Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 191

Five Vital Signs – Episode 191

Episode 191. 9:00 PM

The after-school test time, hosted by Park Pil-seung, typically features three to four guests who chat and naturally share their stories. The show then involves them solving problems prepared by the production team.

When Tae-kyung agreed to appear on the program, Park Pil-seung quickly arranged for this episode to be a special feature dedicated to Tae-kyung, without any other guests.

Among the segments, the one about the hit-and-run was filmed first.

Since the patient and guardian were ordinary citizens, and there was a chance that Go Gye-deuk might notice, Tae-kyung requested that the hit-and-run segment be filmed first to minimize any potential interference or leaks.

“Oh my! That’s wonderful. That’s really great.”

Lee Soo-jung visited a donut shop to buy snacks for the production team who were filming.

“I feel so good about this.”

The donut shop owner, upon hearing that she would be on TV, was even happier than if it were her own matter.

“Actually, I always thought that appearing on TV might be helpful. It seems like good things are happening because Soo-jung has been working so hard.”

“No, it’s just that I met good people and got this opportunity.”

“But how did you get to be on TV? Did you report it yourself?”

“No. Someone happened to know my situation and helped me.”

Lee Soo-jung answered vaguely, as she couldn’t reveal details about the TV program or Tae-kyung.

“Happened to?”

“Yes.”

“Oh my, I don’t know who it is, but they are truly a grateful person.”

“Yes, they are really appreciated.”

“Here, the donuts are all packed.”

“How much is it?”

“It’s okay.”

When Lee Soo-jung tried to pay, the owner waved her hand.

“It’s a good day today, so let me help Soo-jung with something like this.”

“You’ve already helped me a lot.”

“How much have I helped? And Soo-jung has sold a lot of our shop’s donuts. Let’s do this. Today, I’ll treat the broadcasting station people to donuts, and you can buy them again next time.”

“Yes, I will. Thank you every time. I’ll come again. Sell a lot.”

“Film well and let me know when the broadcast airs.”

Knowing the owner’s sincerity, Lee Soo-jung accepted her kindness and left the store.

“PD-nim [PD-nim is a Korean term for a producer or director], these are donuts. Please share them.”

Lee Soo-jung handed the donuts she brought to Park Pil-seung.

“Thank you. We’ll enjoy them together after filming.”

After that, the filming proceeded smoothly. First, the person who reported Cha Dae-han when he was first found after the hit-and-run accident came to the scene and gave an interview.

“Hello. I understand you were the first to report the victim. Is that correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The man, who had been contacted by the detective in charge of the Cha Dae-han case, readily agreed to appear on the show and even took a half-day off from work to participate in the interview.

“Could you explain the situation at that time?”

“I work for a food company, and I was working overtime to meet the quantities for a home shopping broadcast. That day, I was working late into the night and parked my car in the public parking lot over there, and I was walking from that road towards the crosswalk. Then, I saw someone lying in the middle of the crosswalk.”

The man pointed accurately with his finger.

“It was here. At first, I thought it was just a drunk person who had fallen. But when I got closer, I realized it wasn’t.”

The man said he quickly reported it after discovering Cha Dae-han bleeding from his head and lying on the crosswalk.

“As you can see, this is a new city and a bit remote, so there aren’t any surveillance cameras yet. Because of that, there are quite a few cars that don’t obey traffic signals in the early morning, so as soon as I got close to the person who had fallen, I thought it must have been a hit-and-run.”

“Did you see any vehicles or people around when you reported it?”

“No. I reported it to the police and 119 [Korean emergency call number, similar to 911], and I kept looking around here until people came, but there was nothing.”

After the first reporter’s interview, the detective in charge of the case was preparing for an interview. Lee Soo-jung approached the detective and greeted him.

“Detective, thank you for coming today despite your busy schedule.”

“Don’t mention it. Of course, I had to come.”

The detective had been paying attention to the case since the day of the accident, hoping that the hit-and-run driver would be caught.

Lee Soo-jung was always grateful because the detective was the one who had made flyers at his own expense.

“We’ve been searching the area around the accident site again since last week. If there’s any new information, I’ll let you know right away.”

“Yes, please do.”

“From my experience as a detective, these bad guys always get caught eventually, even if it takes time. So, Hyun-joon’s mother, don’t lose hope and always stay strong.”

“Thank you always.”

“Then, we’ll proceed with the detective’s interview. Just speak naturally.”

“Yes.”

The production team asked questions about the progress of the case and any special details that had been discovered so far, within the scope that could be disclosed on the broadcast, and the detective explained in detail.

“You’ve explained the overall accident so far. Detective, you mentioned to the production team that there was something interesting about the vehicle at the accident site. Could you explain that?”

“Yes. There was more than one vehicle on the road at the time of the accident.”

“Does that mean there was another vehicle besides the one that committed the hit-and-run?”

“That’s right. When I was investigating the scene, I found another set of skid marks near where the victim was lying, besides the skid marks from the suspect’s vehicle.”

Skid marks, also known as tire fingerprints, are the marks left on the road surface when a car brakes suddenly.

“It was found on that road. It appears that the vehicle made a sharp stop immediately after turning right from that road onto the road where the accident occurred.”

“So, the vehicle that stopped on that road could have been a witness to the accident.”

“That’s highly likely.”

“Could it be an accomplice?”

“We can’t completely rule it out. However, there were quite a few cars parked along the road at the time, and the position of the vehicle that stopped on that road was obscured by the parked cars from the location where the accident occurred, so we are leaning more towards it being a witness rather than an accomplice.”

“Thank you for your interview today.”

In fact, the detective didn’t have high expectations that the culprit would be caught dramatically through this interview. Lee Soo-jung felt the same way.

What they both hoped for was to make people aware of this case.

They thought that if it was broadcast on TV, there might be a small clue or a witness to the hit-and-run that day.

“Finally, we will have an interview with the family member of the accident victim.”

Lee Soo-jung’s interview was conducted as a voice-over narration on the accident scene, without her face being shown on the broadcast.

“My husband was a diligent breadwinner who worked as a delivery driver for his family until the accident. But because of the accident, he has been lying in a hospital bed ever since. As a result, a family has fallen apart.

There’s only one thing I want. I hope the hit-and-run driver is caught and pays for their crime. And if anyone witnessed it, please help us.”

After all the filming at the accident site was finished, the production team headed to the broadcasting station to prepare for editing and filming at Woori Hospital.

After Lee Soo-jung, the detective, and the production team all left the scene, there was someone watching them from a short distance away.

The man wearing a hat pulled down low was the man who had been at the donut shop a while ago.

He had come to the donut shop again today, saw Lee Soo-jung, followed her, and ended up seeing the filming site.

“Ha!”

The man, with a worried expression, looked at the flyer in his hand seeking witnesses to the hit-and-run, sighed deeply, got into his car, and left the scene.

* * *

One week later-

Park Pil-seung and the production team filmed at Woori Hospital to avoid inconveniencing the patients, and after overnight editing and post-production work, the broadcast day finally arrived.

“Honey? We have good news.”

Lee Soo-jung, who came to visit as usual, was quietly telling her husband about the broadcast.

“I met a good person, and it seems like other people will be able to see your story. So, I feel good today…….”

It was then, as Lee Soo-jung was holding her husband’s hand tightly, that Go Gye-deuk, wearing an uncharacteristically bright smile, approached and lightly tapped Lee Soo-jung on the shoulder.

Having come down to the trauma intensive care unit to see Lee Soo-jung, he deliberately greeted other guardians before approaching naturally.

“It’s been a while.”

“Yes……. Hello.”

Lee Soo-jung, who had been conveying information about the filming progress as Tae-kyung had instructed, succeeded in completely deceiving Go Gye-deuk.

“How have you been?”

Go Gye-deuk had an unusually welcoming expression on his face today, and there was a good reason for it. He knew that the YouTube video targeting Tae-kyung was scheduled to be uploaded today.

“Yes, I’ve been well.”

“The video is being uploaded today, right?”

When Go Gye-deuk asked in a whisper so that others couldn’t hear, Lee Soo-jung nodded briefly.

“Thank you for your hard work…….”

“What are you doing here?”

Just as Go Gye-deuk was about to say thank you for your hard work regarding the video, Go Si-kyung, Cha Dae-han’s attending physician who had come for rounds, approached and asked cynically.

“Are you not Doctor Go?”

“I didn’t know the director would come to the trauma intensive care unit.”

“Haha! Anyone who hears that would misunderstand. This is where the patients are, so of course, I should come often.”

“Well, I haven’t seen the director here very often.”

“I’m leaving now because I have work to do. Then, I’ll see you later.”

Go Gye-deuk, who didn’t want to talk to the picky Go Si-kyung, who belonged to the opposing faction and not his line, hurriedly left the trauma intensive care unit.

“Seriously, that guy’s curt tone and the way he acts are annoying every time I see him.”

Go Gye-deuk, who left the trauma intensive care unit, headed to the director’s office, badmouthing Go Si-kyung.

‘When the video is uploaded tonight, people will look for the doctor in question, right? Whether it’s true or not, Kim Tae-kyung will eventually fall to the bottom.’

“Director?”

A secretary approached Go Gye-deuk, who was inwardly cheering at the fact that things were going according to his plan.

“You seem to be in a good mood today. Is there something good happening?”

“There is something good. Haha!”

“Ah! A gift has arrived for the director.”

“A gift?”

“Yes. It came by quick service a while ago, and when I asked the delivery driver, he said he didn’t know who sent it. I’ve put it in your office for now.”

“Okay. Get back to work.”

Go Gye-deuk, humming a tune, entered his office and found a small orchid pot and a red card on his desk.

He usually liked orchids quite a bit, so he thought it was a gift from an acquaintance who knew him well.

“It’s late, but congratulations on your reappointment. It’s been a while since I was reappointed……. Well, I should accept it since they’re congratulating me.”

Go Gye-deuk, who saw the phrase written on the pot, opened the accompanying card. And the card briefly stated the following:

-9:00 PM

Even at this point, Go Gye-deuk thought that these numbers were the time the YouTube video would be uploaded and that it was a gift from Lee Soo-jung.

“It’s coming up at 9 o’clock? I should watch it comfortably with a glass of whiskey. Haha!”