taxi, Tae-kyung looked at the wooden sign hanging at the main gate.

On the sign, in bold black calligraphic font on a light brown wooden board, was written ‘Yeon-son Prison’.

The place Tae-kyung visited on his last day of vacation was a prison, to meet Yoo Hyuk-jin.

He was a prisoner with whom he had a connection at our hospital, for avenging his unjustly deceased younger sister, and Tae-kyung came to visit him.

After being discharged from the hospital, Tae-kyung had heard from him through letters, but he was curious to know how he was doing, so he came in person.

“Hello. I’m here for a visit.”

“Did you apply?”

“I applied a few days ago.”

After handing his ID to the staff and going through the verification process, Tae-kyung moved to the visiting area.

“Please sit here; he’ll be out soon.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Tae-kyung sat in the visiting area, which he had only seen in dramas and movies, and felt a strange sensation.

Clang-

As he sat on the chair, looking around, he soon heard the sound of the iron door opening, and a welcome face appeared.

“Director!”

“How have you been?”

Although he was wearing a drab prison uniform, Yoo Hyuk-jin’s face was bright, unlike the uniform.

“I’m doing well. What brings you here? Did you come to see me?”

“No. I was just passing by and thought I’d stop by to see your face.”

“Really? I was wondering if you came because of me.”

Although he said that, Yoo Hyuk-jin actually knew in advance that Tae-kyung was coming to visit.

A few days ago, a deposit had been made in his name.

He was surprised that such a large amount had been deposited, and even more surprised to learn that the sender was Tae-kyung.

Moreover, he had already been indebted to him while in the hospital, and he never imagined that the connection would continue after his discharge.

Frankly speaking, he was a prisoner, and Tae-kyung was a socially recognized doctor, so he never thought he would go this far.

“How have you been, Director?”

“I’m always the same. Seeing patients, performing surgeries, that’s how I’ve been. I’m actually on my way back from vacation now.”

“Director on vacation? I thought you’d never leave the hospital, but you’re taking vacations too.”

“I’m a person too, of course. By the way, how’s the bread-making going?”

Yoo Hyuk-jin had shared in his letter that he was studying baking skills to get a certificate.

“It’s going well. It’s more fun than I thought, and since I’m doing what I want to do, studying isn’t hard. Ah! Just a moment, Director.”

After glancing around for a moment, Yoo Hyuk-jin took out a photo from his pants and held it up to the transparent partition, showing it to Tae-kyung.

The photo was of various types of bread he had made.

There was a reason why he had secretly hidden the photo on his body, as he usually followed the prison rules well.

He wanted to show Tae-kyung that he was working hard and doing well, as he had promised.

“Can you see this?”

“Did Yoo Hyuk-jin make all of this himself?”

“Of course. I made it all myself. I wish I could let you taste even one, but I can’t, so I brought it in a photo.”

“Now that I see it, you have quite the talent.”

It wasn’t just flattery.

The bread in the photos looked good enough to be products from a famous franchise bakery.

“It not only looks good but also tastes amazing. When I get out, I’ll definitely make it for you and treat you, Director.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it.”

“I only have Chang-gyu as someone who would visit me, so I was so surprised when you said you were coming, Director.”

“I wanted to surprise you properly by coming secretly, but I failed.”

“Don’t be disappointed; I’ve been getting surprised a lot lately anyway.”

“Why? Are you not feeling well anywhere?”

Tae-kyung didn’t sense the Five Vital Signs momentarily and was worried that Yoo Hyuk-jin might be sick.

“You really are a born doctor, Director. I’m healthy with no pain.”

“Your back is okay too, right?”

“Of course. Thanks to the good treatment you gave me back then, it’s strong. Actually, Cha Tae-cheol’s mother came to visit.”

Tae-kyung was a little surprised, as he thought he would never hear that name again.

Cha Tae-cheol. He was the one who drove Yoo Hyuk-jin’s younger sister to her death, and he passed away in an accident without even apologizing until the end.

When Yoo Hyuk-jin first heard the news of the accident, he was dumbfounded, but he decided to live his life, thinking that the bad guy had received divine punishment.

“She came to apologize?”

“I met her here, and she knelt under the chair you’re sitting on now.”

In fact, Yoo Hyuk-jin had refused Cha Tae-cheol’s mother’s visit.

After refusing once, twice, she kept putting in money, so he had no choice but to meet her.

“Why? I met her to say that I don’t need this money and that I’ve forgotten everything, but she was begging for forgiveness.”

Cha Tae-cheol’s mother, who appeared looking emaciated, conveyed her words of apology without hesitation.

‘I’m sorry for coming so late. I wanted to come with Tae-cheol to apologize in person, but my incompetent son went first. I’m really sorry.’

After that, Cha Tae-cheol’s mother kept putting in money and came to visit several times, apologizing and returning without saying anything else.

Yoo Hyuk-jin told Cha Tae-cheol’s mother, who was like that, that he no longer hated her son, so she should stop visiting.

“I told her that I’m going to live my life diligently, so she should live her own life too.”

“You did well. You did really well. Do you know that you’re a wonderful person, Yoo Hyuk-jin?”

“After hearing you say that, Director, I think I might be a little bit.”

Yoo Hyuk-jin had completely healed from the emotional wounds of that incident, to the point where he could joke about it without any problems.

“Well, there’s something I’m curious about.”

“Tell me.”

“What kind of mindset do you have to live a life like yours?”

“Excuse me?”

Tae-kyung laughed as if he was dumbfounded at the absurd question, but Yoo Hyuk-jin was sincere.

He was amazed no matter how much he thought about the way he acted in the hospital and the fact that he even came to visit and care for someone in prison.

“Are you perhaps a pushover, Director?”

“Excuse me? What do you mean by that?”

“I mean, there are many families who don’t even see each other, but I’m wondering why you live helping other people like this.”

“If you help others, are you a pushover?”

“These days, they say you’re a pushover if you don’t take care of your own interests and help others.”

“Really? Then I’ll be a pushover, I guess. And I’m not such a nice person. I also had ambitions to climb high, fell down, and lived the same way as others. Then I decided to live as a real doctor, so I’m living like this.”

“You’ve had a lot of twists and turns, Director.”

“Of course. How many people live a life that’s as smooth as a highway? Even if you fall, you get up and keep looking ahead.”

“That’s right.”

As they were talking about this and that, the visiting time was coming to an end.

“Director, don’t bother coming to see someone like me on purpose in the future.”

“Why not?”

“Sleep or rest more during the time you come to see me.”

“I’ll take care of that myself. You just focus on preparing for your certification, Yoo Hyuk-jin.”

“You know I’m incredibly stubborn, right?”

“Only as much as you, Yoo Hyuk-jin. I’ll be going now. Don’t get sick and stay healthy.”

“Yes, you too, Director. And don’t put any more money in.”

“I’ll think about it. Eat well.”