Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 120

120. Liver, Colon, Even the Brain

“Nothing happened.”

An unexpected answer came from Tae-kyung’s mouth.

“Really, nothing happened. That’s why it became a big problem.”

“Pardon? What do you mean nothing happened?”

“It means exactly what it sounds like. They should have treated him, but they did nothing.”

“……!”

“Even a simple surgery would have been fine. If they had, the patient would still look like he did back then.”

“No, why?”

Lee Chan-hee had never seen anyone who didn’t treat cancer that was discovered early. On the contrary, most patients actively sought treatment.

“Why didn’t he receive any treatment?”

“That was the patient’s wish. He said someone would take care of it.”

Tae-kyung still vividly remembered that time four years ago. The progression rate of cancer varies from person to person.

It’s fast for some and slower than expected for others. In Yoo Ji-cheon’s case, it took about four years from the early stage to the terminal stage.

Yoo Ji-cheon, who had undergone a tissue biopsy and made a reservation for surgery, did not come to the hospital. Tae-kyung asked the nurse if the appointment had been changed, but she said there had been no cancellation.

Tae-kyung thought the patient must have had circumstances, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that he didn’t want to miss this case, which he had discovered early. He wanted to actively recommend surgery to the patient.

As always, his meddling nature kicked in, and he tried calling and texting, but Yoo Ji-cheon remained silent. Then, a week later, Yoo Ji-cheon answered the phone and said in a very bright voice that a wonderful person would take care of everything.

Come to think of it, Yoo Ji-cheon was different from other patients even on the day he was informed of his cancer.

‘Patient, the tissue biopsy results show it’s cancer.’

‘Cancer?’

‘Yes, I know this is shocking, but the cancer is small, and currently…’

‘Shocking? No, doctor. I’m not shocked at all. I’m not worried at all. I can cure everything. I’m fine.’

Even if it was an early stage, it was still cancer. Most people who are diagnosed with cancer are shocked when they hear the results, regardless of the stage of the disease. But Yoo Ji-cheon was so calm, composed, and not at all worried that Tae-kyung wondered if he had heard correctly.

“Looking back, I think his faith in someone was amazing.”

“Someone? Did he go to another hospital?”

“No. It wasn’t a hospital. If he had gone to another hospital, it wouldn’t have turned out this way.”

Tae-kyung thought so at first, too. Like Lee Chan-hee said, he thought he had gone to another hospital.

In fact, some people had their surgery at another hospital after receiving the test results, so he thought that was the case. So, he even wished him well for the surgery and a speedy recovery. And he didn’t realize it at the time.

That the wonderful person Yoo Ji-cheon was talking about was an absurd figure. He didn’t know that fact until much later.

“Then what’s the reason?”

“A cult leader.”

“Yes!? A, a cult leader?”

“He said that a cult leader, not a hospital doctor, would cure him, so he hid in the religion he believed in.”

“Oh, no way…”

“He lived like that until his whole body was smashed, torn, and crushed by cancer, and then he came.”

“So, you’re saying he fell into a pseudo-religion?”

“Yeah. He fell into a terrible cult. The cult leader said he would cure him. He gave all his money to the cult leader, prayed, and believed in the wrong belief.”

“Oh my god. That can’t be… They’re really bad guys. Don’t tell me he still believes in that cult?”

“Ha!”

A sigh full of frustration seemed to represent Tae-kyung’s answer.

“He does, apparently. Religious beliefs are a matter of personal freedom, so I respect that, but I regret what happened back then. If you look at this video, cancer has spread all over his body. It has metastasized [spread] to the liver, colon, and even the brain.”

Even if Tae-kyung didn’t say it, Lee Chan-hee’s eyes had been on the photo of Yoo Ji-cheon, whose body was covered in cancer cells.

“He’s currently undergoing chemotherapy, but Yoo Ji-cheon’s condition is such that a dangerous moment could come at any time.”

That was right. In fact, Lee Chan-hee had been thinking about something while looking at the patient’s data.

‘I think you should look into hospice care…’

He may have come to our hospital because of the doctor, but in fact, this patient should go to a hospice hospital. His whole body was in such a terrible state.

And to be more precise, Yoo Ji-cheon was currently a terminally ill patient.

“Lee, Doctor?”

“Yes, Doctor.”

“We’re doctors, so let’s do our best as doctors to do what we can for the patient until the end.”

“Yes, Doctor. Then, shall I prescribe a lab test for Yoo Ji-cheon tomorrow?”

“No. I’ll just see this patient. Don’t worry about it. Just do that.”

“Ah, yes. I understand.”

The reason Tae-kyung said he would see the patient himself was because of the unusual situation.

Currently, the patient’s cancer has spread so much that it could worsen to the point of acute death at any time. However, the guardians and the patient have a very strong will to live.

The patient is strong because of his faith in the cult leader, and the guardians are strong because of their love, resentment, regret, and love for the patient.

Tae-kyung knew those aspects of the patient and the guardians well. Moreover, when he thought of Yoo Ji-cheon, his daughter Kim Jin-kyung came to mind, and he felt sorry for her.

Besides, he thought it was his duty to see him since he had deliberately moved to the hospital.

“Lee, Doctor. The test results for patient number 11 are up.”

“Yes, I’ll go right away.”

“Doctor, new patient.”

Following Lee Chan-hee, Tae-kyung also took his eyes off the monitor he had been watching and got up from his seat to see the patient.

* * *

-Yes, this is our hospital.

“I’m a family member of a patient on the 2nd floor ward, and I have a question for the ward nurse. Is it possible to talk to her?”

-I’ll connect you right away.

“Thank you.”

Kim Jin-kyung, Yoo Ji-cheon’s daughter and guardian, was talking on the phone on the street with a blank expression.

-Yes, this is the 2nd floor ward.

“Hello. I’m Yoo Ji-cheon’s daughter from room 207.”

-Ah, yes. Hello.

“I was wondering if my mother is okay.”

-She seems to be in good condition today. There have been no calls for pain yet.”

“And I’m on my way to the hospital now, and I was wondering if it would be possible to have an interview with Dr. Kim Tae-kyung?”

-It’s possible, but you may have to wait if he has a patient to see.

“That’s okay. Yes, thank you. Goodbye.”

“Jin-kyung?”

A man who came out of the dessert shop across the street called out to Kim Jin-kyung, who had hung up the phone, and approached her.

“I’m sorry. Did you wait too long?”

“No. It hasn’t been 5 minutes yet.”

“Here, take this.”

The man, a colleague from the same company, handed her a small box containing a set of warm red bean bread.

“Why are you giving me this…?”

“Oh, my sister kept nagging me to buy macarons from this place when I got off work. It’s a famous place on social media these days. So, I bought one for my sister and one for Jin-kyung. I heard you’re going to see your mother today. Eat it together.”

The colleague didn’t know the details of Kim Jin-kyung’s situation, only that her mother was hospitalized.

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it. Dong-gyu, you’re a good brother. Your family seems very harmonious.”

“No. It’s similar to other families. My sister and I are always teasing each other and pretending not to know each other, but when we run out of allowance, we call each other ‘brother’ and act friendly.”

It was a very ordinary family story, but Kim Jin-kyung envied that atmosphere. She realized how grateful she was for the ordinary things in life when everything was broken.

“I only left work an hour early, but I feel so good.”

The colleague seemed to be in a very good mood with his early departure, smiling and excited.

“Jin-kyung, would you like to have a cold beer with me?”

The colleague, who was walking towards the subway station with her, cautiously asked after seeing the promotional phrase for a newly opened pub on the street.

“I have to go to the hospital.”

“Oh, that’s right! I forgot. You said you were going to see your mother. I’m sorry.”

“No. I’ll buy you one next time if I have the chance.”

“Why would Jin-kyung buy it? Don’t say that. I should buy it.”

The colleague, who joined the company around the same time as Kim Jin-kyung, had been quietly harboring feelings for her.

At first, he thought she was a bit unique after hearing rumors from people at the company.

‘Dong-gyu, I see you go home with Jin-kyung.’

‘I just go with her to the subway station.’

‘Don’t get too close to Jin-kyung.’

‘Yes? Why?’

‘Here!’

The senior at the company pointed to his wrist and continued.

‘It’s not accurate, and I’ve only heard about it. There’s a big scar here.’

‘What is that?’

‘What else could it be? She was determined to end it all. What does that mean?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘It means her mental state isn’t clean. She looks depressed. So, Dong-gyu, keep your distance. There’s no good in getting close to someone like that.’

Lee Dong-gyu didn’t pay much attention to what the senior said.

However, as a colleague, he thought Kim Jin-kyung was a quiet, unsmiling, stiff, and dry person.

One day, a street cat that had settled in the company’s parking lot returned with a large wound on its body.

None of the company employees, who were usually busy taking pictures of the cat because it was pretty, took the street cat to the hospital.

The colleague, who had a cat allergy, hesitated but decided to take the street cat to the hospital because it looked pitiful. However, the street cat that should have been in the parking lot was nowhere to be seen, and a little later, he could see the cat being held in Kim Jin-kyung’s arms.

‘Where are you coming from?’

‘The animal hospital. The cat was hurt, so I treated it.’

Kim Jin-kyung, who simply added an explanation and entered the office, continued to take care of the street cat.

Lee Dong-gyu saw Kim Jin-kyung in a new light because of that incident. He thought she was not stiff and dry, but a warm-hearted person who quietly worked hard at her job.

Then his feelings grew, and before he knew it, he had developed feelings of affection.

“Oh! Jin-kyung, be careful.”

As Kim Jin-kyung was checking her phone due to the urgent notification sound, Lee Dong-gyu pulled her sleeve as she was about to walk over a puddle.

“Thank you.”

“It looks like rainwater has collected. There are many broken roads here, so you have to be careful after it rains.”

“Yes. I was distracted for a moment.”

“Jin-kyung, do you like movies?”

“Movies? I used to like them.”

“Excuse me, can I ask you two something?”

Behind Kim Jin-kyung’s answer, which felt somewhat lonely, came the voice of a woman full of kindness.

A young woman and a middle-aged woman with good impressions, who looked like a mother and daughter, asked the two for directions to the theater.

“If you go straight from here, you’ll see a large crosswalk. After you pass that, walk to the right for about 5 minutes, and you’ll see it right away.”

“Oh my, how kind of you. Thank you. We were wandering around here, but thanks to you, we’ll be able to find it.”

The middle-aged woman praised Lee Dong-gyu, expressing her gratitude excessively.

“The man has a very good impression.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

“But do our ladies have any worries? Your expression isn’t bright.”

“No. I don’t have any worries, and my expression is bright.”

Kim Jin-kyung’s expression changed subtly at the middle-aged woman’s question, and she cut her off.

“We have good words to say, so please take a look at the woman…”

“Please listen to those good words and go to the theater quickly.”

“Oh, you must be busy. Okay. Thank you for telling us the way.”

When Kim Jin-kyung cut her off again, the two women quickly greeted her as if they were embarrassed and turned their backs.

“They’re a bit unique.”

“You have to be careful of people like that because they have a purpose.”

“It felt like that. Thanks to Jin-kyung, it ended quickly.”

“I’ll go now.”

“Are you going to exit 2? Go quickly.”

“Yes. I’ll enjoy the bread. Go in carefully.”

“You too, Jin-kyung. See you tomorrow.”

Kim Jin-kyung was saying goodbye to Lee Dong-gyu and walking towards the opposite exit.

“Excuse me? Sir.”

However, she had no choice but to stop walking at the voice coming from behind her.

“I’m really sorry, but do you have 5 minutes?”

The two women who had asked for directions to the theater earlier were approaching Lee Dong-gyu.

Seeing that, Kim Jin-kyung turned back. It was to get rid of those who were clinging to Lee Dong-gyu.

She could tell who they were without even asking.

‘Crazy people.’

A group that often appears near subway stations such as Gangnam, Konkuk University, Hongdae, Sinchon, Sillim, and Noryangjin, and is everywhere and nowhere.

In the past, they approached people indiscriminately with ‘Do you know about Ki [life energy]?’. They have changed their comments and approached them now, but she could still tell who they were right away.

They were pseudo-religions [cults].

Kim Jin-kyung knew better than anyone what happens to your life if you fall into a pseudo-religion. That’s why she couldn’t stand by and watch.

“Dong-gyu?”

Kim Jin-kyung, who was approaching with an annoyed look in her eyes, called out to Lee Dong-gyu.

“Jin-kyung? You haven’t left yet?”

“Don’t talk to these people and go quickly.”

“I was just about to leave.”

“I think the lady has a misunderstanding. We’re not strange people.”

“I know, so please leave.”

Kim Jin-kyung was thinking of sending them away quickly with words because it would only make her angry and tired if she talked for a long time.

“Dong-gyu, let’s go.”

“Yes? Ah, yes.”

“Excuse me, just a moment?”

As Kim Jin-kyung grabbed Lee Dong-gyu’s arm and tried to turn her back towards the subway exit, the middle-aged woman suddenly grabbed Kim Jin-kyung’s wrist.