Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 149

Fifth Vital- Episode 149

Episode 149. An Offer You Can’t Refuse

Taekyung didn’t want to waste any more time on such pointless talk.

“Director Koh Gye-deuk?”

Taekyung looked directly at Koh Gye-deuk and said,

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

“Haha! Dr. Kim Taekyung? What are you talking about? Didn’t we discuss this before?”

Koh Gye-deuk seemed slightly taken aback by Taekyung’s serious question. Seeing this, Taekyung emphasized once more, driving the point home.

“When was that? I don’t recall having a direct conversation with you about this matter.”

Taekyung was no longer the subordinate Kim Taekyung who did all sorts of odd jobs at Shinhwa University Hospital.

That meant he didn’t need to be mindful of Director Koh Gye-deuk, and even more so, he didn’t need to do as he was told. The vertical relationship between the two had shifted to an equal, horizontal one.

“What’s certain is that I rejected your offer for a professorship before. You remember that, right?”

Koh Gye-deuk, seeing Taekyung’s changed demeanor for the first time, was momentarily speechless.

“And I am the director of my own hospital. That means I’m busy enough treating and operating on my own patients. I don’t think there’s any reason for me to operate on Director Koh Gye-deuk’s patients. It would be better to entrust them to the excellent doctors at Shinhwa University Hospital.”

Koh Gye-deuk, publicly humiliated in front of his fellow doctors, felt his face burning up.

Beyond embarrassment, shame, and anger surged, causing his hand holding the teacup to tremble slightly.

He was doing his best to maintain a composed expression.

“Just one more thing. You can evaluate me however you like. But please refrain from making up stories about dispatched treatment or being affiliated with Shinhwa University Hospital. It’s unpleasant to hear.”

Taekyung knew what Koh Gye-deuk had been saying. His close friend Lee Dong-hoon had told him.

Squeak-

“Director Park? It seems we should excuse ourselves.”

“Indeed. It seems there’s a misunderstanding between the two of you. Please resolve it through conversation.”

Koh Gye-deuk’s two companions sensed that something was wrong and quickly left the room.

“Dr. Kim, it seems you have a lot of grievances against me.”

With his entourage gone, Koh Gye-deuk slowly began to reveal the true nature he had been hiding behind a composed facade.

“Even so, wasn’t that a bit rude to your colleagues, considering there were other people watching?”

“I have no grievances against you, Director. And I don’t believe I was being rude; I was merely correcting a mistake.”

“Alright, I understand your feelings. I apologize for mentioning dispatched treatment without your consent. But it was all part of my plan to bring you back to the main hospital.”

“I have no intention of participating in that plan.”

“I understand your position, so I won’t force you any further. And about the surgery I mentioned earlier, would you be willing to do it, Dr. Kim?”

The reason Koh Gye-deuk had taken a step back was precisely for this reason. He wanted to ask once again for the surgery on Lee Cheol-hoo’s daughter.

“You know MJ Pharmaceuticals, right? It’s one of the leading companies in the country. If you take on the surgery for their daughter, it will greatly benefit you as a doctor in many ways. It’s not a difficult surgery, so please take it on. Instead of constantly seeing mediocre patients in a run-down hospital, it’s much more advantageous to treat VVIP [Very Very Important Person] patients and catch their eye. I’m saying this all for your own good. Not all doctors are the same.”

Despite Koh Gye-deuk’s lengthy explanation, Taekyung remained unresponsive, merely listening.

“I think it would be best to schedule the surgery for next Wednesday, what do you think?”

“I have a surgery scheduled for that day.”

It wasn’t a lie. Taekyung indeed had an appointment that day. But even if he didn’t, there was no reason for him to perform the surgery Koh Gye-deuk had requested.

“Really? Then how about the day before, or perhaps the day after?”

“I have things to do the day before, the day after, and the day after that as well.”

“What are you doing? Are you trying to play games with me right now?”

“I’m not playing games; I’m refusing.”

Unlike Koh Gye-deuk, who was turning red in the face, Taekyung’s expression was calm and even relaxed.

“As I said before, I have no intention of doing that surgery.”

“Hey! Kim Taekyung. Just because you’re acting like a director in that tiny, hole-in-the-wall hospital, do you think you’re something special? Do you think my words are a joke?”

When Taekyung refused to the end, Koh Gye-deuk could no longer hold back.

“You should know how small this industry is.”

It sounded like a threat to anyone listening, but Koh Gye-deuk’s words weren’t wrong.

The medical field was smaller than one might think. And as with anywhere else, it was easy for those in power to target and suppress someone. But Taekyung was completely unfazed by Koh Gye-deuk’s threatening remarks.

He had already been suppressed by that power once, and since he had done nothing wrong, he wasn’t afraid.

Rather, Koh Gye-deuk seemed quite anxious.

“There’s a saying, ‘Treat people well while you have the chance.’ You should have recognized my value when I was at Shinhwa University Hospital. I’m no longer someone who comes and goes at your beck and call.”

“What? Are you done talking? Just because people are paying attention to you because of that one interview, do you think you’re something special? You’re still just a low-level doctor.”

“Koh Gye-deuk?”

“What, what did you say…? Koh Gye-deuk?”

Taekyung stood up and approached Koh Gye-deuk.

“Listen carefully to what I’m saying.”

Then, looking down at him, he said clearly,

“You may sit in a high position and do all sorts of dirty deeds, picking patients based on money, but I don’t. At least I’m more honorable than you and not ashamed in front of my patients. You should be ashamed of yourself. Act like a doctor.”

“……!”

Koh Gye-deuk, having taken a direct hit, was speechless with a dumbfounded expression.

“Director? I hope we won’t have any more unpleasant encounters in the future. Well, I’ll be going now.”

Having said what he wanted to say, Taekyung left the room with a polite farewell.

-Clang

“Hey! Kim Taekyung!”

And the teacup that Koh Gye-deuk threw, thoroughly humiliated, hit the door Taekyung had just exited, shattering on the floor by a hair’s breadth.

“Haa! How can I crush that bastard? What kind of crazy guy is that?”

Feeling humiliated, Koh Gye-deuk gritted his teeth, unable to contain his anger.

* * *

“Hmph!”

After calling the hospital to check if there were any urgent patients, Taekyung was waiting for the elevator when a slight chuckle involuntarily escaped his lips.

The dumbfounded, bewildered expression on Koh Gye-deuk’s face kept flashing before his eyes.

As he was feeling a sense of satisfaction for some reason, someone spoke to him from behind.

“I heard you had a showdown with Director Koh?”

Turning around quickly, he saw Chairman Kim Geon-hyung smiling with a playful expression.

“Chairman!”

“It’s been a while, Director Kim. Follow me for a moment.”

“Yes?”

“You have time for a cup of tea, don’t you? Come on quickly.”

Taekyung followed Kim Geon-hyung into a private space inside the cafe across from the Korean restaurant.

“Here! Try this. It’s called Geisha coffee, and it’s said to be the most expensive coffee in the world. In England, they charge over 80,000 won [approximately $60 USD] for a cup.”

Kim Geon-hyung offered the coffee to Taekyung as the employee set it down.

“How is it? Does it taste a bit different?”

“I appreciate you giving me such expensive coffee, but I think I still prefer instant coffee.”

Although it was said to be the most expensive coffee, it didn’t quite suit Taekyung’s taste.

“Right? Actually, me too. I don’t know why they charge so much for this… Anyway, I heard you gave Koh Gye-deuk a great piece of your mind?”

“How did you know about that…?”

“How would I not know? This hotel is mine, after all. The chef here is quite skilled. I happened to see you and Koh Gye-deuk entering the room as I was about to leave after eating. I was curious, so I asked the manager what was going on.”

“I see.”

“I should have seen Koh Gye-deuk’s constipated expression. What a shame. Good job.”

“What do you mean?”

“What do you mean? I mean you spoke your mind to Koh Gye-deuk. That guy has such a rotten personality; he’s the type I hate. He’s always thinking about his own interests, which I can’t stand.”

Kim Geon-hyung was also well aware of the people in the medical field as he was the chairman of the hospital.

“Hearing you say that, Chairman, makes me feel like I’ve done something worth praising.”

“Of course. Whether they’re young or old, if they’ve done something wrong, they need to be scolded to come to their senses. But are you going to be okay? Director Koh is probably furious. He might try to make things difficult for you.”

“It doesn’t matter. Not everyone in the world can like me, and some people will criticize and dislike me for no reason. People who harass others will always have it boomerang back on them, so I don’t think there’s any need to be stressed out by such people.”

“Hahaha!”

Kim Geon-hyung laughed heartily, seemingly very pleased with Taekyung’s words.

“Having lived my life, I can say that’s true. That’s the right answer.”

“When I was young, my family was poor, and there were kids who bullied me because of it. One day, I came home and told my father about it, and what he said to me then has been very helpful throughout my life.”

“Your father gave you some great advice. By the way, how’s the hospital doing these days?”

“Yes, we’re doing well without any particular issues.”

“Then that’s all that matters. But you have no desire to play in bigger waters?”

“I enjoy my work now, and I’m planning to grow the hospital.”

“If that’s what you think, Director Kim, then there’s nothing I can do, but I’m a bit disappointed. It would be great if someone like you could do various research in a large hospital and help nurture younger doctors.”

Kim Geon-hyung also highly valued Taekyung as a doctor.

Not only his character and skills but also his consideration for patients and his ability to teach others. Even from the perspective of a born businessman, Taekyung was outstanding in many ways.

It was a waste for such a person to stay only in a local hospital.

“Of course, even though his true intentions are dirty, I understand why Koh Gye-deuk kept trying to scout you. As someone who owns a hospital, I’m honestly tempted to have you myself.”

“You’re overpraising me.”

“What do you mean overpraising? I’m not in a position to try to impress you. It’s all true.”

“Thank you for seeing me in such a positive light.”

“You’ve received offers from quite a few places, haven’t you?”

Taekyung was quite surprised by Kim Geon-hyung’s question, which he asked with certainty.

In fact, Taekyung had received several scouting offers from large hospitals. But each time, he politely declined, not taking them too seriously.

He thought it was a phenomenon caused by the temporary attention he received due to YouTube and Sera’s situation.

“But how did you know that, Chairman?”

“If there’s good talent, everyone wants to bring them in. If they look good to me, they’ll look good to others. Director Kim?”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“If… if, hypothetically speaking.”

Kim Geon-hyung, who was usually straightforward, paused for a moment, uncharacteristically.

“Even if you were offered an irresistible proposal that catered to everything you wanted, would you still refuse?”

“An irresistible proposal?”

“Yes. No pressure on the number of patients you treat or the surgery fees, full support for any research you want to do, and guaranteed tenure. Moreover, if they offered you an absurdly high salary, would you still refuse?”