Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 122

Episode 122. Chilling Behavior

Knock, knock.

“Dr. Jung, are you busy?”

Tae-kyung knocked and opened the door to Euijin’s office.

“No, come on in, Senior. What brings you here?”

“Did I come at a bad time? What do you mean, what brings me here.”

“Well, yes, but it’s not easy to have a cup of coffee together unless it’s in the operating room or the cafeteria these days, with Seyoung’s situation and all the other hospital matters. That’s why I’m so glad to see you visiting my office.”

“So, what’s up?”

“Delivery.”

“Delivery? Delivery of what?”

“Coffee delivery.”

Tae-kyung lifted the coffee carrier he was holding and showed it to Euijin.

“What’s with the coffee?”

“A constipated patient gave it to me.”

“Are you talking about the constipated patient who left that enormous smell in the emergency room earlier?”

“Yeah, that’s the one.”

The patient, who had finally found relief from ten days of constipation in the emergency room, felt incredibly apologetic to the hospital staff.

Eventually, after finishing his IV drip, he went to a nearby coffee shop, bought coffee with both hands, and delivered it to the reception staff.

“I appreciate the gesture, but they really didn’t have to do this. I guess the patient felt really sorry.”

“I think so. He was so sorry that he went to the cleaning lady separately and apologized several times.”

“He must have felt really bad. I guess it was even more so because you did it directly, Senior, not just a laxative.”

“I know, right? The coffee tastes even better because it contains the patient’s sincerity.”

“Hmm! It just tastes like regular coffee beans to me?”

“I was just kidding! Kidding!”

“I was just joking too. It’s good. But Senior, is it really okay not to move Yoo Ji-cheon to hospice?”

Yoo Ji-cheon was a terminal cancer patient, making him a patient of both Euijin, who was in charge of pain management, and Tae-kyung.

It seemed that a hospice would be more suitable for Yoo Ji-cheon’s situation than a general hospital. Hospice hospitals are specifically designed for patients facing a terminal diagnosis, providing significant support in organizing their affairs and offering psychological assistance.

“I thought about that at first, but the guardian [family member or legal representative] came to me specifically, so I didn’t think it was right to bring it up.”

“Seeing that, I think they have a lot of trust in you as a doctor, Senior. Oh, right! They said they owe you a debt. What’s that about?”

“Kim Jin-kyung came to the hospital a while ago, and I think they’re grateful for what happened then.”

“A while ago, like back at Shinhwa University Hospital?”

“Yeah.”

‘What happened?’

Come to think of it, Kim Jin-kyung seemed to have more than just trust in Tae-kyung, beyond him being a skilled doctor.

‘I lived thanks to Dr. Kim Tae-kyung.’

Besides, she had said that she had lived thanks to Tae-kyung. He was curious about what had happened, but Euijin decided not to ask.

He didn’t think it was right to ask about the patient’s personal matters in detail.

“More importantly, Euijin?”

“Yes!?”

“Why are you so surprised?”

“I was surprised because you suddenly called me by my name, Senior.”

“Is calling your name such a surprising thing?”

“No, it’s just that when you call my name, it feels like you’re going to say something important.”

It was natural for someone to call someone else by their name. But now that Euijin had confessed to Tae-kyung, she was surprised by her name suddenly popping up.

Besides, Tae-kyung didn’t usually call Euijin by her name in the hospital.

“Wow! So this is why women’s intuition is so scary?”

“Is it an important story?”

“Of course. Very important.”

“Well, of course, I respect whatever decision you make, Senior. But it hasn’t been a month yet. So, how about thinking about it a little more and then talking about it then?”

“What are you talking about? It’s not about that.”

“Oh! Is that so?”

Euijin was embarrassed that she had gotten ahead of herself when she should have just stayed quiet.

“Then what are you going to talk about?”

“I’m going to talk about work-related matters.”

“Work? What kind of work?”

“That’s…”.

Rrrrrrrrrrr

Just as Tae-kyung was about to get to the point, the cell phone in his gown pocket vibrated intensely.

“Just a moment. Hello.”

-Doctor, it’s me. Patient Lee Go-cheol has finished his discharge procedures and is now in the office.

“Okay. I’ll be right there.”

Tae-kyung, having received a call from nurse Im Jung-sook, postponed his conversation with Euijin and went outside.

“It’s an important matter, but it’s a work-related matter that’s not urgent… What on earth is he trying to say?”

Euijin took a big sip of the coffee Tae-kyung had given her and fell deep in thought.

* * *

Clang-

“The doctor is here.”

Phuong, who was sitting next to Lee Go-cheol, was delighted when Tae-kyung entered the office.

“Is it uncomfortable for the patient to talk?”

“It’s a little stuffy, but there’s nothing uncomfortable.”

“That part will get better over time. How are you feeling?”

“Very good. There are no problems with the surgery site either.”

Lee Go-cheol, who had undergone surgery, had been taking calcium supplements continuously, and today was finally his discharge day.

“It’s true that things go as you set your mind to them. Now that the surgery went well, my mind and body are very comfortable.”

Tae-kyung looked at Lee Go-cheol with a smile. The surgery itself was not easy, and he was grateful to the patient for enduring it well.

The fifth vital sign [emotional and psychological well-being] was still present, but the smell was not as severe as stage 4 at the time of surgery.

“You’re an active person, so it must have been boring for you to be in the hospital?”

“You have no idea. I haven’t been hospitalized for long, but I was getting restless. But the hospital food was very delicious, and everyone was so nice to me that I had a comfortable stay.”

“My husband is right. The hospital food is really delicious, especially Grandma Gye-soon’s food.”

“Grandma took such good care of us that my wife and Kkan-ddam [baby’s nickname] ate very well. I was already grateful, but she even packed side dishes for us.”

Oh Gye-soon, who was full of affection, felt sorry for Phuong, who was pregnant without any family from her home country.

She thought about how difficult it must be to take care of her sick husband when she needed to think only about herself and her baby. So, she made side dishes that Phuong and Lee Go-cheol had enjoyed and gave them to them as a gift.

“I’m so grateful to everyone that I don’t know how to repay the kindness I’ve received.”

“I think the best way for Lee Go-cheol to repay that is to show us a healthier version of himself in the future.”

“Is that so? I’m confident I can do that. Hahaha!”

“And Kkan-ddam is growing up well, right?”

“Growing well. Very healthy.”

“That’s a relief. I’ll tell you about your schedule after discharge. You’ll start chemotherapy now.”

Lee Go-cheol, who had successfully completed the surgery, will now focus on chemotherapy.

“I’ll come to the hospital every three weeks for treatment. You did a great job with the surgery, so let’s do well with the chemotherapy that’s coming up.”

Lee Go-cheol is a man who has great love for his wife and child and a strong desire to overcome his illness. So, he will definitely do well with chemotherapy.

“No problem. Don’t worry. I’ll just trust and follow the doctor.”

Lee Go-cheol replied cheerfully. Tae-kyung had explained it to him carefully several times, so he decided not to be afraid of the word chemotherapy in advance.

“Go home and eat good food and don’t do anything too strenuous. And if you feel anything strange in your body, come to the hospital right away.”

“Yes, Doctor. Thank you for doing a great job with the surgery and for taking care of me and my husband in so many ways.”

“Our doctor is the best. Thank you so much.”

“You’re welcome. Then take good care of yourself and I’ll see you again.”

Lee Go-cheol and Phuong, holding each other’s hands tightly, smiled brightly at Tae-kyung and left the office.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kim Jin-kyung, who had come to the hospital, headed to the second floor with red bean bread in her hand to see her mother, Yoo Ji-cheon.

“Hello, Doctor.”

“Yes, hello.”

She greeted the nurse at the ward station and entered room 207.

-You must abandon your attachment to material things.

But the voice that always came from outside the curtain drawn around the bed Yoo Ji-cheon was using stopped Kim Jin-kyung in her tracks.

-Everything in this world is ultimately just insignificant dust. You must return to non-possession and focus only on my words to return with a clean body.

Yoo Ji-cheon had the curtains drawn 24 hours a day in her hospital room, as if building a barrier in the world, and was watching and re-watching videos of a pseudo-religion on her cell phone.

-Remember that the moment you are in the world, that is the shortcut to corruption. So who should you look at? Me! Only I, Jin Gu-jin, will make you happy and live cleanly in this dirty world.

“Of course. Teacher Jin. I will follow your words.”

“Mom?”

Kim Jin-kyung made a noise without deliberately opening the curtain to let her know she had arrived.

Normally, she would have immediately opened the curtain, deleted the pseudo-religious video she was watching, and snatched away the cult leader’s book that was spread out on the bed. But she didn’t have the energy to do that today.

Her mother was weakened by her illness, but when she tried to take away anything related to the cult, she would use her whole body to block her as if she had some kind of superhuman strength.

There was always a small scuffle in the process. However, Kim Jin-kyung, who had already met the cult members at the subway station, was mentally exhausted, so she decided to just let it go today.

“Mom, your daughter is here.”

“Oh, just a moment. Let me find my hat.”

The hat was an excuse. Yoo Ji-cheon turned off the cell phone she was watching and quickly organized the pseudo-religious book spread out on the bed.

“I’m coming in.”

“Okay. Come in.”

Clatter-

“Mom, what were you doing?”

“Just reading a book and watching the news.”

“Oh, Mom, would you like some red bean bread? You used to like red bean bread.”

Kim Jin-kyung placed the box containing the red bean bread given to her by Lee Dong-gyu on one side of the locker next to the bed.

Kim Jin-kyung knew very well that terminal cancer patients should be careful about what they eat. But her mother didn’t have much time left, so she wanted to let her eat even a little of what she liked or wanted to eat.

“A colleague at work bought it for me, and it’s sugar-free and made with rice flour, so it won’t upset your stomach.”

“Okay. I’ll eat it later. Thank you.”

“Did you eat well? How are you feeling today?”

“……”

Yoo Ji-cheon was silent in response to Kim Jin-kyung’s question. Come to think of it, something was a little strange.

“Mom?”

“Oh? Oh. I’m fine. I ate well too.”

Yoo Ji-cheon seemed to be conscious of her daughter as if she was aware of her and kept looking at the cell phone in her hand.

“Mom, are you waiting for a call?”

“No, why would I be waiting for a call? Jin-kyung, shouldn’t you have dinner?”

Kim Jin-kyung thought that her mother’s behavior was a little strange, but she dismissed it as her being too sensitive today.

“I can go home and eat slowly. I’m not very hungry.”

“Don’t do that, take some of this bread with you. I can’t eat it all anyway.”

“I’m okay.”

“You’ll just throw it away if it’s left over. Here!”

Yoo Ji-cheon left only one red bean bread and put the rest in a bag and packed it in Kim Jin-kyung’s bag.

“That’s a lot. Just give me one.”

“You’re like your mother, you like red bean bread.”

What is this.

Kim Jin-kyung felt a surge of emotion because of what Yoo Ji-cheon had just said.

“If there’s too much, put it in the freezer and eat it one by one.”

Sometimes, when unexpected situations like this came up, it was as if she had returned to being an ordinary mother who loved her family, not a mother who had abandoned her family because she was crazy about a cult.

‘I wish it could be like today all the time.’

Kim Jin-kyung always missed this side of her mother so much.

“Jin-kyung, I need to lie down. You go home before it gets too late.”

“Okay, I understand. I’ll go see the doctor.”

“He’s already taking good care of me, so don’t make it too hard for him.”

“I won’t. Just rest and think about your body. I’ll come again.”

“Okay. Be careful going.”

“Yeah. I’ll call you.”

Clatter-

Kim Jin-kyung covered Yoo Ji-cheon well with a blanket and came out of the bed.

“Hello.”

“Why are you leaving already? Why don’t you stay with your mother a little longer?”

“My mother said she was going to sleep.”

“Well, it’s good to sleep when you’re sleepy. Okay. Be careful going in.”

“Yes. Thank you for your hard work.”

Kim Jin-kyung, who had greeted the guardian [another patient’s family member] of the same room who occasionally spoke to her mother, was just about to reach the hospital room door when it happened.

Beep-beep-beep-beep- Beep- Beep-

The familiar cell phone alarm rang in Kim Jin-kyung’s ears.

“……!”

Kim Jin-kyung immediately recognized where the ringtone was coming from. It was a ringtone she had already listened to like crazy. It was coming from her mother’s cell phone.

‘Surely not……’

Kim Jin-kyung’s heart was beating fast because she knew what the ringtone meant and what kind of chilling behavior it signaled.

‘It can’t be. It’s been quiet for a while. It can’t be……’

She had to check before her mother did something crazy again.

Clatter-

With a desperate heart hoping that her thoughts were wrong, she quickly opened the curtain.

“……!”

Yoo Ji-cheon looked surprised to see her daughter, like a child caught doing something bad. Besides, she was sitting up on the bed, even though she had said she was going to sleep.

“Jin, Jin-kyung, you haven’t left yet?”

“Mom, what was that ringtone just now?”

Kim Jin-kyung asked again with a frown.

“Mom, surely not, right?”