Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 155

155. Another Victim

“Please!”

He suddenly reached into his pocket and pulled something out, acting erratically.

“Please, just leave me alone!”

The sudden situation startled everyone, including Taekyung, and tension filled the examination room in an instant.

‘I shouldn’t provoke Lee Hyun-woong any further.’

Taekyung, who was standing next to him, turned his gaze to the object in Lee Hyun-woong’s hand.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a dangerous object; it was a pair of wooden chopsticks with slightly smoothed ends. However, it was too early to relax completely, as wooden chopsticks could also be dangerous.

“Why! Don’t you believe me! Why! Are the police all in on it too?”

Lee Hyun-woong was frustrated and angry that no one believed him.

“Where did my parents go! Why do you say I’m crazy? Why? You’re turning a perfectly normal person into a cripple. How many times do I have to tell you those people are fake for you to understand?”

“I believe you.”

The most urgent thing now was to calm Lee Hyun-woong down.

“I believe you. I believe everything you say, Hyun-woong.”

Taekyung slowly turned towards Lee Hyun-woong, trying to persuade him.

Meanwhile, the police signaled the couple to slowly leave the examination room, protecting them as they moved outside together.

The couple knew that their son was getting agitated because of them, so they followed the police’s instructions.

“I’m sorry. I’ll believe you, Hyun-woong.”

Taekyung gradually closed the distance with Lee Hyun-woong, continuing to persuade him.

“You believe me, Doctor?”

“Of course. I believe you.”

“Really?”

“Really. I promise. Hyun-woong, shall we take a deep breath together? Inhale!”

Taekyung placed one hand on his chest, facing Lee Hyun-woong, and took a deep breath.

“Exhale!”

“Inhale!”

“One more time. Exhale!”

Taekyung looked Lee Hyun-woong straight in the eye, maintaining a soft and calm tone.

“Good job. You’re doing great. Hyun-woong, can you give me what’s in your hand?”

“This? I carry this around to protect myself. Because I need to protect myself.”

“You’re safe here. Everyone here is on your side. So give it to me. You shouldn’t get hurt.”

Taekyung slowly reached out towards Lee Hyun-woong’s hand, which was clutching the wooden chopsticks. He quickly snatched the chopsticks from his hand and put them in his gown pocket.

“Good job. Thank you, Hyun-woong.”

Taekyung patted Lee Hyun-woong’s shoulder, comforting him.

“Lee Hyun-woong, I’m sorry.”

The police officer who had calmed the couple outside came in and apologized.

“I believe you too, Hyun-woong.”

“No, I’m the one who should apologize.”

Fortunately, Lee Hyun-woong’s agitated emotions subsided, and he no longer showed any aggressive tendencies.

“No, it’s okay.”

“But I want to go now. Doctor, can I go now?”

“Yes, of course. Can you get home okay, Hyun-woong?”

“I can take the bus.”

“Do you have money? Do you have money?”

“No.”

“Then take my car.”

The police officer next to him seized the opportunity and naturally interjected.

“Yes, you can go safely with this police officer’s car.”

“Safely?”

“Of course. I’ll take you there safely.”

“Okay. Um… I’m sorry for causing a commotion, Doctor.”

“It’s okay. Thank you for getting treatment.”

“You are a good doctor. Goodbye.”

Lee Hyun-woong bowed to Taekyung at a 90-degree angle, then went to the parking lot and got into the police car with the officer’s guidance.

The situation, which could have turned into a dangerous accident, was fortunately resolved well.

“Thank you.”

After Lee Hyun-woong left, the couple approached Taekyung and expressed their gratitude.

“Thanks to you, Director, we got through it without any major problems.”

“It’s nothing. But are you sure you’ll be okay going home like this?”

“Well… we’re not going home.”

Lee Hyun-woong’s mother, whose eyes were already red, replied.

“We’re going to have him admitted to the hospital. If this continues, Hyun-woong could become dangerous, and it would be better for him to be hospitalized and receive intensive treatment.”

She spoke calmly as if she had made up her mind, but the thought of admitting her son to a mental ward must have been indescribably painful.

“Actually, something like this happened a few days ago. It was okay because we were at home then, but this is the first time it’s happened outside like today.”

“So we thought we couldn’t let it go on any longer. This could happen again, and someone could get hurt.”

“You’ve made a difficult decision. It will definitely help Hyun-woong.”

“Yes, my husband and I think so too. We’ll be going now. Thank you so much today, and we’re sorry.”

“Excuse me, Doctor?”

Taekyung called out to Lee Hyun-woong’s mother, who was about to leave after saying goodbye.

“Yes?”

“I hope you don’t blame yourself as a parent because of Hyun-woong’s illness. And although it may not seem like it now, I believe that Hyun-woong’s wounds are slowly, very slowly, healing.”

In any case, the two of them were the family protecting Lee Hyun-woong now.

Living as the family of a patient whose treatment has no end in sight is more difficult than one might think.

Especially since the child they love most in the world is denying their existence every moment, the couple’s pain must be beyond words.

Taekyung knew how difficult it was for them as guardians, so he wanted to give them even a little bit of strength.

“Although we’ve only met briefly today, I can tell that you care deeply about your patients and love Hyun-woong very much. So I hope you don’t think you’re not qualified as a doctor. I hope you two don’t get discouraged and overcome this well.”

“Ah, thank you…”

Lee Hyun-woong’s mother, who received unexpected comfort, couldn’t speak for a moment, overwhelmed with emotion.

“I guess I’ve forgotten how to be comforted because I always have to listen to other people’s stories. You, a doctor, are comforting me, a psychiatrist. Thank you so much. I won’t forget what you said today.”

“Thank you.”

The two said goodbye and headed to the parking lot, getting into their car immediately.

Lee Hyun-woong waved to Taekyung from inside the car, and the police car followed the couple’s car out of the hospital.

Taekyung watched them go with a heavy heart.

He felt that patients with schizophrenia were also victims of the disease.

He didn’t have many opportunities to encounter patients with mental illnesses, but he felt bad whenever he saw them like today. For Taekyung, who cured diseases with surgery, they were the most difficult and heartbreaking patients to deal with.

He sincerely hoped that the three of them would feel more at ease than they do now.

“It’s a bitter feeling.”

Nurse Lim Jung-sook said to Taekyung as he entered through the back door.

“I didn’t even know there was such a disease. Knowing the situation, I feel sorry for Lee Hyun-woong and his parents.”

“I agree. I hope Hyun-woong gets better.”

“Director! Direeeector?”

Chief Choi approached Taekyung with a surprised look, circling around him.

“I wonder why our team leader is acting like this again? Why, did another congressman come to visit this time?”

“Ms. Lim, this is not the time for jokes. Did you hear the news? I heard the patient had a weapon. Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

He didn’t know where he had heard it, but Chief Choi seemed quite surprised that the word ‘weapon’ had come up.

“I would be so upset if our hospital’s pillar, the director, were to get hurt.”

Chief Choi was always a step behind and tended to overreact a bit. But it was true that he cared deeply for Taekyung.

“What weapon? It was wooden chopsticks.”

“Really? Anyway, you’re okay, right?”

“Of course. I’m perfectly fine.”

“But even if it’s just wooden chopsticks, you should be careful in situations like that. I was so surprised just now.”

“Of course. I have to be careful. But Lee Hyun-woong didn’t trust the police, and more than anything, it didn’t seem like he was going to attack anyone else.”

“How did you know that?”

“The direction of the wooden chopsticks.”

“Someone explain what you’re talking about.”

“Just a moment, Team Leader. What about the direction?”

“He was holding the smoothed end of the wooden chopsticks towards himself.”

Taekyung hadn’t approached Lee Hyun-woong recklessly either.

Lee Hyun-woong was holding the end of the wooden chopsticks he had taken out closer and closer to himself, not to others.

Seeing that, he calmly persuaded him, judging that he might be engaging in self-defense and possibly self-harm.

“You checked the direction of the wooden chopsticks in that situation? You’re amazing. I really didn’t know.”

“Our director is always amazing.”

“You’re saying too much.”

“Too much? This is something to be praised for.”

“I’m embarrassed. Oh! We have quite a few outpatients today, right?”

“It’s not just quite a few; today is a day with a lot of evening appointments and general outpatients.”

“Then let’s do the rounds and start the outpatient clinic right away.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Embarrassed by the praise, Taekyung quickly changed the subject and headed to the ward for rounds.

“Hello, Doctor.”

As he entered the ward, a middle-aged male patient greeted Taekyung as he passed by in the hallway.

“Yes, hello. Are you feeling a little better?”

“I’m fine. I don’t have a stuffy stomach today, and I ate well.”

“Good job. If you have any discomfort, please tell me anytime.”

“Yes, then.”

“Excuse me, patient? Just a moment?”

As the man bowed and tried to go towards the elevator, Taekyung immediately followed him and called out to the patient.

“Yes, Doctor.”

“Patient, do you have anything to say?”

“Anything to say? No. I don’t have anything to say to you in particular.”

“Is that so?”

Taekyung smiled slightly at the patient’s words that he had nothing to say.

“Do you have anything to say to me, Doctor?”

“I don’t, but it seems like our patient does.”

“Me? No… Hahaha!”

The patient, who said no, was slowly backing away with an awkward smile.

“Patient Lee Gwi-nam?”

“…Yes?”

“Why do you keep trying to run away?”

“Me? No. I’m just standing still…”

“Didn’t I tell you not to?”

“Doctor, it’s really not me. I didn’t do it.”

The patient, who understood the missing subject perfectly, waved his hands strongly, denying something.

“Give it to me now while I’m asking nicely.”

“No, I can’t give it to you if I don’t have it. It’s really not me. I don’t know what you keep asking for…”

“Cigarettes.”

“Yes?”

“Give me the cigarettes quickly.”

Taekyung reached out his hand to the man, gesturing for him to hurry up and give them to him.

Lee Gwi-nam, in his mid-50s, was a patient who had undergone cancer surgery a few days ago.

He had come to see a doctor by chance, and Taekyung had sensed the fifth vital sign [an intuitive sense of a patient’s condition], finding stomach cancer through examination.

Fortunately, it was completely in its early stages, so Lee Gwi-nam and his family were very grateful to Taekyung.

From the first time he came to the hospital, he listened well to the medical staff and was a good person with a cool, straightforward personality. But there was only one problem with him: he loved cigarettes very much.

Lee Gwi-nam was a heavy smoker.

“No, Doctor, do you really think I’m going to smoke now? Do you?”