Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 148

Fifth Vital Sign – Episode 148

Episode 148. Am I a doctor affiliated with Shinhwa University Hospital?

A moment ago, while Tae-kyung was giving his presentation on stage at the conference.

Standing at the very back of the darkened room, Ko Gye-deuk stared intently at Tae-kyung, who was presenting, with a serious expression.

Of course, he wasn’t listening to Tae-kyung’s presentation echoing through the room. This kind of presentation was of no interest to him anyway.

“Ha!”

Ko Gye-deuk let out a sigh tinged with the acrid smell of tobacco, his eyes still fixed on Tae-kyung on the stage, and voiced his uncomfortable feelings inwardly.

‘Why! Why does it have to be that guy……?’

Ko Gye-deuk was not only embarrassed by Tae-kyung’s blunt rejection of the professorship but also endured nagging from the chairman for his perceived incompetence.

Because of that, he harbored ill feelings toward Tae-kyung and gritted his teeth. There was a reason why Ko Gye-deuk had suddenly called him with a friendly tone and arranged a meeting.

* * *

Some time ago-

“Good shot!”

“I think I should stop betting with Director Ko when we play golf from now on.”

“I’d be sad if the CEO, who is much better than me, said that.”

Ko Gye-deuk, who handed his golf club to the caddie, was enjoying a round with Lee Cheol-hoo, the CEO of a pharmaceutical company and a close acquaintance.

“By the way, the chairman must not have any worries since a capable person like Director Ko is running the hospital so well.”

“You flatter me.”

“Is the hospital operation a bit difficult? You have to make a profit by treating patients, and Director Ko is great at that.”

“I’m still lacking. By the way, I heard the news this time. CEO, you got a new drug approved.”

“Haha! Director Ko is a busy man with hospital work, but he’s also very quick with information about what’s going on in the world.”

“The rumors have spread, so how could I not know? I know you’ve been working on it for quite a while, so you’ve worked hard.”

“Since the story came out…….”

“Let’s stop for a moment.”

When Lee Cheol-hoo trailed off, Ko Gye-deuk spoke to the caddie who was driving the electric cart.

“I have something to talk about with the CEO, so please move on first.”

Ko Gye-deuk told the caddies to move to the next location and handed them a tip. The caddies greeted him and moved away.

“Thank you.”

“Director Ko, I like that you are very perceptive.”

As the distance from the caddies grew, Lee Cheol-hoo got out of the cart. Then, he picked up a heavy bag that his secretary had loaded and handed it to Ko Gye-deuk.

“Director Ko, please take good care of me this time, too.”

Ko Gye-deuk’s expression was ecstatic as he slightly opened the zipper of the bag Lee Cheol-hoo handed him and checked inside.

This was because the bag was filled with stacks of 50,000 won bills [Korean currency, roughly equivalent to $40 USD per bill].

“Is there any doubt?”

It was obvious at a glance that the amount was considerable.

“Please use our medicine a lot. You know I trust Director Ko, right?”

“Of course. CEO, as always, you just have to trust me.”

The money Ko Gye-deuk received from Lee Cheol-hoo was a so-called rebate [a kickback or commission paid in exchange for preferential treatment].

Lee Cheol-hoo had been giving rebates to Ko Gye-deuk for several years in exchange for promoting his company’s drugs. The amount of money he received for pushing drugs from a specific company was considerable.

In addition, Ko Gye-deuk held the title of outside director at Lee Cheol-hoo’s company and received money for it.

In this way, the two were very close, exchanging money for each other’s purposes.

“Thanks to our CEO, my heart is always warm.”

“I’m also relieved to have Director Ko by my side. By the way, Shinhwa University Hospital has a lot of talented people.”

“Our hospital doctors are all talented.”

“That’s true, but what about that friend?”

“That friend……? Who are you talking about?”

“Looking at your reaction, Director Ko must cherish that talent quite a bit. What are you hiding so much?”

“Hiding?”

“Why, the doctor who was interviewed when there was a fuss about child abuse last time.”

Ko Gye-deuk immediately knew that the main person Lee Cheol-hoo was talking about was Tae-kyung.

“What was that person’s name…….”

Next to Ko Gye-deuk, who had his mouth shut, Lee Cheol-hoo searched on his cell phone.

“Yes, Kim Tae-kyung. I heard that this friend is currently on a dispatched treatment from Shinhwa University Hospital?”

“Dispatched treatment?”

“You’re still pretending you don’t know. Director Ko said it himself in an interview with a medical reporter.”

Ko Gye-deuk suddenly remembered the interview he had with a medical media outlet a few months ago, which he had forgotten for a moment.

‘We found out that the doctor in the video is from Shinhwa University Hospital, is that correct?’

‘From? I think the reporter is misunderstanding something?’

‘Misunderstanding?’

‘Dr. Kim Tae-kyung is not *from* our hospital, but he *is* a doctor *at* our hospital. You can think of him as currently providing dispatched treatment at a partner hospital.’

It was a false interview he gave to somehow create a connection when Tae-kyung was gaining attention for the YouTube video of him handling emergency patients at the traffic accident site.

“I saw Director Ko saying in an interview that he is a doctor at our hospital. Is he really affiliated with Shinhwa University Hospital?”

“Ah, yes……. Dr. Kim Tae-kyung is affiliated with our hospital.”

Since he had already said it, Ko Gye-deuk chose to lie once again without blinking an eye.

After all, there was no problem even if Tae-kyung was affiliated with Shinhwa University Hospital here.

“Wow. How could you think of sending such a talented person on a dispatch?”

“Is that a difficult thing? Shinhwa University Hospital is not the only big hospital, and I think it’s important to practice medicine where it’s really needed.”

“Looking at it, Director Ko is a very thoughtful person.”

“You flatter me. CEO, let’s have a glass of wine after the round. I’ll buy it.”

Ko Gye-deuk changed the subject to stop talking about Tae-kyung. But it was at that moment.

Rrrrrrrrr

“Wait a minute. Oh, honey……. What! What did you say?”

Lee Cheol-hoo hurriedly answered the ringing cell phone, and his expression began to distort.

“You’re at the hospital now? The youngest? Okay. I’ll go right away.”

Lee Cheol-hoo, who received an urgent call from his wife saying that his youngest daughter was in the hospital, headed to Shinhwa University Hospital with Ko Gye-deuk.

An hour later, Lee Cheol-hoo, who came up to the VVIP exclusive room, approached his daughter, who was lying down with a needle in the back of her hand.

“Haeri, are you okay?”

“Dad? I have a stone in my body, so I have to have surgery.”

“A stone? What are you talking about?”

“What happened?”

Ko Gye-deuk asked the VVIP 담당 [in charge] doctor.

“The patient has cholecystitis and currently has gallstones in her gallbladder.”

“I’ll explain the rest, so Dr. Lee, go out and wait.”

“Yes, Director.”

“Director Ko, is the surgery okay?”

“You must have been surprised to hear about the surgery, but gallbladder surgery is a simple surgery, so you don’t have to worry too much.”

“Really? Then please take good care of our Haeri.”

Lee Cheol-hoo was a man who loved his youngest daughter, who was born late.

“Put the best and most skilled doctor on it. You know what I mean, right?”

“Of course. CEO. Don’t worry.”

“Dad? Then I want to have surgery with that doctor…….”

“Who?”

“You know, Dr. Kim Tae-kyung. He’s affiliated here. I heard that doctor is very skilled, so I want to have surgery with him.”

“Yes, there was that friend Kim Tae-kyung, right?”

Ko Gye-deuk was barely suppressing the rising annoyance at that moment.

‘Why are you bringing up that name again here! This is not it, damn it!’

“Director Ko, I would like that friend to take care of our daughter’s surgery, is that possible?”

“CEO. Dr. Kim is currently in charge of the dispatched hospital, so it is difficult for me to arbitrarily adjust the schedule.”

“Director Ko, I’d be a little disappointed if you do this between us?”

Ko Gye-deuk was in a very difficult situation. He had to show some sincerity since he had received money all that time.

“Then I’ll talk to Dr. Kim once.”

Eventually, after hesitating for a while, Ko Gye-deuk decided to contact Tae-kyung.

Originally, Ko Gye-deuk would have pretended that he had contacted him. However, since Lee Cheol-hoo was more meticulous than he thought, he might face an embarrassing situation if he checked it himself later, so he contacted Tae-kyung.

And above all, it was not easy to find a reliable source of money like Lee Cheol-hoo, so he decided to do as he wanted for the time being.

* * *

Conference hall-

“Shall we have a conversation for a moment?”

He pushed up his cheekbones as much as possible and smiled as he took a step toward Tae-kyung.

“Hello.”

Tae-kyung greeted Ko Gye-deuk, who was approaching, calmly.

“I hope you’ve been doing well. I won’t hold a busy person for long, so please spare a moment.”

“Okay.”

“Then shall we move to another place for a while? It’s right below.”

Tae-kyung followed Ko Gye-deuk to a high-end Korean restaurant on the floor below.

“This way.”

The two entered the private room after being guided by the staff.

Creak-

Tae-kyung showed a slightly embarrassed expression as he entered the room following the staff.

“Hey! Director Ko?”

This was because two other people were already in the room.

“I heard you were bringing someone, and you brought a famous doctor.”

The two people who showed a favorable reaction to Tae-kyung were the directors of Seoul University Hospital. He didn’t have a direct relationship with them, but Tae-kyung knew which hospital directors they were.

“I enjoyed Dr. Kim’s interview. Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too. So, is the child recovering well?”

“Yes. He is recovering well.”

“Dr. Kim did a really great job. Amazing.”

“It’s nothing.”

Tae-kyung had not yet figured out why Ko Gye-deuk had called him to this place.

In fact, Ko Gye-deuk deliberately brought Tae-kyung to the hospital directors’ meeting. The reason was simple: he thought that if he brought up the story in this uncomfortable setting, Tae-kyung would not be able to refuse easily.

“Director, you said you had something to say to me. What is it?”

“Dr. Kim, what’s the rush? Let’s have a cup of tea and take it slow.”

Ko Gye-deuk offered tea to Tae-kyung, who was trying to hear the story and leave quickly.

“By the way, I heard you went golfing with CEO Lee yesterday? It must have been nice to play golf for the first time in a while.”

“It was nice. I couldn’t even finish the course, and I got a call that CEO Lee’s daughter was sick, so I went straight to the hospital.”

“Why? Is your daughter not feeling well?”

“No, it’s not serious, it’s cholecystitis, so I decided to have surgery.”

“Director Ko must have a lot to worry about, so if you’re busy, we’ll do the surgery at our hospital.”

“Director Park is also busy expanding the cancer center. Don’t do that, let’s do it at our hospital.”

The hospital directors came forward, offering to perform the surgery, in order to curry favor with Lee Cheol-hoo, who was a major player.

“Everyone, wake up. CEO Lee is a subtly picky person. And Dr. Kim Tae-kyung will be in charge of that surgery here.”

‘I’m in charge of the surgery?’

He was stunned for a moment at the first time he heard it, but the words that followed made Tae-kyung even more dumbfounded.

“Well. The most famous doctor these days is affiliated with Shinhwa University Hospital, so why would you have surgery with us?”

“Looking at this, Director Ko has a great business sense. In the end, he sent Dr. Kim on a dispatched treatment and made him a star doctor like this.”

What is this I’m hearing?

Affiliated with Shinhwa University Hospital? Dispatched treatment?

He was dumbfounded as to why they were talking as if those words were true without even considering the opinion of the person involved.

‘So that’s why you asked me to come?’

Tae-kyung could now understand why Ko Gye-deuk had asked him to come and why he had called him to a meeting between hospital directors he had never met before.

“Then is Dr. Kim returning to the main hospital this time?”

“Then he’s returning. He’s considering a professorship this time.”

Ko Gye-deuk, who had not yet grasped the atmosphere, was going even further.

Since Tae-kyung had not said anything yet, he subtly brought up the professor’s offer once again.

He was still greedy for Tae-kyung’s star quality and skills. Moreover, since he had become famous nationwide this time, Ko Gye-deuk, a thorough opportunist, could not easily give up on this asset.

“Dr. Kim will be in charge of Shinhwa University Hospital in the future.”

“I’ve been listening to the three of you so far, and I think something is wrong.”

Tae-kyung didn’t want to waste any more time on this meaningless charade.

“Director Ko Gye-deuk?”

Tae-kyung looked straight at Ko Gye-deuk and said.

“Am I a doctor affiliated with Shinhwa University Hospital?”