Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 501

Fifth Vital Sign – Episode 502

Episode 502. Beeeeep——-

Upon receiving Kana’s message, Oh Si-won was utterly bewildered.

He couldn’t understand how someone lying in bed after a traffic accident could send a text message.

For a moment, Oh Si-won wondered if he had misread it, so he rubbed his eyes and checked his phone screen again.

But the sender was definitely Kana.

One minute passed, then two, and as the clock at the top of his phone screen ticked past five minutes, Oh Si-won clicked on the message.

-Honey? Did I surprise you?

As soon as he tapped the audio file, a familiar voice filled the room from the phone.

It was definitely Kana’s voice.

-You’re probably wondering what’s going on, right?

Just as she said, Oh Si-won was indeed wondering what was going on.

-I just finished dinner and went out to say goodbye to my senior colleague. I wanted to say thank you, so I left this message.

Yesterday, Oh Si-won had successfully proposed at his senior colleague’s restaurant and they had enjoyed a delicious dinner.

After dinner, Oh Si-won had a brief conversation with his senior colleague to thank them for taking care of everything from the proposal preparations to the dinner.

At that time, Kana, who was alone in the car, left a voice message.

-By now, you’re probably driving on the highway to see your parents, right?

This morning, as usual, Oh Si-won would have been on his way to his parents’ house at this hour.

-Well, I was just so touched by the proposal, and there were things I wanted to say to you. I thought it would be good to record it while I’m feeling this way.

Come to think of it, Kana would occasionally send voice messages a few times a year.

Being the kind-hearted person she was, she never overlooked small gifts or acts of gratitude.

Each time, she would always write a letter filled with gratitude the next day.

And when she had something overwhelmingly happy happen to her, she would record it like this.

-Si-won, honey? Or should I call you “yeobo” now? [Yeobo is a Korean term of endearment for a spouse, similar to “darling” or “honey.”]

Listening up to this point, Oh Si-won paused the file by touching the screen.

It was because the sadness he had barely suppressed was about to pour out. But unlike his rational thoughts, his emotional heart moved his finger.

And Kana’s voice echoed again in the treatment room.

-I’m really so grateful. Actually, I had a feeling you might propose for the past few days. You know how women say they can sense when men are about to propose?

I never knew what that meant. But once I became the one experiencing it, I could feel it.

And then, during the video you prepared at the restaurant, and then when you came out and proposed…

Kana seemed overwhelmed with emotion again and couldn’t continue for a moment.

After a short pause, her voice continued.

-Sorry. I got a little choked up just now and couldn’t speak for a moment. Anyway, I’m not kidding, I felt like I was going to stop breathing. You know my friend Mina from Japan? She got proposed to last month, and she said the same thing. She said she felt like she couldn’t breathe. That’s exactly how I felt.

It felt like time had stopped, and it was just you and me in the world…

It’s kind of cheesy, but I felt like my head was filled with a flower garden.

I took pictures of the flowers and the ring and sent them to my mom, and she said, ‘Remember when we first went to Japan together when you two were dating?’

She told me that night that she told Dad that she thought I was going to marry you. And Dad felt the same way.

They thought, ‘Our daughter is going to marry a Korean man and live a new life as a couple in Korea.’

So I asked her how she knew, and she said that your eyes were full of love when you looked at me.

When I saw that message, I almost cried again.

Honey… Thank you for approaching me first all those years ago and for being by my side without changing, and for being my strength whenever I was having a hard time.

There were times when living in Korea was difficult, but honestly, I think I made it this far because you were there.

And thank you so much for always taking care of Kyo-ko. Do you know what my sister said first when I told her I got proposed to?

She told me to treat you well. She said there’s no one as kind and wonderful as you.

And when I think about it, that’s really true. No matter how I think about it, I think you’re the best.

Si-won, thank you for choosing me as your partner. I can’t say that I’m the best woman, but I’ll always be by your side as someone who doesn’t change.

I won’t let you struggle alone when you’re having a hard time, and I’ll heal you when you’re sick.

The deep love that you gave me, I will now express it with deeper love and love you more.

Now, as a couple, not just lovers, I will respect and honor you as my husband in all the days we spend together.

If I take you out of my life, Si-won, there would be nothing left. That’s how much you mean to me, you are my everything.

Yeobo…

Kana, who had been speaking seriously for a long time, suddenly called out to Oh Si-won in a shy voice.

I love you. So much. I love you more than my life. Let’s not get sick and live happily and healthily.

I miss you. Drive carefully, don’t speed, and eat lots of delicious food at your mother’s house. I’ll call you later.

Yeobo~ I love you.

With that, Kana’s voice, which had been echoing through the treatment room via the phone, went silent.

“…”

Oh Si-won, who had listened to the audio file until the end, was frozen like a statue.

Like a person devoid of emotion, only his lifeless, unfocused eyes stared intently at the phone screen.

Lies!

All of this, this situation, the events unfolding before his eyes, felt like a lie.

Like a scene from a movie, it felt like someone would come in through that door and shout “Hidden Camera!”

It didn’t make sense how Kana, who had been smiling and cheerful just a few hours ago, could be covered in blood.

Kana was such a kind person that she could live in the world without laws.

She was so kind-hearted that she regularly volunteered at places that needed help.

He resented and was furious at the world for why such a kind person had to suffer such a terrible accident.

In a world where worse people were rampant, he couldn’t find the answer no matter how much he thought about why Kana, who lived harder than anyone else and was more warm-hearted than anyone else, had to be on the verge of death because of this.

He was angry, he felt like his insides were about to burst, and he just hated this world so much.

“Kana…”

His slowly turning gaze went to the bed, and Oh Si-won whispered softly.

“Kana…”

Beep- Beep- Beep- Beep-

He kept calling Kana’s name, but sadly, various mechanical sounds replaced her voice.

Oh Si-won slowly got up.

And he approached the bed where Kana was lying and stopped his heavy steps.

“Kana?”

The cheerful voice he had heard from the phone and the radiant smile like sunlight were no longer visible.

He only saw Kana’s miserable figure, with her eyes closed and relying on machines to continue breathing.

“You have to… wake up soon.”

Oh Si-won began to say what he wanted to say to Kana.

“We… we were going to go to our new house together… Kana… I can’t live without you. Please… sob!”

Tears that Oh Si-won had been holding back began to well up in his eyes.

The tears that he had gritted his teeth and held back flowed like a dam that had collapsed in an instant.

Oh Si-won had never shed tears while he was with Kana.

He was always happy and grateful for every moment together, so he was only filled with smiling days.

But now, it felt like those happy times of over 10 years were turning into tears and falling.

He even had the absurd thought that this might have happened to him because he was too happy.

“Kana… I will… take care of your sister…”

As he continued to shed tears, Oh Si-won slowly began to say the words that he never wanted to take out of his mouth, the words that he couldn’t say.

‘The patient’s condition is very difficult.’

It was because the words of the medical staff, who had explained carefully, cautiously, and with medical reasoning, kept coming to his mind.

“I’ll take good care of your sister. I’ll take good care of your parents too. I’ll even take the nutritional supplements that you said you didn’t want to eat… sob! I’ll take them without fail… So Kana, please open your eyes.”

Thick tears that had formed in his eyes fell onto Kana’s wounded hand.

“Sob… Kana… sob!”

He didn’t need anything, and he didn’t want anything.

At this moment, the only thing Oh Si-won desperately wanted in his heart was just one thing.

“…Open them.”

For Kana to open her eyes.

Even if other bodily functions deteriorated, he begged her to just open her eyes and be able to breathe on her own, and he would live as her body until he died. He begged her to just let her open her eyes.

If not, he begged them to hurt him instead of Kana, and he would suffer for her share, so please save her.

-Creak

Just as the waves of sadness were washing over Oh Si-won, the door to the treatment room suddenly opened violently.

“Unnie!!!!!” [Unnie is a Korean term used by a female to address an older sister or a close older female friend.]

Kyo-ko, Kana’s sister, who had been shocked by Kana’s accident and fainted, had come to the treatment room.

“Brother-in-law?”

Kyo-ko, who had entered the treatment room, approached with a surprised expression as she saw Oh Si-won’s face covered in tears.

“Brother-in-law…”

Kyo-ko, who hadn’t seen her sister’s face yet, kept calling Oh Si-won, swallowing the words she wanted to ask, ‘Is my sister okay?’ behind the two words ‘Brother-in-law,’ and approached the bed.

“Sister-in-law… you have to… say hello to your sister.”

At those words, Kyo-ko faced Kana’s appearance.

“Ah… Unnie! Hehe!”

The miserable appearance of her sister that she had briefly seen before she collapsed came into her eyes again, and tears poured out.

Kyo-ko opened her mouth with tears in her eyes.

“Unnie… it’s me. I’m here… Unnie, you have to wake up. You have to… have a wedding with Brother-in-law.”

At those words, Oh Si-won clenched his fist tightly and bit his lip. And he decided to hold Kana’s hand again and say the words that were most obvious but had been forgotten due to the accident.

“Kana… I love you so much. I love you so much… I love you to death. So please… don’t give up like this…”

Just then, as tears and snot flowed endlessly and Oh Si-won couldn’t continue speaking.

Beep- Beep- Beep-

The mechanical sound that had been repeating in the same tone made a different, unpleasant sound than before, and the machine that had been sounding steadily stopped.

Creak-

“Please step aside for a moment.”

“Prepare for CPR!!”

The medical staff, who had been constantly watching Kana’s condition, immediately came inside and began treatment.

The eyes of the medical staff were focused only on the patient, and everyone moved busily with one mind and one purpose.

However, despite the desperate wishes of Oh Si-won and Kyo-ko, and despite the efforts of the medical staff who were working hard, Kana’s heart did not return.

Beeeeep——–