Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 173

“Stop staring and hold out your hand.”

“Huh? My hand!?”

“I have a gift for you.”

“A gift? No, it’s okay.”

“This isn’t a gift I give to just anyone… Hold out your hand.”

Hanbit took something out of his pocket and placed it in Lee Donghoon’s hand.

“Here you go!”

“Ah, a four-leaf clover. Are you sharing your luck with me, mister?”

“No. That’s a three-leaf clover.”

It was true. When Lee Donghoon looked again, he saw a three-leaf clover in a flat, transparent case in his hand.

“Three-leaf clovers symbolize happiness. I wanted you to be happy.”

“Did I not look happy?”

“No, you looked really tired and sad. Actually, I was watching you from afar for a while. The spot you were sitting in is where I sit whenever I come for a walk. But you had this expression like you were carrying all the worries in the world, so I watched you for a bit before sitting next to you.”

Hanbit continued, covering the three-leaf clover with Lee Donghoon’s open hand.

“Are you going through something tough?”

“Yeah, a little bit.”

“Then try to find something that makes you happy.”

“Can you find happiness if you look for it?”

“Of course. It’s easier than you think.”

“Really? What made you happy today?”

“Me? I was happy that I only had to take medicine once today, that there was meat for a side dish, and that I wasn’t in pain.”

Lee Donghoon found the child’s idea of happiness, which consisted of such simple everyday things, both pitiful and endearing.

“Happiness doesn’t have to be grand. They say that if you find the small happinesses in front of you, they’ll add up to become big happiness. Look at us now. You and I are out here, looking at the wonderful sky and talking. That’s happiness too. There are patients inside the hospital who can’t even come outside because their immune systems are too weak.”

“Hey, I know that. I’m a doctor, you know.”

“Then you know even better. So, think about happy things instead of hard things.”

“Hanbit, you’re really good with words, aren’t you? Did your brother teach you that?”

“No. Mr. Kim Tae-kyung told me.”

“Who?”

Lee Donghoon asked, hearing the name that suddenly popped out of Hanbit’s mouth.

“Are you talking about Dr. Kim Tae-kyung… Dr. Lee?”

Lee Donghoon wondered if the Tae-kyung the child was talking about was the same Tae-kyung he knew, so he searched for Tae-kyung’s face on his phone and showed it to him.

“Yes, that’s him.”

“Hanbit? You know Dr. Kim Tae-kyung?”

“Yes, he’s the doctor who did my grandma’s appendectomy [surgical removal of the appendix]. I saw him a few times after my grandma’s surgery and we became friends.”

Hanbit knew Tae-kyung purely because of his grandmother.

The grandmother, who had undergone appendectomy, asked Tae-kyung, whom she saw taking good care of the patients, to meet her grandson. Of course, since there was a doctor in charge, it wasn’t a request to do something medically.

It was a request with the hope that the grandson, who had only heard bad things from doctors, could receive a word from a doctor so that he could receive treatment well again.

Even Tae-kyung, who had a strong sense of meddling with patients, had to be careful because there were professors in charge.

He was worried that if he intervened, there might be conflicts between the professors. However, after hearing Hanbit’s story from his grandmother, Tae-kyung met the child discreetly.

The two of them, who met occasionally whenever Tae-kyung had time, became close friends.

“Do you know Tae-kyung, too, Doctor?”

“We’re close friends.”

“Really? That’s amazing. Tae-kyung gave me this three-leaf clover as a gift.”

“Really?”

“Yes, Tae-kyung said that a miracle happened because I live each day bravely and happily.”

“I guess so. Dr. Kim Tae-kyung seems to be right.”

“The nurse said that doctors don’t like the word ‘miracle.’ But the doctor who told me it was hard also said that living like this now is a miracle.”

Hanbit was right.

Doctors don’t like the word ‘miracle,’ they don’t easily say it, and they don’t rashly say it to patients.

Medicine is a field of science that studies, diagnoses, and confirms results. Therefore, doctors do not believe in miracles that cannot be explained and have no basis.

And above all, because they know the great expectations and desperation contained in the two letters of the word miracle, they dare not use it to patients.

“Is your name Lee Donghoon?”

Hanbit, who had been calling him ‘mister’ all along, called out a name he had never told him.

“How did you know my name?”

“It’s written here.”

Hanbit pointed to the business card in his bag.

“I don’t know what’s making you sad, but I hope you cheer up and be happy. You and I both have the gift of tomorrow.”

“Okay, I will.”

“If it’s still hard, then look at the gift I gave you and think of me. Got it?”

“Ha…”

Lee Donghoon, who had been listening to Hanbit, suddenly burst into tears. And soon, he covered his face with both hands and cried. Then, a small hand stroked his trembling shoulder.

Lee Donghoon, who received unexpected comfort from a mere elementary school child, couldn’t say anything for a while because of the pouring tears.

He also felt guilty for being comforted by a child who was overcoming a difficult illness with his small body.

“Thank you… Thank you so much.”

Lee Donghoon hugged the child tightly. On the surface, it looked like Lee Donghoon was hugging him, but in fact, the child’s heart was hugging Lee Donghoon’s heart.

The warm heart of the angelic Hanbit melted away the anxiety and fear in Lee Donghoon’s heart.

“Are you okay, mister?”

“A man shouldn’t cry, but I’m ashamed that I’m crying in front of Hanbit at my age.”

“My dad says it’s okay for men to cry when they’re having a hard time. And I’ll keep it a secret, so don’t be embarrassed.”

“Then you have to keep the secret.”

“Of course.”

“Hanbit?”

While the two were talking and laughing, Hanbit’s grandmother came running from over there.

“Oh my, our wonderful puppy is here again.”

“Grandma!”

Hanbit ran into her grandmother’s arms. Unlike her earlier mature appearance, she was just like a child.

“When did you come out?”

“Grandma was in the bathroom for too long, so I came out first.”

“You should have told me. Grandma was surprised.”

“I’m sorry.”

“What were you doing?”

“I was talking to the mister.”

“Hello.”

Lee Donghoon, who was next to her, got up from his seat and greeted her when he met her eyes.

“Ah, yes, but who are you…”

“I’m the doctor who anesthetized you during your surgery.”

“I see. Thank you for doing a good job on our puppy’s surgery.”

“You’re welcome. But Hanbit is very smart and very mature.”

“She became mature early because she was sick. You don’t know how full of thoughts this little one is.”

“Yes, I think so too.”

“Grandma, let’s go in quickly. I have to see the amazing apartment.”

“Okay, I understand. You have to say goodbye to the doctor.”

“Hanbit, goodbye! Stay strong and healthy.”

“Yes, you too, mister. Goodbye.”

Hanbit waved her hand vigorously and entered the children’s hospital building.

Watching her, Lee Donghoon also waved his hand vigorously. He was so grateful to Hanbit, who had rebuilt his collapsing sky.

Lee Donghoon sat on the bench for a while until the lingering feelings in his heart subsided.

Rrrrrrrrrrr

Lee Donghoon, who was replaying the conversation he had with the child, came to his senses at the sound of his cell phone ringing in his bag.

“Oh, Director Kim.”

The caller, who he thought was his wife, was Tae-kyung.

-Why did you just leave, sunbae [term of respect for a senior colleague or mentor]?

“Did the surgery go well?”

-It ended a while ago, but I was busy seeing patients, so I just had time now. You should have waited for me.

“I was sorry to bother you when you’re already busy.”

-I had something to tell you, sunbae.

“Something to say? What is it?”

-It’s not urgent, but it’s not something I can say over the phone. I’ll tell you next time.

“Then I’ll go now.”

-Yes? Now? You were discharged today, why bother. Come next time.

“No. I have something to say to our director too. I’ll be right there.”

Lee Donghoon, who was planning to go to the hospital tomorrow to meet Tae-kyung anyway, hung up the phone and headed straight to the hospital.

* * *

Lee Donghoon, who arrived at the hospital, had been waiting for almost an hour.

“You may have to wait a little longer, are you okay?”

“I have a lot of time, so I’m okay.”

Since he wasn’t seeing a doctor, the patients’ order had to be prioritized.

“Doctor, you can go in now.”

“Is it my turn already?”

“Yes, please come in.”

“Thank you.”

Click-

“You’ve been waiting a long time, right? This is when patients are crowded. Please sit down.”

“Of course, patients come first. I didn’t wait long, so don’t worry about it.”

“But did you go to the mart [supermarket]?”

Tae-kyung asked, looking at the large bag with the mart’s name written on it.

“Ah! This? I’m on my way back from resigning from Shinhwa University Hospital.”

“Are you okay?”

“I feel so relieved that I’m fine. I told Mr. Go to live right as I was leaving.”

“Mr. Go as in Director Go Gye-deuk?”

“Director my foot. He’s not my boss anymore.”

“You did a good job. By the way, you must be tired, what’s so urgent that you came all the way to the hospital. You should go home and rest.”

“Tae-kyung?”

“Yes, sunbae.”

“While I was being operated on and hospitalized, I think I was so caught up in my illness that I forgot something important.”

Lee Donghoon continued with a much more relaxed face.

“I never properly thanked you for taking care of me day and night… Nothing changes by being so depressed and anxious. So I thought about it carefully, and I decided to think positively from now on and work hard to receive treatment as our director tells me to.”

It was not a big deal, but it was quite an important story for Lee Donghoon, who had a change of heart. So he wanted to tell Tae-kyung, his attending physician, about his decision today.

“They say it all depends on how you feel. I’ve decided to only have good thoughts. Dr. Kim, please take care of me in the future.”

It is more important and a good change for a patient about to undergo chemotherapy to recover his mentality. That’s why Tae-kyung continued to support Lee Donghoon’s heart from the side.

This positive attitude was what Tae-kyung wanted and was good.

It seemed like he had returned to the original infinitely positive man, Lee Donghoon. But it was amazing how the atmosphere seemed to change so suddenly in half a day, like flipping a pancake.

“I have to live each day gratefully as a gift. Isn’t that right? Hahaha!”

“Sunbae…”

“Huh?”

“You didn’t drink, did you?”

Eventually, Tae-kyung joked about whether Lee Donghoon had a drink.

“Of course not. I’m a patient. It’s not that, but a brave friend I met by chance told me to live happily and positively. So I changed my mind to live that way.”

“Really? You thought well. I’m grateful to whoever that friend is.”

“I think so too. But you know, Director Kim, I have to work. Later, I have to marry off our children, and I want to keep working. Can I work while doing chemotherapy?”

“You can work, but adjustments are needed depending on your condition, sunbae.”

“I’m a job seeker now. It feels strange to be looking for a job again at the age of fifty. Oh, right! Didn’t you say you had something to tell me?”

Lee Donghoon remembered that Tae-kyung had something to say after talking for a while.

“I was going to introduce you to a job.”

“A job… Don’t tell me! Are you going to introduce me to a hospital?”

“Yes, someone wants to scout you, sunbae.”

“S, a scout offer? To me?”

Lee Donghoon, surprised by the sound, widened his eyes and asked back.